Geneva was THE BEST wedding planner!!! Our wedding developed into something I never could have done…read moreon my own in such a short amount of time. We chose an elopement with just my husband and me and our three boys but we still wanted all of the elements a standard wedding! Geneva pulled everything together so perfectly! From the outdoor, waterfront venue to the vintage themed bouquet to the perfect pastor and the photographer... plus ALL the little details in between that I never would have thought of. And it all fit within our budget!!!! She had everything run seamless and smooth and put personal touches on everything. This was no cookie cutter elopement and you could tell she puts every ounce of herself into each event to make it special, whether big or small. Thank you SO MUCH Geneva, we will forever use you to plan events and will recommend you to every person we meet!

Horrifically inappropriate behavior from the owner. She would send our voicemails from the groom to…read morethe bride without permission with the intention of starting drama... BEFORE THE WEDDING! Apparently this woman loves drama during wedding planning. Maybe she is lonely or her TV is broken. When we finally fired her for her horrifically unprofessional actions. She of course kept all of our deposit and refunded nothing to us even though nothing had been purchased. What a shady sham. BEWARE!!! Someone needs to report her to the BBB.

From the owner: The French Bee Design invites you to an event planning…read moreexperience like no other. The French Bee Design and Events is a full-service event planning business. We are committed to facilitating memorable and stress-free events with incredible attention to detail in a highly-organized and proactive manner, coupled with unparalleled creativity and professionalism.

Family owned and operated....wedding planning, special events and so much more. Call them and they…read morewill come to you...great service and very satisfied.

From the owner: Wedding Planning Officiating…read moreSandals Honeymoons Rentals

Crystal is the absolute best to work with!!!! Not only is she beyond knowledgeable about your…read morespecial day, but caring that all decisions are made and carried out. She is fun to work with and provides an easy working relationship that all vendors should strive to offer any bride and her family. We are extremely pleased and blessed for her services!

If I could give Penny Pincher Planning a Million Stars I would!…read more Crystal is a rock star!! She is extremely helpful with every part of the wedding planning process. She has every document and question you need to help you make sure you are booking the best vendors! The online portal is incredible and so much help! You can tell she put her heart and soul into the whole website, especially the checklist! That checklist kept me on task! Also, it felt great to click the box every time I completed something. If I felt like I hit a wall, Crystal was right there to keep me on track. Also, she is very thorough in planning meetings and will make sure all details, no matter how small, are in order and documented. The preparation Crystal puts in for the wedding day is phenomenal! The hard work she puts in ensures that your wedding day will be the wedding of your dreams! If I ever got married again, Crystal would be the first Vendor I hired!! I am so grateful I ran into Crystal at the wedding expo. So, do yourself a favor and hire this amazing lady as your wedding planner! I PROMISE you won't regret it!

I recently stayed at the Abilena Mansion for a friend's wedding and appreciated how inclusive the…read moreproperty is. The mansion sleeps 14 people with 7 queen beds, but we were able to accommodate more by using the spacious couch in one of the bedrooms and sleeping 3 to a bed another night. It was so nice to have the entire wedding party stay in one place. We had the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception on property, and there was enough lawn parking for all guests. The ceremony space is outside overlooking a peaceful lake that beautifully compliments the sunset. We used the dock for wedding party photos and as a place to hang out and chat on our fist night (tip: bring bug spray). The reception area is also outside but completely covered and with optional side shading. Both areas are the perfect size for small-to-medium size weddings. A big con, should it affect you and your guests: the mansion and grounds are not wheelchair accessible. There are quite a number of steps to get to the ceremony area with no alternative route. Guests who cannot walk or climb steps may not be able to view the ceremony next to everyone else. I also did not notice a ramp leading inside the mansion. We joked that the kitchen has everything you don't need. They have like 3 cheese graters and 50 wine glasses, but no Pam, scissors, or a wine/beer bottle opener. The owners probably don't stock the place with these essential items because guests could easily steal them, so please, for your own good: BRING A WINE BOTTLE OPENER. The kitchen has two refrigerators--enough room to hold 5 bags of ice in each freezer. The mansion also has a washer and dryer and plenty of clean towels. And a piano! And a pool. And tons of room to work on wedding decor projects. Basically this place has almost everything you could want in a wedding location. The owners are available via phone at almost any time and are quick to reply. The husband and wife duo visited every day to clean up, check-in, and help with ceremony set-up. My biggest complaint with the Abilena Mansion is the wi-fi. It worked for about 30 minutes when I first connected and then died for the rest of my multi-day stay. No one's phone could successfully connect to the wi-fi even though it appeared available. This is a huge downside for a place that's supposed to service large groups of people who want to stream music, look up information, post on social media, and activate other celebration-related things.

We just attended a Wedding here and it was beautiful. The backdrop of the water for the ceremony…read morewas perfect. It was about 98 or so degrees out but with all of the shade and the breeze it was tolerable. We ate outdoors under a kind of covered porch with great views of the water and sunset. Parking was easy and they had a golf cart shuttle service to and from the ceremony site. We walked through the house (the bridal portraits we in one of the side rooms) it was a charming older home with early 1900s finishings. To get 5 stars, we would need it to be a bit easier to navigate, there were a lot of large stairs that were hard for those wearing heels. I don't know how much control over the event the owners have but it was a bit confusing knowing where to go and when, maybe bigger signage would help. Overall it was a lovely outdoor venue.

Hot Mess Studios is one of a few great pottery studios in the Wilmington. They have group and…read moreindividual private lessons and parties for on wheel pottery, canvas painting, and piece painting. They have 3 speciality nights you can sign up for in advance. On Thursdays they do Ladies Night Sip & Spin where you get one hour 1 pot, throw as many as you like, keep what you like for just $10 more + wine. Fridays are "Filthy Fridays" where adults 16 and over can sign up for a 7 pm or 8:30 pm time slot and get 1 pot + 1 ball of clay with the option of more at $10 each. On Saturdays they do the same thing but it's family friendly sessions (ages 7+) from 1 - 6pm, and 16+ reservation only from 7-8 pm. They're closed Monday - Wednesday with an exception of private reservations in advance. If you have special time and group number requests I'm sure they can accommodate if you call ahead and plan. They're very responsive, professional and easy to schedule with. I did all my scheduling through email and received prompt responses. The gal running our lesson, Emma, was also so professional and sweet. She's great at what she does and I'd recommend any beginner taking lessons from her. When we arrived Emma greeted us at the door, walked us through the studio, showed us the process and helped us whenever we needed throughout the activity. I had a certificate for 2 hours, 2 people, and 4 pieces each. It was plenty of time and almost too much clay for two first timers, which is a good problem to have. I'm not sure if that special is still running but check their website to see active discounts - they run great deals, often, and are super affordable for what it is! I would highly recommend trying it out or giving as a gift!

Awesome studio, highly recommend that date night package. Fun place to take my wife on a date. Good…read moreatmosphere!