If you're looking for some great (and affordable) vendors in Hampton Roads, here's who we used:
Kim Thompson (ETA: Business is About Face MUA)
I hired Kim Thompson to do my wedding makeup. I loved the look we put together at the trial with airbrush makeup, but we needed to make a few modifications to make sure the makeup would last. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a misunderstanding and Kim thought we decided not to do airbrush makeup after all, so she didn't bring it on the wedding day. But my makeup turned out beautifully anyway! Kim was very apologetic and did everything she could to make sure my makeup would last all night, and it did!!! I was so pleased with the look and I got lots of compliments on it (especially on my eyes). Kim was a great vendor to work with, her prices are great, and I'd recommend her to anyone for their wedding!
Cost: $125
Perfect Fit Alterations
Theresa did an amazing job on my wedding dress! My dress needed a lot of work (new zipper, new sash, taken in, let out, sleeves added, and bustle), but Theresa made the dress look even better than I could have imagined. She took the time to make sure that the fit was perfect and I was completely happy with every part of the dress.
Cost: $200
Linda Williams
I was very happy with the cake that Linda made for us. It was exactly what we had asked for and tasted delicious. Linda is easy to get in touch with. She prefers phone calls to emails, but she told me that right up front, so I could always get in touch with her. The only drawback to Linda and Farm Fresh cakes is the limited flavor selection, but that did not stop us from choosing Linda and loving the result! Thank you for a wonderful cake! We're still getting compliments on it!
Cost: $360 (for 100 people)
Barclay Towers
Working with Nicole at Barclay Towers was wonderful. I appreciated her flexibility and her attention to detail. She even wanted to double check the décor a few days before the wedding to make sure that she had everything written down properly.
The Barclay Towers has two banquet rooms, which was perfect for us. We used one room for the ceremony and one room for the reception. The main reason that we chose Barclay Towers was budget. Many hotels had higher food minimums than we could afford, even for a Friday night wedding. But the Barclay is more flexible and offered a discount on Friday night weddings, so the food minimum was right where we needed it.
The food at the wedding was delicious. We gave the guests a choice between New York Strip and Roasted Chicken. Both dishes were tasty (and also affordable!) The servers were professional and helpful and took good care of the guests.
The parking situation is a little complicated, since it's at the boardwalk, but overall, I give the Barclay an A+ for a beautiful wedding.
Cost: $2,900
Rebecca Franklin
I cannot say enough good things about Rebecca Franklin Photography. Her work is phenomenal and we were so excited that she was able to work with our price range. My husband and I are fairly shy people and he does not enjoy having his picture taken, so I knew it was important for us to find a photographer that we felt comfortable with. And Rebecca was an instant fit! We enjoyed our first meeting with her so much that we felt like friends when it was over.
I contacted Becca frequently throughout our engagement with questions and updates about our big day and she was always very helpful. We loved the pictures from the engagement shoot that we did with Becca, so we knew that our wedding was in good hands. And she certainly didn't disappoint. The pictures are incredible!
Becca also set up a photobooth at the reception for the guests to enjoy. That was such a hit and we love all the crazy candids we have of our guests!
Rebecca Franklin Photography is a great choice for anyone looking for great pictures at an affordable price in Hampton Roads!
Cost: $1200
Kristi Sneider
Kristi helped our main photographer shoot for our wedding, so I didn't meet her until the wedding day. But we felt like instant friends. Her work is amazing! She got so many beautiful detail shots! She also ran our photobooth for the reception and did a great job with that. I would definitely recommend her to anyone for their wedding photography!
Norfolk Wholesale Floral
I had a friend put our bouquets together and we bought our flowers from NWF. The prices were great and the flowers arrived in amazing condition! The website isn't very helpful, so you have to call for information, but I was very happy with the flowers (black magic roses and purple tulips) that we got from NWF.
Cost: $300 for 200 roses and 100 tulips
ETA: I also have some items available in my bio. Email me at beautifulbridetobe11@gmail.com if you are interested.