I think I've only posted twice before, but I've been a long time lurker! My wedding was September 15! I was a DIY/handmade/budget/offbeat bride so I had made a lot of stuff and bought a lot of stuff off Etsy.
Ceremony Venue: The Broderie Room in Phipps Conservatory
Phipps is an amazing venue, and we were so excited to book the Broderie Room. We had actually gotten engaged there because my husband knew that's where I wanted to get married. The staff was fantastic at answering any questions we had and responded promptly. The great thing about Phipps is that it's so beautiful, you don't need to decorate!
Reception Venue: The Schenley Park Cafe
The Cafe is right across the street from Phipps. We had a small wedding (45 guests) and it was perfect for us. Their food is AMAZING, we got so many complements! The Cafe looked fantastic and was the perfect space for us. That being said, the manager is a very busy man and so sometimes it was difficult to try to get things done.
Officiant: A Simple Vow
Rev. Mark was the best choice! He has such a warm personality and we got so many complements about him. I worked with him to personalize our entire ceremony and it was absolutely perfect!
Photographer: Caitlin Thomas Photography
My husband and I love Caitlin! We had a great time with her shooting our included engagement session. Caitlin and her husband/second shooter Jim were great at keeping us calm during our wedding day. Her style is perfect for us. She was also really quick with getting our photos to us! You can see our blog post here:
http://blog.caitlintphotography.com/2012/09/taryn-thomas-married/
Dress Alteration: Clarissa Boutique, Southside
I had a great experience with Clarissa Boutique! We ordered my dress from Ann Taylor (Silk Georgette Strapless Flutter Gown) and I needed it shortened and wanted a sweetheart neckline added. They did an AMAZING job (especially considering it was vertical ruffles all the way down the skirt).
Florist: East End Floral, Shadyside
They did a great job! I just needed decorations for our reception. I provided vintage and repurposed glass bottles, and asked that they make it look like someone just grabbed a bouquet from a field and they completely understood what I wanted. I was really happy with them! The only complaint that I had is that they were a little expensive.
Cake/Cupcakes: Oakmont Bakery, Oakmont
I had never had anything from them before we did the cake tasting (they were recommended to us) and we can't get enough of their treats!! Everyone loved the cupcakes and the cake was delicious. They also did a fantastic job decorating the cake with the two designs stitched together/Frankenstein look that we came up with!
Rehersal Dinner: The Porch, Oakland
We didn't actually have a rehersal, but we did have a dinner so everyone could hang out the night before. My husband and I really love eating here and it's close to where the wedding took place, so it was a perfect choice for us. Everybody loved dinner there, but I will say that I didn't have the best experience. I contacted them about the dinner and they sent me their event menu. It was going to cost more per plate than our wedding reception, so I asked if we could just make reservations for the 19 people coming. Apparently that's not what they wanted to hear because it went downhill from there. I called a few days before the dinner to confirm the reservations. I spoke to the person who I had been e-mailing and he told me the wrong time. I asked him to confirm it in the book, and he told me that he was too busy to check. I work in retail and sometimes we are incredibly busy, but I would never tell a customer I was too busy to help them! My husband called back the next day and made sure they had the right time. They sat us at two tables instead of one, which was..different. The service that night was great and everyone had fun, but their management needs to learn customer service skills.
Etsy vendors:
Frankenstein and Bride coffee mugs: LennyMud
All bouquets and boutonnieres: TheSunnyB (can't recommend her enough!!!)
Invitation PDF (we printed them): YellowBrickGraphics
Our wedding day was so much more amazing than I had ever dreamed!! Any questions, feel free to ask!