Most of these are from the South Bay, except our photographer, who is from Sac.  Page me on the NorCal board if you have questions or want specifics.  

I'm happy to help!

Ceremony Location - Mission Santa Clara

The Mission was gorgeous and its garden was a perfect setting for our photographs.  Andrew Chai, the wedding coordinator for the Mission, was 100% professional and organized.  You have to be staff or alum of SCU to get married there, but it gets a huge recommendation here.

Officiant - My Dad!

Sorry, you can't have him.

Reception Location - Decathlon Club

The Decathlon Club and their coordinator, Georgie Unwin, were fantastic.  The Decathlon Club has everything you need for a reception.  Their catering was excellent.  No need to rent linens, china, glassware, dance floors, etc.  They made our reception easy for us and Georgie was a dream to work with.  It's definitely worth a consultation if you're considering it.

Florist -Friend's Mom

You can't have her either!  I can't post her name because she works for a major florist in San Jose and I don't want anyone to hunt her down, but this one was a favor and she was incredible.  Moving on...

Photography - Lily Rose Photography (Debbie Norman)

Debbie was an incredible photographer.  We are thrilled with our photos and our guests are very impressed!  She is outstanding, and was professional and accommodating on the wedding day.

She brought along Lindsay Calmettes, another photographer, as her second shooter.  Lindsay was fun, talented, and I hope her career as a photographer takes off soon.  A second positive review for Lindsay!

 Videographer - Silver Lens Productions

Our video is almost done!  The guys were great on the wedding day, and I'll update my review once we get the DVD.

Reception Music - Drive! The Band

These guys made our wedding a PARTY.  Our guests are still talking about them, because they were a huge hit.  They had everyone dancing and never lost steam.  HUGE recommendation here.

Jeweler - Shane Co. (Cupertino)

The people at Shane Co. (in Cupertino) were very helpful and professional when FI picked out my engagement ring.  We bought our bands there and had the same great experience.  Then, on the honeymoon, I lost a small diamond from my wedding band.  I went back to Shane Co. and it was replaced (for free) in 4 days!  Their lifetime coverage is priceless.

Tuxedos - Men's Wearhouse (Westgate Mall, Saratoga)

Men's Wearhouse was the best optinon for us because we had guys coming from all over the place to be in our wedding.  They got almost everything right, but I know there were some adjustments that had to be made at the last mine.  Overall, our experience was good!

My Dress - Bay Area Bridal 

I bought my dress off the rack at Bay Area Bridal in Cupertino.  They were wonderful there- everyone I worked with was helpful and courteous, and they even worked with my teeny little gown budget to get me a beautiful dress!  Their alterations seamstress, Marina, is an alterations GENIUS.

Bridesmaid Dresses- Pearl's Place

I found out about Pearl's Place through reviews on the Knot, and I'm so glad I did!  Not only were our Jim Hjelm dresses discounted by over $100 each, but they arrived at my doorstep several weeks ahead of schedule. 

Hair Stylist - Kathy Hoffman at Head to Toe Salon (Campbell)

Kathy has been doing my hair for 5 years.  She's a fantastic stylist, and a pro at the updos!  I did two trials with her- my advice to you is that no matter how much you trust your stylist, do a trial and be HONEST about what you do and do not like.  I asked her to make changes and she did, and as a result, I was SO happy with how my hair turned out.

Wedding Coordinator - Dream It Events 

I hired Melissa and Kasey for only the day of the wedding.  I basically wanted them to do the little tasks that the MOB or MOH usually end up doing- running around, putting out fires.  They did just that- they helped set up the reception, then Melissa was at the ceremony site helping us with the stupid little tasks that tend to come up before the ceremony starts.  I really appreciated how they made sure I had water throughout the reception, appetizers, dinner, and cake.  They also made sure our parents had plenty of water all night.  My mom has expressed how much she appreciated Melissa's help, so that's good enough for me.  The only problem I have in hindsight was that I was surprised that for a 4pm wedding, they didn't arrive until 1pm.  Our day started at 8:30am with hair/makeup, etc, so there was plenty that they could have helped with earlier than 1pm.  But I found out too late that they were arriving then, so I didn't bother asking them to come earlier.  To me, "day of" should mean the whole day.  Aside from that, I have no complaints.

Engagement Photographer - Kevin Walters

Kevin is Scott's brother, and has just started photographing weddings and portrait sessions with a friend of his.  He's still inexpensive, but has been doing a lot of weddings lately, so I'm very proud of him!

Save the Dates by Wedding Paper Divas 

This website is fun to look through, and easy to order from!  They customized our colors for an extra fee, and sent a proof by email before printing.  The first batch they sent us weren't of great quality, but when I called them to complain, they immediately sent a new batch out.  Great customer service!

Thank You Cards by Sara Olsher of Stinkerpants Designs 

The personalized thank-you cards that Sara made us are awesome!  Our families got a big kick out of them and I can't wait until I have an excuse to hire her again!  Visit her website... I can guarantee you'll be trying to come up with a reason to order something from her!

Wedding day transportation by Pearl White Limousine 

The car that we rented was a 1948 White New Yorker.  This car was AWESOME.  The owner, Marcus, is a nice guy, easy to communicate with, and reasonably priced.  His car is in pristine shape, comfy, easy to get in and out of in a big wedding dress, and air conditioned!!  He had rose petals and champagne in the back seat.   This is HIGHLY recommended if you don't want a stretch limo!

Wedding Cake by A Piece of Cake Bakery (Santa Clara)

I was very impressed by our tasting at A Piece of Cake.  After trying cake at Margeret's French Bakery, Jen's Cakes, and Not Just Cheesecakes, A Piece of Cake was the best tasting, best design, and least expensive- it was an easy choice!  They followed every decision I made and the guests gave it rave reviews.  We were between A Piece of Cake and Jen's Cakes, so I recommend either one of them!

Veil- Occansey Designs

I knew exactly what I wanted, so I went to this website, spent about 10 minutes customizing my options, viewed pictures of the choices I had, and it was done!  It arrived just a few days later, exactly as I had pictured it.  The best part was that with all the customizing I did, it was still only $30! 

Invitations - Cards And Pockets 

 I DIY'd my invitations, but I ordered my 6x6 pocketfolders from this site.  I paid for a sample first, so I would know exactly what I was ordering.  Their service was great and their prices were the best of ALL the sites and companies... and I checked out all of them!

Rehearsal Dinner Location- Mio Vicino (Santa Clara)

This is a fantastic family-owned Italian restaurant for a private banquet of up to 35 people.  Their private room is so warm and inviting- we loved it as soon as we walked in.  It's separate from the main restaurant, so it's quiet and you can have toasts and thank-yous without being disturbed.  By the way, the food there is GOOOOD.