It was a lot of DIY with family and friends helping but here are the vendors I used:
Heard Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary (Science Resource Center building) - McKinney
Brenda was easy to talk to but a little difficult to get answers from sometimes (it would take a few emails to get some questions answered). The place is really nice/beautiful, even in late November when the trees are dead, and their deck is nice/okay. There are no speakers outside but there are outlets, so if you're doing your own music, I'd recommend a cd player or getting speakers. I couldn't figure out how to lock the "bridal room" without a key (maybe it was just me) so I consistently had people, mostly kids, walking in and out - ugh! There is only 1 room to get ready in, so either you'll share it or people will have to get ready in the restrooms. Completely DIY - they provide tables and chairs (and will set it up and tear it down for you) but that's about it. There's a decent size kitchen (larger than my apartment kitchen) with a 4 burner stove/oven, okay size fridge/freezer, microwave, sink, and mini ice maker (plan on bringing ice). Beer and wine are allowed and liquor only in a premixed machine (like a margarita machine), and they don't require a TABC certified bartender or officer. You are also free to use whatever vendors you want - no restrictions at all. They have a podium with a microphone, laptop hookups (can play music or videos - they have a large screen...that lights up when the storage room light right behind it is on), and other connections with instructions. They do have a lot of dishes and serving stuff that is just stored in the kitchen but not mentioned or offered (and we "donated" a lot of utensils and several black tablecloths, both round and rectangular, that my mom didn't want to bring home)...but if you happened to have forgotten a common item there's a good chance they'll have it. The Science Resource Center is located at the very back so at least 1 directional sign near the main parking lot is good to have. Oh, and because this place lets people walk around at their own free will, you might have people interested in the building and wonder in - but that only happened while we were setting up. We ended up making a sign to put on the door.
Bice's Florist - Hurst
I worked with Erica and she was so easy to get ahold of and talk to. They did an amazing job recreating the bouquet I found and the boutonnieres & wrist corsage to match. We didn't have any other flowers but I've always liked their work. Price wise, they didn't "mark up" the boutonnieres or wrist corsage (it's the same price, or close to it, when I went with someone years ago to get their stuff for prom) and I can't really say anything about the bouquet since it varies so much on flowers and I have little to compare it to.
Texas Star Bakery - Hurst
We bought with a 3-tier cake stand from Walmart and decided to go with 3 "non wedding" double layer cakes with buttercream frosting - that saved a TON of money. The 6", 8", and 10" cakes added up to 50-70 servings (depending on how it's cut) and was just under $60 total. If we had gone with a "wedding cake" option, those same cakes and flavors would have cost about $180. The cake was delicious and looked great! Because our venue was quite a ways away, we decided to pick them up rather than paying a delivery fee (if we had gone with stacked tiers I would have had it delivered). We went with 6" Chocolate, 8" Red Velvet and 10" White - and the Red Velvet was almost gone. We ended up with most of the chocolate and white. Like with any cake, once it's cut into it starts to dry out but if you cut off the exposed edge, it;s still soft (even a week later).
Side Note: We got some Gluten-Free cupcakes from I Heart Muffins in Hurst and I really can't review them but you can order place orders by the dozen or you have the option to walk in and pick out individual ones. We had our wedding right after Thanksgiving and they were going to be closed so we had to get them a few days early (the lady I spoke to said to freeze them and they will keep for days and still taste great). We only needed a few, so we walked in instead of ordering, but with there being a holiday rush only 1 flavor left to choose from when we bought them.
Olive Garden ToGo - Allen
They don't cater or deliver but we love OG so we decided to do it anyway. The staff was great and called me the morning of the wedding to just double check the order, and even did a last minute sauce change. Awesome! Their togo ordering has a dollar limit per transaction, so I had to split it up in 3, and everything was correct and accounted for.
1st Nail & Spa - Bedford
I have recommended this place for a while, until last week. The one lady who has always done such an amazing job with my nails no longer works there, but I had another lady do them different time and they were pretty good. I don't know specific terms, I usually just walked in and Teresa did what she did and I paid. I told the lady who did my nails this time that I usually get a darker pink powder because I bite my nails and it helps make my nails look longer without a ton of white - so she did white tips and a clear coat over it all. Over half of my nail was white tips, she didn't cut them down short enough, and it wasn't really what I wanted. My mom, sister and I went there together - there were originally supposed to be 6 of us that they said could be accommodated but my sister and her kids had to go in a little earlier. I got the white tips, my mom got nails and them painted, and my sister just got a manicure. It took us at least 2 hours because only 1 person there could/would do the nails (can't imagine what it would have been like if all 6 of us had gone). I would have had them fix my nails but it took so long and it was the day before my wedding (I had to work all week and would have messed them up at work with Thanksgiving and Black Friday) so I had too much to do. My pinky nail broke 5 days later and I'm never going back there again, unless Teresa starts working there again.
Linens - linentablecloth.com
We purchased our linens for a bit less than what I could have rented them for - depending on the color and size you're wanting. The shipping was free because of the dollar amount (might have been a special but I don't remember seeing it advertised on their page) and they all arrived right on time in perfect condition. The down side to buying vs. renting is that you're stuck with them to clean and sell or donate (our venue was more than happy to take them off of our hands, offered my mom money for them - she declined, and said they'd take care of cleaning them). They came very folded and compact and our steamer didn't get those wrinkles out. My mom ironed all of them and carefully folded them together to create less of a crease while storing and transporting them. When we were setting up they had crease/fold lines but if you fold it right then it looks fine, and actually helps you center them on the table (and I think they flattened out over time - or I at least didn't notice it when I was at our table).
Edited to add our JOP
Judge Paul Raleeh (JP Precinct 1) - McKinney
I was really nervous because you never speak to him before the wedding but it turned out GREAT! He was $200 on the weekend to show up, perform the ceremony, sign the license, and leave. My dad walked me down the aisle and he said to my dad I'm going to ask you a question and you can respond in (I do, her mother and I, or whatever) and then it began. He started his talk and when it got to us responding he told us you can answer (I do, you bet ya', etc.) and asked those questions to us. Then there was the repeat after me stuff. It was short, sweet, simple, and we absolutely loved him! We didn't write our own vows, we didn't have anything special - no sand ceremony or candle lighting - but he asked when he got there if there was anything we were going to do or add to the ceremony. For anyone in that area who needs a JOP, especially if you want it short and simple, he's definitely the one!
I did have a small freak out the week of our wedding because no one ever told us that we were supposed to "turn in" our marriage license to his office prior to the ceremony. The lady who called asking about it said to just make sure we bring it and then he'll take care of it afterwards. I'm guessing that's if your license is in Collin County but we got ours in Tarrant, where we live, and it was a little less expensive in Tarrant vs. Collin or Dallas. Oh, and if you're wanting a pretty license with signatures, witness signatures, etc. I can tell you that Tarrant is not the place to get it! It only has a spot for the person who's performing the ceremony - not even husband & wife.