The Hilton Garden Inn was the perfect place to spend the night after our waterfront Eastern Shore wedding. The rooms are clean, spacious, and comfortable with water views of the Bay. We opted for a room with the oversized Jacuzzi tub to relax in after dancing the night away. The hotel is right next to the Jetty, so we had our “after-party” at the Jetty and just walked over to our room afterwards – very convenient. In the morning, there was a full scale brunch that was fresh and delicious. The hotel is fairly new – opened in 2005 – and is well-run by a friendly staff.

We had higher hopes and were a little disappointed… The Kentmoor is basically a waterfront casual crab house and restaurant in Stevensville. The menu is very simple and basic (read: inexpensive) and when we toured the restaurant we envisioned our rehearsal dinner being a breezy, seafood-infused affair with Eastern Shore simplicity. On the night of our rehearsal diner we weren’t prepared for how crowded it was in the restaurant and that we would not have a blocked off area for our party. We were jostled amoung the Friday night happy hour crowd and couldn’t hear each other talk (and make toasts). The restaurant was not as clean as I would have liked and the service was just OK. I found myself regretting our choice halfway through the rehearsal dinner & wishing we had gone with Hemingway’s instead. The food was good however, and any crab dish they offered was great, but it didn’t make up for the other negative aspects for us.

Wedding on the water for the budget-conscious… We chose the Kent Island Yacht Club after falling in love with the venues along the Eastern Shore waterfront that all turned out to be budget-busters. The KIYC is in the Kent Narrows, across from Oyster Cove and the Jetty, so lodging and post-wedding activities were a hop, skip and a jump away. The KIYC was extremely reasonable in price, although a little plain and the banquet room is not fancy at all. We were fine with this, as our ceremony was planned for outside, on the water and we had a very tight budget to work with. The waterfront area behind the club is expansive, and perfect to set up a trellis with the Chesapeake Bay in the background, which we thought was just as good a view (if not better) than that of the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club. You can also set up a tent on the grounds or utilize their pavilion. The food and drink prices were the most reasonable we found, and we were able to stay well within our budget and still remain happy with our choice. The only downside (in some people’s view) to having the reception at KIYC is that they do not close down the member’s area of the bar durig your reception, so your guests are potentially mingling with members. For us, this was a non-issue, because the members were so nice and friendly – the more the merrier. Overall, we were pleased with our experience and so was our pocketbook! www.kiyc.org

Out of all the vendors we hired for our wedding, Larry was our absolute favorite! Since our wedding, we have recommended him to several of our friends who have hired him as well and have had the same outstanding results – breathtakingly gorgeous photos at a great price and a photographer who is professional, extremely talented and reliable. Larry has a good eye for light and perspective, and was so creative with his shots especially the outdoor photos. We opted for the package that includes the free engagement photo session, which was the deal of the century…. We received 200 beautiful shots of us on the beach with the sunset in the background that turned out to be such works of art – we receive so many compliments on our pictures and inquiry on who the photographer was. Larry made us feel very comfortable in front of the lens during the engagement session and took his time getting to know us and asking about our family and friends. One thing that impressed me so much about him was that he remembered every person’s name and details about them from our descriptions that on the wedding day our bridal party was totally amazed… Other photographers tell people where to stand by using terms such as “mother of the bride” and “bridesmaid with the dark hair”… Larry remembers and uses each and every person’s name, getting it right every time which makes the experience feel so much more personal and enjoyable. The week after the wedding, our proofs were offered online and looked stunning. You will not go wrong if you hire Larry. We were 100% impressed and totally satisfied! He is awesome! www.larryhuffmanweddings.com

We were attracted to Saxon’s because it is family-owned and operated, and very approachable. My husband and I were turned off by the big commercial retailers that didn’t seem to care what type of ring we went with, as long as we bought something, anything. Saxon’s does not operate from this mentality at all. Walking into either of the two Saxon’s locations (Bel Air and Aberdeen), you don’t feel the hard-sell pressure that you typically feel while shopping for a diamond. The staff is extremely attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. They did not try to upsell us in any way, and really listened to what we were looking for, showing us all available options. We walked in with a drawing of generally what we wanted and the staff helped us to “create” the ring that best matched our needs. When we shopped for wedding bands, it was a no-brainer to go right back to Saxon’s, as we had such a positive experience with them. It was such a great experience. We were so happy with the service there, and would recommend them highly. www.saxonsdiamondcenters.com

Outstanding in every way – except cost. If you want to know what it is like to live like a celebrity (and possibly spot one during your visit!), then Le Montrose is for you! We splurged a little on the lodging for our honeymoon to Los Angeles, but it was well worth the cost. Le Montrose is a quaint, all-suite boutique hotel tucked away in a residential area one block from Sunset Strip. You can walk to so many places from the hotel, saving you on the oodles of $$ you would have spent on valet parking at all local restaurants. Upon check-in, you are offered a fruit arrangement and bottled water, as well as a plush spa robe and slippers. The rooms are very hip, and there is nothing “corporate” about them – it feels like you are sleeping in the guest room of someone’s designer home. The staff is very discreet and behind the scenes, which is why celebs often stay there. We hung out a lot at the rooftop pool, relaxing in the cabanas and on the to-die-for-soft lounge chairs. The website for Le Montrose is: www.lemontrose.com. There are travel deals on the website that make the price a little more bearable!

You get what you pay for… This hotel was the closest to our reception venue and was the least expensive of the options within the Kent Narrows area. Good points are: the hotel has a pool and a Jacuzzi for guests to use, and offers a continental breakfast in the morning. Bad points are: some guests reported that the rooms smelled a little musty and did not like the “motel” feel to the outdoor-access rooms. But then again, it was cheap and you really do get what you pay for. Overall, our impression was neutral on the hotel – nothing spectacular, nothing horrible. (Guest Lodging- Hotel Block)

We used Chesapeake Chocolates to create and assemble our wedding favors, which were engraved crab mallets with a chocolate crab attached by a decorative ribbon (Eastern Shore/ beach themed wedding). These chocolate crabs are one of their specialties, and you can buy them individually or by the bushel. They are adorable and delicious – a wonderful store and pleasant staff, located in Stevensville and on the web at: www.chesapeakechocolates.com to see (and taste) for yourself.

I cannot praise Peace of Cake enough – they are by and large THE BEST for cakes that you will find in the area. Kirsten, the owner of this quaint gem in Stevensville, is the creative genius behind the delicious cakes and petit fours. Stop in for a complimentary tasting and you will immediately see for yourself. The kitchen staff is well-run, very organized and extremely accommodating to any requests made. For our beach-themed wedding, I ordered a 3 tiered cake with white chocolate seashells and coral accents. Each tier was a different flavor – melt in your mouth delicious – and after the wedding several guests asked for the name and number of this vendor. We loved Peace of Cake so much that we now order cakes from them for all of our special occasions, birthday parties, baby showers, bridal showers for friends/family, retirement parties. For each party, we have discussed the overall theme we were going for and Kirsten has come up with the cake décor to match perfectly. Peace of Cake has VERY reasonable pricing and are a complete joy to work with! Their website is: www.peaceofcake.info/

Elegant Touch, located in the heart of Bel Air, is an easily accessible and trustworthy source for not only wedding gown and bridesmaid dress alterations, but also has a wide selection for tuxedo/ flower girl/ mother of the bride as well (purchase and rental). The staff was friendly, informative, and completed the dress alterations on time, even with a tight time schedule. My wedding dress was in absolutely perfect condition after the alterations! My bridesmaids also used Elegant Touch for alterations to their dresses as well, having cups sewn into the bodice. They had the same positive experience with Elegant Touch, and all of us would return for any other formal wear needs.