First off, I just want to thank you knotties on this board! I am completely new to Dallas (moved here in July) and jumped into planning a wedding in a city I knew virtually nothing about! There’s no way I could have had the wedding of my dreams without all of your local knottie guidance! THANK YOU!
Sorry this is so super-duper long, but I like to be thorough and as detailed as possible so that I can help others who are looking for vendors 
It was an all-around AMAZING weekend and I could not have been happier with how things came together. Non-pro pics in bio. Here goes:
Rehearsal Dinner Location: Sammy’s BBQ
Sammy’s is a FANTASTIC spot for a large RD. They are only open for lunch so you are able to rent the whole place out in the evening. We invited everyone to the rehearsal dinner since it was on a Saturday night and about 135 of our 164 guests were from out of town. The space at Sammy’s is great and very “hill country” feeling (we are new to TX so we wanted to give everyone the TX feel). There’s an indoor area and a huge enclosed patio with heat lamps (they had 3 and we rented 3 more and it was very comfortable even though it was only 45 degrees out). Marshall (the owner) is SO nice and easy to work with. Our guests raved about the food and the atmosphere and it was an all-around GREAT party. We hired a karaoke DJ for the entertainment and could not have been happier (see below).
Rehearsal Dinner Entertainment: Totally Twisted Karaoke
Robert, our DJ, was the perfect host: professional, responsive, and fun. TKK brings a box of fun props like blow-up guitars and boas, etc. which were a blast. Everyone sang (including those in their 60s) and everyone danced (including those in their 80s!). We originally booked them for 4 hours but ended up extending the party by an hour because people were having SO MUCH fun and weren't ready to stop singing! It was a super fun time and we could not have been happier with the music and the karaoke!
Ceremony & Reception Venue & Catering: eM, The Venue by Marc Events (BRAND NEW – We were the first wedding!)
OK, so normally I consider myself a pretty risk adverse person (I went to law school for goodness sakes!), and I am so much so that I would never plan an outdoor wedding for risk of rain. So I’m not sure what came over me but we actually booked our venue the day they broke ground on it, before it was done, without seeing the finished product! Yikes! With that said, we did see the Marc Events space and loved it and so we were confident that if the new space - eM: The Venue - looked anything like the Marc Events space we’d be happy. The reason we didn’t go with the original Marc Events space is because we wanted to do the ceremony and reception in the same place and the Marc Events space just wasn’t big enough for that for the size of our group. So we jumped in, a little blind but full of hope, and waited. Initially the new space was supposed to be finished in November so I thought 2 and ½ months buffer time would be plenty. But, anyone who’s ever done a renovation knows that they always take longer. Long story short, the space really wasn’t completely done until the day of our wedding (how’s that for a little anxious excitement???). BUT OMG WAS IT FANTASTIC!!!!!
Marc and his business partner Jason are the real deal. This is what they do and they do it damn (can I say that on here?) well. When I started having nightmares that the space wouldn’t be done in time, I started stopping by unannounced weekly, then, during the two weeks before the wedding, almost daily. I like to joke that I had my own hard-hat with my name on it Throughout the whole process Marc & Jason could not have been nicer and more reassuring. They promised it would be done and perfect for the wedding and it was. A few things didn’t turn out as planned, but in the end, the space was beyond my wildest dreams. It was even better than I had ever imagined!
Since I’m guessing none of you have even seen this place since it is BRAND NEW I will describe it for you. It is on Dragon Street in the Dallas Design District (just about two blocks from the original Marc Events space). At eM there are actually two separate spaces: one smaller room for ceremonies and a big (huge) reception space. They are connected by a set of double doors. Both are very modern and urban chic.
Ceremony space: We had about 164 total (including WP) and also a full string quartet, Rabbi and Cantor for the ceremony, and the ceremony space was nicely filled but there was definitely room for more if needed. There’s a small bridal suite as well which we used for me, my 8 WP members, and my grandmother, mom, MIL and aunt. It was a little tight but totally comfortable. The ceremony room is very minimalist but my DOC helped make it very romantic and dreamy with the use of floating candles in cylinders and about 60 votive globes which she hung from the ceiling (it looked so cool!). It was beautiful!
Reception space: We fell in love with Marc Events initial space because of the modern, urban, contemporary feel and especially the abundance of banquettes and cool seating/lounge areas. I’m a big fan of having seating other than the dinner tables because, even if people don’t want to dance, I feel like they shouldn’t be stuck at their empty dinner table all night. Marc told us the new space would have even more banquette/lounge seating and we were instantly sold. So many of our guests told us they felt like they were in a cool NYC club or lounge and that’s really the feel of the place. They provide clear acrylic chiavari chairs too which contributes to the cool modern feel. The space is split level with an upper area (it’s like two steps up so not a big deal) with a full stage (SO GREAT for our band), large dance area (with really cool dark marble-looking tile), and 2 huge, uber-cool seating areas to the left of the stage (one is kind of sunken and romantic). There’s also a giant projection screen that can come down from the ceiling in front of the stage which we used to loop a slide show during the seated dinner. The lower level is wide open and also has a section of 3 large banquettes on the left side and a cut-out window to the upper banquette area (Marc provided tons of votives for the banquettes and this area was so romantic and cool looking!). The very large bar is against the back wall (which is all windows, but had black draping over them) and is kind of shaped like a ½ octagon. We filled the entire right side of the lower level with 20 60” round tables and the ½ of the room closest to the banquettes was more open for traffic and had some high cocktail tables. They have built in up-lighting and pin-spotting for the tables which really create a cool atmosphere. The space looked phenomenal and had a great flow. I really could not have been happier with how it turned out!
The Food: Another thing we were blind on when we booked was the food. We had heard rave reviews about Marc, but never had a tasting (he doesn’t do them because his reputation is that good, and since he is just an event caterer, he only has a full kitchen when he’s doing an event). We consider ourselves foodies so we were a little worried that we’d be disappointed (Seriously, who am I, the most risk averse person ever to be booking an unfinished venue and a caterer without a tasting?!?!? LOL!). But WOW there was absolutely no need to worry because everything was delicious! We did a cocktail hour with hors d’ourves and then a full plated meal. I don’t eat red meat and didn’t want to do fish, so we were a little worried about doing chicken for 165 since it’s so easy for chicken to dry out. But WOW, the chicken served was so hot, moist and delicious that I couldn’t believe it (and yes, we actually got to eat at our wedding J)! I guess that’s the reason Marc doesn’t have to do tastings - he really is that good.
DOC: Meredith Commender (Significant Events of Texas)
OMG what can I say other than AMAZING! Seriously I don’t think there are words to describe how I feel about Meredith, but I’ll try. Meredith is a miracle worker. With my brand-spanking-new venue that was not ready until the day of the wedding, this was no typical event. But Meredith was so flexible, adaptive, responsive and full of great ideas and suggestions that she truly made this the event of my dreams. Even though it was supposed to be just “day of,” I felt like Meredith was there for me every step of the way. Literally, I think we talked via email or text EVERY SINGLE DAY for at least a month before the big day. Little stuff, big stuff, you name it, she had good answers, ideas and suggestions. She made me feel like I was her only client (though I know she is extremely busy with many clients!). I probably would have lost my mind without Meredith! I cannot say enough good things about her. If you need a DOC or a full wedding planner, Meredith is the best decision you will ever make.
Flowers: Lilac & Co.
Heidi was OUTSTANDING. She was the only florist to come to our first meeting with an itemized proposal WITHIN my pre-stated budget (almost all of the other florists proposed floral at up to 2X or more of my budget). I looked at A LOT of florists including Bella Flora, Dr. Delphinium, Urban Blossom, Freesia and one other I can’t recall. With 8 BMs and 8 GMs, 20 table centerpieces and a chuppah needed, I was worried that my floral budget wasn’t big enough (but I couldn’t really afford to spend any more). Boy was I wrong!!! Heidi has a great eye for design and detail. We ended up going with three different centerpiece designs (5 tall, 8 low one way, and 7 low another way). She was very responsive, so easy to work with, and had great ideas (which she always quantified with pictures). The final product was GORGEOUS and way beyond my expectations (which were pretty high to begin with!). When I walked into the bridal suite and saw all of the bouquets I almost cried. Then when I saw the reception space I almost cried again! Honestly I can’t believe the scope of what she was able to provide at a fraction of the cost of some of the other better-known Dallas florists.
Reception Musicians: Identity Theft Band
I am a full believer that the music can make or break the party. With this in mind I was super picky when it came to booking a band for the wedding. In fact, you could say I built my whole wedding around this premise because Identity Theft was actually the very first vendor I booked for the wedding. BEST. DECISION. EVER. Seriously, these guys (and ladies) are AWESOME! I knew right away in my initial dealings with Jared that they were young, hip and cool (exactly what we wanted in a cover band – my worst nightmare would have been to have old cheesy guys trying to pull off singing Lady Gaga!) and WOW can they perform! Our dance floor was PACKED all night long. After their last song the guests chanted “one more song, one more song”! It was SO much fun and I don’t remember dancing so much since I was in college (I’m 31 now, LOL)! Everyone kept asking where we found them and I can honestly say that I think a year from now they could probably get away with charging 3-5 times as much. They are THAT GOOD. Cee-Lo-Green to Lady Gaga to Katy Perry to Stevie Wonder to U2, they rock it all out.
Photographers: Life As Art
Jeremy and Amber are a young, smart, hip husband & wife couple who shoot the most amazing photo-journalistic photos. They have such an eye for capturing moments. I was in love with their work when I saw their website and loved them even more after we met them. We met with probably close to 5 or 6 different photographers and LAA’s photos were hands down the best. But besides the photos, it was also really important that we had a really good vibe with the photogs we were going to choose (I mean, you will spend ALL day with them, they’ll watch you get dressed, they’ll watch you argue with your parents, they’ll see all your emotional moments, etc.). After interviewing Jeremy and Amber first, then meeting 4-5 other photographers, we unquestionably felt that LAA would be the right “fit.” We don’t have the full spread of photos yet, but we do have about 5 preview photos that blew our mind! These guys travel all over the country and are booked almost every weekend (I think we were lucky to get them since we were a Sunday rather than a Saturday wedding) for a reason! Highly recommend!
Ceremony Musicians: Gyros String Quartet
We had a completely customized song repertoire for our traditional Jewish ceremony and GSQ worked very closely with our Cantor which was great. Their performance was breathtaking and all of our guests raved about the music. My only complaint is that about two weeks before the wedding we were told we had to pay for an extra hour so that they could have a full rehearsal with our Cantor. I completely understand that this was necessary due to the customized nature of our ceremony, but I just would have liked to have known this a little earlier in the game!
Hair & Make-up: Angie Williams/AW Wedding Hair
As a bride, you never get tired (well, I sure didn’t) of hearing people tell you how amazing you look all night J Many thanks to Angie for making me look gorgeous! I did a hair & make-up trial run and was very happy. Angie is incredibly friendly, outgoing and fun to work with. We made a few minor tweaks for the big day and I was super pleased. She also did an amazing job on H & M for my MOH (my stepmom) and did hair only for some of my BMs. Everyone looked fantastic and Angie couldn’t have been nicer. Based on the comparison shopping I did, she is VERY reasonable at $225 for bridal, and $100 ea for bridal party H & M or $65 ea for either H or M alone.
Cake/Cupcakes: Society Bakery
DELICIOUS! In addition to Society we looked at three other well-known Dallas cake institutions and, honestly, they were all delicious (I mean, cake is yummy, right?!?!) but in the end we decided we wanted to do cupcakes with a small cake on top for cutting. Society had the best and most relaxed tasting and was so friendly and so accommodating to last minute changes in numbers, shapes, etc. And the cupcakes were hands down the most delicious cupcakes! Much to my dismay, some of our guests even decided to help themselves to them (I guess that’s what you get for having them out on a cupcake tree? Maybe they just looked TOO good?!) before we cut our cake, LOL!
Hotel: Hotel Palomar
We loved this hotel and it was a great option for us because we live pretty close-by and we wanted to give our guests a feeling for our neighborhood (plus I just love Kimpton Hotels). The hotel was also our second choice venue due to its modern feel if we didn’t end up going with eM. Even though we didn’t end up going with them for the actual wedding ceremony & reception venue, we still got a great group rate for the wedding block that was at about 50% of the standard rate. We loved that there’s even a complimentary wine hour from 5-6PM in the lobby everyday! The staff was friendly and accommodating. There were a few issues with the front desk forgetting to or missing handing out some of the close to 100 guest goody bags but nothing major to complain about. The staff was very nice, especially the concierge, valet and sales folks. It’s a really nice hotel with a great restaurant (except the hours are sometimes weird) and very convenient to things to help keep out-of-town guests entertained (e.g., Exhale Spa is attached, Mockingbird Station and SMU campus across the street, close to Greenville Ave, DART, etc.).
Invitations & Stationary: Vistaprint & DIY (via Michael’s & Jo-Ann)
I’m not sure you can get a better bang for your buck anywhere (especially with the free stuff!). Their linen finish is beautiful and upgrading to the customized envelopes really creates a nice package. The quality can be hit or miss, but I guess you do get what you pay for. I have found their customer service to be exceptional when I was unhappy with a product, so I would definitely still recommend VP despite any issues I’ve had.
Alterations: Becky Fowler
What can I say about Becky that hasn’t already been said? She is, hands down, THE BEST. I bought my dress in August in NYC and planned on losing the 15 lbs. I gained in law school, but I still bought the bigger size at the shop’s urging. When I did lose 17 lbs. (Woo hoo! Thank you Jillian Michaels and Weight Watchers!) the dress was obviously very big, but no worries, Becky made it look like it was made for every inch and curve of my body. I bought a veil and blusher from her as well that made the ensemble look perfect. She also did a quick take-in of my rehearsal dinner dress (again, thank you Jillian and WW) and even saw my SIL the day before the wedding (she lives abroad and wasn’t able to try on her BM dress until the weekend of the wedding!). Becky is one of the nicest people EVER and – wow - what a seamstress!
Transportation: Lone Star Charters
We booked 3 56-passenger coaches to transport guests to and from the ceremony and reception. I priced 3-4 companies and found LSC to be the most economical and also the friendliest. The drivers were very professional and courteous and Randal, the General Manager, was a pleasure to work with.