It all started with a kiss. A Hershey kiss that is!! Chris proposed to me at Hershey Park on a brisk but sunny autumn day in November of ‘03. He gave me a large personalized Hershey kiss that read “Jenn, will you marry me?” He presented me with the biggest ruby ring I’ve ever seen. But alas, it too was made of candy!! Since that fateful day its been a whirlwind of planning.
We had a pretty long engagement so I wanted to start from the very beginning to include as many vendors as possible in hopes that it may help a fellow bride. I will also include various projects that I worked on myself. I am a stickler for perfection, so I will be completely honest with my ratings on a scale from 1-9. A rating of 10 will ONLY go to those that went above and beyond my expectations. These are vendors that did much more than what they were contracted for. Also, please keep in mind that for the most part my criticism is only out of nitpicking and striving for perfection. Oh, and I apologize for the length of this, but its more of a story than it is a review. Enjoy!!
Good Old Gold – Engagement Ring – 10
I heard through the grapevine that this guy Jonathan knew his diamonds and he wasn’t about ripping people off. Matter of fact he has an educational website that explains EVERYTHING you need to know about diamonds. They also have extensive tests to insure a proper appraisal. Once we became educated, we told him what we were looking for and he gave us exactly what I wanted. We went into the store and they spent as much time as was needed to show us a selection of diamonds. They also showed us each diamond with various magnifications and tests done right before us. There was no hiding anything here. I’ve never dealt with such wonderful customer service like these folks. They really went above and beyond what you would expect from a jeweler. www.goodoldgold.com
For various reasons, we decided not to announce our engagement until Christmas. We made special Christmas postcards announcing our engagement and sent them out Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, we made the announcement to my our parents and then to the rest of our family. By midnight the whole family had heard the good news.
In anticipation of the big announcement, I all ready knew I wanted to ask my sister, my two cousins, my FSIL and my best friend to be in my bridal party. I purchased small ornaments of a white bear dressed in a wedding gown. They were less than $5 each and I purchased them at Michaels. With a label printer I typed up “Will you be my bridesmaid?” I attached the banner to their arms and I wrapped each one up and presented two of them to my cousins that night. Not only were they surprised about the announcement, but here I was asking them to be in my bridal party. Tears flowed, champagne glasses clinked and the Christmas spirit was in the air. It was one of many moments during our engagement that I’ll always cherish.
PickQuick Paper Superstore – Various Stationary - 8
We wanted to design our own save the date magnets, and we ended up purchasing the magnet sheets at pickquick. I shopped around at all the major office supply stores and found the best price with pickquick. They also had a clearance aisle of all sorts of stationary for only $2. I ended up purchasing 100% linen paper in ivory and matching envelopes for various thank you notes at $2 a pack. I also tried to purchase envelopes for my BM newsletter, but since I was only purchasing 5 of them, the nice lady at the counter insisted I take them at no charge. I purchased 4 shades of pink paper for the various bridal shower games. I also purchased the paper for my directional cards and programs and menus. They didn’t have enough cover sheets for my programs and they ordered more for me. They have a huge collection of high quality colored paper with every conceivable size envelopes. They charge by the weight of the paper and not the quantity of sheets. I can’t rave enough about this place, and I plan to use them for ANY paper needs in the future. My only complaint is that they have limited store hours and they are closed on the weekends.
Crafterspaperandsupply.com – Save the Date – 6
I fell in love with a sparkly paper called metallics. Since our STD’s were black and white, we were looking for a metallic grey paper for the insert. Although I found the paper at Pearl Paint & Craft Store, I needed about 50 sheets with matching envelopes. I placed two separate orders. The first order came less than 5 days, which was quicker than I anticipated. The second order I needed in a rush and paid extra to have them sent in 3 days. After 8 days and numerous calls and emails, I found out there was a back order. They never emailed me to tell me this, which is why they got a 6.
