So where do I start? Our wedding went perfectly. I honestly had the best time of my life... We have been LOVING married life and we leave for our honeymoon on Thursday morning! YAY!
Lets do a run through of the day and I will review as I go..
Friday
We checked into
the Genesee Grande and were warmly welcomed. The staff was AMAZINGLY accommodating and we are still hearing about that from our guests. We took off to our rehearsal at
DeWitt Community Church. I was a little nervous after that because our Reverend informed us that he was on steroids because his throat was swelling and was having trouble speaking.... Are you kidding? I almost fell over but the show must go on. Then... The dinner...
We had it at
Phoebes and it was perfect. The food was great and the service was great as well. In the summer if you have more than 50 people they shut the place down for you which was AWESOME! We stayed for dinner and had out of town guests meet us there for more drinks at 830. We left around 11 and then headed back to the hotel for some more drinks... My friends definately make their own party- they brought their own music and we stayed there until about midnight. It was perfect. The bartenders were a little annoyed I think but the other patrons joined in the dancing!
Saturday
Miracles SalonA++++ We arrived right at 8:30am. We brought some food and they also had some food, champagne, mimosas, juice, and coffee. They had 7 people doing hair and 2 doing makeup. We needed to leave by 1130 and they had us out on time. We all had millions of compliments on our hair and makeup. I am a bit of a sap and teared/cried at several points. I was shocked that the makeup never streaked or needed touching up. Danielle did my makeup and she used airbrush on my face as well as the rest of the wedding party. AWESOME. Kendella owns the salon and she did my hair. It held up until the early morning hours and I was very pleased. She made sure we always had food/drink/ and it was honestly perfect. I HIGHLY recommend this salon. I have been in several weddings and this by far was the best!
Then back to the hotel... we had sandwiches from Wegmans and started to get ready. I had robes made from Etsy for all the girls and the pictures came out super cute! That was part of their gift and they loved them! Kevin sent me a really sweet note and a gift- a David Yurman Ring that was blue- for my something blue. How cute is that? I couldn't believe it.
Bridesmaid DressesAnn Taylor
A: The girls loved them. They were light and airy- comfortable- and actually wearable again.... Two of my girls said they are going to be wearing them to a wedding later this summer.
MY DRESS
New York Bride
A: My dress was by Paloma Blanca and was perfect! Capri did my alterations and she did everything to make me comfortable. Every time I went in or called she suggested something to make me happier! Perfect!
Flowers
Whistlestop
A: They hit my vision to a T! My flowers were big and beautiful but heavy- whatever my wonderful husband helped carry them! My girls wore Navy blue so I wanted their bouquets to pop and they did. They were bright pink and green and looked AWESOME with the whole theme. My centerpieces were simple and I told her I wanted to keep them under 30 a
. I bought the vases at ikea which helped with cost and put a navy ribbon on them. She filled them with green hydrangeas and put pink petals on the table. Perfect- simple- love!
Photography
Crystal Herry Photography and we had Stacey:
A++: She was AMAZING! She even teared up at points which just shows how much she loves her brides and what she does. She set up a first look for us that was perfect and I haven't seen the photos yet but she seemed to catch everything I asked for. We went to Franklin Square and the Lily pond and captured tons of photos at the church. I can't wait to see all the photos! We even had a little family drama and she was able to push and pull people out of pictures so quickly that everyone felt they had their shining moment! I can't say enough about Stacey but she was amazing! I will post pictures when they are up and running
Transportation
American Limousines
: B+: They were ontime, and Zeke our driver really went out of his way to make us comfortable. The reason he didn't get an A- he was a little too into himself- he kept coming on the loud speaker and it was just a little much! He did however bring me champagne while I was waiting in the church which could have been trouble but I needed it! Thursday they let us drop off beer and champagne and had it in the limo on ice. It was really great. I def. recommend them!
Church
DeWitt Community Church
A+ Reverend Wooten
C
The church was beautiful. I am catholic and Kevin is Jewish and Christian and they accepted us and welcomed us. Our ceremony was truly about LOVE and not religion and it was perfect. Our Rev. He has trouble speaking and I think that is the reason for the C. It didn't take away from our wedding at all- we were still super happy
Planning
The Events Company- Shannon: A+++++++
WOW is all I can say. I didn't know if I really needed help but I did! She was a "Day of Planner +" Her package cost $1500 and I was really weary about spending that much. My dad says she was worth every cent and thinks she deserved more! I decided to go to Shannon in February. I met with he to get chair covers and she mentioned she did planning. We hit it off and I mentioned I really had everything under control but I was worried about the stuff later down the road. Timing, schedules, contacting everyone, etc. and she reassured me that she would take care of it. That was an understatement!!! She arrived at 12ish and kept the day on time perfectly. I swear everyone says this doesn't happen and it did! She promised I would be at my cocktail hour by 645 and I was! So happy! She would see me touching my hair and be there with a pin. We had some issues come up during the night and she was on it! The room was a dream- she set up the candy buffet and made sure everything looked perfectly. She transported the flowers from the church and pulled the look together. She was PERFECT. I can't express it enough. Our guests loved her and like I said- amazing!!!!
Reception/Accommodations
The Genesee Grande Hotel A+
They were so great to work with. Jamie was our coordinator that helped us get together the events of the day. On the wedding day he wasn't there long but Susan stays all night. She was GREAT! She saw Kevin and I ordered Chicken and Steak and took it upon herself to split our plates so we could have a little of each. The hotel itself was great. Our guests loved the boutiqy feel and the rooms were very comfortable. The food was very good. I rarely hear people say they liked the steak but guests said it could be cut with a fork it was so tender. Cocktail hour was great. I missed the food part but people seemed pleased! The bar: WOW! Kevin and I bartend on the side and we were worried about speed and service. They were great- no one waited! Also, our package came with decent booze and beers but the hotel had 7 kinds of wine, tons of beers- contract says 3 but they have well above that! I found out that Absolute was our vodka so you assume just regular right? NOPE all different flavors and the guests loved that!
PhotoBoothSound Photo Booth A++
Perfect and worth every cent. There was a line all night, we had a guest book made with it. It was the best memory we could have asked for. We woke up the next morning and laughed uncontrollable for hours! People had a blast with it. They came from Rochester and were set up and on time. LOVE!
DJ
Skip Clark Entertainment A++++
Skip did my sisters wedding and that was 7 years ago. My mom insisted on him and I was totally okay with that because I remember having a great time. He exceeded my expectations. The guests loved him and so did we. He kept the flow the night right on. We have a very high energy group and at 1230 (after 6 hours of playing) the dance floor was PACKED and chanting "ONe more Song, One more song" which he happily did for us! Couldn't have been happier with him.
Cake
Sweet Endings Bakeshop A
The design was exactly what I pictured. Simple, preppy, elegant. I had the one bite with my cake cutting but that was it. It tasted good
I wish I had the red velvet because I was dying for it!
A few other notes- My jewelry and hair accessories were from Zelda Zen in Baltimore. Believe it or not my hair flower, earrings and bracelet were all in $120! She also provided all jewls for the bridesmaids! Suits were bought from JoS A Banks for $120 each! They really work with you to find a deal and we have purchased other suits for other weddings and they are always under 150. Ties were from Tie Bar. com and they are all $15. The colors couldn't have matched any better. Check it out! I made a lot of things which really added to the whole room as well (placecards, table numbers, menu cards, programs, various signs, flip flop baskets, bathroom baskets, coozies) My pink shoes were from Zappos and were comfy! Blingy flip flops from Old Navy.
So I think that was it... It was an amazing day and I wouldn't have changed a thing. The weather was PERFECT. We only were hot once and that was for about 5 minutes. The breeze was perfect! I don't know how we had such a great day! I may have left some things out... let me know if I did! Now on to our honeymoon which I will let you know about as well. St Maarten at Le Petit and Anguilla at Cap Juluca. We leave Thursday morning and now I need to get my house in order haha!
