Falling for You: With a Little Help From my Vendors: Part 1

Hive, before I say goodbye for good, I thought it was important to review some of the vendors that helped bring our wedding day vision to life. As a bride, I devoured as many reviews as I could before booking my vendors, so here's hoping some of these are helpful to planning brides out there! I promise, I'll be as concise as possible. Ready? Here we go. 

Wedding dress: David's Bridal B+/ Vera Wang style VW351112) A

I ordered my gown from DB in Burlington VT. The consultation went very smoothly and I didn't feel rushed at all. However, I felt pressured to order a much bigger size than I would have normally purchased and was told that it was quite normal to "size up" in bridal. When the gown arrived, it was so big on me that it was literally falling off. Luckily, the ladies at DB were great and rush ordered me a brand new (smaller) dress at no cost to me and I was able to receive it and alter it with a month to spare. The alterations department was also great and my monster of a bustle (25 points!) held up amazingly throughout the night.The dress itself was very good quality. I felt like a princess in it; my only regret is not being able to wear it ever again ;)

Men's tuxes: Moores (Men's Warehouse) B/ Black by Vera Wang, A

Mr. W, the boys, and Papi W all wore the same tuxes. Everyone was pretty happy with the slim fit of the tuxes, and the service was ok overall. We didn't really have any issues and would use them in the future.

Bride's Shoes: Angela Nuran shoes (Astoria, dyed cobalt blue) A+.

I was very concerned about my shoe situation because my feet are very sensitive after having foot surgery a few years back. Angela was such a gem! Since there are no Angela Nuran retailers in Montreal, she shipped several pairs for me to try with no obligation to buy and answered all my questions with such a happy, upbeat attitude! And the shoes were glorious! I didn't think I would be able to last all day in them. But I wore the shoes from 2 p.m. till 4 a.m. without once having to take them off, while dancing AND walking on cobblestones. If you can swing it, buy these shoes!

Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levkoff, model 193, A/ Victoria's Bridal Couture, B

I had a hard time finding the right shade of cobalt for the bridesmaids dresses. In the end, we settled on style 193 and the girls loved their dresses (some have already worn them again, in fact!). From what I saw, the quality was very good, so no complaints there -- just be aware that the BL size chart can be tricky. We ordered online at Victoria's Bridal Couture and didn't have any issues. However, they weren't great at communicating by email, or answering their phones. We ordered right under the wire and were a bit worried that the dresses would not arrive on time. In the end, it all worked out and they had the best prices, so if you order with enough time, it should not be a problem. We also got free shipping within the USA, which was a nice bonus, though I am not sure if that's still the case.

Florist: Fleuriste Sens, A

Since I DIY'd all of our centerpieces, the only flowers we purchased were the bouquets and boutonnieres for the bridal party. However, Fleuriste Sens more than exceeded our expectations. They really listened to my vision, the bouquets were amazing, and they came in under budget!

My bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets

Transportation: Signature Limousines, C.

We chose this company because they were the only ones that carried the Excalibur, the vintage limo we had been lusting after. Though both pickups were done in a timely manner, the AC in the limo was not working very well, which made for a pretty sweaty bride. Additionally, the limo driver lost our wedding party for a brief moment. I might look for a different company if I had to do it over again.

Accommodations: Hotel Le Saint-Martin, A
We chose this hotel for its proximity to both our ceremony and reception venues. The Saint-Martin is a boutique hotel, and the service reflected that. The rooms were extremely comfy and clean and the staff very friendly. We stayed in the Cannes suite, which is their most luxurious and spacious suite, because we needed the room to get ready on the wedding day, and Mr. W and I spent our wedding night there as well. We definitely enjoyed our stay, albeit brief, and hope to return soon.

Stay tuned for the rest of our vendor reviews!

All photos courtesy of the amazing Bachmann Photography unless otherwise specified

Miss a recap?

• We get it started with our wedding trailer
• We had a really intense wedding week
• We handle some last minute drama and get our nails did
• We practice getting married
• We eat all the French food
• We stuff our faces with chocolate
• The girls get pretty, oh so pretty
• The men suit up
• I put on my wedding dress
• I put on my veil and my entourage loses their sh*t
• I show you all my somethings
• We ride a vintage limo to the church
• The bridal party walks the walk
• We have a tearful “first look” on our walk down the aisle
• The ceremony begins with some lovely readings
• We exchange our vows and rings and have a blessing of the hands
• We finish mass, have a rose ceremony and sign the marriage register
• We take some pictures with our families
• We take a few bridal party pictures
• We take some pictures, just the two of us
• We skip cocktail hour, and spend some time with our friends
• We have a really fun first entrance
• We dance to our song
• Our friends give some heartfelt speeches
• We miss out on eating a fabulous meal
• I have an emotional father-daughter dance with my dad
• We cut our gorgeous cake
• We toss the bouquet and garter
• We play the shoelywed game
• We toast each other
• We dance till I drop, literally
• We dance some more
• We break it down, Cuban style
• Our guests vogue for the camera
• The night ends with a tender moment
• A look back at some details