My stepmom and stepsisters hosted the bridesmaid luncheon at Lulu's. Lulu's was very accommodating and even opened early for us. There wasn't a problem with my stepmom bringing in a cake from another baker nor with my photographer being there to take pictures. The menus were personalized as well even though it was the full menu. The food got very high marks from everyone, as it was nearly everyone's first time there.

My sister chose NoFo on Liz because she had hosted a bridal shower for a friend at NoFo in Raleigh and really liked their flexibility. The NoFo in Charlotte has a semi-private room that we were able to use and they let my sister decorate any way she liked. My sister sent in templates of the menu she wanted, complete with personalized drinks, and they printed them for us. The food was very good and the wait staff did a great job with 25 women.

We liked the idea of using Freedom Park for our rehearsal soley because we could bring our own alcohol and catering. We had an uncle bring BBQ from South Carolina and used La Peep Catering for the sides, linens, and glasses/flatware/plates. We ordered a mini-keg and about a case of wine. We didn't spend a lot of time planning the rehearsal but we would've done more with the following: the lighting - it was all flourescent; 2) music - we used an iPod that was supposed to connect the their sound system but didn't; and 3) decorations - we just needed more "oomph."

We had a great room at the Resort overlooking the pool and the ocean beyond it. We upgraded to the Club level which meant that we had access to a private club that is always attended if you want food or anything else. I'm not sure I would recommend that upgrade for anything other than a honeymoon though. Horseback riding, a breakfast in bed, and a private candlelit dinner were all included. We also had a banner on our door that said "honeymooners" that I loved but it took 3 days to get it up. This was our first all-inclusive and I don’t know that I'd do another because 1) we don't drink enough to warrant the watered-down beverages (but they did have delicious "drinks of the day"); 2)the food was definitely sub-par; and 3) I didn't like that we had to be at the pool or beach by a certain time to make sure we had towels and chairs in the shade.

The Omni was really convenient to our wedding in SouthEnd. We looked at a number of hotels and the Omni had the best prices for the accommodations. We had a room with a huge suite attached where the girls all got ready with the photographer and makeup artist/hair stylist. The breakfast was pretty good but it wasn’t included and was a bit pricey. The only complaint I had was the construction going on at the EpiCentre behind the hotel that started very early in the morning.

The beginner's ballroom class was great for our first dance. There were actually 4 couples taking the class specifically for a wedding. We learned about 5 dances but the instructor let us bring in our music and helped us pick the best dance to go with it. Our wedding guests were very impressed!

We like that SSS came with 2 DJs, one acting as an emcee, and they had a pretty neat light set-up. What we didn't like was that the music that was played before the dance music was definitely not what we asked for. We had wanted Sinatra/Buble/Connick music and they had some kind of Rod Stewart/easy listening nonsense. At one point, my husband and I looked at each other and said, what the heck are they playing?!?! Even my mom came up and told them that they needed to play some more upbeat music. After they started playing the music we requested, everything was fine. The one DJ did a great job of working the crowd, especially my grandmother!

The food was amazing! We still have people tell us how good the food was at our wedding! The staff at Byron's was great too. They had a lot of options for receptions and really worked with our budget. They were very honest about what is popular with guests, and not necessarily more expensive options. We were worried because there was another reception that was ending 2 hours before ours started but everything was very seamless. Also, their prices include table linens, napkins, flatware, etc, which was a plus compared to other venues

We loved everything about our reception site. The location was next to our ceremony site but they were very distinctive. It's on the light rail, which was really convenient to the hotels. It has a great courtyard that would be awesome for weddings in warmer weather . There is a great urban-chic vibe - brick walls, industrial lighting, open but with louge-y areas, views of downtown. Also, the catering kitchen is right on site because it used to be a restaurant, if anything else is needed.

We were very lucky to get Alyse's services. Since we weren't married in a church, we really needed someone to tell us what to do on wedding day. She had a ton of great ideas and helped us see a lot of our own ideas to fruition. There were a few snags during the ceremony and reception and she handled everything really well. The only drawback for Charlotte brides is that she's in Raleigh… I recommend her to all of my engaged friends.