Hi everyone! This board was really helpful as I planned my HHI wedding from Atlanta. I wanted to leave vendor reviews to help all of those planning their weddings for the Hilton Head area. I hope it’s useful. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or want more information.
Ceremony/Reception: Palmetto Dunes- A+
I cannot express enough how fabulous Nicole and Ann are at Palmetto Dunes. They made the planning process so easy. We traveled to Hilton Head many times to meet with them and they were always so accommodating and extremely honest. I would highly recommend Palmetto Dunes as the site of your wedding. We got married on the deck instead of right on the beach and it was breathtaking. The food was delicious, the portions were huge, and the drinks were great too! They made the whole planning process so easy and everything turned out even more beautiful than I had ever imagined. It was my dream wedding.
Officiant: Gail Felton-B
Gail was great. We met with her prior to the wedding on one of our planning trips. We discussed what we wanted in the ceremony and gave her some background on us and our relationship. She emailed us some versions of her ceremonies and personalized it for us. The only disappointment I had was that she read from her paper throughout the ceremony. Maybe that’s typical, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. Overall though, I would certainly recommend her.
Photography: Allison Reisz-A+
All I can say when I think of Allison and her team is wow. We took our time in finding the right photographer and I am so glad we did. Allison is so easy to talk to and be around. She is so much more than just a photographer. She helped calm my nerves, give me ideas and recommendations, and was just a pleasure to have around. Her work speaks for itself. She is extremely talented and everyone who saw our engagement pictures and then saw her in action at the wedding knew why we hired her. I cannot say enough great things about Allison. She amazes me!
Makeup: See Jane (Savannah) - A+
I love this place! Allison recommended See Jane to me and I am so glad I went with them. They were friendly and accommodating. We went to Savannah for our engagement pictures and I was able to have my makeup trial done then, on a Sunday, when the store is normally closed. They even waived the travel fee to Hilton Head for the wedding because I paid in advance. Mary Clark did an awesome job! I highly recommend See Jane for your makeup.
Hair: Salon 1050E-F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a disaster! This was the one thing I did on my own without looking at any reviews and it came back and bit me big time. I contacted Vanessa at Salon 1050E, signed the contract, sent the deposit, and booked the date for my consultation (which I scheduled the day of my engagement pictures). The Monday before the consultation I confirmed with her via email. Unfortunately, Vanessa did not look at her calendar for the weekend before she left the salon on Friday. I stood outside of her salon on a Sunday morning for over an hour. She never showed up. I drove to every salon in Hilton Head looking for someone who could do my hair for my engagement pictures and had no luck. Stay far away from this salon. This was completely unacceptable.
Hair: All About Me-B+
After the incident at Salon 1050E, Allison recommended All About Me. All About Me was very accommodating as I had to make a number of changes after booking our initial appointments. Overall they did a nice job. I have a chin length bob and there wasn’t much you could do with my hair, but they did a great job with my mom and my bridesmaids. I was a little disappointed that I had to pay $55 for a consultation that literally took 5 minutes. They also charge a $65 coordination fee for snacks. The snacks were nice, but I was expecting more than just fruit and crackers. Overall though it was a good experience
Acoustic Guitarist: Terry Thrift-F
I was soooo excited to have an acoustic guitar player at our ceremony and was looking forward to having both traditional and more contemporary music. I found Terry on gigmasters.com and he had really good reviews and samples. His prices were reasonable, and he was always quick with responses. We communicated several times prior to the wedding in terms of song choices and requests. When I pulled up for the ceremony and Ann told me she had to cue the DJ, I knew there was a problem. When I heard Somewhere Over the Rainbow during the ceremony and the music cut out a little bit, I knew there was a problem. In the middle of the ceremony I looked all around and found no guitar player. The first thing I asked my husband when we were walking down the aisle: Where is Terry? Apparently he thought our wedding was on Saturday, not Friday. Needless to say, I was and still am extremely upset about this. My biggest piece of advice to people getting married is to call and confirm verbally with your vendors the date (including day of the week) the week before your wedding. This was the second no-show I experienced and both conversations were via email.
DJ: First City Events-A
Jeff Karr did a great job as DJ for our wedding. Thankfully he had all of the music we wanted for our ceremony and was able to step right in. First City Events had great prices and were quick with responses. They were not cheesy at all! I definitely recommend them!
Florist: Lauri Leber (Flower Shop Bluffton)-A
We love Lauri! We met with her a few different times and she was extremely easy to work with. Our flowers were exactly what we wanted. I had a beautiful ivory calla lily bouquet and my girls had bright yellow calla lilies which looked gorgeous with their aqua dresses. Her prices were awesome too!