Vendor Spotlight: Niles Limo

There's likely to be a lot of "Vendor Spotlights" coming down the pipeline. I've been booking vendors left and right these last couple weeks. My girlfriend Tami, Little Miss Southern, has been a great wedding planning accountability partner. We're always going back and forth on gchat (not during work hours, of course) with all of our wedding planning craziness! The two of us have made all sorts of strides in the planning process.

One of the other vendors I've recently booked is Niles Limo. Just like my comments about rental companies and photographers, I did my research. I looked at Silver Oak, Matchless, and Celebrity. Can I be honest? It's a combination of price and service. Niles Limo knocked these other companies out of the park. Seriously. Michael Niles has been my correspondence through the whole booking process and he responds to emails with lightening speed. You know that really makes me happy. Things I love about this company: A) It's family owned B) HUGE attention to detail and C) CUSTOMER SERVICE. Heard of it? I've recently noticed that it's few and far between. If you can't take the time to spell my name right (it's Sarah, not Sara), I'm not going to hire you for the biggest day of my life. Absolutely not. Mr. Niles has treated me like a celebrity and as though I'm their most important client.

{oh yeah, that's our ride}

We've decided to go with 2 limos. Here's the game plan: 8 person limo for Mr. SE and I, and 14 person Navigator for the bridal party. Mr. SE and I can enjoy a romantic ride as newlyweds, while the rest of our bridal party hangs like rock stars. As you know, we purposely scheduled a 2 hour gap between ceremony and reception so we could get some AMAZING pictures. Whad up, JCP?!? Mr. Niles has already told me there will be wedding decorations (hooray!), and bottled ice water for us in the limo. We're getting married in August- it's likely to feel like 100 degrees. Ice water in the limo is the best news I've heard yet!

Vendor Spotlight: Liberty Party Rentals

As of last week, we'll officially be sitting in 150 of these....
We're using Liberty Party Rentals. I highly recommend their company, and make sure you ask for Mitch. You'll notice that I "highly recommend" all of my vendors. That's because I'd never use a vendor that I wouldn't recommend to a friend. This is a service related industry, and as brides it's important to not get pushed around or taken advantage of ($).

I'm not saying you need to be a bridezilla, but I am telling you to shop around and be assertive. Those of you who are friends with me in real life know that I have some super aggressive spreadsheets for wedding planning. I researched the crap out of vendors. Confession? My photographer spreadsheet had over 50 companies. FIFTY! There were lots of columns relating to packages, pricing, and a personal rating. It's important to find the perfect marriage of your budget and personal preferences. If you find someone that you love, but they're way out of your budget, you're going to end up sad that you spent all that money. Just my two cents.

Cake: Or Not

I'd like to interrupt this incredibly exciting, post-filled day to show you a little something I came across while surfing the net. Yeah, I said it. That way.



You know I love a bargain. Like, I LOVE a bargain. There's nothing that makes me happier than knowing a got an absolutly fantastic deal on things- especially wedding related things. I mean, really. I'm still talking about my wedding dress that I got for three times under my budget.



Another lady that loves a bargain is The Broke-Ass Bride. You might know her from another alias, Mrs. Meatball on Weddingbee. This girl is hilarious! And not only is she funny, but she's smart. Anywho- I could sing her praises all day. While catching up on old posts I came across this fantastic idea for a bargain wedding cake. Yeah, that is a Rice Krispy cake. Awesome!

Would you ever think of doing something like this for your wedding? What's the biggest kick you've gotten out of a wedding bargain? I'd love to hear your stories!

Fall Favorite: Forever 21

It's no secret that I heart Forever 21. There's no sense in dropping big bucks on fashion that won't stay in style very long. I'm loving this dress for a casual night out. It would be perfect for beers at the Flying Saucer with Mr. SE. Depending how long this would be on me (I'm not 6' like the model), this could even work w/a pair of flats for casual friday. $13.50? I think so.

Banana Outlet Sale

Ladies, run do not walk to your nearest Banana Republic Outlet. The entire store is 40%. Yes- even the clearance!!! No coupon needed. I picked up a couple dresses today, and I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow.

A Picnic for Two...or 100

We're here in Atlanta for Meghann and Adam's wedding. Mr. SE is a groomsman, and with a palette of espresso and champagne (does this sound like our living room?) the wedding is sure to impress. Tonight was the rehearsal dinner, and we had a lovely time. Mr. SE has taken Adam and the other groomsman to see The Hangover (yes, again). Not sure if that's the most positive message before the wedding, but Adam said he'd really enjoy seeing it. Tomorrow we'll be having the wedding in the early evening, so blogging will be on hiatus. Don't ask me why I didn't bring my laptop- or a toothbrush?!?! I'll definitely post pictures of the wedding- as if that's even a question.For now, take a gander at this lovely picnic inspired wedding from Oh Happy Day! I love, love, love picnics. Mr. SE and I are planning on taking a picnic to Arrington Vineyards next weekend. Also- my mom is planning a picnic for Mr. SE and myself at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore after K's wedding weekend! Purple is SO hot right now, and I'm loving all of the simple details that this event has to offer. Here's the link for more pictures.

Also- Duffie had her first hair cut in Nashville and I'm glad to report she looks fabulous! We went to Nashville Pet Products and she had the whole she-bang for $32. Not bad!

She Takes The Cake

Alright, that was very corny. Do you want less posts a day and more clever titles? Didn't think so. Amy from {with the pixie grin} had her wedding last weekend. I've been following her blog for awhile now, and it was quite exciting to see all of her hard work come to fruition. One of my favorite aspects of her wedding was the cake. She blogged about ordering from Publix, and I could hardly contain my excitement while waiting to see a picture. It's settled. We'll be getting ours from Publix too. I love the simplicity of the design, especially with her homemade cake topper.


Contact Amy @ {amylynnfrank@gmail.com} if you're interested in ordering a topper
Photography Daniel Meigs
Cake from Publix in Brentwood, Dianne

Jim Hjelm Sample Sale

I desperately want to visit the Faccio sample sale- has anyone been? Please tell me how it was. Also- I'd love to hear reviews from anyone who purchased their dress at a sample sale, or just attended one in general. Obviously I love bargains, and it doesn't stop at wedding dresses! I'm lusting over these two Jim Hjelm styles BIG TIME!

*Update* The comments on Faccio haven't been too flattering. It'd be great if we could start a little convo about local shops. Ex: If I don't go to Faccio, where do you recommend that I do go?

It's Here, It's Here!!!

Happy June! I'm super excited to announce that the Bath & Body Works semi-annual sale has begun!! The sale is both online and in stores, so don't worry if there's not a location near you.

-Signature classics $5
-Foam Burst $4
-Wallflowers $5
-Body Lotion and Shower Gel: buy 2, get 2 FREE

Wallet Friendly Letterpress: Mission Impossible

I'm loving this letterpress invite from Wedding Paper Divas. They have an incredible selection of signature invites and have recently launched a line of letterpress designs. The majority of products from WPD are moderately priced, and these letterpress lovelies claim to be as well. But at $4.89 a pop (just the 1 piece invite), it still seems pretty expensive to me. How much did you anticipate to spend on invites? Did you end up spending more or less?