***I was very happy with all of my vendors and would totally reccommend them all*** 

Thomas and Thomas Sound Entertainment
Jerry Thomas
734-422-4257

A+

We had a really hard time finding a DJ who was reasonable and who would not have a problem with the music list that I wanted played our wedding.

Our first point of contact was Jerry Thomas from Thomas and Thomas.  He was very easy to work with and we kept in touch via email and phone calls. I have to say that as we got closer to the date of the wedding getting a hold of Jerry was a bit frustrating, but I was able to reach him. In the begining of the planning phase Jerry responded to emails as soon as they were sent to him. As we got closer to September 19th I would send him emails and he would never respond. I finally tracked him down via the phone and told me he recieved the emails, he just didn't answer them and I have to say that drove me nuts.

I provided him with a list (not the norm for wedding music) of music that we wanted to hear at our wedding and he was able to collect the info and provided us with just the right amount of soca and reggae music that we wanted to hear. I realised on our wedding night that there were a few songs that did not get played and that was ok because Dean our DJ played just the right amount of verything.  He played a great mix of music selection.

I was excited beacuse my family was actually on the dance floor several times. I knew they were happy with the selections that were being played.

On the other hand Austin was pissed. He was pissed because when it was finally time for our grand entrance we couldn't hear our song. I thought it was because we were outside the ballroom. Austin begs to differ. It was the one thing that he wanted done right. He wanted an awesome grand entrance. He felt cheated. lol  Austin had made the CD with the Kid Rock intro and he did not get to hear it. Other than that I thought Dean Cassar was awesome. 

The funny thing is after all that wedding planning the one thing that my husband was worrying about was his grand entrance.

Men!

Dean  was  very friendly,  professional funny and down to earth guy who was able to create the party like atmosphere that we wanted. He kept it fast pace with a lot of dance songs.

Now that I look back we probably should have had a few more slower songs for the couples that were our guests. I did take note that a lot were more couples were dancing when those songs came on.

Overall, loved Dean


 A Beautiful Day Events
Rachel Slater
www.abeautifuldayeventsmi.com

A++++++

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When I initially started planning our wedding I never envisioned using a DOC. I decided I needed one when I realised that I couldn't be in three places at the same time. Getting dressed, decorating the ballroom and the church and distributing the bouts. 

Using a DOC will help to put your mind at ease. If I didn't hire a DOC I would have had to rely on family members to carry out certain things and I thought that was just too much to ask and they probably wouldn't do it the way I desired.
 
I had a few DIY stuff that I would not have trusted anyone else with. I made my centerpieces, table numbers, I DO letters and all things flowers. Rachel and her assistant Dawn  made sure that everything wa  placed on its designated tables. She pinned bouts, and crosages. She also went to the church to make sure everything was in order.  I also needed someone who was NEAT, DETAIL ORIENTED, EFFICIENT, AND A PERFECTIONIST. I found those qualities in Rcahel from a Beautiful Day Events.  It also helped that she was a fellow bride. She knew what my expectations were.

Rachel made sure all the small details that I needed on the day of the wedding were taken care of.  Prior to the day of the wedding Rachel and I had several meetings where we talked about visions of my wedding day.  Rachel and I had extensive communication during the planning process. We exchanged emails and talked several times on the phone, I gave her a tour of the reception venue so that she had an idea what she would be working with.

If there's  one thing I can say about Rachel if you send her any email, you will get back an email response from her in a timely manner. I like that.

Two days before the wedding Rachel confirmed all my vendors, photog, hair, makeup and dj to make sure that we were all on the same page and that they knew their event timeline. Thank god she did because my makeup person needed to change her schedule arrival time and I had no idea. Rachel called me to let me know and ask if I was satisfied with the time change and I wasn't, but we were able to compromise. That was one less thing to worry about. I also gave her my MOH's just in case, sometimes crap happened.  

A lot of times brides will go to the church to sit and wait for the ceremony to start.  I didn't want to go to the church and sit and wait around. I wanted to get to the church, step off the limo and walked down the asile.
 
Thanks Rachel, I was able to get off the limo and walk down the asile. My MOH called Rachel when we were 10 minutes away from the church,  so that she could get everyone ready for my arrival, and it was perfect timing. 


I  have to say that it was well worth it.


I  also have to say that I now appreciate the job that a DOC does( not that I didn't before). 
DOC's are there to make sure your wedding runs smoothly.
I think its important to let your family know why your DOC is there.  
I had to remind my family a few times that Rachel was there to make sure everything I wanted was executed.

She did an AWESOME job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cakes By Stephanie
Monroe. Michigan
734-240-CAKE or
www.cakesbystephaniemi.com

A

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Yum Yum is all I can say!!

Our cake was made up of three layers. Our guest had a chance to taste 2 of the 3 layers.
First layer was chocolate with strawberry mouse filling.
Second layer was cherry chip with cream cheese filling and the third layer was chocolate with raspberry mouse filling. It was awesome. Very MOIST and just the right amount of sweet.

Tom and Stephanie were great to work with. The one thing I would advise is if you find a copy of your cake in a magazine be sure to keep a copy handy. I found the picture of our cake in a magazine,  I was never been ble to find it online. I made an extra copy for myself and thank god I did because they misplaced the original that I gave them. I have to say that they were very good about it.

Another thing be specific about having your cake topper placed on top of your cake. I didn't know I needed to let Stephanie and Tom know this. They did an awesome job decorating the top of the cake and I dont know if thats the reason why they didn't put the topper on. In the end I still loved it. Had I known this I would have let Rachel know so that she would could have done it. So be specific about what you want.

Regardless I loved it.

On our one year anniversary we will be getting a small cake free of charge.

Black Tie Limosine
Dearborn, Michigan
313-561-4400

A

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Black Tie Limosine came through for us.
 
We initially wanted and booked  a party bus but on the day of the wedding the bus was having electrical problems so they sent us the Escalade Limo. No leg room for me with long legs.  I would have loved having the bus which would have allowed us standing room but we were happy with the alternative.

Austin and I lounged in the back of the limo and that gave us some room to fit my dress.

I was so happy on September 19th I didn't care what our mode of transportation was.

Might I add that they are super cheap. I started looking for Limo's late. August to be exact and everyone was booked or wanted $1000 + for 6 hours. Black tie was half the cost and the service was amazing.

Our driver was on time and very curteous.

Our Shephered Lutheran Church 
Birmingham Michigan 
Pastor Ray Scherbarth
248-646-6100
A+ 

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Our ceremony was held at Austins childhood church.
They did an amazing job.
They printed our programs and the church was decorated with candles and pew bows at no additional charge.
Pastor Scherbarth did a fantastic job eventhough he forgot that I wanted to read something to Austin during the ceremony. Thats fine I read it to him at the end.


The Ritz Carlton
Dearborn, Michigan
Michelle Hannan or Eren Denski


313-441-2000
A++++++++++++

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The Ritz Carlton did and amazing job.

Thanks to my wedding coordinator Michelle Hannan who made sure that everything was perfect.

From taking care of our suite the night before our wedding and on our wedding night,  to making sure that the food was  was prepared to out liking.
They certainly lived up the expectation of being a 4 STAR HOTEL.
 
The food was AMAZING and plentiful.
Our wait staff were on hand whenever needed and they were all just very pleasant.
We've been planning the wedding for over two years but only had a chance to work with Michelle for about a year and a half. We were suppose to have chocolate and champagne for our wedding night but someone made a boo boo.

I check in on Friday night before the wedding and the Ritz thought it was our wedding night.  While my MOH and I were out they delivered chocolate covered strawberries and champagne to our suite. My MOH and I made the best of it by drinking the bubbly while we worked on the flowers.

I just dont have enough words to express how pleased and happy Austin and I were with the service that they provided. From the moment we entered the premises August of 2007. They've gone above and beyond in everything that they've done for us.

The Ritz Carlton was not our first venue of choice but It was a blessing when we found them, the Dearborn Hyatt was. Austin and I were talking about how everywhere we went they way they treated us was based on how much money we were spending. Not to say that we didn't spend enough, but I do believe that when you are looking at venue's if you are spending an exorbitant amount of money they treat you different. It happened to us. On the bright side of things the Ritz was available for what we had budget.

Total opposite at the Ritz. Customer service was  FABULOUS. We went in and told them what we wanted to spend and they accepted.

Thanks to Eren Denski.  She was our first point of contact and she has been FABULOUS. We went in and told her that our contract at the Dearborn Hyatt and fallen through. She asked us what were looking to spend for less than 80 people. We gave her our number and she agreeed. I've called her when Michelle our coordinator was out of the office  and she made sure we had whatever we needed.

I also have to say that the Ritz did a GREAT job with the tasting. They dont usually offer tastings for party's under 100. They made and exception and did a tasting for us. What can I say FREAKING AWESOME FOOD!!!

We probably had the same amount of desert choices as main dishes. There was a lot to choose from. I also found out that a few of our guests were so impressed and excited with the deserts they asked for doggie bags. They were happily obliged. The staff made doggie bags and kept them in the kitchen until our guests were ready to leave.

It sucks that Austin and I never thought to do that, lol the deserts were amazing.  They did have several choices of deserts layed out in our suite when Austin and I got upstairs but we were too pooped to eat any of it. We also forgot to put them in the fridge.  

Overall, we were HAPPY with our experience.

Victorias Bridal
Wedding Gown and Bridesmaid Dresses
Dearborn Heights
313-278-1218

A++

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I bought my gown from Victorias Bridal. the store is located in Dearborn Heights.

It was a really great experience working with the owner of the shop. I have to say that I am super pleased with how every thing went. I had to order my sisters dress 3 weeks before the wedding, and it was no problem getting the order done and having the dress in time for alterations. I also needed to alter my daughters dress. I took it to the store on the Tuesday before the wedding and it was ready by early Friday afternoon.

BRIDESMAID DRESSES- Alfred Angelo

The bridesmaid dresses were from Alfred Angelo and they were beautiful.  They were empire waist cocktail dresses in expresso and Ivory. I love the fact that the girls will be able to wear the dresses again.

MOH and MARTRON OF HONOR DRESSES-Jordons Fashion

Maid of Honor and Matron of Honor dresses were from Jordon and I also loved the way the looked. They were floor lenght chocolate and ivory colored dresses

I think a few people would be turned off by the size of Victoris Bridal, dont let that deter you.
Its a very  small store but she has a very large selection of wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses.

I also had a chance to comparison shop while looking for gowns and bridesmaid dresses. I found out that each bridal salon makes their own price for each garment. I have to say that out of all the salons that I looked at in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights,  Victorias Bridal was the most reasonable.

My Tips for wedding dress shopping.

1) Decide on your dress budget, it helps to narrow your search.
2) We all have an idea what our perfect dress should be. I thought mine was a beautiful pale yellow Jasmine Coture piece that I fell inlove with. Wrong. Just because you like a dress doesn't mean that it'll like you back.
3 )Dont bring an entourage, especially if they are super opinionated. It can be very distracting. 4) Be flexible and openminded, you'll find the perfect dress.
5) Enjoy trying on the dresses
6) Dont be a bridezilla we already know that its all about you. You dont have to remind people
.

The Knot Shop
Wedding favors
A+

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My sister ordered our wedding favors from the knot shop. They were not what I expected but they were awesome. I asked her to order wine toppers and she thought I said bottle openers.
They were really cute key to my heart bottle openers. She ordered them the week before the wedding and they were delivered way ahead of the delivery time.

Makup by The Glamdoctor
1313-330-7828
http://theglamdoctor.com

A

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I was a little nervous about booking Rashida from the Glamdoctor because I didn't know anyone else from the knot who used her. She came highly reccommended by another make up artist who had double booked the day that I needed. So glad that I was able to use her. I had her do my trial on the day of my bachelorette party and everyone loved what she did. My makeup lasted all day and into the night. It looked fresh. Might I add she used airbrush.

Fast forward to the day of the wedding I had several girls who wanted to have their makeup done. Rashida did an awesome job. I had one girl who wanted dramatic and it turned out beautiful. I then had someone else who just wanted a small amount of coverage and look as natrual as possible and Rashida was able to accomplish the look.

I LOVED what she did to my face. I had a glow that lasted all day and all night. I didn't want to take it off. At 1am I was still looking at how fresh and beautiful the airbrush makeup was that she had done. I fell in love with the lip color that she used, its called Cola Float. I LOVE it.

I would highly reccommend using Rashida. Dont be afraid to tell her what look your'e going for. She will be more than happy to work with you. If you are brave enough like I was on the day of my trial, just give her an idea of the look that you are going for and VIOLA, it'll be done.

Hair
Nicole Pizzini
313-999-3083

A+

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I met Nicole through a fellow knottie and she did an awesome job.

She created really pretty updo's for my bridesmaids.
The girls loved her.
The girls brought in pictures to give Nicole an idea of what they wanted and I have to say that the girls were happy. I loved what she did.  I did my own hair but Nicole offered to help me If needed. She is very very professional and curteous and I would highly reccommend her.  

Photographer
Daryl Akers

A++

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Our pictures are a gift from a good friend Doug. Due to conflict with his COBO project he wasn't able to take our pictures.
His brother Daryl was a fill in and he did an awesome job.
They both do it as a hobby. 
Still waiting on the pictures.
He posted a few teasers on my facebook wall and I am now anxious to see the rest. 

Flowers
Costco
Kristel

A+

I ordered my flowers from Costco in Royal Oak. My contact person was Kristel and she was amazing. Austins mom went into the store and got a price list of their flowers for me. BTW, its best to go into the store and get a price list. Dont order from the Costco website, it cost more and you dont have the flexibility to make changes. I added  extra bunches about two weeks prior to the wedding.  Anyway I ordered my flowers from Costco and had them delivered the Friday before the wedding so that they were fresh. I was very impressed. They came in those neat little bunches in buckets of water. Each bunch of flowers had plant food to keep your blooms fresh. I used them in each vase to help keep the flowers looking fresh throughout the night.

I loved odering my flowers this way because I was able to add or subtract if I had too many flowers, in my cases I needed to add. I also bought the bear grass which I used as fillers in addition to the curly willows from Michaels.

All for under $250

Tuxes
MTUX/ Mens Wearhouse
Michigan Avenue, Dearborn

D-

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I dont even feel like doing a review for MTUX/Mens Wearhouse

I am giving Mens Wearhouse a huge D-.

My experience with them has not been good. I've been pissed from the moment I walked into the store on Michigan Ave. The first time I got pissed was when I went in 12 weeks before the wedding and the girl told me it was too early. Second time I got pissed was because they suggested to Austin that the guys should change their shirts after the ceremony. I have to admit that the guys all looked sharp but that wasn't their decision to make.

I wish I could have made the D- larger. The tuxes were beautiful. The guys all had on bisque color vest like the one in the picture. The guys changed after the ceremony into black shirts but kept on the vest and it looked great.

The problem that I had with them was not only was Austins pants too tight, but they wouldn't have been able to get him a replacement prior to the wedding.  All five of his guys had a problem with their tuxes. Austin never told me this until after the wedding. Turns out they ordered the wrong size pants for Austin so his pants was too tight and there was nothing they could do about it. My brother who is over 6ft 1 got his pants and it was too short, they were able to rectify it and found him a longer pants. Anyway all the guys in the wedding either had issue with the pants being too short,too long or too tight. They were all measured by Mens Wearhouse employees.

Woud I use them again, dont think so.

Note: It was one thing to mess up the groomsmen tuxes, but to make a mistake with the grooms tux. I look at it as the equivalent of my gown being screwed up by the dress shop.

I think the store has a great selection but their customer service sucks, at the least the one in Dearborn.

Another thing Austin says that service in the Troy store is awesome.