klk212's reviews

We had mostly out of town guests and were worried about them getting from the hotel to the ceremony to the reception and back. The staff were very friendly and accommodating on the phone, sent clear and prompt information via e-mail and were eager to help as changes arose. The day of service was excellent from the bus drivers to the vehicles.

We created our own photo save-the-dates using the website www.snapfish.com. It is an easy process of uploading a photo, selecting a design, writing the text and ordering. The card design selection is constantly increasing/improving and the turn-around is quick (about 2 weeks with regular shipping). I do wish that the website didn’t put their logo on the bottom back corner of the envelopes-seems a little tacky.

Beautiful venue, however communication with the event planner was challenging-phone calls unreturned, contract miscommunications. We had requested glass wear that was not provided and had requested there not be tip jars at the open bars but there were.

Liz is great to work with, very personable and helps everyone to feel at ease. She strove to know my desires very clearly prior to the wedding day. When bad weather threatened she suggested that she arrive 30 minutes early to take pictures inside before trying to get my wishlist shots at Forest Park. She was able to corral my husband’s wise guy groomsmen as well as getting all the formal family shots. Her detail focused, photo journalistic style really captured the “story” of our wedding day. She also stayed late at the reception to capture a dance sequence performed by the bride and friends. Proofs of all 1,000 photos of the day were provided in 3x5 size pictures as well as on a high resolution CD. The album has been slow in coming and will require revisions by the bride prior to production but we’re only 6 months removed from the wedding.

I used my regular stylist (Jessica) who was very understanding of what I wanted which was to look good but not too done up. The salon was able to do 4 other bridesmaids at the same time and each girl got a different style that fit their personality. When my now mother-in-law showed up 20 minutes late for her appointment they still managed to work her in and give her the style she wanted. The price ($50 a head) seems a little steep but that appears to be the going rate in the area.

Though we set up our rooming block months in advance and included all the info in the save the date cards many guests still had trouble booking at the reduced rate or getting the room type they wanted. The parents of the bride were unable to get a suite. The way that guests were treated at check in was dependent on who they talked to. Many guests got free breakfast tickets or free parking validations while others (including the parents of the bride) did not.

The rehearsal dinner was also held here. The catering staff was great to work with. They were very helpful in selecting menu items, figuring out the best packages for the best price and making the even run smoothly. Staff during the event were very helpful and friendly too.

The DJ from Elite Pro was so amazing. We had a pretty comprehensive list of what we wanted him to play during the dancing and he followed that exactly. We threw lots of curve balls at him (a surprise dance by the bride and friends for the groom, a surprise acapella song by the bride’s family for the couple, a surprise acapella song by the bride’s friends for her, a surprise toast by some intoxicated groomsmen at the end of the night) but he handled the each event with ease keeping the evening flowing and fun. As far as equipment, we ordered the middle of the road package and the sound was great and the lights added just enough to help create a great party atmosphere.

The Russo’s staff was great leading up to the wedding day, they were very familiar with the reception site and helped to be the go between when the site event coordinator was difficult to reach. The buffet food was amazing and plentiful. However, the appetizers ran out very quickly during the cocktail hour as did the desserts at the end of the evening. We wouldn’t have had a problem paying a more for more food but had been lead to believe that we’d ordered enough (even with a guarantee of 170 and only 160 showing up). We were never provided with a feedback method following the wedding to let them know we weren’t completely satisfied.

When you walk into Clarice’s on a Saturday morning there’s typically a plate of donuts sitting out on the table, it’s the kind of place where a bride can be herself, relax and take the time to find the right thing. There was no high pressure sales, no need to feel bad about a small budget. The sales women help each bride individually to pick out dresses and then help you get into them (very unusual even at the high end places). Each staff person is really sweet and truly make you feel special (even if they do see tons of brides every day). They did all my bridesmaid dresses too with easy online ordering for my out of state friends. They do a complimentary dying of the shoes to match your dress if it’s not pure white.

We had a wonderful time at the Cardio Strip class. The teacher was fun and encouraging teaching the group a sexy dance and then letting us spent a little time on the poles. I would recommend this as a great healthy and fun activity for girl friends to do together.