So many vendors, I don't even know where to begin! Sorry if I forget any. I'll add them in the comments later if I do.
Rings: Robin James Jewelers: A+++
I will never have enough good things to say about Robin James Jewelers. The level of personal attention at this place is unbelievable. Robin and Jim are two of the nicest people you will ever meet and Robin was so helpful (and patient!) when it came time to pick out our rings. (My hubby said they were amazing when he was secretly trying to find my engagement ring too!) If they don't have what you think you're looking for behind the counter, they will order it in for you so you can get a look at it and try it on before making a decision, or help you design it yourself. I ended up going back to buy a nice watch for my husband as a wedding present and Nikki engraved it for me in store. Everyone here is so friendly and helpful and we had such a great experience. We will both be back for future jewelry purchases!
Dress: European Bridal: A+
It took me forever to find a dress. I had a HORRIBLE experience at Bridal and Formal but months later I went to European Bridal right across the street and found my dress in a matter of minutes. I'm not exactly a size 2 so trying to find a dress and even just fitting into some of the sample sizes was particularly frustrating. Mary was unfazed. She could not have been more helpful and everyone in the shop was unbelievably friendly that day and every single time I came back for accessories, to pick up the dress, etc. Finally - a great dress shopping experience!
Alterations - Dress
I took the dress to the woman who was recommended by European Bridal, Jenny Arellano. She works out of her home and has a work space full of tons of dresses in European Bridal bags. She's really great at what she does, but my mom made the appointment without asking how much it would cost because the staff at EB insisted that she was the best. It cost over $600 for her to sew up the bottom hem of my lace dress, create the bustle, take in the sides a little bit, and take in the sleeves of a bolero that went with it. It's our fault for not asking, but I never in a million years imagined that an alterations bill could climb that high, especially considering that it's not as if she had to rebuild the dress or anything (it was only like a half size big on me at the waist). She fit my dress perfectly and the bill was paid without a complaint, but please learn from my dumb mistake!
Alterations - Veil: Sew Much: A+
I wore my mom's cathedral length veil that had a "head piece" and a tear near the bottom. I took it to Sew Much in Reading and she removed the head band thing (hello 1985), sewed it to a comb, and essentially made the 8" tear disappear in under 3 days. She was amazing and really, really nice. And it cost like $12. If I ever have anything that needs sewing I will bring it back to this lady. Fantastic service!
Tuxedo Rental: Folchi's: A+
For every single wedding my husband and his friends have been in, the gentlemen in the wedding party are always instructed to rent their tuxes from Men's Warehouse. It's a big chain and people live out of town so I can understand the appeal. But I also know that for every single one of those weddings, the tuxedo rental ended up being one of the biggest disasters! Nothing ever fits anyone appropriately when it comes from that place! Especially the one in Kenwood. Let me know if you want examples because I have horror stories! Anyway, because of this we went to Folchi's in Kenwood. These people really know their men's wear. The service was great, it didn't take long at all, they have everything right there on site, and the gents all looked so handsome and well put together on the day of the wedding. My husband was very pleased!
Invitations/Paper Goods: Poême (in Hyde Park): A++
Kristen and Allison helped us find/design our invitations and I loved them. They worked with our budget and messed with the specs until we got exactly what we needed at a price we could afford. The amount of personal attention and follow-up services we received from these two ladies was amazing. They took the stress out of the whole thing and the invitations arrived almost immediately. When we ran out of printed envelopes (we learned calligraphy and addressed them ourselves and had quite a few "oops" moments), Allison ordered more and they arrived like two days later. I would recommend them to anyone! They were so helpful!
Photographer: Images by Daniel Michael: A
Dan was the first photographer we met with and he was really straightforward and honest with us. I really appreciated this approach so we booked his company that night. Our photographers were Jess and Aaron and the photography assistant was Bianca. Let me just say that I HATE having my photo taken. I hate looking at pictures of myself. I literally hide from cameras. It's completely weird and irrational, but I just really, really hate it. This wonderful team of individuals made me feel so comfortable that I practically forgot they were taking my picture. They were all so sweet, and every time I turned around Bianca was fixing my hair (which had lost all of its curl within about an hour after being styled at the salon) or dress or eyelashes. I told her I wanted to hire her full-time to just follow me around all day. She was wonderful. They all were. The photos are ready and I'm going to pick them up today or this week so I'll let you all know how they turned out, but I was VERY happy with the experience.
Florist: Courtenay Lambert: A/B
Courtenay is such a great lady. She's really personable and outgoing and great to work with. She's also really great at working with your budget. The only reason I couldn't give her an A was because there was some confusion about the centerpiece design in the weeks leading up to the wedding that caused everyone some unnecessary stress, but Courtenay fixed the order and made the most absolutely gorgeous bouquets and centerpieces. They were exactly what we wanted but even more beautiful than I had imagined. I recommended her to my best friend who is getting married next summer.
Nails: Polish Nails (on Erie): A+
I needed to include this place in my reviews because I had never been there before and it's the first shellac mani/pedi I've ever gotten that has lasted over 10 days. I'm REALLY rough on my nails and they looked beautiful after the time and attention these great folks put into them.
Makeup: BRIDEface: B
BRIDEface was the very first vendor that I booked after we got engaged (shows you where my priorities were, eh?) and the owner, Nancy, is really nice. In that span of time, I was assigned to three different makeup artists. It didn't bother me the first time there was a switch, but I really, really liked the second artist and had even done my trial run with her a month before the wedding. I was tempted to cancel my booking when I was reassigned to someone else and just hire that makeup artist independently, but I felt wrong doing that. The artist that did our makeup the day of the wedding, Jane, did a great job, but it would have been nice to have some of the gloss she used on my lips for touch-ups or maybe even a little extra eyelash glue for when the strip she glued on my left eye fell off in the middle of the reception. That was annoying. But everyone looked really great.
Rehearsal Dinner Venue: A Touch of Elegance: C
The night went off without a hitch and everyone had a great time, but there were some little details that were overlooked or just plain ignored that caused my MIL some stress in the weeks leading up to it. The couple who own this place apparently don't ever communicate between themselves or with customers. We had an impossible time trying to get ahold of them. We met with the wife the first time and what she had to say completely contrasted with what the husband told us when we went in the second time to set the menu (which we thought was going to be a tasting). They never even set up a time for us to come for a tasting like she said we could do. We were only allowed to taste part of the meal and that was only after we had set the menu. The pasta dish that we had at the tasting was not the same pasta dish they served the night of the dinner. They said - and wrote on the menu order form - that they would add Jack Daniels to the bar package and that never happened either. Again, the venue was pretty, the food was good, the drinks were wet, everyone had a great time and no one knew anything was missing... but it was and I thought it was worth mentioning.
Wedding Reception Venue: the foyer of Cincinnati Music Hall: A+
Cindi Burton at Music Hall was so great to work with. She's a real character! She made herself available whenever we wanted to meet with her or talk over phone or email about something we were worried about. She spent hours with us at the first meeting and just in general made the process a lot easier. When we arrived after the ceremony, we entered through the back into the Critic's Club so my husband and I had a chance to relax for a split second, enjoy a cocktail and a plate of hors d'oevres that the caterers had set aside for us, and enjoy being married before the craziness of the reception began.
Transportation: Motortoys Limousine Service: A
The limo was very nice, clean, and new looking. It was supposed to be a 14-passenger but I don't see how we could have gotten more than 12 in there. When we were running a bit behind because photos took longer than they should have (not late, just not early like I had planned), the driver really trucked it on the highway to deliver us to the church which I really appreciated!
Band: Stays in Vegas: A+
They were so awesome! EVERYONE was on the dance floor! I originally wanted a DJ but I am so glad my mom vetoed that idea because they really kicked the party into gear. This band was fantastic and guests are still telling me how fun they were.
Bakery: A Spoon Fulla Sugar: A
SO YUMMY! I don't even like cake but theirs is just so good! It was even better than Bon Bonerie, which I never thought was possible. After the tasting, the vast majority of communication with this company was done over email which was such a bonus for me. They told me that they could either discuss what I wanted over the phone, over email, or I could just come in for a meeting. I loved that all I had to do was shoot them a photo of the cake design that I liked and they took care of the rest. Oh, and it's worth mentioning that they don't bake and freeze. The cake was made fresh and it certainly tasted like it!
Caterer: Funky's: A+
Jaren at Funky's is a natural-born salesman. He had us sold on the company and ready to sign on the dotted line before we ever took a bite of the food. And the food is the best in town! Once the first plate of appetizers had been served at the tasting (which is done with just your group, not a huge room of clients like some places do it), we didn't stand a chance. The food was just too delicious and the service was amazing at the wedding. While taking care of everyone during cocktail hour, the captain (Katie) still made sure that my husband and I had drinks and food as soon as we walked in the door. She was fabulous all night! (I should add that we also attended a tasting at Davis Catering at the Cincinnati Club and the food was just... blah. Not bad. Not great. Just my opinion.)
Hotel: Garfield Suites Hotel: C
We reserved a block of rooms for guests at the Garfield Suites and my parents booked a "penthouse" suite for an after-party. The whole hotel was booked that night for different weddings so there were parties going on all over the place. The room two doors down from theirs had cracked their door open and the smell of marijuana was wafting out, along with the sound of loud music and screaming drunk people. About an hour after we arrived, hotel staff knocked on the door and threatened to throw my parents out if they didn't quiet everyone down. We had no screaming drunk people in the room. No loud music. No illegal drugs. But they were blamed for the noise coming from the party two doors down. Huh? You're seriously going to threaten to throw someone out of your Presidential Suite for no reason? When we left the room there were two grumpy staff members in the hallway outside the door of the room that was actually being loud. Still no apology though.
Hotel: The Cincinnatian: A
My husband and I walked two blocks down the street after we left the Garfield to the hotel where we were actually staying that night. I love the Cincinnatian! Such a beautiful, historic hotel. The architect who designed it also designed Music Hall. We were only there for a few hours so we didn't splurge on any of the extras, but it's such a nice place.
Honeymoon: Riviera Maya, Mexico: El Dorado Casitas Royale Resort & Spa: A++
This place was amazing. We had such a wonderful time there that I would stay at any Karisma hotel chain resort in a heartbeat. The service and food was unlike any hotel I have ever stayed in and we will definitely go back!