Being a teacher, I pretty much am a tough grader so I don't take giving A's lightly.
Linden Place-B+:Linden Place is a beautiful venue and has a ton of great photo ops on the premises. They were very accommodating when I needed to get into the bridal room earlier to drop off my dress (due to the pending rain). Susan was great over email and answered all of my questions quickly and thoroughly. The only reason they did not get an A is because after we had booked Linden Place, we received an email and letter stating a new policy about using the tented courtyard. All along we had envisioned the band and dance floor out there and all of tables fitting very comfortably inside the carriage house. This letter stated that the band could not be in that space. Once I received this letter, I was in tears. I wished that they had grandfathered in all of the people who had booked the venue before this policy so we could have used the space as originally planned. All in all, everything was beautiful.
Russell Morin-A: Working with Liza was fantastic. She was there to answer any of my questions and reminded me about things I would have otherwise forgotten. The food was beyond and people are still talking about it, the service, and bar. Morins was able to work within my budget, get me the good beer my DH and I love, and serve amazing food to over 100 people. Really, they are top notch.
Gracie Lou Events-A+: The day after the wedding, while we were reflecting on everything with my parents, my father said to me "Those girls were fantastic. We should have hired them from the moment you got engaged." My father is not an easy person to impress so these ladies must have made him happy. Adrienne and Elizabeth were there at the rehearsal making sure we knew our places. They helped transform my rain plan into something beautiful. They communicated with all of the vendors, didn't step on any toes, made me feel secure about not being in control (I am a self proclaimed control freak so this was not an easy feat), and made everyone's life easy on that days before the wedding. Elizabeth even let me borrow her birdcage veil--now that's going the extra distance for the bride! I highly recommend them.
Olivia Gird-A: Since I haven't seen all of the pics yet, I putting the plus aside for now. I LOVE this lady. We got the package that included the E-pics and I highly recommend everyone does this with their photographer. We already knew her style on the wedding day and she already knew our personalities. She seemed like a friend in the room rather than a photog. She was quick when she needed to be, patient when she had to be, and all around, she and her 2nd shooter were fantastically funny people--just the type I wanted around me on my wedding day. The teasers that she has up are breathtaking and I can't wait to see the rest so she can get the plus added to her "grade".
Kristin Greene-A: Another woman I love. She made me feel like a bride on my big day. She too is like a friend in the room and makes you feel at ease. She thinks of everything, from the fun straws to the extra blotting papers and lipstick. I looked and felt beautiful on my day because of her. DH couldn't get over how Hollywood I looked (and he was nervous about me not looking like me at the wedding). Kristin made me look like the best me I could be.
New Leaf Salon-A: As a Christmas present, my mother gave me a gift card to this salon, knowing that I had booked it for the wedding due to its proximity to Linden Place. After I went that first time, they have become my stylists. Danielle has done a fantastic job with my highlights and cuts. Ashley took her handiwork and transformed my hair into something that was unbelievably gorgeous. I still hear compliments on how fantastic my hair looked. They had a horrible day to work around too--with hurricane winds and rain. My coiffure stayed until the end of the night.