my impressions of the vendors at today's Lovin Oven showcase
So, I went to the Lovin Oven Vendor showcase today at Lands End, and I thought I'd give a little review of my impressions of the various vendors
First off, Food:
Absolutely incredible. So tastey. I don't think I tasted anything I didn't like. The chocolate fountain was divine, the hors d'oevres were fabulous (did anybody else have those little mushrooms? mmmmmmm). Audrey's bakery was there, and there cakes were INCREDIBLE. I didn't try any of the fondant cakes, but the buttercream frosting was the best I have ever had. I can't say enough about how good the food was.
Photographers:
Spelman - I didn't really get to talk to them, but I liked their pictures. I''m going to have to give them a call and sit down with them to get a clearer idea.
Marco - The sales guy felt kind of pushy to me, and not as genuine as I would have liked. The photos were very classic posed-looking style shots, which is not to my taste, but definitely nice if that's what you're looking for.
Patken - nice photos, not quite to my style... there were a lot of more sort of 'risque' shots, of the bride and groom laying on the ground and looking really intimate with her dress all hiked up... nice if you like that kind of thing, but not to my taste. Worth checking out though.
Imagine - I really liked them. I can't remember his name... but he and his wife do everything, he shoots the video and his wife does the photo. They had a nice journalistic approach, I really like the personal feeling of a husband and wife team (as opposed to a studio with multiple photographers where you end up paying extra to get the really good one that does all of their promo shots), and the guy there was very nice and really friendly. This is the one that I really left feeling like I definitely wanted to give them a call.
Flowers:
Lovin Oven Designs - Keyth was an absolute sweetheart, he was really helpful. The other girl I spoke to was also really helpful and very friendly, and even went out of her way to get Keyth for me so I could ask him a few questions. Their flowers are absolutely gorgeous, very creative.
Sugar Magnolias - I must admit, I was a bit disappointed. I had really really loved their website and it seemed from that like the woman had a great personality, but then when I spoke to her she kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Not that she was rude... I guess I just didn't feel like her personality or approach would mesh with mine. The flowers are really beautiful though, so I'd recommend finding out for yourself if she works for you.
In Full Bloom - I LOVED this florist. I loved their whole set up, it was really bright and playful and youthful and fun, and I spoke to a couple of the women and they were all really nice and extremely enthusiastic, and really seemed to understand what I was looking for. I thought their flowers were gorgeous. I think most of the other florists are really about being very elegant and classy, and that's great, but if you're looking for something a little but more fun and funky, you might want to check out In Full Bloom.
Tiaras:
Denise Leli - their tiaras were really gorgeous (or maybe I'm just attracted to anything sparkly), but definitely on the expensive side for me. I picked up what must have been the smallest one on the table and she told me it was $750, which is just a bit more than I'm willing to spend. If you have the money to spend though, their stuff is really beautiful.
And that's all for me... I didn't talk to any of the music people, as they were all DJs and I'm looking for a live band.
So, hopefully that might have been helpful to somebody! I'd love to hear if anybody else was there, what other people thought!
First off, Food:
Absolutely incredible. So tastey. I don't think I tasted anything I didn't like. The chocolate fountain was divine, the hors d'oevres were fabulous (did anybody else have those little mushrooms? mmmmmmm). Audrey's bakery was there, and there cakes were INCREDIBLE. I didn't try any of the fondant cakes, but the buttercream frosting was the best I have ever had. I can't say enough about how good the food was.
Photographers:
Spelman - I didn't really get to talk to them, but I liked their pictures. I''m going to have to give them a call and sit down with them to get a clearer idea.
Marco - The sales guy felt kind of pushy to me, and not as genuine as I would have liked. The photos were very classic posed-looking style shots, which is not to my taste, but definitely nice if that's what you're looking for.
Patken - nice photos, not quite to my style... there were a lot of more sort of 'risque' shots, of the bride and groom laying on the ground and looking really intimate with her dress all hiked up... nice if you like that kind of thing, but not to my taste. Worth checking out though.
Imagine - I really liked them. I can't remember his name... but he and his wife do everything, he shoots the video and his wife does the photo. They had a nice journalistic approach, I really like the personal feeling of a husband and wife team (as opposed to a studio with multiple photographers where you end up paying extra to get the really good one that does all of their promo shots), and the guy there was very nice and really friendly. This is the one that I really left feeling like I definitely wanted to give them a call.
Flowers:
Lovin Oven Designs - Keyth was an absolute sweetheart, he was really helpful. The other girl I spoke to was also really helpful and very friendly, and even went out of her way to get Keyth for me so I could ask him a few questions. Their flowers are absolutely gorgeous, very creative.
Sugar Magnolias - I must admit, I was a bit disappointed. I had really really loved their website and it seemed from that like the woman had a great personality, but then when I spoke to her she kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Not that she was rude... I guess I just didn't feel like her personality or approach would mesh with mine. The flowers are really beautiful though, so I'd recommend finding out for yourself if she works for you.
In Full Bloom - I LOVED this florist. I loved their whole set up, it was really bright and playful and youthful and fun, and I spoke to a couple of the women and they were all really nice and extremely enthusiastic, and really seemed to understand what I was looking for. I thought their flowers were gorgeous. I think most of the other florists are really about being very elegant and classy, and that's great, but if you're looking for something a little but more fun and funky, you might want to check out In Full Bloom.
Tiaras:
Denise Leli - their tiaras were really gorgeous (or maybe I'm just attracted to anything sparkly), but definitely on the expensive side for me. I picked up what must have been the smallest one on the table and she told me it was $750, which is just a bit more than I'm willing to spend. If you have the money to spend though, their stuff is really beautiful.
And that's all for me... I didn't talk to any of the music people, as they were all DJs and I'm looking for a live band.
So, hopefully that might have been helpful to somebody! I'd love to hear if anybody else was there, what other people thought!
