Hi everybody,
I got married in April 2010, and I just wanted to sing praises about my vendors. If anybody just started planning, I hope this is helpful.
Reception and ceremony:The Carolina Inn. I wanted to go to a beautiful place that I love that would have great food. The CI was perfect, and the people that work there are GREAT. All of my guests raved for days about the food, which was perfect because it was really important to me that everybody ate well.
Photographer: Craig Carpenter from Luster Studios. I'll write a longer, separate post about how much I love Craig. Here's the short version, though. I looked for DAYS for a great photographer because after the ceremony/reception site, that was most important to me. Craig was great to work with and took gorgeous pictures. If you love more natural shots, he's especially great with those.
DJ: Jeff Simpson from Simpsound. I wasn't even going to get a DJ because I thought I would try to do an iPod wedding. I met Jeff at a bridal show and he talked to me about lighting, which he also does. I got good vibes from him, so when I decided that I couldn't handle the stress of an iPod wedding, I called Jeff. My husband also really liked him, and he did a great job with our music. He played songs that WE liked and avoided songs that we hated. Perfect and so professional.
Officiant: Reverend Kayelily Middleton. I've seen tons of good reviews for Kayelily, so she was the first person I called and I was so relieved that she had my date open. She met with me and my husband at her home and we both just loved her. She worked with us to get just the right wording for our ceremony, and I had so many people rave about how sweet it was. I also really love Kayelily's voice and the cadence of her speech.
Bridal store: David's Bridal. No lie--I was really snooty about not wanting to go to David's Bridal, but I could not face spending tons of money on a dress. I went, met a really nice consultant, and when I tried on the dress I thought I loved, it looked terrible and I wanted to cry. But the lady helping me was really nice, saying I could try on other dresses just for fun. Well, one of my fun dresses turned out to be the one. I've had so many people compliment me on it. The man who did the alterations and bustle was fantastic. We decided on a double French bustle, and wow, I have a hard time deciding if I like the dress more with the train down or bustled in. Not only that, but David's Bridal has a dry cleaning program, so I was able to just drop off my dress to be shipped off, cleaned, put in a box, and it'll be returned to me soon. Sooo nice!
Wedding coordinator: Bliss by Sam, specifically working with Rachel. The Carolina Inn requires that you use a wedding coordinator. I thought it was completely unnecessary, but it turned out to be such a lifesaver!! Rachel had all of the details worked out, and was able to do just the ceremony (some coordinators require you to book them for the ceremony and reception). I kind of wish I had Rachel now for my every day life because she was sweet, well-organized, and handled all the annoying things, always supporting me.
Flowers: Victorian Seasons. I looove these people. I only had two bouquets, flowers for the mothers and the fathers, and a petal walkway down the aisle, but everything looked gorgeous. They worked well with me, getting white and blue flowers for everybody, except for me--I had beautiful red tulips and roses. The best part? They're preserving my bouquet and my stepdaughter's bouquet. I'm getting my bouquet put into a picture frame as we speak!! I can't wait to see it!
Cake: Edible Art. My cake was beautiful AND (more importantly, to me) yummy! We had three layers, each with different flavors, and I can't wait to eat the top layer, still untasted, now frozen and waiting for our first anniversary!
Hair and makeup: Mina's Studio in Chapel Hill. A short drive from the Carolina Inn, and they did a great job! I didn't have a trial run, so I was a little worried that things wouldn't look good, but I came with pictures and hoped for the best. The hairdresser made my hair look not too sleek, not too messy, just right in the middle, and she worked with the crystal hairband I came with, which was perfect. My make up was perfect--I still looked like me, just a little better, and the makeup artist even put some makeup on my back because I had a TERRIBLE tan line. It didn't go away completely, but it looked better, thank God.
Invitations: I got my invitations from Michael's and made them myself. I will not lie--it was so time-consuming and I didn't have any help (got in a fight with my mother...about the darn invitations). I spent days working on them. But you know what? They were beautiful and totally me, and everybody raved about them (seriously!). So, go this route if you want to save some money, but be warned that you might lose your sanity.
Shoes: DSW. Yep, I ordered shoes from DSW. I looked everywhere for shoes, even willing to spend more on shoes than on my dress because I wanted to be comfortable. I bought the Kelly and Katie Romeo Sandals in red, and wow, they were stunning in the photographs...and only $40. I put in some Dr. Scholl's inserts, broke them in at our dance lessons, and they held up really well! They were comfortable (you know, as far as heels go--I won't pretend like I was walking on clouds) and I got a ton of compliments on them, especially since they matched my bouquet.
Dance lessons: Just Dance (formerly Let's Dance). Everybody working there is great, but most of the time, we worked with Brian, who was fantastic! We worked out our first dance, and learned a few extra moves. I even wanted to keep taking lessons after the wedding! I'm still trying to convince my husband of that, though. He really liked the lessons too (after complaining for weeks before we started), but it gets pretty pricey.
Honeymoon: We went to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We stayed at the Caneel Bay Resort and have never been so relaxed in our lives. The island is beautiful, and the resort too. It has seven beaches on the resort alone, and it's so quiet--sometimes you're the only people on the beach, and it feels magical. Snorkeling was a lot fun! I would never have spent so much money on the honeymoon, but my husband reminded me that the wedding was all me, so he got to make the honeymoon decision. It was worth it!!
Okay, I think that's everything! I hope this is helpful to somebody! Sorry to go on and on (this turned out to be longer than I thought it would be), but I really did have a perfect wedding, and I just want everybody else to have one too
~Michelle