Venue: Knotting Hill Place
The search for a venue was probably the most difficult part in my opinion. We had a vision of what we wanted and approximately the time of year we preferred, but because we had a slightly shortened engagement period (10 months) we found this to be difficult! Most venues were either booked for the time of year we wanted or lacking something we knew we wanted. We absolutely fell in LOVE with Knotting Hill Place and are incredibly grateful to have had our wedding there. This venue has indoor/ outdoor ceremony options and a gorgeous reception area as well. I also love that they have a stunning area for cocktail hour outdoors under string lights. It was great working with their event planners as well- all very sweet girls.
Pro tip: make SURE you read the contract a million times and ask many questions. Though they were accommodating during Covid and allowed us a 6-month postponement period, our initial wedding date was scheduled during the exact week the country shut down and we weren’t given the “go-ahead” to postpone until a few days before the wedding was supposed to be. This was not ideal.
Floral: Sage Fine Flowers
Tisa is great to work with! She is very laid back, personable, and truly walks you through your vision upon meeting her. I am very much lacking knowledge when it comes to floral so I was so appreciative to have her walk me through things and make my vision come to life. She does great work! Visit her website: here.
Pro tip: save photos of the look you’re going for onto a pinterest board! Then once you meet with your florist, you can pull out your phone and show the vibe you’re going for (especially helpful if you aren’t proficient in types of greenery/ flowers… aka me!)
Caterer: TCP Catering
Scott at TCP Catering is SO on top of things. His proactive mentality was so appreciated at our wedding. We decided to do a buffet line at the wedding and elected to serve a chicken option as well as a beef option. It was SO delicious. I also highly recommend stopping into their catering office near Fort Worth if you are looking for a caterer. Their taste-testing was very thorough and we loved just about everything they served us!
Pro tip: request an in-person tasting! Also helpful if you have an idea of what you might like to serve so that the catering staff provide samples that are relevant to your taste. I would also recommend asking what all they provide (plates, silverware, etc.) during your meeting so that you can cross more off your to-do list.
Photographer: Camera Shi Photography
Shi is incredible! She’s incredibly talented, so friendly, goofy (in the best way possible!) and down to earth. We connected instantly and I couldn’t imagine anyone else photographing our wedding! She made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and talked us through every pose. We LOVE how our photos turned out and I highly recommend using her for your big day! Visit her website here!
Ceremony Music: Forte Strings
I am thrilled that we used Forte Strings for our ceremony music. We decided to have a string quartet play and I am so glad we did. They allow you to select your own music from a very long list of options and will even select for you if that’s your thing. They offer tons of music options so check them out! Also, Sharon Hawkins is so sweet!
DJ: My DFW DJ
We were recommended My DFW DJ by our caterer and they are awesome! Lance Panton did a great job pumping up the crowd and keeping the party going with his music selections. He was also very attentive and great to plan with- very on top of things!
Cakery: Butterfly Cakery
We went to a few tastings for our cake and this location was our favorite in terms of cake flavor! We chose to do a white raspberry flavor along with a chocolate marble and it was delicious! By far my favorite part of planning the wedding (LOL!) I am SO disappointed that we didn’t have time for a piece during the wedding because we were dancing the whole time! Visit the bakery’s website: here.
Officiant: LoveNotes DFW (Chris Marx)
Chris Marx did a great job at officiating our wedding. He was very kind and easy to work with. The process is very easy was well- they provide you with a long questionnaire that you complete in order to let him know what style ceremony you prefer. Very helpful. Visit the LoveNotes website here!
Hair & Make-up: GG Artistry/ DryBar Plano
In order to save time we decided to have my bridesmaids get their hair done in groups at DryBar Plano. They have incredible deals for dry-styling that we just couldn’t pass up. Gabrielle Gaubert & her assistant did everyone’s make up as well as my hair and my mom’s hair. She did a great job… if only I knew how to do my make up like this! (@g.g_artistryteam on Instagram)
Month-of Wedding Coordination: Hunter Orcutt Events
I decided to do mostly all of the planning for my wedding because I love to be creative and thought it was so fun! I am thankful to have had Hunter come in around 30-days out though! She’s very thorough and created a day-of timeline and helped keep everything on track the day of. It was SO helpful! I am also very appreciative of her for helping me reschedule all my vendors when we were forced to postpone! She is as sweet as can be! Check out her page here.