Hi Ladies--
I've mostly been a lurker since my work blocked TK back in the fall, but I found most of my vendors through recommendations from these boards, so I thought I would post my reviews.
Here goes:
Ceremony-Holy Trinity Catholic Church
I don't really feel right giving the church a "review"....getting married here was a must since this is our church and it's where DH and I met. But, it was a beautiful church and a great ceremony.
Reception-Avanti Fountain Place
Avanti is a beautiful venue. Almost everyone that we talked to at our reception mentioned how much they loved Avanti. It's probably not ideal for a big wedding, but it was perfect for our small reception (75 people). We had plenty of room for mingling and dancing, but it felt cozy. Some of the other venues we looked at were so big, I was worried that we would have felt lost. The coordinator, Amy, was very organized and easy to work with. Everything was set up just as we wanted, and the staff kept the food and drinks flowing. Right after we made our entrance, when the stations were open for dinner, we sat down at our table and realized that we already had plates set for us with dinner and a plate of the appetizers we missed during cocktail hour while we were taking pictures. All of this even though we arrived early because we finished pictures early. Overall, Avanti is a great spot for a reception, especially if you are on a budget. It's so pretty you don't need many decorations, and it is a good fit for a smaller party.
Photographer: Shauna with K&S
Shauna was delightful to work with, throughout the wedding process. She gave me tips on other vendors and checked in with me in the months and weeks leading up to the wedding about how things were going. On the day of the wedding, she was a calm presence (good for my last minute jitters!). She was very professional in orchestrating the formal portraits, which can be a little like herding cats with big groups of people and lots of excitement. During the ceremony and reception, Shauna was very unobtrusive but always around to capture the action! You can see the sneek peak at
Shauna also did my boudoir photos, which I turned into an album to give to DH as a wedding gift. I was pleasantly surprised at how good I looked

and DH loved them.
Florist: Bridal Blooms and Creations
I was lucky to work with lots of great vendors for my wedding, but of all the vendors I worked with, Pamm was the one that most exceeded my expectations. I was on a budget, and for the price I paid I was expecting small, modest arrangements (which I was fine with). When my flowers arrived on my wedding day, I was practically speechless. My bouquet was lush and gorgeous, and smelled great too! The attendant flowers were fluffy and perky, and the flowers for the ceremony and centerpieces were clearly done with an artistic eye. All of the arrangements had a soft organic look to them, very modern and not stiff or overly "done." I am so glad to have found Pamm, who was also delightful to work with. I really felt like a bride with her lovely bouquet in hand! During the planning process, I also got a quote from Market Street based on recommendations from on here, and Pamm's prices were lower for more actual flowers (less filler) so that gives you an idea of how budget-friendly she is.
Cakes: Tabitha Ballard, Cakes by Design
Tabitha's cakes were lovely and delicious. We had a 3-tiered wedding cake with different flavors in each layer as well as a groom's cake. I got to taste all of the flavors except one, and they all tasted great. Several people mentioned to me that the cake tasted moist and homemade. She also worked with me to make sure a cake topper that I made for the groom's cake would fit and be sturdy on top of the cake. Overall, we were very happy with our cakes and they were a great value for the price we paid. My only criticism would be with the website....it needs an update!
Dress: Circle Park
Circle Park was amazing! I was definitely on a budget, and they had an extensive selection of affordable dresses. The staff was very nice, and no one pressured me. I ended up with a dress that I loved that was WELL below what I was willing to spend.
DJ: Figment Productions
For the price, you get a husband and wife team. Doug stays in the DJ booth playing music and emcee-ing, and Laura is the go-between. Doug and Laura were amazing to work with. I loved using their online planner so that DH and I could put thought into our music at our own pace. Having Laura at our reception as a coordinator of sorts really helped things flow smoothly. She made sure we had drinks in hand, and she checked in with us about the flow of the party to make sure we were ready for each thing. For example, we were early to the reception because we finished up with pictures quickly. They were ready for us and our entrance went perfectly. Since we had some extra time, we pushed back our toasts since our toast-ers were a little nervous and wanted to review their notes.
Laura worked so well with all of our other vendors that some of our guests thought she worked for the venue. At the very end, just before our send-off, Doug played some reggae music--a nice touch, since we were headed to Jamaica for our honeymoon! After the wedding, we had a snafu with our final payment, and they were patient with us as we worked it out. Overall, they were fabulous to work with and should raise their prices, because they were worth every penny we paid and much more!