empresz's reviews

Taek is an excellent photographer. He really works hard to create the best photos and is extremely nice and understanding if you want anything changed. Just as long as you are reasonable! My fiance and I provided Taek with some samples of the photographic style we were looking for in our engagement photos and Taek certainly delivered. All of his prints are flawless. I am also extremely pleased with my wedding photos and album that I just received!

I would recommend signing on for the full package. It'll be worth every cent!

Finding a great videographer was important to us. We saw a friend of a friend's recap video and loved the edgier style. Unfortunately, the company they used starts at $5,000. Sure you can book them, but only if you fly them out from NY and put them up in a hotel. We scoured all the wedding sites for a company with a similar style that wouldn't break our bank. Every single videographer we found did what we hated most. Cheesy music, slow panning and soft glow. Yuck. Then my great planner told me about her friend's company. I went to meet with Joo and he showed us a sample of his work. I told him that it was not quite what I was looking for. I then showed him the style I wanted. He seemed genuinely happy that I didn't want to do a typical wedding video. He showed me the commercial work he did on his website and said he would give me a hipper video. The end result was great. We are still working with him on refining our video, but the "draft" is exactly what we were shooting for. My hubby picked out the song and Joo took over the rest. http://www.susieandyoon.com/videos.html The actual video he provided us was too large to upload so we had to shrink it down in order to put it on youtube.

Based on reviews I read on the Knot and LA Bridezilla, I went with Props Fx. My husband was nervous since we booked our DJ without ever meeting anyone face to face. I assured him that it should be fine since other brides were happy with this vendor. Well, I was wrong. I asked for Brady as first choice and then Anthony. Anthony was confirmed as my DJ twice. 3 months prior to my wedding, I found out Anthony was unavailable and had been for at least a year since he normally does some type of event annually in October. So then I went with Sean. Sean and I met and all seemed well again.

During our consultation w/ Sean, we told him that we would not be doing the removal of the garter, just the garter toss. We also asked where he would be putting the slideshow screen. He seemed confused so I showed him the package I purchased (it comes with a projector and screen), and he assured me he would have it at the wedding. He also told me to go onto the website and put in an outline of events and any special songs we want played during the wedding.

During the day of the wedding, we had a whole host of issues. Throughout the night, the music repeatedly skipped with the DJ nowhere in sight. He asked for a chair to be brought out when we specifically told him that we would not be doing that. Our entrance song was never played and he announced the wrong first dance song. We had to wait a few uncomfortable minutes as he looked for the correct one. But our greatest disappointment was the lack of projector and screen. Even though we TOLD him our packaged included these, he did not bring them to our venue. He had to ask Props to bring it from Hemet. We were all constantly told that it will be here in 40 mins, 20 mins, 10 mins. Well, it was past 9pm and there was no projector. I was extremely upset. Our friend had worked on a GREAT slideshow to be shown when ALL guests were present. This ruined the tempo of the evening since we were dragging out certain events to keep our guests there. In the end, we just said forget it and never had a chance to show our slideshow.

Words alone cannot express how disappointed my husband and I felt. We still get angry about it now. I hope our experience w/ Props was a fluke. I hope others do not go through what we did. Just make sure you stay on top of them. The reason they are even getting 2 stars is b/c of the way Brady handled our situation after all was said and done. He was very courteous and apologetic. Our partial refund is a bit slow in coming, but he assures us it is on its way.

This review is actually only for the make-up portion done at the beauty salon. I purchased a package through Myeonghee. She gives you 3 make-up/hair applications for $500. This is so that you can get your hair and make-up done for engagement photos as well.

I always love the way she does my make-up!

My husband and I did not want to spend anywhere near $1,000 for a cake. Although we wanted something beautiful, taste was more important. This vendor does not require too much notice. So if you go in about 2-3 months prior, you should be fine. We picked a simple design and went with a cake that was supposed to feed less than 150, even though our expected guest count was 150. The worker assured us that the smaller 4-tier cake should be enough. Our guests loved our cake. It was very light and fresh. We picked a white cake with whipped icing and fresh strawberries. I highly recommend this bakery.

Theresa really delivered. She pumped out my BM dresses pretty quickly and the quality was great. The only issues we had were that it was all too large in the bust area for my bridesmaids, the length was a little too long for some girls, and it poofed out too much where it accentuated the "hippy" chicks. The dress was not an exact replica of what we had asked for, but it was still gorgeous and came out beautiful in pictures. If I had to do it all over, I would ask that the finished dresses be ready at least two weeks prior to the wedding, or just fib about your wedding date. That way, you have enough time to correct any imperfections! Oh, and any long distance BMs should have no problems getting a dress through her. She will take your measurements via mail.

Mike at Exhibit was referred to me through Jennifer at Cicada. He was extremely prompt returning emails and phone calls. He also quoted me the best deal on four uplights, pinspotting, falling leaves projection and custom gobo. My venue looked breathtaking during the reception. I highly recommend Exhibit Lighting Group!

I liked this place the moment I met the dad. It's a family business and the dad looks like a cute little Robert Deniro. Rafi helped me pick out a new engagement ring band and I believe his brother Vick made it. We came back a year later to purchase our wedding rings and they still remembered us! Extremely nice to work with.

There is no doubt that the Biltmore has beautiful ballrooms, but as far as the guest rooms, it layman's terms...it stunk. The Biltmore is a block away from my wedding venue. Most brides stay at the Biltmore, take photos there, and then walk over to Cicada. When I first walked into the lobby, it was breathtaking. When I got up to my floor...I was disappointed. Seriously, the place is a dump. But it was most convenient and would make for great pictures. I called for a late check-out so that I can take photos during the day-of my wedding. The front desk was rude and said I can possibly have it until 1pm but that I would have to check the morning-of. Um...okay. So I called the morning of and the lady who picked up was pleasant and gave me a late check-out of 2pm. Also, we asked that our rooms be cleaned between 8am-12pm so that the room would look decent for the professional pictures.

When we got back from the salon, the room was not cleaned. While our photographer was taking photos, housekeeping was picking up around us. When we left the room to take our photos around the hotel, security was following us like hawks. They were extremely rude to my photographer & videographer. They also purposely walked in front of us so they can ruin shots. Oh...and they also gave my florist a hard time in coming up to our room to deliver our flowers. In the end, my sister called to complain. Some reservations manager was a major jerk to her and said that since I was not having my actual wedding there, they had a right to be that way. The next person to call my sister told her that I had a "moderately priced room." So I guess this is why I was treated so poorly? If I could have, I would have chosen the largest bridal suite, but it was not available. I guess they treat their guests based on how much you pay for your room.

Anyways, even if it were not for the rude employees, I would still not recommend this place. The rooms are disgusting and reminds me of a run-down version of The Shining.

***** Edit *****

I cannot help but respond to SoCalBride. First, I am shocked at how mean-spirited she is. I truly cannot believe this review was written by a bride. Most of us share good and bad reviews without resorting to name-calling. Second, I believe you are correct in saying that brides who are actually getting married at the Biltmore should have seniority over the brides who are getting married at another location. But in my case, there was not another wedding party in sight. The total time spent taking photos in communal areas of the Biltmore was 10 minutes. All you need to do is read my reviews to know that I am fair. I realized what an invaluable resource vendor reviews are so excuse me for sharing my experience.

My dress was gorgeous. Be prepared to go in for a fitting every 3 weeks up until your wedding. My wedding was in October and my first fitting began in February/March. Also, sometimes the owner forgets what you want so make sure you continuously remind him! I wanted a modified A-line and he kept telling me he would give it to me, but as the dress was getting close to being done, I noticed it was still a full blown A-line dress. I mentioned it one more time and he then fixed it. That was about 2 months prior to my wedding.

My only real issue with my dress was that it was about an inch too long in the front. I had my final fitting a few days before and should have asked him to hem it, but he assured me that it would be fine. It was a problem during the day of since I kept stepping on the dress...especially during the walk down the aisle. The bustled train also prevented me from executing my dance lessons step by step. It was much longer than expected.

Overall, the style and quality of his work is great. I highly recommend his bridal salon. Just be very assertive w/ him. Shinbu lends out their crinoline, a darling shrug, hair accessories, veil and jewelry!