Wedding Night Accommodations: We had a car pick us up after the reception and take us over to St. Louis for the night. The hotel was very nice, clean and comfortable! I wish we would have had more time to enjoy it! The rooms were a great size. The staff was very kind and helpful. We got in after midnight, and the staff was still pleasant and courteous. The next morning, we were again greeted with very helpful staff. They made checking in and out a breeze, along with getting our car, which had been parked in the lot the morning of the wedding. Overall, I was very pleased with our stay. Again, I wish we could have enjoyed the hotel for a little longer.

We planned our rehearsal dinner for 17th Street BBQ in O’Fallon, IL. The menu was planned, and everything set. The night of the rehearsal, a huge storm hit the area, leaving 17th Street with no power. We learned this at the beginning of our rehearsal. My parents spent the next hour trying to get something else planned. On a Friday night, it was almost impossible, but they were able to find a room at Big Mama’s at the golf course for all of us. And they were willing to have the food ready when we got there! They set up the whole room, a bar and a buffet in about an hour’s time. They were incredibly helpful, kind and accommodating, and they even offered dessert for all of the guests! We were so happy to have a place for everyone, and although it wasn’t what we had originally planned, it turned out perfect. The guests loved the food, and raved about it for the whole weekend. And the best part of all was that we ended up saving money having it at Big Mama’s!

When choosing a venue, we wanted something different from the normal hotel ballroom. We found Bellecourt Manor in Belleville to be a perfect location. The setting is beautiful. There is a ballroom, separate bar, library, sitting room off of the bar, and a sitting room within the women’s restroom. It is a beautiful venue. They offer all inclusive packages, with options for add-ons and upgrades. The owner was at times difficult to get a hold of, but everything was still taken care of. The service the day of was good. My biggest disappointment was that we were not told that the owner would not be overseeing the reception because he was on vacation. We were expecting him there, and it was disappointing to find out that day that he was not there to make sure things run smoothly, as we were led to believe. There was a mistake in the food preparation that wouldn’t have happened had he been in charge. The food was okay, but you could tell there was something missing. All in all, I was pleased with our service, but again it is important to find out who will be overseeing things the day of.

He did a great job! I was so pleased with our photographs! The owner, Bob, was our photographer, and he was with us from about 10am until 9pm that night. He is very laidback and easy to work with. We gave him a list of the shots we wanted about a month in advance, and he made sure that he got everything in. Everyone in the bridal party enjoyed him, because he kept things moving, and didn’t drag the pictures on and on, as some photographers can do. He met me at the Church entrance, and walked in. He was always where we needed him, and we are so pleased with our pictures. When we received our proofs, we had about 900 to go through! I highly recommend Krebs. If you go with Bob, this is one vendor you will not have to stress about. He does a phenomenal job every time!

Amazing! I highly recommend going through Sandals for your honeymoon! The prices are great, and since it is all-inclusive, you save yourself a lot of stress. We had the most wonderful time. Everything was perfect from the moment we stepped off the bus and walked into the lobby. There are so many different options for rooms, that you can make your stay as simple or as luxurious as you like. We chose a suite that shared a private pool with four other suites. We also had our own butlers which made the stay even more wonderful. The only things that are not included are things off of the resort, the spa, some day trips, and anything you purchase in the gift shops. I highly recommend taking some of the day trips and doing a couples massage in the spa, though. You will be glad you spent the extra money. The Grande Ocho Rios was beautiful, and they had so much to do. Activities were planned every night if you wanted to partake, we were able to have a private dinner on our balcony overlooking the ocean, our bed was turned down every night, the fridge was always stocked, and the people are amazing. You will meet some of the most wonderful people who work at the resort! And don’t forget the pool bar – you’ll love it!

Cheryl has been doing my hair for my entire life, so I was thrilled that she would be doing my hair for the wedding. She always does a fabulous job. She worked with me for a couple months before the wedding to get everything just right for the day of. She is very professional, and works very hard at what she does. She also did a great job on my bridesmaids as did her other coworkers. They had juice and pastries for us when we arrived, and they didn’t book any other appointments for that morning, so the salon was ours for a couple of hours. I was so happy with my hair, it was exactly what I wanted. The bridesmaids also commented on how good their hair looked – and they all looked beautiful!

Hotel Block: Our guests were so pleased with their accommodations at the Four Points. The hotel is fairly new, so the rooms are in great condition, and very comfortable. There is also food onsite, as well as a bar. I was very happy with the service I received when getting the block set-up. They were very helpful and accommodating, and made everything very easy for me. I also did not hear of any problems with reservations. As soon as our block filled, they called to let me know, and automatically opened up more rooms for our guests. We also had gifts for all of our guests, and they were very helpful. They passed out the gifts to all of the guests upon arrival, and took all of the stress off of myself and my husband. The gifts all had the names of specific people, and they still made certain that everyone received the correct bag. I was very pleased with every aspect of this hotel, and my family continues to stay there when they are in the area to visit.

Dixie Express is a band that has been around for over 25 years. They specialize in country music, but they cover all of the wedding classics as well. They were a little difficult to get a hold of, but they are true professionals and it all worked out fine. If you have the opportunity to have a band, I highly recommend it. Dixie Express had all of our guests up and dancing, and some even went up on the stage and sang and danced with the band. It was a great time, and really set our reception apart from so many others that everyone has been to. The band even accommodated our request for an early setup, so they weren’t traipsing through the hall during dinner. They really made the night special.

You cannot find a more beautiful church in Southern Illinois than the Cathedral. It was amazing to be married there, as the architecture and beauty is absolutely stunning. We barely needed any decorations. We only had two flower arrangements in front, a potted hydrangea in front of the altar, and an aisle runner. It was absolutely magnificent. It was a little costly, because we were not members of the parish at the time. Our priest was wonderful, although he has been relocated. The only problem was that there was no on-site wedding coordinator for the church, so many things we had to figure out for ourselves. This made it a little more difficult to get everything planned out, but the end result was well worth the extra work. The Cathedral is the perfect backdrop for a Catholic ceremony. It will leave all of your guests in awe. We also were lucky enough to have the Cathedral Men’s Choir sing for the ceremony, which made it all come together perfectly.

After looking through the cakes that Patty Cakes had previously done, I was certain they would do a great job for my wedding. We wanted a very simple recreation of a Martha Stewart cake. It was a simple cake – 3 tiers of square cakes with the corners cut off, a simple monogram and a fresh flower bouquet with a satin ribbon cascading down the side of the cake. Unfortunately, Pat – the owner, was not overseeing our cake. She was out of town. The icing was crusty, the flavor selections we had made and paid for, were incorrect. The fillings we paid for were completely missing. It was very disappointing that there were so many problems with such a simple cake. The cake was fine, but it was not nearly as delicious as we had expected. We had tasted the cakes, and they were delicious, but without the fillings, they were dry and disappointing. I believe if the owner had been overseeing our cake, it would have been much nicer than what we ended up with.