FINAL REVIEWS WILL BE UP SOON, PROMISE. :)

church: Fenton United Methodist Church- Fenton, MI PRE: michael and i love this church. they have been fantastic about everything and pastor E. is the man! my only regret is that we didn't meet him first- we'd be having him to the ceremony instead of michael's childhood pastor.
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reception: Gateway Centre Holiday Inn- Flint, MI PRE: the GWC has been fine so far. not amazing not terrible. i started out on the wrong foot with the first coordinator who lost track of everything and we incredibly disorganized. the second coordinator has been much better. she did however, double book herself the day of our tasting- everyone (including my DOC) arrived and the girl drew a complete blank on what was going on. i had it written in my calendar for months AND i had my BB with me- so i just forwarded the email to her confirming our tasting, and walked away for a minute. the DOC managed everything from there on out. we weren't able to do the actual tasting, but we did get lunch for everyone and did get a lot of things squared away while we were onsite.
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photography: Church Street Studios- Clarkston, MI PRE:  i saw mary on a wedding vendor site and was initially just excited that she was near by. again, one of the first vendors we booked and she's been great. we didn't have a huge budget and she was real reasonable. she's open to anything and so excitable. our Epics turned out great and i can't wait to see what she does with our group of friends and wedding pics. fun time fo sho.
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paper: Pretty Paper Trail- Berkley, MI A
lori is completely amazing. another girl from TK suggested i talk to her about making custom invites. she has been totally patient (the most patient vendor of them all) and completely accomodating to my HMB status. she respects the design aspect of things and knows how to put a creative spin on everything. she totally rocks! we got a TON of notes on our RSVPs saying that ours were the most beautiful invites and she did a phenomenal job on the seating chart... loved everything she did.

cake: Sweet & Savory- Oxford, MI 
PRE: let me just start by saying that i don't like sweets. i never eat cake or chocolates or candy. i was honestly not pumped about cake tasting because to me it all tastes like the same grainy sugary junk. well. we went to sweet & savory first (they are closest to us) and were blown away by the buttercream frosting. it is smooth like whipped buttery goodness and actually melts in your mouth. scott and his partner make the most delicious cakes and after you pick three flavors to sample, they send you home with the remainder of the 8-inch cakes they bake for you. we booked them on the spot.
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flowers: The Parsonage- Clarkston, MI   PRE: liz is also really excitable. she and mary the photog work out of the same building and it was really great to not have to worry about coordinating one more thing. she is firey and very visual and always looking for new and fun things to do. she was really great about working with our budget and getting samples and makign sure i was comfortable with everything she was doing.
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bridal gown and maids, bridal alterations: Elizabeth's Bridal- Northville, MI
dress Jenny Lee:  service EBs:  my dress: they negotiated the price down to match macys, it came in on time and in great shape.
maids dresses: came in on time, price matched, but on dresses where they price match- you can only pay by check, in person debit, or cash. which was a total bummer for my girls who live out of state (which was all of them) and it would have been great to know this in advance.

alterations: this. could. get. ugly. i went for my first alterations appt. on june 2. i did not have shoes at the time, and the seamstress and EB owner agreed that we should not pin the hem until i had the exact shoes in hand . EB gave me the price (which i thought was obscene) and i told them i wanted to shop around. EB told me that if i took the dress offsite- any mishaps were my responsibility. so, i let EB do the alterations. when i went in for my second fitting on june 30th, the EB seamstress had already pinned, cut, and sewn the hem. [yes, without me having shoes]. when i put the dress on, and realized this- i asked the seamstress and the owner of EB about it and the seamstress simply responded, "i do a lot of dresses". the owner then asked ME what i was going to do to fix the situation. (!?) i left the store very upset, and called the manufacturer the next day to ask what to do. the rep at Jenny Lee Bridal in California was very understanding and calming. she called the EB shop, whose owner then called me to explain that the seamstress had made the mistake and would be paying for the material to completely remake the bottom half of my dress. 
tuxes: Mens Warehouse everyone has a story about MW. they left off one of our groomsman, so when he went to get fitted- they told him he wasn't in the wedding... and he had to make a second trip in after Michael called and ironed it all out. it was a mistake of theirs and not ours. but was inconvenient to deal with.
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flower girls: JCrew Somerset- Troy, MI the buttons on the back of the dresses were designed by a magician, because no muggle can button this closure with ease. they also came in odd sizes. 6-8, 10-12... so for my nieces who are 11s and 7s.. they fit a little strangely. but. they came in on time and in good condition and look really cute.

cake topper: etsy.com got this in from nicole in amazing shape, super cute and have gotten a ton of compliments on it. we even had it in months in advance of the wedding. she is super organized and very sweet.

dj:  Cutting Edge Entertainment- Bay City, MI  fuzzy is from bay city and did a wedding for one of michael's friends. i hadn't personally met him- but i knew he could keep the party going! whoop!
 

day of coordinator: Purple Clover Events- Royal Oak, MI a few other girls rec'd kate to me and it was one of the best decisions we've made. she's incredibly calming and optomistic- but not in a BS kind of way. she's full of useful information and knows her way around the detroit wedding bbusiness. she's quick to respond and was a.w.e.s.o.m.e at the tasting. i can't imagine how great the wedding will go.
 

ceremony musician: Hannah Fralick- Fenton, MI   PRE: We met Hannah through a mutual friend. She has a great singing voice and is super duper talented. Her and Lisa are doing some non-traditional songs for hte wedding and i can't wait to hear them!
 

hair: posh studio- Milford, MI  PRE: kari was one of the last vendors i booked. i have a big WP all from OOT, and knew i needed onsite help. i went in for my first trial, and although i didn't like it- booked on the spot. i went in for not 2... but 3 trials. and even though i was way nervous to speak up about not liking my hair- and about trying to explain what i DID want... Kari was the most understanding about the entire thing and did not begrudge me one bit for needing additional trials. she's fab to work with. <3
 
makeup: my laura mercier chick from neimans  

big shot limos

limo giant limos

shoes: Kate Spade

manicure: Serendipity Spa- Linden

ERing: McCoy Bros. St. Joes

Wedding Bands: Sawyer Jewelers Fenton

Balloons for Day Of Pictures:
 
Videog: IN Films

Programs: SIL, DH, and ME

Cookie Favors: Katie, Shelly, Jill, Michael and Myself