I recently got married on May 6 in Charleston and it was a destination wedding since we live near DC. We were on a bit of a budget and this message board really helped me pick my vendors so I thought I would post my experience and hope that it helps someone planning their upcoming nuptials.
Rehearsal Dinner: Sticky Fingers on Meeting St.. A++ We worked with Courntey and she was great - we did a tasting before we picked out the menu and walked through the space. We had about 40 people and it was perfect since we rented out the upstairs. It was a BBQ buffet and open bar for 3 hours and the food was really good. They let us come in early and decorate. We also took advantage of the outdoor patio upstairs since the weather was so nice.
Venue: Creek Club at I'On. B+ The location was beautiful and it rained the day of our wedding so we moved the ceremony up to the porch which worked out really well and you don't have to rent a tent. The food was excellent - and I highly reccomend the sweet potato fries as a passed app. We were able to do a tasting with the owner himself and we also got to taste the wines. The wait staff and bartenders were great. There are a few things to be aware of: you have to rent all linens including napkins, we rented additional cocktail tables for the porch and a cake table; they charged us for a golf cart that we never used; and large buses are not allowed to come up to the property - there is a parking lot a little ways down the road. All in all though it was a beautiful space and you can do a lot with.
Linen Rentals: Snyder Events. B They were on time and the linens and tables were clean, but the only downfall is that you have to set it all up yourself.
Cake: Publix in Mt. Pleasant. A+ We wanted a very basic 3 tiered white cake since my mother-in-law was going to decorate it. It was less than half the price of other bakers, it was beautiful and everyone said it was delicious and that they went back for seconds. They delivered it for a small fee.
DJ: Jay Maxwell. A++ We had Jay himslef and he was great! He was very reasonable price wise and very professional and kept the ceremony and the reception on time. We mapped out all the music for the ceremony and other events and he had all the songs we requested. Everyone had a great time on the dance floor.
Flowers: Branch Designs Studio. A++ Whitney was really good and she had everything set up way ahead of tim. We met with her and walked through the space and she made a lot of great suggestions. We were on a tight budget so we got the bouquets, centerpieces and lanterns from her. The boutineres and corsages we got from Publix and they turned out beautiful as well and they delivered them for a small fee.
Photographer: Shannon Michele. A++ Photos were really important to us and we planned to spend a good chunk of our budget on them. Shannon was such a professional and I love her style. She was unintrusive that half the time you forgot she was there. She is working on posting our wedding photos on her blog and our wedding is Meghan and Addy - they should be up soon. I would reccomend her to anyone.
Hair & Makeup: Paloosh Salon. A++ Coming from out of town I wasn't able to do a trial with them, but they did a fantastic job! I loved my hair and makeup and they did exactly what I wanted. My mom and bridesmaids also got hair and makeup done and everyone was very happy. They had a nice little area with couches to hang out and we ordered food from the caterer next door and had brought champagne. They were very accomodating and reasonably priced.
Transportation: Durham Public School Bus. A++ We did not have a lot to spend on transpotation so we contacted the local school and rented out school buses. They were only $65 per hour with no minimum and they were on time. Originally we were supposed to get the big yellow school buses with no AC, but that day they needed those buses so we ended up with grey ones with AC. We hired two buses to do two shifts there and then they returned and did two shifts back to the hotel. It worked out perfectly and no one had to drive.
Hotel: Days Inn &
Mills House. A We wanted two options for our guests price wise. Both are located in the historic district on Meeting Street and they are about a block and a half from each other.
I hope this helps and please feel free to ask any questions.