San Diego Party Rentals provided excellent rentals for the cost (very reasonable!). They were flexible about adding and changing rental items and provided the perfect color linens. Luis was friendly and easy to work with. The delivery charge was high but not that far off from other rental companies in the area.
We hired Chanisa of Sweet Cake Batter to make red velvet cupcakes and a 6" cake for our wedding. I could not have been happier with the cupcakes/cake and working with Chanisa! She went above and beyond. She decorated the cupcakes and cake using our wedding motif (flip flops) and the decorations were made to perfection. They were so adorable and really suited us as a couple. Even more importantly, they tasted awesome! We got a ton of compliments from our guests. I'd have Chanisa make a cake for any event of ours - birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc.
Paul Fatta from Big Kahuna's was easy to work with from the beginning, and the food was outstanding! We ordered Kalua Pork and Cabbage, Teriyaki Beef, Meat Fried Rice, Mandarin Orange Salad, and Big Kahuna's Balls (their specialty version of Hawaiian rolls.) They delivered the food and set-up and broke down the buffet on time and without any problems. All our guests loved the food; I'd hire them again for an event in a heartbeat!
I hired Brenda Swann of Swann Soirees for day-of coordination for my wedding on March 14th, '09 and could not have been happier with her services! She was such a delight to work with and from the beginning, I felt completely confident in leaving my wedding day in her hands. She went above and beyond in helping me realize the vision I had for my wedding. She was extremely detail-oriented and professional. I can't imagine trying to pull off all the planning without her!
I worked with both the customer service dept (ordering bulk flowers) and with the design dept (ordering boutonnieres). They were not always the friendliest people to talk to, or the most helpful. When I asked for some type of receipt after ordering the bulk flowers, the woman acted like I was being a nuisance - that "they don't normally do that." (She eventually faxed me an invoice.) As for the people in the design department, the first person I spoke with told me they would not be able to make gerbera daisy boutonnieres (even though my wedding planner knew they could). When I called back a few days later, a different person told me they could. Then it took me 5 phone calls before they finally emailed me a copy of the order. All these things aside, however, the bulk flowers were a steal. The gerbera were $5.95 for 10 (market price) as opposed to $3 for one stem at the florist. And the boutonnieres (though about comparable in price to other florists) looked wonderful and lasted all day (not always the case with gerbera.) I would recommend them to any bride but with a warning of what to expect in terms of customer service.
I had my engagement ring custom-made by Horacio, the jeweler at Baily Banks & Biddle, using 9 of my grandmother's diamonds. Originally, I had taken the diamonds to a local jeweler in my neighborhood but they had completely botched the setting - it was a complete disaster. After explaining the situation to Horacio, he grasped a perfect understanding of my design and made me completely at ease. He was extremely kind and patient. He explained to me what was wrong with the initial setting and how he would pull out the diamonds and create a new setting from scratch. In the end, the ring that Horacio made was the exact design I had envisioned. The craftsmanship was superb. I was so pleased with working with Horacio and with the quality of his work that I went back several months later to have him custom make a wedding band. He is a true craftsman!
From the moment I walked into the door of the salon, Ruben (who did my makeup) and Orissai (who did my hair) made me feel right at home. They came in earlier than the salon normally opens so I could be on time for pictures. They listened to exactly what I was looking for, which was very important because I was not having a traditional wedding and therefore not having a traditional up-do or makeup look. Orissai also cut my hair earlier in the week and did a fantastic job!