I planned my wedding in the outer banks from a different state, and relied mostly on the reviews posted on this forum. Now it is time for me to return the favor. I would not have changed a thing about my wedding; it was absolutely wonderful. If you would like to see pictures, please email me at stephaniekopf87@gmail.com
FIRSTLY, THE BEST MONEY I SPENT WAS ON MY DAY-OF COORDINATOR! I went with gail from the embellishers, who also did my flowers and ceremony decorations. I absolutely could not have done it without her. She orchestrated the whole day and kept everyone sane. I wont go into the list of things that she did for me, but trust me...I needed her. Also, my flowers were absolutely amazing. I highly reccomend you check out the embellishers website.
VENUE: Roanoke island aquarium: The aquarium was beautiful. We had the ceremony outside by the sound at sunset (perfect lighting) and had the reception inside throughout the aquarium. The staff at the aquarium were great, especially Cheryl (the event coordinator). She was very "down to business" which is definitely what I was looking for. She helped a lot with planning out where all the tables would be, etc. Another perk of the aquarium was that they provided tables and chairs for the reception.
CATERING: Chilli Peppers Catering: We went with a less pricey option and got a lot for our money. We had shrimp, mahi mahi, crabcakes, delicious herb stuffed chicken, vegetables, fiesta rice, etc. for about $25 a person. I will say that the food was delicious and I got a lot of great comments about it, but the interaction beforehand was a little strained. It was often a little difficult to get a hold of Jenn, our main point of contact for them. Otherwise, they were great and worked hard to satisfy us.
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Like a Dream Photography: A married couple who did a wonderful job. They are based in Virginia but were more than willing to travel if we paid for their hotel. It was really great to have two people shooting the wedding day. Kristen and Glen were an absolute joy to be around, and really helped me come out of my shell and feel beautiful on my wedding day (I dont really like having my picture taken). They were reasonably priced and did some really gorgeous, artsy pictures. Again, if you would like to see them, feel free to email me.
DJ: DJ Professionals and Video: They were great. They tolerated my last minute changes and were very helpful with my decisions for the reception music. I would definitely use them again. Their prices were not too bad either.
OFFICIANT: Rev. Young: She was great. She offers a wide selection of ceremonies that you can piece together if you would like. This was very helpful to my husband and I, as we did not want the "cookie cutter" religious wedding. We pieced together a really beautiful and meaningful ceremony that we both loved. She did not have a microphone during the ceremony and still projected well enough for everyone to hear, without screaming in our ears. She was very reasonably priced as well.
MAKE UP/HAIR: It's Royalty Salon: We were in Manteo for the wedding, and the location of the salon couldnt have been more convenient. I got all of my bridesmaids, my mothers, and my mother in law's hair done here for a pretty reasonable price. Linda was my stylist, and wow. She was absolutely amazing! I had no idea what I wanted when I went in for my trial and I really felt great about her ideas. Her sister did my make up. She did not overly impress me. I liked what she did with my foundation, blush, etc., but I ended up putting on my liquid eyeliner and mascara myself because I felt I could do a better job. So, the bottom line is to definitely go with Linda for hair, but makeup with her sister...I dont know.
NAILS: Ocean Spa Nails in S. Nags Head: Dont do it. I thought I was getting a great deal at 35 for mani-pedis for all my bridesmaids, but it was terrible. We had an appointment set up 2 months in advance, but still waited an hour to even be seated! They rushed through everyone and were still taking other customers while we were not finished. It was a mess, and it took us HOURS to finally get out of there. DONT DO IT.
Well, that's all the big ones I can think of at the moment. Again, feel free to message me via email if you had any questions.
Here is the link to my pictures. The password is "OBX"
GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE BRIDES OUT THERE!
