Weather: A++++++++++ Seriously, we owe you one.
Photographer- Sandra O'Claire- A+++
Of course we don't have pictures yet but I am rating on our interaction throughout our planning process and through the wedding day. We weren't a couple that had a million ideas about what we wanted for pictures besides formal shots. We liked her portfolio and met in person and went from there. We contacted her a couple of times to help with certain planning aspects and she was very resourceful. We also had our pre-wedding meeting and she walked us through the timeline and what shots we needed. Sandra did a great job of efficiently getting through all of the formal shots that we wanted as well as getting ready pictures. She kept us on schedule (very important!) and made sure we got to the ceremony on time. It was just very obvious that she was working very hard to capture our wedding day as thoroughly as possible. Not easy....especially when trying to deal with large family shots (people keep wandering off...it’s like herding cats) and at the end of the night as people keep drinking and walking in front of pictures because they aren't paying attention. Sam (her partner) worked with the guys and shot some of our reception (half day) and from what I saw and heard he was great too! Can't wait to see the pictures!
Makeup- Hair- Flawless Bride- A
We had Heather and Tasia come to our rental house to do hair and makeup for the wedding party. They arrived on time (before I did....oops) and started on the bridesmaids. Everyone looked great. The bridesmaids loved the eyelashes and their hair and makeup looked lovely.
Despite the expense I would recommend a trial so that things will go smoothly on the wedding day. I had 6 or 7 people counting on me to pick a great stylist for them and it was a relief to know things would turn out well. I also suggest that if you have people there that are getting ready and say they don't want makeup to allow extra time. We had 2 girls that saw the results and wanted to add makeup. Heather was great and was able to add one but not the other. Her priority was getting me ready on time and I appreciate that.
Ceremony / Reception: City Park Parkview Terrace: A-
The - is just for the planning aspect. Not the day of. Much like the last bride that posted I had a very difficult time as an out of town bride dealing with the folks at City Park. They were never rude just very slow to respond. I didn't hire a planner and we did everything ourselves. I wish someone would have just reminded me that 1. They are very very busy and 2. They do this every weekend and do a GREAT job. So if you are someone that is ok with waiting until a month or two weeks prior to your event to finalize everything go ahead and book city park because it will work out.
Our wedding day was PERFECT. They gave us two planners (Kim and Sean) and they took care of everything. Everyone loved the food (we sat down at the beginning and ate the plate that the staff prepared for us) and I people said had plenty of food. We did the basic reception (just an upgrade on the bar) and even though I stressed about using disposable wares I really think in the end it was totally fine. City park allows lots of upgrades for those who have a bigger budget so you can make it as upscale as you like. The room looked great with not much decor. We did our own flowers and centerpieces. I did fuss a little about the tip jars (like the last bride)...but really I can't blame the bartenders. I used to work weddings and tried to get away with the same thing. Karma all around I guess 
They sent us home with lots of leftover wedding cake, and a nice gift basket from the reception with leftover food. A great touch since we didn't get to eat much (we were having way too much fun)
Ceremony Officiant Judge Kevin Centanni- A+
We sought him out because we specifically wanted a civil ceremony with no religious portions. We met with him at his office and he was very nice and helpful with planning the ceremony. We had a few hiccups with the marriage license (NOTE: please check and double check your paperwork!) and he was very understanding and said he would work with us up until the day before our wedding to get everything in order. He had a nice delivery (no microphone needed) and seemed really sincere and happy for us. He did pronounce us as Mr and Mrs Husband First Name, Husband Last Name but we were supposed to remind him that I am not changing my name (first or last haha) so that was our bad. And it gave us a good laugh explaining how I am STILL not changing my name J
Ceremony Musicians: Harry Hardin- A+
Harry was such a great person to work with and the music was beautiful. I know absolutely nothing about classical music and he really took the time to go through our options and set up the processionals etc. He asks very detailed questions about the order of the wedding party and family members so that he can know how many songs he needs to play. We pretty much waited until two weeks before the wedding to figure all of this out so he really helped us move the planning along. He responds very quickly by email (a rarity in New Orleans....trust me) which was nice because I didn't have time to spend on the phone while I was trying to do a million other things.
Brass Band- Coolbone- A+++++++++++++
We decided to have the band play while we took our pictures and then lead us in a second line to the reception and then play the remaining time during a cocktail hour. White Oak productions recommended Coolbone so we booked through them. I cannot say enough great things about the band. On time, dressed nice, great group etc. The second line of course was a lot of fun (SAVE ROOM IN YOUR BUDGET...WORTH IT) but the remaining time at the cocktail hour was amazing. Our guests loved it. We did not give any requests....just let them play whatever they liked. We all danced (before we actually opened the dance floor haha) and Steve the leader was having a great time dancing with guests, singing to us...fantastic. Seriously I could go on and on. We paid them about 20 minutes before they were supposed to leave and they still stayed the whole time. Seriously the highlight of the evening! Besides our marriage of course
DJ- DJ Omega Sound (DJ Feenix/ Rusty)- A++
So the brass band leaves and people see there is a DJ and its like the air is let out of a balloon. I went and talked to Rusty and asked him to give folks a minute to settle down before we started the dances. From then on everything went great. We provided the company with a list of songs but emphasized that we wanted people to dance so if they weren't liking our music he was free to change it up. We really didn't want someone talking a bunch and making a lot of announcement or comments and Rusty was great. It was really obvious that he enjoys music and playing music for people. He couldn't help but sing along to a Journey song but that was actually a lot of fun. When you contact the company they do their best to set you up with a DJ that matches your style so that you get exactly what you want. PS people still danced like maniacs to the DJ music so don't worry about that!
Other vendors:
Cake: Swiss Confectionary- We had a choice between Swiss and Haydel's with our City Park package. The cake was beautiful and tasted great and fresh. We did not want almond flavored (I know..in New Orleans people look at you like you are crazy) and they made it with vanilla instead.
Flowers: Whole Foods - Metairie- We had our bouquets made at Whole Foods and they were beautiful. There was a mix up about when to order the flowers so we just went with what they would have in stock. Everything looked nice and I think we got a pretty good deal....about $500 for bouquets, bouts, and corsages for the moms.
Flowers for centerpieces- Rouses- Uptown- We really didn't have much of a budget for flowers so we made our centerpieces with Mason Jars and went to Rouses the night before and bought flowers for the vases. For $100 we got enough flowers for 20 tables. The florist that worked at the store (his name escapes me...sorry) helped us out a lot. My mom, a bridesmaid and I arranged them all in about an hour and they looked great. Nothing spectacular or mind blowing. But very nice and definitely budget friendly.
So that's about it! Happy planning ladies! And remember, New Orleans folks (vendors included) walk to their own beat so try try try and be patient. It will all work out!