Vendor Reviews
Location/Catering - Omni Resort at ChampionsGate - A+
I cannot say enough good things about the Omni. We had our ceremony and reception there and both were wonderful. The coordinator, Jennifer Smith, was phenomenal every step of the way. She was a major reaason we booked the Omni in the first place. Their packages are all-inclusive (except for chair covers basically) and include the cake. She is very adamant about not nickel and diming people, so there are no additional costs for things like linens. We also liked that they were about the only place that had a less expensive buffet than sit down meal. The also offered 10% off all food and beverage costs for a Sunday wedding. Jennifer answered every phone call and e-mail promptly and was extremely accommodating. All the small things I asked for (i.e. vegetarian labels on the food on the buffet, no tip jar at the bar, etc), she made sure were done. The day of the wedding she was even in my hotel room helping me steam my dress. Jennifer also upgraded both our suite and my parent's suite the day of the wedding at no cost. She was awesome and a complete pleasure to work with. The actual service and food during the reception at the Omni was wonderful too. The servers were incredibly friendly and accommodating. When a fellow Knottie (I'll let you guess who) asked for a drink that they didn't have the mix to make at the bar, the bartender went and got the right mixers and made it for her with a smile. I was so impressed and happy by how my guests were treated. I didn't eat much at the wedding, but what I did have was very yummy, and I've heard only good things from my guests. The mashed potato martini bar (picture in Pro Pics) was a hit! Another great thing about the Omni is they have a huge water park (including a lazy river and water slide) and golf right on the premises, so guests have great activites to keep them busy. Honestly, I am SO happy we chose to get married at the Omni and I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone.
Flowers - Jonathan's Flowers - B-
Jonathan is a very nice and energenic person, which makes him fun to work with. He definitely had the best prices for what I wanted. However, I think what he fails to tell you when he's quoting his prices so low is that the size or quality of your arrangements will probably be sacrified for low prices. So I would recommend him only if you are extremely thorough and specific on the size of everything you want. Also, I highly recommend meeting with him two weeks beforehand to finalize everything and possibly the day before the wedding to check out your flowers. I did that and most everything turned out fine, however, I really had to be extremely specific about what I wanted or didn't want (i.e. no greenery). I thought my bouquet and my MOH's bouquet were both beautiful. I was completely in love with my bouquet and it was exactly what I wanted. My centerpieces and the pomanders on the aisle turned out very nicely as well. My garland for the arch was sparser than I thought it would be, however. The flower petals that were supposed to be scattered down the aisle were delivered to my room by mistake as well. A minor problem, but something to note note the less. Also, a week before the wedding Jonathan called and told me the vases we had ordered would not be in on time. We were able to come up with another solution that worked well though.
DJ - Steve with Power Entertainment - A+
Steve was fantastic. He interacted with the guests, but not an obnoxious amount. He played all the music I requested and none that was on the do not play list. He did everything on cue with our first dance. He kept the party going and people were dancing til the end. One other thing I liked about him was that when he was getting a lot of requests for songs that weren't the greatest, he came and talked to me about it and asked me if I wanted them played or not. He knew I wanted to be involved with the music selections, so I thought this was nice of him. Overall, he made great music choices and I was very pleased.
Photography - Jessica Leigh - A+
John and I have been so thrilled with Jessica every step of the way. She took our engagement photos which we loved and she had a lot of fun ideas. She was wondeful throughout the wedding day, and most of the time I didn't even know she was there (which is a good thing for a photographer!). She also worked really well with John's two boys and they loved her. She has a great, fun personality, her prices are phenomenal and her work speaks for itself. We had our CD about 3 weeks after the wedding with all of our edited shots. I feel she did a very nice job editing the photos. We are so pleased with our photos (check them out under Pro Pics) and I would highly recommend her to anyone!
Videography - Arami with Elegante Films - TBD
I hired Arami after seeing him working at Sarah Grice's (sarahsmile23) wedding and watching her wedding video trailer. It was only two weeks before our wedding but once we saw his work, we knew we had to have a videograper, and it had ot be him! Arami is so nice and is a pleasure to work with. He's very professional and was incredibly discreet; I hardly noticed him at all at the wedding. The work I have seen by him thus far has been fantastic and I can't wait to see our own wedding video! I think hiring Elegante Films was a wonderful last minute decision!!
Hair - Sevasti with Kyle Lynn Weddings - A+
I thought Sevasti did a great job on both my hair and my MOH's hair. The styles mimiced the photos we showed her almost exactly and the styles held all night. I was extremely happy. Also, the prices through Kyle Lynn were very reasonable.
Make-Up - Natalie with Knockout Artistry - A+
Natalie is so amazingly sweet; I loved working with her. I hadn't gotten ANY sleep for two nights before my wedding (horrible insommnia) so I had terrible undereye circles the day of the wedding. She managed to cover them beautifully and I don't notice them at all in my photos. She used airbrush make-up and it lasted all night without my skin getting oily like it usually does. I was thrilled with how my eye makeup looked and did not even feel the false eyelashes she placed on me. She also did a fabulous job on my mom's make-up. I honestly don't think I've ever seen her look as good as she did that day!
Cake - Party Flavors - B+
Since the cake was included with the price of my venue, the Omni just told me to go to Party Flavors, pick out the cake design and flavors I wanted, and that was all I had to do. They had a nice selection of flavors and the included cakes were simple, but elegant. We could have upgraded to a more elaborate design if we wanted, but honestly, the cake wasn't that important to us and we wanted something very simple anyway. I thought the cake looked beautiful and was very happy with the smoothness of the frosting. We did not want to use fondant, but wanted the look of fondant, which I believed they achieved quite nicely. The taste of the actual wedding cake was good, but not amazing. It certainly wasn't bad, but probably was a little dry. Also, I ordered a tier of white cake with coconut, but I did not taste or see coconut at all. So I'm not sure what happened there.
DOC - Tracy Marini with Eventfully Yours - A+
Tracy's services were also included with the venue. Basically, she was there to help the ceremony run smoothly and to set up all of my personal items (i.e. serving set, favors, place cards, etc) at the reception. She was contracted to stay through the beginning of the reception, although I could have upgraded her to stay longer, but I didn't think it would be necessary. She was also contracted to meet with me once during the planning process, but offered to meet with me twice, which I thought was nice and very helpful. Tracy was a great resource while planning the wedding. She had tons of suggestions for great vendors and also helped us to get a discount on our invitations. The day of the wedding, Tracy and her assistant Ashley were absolutely wonderful. They were able to move all of the flowers inside after a torrential downpour moved our outdoor wedding indoors with only about 30-45 minutes to spare. Everything was set up exactly how I had asked during the ceremony and the reception. They did a great job of coordinating the ceremony and everything ran incredibly smoothly. I would highly recommend Tracy to anyone looking for a wedding planner! I was SO glad to have her because I didn't have to worry about anything on that hectic day. She took care of it all, and if there were any problems, I never knew about them!
Dress Purchase and Alterations - Demetrios - A
I had a very nice expereince at Demetrios. I worked mainly with Allison, and she was wonderful. I came in the first time by myself and tried on a bunch of dresses. She gave me honest opinions and we narrowed it down to a few to try when my mom came in a couple weks later. I liked that she worked within my budget and never showed me anything above my price range. After I selected my dress, it came in much faster than anticipated and they called me right away, which was also nice. I decided to have my alterations done at Demetrios as well. Overall I was very happy with the alterations, except the fit of the chest was slightly off, which is why I did not give them an A+. I originally had cups sewn in and when I tried on the dress, I was showing WAY too much cleavage and couldn't breathe. We took the cups out and it fit much better, although I think I possibly should have altered it again and had the chest taken in just slightly. They convinced me that it looked fine, and it really wasn't that big of a problem, I just noticed that it was slightly "off" in a few of my pictures.
Boudoir Photos - Nikki Rosa/Tabitha McCausland - A+ for both!
I took boudoir phots with both Nikki and Tabitha, and found that they both did a fantastic job. Each has a slightly different perspective or look. I think Nikki was more about looking serene and beautiful whereas Tabitha was more edgy and sexy. I felt extremely comfortable with both photographers and I think my pictures all came out fabulous. Both gave great results and I would not necessarily recommend one over the other, it would just depend on what you're looking for. Also, I do not believe that Nikki does b-pics for anyone but her wedding clients at this time.
TTD Photos - Tabitha McCausland - A+
These were so fun to do! I recommend doing a TTD to anyone! And honestly, my dress isn't trashed, it just needs a cleaning and should be good. If you're going to go into water, just make sure it's fresh water because salt water can ruin a dress though. Anyway, I had a fabulous time working with Tabitha. She had tons of great ideas for different poses and backdrops. She even brought balloons to use for props! I am so glad we did these photos and we got lots of really cool shots!
I cannot say enough good things about the Omni. We had our ceremony and reception there and both were wonderful. The coordinator, Jennifer Smith, was phenomenal every step of the way. She was a major reaason we booked the Omni in the first place. Their packages are all-inclusive (except for chair covers basically) and include the cake. She is very adamant about not nickel and diming people, so there are no additional costs for things like linens. We also liked that they were about the only place that had a less expensive buffet than sit down meal. The also offered 10% off all food and beverage costs for a Sunday wedding. Jennifer answered every phone call and e-mail promptly and was extremely accommodating. All the small things I asked for (i.e. vegetarian labels on the food on the buffet, no tip jar at the bar, etc), she made sure were done. The day of the wedding she was even in my hotel room helping me steam my dress. Jennifer also upgraded both our suite and my parent's suite the day of the wedding at no cost. She was awesome and a complete pleasure to work with. The actual service and food during the reception at the Omni was wonderful too. The servers were incredibly friendly and accommodating. When a fellow Knottie (I'll let you guess who) asked for a drink that they didn't have the mix to make at the bar, the bartender went and got the right mixers and made it for her with a smile. I was so impressed and happy by how my guests were treated. I didn't eat much at the wedding, but what I did have was very yummy, and I've heard only good things from my guests. The mashed potato martini bar (picture in Pro Pics) was a hit! Another great thing about the Omni is they have a huge water park (including a lazy river and water slide) and golf right on the premises, so guests have great activites to keep them busy. Honestly, I am SO happy we chose to get married at the Omni and I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone.
Flowers - Jonathan's Flowers - B-
Jonathan is a very nice and energenic person, which makes him fun to work with. He definitely had the best prices for what I wanted. However, I think what he fails to tell you when he's quoting his prices so low is that the size or quality of your arrangements will probably be sacrified for low prices. So I would recommend him only if you are extremely thorough and specific on the size of everything you want. Also, I highly recommend meeting with him two weeks beforehand to finalize everything and possibly the day before the wedding to check out your flowers. I did that and most everything turned out fine, however, I really had to be extremely specific about what I wanted or didn't want (i.e. no greenery). I thought my bouquet and my MOH's bouquet were both beautiful. I was completely in love with my bouquet and it was exactly what I wanted. My centerpieces and the pomanders on the aisle turned out very nicely as well. My garland for the arch was sparser than I thought it would be, however. The flower petals that were supposed to be scattered down the aisle were delivered to my room by mistake as well. A minor problem, but something to note note the less. Also, a week before the wedding Jonathan called and told me the vases we had ordered would not be in on time. We were able to come up with another solution that worked well though.
DJ - Steve with Power Entertainment - A+
Steve was fantastic. He interacted with the guests, but not an obnoxious amount. He played all the music I requested and none that was on the do not play list. He did everything on cue with our first dance. He kept the party going and people were dancing til the end. One other thing I liked about him was that when he was getting a lot of requests for songs that weren't the greatest, he came and talked to me about it and asked me if I wanted them played or not. He knew I wanted to be involved with the music selections, so I thought this was nice of him. Overall, he made great music choices and I was very pleased.
Photography - Jessica Leigh - A+
John and I have been so thrilled with Jessica every step of the way. She took our engagement photos which we loved and she had a lot of fun ideas. She was wondeful throughout the wedding day, and most of the time I didn't even know she was there (which is a good thing for a photographer!). She also worked really well with John's two boys and they loved her. She has a great, fun personality, her prices are phenomenal and her work speaks for itself. We had our CD about 3 weeks after the wedding with all of our edited shots. I feel she did a very nice job editing the photos. We are so pleased with our photos (check them out under Pro Pics) and I would highly recommend her to anyone!
Videography - Arami with Elegante Films - TBD
I hired Arami after seeing him working at Sarah Grice's (sarahsmile23) wedding and watching her wedding video trailer. It was only two weeks before our wedding but once we saw his work, we knew we had to have a videograper, and it had ot be him! Arami is so nice and is a pleasure to work with. He's very professional and was incredibly discreet; I hardly noticed him at all at the wedding. The work I have seen by him thus far has been fantastic and I can't wait to see our own wedding video! I think hiring Elegante Films was a wonderful last minute decision!!
Hair - Sevasti with Kyle Lynn Weddings - A+
I thought Sevasti did a great job on both my hair and my MOH's hair. The styles mimiced the photos we showed her almost exactly and the styles held all night. I was extremely happy. Also, the prices through Kyle Lynn were very reasonable.
Make-Up - Natalie with Knockout Artistry - A+
Natalie is so amazingly sweet; I loved working with her. I hadn't gotten ANY sleep for two nights before my wedding (horrible insommnia) so I had terrible undereye circles the day of the wedding. She managed to cover them beautifully and I don't notice them at all in my photos. She used airbrush make-up and it lasted all night without my skin getting oily like it usually does. I was thrilled with how my eye makeup looked and did not even feel the false eyelashes she placed on me. She also did a fabulous job on my mom's make-up. I honestly don't think I've ever seen her look as good as she did that day!
Cake - Party Flavors - B+
Since the cake was included with the price of my venue, the Omni just told me to go to Party Flavors, pick out the cake design and flavors I wanted, and that was all I had to do. They had a nice selection of flavors and the included cakes were simple, but elegant. We could have upgraded to a more elaborate design if we wanted, but honestly, the cake wasn't that important to us and we wanted something very simple anyway. I thought the cake looked beautiful and was very happy with the smoothness of the frosting. We did not want to use fondant, but wanted the look of fondant, which I believed they achieved quite nicely. The taste of the actual wedding cake was good, but not amazing. It certainly wasn't bad, but probably was a little dry. Also, I ordered a tier of white cake with coconut, but I did not taste or see coconut at all. So I'm not sure what happened there.
DOC - Tracy Marini with Eventfully Yours - A+
Tracy's services were also included with the venue. Basically, she was there to help the ceremony run smoothly and to set up all of my personal items (i.e. serving set, favors, place cards, etc) at the reception. She was contracted to stay through the beginning of the reception, although I could have upgraded her to stay longer, but I didn't think it would be necessary. She was also contracted to meet with me once during the planning process, but offered to meet with me twice, which I thought was nice and very helpful. Tracy was a great resource while planning the wedding. She had tons of suggestions for great vendors and also helped us to get a discount on our invitations. The day of the wedding, Tracy and her assistant Ashley were absolutely wonderful. They were able to move all of the flowers inside after a torrential downpour moved our outdoor wedding indoors with only about 30-45 minutes to spare. Everything was set up exactly how I had asked during the ceremony and the reception. They did a great job of coordinating the ceremony and everything ran incredibly smoothly. I would highly recommend Tracy to anyone looking for a wedding planner! I was SO glad to have her because I didn't have to worry about anything on that hectic day. She took care of it all, and if there were any problems, I never knew about them!
Dress Purchase and Alterations - Demetrios - A
I had a very nice expereince at Demetrios. I worked mainly with Allison, and she was wonderful. I came in the first time by myself and tried on a bunch of dresses. She gave me honest opinions and we narrowed it down to a few to try when my mom came in a couple weks later. I liked that she worked within my budget and never showed me anything above my price range. After I selected my dress, it came in much faster than anticipated and they called me right away, which was also nice. I decided to have my alterations done at Demetrios as well. Overall I was very happy with the alterations, except the fit of the chest was slightly off, which is why I did not give them an A+. I originally had cups sewn in and when I tried on the dress, I was showing WAY too much cleavage and couldn't breathe. We took the cups out and it fit much better, although I think I possibly should have altered it again and had the chest taken in just slightly. They convinced me that it looked fine, and it really wasn't that big of a problem, I just noticed that it was slightly "off" in a few of my pictures.
Boudoir Photos - Nikki Rosa/Tabitha McCausland - A+ for both!
I took boudoir phots with both Nikki and Tabitha, and found that they both did a fantastic job. Each has a slightly different perspective or look. I think Nikki was more about looking serene and beautiful whereas Tabitha was more edgy and sexy. I felt extremely comfortable with both photographers and I think my pictures all came out fabulous. Both gave great results and I would not necessarily recommend one over the other, it would just depend on what you're looking for. Also, I do not believe that Nikki does b-pics for anyone but her wedding clients at this time.
TTD Photos - Tabitha McCausland - A+
These were so fun to do! I recommend doing a TTD to anyone! And honestly, my dress isn't trashed, it just needs a cleaning and should be good. If you're going to go into water, just make sure it's fresh water because salt water can ruin a dress though. Anyway, I had a fabulous time working with Tabitha. She had tons of great ideas for different poses and backdrops. She even brought balloons to use for props! I am so glad we did these photos and we got lots of really cool shots!
