I haven't been much of a poster during my wedding planning, but everyone else's posts have been so helpful! Here's the rundown from our day!
1. Gown- Brides by Demetrios- A+ This shop is in Cleveland but is really worth the drive. My fiance and I were in Cleveland for a weekend trip last year and found the store while we were shopping in Legacy Village. I didn't have an appointment but they fit me in and got me trying on whatever I wanted. They were extremely friendly- it was by far the best experience I had with gown shopping!
2. Bridesmaids Dresses- David's Bridal- A+ I wanted the dresses from David's because my bridesmaids live in Ohio and Kentucky and I wanted it to be easy for them to get their dresses. The dresses were gorgeous and came in very quickly. I don't think any of them needed to be altered and David's was really great about calling to give me updates about which BMs still needed to order.
3. Flowers- Alex's Flowers- A+ Alex was GREAT! His prices are low and his flowers are gorgeous. He made our centerpieces and they looked just like the photos I showed him. He took care of all the centerpieces and flower girl supplies and I didn't have to worry about a thing! He also lets you change your mind up to a few weeks before the wedding- I decided I didn't want lillies and changed it to something else with no problems.
4. Photographer- Maria Palermo- A+ My fiance has known Maria since kindergarten and she is awesome. I haven't seen any photos yet, but I know they will be gorgeous. She made us feel right at home in front of the camera and even kept us on time to get to the reception!
5. LeMont- A+++++ Tony Fratangelo is SO sweet. He made our day amazing and helped us plan all the way through and was there the day of making sure we had everything we could want. They made us an amazing brunch and kept everything going and our guests were VERY happy with the gorgeous venue.
6. Transportation- Regency- B+ This was the only thing I was a little disappointed about. They are VERY inexpensive which was great and the party bus we rented was clean and pretty. However, the drivers have one job- to get us where we need to be and our driver did not know where he was going . We were going from Squirrel Hill to Grandview Park and he got lost which cost us time for photos. We eventually made it, but everyone was car sick from riding on a bus up and down hills and curves on Mt. Washington. We also rented a towncar to take us from the reception to the hotel. That was AMAZING. Our driver was friendly and professional and the car was super luxurious.
7. Rabbi- Chuck Diamond, Tree of Life Synagogue- A++++ Everyone loves Rabbi Chuck! We've been members at Tree of Life for quite a while- my fiance has known Rabbi Chuck since his bar mitzvah and we wouldn't dream of having anyone else marry us. Our guests loved him- he's funny and entertaining and made our ceremony so special!
8. Music- Romona Coppage and Mary Amrhein May - A+ They played violin and cello VERY last minute (found them a week before the wedding). The music was beautiful and I felt like such a jerk when I forgot the envelope with their payment. They were super nice and let us send them their checks though!
9. DJ- Standard Events- A- We took a gamble and won! The Standard is a little unique in that you don't know who your DJ will be until a few weeks before the event. Its super inexpensive ($800) and you do all the planning online. They have a website where you can put in your timeline and requested songs. Our DJ, Brian, was great and everyone danced and had a great time!
10. Rings- The Diamond Loft A++++ My fiance had my engagement ring made by Don so we went back for my wedding band. He made me one that matches and is GORGEOUS. He gave us a great discount and is SUPER nice!
11. Programs- DesignsFromMarina on Etsy- A++++ THis girl ROCKS. She didn't have exactly what I wanted, which was a program that outlined all the important meanings of a Jewish Wedding Ceremony. I gave her the main info and she arranged it beautifully and didn't charge me extra for her extra work! I needed a last minute change made and she fixed it within hours. Wonderful!
12. Hotel- Hilton Garden Inn in Oakland- B+ Our suite was great and Mark was really really nice to work with. Our room block was also at this hotel and they didn't read the directions on how to distribute our welcome bags to our guests and some of them didn't get their bags. They also lost a bottle of champagne that my fiance had dropped off earlier in the week. We got it back at check out, but we would have loved to have it that night. They did give us a bottle of really nice Prosecco though so we weren't without something to sip on in our Jacuzzi tub!
13. Favors- Copper Kettle Brewing in Greenfield A+! We had SO much fun brewing our own beer. Bailey, who is one of the staff members designed us gorgeous personalized labels. We brought a bunch of friends to come with us to bottle the beer and had a fantastic time drinking and snacking and our guests loved the favors!
14. Hair and Makeup- Erica Cohen and Bassia at Studio E- Erica has done my hair for years and I love her! She made my hair absolutely beautiful and even opened the shop up early Sunday morning to do the whole party's hair. Everyone looked great! Bassie made me look amazing- she has amazing talent as a makeup artist!
I think that's it! Our day was amazing and perfect
