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We had our reception at the Lodge at Ironwoods. It is owned by the City of Leawood. They have tours every Wednesday evening. Cody Kennedy was our main contact for the Lodge and he was very responsive and answered all our questions. He even made special arrangements to open the Lodge for viewing when my in-laws were in town. It is a beautiful venue. We really saved on decorations- only did centerpieces on the guest tables. Beautiful wood interior- amazing vaulted ceiling and the finished concrete floor is beautiful as well. They provide all the tables and chairs- you are responsible for linens, centerpieces, cleanup of your items and kitchen if used. There is also an outdoor patio that guests can sit on. They have large doors that can open onto the patio if it is cool enough outside. Our ceremony was outdoors so we also used this as our Plan B. I know of someone who had their wedding and reception there which can also be done. This was a great experience.
First off, I will say that my ceremony was amazing. We had the ceremony at the Rose Gardens and everything went off without a hitch. The reason for the low ratings however, is because of how the system is run. I was lucky to get the date I wanted and didn't really have to fight for it, because it was on a Sunday evening. But I still showed up that cold January morning and can't forget the couple I stood in line with. They had been there since 5 am waiting to get their spot.When the doors opened, we were instructed to take a number and have a seat. Meanwhile, however, they were allowing people to call in and reserve their spot. This was happening while people who had been there since 5 am or even the night before were there in person, waiting to make a reservation!! And unfortunately, that couple who had been waiting since 5 am lost their spot to someone who had called in to reserve. So as you can see, the reservation system is not set up well. The gardens are owned and operated by the city so that is who you make your reservation through. They are fairly helpful if you can actually get through to someone, but I often found it hard to get through on the phone lines- and they are also closed on Mondays. Email responses also were hard to get. When I did finally get through to someone, they seem to be pretty helpful. The other problem I had is that being on the weekend, you are likely to not have anyone there from the garden staff to help if something has gone wrong (ex: electrical outlets do not work for sound..). Luckily we did not have any problems.
Again, I'd like to emphasize that everything worked out absolutely wonderful for us. But my advice to brides who are looking for all your questions to be answered and everything to be perfect with the planning....you might go somewhere else because it can be pretty stressful.
Randy was the most affordable caterer I found. I think people way overcharge for food and he was actually reasonably priced. He is very down-to-earth and just a nice guy. He treats you well and provides good service. Another great thing he provides is free rentals of centerpiece items and the price includes glass plates and flatware, which you will not find with any other caterer. He also saves you lots of time by providing linens instead of having to go to another vendor. The food was great too.
Josh and Jenny truly deserve 5 out of 5 stars in every category. You could even say they undercharge for the value for cost and quality of service. They really are that good. Extremely flexible and extremely helpful. And super responsive- Jenny always got back to me usually within a few hours and never any longer than a day. I didn't have a wedding planner and often would have questions about the order or arrangement of things and other little details- Jenny always answered these questions for me without hesistation. She was super helpful. They are just great to work with.
On to the photography side of things...Josh and Jenny capture the everyday, natural moments. That is what they excel in. We didn't want a bunch of posed pictures, but more of a documentation of the wedding day and they gave us just that. But part of what makes them great is that they can also do the posed pictures.
They are so down to earth and not at all like some of the other snobby photographers we met who have their own agenda- Josh and Jenny will give you what you are looking for.
I am a picky person so I was very very nervous about my flowers. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted so I thought how could anyone else get it right? But these flowers were beyond what i could have ever hoped for. I feel so lucky to have worked with Melody Batey- she had just come off a sick leave of several weeks. She knew exactly what style I was looking for when I had a consultation with her- the natural wild flower look. Everything was just wonderful- my bouquet was the most beautiful bouquet I have ever seen and all the bridesmaids loved their flowers. I got all the wedding party flowers, along with flower halos for the flower girls, throw petals, corsages, cake flowers, cake topper, throw bouquet...all for a fraction of the price of a florist and these were so beautiful. Multiple people told me that they were the most beautiful flowers they had ever seen in a wedding- even former brides! They are great to work with and exceed your expectations! Highly recommended!!
Review Date: 08/30/2009 Services Used: Ceremony Music
4.8 out of 5.0
Quality of Service:
(5.0/5.0)
Responsiveness:
(5.0/5.0)
Professionalism:
(5.0/5.0)
Value For Cost:
(4.0/5.0)
Flexibility:
(5.0/5.0)
Cantilena String Quartet played the music for our outdoor ceremony. People commented on how much they enjoyed the music. And they were flexible. It started to rain right at the very end, and they just calmly put their instruments away- they didn't make a scene or anything. They were wonderful. Very professional and excellent musicians. Also very accomodating.
Review Date: 09/01/2009 Services Used: Beauty & Health
4.9 out of 5.0
Quality of Service:
(5.0/5.0)
Responsiveness:
(5.0/5.0)
Professionalism:
(5.0/5.0)
Value For Cost:
(4.5/5.0)
Flexibility:
(5.0/5.0)
CaraSue did my hair and makeup for my wedding day. It was just the look I wanted. And just as promised- none of the makeup budged- through rain, sweat or tears. Something I really appreciate about her as well is that she is very sanitary with her products.
I did all the wedding planning myself but needed help with the day of as far as coordinating goes. That's where Danielle from Soiree comes in. I contacted them about getting day-of coordination and from the beginning, Danielle was very responsive and always replied promptly. She helped me where I needed it most- instructing everyone what to do and where to be at the Rehearsal and on the day of the wedding. The ceremony could not have gone so smoothly with her and I am sure of that. It was one of the best investments I made for this wedding.
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