Ceremony and Reception venue - The Capital Club
I signed with the Capital Club at the beginning of the year, and was so excited to work Diana Holt, however, a few months before our wedding, Diana was promoted and I then worked with Erica Hardesty. Both lovely ladies and The Capital Club is exquisite. It was a little bumpy changing planners, but I guess that is very common in this business. My only regret is that I wish we cut down our guestlist a bit, because 130+ people in this space - it was a little cramped. But if you're looking at about 100 people or less, I highly highly recommend them. Great food, great atmosphere. What appealed to me most was the fact that they did all inclusive packages and didn't try to nickle and dime you to death with everything from linens to candles to cake cutting fees.
Officiant - Chase Waits
No complaints here. Chase is a very down to earth guy and DH really liked the fact that he uses an iPad for the ceremony. Chase sent me quite a few ceremonies he has used and then we pieced together the perfect ceremony for us. So very pleased. Also he is reasonably priced, always on time.
Photographer - Steve Poland with New Image Studios
I'm very particular about photography, so I know I was a challenge to work with at times. Steve captured some awesome moments during our day, but when those moments were forced (my first look with my dad and also with my groom) it shows. I wish I paid more attention to the space we were in for photos because there were closet doors open and clutter all over the hotel room and I wish that these things were addressed by the photographer. You're so caught up in the moment that it's hard to focus on such things and it really upsets me and just ruins some of our photos because of it. Also not one picture of the wedding party is perfect. It's easy to direct people to stand closer or smile or all look in the same direction and none of our group photos reflect this. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. But Steve did drive across town the day before the wedding with our guestbook so I could have it for the rehearsal. And he did get some shots that I adore, it's just few and far between. His attention to detail is not at the level I expected. But again, I will reiterate - I'm so very particular when it comes to photography.
Music - Tj with Music Express
Phenomenal. Made our night. I'm just as particular about music and TJ did an outstanding job. He made sure he had all of our music and played it when he was supposed to. Steve and TJ worked awesome together and had some very unique suggestions that made our night oh so memorable. Our guests really truly enjoyed themselves thanks to such a fantastic DJ.
Flowers - Melissa with The Flowerman
Awesome. Had a great bonding experience with my gals putting our flowers all together and making bouquets and centerpieces. They turned out great. Melissa made great suggestions to bring my vision to life. She can be a little flaky with communication but I understand that they are super busy and when it came time for time and attention with our wedding - I was not disappointed.
Dress - Lil at Wendy's Bridal
Bought my dress in spring '10 and had a great experience. Lil took my feedback with every dress and brought me something better each time until she put on my seventh dress and I never wanted to take it off. I didn't shop anywhere before or after that appointment.
Alterations - Monica Gwaltney
Very reasonably priced and convenient and flexible. She even offered to alter my dress up until the day of the wedding if I had any last minute issues free of charge.
Tuxes - Men's Warehouse Morse Rd. at Easton
They did their job. Only had one issue with size, but we made our guys try them on the day before like they suggest so it was easy to have a replacement sent in for the next day.
Live Music for cocktail hour - DC Trio/Quartet
A few college students who do this on the side, and they were great. Showed up on time, adapted to the small space we had available, and our guests loved 'em. Professional.
Invites - Beth Cote (bdesigns) on Etsy
Had some issues with Beth, but I do love the way our invites turned out. She did used our invite as a template for a magazine article and just changed a few names and dates around and a few of those copies got mixed in with our invites...she changed my first name to my mother's first name....let's just say it could have been a very embarrassing situation sending out invites that my FI is marrying my mother a month before our wedding date, nuff said! She sent me reprints and apologized. Beautiful and quality and reasonably priced.
Make-up - Olivia Moss
I looked great, my girls looked great and she always looks great, lol. She made me glam without making me look like someone I'm not. She did a consultation and came to us on the big day all for a reasonable price. She was also very flexible with add-ons when mothers and grandmothers decided at the last minute that they wanted their faces done as well.
Rehearsal Dinner - Si Senor
Guillermo (the owner) did a fantastic job. The food was outstanding and everyone really enjoyed themselves. He let us hold a private event at his deli shop (usually only open during the day) and cooked the most fantastic meal for our rehearsal.
I think that's it. Hard to recall everything. If you'd like any other information about these vendors, please feel free to contact me and I'd be happy to help you out!