Hi Knotties! We had a wonderful wedding June 16th in Albuquerque and we came in $3000 under budget (spending $9000 total)! We did a lot ourself, including arranging flowers, creating the music playlists (a friend experienced with public speaking acted as emcee for the evening), and making the invitations and programs. My mom made me an incredible silk dress (including hand-crochetted lace!) and paper rose bouquet. Here are reviews of the vendors we did use:
Rehearsal dinner catering: Papa Nacho's Mexican Food - A+
We hosted a casual enchilada rehearsal dinner in my in-laws' backyard. Papa Nachos is a favorite restaurant of both of our families, so we didn't consider anyone else!
Ceremony venue: UNM Alumni Memorial Chapel - A
I'm a grad student at UNM, so we were able to rent the chapel for the ceremony and rehearsal for only about $300! It was just the right size for our small celebration (70 guests), was beautiful on its own with only a few flowers for decoration, and has great acoustics. We played recorded music, but the chapel has a pipe organ!
Officiant: Roy Ricci with Amor Ceremonies - A+
Roy has a great presence and sense of humor, and he worked with us to create a beautiful, personal ceremony.
Reception venue: The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History - A+
Ok, this isn't a traditional wedding venue, but it was perfect for the wedding of a science teacher and a computer scientist! Our friends and family loved that they could visit the museum during the reception. We loved that we could bring in our own catering and alcohol, which saved us significantly. The museum provides tables and linens and has a built-in PA system that made "DJ iPod" easy to manage.
Catering: Dawn Sanchez - B+
Overall, the food was delicious. She made us an incredible peanut-butter filled chocolate cake, and perhaps the best garlic mashed potatoes I've ever eaten. Our complaints were that the meat was a little dry (but the sauces were tasty), and the vegetarian/gluten-free entree was hidden in the kitchen because they didn't have room for it on the buffet. They didn't tell our guests about that option, and some of our guests didn't eat an entree! Additionally, the bartender we hired was the only licened bartender on the staff, so guests had to line up for their toasting champagne. It wasn't a huge deal, but it did affect the pace of the evening.
Photography: Fizelwink Photography - A+
Ryan took beautiful engagement and wedding photos of us! I don't usually enjoy being photographed, but I quickly got comfortable in front of his lens. The photos with the airplanes turned out especially beautiful. Here's a link to our album:
http://www.pictage.com/client/event.do?event=1269541
Flowers: fiftyflowers.com - A+
I ordered a package of roses, carnations, filler flowers, and greenery that ended up being large enough to make 3 bridesmaids bouquets, fill two large vases for the ceremony, and fill about 40 bud vases for the reception tables (and I still had plenty of leftovers) for only $350 including shipping. They arrived at my door two days before the wedding in perfect condition, and a customer service rep called me literally 5 minutes after the flowers were delivered to check on their quality and to make sure I knew how to take care of them until Saturday.
Favors: Buffet's Candies - A+
My husband loves Buffet's and has gone there every Easter since he was little. We gave little tins of their mini mint non-pareils. The hubby helped me pack the tins, and I'm glad I bought an extra bag because I think he ate as many as he packed!
Hair and Makeup: Beauty Essentials - A
My regular stylist (Janae) did my hair and makeup, and Chelsea did hair and makeup for my matron-of honor. Here we are, very happy with our results :-)
