We went here for the rehearsal dinner because this was where my husband and I had our first date. It’s a great place for a first date but also for bigger parties, because they do take reservations and the staff is fast when it comes to serving big groups. We always had drinks or appetizers in front of us, and the servers were always stopping by to refill our water glasses. It has the best Italian food in the city, and the portions are really generous. It’s the only place I’ll order spaghetti and meatballs! The desserts are okay, and they do have a good wine selection.

My husband rented his tuxedo here. He wanted to be the best dressed man at the wedding, and he got an incredible tuxedo with a vest that matched the bridesmaids’ dresses. It was Oscar de La Renta brand tuxedo, which looked expensive and really stylish. He said the service was great, and that he had no problem with booking an appointment.

I love Sephora, and I was so happy when the store arrived in 2006! They have a great selection of high-end make-up brands that you can’t find anywhere else, but they also have great make-up consultants. I went in for a make-up consultation a few weeks before my wedding to learn how to make formal make-up. Katelynn, my consultant, was great. She helped me picked products that matched my skin tones, and then showed me how to do a great smoky eye! You need to make an appointment to have a consultation, but it’s 100% worth it.

We got our invitations for the wedding and the bridal shower from RSVP Stationary & More. It’s a cute little shop and they had hundreds of different designs and styles to choose from. The staff was really nice about letting us look through the samples without pressuring us to buy, and they were able to answer all our questions about printing costs and how long it would take to make the cards.

We have been to Hawaii before and fell in love with the peaceful North Shore of Oahu. It is much less crowded and closer to nature than Honolulu. The Turtle Bay Resort is beautiful. We had the choice between a cottage and a suite, and we choose a suite just because it was a bit cheaper. It is a luxury resort, so even though you’re surrounded by beautiful nature, everything is top quality in atmosphere, staff, rooms, and food. We were able to make golf reservations, and also the place isn’t so far from a few nice public beaches and great surfing locations.

I can’t see myself not giving the church I was married in 5 stars, but it really was a beautiful and traditional Christian ceremony. This was the church that I was baptized and received my first communion in, and I’ve always thought that it was beautiful with it’s high ceilings and lovely pews. Though I don’t often go to church, my grandparents and parents are active members and we were able to get the date we wanted. My husband and I also attended several pre-marital counseling sessions here, one on one as well as in a group, which was nice because we got to meet some of the other couples that were getting married that summer.

We did not get a cake, because I don’t really like cake. Instead we had a collection of assorted dessert bars, like cheesecake bars and angel bits and a few tortes! Tortes are delicious, so much better than regular cake, and the way they make them at Ruth’s is incredible! We wanted more of a dessert table than a cake table. We made our appointment with Ruth almost 14 months before our wedding date, just because it would be a very busy weekend. We had to pay a deposit to confirm our dessert menu, which we selected during our consultation. We got great compliments on all the desserts from the guests, and even though we over ordered on all the dessert trays, there was almost nothing left at the end of the night!

Penn Square Mall is the expensive mall in the city, and we went there thinking we would find something at one of the stores. I had three bridesmaids, and my sister was the maid of honor. We chose dresses from J. Crew because the style of the dresses we found there were trendy and young looking, and also really flattering. People think that J. Crew is a conservative store, but I think many of their formalwear dresses are really fashion forward. We all felt that they had the best selection of summer formalwear. 


I chose to buy my dress here because they had the dress I wanted! They advertise that they custom make dresses, but I choose a ready to wear dress. I went to three different bridal stores to try on dresses, and the Bridal Showroom was nice because they had a good selection, the store was clean and well lit, and we felt welcomed there by the nice staff.

This is a great location for a party! It’s not your typical bowling alley, mainly because it looks newer and it has a really trendy looking bar that makes great drinks. The food is also great, I really recommend all of their pizzas and to not be afraid to try their shrimp cocktail. My friends and I choose this place because we didn’t want the typical bar. We were able to fit about 12 of us in two lanes, and they also let my friends bring in their own decorations and balloons. We were here for three hours, and I had an amazing time!