Teaser Slideshow!!!

Get excited!!! My wonderful, glorious, uber-talented photographer, Shea has put together the slideshow of all slideshows of our wedding!!

Check it out by following this link: http://byshea.com/mrandmrswilkins

Make sure you have the volume turned UP because the music is perfect!! It sets the mood and the songs are very near and dear to our hearts :)

Enjoy!!!

Vendor Review: 3rd aVenue South

How much did I love 3rd Avenue South?? LOTS!! It was in the perfect location for us! A block off of Broadway it really fit the bill for a fun, party place that we could transform into our own! You can view lots of pictures of the venue at www.nashvilleeventspace.com under View Local Venues or my previous post about it here. The venue costs include tables, chairs, linens, plates, food, bartenders, pretty much everything. The planner there, Laurie, really tells you like it is. She has a great view of what you want and how to make it happen. She maximized our seating for our budget (we did have to stretch it a little to get everything we wanted) and created gorgeous intimate spaces for the guests to be away from the hustle and bustle of the dance floor.

Laurie created multiple scenarios for us depending on guest count and set up appointments with the in-house caterer who I will brag on later! She does also offer her services as your full on planner and her prices are pretty in line with most other planners in Nashville. If I hadn't already decided that I wasn't in need of one, I probably would have hired her. She put everything together for us the night of the reception, drinks and food ready when we got there, she boxed up our to-go food, and quietly made sure we were happy...and we were, we really were!!

The cost of 3rd aVenue South is the biggest thing though, it's not cheap. When I originally called she estimated at least $100 a head, which was more than I wanted to pay for just the reception. We shopped around and really didn't find another place downtown that would be totally transformable like 3rd aVenue was...so I called back and said... "This is what I have, can we make it work?" She agreed at first, then called me back and said she had been thinking about it and it was going to be tight. She went over everything and it's cost and politely asked if I had any other funds we could throw towards it. I did, I had low-balled it bc I've worked in Sales for 3 years and knew how this would play out. When we agreed on the price, I signed in confidence bc I knew she would be honest with me and lay it all out. While it was still kinda close to the $100 a head mark, it was under and I got alot more than I could have wished for!!

So 3rd aVenue: A+, would recommend anytime!

Vendor Review: Scarritt Bennett Chapel

Almost every bride in Nashville knows about Scarritt Bennett! It's actually called Wightman Chapel at Scarritt Bennett but not many people remember it that way. Its one of the hardest places to schedule a date with and the workers who schedule those dates are very accommodating! I called NUMEROUS times to see when they had available dates and they were always very nice and never made me feel like "here's that girl again..." You can catch up on my booking it here!

Now after the fact was just a little bit different. I understand it's a busy place and they book back to back weddings/rehearsals but there was no need to act like they did regarding time slots. I'm almost always late, it's just my thing. Well the day before the wedding was crazy! I had to pick up my dress, get it to the hotel, get our nails done, etc...so I was a little late to the Rehearsal, well about 38 minutes late. The FIRST thing the coordinator for Scarritt said to me was "If you are not out of here by 1 minute after six, I'll have to charge you extra". These people LOVE to charge you for stuff... they threatened to charge me there, they did charge me to use microphones, if you want to bring snacks or drinks, all sorts of crazy stuff. For what they charge to use the place (a cool $1750 is the going rate for 2009, it goes up $50 every year) I should have been able to spend the night there if I wanted!!!

The staff also threw stuff away in the brides room, including my dress bag...so my poor little dress has no home. :( They just weren't that warming, actually pretty bitchy! Like I said, I get that they book stuff tight to make the most money, but there's no reason to be ugly to people. But they will continue to do it because the venue is GORGEOUS! Even with the experience, it's not enough to say that I would chose somewhere else. I couldn't have been happier with my choice!!

So chapel: A++++, Coordinator's attitude: D- Booooooo

Honeymoon in Hawaii: Part III

We did so much on our last full day in Hawaii that it needed a post all it's own!! The night before our last day we took part in Hawaiian tradition....a LUAU!!

They called M on stage to try and make noise with the shell... he lost to a little kid!! haha

And my fav...the flame throwers!!

The next morning we woke up bright and early to pack up and head to Pearl Harbor... I won't even tell you how long it took us to get there... we decided to get on the bus instead of a cab... worst decison of our lives!!! We were on athat bus for almost 2 hours and we saw EVERY PART of Honolulu/Waikiki!! It gave us something to laugh about to say the least!!! But when we finally got there it was worth it!! If you don't know the story of Pearl Harbor I would recommend doing some research...at the very least watch the movie with Ben Affleck and Josh Harnett! :) You'll learn something and see some hotties!! lol You can still see part of the ship where it sank and oil is still leaking from the engines...it really is unbelievable.

We then showered up and went shopping before catching our plane back to Nashvegas! We made a deal, if I got a new pair of Chanel sunglasses (I have a bit of an obsession, buying a pair has marked quite a few memorable occasions in my life...getting my first real job, going on a date with M, and now our Honeymoon!) then he could get a PS3! Buying his PS3 was the first thing we did when we got to the mainland...after taking a nap of course!!

So that was our honeymoon!! We had a great time and are already planning our next trip!! I can't wait to share with you all our AMAZING vendors! They really made the difference in our perfect occasion! :) I would recommend them ten times over!! And my glorious photographer has sent me 4 teaser pictures and I should have the rest by the middle of next week!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!! Vendor reviews here we come!!

Honeymoon in Hawaii: Part II

And then we headed to Honolulu! (you like how I'm not addressing the fact I haven't posted in a month? lol) We stayed at Hilton Hawaiian Village which was BUS-Y. I've never seen so many people in one place, but it was gorgeous!! There was always something to do and this half of the trip we actually stayed pretty active! Before we even checked into the hotel we decided to trek up Diamond Head! Diamond Head is a dormant volcano that the US Troops used for lookouts during the war. The adventure is a .75 mile walk mostly uphill that leads you to a beautiful view of Waikiki/Honolulu. Whew what a walk!!

We went through the pathway...

Then stopped halfway to rest...and take a few pics of the crater!

Through the dark tunnel carved into the mountain...

And up these ridiculously steep steps...wow were my legs hurting after 2 sets of these!!

And then we were there!!

The way down was much easier!!

We then checked into the hotel and did some sightseeing around the hotel!

They even had little penquins!! How cute were they?

View from our room...

We had 3 full days of relaxation...

Whew...and it's not over yet!! Our last day was action packed, and it will be Part III!!