-Buffet selections:  Crawfish Monica pasta, Cajun Jambalaya, Roast beef debris gravy with mashed potatoes

-Garlic bread

-Assortment of overstuffed finger sandwiches

-Cocktail muffulettas

-BLT sandwiches

-Strawberry and cream sandwiches

-Hors d'oeuvres:  Crab patties, Cocktail pizzas, Stuffed potato skins, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Cajun meat pies, Shrimp Remoulade cups, Artichoke Quiche Triangles

Videography:  High Rise Productions - A

Randy was so easy to work with and the pricing was reasonable.  We handled everything through email. He arrived at the time we agreed on the wedding day.  I felt like he filmed everything we wanted without being in our way.  This was actually a very last minute decision about a month before the wedding.  We weren't going to do videography for budget reasons.  We realized that this is something that we would regret not having. I can't rate the final product yet since there are still a few weeks until the promised completion date.

Cakes:  Haydel's Bakery - A

We were very happy with our cakes. The staff at Haydel's was very nice when we met to make our cake choices. The bride's cake was a regular three tiered cake. It turned out beautiful and was exactly what I wanted. I heard guests commenting on how moist and light it was. The groom's cake was a tiered king cake. We also received many compliments on the king cake. A cake allowance was included in our catering package. We only had to pay a little extra since we wanted two cakes.

Officiant:  Rob Savoy - A

The coordinator at the Wax museum suggested Rob.  My husband and I met with him at a coffee shop so we could get to know each other.  He asked a lot of questions about us and our love story that he incorporated into the ceremony.  Our ceremony was short and sweet but still personal which is exactly what we wanted.  Rob will also normally attend the rehearsal for no extra charge.  He had a previous engagement scheduled during our rehearsal, and I didn't feel the need to make him cancel.  Everything turned out great, and guests commented on how sweet the ceremony was.

Ceremony Musicians:  New Orleans Finest Musicians - A

They were extremely easy to work with. I set everything up through email. We had a trio that played jazz music before our ceremony. Then they played a few classical songs for the processional and "When the Saints Go Marching In" for the recessional. These musicians were professional, and we were very happy with their services.

Florist:  Erin Steen - A

Flowers were never a priority for us. I looked through reviews on the board and contacted Erin Steen. She works out of her home so I figured her prices would be more reasonable. I sent her a list of the bouquets, corsages, etc that I wanted, and she sent me a quote. Later we met in person to look through pictures and discuss what types of flowers I wanted. I absolutely loved the end product and was very happy with Erin.

DJ:  Crescent City DJ - B

Harold was so easy to work with.  We did everything through email.  I spent such a long time on his website choosing the "Must Play" list, "Play if Possible" list, and "Do not play" list.  I also listed which songs we wanted played for the first dance, cake cuttig, etc. and some extra notes.  I know that he saw these lists because he emailed me saying that the notes were cut off on his end.  He asked me to reply with what I originally wrote so I did. Fast forward to the reception. I will say that we had so much fun that night. Our guests were on the dance floor pretty much the whole time. All of the correct songs were played for the cake, bouquet and garter toss.  I had no concept of time that night so I wasn't paying attention to the fact that the reception was almost over and so many of our requested songs weren't played.  A ton were played that were not on any list.  None of the play if possible songs were played.  Maybe half of our must play songs were played so I was pretty upset afterwards.  My FIL asked me to request a song to surprise my husband which wasn't played. I requested a song that was played at my parents' wedding that wasn't played. Also we had two guests whose anniversary was that night, and I asked for that to be announced. It wasn't. Overall, we still had fun, but I'm so upset that I didn't notice everything before the reception ended.

John's Tuxedos - A

We received helpful advice from the store associate since we had no idea what we were doing. The service was great and prices were comparable to other stores. We chose John's because we wanted to use local businesses, and it turned out to be a great decision. They even picked up the tuxes from the hotel on Monday morning so we didn't have to worry about bringing them back to the store.

Royal Carriages - A-

We reserved the Saints carriage. I set everything up through email. Then they called on Thursday before the wedding to confirm everything. At the end of our reception, the coordinator told us that the carriage was not there yet. She called the emergency line for the company and left some nasty messages. The carriage finally arrived, and the man apologized saying that he had a really hard time crossing Bourbon St. I was just happy we were able to leave in the carriage as opposed to walking down the street to our hotel.

Two Sisters Hair & Makeup - A+

Gina and Stephanie made my family and I look so beautiful for my wedding day. We received so many compliments, and our hair and make-up lasted all night. My hair even still looked pretty good for breakfast the next day. They both were a pleasure to work with, and we enjoyed visiting with them while getting ready.

Rehearsal Dinner:  Ralph & Kacoo's - A+

My FIL set everything up from OOT.  The food was delicious, and the service was awesome.

Voodoo BBQ - A

We took some OOT guests and family here on that Thursday night.  Once again, the food and service were both great.

Etsy
I used Etsy for quite a few things and was happy with all of the following shops.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lizmpetro - We ordered our mini second line umbrellas here.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/brendasbridalveils - I ordered my birdcage veil from here.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/artofwhimsyphoto - We ordered one of these alphabet photos of our last name with a matte around it for our "guest book."

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RemnantsByEva - We ordered custom handkerchiefs for our parents.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSilverDiva - I ordered custom cufflinks for my husband.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SayYourPiece - I ordered from here for myself and hostess gifts for my shower.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlueButterflyDesign - Our custom cake topper was an LSU tiger bride and Clemson tiger groom.  It was a surprise for my husband, and he loved it.  We also have a little keepsake now for our home.


I think that's about it even though I feel like I'm forgetting something.  Feel free to ask me any questions.  I hope all of your wedding days are as amazing for you as mine was for me!  Good luck!!