Happiness Helpers
**Please note that should you decide to sign a contract or use any of the below vendors, that is YOUR choice and the agreement is between you and that vendor and NOT Single Moments Photography or any of its employees, associates, or representatives. Single Moments Photography is not and will not be held responsible for experiences with those vendors.**
Below you will find a list of vendors I like to call Happiness Helpers, whom I have either worked with personally for my wedding (September 2009), or have met professionally and have been impressed with their products and services as well as their personalities. With each business, I feel it necessary to give you my perspective of the services provided by each. Feel free to contact me with any further questions regarding my recommended Happiness Helpers. Happy Planning!
Bakers
Debbie Bell @ 616-794-1021
Debbie is so great to work with. Her cakes are sure to please even the pickiest eaters, trust me, I know! Multiple tiered, square, circle, airbrushing, chocolate molds? What about filling? She can do it all from the oh so yummy custard filling and butter cream frosting! (Did I mention I LOVE buttercream frosting? I do and Debbie’s recipe is perfect!) Our cake is planned to be a custom creation from my minds of my fiancé’ and I with Debbie’s creative and talented input. Best of all, consider the number of people expected to be at our reception, she’s so accommodating! I was scared to think of how much all of that cake would cost us, but as it turns out, I was afraid for nothing. Her prices are just as brilliant as her sweet and artistic creations!
Bridal Party Gifts
Premier Designs Jewelry- Christina Brown @ 616-520-1040 brownjc02@yahoo.com
My mom and I were party hostesses for a Premier Designs Jewelry party. I have to admit, having never been to this type of party, I was skeptical to say the least. Christina came to my house and gave her presentation and I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. The jewelry is fabulous and I found quite a few pieces that were perfect for my bridesmaids as well as for my mom and mom-in-law to be. What’s even better is I got EVERYTHING I wanted FOR FREE! Christina is a wonderful person and made our party experience a lot of fun.
Douglas J Aveda Institute- Various MI Locations-Grand Rapids @ 616-808-3078 www.douglasj.com
How awesome would it be to give or receive a fantabulous spa treatment? Let me tell you from personal experience, it’s AMAZING! I had a gift certificate there in the past for a massage, then I added a facial, makeup and hair styling to my package. It was a much needed day of relaxation and worth every second and every penny. Douglas J is much like Chic Cosmetology in that the “employees” are students, except for the student employees at Douglas J are advanced students and definitely know their stuff.
LLBean- Online @ www.llbean.com
Just search for tote bags and see what they have. I myself am very impressed with the quality and styles for tote bags. These are great gift ideas for your bridesmaids and pretty much anyone else. Don’t forget to get yourself one as well! They’re durable and perfect for the beach.
Caterers
Twist and Shout- Shelly Hitchings @ 616-894-7566 & Deb Dakin @ 616-835-3395 Store @ 616-754-0998
I’ve worked with Shelly and Deb at various times over the recent months and they both have such great hearts and personalities. They provide catering and fundraising ideas for various nonprofit organizations including the American Cancer Society Montcalm County Relay for Life as well as my Girl Scout Brownie Troop. Could you imagine 12 2nd graders in a restaurant kitchen baking chocolate chip cookies? What a site! BUT, they’re both so patient and kind and too funny. And their food? YUMMY! I’ve enjoyed my times stopping by for lunch at their Greenville restaurant. In addition to their all occasion catering, they also offer baking services.
Florists
Forrester Farm- Ann Forrester @ 616-874-3453 www.forresterfarm.com
Ann is such a sweetheart and I highly recommend her for all of your floral needs. She grows her own flowers and arranges them as well. From personal experience, one of the things I love about Ann is that she is very willing and capable of communicating via email which many florists are unwilling to do. I was able to send her pictures of floral arrangements I love with the reasons why I love them and within a few hours, our game plan and quote was completed. Regarding her quote, let’s just call her DEFINITELY AFFORDABLE! There’s no reason to skimp on your flowers when you’re working with Ann! (Did I mention she also has some really cool gifts and decorative accessories? Oh my, the list could go on and on about Ann! )
Hair Stylists
Marilee LaFata (also for makeup)- 616-225-9452 or 616-824-0879
Oh goodness, so many good things to say about Marilee. With tons of experience both in providing hair and makeup services, Marilee also has years of experience teaching her craft. She's so sweet and nice, and did I mention talented? Marilee did the hair and makeup for me for our special day and I was soooo happy with how it all turned out. Looking back at my pictures, I always say, "Wow, I looked good!" That's a huge thanks to Miss Marilee. With affordable pricing ($25 per person for hair or for a group of 5 at $25, the bride to be would receive her services for free!) and the best part, she'll come right to you! Contact her for quote for her makeup services, but I highly recommend Marilee!
Makeup Artists
Mary Kay- Brooke Bennett-Young @ 706-463-0175 www.marykay.com/brbennett
Brooke had approached me during one of my various bridal show adventures to talk about Mary Kay. She'll come to you (the bride) for your practice run FOR FREE and she’ll come to you the day of your wedding as well! Her pricing for 6 or more people having her do makeup is JUST $10 each no matter how much product is used! She’s email oriented (great for those busy brides) and is a Team Leader which means she knows her stuff!
DJ Services
Midnights Music Machine- Gil Jewell midnight51@chartermi.net
I have worked with Gil on many events including Girl Scout events and American Cancer Society Relay for Life events (Montcalm County). He has a huge heart and a huge library of available songs. Gil is great at keeping appointments and being there when he says he's going to be there. His flexibility and kindness makes him one of a kind, not to mention his affordable prices!
Printing
(Save the Date Cards, Invitations, Wedding Programs, etc.)-
AAA Advertising- Christopher Nicholas http://aaaadz.com/
Chris is great to work with. Personally, I have worked with him on numerous projects including my business cards and my Save the Date cards. My friends and family absolutely loved our Save the Date cards and I receive compliments on my business cards more often than not.
Freeze Frame Publishing- 616-897-5398 http://freezeframepublishing.com/
Not only does this printing business offer fabulous products at affordable prices, they're also super great to work with. Laura there at Freeze Frame is such an easy person to get a long with and to work with. She's also very helpful in finding the perfect products to suit your needs. From postcards (great idea for Save the Dates) to thank you cards and ablums, to calendars, and posters, Freeze Frame is able to do it all- and do it with a smile!
Reception Locations
English Hills Banquets & Catering- Various Locations- Comstock Park @ 616-784-7802 www.englishhills.net
With many locations to choose from, the beautiful Ballroom is my personal favorite. The wall of lights and the beautiful chandelier are sure to add a little sparkle to the evening. Their catering offers many options to accommodate even the pickiest of eaters. Their staff is always happy to answer questions and is very helpful in helping to make your experience memorable.
The Bluff Banquet & Conference Center- @ 616-243-3313 www.bluffbanquets.com
I have learned about this event location recently and have heard nothing but good things. From my understanding from one of “my brides” everything from their service and prices, to the food and facilities is extraordinary. From their site, the banquet room looks quite large and really nice! Check them out!
Transportation
Party-Gator Products LLC-Doug Miller @ 616-299-7115 & Gary Miller @ 616-437-3007
www.westmilimo.com
Doug & Gary are both so personable and kind and are a joy to work with. From my personal wedding research they have the most affordable limo prices BY FAR! They also have fantastically fun portable Tiki-Bars that would be great additions to any shower, bachelorette/bachelor party, open house, summer get together, or any other event you can dream up. I look forward to a continued professional relationship with Doug & Gary.
Update- Our wedding day services from Doug and Gary Miller was far beyond superb! With a few mixups as to where we were needing to be for pictures before the reception, they were very patient and helped us figure it out :) And they picked me up in the morning to take me to the church! I've now worked with them on a Bachelorette Party, my wedding, and a client of mine's wedding and I enjoy running into them still. Party Gator Limo is the best!
Travel
Travel With Yo- Yo Saladin @ 616-901-5236 www.travelwithyo.com
Yo (Yolanda) is such a doll! Within 15 minutes of us discussing our honeymoon dreams, she was to work to see what she could find for us.. She has an extraordinary attitude and personality and is a lot of fun to be around. I’m so excited to work out our honeymoon plans with her. Best of all, she’s local! She does the research, finds you the deals and she doesn’t charge a research fee. If you hop on her website: www.YTBRomance.com/travelwithyo, you can sign up for a Honeymoon Registry, so instead of getting 6 toasters, your friends and family will participate in giving you a honeymoon to remember! Contact Yo for more details!
Videographers
Wedding Attire & Accessories
Wedding Websites
Momentville- www.momentville.com
This site is very easy to use, just register and start building your site. There’s a ton of templates and you can add your own pictures and text. My mom made our site for us, awww! Friends and family can subscribe to our site to read about our plans and they can leave you little comments here and there as well. The comments all require moderator approval before being visible on the site which is always a beneficial.
