After reading so many great things on posts and the reviews, I contracted w/Vivian and All Made Up team. Vivian wasn't available for my date so I had Thuy instead. I had some reservations about this, however after my trial they all went away!!
Thuy was amazing! I came into my trial w/a couple of photos and she really went the extra mile to make sure I was happy with the outcome and I was. A couple days before my wedding, I started having second thoughts about my do. I got online and printed out completely different samples to show Thuy on the day of. I'm so glad I did so and Thuy was more than accommodating to the change and really worked to perfection! I received so many complements on my hair and makeup even from non-guests! She also brought a couple of other stylists from the team who my bms were very happy with.
In addition to my gorgeous coif, Thuy is the professional when it comes to eyebrow design. I didn't know how much of an effect perfect eyebrows can have until Thuy was finished with mine!
The only drawback was probably the last hour of my reception, when one of my eyelashes started to come off, I ended up just pulling both of them and calling it a day.

At the very last minute, I was able to book Susie (based on the recs of PW) for my wedding. Fortunately she was able to accommodate me and my bridesmaids 75 minutes out of town at literally the break of dawn. Since we did not have a trial run nor spoke on the phone, I met Susie and her team for the first time that morning. They got to our hotel in a punctual manner and quickly started setting up their workspaces. Susie and her team were very friendly and worked diligently. If I wanted to change something, she willingly obliged. We were able to achieve the look I wanted for myself, my bridesmaids and flower girls. Susie's work is excellent for her affordable price. The only thing I noticed was that my already oily face became more oily as the day went on which I didn't expect but I had blotting papers so it was alright. This could've probably been prevented with a trial run. Either way, if your a bride with a budget, check Susie and her team out.

Not only does Caroline do the most amazing simple yet creative work with her ring bowls, but her customer service is over the top! I purchased our ceramic ring bowl through etsy which asks to provide the inscription piece in the notes. I received the bowl within the time frame mentioned but was disappointed b/c it had some errors on the inscription.
I had e-mailed Caroline and she responded promptly with the concern and attentiveness that us brides need from our vendors. We did not banter back and forth as to who was to blame for the miscommunication (although I was ready to blame myself that I probably didn't read the instructions correctly) instead she immediately offered to re-work my bowl to my satisfaction!
In wedding planning land, you cannot ask for a more service oriented vendor w/an obvious gift for all things ceramic. Thank you Caroline for your graciousness and of course the ring bowl. It was a great experience to work with you!

this review is for hair/makeup trial only.

i had a great experience w/Nicole. The reason why I didn't go w/her was because I found out a relative from out of the country was coming and would do it. Nicole is very easy going and personable. She goes over your ideas and photos and simulates the hair style you bring her. Her makeup does stay on for the whole day! I had asked her to do a natural and a smoky eye and she advised for me to stay in both eyes for the duration of the day, which is really something I haven't experienced with others. Nicole just wants to make sure you are getting what you want and that's always appreciative. She's also a recent bride and can surely appreciate all the wedding convo you share w/her.

Another reason why I love PW! The Aerialist Press was recommended to me by another PW bride when she read about my invitation vendor dilemma on the forums. I was able to catch some samples of their work from other brides on PW so with time and desperation against me I made the call.

And I'm so glad I did! The Aerialist Press certainly took all my invitation worries away as they lovingly embraced me in their letterpress arms and guided me through the process of conceptualizing, creating, designing and printing the first 'WOW' my guests will see! I am very satisfied with their product but cannot say enough about their service! For those not graphic design savvy, Alex conveys very detailed messages about the look and feel of your invitation. She walks you through the process and makes sure you understand what the steps are and will always back track to make sure you are happy. Given she's a bride herself, she gets that every single piece IS important (even if your FI doesn't).

The Aerialist Press produces affordable, quality, gorgeous letterpress. Your guests will definitely be wowed. More importantly you will get to put another check on your to do list and not ever, EVER look back!

What a great eye! After stumbling across Kelty's blog, I knew I had to contact her to shoot some family pics for me to incorporate at our wedding. Corresponding via e-mail, Kelty is very sweet and responsive. So with family in tow, we met Kelty at 24th and Mission to work some magic. In person, Kelty is very pleasant, easy to work with and laid back. My family and I weren't sure what to expect since we weren't used to being in front of a camera and acting "naturally". But Kelty came through so promptly with some samples and we were definitely wowed! We were so impressed, we might just follow her up to Portland next year to take our family photos again! Take a look at her blog she has amazing engagement photos as well! Thanks Kelty!

I had stylebyann do my hair/makeup for my e-session and I was very impressed by not only her skill but her honesty. Prior to meeting she had requested some photos of me and hair/makeup styles I was looking at. At our meeting, she told me what she felt would work w/my face and hair and also the weather outside, which I thought was very considerate. Ann is quick to respond via e-mail for questions/advice and even gave me suggestions/tips in how to prepare for my face/hair for my wedding a couple months away. I strongly recommend Ann! If I were to have had my wedding in the Bay area, I would have had Ann do my bridal hair/makeup!

cute space. great selection. gowns are separated by designer. you are able to pick out selections then try on then the consultant helps you hone in on gowns for you. you can take photos! service is very friendly, upbeat, and helpful not at all pushy. The only thing I wished was that they had more space for 'twirling' overall a place I would definitely check out again if I lived locally.

I really wanted to like the Wedding Day. They have a large selection of gowns and are separated by designer. Their showroom is very accommodating with large dressing rooms enough to fit myself, two bms and the consultant! They were even gracious enough to let us keep our bridal appt. on a Saturday after being 45 minutes late. Unfortunately, the service was pretty terrible. When I met with my consultant, I immediately let her know that we were on a time crunch (I was coming from out of town and had other appts that day) and could only stay max an hour and a half. Since I had visited other shops already, I had an idea of what I was looking for at The Wedding Day and specifically came here knowing they had particular designers. However, my consultant did not seem to listen to anything I was saying and once we were in gown 12 (and still no contenders) my bms started picking up gowns we liked off the racks to try on. Towards the end of the session, I attempted to kindly excuse myself by saying okay, this is the last dress and my consultant would ask me to try on more. I guess I should have been more assertive but I was trying to be polite. She even ended up following me all the way to the front door... still talking!

Another one of our venue choices but didn't end up going with since we are doing a DW instead. If you're looking for a private place to gather 200 of your closest friends and family, check out Ruby Hill. The reception set up is really nice (although there are moderate pillars that may feel like they are blocking a view, but it's not too bad). Everything you need for a ceremony and set up is very accessible and the venue cannot hold anything else but your party!
After viewing this facility, we were delighted to actually attend a wedding there. The food was really good. The service was standard. Depending on the size of your party, the chairs on the tables can feel a little bit cramped. Great setup for dancing and a lot of spaces for guests to hang around and chat. The cake was set off to the side (which probably can be changed if you want the cake cutting to be a special part of the program) so it didn't get too much love. Seems pretty affordable and the coordinator there is very gracious. Definitely a place to check out!