Smooch's reviews

We used DeVries based on the recommendation of my husband's brother-in-law. We were very happy with that choice.
My husband got my engagement ring through them and did a great job picking it out (I'm still not allowed to know what that one cost).
For our wedding rings, we went together to pick out what we wanted ... I did not like the band that matched my engagement ring, so they helped me pick out a ring that I like.
My husband wanted to use his grandfather's ring and incorporate it into a new ring that would allow us to have the old / new together. DeVries did an awesome job in helping us design this and make the ring just as we were thinking.

My husband and I decided on a DJ rather than a band for the wedding.
We booked with Extreme DJs, LLC about 6 months before the wedding. They sent us a large packet of information including a form that we needed to complete and send back to them on songs, wedding party information, etc.
My husband confirmed with them the week of the wedding to ensure that they were still planning on the date. They were.
When we got to the reception, the DJ was there running the pre-dinner music based on our requests. He did a good job with what we had requested and ran the reception information just fine.

As part of my "thank you" to the women in my wedding, I arranged to pay for all of their hair, make up, and mani/pedis on the day of the wedding.
I started working with my stylist for color, cuts, facials, etc. in the late summer (our wedding was at Christmas) for me. About 3 months before the wedding, I met with the salon manager and set up the appointments for my mom and the rest of the wedding party. We talked about each woman and what they would need (i.e. type of hair, coloring, etc). She helped match up each woman with the right stylist for her.
The day of the wedding, we got to the salon and everything went smoothely ... even for the girl who was a few minutes late. They catered to us and made us feel like we were the most important ones in the building.
Each stylist was good at listening and determining the right style and make up for each woman.

My husband and I got engaged 15 months before our wedding. For about 3 months, we researched different reception locations and catering options before we decided on the Brann's Catering & Conference facility.
We were able to go into the facility a couple of times before the wedding to check out how other weddings were setting up the facility for use. That was very helpful in deciding decoration and layout, etc.
Brann's does a "food tasting" event at different times during the year so that you know what the different options are. Some of them are also served at the restaurant, but not all. We missed the event prior to our wedding due to a work conflict and horrendous weather. So, they were very gracious in setting up a private tasting for the specific foods we were looking at.
The food was great and the prices were well in line with what we were looking for. One thing about using the Brann's facility, you have to use their bartending and alcohol. All in all, that was even reasonably priced.
The day of the wedding, they allowed our decorator in early to do the set up. She said that all of the staff was friendly and professional.
At the reception, all went well and there were no worries.

I found Kustom Veils & Kim DeHaan based on the recommendation of 2 co-workers who had used her services. She is located in Jenison and for me that was great b/c I live in Jenison.
She did a great job on the alterations on my dress and the cost was so much less than what I had budgeted. I even had her alter 2 of my bridesmaid's dresses. They were very happy with her.
I brought my mom to see her when I did the last fitting and she ended up having her outfit altered by her as well.
Kim was very friendly and professional, as well as timely in getting all of the alterations completed in time for the wedding.

We found Designing Dreams at the Bridal Show at the Devos Center. What first impressed me about them was that she took the time to talk with me that night. All of the other companies that were there were just handing out cards and didn't seem interested in me or my wedding.
When I set up the appointment to meet at the store a few weeks later, I saw that same level of attention. We talked about what I was looking for and looked at some books to get an idea of flowers and set up. I got a quote from them a couple of days later and was amazed that the cost wasn't nearly as much as I had thought (and had budgeted). I was even able to add slightly more to my flower / decor budget because of it.
Also, Designing Dreams was great because they offer not just the flowers / decor, but invitations and tuxes. We did the whole package and got discounts on the flowers and invitations. It was also good to have it all in one place instead of dealing with multiple vendors (especially since I did my own wedding planning).

Candlelight Cakes is the bakery / cake arm of Noel's Restaurant. We had come across their cakes at other weddings we had been to in the year prior to our wedding and liked the look, as well as the taste of the cake.
We did go to the restaurant and taste the different cake offerings to decide the way we wanted to go. It was a tough decision because all of the cakes were so good. Once that was out of the way, we had to choose the design. They have samples of what has been done in the past, but are also open to designs that you like. I wanted simple for the decorations, so I chose a couple of designs that I liked and asked them to combine different aspects.
The great thing about Candlelight Cakes is that I didn't have to be concerned the day of the wedding that they would be there on time, etc. She told me the time she would head out to the reception area and when we arrived, everything was set up and was just as we had imagined.
The cake was so good that we didn't freeze the top layer for our 1st anniversary, but ate it when we got back from our honeymoon!

We chose Witte Travel to make our honeymoon arrangements because I had previous experience with them from work.
Antonia, our travel agent, was great to work with. My husband told her what we were thinking for the honeymoon and she provided 3 or 4 good options for us to review and determine where we wanted to go. Since she had visited most of the places, she was able to give us a first hand experience of the amenities at the different resorts.
She was great with us in planning and advising along the way. The week before the honeymoon, she followed up with providing all the details and information to make sure we were prepared for the trip.
*Note* I have recommended Witte & Antonia to other friends planning vacations and they have also had great experiences.

Since our wedding was the weekend before Christmas, it was great to have our rehearsal dinner at Noel's in Jamestown. Their "themed" decor of Christmas all year round fit the feeling of our wedding.
We chose the option of food being served family style for our party. No one left hungry and we all had a great opportunity to spend time together and "pre" celebrate our wedding.

He was awesome.
We met with him and reviewed other weddings he had covered. We did our Engagement pictures and it was $100 sitting fee + $120 or so for the photos we purchased.
The day of the wedding, he gave us around 10 hours from pre-wedding through reception for $1,000 and took over 900 photos.
His easy personality got all those who were being photographed relaxed and we got a great selection of posed photos, as well as candid photos for our memories.