Ceremony Venue
Our Ceremony will take place at the historical Santa Clara University Mission Chuch. Marraige in the mission is restricted to only couples who have attended school there or who work there so I am so excited to be married at such a beautiful location. It is extra special because my parents were married there 30 years ago!
REVIEW: OK so this place is amazing; not that I didn't know that previous to getting married there. The grounds and mission are breathtaking. The coordinator (Andrew I think) was really great, although I didn't feel like we got enough practice during the rehearsal and it showed the day of. There is a particular way that the hand off from dad to groom has to go and a particular side of the groom that the bride must always stay on - except for one time. WIth all these rules we totally got it wrong the day of and it was funny but obvious. The priest also went rogue and did things out of order and different than normal but that wasn't the Missions fault since we found our priest separately.
Andrew's attitude was great and he was great day of making sure that bride and groom didn't see each other and providing us all a place to relax. I even got a place for my hair dresser to do my touch ups in a gorgeous little chapel while the next wedding was getting ready in our previous location. My parents and my sister married here so for me there was no way for carrying on this tradition to be anything but amazing.
RATING: A
REVIEW: OK so this place is amazing; not that I didn't know that previous to getting married there. The grounds and mission are breathtaking. The coordinator (Andrew I think) was really great, although I didn't feel like we got enough practice during the rehearsal and it showed the day of. There is a particular way that the hand off from dad to groom has to go and a particular side of the groom that the bride must always stay on - except for one time. WIth all these rules we totally got it wrong the day of and it was funny but obvious. The priest also went rogue and did things out of order and different than normal but that wasn't the Missions fault since we found our priest separately.
Andrew's attitude was great and he was great day of making sure that bride and groom didn't see each other and providing us all a place to relax. I even got a place for my hair dresser to do my touch ups in a gorgeous little chapel while the next wedding was getting ready in our previous location. My parents and my sister married here so for me there was no way for carrying on this tradition to be anything but amazing.
RATING: A
Reception Venue
The Reception will take place at Villa Ragusa in downtown Campbell, CA. It is a nice tucked away venue that I didn't previously know existed. The ballrooms are beautiful and the coordinator has been a joy to work with so far. We were looking for an indoor location that was a reasonable distance from the Mission Church for our guests to drive. After checking out numerous venues this one just seemed like the right fit - and Alison there if very helpful. Now I can't wait to figure out the decor!
UPDATE: Alison is no longer with Villa Ragusa :( Maria has been helpful but she is most likely overwhelmed and not as responsive.
REVIEW: Villa Ragusa was really easy to work with. Maria was super overwhelmed but she was also incredibly helpful. I was super stressed as we got closer to the wedding but she was always available when I needed to get a hold of her or drop something off. She is quiet and laid back so at first I thought, "Geez, can you care!" but she does! :) Everything was set out exactly as I had instructed when we arrived after the ceremony. She even let my mom bring in pretzels and bar mix to place up at the bar for drinkers to snack on. We were running late coming from the church but Maria kept us on schedule and accomodated an extra hour (fee assessed) since we were not ready to let the party end at the scheduled time. We got great service, great food (see below) and a very reasonable price. Not to mention the beautiful room and proximity to other bars so that guests could keep partying if they wanted to - and many did.
RATING: A
UPDATE: Alison is no longer with Villa Ragusa :( Maria has been helpful but she is most likely overwhelmed and not as responsive.
REVIEW: Villa Ragusa was really easy to work with. Maria was super overwhelmed but she was also incredibly helpful. I was super stressed as we got closer to the wedding but she was always available when I needed to get a hold of her or drop something off. She is quiet and laid back so at first I thought, "Geez, can you care!" but she does! :) Everything was set out exactly as I had instructed when we arrived after the ceremony. She even let my mom bring in pretzels and bar mix to place up at the bar for drinkers to snack on. We were running late coming from the church but Maria kept us on schedule and accomodated an extra hour (fee assessed) since we were not ready to let the party end at the scheduled time. We got great service, great food (see below) and a very reasonable price. Not to mention the beautiful room and proximity to other bars so that guests could keep partying if they wanted to - and many did.
RATING: A
Catering
Catering included with Reception Venue.
REVIEW: The food was great! We did upgrade to a better cut of meat since we weren't fond of the sliced sirloin option that came with our package. We went with a New York Steak which wasn't on the menu but when we asked at our tasting about a steak option they offered it and it was really good. We had that and the Champagne Chicken with Au Gratin potatoes and veggies. OMG the potatoes were amazing! We went with the spring mix salad. I thought I would have wanted the caeser but it was not good.
For appetizers we went with the Chicken Skewers and Bruchetta. The Spanikopita was too spinachy and I like spinach so we didn't go for that.
I have no complaints about the catering at all. Even the veggie tortellini was amazing. The drinks were good. We decided on the beer and wine package and all FI cared about was that there was Sierra Nevada on tap.
RATING: A
REVIEW: The food was great! We did upgrade to a better cut of meat since we weren't fond of the sliced sirloin option that came with our package. We went with a New York Steak which wasn't on the menu but when we asked at our tasting about a steak option they offered it and it was really good. We had that and the Champagne Chicken with Au Gratin potatoes and veggies. OMG the potatoes were amazing! We went with the spring mix salad. I thought I would have wanted the caeser but it was not good.
For appetizers we went with the Chicken Skewers and Bruchetta. The Spanikopita was too spinachy and I like spinach so we didn't go for that.
I have no complaints about the catering at all. Even the veggie tortellini was amazing. The drinks were good. We decided on the beer and wine package and all FI cared about was that there was Sierra Nevada on tap.
RATING: A
Photography
Ille Photography
Ken Ille - Owner
www.illephotography.com
REVIEW: I have beautiful photos. Ken was a great photographer and his eye for amazing shots is uncanny. I paid an additional fee to have a second shooter and I'm very glad I did. It really helped us with the timeline to be able to have one photographer with the guys and one with the girls at the same time. I send Ken some examples of photos I liked and he rented a special lense so that he could get the "fisheye" looks I liked. The photos took a while but I knew they would since he also works another full time job and this increase in time was reflected in the price I paid. Bottom line: the photos look amazing and I couldn't be happier. Now I need to work on the album.
RATING: A
Ken Ille - Owner
www.illephotography.com
REVIEW: I have beautiful photos. Ken was a great photographer and his eye for amazing shots is uncanny. I paid an additional fee to have a second shooter and I'm very glad I did. It really helped us with the timeline to be able to have one photographer with the guys and one with the girls at the same time. I send Ken some examples of photos I liked and he rented a special lense so that he could get the "fisheye" looks I liked. The photos took a while but I knew they would since he also works another full time job and this increase in time was reflected in the price I paid. Bottom line: the photos look amazing and I couldn't be happier. Now I need to work on the album.
RATING: A
Videography
Wing Hon
Wing Hon Films
www.winghonfilms.com
REVIEW: First of all I have to start by saying that I contacted Wing less than a week before my wedding. I wasn't going to have a videographer at all since we really didn't have it in the budget. As the day grew near I was fearing not having our vows on video so I decided to see if I could find an affordable videographer for just the ceremony. Wing was very nice when I contacted him and even available to text me during the day as I tried to coordinate from work. He had another wedding booked for that day but he said that since our ceremony was in the afternoon he could do it as long as he could leave by 3pm which was an hour after our wedding ceremony ended. He came with his assistant and they filmed around the grounds. He was completely inobtrusive which was great. We just watched the DVD and absolutly loved it! The editing is totally natural but we still have all of the ceremony there to enjoy. It's by no means boring with one camera just pointed at us the whole time. There is also some fun footage of us and the location before the ceremony. Some of the footage seems like it could be sharper but we only watched it on DVD (Wing even threw in an extra Blu Ray and delivered the final product personally.) We got a REALLY good price and the value is unmatched.
RATING: A
Wing Hon Films
www.winghonfilms.com
REVIEW: First of all I have to start by saying that I contacted Wing less than a week before my wedding. I wasn't going to have a videographer at all since we really didn't have it in the budget. As the day grew near I was fearing not having our vows on video so I decided to see if I could find an affordable videographer for just the ceremony. Wing was very nice when I contacted him and even available to text me during the day as I tried to coordinate from work. He had another wedding booked for that day but he said that since our ceremony was in the afternoon he could do it as long as he could leave by 3pm which was an hour after our wedding ceremony ended. He came with his assistant and they filmed around the grounds. He was completely inobtrusive which was great. We just watched the DVD and absolutly loved it! The editing is totally natural but we still have all of the ceremony there to enjoy. It's by no means boring with one camera just pointed at us the whole time. There is also some fun footage of us and the location before the ceremony. Some of the footage seems like it could be sharper but we only watched it on DVD (Wing even threw in an extra Blu Ray and delivered the final product personally.) We got a REALLY good price and the value is unmatched.
RATING: A
Florist
Three Sisters Flowers
Susan Kelly
www.threesistersflowers.com
REVIEW: I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT SUSAN!! She was a fabulous person and an amazing florist! I met with Susan and she simply stood out miles above the others. She was personable, refreshing and creative. I felt like I was working with a friend. Susan also was working on becoming a wedding coordinator and her wedding boards were gorgeous...funny thing is that they totally spoke to my style and I felt like we just clicked. Susan listened to what I wanted and what I didn't want and she gave the best ideas that ultimately determined the direction I went with my flowers. Susan hadn't worked the venues I was using and she visited both to gain familiarity with them before my wedding day. My family and wedding party even raved about how amazing she was and how easy she made the day because of how on top of everything she was. During group photos after the ceremony my husband's grandpa accidentally knocked half of his boutonniere off and she had a new one on his place setting when we arrived at the reception. Susan's creativity truly transformed my venue. She even added extra touches like flowers on each place setting at the head table. I would recommend Three Sisters Flowers again and again! I urge brides to work with them...it was one thing I never had to second guess or worry about. Susan runs a first class business and treats you like a friend.
RATING: A+
Susan Kelly
www.threesistersflowers.com
REVIEW: I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT SUSAN!! She was a fabulous person and an amazing florist! I met with Susan and she simply stood out miles above the others. She was personable, refreshing and creative. I felt like I was working with a friend. Susan also was working on becoming a wedding coordinator and her wedding boards were gorgeous...funny thing is that they totally spoke to my style and I felt like we just clicked. Susan listened to what I wanted and what I didn't want and she gave the best ideas that ultimately determined the direction I went with my flowers. Susan hadn't worked the venues I was using and she visited both to gain familiarity with them before my wedding day. My family and wedding party even raved about how amazing she was and how easy she made the day because of how on top of everything she was. During group photos after the ceremony my husband's grandpa accidentally knocked half of his boutonniere off and she had a new one on his place setting when we arrived at the reception. Susan's creativity truly transformed my venue. She even added extra touches like flowers on each place setting at the head table. I would recommend Three Sisters Flowers again and again! I urge brides to work with them...it was one thing I never had to second guess or worry about. Susan runs a first class business and treats you like a friend.
RATING: A+
Cake
A Piece of Cake Bakery, Santa Clara, CA
www.apieceofcakebakery.com
REVIEW: My cake was included as part of my package with Villa Ragusa. We were really happy because family on both my side and his had used them for wedding cakes and there was nothing but rave reviews on the quality of the cake. The tasting was AMAZING!! Ok so I have a sweet tooth and it meant I could take a bread from my strict "Operation Skinny Bride" diet but it was sooo good. We decided on red velvet cake for most of the layers and a layer of vanilla with cream cheese and rasberry filling.
That part was easy but the design was a little harder. We went back and forth on detail because the detail I kept gravitating to was only an option in fondant. I didn't want fondant because it doesn't taste good and because its an upgrade we'd have to pay for. I finally found a cake photo I loved. I went back and forth playing phone tag which was frusterating. They suggested I come in and that was SO much easier. I wanted tiers that were stacked without too much width in between and we were able to use foam squares to replicate what I wanted. We did have to pay an upgrade for square tiers but when I showed up at the reception I LOVED my cake. There was a pretty noticeable finger print in the cake but I don't know if that happened during the cocktail hour so I can't fault them with that.
RATING: A
www.apieceofcakebakery.com
REVIEW: My cake was included as part of my package with Villa Ragusa. We were really happy because family on both my side and his had used them for wedding cakes and there was nothing but rave reviews on the quality of the cake. The tasting was AMAZING!! Ok so I have a sweet tooth and it meant I could take a bread from my strict "Operation Skinny Bride" diet but it was sooo good. We decided on red velvet cake for most of the layers and a layer of vanilla with cream cheese and rasberry filling.
That part was easy but the design was a little harder. We went back and forth on detail because the detail I kept gravitating to was only an option in fondant. I didn't want fondant because it doesn't taste good and because its an upgrade we'd have to pay for. I finally found a cake photo I loved. I went back and forth playing phone tag which was frusterating. They suggested I come in and that was SO much easier. I wanted tiers that were stacked without too much width in between and we were able to use foam squares to replicate what I wanted. We did have to pay an upgrade for square tiers but when I showed up at the reception I LOVED my cake. There was a pretty noticeable finger print in the cake but I don't know if that happened during the cocktail hour so I can't fault them with that.
RATING: A
Bridal Gown and Bridesmaid Dresses
J'aime Bridal, Pleasanton, CA
www.jaimebridal.com
www.jaimebridal.com
Bridal Gown Alterations
Bridal Gown Cleaning and Preservation
Cahill Cleaners
San Jose, CA
San Jose, CA
Tuxedos
Formal Headquarters, San Jose, CA
http://www.formalheadquarters.com/
REVIEW: I found this company at a bridal faire and they suck you in with great prices. They also take down your phone and email and they DO continue to call all the time. I visited Men's Wherehouse and liked thier tuxedos but I got zero service while I was there and then when I finally got someone's attention they told me that what I wanted would have to be custom and that I would need to pay $150 per tux. I really wanted to keep the tux prices to about $100 so I went back to Formal Headquarters. The girl who helped us was nice enough but the quality of thier stuff wasn't the best. We got pressured into signing a contract (my other half did). I did like that they actually have you try on the tux options instead of just picking them out in a book. We weren't crazy about the shoe selections and the location was far from our house and required that the guys return the tux the next day. The other thing was that we didn't even think to ask about cuff links but come the day of the wedding when the photographer wants to take photos of the guys putting on their cuff links...they realize that they don't have them.
My dad had to go back 3 times to get a tux that actually fit. They tried to give him pants 10 inches too big and 2 inches too short. The guys looked sharp overall but I would not recommend them or use them again. I also had an issue getting the deposit back that we had to put down when we signed the contract. It was to be refunded once 2 groomsmen or dads paid. All paid and I had to call when we got back from our Honeymoon to get the credit. If I hadn't have been tracking the wedding account we wouldn't have gotten it back.
RATING: D
http://www.formalheadquarters.com/
REVIEW: I found this company at a bridal faire and they suck you in with great prices. They also take down your phone and email and they DO continue to call all the time. I visited Men's Wherehouse and liked thier tuxedos but I got zero service while I was there and then when I finally got someone's attention they told me that what I wanted would have to be custom and that I would need to pay $150 per tux. I really wanted to keep the tux prices to about $100 so I went back to Formal Headquarters. The girl who helped us was nice enough but the quality of thier stuff wasn't the best. We got pressured into signing a contract (my other half did). I did like that they actually have you try on the tux options instead of just picking them out in a book. We weren't crazy about the shoe selections and the location was far from our house and required that the guys return the tux the next day. The other thing was that we didn't even think to ask about cuff links but come the day of the wedding when the photographer wants to take photos of the guys putting on their cuff links...they realize that they don't have them.
My dad had to go back 3 times to get a tux that actually fit. They tried to give him pants 10 inches too big and 2 inches too short. The guys looked sharp overall but I would not recommend them or use them again. I also had an issue getting the deposit back that we had to put down when we signed the contract. It was to be refunded once 2 groomsmen or dads paid. All paid and I had to call when we got back from our Honeymoon to get the credit. If I hadn't have been tracking the wedding account we wouldn't have gotten it back.
RATING: D
DJ
Ceremony Vocalist
Brooke Munoz
Ceremony Pianist/Organist
Virginia Coletti
Favors
The Knot Store
www.theknot.com
REVIEW: I searched many times on the internet for the best price on photo coaster favors. The Knot had a special on them ($0.99 per set of two and free shipping) that was really good so I went for it. I think that they are really cute and I love the idea of them and I really liked the final product but thank goodness I ordered way more than I needed. Out of the 175 sets of 2 I ordered about 25 sets were defective. Some were chipped, others had the white border smeared, and some even had black marker streaks all over the white border! I ordered to cover every person on our guest list and ended up only needing 130 it was ok but beware, you will need back ups. I totally dolled them up with ribbon and monograms but by themselves they were average looking so that's how I rated them.
RATING: C
www.theknot.com
REVIEW: I searched many times on the internet for the best price on photo coaster favors. The Knot had a special on them ($0.99 per set of two and free shipping) that was really good so I went for it. I think that they are really cute and I love the idea of them and I really liked the final product but thank goodness I ordered way more than I needed. Out of the 175 sets of 2 I ordered about 25 sets were defective. Some were chipped, others had the white border smeared, and some even had black marker streaks all over the white border! I ordered to cover every person on our guest list and ended up only needing 130 it was ok but beware, you will need back ups. I totally dolled them up with ribbon and monograms but by themselves they were average looking so that's how I rated them.
RATING: C
Bridal Party Gifts
Bridesmaid Bracelets
Juicy Couture
www.juicycouture.com
Groomsmen Flasks
A Gift Personalized
www.agiftpersonalized.com
Juicy Couture
www.juicycouture.com
Groomsmen Flasks
A Gift Personalized
www.agiftpersonalized.com
Save the Dates, Invitations, Programs, Place Cards, Table Numbers, Rehearsal Dinner Invites, Children's Favors
Michael's BRIDES line
www.michaels.com
www.michaels.com
Jeweler
Engagement Ring and Wedding Bands:
Shane Company
www.shaneco.com
Jewelry Repair for Brooch for Wedding
Vardy's Jewelers
www.vardysjewelers.com
Shane Company
www.shaneco.com
Jewelry Repair for Brooch for Wedding
Vardy's Jewelers
www.vardysjewelers.com
Guest Book
Shutterfly
www.shutterfly.com
REVIEW: Totally happy with our guest book. I made it last minute on Shutterfly and the application was super easy to use. It has layouts to choose from depending on how many pics you want on a page and even has real sample albums to get your ideas flowing. I did have one error on it but I didn't catch that the font color was wrong on the last page when I proofed it. No biggie. Love it.
RATING: A
www.shutterfly.com
REVIEW: Totally happy with our guest book. I made it last minute on Shutterfly and the application was super easy to use. It has layouts to choose from depending on how many pics you want on a page and even has real sample albums to get your ideas flowing. I did have one error on it but I didn't catch that the font color was wrong on the last page when I proofed it. No biggie. Love it.
RATING: A
Gift Registries
Honeymoon
Secrets Resorts
http://www.secretsresorts.com/wildorchid/index.asp
Booked through Cheap Carribean
www.cheapcarribean.com
http://www.secretsresorts.com/wildorchid/index.asp
Booked through Cheap Carribean
www.cheapcarribean.com
