We got back this week from our "mini-moon" in Saint Louis until we can take a longer trip next summer to Maine after we defend our dissertations. DH had two conferences the weekend after our wedding, one in LA and one in St. Louis, so I joined him in Saint Louis since my sister lives there and there's a lot of cool stuff to do like go to the free zoo.
The wedding was so wonderful, made even more so after all the treatments this summer. We were married in the church where my parents got married 36 years ago, and our reception was at the local yacht club which made for a spectacular view. All of our vendors were fantastic and the DJ kept everyone on the floor for the whole night! One thing I was really impressed by was the way the three vendors (photographer, DJ, venue manager) communicated with each other and worked well together so they we kept to our timeline the entire time and could also relax and enjoy the reception. I told the photographer we just wanted a few classic formal shots of us and our families and then mostly candids of everyone enjoying the reception for the rest of the afternoon and evening. The venue manager pulled us aside toward the end of cocktail hour to get our food so we could do table visits after, and the photographer asked permission from him before asking us if we'd like to step outside for a pic on the dock at sunset (pic included here!). The manager also came up to us during cocktail hour while we were talking with guests to very subtly hold our drinks and push platefuls of apps and water on us. Tip: If you're looking for vendors, make sure you consider not only the product (the food, the space, everything was fantastic) but also whether they'll take care of you. We went to a wedding last year where the B & G told us after that they got no food because the waitstaff whisked it away before they could even sit down to eat it! And the photographer, in addition to getting great shots, was very respectful of our timeline and what exactly we wanted for the day. He got the shots we wanted done before the ceremony and reception and was everywhere photographing the rest of the night without being intrusive.
Another tip: If you're getting a time-priced package, skip the getting ready photos and get more time for the reception end. I'm so glad I skipped the pics of me putting on lipstick and just had the photographer meet us at the church. We have so many awesome reception pics of our families and friends dancing and my BMs took a katrillion pics of us getting ready anyway so we have more than enough to remember that part of the day! (Actually had to remind my sisters a few times not to post any on fb or Instagram before the ceremony!)
Also...made a really unexpected decision the week before the wedding to go without the long wig I had done a trial-style of and was planning on since June when my hair fell out. I saw this cute headband when I went with my sister to get her BM dress altered and the bridal shop owner let me borrow it to decide if I wanted it and then call her later to pay for it (at a discount too since it was sold off the rack and there wasn't time to order a new one). So glad I did--it made dancing and going to the after party at a bar downtown more enjoyable since I didn't have to worry about it getting sweaty or itchy. Also it was POURING rain in the morning when we went to the hairdresser and it was nice not to have to be like "ZOMG my hair!!!" when leaving the salon.
Thank you all for your support and advice on these boards--I learned so much for lurking in addition to asking my own questions! Hope you enjoy the pics
