Vendor reviews (long)

Cake: Mary Elliot A+
Mary was AMAZING. Everyone on this board is right about how good her cakes are and how nice she is! Our cake turned out even better than I imagined, and we got a ton of compliments on it. The cake was so moist and yummy. She was so easy to work with, and she even fixed my cake toppers when they melted in the heat. She was very reasonably priced and I would recommend her in a heartbeat!
DJ: Complete Music B+
I left this up to DH, and he did a decent job but I'm not sure I would've chosen them. They were very reasonably priced, but used CDs instead of a computer, which I thought was kind of weird. We had to make a couple CDs of songs we wanted that the company didn't have (which, I guess I didn't mind because then I knew I'd hear what I wanted!). We did meet with our DJ a few days before the wedding, which was helpful, but the day-of he wasn't super on the ball. He didn't have the order of BMs/GM right and didn't play the right intro music for the group. And dancing started out slowly until I talked to him about mixing up the music a bit (although that wasn't his fault-I told him to play older songs first). All in all he did well though and the night ended better. I would recommend this company.
Flowers: My Flower Box A
Kim did a great job with our flowers. They were exactly what I pictured and we got a lot of compliments on them. She was very patient when I wanted to change the vision, and when the vases we ordered came late, she didn't bat an eye. The flowers were delivered to our hotel on time and looked beautiful. No complaints!
Wedding Dress: David's Bridal A
I bought my dress at a David's in Boston, and I had nothing but great experiences there. The consultant did a great job-my dress was nothing that I thought I wanted, and yet when she brought it over, I just knew. I got my shoes and veil there too and everything was great. I know people have mixed opinions of this place but I had a positive experience.
BMs Dresses: JCrew A
The girls ordered their dresses from JCrew and had no problems at all. They fit perfectly and everyone loved them!
Tuxes: Men's Wearhouse A-
DH picked this place and seemed to be fine with it, although he and the best man had problems when they picked the tuxes up. But on the wedding day, everyone looked great and they were returned without a hassle, so I guess I'd recommend them.
Reception (food, linens): Maryland Science Center/Aramark Catering A+
This was the best decision I made related to the wedding! Meghann, the coordinator at the MSC, was WONDERFUL. I sent her a ton of emails every week and she answered all of them patiently. Since I didn't live in Bmore until a few weeks before the wedding, she planned tastings and meetings around my "home from school" schedule, even if it was earlier than normal. The linens and tables looked perfect and the food was excellent. We got so many compliments on it! Meghann stayed for most of the reception, greeted us when we got there, it was so nice. The staff even asked for me and DH's drink of choice so they could always refresh them for us! Although the roof was pretty hot, they did have fans and it was an incredible view. I would absolutely recommend this!
Photog: Jill Myers Photography A++
Jill is AMAZING! She was my roommate when she started her business 5 years ago, and even though I wasn't even engaged, I knew I wanted her to do my wedding. Her pictures are beautiful and she was great. Kind of blended into the background so I wasn't thinking oh I'm getting my picture taken. Plus it was nice to work with someone I knew. She is a bit pricey, but worth it!
Guestbook: Blurb.com A+
I looooved our guestbook! I did a photo book with e-pics on Blurb and it was so easy. The software is really easy to download and use and I plan on making lots of other books with Blurb!
Invites: Wedding Paper Divas A
We originally wanted to print our own invites but then I decided it was too much work, so we looked online. It took a looong time to pick something we both liked but in the end, I was so happy with what we chose. Reasonably priced and didn't take long to order and ship.
Rings: Jared A
We both got our rings at Jared, although I'm not usually a fan of that store. But we both love our rings, and it was really easy. We got them engraved too which was quick and not that expensive either.
Hair: Colours Salon A
I get my hair done at Colours regularly and they didn't fail me for the wedding! All the BMs plus MIL and SIL got their hair done and everyone looked great. Reasonably priced, although we had to go to the salon instead of them coming to us.
Wedding Night Hotel: Brookshire Suites A-
This was one of the hotels we used as a block, and DH booked us here, although I kind of wanted a different hotel. The room was not that nice (I mean, it was a suite and not hideous at all, just not what I expected) and we didn't get any special "wedding night" things. But we weren't there that long and they had a full breakfast the next day so that was nice.
Hotel Blocks: Hilton Garden Inn (Harbor East) A
No complaints from anyone, and it was pretty easy to set up a block. My mom did this for us and she was pleased. The rate was not that expensive either.
Rehearsal Dinner: Chiapparelli's A
FIL set this up and it was great! They made little personalized menus for us and offered us a variety of entree choices. The food was delish and we had a little private alcove.