Like Lisab613 we loved our vendors (some we found on this board) and wanted to share our experiences
Photographer-We were very fortunate to have had Stephanie Miller as our photographer. We were looking for someone local who knew the area and found her through several Knot recommendations. She exceeded our expectations in all aspects. She was very easy to work with, providing input on shots she thought were appropriate while also capturing photos in the style we were looking for. She was never in the way yet always there to capture shots at the right moment. Her enthusiasm for finding great shots was infectious. We loved Stephanie and have been recommending her to everyone we talk to! www.smillerphotography.blogspot.com
Band- The Doug Segree Band was one of our first decisions made for our wedding. We knew right away that Doug and his band would be a perfect fit. We also knew that we wanted Dana B playing as well. Unaware that they had not played together for some time, they played together as if they had been playing together for years without missing a beat. They even brought my new bride up on stage when they noticed that she knew every word to “Bust a Move”! We are still receiving compliments about the band 2 weeks later! www.dougsegree.com
Catering- Jenny from Main Ingredient was amazing! She was very patient with us through bouts of indecision and had great ideas that we would never have thought of ourselves. The food was great and the desserts were a huge hit. We particularly loved the Thai Chicken Salad, and Marzipan Strawberry hourderves. They also were able to recreate a favorite dish of mine that I had years before. Also, when we had a crisis with the flowers for our centerpieces, Jenny was there to save the day with the perfect solution. http://www.themainingredient.com/
Rehearsal Dinner- Roberta at the Annapolis Yacht Club was a great help. We were able to plan our rehearsal dinner there without a worry. She had everything from the food to the service prepared wonderfully. They also were able to recreate my wife’s favorite salad that a long gone chef had won her over with. http://www.annapolisyc.com/
Reception Venue- Historic Londontown and Gardens. Jean from Londontown had great input and suggestions for our wedding. The table layout turned out perfectly and the grounds couldn’t have been more beautiful. The weather helped out by being perfect, helping to make the location one that will forever stay with us. We were able to have our entire reception under the tent on a beautiful spring day! http://www.historiclondontown.org/
Invitation Design- Deb from Gifts on the Fritz designed our invites, seating chart, and a totally awesome tree that had the names of our guests on the leaves. She took all of our ideas and put them together into a common theme. Her knowledge of graphic design was very helpful to a person who has no artistic ability. Deb is local and was more than happy to meet with us in person. http://www.etsy.com/shop/giftsonthefritz
Invitation Printing- Digital Color Pro printed our invites and they came out fantastic! We received countless compliments on them. They had a fast turn around time and their service was wonderful.
Post Wedding Brunch- Many people took great care of us for our stay at the Annapolis Waterfront Marriott. Hillary Moreland was able to set up a private room where my bride and her bridesmaids were able to prepare with plenty of room. Our post wedding brunch was a big hit thanks to Hillary and the staff at Pusser’s Caribbean Grille. We had a lot of out of town guests come in for our wedding and what could have been a difficult time navigating downtown Annapolis was instead a piece of cake due to the invaluable help from Towne Park Valet. In particular, both Dan and Doug were incredibly helpful. I can’t count the times I started to ask for help in one fashion or another and before I could finish asking, the response of “Of course” or “ Whatever we can do to help” was uttered.
Flowers: Whole Foods Annapolis Flowers was not an area of our budget where we wanted a lot of fus or to break the bank. We worked directly with Rose in the floral department. My requests were simple; yellow, purple, no roses and in season. When the flowers arrived on the wedding day they were bold and beautiful. Exactly what we were looking for. A week later the bouquets were still blooming in vases!
Dress- My dress budget was not very big. I'm more a food and eating girl. I bought my dress at running of the brides and it was at least 2 sizes too big. My grandmother (retired dress maker) had told me what it would take to make the dress fit my body shape and to be on the lookout for anyone who told me different. For my April wedding, I first met with Lex in January and at that meeting everything that my grandmother said the dress would need is what Lex said. Fitting after fitting Lex made changes and recommendations to help my dress really stand out. The end product was amazing and fit my body the exact way that I wanted. At no point in the night was I the girl who was having to hike up the top of her strapless dress. Lex was awesome and well worth it!