Hi all,
I'm back from my honeymoon to Italy and amazed how wonderful the wedding went.
Florist - Petal Shoppe of Monroe (Darlene Blackburn) A+
She was great and completely understood my vision. I asked for WOW and definitely got it. She is also very very affordable and chosing her was the best wedding decision I made (besides marring DH!).
Photographer - Bella Loren Photography (Ledos) A
They were good to work with and I can't wait to see all the pictures. Lost some time after the ceremony with them setting up lighting but a fun and personable couple.
DJ - Audio to Go (Drew P.) A
The follow up meeting really helped solidify what we wanted during the reception. There was a crowd on the dance floor throughout the night. :-)
Cake - Cakes of Distinction (Kathy Allen) A+
OMG the cake is still good after 2 1/2 weeks!!! It was beautiful and perfect and everyone was ooing and awing over it. She is fabulous to work with and treated me like her own daughter!
Candy Buffet - All U Can Treat A+
Angela and Jennifer are amazing! Easy to work with and always had a bag of candy for our planning meetings. It was so nice not to have to worry about setting up candy for the reception favors. They even give you all the leftovers after the reception. woohoo!
Shutterbooth (Art Z.) A
If you can fit it into your budget this is a must do!!!! The scrapbook you get afterwords is great and you get to see how much everyone loved taking their pictures. The attendant was wonderful as well.
Rentals - Party Reflections (Terri S.) A
I rented gold chivari chairs and Terri was a pleasure working with. She wasn't pressuring and available to me when I needed her.
Charter Bus - Coach America A
I loved that my OOT guests didn't have to worry about traveling and others driving could follow it to get to each location. Many wedding guests have told me afterwards that it was a great idea and very much appreciated it.
Hair/Makeup - Courtney Vose Bridal Makeup (Courtney and Ashley) B+
The were prompt and professional. Poor Ashley had to do my mom's hair about three times until we were completely satisfied but she didn't complain once! I think the rest of the bridal party really enjoyed all the pampering they got!
Venue - Piper Glen CC (Karen Flowers) A++
The staff at Piper Glen is amazing and truly wonderful. I didn't worry about a thing and everything was in it's proper place. Very affordable too!!!
Attire - Darlyn's (Krista) B+; New York Bride & Groom (Cory) A+
The experience at DarLyn's with my bridal gown selection was great. The alterations are very reasonable however I would recommend going a least two months before your wedding if you can to circumvent any snags since the seamstress only works Tuesdays and Thursdays. The guys got their tuxes from NYBG and the staff there is great. The coats came in a little small and Cory was able to rectify the situation almost immediately. MOB also got her dress there and was very pleased.
Words of advice: everything is not going to go as perfectly as planned (we forgot the cake knife at home)...that's ok. No one realizes what's different from what you planned. I found myself doing a lot of paper things (programs, seating cards, table names, table blurbs describing the table names, wrapping bridal party gifts) the last week. try to get these things done earlier so there is less stress the week of and you can enjoy the build up to your wedding day.
I love being married and I wish you all success in your planning and marriage!!!
