www.epanache.com were our ceremony musicians. For me, the ceremony music was pretty uncompromisable. It needed to fit in our budget, but I wanted between 2-4 stringed musicians. When I contacted epanache, their customer service was amazing. They treated me like an intelligent, smart bride. (I'm a young bride, 21, who gets mistaken for a high schooler quite regularly, so I got the whole "What, you can barely drive, what are you doing getting married" speech/look quite often). They willingly explained music terms to me, directed me to websites with popular wedding music, and have an extremely user-friendly website. They were a touch expensive, so I work to make them fit in my budget. But the representative I worked with was very familiar with my ceremony location and knew all the ins and outs of a Catholic ceremony!

The biggest problem I found, was that if you didn't ask, they didn't tell you things. I had to know my stuff when it came to payment plans, songs, what to do if the ceremony ran late, etc. It was slightly annoying because with so many things to plan, I wished they would have called me when I didn't fill out some form correctly, but they very easily dismissed our late-fees when I explained that I was swamped with other vendors and didn't realize their payment schedule was different.

Perfect weddings with fantasy dresses and cakes are wonderful things to dream about. But the real bride living in today's world is on a real budget. Not going into debt for our wedding was a huge priority for us and our parents had only limited resources to contribute. I had to laugh at the suggestions in most wedding magazines and online columns--save money by buying in-seasons flowers? Okay, now how do I pay for my dj, favors, ceremony musicians, dress, the list goes on and on.

In my opinion, once you've seen one wedding planner book, you've seen them all, but Bridal Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields is not a planner. It is a dream companion that saved my husband and I THOUSANDS of dollars. With the rising cost of a respectable wedding today, we were facing reception in mom's backyard. But this book had so many brilliant ideas when comes to saving money. Where to get brand-new dresses on the CHEAP, wholesale ribbon and candle sellers, whose online company can be trusted--AMAZING. I recommend this book to every bride I know, it is the most money saving thing I've ever owned. When I count on my hands how much I approximately saved, I'm getting $7000. Amazing.

($250, I think)

We had the reception hall do our cake. Our goal was pretty cake, DELICIOUS flavor, so I don't know how good Weber's is at fondant and decor.

From a financial stand point, Weber's cake cutting fee plus an outside baker's delivery fee made Weber's a serious consideration.

From a service stand point, Weber's definitely was awesome. All the bakers were willing to work with us to achieve our ideal flavor (mint chocolate), but the experience cake tasting with Weber's was AWESOME! They sent us home with a box full of samples for us to try at our discretion! We had so many samples (for free!) that we weren't even hungry enough for dinner at the end! In addition, if we return to Weber's restaurant for our one-year anniversary, they will recreate for us our top tier--for FREE.

In addition, Weber's was very willing to work within our budget. We made a small cake for display and had the same flavor in sheet cakes in the back, so everyone saw the pretty cake and ate the same flavor, but we saved on assembly and decoration costs.

(total includes appetizers, food, and the cake)

Weber's had great food, a sizable room, and a great atmosphere, but their customer service skills were so bent on following policy that I wondered at their ability to retain repeat business. The sales and catering manager was rude and difficult to work with and we had to spread a few little white lies to get them to lower their floor (cost we must spend in order to avoid penalty fees), but in the end, we got Weber's and they fit in our budget. The amazing food was a big reason we wanted Weber's. They are well known in the area and they atmosphere was exactly what I was looking for--dark wood, deep colored carpeting, low lighting, it felt very rustic and natural (I'm not a poofy-skirt, fairy-tale type girl). It was very beautiful. The room felt large and elegant and there was plenty of room for our 200 person wedding, the dj, dance floor, bar, gift and cake tables, and head table. Also, the prices when it came to per-plate dinner were very reasonable! In order to meet the original floor ($9,000) we had to have an open bar, appetizers, and a late-night snack! It seemed unreasonable. But in the end, my patience and our few little exaggerations got us perfection on a budget.

Never go with President Tuxedo!

The service is terrbile! They threatened the groomsmen--they wouldn't let the groomsmen try on the tuxedos without paying for them. They screwed up the billing and were extremely difficult in fixing the errors. And there was a poor chain of command (the employees weren't sure who their manager was).

The color selection was extremely limited and they kept losing track of which color we wanted, the size of the groomsmen's shoes, and who had already paid! There were several times we came in and had to correct the color of the vests (and I though no one would confuse champagne with hunter green!)

My husband first went in to choose the tux a little over two months before the wedding and we were still having problems the week of the wedding!

We wrote a letter of complaint to management after the wedding and what was our reparation? A gift certificate...for the *next* time we rent tuxes...hmmm...(is it just me or do men only rent tuxes for two occasions: prom and their wedding?)

($220 per night)
one word: AMAZING! I was concerned that going in the spring wouldn't be very pretty (the autumn would be much more beautiful), but I was SO wrong! Everything was lush and green, it was still just cold enough at night that bugs weren't yet flying around, it was an off-tourist season, so prices were cheaper and events were less crowded and it was perfect t-shirt and jeans weather (my weather of choice). There were lots of small, cute towns, restaurants, and the most amazing views! Since we went out in the spring, bears (we saw three!--all from a safe distance), and deer were out in abundance. Sevierville is about 20 minutes from the Smokey Mountain National Park. There are trails you can walk, hike, and even drive! The cabins are the perfect mix of rustic meets luxury. Fully stocked kitchens, leather couches, a game room (pool, air hockey, and fuse ball) in every cabin, a two story back-porch, beautiful panoramic views. The cabins are perched so that each one has an uninterrupted view of the majestic mountains. We had two heart-shaped jacuzzis inside (one on each floor) and a hot tub outside. It was the perfect romantic, private location. I would recommend every bride who loves a little outdoors, likes romance, and wants a little get-away time for her honeymoon heads here.

I was determined to do my own flowers for my wedding. I went to bulk wholesalers, I had my bridesmaids lined up, I had online guides printed out about do-your-own bouquets. About three weeks before my wedding I began feeling overwhelmed when I thought of the requirements of doing my own flowers and I panicked. I ran to a locally owned greenhouse and asked if it was too late. It helped that I was getting married on a Friday in late April (not a busy time for her). She said she could definitely make it in time!

I was very flexible about the types of flowers in my bouquets. I had a few lilies and roses, then let the florist "do her thing." Because she was able to use her own creative talents, (I just wanted a hint of pink!) they came out smelling great, they were in-season (i.e. cheaper!), and BEAUTIFUL. I am so glad I gave my florist creative room because I'm pretty sure she enjoyed herself and I got a few extra flowers I didn't pay for in her excitement!

Our favors (heart-shaped cookie cutters with recipes), invitations, and napkins all came from Invitations by Dawn. The process was completely painless: they sent us free samples of the invitations of our choice in the mail and they sent us samples via pdf of our choice wording as many times as necessary. The shipping was very quick and everything arrived in perfect condition. They even sent us the stamp they used on our napkins for free! They were AMAZING!

A beautiful little old church with stained glass windows, wooden floors, and beautiful angels sculptures around the church. The parish Priest is very talented and the parish pianist is very gifted.

Mr. Music was AWESOME! Very professional, easy to work with, had lots of ideas, lots of music to choose from.