My wedding was last Sunday. Everything went really well, DH and I had a blast and so did our guests. A few minor glitches, like the DJ was tearing up at the end of our ceremony so didn't get the recessional music playing right away...if the ceremony was so moving it got the DJ crying I guess we did well! Overall though, I think it was a perfect day!
I wanted to review our vendors so that the rest of our can benefit from our knowledge. Here it goes...if I leave something out, let me know and I'll let you know what we did!
Venue: Los Altos History Museum
It's a gorgeous place, and was really ideal for a reception with lots of kids because they leave the top level of the museum open. Right now they have some dress-up trunks upstairs, which was a huge hit with the little girls! Great for the grown ups too, because dancing is slightly separated from the tables-- you can see everything but it made it easy for older relatives to chat while young adults were dancing. No complaints!
Catering: The Party Helpers, San Jose
Delicious food, and great staff. They came highly recommended by the venue, and with good reason!
Coordinator: Adrienne South, with Party Helpers
Adrienne works for Party Helpers, but did so much more than your typical caterer. As our coordinator, she contacted vendors, ran our rehearsal, made up timelines for everyone...she kept me so stress free that I truly believe her services were worth every penny!
Photographer: Engstrom Photography
Dillon is a friend (his wife was a bridesmaid) but he is very professional and did an excellent job. We haven't gotten all of our photos back yet, but within 24 hours he posted some "teasers" privately on Facebook for us. He is still working on running his business like a pro, but I don't hesitate to recommend his skills.
Cake: Your Happy Baker
Erin, who uses the name Your Happy Baker for her business, is DH's cousin. She makes the best cake ever! None of the bakeries in the area matched her cakes in taste. We went with cupcakes and a small cutting cake, which was perfect for our set up. Absolutely wonderful!
Flowers: Sarvar of Mahsa's Flowers, Hayward
Another personal connection, Sarvar's daughter danced at my old ballet studio when we were kids. She has run this floral business for years, and does a beautiful job. I didn't want any particular flower, I just gave her color swatches and textural images, and I was so amazed by the bouquets. She accidentally left the flower girl arrangements behind, but when she got to the venue she let the coordinator know and immediately turned around to get them. We had the flower girl bouquets by the time the girls were ready for pictures!
DJ: DJK of San Leandro
Ken, the founder of DJK Productions, did my Bat Mitzvah and my sister's. He does a great job, scheduling a meeting a week or two before to go over key songs and music tastes. He really respects your wishes regarding music, and takes cues from the crowd really well. My family has hired him 3 times now, and I know we would again!