Smeller's reviews

We actually booked this place for our rehearsal dinner with the previous owners and I didn’t know they had sold the place until I happened to stop in for a sandwich one afternoon. Thankfully, the new owners were very gracious and agreed to honor whatever deal we had made – which was an incredible one. They closed off the back room for us while still being able to stay open for business in the front and made us the yummiest mix of Italian food that thye set up buffet-style for us to dive into. My husband’s family is from the New York area so they’re not exactly satisfied at the Olive Garden if you know what I mean - they approved whole-heartedly. We brought in our own wine and beer, which they served (when my brother the bartender sat down for 5 minutes and let them) and we had a rollicking good time and great dinner for 30 people for about $500. I don’t even think you could pull that off at the Olive Garden!! Hah! (My “in all fairness” confession: I love the Olive Garden)

We were looking to do something for about 70 guests that was cool but not too expensive and had some real vibe and character. Monell’s was the perfect solution. My husband’s family is all from the East Coast and we knew the family-style Southern home cooking would knock their socks off. (They’re still talking about the food 3 months later, by the way) We loved the ambiance so much that we didn’t even really do anything to decorate beyond bringing a few extra candles to stick here and there. They have since moved locations so I don’t know about the capacity of the different rooms but we just had the best time. We brought in all our own beer and wine so that saved a bunch. Food was plentiful, delicious and a much better deal than we found other places. Plus, since we got married on a Sunday our reception was Sunday night when they’re normally closed so we didn’t have to pay a fee for the venue – the servers and everything were included in the price of dinner!!! My favorite part was the fact that we opted out of an expensive wedding cake in favor of decorating and cutting one of their signature pecan pies (again – included in price of dinner). People are still talking about how cute it was AND how delicious.

My only complaint about TJ is she’s too busy – but she’s busy because she’s that good. It has sometimes been hard for me to reach her but her work is so fantastic it’s been more than worth whatever wait was involved. Our pictures are simply breathtaking. We don’t have many traditional posed shots – instead, I wanted TJ to do what she does best, which is capture moments. I’ve had people who didn’t attend the wedding see a slide show then email me in tears because they felt like they were there. Our minister, who marries people for a living AND has a photographer husband, gave TJ major props because she never noticed her during the ceremony. I didn’t even notice that I didn’t notice her (!!) – but she was right there capturing things beautifully. I highly, highly recommend her.

I loved the idea of something locally grown and/or something organic. When I found both available at Madison Creek Farms I was delighted. I called Peggy and we talked for a good 20 or 30 minutes about how things worked out there. Since we were getting married in October she had to warn me of the possibility of frost since they are a cut-flower farm. But she assured me she’d help me put something together from a whole-saler if that happened. Luckily it didn’t. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted but after talking with Peggy awhile I felt very comfortable leaving things in her hands. My matron of honor (the gardening goddess) and I went out to the farm a few weeks before to see what was blooming. She just kept pointing things out that would make nice combinations. It was all so gorgeous we decided on a main focal flower for my bouquet and beyond that I just said: go for it. I couldn’t have been more delighted with what she did for us. We had two bouquets, 2 corsages and 5 bouttenniers, a wreath and a handful of small arrangements for the church only – under $400. Martha Stewart used her for something a month or so before I did so you know she knows her stuff. I couldn’t have been happier with my flowers.

Paula has become a dear friend of ours over the past few years and that’s why we asked her to marry us. We knew she was good but we didn’t know just how good –man oh man did we luck out. Her gifts are profound and deep when it comes to shepherding people through matters of the heart. We had many scheduled phone calls over the course of several months to not only create the ceremony we wanted but get some wise pre-marital counseling as well. She gave us homework assignments that were very thought-provoking and useful. Much of what we discussed I found myself putting to good use immediately – even before we were married! She is wise, funny, real, and so full of love. Her presence is so powerful that everyone at our wedding was amazed by her and made a point of telling us that. Any couple that is lucky enough to have Paula lead them through this incredible journey should know they’re in for a great blessing upon the start of their life together.

This charming stone church had always reminded me visually and architecturally of the Unitarian Church I was raised in. Also, when I contacted them about needing a place we could be married by both an Episcopal Priest from Philly AND a Rabbi from Murfreesboro the woman on the phone and I laughed together as we said “so of course a Unitarian church”. Turns out Lori was the one I needed to talk to anyway and she was very helpful with us all along as we planned and carried out our not-so-orthodox ceremony, complete with a live webcast set up by my uncle. (They’d certainly never had one of those before!) The sloping sanctuary is a gorgeous combination of light-colored stone, huge windows and plants – with all the light pouring in it was hard to tell the inside from the out. Just beautiful. They were very accommodating and EXTREMELY reasonably priced.

Dawn was recommended to my by a friend and I am SO glad. I had planned to wear my long hair down initially but the more I tried on the dress I realized I needed it up to really show off the dress. But I wanted it to be special and look like me, just with an up-do. Dawn scheduled an appointment for me to try some things out. The first thing we tried I didn’t like at all but the second thing she created was breathtaking: a loose chignon comprised of curled sections of hair with little braids interspersed. I loved it! She even made a special stop at a favorite store in her hometown in Louisiana while there visiting family to look for some little flowers to use in my hair. I loved what she brought back so much I ditched what I already had. She re-created it beautifully the day of the wedding and was a delight the whole time. AND she was very reasonably priced, especially for a wedding. Can’t recommend her highly enough. Thank you Dawn!!
 


 My husband and I are both in our late 30’s, we were paying for things ourselves and I’d been married once before, so we really wanted something that was relatively inexpensive, we could design ourselves, and that still looked and felt like us. MyGatsby totally fit the bill. They sent us a catalog and samples and we ended up picking something right out of their catalog – colors, type-style and all – and we got tons of compliments on our invitations! They even fixed a little mistake we made with no fuss and only about a $10 charge for re-printing. Highly recommend them.

My matron of honor had looked all over for a dress, even been to David’s before. She and I are both a little older than the average bride/bridesmaid and struggled to find things that felt appropriate for us – not like we were playing dress-up. She went back in determined to find something and an employee - on her very first day working there - found a dress that my friend told me she NEVER would have pulled off the rack herself. She loved the dress and looked stunningly gorgeous at the wedding. We’re still not fans of the “wedding machine” aspect of some places like this but ended up having a great experience.

I had read reviews about this shop and found people either loved her or hated her – no middle ground. So I figured she was right for some people and not for others and I’d give her a shot. The “her” I’m referring to is Elizabeth, the shop’s owner. I loved her. She asked me about budget and what I had in mind style-wise, then we walked through every dress in the store – both of us taking turns saying yes, no, or maybe. The second dress I tried on was “The One”. I looked a few other places but nothing compared to this dress. I got my shoes and veil there too. I did see my dress in a magazine later listed for a few hundred dollars less but it was worth it to me to a) get everything in one place, b) not have to run all over the state in search of a bargain, and c) to have the experience I did with her. I felt very taken care of. Elizabeth’s very direct Russian manner may not be for everyone – especially a princess who needs to be fussed over - but I absolutely loved her.