Hey knotties! I wanted to post my reviews to help you all in your planning because other people’s reviews gave me lots of good information and ideas. They will be long, and I will admit ahead of time despite any hiccups our wedding day was absolutely perfect! We had so much fun... it was the best day ever and nearly all of our guests said their New Orleans vacation was the best week they'd had in a long time. Here goes:
Invitations- Style on a Budget A+
We got stunning custom-designed invites at a fabulous price- exactly what we were looking for, and Amber is great to work with. www.styleonabudget.com
Calligraphy- This was probably my favorite DIY project and I loved the results, plus it’s a skill I’ll always have now. Michaels for supplies.
Dress- Pearl’s Place: Alterations C, Service A
That pretty much says it all. I LOVE my dress, the salespeople are really nice but the alterations are only available at specific (inconvenient) times, it took me 4 times coming in during the day all in all. If you alter here, prepare to wait a lot.
Tuxedos- Men’s Warehouse
Service- A. Convenient and simple. But, they have VERY few options in each color. If I’d known I would have had the guys shop around a few more places. My guy looked smoking but the GM tuxes were just a tad bit goofy. Luckily they rocked them proudly!
Veil and jewelry- Wedding Belles A+
If you are looking for a veil that is under $300, go here! I honestly had more trouble finding a veil than the dress, and I was sooo happy to finally find the perfect one here (6 wks before the wedding at that, and it came in 2 wks later). The staff is so wonderful.
Photographer- Kristin Basilica (through Photography Shoppe) B+
I loved working with Kristin- she is really talented, took amazing engagement & post-bridal shots and was great to have around on the wedding day. I’m sure she did a great job capturing everything- only problem- it’s been a month and still no wedding pics yet!! *Note- if you book photography shoppe (great value packages) they will try to just assign you any photographer. Do your research and check out blogs/ work of specific photogs to find one you like and request them, or you could end up with a different person for engagements and day of.
Flowers- Christina O’Malley A++
One of my favorite vendors. I was not a flower person till I met Christina, who put my mind at ease. Her centerpieces were EXACTLY what I had dreamed of, and our bouquets were beautiful- she took a sparse metal arch and turned it into a beautiful rose garden setting. Absolutely terrific.
DJ- David Storm with Omega Sound C-
If I could undo one vendor, it would be him. When it comes down to it, all DJs do basically the same thing (esp. with request lists, etc- you are really the one setting the mood for your event). He didn’t show up day of, sent a replacement, but never bothered to let me know he couldn’t make it. Replacement did not play 7 of the 17 songs on our “must play” list, which DH had worked really hard on.
Officiant- John Zimmer- C
Rev. Zimmer would be great for a bride looking for a very quick ceremony. We wanted something a bit longer (I had never considered 35 minutes “long”, but according to him that’s too long for a wedding). He booked another wedding an hour after ours and told us at our Rehearsal we couldn’t have as long a ceremony as we’d planned. (after a meeting and several emails all confirming the length). Also said we should just do the paperwork then since he would not be around for 5 min. after the ceremony (which we were extremely opposed to- we wanted marriage & marriage celebration to be the same day). Luckily- DH and I put a lot of work into that “long” ceremony and it was incredibly meaningful to us and guests- tears and smiles galore. We filed our own marriage paperwork and it ended up fine.
Ceremony Music- Harry Hardin A+
FABULOUS! Harry played violin for our ceremony and he was amazing. Great classical music and he even did a Boston song for our exit.
Also had a friend sing for our ceremony who was simply amazing.
Venue- Embassy Suites A-
Delicious food, beautiful rooms, great service. Their new event coordinator (Magalie) is not great but if you deal with the other people in the hotel they more than make up for her. We are very happy we choose ES because they were really flexible since they don’t do a lot of weddings. Some other places we looked at seemed too “packagy.”
Cakes- Swiss- B--, Haydels- A
I suppose most brides go for the pretty wedding cake and the yummy grooms cake, but we switched those. The wedding cake tasted AMAZING but looked like crap, and the grooms cake was spectacular looking (exactly like the picture I gave them, and tasted good). We knew what to expect with Swiss but I assumed their cake would be a bit prettier- luckily DH and I are not cake people so we did not really care at all. Depends if you prefer taste or looks I guess, and we went taste, which we definitely got.
Favors- Promo Ad Specialties
DH works for a company that we got bottle coozies through, they were awesome! Also, theknot matchbooks.
BM luncheon- supposed to be commander’s palace and martini specials but ended up being a whole foods picnic at City Park due to some bachelorette party hangovers 
Picnic was a wonderful way to spend the day.
Hotel blocks- Ambassador and Embassy Suites - A
Both in the CBD, great to work with. Ambassador doesn’t hold you responsible for rooms that aren’t picked up which was uncommon and appreciated.
Linens- Elegant Presentations A
They mailed them in, we mailed them out, really no-hassle and worth the money we saved off using a local company.
Hair & Makeup- 2 Sisters Hair and Makeup
Not going to give a grade since I feel they were two completely different things. My hair came out beautifully (though different from the trial) but none of the ladies were at all impressed with the makeup. I could have done much better myself. IMO if it doesn’t look great it’s not worth having a pro come do it.
Odds and Ends- papermart.com and Michaels! Very useful!
Rehearsal Dinner- The Palace Café A-
They double booked the private room we reserved, which sucked, but they made it up to us in the end with several nice offers. The service was AMAZING, the food is beyond delicious, and it was just a wonderful place to celebrate. Plus we got to meet Dickie Brennan!
Day after brunch- Crawfish boil at the levee! Awesome!!
Last but certainly not least- the honeymoon! Sandals in Antigua- A++++++++
It was nine days in paradise. I cannot begin to explain how wonderful it was- pure relaxation after all this planning! I really did enjoy everything though and wish I could relive the wedding day again- can’t wait for photos! 
GOOD LUCK LADIES! Have fun with the planning!