My husband and I wanted to use our vows as our ketubah text, but quickly found that most artists charged upwards of $200 extra for customized text. Not Jessica. She's young and her designs are fresh and totally customizable. No additional fees on top of her already reasonable prices. She was happy to go through several drafts with us until we got the text and design perfect. We love our ketubah.

My dress had been altered on the cheap by the previous owner before she decided to buy a different wedding dress. The person who did the alterations made a complete mess of the lace and Louise expertly fixed the problem. She made the dress fit so well that even though we forgot to close the hook that made the back a key hole (a mistake I didn't even realize until I got home that night), the dress never budged and looked like it was made to be a v-back.

Louise also made my sister's dress from scratch. We gave her some inspiration and she ran with it. My sister and I both loved how it turned out. Louise really knows how to sew, she understands a woman's body and has great taste. She was a great resource for us.

First I have to say the Girl and the Fig is an institution in Sonoma and their food and service is absolutely phenomenal. The wait staff at our wedding were professional, attentive and friendly. The bartenders kept the liquor flowing. And the food (especially since it was prepared and served outside) was fresh, flavorful and hot. However, dealing with their catering manager in the months leading up to the wedding was probably the single most stressful aspect of wedding planning for me. My first contact there was friendly and easy to work with. Unfortunately, this manager soon left and we were in the hands of a new manager who seemed intent on nickel and diming us every step of the way. Things that I was told would be included in the contract were suddenly being charged to me, and every time it was a fight to get the new fee removed from our bill.

Happily, it seems that the catering manager that I dealt with has left the Girl and the Fig, so hopefully dealing with them will be easier in the future. The food really is great. And I did enjoy working with the chef who prepared the meal on site. She was responsive, friendly and helpful throughout the process.

We hired Elle to handle our lighting after meeting the owner, Brandon Cruz. He was just so friendly and enthusiastic. Plus his quote for the strings of globe lighting I was aching to have was several hundred dollars less than the local company quoted. We ended up ordering the globe lighting for our dinner area, plus lighting for the dance floor and our lounge area. Unfortunately the lounge lighting was never connected, but Brandon happily refunded that charge and apologized profusely. Everyone loved the globe lighting and it provided the perfect ambiance for our garden party.

Since our venue was so beautiful, I didn't think we needed too much in the way of floral decoration. We asked Maki for two bouquets, 3 corsages, 4 boutonnieres and 16 small center pieces. She also provided our chuppah for us, which turned out to be a lifesaver. I thought the flowers were pretty and Maki was very friendly and easy to work with.

Maria's is a local bakery in my hometown that my family has been using for years. There was no question that Maria would make my wedding cake. We had a simple vanilla cake with strawberry and cream filling. And it was delicious. Fresh. Moist. Flavorful. At $2/slice (including delivery to Sonoma) I wasn't expecting the fanciest cake I'd ever seen, but Maria perfectly executed the design I asked of her.

We were lucky enough to book Mark Haggerty from Denon and Doyle for our wedding. Mark is a seasoned professional and it shows. Not only was he a graceful emcee, who kept the evening running smoothly, but he also kept the dance floor packed all night long. Denon and Doyle is a little more expensive than other dj services out there, but being able to rely on Mark's expertise was more than worth it.

Lisa is exactly what you want in a wedding coordinator; detail oriented, hard working, attentive and just plain nice. She was always quick to respond to e-mail and gave me a lot of good advice and insight throughout the planning process. Lisa's taste is impeccable and I completely trusted her to take my ideas and run with them on my wedding day. Everything looked beautiful and she magically battled the afternoon wind and somehow kept everything in their proper places. Who knows what other fires she put out that I never even heard about. She was indispensable.

We loved Traci. Our parents loved Traci. Our guests loved Traci. She and her assistant Molly were so much fun to be around and made everyone feel comfortable immediately. Traci's work is amazing. Not only are the pictures beautiful, but she somehow perfectly captured the mood and atmosphere of the entire event. Looking at the pictures make me feel like I'm back at the wedding. I couldn't have asked for a better photographer.

Finding reasonably priced hair and makeup artists in the Bay Area is really difficult. Let alone finding people willing to come to your location. I feel lucky to have found Patty and Maria, who met both of these criteria. They're both so talented-I loved my hair and makeup and I've never seen my mom look more beautiful. Basically, they work magic. Plus they were such a calming presence at a time when anxiety was running high. I should mention, however, that they both have demanding day jobs and aren't the easiest people to keep in contact with, but your patience will definitely be rewarded if you book them.