alysmori's reviews

The Mens Wearhouse provides a pretty standard selection of tuxs. It's a pretty no fuss kind of deal which is probably good for grooms who become easily overwhelmed with an overabundance of options to choose from. They provide package deals and make it convenient to pick-up and drop-off at any one of their locations.

We didn't have a choice in terms of caterers since the Grand happened to be the sole caterers for our particular venue. Our taste testing went well as they provided us with numerous menu options to choose from. However, on the day of our wedding, the caterers somehow forgot to serve us (the bridal couple) dinner the entire night. In addition, the serving staff appeared young, loud and overall unprofessional. Perhaps their only redeeming quality is that they are relatively cheap - I guess we got what we paid for.

Initially, we did not even consider having a videographer but are extremely happy we did. Our videographer James from DJ Brothers was unobtrusive during the ceremony and reception, although he was able to capture the essence of the wedding day in a 1 & 1/2 hr dvd. The dvd is beautifully edited and I still cry every time I watch it.

I wanted to wear a Japanese kimono for the ceremony portion of my wedding and there are only a handful of shops in California that carry such attire. The woman who owns the shop is a little off but her kimonos are far superior to the other stores we visited. She outfitted my entire bridal party (including my ring bearer and flower girl) - although a bit pricey in the end we figured it was well worth the extra money spent.

Rossmoors Bakery in Chapel Hill was the preferred vendor for our particular venue. Their designs are innovative, they have numerous flavor selections to choose from, and the staff are all very friendly and helpful. The only downside is your cake testing appointment has to be made at least 2 weeks in advance and weekend appointments are especially difficult to get.

Susie Taylor is a full time elementary school teacher in the OC who runs a small, floral arrangement service out of her house on weekends, primarily during the summer. First off, she's incredibly inexpensive for the amazing work that she creates. Her floral arrangements were better than any overpriced florist we had previewed. I was able to give her some ideas and she expanded upon them to create the most beautiful, fresh and creative floral arrangements. The venue coordinator even raved about her decor, stating that they were the best she has ever seen at our particular venue. I would HIGHLY recommend Susie Taylor to anyone looking for an inexpensive and creative florist.

We hired Rev. Paul Ystebo after meeting with him and his wife at a local starbucks. He is incredibly personable, warm, and really puts forth the effort to get to know the wedding couple before the big day. He offers 3 free marital counseling sessions and insists upon attending the dress rehearsal free of charge. He really personalized our ceremony and made us as well as all of our guests feel comfortable. I would HIGHLY recommend Rev. Paul Ystebo.

We hired atmosphere entertainment after meeting with our dj and liking the pitch/tone of his voice and overall professionalism he appeared to exude. However, he was difficult to get in contact with as he did not feel a face to face meeting was necessary prior to the wedding. Thus, the day of the wedding he pronounced several names of my bridal party wrong (including my maiden last name), he left out important parts (a donation of the bouquet to the oldest married couple/my grandparents in lieu of the traditional bridal toss), and he appeared more interested in receiving a tip than performing at the wedding. Would definitely NOT recommend this vendor.

We hired Yoko Awaya to play her koto (Japanese harp) for our wedding at the LB Japanese Garden and I can honestly say that was the best $300 spent. She's very versatile, as she was able to incorporate Japanese as well as traditional American wedding songs, requiring very little direction. We received many compliments from our guests since many have never heard the koto and were amazed at how beautiful and powerful it sounded in the garden. On a personal note, Yoko is a very sweet lady, she was punctual at the wedding, and overall really easy to work with.

I would definitely recommend Kelly Zhang and her team. I went to her house to do the trial run which was great - she was very meticulous, spending much time and really incorporating the ideas I had to give me a beautiful wedding day look. The day of my wedding, she arrived early and finished ahead of schedule, providing great looks for all the girls in my wedding party. Her calm, easy-going personality was a refreshing way to start my big day.