Weddingbee boards

This post is for anyone looking for a vendor in the Puget Sound area. It also includes 3 online only vendors that anyone can use. I have provided a link to each vendor. I hope it is helpful :-)

Puget Sound Area Vendor Reviews

• Thornewood Castle - Dianna Robinson/Miranda Suttle

If you want a fairy tale wedding, this is the venue for you. We had both our ceremony and our reception at Thornewood Castle in Lakewood, WA. When we went for our first meeting; just to check things out Deanna (one of the owners) showed us around and gave us the scoop on everything. She was very nice and explained things very thoroughly. Before we went to the meeting, we knew this was our dream venue, but thought it might cost a little more than what we were prepared to budget for. Based on our guest count and date, we were able to get a discount that fit our budget, so we signed up and put a deposit down that very first day with no regrets. I think Deanna was a little surprised when we didn't have to leave to think about it. Miranda is supposed to be the contact person, but whenever I called with a question, I always got Deanna on the phone. She was always willing to help and answered all of my many questions. Miranda was available on the day before (my girls and I stayed the night before, so we could make sure we could all get ready on time) and she was very sweet and very helpful. Miranda was also the one that made sure that we were taken care of on the day with making sure we got extra drinks in our room while we were getting ready for the ceremony. The only drawback would be if you wanted a full service bar. They only allow beer; no kegs, wine, and champagne; however, they do allow you to bring in your own drinks, so that is a good thing. They are also all inclusive, so there is minimal decoration and set up. You can bring in your own decorations and set them up, but you really don't need it. All in all, we give Thornewood Castle and their staff 5 stars and our highest recommendation.

• Chef to Go - Debra Lane

Debra fixed a fine feast for us for our tasting and the food was very good. The guests were very pleased with the food and Debra and her helper were very cordial on the day of the wedding. However, there were some hiccups along the way and at the reception. During our tasting and our contract signing we had requested that they be responsible for making sure there was water on the tables for all of the guests and she was also supposed to set the cutlery out at each setting for each guest. The water glasses were not filled and my planner had to put out the cutlery. Unfortunately or fortunately; depending on how you look at it, I didn't notice the no water and I wasn't told about the cutlery situation, until after the wedding. Also, when I gave her the guest count, I gave her the count as the number of guests plus the number of vendors because I wanted to make sure the vendors got to eat the same food as us. She misinterpreted the numbers and wasn't going to include the vendors. We had met at the venue and she had the contract with her with the incorrect count and cost and when I brought it to her attention, she assured me that everything was correct. Later that day, she apparently looked over the contract and then sent me a new one with revised numbers. Well, the count was correct, but she had 3 different totals for the balance due. I again brought up the errors to her and she assured me they were correct. I had to get my planner involved to get this resolved. It was very frustrating to say the least. She doesn't seem too organized. I think that if you keep an eye on the contract, you will do fine with her. I give her 5 stars for the food and service while at our venue and 3 stars for math :-/

• Lady Margaret's - Siri

Siri was awesome. She was very new. I think it was her first day. She helped me find a gown with the help of Lady Margaret on my first visit. I only tried on 5 gowns before I found the one. Lady Margaret was in the background helping Siri and when it was time for me to purchase the gown, I asked her about alteration, a crinoline, and storage. She (Lady Margaret) told me that we could add the alterations and crinoline to the cost of the gown and she would give me a discount; which she did, and she also told me that I could store my gown with them until my wedding or until the alterations were done. Well, I had put a deposit on the gown because I wasn't thinking that I was going to purchase that day and then I was told I could make payment; which was fine with me. I ended up paying my gown off early and then a couple of days later; after I had been told again that I could keep my gown stored there, Lady Margaret called me and demanded that I come pick up my gown. I think it was because I had come in a couple times to show my kids what the gown looked like on me and she didn't like me taking up their time, if I wasn't going to purchase anything else, so I went in a picked up my gown. Lady Margaret had told me on the phone that she was going to be there when I came in (I had to make an appointment), but she wasn't . Then when I was ready to get the alterations done, I called the store and made my alterations appointment; all was well or so I thought. The very next day after I had made the appointment, I received a call to say that they were no longer doing alterations and that they were cancelling the appointment. I told them I had already paid for the alterations and requested a refund. They said they would mail it the next day. Two weeks later, I still hadn't received the refund, so I called them and had to fight with them to get them to send it out to me. I finally did receive the refund, but they did not include the tax they charged me with the refund. I didn't contact them back about it because at this point I had had enough. Lady Margaret's get 2 stars but only because I love my gown and Siri was a sweetheart.

• Tacoma Alterations - Beth Parks

Beth is amazing. She took my gown that is a size 6 and altered the bodice to fit my size 14 bust. I can't say enough about her skills as a seamstress. She also added a 6 point French bustle that was very beautiful and would have stayed in place all during the ceremony and reception; had one of my favorite aunt not decided to fluff my train (because she had always wanted to do that). That stressed me out at the time, but with the hooks that she had put in the skirt of my gown, my planner was able to pin the bustle back in place and because of the way Beth had originally attached the bustle, it didn't rip or anything. She is an excellent seamstress and I highly recommend her. She gets 5 stars.

• Generation X Productions - Jered Delpalacio and Ollie Brown

Jered and Ollie are two of the most professional DJs that we could have ever hoped for. We gave them a list of songs with notes that we wanted played and asked them to fill in the blanks which they did very nicely. There was one song that I had always dreamed of being played at my wedding; Going to the Chapel of Love by the Dixie Cups. I didn't think that it would be played because I couldn't figure out where to put it, but did that stop Jered and Ollie; no way!!! They found the perfect moment to play it and it totally made my day. Also, I had picked Embrace of the Father and Bride for the father/daughter dance and they weren't sure that they would be able to find a good enough version of it for our wedding, but they search high and low and found it. That made me a very happy bride because that is the song that I had kept going back to when searching for a father/daughter song. They were professional the entire time and even wore suits to match our theme and venue. We just can't say enough about how pleased we are about their service and professionalism. If you need a DJ and/or DJs, you must check these guys out. Don't be afraid to let them know what your budget is because they will do their best to accommodate you. If it won't work, they will be straight with you. We give these guys 5 stars and highly recommend them.

• Alexander Rentals

Alexander Party Rentals was by far the nicest table service vendor that I interviewed. They were also the least expensive and the most helpful. Because we didn't have a large guest list and didn't need a lot of items, they allowed us to pick everything up the day before our event and then return it the following day. Also, instead of requiring us to be the ones to pick the items up, they allowed us to have our planner pick up and return the items. That relieved a lot of stress because we didn't have to worry about how we were going to fit it into our day or worry about having to return it ourselves. They even allowed us to add a discount to our order after we had already booked their services because we had attended the Seattle Bridal Show where they had a special promotion going on. Really nice, since we were on a very tight budget. We give them 5 stars for quality of product and service.

• Harping Along - Tiffany Russell/Melissa Underhill

Tiffany played the harp and Melissa played the flute for our wedding, and they certainly were impressive. They set up a little bit before the ceremony and played, played through the ceremony at designated times, and then played a little bit after the ceremony while our guests exited out to the loggia/patio for cocktails and pictures. They were amazing and didn't miss a beat. They were professional in there demeanor and also in their attire. They even learned a new song for our ceremony. We can't say enough nice things about this duo. If you are looking for classical music for your ceremony, cocktail hour, or reception, check these ladies out; you won't be disappointed. We give them 5 stars all the way.

• Salon Maison - Angela and Carla

Angela and Carla were the perfect pair for our day. They did an awesome job on each of us. Angela took care of me and Carla took care of the girls. They arrived on time and looked and acted professional. We couldn't ask for a more profession duo of hair and makeup artists. They truly know what they are doing and make sure that you get the look that you want. My sister wanted heavier makeup than what I wanted her to have and they totally listened to me and gave her what I wanted for my day; without question. Don't be discouraged by their prices. They might be a little high for some; however, you get exactly what you want and they come to you. When they do your trial, they do as many do-overs as you want, until they get it exactly what you want at no additional charge. Their prices include them coming to you for both the trial and the day of and the price also include travel. I give them both 5 stars for professionalism and for a job well done.

• Bar Academy - Cameron Benz

Cameron was very professional and on the ball. He was courteous to everyone and always had a smile. He also made sure that I always had something to drink; which was very nice because I didn't have time to go up to the bar. The prices at the bar academy are extremely reasonable. If you have a venue that allows you to serve your own alcohol, you won't go wrong by hiring Cameron. He far exceeded our expectations. He gets 5 stars for both professionalism and service.

• Family Affair Photography - Monica and Sonny

Monica and Sonny were awesome. Sonny got some great shots of the guys and the details and Monica followed me everywhere. We ended up with way more shots than we thought we would, even thought there were a few shots that they missed that we would have liked to have had. There were some shots that were also lost/misplaced that we were/are pretty sad about, but overall we loved them. Monica was with  me from the time that I was getting ready, until the very end. I felt like the paparazzi was after me the entire time that we were at the wedding. They are a wonderful husband and wife team that work well together and go out of their way to make your day continue to live on in pictures with all of the memories and emotion of the day. Unlike a lot of other photographers, Monica edits each shot until she is happy with it before you even see it. We ended up with 1,296 pictures from our day; a total of 6 hours. We had a very small wedding; only 24 guests, including us and the wedding party, so for them to get that many pictures was/is truely phenomenal. Some of them are duplicates and triplicates with different edits, but when I went through them, I was able to pick out 640 pictures for our albums that tell the entire story of our day. For the parent and grandparent albums, I chose 181 pictures that told the gist of the day. Monica definitely goes out of her way to make sure the bride is a happy bride. We give them a definite 5 stars and definitely recommend them.

• Men's Warehouse - in Puyallup

They were very helpful and even allowed us to get an added discount from a special that they were offering at the Seattle Wedding show. When it was time to pick up the tuxes, the guys had to try them on before we left and my son's shirt was too big and the wrong shirt, but they were able to get us a replacement the following day. Also, when the guys tried on their tuxes, they also tried on their shoes. The place that sent the tuxes and shoes sent my husband a pair of shoes and each shoe was a different size and one shoe was a display shoe. A new pair of shoes was ordered and delivered the following day; along with the incorrect shirt. Although they were very helpful and fixed the issues right away, I can only give them 4 stars. And I have to say that if there would have been another option for tuxes, we might have been better off going with someone else; just so we could have avoided the stress of the mistakes that were made.

• Mike's Amazing Cakes

Mike's Amazing Cakes, in our opinion, is not so amazing. They do have consistently moist cake; however, they got our cake so wrong. We were supposed to have large pink roses on the top of our cake and we ended up with what looked like barely there pink carnations. The edible ribbon on the cake was supposed to be 1/2" and thin and it was closer to 1" and thick. The filling on the chocolate part of the cake was supposed to be Oreo cream and it was plain. We know this because we had some left after the wedding and we ate it. I can't speak for the second flavor of cake we ordered because we didn't get any of that. They did give us a very small partial refund for the flower mess up, but they basically called us liars about the filling. We do not recommend using this vendor. They, in our opinions, are definitely a fail.

• Simply Celebrations - Nancy Skipton - Wedding Planner/Coordinator

Nancy is beyond awesome. She was there every step of the way for me. She went with me to help me find a dress and she was at my fittings. My girls both live out of state, so weren't available. She went to vendor meetings with me and dealt with any vendor issues that came up along the way. On the day of, she made sure that everything went as planned and made sure to remind us when we needed to do things that we had planned. She kept us very much on track. She even helped the girls when they had issues doing my dress up. She also made sure that the DJs knew about a special song that I had always dreamed of having played at my wedding, since I was a very little girl, so that they could find an appropriate time to play it. I couldn't figure out where to put it, but they timed it exactly right. Nancy definitely made sure we had our day our way. Unfortunately, the cake arrived before she did; she wasn't late, they were early. If she would have been there when they arrived, I know she would have taken care of that too. Nancy definitely gets 5 stars for professionalism and customer service and the highest of recommendations.

• Fred Meyer - in Puyallup

The Fred Meyer in Puyallup is amazing. The wine steward/manager there went above and beyond to get us the wine that we wanted at our wedding. They don't normally stock what we wanted, but he contacted his vendors and got us a good price, so we could get our wine. He definitely gets 5 stars for customer service.

Other Vendors:

• Magnet Street - Save-the-Dates

Magnet Street gets 5 stars for quality, service, price, and timely shipping.

• Shutterfly - Photo Thank You Cards and Photos

I first ordered my photo thank you cards from them and I was extremely impressed with the quality of them; much better than any others that I have seen. Then I purchased the photos in a matte finish for the parent and grandparent albums. These photos are good, but could be better. To me they seem a little grainy and I know the files I uploaded were not to blame. The files were directly from the files that our photographers gave us and some of the same photos that we got from Snapfish. Also, some of the photos seem to have color issues. The quality issue may or may not be attributed to the fact that I ordered the prints in their matte format. I give them 4 stars for quality of product, customer service, and timely shipment.

• Snapfish - Photos

I purchased the prints for our albums (640) from Snapfish and I couldn't be happier with them. I ordered the prints in the glossy format and so far haven't seen any pictures that aren't as they should be. The quality of the prints is amazing. I can hardly wait until I finish the other albums, so I can get started on ours. They definitely get 5 stars for quality of product, customer service, production and timeliness of each shipment.

@futuremrshc: Thank you :-)

Everytime I see a picture of the cake, it bothers me, but the good thing is that no one except my planner, my hubby, and I knew about it. I didn't let it ruin our day though, so that was a good thing :-)