Venue: Magnolia Plantation Carriage House Grade: A I wouldn't have picked any other place for my wedding. Their coordinator, Claire Griffin, was amazing. I planned my wedding from another state, while in my final year of law school, and studying for the bar exam. Claire was prompt and helpful with responses. The grounds looked amazing, and all of our wedding guests (who were from out of town) were complimentary of the location. Catering: Carolina Caters Grade: A++++++++++++ Best food ever. Not even just best "wedding food" ever. Just simply, the best food ever. We did somewhat of a heavy appetizer/tasting station set up (mashed potato martinis, slider trio, crab cakes- YUM, veggie station, and cheese fondue trio). The staff was AWESOME, and they actually helped us with the set up since Group Dynamics dropped the ball. Rental Equipment: Group Dynamics Grade: F (and that's being generous) They suck. They were over 2 hours late with the delivery. They sent only 2 people to help with the set up after we had informed them that they had 1 hour until the guests started arriving and requested they send some extra help. Neither of their "staff" had the floor plan for the reception. My bridesmaids and I ended up setting up nearly the entire reception hall with help from my dad, grandfather, and aunt. During the planning process I was shuffled between at least four different "point people"; I never spoke to or exchanged emails with the same person. Horribly-run company. They were hands-down the most stressful part of my wedding and I would have never used them if I had known how unprofessional they would be. Stay away! Photography: Diana Deaver Grade: A I just got the results of my wedding photography back from Diana, and I am EXTREMELY pleased with the results. She did a great job of capturing our event and the overall "feel" of us as a couple. My only complaint is that she didn't take charge of the formal session, which would have hopefully made it run smoother and not take so long. However, Diana and her assistant did a great job overall. They were basically invisible throughout the night, didn't bug people to get posed shots, and had great takes on the evening, capturing some great moments that my husband and I missed. We also used her for our engagement shoot. Music: Jessica Minahan Grade: A Jessica played for our ceremony, dinner hour, and our first dance. During the planning process, I think some communcations were totally lost and we had to go through the song list a few times- which was frustrating. But Jessica has great taste in music and huge vocal talent, so if you use her- my suggestion is to just let her call the shots! And make sure she sings! Cake: Publix Grade: B We kept it simple with vanilla cake and frosting. No raving reviews about it, but no complaints. My mom did the ordering and said the bakers were very easy to work with and were clear about the pick-up time, when payments were due, etc. Flowers: Flowers by Frankie Grade: A+! I had Frankie make my bouquet and 5 bridesmaids' boquets. The only thing I told her were my wedding colors and she did the rest. Bouquets were amazing, reasonable in price, and exactly what I envisioned as a non-girlie bride. Rehearsal Brunch: Tristans Grade: B The food was excellent. They really can make breakfast food classy and still tasty. My husband said the people were easy to get ahold of and work with (he planned it). The reason I give it a B was that the brunch took over 3 hours!!!! We had explained to them that everyone was from out of town and that we had specifically planned brunch so people could enjoy Charleston, not be stuck at a formal dinner for hours. We only served two courses, limited food and selection, but still... 3+ hours. Too long!