We actually had Olive Garden cater our rehearsal dinner, which my in-laws hosted. The food was excellent and there was plenty to go around.

They were great! They usually have a deal going, where if you rent a certain number of tuxedos, you get one free. It worked out well, because we didn’t have to pay for the groom’s tux, which helped out a lot on the wedding budget.

We purchased our rings from Helzberg and love them. They are great quality for a decent price.

Our wedding being around the holidays, I was worried that we’d be unable to set aside a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests without putting aside large deposits. They were so helpful, though, and allowed us to change any details up until 24 hours before our wedding. They also gave us a nice discount since we rented so many rooms.

We purchased several of our table decorations and favors at Wishing Well. It’s like a typical party store, but much more expansive and a lot less expensive!

Suzette and her team are the best dance instructors I’ve met! We took classes from her before the wedding, but we also decided to have dance lessons during the wedding. While the bridal party was having pictures taken, two members of the team taught swing lessons to the wedding guests, so everyone was able to dance and have fun at the wedding! It was a hit, and was my absolute favorite part of the wedding.

I love Hannibal’s! They’ll create any mood of food you’d like, from the simple (but sooo good) sandwiches and finger foods to sit-down dinners.

My husband and I aren’t really cake fans, and were trying to figure out a classy way to do a non-cake dessert. We decided on fancy cheesecakes and went through Mr. Cheesecake. Mike runs his business out of his “cheesecake truck” and travels between Reno and Sacramento and San Francisco on a consistent basis. I told him exactly what I was envisioning for our wedding and he provided precisely what I wanted. Plus, his cheesecakes are the best I’ve ever tasted. We still occasionally get cheesecakes from him when he comes through town!

It took me months to find bridesmaid dresses that each of my bridesmaids liked and looked good in. I finally tried this little bridal shop in Reno called Grandma’s house, and we found several designs that were perfect! The dresses were beautiful, they were less expensive than David’s Bridal, and we received them within 2 weeks of ordering them. I’d definitely recommend them for your bridesmaid dresses!

The yearly bridal expo is usually held each summer at a downtown Sacramento hotel. From all the bridal fairs I’ve been to, this one is the most expansive, with numerous local and regional vendors as well as national companies that can help with your wedding.