We self-booked our honeymoon to Costa-Rica. It was a beautiful, romantic location. I would take this trip again and again!

We were referred to Donna Jewelry by a friend. This is a family-owned business. They wanted us to be happy with our purchases, and we are. Everything was ready ahead of our “need-by” dates. I still stop by to have my rings cleaned, which they do at no charge.

Flowers by Born is not the most innovative florist of all time. That being said, my flowers were very large, full and fresh. The bouquets’ all held up, no stray flowers escaping. The flowers looked great in the pictures.

I purchased my gown at a small Chicago boutique. The dress was very simple, which is just my style. The alterations were quick and correct. The boutique accommodated my needs adequately.

My girl's bridesmaids gowns were purchased from David's Bridal in Orland Park. They delivered the dresses on-time. The prices were reasonable and they had an extensive size range. My experience was straightforward and satisfactory.

Our wedding favors were Illinois Lottery tickets! We purchased tickets, then put them together ourselves on home-computer printed cards that said – “take a chance on love.”

My wedding cake was beautiful and good to eat! The decorator at Rolf’s was able to match the color of the icing trim on my cake to the color swatch from my bridesmaids’ dresses. If I lived closer, I would get cakes from here all the time.

My makeup and hair services were provided by Mario Tricoci in Orland Park. This location does a lot of weddings. I felt they really knew what they were doing. It is a larger salon and they have enough staff to accommodate a large clientele. I was concerned that with a smaller salon, in the event my stylist was unable to come in, there wouldn't be someone else who would be able to assist me. I could not do my own hair and makeup on my wedding day. This was a bit of an insurance policy!

My Bridal shower was held at The Old Barn in Burbank. The Barn was awful. If I could give it zero stars, I would. We were crammed in a tiny room with long tables against the walls in such a way that once seated, you could not move. The food was bad. The servers scraped food left on the guests plates into a wash bin in the same room that we were in – gross!!! The head server scolded a busboy who attempted to help us carry gifts out to the car. I guess that part was our job.

Our rehearsal dinner was held at Tuscany on Taylor. Tuscany was nice, but not memorable. It was in walking distance to our church, which was convenient. The food was tasty and the portions plentiful.