Since we were on a budget, we decided to rent a 12-person van and have my sister’s boyfriend drive us to the reception. When I picked it up, I was shocked that they gave me only an 8-person van! I argued with them and they said that was all they had available. Fortunately, the photographer didn’t need a ride and two of the bridesmaids drove with their dates so we could fit everyone in the smaller van. That was infuriating though, and the $20 off the bill they gave us was pathetic. We are never again using them!

I decided to send out save-the-date magnets to my guests and shopped around to find the best deal. Robin’s Photography was listed on eBay and had the lowest price I could find. I designed a magnet I liked and they printed them and had them back to me in a week. The magnets looked wonderful!

The pavilion was a quaint, secluded building with a fireplace located in Mitchell Park, perfect for a small rehearsal dinner. We brought in our own food and everyone enjoyed the view of the park. While people who rent the pavilion have to set up the tables themselves and clean up, it’s a great idea for couples on a budget.

The employees at Men’s Wearhouse were easy to work with and offered many suggestions. The tuxedos looked fantastic except for the best man’s, whose was different then the other groomsmen’s. His pocket was sewn shut so he actually needed to cut it open for the pocket square to fit! His shoes were also slightly different. While that was disappointing, the tuxes were tailored well and looked very elegant.

Eric, the owner of the start-up company, is phenomenal to work with. He’s very personable and has great attention to detail. He took a lot of time to show me all the invitations he had available, discuss pricing, and make sure that everything on the invitations looked perfect. The turn-around was very quick as well. I can’t say enough good things about the experience!

We decided on a honeymoon cruise departing from Ft. Lauderdale and visiting Dominican Republic, Tortola, St. Thomas, and Great Stirrup Cay. The cruise itself was fun but was more geared to older passengers with the activities offered. The food was decent at the free restaurants but we were able to eat at the more upscale restaurants for a cover charge. I wouldn’t recommend cruises for a honeymoon because of the lack of privacy and the tiny guest rooms.

This chapel was just horrendous. I took a tour of it and it just reeked of tackiness. It wasn’t even near Christmastime but the whole reception area was decorated with cheesy Christmas lights. There was an elevated area where the DJ was supposed to go, just hovering over everyone. To make matters worse, they require you to have a security guard present during the ceremony! There was no way I could imagine the most important day of my life occurring there!

Mader's did a wonderful job catering for our reception. They were easy to work with and were timely giving us an updated price list when we had a change to our menu. We had a simple lunch buffet but everything was well-presented and delicious.

David’s Bridal always failed to impress my wife with their pushy salespeople and cookie-cutter dresses that so many brides and bridesmaids have worn before. To their credit, they do have a large selection and at least one dress in every size so you can see exactly what dresses will look like before they’re ordered. My wife would have rather bought the dresses elsewhere but just ordered them there since they promised me her that she could have all of them in six weeks.

The owner of Savvy Bride was a pleasure to work with, very nice and accommodating. She made several dress recommendations based on the type of dresses my wife liked and did not pressure her to buy anything, unlike some other dress stores she had been to. Because it’s a small store, all the sample dresses are sized large; for a petite customer like my wife, the owner had to use clamps on the back of the dresses in order to get an idea of what they would look like.