We got married in late October. After getting my photos today, I'm finally ready to write a very long review. If you're reading, you're probably a bride to be, wondering if you should 1) do things a la carte or 2) book a wedding studio and which one is best. Look no further, you're going to book with Wedding Hills because Polly and Tommy really are a great team. You won't regret it.
Before the wedding:
- When we started planning, I already knew Wedding Hills was in the running because well, they handled two of my friends weddings where I was a bridesmaid. I already knew how they handled fittings, clothing rental variety, etc. But still - my Chinese mom would disown me if we didn't check out at least 1-2 other places and compare packages. It's in our blood!
I checked out 2 other places. I didn't like them. One studio was almost 2k cheaper! Their morning schedule proposal seemed tight though. The lady explained, oh you have 9 women who need makeup? No problem, we can do that in 2 hours. Well.... no wonder the bridesmaids barely looked like they had makeup on in their photo albums! They also had weird discounts like $100 off if you wrote them a review or did something with WeChat. So I booked with Polly after she gave me a good quote.
- One reason why you want to book with a studio is to save time, energy and money on different vendors and finding dresses. It easily adds up to tens of thousands of dollars. Wedding Hills handled all bridesmaid dresses, groomsmen suits, my wedding dress and qipao, my husband's suit, and parents outfits (except my diva mom). We also booked their entertainment package with MC/DJ.
Each fitting was handled by Tammy, who is so sweet and helpful (and strong!). Each group went 2-3 times total to pick outfits and get measured, and we went for final fittings 1-2 weeks before the wedding. Polly and Tammy handled my herd of nosy, opinionated family members with grace and patience. Tommy was assigned to my wedding day (YAY!) and BOOMCHAKALAKA! Hair, makeup, clothing, limo, MC/DJ, photo/video, schedule done. (I got silk flowers off Etsy, but their flower arrangements are nice).
The morning of the wedding:
- We got up bright and early to get our makeup done. I LOVED my makeup. It was natural but dramatic enough for photos, and god knows my eyes disappear when I smile or laugh! My three pairs of eyelashes (three!!!) stayed in place even though I cried so much that day, and my oily complexion didn't come through despite minimal oil sheet blotting ;) My bridesmaids looked beautiful and groomsmen handsome. My mom also loved her hair and makeup, and our dads were so dashing in their suits! All nine of us were ready to go three hours later for group pics at a park, dressed and made up. The three makeup artists were quick and friendly and had quality makeup brands. I only reapplied my eyeliner once!
- The limo was prompt and took us to the park. We had a fun time taking group photos and solo shots with Tommy and his 2 sidekicks. They really took some nice shots despite our awkward posing. There are wide landscape shots with closeups from different angles.
During the wedding:
- The MC (Wendy) seamlessly announced all intros and activities in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. The DJ was SO GOOD! They'll ask for a list of your songs (first dance, parents dance, entrance, ceremony, 30 dance floor songs, etc) a week before. The DJ followed my instructions to the tee. When we were pronounced husband and wife, he dropped the beat (yeah, we picked techno hahaha) and it was PERFECT. He also played a few of our song choices with his own list. A+ on the entertainment package.
- Tommy and his sidekicks worked tirelessly during the wedding and the photos really show it. All 1300 photos, hah.
Some tips:
- one of my bridesmaid's dresses came loose on the side - bring safety pins. Pay attention to how Tammy ties dresses... not as easy as it looks, we had a #DressStruggleFest
- ask your photographer(s) what you need to provide the day of in terms of meals for them, MC, DJ. They're working 5-10 hours straight so you need to provide meal(s). A friend told me she gave them money to grab food so I only prepared cash. But Tommy told me day of (which was a bit stressful) that they also needed fan hop (takeout boxes) for dinner. Luckily a cousin helped me get takeout boxes, but clarify a week before 1) which meals they need 2) is cash ok or do they need a take out?
- many Asian Americans use Wedding Hills. Don't get discouraged if you feel like you're seeing the same dresses. I'm the 5th one in my friends circle to book there. Be creative with colors & styles, bring 2 friends who will each pull out 10 dresses for you to try :)
- my highlight video doesn't seem to have the best ceremony audio - if you're looking for a crisp, very high quality video, I'd discuss options with Tommy.
Hope this helps your wedding planning, good luck! 100% recommend for practical brides. read more