dapotato's reviews

due to sound restrictions, we had to use a dj from the venue's pre-approved list. after talking to many cheesy dj's that were asking quite a bit, my husband finally found joey. he was everything we wanted in a dj/mc and more. he is laid back, organized, and completely respects your specific desires. he went over and beyond in setting up for three different areas - ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. as an mc, he was not cheesy at all, only announced the things we asked him to, and made sure he was on the same page as the other vendors involved in each event he announced to insure smooth flow. as a dj, he stuck to our lists, edited our long lists down very nicely, did a great job mixing (no awkward transitions or silences between songs - a peeve of my husband's, who used to spin), and also did a good job reading the crowd and adjusting as needed. an added bonus was that for some of our more obscure, older hip hop, he was even able to dig records out and actually use them as he has both cd and vinyl turntables. many guests complimented both his mc and dj skills, and a friend in attendance even commented that she wished she had hired him instead.

her specialty is cupcakes, but she can do cookie favors and cake as well. cake decorating is definitely her forte, but the cakes, fillings, and frostings are all fresh and delicious as well. i gave her an inspiration image, and she took it from there, producing exactly what we wanted. i wanted cream cheese frosting for my outdoor, august wedding, and she agreed as we pushed the delivery back to early evening and promised a shady area for the cake table. while putting together the contract, she threw in fondant over the cream cheese frosting for free, as she wanted to make sure the cake stayed pretty and safe to eat. on top of it all, i found that she is definitely one of the most affordable bakers in the area.

i am very picky when it comes to flowers. however, i didn't want to spend a fortune on something that would not last nor would my budget allow for me to use my dream floral design studios. i had a very tight budget for the scale of our wedding and the amount of flowers i wanted. eddie was the only florist i found who could do everything i wanted, and then some, within my budget. while i had a very clear, specific direction prepared prior to meeting with any florists, i also wanted creative input and suggestions. eddie was able to fill in the gaps for me and round out my vision. he also duly noted and respected nitpicky details i wanted changed at our mockup meeting (which occurs before signing a contract or handing over a deposit at commerce flowers). despite being a rather large shop that does many weddings a weekend, they do take care of you through their personable and attentive customer service.

although i was a bit disappointed that the corsages and bouts were not what we had originally planned, eddie did warn me from our initial consultation that the exact flowers i wanted were difficult for him to source at that time of year. he called me as soon as he knew about the lack of availability and suggested what sounded like a great substitute at the time. when the personal flowers were delivered to my hotel room (ahead of schedule, i should note), i realized i had misunderstood the types of substitute flowers we had discussed on the phone. one quick phone call and barely over an hour later, we had new flowers in the correct color. he also let us keep the "wrong" colored flowers, so our extended family and musicians got flowers, too!

robert was very responsive, professional, and on top of follow-up from our intial contact. he arrived on time, decided to throw in a second shooter for the ceremony close to our wedding date when i sent him our ceremony setup, in order to best capture everything, and was everywhere and very unobtrusive at the same time on our wedding day.

editing-wise, we like more of an edgy and contemporary style. however, we didn't want our video to get dated too quickly, either. robert's editing style is a good balance of classic and modern without any cheese. from his other samples, it seems he can adjust more toward one end of the spectrum or the other as well, depending on your taste. he does give you a very detailed questionnaire regarding your style preferences at the beginning, but he was able to extract that which fit us and our event best with very little direction from [lazy] me [who didn't fill it all out]. his turnaround time was very reasonable as videography goes, and he was such a pleasure to work with throughout the process.

we initially thought our budget did not have room for a coordinator. however, we wanted to ensure that things would run smoothly, we did not want to impose too much on guests, and we wanted to be able to enjoy the day ourselves. while i was very happy with my top three coordinators i met with, angel stood above the rest. her poise, genuine enthusiasm for her clients and weddings, and amazing, current sense of style set her apart. no matter the look and feel you are going for in your wedding, she has an adaptable and keen eye for what will (and will not) contribute to the big picture. she is organized and professional but also has an ideal personality, in my opinion, for a coordinator - sincerely sweet and affectionate toward her clients, diplomatic, and nice but firm + assertive when required.

when my original alcohol vendor flaked out two weeks before the wedding, she went over and beyond her contractual obligations in helping me make sure ouf guests did not go thirsty. on the day of, she and her assistant, anna, made sure everything ran smoothly and on time while being everywhere and nowhere at the same time. she cued all of the vendors, the bridal party, our families, and us subtly and at appropriate times. our other vendors commented on what a pleasure she was to work with. many of our guests commented on what an organized yet fun and laid-back wedding ours was, and that result is due in large part to angel's work.

i was fortunate to have found michael when he was just breaking into wedding photography, especially since we had a beer budget and have champagne tastes as far as photography is concerned. both my husband and i were instantly taken by his warm, laid-back personality. despite both being rather camera-shy, we knew that we would be comfortable in front of him on our wedding day. even with only a few weddings under his belt at the time, his portfolio showed obvious talent, understanding of the types of shots brides and grooms want, and an impressive range.

we loved his enthusiasm and creativity in trying a new venue for our engagement photos. he was present for every moment of our 15 hour + wedding day, and we love both the candid moments and casual portraits he caught of us, our guests, and the event. as evidenced throughout this bio and my planning bio [link to epics in planning bio], his work speaks for itself. he was also prompt to respond, had our online proofs up in record time, and was another vendor that our other vendors truly enjoyed working alongside.