I feel as though I should let everyone know a few things before I begin. 1) My husband and I had an amazing day!!!! 2) It rained the entire morning and through out our outdoor ceremony 3) All of these vendors were very helpful and professional during the planning process. With all of this being said here are my reviews: Venue: Hilton Garden Hotel Downtown A Our family friend is the Regional Manager of Cleveland HGI's and with the downtown location having built a brand new ballroom a few years back it was a no brainer. Marcia, the wedding coordinator, did an amazing job the day of. The candy bar looked amazing as did the tables. They met my every request from the lime slice in the water glasses to the flower shaped butter pads. However, the biggest clutch move of the day was when they sent someone to CVS to buy all of the umbrellas they could find for our bridal party to use during the rainy outdoor ceremony!!!!! They went above and beyond my expectations. Finally, the food was by far the best food I have ever had at a wedding, the filet was cooked perfect, the chicken was tender, and the vegetarian ravioli was deliciously unique. Band: Rick and the Cutting Edge A+++Again we relied on a vendor that we had a personal connection to. My husband's cousin is one of the lead singers.
This was one of our favorite vendors to work with. They had so many ideas for us when we couldn't find the songs we were looking for. Rick, the MC, was a great speaker and assisted in our entire night running smoothly. He even serenaded the guests, table side, with his accordian. Also, I loved that they were not on a stage. They request that they set up on ground level so that they can interact with the guests. All night long our guests were playing instruments while dancing. Very fun!!Videographer: FOCUS ON YOU VIDEO TBD This was our other favorite vendor! Krista and Bob Newill were hired by my brother in-law and sister in-law as our wedding gift. BEST GIFT EVER! The husband and wife team were a pleasure to be around and Bob is very knowledgeable about his profession. We haven't received the video yet, but we have high expectations!! Grade will be given upon video arrival.Transportation: Limobusters FAs you can tell from the rating we had a few problems with this company. 1) Our limo bus was leaking water through the roof 2) the driver made inappropriate sexual comments to my BM's 3) threatened to leave a GM behind if he didn't hurry up 4) did not provide the Just married sign or champagne as stated in the contract 5) the driver publicly blamed the photographer for getting us lost and said she had no idea where she was 6) the owner dismissed all of our concerns and refuses to respond. We have reported them to the BBB.Cake: Becker's Bakery C+Don't get me wrong this bakery has the best tasting cake at really affordable prices!!! However, my cake looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa! I do not have one good picture of the cake where it doesn't look like it's going to fall over. With that said, I loved the design and the owner Susan Becker was easy to work with. She also felt awful about the result of the cake and did offer to compensate us.
Check the site below for pictures.Photographer: Elizabeth Pruitt Photography TBDJusdge for yourself
http://pictage.com/708299I will post more details after our contract is fulfilled!Flowers: 12th Street Florist AThis is a small shop downtown that I don't think enough people know about. Cathi did an amazing job creating everything I asked for. She made me several mock-ups of my cernterpieces, each one better than the next. I gave her a budget and she gave me the most for my money. GREAT JOB! For pic's check the link above.Chair covers: Charming Chairs and More AEverything looked great! Tuxes: Men's Wearhouse (Columbus) BWe had a few problems with the groom's tux not fitting asd we were not quoted the correct price for the ring bearer's tuxes which then had to be changed to be more affordable. BM's dresses: David's Bridal AI loved the new collection of short dresses that came out in 2009. I was able to give my girls a choice of 6 dresses to choose from. I wish they had better shades of green, but it worked. BM's didn't have any trouble. In fact they even let my cousin exchange her dress b/c she changed her mind on the style she wanted! I was shocked!Invitations: Whiteaisle.com A+++I LOVED my invitations!! The company was very easy to work with and their site is easy to navigate. The quality is amazing and they have several price ranges for every design! Check them out!!!Hair & makeup: Dino Palmieri Salon W.6th AA few of my BM's, my mothers and myself all had our hair done here. We left very happy!! They were also affordable.Ceremony Venue: Cleveland Cultural Gardens AThe grounds were gorgeous!!!! If only it hadn't rained :(Very affordable!!!!These are all I can think of for now. We had a beautiful wedding and are so happy with how most things turned out. For all of you brides who are planning your wedding my best advice to you is that you need to be VERY specific when describing your vision and expectations to your vendors. I also recommend a DOC. I did not have one and it is one of my biggest regrets. My dad had no clue what he was doing!
I hope these reviews help someone and best of luck to everyone!