Vendor Reviews

Day of Coordination: A+++
Ashlie Hampton & Rachel Crawley/ Weddings In The City/ (www.wedinthecity.com)
We had no intention of hiring a Day of Coordinator but after hearing about all my fellow brides rave about having one, I wanted one too! I also realized more than half way into my planning that I wanted to be able to enjoy my wedding day with my bridal party and families so at that point hiring one was a no-brainer. When I met with Ashlie and knew she was the perfect fit for me.
In the weeks leading up to my wedding, Ashlie was my sanity. She was always there to calm my nerves and ever climbing stress levels. Being the control freak that I am, I wasn't sure that I would be able to hand over my Control Freak Wand but I DID!
The wedding day went as I planned and was everything I ever wanted PLUS, I got to enjoy my day! Ashlie and Rachel are the amazing ladies who made that happen.

Ceremony & Reception Venue: A+++
Melissa Burtram/ Casa Feliz (www.casafeliz.us)
If I had to describe the feel I was going for for our wedding it would be "The Great Gatsby". I came across Casa Feliz's website while stuck in Utah on a ski trip with the flu. I could not wait to get back to Florida to check this place out in person. Some Brides tear up when they tried on "the dress"; I teared up over "the venue". This place is unbelievably gorgeous and had everything I wanted.
Melissa Burtram was just as amazing to work with. She totally worked with our budget and helped us with everything from recommending vendors, menu choices to linen colors. Love her!

Caterer: A+++
Melissa Burtram/ Arthur's Catering (www.arthurscatering.com)
Arthur's is the exclusive caterer for Casa Feliz so we didn't have a choice but to use them. Catered food is catered food but not Arthur's. Chad and I are huge food snobs and found that they have some dang good food. Even my Mother, a fellow food snob, and ALL of our guests commented on how GREAT everything tasted. I think they were also surprised with the quality and flavor. It might of tasted like we paid an arm and a leg but they are VERY well priced and the service was absolutely amazing! The staff on the day of was like the "A" team of servers and such. They paid special attention to my 95 year old grandmother and my family said she was treated like a queen! 

Lighting: A+++
Michelle Lawles/ Kaleidoscope Production Services, Inc (www.KALps.com)
Melissa Burtram recommended using Kaleidoscope for our market lights and outdoor up-lighting. Working with Michelle was effortless. After we sent back the contract we received a small package from her ... a movie night themed box complete with Sour Patch Kids, Milk Duds, popcorn, and gift card to Blockbuster! How cool is that?!
The lighting went up just as effortlessly as working with Michelle. The lighting was stunning and completed the look I was going for. 

Officiant: A+++
Rev. Glynn Ferguson/ Sensational Ceremonies (www.sensational-ceremonies.com)
We couldn't imagine having anyone else perform our ceremony other than Rev. Ferguson. He was the one and only person we met with so we hired him the same day we met with him. He is just THAT charming. =)
He worked with Chad and I to tailor a ceremony that was "us". Our ceremony was outside and probably the hottest day of the year. I felt SO bad for him because he was dressed in a heavy robe, that was probably like walking around in a portable sauna, and drenched in sweat, but he never missed a beat. Having him marry us made our ceremony that much more special and memorable.

Engagement Photographer: B
Leigh Taylor Photography (www.leigh-taylor.com)
Our engagement pictures turned out amazing! Leigh is very talented but her prices are quite outrageous and her turn around time is very slow. The engagement session was included with our wedding photography package which is a nice little bonus but she gets you with prints or digital files. We received 80 pictures from our engagement session with her. There were only 40 edited color pictures with a duplicate in black and white. A 5x7 print was $30 and to purchase a disc of all the original files was $780!

Wedding Photographer: FFFFFFFFF!
Leigh Taylor Photography (www.leigh-taylor.com)
Our wedding photos were the most important thing to us so we splurged a little when hired  Leigh Taylor for $3,100 to photograph our wedding. We had our engagement photos taken by her in March and were very pleased with the outcome and super excited to see what she could do for us on our big day. I was totally shocked when her husband, Andy Taylor called at 4pm the day before the wedding to let me know she was very sick and would not be able to make it. They sent two other photographers in her place and Andy Taylor was also there. There wasn't much I could do at the time being that it was 25 hours until I said "I Do." I couldn't pitch a fit or fire them because then I would have no one to document this very special day. Ricky assured me that Lucy's second shooter photographs like her and that Lucy would be editing all the photos so they will all look like Leigh Taylor's work. So with not many choices or options I said okay.

I anticipated some sort of communication from Leigh Taylor soon following the wedding such as an apology or a preview of some of my photos. A month went by and I had not even heard, or seen, anything from Leigh Taylor or Andy Taylor. I was the one who had to chase them down. I sent numerous emails before she set up a gallery of her favorite pictures from our wedding for me to see. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. The photos were good, but we paid for great photos and they didn't look like Leigh Taylor's work. For example, if you are a Picasso aficionado you would be able to spot a forgery. I am a Leigh Taylor aficionado and these felt like a forgery. I told her how I felt and but she stood by the quality of photos. She did offer me a free session with digital negatives to make up for not being there though. I thanked her for the offer but told her I would rather have an album. As much as we are unhappy with the photos we have seen so far, we don't want to do a bridal session. Our wedding was something we wanted to experience once and I can't afford to have my hair and make-up re-done and rent a suit for Chad so we could get better pictures that should of been taken in the first place. Plus I would know that every time I looked at them that it wasn't our wedding day. Unfortunately Leigh Taylor said she would be not willing to provide me with an album because that would cost her money and in her offering a session, that would only cost her her time and talent. Apparently, she has no problem taking money out of my pocket though. I didn't respond to that portion of her email. I was, and still am, seething with anger about her unwillingness to do what it takes to make a client happy especially when she has royally screwed up and knows it.

I emailed them making them aware of my disappointment in them and telling them to just send me my wedding photos and engagement photos immediately. I received the photos just after the 12 week mark, 4 weeks after the deadline. Half of the engagement pictures were missing and out of 1100 wedding pictures that I received, there was NOT ONE SINGLE PICTURE OF CHAD AND HIS GROOMSMEN! 1100 pictures! This is totally unacceptable so I texted Andy Taylor on Tuesday night, you know, because the photographer I hired is too sick or busy to answer emails, texts or any other form of communication. He stated that:

"Those are shots that would be done by the second shooter when you were getting ready. By the time Chad got there, he had to get dressed and go right down for the first look. We have to stay on a time line from the planner."

We had two hours prior to the ceremony to take pictures and in those two hours, with two photographers, we took the prep pictures, pictures of my girls and I, the first look, and pictures of the entire bridal party. I still don't understand why there isn't one single picture of the groom and his guys because we had plenty of time to take all the other ones. There are other key pictures missing but I find that this one takes the cake.

I spent $3,100 for a photography package to include coverage for 7 hours. I should mention she is a one man show with a second shooter. All of the work you see on her site and blog are her and/or her second shooter's photos edited by Leigh Taylor. I hired her based on the work I have seen on the website and blog. If you compare all the photos I received from her of my wedding to the other weddings she has shot you can see a considerable difference in the type of quality of the photo. If I wanted those replacement photographers I would of hired them directly. I paid for the best and I don't believe I received that especially when the replacement photographers are NOT primary wedding photographers. They are both accomplished 2nd shooters and two 2nd shooter don't equal one primary wedding photographer and the evidence is in my photos.

I am happy that the photos aren't God awful but what upsets me more is the type of photos I got. I am totally dumbfounded at why I am missing key photos that any professional wedding photographer would know to shoot especially when you factor in the price that I paid for the photographer and photos and even more importantly because Andy Taylor, business partner and husband of the photographer I hired was there!

 They obviously won't take responsibility for any of their actions, or lack thereof, and appear that they are not willing to do what it takes to satisfy a disgruntled client. I've tried contacting Leigh and Andy numerous times via email, text and have even left voicemail messages on their cell phones. I have not heard a response from either one of them in months. They still owe me $250 in a ala cart credit from the wedding package we purchased.

Leigh Taylor doesn't know how to treat clients with respect, dignity or with any professionalism. I would NOT recommend her to even my worst enemy.

Wedding Photographer: A+++
Soltren Photography (www.soltrenphotography.com)
Jennifer Soltren was our second shooter, hired by Leigh Taylor (Leigh Taylor Photography) and I had been in contact with her during the four months we waited for our photos from Leigh Taylor.  She was kind enough to blog some photos that she took because the Leigh Taylor we hired wouldn't since she they weren't her photos taken by her.  Out of the 1100 photos we received, most of the pictures that Jen blogged were not on there.  I couldn't even look at my wedding photos without crying.  Knowing what my husband and I were going through with Leigh Taylor and knowing how I felt, Jen sent us a disc of her edited photos.  In addition were a large gift bag full of prints and other goodies.  We were totally floored by her generosity and blown away by her photos.
Looking back, Jen is the definition of a professional wedding photographer.  She was the "fly on the wall" who captured amazing shots on such a special day in our lives.  After the fiasco that we went through I never thought I would be able to look at our wedding photos with anything more than distaste.  Jen single-handedly gave us back the good memories of that day.  We are eternally grateful for everything that she has done to help us and cannot recommend her and her services enough to anyone.

MakeUp: A+++
Meghann Davis (http://makeupbymeghann.com)
Meghann has the most upbeat and bubbly personality ever! Working with her was an absolute blast! During my four hour marathon makeup trial we talked about anything and everything. I'm surprised we even had time to do my makeup!
She did a smashing job on all my girls, the Moms and I on the big day. My makeup was flawless all day! She really takes pride in what she does and it shows. 

Hair: A+++
Lissette Cruz/ Headlines Salon (www.HeadlinesOrlando.com)
The History: I met Lissette many moons ago when I was at wits end with my hair. It was very short and I needed to do something with it so I could grow it out so I got extensions. For the following six months I rocked them then came the time for me to take them out. I was very sad to see them go and was ready to chop off my hair, the hair that I just spent over six months trying to grow out. No amount of convincing worked with her. I couldn't even get her to color my hair before the wedding! Wise woman. She owns the salon and exclusively uses Pravana Products. I've been coloring my hair for YEARS and this stuff is the best I've ever seen. We colored it right before I had the extensions so they would match and I figured we would have to re-color when I got them out because it would be totally faded. Not in the slightest. Like I said, this stuff is amazing. So needless to say this chick rocks my hair and has da bomb products.
So for the wedding day she did all my girl's hair. I LOVED mine and everyone looked gorgeous, obviously. She is the best! What more can I say? =)

Airbrush Tanning: A+++
Body Wrap & Tone (www.bodywrapandtone.com)
I tried the spray booth at a tanning salon and turned out looking like George Hamilton. I decided not to go this route for the wedding. I am pale and I burn so tanning in the sun or in a tanning bed is a no go for me. I was recommended to this place by a lot of Orlando Brides so I figured the worst that could happen to me was looking like a carrot again for a week. The good news, I wasn't a carrot. The bad news, I'm addicted. The tan you get looks SO natural. I even convinced my pasty pale Maid of Honor, who fought me for months and refused to get one, to give it a whirl and she LOVED it. Great place, great people, great job and great price!

Diet: A+++
Transformations Medical Weight Loss Center/ Oviedo, FL (www.87startnow.com)
What's my secret to getting slim? I got help, professional help! I was at the gym five to six days a week AND doing Weight Watchers but after 10 weeks, I hadn't lost one pound. I didn't really have that much that I wanted to lose so I was extremely frustrated and about to give up when I came across their booth at a Bridal Show. I was sure they would tell me I was already skinny and shoo me away (I am 4'11 and was 117 pounds) but they didn't. I went to the consultation and decided to just do it. After 8 weeks of doing their program I'd lost 12.4 pounds. I won't say that it is a piece of cake but the diet does get easier and is SO worth it.


Florist: A+++
David Baker/ Carly Ane's Floral Studio (www.weddingsbycarlyanes.com)
I got the warm fuzzies when I met with David. I had no idea what I wanted for flowers other than the color. At our mock-up he made a gorgeous, simple and elegant red rose centerpiece for me and in that moment I knew I had hired the right guy. He totally got me even though I had no idea what I wanted.
All of my flowers were stunning on the day of the wedding. He went the extra mile and surprised me with rose petals all around my cake, on a table with family pictures and rose buds on the fire mantel. David totally exceeded my expectations and I cannot recommend him enough to anyone.

Ceremony Music: A+++
Mark DeHaven (www.avalonmusicstudio.com)
Chad and I decided we wanted a one-man guitar show during our ceremony and cocktail hour. A friend of ours raved about Mark who was going to be playing at her wedding. I used her wedding as his interview and decided we needed to hire him ASAP.
Can we say musical genius? Mark is one very talented guy. I gave him a list of songs that Chad and I liked and he said if he didn't know them, he would learn them. Just like that, he'll learn them!
While we were getting our pictures outside the garden room where the cocktail hour was being held, I was able to hear a little of him playing. I asked him to play Latin inspired music since we were at a Spanish Farmhouse. I talked with him before and had told him I loved Rodrigo Y Gabriela but since they are a duo and he is a single I wasn't sure how that would work. I gave him free reign on music choices for that so when I heard him playing their music I was totally surprised and very, very happy. That totally made my night. I just wish I could of listened to him play more than I did. Our guests also loved the music and commented on how talented he was. We couldn't of asked for anything better.

DJ:  A+++
Matt Norwood & Courtney Kanistras/ White Rose Entertainment (www.orlandodj.com)
We did our research on DJs and White Rose was rated one of the highest out there. We had pretty much already decided to hire them before we met them so meeting with Dan Benoit and Jeff VerSchage was just a formality. Unfortunately both these guys were booked for our date but they found two people that were a perfect fit for us.
Matt Norwood and Courtney Kanistras are pretty freakin' awesome. They were on top of everything all night and the dance floor was never empty! I expected my friends to be dancing the night away but I was totally surprised to see BOTH my in-laws shaking their grove thing. I've never seen my Father In Law dance and he was putting on a show all night. While Courtney was manning the music, Matt would check with me to see how I was doing, if I needed anything and let me know what was coming up next. Our guests absolutely loved Matt and Courtney, the music choices, and so did we. This duo knows how to do it!

Wedding Cake: B
Anna Cakes (www.annacakes.com)
Yum, Yum, Yum! Our guests said that this was the best cake they have ever tasted and I have to agree! Anna has great attention for detail and she really takes pride in what she does.
Compared to the prompt response I received from all my other vendors, I was quite disappointed in her lack of a timely response to emails and phone calls. I would have to email and/or call twice within a four day period before she would even respond once so that is why I rate her with a B.

Groom's/Guy's/ Dad's Attire: D
Men's Warehouse (www.menswarehouse.com)
Wow. This company really hires some stupid and rude people. The first time I went in it was like pulling teeth to have them help me. You would think they would want my business and ask for the order but they never did. I was lucky that the second time I went back I had an awesome sales guy who helped us pick out the suits and vests. Too bad he left for the army in January.
I went back in April with my Dad to have him fitted. Some butthead who worked there told me that the color choices I picked out would look horrible. Then the location near my Father in Law (Naples, FL) signed him up for the groomsmen attire instead of the Father's and only my husband or I could make the changes even though they screwed it up.
So in the days leading up to the wedding when everyone was picking up their suits, I expected them to screw up something but I think they screwed up something with everyone's rental. I told the guys not to tell me about it, just get it fixed but I've recently found out what was messed up. My husband is a 30/32 but instead he got a 32/30. Something similar happened with my Dad's pants. One of our groomsmen had glue on his pants and vest. Why glue? I have no idea. Everything was fixed prior to the wedding so no one was rushing around but seriously? I just don't understand how this company is still in business. They suck.

Gal's Attire/ Both Mom's Attire: D
David's Bridal (www.davidsbridal.com)
I've gone to both the Altamonte Springs and Millenia locations and they both suck. They must be taking notes from Men's Warehouse. The service is absolutely terrible but they have a great selection for dresses.
I went with the Moms to pick out their dresses and the consultants were constantly disappearing. It doesn't matter if you make an appointment or not. It appears that they are working with numerous brides and/or bridal party members and don't have the time to give any attention to you and I do say ANY and EVER. I've gone in there multiple times, in both locations, at different times and days and it is always the same with the terrible service.

Dress Alterations: B
Jeanine
When I first met with Jeanine I had told her I was losing weight. She said it wouldn't be a problem and we would do as many fittings as I needed. This woman works fast! Three weeks later I was having my "final dress fitting". At this point I was 30 days out from my wedding and I thought I was done with losing the weight but apparently not. By the next morning, I lost another two pounds. I'm pretty tiny, or as some call it - hobbit sized,  so two pounds makes a huge difference on me. I was worried about the dress not fitting so I called her to tell her that I wanted her to hold off on doing the alterations for two weeks. She got an attitude with me saying that I never told her that I was losing weight and that I shouldn't of started the appointments with her so soon.  I had lost six pounds since my first fitting and almost two dress sizes so how she never noticed that and forgot the fact that I told her I was losing weight shocked me. She did comply with my request though, so we set up my second "final dress fitting" for two weeks before the big day.
I was suppose to get my completed dress back 12 days before the wedding. She shows up at my house and she didn't do the bustle because she said it didn't look right. She said she would have it back in 2 days but then she calls me the following day and says the bustle still doesn't look right and came back to my house to pin it. I was then suppose to get it back on Friday (2 days later). I was starting to freak out because I still needed to have my dress cleaned which she was aware of and it takes 4 days to have it cleaned. I planned on dropping it off on the cleaners on Friday and getting it back by Tuesday or Wednesday (before the wedding). She called on Friday afternoon and said she couldn't get it to me until late evening because of a personal emergency. She did end up coming on Friday evening, with the dress but the bustle was a little weird looking. I honestly didn't have the patience to have her fix it to my liking so I just took it the way it was. I was a week out from my wedding AND I still needed the dress to be cleaned. The only reason I wasn't totally freaking out was because I couldn't see the bustle and I didn't think anyone would really notice it unless I pointed it out.
So I give Jeanine a B because she is very well priced, does a good job but she gave me an attitude for her mistake of not listening to me in the first place and cutting it real close to my deadline.

Rehearsal Lunch: A
Buca Di Beppo/ Maitland, FL (www.bucadibeppo.com)
I am a stickler for timely response if you haven't noticed. The events lady was very difficult to get a hold of to set up our lunch but the Restaurant Manager, Joseph Esposito was phenomenal! This location is not open for lunch but since we had such a large party, they opened up early for us. The service was great, food was good and most importantly was the best bang for our buck!