MmeKim's reviews

Second Update! (11/01/09)
Got this from her website, which is back up:

IN COLORADO: 720-235-2939

IN CALIFORNIA: 310-751-6018


feltnerphoto@yahoo.com


Update!!!!! (9/7/09)
I've had quite a few people message me to ask if I know of contact info for Susan. All I know is that she moved to Colorado. She told me this while she was very emotional on the phone with me. Luckily I paid attention, because I was able to find the following information. Please let me know if it is correct and if you get anywhere.

Picture Perfect Photography
Susan Flewelling
15856 E Kepner Dr
Aurora CO 80017
720-748-0899
http://www.meetup.com/members/9583366/

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I can't believe I didn't review this vendor!

I had a horrific time with Susan and it's a shame because she really is an excellent photographer. But, the thing is, I was so irrate at her customer service that I ended up not even ordering an album from her in the end.

She had a personal crisis last summer (hey, it happens to the best of us) and I was really understanding. I gave her time to pack and move and followed up with her once she was settled. I even went so far to give her a little bit of personal advice and some inspirational-type talks to lift her spirits. I know how hard a personal crisis can be. BUT, and this is the big but, she is running a business. As heartless as this sounds, when it comes to business, you have to put your personal feelings aside and get the job done. She certainly wasn't accepting any new business after she moved, so she had time to finish up her old clients' work. Also, crisis or not, there is a point where you need to let your clients know that something has happened and you are behind. Just a simple "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I have had a major family emergency and will be with your shortly." And then you offer a discount. Geez Louise! This is common sense if you don't want to put a permanent X on your name in business.

I had to track her down, call her repeatedly, email her repeatedly, and it still took months to even get my pictures on a CD. I think she has some serious apologizing and discounting to do if she ever wants to get back in business and, as I said, it's a shame because she really is talented.

I think Natalie is one of the most talented make-up artists I've ever seen in action. I have less than perfect skin and she made me look absolutely flawless. I'm pale and she made me look appropriately sun-kissed (NOT bronze. Yuck!). She also made my skin look flawless which is so difficult (I have moderate acne and no undertones to speak of. So finding a good match that can cover is usually my own personal version of hell).

To top it off, she really listened to what each girl wanted in respect to their hair and make-up and everyone looked fantastic.

I'd recommend Natalie to anyone in a heartbeat. It doesn't hurt that she has the cutest house ever so doing a trial run is so much fun!

Love Props. Loved our DJ. But more than anything, I loved loved loved our lighting. We had our vow renewal at the Muckenthaler Mansion and as beautiful as it was, I knew that lighting would really "make" the place. I spent a little extra, but still not a lot, and was thrilled with the outcome. We got a DJ for 5 hours (ceremony and reception) and he was able to get any song we wanted (the joys of the internet). He didn't even blink an eye when I told him that the song I wanted for the ceremony was Chopin Mazurka in A Minor Opus 67 Number 4. He got it so fast you'd swear I asked for the Wedding March. We opted for all up-lighting. We had red in the dance area as our colors were deep wine-red and chocolate brown. In the dining area, we did a soft amber, and for the buffet we did an icy blue/white. They were great with their suggestions, even coming to the venue and figuring out how I could get the most impact with the lighting in my limited budget. And the crowd was on the floor all night long. Even my husbands grandma hanbok (traditional Korean dress) was shakin' it like there was no tomorrow. Props is definitely a winner!

I love the Muckenthaler Mansion so much. I need to post pictures. The thing I love about the Muckenthaler Mansion is that it's so unassuming. In the middle of Fullerton, it doesn't offer an ocean view or a hotel feel, so a lot of people probably pass it by. Imagine my shock when I found an art gallery within a good budget. The fact that it used to be a private residence makes it feel opulent. The dark hard wood floors, gorgeous chandeliers, spacious bridal suite, architectural accents (like mosaic tiles on the round foyer where drinks were served throughout the night), and the wide open spaces make this place wonderful. We had an outdoor ceremont that was simple and private, cocktails on the patio which worked well because the servers were close to where we were taking pictures to give us some appetizers, and dinner indoors in the gallery. I got rave reviews from people on everything from the venue itself to the food that their contracted caterers (Colette's) do. The best part about Muckenthaler is that you can make it look so much more expensive than it actually is. We paid roughly $100 per person but this included food, beverages (wine, beer, and a speciality cocktail with vodka), rentals, set up fees, etc. It was a fantastic deal and was absolutely beautiful!

Gotta give these people 4 stars! They mailed me swatches the day I asked for them. That was good point #1. I ordered an extra-fullness two layer elbow length veil in light ivory. It was perfect. But, beware. Extra fullness really does mean extra fullness, so if you aren't looking for pouf, don't click on extra fullness. It was perfect for what I was looking for though :-)

I think Kimberlee is great and did a great job on our engagment session. We weren't able to book her for our wedding due to cost (things changed along the way), but we were really happy with our results. The only caveat is that we had a really hard time getting our prints and they were delayed quite a bit. She said they were on the fed-ex truck, then they weren't, then they were. I'm sure it wasn't her fault, but I felt like I had to get a little pushy to get my prints, honestly. She was great the day-of, but I felt that she was much more accomodating when were using her for the wedding and not just the engagement session. I understand it's business and I'm sure she was disappointed that we weren't using her for the wedding, but we cancelled a year in advance and I'm sure, as talented as she is, she found someone else to book. I don't know. I went from feeling special to feeling like "just another customer." Don't get me wrong, she's incredibly talented and wonderful and sweet, but things just got a little sour at the end with getting my prints and having to email constantly. I'm sure it was a fluke experience though, so please don't hold it against her. I just wanted to be honest with my experience. I hope this doesn't sound terrible. :-/

UPDATE:
Jaclyne by far exceeded my expectations. The flowers were absolutely beautiful. My bouquet was full, the girls ones were gorgeous and even the bouts on the guys were perfect and held up all night. The centerpieces were gorgeous (the tall ones and the short ones with all white flowers and lighting are mine). But, the best thing that she did was this. In the middle of putting the organza out on the ceremony, it didn't quite look right. She came and asked me to look and we made the decision to nix it. I was so happy because I'm big on details and I didn't want to think while walking up the aisle (and yes I'm anal enough to think this), "What the heck is with the organza? It doesn't look like I thought it would?"). The fact that she "got" what I was envisioning was one thing, but the fact that she was humble enough to not make the decision for me was something that I am so grateful for. I had numerous people comment that I must have had a ridiculous floral bill. I just smiled and said thank you. I stand firm my my preliminary review below. She's one grade-A vendor.

preliminary:
I wanted to write this for people who have a budget and are looking for a florist. I booked her yesterday and she is fantastic. She (Jaclyne) was able to get the florals down to my budget of $2,000 with no problem and without sacrificing my overall look. A few of the florists I spoke to tried to give me an all roses celebration for my budget and said that I wouldn't be able to get peonies, hydrangea or anything "higher end" if I didn't budge a lil. She took my vision and made it happen within my budget, which I thought was more than awesome. Her gallery on-site is great and she works out of this little craftsman store-front that is super beautiful and organized (though she is renovating a lil' right now for spring). I will write a new review after the event, but I just wanted to give her kudos for being so accomodating and not scoffing at my budget and time restraints (I booked her 8 weeks out from the wedding). Please give her a shot. I think she's pretty booked, but you never can tell. :-)

I bought all of my supplies for my invitations at Paper Source and they were very helpful. They even helped me to coordinate colors and didn't mind that I was basically trying to knock-off their examples (because I couldn't afford to pay for them to letterpress them). I also ordered the remaining components online (half-moon enclosures in chocolate they didn't carry in the store). I loved the service I got from the store and my order from online shipped super quickly too. Everyone raved about the invites.

I used: half-moon enclosures (chocolate brown); white invitations (the ones that fit into the enclosures); white 4-bar folded cards for RSVPS; white 4-bar flat cards for information cards (for our website, directions, timeline, etc), and 4-bar envelopes for the RSVP's in starset mars. Yummy!

So far so great with this vendor! I love everything about Colette's. From their food to their service. We are renewing our vows on May 31st, so i'll write more afterwards, but this vendor definitely gets a preliminary A+++ We are vegetarians and they were able to make delicious non-run-of-the-mill dishes for us during our taste testing. They even made me love portabello mushrooms (which I usually hate hate hate!). But stuffed with red peppers and onions, gorgonzola and a sweet bbq sauce, it was to die for! They bread their eggplant parm in a japanese breading that is really delicious. their cake was fantastic too. I was sad that my coordinator, Gina, left due to a personal circumstance (not related to the business), but I am incredibly impressed by their handling of our event and how quickly my new coordinator got a hold of me. I'm sad to see Gina go though because she was absolutely fantastic at her job! All in all, I'm very happy with their service and food. Their chef is great and the cake is awesome too. A+++

edited:

Sadly I have to update my review. And I really am sad about it. You can read my original review below. As the original review says, I had a fantastic experience trying on dresses. Picking up and paying for my dress was another story. They gave me a gorgeous large room to try my dress on (I had an appointment) and I decided to have my Mom look at mother of the bride dresses at the same time, since we had such a large room. I'm meticulous with things I spend a lot of money on, so I spent some time making sure the beading was good, no frayed hems or seams, no stains, etc. checking the zipper and all. i must have had someone come in at least 5 times to see if i "needed help." At last I told them that I was fine, but just needed to make sure everything was ok before i gave them the final payment. I asked an associate if I could see a bridesmaid dress because i wanted to give them more business and wanted to order four of them from them instead of online. she never got back to me. They had the nerve to say "we're busy. I can't" when I politelly asked again. EXCUSE ME?! You're WHAT?! Not to be a bridezilla, but I specifically mentioned that I was there to pick up my dress and wanted to place another order. This equals money in their pocket, so why the freaking attitude?? Not even a "we're so swamped, but give me a few minutes and i'll see what i can do." I was really disgusted when I was told that, on the last knock of the wall outside my room, "We are really busy and we need your room." Then I heard them saying that they don't have enough rooms today and a woman even came in and told me that "they are double booked and there are other brides who need your room." 30 minutes at the most I was in there! I'm generally very laid back but was appalled. I spent nearly $2,000 and I've been in the room for less than 30 minutes and you're dying to kick me out? It's not my fault you over booked yourselves. And I told them so. Seriously, etiquette people. This is a very expensive purchase. Excuse me for making an appointment and looking over the dress. When I left the room they were all staring and immediately went it to prep it for someone else. I said outloud, "yes you can have your beloved room now. i'm finished." They then had the nerve to ask me when i'd be back in for alterations. I signed the bill and said "never." So disappointed!

Old review:
I had the most fantastic experience at Lili trying on dresses. I will write a more detailed review of the whole experience later after my alterations and such, but for those of you looking to try things on, go to Lili. The key is to go right as they are opening. I went at 10 a.m. sharp (had an appointment) on a Saturday. Most brides want to go around noon, so for the first hour and a half, I had their undivided attention. I worked with Maria and she is fantastic! I told her that I wanted to spend $1,000 or less but that I'd be willing to go up to $2,000 if I just couldn't part with a dress. I tried on a ton and if I like a particular fit, she would immediately run out to the floor and grab another that was the same style for me to try on. :-) She was so good at finding something that fit and flattered my odd body-type (large bust, broad back and shoulder, a thick but well defined waist and absolutely no hips to speak of! i'm like an upside-down triangle argh!). I picked an awesome dress and couldn't be happier with it. And she helped me out with the price quite a bit too because she knew I had a budget. Fantastic experience. Not snotty, not pretentious. Made me feel special and beautiful. highly recommended.