***EXCUES THE MESS I'M UNDER CONSTRUCTION***
I loved planning our wedding! Overall I had the best time and there were only a few hiccups *cough invitations cough, cough.* I have listed all our venders with a little review. I hope this helps if your planning your dream day and please do not hesitate to send me a quick email with any questions; I'm no wedding planner but I am a once, upon a time bride and will give the best advice I can!
Paper Goods-
Save the Dates - I am very crafty and a DIYer at heart so this is a project I wanted to take on myself.
I knew it could also save us a little money so I felt like it was a win-win! You can read more about
the save the date project here.
I loved the way the turned out and was really proud of them! I got a lot of compliments on them and
everyone really seem to appreciate that they were homemade. It made our wedding feel personal
which was important to Andrew and I!
Formal Invitations - We ordered our invitations from City Printing in Shreveport, Louisiana. You
can read about my experience here. I was very happy with the styrofoam cups and napkins we
ordered from city printing and the invitations too, but I would not use them again due to the way
they handled the invitation debacle.
Photo by Megan and Seth
Rehearsal Dinner Invitations - We used the website Wedding Paper Divas for these and they were
AMAZING!! Their customer service was impeccable and I would use them again in a heart beat.
They sell save the dates, formal invites, rehearsal dinner invites, shower invites, menus and really
anything paper related. They also have a website called tiny prints that can be used at the next phase
of married life: Babies!! Anytime I need stationary I always check this website first. We are actually
ordering our Christmas cards from their sister site, shutterfly.
I'm a big believer that the stationary sets the impression for the entire wedding so they are very important. It is important to find some sort of cohesive element to allow all the invitations to coordinate; ours was the border element and gold.
Venues-
Andrew and I knew that we wanted our ceremony in a church. I can't imagine starting my life anywhere else but I also know that the church setting isn't for everyone.
For our reception we knew that the Norton building was our only choice. It is a beautiful indoor/outdoor venue that has lots of personality on its on. We choose this location because it was special to Andrew and I; not only was it beautiful but we had a lot of great college memories here. What better way to throw the party of a lifetime than a place you have partied so many times before: it was the best way to create a final memory here before we moved.
The venue is a great way to show your personalities so my suggestion is to find what suits you as a couple best. Some things to think about...weather and capacity. If it rains on your wedding day is there somewhere the wedding can me moved or can you add a tent? How many people does the venue hold and will it fit everyone that you would like to invite?
They are expensive! They will be one of the items you spend the most on and thats ok because they make such an impact. Lauren Roebuck, our amazing florist really got my vision for the wedding. I wanted simple and southern but something that really made a statement.
These were our rehearsal dinner arrangements....
These were our church arrangements...
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These were our bouquets...
We didn't have a post wedding brunch but you could also reuse the wedding flowers for that too! Also, don't forget to budget for multiple bouquets: bridals, the wedding and a month after shoot, if you choose to do one, all need your wedding bouquet.
Photography-
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Videographer-
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Cater-
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The Dress-
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(This is with my maggie bustled)
The Shoes-
The Tuxes-
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The Bridal Party Gifts-
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The Accommodations-
We had rooms blocked at the Hampton Inn. They were amazing to work with and the rooms were reasonably priced. Something to remember is the demographic of your wedding guest. Most of our guest were college students therefore they needed something that wasn't too pricy. There have been so many weddings that blocked rooms at expensive hotels that broke our bank when we stayed there. Consider giving guest a few choices of accommodations to allow them to pick what best suits their needs. There is nothing worse then attending a wedding a feeling uncomfortable because of the hotel price...thats just silly!
From original page // It is located at 1315 North Trenton St. Ruston, La 71270. Be sure to mention the Mire/Halbrook Wedding when calling to make your reservation! The discounted rate will be 89 dollars a night and to get the discount make sure to reserve your room by February 1st! Any rooms booked after February 1st will have to pay full price. The Sleep Inn is another hotel in Ruston located close to the ceremony and reception sites if you would rather stay there but we would love for everyone to be together at one hotel :). //
Registry-
I didn't want to register at many corporate places so I decided to go with a more hometown feel. This may not be the best choice for you personally but it really worked for us. We registered at the following places:
- Townsend House (Located in Ruston, LA) We have registered for all of our everyday dishes, silverware, glasses, fine china, crystal, Le Creuset, and other household decorations and goods. This is one of my favorite places of all time and if you live close to Ruston I would highly recommend just stopping in! The address is 410 North Bonner Street but if you can't make it into the store they would love to help you over the phone at 318.225.3350 or shop online by clicking here!
- Lewis Gifts (Located in Shreveport, LA) We have registered for all of our everyday dishes, silverware, glasses, fine china, crystal, and other household decorations and goods just like at the Townsend House to give our Shreveport family and friends the opportunity to see everything in person! No need to worry about doubling up on any items from both places we have already worked everything out, just pick out whatever you like best! Lewis's used to be a pharmacy too and where we got all my medicine filled as a child; the best part is they used to have ices which made being sick much better! It has now moved locations and has a small restaurant inside which has fabulous soups and sandwiches. The address is 5807 Youree Drive but if you can't make it into Lewis's they would also be happy to help you over the phone at the toll free number, 1.888.545.3947 or shop online by clicking here!
- Bed, Bath, and Beyond (Located Everywhere) We have registered for all our pots and pans, small appliances, towels, bedding, kitchen goods and pretty much everything we did not register for a the Townsend House and Lewis. Our registry number is 0013013090. Any Bed, Bath, and Beyond can give you a print out of our registry at the store or you can shop online by clicking here!
I was not compensated in any way for any of my reviews. They are all my own thoughts and opinions. All photos were taken by Megan and Seth Photography.
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