tgrieger's reviews

Photographs of the wedding are the most important thing to me. These are what will last you a lifetime. I was given Hank and his company's name by a friend who used them. She booked them too late to have the owner, Hank Nam, actually be at her wedding but this was one of the first vendors I actually looked for since it was the most important to me. I was able to book Hank and with him came an assistant. He had multiple packages for any budget. I chose a two day package which was him and an assistant at the wedding and him and an assistant for a casual shoot prior to the wedding (engagement shoot). Once we saw his albums we knew he was the one, but wow were we right when we saw the casual shoot proofs. We were with him for 4 to 5 hours and went to three locations. The pictures are amazing and the most commented thing I've heard so far was your photographer is amazing! I know! That's why I chose him! I can't wait to see the wedding photos. My package also comes along with two albums and I already had him make one for the engagement shoot. It, too, is absolutely amazing. I truly am in awe at what he does. Check it out at www.blue22photography.com. He is amazing and I will continue to use him whenever I need any type of photography. He is truly talented and you can tell he is passionate and loves what he does. There is no other photographer out there that can do what he does.

My theory is that the invitation that is sent out sets the tone for the wedding. However, I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg for an invitation either. I was recommended My Gatsby (www.mygatsby.com) by a friend who just got married and boy am I happy she told me about this site. It was completely do it yourself and it turned out perfect! I can't even tell you how many comments my mom and I received about how gorgeous the invitations were. Some people even commented on the response card at how beautiful they were. They were gorgeous, easy, and nicely priced! I definitely recommend My Gatsby for any invitation needs. They have everything.

So, my reception site actually pays for the cake itself through one of two vendors that we got to choose. I chose a higher end cake and only had to pay about $100 of my own money which isn't bad at all considering I was already preparing for that expense before finding out my reception site would take care of it. So, we gave the bakery a picture during our tasting (and the tasting was delicious). They hit the mark right on! The cake looked perfect and was probably the easiest thing about the whole wedding planning. We had our initial meeting, I called two weeks before to verify the count, and the cake was there with no problem. It was absolutely delicious as I actually ate some of it. And of course we saved the top. They were very professional and very tasty!! I definitely recommend Torrance Bakery. And in this economy I'm sure some people are worried if their vendor will even be in business by the time their day arrives and I assure you they will. They have been in business for a very long time and are just that good!

Okay, if you are a bride who wants your bridesmaids to potentially have something super cute and they'd wear again then go online to Nordstrom. If you are one of those who wants to make sure you look better than them and they look ugly then this isn't the place for you. Not only were they extremely affordable for the girls but they were super cute. Plus, in my case one of my bridesmaids was pregnant, ordered two sizes up since she was having the baby two months prior, lost all the weight (I know we hate her) and was able to just order a new one and return the other. Alterations would have been more expensive than the dress. These are also dresses they will wear again 100%. I had them try on and look at dresses from bridal shops and other places but they all looked so much better online than actually on a person. I was so happy when my matron of honor checked out the Nordstrom wedding shop online and found those. They were so cute! The pictures look fabulous! And the girls will wear them again. What more could you ask for?

Okay, the dress is extremely important and I was ready to shell out a decent amount of money for the perfect dress though I didn't want to spend too much. I found the perfect dress (one I tore out of a magazine and they happened to have) and it was only about $700. Also, the store has an alterations lady who will measure you there and take care of it. Overall, with the dress, alterations, and veil the total cost was $900. Stacy and Mary Ann were so friendly and just amazing ladies. They really know their stuff and are very accomodating. They answered my questions and even came to meet me on a day the store was closed so I could drop my dress off for them to send out for preservation as I was leaving on my honeymoon and they didn't have any of the gown preservation boxes in to give me when I picked up my dress. They are so accomodating and really wonderful. They have a huge selection of dresses. I went to a higher end shop in Beverly Hills and did not have a good experience at all before I went to Bridal Elegance and couldn't be more happy that I chose them.

Okay, not the cheapest place to have your wedding though I did have it slightly out of season, which made it better. However, it was absolutely gorgeous and so convenient. First off, with the hotel right there any out of town people can stay and just walk to the venue. Also, there are other hotels across the street for some alternatives. Most of my guests were out of town so a hotel along with the ceremony and reception location was key. I can't tell you how many people loved it. Everyone did!! It was a gorgeous hotel and the staff was so friendly. The ceremony and reception room overlook the harbor/marina which makes a great view and great pictures. The downfall was the event coordinator. I actually went through three throughout the year as I was planning it. I wasn't worried and everything turned out okay with the hotel being very accomodating but it was a bit frustrating to be shuffled around. Again, the manager of the group did make some accomodations due to the inconvenience surrounding the shuffling around so that was really nice of her to do. Again, everything went off without a hitch and nothing went wrong at all, which I was waiting for. Also the banquet staff for the reception was FABULOUS!! They were on it all night and taking care of everyone. They were also on top of making sure everything was set for us to take back as well. It truly is a fabulous location and if you don't need a super cheap spot I would definitely recommend the Portofino. It's perfect. Secluded. And everyone loved it!!

I will start off with a disclaimer mentioning that I am not a big flower person at all! I didn't care for flowers and didn't even want to do the flower meetings. HOWEVER, I do know that flowers make the wedding and really dress it up, especially when it's in doors. I am someone who wants the best and I definitely found them. Cynthia at Flower Art is amazing! She is so talented. I gave her just a general idea of what I wanted and what I wanted my bouquet to be and she just went from there. I also gave her full discretion on the centerpieces as I didn't really know though I did give her height and size that I wanted. I was blown away (as were my guests) at how amazing everything turned out. She even threw in a few extras and stayed to make sure the ceremony to reception transition went smoothly. She really went above and beyond. I am so happy we found her. In fact, she was the only florist we interviewed. That's how blown away we were from the first meeting. I really would recommend Cynthia at Flower Art (www.flowerart.biz) as she really is amazing!

Dr. Brian Trott (owner of the company) was absolutely amazing. He was wonderful throughout the process. The officiant is the first thing we looked into after we set a location as this is an extremely important part of the wedding process since you can't get married without one. He met with us in person and explained everything to us and how a ceremony generally goes (timeline) and how we can do our vows. We had the option of using one of their custom created selection of vows or we could mix and match through their vows or whatever we wanted to do. He was prompt, organized, and told us exactly what to do. Also, it's a flat fee so you don't have to worry about how much to tip, inviting them to eat at the reception and paying for that as well, or anything else. He also took the marriage certificate with him as well as a check I wrote for the clerk and sent it in for us so we can get our certified copies to begin the name change process. The Clergy Network was really wonderful to work with and I am very happy I found them.

Wow! This is all I can say. Katie and her team were prompt, professional, fun and just plain great! I actually found Katie and her company through this website and am so glad I came here to look. I had no idea where to go for a make up and hair person and wanted it to be the same company and I needed them to come to my hotel because I just didn't want to deal with driving somewhere on the day of the wedding. When I was looking at the site I knew this was the place for me. And when my mom and I went and did our preview I knew for sure it was the right choice. Katie lightens the mood and really listened to what I said and how I wanted to look. It was spot on!! I also had her do all of my bridesmaids and the two mothers. So, she came to our wedding location with two assistants and went to work. My bridesmaids absolutely loved her and my mom and my now husband's mom loved her. She does very natural work and is extremely talented. Each of my girls had different hairstyles and each looked perfect! I can't say enough amazing things about Katie and her team. They really were wonderful and I will recommend them to anyone at all I know that is getting married or just needs their hair and make up (or just one or the other) done for an event.

Allen at AAA DJ was AMAZING!!! When searching for a DJ you obviously want the best and that's what I wanted. He was the third DJ we interviewed and right away we were blown away by his professionalism, organization, and process. He is really there for you throughout the process if you need him. He goes in detail as to how the reception is to go and goes through it several times for pronunciations, orders, etc, just in case there are any changes. We only gave him about 5 must plays and left the rest up to him. I can't even tell you how many people came up to me and my mother to comment on how great he was and what great music he played. He played music from every genre and the dance floor was packed the entire night. In fact, he was playing such good music that people couldn't wait to dance and we hadn't even done our first dance yet. It was amazing and he just adjusted the timeline of events for when we would have the first dance. It was great! He also isn't one of those DJs that talks into the microphone all night. He only does it when necessary and let's everyone else have a blast. He was amazing and if you need a DJ I would recommend Allen!! I am so glad we saw his name and met with him as I don't know what our wedding would have been like without him.