Wow. This bakery does not do any storefront business - only special occasion cakes and they do these extremely well. They have more flavor options than any other bakery I spoke with and their pricing was right on par, if not less, than their competitor's. I used two different cake, filling and icing combinations for my cake and really regret not being able to grab a bite of the second layer! One layer had cannoli cream in the middle which was simply divine and the other layer was a much lighter lemon and raspberry. Our guests were grabbing seconds and thirds and were practically licking the plates clean. I am already planning to order an anniversary cake that my husband and I can keep to ourselves and enjoy.

I cannot tell you how many compliments I am still receiving about the catering for our wedding. Caffe Luna and our contact, Ryan, have perfected the art of catering wedding receptions. The food is divine and the pricing is almost unbelievable. Beer and wine are included in the per person cost and unlike other places, you are not limited in the amount that they will serve. Of course, they only bring one or two kinds of wine and several varieties of beer, but I never heard any complaints from the guests. My only regret is that I did not know the staff had packed a to-go box for us (since we didn’t have a chance to eat during the reception) and we ended up leaving the left-over food there.

There are really only two things keeping my from giving this photographer a 5. First, it took weeks longer than promised to get our pictures online and viewable. Second, the one picture that the photographer chose to blow up and send to us as a special gift had a shadow over my arm that made me look really weird and two-toned. I really thought that we decided on one of the more expensive photographers because they would be able to photoshop things like that away, but perhaps it's just not possible. Otherwise, Courtney (the photographer) worked extremely hard the day of our wedding (in the 90+ degree weather). She was also able to get the cutest picture of my anti-social little cat - kudos for that!

Mel came highly recommended to me by a coworker and I must admit that I did not even talk to another florist after meeting with Mel. He is beyond experienced in the flower business and came down here from NYC, I believe. I felt more than confident in his knowledge and ability to make my vision come true. Dogwood Tree Florals is by appointment and only does special events so you know they are totally focused on you and your event. After visiting a few other florists in the Cary and Pinehurst area for my sister's wedding, I have come to realize what a great deal I got on my flowers. Mel takes the time to outline the cost for every item and lets you add and cut to suit your budget. He even managed to get me sweet peas in late August.

I knew that I wanted an outdoor ceremony and absolutely love flowers so when I found out about the Raleigh Rose Garden, I was thrilled. This seems to be one of the few outdoor venues in Raleigh that offers a beautiful and natural setting and needs no additional adornment. You literally just throw up a few chairs and everything is set. I could not believe how affordable the garden was, either (~$300). I did have some issues getting in touch with the guy in charge of coordinating the weddings, but he has been replaced by a lady that seems much more on top of things. In the summer, you will need to be packed up and out of there by 5:30 / 6:00 to accommodate some of the outdoor plays they put on, but we were more than willing to work with them. The roses look phenomenal in May, but were still amazing for us on August 30th.

I worked with Crystal at Blo for my trial run and day-of hair style. The entire package ended up costing about $200 but the end result looked great. I was in the process of growing my hair back out and unfortunately, it was not growing fast enough to be easily styled before my wedding date arrived, but Crystal somehow was able to pull together an amazing look (a full and somewhat twisting low bun). She was very meticulous and made sure every detail was to my liking before we finished. I was worried that pieces of hair would begin to fall out before I even got to the ceremony, but everything stayed in place throughout the night and even survived the flight to San Francisco.

I will have to say that the price for my make up at Skin Sense was a bit steep (almost $200 for the trial run and day-of makeup), but I absolutely loved the stylist working with me. I believe her name was Summer. She took the extra time to ask questions and get to know my preferences and style before beginning. Throughout the consultation, she repeatedly stopped to show me the progress and get my feedback on the look so far. They use the Glo Minerals make up line and I had absolutely no issues with it. My complexion looked flawless and my maid of honor told me that numerous guests commented on how great my makeup looked. You will need to bring your own waterproof mascara as they only sell the normal variety.

Wow. The bridal show at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, North Carolina was by far the best show I attended before our wedding. It seems the Inn was able to secure some of the better vendors so you did not need to waste your time listening to schpiel after schpiel from companies you have no intention of working with. The setting was clean and elegant. I actually had fun meeting and talking with the other brides there. Since the show was being hosted at the Inn itself, several vendors setup displays in the hotel rooms to you had a slightly more intimate (and quiet) setting to discuss your wedding. Hands down, though, the food alone is worth a trip to this show. Instead of the usual crab dip and dried out cake, the Inn had actual food options (shrimp cocktail, little steak bites, etc) available for sampling. It was really like a mini buffet of delicious morsels.

I used the Lee's Tailor at Southpoint Mall in Durham since they were close to where I work and I could run out during lunch for a fitting, if need be. The lady working there during the week is obviously very experienced with all kinds of dresses and alterations. She had me in and out for my fitting in less than fifteen minutes and was extremely careful not to let my gown get any kind of dirt on it. My local bridesmaids took their dresses there as well. The alterations turned out perfectly and the shop even kept the gown for me until closer to my date (so I would not get it all wrinkled and my husband could not sneak a peek). Very helpful and client focused.

The staff at Carolina Bridal World was extremely attentive and helpful. I really wanted to get the dress taken care of as soon as possible and they did everything they could to help me find 'the one'. The consultative approach they have is useful in helping you determine what style really works for your personality and shape. They never tried to rush me and ended up bringing me dozens of dresses to try on (and re-try on) before the day was done. More importantly, the sales consultant really bonded with my mom and made sure she still felt like an important part of the process (which of course, she was).