Attire
Bridal Mart - A: (Burlington, NC) Sifting through and trying on all of the dresses yourself is a little chaotic, but they had a large selection and terrific prices. My dress came in quickly, about 2 weeks after I ordered it. The one downside is that it did not come with a garment bag.
Delicate Spirits on Ebay - A+: Prompt delivery and a nice veil for the price.
Men's Wearhouse - C-: (Charleston, SC) Although the groomsmen's tuxes had no problems at all, they got the groom's tux wrong 3 times! First the jacket was not the correct size (too large), and the shirt was white instead of Ivory. They tried to tell us the shirt was the correct color, but it was not the color that was shown to the groom when he picked it out. Groom had to go back the next day to pick up the new tux. Next, the shirt that was picked up with the correct jacket was not the correct size (too small). At this point, we asked that they deliver the new shirt to the hotel since we had already gone to the store twice. They did deliver a new shirt, however, it was too long in the sleeves. The groom decided to wear it anyway since we did not have time to get a new shirt.
Sewing Creations by Maura - B-: (Tallahassee, FL) Maura did all the alterations on my dress. She changed the neckline to a sweetheart, which came out great. However, my alterations almost did not get done in time because she was going out of town on the day of our appointment and did not contact me to change our appointment date. Also, the dress was not bustled high enough, so my gown was dragging in the back, and it was not taken in tight enough on the hips.
Save the Date Printing
Vistaprint - B+: The postcards were a little thin, but a good value considering that we got 100 postcards for free with an online coupon.
Day-Of Coordinator
Erin, For the Love of Brides - A: Definitely money well spent for day-of-coordination, especially for brides with a lot of DIY details like me. She set everything, and I mean everything, up at the venue the day before, and she made sure our day was running smoothly.
Wedding Photography
Stacy Howell Photography - A: We did an 8-hour package, and instead of an engagement or bridal portrait session, we got $200 in print credit. Stacy arrived 15 minutes early and stayed until the end of our reception. The pictures turned out great, and we loved that she came up with wonderful ideas for poses and detail shots.
Officiant
Dr. Clarke, Low Country Wedding Minister - A: Very easy to work with and on time for both the rehearsal and ceremony. He did a good job of directing the rehearsal and giving us various options and ideas for the ceremony.
DJ
Anthony Leonard, Versatile Beats Productions - B+: Did a good job of keeping people out on the dance floor. Only downside is that a lot of the songs I requested to be played were played during our dinner, not during the dancing portion of our reception. If I could do it over, I would have specified that I wanted these songs played after the dinner.
Floral
Debi, First Bloom of Charleston - A: Bouquet and bouts looked great and were delivered on time.
Horst Wholesale - A+: Flowers we picked up for our DIY centerpieces were great quality.
Modern Vase and Gift - B+: Our tall cylinder vases were delivered very quickly, and all were intact with the exception of 1 small chip at the top of 1 of the vases.
Linen Rentals
Synder's - A: As far as I know, everything was delivered and picked up on time and looked great.
Hair and Makeup
Lordis Loft Salon and Spa - C-: I was so happy with the way my hair and makeup turned out. However, I had a mani/pedi done there the day before, but the polish bubbled and was chipped by the next day. They re-did my nails, but I feel that I could have done a better job painting them myself. I later found out later that they charged me for doing the polish change. They also overcharged us for some of the bridesmaids' hair (charged us the updo price even though some people only got blow-outs or minor curling) and also claimed that there was 1 extra person there for hair and makeup when there was not (who we were charged for). I called the following week to go over the charges, but the owner seemed very confused and could not give me a breakdown of each service. Finally, I felt like the bridesmaids' makeup was under-done. All in all, I would recommend them for hair if you get an itemized bill, but not makeup.
Rehearsal Dinner
Hyman's Seafood - B+: Food was great, and there was so much that we all left very full! They offer great menu options for large groups with a variety of seafood and chicken, and the managers are very attentive. My groom and I did get completely splattered with cocktail sauce by one of the servers (so much so that it ruined his pants) but we were not offered any compensation. They also forgot that for our dessert that we requested a change in dessert instead of the standard dessert offered with their package, so some of the guests were confused when they did not get what they ordered.
Wedding & Reception Venue
American Theater - A: What a fantastic and unique venue! They also did our food and cupcakes for the wedding, which we got so many compliments on. The only thing that could have been better was our ceremony music, which for some reason their tech guy couldn't get to play even though we had tested it out the day before, and the day of our rehearsal there was a bunch of equipment and supplies in the room which made rehearsing difficult.
Hotels
Embassy Suites - Historic Charleston - A: Great hotel and good location. They also have a free cocktail hour every night and a lot of food options for breakfast.
Best Western Patriots Point - Cannot rate because we did not stay here and haven't received feedback from any guests yet.
Bridal Mart - A: (Burlington, NC) Sifting through and trying on all of the dresses yourself is a little chaotic, but they had a large selection and terrific prices. My dress came in quickly, about 2 weeks after I ordered it. The one downside is that it did not come with a garment bag.
Delicate Spirits on Ebay - A+: Prompt delivery and a nice veil for the price.
Men's Wearhouse - C-: (Charleston, SC) Although the groomsmen's tuxes had no problems at all, they got the groom's tux wrong 3 times! First the jacket was not the correct size (too large), and the shirt was white instead of Ivory. They tried to tell us the shirt was the correct color, but it was not the color that was shown to the groom when he picked it out. Groom had to go back the next day to pick up the new tux. Next, the shirt that was picked up with the correct jacket was not the correct size (too small). At this point, we asked that they deliver the new shirt to the hotel since we had already gone to the store twice. They did deliver a new shirt, however, it was too long in the sleeves. The groom decided to wear it anyway since we did not have time to get a new shirt.
Sewing Creations by Maura - B-: (Tallahassee, FL) Maura did all the alterations on my dress. She changed the neckline to a sweetheart, which came out great. However, my alterations almost did not get done in time because she was going out of town on the day of our appointment and did not contact me to change our appointment date. Also, the dress was not bustled high enough, so my gown was dragging in the back, and it was not taken in tight enough on the hips.
Save the Date Printing
Vistaprint - B+: The postcards were a little thin, but a good value considering that we got 100 postcards for free with an online coupon.
Day-Of Coordinator
Erin, For the Love of Brides - A: Definitely money well spent for day-of-coordination, especially for brides with a lot of DIY details like me. She set everything, and I mean everything, up at the venue the day before, and she made sure our day was running smoothly.
Wedding Photography
Stacy Howell Photography - A: We did an 8-hour package, and instead of an engagement or bridal portrait session, we got $200 in print credit. Stacy arrived 15 minutes early and stayed until the end of our reception. The pictures turned out great, and we loved that she came up with wonderful ideas for poses and detail shots.
Officiant
Dr. Clarke, Low Country Wedding Minister - A: Very easy to work with and on time for both the rehearsal and ceremony. He did a good job of directing the rehearsal and giving us various options and ideas for the ceremony.
DJ
Anthony Leonard, Versatile Beats Productions - B+: Did a good job of keeping people out on the dance floor. Only downside is that a lot of the songs I requested to be played were played during our dinner, not during the dancing portion of our reception. If I could do it over, I would have specified that I wanted these songs played after the dinner.
Floral
Debi, First Bloom of Charleston - A: Bouquet and bouts looked great and were delivered on time.
Horst Wholesale - A+: Flowers we picked up for our DIY centerpieces were great quality.
Modern Vase and Gift - B+: Our tall cylinder vases were delivered very quickly, and all were intact with the exception of 1 small chip at the top of 1 of the vases.
Linen Rentals
Synder's - A: As far as I know, everything was delivered and picked up on time and looked great.
Hair and Makeup
Lordis Loft Salon and Spa - C-: I was so happy with the way my hair and makeup turned out. However, I had a mani/pedi done there the day before, but the polish bubbled and was chipped by the next day. They re-did my nails, but I feel that I could have done a better job painting them myself. I later found out later that they charged me for doing the polish change. They also overcharged us for some of the bridesmaids' hair (charged us the updo price even though some people only got blow-outs or minor curling) and also claimed that there was 1 extra person there for hair and makeup when there was not (who we were charged for). I called the following week to go over the charges, but the owner seemed very confused and could not give me a breakdown of each service. Finally, I felt like the bridesmaids' makeup was under-done. All in all, I would recommend them for hair if you get an itemized bill, but not makeup.
Rehearsal Dinner
Hyman's Seafood - B+: Food was great, and there was so much that we all left very full! They offer great menu options for large groups with a variety of seafood and chicken, and the managers are very attentive. My groom and I did get completely splattered with cocktail sauce by one of the servers (so much so that it ruined his pants) but we were not offered any compensation. They also forgot that for our dessert that we requested a change in dessert instead of the standard dessert offered with their package, so some of the guests were confused when they did not get what they ordered.
Wedding & Reception Venue
American Theater - A: What a fantastic and unique venue! They also did our food and cupcakes for the wedding, which we got so many compliments on. The only thing that could have been better was our ceremony music, which for some reason their tech guy couldn't get to play even though we had tested it out the day before, and the day of our rehearsal there was a bunch of equipment and supplies in the room which made rehearsing difficult.
Hotels
Embassy Suites - Historic Charleston - A: Great hotel and good location. They also have a free cocktail hour every night and a lot of food options for breakfast.
Best Western Patriots Point - Cannot rate because we did not stay here and haven't received feedback from any guests yet.