| Ceremony Location - First Presbyterian Church - A- |
| This is where I go to church and I love it. The sanctuary is so naturally beautiful and the rental price is very inexpensive for members. The only downside is they are very strict about photography and videography. No photos once the ceremony starts. Betsy didn't know and went upstairs to take the pics from the balcony; I am eternally grateful to her for it! |
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| Officiant - Dr. Todd Jones - A+ |
| A huge WOW! Todd is the head pastor at the church and we also did our pre-marital counseling with him. The sermon that he gave during the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. The theme was "giving, forgiving, and thanksgiving". He charged us to spread our love to others throughout our life together because we had so much love for each other, it spills over and should be shared with everyone. It was so touching and we will remember it forever. So many people came up to us to tell us that they had written down the words "Giving, Forgiving, Thanksgiving" on their programs so they will always remember what he said. It means so much to me that he was able to touch other people, as well. |
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| Reception Location - Belle Meade Plantation - F |
| A total disaster. Everything was fine leading up to the wedding and the day-of. The week before, they informed us that we would lose our deposit to pay for reseeding of the grass since we had a floor. No problem... until I dropped by a few days after the wedding and they had NOT reseeded anything. My contact then LIED about it. I ended up having to file a report with the BBB and Visa to get my money back. Lying in a business transaction is unacceptable to me. |
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| Caterers - Kates Fine Catering - A+ |
| Um, wow. I asked for melt-in-your-mouth Chilean sea bass, and that is exactly what I got. We did a dual entree of the sea bass and beef tenderloin. I can't tell you how many people said it was the best they'd ever had. Numerous husbands were teasing their wives about the fact that they finally ate all of something. Not too many people can create a sit-down dinner for 250 people and make every plate taste incredible. A real asset. |
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| Cake Creator - Dessert Designs - A+ |
| Holy cow, the cake was absolutely incredible. I had a lot of OOT guests, so most people were unfamiliar with Leland and her incredible cakes. It was made to serve 250 in addition to the groom's cake, bigger than they suggested but I knew it would be a hit. Within minutes, the entire thing was gone. Gone! Haha, no top tier for us! We did each tier in two layers, 1/3 truffle and 2/3 Grand Marnier. Karen was able to rescue one big piece for us to take back to the room. I sat on the couch in my big ball gown and ate the entire thing with my fingers. Oh, heaven. |
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| Florist - Joe Smith at Ilex -A+ |
| All I can say is WOW. When I walked into the sanctuary to see everything, the center arrangement literally took my breath away. It was the most spectacular thing I've ever seen. The next morning, one of the choir members told me that all of the women in the congregation went up to the front to get a closer look. That's never happened before! My first impression of the reception was the exact same. They were exactly what I had in my head as the perfect centerpieces and the color was gorgeous. The bouquets were so saturated in color and were just amazing. I can't say enough good things about them. |
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| Photographer - Betsy Butler Photography - A+ |
| I think my photos speak for themselves! Betsy was amazing in every way. From our engagement pics, to my bridals, to the wedding, she captured "us" in a way I didn't know was possible. I didn't even give her a "must take" list. She's that good! And her albums are to die for. I can't wait to get mine. |
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| Videographer - Andy Cam |
| I have not received my video yet, but on the day-of he was so unobtrusive, I never knew he was there! I can't wait to get my video, everthing else I have seen of his is great. Very reasonably priced, as well. |
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| Musicians - Jared Ashley and the Dirty South Band - A+ |
| Another huge hit. We had to speed up the schedule for the night because people were practically rioting they were so excited about dancing to the band! Jared played great background music during dinner and apparently was totally irresistible to all of the guests. I had people grabbing me and telling me to get my butt on the dance floor and get the first dance over with so they could dance! Haha! We were happy to oblige, and they literally rocked the dance floor all night long. They took one 10-minute break and were right back on. People were flipping out over how great they were. |
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| Transportation - Sedan on Demand - A+ |
| I used to work at BMW of Nashville, so the owner let us borrow a brand new white 750li with cream interior for the wedding, he understood that it was wrong for me to be seen in anything else ;) The driver I hired to drive the BMW was from Sedan on Demand and he was great!! He was right on time, professional, and even made sure that we had stuff (champagne, etc) to take with us back to the hotel. He was also on hand to make any trips to get more alcohol or other errands if we had needed him. Highly recommended. |
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| Invitations - Pendragon - A+ |
| Absolutely breathtaking, I've never seen anything like them before. I'm now obsessed with everything they do and am having them do my personal stationery and transcribe the sermon the minister gave during the ceremony. |
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| Rental Company - T&M Events - B+ |
| This place was great and had everything I needed, they get a B+ though because when we thought we might have to add 500 sq ft to the tent and floor, the price jumped $2k. The floor was already 5,000 sq ft and cost nowhere close to $20k, so I got a little annoyed that they jumped the price that much. It seemed a little fishy to me that we paid up front several months ago and got 10% off and then suddenly things were more expensive. I'm just sayin'... |
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| Tuxedos - b.Hughes Bridal - A+ |
| The boys looked awesome in their tuxes and everything was super easy. They just picked them up on Friday, made any changes, and everything was perfect for Saturday. One less thing for me to worry about during the hectic weekend! |
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| My Dress - Kleinfeld - A+ |
| Dress by Reem Acra. Kleinfeld has been wonderful to work with. They treated me like royalty and fulfilled my every request, no matter how outlandish. My seamstress, Elli, altered by dress so perfectly. Highly recommended. |
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| Bridesmaid Dresses - Vera Wang - B b.Hughes Bridal - A |
| The girls loved their dresses and they all looked gorgeous in them! My only complaint is a Vera Wang issue, not a b.Hughes one. The sizing is absolutely awful. Everyone had to go up at least two sizes and it was a real headache trying to repair my girls' fragile egos and at the same time convince them to order the size they were measured for. I'd just rather not deal with that. Other than that, the ordering process with b.Hughes was simple, they gave me a 10% discount since I had more than 6 girls ordering and everyone looked stunning. The quality was great and everyone plans on wearing theirs again. |
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| Hair Stylist - Shawn Venezia - A+ |
| People told me that I have never looked so beautiful, I had never felt so beautiful! The updo Shawn did for me was so graceful, I didn't want to take it down. I felt like a princess all night. He also did my mom's and sister's hair. |
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| Makeup Artist - Jami Harris at MAC - A+ |
| Again, another person who made me feel like a princess, I paid her to stick around to touch me up right before and after the ceremony and am so glad I did! Not only did she make sure I looked absolutely perfect (I felt like a movie star, she was so attentive and on top of things), but she was so much fun! All of the girls loved her and she fit right in while we were all getting dressed. I danced up a storm and somehow made it to the hotel that night still looking flawless. I wouldn't trust anyone else! |
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| Wedding Coordinator - Karen Kaforey - A+ |
| She is amazing! My wedding was an absolute dream and I owe it all to Karen! Literally not one thing went wrong. Everyone says at least one thing will go wrong and to just be ready for it and not to worry. Not for me! Karen was a total secret weapon and the entire wedding was perfect thanks to her. 100% worth her weight in gold. |
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| Honeymoon Destination - One & Only Palmilla - A+ |
| Wow, a true dream vacation. We did the "Couples Sanctuary" package and it was perfect, which included seven nights, five dinners, all breakfasts and lunches, two spa days, a private cove day, and private transfers. We stayed in a beachfront patio suite. It was incredible. Every employee knew our names and the service was top notch. The food was also incredible. We had so much fun and plan on going back for our five-year anniversary. |
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| Travel Agent - Peggy Knipp at Honeymoons Galore - A+ |
| Peggy was awesome! I changed my mind on the honeymoon four times! She never got impatient with me and was fabulous. She even called ahead to make sure we got THE best room in the resort (it had a bigger patio and garden than the others did!). I'm using her for everything from now on! |
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