Ceremony
St. Aloysius Church - Downtown Detroit
$500
Grade: B
www.stalsdetroit.com
We are members at St. Al's, so it was a natural choice for us. The
church is lovely and they seem very accommodating as far as the set up of the wedding/mass and all of that. My only complaint was that it was often difficult to connect with the priest or others involved. Often, we went to mass and connected with the priest after mass, but if we weren't members or lived further away, that would have been a challenge and would have annoyed me further. Personally, I think they are a small parish and are so innundated with wedding requests due to the location that it's a bit much for them to handle. Patience is key here!
$500
Grade: B
www.stalsdetroit.com
We are members at St. Al's, so it was a natural choice for us. The
church is lovely and they seem very accommodating as far as the set up of the wedding/mass and all of that. My only complaint was that it was often difficult to connect with the priest or others involved. Often, we went to mass and connected with the priest after mass, but if we weren't members or lived further away, that would have been a challenge and would have annoyed me further. Personally, I think they are a small parish and are so innundated with wedding requests due to the location that it's a bit much for them to handle. Patience is key here!
Ceremony Music
Aaron Kalienicki - music minister at St. Al's.
$250
Grade: A+
www.rushentertainmentcompany.com
Aaron is the music minister at St. Al's, so another natural choice here. We had him play the piano and sing, and he was wonderful to work with. A quick meeting with him after mass solidified our choices. He'll play selections of popular stuff, which made it easy to pick things on the spot. I also had a list of hymns I wanted played, and he was helpful in sorting out where they'd work best (or if they really weren't appropriate for a wedding).
$250
Grade: A+
www.rushentertainmentcompany.com
Aaron is the music minister at St. Al's, so another natural choice here. We had him play the piano and sing, and he was wonderful to work with. A quick meeting with him after mass solidified our choices. He'll play selections of popular stuff, which made it easy to pick things on the spot. I also had a list of hymns I wanted played, and he was helpful in sorting out where they'd work best (or if they really weren't appropriate for a wedding).
Reception Location
Detroit Yacht Club -- Belle Isle
Approx. $90/head, which included duet entree of beef and fish, premium bar upgrade, appetizers and late night snack. Also included small discount due to off season.
Grade: A+++++
www.dyc.com
The DYC was phenomenal to work with. From our initial visit to the week following the wedding when I realized I'd left my shoes there, they were uber-responsive and helpful, especially in those last couple weeks where I swear I e-mailed the Catering Manager 5 times a day. We received so many compliments on the location and the food, and our particular favorites were from people who don't come downtown very often and are used to going to weddings at venues like Penna's. My FSIL is one of those folks and she told H that she'll never look at Penna's the same because the DYC was so superior.
Approx. $90/head, which included duet entree of beef and fish, premium bar upgrade, appetizers and late night snack. Also included small discount due to off season.
Grade: A+++++
www.dyc.com
The DYC was phenomenal to work with. From our initial visit to the week following the wedding when I realized I'd left my shoes there, they were uber-responsive and helpful, especially in those last couple weeks where I swear I e-mailed the Catering Manager 5 times a day. We received so many compliments on the location and the food, and our particular favorites were from people who don't come downtown very often and are used to going to weddings at venues like Penna's. My FSIL is one of those folks and she told H that she'll never look at Penna's the same because the DYC was so superior.
Chairs & table Overlays
A Moment Forever
$1,200 for 170 chivari chairs + table overlays for 17 tables, table linens for our captains table, and overlays/swagging for the guest book table, cake table and gift table
Grade: A+++
www.amomentforever.net
I'm adamantly opposed to chair covers in most instances, so when I realized that would be the only option for the DYC, I decided to upgrade to chiavaris. Stacy at A Moment Forever was great to work with. I think the chairs ended up about $4/chair, which was the cheapest I'd found. My estimate doesn't include a $300 deposit we had to pay that will be returned pending everything being in good condition. The chairs were lovely, white pads were clean, and the table overlays were neat and pressed. Stacy's demeanor isn't overly professional, but she's very casual and easy-going and as far as delivering what's promised, she's incredibly professional!
Last I knew, Stacy only rented gold chiavari chairs, but the price was unbeatable.
NOTE: The DYC provided us with white floor-length linens as well as cloth napkins, so we only chose the table overlays for a pop of color.
$1,200 for 170 chivari chairs + table overlays for 17 tables, table linens for our captains table, and overlays/swagging for the guest book table, cake table and gift table
Grade: A+++
www.amomentforever.net
I'm adamantly opposed to chair covers in most instances, so when I realized that would be the only option for the DYC, I decided to upgrade to chiavaris. Stacy at A Moment Forever was great to work with. I think the chairs ended up about $4/chair, which was the cheapest I'd found. My estimate doesn't include a $300 deposit we had to pay that will be returned pending everything being in good condition. The chairs were lovely, white pads were clean, and the table overlays were neat and pressed. Stacy's demeanor isn't overly professional, but she's very casual and easy-going and as far as delivering what's promised, she's incredibly professional!
Last I knew, Stacy only rented gold chiavari chairs, but the price was unbeatable.
NOTE: The DYC provided us with white floor-length linens as well as cloth napkins, so we only chose the table overlays for a pop of color.
Cake
Josef's Bakery
617.40, which was about $3.08/slice
Grade: A-
www.josefspastryshop.com
The staff there is great and the cake is really yummy. We went with two different batters, two different fillings, and buttercream frosting. Had we opted for no fillings the cost would have been less. I provided Jimmy with a picture of what I wanted and he created it perfectly, seriously!
The only reason they dont' get a "+" is because the final batters were actually wrong. We'd requested yellow and yellow marble, we got white and white/choc.
marble. I didn't even notice it until the end of the night, the cake was still delicious, and I personally had wanted white -- it was H who wanted yellow. So in my book it was a win. I think to avoid that issue, I probably should have confirmed the week before. I didn't, since we'd just met couple weeks prior, but one last phone call never hurts.
617.40, which was about $3.08/slice
Grade: A-
www.josefspastryshop.com
The staff there is great and the cake is really yummy. We went with two different batters, two different fillings, and buttercream frosting. Had we opted for no fillings the cost would have been less. I provided Jimmy with a picture of what I wanted and he created it perfectly, seriously!
The only reason they dont' get a "+" is because the final batters were actually wrong. We'd requested yellow and yellow marble, we got white and white/choc.
marble. I didn't even notice it until the end of the night, the cake was still delicious, and I personally had wanted white -- it was H who wanted yellow. So in my book it was a win. I think to avoid that issue, I probably should have confirmed the week before. I didn't, since we'd just met couple weeks prior, but one last phone call never hurts.
DJ & Videography
Mike Staff Productions
$2,891 for both (I think DJ was just over/under $1,000, the rest is video), we had the DJ for 6.5 hours, video for 9
Videography Grade: A+
DJ Grade: C
www.mikestaff.com
Video Review:
Our videographer was really nice and blended into the background, so I didn't even feel like he was there. I was a bit worried about that, because I was more focused on getting good still photos, but he worked his magic. Our video turned out great and, as someone who wasn't totally sold on spending $$ on a videographer, I'm so happy that I can look back and watch our ceremony as well as other highlights of the day.
DJ Review
This was my big disappointment from the wedding. Our DJ was awesome and very friendly, but a few big issues happened. 1) he mispronounced our BM's name and our married name -- after pronouncing them correctly at least once. 2) he played the wrong song for our first dance. This was the real kicker for me. He says it was a technical error with the equipment and he made it right by
playing the correct song after the other special dances and at the end of the night, but people still didn't understand the error and we still had to dance to the wrong song -- a song that was supposed to be our cake cutting song and that had no sentimental value AT ALL.
Had this been any ol' DJ, I would perhaps be less ticked, but Mike Staff really prides themselves on their professionalism and their emcee abilities. So, the whole getting names right was a big selling point for me and thus a main reason why we went with them, a more expensive company. So, it was disappointing when the selling promise wasn't completely fulfilled. And the song goes without
saying. I don't know all the technical things that go into being a DJ, but I feel like he could have either stopped the song right there and not made us suffer through the dance, or not even started down the path if he knew the system wasn't performing correctly. All that being said, he did still do a good job at keeping the reception schedule on track and did keep people on the dance floor all night. He was great at reading what music would work with the crowd and going with that.
My only other complaint with Mike Staff is that the DJ/video/photo person doesn't call you to sort out details until the week of the wedding. I was trying to be ahead of the game, so it was frustrating that this couldn't be taken care of 2 weeks before the wedding. But, at least it was fresh in their minds (though that obviously didn't help in the case of the DJ mispronouncing names!)
$2,891 for both (I think DJ was just over/under $1,000, the rest is video), we had the DJ for 6.5 hours, video for 9
Videography Grade: A+
DJ Grade: C
www.mikestaff.com
Video Review:
Our videographer was really nice and blended into the background, so I didn't even feel like he was there. I was a bit worried about that, because I was more focused on getting good still photos, but he worked his magic. Our video turned out great and, as someone who wasn't totally sold on spending $$ on a videographer, I'm so happy that I can look back and watch our ceremony as well as other highlights of the day.
DJ Review
This was my big disappointment from the wedding. Our DJ was awesome and very friendly, but a few big issues happened. 1) he mispronounced our BM's name and our married name -- after pronouncing them correctly at least once. 2) he played the wrong song for our first dance. This was the real kicker for me. He says it was a technical error with the equipment and he made it right by
playing the correct song after the other special dances and at the end of the night, but people still didn't understand the error and we still had to dance to the wrong song -- a song that was supposed to be our cake cutting song and that had no sentimental value AT ALL.
Had this been any ol' DJ, I would perhaps be less ticked, but Mike Staff really prides themselves on their professionalism and their emcee abilities. So, the whole getting names right was a big selling point for me and thus a main reason why we went with them, a more expensive company. So, it was disappointing when the selling promise wasn't completely fulfilled. And the song goes without
saying. I don't know all the technical things that go into being a DJ, but I feel like he could have either stopped the song right there and not made us suffer through the dance, or not even started down the path if he knew the system wasn't performing correctly. All that being said, he did still do a good job at keeping the reception schedule on track and did keep people on the dance floor all night. He was great at reading what music would work with the crowd and going with that.
My only other complaint with Mike Staff is that the DJ/video/photo person doesn't call you to sort out details until the week of the wedding. I was trying to be ahead of the game, so it was frustrating that this couldn't be taken care of 2 weeks before the wedding. But, at least it was fresh in their minds (though that obviously didn't help in the case of the DJ mispronouncing names!)
Photographer
Silver Thumb Photography
Approx $6,000 for e-pic session, 10 hours of wedding coverage, disk with rights for both wedding and e-pics, and nice wedding album.
Grade: A++++++++++
www.silverthumbphoto.com
Tamara was certainly the most expensive I'd seen, and triple my initial budget.
But she is awesome to work with. We got the benefit of having her husband shoot
as well. They rolled with the punches (and there were a few -- like when we got
on the People Mover for photos only to find it was packed with concert-goers). Our photos captured the day so well and I'm so happy we have them!
Approx $6,000 for e-pic session, 10 hours of wedding coverage, disk with rights for both wedding and e-pics, and nice wedding album.
Grade: A++++++++++
www.silverthumbphoto.com
Tamara was certainly the most expensive I'd seen, and triple my initial budget.
But she is awesome to work with. We got the benefit of having her husband shoot
as well. They rolled with the punches (and there were a few -- like when we got
on the People Mover for photos only to find it was packed with concert-goers). Our photos captured the day so well and I'm so happy we have them!
Photobooth
Shutterbooth
$850 for 4 hours
Grade: A+
www.shutterbooth.com
They're pricier than competitors, but worth it to me. Our host was great, I didn't even meet him until midway through the wedding and he just rolled with everything and had it all set to go without any instruction from me. Everyone seemed to love it and we got a lot of compliments from people who hadn't seen it before. It was also great for kids.
$850 for 4 hours
Grade: A+
www.shutterbooth.com
They're pricier than competitors, but worth it to me. Our host was great, I didn't even meet him until midway through the wedding and he just rolled with everything and had it all set to go without any instruction from me. Everyone seemed to love it and we got a lot of compliments from people who hadn't seen it before. It was also great for kids.
Limo
The Night Move
$375 for limo bus for 3 hours
$600 (approx.) for guest shuttle for 6 hours
Grade: A
www.thenightmove.com
The Night Move is nothing special, but they got the job done. Limo bus was adequate and the driver put up with our loud music and got us where we needed to be. We did end up with a slightly lesser quality limo bus at the last minute because their regular one was in the shop, but I truly didn't care about fancy-ness when it came to my transportation.
The shuttle was also appreciated, only downfall there was that some folks had to wait because the round trip from reception to hotel was about 25 minutes. Perhaps I should have gotten a bigger bus!
Only complaint here was that they didn't give me the final driver name/number info. until a day or two before the wedding. As with Mike Staff, it would have been nice to know this at least a week out, if not 2.
$375 for limo bus for 3 hours
$600 (approx.) for guest shuttle for 6 hours
Grade: A
www.thenightmove.com
The Night Move is nothing special, but they got the job done. Limo bus was adequate and the driver put up with our loud music and got us where we needed to be. We did end up with a slightly lesser quality limo bus at the last minute because their regular one was in the shop, but I truly didn't care about fancy-ness when it came to my transportation.
The shuttle was also appreciated, only downfall there was that some folks had to wait because the round trip from reception to hotel was about 25 minutes. Perhaps I should have gotten a bigger bus!
Only complaint here was that they didn't give me the final driver name/number info. until a day or two before the wedding. As with Mike Staff, it would have been nice to know this at least a week out, if not 2.
Florist
Michele Nonis
$1,382 for bridal bouquet, 6 BM bouquets, 14 GM bouts, 1 FG pomander, and 20 table centerpieces (2 different styles)
Grade: A++++
Michele started off a little rocky with me because I had envisioned a lot more red flowers, and she talked me out of it for what I now see were legitimate reasons. So, she's certainly not afraid to tell you her opinion, but trust me, her opinion is a good one! The flowers turned out amazing!! They were fresh and bright and I loved the different shades of blue and pops of red we created.
One thing that did help me was that I found a wedding that had flowers VERY similar to what I wanted, but hadn't been able to articulate. I sent the blog link to her, and she basically recreated that. In addition, she offered to take me to her wholesaler and pick things out, so my mom and I took advantage of that and it really helped me visualize what I wanted and confirm that she was on the same page.
$1,382 for bridal bouquet, 6 BM bouquets, 14 GM bouts, 1 FG pomander, and 20 table centerpieces (2 different styles)
Grade: A++++
Michele started off a little rocky with me because I had envisioned a lot more red flowers, and she talked me out of it for what I now see were legitimate reasons. So, she's certainly not afraid to tell you her opinion, but trust me, her opinion is a good one! The flowers turned out amazing!! They were fresh and bright and I loved the different shades of blue and pops of red we created.
One thing that did help me was that I found a wedding that had flowers VERY similar to what I wanted, but hadn't been able to articulate. I sent the blog link to her, and she basically recreated that. In addition, she offered to take me to her wholesaler and pick things out, so my mom and I took advantage of that and it really helped me visualize what I wanted and confirm that she was on the same page.
DAy-Of Coordinator
Hannah Hoskins, Upstairs Events
Free to me, but normally $300-$400 for DOC duties
Grade: A+++++++++++++++
Hannah is a dear friend who offered to do this for me early in planning, and then went on to launch her own event planning business
with a friend. So I got her skills for free, but let me tell you, she is WORTH it. I thought I'd be able to manage everything the day of, after all, I'd planned it! But, on the day, I was basically focused on the 1 foot radius around me, and had no concept of what should be going on outside of that. So, I was so happy I gave Hannah the day-of timeline and she ran with it. Everyone was where they needed to be, she greeted my vendors and managed things so I didn't have to. And as the night wound down and I saw her faithfully packing everything up for me, I thanked God she was there to help with all the little things I didn't think about.
Free to me, but normally $300-$400 for DOC duties
Grade: A+++++++++++++++
Hannah is a dear friend who offered to do this for me early in planning, and then went on to launch her own event planning business
with a friend. So I got her skills for free, but let me tell you, she is WORTH it. I thought I'd be able to manage everything the day of, after all, I'd planned it! But, on the day, I was basically focused on the 1 foot radius around me, and had no concept of what should be going on outside of that. So, I was so happy I gave Hannah the day-of timeline and she ran with it. Everyone was where they needed to be, she greeted my vendors and managed things so I didn't have to. And as the night wound down and I saw her faithfully packing everything up for me, I thanked God she was there to help with all the little things I didn't think about.
Wedding Dress
Dior Bridal
Maggie Sottero "Debbie"
$850 (dress); $325 (altering hem, bustle, slight nipping at hips, and minor fix to my veil/headpiece)
Grade: A
www.diorbridal.com
I was a little hesitant when we first walked in and the attendant had my mother and I sorting through dresses, but it turned out really great. From that point on, I always felt taken care of and their seamstress was great. I probably could have had alterations done cheaper, but since i bought the dress there, it was about convenience for me.
Maggie Sottero "Debbie"
$850 (dress); $325 (altering hem, bustle, slight nipping at hips, and minor fix to my veil/headpiece)
Grade: A
www.diorbridal.com
I was a little hesitant when we first walked in and the attendant had my mother and I sorting through dresses, but it turned out really great. From that point on, I always felt taken care of and their seamstress was great. I probably could have had alterations done cheaper, but since i bought the dress there, it was about convenience for me.
Tuxes
Men's Wearhouse
About $150/$160 per tux
Grade: A
www.menwearhouse.com
Nothing special here, but they were fine. I really wanted suits, but purchasing suits was going to prove to be a challenge, so we created tuxes that could pass for suits: Black, charcoal vest (groom had white vest) and Charcoal tie. Looked really classy and not overly "prom-esque".
As far as I know, tuxes were all as they should be and they were easy to work with for GM who lived out of state.
About $150/$160 per tux
Grade: A
www.menwearhouse.com
Nothing special here, but they were fine. I really wanted suits, but purchasing suits was going to prove to be a challenge, so we created tuxes that could pass for suits: Black, charcoal vest (groom had white vest) and Charcoal tie. Looked really classy and not overly "prom-esque".
As far as I know, tuxes were all as they should be and they were easy to work with for GM who lived out of state.
Bridesmaid Dresses
Arena Bridal
Bill Levkoff, Style 682
$150 on sale
Grade: A-
www.arenabridal.com
Another "nothing special". They were good to work with for out of town BMs, which I had a lot. They did talk one of my friends into extra length based on her height, and she didn't need it, so that was kinda annoying.
Bill Levkoff, Style 682
$150 on sale
Grade: A-
www.arenabridal.com
Another "nothing special". They were good to work with for out of town BMs, which I had a lot. They did talk one of my friends into extra length based on her height, and she didn't need it, so that was kinda annoying.
Hair & Make-up
Belissima Salon in Shelby Twp.
$87.50 for updo and traditional make-up, trials were $30 (hair) and $40 (make-up)
Grade: A+
www.bellisimasalonandspa.net
This is my regular salon, so my stylist did my hair. She's awesome (otherwise I wouldn't go to her normally!), but the other girls were great too. All BM's were happy with hair and they even worked in an extra BM who wanted her make-up done but hadn't planned for it. Another nice thing they do is require a deposit when making the appointment. May seem like a hassle, but it was nice to only pay like $30 on the wedding day, because I'd already made a deposit!! I think the Bridesmaids liked that too.
$87.50 for updo and traditional make-up, trials were $30 (hair) and $40 (make-up)
Grade: A+
www.bellisimasalonandspa.net
This is my regular salon, so my stylist did my hair. She's awesome (otherwise I wouldn't go to her normally!), but the other girls were great too. All BM's were happy with hair and they even worked in an extra BM who wanted her make-up done but hadn't planned for it. Another nice thing they do is require a deposit when making the appointment. May seem like a hassle, but it was nice to only pay like $30 on the wedding day, because I'd already made a deposit!! I think the Bridesmaids liked that too.
Save the Dates
Vistaprint
$65 for magnets & postage for 75 STDs
Grade: A
www.vistaprint.com
Design was free on this one (a friend did it), so Vistaprint is good for cheap but decent quality. Turnaround time was fabulous!
$65 for magnets & postage for 75 STDs
Grade: A
www.vistaprint.com
Design was free on this one (a friend did it), so Vistaprint is good for cheap but decent quality. Turnaround time was fabulous!
Invitations
Cards and Pockets & Staples
About $500 for 180 invitations (paper, pocketfolds, envelopes, printing, postage for RSVP postcards and invitations)
Grade: A+
www.cardsandpockets.com
Again, a friend designed them, so that was free, but the paper and pocketfold quality was awesome. Staples was OK, I had them cut the inserts for me, and there cuts were sometimes a bit off, so I would possibly forgo that and do it myself if I'd had the time and were doing it again. Printing quality was fine.
About $500 for 180 invitations (paper, pocketfolds, envelopes, printing, postage for RSVP postcards and invitations)
Grade: A+
www.cardsandpockets.com
Again, a friend designed them, so that was free, but the paper and pocketfold quality was awesome. Staples was OK, I had them cut the inserts for me, and there cuts were sometimes a bit off, so I would possibly forgo that and do it myself if I'd had the time and were doing it again. Printing quality was fine.
Day-Of Stationary
Senor & Senora
About $550 for varying quantites of programs (150), mounted seating chart, table signs (about 20), Welcome Bag Cards (50), Menu cards (20), and photo sleeve inserts (200)
Grade: A-
www.senorsenora.com
Quality was fabulous! We used a Detroit skyline template they had for most items. My only complaint was that everything was done via e-mail, and sometimes all that content and info. can be hard to communicate that way. I also changed up quantities a couple times and had to watch to make sure that was noted. But, they were very flexible with deadlines, as this was the one thing I sort of slacked on and in the end I wanted to pay rush charges, but they helped me so that wouldn't happen. I also could have met with them in person and avoided some of the e-mail miscues.
About $550 for varying quantites of programs (150), mounted seating chart, table signs (about 20), Welcome Bag Cards (50), Menu cards (20), and photo sleeve inserts (200)
Grade: A-
www.senorsenora.com
Quality was fabulous! We used a Detroit skyline template they had for most items. My only complaint was that everything was done via e-mail, and sometimes all that content and info. can be hard to communicate that way. I also changed up quantities a couple times and had to watch to make sure that was noted. But, they were very flexible with deadlines, as this was the one thing I sort of slacked on and in the end I wanted to pay rush charges, but they helped me so that wouldn't happen. I also could have met with them in person and avoided some of the e-mail miscues.