I’m not going to put grades on them because I figured I’d just write fairly detailed reviews.
Browning Amphitheater (Ceremony)
We loved Browning. We pretty much used only what was there. Our guests sat on the stone seating, and we stood at the front of the stage. Most of our guests sat in the shade (towards the top of the amphitheater), and therefore not in the middle, so a microphone would have been good, but, we didn't expect that. Oh well, they couldn't hear all our vows, but we could and that's all that matters! We also provided water for everyone. It's free to rent the space, but I do believe it takes some work to be able to actually rent it. Luckily, we were getting married at The Union, so they made the process easier (you need to have a professor or something like that sign off on it or something, but the Union acted as that).
The Union (Reception Venue)
The reception venue is gorgeous. We were able to rent out two rooms to get ready in as well, so we were on site pretty much all day. You really can't beat the beauty of it. We got married in the west ballroom, with the beautiful chandelier. It was perfect for our tradition, classic-style wedding. The one downside is that there rental is from 12pm - 7pm. If you want to extend that, they charge per hour. Also, you can only have weddings there during the summer or any other time school is out. Lori, our event coordinator, was very helpful and helped keep me on track. The first time I met her, I was completely unprepared, and she was on top of everything, and had all the questions that I should have had prepared already ready! She was very helpful. They also provide the catering, which was not up to the same standard as the beauty of the West Ballroom.
Anita Kline (Cake)
Anita is amazing! Her cakes are so delicious and moist. After our HM (which was two weeks), people were still consistently telling us how good the cake is. We had The Union box up 2-3 pieces off each flavor of cake (we had 5 flavors), so when we got to our hotel room, we chowed down on it! It was sooooo delicious. I will probably try to get an anniversary cake from her, and convince DH he should start getting b-day cakes for me from her.
Flowers on Springtree Lane (Florist)
They are AMAZING! Super great to work with, super nice and they listen. I went to some florist for quotes and they wouldn't talk things through, or make alternative suggestions for how to make my vision work or how to make it fit into my budget. They talked through things with me, helped me figure out what I wanted and the best ways to save costs without sacrificing my vision. And, everything was beautiful! They were also priced much better than the other places I went to.
New Image Studios (Photographer, Steve Poland) We did e-pics with Steve, they came out alright. I think a lot of it was that we were a little nervous and some of the poses weren't really something we were totally comfortable with. Also, I hate what I wore, and that had another large effect on how I felt about them. Our wedding pictures turned out very well. I was upset that we took the majority of our pictures in front of a stone wall by Browning, because Steve said that's the only place the lighting was good, but we had golf carts so we could go anywhere we wanted. But, overall, they came out well, and after the ceremony, we were able to take pictures in different areas. Also, throughout the wedding planning process, I often felt like we were just another client or number. He forgot many things that we told him many times. He's the owner of New Image Studios and Music Express, so I get that he's really busy and a lot of things going on, but it was annoying when we would tell him the same things like 10 times. Best thing, we had our pictures back when we got home from our honeymoon!
Music Express (DJ, TJ) Overall, TJ did a great job. My only complaint is that he started fairly early with the line dances, which I said I didn't want to dance to, but since they were so early, I was almost forced to so that people would get on the dance floor. And, I think the line dances should be towards the end because then the guests are at least a little buzzed and more likely to get up and dance like a fool!! Other than that, he did a very good job of keeping people on the dance floor.
