My wedding was in the summer but always wanted to post my vendor reviews and never got around to it. Here they are:
Ceremony Location - West Point Grey Presbyterian Church
We found it very difficult to find a church that would allow us to have a wedding on a Sunday. Thankfully, we discovered this small, welcoming and beautiful church.
9/10
Reception - The Terminal City Club
I can not say enough wonderful things about this venue and staff. From the moment I walked into that beautiful ballroom (with the gorgeous chandeliers) I knew I had to have my reception there. The best part was that Saturday weddings had huge food/beverage minimums but for Sunday weddings (we got the last Sunday available in the Summer) there was no minimum. Therefore, we were able to have this beautiful venue despite only having 100 guests. The catering manager was amazing and accommodating (despite the long list of little 'details' that I wanted included) and the food (we had the buffet) was beyond belief. Everyone was so professional and I was exceptionally impressed with the Night Manager who was always there to pull out my chair and make sure I was happy throughout the night
10/10
Day-Of Wedding Co-ordinator - Your Perfect Day
Being a very 'hands-on' bride, I never considered a day-of coordinator would be necessary. However, in the final weeks before the wedding, I started to realize how many 'little' details there were to worry about on the wedding day and that I really didn't want to burden my family and friends with them. I wanted to make sure that all of my friends and family (and myself) had an enjoyable, stress-free day so I hired Crystal from 'Your Perfect Day' (who is also a friend of mine) to help me out. In one word, she was 'Incredible.' She met with me as many times as I wished to finalize the timeline and details of the day and had such great suggestions that I would never have thought of. I had planned the wedding day down to every minute and she executed my timeline perfectly. When problems arose (and they did) she took care of them with ease and without involving me or my family. Crystal was energetic, knowledgeable, attentive and professional and I don't know how any of us would have managed without her. She handled everything including cueing the bridesmaids to walk down the aisle, transferring all items from one location to the other, arriving at each venue hours ahead of time to ensure that setup was complete and correct and to deal with the location manager and to just be the first point of contact for all vendors or for anyone having a question or concern. I would highly recommend using a Day-of Coordinator, just to give yourself that added peace of mind.
10/10
Photography - Cora's Photography
As with most decisions for my wedding, I spent weeks of research trying to find the perfect photographer for my wedding day. I met with Cora soon after meeting with a dozen other photographers and Cora immediately stood out for me. Not only for her incredible 'journalistic style,' but also for her energetic, artistic and positive spirit.
During our engagement session, Cora quickly put my husband at ease and made us both feel very comfortable and relaxed. On our wedding day, everyone commented that Cora had fantastic ideas and was extremely fun to work with. The day flew by so quickly that I now treasure the album that Cora created for us, which truly captured the story of our wedding day.
Cora's prices are great, all photos are provided on cd as well as printed out in a beautiful leather album. She also makes an online photo slideshow of the best photos a few days after the wedding so that you have a little preview before receiving the final photos.
10/10
Flowers - A Unique Boutique
Jayme was fantastic. Of all of my wedding decisions, deciding on flowers and decor was the hardest for me. Jayme helped me find a decor vision for my wedding day and was very patient whenever I changed my mind (it happened quite often!!). She had fantastic ideas and was well priced. On the morning of my wedding day, I saw my bouquet for the first time and was completely blown away as it was perfect and beyond anything I ever envisioned.
10/10
Chair Covers - Cinderella Chair Covers
Tracey was great to work with, the chair covers made the venue look so elegant and her staff were quick with the set-up and discreet with the take-down.
9.5/10
Music - Musical Occasions
This company provides all types of musicians and was great to work with. The pianist that we hired was professional and the music was beautiful. However, I did learn at a later time that he arrived a few minutes before he was due to start, which caused a bit of stress for the catering staff and my co-ordinator as the guests were not supposed to be permitted into the ballroom until the pianist started playing.
8.5/10
Wedding Dress & Veil - Tiffany Bridal
I have seen the complaints about Tiffany Bridal, but I had a great experience. The staff there are very relaxed and non-pushy, unlike other bridal stores I visited. I ended up finding my dress at another store, so they ordered it for me for a cheaper price. Plus, it arrived in about 3 weeks (rather than 4 months).
9/10
Bridesmaid Dresses - My seamstress, Sandra
Sandra was amazing. She did all of my alterations and bustle at a fraction of the cost that the bridal stores would have charged. She even made my crinolin for next to nothing and it was perfect.
I described to her my vision for my bridesmaid dresses and she did exactly what I asked. As an added complication, one of my bridesmaids lived in Australia and only arrived 3 days before my wedding. This was no problem for Sandra and she finished the dress with ease and it fit my bridesmaid perfectly.
10/10
Makeup - Patricia Banziger Makeup Artist
Patricia had a great promotion that, in addition to the trial already included in her services, she offered an additional makeup trial free of charge. Therefore, I used my first trial on the day of my engagement photos, my second trial on my stagette night, and through both, we were able to find the perfect look for my wedding day. Patricia was great to work with, everyone looked beautiful and our makeup didn't fade all day and night. Included is the airbrush foundation and eyelashes.
10/10
Hair - Laura Simms at Sculpture Hair Design
Laura has been my stylist for many years and agreed to come to my home to style our hair for the wedding. She easily read into everyone's unique styles and did an excellent job.
10/10
Tuxes - Moores Formalwear
We used one of the $75 promotions from the wedding fair, there was a huge selection to choose from and the guys all looked great. I did however, hear from the guys that the quality wasn't that great and my husband's tie kept coming loose and had to be re-tied.
7/10
DJ - Frost Entertainment
Jason is a friend of my husband and sat with us for hours deciding on the perfect songs. Him and his wife, Erin work as a team and were very knowledgeable and fun to work with. Unfortunately, on our wedding day, Erin was unable to come at the last minute, but Jason still did an amazing job and everyone really enjoyed the music and was dancing all night long.
9/10
Cake - Cupcakes
Our cake was delicious and the bakers were amazing in that I was able to give them a few fabric samples from by bridesmaid dresses and they completely matched the various icing colours to them.
9.5/10
Limo - Luxury Limobus Charters
We rented a limo bus and everyone found it unique and fun. There was so much room to move around (the groomsmen are all big guys) and the driver was on-time and professional
9/10
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