I got married in Raleigh on May 8th, 2010. I loved my vendors and I hope this post will help some of you who are still early in the planning stages
I'm big on "word of mouth" & I found out about a TON of the vendors that I ended up using on this very board! Please let me know if you have any questions.
Their catering managers were easy to work with and the wait staff was excellent. The food was delicious and the private room was just perfect! http://www.cafeluna.com/
Venue (Ceremony & Reception): The Pavilions at Angus Barn, Raleigh (A)
We had a beautiful outdoor ceremony by the lake, and the reception was held under the pavilion. Food, wait staff, linens, dishes, flatware, tables/chairs, (even centerpieces if you want to use theirs) are included, which made things VERY simple. The food was absolutely AMAZING and their staff worked with my family/friends to decorate the Pavilion exactly like I wanted it. I was a bit upset when I found out (a week before the wedding) that the lady who I had worked with throughout the planning process was not going to be present on my big day, but her replacement was super nice and really eased my mind.
http://www.thepavilionsattheangusbarn.com/
Photography: Kellie Kano Photography, Greensboro (A++)
I really loved all of my vendors, but Kellie was THE BEST. She is super-talented and she has a great heart. She's going to blog our pictures and reveal our online gallery on Monday and I absolutely cannot WAIT! I'm not going to lie....I spent a small fortune to have her for our wedding day, but she was worth EVERY SINGLE CENT. Her images speak for themselves.
http://kelliekanophotography.com/
Flowers: Lyn Graves with Fresh Affairs, Raleigh (A+)
Lyn is fabulous. Our peony table centerpieces were one of my favorite parts of the wedding. He knows what he's doing and he's SO experienced.
http://www.freshaffairs.com/
Cake: Ashley Lattier with Ashley Cakes, Raleigh (A++)
Josh & Ashley are an adorable, super sweet young married couple. My DH and I loved their flavors so much that we had TWO tastings with them. At our second tasting, Ashley accidentally forgot to bring a flavor that we had requested, so she hand-delivered it to our house a few days later.
I had a very specific vision about what our cake(s) would look like (we had 3), and they absolutely nailed it. The cake was moist & delicious, but it was absolutely gorgeous, too. We had tastings with 2 other well-known bakeries, but we chose Ashley Cakes for their personality, flavor, and amazing prices. I cannot recommend them enough!
http://www.ashleycakes.com/
Videography: Keith with KA Studios, Charlotte (A+ but haven't seen the DVD yet)
I'll do another quick review of KA Studios after we receive our DVD, but so far we have been VERY pleased. Keith responds to my emails very quickly, and he worked so hard on our wedding day. I would see him filming something one minute, and the next thing I knew, he was across the room filming something else! The last thing I saw as we rode away in the limo was Keith RUNNING AS FAST AS HE COULD across the parking lot to get a final shot of our "getaway."
http://www.kastudiosonline.com/index2.php?v=v1
Dress: Pearl's Place, Louisiana (A++)
I fell in love with a dress (Wtoo "Maria" Style 1008) at a boutique in Raleigh. I figured out what size I would need, and ordered it over the phone from Pearl's Place. I saved about $200, received the dress SEVERAL WEEKS earlier than I would have if I had ordered it from the Raleigh store, and only paid $12 shipping from LA to NC. The dress was in perfect condition. They even called me to let me know that the dress and the sash were mailed separately and would be in different boxes, so I wouldn't worry if one arrived without the other. I highly recommend Pearl's Place!
http://www.pearlsplace.com/
Alterations: Olga Samarskaya, Cary (A++)
Olga is outstanding! She took my dress in several inches, added bustle points, added bra cups, and changed the "straight across" strapless to a "sexy V-shape" in the back. I loved that she added a tiny blue bow underneath as my "something blue." She is super affordable and super nice. Highly recommend! (919) 462-9472
BM Dresses: David's Bridal (A+)
The girls loved their dresses. They were super cute and comfortable and they can easily be worn again in the future. They arrived in a timely manner and David's steamed them a few days before the wedding for free.
www.davidsbridal.com
Groom/Best Man's Suits: Kohl's (A+)
The guys loved their khaki suits. DH bought his when it was on sale, AND we used one of their 15% coupons, AND got free shipping. It was an amazing price and the quality was excellent. He looked super handsome
www.kohls.com
Ties: The Tie Bar & Hudson Belk - The Men's Store (Crabtree Valley Mall) (A+)
The Tie Bar is an online store. It's very easy to browse on their site. All ties are $16 and I think shipping was about $6. They have TONS of color combinations. I found DH's tie at The Men's Store for about the same price as the other ties. They have an amazing selection.
http://www.thetiebar.com/
Make-Up: Make-Up Art by Jenny - Jenny Raele (A+)
Jenny was awesome! She really listened to my thoughts about my make-up, and she made me & my ladies look beautiful! She uses high quality products that are made for people who will be photographed.
http://www.make-upartbyjenny.com/
String Trio: NC Strings, Raleigh (A+)
We had 2 violins and a cello. Our trio was fabulous! They did a great job despite the fact that the crazy wind was blowing their hair all over the place and their giant umbrella was tipping sideways. One of my family members said having them there really added "a touch of class," which is exactly what I wanted. Molly was super nice, and she played a ton of songs for me during our consultation until I was completely happy with the songs I had chosen.
Graphic Design: Melissa Spivey with Graphically Inclined Design, SC (A++)
I loved working with Melissa. She is located in South Carolina, so we communicated through emails. She designed our reserved signs, Bride/Groom signs for the head table, and a sign for our cake flavors. She listened to what I had in mind (a design that would flow with our invitations), and then created several different versions until I was completely satisfied. She worked very quickly, and she was so affordable. She emailed me the files, and I had them printed at Office Max.
http://www.graphicallyinclineddesign.com/
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas (A+)
Perfect. Absolutely Perfect. I am so glad we decided to buy our invitations through WPD instead of attempting to DIY. They had the perfect invitation with our exact colors, and we played around the fonts/wording to make it our own. They arrived quickly and had excellent customer service. Highly recommend -- Well worth the $$!
www.weddingpaperdivas.com
Rose Petals: Petal Garden (A+)
We ordered freeze-dried petals for our "petal toss." I almost waited too late to order these, but they arrived just in time! The customer service department even emailed me to assure me that they would arrive in time for our wedding. They have a great selection of different colors. I also really loved their "calculator" on the website that helps you determine how many cups of petals you will need.
http://www.petalgarden.com/
Linen Rentals: CE Rental, Raleigh (A+)
They were easy to work with, and they have SUCH a huge selection of colors/sizes! We found the perfect shade of fuchsia and were so pleased!
http://www.cerental.com/