Hey Everyone! I’m back from my honeymoon and have lots to share about the vendors we used. It was a perfect wedding day and I couldn’t have asked for anything more! However, there were a few little things I wanted to share for the brides-to-be still in the planning stages.
Rehearsal Dinner- High Cotton BBQ:
We went to the restaurant after the rehearsal as a group of 20. My MIL told me when she called them they said we wouldn’t need a reservation. However, when we arrived they were pretty busy with the dinner rush and we had to be seated at 2 separate tables, across the room from eachother. This really was a bummer to me because we had prepared a special toast for everyone and had gifts to distribute, but we weren’t even sitting with the Best Man or Maid of Honor. I asked the manager if we could somehow be seated together and was told it was not possible because they were too busy. We were also seated right next to the entry door so it was not private at all. The food was okay, not great. I had the Pork BBQ with hush puppies, coleslaw and baked beans. A few people had the chicken and okra. Reviews were mixed. Some of them loved it, some not so much. For my money, I would still have Pigman’s for better BBQ. It was not a great dinner, but mostly because it didn’t feel like a rehearsal dinner, more like a casual dinner out with a bunch of family.
Venue/Food- The Pearl:
We booked The Pearl about a year in advance of our event. After scrapping our original idea of renting an event home because of costs, we chose the Pearl because it was oceanfront and centrally located for our guests. Trish, the manager/co-owner, was initially very helpful. Then over the next year, communication with her became difficult. She didn’t respond to emails or calls promptly, or sometimes at all. We never got a signed copy of the contract, even after asking repeatedly. Her answers were all very vague when I inquired about the menu, etc. I found myself worried about how the wedding day would go because of her lack of communication. However, on our wedding day she did show up and do what she promised to do. I met with her the day before the wedding and went over details of how I wanted the timeline to go, where guests would be seated, etc. Even though she told me she never received info which I know I sent multiple times, she assured me over and over that she would handle it all and I wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. And….she was right. Everything went off without a hitch. The food was delicious. We had a buffet style meal with pasta options made to order, a beef tenderloin, fresh tuna filets and sides of garlic mashed potatoes and broccolini, and for the kids there were apple slices and chicken fingers. The room itself was clean and decorated nicely. They had it set up as I asked, in time for us to decorate. There were a few little things that I noticed they did as well, they packed up 2 extra plates of food for Doug & I to take home with us and they chilled and served a bottle of champagne just for us. Overall, we were very happy with our choice of venue after all was said and done. The guests all enjoyed it and it was a fun, relaxed atmosphere.
DJ- Mike Smith (OBX DJ):
Unfortunately, I was not too happy with our DJ. He played the correct songs for our entrance, first dance, Father-Daughter dance and Mother-Son dance. But after that, it seemed to go all wrong. He was playing weird jazzy music during dinner and kept coming over to me all night long asking what songs I wanted him to play, even though I sent him a LONG list of approved songs. He never seemed to quite get it going right. He would play songs which got people dancing only to kill it with a slow song right after. However, he did arrive and setup on time, say everyone’s names correctly in the wedding party, etc. Overall, I was just disappointed with our music. But, we had the after-party at our rental/honeymoon house and we DJ’ed that party- which was a rockin good time! I would say, anyone considering using your iPod and doing your own music- DO IT. Save yourself the money.
Photographer- Ginger Snaps:
Ginger is THE BEST! I absolutely adore her, as a person and as our wedding photographer. She was easy to deal with leading up to the wedding day. She even sent me a text on the day of the wedding to say when she would be there, etc which I thought was really considerate. She showed up on time and took the guy’s pics first. Then she came to the girl’s room and took my “getting-ready” photos. She was snapping away and had a few different cameras/lenses to work with. After the ceremony, she did our group shot and was great at directing everyone. She was wonderful with my Flower Girl, age 3, who had enough pictures and was on the verge of a meltdown the whole time. She was making her laugh, doing dog bark noises, anything to keep her smiling. I felt 100% comfortable with her doing my bridal shots and the couples shots of Doug & me. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer for their wedding in OBX without hesitation.
Violinist- Nancy from Club Violin:
I was very happy with our violinist. She played beautifully, showed up on time and dressed appropriately. I mostly corresponded with Leslie from Club Violin when booking them and she was amazing to work with! She played lots of songs for us to choose from, as we knew very little about classical violin pieces. My only criticism was that it was a little pricey. We paid $325 for a solo violinist who played for maybe an hour total. It was a romantic nice touch but again, save the money and use your iPod.
Cake- Great Cakes of the Outer Banks!:
We chose the Key Lime Bliss Cake from Great Cakes and were VERY happy with our selection. It was beautifully decorated, just as we asked. We had a sand dollar theme and requested all the white chocolate pieces be sand dollars rather than sea shells. It looked as good as it tasted! All our guests raved about it. My husband’s mother also surprised us with a Groom’s Cake from them. It was chocolate with chocolate ganache icing and it was also spectacular.
Dress/Suit Pressing- Alterations by Lucy:
I loved Lucy! I contacted her a week before the wedding to ask if she could press my dress and Doug’s suit before the wedding. We dropped everything off on Friday and picked up the next day at noon. Everything looked perfect- she did a great job. All together we paid $50, which I thought was very reasonable since Doug had also given her 3-4 dress shirts to press also. Her shop is located directly next door to Black Tie Affair in KDH. I would definitely recommend her to other brides. Much easier than trying to steam it yourself.
Rental Home (for Honeymoon)- Sun Realty:
We rented Oyster’s Pearl in South Nags Head for a week. The house was amazing! It had a putting green, huge hot tub and pool in the backyard. It was on the beach road, but not oceanfront. For the amenities, it was a great bargain at only $1,000 for the week. We had views of the sound on the back side, views of the ocean from the other. You could see all the way to Manteo from our top balcony. It was a great spot for watching the sunsets. My only complaint was the mosquitoes. They were awful. We literally had to cover our bodies and clothes in bug spray and still ended up with lots of bites. My poor puppies, who came along with us, had a ton of bites on them too. My in-law’s rented an oceanfront property and they had zero bug problems. So, for that reason alone, we will most likely rent a house on the oceanfront next year. No problems with the house whatsoever, everything worked correctly and was clean. The check-in & check-out was easy and office was easy to find.
Outer Banks Kettle Corn- Lisa:
We ordered 25 4 ounce bags of Kettle Corn from Lisa about a month before the wedding. She met us at the Walmart in Kitty Hawk on the day we arrived. She was prompt and very sweet in person. She even gave us 3 large bags of the Kettle Corn at no charge! We loved having it at the house all week to snack on! It was so delicious and fresh, totally melted in your mouth. Also, the story behind the Kettle Corn is very sweet. Lisa’s daughters, ages 9 and 13, started the business themselves over their summer break to make money for their college funds. That was three years ago and it’s grown since then and they now carry the Kettle Corn in 39 stores in the OBX. Great cause, great corn. Enough said.
Country Deli (Nags Head)- Provided the cases of Cheerwine for Welcome Bags:
First, they have the most amazing subs. That’s how Doug & I found them in the first place but they were the ones who gave us the idea for the Kettle Corn & Cheerwine to include in our guest’s welcome bags. They ordered 2 cases for us and we picked them up when we arrived. Everyone loved it so much we ended up ordering 2 more cases before we left to give to guests who asked for it! The Country Deli is family-owned and operated. Even Grandma hangs out in the shop! They were all very helpful and sweet and I would absolutely recommend Country Deli to anyone visiting OBX.
Flowers- Sugar Snaps Events (Shirley):
Our flowers were gorgeous and I was beyond happy with them! The color combos we chose of green and purple worked beautifully together. My bouquet was so pretty and exactly what I had imagined. Shirley delivered everything early (better than on-time!) and helped the boys with their boutonnieres. She was great to work with all through our selection process. We had a lot of last minute changes and she rolled with it all. She does amazing work and I would recommend Sugar Snaps without any hesitation.
Hope that helps some of you! Feel free to ask me anything!!