Our photographer was wonderful and spent a lot of time getting to know us before the wedding at an "engagement photo" shoot. He was nice, took control on the day of the wedding and took wonderful pictures that we admire all the time. I was really glad we went with him-- he showed up very early on the day of the wedding and was so professional and nice.

The alterations on my dress were fairly simple (it had a corset back and needed length alterations only) but they still ended up being very expensive. I didn't make an issue of it at the time because I was so busy but I still think about how much the alterations were!

Our dance instructer was nice but had a bit of a temper at times when we didn't memorize the steps or practice as much as we should have (hey, we were busy!). Overall, we learned the basics and were able to do well in front of our friends and family at the reception.

The place was ridiculously loud and was full of weird guys that wanted to dance. I'd avoid! The drinks were also very expensive and we ended up leaving.

I picked out simple black knee-length dresses online from Nordstrom.com and had the best experience! I simply sent a link to all of my bridesmaids specifying which dress I had picked for them and they took care of ordering and shipping on their own. The sizes were realistic and none of the women had problems with sizing. The customer service was wonderful and dresses came in no time and looked wonderful. I picked something that my ladies can wear for years to come and the dresses were even more beautiful than the way they were pictured online. I recommend using them to all of my friends who are planning weddings now.

We had a lot of people at our rehersal dinner but chose Filomena for the evening (a small restaurant in Georgetown with homemade Italian food and amazing pasta). I had been there quite a few times before but had never been with a large party. The restaurant allowed us to reserve a very large section and the food was loved by everyone. The portions are huge and there was plenty to share and go around (including very rich desserts like cheesecake and chocolate cakes).
The service was good but one of the servers ended up spilling red wine on my husband-to-be and me...covering my silk dress and drenching his suit. They were very apologetic and took care of the cost of the dry-cleaning on both of our garments. It ended up being a funny story and we have been back since-- we love it, despite the win incident!

I found my dress online and the woman at the Bridal Closet was helpful and let me take as much time as I wanted trying on my dress. It was the only one I tried on at her shop but ended up getting it on the spot. Her recommedations for sizing were a little way off but I went with my gut (I ordered the size that I normally wear on an everyday basis) and ended up getting exactly what I needed. She told me to order a 6 or an 8 but I ordered a size 2 and it fit me perfectly. The order had to be rushed and the alterations ended up being pretty costly (a lot more than I expected-- around $350 when all was said and done).

I really liked the woman at the store but if I could do it all over again I doubt I would have gone there. I want a little bit more assurance that things are going to be ready and be perfect for my wedding day. I felt a little bit like I had no control over this situation and would have liked to have been a bit more involved.

We had a chance to sample a huge variety of cake flavors and the woman who owns this business works out of her home. She was professional, had a ton of pictures for us to look at and ending up making us a beautiful cake that was exactly what we expected. She also gave us a top tier to enjoy on our first anniversary. Everyone commented on how wonderful the cake tasted.

The winery is beautiful and serves as a great venue for the wedding ceremony and the reception afterwards. We loved it and got married under a gazebo they have on-site.