dapotato's reviews

i love delicious, beautifully presented food. however, with our modest budget and decent-sized guest count, i had to find a caterer who made solid (if not crazy excellent) food for a decent price. with the help of elegant affair, we did it! we got a three-course sit-down dinner, all china/drinkware/flatware/linens rentals, some disposable wares (please feel free to clutch your pearls now), a few miscellaneous rentals (bar height tables for cocktail hour, a bar, etc.), cake cutting, champagne toast service (which we didn't use), cold drink station pre-ceremony, coffee station, bar staff to serve our BYO alcohol, and waitstaff for less than $50 a head.

while their food is not the most gourmet, it is definitely tastier than most wedding banquet food i have had. the presentation was sufficient but didn't wow. however, the food was fresh and tasty, service was excellent, and everything was a really great value.

if you’re not quite sure where to start in the downtown jewelry district, try our jeweler. whe’s honest, knowledgable, sweet, sells GIA certified stones, helps you get the most out of your budget, helps you stick to your budget, and she never pressures you. there are a lot of great jewelers downtown, and she's definitely one of the more brilliant gems [har har]. we worked with her to custom design my engagement ring and selected our rather basic wedding bands from her extensive, stocked collection. turnaround time for custom pieces is very quick.

while hunting for a dress, my bridesmaids and i liked watters' style #7415. however, it did not come in the color i wanted. i also loved the idea of a double hem in a contrast color as well as the underside of the sash in that same contrast color, so the custom route seemed to be the only answer. luckily, veroni2413 found laura and recommended her to me.

laura can make pretty much any formal gown from a few good photographs. on my first visit, i was impressed with the quality of the dresses she had in progress and hanging in her workroom. she was also about 30% less than a couple other seamstresses i had met with, so it was a no-brainer to give her a try. the dresses came out beautifully, especially since they were custom fit to each of my bridesmaids (except the out-of-town one, who sent me her measurements). she can get very busy in the summer months, so i would advise seeing her for the first time at least 4-5 months before your wedding so that you have time to shop for fabric and get your girls in to be measured.

don't let the not-so-great images on their website scare you away. instead of having our groomsmen rent tuxes, we had them buy basic black suits that they could re-wear for less than the price of some tux rentals. none of our groomsmen wear suits too often, so they were fine with buying suits made of a man-made (but breathable) material. the fabric was good quality for a $100ish suit, and all of the guys were happy with the quality and fit. they had a great selection and range of suits in terms of color/pattern, price (starting around $100 for manmade fabrics and starting from around $150 for wool), and sizes. they also walked us next door to a tailor they work with, and two hours and shockingly very little cash later, we had all the guys' suits crisply altered and in hand.

i did not enjoy the haggling process (it is downtown in the fashion district, after all), but my husband did most of it. you do have a little room to negotiate if you are buying 3 or more suits. also beware the hard sell - they like to try to get you to buy extras as they have a good selection of shirts, shoes, ties, and other accessories.

she let me prance about in her home studio, in my dress, as i tried on her various sample veils. it was a very useful exercise in order to decide on the best combo of tulle color, cut, edging, and embellishments for a veil that would suit me, my dress, and our event. candi is fast, produces veils of great quality at a reasonable price, and is such a warm person to boot. while picking up my very basic drop veil, she showed me an in-progress, intricate veil with lace and beading to match a bride's gown. the contrast of the two next to each other spoke volumes about the range of what she can craft.

mahtab comes highly recommended on the boards for good reason. she has been working with designer wedding gowns for years, and it shows in her workmanship and eye for detail + fit. she altered and repaired my dress so that it fit like a glove, had it ready to go for each fitting, was so warm and pleasant to work with throughout the process, and did it all for a fair price.

while traipsing about in some rough terrain to get a few pre-ceremony wedding party shots, my bridesmaids and i realized that one of my underlayers was snagging on the brush and dry leaves. it turns out the innermost layer in the back of the dress, which provided a shield from the itchy, built-in layers of tulle, had been cut to the correct length but the hem not finished. i had not noticed this upon inspection when picking up my dress. we made do by detangling the junk from the shredded bottom and trimming the threads so as to prevent further unraveling. it was fine for the rest of the night. i contacted mahtab about this one problem as soon as we returned from our honeymoon, and she agreed to repair it as soon as was convenient for me. i saw her a few days later, and she suggested fixing it while i waited. a few minutes later, it was as good as new, at no extra charge. she was as pleasant, prompt, and professional as she was when first quoting my gown throughout this repair process.

after scouring the internet forever for a used or discounted version of my gown, i came across a listing on preownedweddingdresses.com. the bride's measurements were nearly identical to mine, except for the bust, which was slightly bigger. no biggie! a bust can easily be taken in. i contacted the bride with an offer, and a few emails, one Paypal transaction, and a cross-country journey [for the dress] later, the lovely gown was in my hands.

the recent bride i bought from was prompt to reply, easy to work with, and shipped my dress promptly. when the dress arrived, it was dry cleaned as promised and in pristine condition for having been previously worn all day at an outdoor wedding. she made some of her money back, and i got a couture gown in used but excellent condition for a fraction of the retail price. it was definitely a win-win situation.

remember buying off of here is a person-to-person transaction, so each experience will be different. please take precautions to avoid being scammed, and make sure to pay via paypal or escrow.com as a forum and facilitator for brides to buy and sell used dresses, this site functions really well.

silk tissue taffeta felt a bit papery and not quite as luxe as the satins i had previously tried on, petted, and otherwise felt up. however, it turned out to be a smart choice for our outdoor summer wedding as it's quite breathable and lighter in weight. it also shimmers beautifully despite not being satin. i loved how the dress was a little fuller than many a-line gowns [there are a couple of layers of tulle built into the skirt] but not as poofy as a ballgown. the combination of simplicity and attention to detail totally appealed to my minimalist sensibilities. the attention to draping, the pleats, the neckline, and back all made it look so beautiful on. the detachable train was fun as i got to do the cathedral-length thing for the ceremony [it totally makes you feel so bridal], but could take all that cumbersome fabric right off for the reception. lastly, i was so happy to find an a-line, strapless gown that looks great on petite frames.

my candy paper is owned by a friend of mine who generously offered to package up my cookies for me. she hand-delivered them to the venue on the day of and did a great job of insuring each cookie was wrapped with care and the sticker stuck on "just so." she designs all things paper for weddings as well, but my d.i.y. inclinations kept me from using her services for my other wedding paper needs. however, i anticipate using her again for future paper needs.

as soon as i pulled up to this venue, i knew it was perfect for our wedding. the well-kept grounds, the charming courtyard, the splashes of red, all the bamboo, the Modern architecture, and the expansive outdoor areas met our aesthetic criteria. on the practical side we loved the relatively reasonable rental fee (it's more of a steal if you are a city resident) that includes use of chairs and tables for up to 300 guests, 10 hour use of the estate (7 hours of which guests can be on the grounds), city-required security, a site coordinator, and ceremony sound equipment. ample parking is provided a short walk from the main gate of the estate, only one event is held at a time, and the expansiveness and variety of the grounds allows you to hold both ceremony and reception at the same venue, a must on our list, while still varying the feel of each portion of the wedding. there are a few regulations that must be respected due to the historic designation of the estate and its residential neighborhood, but none of the stipulations were deal breakers for us. their BYO policy for food and alcohol allowed us to save quite a bit on catering costs as well. the estate's events coordinator, tamra wilbur, was professional, pleasant to work with, accommodating of any special requests, and wonderfully organized in her dealings with us, our wedding coordinator, and our caterer.