Hello All,Tonight I have been officially married for one week! Our wedding turned out better than I could have dreamed, and it was exactly what we wanted. I want to commend our vendors who helped make it that way.A) Online vendors: I got as many things online as I could, and saved a lot of money that way.1) Invitations at mygatsby.com. Through mygatsby I easily designed a beautiful invitation, plus matching inserts and reply cards. Their sample packet is expensive but contained a sample of every single cardstock they offer, and they offer a lot. The invitations are very high quality and I got so much for the price I paid. They looked much more expensive than they were. Customer service was excellent, with fast response time. I received my invites within one week of ordering, and when I noticed and complained that the actual invite had a very slightly off-center printing, they immediately shipped out free replacements. My package of 100 invitations, matching envelopes, RSVP cards, RSVP envelopes, and an insert card, all with raised thermography printing, came to just around $300 including shipping. I've posted a picture in my bio. 2) Veil at Occansey Designs (Obridal.com): I absolutely loved my veil, far more than anything I tried on at an expensive bridal shop. Just browsing the site I learned everything I needed to know about veils and how to choose one. Then, Kathy and I exchanged 25 emails as she answered all my questions and sent me samples of embroidery that would match my dress. I chose the embroidery and veil details and they mailed my veil about a week later, for a grand total of just under $90. And out of all the beautiful and wonderful things to result from my wedding day, my veil is probably my favorite. I will sell my dress, but will preserve my veil. 3) Bridesmaids dresses at netbride.com. Great prices and they get back to you pretty quickly with the quotes. Size charts from all their manufacturers too, so you know which sizes to order. 4) Wedding website from weddingwindow.com. Beautiful, professional, and very easy to customize websites (see mine at
www.curtandmissy.com). They aren't free, but are totally worth what little you pay. Very practical with their guestbook and RSVP page as well. The site's actual planning tools need alot of work (if I could go back, I would just have used a good old fashioned excel spreadsheet for all my lists), but that's a different review. The website itself is excellent. 5) A bunch of stuff from etsy.com. Aah, etsy, that little gem of a website I wish I had discovered sooner than a month out from my wedding. I used it for so many things: my beautiful programs, the bridesmaid's gifts, my stunning earrings (just type in "bridal earrings"), my husband's engraved wedding band, my bridal clutch, my cool "guestbook," etc etc etc. 6) Ebay. New junior bridesmaids dresses for $20. 'Nuff said.
Brick-and-mortar vendors1) John at Aloha Mobile DJ: I called all his referrals before I signed him, and they all raved. At $150/hour, his professionalism and know-how couldn't be beat. Easy to communicate and work with, he kept the dance floor packed. I couldn't have asked for more. 2) Wedding cake at Eccentric International Chefs: this tiny little bakery in out of the way Santee made me a beautiful and delicious cake. Malina and her husband own and run it and were very friendly and helpful, not to mention very patient with me when I changed my design about 4 times. Their prices are excellent, as well. 3) Teresa Piazza at sdbridalhair.com. Teresa is friendly and very approachable. During my trial, she was very open to my input and wanted to know exactly what I liked and didn't like about her work. For my wedding day, she created a low bun that fulfilled my vision exactly. We had different ideas when it came to makeup, but she handled the situation very professionally. As an added plus, her prices are competitive and she doesn't require a minimum to travel. 4) Kocher Flower Growers in Encinitas. Excellent prices, beautiful flowers, and easy to work with. They found me exactly what I wanted at a great price. 5) Aaron Thompson at AS Photography (iheartas.com). Wow. What can I say? I fell in love with his work while browsing through a local wedding magazine and could not believe that beautiful stuff actually matched my budget. He should charge far more than he does (but I'm so thankful that he doesn't). Plus, he was incredibly fun, easy going, worked fast, and was flexible (thanks for the ride to the church, Aaron!). 6) Grace Lutheran Church (gracesandiego.net). Is a church considered a vendor? Not sure, but I'll review them anyway. I am so happy I found Grace, as my new husband and I are going to start attending here. On the superficial level, their sanctuary is stunning, and you will save money as no decoration is needed. Their prices were better than some other churches I looked into. On a deeper level, you will get sucked into the community there. Katie the secretary is very friendly and accomodating, and the doors seem to be always open anytime you want to show off your venue to friends. Debbie the coordinator was a great comfort as she helped me navigate this thing called a "wedding ceremony" that I had no experience with. The counseling sessions with Pastor John are a real time of thought and growth, and he has really reached out to us as a mentor and support. If you want a very traditional ceremony rich in history and meaning, this is the place for you. 7) Reception at Casa Guadalajara Restaurant. Of all my vendors, this was the one I was most nervous about. Catherine, the coordinator, had been very hard to coordinate with and signing a contract had been like pulling teeth. So I was scared to death that something was going to go wrong. But I needn't have worried. Everything was absolutely perfect for us and everyone had a wonderful time. Catherine herself was there and was extremely gracious and accomodating. I cannot thank them enough for a perfect reception! It was everything I envisioned and far, far more. And the price was below what anyone else was charging, yet included so much more. Thank you Catherine and team! 8) Rehearsal dinner at Joe's Crab Shack at the harbor. This was the exact fun and casual place we had been envisioning, and they really accomodated us. Service was great, food was even better, and they treated us to a little surprise bride and groom game. Lots of laughs! Thanks to all our vendors for helping to create our dream wedding!