I think most of you have seen the pics and know that we feel it was a wonderful day. Now we are just relaxing at home and enjoying the fact of not having anything to do for a while. It is soooo nice! We will take our honeymoon in Jan when it is a little cooler here and we will really enjoy going to a tropical destination. Rehearsal Dinner: Bavarian Grill A++++++ Our theme was sort of a travel theme since we love to travel so much. Patrick and I were in Germany this Summer and we thought it would be neat to have our dinner in a restaurant that represented one of the countries we had traveled to. We both had been to Bavarian Grill before and loved the atmosphere and food and they didn't disappoint. We had a private room away from all the action of the main restaurant and they served a mixed salad, bratwurst, potatoes and sauerkraut for an appetizer. Then we had schnitzel and chicken for the main course and apple strudel for desert. Everyone loved the food. They are a little pricey though at $25 a person not including beer. Hotel Suite: The Ritz Carlton A+++++++++ We had the large suite which was great for us to use during the day while we were getting ready. They allowed us to check in at 12:00. I think I had a total of 11 people in there and we had plenty of room. The service was outstanding and they brought us anything we needed. We had a problem with the mini bar and being charged for some items that we didn't use so they reversed the charges for us. The rate for the room wasn't bad at all. I think it was $308 which included valet and breakfast at Fearing's which we didn't think was all that great. Day of catering: Corner Bakery A++++++ I love this place on a daily basis and eat there all the time so I had them cater for the day while we were getting ready. We were only supposed to have 12 sandwiches but we got 20 which was a bonus. The food was great and it arrived on time. Dress: Bridal Boutique A- I had a couple of problems with them. Just minor things. I ordered a La Sposa gown that could of come with a jacket which I didn't want. I realized half way through the process that I was charged for the jacket. I brought it to their attention and they did remove the charge but if I didn't notice I would of over payed by $75. My Mom ordered her gown as well and had some sizing issues. She claims they weren't very nice to her when she spoke to them about it but they were always nice to me. I worked with Donna and she was always very helpful. Almost every time I called up there I would get disconnected or the person I talked to told me they were too busy to help me. They are always pretty busy, at least when I have been there. I think this is because they have a large selection of dresses at decent prices. Tailor: Anna Delfino, F I hate to give her an F but I think I have to . I had about 5 fittings with her for my gown. I had all ready met with her once when I found out about Becky or I would of used her. After my first round of alterations Anna said she would send my dress to Bridal Boutique for them to steam and I could pick it up from there, so that is what I did. I tried it on a week later when my mom was over and there were numerous problems. The hem was waaaay too long, like 3 inches, it was still too big in the waist, the bustle was totally wrong so I took it back to her and she started over. My next fitting the bustle was still wrong so she needed to add a couple more points. I was also worried a little about the top. I didn't want it too tight or gaping either but she thought it was fine. I now can see in my pictures it was too big. But back to the bustle. I thought since she only needed to add 2 points she could just send it back to Bridal Boutique so I could have them steam it. I stopped by there and tried it on and Donna my sales lady helped me with the bustle but she couldn't seem to get. Anna didn't leave us any directions for it and apparently we were doing it wrong so Anna came by and showed me how and the bustle looked great. Fast forward to the reception. I have 2 of my girls trying to tie up my bustle. They have it all tied up but for some reason the entire under lining of my dress is totally visible!!!!! We messed with it for what seems like at least 20 -30 mins before we figured out a way to rig it up and make it work. I think she is good for basic stuff but if you have an intricate dress I wouldn't use her. Hair and makeup: Kristi Luv, B pushing a C I met with Kristie for a trial for hair twice and makeup once. She did a great job on the makeup, the hair is where we had some problems. I changed my mind from what I wanted the first time so we did a second trial. I wanted smooth 40's style waves. She kept insisting on putting my hair in hot rollers which just doesn't get the look that I wanted. I ended up having to buy a very expensive curling iron and showing her how I wanted her to curl my hair and even then I still didn't get the look I wanted but I was pretty happy with my hair in the end. She doesn't seem to really listen to what you are asking her to do. None of my bridesmaids liked their hair and in all honesty they could of done what she did. They all liked their makeup, but not their hair. Which is funny to me because first and foremost Kristi is a hairdresser. I was really disappointed in her because I really wanted to like her. I would recommend her for makeup but not for hair. Photography: McGowan Images A+++++++++++ I cant say enough about Chelsea and Mack. They are AMAZING!!!! I found them here at the knot through Lyndie Beth and I am so grateful. I knew from our first convo that Chelsea was who I wanted and her pictures sell themselves. She has such an eye for detail and she is so much fun and very relaxing to be around. She also does a great job of keeping everyone on schedule and getting the shot she needs. If you are looking for a photographer I highly suggest looking into them. Their prices are really reasonable too. Reception and Ceremony: Dallas Arboretum, A+++++++ My DH knew from the get go he wanted to get married at the Arboretum so how could I say no? It was beautiful. We gambled with the weather and won. Katheryn Thomas was our coordinator and she was such a big help through everything. I think we had like 6 or 7 people dedicated just to us that day. They all had head sets talking to each other getting it all coordinated. It was pretty cool. The ceremony was at Sunken Garden which to me is the most beautiful garden there and the reception was at Degolyer. Everyone at this location was sooo helpful. Catering: Tejano Brothers A++++++++ I knew I wanted a southwest flair for our food and at the arboretum you have a select few caterers to choose from. I think there are 10. Tejano Bros was by far the one that stood out to us and they were very reasonable. Tania was great to work with. She even met with at the linen place to pick out linens, plates etc. They also helped us with the layout for the tables for the reception and they put our our menus etc. They really went above and beyond. Patrick her husband is the chef and boy is the food really good. Music and Lighting: Colby Logan, Astounding Sounds, A++ I loved Colby!!! The amber lights he used looked so good and really set the mood. He played the guitar during dinner and everyone loved it. We got so many compliments about him. We wanted someone laid back and not too DJ sounding and Colby did a great job with that. He also provided sound for our ceremony and that was great as well. We played the newlywed game and that was a big hit. Colby just has a way about him. People really like him! Videographer: William with Autumn Video, A+++++ Now I haven't seen the finished result so this is based off what I know so far. The best thing about William and his partner Caleb (sp) is that I didn't even know they were there. I mean they were there and getting the video but I barely noticed which was big for me. He was really polite and I think Chelsea talked to him a bit and said she liked him too but I didn't interact with him much. Once I get the video closer to Christmas I will review him again. Ceremony music: Serenata Strings, A+++++++ Karen and her group did a great job. I could hear everything she was playing as the guest arrived from where I was sitting and waiting before the ceremony and it sounded wonderful. We had her play some more modern music like Viva La Vida and I think Bitter Sweet Symphony and she nailed it. Their pricing is really great too! Invitations: Paper Source, A+++++ Not the cheapest but def worth it. We opted to put them all together ourselves which wasn't hard at all and it saved us about $350. We received so many compliments on the invitations and they have so many color combos to choose from. They are located in North Park mall. Cakes: La Gateau, A+++++++ Patrick'sfriends owned the cakery so this was our wedding gift from them and they did a great job. His groom's cake were 2 old looking suit cases and they looked so real! My cake was one I found here on a website and I sent them a pic of it and it looked just like it! I loooooved our cakes. Flowers: Urban Blossom, A++++++ We had a budget and they did a great job of giving us what we wanted and staying within our budget. Erin was a joy to work with and she was so helpful. Our centerpieces were exactly what I wanted them to be. Erin is great at getting your vision and bringing it to fruition. They are a more non traditional florist and I like that! I think that is it. I hope I didn't forget anyone. I hope this is helpful to future brides. Thanks to everyone here who helped me along the way. You guys were great!!