VENUE
Texas Discovery Gardens: Fairpark, Dallas, TX
TDG is actually on the fair grounds for the State Fair of Texas. I loved how we had the place to ourselves and how the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception were all in one place. It was the perfect size for 150-200 guests – cozy, but never cramped. I would also deem it appropriately priced for what you get. You can rent round tables and chairs from them, which we did … but we also supplemented with another company for the cocktail tables, etc. I did have to convince them to mow the grass after seeing the gardens at the rehearsal. And, they never did get the reception hall cooled down, even after I specifically warned them about the A/C. But those were the only two snags. Highly recommended – just be involved and speak up when you need them to fix/change something.
REHEARSAL DINNER VENUE
Old Mill Inn: Fairpark, Dallas, TX
Wow, this place was wonderful! We walked there from our rehearsal and enjoyed chicken fried chicken, veggies, casseroles and cobbler. It’s a warm, cozy room with a big fireplace and (strangely enough, but to the delight of my grandmother) the home of a very realistic Elvis statue. The wait staff was the friendliest, most attentive I have ever seen, too. Fabulous!
WEDDING PLANNER
Becca Coile: A Stylish Soiree
This girl is amazing!! Becca is professional, organized and on top of things. She is also really fun to work with. Our communication was almost solely via email (I didn’t even meet her until four months after we hired her) but she always seemed to get my ideas and give good suggestions for how to realistically carry them off. IShe worked her tail off for us and was worth every penny. Heck, she even gave me her shoes at the reception when mine were killing my feet! Hiring her was the best decision we made in all of our planning and I can’t imagine us pulling any of this off without her.
FLOWERS
Kerrie: A Stylish Soiree
Kerrie is Becca’s business partner at A Stylish Soiree. We honestly kind of hired her by default when we hired Becca. I’m so glad that we did though because she did an incredible job. Our flowers were all beautiful and in great shape. The bouquets were incredible. Everything was just gorgeous. Kerrie also has a landscape background and helped map our ceremony set-up so it would fit the lawn. She worked her tail off and stayed for the entire wedding/reception bringing us food and taking care of other logistics, too. If you hire Becca, you NEED Kerrie, too!
PHOTOGRAPHY
Janelle & Jeff Lowrance: Engaged Studio
I will preface this by letting you know that we searched for three months for a photographer. I had just about given up when I came across Janelle’s website. How I had missed it in the 50+ others I looked up, I don’t know. She and her husband, Jeff, shoot together and their style is fabulous, they are fun to work with, and they give excellent customer service. Janelle had our edited wedding photos back in two weeks. Plus, their package includes ownership of the digital negatives, a good number of prints and a custom album. Double our budget and worth every penny.
CEREMONY MUSIC
Zeke Dorr: New River Fellowship
I fell in love with Monk & Neagle’s music last summer (while searching websites for photographers). Long, funny story … but Michael Neagle happens to be one of Brandon’s old family friends. He agreed to play our wedding, but had to cancel when they finished their album early and were invited to tour the East Coast (congrats, guys!!). Zeke Dorr stepped up to the plate, learned all of our music in just a few weeks, and did a fabulous job playing our ceremony. We were blessed by his talent and wish him and his fiancé all the best as they marry this summer!!
D.J. (& gobo)
Seth Hoisington: Dallas Rhythms
Seth was one of only two D.J.’s we interviewed. We had originally wanted a band and were very leery of hiring a D.J., so we told Becca we would take a look at the two best ones she knew. We knew instantly that Seth was the perfect fit for our personalities. He is classy, not cheesy, was excited about our music selection, and has a huge book you have to fill out (yay, organization!) so he knows exactly how to tailor his work for your wedding. He also did our amazing custom GOBO. This guy is a great choice!!
CAKE
Delicious Cakes: Addison, TX
We saw some incredible pieces of edible art during our cake testing appointments, but Delicious Cakes won due to taste (that’s what is important, right??) They do not freeze their cakes and we couldn’t help but finish off every sample they gave us. I would give them a B+ on design. However, their prices were so much more reasonable than the other vendors we looked at. And, it’s a cake after all – it just gets eaten. I’m not sure I would have used them if I was doing a fondant, intricate cake – but for butter cream, they are awesome!
CATERING
Extreme Cuisine Catering: Denton, TX
I was unsure of using this vendor and wouldn’t have chosen them except for Becca’s promise that they were great. I’m glad we did though, because the food and presentation were wonderful and they did a great job. We made it hard on them … choosing a very odd combination of foods, in tough conditions (inside and outside stations), and with specific recipes to follow for certain items. They were excited to work with us and accommodated every request. Only snags – no ice in the tea, and a small issue with the bartender. Both easy to resolve, though.
INVITATIONS & THANK YOU NOTES
We designed and printed our invitations ourselves. I have to give Brandon some major credit here, too. While I primarily did the design, he took care of all the printing issues and made them a reality. The envelopes were a string & button envelope from PaperZone and the paper is Eames Furniture Weave. We printed them on our HP inkjet printer and had Kinkos cut them. We saved so much money this way and while it was a ton of work, I’m glad we did it. As for Paper Zone, I am no longer a fan. We had major issues with them from an inventory and a customer service standpoint. Thank you notes were a very simple ivory card and envelope. We used a circular stamp that read “thank you” and stamped them with green ink. All supplied from PaperZone.
MENU CARDS & PROGRAMS
We found all the paper we needed for these at Staples for $30!! Ribbon was found at Joann’s and we used a Curvy Cutter (again, huge customer service issues) from Paper Zone. FYI – you can buy these at Target now. It took hours of work to cut all those circles, but we loved the end result. Oh, and all printing was done on our HP, as well.
LINENS
BBJ Linens: Dallas, TX
Beware!! I insisted on having the black and white print tablecloths from BBJ, and after shopping around for green linens, decided to do everything through them. Becca called me at the salon the morning of the wedding and said she had a problem with BBJ, and had been on the phone for hours trying to fix it. We ordered apple bengaline linens, and they shipped citron lamour linens (which clashed with everything). They weren’t going to fix it, but Becca basically made them give us apple lamour linens from another event. At least we got them for free. For the amount of money they charge – this company should have got it right!
LOUNGE FURNITURE
Suite 206: Dallas, TX
We used this company for the lounge benches and stools. I never really worked with them directly, but their furniture was in great shape and everyone loved it. Good price considering how difficult it is to find the lounge furniture, too.
WINE
We hand selected Oregon and Washington wines during our last few weeks in Portland, and then brought it with us to Texas. Wild Oats had by far the best prices and selection. Plus, their Northwest wines were all grouped together. We tried to pick wine at Trader Joe’s a few times, but it was so crowded and disorganized. Wild Oats basically assigned two store employees to us and we went to town. Our all time favorite wine is Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling. Funny enough, Target had the best price on it … so we loaded up and endured the stares.
FAVORS
Fairlight Bakery: Vancouver, WA
Brandon and I discovered this bakery because a sandwich shop we frequent carries their cookies. They were really helpful, offered a wholesale price ($200 for 18 dozen cookies, including shipping!) and shipped all of our cookies to Texas the week before the wedding. I love the cute labels and the cookies are SO good. Favorite flavors: Vanilla Frosted Sugar & Ginger Spice.
HAIR & MAKE-UP
Kelly Espinoza: Haute Facade
Poor Kelly got to see the worst side of me. I had already been through a bad hair and make-up trial and was basically forced to choose someone and stick with it. I was a nervous wreck and was by that point being very picky! She did a trial, and another one the week of my wedding to ensure we could get it right. Then she did all of my bridesmaids, my hair and my make-up on the morning of the wedding. I ended up loving the work she did, and she has a cute studio in uptown that is perfect for the morning of the wedding. She was a little out of my budget, but I was honest with her about it and she worked with me. I debated doing my own make-up, but after seeing the photos, I’m so glad that I chose Kelly. She also has a business partner, Stephanie, who is also supposed to be really great. Thanks Kelly!
BRIDE'S ATTIRE
Dress: Anna’s Bridal, Portland, OR
Shoes: Nordstrom, Chinese Laundry
Brooch: One of a kind from an antique store on the Oregon coast.
Earrings: From a little boutique somewhere in Dallas.
Veil: Made by Kathi @ Kathi’s Stitchery, Gresham, OR
Lingerie: Just Like A Woman, Portland, OR
I loved my Casablanca (1825) dress and have no complaints about that company. I also have no real complaints about Anna’s Bridal. I have to admit though, of the 6-7 bridal shops I visited, Anna’s was not the best customer service I received. No complaints, dress arrived on time, etc. but not necessarily deserving a ‘rave’.
Just Like A Woman was where I purchased by lingerie. I would highly recommend this to any Portland woman for wedding lingerie, or even just bras and panties. The girl I worked with was super nice and made me feel very comfortable. It was quite the chore finding something for my dress, and she worked hard to get me squared away. They also have really good double-sided tape called Matchsticks.
ALTERATIONS
Kathi’s Stitchery: Gresham, OR
Wow, do I love this woman. All the Portland knotties rave about her and after spending hours at her home, I know why. On my first fitting, she greeted me with a big hug and reassured me that I would not be getting my dress back until it was perfect. Little did she know that would not be 3 fittings later … but more like 6. She made my dress fit, made me a perfect veil and sold me my crinoline. With my mom 2000 miles away, she was also a bit of a surrogate mom those last few stressful weeks. I cannot recommend her enough!
BRIDESMAID'S ATTIRE
Banana Republic: Fall 2006
Earrings: various styles from the 1825 collection at JCPenney.
I would highly recommend buying bridesmaid dresses from a store like Banana Republic. Some of my girls were even able to pick their dresses up in the New Year’s clearance … and they’ll all be wearing them again. The runner up was from Spiegel – that is a great place to check, too.
GROOM & GROOMSMEN'S ATTIRE
One of a Kind Formals: Duncanville, TX
This is another vendor that I have zero complaints about, but really didn’t work with enough to rave about them. We ordered Jim’s Formalwear black business suits (a little last minute), the guys got them and they made them fit. They did their job well and everyone looked very nice. No hesitations on recommending them, and best price for black suits that we found.
BRIDE & GROOM HOTEL
Hotel Lumen: Dallas, TX
We love this hotel and our room was amazing. Very modern. Excellent walk in shower with Aveda products! J Super comfy beds with fabulous sheets. Small and personal feeling.
GUEST HOTELS
Hotel Lawrence & Marriott Suites at Market Center
Hotel Lawrence was a disaster. My poor parents stayed there and ended up having the manager comp their room the next morning. My mom got stuck in the elevator on the way to the wedding and the customer service was ridiculous. It was just an all around bad experience.
The Marriott Suites, on the other hand, were wonderful. They were also the cheaper of the two hotels. Gorgeous rooms (especially the suites), great bar/lobby, indoor pool and friendly staff. I wish we had put everyone at this hotel.
BRIDE'S RING
Setting: La Rog's, Portland
Diamond is a family heirloom
Beautiful setting at an appropriate price, good customer service for checking stones and cleaning, and a convenient location at Washington Square.
GROOM'S RING
Shane & Co., Portland
Best price in town for a carbide, tungsten ring and it includes a lifetime replacement warranty for damage or re-sizing.
PARENT GIFTS
Calloway's Nursery in Duncanville, TX
Japanese Maples:
This gift was a hit and Calloway’s always has great stuff.
ADVICE
The most important part of your wedding day is not your dress, the appetizers, the weather or what Aunt Suzy thought of your invitations. The most important part is that you get to marry the love of your life. It’s easy to forget that when you have a million plans and ideas and to-do lists running around in your head. Remind yourself daily what all the fuss is really about.
With that being said, only do things that are important to you. We didn’t toss the bouquet or retrieve a garter (I didn’t even wear one). We skipped the eighteen million varieties of parent and bridal party dances. We didn’t do a sand ceremony or a unity candle. We just chose to only do things that were special to us. Our guests commented over and over to our parents about how the whole night just “felt like us”.
Things will go wrong. Get used to that idea now. Oh, and weddings bring out family drama so get ready for that, too. You just have to take a breath and move on.
Write your own ceremony. It was THE most difficult thing we did in all of our planning, but our pastor didn’t give us a choice. I’m so glad that we did. Every word was special and meaningful and perfect for us.
If you can work it into your budget, get a wedding coordinator. I enjoyed my wedding because I didn't have a to-do list that day. I didn't have to direct the rehearsal or come up with the rain plan. When my bustle broke, she fixed it. I didn't get a massage or even a manicure. Hiring Becca was how I pampered myself!
I highly suggest the bride and groom seeing each other before the wedding. I know this is personal for everyone, but it was such a great decision for us. I had a special moment with Brandon, but then we got to get all the formal photos out of the way. Our wedding party also ended up cramming into the bride’s room (the coldest room in the whole building) for a half hour before the ceremony. We opened a bottle of wine, and had a toast and a good laugh. That was a great moment with our friends and I’m so glad we got to share it together.
Wear tennis shoes (or Crocs) for your reception. At least take them with you. My cute flats ended up being the most painful, torturous pair of shoes I ever owned.