So we are back from our honeymoon and had an amazing time. I will post pics from the wedding and honeymoon sometime this week, but I wanted to start giving my vendor reviews. I will post what I have composed so far and then post more later... Metro Custom Cakes: A++ They were great to work with, offered a fantastic price and created a beautiful cake that our guests are still talking about. Their prices were less expensive then Publix and also included the delivery, cake stand and tasting. The cake turned out more beautiful then we had imagined. They took our vision and made it reality… I highly recommend them. (
www.metrocustomcakes.com or 904-860-9915) Fr. Ian Anderson (Officiant): A+ He and his wife are unbelievably easy to work with. We found them online and from our first meeting with them, were extremely comfortable with them. He helped us plan the ceremony and provided some great ideas to help us incorporate my son into the ceremony as well. Fr. Anderson helped facilitate the rehearsal and made us all feel at ease without being pushy or overbearing. Even though he is a priest, he does all kinds of ceremonies. He lets you customize to your heart’s content and also wears whatever you want him to wear (not just a priest’s robe). I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a wonderful Officiant. (
www.resurrectionPEC.org or 904-540-4843) Celtic Charm (Groom’s Ring): B My DH wanted an Irish style ring and he couldn’t find anything he really liked in stores. He did not want to order one online, so we stopped into this quaint little Irish store in Fernandina and picked up his ring that he loves for $40. I give them a B because I wish they offered white gold or something other than silver, but that is the style DH wanted, so we got it. (306 Centre St Fernandina Bch or 904-277-8009) McGee Entertainment (DJ): A+++ Carlton was by far the easiest and most professional vendor we had the opportunity of working with. He made the planning process a breeze, listened to all our concerns/requests, and exceeded all of our expectations. Carlton provided music at our ceremony, cocktail hour and at our reception. He knew how to keep everyone on the dance floor, was not pushy or anything, but helped move the reception along smoothly. He even provided us with a CD at the end of the night with all of our important songs on it. Carlton also helped coordinate a surprise video toast for my DH from his brothers who are on military deployment. He helped keep it a surprise and everyone loved how he did it so incognito… I probably could not have pulled it off without his help. Carlton is one of my favorite vendors and I would not utilize any other DJ service than McGee Entertainment. (
www.mcgeeentertainment.com or 904-725-9444) Friendship Park (Ceremony): The city actually makes it fairly easy to obtain a park permit for their public parks. It only cost us $35 to use the park and we did not have any issues with onlookers disturbing us. The only disappointment was that the fountain was not turned on during our ceremony even though they had said it would be… Other than that it turned out beautiful right on the water. (
https://parkreservations.coj.net/parksreservations/ or 904-630-4100) Apex Rental (Chair Rentals): A++ We rented the chairs for the ceremony and some small tables for our sand ceremony and program table, as well as table clothes for those tables. They set everything exactly as requested and were on time. We did not have to worry about one thing in using this company and they provided us with the least expensive quote. Very nice people and will definitely use them again for other events. Even though they are based out of Yulee, you would have never known it; always available and very responsive via emails or phone. (
www.apexrentalsandevents.com or 904-753-1459) Crowne Plaza: Antonia Hall was fantastic to work with in setting up a block of rooms. She let us look at all the different room types, gave us a great discount per room and was always available with any concerns. The beds are so comfortable in this hotel and it is a great location for downtown. (
www.cpjacksonville.com or 904-398-8800)