The Wedding Vendor Review Roundup

For those unaware, Lara and I got married recently. Everything went very well, so it seemed fitting to give credit to the vendors who helped make that possible as well as to provide some feedback for those who are planning a trip down the aisle.

Invitations: Invitations: VO Handmade

Our wedding had a literary theme, and while we toyed with the DIY approach, these vintage book invitations proved too fitting to pass up. Fortunately, the customer service experience nearly matched the quality of the product. Vanessa (the titular VO) did a great job of communicating, welcomed our input in everything from colors to wording to design elements, and completed our order promptly and accurately. We received several compliments on the invitations and would not hesitate to use VO again if the need for fancy stationary arises. There are certainly cheaper options – 40 invitations with pocketfolds, info cards, bellybands, stickers, and addressed envelopes ran north of $200 – but if you’re willing to pay for quality, quality you shall receive.

9/10

Pre-Wedding Dinner: Pre-Wedding Dinner: Undercurrent

We had a number of family members traveling from out of town for our wedding and wanted to give them a chance to meet, eat, and relax before the big day. To that end, Undercurrent proved to be more than up to the task.

Though the restaurant’s main dining area can feel a bit snug, the private dining area, the Wagner Room, had plenty of space for our party of 21. In addition to providing a comfortable environment, the staff here are professional and definitely on their game. Scott, our waiter for the evening, was courteous and attentive while Perry, the service manager, worked patiently with us to create a menu that appealed to everyone in our group from dairy farmers to culinary professionals.

The food itself remains outstanding. Having enjoyed it during my last visit, I went with the duck breast again. The kitchen’s attention to detail ensured that it had a nice sear and even better flavor, was fatty without being greasy, and was cooked to the desired medium. It paired well with an accompanying potato and vegetable medley, and the sauce added a welcome note of sweetness. Had I opted for the salmon (which came with a killer risotto) or the ribeye, I likely would have been satisfied as well: those in our group who went down that road certainly were. For as good as the entrees are, however, the desserts threaten to steal the show. The balsamic glazed strawberry cheesecake I ended up with was sophisticatedly tasty, and the mocha brownie went over well with others in the group.

Undercurrent may not be the first name that comes to mind when plotting an upscale gathering, but it should be. Great food and sharp service put it in Greensboro’s upper echelon.

9/10

Venue: Woodland Hall at Triad Park

There is no shortage of wedding venues in the Triad, but once we decided that we a.) wanted an outdoor ceremony and b.) didn’t want to spend a fortune, that helped us narrow our search considerably. After exploring several other options, we decided on Woodland Hall for several reasons. First, it’s a good-looking space, both inside and out. Tucked within tree-filled Triad Park, Woodland Hall offers both a picturesque gazebo and a back lawn for ceremonies. The hall itself is bright and clean with an attractive mantle/fireplace, a cozy back porch, and plenty of room (for more than 150 guests). Being a public facility, Woodland Hall also costs a fraction of some of the banquet halls in the area. For a weekend wedding, $1,200 buys you the hall for ten hours (with the ability to purchase additional time) and on-site janitorial and security services.

Once we committed to Woodland Hall, we found the staff communicative and easy to work with. Forsyth County Parks and Recreation office staff made sure we completed all of the necessary paperwork without hounding us while on-site staff were friendly and answered whatever questions we threw at them while touring the venue.

Though Woodland Hall proved to be a great choice for us, there are a few potential cautions here. First, you (and your wedding party) will most likely be using restrooms to change clothes. Second, if you are not able to purchase set-up time the day before your event, please make sure that you have some volunteers to help with set-up/clean-up. Everything that you brought with you must be removed by the end of your event, or you risk a fine.

All told, Woodland Hall provided the right mix of affordability, accommodation, and ambiance for our wedding. Those seeking more extravagance, however, may be a bit let down.

8.5/10

Flowers: Flowers: Sedgefield Florist & Gifts

We went with Sedgefield Florist & Gifts for our wedding and were impressed with the selection, professionalism, and customer service that Mickey and his family provided. Though our wedding fell in the middle of graduation season, Sedgefield had no problem filling our order. Mickey worked with us to create bouquets and centerpieces that suited our tastes and color schemes. When we had to add memorial flowers to our order, he was helpful and accommodating there as well.

All of the flowers were ready for pick-up the day before the wedding, and they looked and smelled great. Moreover, Sedgefield’s pricing is surprisingly competitive. You really can’t go wrong here.

9.5/10

Officiant: Officiant: A New Day (Dawn Brinson)

Of all of the vendor decisions, this was the one that posed the most uncertainty. We knew that we didn’t want a sectarian ceremony (my wife and I are of different religious traditions), and I have an aversion to flowery sentimentality. Neither one of us had much experience attending weddings though, so beyond that, we had a hazy (at best) idea of what our ceremony would be. Thankfully, Dawn was there to guide us the rest of the way.

A communications professional who has officiated a variety of weddings over the years, Dawn’s experience was evident from the start. From giving us questions to get to know us better to graciously answering all of ours, the ceremony gradually transformed from vague and anxiety-inducing to something that was actually doable. Though Dawn drafted a ceremony script for us, she also welcomed and utilized our input as we honed it to make it our own.

Come wedding day, Dawn was punctual and professional. Hers was a reassuring presence, and she presided over a ceremony that could not have gone any better. She also took care of the paperwork promptly (though be forewarned: the Guilford Country Register of Deeds can be quite fussy when it comes to minutia like “officiant title”). Lastly, her fee – a mere $85 – is tough to beat.

Whether you are unsure of what you want your ceremony to be or you have a crystal clear picture, Dawn Brinson will help make it a reality. Competent, easy to work with, and a good communicator, she will give you one less thing to worry about on your big day.

9.5/10

Food: Food: Giacomo’s Italian Market

Giacomo’s reputation as a slinger of superb sandwiches is well-deserved, and I was willing to find out if its catering side could compare. One wedding later, and the answer is a clear “yes.”

First, a word of caution: Giacomo’s is not a full-service caterer. Do not expect any set-up help or delivery. But if those aren’t deal-breakers and you’re seeking Italian, you are unlikely to find better wedding fare in the area.

Giacomo’s catering menu rounds up the best of the usual suspects: antipasto trays, salads, pasta dishes, and entrees (with chicken, sausage, or eggplant). Everything is offered in both large and small trays, giving you a fair amount of flexibility. The pricing is certainly fair. Small pasta and entrée trays, which feed 8-12, are mostly $40-$50.

For our wedding of 40-plus, we opted for antipasto trays, salads, chicken marsala, sausage and spinach, baked ziti, and vegetarian lasagna. Alec worked with us to make sure the menu was right for the size of our event, and all of our food was ready for pickup at the designated time. The friendly service here remains almost as much of a draw as the food.

I say “almost” because that food is nearly unbeatable. The antipasto trays featured an outstanding variety of meats, cheeses, and marinated vegetables, and there was plenty of everything to go around. Among the hot dishes, the sausage and spinach was awash in oily, garlicky goodness, and baked ziti had a killer meat sauce (though the pasta itself was a touch too cooked for my liking). Even my family, who hails from the Italian-American mecca that is northern New Jersey, was impressed.

Giacomo’s isn’t an obvious choice for wedding catering, and it won’t suit those who envision a more formal event. But if you are going to be bringing in your own food, you could do a whole lot worse than this small but delectable deli.

9/10

Cake: Cake: Delicious Bakery

It would be a cliché to say that Delicious lives up to its name, but sometimes, the path most traveled is most traveled for a reason. Though Greensboro is no slouch in the bakery department (as patrons of Maxie B’s or Easy Peasy can attest), Delicious’ combination of crowd-pleasing cake and confidence-inspiring customer service puts it ahead.

For starters, the flavor selection is impressive: about three dozen flavor combinations are available. Schedule a tasting, and you’ll get to sample your top four. After we settled on a lemon raspberry and a chocolate for our cake, Ben, the owner, helped us figure out design and other particulars. He was up front about what could and could not be done, gave a clear estimate, and was all-around fairly easy to work with.

When wedding day arrived, our cake was delivered and carefully set up prior to our event. The finished product looked the way that we intended it to, and the taste matched our expectations. The lemon and raspberry added a bit of tang to offset the sweetness, and the chocolate layer was rich and dense, but not overly so. This cake did not come cheaply (close to $300, including the tasting and delivery), yet the enthusiastic reception from guests as well as our own (ongoing) enjoyment of leftovers suggests that it was money well spent.

Delicious isn’t the cheapest game in town, and Maxie B’s partisans may shake their heads, but for us, this place takes the cake.

8.75/10

Photography: Anora Crescent Photography

Cyndi proved to be flexible, a good communicator, and reasonably priced ($500 for six hours). She uses natural light and has a knack for capturing subjects in their element. However, she is also knowledgeable enough to suggest poses that lead to quality shots. Her turnaround time - she processed and sent us our pictures in less than a month - is quite reasonable as well.

9/10

The Shoppe Bar and Meatball Kitchen

Located at 370 East Main Street in Carrboro, The Shoppe specializes in meatball plates and sandwiches. There is a full bar, and food and drink specials change regularly.

As a concept, a meatball bar straddles the line between the ridiculous and the sublime. In practice, The Shoppe leans far more toward the latter than the former. Whether you are craving a classic spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce or want vegetarian balls with greens or a salad, this establishment has you covered.

To start, The Shoppe features some genuinely comforting ambience. Candlelit tables, unobtrusive background music, and classy décor make this an easy place to settle into.

Service is another major plus. Our server, Jarely, did a great job of breaking down the menu, offering recommendations, keeping drinks filled, and generally making sure that we had an enjoyable meal.

As befits the branding, meatballs are the name of the game here, but rather than cobble together preconfigured dishes with questionable names, patrons are given the freedom to make their own combinations. Choose your ball (beef, chicken, pork, veggie, or the daily special), your sauce (tomato, parmesan cream, pesto, meat, mushroom gravy, or the daily special), and your side (risotto, polenta, potatoes, ziti, or the aforementioned spaghetti or collard greens). For our first visit, my wife opted for beef meatballs and mushroom sauce while I tried the spicy pork meatballs with parmesan cream sauce. We each started with a market salad (mixed greens, avocado, and goat cheese) and shared a family-sized portion of risotto.

The food was nothing short of excellent. The salads were refreshing and featured goat cheese creamy enough to win over my goat-skeptical spouse. The meatballs came four to an order and were generously sized with almost no filler. The spicy pork meatballs played well with the richness of the parmesan cream sauce while the beef meatballs soaked up the bold mushroom flavor of the velvety sauce. The highlight, however, may have been the risotto, a daily special accented with hints of peach. Creamy and appropriately textured, it complemented the meatballs perfectly. At $8 for an order of meatballs, a piece of focaccia, and a side, you’ll easily get your money’s worth.

If there is one area where The Shoppe could use some improvement, it is in the availability of nonalcoholic drinks. Granted, this is a bar, but the absence of iced tea and coffee was sorely felt.

“Meatball bar” may still invite some snickering, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Great food and service coupled with a cozy environment and fair prices make The Shoppe a must for those in the Carrboro area.

8.5/10

Grey's Tavern

Located at 343 South Elm Street in Downtown Greensboro, Grey’s Tavern offers burgers, sandwiches, and other casual fare. There is a full bar, and Grey’s is home to weekly trivia and karaoke and occasional live music.

With so many downtown dining options and a more prominent pub (Natty Greene’s) right next door, Grey’s is easy to overlook. But if ever you should want a break from the bustle (and the inflated prices) of downtown dining, this low-key spot is worth considering if you aren’t in a hurry.

Grey’s is nothing fancy, but the décor – worn wood, old brick, and lots of TVs – suits its ambition. This is a classic bar/pub/tavern, no more and no less. Accordingly, the menu is somewhat limited, but what they do offer here, they prepare competently if unspectacularly. I opted for a fried chicken sandwich my first time out. Though the breading was very crisp, the meat thankfully remained moist. The sauce (orange ginger?) proved to be a touch too sweet, but there were plenty of other sauce options available. The coleslaw here is finely chopped and none too vinegary. Only the fries were a real standout: thick, hand-cut, nicely browned, and well-salted.

Servers seemed amicable enough, but the kitchen was decidedly slow-footed. Our group of five may have been the only patrons at one point, but you wouldn’t have known it from the time it took for our food to arrive. On the other hand, Grey’s pricing is favorable for a downtown location. Sandwiches and sides can be yours for south of $10.

With a convenient location, reasonable pricing, and good-enough food, Grey’s is a decent option for a casual bite to eat. There is room for improvement on several fronts, but Grey’s does spare you some of the headaches (crowding, expense, pretension, etc.) that occasionally mar downtown dining.

7.5/10