Photography
Laura Zastrow Photography
www.laurazastrow.com
Ceremony/Reception Venue
Wauwatosa Woman's Club
www.wauwatosawomansclub.com
Caterer
Bunzel's Old-Fashioned Meat Market and Catering
www.bunzels.com
Cake/Cupcakes
Peter Sciortino's Bakery
http://www.petersciortinosbakery.com/
Bridal Gown
Pearl's Place
www.pearlsplace.com
Rating: A
I had such a great experience ordering from Pearl's Place! For those of you who are unaware of this company and have yet to order your gown, I highly recommend them! They are a brick and mortar store based in New Orleans, LA, but they also sell "online" (you can see the designers they carry online, but you have to call the store during business hours for a quote and to order). The gown I fell in love with retails for about $990, which was a little out of my price range. I was determined to find it for less, and Pearl's Place came to my rescue! Their quote? $590, plus $15 to ship it to my doorstep. This comes out to a whopping 40% discount, and my dress is the REAL DEAL. No knockoff dresses from China! I was told it would take 3-4 months for my dress to arrive, but it was delivered in just over 2 months. The only reason I didn't give them an A+: no shipping notification, so I didn't know when to expect my gown.
Bridesmaids' Gowns
David's Bridal
www.davidsbridal.com
Rating: A
I have heard horror stories about David's Bridal, but we actually had quite a pleasant experience with no major problems. We chose a gown from the White by Vera Wang line. The girls all ordered and paid for their gowns separately, and each dress came in way ahead of the production schedule we were given; most of the dresses took just over a week! The only problem I came across involved shipping a gown to one of my bridesmaids who works at the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong. David's Bridal uses Fedex, a company that does NOT ship to military addresses. However, our consultant was super nice about the situation. She refunded the shipping cost and allowed me to pick up the dress so I could mail it myself.
Gown Alterations
Fig Leaves
(262) 878-3573
Rating: B
I generally had a good experience with Carol the three times I saw her, and she did a great job taking in the bust, taking up the hem, and creating a bustle. However, I feel that she's a bit on the conservative side when it comes how tight a wedding gown should be. I explained to her several times that I wanted it to fit like a glove, especially in the hips/stomach/butt area. It still wasn't to my liking after 2 tries, so I decided to take it elsewhere (see below).
Julie's Sewing and Design
(414) 607-0144
http://juliessewinganddesign.com/index.htm
Officiant
Reverend Beverly J. Danforth
www.harpandminister.com
Florist
Kimberlee Grob
Locker's Florist
http://www.lockersflorist.com/
DJ
Charles Joecks
Streamline Productions
http://streamprod.com/index.htm
Laura Zastrow Photography
www.laurazastrow.com
Ceremony/Reception Venue
Wauwatosa Woman's Club
www.wauwatosawomansclub.com
Caterer
Bunzel's Old-Fashioned Meat Market and Catering
www.bunzels.com
Cake/Cupcakes
Peter Sciortino's Bakery
http://www.petersciortinosbakery.com/
Bridal Gown
Pearl's Place
www.pearlsplace.com
Rating: A
I had such a great experience ordering from Pearl's Place! For those of you who are unaware of this company and have yet to order your gown, I highly recommend them! They are a brick and mortar store based in New Orleans, LA, but they also sell "online" (you can see the designers they carry online, but you have to call the store during business hours for a quote and to order). The gown I fell in love with retails for about $990, which was a little out of my price range. I was determined to find it for less, and Pearl's Place came to my rescue! Their quote? $590, plus $15 to ship it to my doorstep. This comes out to a whopping 40% discount, and my dress is the REAL DEAL. No knockoff dresses from China! I was told it would take 3-4 months for my dress to arrive, but it was delivered in just over 2 months. The only reason I didn't give them an A+: no shipping notification, so I didn't know when to expect my gown.
Bridesmaids' Gowns
David's Bridal
www.davidsbridal.com
Rating: A
I have heard horror stories about David's Bridal, but we actually had quite a pleasant experience with no major problems. We chose a gown from the White by Vera Wang line. The girls all ordered and paid for their gowns separately, and each dress came in way ahead of the production schedule we were given; most of the dresses took just over a week! The only problem I came across involved shipping a gown to one of my bridesmaids who works at the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong. David's Bridal uses Fedex, a company that does NOT ship to military addresses. However, our consultant was super nice about the situation. She refunded the shipping cost and allowed me to pick up the dress so I could mail it myself.
Gown Alterations
Fig Leaves
(262) 878-3573
Rating: B
I generally had a good experience with Carol the three times I saw her, and she did a great job taking in the bust, taking up the hem, and creating a bustle. However, I feel that she's a bit on the conservative side when it comes how tight a wedding gown should be. I explained to her several times that I wanted it to fit like a glove, especially in the hips/stomach/butt area. It still wasn't to my liking after 2 tries, so I decided to take it elsewhere (see below).
Julie's Sewing and Design
(414) 607-0144
http://juliessewinganddesign.com/index.htm
Officiant
Reverend Beverly J. Danforth
www.harpandminister.com
Florist
Kimberlee Grob
Locker's Florist
http://www.lockersflorist.com/
DJ
Charles Joecks
Streamline Productions
http://streamprod.com/index.htm