My Vendor Reviews

Ceremony/Reception: Bella Sera http://www.bellaserabygrecos.com/
I cannot say enough about this venue. The entire staff works to make your event perfect. The owner, Jason, is a chef and has been the number one caterer in the South Hills area for years. When he decided to custom design a venue he literally thought of everything. The place is gorgeous. From the blue cloud sky painted in the lobby to the floor to ceiling stone fireplace (where I held my wedding ceremony) this place is extraordinary. We had custom action food stations in place of the traditional sit down dinner that were the talk of the evening. The food is unbelievable. Our number one priority was food and our guests knew it. We received so many compliments from the beauty and uniqueness of the venue to the scrumptious cuisine to ultra professional staff. Their in house event planner, Nick Borelli, is worth his weight in gold. There is no need to hire a wedding planner because this guy does it all. If you want the perfect, elegant wedding... look no further.

Bridal gown: 2 BE Bride MB Bride http://www.mbbride.com/
The designer, 2Be Bride, purposely does not over advertise their gowns. Only a select number of stores carry this designer. They do not design solely for the plus size bride but by far has the best grasp on making the plus size bride not feel plus sized. My gown was everything I had ever dreamed of. I did not have to sacrifice anything because I wasn't a size 4. Exceptional quality-not a single bead or thread was loose or lost at the end of the night.

Bridesmaids gowns: Impression 1359 MB Bride

I was very satisifed with the quality of the gowns. The style was very complimentary on the four different body types of my bridesmaids. The puddle train made the gown!

Flower girl dresses: Taffeta pickups Ebay seller Mashy76
Excellent price for high quality dresses. Material was gorgeous.

Cake: Bethel Bakery http://www.bethelbakery.com/
Every bride says their wedding cake was the most beautiful wedding cake ever. I had numerous guests whom asked if the cake was fake because it "looked too perfect." We selected a three tiered stacked cake with delicate ivy and roses trailing down the sides. It was simple and gorgeous. We had orange and almond flavored cake with buttercream icing. Very delicious! My only pet peeve was that they charged us a $30 delivery fee because we got married on a Friday. But overall, great cake at a great price.

DJ: Derrick Wray - Blazing Entertainment http://www.blazingentertainment.com/
I think Brides often overlook the importance of having a fantastic DJ... really they are the backbone of your entire event. They are the ones that make or break it. Derrick made sure the night went perfectly. Not only did he keep my guests dancing all night- he put on a light show that entertained the kids and made for a great backdrop for some unique photos. He honored everything on our "do not play list" and helped us tremendously when working to create the perfect soundtrack for our wedding day! He even threw in some little surprises throughout the night that we loved. Excellent professionalism - member of the Better Business Bureau, and definately worth every penny.

Photographer: Edward Paul Macko http://www.edwardpaulstudio.com/
This is not your typical wedding photographer.... he is a photojournalistic photographer that truly captures moments of life. Our pictures turned out better than I ever could have imagined. His talent lies in getting those photos that everyone says... man, I wish I had a camera for this. My guests commented all night about how he "was everywhere...would do anything for a shot." At one point, he literally got on the dancefloor and spun to get the most amazing pictures of my guests dancing! I am not the most photogenic person but somehow he allowed me to relax and get great shots. A few of his pictures were featured in the KNOT wedding magazine. I highly recommend him!

Florist: Herman J Heyl http://www.hermanheylflorist.com/
I worked with Lisa at the Upper St. Clair location. She went out of her way to make my tuscan floral dreams come true. I had collected various pictures of different flowers I liked that I wanted in my bouquets. I also brought in one of my silk centerpieces I had made and she designed the bouquets to match perfectly. Lisa used a grouping technique that really made the various different kinds of flowers stand out. I had made silk pomander balls for the aisle and Lisa surprised me with a matching real rose ball on top of my cake. It was so cute and perfect. Since I chose out of season flowers and many unique stems, my flowers were on the extravagant end. Heyl will work within any budget. Lisa gave me many options to 'scale' down my flower costs. A great vendor... highly recommend.

Engagement Ring and Wedding Bands:
Allan Jewelers: Custom design http://www.allanjewelers.com/
Kevin Bingle customed designed my mounting for my engagement ring. He did an extensive search to find the perfect wedding band to accent my engagement ring. Personal service is what you receive at this home town jeweler.

Wedding Day Jewelry: Steinmart

Great jewelry at a great price.

Invitations: Carlson Craft

We wanted a unique invitation and found exactly what we were looking for with our Parchment Paper invitations. I went to a local Hallmark store and browsed the huge books of invitations before ordering them online to save money.

Make Up Artist: Vicky Frey http://www.amazingface.biz/
My entire wedding party had their makeup done by Vicky. She was such a doll to work with and very reasonably priced. Highly recommend.

Hair Dresser: Jeanine@ Stephen's Aveda Salon in South Hills Village
I loved my hair! I have been a loyal client of Jeanine's for years and knew she was talented in cut and color. She gave me a beautiful updo for my wedding that literally looked just as good at the afterparty as it did when I walked down the aisle.

Wedding Weekend Accomodations: Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe
All of my guests loved the Garden Inn. The rooms were very clean and the staff was extremely friendly and professional. After the reception, we headed to Jackson's Bar and Grille. We had a delicious brunch the day after the wedding in the other hotel restuarant.