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With our one year anniversary nipping at our heels, I figured it was finally time to put my fingers to the keyboard and review all of the vendors that contributed to our big day.
Photography. One look at Sydney Davidson Photography‘s Instagram page and you’ll know that she is a professional in her field. I initially found Sydney when she befriended another photographer favorite, Josie England – Josie is an old rodeo friend-turned photographer and actually shot our first photo session together, with Ellie in tow. While I have followed quite a few photographers since Instagram basically became the end-all be-all for photographers and gotten to know a couple over the years, I could tell (if that is even possible through a phone screen) that Sydney was put a lot of dedication and love into her work. We first officially met for our engagement session, and when she basically played the role of a marriage counselor and photographer wrapped into one, I knew she would be the perfect person to get Clint to smile for a few photos on our wedding day. I will cherish the photos she captured for the rest of my days, and am eternally grateful for her working with us.
Floral. It’s crazy how so many things in life come full circle, and that was absolutely the case with Elizabeth Mckenzie Florals – another friend from my rodeo days that reappeared later in life. I was never full able to pinpoint what I wanted my bouquet to look like, but I gave Saige a vision board and when I say she ran with it – SHE. RAN. WITH. IT. She is more creative than any other florist I have seen, and made the most average of flowers look like a million bucks (cue the zinnias in my bouquet). I cannot say enough good things about this one, and wish I could have a replica of my bouquet delivered to my house each week.
Dress. After visiting four other bridal shops, I finally found my gown at Something White Bridal Boutique. What I liked about Something White was that I had the entire boutique to myself and was able to browse the dresses, and the consultant pulled gowns as well. Not only did they have a wide variety of gowns to choose from, they also had separate tops and bottoms that allow brides to mix and match styles to create their vision. I found the vision I had for a gown completely shifted after I started trying them on, so I would recommend trusting the consultant and trying on a variety of gowns during your appointment. I ultimately decided on a Casablanca lace/stretch georgette, fit and flare gown with an illusion neckline and cathedral length train.
Alterations. Since Something White doesn’t have an in-house seamstress, they send over a list of preferred seamstresses in a variety of price ranges. From the list, we went with Kendra J Bridal and were pleasantly impressed. Not only does Kendra do alterations, but she also designs one of a kind wedding gowns. She was able to move the straps of the dress up my shoulders, add a bustle, as well as some “taking in” (come to find out – my booty is a lot bigger than my bust).
Hair/Make-Up. My make-up artist, Lauren Dueck, was another Instagram find (I’m here to tell ya that there are a lot of gems out there if you do a quick hashtag search). I liked how her style is more on the natural side, and she was willing to travel to our location the day of the wedding – she also does phenomenal hairstyles, but it wouldn’t have worked for her to do both with the amount of time/girls. As far as hair, I initially found a hair stylist on Instagram that later backed out. Luckily, a local gal and now favorite, Alicia Makings, was available and knocked it out of the park.
Suits/Ties. I hate to talk poorly on an establishment, but Michael’s Fine Clothing was a nightmare to work with during our engagement. We decided to use them because another couple had talked up their suit purchase option, but their lack of communication and subpar customer service outweighs the money saved. However, tiemart was a breeze to work with. I was able to bulk order our ties in the exact hue that I wanted.
Bridesmaids Dresses. With our six month engagement, I didn’t have a ton of time to stress over minute details. Lucky for me, I found Birdy Grey, a bridesmaids dress website. All I had to was go onto the site and select the color I wanted, then my bridesmaids were able to pick the style that was most flattering. The best part – they’re all under $100.
Venue. While our ceremony was always set to be at St. Luke Evangelical Church in Wellington, MO, the weather had different plans for our reception. Initially we planned to hold the reception at my grandparents’s farm, but at the last minute we had to relocate it to the Wellington Community Christian Center. It was convenient to have both the ceremony and reception in the same location, but wasn’t my vision nonetheless.
DJ. I’m not sure if it’s because our other vendors were amazing, or if it’s because our wedding guests weren’t much into dancing, but I wasn’t overly impressed with our DJ or choice, Complete Weddings and Events. The garter toss was extremely uncomfortable and ended up taking about 20 minutes out of the evening, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this one.
Catering. When it came to food, we had no other option but to use BK Catering. If you’re an Odessa native, you know that BK’s award-winning cheesy potatoes and brisket are simply undeniable – paired with his awesome team of servers make him a knock-out, bar none.
Cake. The Mixing Bowl is another local favorite – ever since Mary opened her doors and had the famous Countryside sugar cookies, she quickly became a town staple. We went with a simple two-tier, vanilla cake, and then my step-mom prepared a spread of dessert samplings including mini pies, no-bake cookies, and carrot cake cupcakes.
I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since we said our I Dos. Time flies when you’re having fun. Until next time…
xoxo Kels