Everyone really enjoyed the rehearsal dinner here. The restaurant served Italian food. They had a lovely ambiance inside that was perfect for a family gathering. The food and service were both great, with no complaints or problems from anyone. The location in downtown Raleigh was also great for us. They even offered us a free lunch to try them out for ourselves and were wonderful to deal with overall. I am not sure how expensive they were relative to other places, but they are worth checking out.

Our DJ was wonderful and the guests really enjoyed him. I was very impressed with the music selection and the listing of preferences. They not only asked us what music we wanted but also what music we did not want played in case some of our guests requested it. In addition, they asked us our preferences in regards to language use, sexual innuendo, and how we wanted them to act. They also were willing to try out new things such as a game to get people out of their seats and moving around. We had no problems and would recommend them to others.

Their cakes were awesome! Jennifer was very willing to work with me to design the cake and excited to try out new things. She was also very generous in the amount of cake she gave me during the tastings. I had wedding cake sitting around for days just from trying out the different flavors. They also will make a miniature version of your wedding cake top for your anniversary. The cake turned out beautiful and I would highly recommend them!

The hotel itself was good. All of the guests were able to stay in blocks there, which allowed people to come and go from the reception as they wanted. They arranged all of the food, table linens, and decorations for us. They even prepared a special family recipe for us, which turned out wonderful. There was some miscommunication and difficulties dealing with one of their wedding planners, but overall things turned out great. Also, if you are willing to sign a paper saying that you will take responsibilities for food leftovers, they will box them up for you. We had some friends bring them to Moore Square to hand out which was a much better alternative to letting the food all go to waste. If you have your reception here, or elsewhere, please ask about their policies with leftovers. The hotel staff was excited to see the food go to a good use and wished more people asked them so they didn't have to waste it.

Caterer

As an alternative to getting a limo, I decided on a carriage for transportation through downtown Raleigh. The cost was actually less than a limo and everyone enjoyed seeing the carriage there. They were great to work with, showed up on time, and did a great job. They will also decorate the carriage and the driver will dress according to your preferences. The kids were excited to have the chance to sit up in the carriage and it was a great opportunity for photos. I would definitely recommend them to others.

Jenna was wonderful to work with and helped us to feel at ease during the process. She was very open to learning what types of pictures I wanted and working with me to get those shots. She also spent a lot of time editing the engagement photos for us. The cost was reasonable compared to many other photographers, and the photographs turned out well. She also got the proofs back to us quickly after the event. We would definitely recommend her to others!

Ordering flowers in bulk is a good option to help cut costs, but be careful who you choose as a vendor. In this case, they ordered the wrong color flowers and some of the flowers were dying when we picked them up two days before the wedding. There was no option at that point to get the correct colored flowers so we had to go with it. Things worked out okay but if those types of details will upset you, try someone else.

This is a historical church in downtown Raleigh. They were affordable compared with other vendors and they rented out to other denominations. Since we are part of a nondenominational church, it was difficult for us to find churches that were willing to do this. The pastor met with us for counseling and was flexible in his schedule, although he was a bit forgetful. The main problem was that we had to do the rehearsal in the parking lot because he forgot the time we were supposed to be there and we were locked out of the church.

I have had my hair cut here regularly, so I decided to try them out for hairstyling. While the school cannot take official appointments, they assured me that if I showed up first thing that morning they would have my styler take me straight back. I came in earlier during the week to meet the styler and have a practice up-do. When I arrived on Saturday morning, the styler did not come. The management continued to assure me she would be there, but after almost an hour I had to have someone else step in. I was unprepared to try to explain to the new person how the other styler had done my hair and it came out completely different. As a school, they cannot promise very much and they had no control over someone not showing up, but it may have been worth going elsewhere to make sure things went more smoothly.

The bridal show was a good opportunity to meet with a high number of vendors. In our case, we had selected many vendors prior to going so our focus was on tasting the cakes. The show really helped us to select a great cake vendor. Many of the vendors also offer discounts and free giveaways. Make sure you take advantage of these free offers by signing up. The only problem I had was that I am still receiving e-mails from all the vendors through their contact list, and this listing has been difficult to get off of.