Our wedding vendors were absolutely phenomenal, professional, and so passionate about their work. We could never thank them enough for their hard work, going above and beyond, and of course being patient with me, which was huge. I was one of those brides, you know, the one that had a list or spreadsheet for everything obnoxiously organized in an insanely huge binder. Every single one of our vendors took the time to listen and understand what we wanted, envisioned, and needed. I would highly recommend every single one of our vendors and we appreciated every last detail from the bottom of our hearts.
Our wedding planner and owner of Victoria Belle Mansion, Vickie Brown, became family to Sean and me during our time together. We always looked forward to all of our planning consultations because Vickie was just so much fun to be around. She’s the epitome of a Southern hostess and boy, does she know her wedding stuff! She helped me plan my dream wedding and became an inspiration so, I too could one day plan dream weddings for others.
Thank you so much Vickie and all your wonderful staff for truly creating a perfect wedding for Sean and me.
Our photographer, Karen Ann Yontz of Mac + Cheese Photography, was so so so great! When Sean and I first met her for a consultation we all instantly clicked and got along like old friends.
Karen Ann and her assistant Jessica arrived ready to go on the wedding day. From early that morning to late that night, both lovely ladies were working their camera magic making sure to get each detail. They handled my insanely long shot list like champs (not a single picture I requested was missed!) and gave us memories that will last a lifetime. We have a TON of great photos and I am over the moon of how they turned out! Thanks M+C for capturing the biggest day of our lives! See their blog post of our wedding day: Mac + Cheese Photography * Sean + Meagan Wedding 10.01.11
Our videographer, Kaye Woods Snyder, of White Dress Media, was the perfect example of a trusting client-vendor relationship. At first, I was on the fence about having a videographer and I’m SO glad we did it. When I finally started looking for a videographer (eight weeks before the wedding!) and something about White Dress Media stood out amongst the others. WDM’s reviews were phenomenal, their previous work was stellar, and their industry knowledge was exceptional. These qualities played a HUGE role in my decision to book. Being so close to the wedding, Sean and I couldn’t make another trip back to Georgia to meet with Kaye. With eight weeks to go, I could only hope WDM would be available and that my instincts would be right if we could even book them.
Kaye was able to find some available time on our wedding date and there was no question that WDM was who we wanted. We normally would have never booked a vendor without meeting them first, but WDM and Kaye were different. Kaye was genuine, sweet, and professional and very soon, became our videographer. Our first meeting was during our first look on the wedding day. When you know in your heart something is right, you go with it.
Our day came and went in the blink of an eye and I’m so glad Kaye was there. Having that video is a wonderful reminder of our big day and it captured the details, emotions, and love that we’ll be able to look back on during the years to come. Thank you Kaye and White Dress Media! See our incredible wedding video: Sean & Meagan’s Wedding 10-01-11
We were married by Pastor Ron Daniel who was so inspiring with his incredible faith.
The most amazing food was cooked by Executive Chef Matthew Premble of Professional Touch Catering for both our wedding and our rehearsal dinner. Our guests raved about how great it all was!
The flowers were all provided by James Mitcham of Details of the Garden. James took my obsession of feathers in the bouquets and turned them into art!
Eric Edwards of Party Central was our fun DJ! He made sure everyone was out on the dance floor having fun!
Our BEAUTIFUL wedding cake was baked and decorated by Susan Worley of Cakes by Susan. The University of South Florida logo Groom’s Cake was AMAZING!
Every big production needs practice and our big day was no exception. We almost didn’t have have a rehearsal dinner though. Read about our exhausting efforts to find a rehearsal venue here: Realities of Having a Wedding in the Boondocks.
We had chosen the lovely Grand Hotel right down the street from Victoria Belle. It’s a beautiful historic bed and breakfast that was not only going to be the venue for our rehearsal dinner, but also the bridesmaids’ tea. In the months leading up to the wedding, we had paid for the rehearsal dinner and put a deposit down for the tea. Three weeks before the wedding, I noticed the check I wrote for the tea hadn’t been cashed. When I called to find out the details, the phone line had been disconnected and the Grand Hotel had closed. Yes, you read that right, closed.
Side note: I work for a wedding insurance company, the Wedding Protector Plan, and I had purchased a policy for my wedding way before the wedding. People insure their cars, homes, and lives but sadly many do not consider to protect the biggest {and most expensive} day of their lives. The policy helps protect against unavoidable and unpredictable situations like cancellation due to catastrophic weather or illness, vendor no shows, ruined attire and jewelry, venue closing, etc. …VENUE CLOSING.
So, here we are stuck without a venue for both events and our money gone for the rehearsal dinner. Remember, the pickings were slim for options in dear Hogansville. I wasn’t concerned about the money being I had insurance but where in the world would we find another venue three weeks before the wedding? Wendy’s? Subway? And then of course the idea of me, using my own insurance policy. Work would sure love me!
Hogansville is a very small town. VERY! My planner and owner of Victoria Belle, Vickie, knows everyone and every thing in and about Hogansville. She became my hero and saved the day. She marched right down the street and like magic, she worked every thing out. Within a week, she had arranged our wedding caterer to cater the rehearsal dinner and our wedding bartender to bartend the rehearsal dinner. She brought in the decorator of Hogansville to decorate for the dinner and the tea. She arranged for a local musician to plan for the dinner, for free! If it wasn’t for Vickie, I honestly don’t think we would had either event.
Want to know what really happened at the Grand Hotel? Me too! I’ve heard from the grapevine that the lady we worked with for months on the dinner and tea had rubbed the Callaways (THE Callaways from Callaway Gardens) the wrong way. She took our file from the Grand Hotel and was fired. The ladies remaining at the Grand had no idea who Sean and I were and what events we had schedule and paid for. Bless their hearts, they were sweet as pie and worked so well with Vickie. Even though I had stressed out {majorly} for a week, they pulled it off and made both events fabulous! Now time for some pictures!
Karen Ann and her assistant Jessica arrived ready to go on the wedding day. From early that morning to late that night, both lovely ladies were working their camera magic making sure to get each detail. They handled my insanely long shot list like champs (not a single picture I requested was missed!) and gave us memories that will last a lifetime. We have a TON of great photos and I am over the moon of how they turned out! Thanks M+C for capturing the biggest day of our lives! See their blog post of our wedding day: Mac + Cheese Photography * Sean + Meagan Wedding 10.01.11
