Heather&Peter likes the OOT Boxes. She likes 'em a lot.
The guys received a galvanized beer tub, a personalized capcatcher
and a six pack of their favorite beer
The gals received a monogrammed hoodie, clutch purse,
jewelry for the wedding, a tote and a maribou frame
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Greystone Hall, West Chester, PA Greystone Hall puts on one hell of an amazing event. Since it's a private residence, there are many rules and restrictions. However, we didn't feel anything was unreasonable and were fine with working off their preferred vendor list. As an event planner, I know preferred vendors aren't "preferred" for nothing- they are the best at what they do and know the space inside and out. Planning with Beverly and Elizabeth was relatively easy, but you must be prepared that anything you want to do is subject to the owner's approval. Sometimes it was frustrating, waiting on answers, however nothing I wanted to do was denied, so we were very happy with their services. The day of my wedding, everything ran like clockwork. Our guests were shocked to drive up a long gravel road to have the forest open up to reveal this stunning venue. And I swear the deers are on que- they played in the field throughout our ceremony! Greystone ate up a big chunk of the budget...but it was worth every single cent!
Photographer: John Shetron Photography Where do I even begin? He is phenomenal. Probably the best wedding related decision I made was hiring him. He's so sweet, and really put everyone involved at ease. He was everywhere. He got every single moment, I don't know how he does it! We love John and his work and I would shout his praises from the rooftops. Any couple planning a Delaware Valley wedding should interview him, I'd highly recommend his services. His website is a bit outdated, but I'm hoping he'll redo it using a bunch of our amazing photographs. We were blown away when we saw our finished product. John is fantastic!!!!
Florist: Morgan from Robertson's I love Morgan and had a blast planning the details with her. I could feel that we both had the same vision and I was so excited to see my flowers on the wedding day. Upon first glance of our bouquets, I was floored. They FAR exceeded my expectations, I was delighted. The ceremony and reception flowers were beautiful, as well, but I wished the arbor arrangement was bit more lush and felt the aisle florals were a tinge on the purple side. Realizing that I was the ONLY person who knew these details were off, I decided to let it go and just enjoy the beauty of what Robertson's created. They are on the expensive side of the spectrum, but they are professional and genuinely excited to help plan your wedding day.
Officiant: Taya from Altared Vows Taya was an integral part of making our ceremony beautiful. To know her is to love her and we became fast friends while planning. TJ and I wanted a non-religious ceremony that would still please some very religious family members. I think that mission was definitely accomplished. Our ceremony was intimate and unique and we walked away still feeling blessed without ever mentioning anything religious. It was beautiful and filled with love and happiness. Since Taya helped us write the whole thing, it was also very reflective of us as a couple. The ceremony was exactly what we wanted it to be and Taya is solely responsible for that. She's wonderful!
Videographers: Christy & Matt from Martin's Accent Video We wanted a video but didn't need a big production or anything fancy, just a documentation of the day. Well, when we received our video we got the big production without the huge pricetag! Martin's did a phenomenal job! Christy was with me during hair and makeup and kept me calm and laughing when my nerves were taking hold. Matt hung with the guys and got some pretty funny stuff on film. They were everywhere without ever once being obtrusive. Our video turned out better than we could've ever dreamed for and we were so happy with their services. I'd highly recommend Martin's- they are great!
Caterer: Jeffrey Miller Catering Jeffery Miller Catering did a great job at my wedding! The food was excellent and the service was top notch. I will say it seemed their office administration was a tad less organized than I would've liked, but I kept on top of them and had zero issues on the day of my wedding. It was flawless. I started working with Sarah on the planning and when she left on maternity leave, I was placed with Craig. He was very helpful and nice, but I really got along spectacularly with Sarah- she even came to my wedding because she didn't want to miss it. Craig was beside us all evening ensuring we didn't want for a thing. He kept the event running on schedule and I don't have one complaint. Everything was amazing. The pastry chef did a phenomenal job on our cake. He dyed it to match the Ice Pink shade of my gown and mimicked the beadwork in the details. It was probably the best cake I've ever tasted. The food was fantastic, the staff was excellent and overall, my reception was quite a success.
DJ: Dave Hoeffel of Sound Choice DJs Music was a huge part of our wedding, it needed to be perfect. We both have a love for many different genres and wanted the music to reflect our personalities. So, when we had to show Dave our play list, we were nervous he'd be apprehensive to playing Snoop Dogg and Foo Fighters. He was. But only because he knows a crowd. He knows exactly what gets the dance floor packed and what'll clear it. He assured us he'd use our list but read the crowd and only play what would keep the party going. Well, I suppose we're quite the partiers because he played EVERYTHING off our list and the dance floor was overcrowded most of the night! I honestly think, at one point during the night, every single guest was up, dancing and having a wonderful time. He kept the announcements to a bare minimum, he was as non-cheesy as they come, he was professional and helpful and made our night the best! We also hired him to do our ceremony and cocktail music and he did perfectly on that! When the ceremony ended, and we finally got to kiss, he queued the Wedding March Symphony to begin and chills went down my spine. He overwhelmed us with his talent and I'd highly recommend him to anyone!!!
Hair: Meghan Cahill Meghan is sweet as sugar, she really is! She came an hour early on my wedding day, before anyone else was awake (except me) and really calmed me down. She took me on a coffee run and kept me giggling when nerves were getting the best of me. She did hair for 10 girls in 6 hours and every single hairdo was beautiful! My ladies were very impressed by her talent and I can't even begin to describe what I thought of my hair. She must've read my mind because it was exactly what I wanted. She is reasonably priced for a stylist that travels and she is a great personality to have around on your wedding day. I love Meghan and will continue to sing her praises for years to come!
Makeup: Jill from Face the Occasion It's understandable why the ladies from Face the Occasion are in high demand- Jill is brilliant! Like many brides, I had been really nervous and not eating or sleeping well for the week before and it was taking a toll on my face. Jill covered every imperfection and I was glowing. I was speachless when she finished. She did a marvelous job on our mothers and two bridesmaids, as well. Jill is a miracle worker and there's no one that compares to her, she's just wonderful!
Jeweler: Christine from A Gem for You Christine was recommended to me by a coworker. She had an anniversary band made and raved about the great quality but low price. TJ contacted her when he was ready to buy a ring, told her what we had designed and Christine made it happen. My engagement ring is absolutely stunning and was appraised for $2K more than he paid! She is a joy to work with- she makes your dreams come true but stays within budget. She designed my wedding band to match perfectly and chose a very manly ring for TJ, as well. She is so knowledgeable and friendly, she makes the intimidating process of buying a diamond fun and easy. Christine has impeccable tastes and I am very fortunate to know, whenever TJ needs to buy me some jewelry, she's in my corner :)
Bridal Gown & Bridesmaid's Dresses: Brides & Grooms, Newark, DE Carrie-Anne and Marie are wonderful to work with. They are helpful but never pushy and the store's selection can't be beat. My problem is with the owner/seamstress. Two weeks before my wedding, I went in for what was to be my final fitting. I was very unhappy with the fit of the gown. I felt like much of the bodice was pulling and/or scrunching, not laying flat by any means. Instead of fixing the top to fit my body, she shoved me full of padding and told me she couldn't alter the beaded parts because they were too delicate. When I told her that was her job as a seamstress to fit the gown to me (not the other way around) she went into the back of the store and ignored me. She refused to talk to me and hid until I was gone. I picked up my dress a few days later after she added additional padding and boning to the bodice. I walked with my gown, still unhappy, but deciding I couldn't change it with only days to go. I was very unhappy with my gown on my wedding day. You can clearly see the waistline was buckling because nothing was holding the top up. I was stuffed full of two sets of sewn in cups, chicken cutlets and a long line bra, hence the pic of me showing off my newfound cleaveage. All in all, the service at Brides & Grooms is decent, but if you have alterations that may be beyond a hem or adding straps, I'd go to someone that specializes in difficult alterations, like Elaine Morgan or Sophia. The owner of Brides & Grooms clearly only does the bare minimum....and that's mediocre at best.
Tuxedos: Men's Warehouse We rented from Men's Warehouse locations in Wilmington DE, Christiana DE, Deptford NJ, and Mays Landing NJ. We coordinated a group pick-up at the Wilmington location so we could have the guys try every piece on before leaving the store. The only person who had any issue was my groom- his jacket sleeves were a little too long and they were tailored right there on the spot. We rented the Kenneth Cole Reaction Tuxedo and the guys looked very dapper without spending a fortune.
Transportation: Elegante Limousines We ordered our Rolls Royce Getaway Car as well as a 22 passenger minibus from Elegante. The transportation went well, no flaws, but we did have a billing issue with Elegante. The Elegante minibus driver took the gratuity that was intended for the Desmond shuttle driver after insisting to my day-of coordinator that it belonged to him, even though his invoice was fully paid. The next morning, everything was straightened out, Elegante's manager was very helpful and sent a reimbursement check immediately. Highly recommended.
OOT Hotel/Rehearsal/Rehersal Dinner/Brunch: The Desmond Hotel, Malvern, PA The Desmond hosted our OOT room block of 89 guests, our rehearsal, our rehearsal dinner, next day brunch and guest shuttles to/from Greystone Hall. Not a thing went wrong. The hotel is beautiful and my guests were very impressed. They arranged for our rehearsal to take place in a room already set for a wedding happening later that evening, which made rehearsing a piece of cake! We were surprised to see they set our cocktail hour up outside on the private patio, it was such a gorgeous evening! Our rehearsal dinner was amazing, the food and service was beyond excellent and the next day brunch knocked our socks off, too! I have no complaints about this facility and highly recommend them to anyone getting married in the West Chester, PA area.
Day-of Coordinator: Ashley from A Little Etiquette I hired Ashley because, as an event planner, I know things are bound to go wrong. She was professional and friendly and a great person to have around during planning. She was genuinely excited about our wedding and is one of the nicest vendors I hired. Probably due to the fact that I anticipated something going wrong and worked really hard so it wouldn't (and it didn't), Ashley didn't really have a lot to do that night. Greystone came with 2 coordinators, I also had 2 Catering Managers, and a Site Manager running everything, as well. Looking back, I think we did a really good job planning on our own and she wasn't put to much use. I will say she did a fabulous job for us, is a wonderful vendor, would entrust her with planning from the start and I could highly recommend her services. Plus, she decorated our bridal suite so beauitfully- we loved it!
Thanks for looking, I hope you enjoyed the pictures!
