Wedding: 9/10/11
Location:
Heritage Hills Golf Resort
The smartest decision I made throughout the whole process was to select HHGR. I was a very hand's off bride, and had very little time to plan the wedding (or desire to pay attention to the details). They took care of everything for me, even adding decorations to complete my look (I told them to do whatever they thought was best. I doubt they would have done so without my permission). They also go above and beyond to ensure the bride and groom have their every want and desire taken care of. The day-of planner was my favorite. She was super pretty, but no push-over. She is very take charge, and I respected that about her. I'm pretty sure she cared more about the details than I did!
We had a TON of out of town guests, and we actually had moved to DC by the time the wedding arrived. HHGR was very convenient. We were able to have all of our guests in the same place. We rented the big suite the night before and night of the wedding. This was basically a home away from home, and a great location to host our guests for brunches etc. At first I thought the suite was expensive, but it was probably the best money I spent throughout the entire wedding.
Reverend: We went with
Affairs of the Heart, after we learned last minute we couldn't use our intended officiant. They were expensive, but nice and accomodating. Our reverend was hilarious...one second she'd be talking about her relationship with God...and the next about always wanting a career as a playboy bunny, so she had an excuse to wear pasties. My wedding party loves a good story to tell...and she provided plenty. Glad we went this route.
Florist:
Backwoods Florist in East Berlin, PA (Marian)
VERY reasonably priced, and creative. We bought a bunch of milk glass vases off crasiglist in varying heights, connected them with crystal beads (to mirror the look of a chandelier, if you can picture that) and stuffed them full of baby's breath. We set these on plain black table clothes with white napkins, and tiffany blue favor boxes with white ribbon at each table. The final result was impressive. I'll bet I spent 30 bucks less per table than your average bride, but everyone went home talking about how beautiful it was (and probably thinking I'd spent quite a bit more). I would HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this florist, if you're planning a wedding on a budget but don't want anyone to know.
Cake:
Cakes by Jen (York, PA) 2/3 the price of most local bakers. She works out of her basement, and is very good at piping. Since we went for a somewhat vintage look (and the hubby is obsessed with Cake Boss) this was great for us. If you're looking for thin fondant, this is not the place to go. If you're looking for buttercream or enjoy chewy fondant (we do) then I would recommend her. She's a total sweetheart to boot.
Dress:
In White (Lancaster, PA)
I can't say enough about these girls. This is the ONLY bridal salon I would recommend in the area. They are super clean, friendly, and professional. I had been to pretty much every bridal salon for miles, as many of my good friends got married the year before I did, and was not impressed with a single other salon. Honestly, I wouldn't bother going anywhere else, unless they don't have the dress you want here.
Photographer:
Scott Eelman
He is AMAZING. By day, he is a detective, by night....stunning photographer. You would never guess it, but if you can get him I HIGHLY recommend you do so.
Here are a few photos. I'll provide the full album later:
