The bridesmaid dress has been dry cleaned and is in the closet... the blister on my foot from dancing in new shoes has healed... and we've finally eaten the last of the leftover candy from the guest favors.

Ah, yes, the remnants of the wedding aura have dissipated but warm memories of the weekend floated back into my mind over the past four weeks. The overall fabulous feeling I have about the experience isn't because of one detail. It's a colorful concoction made from the hard work of all the people involved -- generically called the "vendors."

Most importantly, the maestro (as I call her now) was invaluable. The wedding planner, Rebecca Hooks Farlow, was fantastic to work with and offered wonderful suggestions that made the planning process smooth. She truly listened to what my sister, Margaret, and her now husband, Jamie, wanted. "I had my own vision," Margaret told me. "Rebecca bought into the vision, kept me focused and helped implement it." With the opinions of my sister, Jamie, my mom, and me in the mix, Rebecca was the perfect moderator. "She was one step removed from the decisions, because she was the professional and the planner," Margaret said. "She provided the objective opinion."

Bonterra Dining & Wine Room -- Jamie & Margaret hosted the rehearsal dinner at Bonterra Dining & Wine Room. It was a charming choice, since the restaurant is in an old church. We were in a private room in the former choir loft so it was an intimate evening of delightful food and conversation. The couple wanted a finer restaurant for this small party and they chose a prix fixe* (see below for definition) menu so all the food could come out from the kitchen at the same time for the group.

Chef Charles Catering -- Many of the guests at the wedding reception (myself included!) remarked about the delicious food. Margaret worked with Chef Charles Semail and catering director Sylvain Gaudron to select an outstanding menu. It was phenomenal, especially considering the number of people who were served.

Cake Expressions by Lisa -- Judging by the photos and video, the cake received nearly the amount of "face time" as the bride and groom -- and with good reason! It was absolutely gorgeous... and absolutely delicious.

Crawford & Co. Florist -- The flowers for the wedding and reception provided elegance and panache. Todd Crawford and his team fashioned dazzling bouquets and glorious centerpieces. He really worked with Margaret to understand her color preferences and the ambiance she envisioned for the arrangements. "He made me feel like the flowers were a custom creation just for us, not a formulaic wedding display."

Parker J. Pfister Photography -- His work is absolutely stunning and truly unforgettable. "His artistic eye is what captivated me," said Margaret. "I appreciated the artistic nature and soul of his images."

Despite a very brief respite, it rained nearly the entire day of the wedding, which allowed for a precious few photos outside before or after the ceremony. Fortunately, Parker J. is a true artist and he can capture the beauty of any environment. He, his wife and I were able to wrangle the bride and groom from the reception for a few minutes outside. The end result was magnificent.

Portal Films -- "They completely blew me away," Margaret gushed. "I sat on the fence about hiring a videographer until literally weeks before the wedding but I selected them based on Parker's recommendation," she recalled. "Later, when we watched the wedding video for the first time, it was the best surprise!" The work was astounding -- it was absolutely remarkable to see how they so accurately presented the love and joy of that evening. "It is truly a cherished memento from our wedding," Margaret said.

Doubletree Guest Suites SouthPark -- We bunked over at the Hilton Doubletree Guest Suites in Charlotte beside SouthPark Mall. The day after the wedding, my parents hosted a great breakfast for out-of-town family and friends. We had a nice breakfast (especially tasty after a night of partying) and caught up with those we didn't get to visit with the night before at the reception.

All this talk about selecting the vendors is reminiscent of our elementary school days when the dodgeball teams were picked: the teammates you chose were crucial. A good team could help you have loads of fun without getting a scratch. Rely on a bad lineup and you could end up taking a line drive to the gut.

Encourage the bride to do her homework and interview her vendors face-to-face. Like my sister did, your bride should put in the hard work ahead of time to ensure a strong vendor team is in place so she can enjoy her big day and leave the game-day work to the pros.

*LINGO ALERT: Prix fixe is a French term (pronounced "pree fix") for the fixed price that's charged for a pre-arranged menu, from which your guests can chose their meal.