North Carolina — The Knot Community

Charlotte Venues

psboga03 — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:16:38 +0000

Hi All,

I am new to Charlotte and planning a wedding for Fall of 2012. I need to know if anyone has had some success with some fairly inexpensive venues. I am also looking for a place that will do the set up and clean up work as well.

Thanks!

Sharing

angelajerry813 — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:17:45 +0000

I would like to offer my assistance to any bride with questions about her special day. It was laid on my heart to be of service to brides as they prepare for one of the most special occasions of their life. Feel free to contact my at jerryandangela813@yahoo.com. I am more than willing to help you. Happy planning.

Videographer in Raleigh area

[Deleted User] — Mon, 23 May 2011 13:54:20 +0000

Hi all,

I know I am way behind schedule on this, but I have been thinking lately about a videographer. We've been to a couple weddings recently and they all talk about how fast it goes. My wedding is July 16 so I am sure it would be tough to find someone open, but thought I might check.

Has anyone used videographers in Raleigh and what is the cost?

Thanks!

Finishing up recommendations..

laurenes — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:03:40 +0000

So when I had written my post wedding vendor reviews before, I hadn't seen my pictures yet. My photographers just posted them and they are perfect! I just want to recommed sweet life photography in Raleigh (they do travel, I'm not sure how far, but I've seen them do weddings as far out as Benson as well as Triangle wedding). Their recommendations for vendors and their help with our schedule really made the whole process run SO smoothly. I've posted the link to our pictures below if anyone wants to snoop
http://sweetlifephoto.com/blog/2011/06/13/newman-center-and-carolina-inn-lauren-and-joe-are-married/comment-page-1/#comment-3747

Giving up

daco2306 — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:55:49 +0000

I love this site, can I just say? Its amazing! But...

Although my fiance and I are meant to be together, and love each other, and have the same feeling about getting married, his family is being particularly awful. They refuse to communicate with us about the wedding, as if I don't even exist. And on top of that, amongst my hard work of early planning, I'm running into the same, big, issue: my budget. We're college students, trying to afford our own wedding. That's right, we're paying for everything ourselves, because my father's deceased, my mother's in debt, and his family hates me. Despite my attempts of coming up with the most inexpensive options, I'm still coming up very overwhelmed. Which brings me to this word: elope. My fiance and I, after having a bad night, were laying in bed and spoke the word. I have to say its not completely out of the question for me. But how do you know when its really the right thing to do? My family's fantastic, but they live thousands of miles away, and have their own lives, I'm just having difficulty finding any guidance in this matter. I think the words are, "I should do what makes me happy" but I'm not the only being affected by this. Any advice ladies?

Has anyone heard of renting a home in NC or SC & hosting ceremony/reception there?

bwhittlesey — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 15:59:23 +0000

I heard you can rent a house, for your guests to stay at & the homes also have a place for an outdoor ceremony/reception. If so, can you provide details I have done some searches on the internet but came up empty handed.

Thanks so much!!

Your Perfect Cake

martafitz1 — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:19:08 +0000

Has anybody used Your Perfect Cake for their wedding cake/cupcakes, or tried their cakes or cupcakes? Any specific flavors really good? How is their customer service? I'm planning a NC wedding from PA and I have a phone consultation with them tomorrow. Just looking for any opinions on them. Thanks!

getting closer!!

rdhilton — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:56:26 +0000

Hello Ladies!

So my wedding day is approaching fast! Only 38 more days, and lots to do! I went home this past weekend and had my bridal portrait session, and that made it so real. I have lots of little projects, but I think I can make them all come together. Any advice on the last few weeks before the wedding?

Wedding date has been pushed back again (3rd time)...

beautifullyblessed11 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:53:25 +0000

...and hopefully it will be for the last time. :) The first date was this past April, the second date was this October, but after realizing that school has been very demanding for us both, we decided to push it back until February. Even though by then it would have been a 16 month engagement, I am really warming up to the idea of a cozy warm February wedding and reception. It totally takes a load off trying to find outdoor venues, which I have been really stressing about for some months now and have caused me to drag behind the planning. Better yet, our proposed date is February 18, 2012...the same date as our dating anniversary date 6 years ago. My fiance is big on numbers so by the time we get married, we would have completed 7 years of dating and would then start a new beginning as wife and husband into our 8th year together. This makes it so worth the wait! Also, the date would be the same backward and forward 2.18.12.

There is a reason for everything! Just a little post to encourage all of us then when things don't work the way we have initially planned during this wedding planning process (of life period), it will be ok and it still work out for the best in the end. I would have never considered a winter wedding but after pushing back the date due to outside circumstances, the third date now has the most meaning to me and my fiance.

Once again, I am really excited about wedding planning again. Plus my parents are ready to get this ball rolling...lol. :) Expect to see a lot more of me around here. I am trying to plan a $10000 wedding for at most 150 guests in the Raleigh area. I am a total DIY-er so I will be looking for lots of ideas for almost everything! :)

Kristal

Calligraphy at a Great Price!

aliwi9 — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:14:09 +0000

I am trying to start a calligraphy business addressing envelopes, invitations, and place cards. Envelopes and place cards are $.75 each. Hand-written invitations are $1.25 a piece. Please respond to this post if you are interested. Thank you :)

PSA: Charlotte Mani/Pedi Living Social Deal

Sabrinaf33 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:57:50 +0000

The Belle Cheveux Salon and Spa in northern Charlotte is doing a mani/pedi deal for $17, valid until Dec 9th 2011. If interested, please use my referral link! I plan on using mine to visit friends, but would have loved to have this deal in my wedding city so I thought I would share!

https://livingsocial.com/deals/37105?ref=conf-jp&rpi=13021795

who?! a floral specialist? well can you recommend one?

krystalaldre — Mon, 30 May 2011 14:57:42 +0000

I was told to find a floral specialist to put on paper and design my vision, and to then come back to the florist to complete my order. I have no idea where to find one of these. I do not even have a clue to what I want let alone a vision... if any of you know anyone please let me know. I'm in the triangle area, but can do Wendell Kightdale Garner Raleigh.

For Sale! (Finally!)

ANSchick08 — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:21:28 +0000

Hi ladies! I'm not on here much any more but I used to be a regular, I used to be jrsturde. DH and I got married in December 09, and are just now getting around to selling our wedding stuff (we're slackers, we know ).

Items for sale (pics and prices in bio in For Sale section) Direct link http://tinyurl.com/6fqjkdr

*Chocolate brown baskets (wooden and plastic)
*Platform flip-flops (size 8)
*Wedding shoes (size 7.5 W)
*Ring bearer pillows
*Table # stands
*Shallow glass bowl
*Hour glass vases
*Glass votives
*Planner

Shoot me an email (listed on page) if you're interested in anything. If you want more than 1 item we can probably work out a deal.

Oh and I'm in Raleigh.

Reception Question

sksites — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 02:13:55 +0000

So we're having heavy h'ordeurves for our reception and I was wondering if there's a "standard" or percentage to us for how many chairs/tables you should have for all your guests? In other words, for my estimated 130 people attending the reception, how many tables/chairs should I have (each table seats 10). Thanks girls!

Post Wedding Vendor Reviews (Triangle Area wedding)

laurenes — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:46:59 +0000

Hi Everyone! I got married on May 20 and wanted to go ahead and post the majority of my vendor reviews!

Reception Hall: The Carolina Inn: I think they are generally a favorite with a lot of recent reviewers, and for good reason. My. reception. was. perfect. (well, minus my dad swelling up thanks to a new found shrimp allergy, but that was obviously unrelated to CI). I had always wanted to have my reception here, even before I met DH, but started getting nervous when one but two of the social coordinators we were assigned left (we were not assigned to Devin, but rather to Katie, and then Ashley). Finally, we were assigned Tracey. She seemed very experienced but I was still a little nervous given the various passing around that we'd gone through. She made fantastic suggestions for set up, linens, etc and everything ran very smoothly. On the day of, she had a family emergency, but her catering partner Sarah seemlessly stepped into Tracey's shoes after Tracey made sure we were introduced and everything ran perfectly. Everyone keeps raving about how great the food was, etc. I would DEFINITELY do it all over with the CI if I had to replan this whole this tomorrow (which I'm thrilled that I don't, once was enough :))

Ceremony: The Newman Center: Obviously, this is not a church you can use unless at least one of you are Catholic, but we decided to use them based on sentimental reasons (we went there as students, we're both Catholic) as well as practical (they are right across the street from the Carolina Inn). Father John made the entire marriage preparation very easy for us, and gave us plenty of cues during mass so that we wouldn't forget what to do. Jeannie was very helpful with the music, and Clare, our assigned wedding coordinator, was fantastic and made sure to fill in everyone who couldn't make it to the rehersal. Father John and Father Bob (from Blessed Sacrament) were also the life of the party at the reception!

Cake: Lorie, Simply Cakes: One of the first compliments we always get about the wedding from our friends and family is "that red velvet cake is SO DELICIOUS." Lorie created a BEAUTIFUL white on white red velvet cake to which our florist added purple hydrangaes. Hands down the best cake I've ever tasted. I have a friend who is a health nut and normally won't eat dessert, but she had two pieces! My MIL froze some of the left overs for us and they thawed wonderfully, which is great, since we can savor it for a few more weeks. Lori's wedding orders include a free first anniversary cake, so I already can't wait to order more on May 20, 2012. She also did a spectacular Gator cake for my dad's birthday which we surprised him with (his birthday was the day after our wedding). The florida gator on the cake looked like THE florida cake, and my dad almost cried.

Florist: Tre Bella Florist: None of my vendors were difficult, but Tre Bella was one of the easiest to work with. Since our wedding was done in the Old Well Wing of the CI, we actually had a four rooms that needed floors (1 ballroom, 3 side rooms), and I wanted them to be a little different from room to room. I brought in pictures of what I wanted, and they turned out even better than I imaged, particularly the bouquets. The altar arrangement was one thing we thought we were compromsing on budget wise (we'd opted for a slightly smaller arrangment for budget reasons), but it was tasteful, large, and beautiful. If you're looking for a florist who is willing to work within your budget without sacrificing everything you want to get you there (I don't think i really had to sacrifice anything I wanted) and have it turn out beautifully, this is your florist.

DJ: Jason Huggins, Island Sound: One of the best decisions we made was to hire Jason on our photographers's recommendation. Jason was fabulous. He's young, tons of fun, and encouraged us to choose music that we really loved but wouldn't have necessarily picked out for our wedding off the tops of our heads. There was no cheese but a ton of crowd pleasers (songs that were big when my friends and I were going to prom, etc), and the party never died down. He's one of the first people my parents always bring up when talking about how smoothly event went. He even had the florida fight song ready to play as soon as we were done singing happy birthday to my dad, which he loved. My sister does not even have a steady boyfriend, but my mom says he's the one vendor she knows she wants to pay to travel down to Charlotte for it.

Hair & Make-up: Stef Seville, the Makeup Culture: I was originally drawn to hair and make up by Stef because a) she does beautiful work & b) she doesn't charge a minimum to travel. Stef showed up to our suite and did my hair and make up, as well as one of my bridesmaids. She was very sweet, friendly, and easy to talk to, and my Bridesmaid and I looked great! It was a major stress relief not to have to run around to various salons on the day of.

Nails: Aveda Salon & Spa, Chapel Hill: STAY AWAY. We should have known, since it's a teaching salon. We decided to go here because it was within walking distance of the CI, where we had our bridal luncheon the day before. Aveda is set up for hair (which it normally does poorly anyway). We walked in to be sat at 3 chairs with glass table in front of us. Nails were clearly an after thought added to the program, given the layout. Our nails were literally filed jagged and irregularly, they didn't give the paint enough time to dry between layers, and used an aerosal can of spray to dry our nails. End result? My nail color literally peeled off an hour later. I painted my own nails the day of, and I don't think anyone noticed.

Photography: Sweet Life Photograph, Elizabeth & Frank: This is kind of a half review, since we haven't actually seen our pictures yet, but I can say that Elizabeth and Frank were fantastic through the whole process. They recommended a lot of our vendors to us (we would have never known to use Jason otherwise), helped us create a very comfortable schedule for the day, and were generally really amazing, friendly people to talk with. One of the best suggestions they made was to have a "first look." I know some people have their hearts set on the groom seeing them they minute they walk down the aisle, but unless you think you'll die if you don't go through with that tradition - DON'T! We saw each other privately ahead of time, and I can't even tell you about all the emotions it brings up (and I'm glad were private). Since we saw each other ahead of time, we were able to have a relaxed shooting schedule around UNC campus, and were able to go join the fun with our guests very shortly after our ceremony ended. I can honestly say that because of this suggestion I had a very fun, relaxed, enjoyable wedding day. I'll let everyone know more about them when the pictures come back!

If anyone has any questions, just post a comment below and I'll try to get back to you (I don't usually check my messages, but I'll try to). Otherwise - happy planning!

Help! - Catering and Cake

CarolinaGirl17 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:22:36 +0000

We have no clue where to start! We are thinking about American Dream Cakes in Jacksonville, NC for our cake but we are not sure. Who would you recommend for catering and cake? Feel free to post their URL if they have a website. Thanks (:

Tuesday night poll that y'all probably won't even see until Wednesday at the earliest.

pirategal03 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:01:24 +0000

- Who checks your mailbox most often?

- What was the last book you finished reading?

- What magazines do you have subscriptions to?

- What's your favorite kind of face wash?

- What does your shampoo smell like?

- What's your favorite thing to grill?

- What's your FI/H/BF/SO's nickname for you?

- Are your nails painted? What color?

- Do you have summer vacation plans? What are they?

- What color would you never paint your dining room?

Has anyone used...

sksites — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:21:19 +0000

Makeup for Your Day for their makeup/hair?? or know someone who has? I'll be asking them for references but wanted to check with my fellow knotties :) Thanks!

My blog preview is available

Kateeamber — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:27:15 +0000

Our photographer has a promotion where if we reach a certain number of likes on our blog, we receive a free portrait. I hope you enjoy!

http://ajdunlapblog.com/?p=2986

please delete. thanks

nevahsatisfied — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:04:45 +0000

please delete. thanks

Rehearsal dinner in Greensboro

CarriePac11 — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:58:54 +0000

Hi everyone,

I have not been on in a while, but I am look for some help with a venue for the rehearsal dinner.

I have contacted Southern Lights Bistro, Lucky 32's, Village Tavern, and Liberty Oak.

Liberty Oak was the only location with availability. We booked the location and can not get anyone to contact us. After 1 email and 3 follow up phone calls later someone finally called me back. They told me Saturday that they would have all of the information to me by Monday. Well it's Tuesday afternoon and I got NOTHIN'! So I am starting to look for a new location.

I made it very clear that I am doing the rehearsal dinner because my FILs are in MD. Any suggestions on a new restaurant would be AWESOME! Thanks for your help!

Carrie

outdoor bridal portrait locations

anna425 — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:07:08 +0000

HELP! I was hoping to use the Daniel Stowe Gardens for my bridal portrait, but I am not going to be able to do so. I need to find an amazing location to have my portraits taken. Something outside, with beautiful landscape and such. I live in Hickory, but will travel to Charlotte, Asheville, or the Boone area. please help...I'm in a bit of a time cruch at this point.

DJ's in Raleigh Area

Harvis — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 03:31:18 +0000

I am looking for a good DJ, that's reasonably priced. Any suggestions?

Out-of-Town Bridesmaid

shigaites — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:57:42 +0000

I've been chosen to be a bridesmaid for a wedding in Seattle next summer. Not really sure what I can do being all the way out here!

Anyway, what are some things I can do to help out the bride during her planning stages? I was super laid back during my wedding and didn't really ask the bridesmaids for help until the week of the wedding so I'm not sure what to do myself haha.

AW - Wedding "Sneak Peak" pictures blogged

TinyTRex321 — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:36:38 +0000

My photographer just posted some a sneak peak of pictures from my wedding.

http://littlelightphoto.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/congratulations-jenni-and-matt/

I love them so far and can't wait to see the rest of them!

CRozumalski

NcsuPsych — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:48:34 +0000

You've got a PM

Jacksonville, NC Wedding Dress Alterations

kararenee12 — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:26:15 +0000

I just picked up my wedding gown this weekend :) & need a few alterations. Any suggestions of where to go in the Jacksonville/Wilmington area?

Items for sale

Kateeamber — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:38:57 +0000

I am selling the tree and my table numbers. Pllease contact me if you are interested. They can be seen on my photographers blog post. I am in the Cary area.

http://ajdunlapblog.com/?p=2986

Is there a counseling discount for marriage license?

mlediju — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:59:35 +0000

Hi NC knottties!

I read somewhere that there is a discount on the marriage license if you've had marriage counseling. Is this true? If so, where can I find more info?

Thanks in advance!

NEver been worn- dress for sale!!!

NA_Adam11 — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:04:54 +0000

I recently bought a dress from Davids Bridal. After i ordered it from the store in white i realized that i didnt like it as much as another dress that i had found.

Dress has never been worn. It has a full Lace over. It is Solid White. Size 6

I live in Asheville NC area.

Dress is Davids bridal style number WG9821.

IF you would like more inforamtion please email me at Ewagner@kcu.edu

Thanks
Renee :)

North Carolina — The Knot Community

Charlotte Venues

Sharing

Videographer in Raleigh area

Finishing up recommendations..

Giving up

Has anyone heard of renting a home in NC or SC & hosting ceremony/reception there?

Your Perfect Cake

getting closer!!

Wedding date has been pushed back again (3rd time)...

Calligraphy at a Great Price!

PSA: Charlotte Mani/Pedi Living Social Deal

who?! a floral specialist? well can you recommend one?

For Sale! (Finally!)

Reception Question

Post Wedding Vendor Reviews (Triangle Area wedding)

Help! - Catering and Cake

Tuesday night poll that y'all probably won't even see until Wednesday at the earliest.

Has anyone used...

My blog preview is available

please delete. thanks

Rehearsal dinner in Greensboro

outdoor bridal portrait locations

DJ's in Raleigh Area

Out-of-Town Bridesmaid

AW - Wedding "Sneak Peak" pictures blogged

***CRozumalski***

Jacksonville, NC Wedding Dress Alterations

Items for sale

Is there a counseling discount for marriage license?

NEver been worn- dress for sale!!!

CRozumalski