Joy: Our Wedding – List of Vendors
Written by Sara on May 18, 2011 – 2:31 pm -
{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:
Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire, More Photos, Jitters and Communion, Ceremony Decor; Our DIY Ceremony Programs, Prayers, Readings and Music, Walking Down the Aisle, More Ceremony Shots, The Getaway Car, Reception Table Centerpieces, Wishing Tree & Photo Displays, Photos From Our DIY Photobooth!, Analysis of our iPod Wedding and Our Honeymoon}
I’m finally nearing the end of my wedding recaps, which is fitting, since Jordan and I have been married almost one year already! I can hardly believe that ten months have already passed by; what a blessing it is to have someone by my side each and every day. While our first year of marriage hasn’t been a walk in the park, this year (so far) has been full of blessings.
I wanted to share with you today a list of the vendors that we used throughout planning our wedding, so that any of you local SD brides will have all of these resources in one place! Also, stay tuned for a full list of Etsy vendors that we used – that’s the next post that I’ll write! Also coming up is a final list of the DIY projects that we completed for the wedding, so if you don’t see something listed below (i.e. the boutonnieres or my garters), don’t fret, because it was either purchased from Etsy or DIY!
Materials for Invitations:
Cards & Pockets (ordered online)
Sioux Falls Rubber Stamp, Sioux Falls, SD
Map of Sioux Falls – Wedding Invitations:
Designed by a friend of the bride
Printing:
Brown & Saenger, Sioux Falls, SD
Wedding Rings:
Sara’s Engagement Ring and Wedding Band: Riddle’s Jewelry, Sioux Falls, SD
Jordan’s Wedding Band: Helzberg Diamonds, Sioux Falls, SD
Photographers:
Creative Kindling, Brandon, SD
Florist:
The Flower Shop, Sioux Falls, SD
Sheet Cakes (Remember, we DIYed the Rice Krispie Cake):
HyVee on Sycamore Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD
Manzanita Branches – Wishing Tree:
Save-on-crafts.com (ordered online)
White Shutters – Photo Display:
Purchased from a seller at Benson’s Flea Market (Sioux Falls, SD)
Fabric – Wedding Napkins:
Hancock Fabrics, Sioux Falls, SD
Classic Car:
Borrowed for the day from a friend of the family
Hair and Nails on the Wedding Day:
Hair: Salon Ne-Zhoni, Sioux Falls, SD
Sara’s Manicure: VIP Nails, Sioux Falls, SD
Sara’s Pedicure: Radiance Day Spa, Sioux Falls, SD
Wedding Gown:
Purchased from Happily Ever After, Sioux City, IA (gown was by Alfred Angelo, and has since been discontinued)
Veil:
Purchased from French Door Bridal in Sioux Falls, SD (veil was by Signature Bridal)
Tuxedos:
Rented from Evelyn’s Floral and Formalware in Sioux Falls, SD, a business which has since closed its doors (the tuxedo was by Calvin Klein)
Groomsmen/Ushers Gifts:
Flasks – Brown & Saenger, Sioux Falls, SD
Socks – Express (ordered online)
Ceremony Helpers Gifts:
Wine purchased from HyVee Wine & Spirits, Louise Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD
Bridesmaids Dresses:
The Dessy Group, ordered online from www.bridesmaids.com
Ceremony Site:
Augustana College Chapel of Reconciliation, Sioux Falls, SD
Organist:
Kyle Quanbeck, Sioux Falls, SD
Vocalist:
Sister of the Groom
Catering, Reception Site:
Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD
Wedding Weekend Accommodations (Guests):
Holiday Inn City Centre (Downtown), Sioux Falls, SD
Wedding Night Accommodations (Jordan and Sara):
ClubHouse Hotel & Suites, Sioux Falls, SD
I also wanted to make sure that I made a list of places that I shopped for a variety of materials for all kinds of projects:
Hobby Lobby, Sioux Falls, SD
Michaels, Sioux Falls, SD
IKEA, Minneapolis, MN (votive candles)
I think that’s it! In terms of whether or not I would use these same vendors again if I were to do it all over again, the answer is a resounding yes. I was so pleased with all of our vendors, despite some last-minute stress from HyVee regarding our cakes. But, everything couldn’t have been more perfect, and we think back fondly on our wedding day and all of the vendors that made it happen for us. Cards & Pockets is a fabulous online resource for those of you who plan to DIY invitations in the future, and I couldn’t recommend the ladies at Happily Ever After in Sioux City, IA, any higher. The Flower Shop did an extraordinary job realizing my vision for the flowers, and the staff at the Augie Chapel and the Washington Pavilion couldn’t have been more helpful. Brown & Saenger also played a huge role in pulling off our wedding in terms of satisfying all of our printing needs, and our day wouldn’t have been chronicled in such a meaningful way without Creative Kindling. We couldn’t have been more blessed!
If you have any questions, please let me know!
[Photo by Creative Kindling]
Tags: Alfred Angelo, Augustana College, Benson's Flea Market, Brown & Saenger, Cards & Pockets, Chapel of Reconciliation, ClubHouse Hotel & Suites, Creative Kindling, Evelyn's Floral and Formalware, Express, French Door Bridal, Hancock Fabrics, Happily Ever After, Helzberg Diamonds, Hobby Lobby, Holiday Inn City Centre, HyVee, IA, IKEA, Michaels, Radiance Day Spa, Riddle's Jewelry, Salon Ne-Zhoni, Save-on-crafts.com, SD, Signature Bridal, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Rubber Stamp, The Dessy Group, The Flower Shop, VIP Nails, Washington Pavilion
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, Decor, DIY, Eco-Chic, Fashion, Flowers, Honeymoon, Inspiration & Insight, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Stationery, Venues, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap | 1 Comment »
Joy: Our Wedding – Honeymoon Review (With Pictures!)
Written by Sara on May 5, 2011 – 12:24 pm -
{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:
Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire, More Photos, Jitters and Communion, Ceremony Decor; Our DIY Ceremony Programs, Prayers, Readings and Music, Walking Down the Aisle, More Ceremony Shots, The Getaway Car, Reception Table Centerpieces, Wishing Tree & Photo Displays, Photos From Our DIY Photobooth! and Analysis of our iPod Wedding}
Jordan and I spent six days in Jamaica for our honeymoon. In terms of deciding where we wanted to jet away to for our honeymoon, we both wanted to go somewhere warm with a beach and an ocean, and we felt excited (and anxious) about going abroad. It was the first time being outside of America for the both of us, which truly was an experience in itself. We’ve never before been herded like cattle through customs (which, apparently, is an all-too-common experience in other countries), and that was a bit of a disarming experience.
In terms of actually booking our vacation, we utilized the expertise of a family friend who has been in the travel agency for quite some time. We booked our six-day stay at Breezes Rio Bueno in Rio Bueno, Jamaica. While we had a good time overall and made the best of our vacation stay there, it wasn’t the ideal honeymoon locale for either of us, for the following reasons below:
1. Our first time overseas was completely overwhelming; looking back, for our honeymoon, we would have rather stayed stateside.
After finally arriving at our resort after a full day of flights and sitting around in airports, we were exhausted, and I (Sara) was completely overwhelmed by the airport experience of going through customs in Jamaica, and also by the car ride from the airport to the resort. (Note: I (Sara) felt like the car was going to run off of the road countless times; plus, we were offered illegal drugs not only in the airport, but also when we were driving – passengers in another car shouted to us and (I’m not kidding) dangled a little baggie of “goodies” outside the window.)
2. Our room was underwhelming, to say the least (despite the fact that Jordan looks super comfy above!).
We stayed in a total of two different rooms during our stay at Breezes; our first room was, to put it lightly, not comfortable. We found ants in our room crawling on the floor, and our bedsheets were stained. There was barely any furniture in the room, and we were quite unsatisfied. So, we asked to move to a different room, which the resort staff granted us on the second day of our stay. While this room had more furniture, no bugs and clean bedsheets, it still was not what we were expecting. We were hoping for a cushy bed with many, many pillows and soft linens, but the bed linens made us feel more like we were staying at a motel than a resort that we shelled out many pennies for. Also – no bathtub. Boo.
3. We couldn’t get room service.
If we had known this prior to booking, we probably wouldn’t have booked at all. Who wants to go somewhere where you can’t order food to your room on your honeymoon?!
4. The atmosphere of the resort was geared more toward families and young single people than to couples on their honeymoon.
From the games and activities (think: wet t-shirt contests, dance contests, and the like, along with your regular water volleyball games, which Jordan enjoyed) to the other people staying at our resort, we came to realize that the beach getaway we had wanted originally was what we received (and, to the credit of Breezes, the beach and the ocean were fantastic), but wasn’t what we wanted. Now we know that if we ever embark on a trip overseas to an all-inclusive resort again, we want a couples-only resort with cushy linens, room service and a bunch of yummy food.
5. Jamaica is, well, a third-world country, which made it scary (for us) to leave the resort.
Despite the fact that Jordan and I were well aware of this before leaving, the disparate divide between poverty and wealth is so obvious when you’re driving beside shanties, and just down the road, you see a mansion. It was certainly eye-opening. But, in light of the fact that our surroundings were so unfamiliar (and, to us, rather scary), we never left the resort, which probably was a detriment to the fun we had on our trip. But, we just didn’t feel comfortable leaving the resort.
What We Liked
What we will say, however, is that we really appreciated the staff of this resort. They were always kind and accommodating. We also liked the food, too! We ate at a French restaurant one evening, and at a Japanese hibachi restaurant another evening, both of which were quite delicious! The other restaurants, however, left quite a bit to be desired, although Jordan sure enjoyed his omelette every morning, and we both still crave the fresh orange juice! Lastly, the beach was seriously insanely beautiful. The weather was a bit rainy when we were there, but the sun always came out eventually, and it was wonderful to lay by the beach and read, drink in hand. We also took a glass-bottom boat tour (the bottom of the boat was glass, which allowed us to see the sea life swimming around below us) that was fun, too.
So, here’s a recap of what we learned:
- We aren’t really all-inclusive resort people. We love nothing more than to make our own experience together by choosing to go to this shop or that restaurant to eat, and we found the all-inclusive environment rather limiting.
- We like a comfy room, complete with cushy soft linens and room service. And a bathtub instead of a shower!
- If we ever do an all-inclusive resort vacation again, we’ll stay at a couples-only resort. And, we would probably be open to going to an all-inclusive resort with friends (though, not Breezes) – that actually might be a good time!
- If we do go to a third-world country again, we will know what to expect in terms of the poverty level, among other things.
*Interesting fact: when I went to the Breezes Rio Bueno home page today to link to their site, I found the following disclosure:
“Please note: Breezes Resort & Spa – Rio Bueno will be closed as of April 30, 2011 indefinitely. For reservations after April 30, please see our other Breezes Resorts & Spas in Jamaica and in other destinations.”
Quite interesting, since we certainly felt that the resort was lacking the comforts that we wished for and expected.
In looking back on our honeymoon, we feel grateful for this experience, because it taught us what we want (and what we don’t) in a vacation. In fact, this summer, Jordan and I are embarking on a bit of a honeymoon-redo to…SEATTLE! That’s the best part about a honeymoon; you learn what you really want to do together on vacation! We’re so excited to experience a part of the United States that we’ve never been before, and we’re especially excited to enjoy all that Seattle has to offer.
Where are you headed on your honeymoon? Are you staying stateside or going abroad? What’s on your must-have list for your honeymoon destination?
[All photos by Jordan and I]
Posted in Budget Weddings, Honeymoon, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Personal, Venues, Wedding Recap, Weddings | No Comments »