Vendors
Below is a list of all the vendors we are using. So far all of our experiences have been great and I highly recommend them. After the wedding I'll be sure to post reviews.
Ceremony - University Presbyterian Church
This is a beautiful church in the University district and it just so happens to be where I grew up. I feel very fortunate to be able to have our wedding not only at such a gorgeous location, but also where my parents got married over 27 years ago! Since it's close to the UW (where we met) it will be easy to take pictures on the campus as well.
Reception - The Harbor Club, Seattle
We ended up chosing The Harbor Club for several reasons. My favorite things about Seattle are the water and the mountains and this location has an amazing view of both. It offers a more intimate setting than some of the large ballrooms, but I think it suits our personality and our budget well.
(It was hard to find a good picture online, but the room curves around so it's bigger than it looks in the picture)
Photography - Piper Moore
This is probably the thing I am most happy about because
a) she's an amazing photographer and
b) she is building her portfolio and thus very reasonable.
We had a great time with our engagement pictures and I can't wait to see what the wedding photos will look like! I'm always happy to recommend her so if you want her information just let me know.
Cake - Kelli's Creations
After much deliberation, I even lost a deposit at another cake place JUST so that I could have Kelli make our cake. First of all, it tastes amazing. But what made me want to go with her more was the fact that she has been incredibly helpful, flexible, accomidating and trustworthy. It's a great feeling to know that the person I'm meeting with will be the person doing everything from start to finish and I have complete confidence the cake will look (and taste) amazing.
The picture on the left is not one of her cakes, but is similar to what we are going for, but with moss green ribbon and medium-dark purple flowers. We'll also probably add a simple monogram to the second layer from the top.
Wedding Dress, Bridesmaid Dresses, Groom & Groomsmen Ties - Sarah Mosher
Making my wedding dress was always something my mom and I had talked about her doing since I was little and she sewed so many outfits for me over the years. Lately her hands have gotten more painful and we were unsure of how the whole thing would work out until Sarah stepped into the picture.
It has been so wonderful working with her and even better that my mom will be able to help with a little of the sewing. You can see the process over on "Costuming 145".
DJ - Bamboo Beats
This was possibly the most nerve-wracking thing for Ben. He is very particular about music and as we walked through the Seattle Wedding Show, every creepy looking guy in a tux convinced him more and more that the only way he could be happy was with an ipod pre-programed and mixed by himself. I however knew that having someone run the reception, be able to make transitions and stop/change the music would make the reception a million times better.
Low and behold we saw him. We'd been there for at least 2 hours, how could we not have seen him!? What was that? A REAL turntable? No tux? Actually cool-looking? DJ Tecumseh was our man.
We met with him and his wife (she comes along as part of the package to help run the evening which is great - he can focus on the music and she can focus on making sure everything happens the way we want) and it was love at first sight. Ben was willing to turn over the music to him and I felt better knowing that everything would be taken care of. Our package also includes some up-lighting which should be pretty cool too.
Hair & Make-up
It's a little crazy, but I'll be getting my hair and make-up done at two different places.
For my hair, I'll be using Kyle at Gene Juarez, Northgate. A good friend recommended him so I had my hair cut there last summer (sorry, I can't afford that every other month!) and he does the best natural curly hair look - aka "Victoria' Secret hair", I love it!
How I found my make-up guy is a very long story (trust me, it is), but he's been great. I had him do a mini trial run for our engagement shoot and I really like how it turned out, plus the price isn't too bad. His name is Eric and he works at Coupe Rokei downtown. **Update: I'm having him meet us where we get ready and the price is not bad either. He's been wonderful to work with so far!**
Dancing - Katie Lake, Washington Dance Club
For my birthday two years ago Ben said he would get us dance lessons. We did some research and found Katie. She was so much fun and a really good teacher. It's one thing to know how to dance (which she does!), but it's another thing to be able to teach it and I think she does a great job of translating how the whole thing works. We'll be taking lessons with her this summer so that we'll have a comfortable and fun first dance.
**Update: we've had our first two lessons and it's going so well, I'm really excited about this!**
Rehearsal Dinner - Del Rey
Great food, fun atmosphere and even better prices! Del Rey was recommended to me by another Knottie whose rehearsal dinner will be their first experience doing that type of thing. They have been great about communication and very flexible as far as the budget.
Honeymoon - Etu Moana (Aitutaki, Cook Islands)
It was a long process of deciding where we wanted to go. He wanted the Carribbean, but I was afraid of the tornados and have heard some bad stories of people having to leave early. I stumbled upon Etu Moana through TripAdvorsor.com and it has consistantly been rated at almost 100% (with just a couple 4 star ratings) and has been voted the number one most romantic place in the world!
We get our own little villa, of which there are only 8, and having some place quiet/private was important to us. There are lots of things to do, but there's no guilt if we don't (a reason we were opposed to going to Europe), transportation to and from the airport is included, and it will be nice and warm.
