Vendor Reviews
Ceremony Venue: Robert Carr Chapel
Robert Carr Chapel is absolutely stunning and is such a charming venue for a wedding. One thing to be aware of is that it typically books 14 months out so you have to be very diligent with your booking. When I first became engaged their office hours were only Mondays from 8-5 and Fridays from 10-2 so the booking process was extremely frustrating; however, by the time the wedding rolled around they had hired new coordinators with much more suitable hours, I had no trouble getting ahold of them the week of the wedding!
We worked with Emily during our rehearsal and the day-of and she and her assistant were absolutely fantastic. They answered all of our questions and kept things running on time and very smoothly. The chapel holds about 350 people which makes it a fantastic size for small-medium sized weddings. We had about 150 people which was perfect, the chapel was about half full. I have been to other churches that are so large when 200 people are present it looks as though no one is there, definitely not the case at Robert Carr. The chapel itself has a wonderful, romantic atmosphere and when the chapel doors opened and I saw the man of my dreams standing at the bottom of the aisle in this stunning church it honestly took my breath away.
We worked with Emily during our rehearsal and the day-of and she and her assistant were absolutely fantastic. They answered all of our questions and kept things running on time and very smoothly. The chapel holds about 350 people which makes it a fantastic size for small-medium sized weddings. We had about 150 people which was perfect, the chapel was about half full. I have been to other churches that are so large when 200 people are present it looks as though no one is there, definitely not the case at Robert Carr. The chapel itself has a wonderful, romantic atmosphere and when the chapel doors opened and I saw the man of my dreams standing at the bottom of the aisle in this stunning church it honestly took my breath away.
Reception Venue: Colonial Country Club
First and foremost, Julie Brauer, the event coordinator at Colonial is FANTASTIC to work with! She is so friendly and enthusiastic that she truly makes you feel like she is so excited for your wedding. She's very much a pro and makes sure that she stays in contact with your vendors so that you don't have to. The beauty, elegance and overall asethetic of Colonial truly speaks for itself but when it is decorated - oh my! I got a chance to see it as the vendors were setting up and it was absolutely amazing; add all the finishing touches and the uplighting package (spring for it, it's only $150 for 9 lights strategically placed around the ballroom and it makes all the difference) truly made the space outstanding.
The cost for Colonial is fairly competitive with the other high end reception venues around the DFW metroplex but I assure you that there are no hidden fees and the service can't be beat. We had a tasting where we tried three different entree options and they allowed us to change our final headcount up to the day of (I'm not sure if I'm supposed to say that)! Another important thing for me to point out is that they have a women's dressing room that is perfect for getting ready and the whole club is perfect for preceremony pictures. Robert Carr Chapel does not have a dressing room so we used Colonial's which is a fairly standard procedure on wedding days. We had the whole place to ourselves and could really relax before the festivities began. Overall we truly could not have asked for a better reception venue.
The cost for Colonial is fairly competitive with the other high end reception venues around the DFW metroplex but I assure you that there are no hidden fees and the service can't be beat. We had a tasting where we tried three different entree options and they allowed us to change our final headcount up to the day of (I'm not sure if I'm supposed to say that)! Another important thing for me to point out is that they have a women's dressing room that is perfect for getting ready and the whole club is perfect for preceremony pictures. Robert Carr Chapel does not have a dressing room so we used Colonial's which is a fairly standard procedure on wedding days. We had the whole place to ourselves and could really relax before the festivities began. Overall we truly could not have asked for a better reception venue.
Photographer: Aves Photographic Design
Lauren and Will Aves are the epitome of your perfect wedding vendor! The words "fabulous" and "stunning" cannot even begin to describe just how fantastic our wedding, engagement and bridal portraits turned out. They had a way of making us feel like we were their only clients and they were more like friends than your standard "vendors." Personally, I have always hated pictures of myself so it was important for me to find a photographer that I was comfortable with and who would make me look good and let me tell you, they actually did! Lauren and Will capture moments more than pictures and I cannot begin to thank them for helping use create and document memories of the happiest time in our lives!
Cakes: The Cake Guys
So many of our wedding guests told us that our wedding cake was the most beautiful one they had ever seen and each person absolutely gushed about the amaretto flavored cake! Chad is the nicest guy to work with and though we sometimes had trouble getting in touch with each other everything turned out even better than I could have hoped for! I was initially weary because my husband wanted a fondant cake and I had heard mixed reviews from professionals about how it would taste but his cake tasted so delicious and it looked so fabulous!! My husband and I with our families and closest friends were so impressed with The Cake Guys and I will send anyone getting married directly to them - they will exceed all of your expectations!!
Airbrush Makeup: Something-You, Shannon Caldwell
Shannon was an absolute God-send for me during my bridal portraits and on my wedding day! My airbrushed makeup was flawless and lasted through my entire outdoor bridal shoot in the Texas summer heat! All of my close up shots were done at the end of the session and my makeup still looked perfect. On my wedding day Shannon showed up right on time and amused me and my bridesmaids as she did my and my matron-of-honor's makeup. She even made time to do eye makeup and lashes for my mother who upon seeing our finished faces exclaimed that she wanted to look fabulous too! My husband and I are were not your standard subdued bride and groom and thus danced for hours at the reception and my makeup lasted through my reception and late into the night, and still looked just as perfect as when it was first applied. Shannon is amazing. If you want to look stunning on your wedding day, use her. Her cost is very competitive and her professionalism and skill outshine many of the other makeup artists I had spoken with. She is FANTASTIC and I can't thank her enough!
Hair Styling: Jessica Clanton at Salon Six 9
I'm extremely picky about my hair. Extremely. I had been in Fort Worth for years and had gone through multiple stylists before I finally found Jessica. She does my cuts and color and is absolutely wonderful and so much fun to hang out with so of course I wanted her to do my hair for my wedding. We did a hair trial which was so easy because she knew what I wanted right away and she did the same hair style for both my bridal portraits and my wedding.
All but one of my 7 BMs wanted their hair done so Jessica and another sylist set aside three hours of their Saturday morning to do our hair, one hour for each person. I believe we actually got done way ahead of schedule and everyone's hair looked amazing! Our appointments ended at noon and by my 6:00 p.m. wedding everyone's hair was still intact and looking great! We all also danced for hours at the reception and as far as I know no one had any problems with their hair. My photographer even made a comment that was like "How does your hair still look so good," and I said "Because my stylist is amazing." I just moved away and I could care less about everything I just left, but I miss Jessica like crazy!! I'm seriously considering driving all the way back to Fort Worth every 6 weeks to go to go to her!
All but one of my 7 BMs wanted their hair done so Jessica and another sylist set aside three hours of their Saturday morning to do our hair, one hour for each person. I believe we actually got done way ahead of schedule and everyone's hair looked amazing! Our appointments ended at noon and by my 6:00 p.m. wedding everyone's hair was still intact and looking great! We all also danced for hours at the reception and as far as I know no one had any problems with their hair. My photographer even made a comment that was like "How does your hair still look so good," and I said "Because my stylist is amazing." I just moved away and I could care less about everything I just left, but I miss Jessica like crazy!! I'm seriously considering driving all the way back to Fort Worth every 6 weeks to go to go to her!
Ceremony Musicians: Forte Strings
Forte Strings is unbelievably talented and easy to work with. The planning process was simple and I was in constant contact with Sharon who made sure that I had the ability to choose the songs I thought were best for my wedding by giving me suggestions and helping illustrate what kind of songs go best where. I was somewhat jealous of my wedding guests as they got to enjoy Forte Strings for longer than I did; however, when I entered the chapel with my bridesmaids all of our jaws dropped, the music was beautiful! Forte Strings really set the atmosphere for my entire wedding and all of my guests raved about how wonderful they were!
DJ: Randal Hoskins aka. DJ Randeezy!
Where do I even begin with DJ Randeezy?? I had a minor panick attack during the planning process so my sister/MOH decided to call DJs for me for pricing and phone interviews. She immediately called me at work and said "You have to call Randal Hoskins, you're going to love him and he just had a client cancle their wedding for your date so he's open!" I called him right away and she was right - his personality shined even through the phone!
Randal and I met multiple times during the planning process and he was so knowledgeable and helpful that I was truly thankful to have his help! He is willing to work however you ask him; we wanted a DJ who would play the type of music we wanted and act as laid back MC for the night, announcing things like the cake cutting, the first dance and so on, but not one that was going to sing along to all of the songs. He also agreed to dance with my grandma which pretty much made me say "Get me the contract!" And for the record, he did follow through with his promise!
DJ Randal did such a wonderful job, he never missed a beat. He played all the songs we requested and he played all the right songs by reading the energy of the group. He definitely helped keep things in order which is so so SO IMPORTANT during a wedding reception. There are so many people trying to pull you this way and that way and it helps to have someone there with a strict agenda who can get everyone on track in a fun, cohesive way. His pricing is also very comparable to other DJs in the area and let me tell you, he is worth it!
Randal and I met multiple times during the planning process and he was so knowledgeable and helpful that I was truly thankful to have his help! He is willing to work however you ask him; we wanted a DJ who would play the type of music we wanted and act as laid back MC for the night, announcing things like the cake cutting, the first dance and so on, but not one that was going to sing along to all of the songs. He also agreed to dance with my grandma which pretty much made me say "Get me the contract!" And for the record, he did follow through with his promise!
DJ Randal did such a wonderful job, he never missed a beat. He played all the songs we requested and he played all the right songs by reading the energy of the group. He definitely helped keep things in order which is so so SO IMPORTANT during a wedding reception. There are so many people trying to pull you this way and that way and it helps to have someone there with a strict agenda who can get everyone on track in a fun, cohesive way. His pricing is also very comparable to other DJs in the area and let me tell you, he is worth it!
Florist: Earth Blooms, Cathy Duncan
Cathy is a creative and dynamic individual who's floral talents are out of this world! My family first worked with Cathy for my sister's wedding in 2008 and there was no doubt that we would want Cathy to do my wedding as well! I am not a "flower person." I know very little about different types of flowers, all I had was a color story and centerpiece ideas. Cathy helped me develop the exact floral arrangements I wanted for my wedding which included candleabras, pew arrangements and candles in the windows during the ceremony and three different centerpieces for the reception: tall candleabras with floral arrangements at the top, an assortment of clear vases and water, submerged flowers and floating candles, and an array of julep cups with florals. When I walked into the ballroom before getting ready for the wedding, it took my breath away. The centerpieces were beyond stunning. Cathy is an amazing woman, an amazing worker and was always easy to get in contact with.
Dress Boutique: Elizabeth's Bridal
I looked long and hard for my wedding dress and nowhere did I receive such personal and wonderful service than at Elizabeth's Bridal. Elizabeth and Kathy are such wonderful, God-fearing women who truly do everything possible to give you the best experience and service possible. They have a great selection of gowns and I found my dream dress, a Maggie Sottero at their store. They were always easy to get ahold of and could always update me on the status of my dress. They helped me pick my veil (a beautiful cage veil by Bellaire) and did an amazing job on the bustle. Elizabeth even drew me a diagram of the bustle to assist us on the wedding day! If you buy your dress at Elizabeth's you will not be disappointed!
