rachelbp's reviews

We used this vendor as our get-away limo after the reception and they were exactly on time, the driver was professional, and it even went back to get my wedding party after it had dropped us off at the hotel (pre-arranged).

We used this company the next day as a vehicle to get to the airport as well (in a towncar). Very affordable prices, dependable drivers, and absolutely no complaints on our part.

Kelli worked with us to design a unique cake – based on the wrought-iron fencing around our venue. It was absolutely gorgeous and essentially lived up to my expectations on design. We decided to do a three-tier cake with each tier being a different flavor, which worked out well for the guests. The only warning I have is that the cake will come with lots more frosting than when you did tasting and so may taste different to you. In my case, I didn’t quite enjoy my cake on my wedding day. It was tasting a little too different to me. But the design was brilliant and Kelli (upon hearing my distress from a fellow bride) was really generous in following up with me about my experience and wanting to make sure that I was happy with her services. She is a very kind and professional vendor to work with and I am glad to have chosen her!

I loved my wedding hair! I went for an updo – sort of an old fashioned look with hair twisted out of my face on either side and a low bun with gold ribbon weaved in. I did a trial session, but didn’t really have any changes for the actual day – my hair was spot on at the first try! Heidi is a brilliant professional with a passion for what she does. She was also super quick.

I initially was going to cop out and go the cheap route with hair (think Gene Juarez Academy) and went for a trial session there…but that really turned out horribly – and it took over two hours for something Heidi could do in about 30-45 minutes. I am SO glad I decided to go with Salon Maison over the cheapo route (and really, it was pretty affordable for a wedding updo). On my wedding day, my hairstyle even stayed in place after a curtain rod fell on my head during family photos next to the giant windows in our venue. Now how’s that for “worth every penny”?

When deciding on a wedding photographer, we knew right away we preferred the “photojournalistic” style of capturing the event. In our research for photographers, Mike attracted us in addition to another group as being former Seattle PI photographers. What better experience could I ask for in seeking this approach than former journalists? We chose Mike because weddings are just one of the many realms of photography he enjoys capturing. He brought to the table his experience in a multitude of other photo projects, clients, and arenas.

We chose a photo package that included engagement photos. I highly recommend doing these, as it gives you a sort of test-run with the photographer and you get to know the other’s preferred style - giving us overbearing brides the chance to provide feedback on the way we want our photos on the wedding day. The engagement session for us was simply amazing. All of our friends and family were astounded at the artistic, clever, and super-high quality photos he delivered.

On the wedding day itself, Mike was able to slip right into the crowd with a second shooter, hardly disturbing the party. We did the “first look” and photos before the ceremony. He had brilliant ideas for photos with the wedding party (one time even putting his life in danger in order to get a breathtaking shot!). When we received the photos a few weeks later, once again we were blown away – every photo he gave to us you could enter in a competition. Photography was our absolute top priority for the wedding. We selected a photographer based on his portfolio and fit and were delighted to see the results pay off. Mike is truly passionate about what he does and his photos are among the most professional you can obtain in the industry.

My husband and I decided that we wanted a videographer as one of the very last things before the wedding (about 2 months before). Ryan was an excellent choice for our budget. I decided that I wanted to edit the wedding video myself, so hired him just to film the ceremony and reception. The cost was well below that of comparable services. Leading up to the wedding, he was the most responsive vendor we had. When the big day arrived, Ryan skillfully managed to capture every little detail without being a distraction to the party. The only complaint we would have was that sometimes he would get in the way of the photographer, but I feel this may have been our fault for not telling him that the photographer had priority (and some brides feel the opposite).

He was able to transfer the footage onto the hard drive that we gave to him right away - I believe a few days after, but we were on honeymoon so the quick turn-around didn't matter to us. When we finally got around to watching it, I was blown away by the footage! I expected high quality video from his equipment, and for the filming style to be good, but I had no idea that at the price point we paid we would get brilliantly artistic shots, angles, and panning that rival competition at much higher prices (and trust me, I had wanted so badly to splurge a couple grand to get a highly professional team of videographers). I was amazed that he was able to capture every little detail of our wedding that even our photographer had omitted (brides: think favors, decoration, etc). It made me very pleased that even though we weren't paying him to edit the video, he did not disappoint with his artistic filming ways, giving me more than enough to work with in creating my own video. I highly recommend Ryan - he really exceeded our expectations and I guarantee you none of my friends would know the difference between his filming style and that of the videographers who charge the big bucks.