Following our 15th September wedding I thought we ought to list the suppliers we used that we were particularly happy with ?
Caterers:
India Food - Really excellent. Couldn't fault them at all. Food was excellent (we asked them to tone down the heat a little, which they did, no problem!), staff were amazingly helpful and the canapes were incredibly yummy! Our only issue is that it never crossed our minds to take takeaway containers so we were really gutted that so much was thrown away ?
Make-up:
Rochelle O'Brien - cannot recommend her enough. I had a brilliant trial and felt a million dollars (had so many compliments running from the trial to the school run!), and then on the day I decided to go with a more dramatic look - my sister thought I mad to make changes but I knew I could completely trust Rochelle and it turned out the be the right decision, I felt amazing!
Venue Stylist:
Eve Lily - Nicola at Eve Lily was fab - she knew exactly what we wanted. We weren't after chair covers and floral centre pieces (which I believe most her business is) - we wanted her to drape some of the walls of the hall to hide notice boards, and for her to hang lots and lots of white paper lanterns with little lights inside. I must admit her communication could be improved - there were a couple of ocassion when we couldn't get a response - but the real test is in the execution of our ideas and she pulled this off faultlessly ?.
Photographer:
Nigel Ordsmith - Nigel is brilliant. He appealed because he's quite and softly spoken, unlike others we'd seen, yet still very engaging. We had a wonderful pre-wedding shoot which we took the children to and have some amazing family shots. The wedding itself I think was different to what he normally shoots and the lack of space made things tricky for him. On the down side, we have fewer informal shots to choose from than we might have liked, although the ones he got are really lovely, and we don't need so many for an album that captures the style and mood of the day. Where, I think, Nigel really excels is in portraits - the pictures we have of MrLB and I are breathtaking, and ther are some stunning shots of the children (particulalry our guests' children) which are really very special indeed. I wouldn't hesistate to recommend him for both weddings and portraits (his studio is a converted barn and is a great backdrop for portraits!).
Band:
The Veneers - AMAZING! These guys were awesome! We booked them without hearing them, knowing that we wanted a good covers band with a female vocalist (just personal preference, we think it gives more depth). They were communicative, flexible in their offering, happy to change and adapt on the day (we didn't ask them to, but they made it clear they were there for us and that nothing was too much trouble - they even offered to pop out for a pint of milk for the morning after, should we have asked!). They really rocked, and the dance floor was full all night. Highly recommend them!
Dress:
Wedding Belles, Sutton Coldfield - They were just brilliant. I went in asking for 'grown up, elegant and a little bit sexy'. I didn't want 'princess', I thought I'd save that for my 4 year old! I tried on loads but kept coming back to the first one. I couldn't buy that day as I had to go shopping with my sister but the girls at the shop said they'd follow up with an email and'or a call...which they did, without being pushy. It was a really pleasurable experience, which wasn't the case in the 3 other places (I shan't name these, though). One last gratuitous flash of the frock:
