A bit late, but from my daughter's October reception -- we had the wedding in September in California, so no wedding reviews.
Venue -- Amelita Mirolo Barn in Upper Arlington -- A++
Not only were they fantastic to work with, but the venue was perfect. It had a barn feel with modern amenities. We played my daughter's wedding video on the TV screens before their grand entrance. They have a staff person there the entire night, and he was great!!! I even saw him clearing a few plates for the caterer! We paid for an extra hour of rental to have them install their lights in the rafters, and it looked perfect. We got in an hour before the reception, and everything was set up within a half hour!
Caterer -- Two Caterers -- A
The food was great, and we got lots of compliments. They handled the event perfectly. They moved right before the event, so communication was touchy around that time.
Flowers -- Flowerman -- A+
We did partial DIY -- had them do bridal bouquet and a couple of boutonnieres, but did the centerpieces ourselves. We had lots of fun putting them together, and they turned out great. We felt comfortable going into it because we just used mason jars with loose flowers -- going for the just picked from the garden look. They really knew their flowers and picked ones that looked perfect!
Dress -- Trumpington Bridal -- A
We went here first because we wanted the personal attention of a small boutique to help is know what would look good on my daughter. We ended up buying from them, that day. We found several dresses that looked great, but went with the first one she tried on. It was an absolutely stunning dress, and was perfect for both a beach wedding and barn reception!
Bridesmaid Dresses -- Wendy's Bridal -- A-
Found great dresses for the wedding and reception. The only knock is their in-house alterations people are expensive. The maid of honor waited too long and had to go somewhere else, where they did the alterations for 1/3 of the cost. No matter what size you order, it will come in too big and need to be altered.
Cake -- Anita Kline -- A++
Best cake ever -- both in looks and taste and price. We just saved some of our leftover flowers and she made a beautiful topper out of them. The cake was fantastic and looked beautiful -- just like the picture we showed her.
Favors -- Black Radish Creamery -- A++
We did small jars of jam from Black Radish. It tasted amazing. You can find their jam at stores that sell local items and the Hills Market in Worthington. They even did custom tags for us for no extra charge! They buy most of their ingredients local. The peach jam is made by grilling the peaches, then adding cayenne pepper, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, brown sugar, and vanilla bean. Luckily, we have some left over to use throughout the year! They're really busy, so communication was spotty at times, but well worth the wait!
Miscellaneous -- Etsy -- A++
We got our guest book (thumbprint tree), garter, bouquet charm, table numbers and invitation idea from Etsy, The sellers are so creative and are always quick to ship things.
Other Miscellaneous -- The Knot Classified -- A++
We got our blue mason jars, photo props and other items from other brides. We didn't have a photo booth, but set the props on a table near the dance floor. They were a huge hit!!! We have lots of pictures of people wearing the props and even dancing with them!
Photography -- OSU student -- C
Her pictures were great, but she hardly took any. She was there four hours, and we only got less than 50 pictures. My mom was here from California, and she didn't take any with her in them. She was a friend of my younger daughter, so I'm not naming names. Fortunately, our wedding pictures from the California wedding were unbelievable. We just wanted the evening captured, and it wasn't.
DJ -- Reflections -- C
The price was higher than we thought it would be. On top of that, several songs we requested he didn't have. For the price we paid, they should have downloaded the song! Didn't do much to encourage people to get out and dance. Other than that, they were professional and kept to the schedule.
Invitations -- Paper and More -- A++
Huge selection, quick delivery, and they cut the paper for you! We made our own invitations based on something we saw on Etsy. We got the paper and envelopes from Paper and More, and they turned out fantastic! We saved hundreds of dollars by doing them ourselves.
Good luck -- and enjoy the planning!