Rippie's reviews

We had our Rehearsal and Dinner on Thursday so everyone could have all day Friday to relax. This worked out great. People came into town earlier and we were actually able to spend more time with them. I was also able to get all of the flowers done on Friday and have a day with my friends. I am so sad I was sick for the dinner. I love Mexican food and was really looking forward to a good party. We booked the patio at the new location and had plenty of room. They were super accomodating and let my MIL bring in decor and a cake. The service was great, they brought me Sprite and let me eat saltines for dinner. Everyone had a blast.

Absolutely gorgeous! We booked the FireSide Loft, their largest room, so the girls and I could all get dressed there. It was huge and gorgeous and I can't wait to stay there next year for our anniversary. They let the bridal party check in early so we could get ready. The space was large with lots of natural light which made for gorgeous photos. When we returned we used the hot tub on the deck which was so nice to relax in after the day was over. The room was gorgeous and the bed was set up with a little card and cookies for a snack after our reception. Breakfast was amazing, everything tasted great and the staff was very welcoming the next morning.

Our cakes were gorgeous! We met with Kelley in January for our October wedding and didn't talk much after booking. I emailed her our cake flavors a few weeks before. I had planned on making a cake stand the week of the wedding but I was too sick so my Husband called her on Thursday before the wedding to let her know I couldn't do it. She called the caterer and between them they worked it all out and I didn't have to be involved. I left flowers for her to decorate the cake with and she did and amazing job. It was so pretty. Everything we had asked for and it tasted great (according to the guests). We had asked for enough cake to feed 100 people and I think we could have fed 200. The entire Groom's cake and top layer of the wedding cake are in our freezer.

We booked The Food Guy based on great reviews and we weren't dissapointed. Our tasting was great and Karen was willing to change the menu to suit our likes and dislikes. We had a family style Italian meal with Ceasar salad, chicken marsala, fusili pasta and bolegnaise, grilled asparagus and assorted breads. Their price was great and fell in our budget so we booked pretty much on the spot. Since thier prices were so reasonable we were able to upgrade to the Damask Linens. *If you can swing it, upgrade your linens. They add depth and interest to your table and the centerpieces don't have to be as elaborate. Also, avoid white linens, especially if your room has white walls and ceilings.*

My favorite thing about the Food Guy is their willingness to set it all up. We were required to rent chairs for the ceremony and she took care of those rentals, the delivery and making sure they were set up. I also did all of the florals and decor myself so on the day of my Dad delivered everything and they set it up. *If you do this, leave detailed notes in your boxes with pictures, that information is invaluble to the staff and they will thank you for it* When I walked in the dining room it took my breath away. They were able to execute every detail I had thrown at them. The tables were gorgeous.

Staff: I have been a server for many years so my rating on them is the highest I can possibly give. The staff at our wedding was absolutely FABULOUS! My first interaction with them was when the girls arrived on site. One of the servers ran out to our car to tell me not to get out yet because they were in the process of moving the Groom to where he couldn't see me. Above and beyond what most staff would ever do. While I was waiting to walk down the aisle another server stood outside and told me when it was "safe" to come out and start my walk. He was so sweet. As soon as the ceremony was over and cocktail hour started they made sure I was the first to taste the passsed apps. Unfortunately I had the stomach flu so I didn't eat much, but they were good! The rest of the reception was great, they were always filling wine and checked with me before doing anything.

My Husband is 50% Irish so having a bagpiper had to fit into our small budget. Luckily we found Michael. He fit in our price range and was familiar with the venue so we booked him almost instantly. I wasn't around to hear much of his music other than walking down the aisle and cocktail hour, but what I did hear was amazing. The guests loved him. He played before the ceremony, our processional, a song during the ring blessing, the recessional and through the cocktail hour. He also included a mic for the officiant and speakers for the ceremony so the guests could hear without us having to scream. One of my favorite moments of the day was walking back down the aisle, married and seeing him with tears in his eyes playing for us.

This is an interesting one to critique. I knew I wanted a DVD of our ceremony but also knew it wasn't necessarily something that fit in the budget. I stumbled on A Solid Gold Sound and pretty much booked them based on price. We didn't want anything fancy, just audio and visual shots of our ceremony. The videographer called a few days before and told me that he would be standing directly behind our Officiant to get "the best shot". I had to argue with him to move. I just didn't want a camera in all of our pictures. He said I was ruining his shot and that he wouldn't be held accountable if I wasn't happy since he couldn't stand where he wanted to. Looking back at where I asked him to stand, we might end up with a very onesided view since he basically had the camera pointed at my face the entire ceremony. We have not received our DVD due to some illnesses within their company. The follow up has been ok though I was told that I should not contact them, they would be calling me when the DVD is complete.

Because we were on such a budget and photography was so important to us, I researched many photographers. I am so glad we booked her! I love her style and honestly she could charge thousands more for her talent. When we met I knew she was perfect, such a sweetheart :). Sara called a few days before the wedding to check in and said "if you need anything, even if you want me to stop at Starbucks on my way up, just call". (I am addicted to Starbucks) The day of we were running a little late so we called to let her know. Originally her Husband was supposed to be the double shooter but thier schedule was a little messed up and he was unable to make it. She was so apologetic and promised she would get every shot. I didn't doubt it at any point. My guests let me know that she was everywhere and they couldn't figure out how she moved so fast.

My Husband and I wanted pictures on the overpass a mile down the road and when we canceled our limo we weren't sure how we were going to get there. We ended up loading in her car and taking off for the sunset. When we got to the bridge she was in the middle of the highway taking shots and stopping traffic. It was so fun. She also got down in the grass and walked down the dirt path to get the shots we wanted.

Sandy was a perfect Officiant, she is my aunt so this review may be a bit biased. Sandy let us write the majority of the ceremony ourselves and respected that we didn’t want to have any religious elements. We gave her a basic outline of what we absolutely wanted to have included and left the rest up to her. We met one time for a few hours and she asked questions about the two of us growing up, our expectations of marriage, what our first impression were etc. She took our answers and weaved them into one of the most spectacular ceremonies I have ever heard. Our guests were floored and I still receive compliments about how different and refreshing our ceremony was. I even received a thank you card from a guest because she and her husband both realized whey they had been married so many years ago.

They since have new staff and would have a better rating

Review: This is a tough one to review. Based on looks alone I would give it the highest possible rating, but booking and communication with the coordinator was not easy. We booked the Lodge a year out after falling in love with another location and realizing it was out of our price range. Chief Hosa has a mountain feel for less than half the price of similar venues. It is also set up so you can use the patio as a ceremony space and the Lodge for the reception. If we would have run into rain, there is an adorable Chapel room that would have worked for a backup. We were able to book the lodge from noon until 10pm on our wedding day which worked out great. *If you do book, they don't' allow their chairs to be used outside so plan on extra $$ for rentals*

Our payment plan was easy but a week before Christmas last year, the City and County of Denver called and said we owed full payment. This wasn't in our contract and I had a huge moral issue with them breaking our contract and doing it a week before Christmas. After a series of nasty emails and long phone calls the City and County finally called back and said they were wrong, in fact, the full payment wasn't due until April. It was a battle I shouldn't have had to fight.

Another problem I had was trying to get a hold of the coordinators. When we booked we talked with one woman who then left and we worked with another. A month before the wedding we were given another who showed up an hour late to our walk through with the caterer (in her defense she is managing all the properties). In the end it all worked out but we had to stay on top of them.

I have been going to Brandi for years! I was so excited to have her do my hair as was she since almost the entire bridal party goes to her as well. Tapestry has a great little room that we were able to hang out in while we all had our hair done. We had mimosas and brunch and relaxed all morning. Brandi did a great job on all of us, even when I decided to change plans on the day of. My hair stayed all day and I had so many compliments. Brandi is a master colorist so she had done highlights a few weeks before. They were gorgeous! Honestly I can't rave enough about her and her work!!!