Vendor Reviews
Hey, Torontonian brides! Here are my vendor reviews :) PM me if you have any questions!
Renaissance Studios Photography- A++++++: I will never be able to say enough good things about out photographers. We had Shawn (who also did our engagement photos, which were included in the package), and Erin (Who did my professional headshots) photograph us on the day of the wedding, and not only are they the sweetest, funniest, most genuinely nice people you could meet, our pictures are STUNNING. We got their "Perfect Package", which includes 2 photographers for "all day photography" (there from when you want them to come, until you want them to leave! Awesome!), 2 coffee table books, an engagement photo session, a disk of all your wedding picture, and an online gallery of both your engagement AND wedding pics, were people can go on and view.download your pictures for free for a year.
Since we booked over a year ago, their prices have gone up, but I would easily pay their new price plus way WAY more to get them. Believe me- they are worth it. Even their new price is still really reasonable for everything you get.
BOOK THEM. NOW.
Smilebooth (By Renaissance Studios Photography)- A+: We originally didn't have our heart set on a photobooth, but after seeing some of the pictures from the Smilebooth website, we decided to go ahead and book it. We are both so happy we did this- The pictures are fantastic, and our guests had SO much fun! It was definitely worth the money! Not only did our guests love it, but we have these awesome pictures of our guests now :) Win-win!
Lux Studio Videography- A: 3 weeks before the wedding, after watching DH's aunts' 15 year old wedding video, we decided that maybe a videographer might be a good idea after all. After looking around a little bit, we found Lux Studio, and we met with Thayer. By some godsend, he wasn't booked that day, and he actually gave us a little bit of a deal (Probably since he knew he wouldn't be booked within the next 3 weeks). I can't explain how glad I am we changed our minds about videography and we hired him- We got our video a month after the wedding, and it is fantastic. I didn't really know what to expect- I thought wedding videos were a little corny. But it was so filmed so beautifully, with all our favourite music. We all cried all over again watching the video, and DH and my favourite part is a little montage of the day, set to one of the songs we sent him in our list of songs to use for the video. it is absolutely gorgeous. Thayer did a fantastic job, and to anyone who thinks videography is stupid- reconsider! We're so glad we have this beautiful video to watch now.
Cupid's Cupcakes: A-: We searched long and hard for cupcakes, probably going to about 10 different cupcake places in the GTA. We finally ended up going back to Cupid's, which was one of the first places we went. We loved their cupcakes, they were delicious. The only reason we didn't book them right away is because of how they set up their flavours- Basically, each day they make certain flavours. If you're getting married and the flavour you want isn't on that day, it's basically tough luck. However, there is a little bit of leeway, because while Vanilla wasn't offered on Saturdays, they offered to make their daily "Chefs choice" flavour vanilla so we could have our cupcakes that we wanted. It was a bit annoying having ti return the cupcake stand the day after the wedding, but oh well. Overall, the cupcakes tasted really awesome.
Jarek (Our DJ)- A: Jarek was a friend of my cousins, so I met with him and was thrilled to find him very professional. On the day of the wedding, we were so pleased with his work! He was very decisive but rolled with the punches, played awesome music that us and our guests LOVED, and he clearly had played many a successful wedding before. The only thing I will say is that we asked for top 40 and didn't get too much of it, BUT, the music that he did play instead was fantastic, so we really can't complain. I would for sure recommend him. PM me if you want his email! :)
Elizabeth Stuart Discount Bridal- A: So. Elizabeth Stuart was the first place my mom and I went looking for my dress, and it was the only place too. Even though it isn't a big, fancy, serve-you-champagne-while-they-massage-your-feet-bridal-salon, I still would strongly recommend going there if you're looking to save some money on your dress. They basically have a bunch of racks, and each rack has dresses in a certain size. So, you go through the whole rack of your size, and if you find a dress you like, you buy it. Y'know. Off the rack. So, I tried on maybe 10 dresses, and then narrowed it down to 3, then 2, then my one dress. It was, after taxes, $600. AWESOME, because with the fabric and feel of the dress, you would never know you spend that little. I was dead set against not having a veil, because I though they were stupid and overly expensive. But when I tried one on and my Mom burst into tears, I decided I should for sure get one, ESPECIALLY because it was only $40. After I got my dress, and I had spent a few months looking around for a hair piece and finding they all cost around $100, I went back to Elizabeth Stuart and found a gorgeous one for $22. The only thing is, they don't have an in-house seamstress, so they'll give you someone else's card if you need alterations. But, with the super-sweet staff, the good quality products, and the super-awesome prices, I would definitely recommend going there.
Charlene's Closet- B+: By the time January rolled around and I started looking at bridesmaid dress stores, every place I called told me I was cutting it close. WHAT. Anyway. We ended up going to Charlene's Closet first, and the girls each found a dress they liked right away. Charlene has a good selection of dresses and makes (Including bridal gowns), and she was also really sweet. She also referred me to my tailor who did my dress alterations, Sam (PM me for his info). We also had fabric ordered from Alfred Angelo through her (Who made the girls' dresses), and she sent the fabric to Sam to make custom shawls for the girls. Very handy. The only thing that bugged me was their hours- I found them to be a little inconsistent, with them being closed twice when the phone message said they should be open. So I would recommend making an appointment, even for picking things up. Overall, the dresses were beautiful, they got to us with PLENTY of time before the wedding for alterations, and Charlene was super sweet.
Woodbridge Bridal Shoe Shop- B+: I searched everywhere. EVERYWHERE. For shoes that were dyeable, and with a small heel (Because I'm a giant). The one and only place I found some that were somewhat affordable was at the Woodbridge Bridal Shoe Shop. It is a little out of the way for most people from the GTA, but after my struggles, I was happy to take a girlfriend and make the hike out there. They had lots of selection in terms of typs of shoes, and in price points. I didn't end up going with the dyer they recommended, though, because the dyer was in a really inconvenient location, and I found out my local shoe repair store was able to dye my shoes for only $25.
Charisma Flowers- A: I'm afraid I can't give a very balanced review of Charisma, just because flowers were the one thing I really didn't shop around for. My aunt used Charisma for her wedding flowers, they were gorgeous. DH and I went to Charisma, realized we needed an appointment, booked an appointment, and came back for the appointment with my mom. They were very good with working in the price range we asked for centerpieces, ad offered many different options in terms of bouquets/corsages/bouts and centerpieces. We spent a small fortune on flowers (Mostly because my Mom insisted on specific flowers, and because she was paying), and our flowers were absolutely, 100% gorgeous. They were so fresh, and arranged so beautifully. I had brought in some pictures of things I liked, but never saw any finished products until the morning of the wedding. I loved them. They did a great job.
