Hi everyone,The wedding is over and now I'm left with all of this unaccounted for time on my hands (well, okay, I WILL be left with all of this unaccounted for time on my hands as soon as I wean myself off of wedding blogs and wedding sites!) so I thought I'd come back and post my wedding vendor reviews. Officiant- Chaplain Larry Todd, A+People laughed, people cried, and he hit just the right note for a solemn/sacred occasion that managed to encompass our Catholic, Baptist, and Atheist backgrounds. He cares what he's doing and he's super professional AND affordable... and the (tiny bit of) money all goes to a charity. He can seem a bit intimidating at first via email (LOTS of CAPS) but in person he's fantastic and charming. Guests were saying they wanted to re-do their wedding with Chaplain Larry to officiate.Venue- Kali-Kate, AGorgeous, gorgeous venue... the pictures don't do it justice. And it's one of the few outdoor places where you also have an excellent rain plan (they've built a beautiful pavilion with chandeliers out on the horse farm... how rustic chic!). The price may seem high at first, but keep in mind they supply tables and chairs (which you may or may not like-- we loved) and you can bring in your own liquor. The only problem is that it's a bit removed from town, but we were able to rent some schoolbuses to transport people at a relatively reasonable price. Oh, and the venue rep/DOC didn't put up some of the details/decoration we had bought. But I think that's more our fault than theirs for not providing clear instruction.DJ- Greenbelt DJ, Joel A+Prices were fantastic, he's extremely responsive and reliable, and he has an awesome online site that pretty much lets you design your entire playlist (which is what I did, and therefore I loved the music). He does have a little bit of a tendency towards the cheesy side, but his website makes it really easy to indicate which songs you DON'T want to hear at the wedding and he is very receptive to whatever you say.Boudoir Photos- Hemera Nyx, A+Loved the pictures and loved Melissa... she's an awesome photographer AND a fun person, and she had so many great ideas. After meeting with her I was just a little jealous of everyone who got to have Melissa photograph their wedding!Photographers- Nessa K., A+ (rehearsal dinner), Lauren McGlynn (wedding), A+-- NOTE: I don't actually have pics back yet, so I may need to update :)Nessa is great-- I love her photos and she's super unobtrusive. I haven't seen our photos yet, but she's shot several of my friends weddings so I know she does good work. Her prices are still very reasonable, although I think they'll start going up quick!Lauren was great to work with, also. She was easygoing, unobtrusive, and found us a second shooter on super short notice. Oh, and her prices are amazing. I haven't seen the wedding photos yet, but everyone loved the engagement photos... so despite my mother's dire predictions that unposed photos = ugly, I have lots of faith and am very excited to get them back! She really is very photojournalistic though, so if you have your heart set on lots of posed shots, you might not click.Catering: 2Tarts, A+Everyone, and I mean everyone, said this was the best food that they had ever had at a wedding. They were creative, worked with our vision, and had so many yummy ideas. I'd like to eat at their restaurant
I had my heart set on homemade ice cream sandwiches for our wedding, and these ladies made a mini version that was to die for (incidentally, they were also the only caterers that didn't look at me like I was crazy). One of the great things about working with them is that you are not working with a company-- you are working with two sisters working together, and I love to support something like that!Coffee: Kenny's Coffee, A-They set up an espresso/signature coffee drink bar for us, had great signs to go with it, and their prices were way below anyone else we contacted. The only problem I had was getting a hold of them! I sent probably three emails that went unanswered, but I will say that once I did get a hold of someone they were very on top of things. I recommend themFlowers: Glass Fountain, Rebekah, BImportant to note that the B is not for Rebekah herself-- she was responsive, knowledgeable, and professional in all communications. However, I was very disappointed to receive some very dead-looking/wilted flowers on my wedding day. I believe Rebekah when she says they left her house fine, and I think the problem may have been because someone at the venue moved them to a warmer location. But I was a little disappointed because Rebekah had said she'd be dropping the flowers off at 4, right around when we got there, and she was nowhere to be seen when I got there... apparently she had arranged to drop the flowers off earlier, but I wish I had known that. I don't know if I could have saved the flowers (or, really, what it is that happened to the flowers) so I don't know what the point would have been other than wishful thinking. Regardless, I seem to be the anomaly with the experience I had, so I don't know that anyone should put much stock in this review. She was great to work with in all of the communications, and her prices really were incredible.