Andrea's Bridal is the only vendor that I was unhappy with during the wedding planning process. We chose to rent our tuxes through Andrea's because I had tried to find a dress there, and when I found one elsewhere, I figured we'd sent them our tux business as a sign of good-will toward a business just starting out that seemed interested in helping people. Boy, was I wrong. The entire (normally easy) process of renting a tux was embarrassingly disorganized and unprofessional. Melanie, the owner, repeatedly made insinuating remarks during the fitting such as "I hardly make any money on tux rentals anyway," and "sometimes customers just don't collect their security deposit and leave it for me as a tip." While both may be true, I just thought it was highly unprofessional. When I went in to pay the deposit for the rentals, the associate at the desk was frazzled, had no idea what she was doing, and told me as much, saying "I've never done this before and no one has trained me how to do it." Then, when she went in the back room multiple times asking Melanie for help, Melanie finally came out, hurriedly completing the transaction, never once making eye contact with me as the customer, never saying thank you, and storming off. It was so awkward, and I immediately wished that I had gone elsewhere for our tux rentals. When the week of the wedding rolled around, I called and asked to set up a time for all my guys to be there to try on their tuxes at once. Melanie insisted she would call when they came in, a day or two before the wedding, and the guys could come in then. When I explained that they all have busy lives and need to know about appointments ahead of time, she conceded and made an appointment, but when we got there, she wasn't even there, she had left her associate and seamstress to handle it. The seamstress (an older lady) sat in a chair playing electronic poker or something, and the same frazzled associate as before was there. The guys tried on their tuxes, and when my brother's was too big and the seam of the pants had threads hanging out, they called Melanie, who only then drove over to be at the appointment, and declared that the jacket was supposed to be that big and baggy. After my insistence, she ordered a new jacket and pair of pants be sent in overnight for my brother, and those worked out fine. The tuxes were Calvin Klein, and were nice quality and as far as I could tell, were priced about the same as the 2 other tux shops in the area. Based on my experience, I would not recommend Andrea’s Bridal for tux rental.
Finding Marta from www.waitingtobetold.net was one of the greatest things that happened in our wedding planning process. Our ceremony was very important to me, and I wanted it to be performed by someone who was as excited about our marriage as I was. Marta was just the woman for the job! With my input and suggestions, she wrote our ceremony from top-to-bottom. She sent me multiple drafts with LOTS of suggestions and options, and when there wasn't an option I liked, she found something else. She was always so open to changes, ideas, and never burdened by wavering decisions:) When I got busy with life & wedding planning, she was patient, but encouraging, and always in touch. Just days before the wedding we finalized the ceremony, and it was perfect. I loved every bit of it, and it was so "us." Guests continue to approach us and tell us how wonderful our ceremony was, and how impressed they were with Marta. Her appearance and presentation of the ceremony was paramount. She smiled, laughed, and interacted with us and our guests through the whole ceremony. Her voice radiated with happiness and excitement, the exact mood I wanted our guests to feel from our ceremony. Marta drove nearly 4 hours to be part of our ceremony AND rehearsal. Her fee was extremely reasonable, and our wedding venue coordinator was beyond impressed with her. After the wedding was over, she sent us a beautiful keepsake copy of our ceremony which we have placed in our memory box and will surely enjoy reading again and again on anniversaries. I hope that other couples are able to include Marta in their ceremonies and have as wonderful an experience as we did!
Laura from www.summerwindimages.com was the perfect choice as our wedding photographer. I knew when looking for a photographer that I wanted someone who would love my wedding as much as I did, and pick up on all the little details that I had worked so hard to add to my wedding. Laura did just that! She is so talented and so sweet. She is easy to work with, and she made sure that I got all the photos I had in mind. Unlike some other photographers that I have seen, she was never overbearing; in fact, most of the time we didn’t even know she was there, which was great for the guys in the bridal party who don’t like to have their picture taken! Both candid and posed, my wedding photos are all breathtaking, and I have so many that it is hard to choose which ones to frame! My package included an album, which I received a few weeks after the wedding and it is so beautiful, I love sharing it with friends & family. We also received a disk with our proofs on it, which I have been able to turn into thank you cards, prints, and various gifts. I particularly love this, and I was so impressed that it was ready so soon after our wedding! Laura was just wonderful, and I hope that other couples are able to let her capture their wedding day so that they, too, can enjoy their wedding photography just as much as we did!