We were actually initially referred to Luvbug Films by our photographers, which is Elysium's sister company. Luvbug was more affordable, but we weren't as impressed with their demos. We were blown away by Elysium, so we decided to dedicate more of the budget to videography than previously planned (we booked their most modest package - their art studio work is AMAZING but waaaaay out of our budget).

When we first contacted Elysium, Julie and Alex were fantastic - very friendly, professional, and quick with communication. We were very impressed by their studio and presentation and booked them fairly quickly. After that, communication did drop off when I tried to email them a question, and my coordinator (another reason to hire a DOC!) actually had to get involved to get us reconnected. Once Julie got back in touch, she seemed genuinely sorry and was prompt with communication after that - I'm not sure what caused the initial hiccup, but I must say that everything went very smoothly on the day-of and thereafter.

We just received our DVD, so their turnaround time was pretty much exactly 3 months after our wedding date. We were very pleased with their work - it's genuinely cinematic, and Julie and her assistant did a wonderful job of capturing all the details from the wedding. They also did a really great job of using all of our music selections, which I thought were very odd, but they pulled it all together quite nicely!

I went to Reene based on PW recommendations and my coordinator's recommendations (even ran into a couple other PW brides when I went for my first fitting!)

Apparently the dress I chose was a very difficult dress to alter, but at the end, everything fit perfectly. The bustle was also the most complicated bustle I'd ever seen, but she color-coded all the ribbons and on the day-of when my bridesmaids bustled me up, it fell beautifully - everyone was very impressed! Reene also altered my rehearsal dress for me, and that turned out well too. I would definitely recommend her!

I can't rave enough about Paola!! Hiring her as DOC was hands down the BEST decision DH and I made during our wedding planning. I was a pretty detail-oriented, hands-on bride, but I knew that I didn't want to stress about anything on the big day. Our venue had the option of using one of their coordinators, which we originally went with, but after our venue coordinator left (and nobody told us!) I decided to bring in an outside coordinator who would have our best interests at heart.

I actually booked her without meeting her beforehand, due to the massive rave reviews from another PW bride (MrsGG) whose wedding was absolutely stunning! When I finally met her in person, she was just as warm and welcoming as she was in her emails.
From the moment I booked her, Paola was infinitely helpful in answering all of my questions and making an extensive timeline to make sure I was on track in my planning. She also responds to all correspondence super-quick, which is rare in wedding vendors.

Although we only booked her for day-of coordination, she did so much more than that! I found my remaining vendors through her references (cake, makeup, alterations) and ALL of the vendors were fantastic. Also thanks to her, I never stressed out about anything during our wedding planning, and even during the last few days right up until our wedding, I was completely relaxed (and how often can you really say that?!) Another thing I found incredibly comforting is her attitude - no matter what happens, she is calm and composed, which is a WONDERFUL quality in a wedding coordinator.

On the day of, she and her assistant were everywhere at once - I never had to worry about a thing! She has an amazing attention to detail, so absolutely nothing escaped her notice. Our day was absolutely perfect, seamless, and stress-free.. it was like a dream come true. If you're on the fence about hiring a DOC, trust me - it will be the best money spent! :D :D

Just booked them! I found out about them through a post here on PW and wasn't sure at first because I couldn't find any reviews for them, but then I found out they were the same company as Carcano DJs. I asked my coordinator and she said she's heard good things about them, so yay! Best prices I could find anywhere. They were very courteous to deal with. I'll update this after my wedding.

Update (7/4/09) - I was very pleased with our chiavaris! I wasn't there for the actual set-up (was getting ready at the time), but all the chairs were in great condition and set up exactly as we asked - couldn't have been happier. They looked lovely and I would definitely recommend them!

This vendor was my first choice when I was considering going the chair cover/sash route. They had a booth at the Great Bridal Expo (which was a waste of time except for these guys) - they were really nice and they gave me samples of their organza sashes in my wedding colors. I ordered a sample from them and they fit nicely on the venue's chairs. I would've gone for them, but I was worried about the setup on the day-of (my venue is outside of their service area to hire them to setup for you) - and my bows were horribly wonky looking, so I knew I wouldn't do as good a job setting up as a pro would.

However, if you have good bow-tying ability and don't mind setting up yourself, they have the best prices I could find!

My DOC recommended Annie to me - makeup was probably the hardest/most intimidating thing for me to research. She is very good with communication, and such a sweet person. When I had my trial with her, I felt very comfortable with her. I had initially asked for a smoky eye, but after seeing it on myself, I realized it wasn't for me. Well, Annie re-did my eye makeup on the spot, and it made all the difference in the world. She then told me that since I'd decided I wanted a more natural look, she would alter the color palette used for the day-of to be a softer look.

The thing that impressed me most about Annie is her professionalism and her genuine desire to make sure you are completely happy. When I emailed her to ask if I could book a second trial to try out the softer palette, and with some other makeup questions, she offered to do the second trial on the house.

I'll update after my second trial and the big day, but I am extremely happy with Annie so far! I have received impeccable service from her.

Second Trial - Annie was super sweet about doing a second trial to nail down the colors being used for the day-of, and I was really happy about how it turned out! I was able to schedule the trial on the same day as my e-pics and was very pleased about how the makeup photographed. Annie's willingness to do a second trial really made me feel at-ease about how things would go on our actually wedding day - she really cares about making sure you are 100% happy with how you look.

Update (7/4/09) - I was thrilled I booked Annie! On the day-of, she and her assistant came to our bridal suite and everything went like clockwork. She even brought her own iPod and speakers to play music while they worked - it really added to the calm, relaxed atmosphere while we were getting ready.

My bridesmaids were really happy with how their makeup turned out, and the mothers looked beautiful. My wedding day makeup was even better than my trials, and I got compliments all day. The airbrush was amazing - it lasted all day and night and I didn't even have to use the blotting sheets Annie gave me. It also felt so light, like I wasn't wearing any makeup at all. Highly recommend Annie! She's also doing my makeup for our banquet later this month - can't wait! :D

Joeleen is amazing! We tasted at Torrance and Rossmoor before, and while they were good, we weren't completely happy. As soon as we walked in I knew we'd found our cake! You can tell right away that she genuinely loves her job. Joeleen was super friendly and creative - as soon as she saw our monogram, she was able to design our dream cake. It was everything I wanted - and at a VERY reasonable price!

As for the cakes - wow - I almost devoured the whole plate by myself! We sampled six different flavors, all very distinct, and they were all amazing. The cake is moist, the fillings are tasty, and I especially like the fact that she has tons of choices - definitely not your standard wedding cake. She can also provide the flowers for the cake, which made things easier - no need to coordinate between baker and florist.

I can't say enough good things about her! I'm so excited to see our cake on the big day!

Update (7/4/09) - I LOVED our cake on the big day. It looked even better than I'd imagined - Joeleen really outdid herself. Also - very importantly - our guests also looooved the cake. We'd ordered a cake for 100 people, and we had 70 at our wedding, and not a crumb was left. I've always been told that most people don't really eat the wedding cake, but that was not the case at our wedding! The colors, the design, everything turned out perfectly and I couldn't be happier. It was delicious - moist, not overly sweet - soo yummy. We're definitely going to be ordering an anniversary cake from Joeleen!

We just had our cake tasting with Rossmoor today; I must admit I was a bit wary due to some of the negative reviews on here. I can see why some people refer to this place as a wedding cake factory; it's very clear that they do a ton of orders and cakes are probably cranked out a lot faster/efficiently than a mom and pop bakery. With that said, they do seem to be very good at cakes; they're all immaculately decorated and the consultation was very well-organized.

However, if you're looking for a more personal experience with a vendor, this is probably not the best place for you. Our consultant wasn't rude, but I got the impression she just wanted us to make our selections so she could get us out of there. The meeting felt a bit rushed - she wanted us to decide on everything on the spot so she could draw up the quote, and that was a little uncomfortable (like having someone stare at you while you eat - just feels funny). Their cakes tasted fine - not quite as fluffy as Torrance Bakery, but still pretty good. I wanted a fresh strawberry filling, and was a bit sad that it added so much to the price. If we were to stick with one of their package cakes, I think it'd be quite reasonably priced. One other thing, though - if you'd like your cake baked same-day; you should probably go with another bakery, as they told us the cakes were baked a couple days in advance due the volume of their orders.

We probably won't go with them, but depending on your cake needs, they're not a bad choice.

We just had our tasting with Torrance Bakery and it was great! Melissa was very helpful, patient and friendly during the consultation; she answered all of our questions with ease.

We really liked the white cake with fresh strawberry/french white cream and the marble cake with fudge filling. Melissa even gave us extra samples to take home once my fiance pointed out that I'd annihilated the fresh strawberry sample they gave us. My parents also really liked the white cake with lemon filling. Their price quote was extremely reasonable for a custom three-tier cake for 100 people - even my dad looked pleased.

They're definitely in the running! Three more cake appointments to go!

We weren't able to make one of Jamaica's cake consultation times, so she prepared a sample pack of cakes, frostings, and fillings for us. That was awesome and so convenient. Jamaica is super nice to correspond with over email, and responds quickly. When we picked up the cake sample, the bakery staff was very nice and helpful as well. Unfortunately we didn't fall in love with any of the cakes we tried - many of them were too dense (we're having a morning wedding, so we wanted something lighter). However, their lemon pound cake was wonderful, and I enjoyed some of their fresh fruit fillings.