unc08's reviews

Tupelo's -- Tupelo's in Hillsborough, NC was a great choice for our rehearsal dinner! I came in about two weeks before the wedding and discussed menu choices and prices. We ended up paying around $15-$20 per person, which fit nicely with our budget. The manager was really good about helping me choose the dinner menu that fit best with our budget and our likes and dislikes. Everyone who came to the rehearsal dinner really enjoyed themselves, and it was a great night! Additionally, Tupelo's allows you to choose and bring in your own wine. They charge a corking fee, but when we went, this was pretty low. Overall, a perfect choice!

We didn't want to stay anywhere too fancy, since we would be leaving the next morning at 4AM, so we chose the Holiday Inn. This ended up being perfect for what we wanted. It wasn't too fancy, but it certainly wasn't nasty or dingy either. We went ahead and chose a room with a hottub in it, since we were going to be there at least for the night. We enjoyed a relaxing evening after all the wedding stress. None of the other guests were too loud, and check-in and check-out were both a breeze, taking no more than 10 minutes. What a great hotel to work with!

Carnival Cruise Lines was a great choice for a cruise. While afterwards we decided that cruising isn't really our thing, we ended up having a pretty good time and were glad that we at least had the experience. Carnival is one of the cheaper cruise lines and I think they get a bad reputation because of that. There tended to be a lot of people drinking on our cruise, but if that doesn't bother you (it was no big deal to us) then I think you'll have a great time. Also be sure to ask about on board credits if prices drop on the same cruise your going on.

For our favors, I chose to go the do it yourself route. Michaels is really great for this sort of thing, as they have all kinds of crafty items. If you know you want to "do-it-yourself" but have no idea what you want to do, you can just walk up and down the aisles browsing for ideas. I was doing just that when I saw the little chinese take out boxes in bright spring colors. I loved them, but they didn't have enough for all my favors. I was able to put in an order with the manager who collected them for me from other stores in the area, and I just came back to pick them up later. It was perfect! The only complaint I have about michael's is that their employees seem to dislike working there. However, if you don't mind that their service is great!

This was probably my scariest do it yourself wedding experience. Having no prior experience with catering, I decided that I'd give purchasing and making our own food a try. As terribly scary as that sounds, with a little help it actually went really well! We purchased frozen ravioli, mixed organic greens, dressing, tomato sauce, green beans, garlic, and french bread all from Sam's. Then we asked for help from some of the ladies at church. They were able to put the food together perfectly, and the total cost was around $3-$4 a person. This was probably the best money saver of our whole wedding. Sams was great to work with! They sell so much stuff in bulk that we didn't even have to ask them to order us more food or go to a different Sam's Club.

Eastgate Hair Styling was awesome! I really appreciated the time that my hair stylist spent with me to be sure of what I wanted. She was able to bring my normally unruly hair under control perfectly! My hair looked great at the wedding, and I received a ton of compliments. I had a lot of fun, and I could tell that I looked great. I also felt really comfortable with my hair stylist. I appreciated also that the hair stylist was open to my ideas, yet at the same time used her expertise to choose a style that would look best on me. Awesome place!

I went to the Aveda School of Cosmetology in Chapel Hill. This was such an awesome option. By the time the students get out on the floor at Aveda, they're already pretty proficient at what they do. The guy who did my makeup was fabulous. He didn't depend on me to make all the decisions for him. He asked me the "look" I was going for, and then he really got into his art. He chose colors that looked good for me, and knew exactly what he was talking about. Additionally, this can be a really low cost option, since the students aren't yet licensed. My only caveat about Aveda would be to make sure you get in there early, as they tend to take a really long time since they talk with their instructor before they make any final decisions.

Jared's was a great atmosphere to purchase our rings in. There was free bottled water available, as well as cookies (to make sure you don't lose so much weight you can't fit in your wedding dress). I could tell they were hoping to make their customers feel as comfortable as possible. However, looking back, I think I would have chosen to purchase our ring from a private jeweler. There's a much more personal touch when your ring is specially crafted for you, than when it is one in a line of tons of other rings. I also think Jared's was a bit pricey. We only purchased the engagement ring here, and ended up purchasing our wedding bands at Sam's Club (GREAT choice, believe it or not!).

After Hours Formal Wear was a great option for the guys to go to for their formal wear. Since all of the guys involved in our wedding were coming from different areas, it was great for them to find a store closest to where they lived and be able to do their fittings and everything there. After Hours Formal Wear offered the groom a free tux, with a certain amount of groomsmen. The employees at After Hours all knew what they were talking about, and were great to work with. They made the whole experience as non stressful as possible.

David's Bridal is exactly what you would expect. They offer great dresses for not too expensive. If you are looking for great customer service, I would not necessarily suggest a chain, but if you are looking for an inexpensive dress, then this is the place for you! When you go in, they will set you up with a specific salesperson who will pick out dresses for you and bring them over to you while you try them on. Definitely bring someone with you to try on dresses, as you will probably need someone to give you their honest opinion. The David's Bridal salespeople seemed a bit too eager to say that everything looked great.