Ohio-Toledo

Wanna be featured in The Knot Ohio magazine? Tell me your planning secrets!

Hey Toledo-area Knotties!

We’re looking for some real Ohio Knotties to share their best planning tips and secrets to be featured in the next issue of The Knot Ohio!

So tell us: who has been the most helpful and fabulous vendor you've worked with so far? Which cake baker had the cake flavor that was to die for? Where did you find the most genius favors? What florist made your day? Which bridal salon went above and beyond to help you find your dress? We want to hear your raves about the people and vendors who are helping (or helped) your dream wedding come true – so that other brides can get in on the action too! This is a chance to really give props to local Ohio vendors, so tell us who you love and why!

Reply below :)

XOXO,
Knot Vi-An (Ohio editor)

Re: Wanna be featured in The Knot Ohio magazine? Tell me your planning secrets!

  • Heathc123Heathc123 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are doing alot of DIY for the woodsy-romantic themed wedding...My parents are really involved and have been helping me.

    My advise is.... when people offer to help...Take it!
    My mother has been my biggest cheerleader and we really have had a great time (mostly : ) ) planning.  I could not have done this alone. I work full time and have 3 small kids. So again. I really could not have had much of a wedding (at least not my vision) without help.


    Help I have gotten includes.....
    friends and family baking cookies for a cookie table
    Dad and uncle making a tree slab cake stand (Beautiful)
    Friend /pastry chef making candy buckeyes for favors
    uncle and mom doing centerpeices (preserving acorns)
    Mom & friends putting together favor boxes


    So far My top vendoes are

    Brittnay Hurley at Hair in sylvania. Awsome job at my trial.

    Joyce Kachenmeister (officient) she has been super responsive and cooperative, has great ideas and really on top of things.

    Cakes by Stephanie(monroe, MI) had great flavors at the cake tasting

    My Photog has been super helpful and responsice too. he is out of Mi and somehow related to me though. so im not sure if i am allowd to mention him here. Relation or not when we meet he really has great insight and is helpful. 

    I have a couple weeks til my wedding so i'll have to let you know how it turns out.
    image 279 Made the cut!
    image 81 Are ready to party! image 39 Are missing out!
  • msbdumasmsbdumas member
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    i am a dyi bride and doing alot of my planning with my mom and best friend. i am really not using alot of vendors as for flowers, cake, photography etc.
    i am using personal or private owners for such things like the pics, a cousin who is a chef thats making our cupcakes, a friend of the family who owns their own catering business and my photograper is a high school friend  who takes beautiful pics and is very good and professional at what she does. 

    my best advice for diy brides is too breath, pace yourself,  shop and spend wisely, buy in bulk if you can, keep in mind that this is yours and your fi wedding day and not everybody elses and that you have the final say of how things will go, take breaks from the wedding planning and give time to yourself  by going friends, watch a movie etc, let your mind  get refreshed from having " wedding on the brian"  make time for you  and your guy cause after he's the reason the planning is underway anyway...he asked you to marry him !!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    imageimage May2013 October Siggy:Honeymoon:Putna Cana http://1badwedding.weebly.com/
  • edited December 2011
    There are two vendors of mine that I cannot say enough good things about.

    Our Videographer: Aaron Baginski at Showcase Video Productions.  Our wedding video was absolutely perfect, I couldn't have imagined anything better.  Videography was one area I debated on, I have zero regrets.  It was worth every penny and Aaron was a delight to work with throughout the entire process!

    Our DJ: Brian Cahill from Ultimate Night DJs.  We had an absolute blast at our reception.  The dance floor was packed all night long and Brian stuck to our playlist.  EVERYONE was dancing including older family members, our friends, and my small niece and nephew.  Brian helped the reception to flow nicely also.
    imageBaby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • edited December 2011
    I think what helped us to make planning our wedding easier was that we started planning early. Within a month of being engaged, we had picked our venue, church, photographer, and florist. That way, we could be less stressed about the other things and have fun with the details. Also, I found our florist, Sharry's Touch, through this board and she was a great find. Inexpensive and talented, she's one of my favorite vendors! I am also excited about our hall, Cambridge Place. It's huge, clean and new looking, and has amazing food. Plus we can bring our own alcohol, which is saving us a bundle!

    I tell newly engaged couples to not be afraid to price shop and look for deals, coupons, etc. Every little bit helps when you have a budget. Also, don't be afraid to ask for deals or to ask to make changes to existing offered packages. The worst that can happen is a "No".
  • edited December 2011
    We still have 8 months!! I would have to say to start early!! I thought we had plenty of time but discovered quickly that vendors book up fast!!

    Even though we have months, our favorite vendor so far has been Creative Confections in Bowling Green. I have ordered a couple of birthday cakes from her and they are sooooo yummy and cool looking!! I have been sending all of my friends to her that need cakes for birthdays!!

    I have heard great things about a lot of our vendors and I can't wait to see how they all turn out! Will keep everyone posted in the future!! April 28, 2012!!!!!!! :)
  • edited December 2011
    Great suggestions so far! Keep em coming...who's someone really special in the wedding biz and why should the whole world know about them?
  • edited December 2011
    I had a really Great experience with Atlas Bridal. The owner Jeanie is so sweet. She help me more than any other shop and I went all over michigan too. I went back to her because she treated me like I was her daughter. SHe gossiped with my girlfriends. She really made us feel like we were friends or family and not just another customer. She did all of my fittings even though I wasnt scheduled with her and didnt even ask!! She even gave me a hug when I picked up my dress.

    I also Can not say enough about Raquel from the beauty bar. She stayed waaaaaaaay later than was originally intended. She made everyone look absolutely stunning. She took her time to make sure everyone was happy. I didnt tell her ANYTHING about how I wanted my hair she just knew. Every single curl fell into place perfectly and it stayed until the next morning!!! I came down to breafast at 10am after having slept on my hair and people were stil complimenting on how well it stayed! She even cleaned up after her self after all of us left and made sure I hotel room was closed up. She is not only very talented but a ton of fun to be around!!
  • amberpolingamberpoling member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I began planning my wedding the day after becoming engaged! I knew the color scheme I wanted and the theme or feel of the wedding I wanted. I knew I wanted to try and do a lot of DIY projects for the wedding, but wasn't sure on some of the ideas I had. I found that April Gladieux owner of Your Perfect Day Perrysburg was able to help with tweaking or suggesting a different spin on my ideas! Not only was I able to bounce Idea's off of April and her wedding planning expertise, I was able to use many of her services for my own wedding! I used April and Your Perfect Day LLC for their "Day of Services", because our reception hall was booked the night before our wedding we were not able to decorate the night before and would have had to decorate the morning of the wedding! Thank to April and her services I was able to hire her to take care of the reception preparation and decorating. I knew that with April and her great eye for planning/decorating I knew I had nothing to worry about and that she would bring my wedding vision to life, and she truly did! She was able to meet all of our requests, as well as add amazing touches I would not have thought to do myself! We also used Your Perfect Day LLC's "Candy Buffet", we were able to create a extra fun favor to our day that everyone was able to enjoy! April and her team created an amazing candy buffet display with everything labeled and tied with color coordinating ribbons, she was able around to keep it well stocked and to make sure all of our guests were enjoying it! With Your Perfect Day LLC, I was able to enjoy my wedding and know that everything was in the hands of a wedding planning expert! I would highly recommend Your Perfect Day LLC to any Perrysburg area bride, or any bride who is looking to have expert help and advice to bring your wedding vision to life and for reasonable pricing! Your Perfect Day has many more services available then just the few that I have mentioned, and I recommend all of them to future brides who would like "THEIR PERFECT DAY!" Thank you April and Your Perfect Day LLC!




  • edited December 2011
    First, I got in contact with April from Your Perfect Day. She is so friendly and knowledgeable that the planning was done quickly, and what seemed to be, without the stresses of planning a wedding. I gave April a budget, and she knew exactly who to call to make our day special and memorable for us. She recommended everyone from the photographer (Dallas Galbreath--awesome, make sure to put her high on anyone's list) to the florist (Elizabeth Flores with Enchanting Flowers, resonably priced and beautifully done). Additionally, she recommended the perfect reception hall and was extremely knowledgeable of the catering services available as well as the DJ (Brian with Ultimate Nights) and Party Bus (Scott with the Chuck Wagon Express).

    Not only did April help with the planning, she also helped with the decorating the hall and the ceremony site (we had an outdoor wedding)  the day before the wedding. She had everything from backdrops for behind the cake table, head table, and gift table; to center pieces, chair covers, sashes for the tables; and lanterns for the dance floor,; as well as  outdoor decorations for the aisleway and chairs. Without April's creative touch, our hall and ceremony would have never looked as awesome as it did the day of our wedding.

    Honestly, because of April, our day truly was perfect. Please check her out, I promise you will be impressed!
  • akirkenakirken member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are planning a wedding with a budget of $5000-6000. We still have 10 months until we get married but so far I can say we are SO pleased with:

    Special Occasions Catering- delicious food for very reasonable prices. They have alot that is included in their packages like: linens, china, centerpieces, other decorations, etc. This was the best deal we could find for our budget.

    Sharry from Sharry's Touch (florist)- she works out of her home but at our meeting she was prepared with images of her work and suggestions based on what I told her I liked. She gave us a quote that day and is allowing us to change anything up until 2 weeks before the wedding. She also has very reasonable prices and truly loves what she does. She even invited me over to come see some of her wedding flowers before she delivered them.

    Yolanda at Davids Bridal- she made me feel very special when I was trying on my dresses. She was never rude or pushy and took her time even when I was being indecisive. I brought in ideas of dresses I liked and she grabbed a bunch of similar styles for me to try. She made me feel really important!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • edited December 2011

    My husband and I just recently got married in the Toledo, Ohio area. We had a great group of vendors in helping us plan our perfect wedding! First of all I received and read an email from April Gladieux with Your Perfect Day (wedding planner) after I had attended a few local bridal shows and instantly thought she is too good to be true! I had a family member in the same business doing events in the Detroit, Michigan area look her up and come to find out she and her business turned out to be totally legit! After an initial meeting and multiple emails with April throughout our planning process I had come to find that she was the whole package! She has a very positive energy, creative ideas and great relationships with many local venues and vendors! She was very open in giving us ideas on things as big as local venues to the small details like paper lanterns and decorations for the day of! And one of the even better parts is that she is totally affordable to brides and grooms of all budgets!!
    Joseph Adams Brewer with Decisive Moments Photojournalism was very easy to work with and unobtrusive in capturing all of our emotions and special moments with eachother and our friends and family!
    Lynn with Pollynn flowers came through with the most amazing flowers and natural elements I have ever seen! We worked closely to communicate my vision with her and I was blown away at how beautiful all of our floral elements came out! Not only is she a sweet and thoughtful person but an amazing floral designer!!  She's not intimidated by a budget and helps with different ideas and options to stay within your comfort zone and vision.
    Craig with the Class Act DJ's was a lot of fun and much more than just your average DJ checking in with the entire bridal party throughout the night and offering much more than music.
    Heather Placko at the Style House Salon worked closely with me in coming up with the perfect bridal updo in my mind! She also made each and every one of my bridesmaids so distinctly beautiful with all different and fun updos that complimented each of their personalities.
    Thanks to all of our vendors in making our day come true!!! We truly appreciate all that you've done for us!!! :) J&T Kunisch

  • HAMOHAMO member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011

    Double Booked Reception Hall notified 3 days before! Unbelievable story! NO WHERE TO GO! Destination wedding with 200 confirmed guests for June 19, 2010.I couldn’t be more excited, I was getting married on my parents 45th wedding anniversary in Marblehead OH, the very aisle they walked down 45 years prior! We have been planning this wedding for over a year, but in reality I have been planning my wedding since I was a little girl! We were so excited! In June of 2009, we signed a contract for a beautiful lake-view reception hall with the Marblehead Lighthouse next door. I immediately began taking pictures and measurements of the hall to begin customizing our elegant wedding décor, including custom Marblehead Lighthouse favor glasses for our guests. I made several trips to Marblehead to get more pictures and take more measurements while working with the hall director over the course of the year. The director and my husband, Brian, would tease me for my attention to detail. What can I say; I was planning every detail of my perfect wedding! Everything was going so perfect too. I had all of my customized décor, favors with etched images of the lighthouse, vendors, and every last detail set, paid for in full, and ready to go well in advance of 6-19-2010. It was finally time for me, the DIY Bride, to begin setting up the hall and relaxing the day before my big day, but little did I know that was all about to change!Wednesday afternoon, just 3 days before my wedding, I was told “You are not getting the hall!” I instantly went into a panic.. pure hysteria!!!! Time was ticking… and not in my favor. MY dream instantly became a NIGHTMARE!!!!!!! Special thanks to the following who helped us still have a wedding:· My family and friends...who instantly stepped up to the plate to help in every possible way!· Johnson’s Island Club... We are soooo grateful to the Johnson’s Island Club for allowing us to use it!! They are a private island clubhouse that does not rent the lodge to the public. They were so kind to make an exception with our given circumstances. We are forever grateful to Johnson’s Island Club...  They made the day happen!· Your Perfect Day, April Gladieux... Fortunately, I had already hired April as the Day of Wedding Coordinator. When everything went down 3 days before, it was pure HYSTERIA!!!! I really thought we weren’t going to be able to get married that day. We had 200 guests coming in from out of town—including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Rhode Island, Idaho, and even London, England! Having the wedding in Marblehead, Ohio, it was basically a destination wedding for us. So, I called April with the bad news and though I had only hired her for the “day of wedding”, she immediately dropped everything and started calling around to help us pull off the wedding!!! April jumped in with us to help plan a new wedding in basically 48 hours!!!! This included helping us find a new hall that was hopefully somewhat close to the hotel that all of our guests were staying in. Once we had the location, we had to re-do the décor, seating plan, etc. Despite all the drama and pure SHOCK, we are so happy we decided to hire Your Perfect Day… and even happier that April was so helpful through the whole process. She even brought in extra help! I started rambling off things that needed to be done due to the change and April had already thought of most things and things I hadn’t thought of.. i.e. she brought in her own personal microwave because the chocolate fountain vendor needed one to melt the chocolate beforehand. April did a lot of behind the scenes work to assure everyone—including vendors and guests—were redirected to the new location! She even went back late the night before the wedding with my family to wrap the screened porch area we had to expand into for seating, so the décor wouldn’t be ruined with the storm coming in. We can’t THANK her enough for all the hard work and dedication she put into our wedding!!!!! APRIL WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY!!!! We would highly recommend her for your event!· Decorative Sound... Totally amazing! Michael, the owner, actually suggested places for me to call when we were searching for a new venue. He even suggested Johnson’s Island Club as a possibility. He definitely helped us along the way of the drama!!! Decorative Sound also went above and beyond the call!!!!! By far the most important part of the reception that keeps the party going. We heard constant compliments and continue to still get compliments on the BEST DJ our guests have ever seen!!!!! OMG, ironically, is now our favorite song… Again, THANK YOU so much to Decorative Sound!!!! · Marblehead Lighthouse Resort... for doing our wedding rehearsal dinner and providing lodging for our guests! We couldn’t tell you how many compliments our guests gave about the location/atmosphere the Lighthouse Resort provided for lodging. We also really appreciate all the new venue recommendations, support, and help along the way of the drama!!! Joe, the owner, at Marblehead Lighthouse Resort was so caring and went above and beyond by trying to call possible venues. He even had his family members calling places too! AMAZING! Again, THANK YOU so much!!!! · Richie’s Limo Shuttle Service... Stepped in at the last minute with a large shuttle bus to get our guests back and forth from the hotel to the new venue island location, Johnson’s Island Club. Richie, the owner, also went above and beyond by helping with venue recommendations and actually calling these possible places along the way of the drama just trying to help!!! We can't say THANK YOU enough!!!! · Todd Productions... THANK YOU TODD & SARA!!!!  We didn't really notice Todd Prod sneaking around with the video all day, yet they captured all the important parts… AND put it together in an exciting presentation!!! AMAZING!!!  .. love when the video moves and pauses with the beat of the music… Despite all the drama and pure SHOCK I was in during that time, Todd Prod managed to create something that will allow me to watch the moments again and again when I am ready, so I can recreate in my mind the experiences and feelings I missed out on due to the drama!!!... WE are sooooo happy we decided to hire a videographer… and even happier that we found the most talented one!!!!! It is great to watch a video that seems like 5 minutes yet is much longer… and keeps you wanting more… All our family and friends continue to comment on how awesome the video turned out!!!! Thanks again, Todd!!!!!!! · Candlelight Occasions... For adding additional decorations to our wedding reception!!!! We couldn’t tell you how many compliments guests gave about the décor, especially those ceiling swags!!… With the unexpected drama and quick change of venue, I felt at a loss for all the details that were discussed and planned. It was amazing that Candlelight Occasions were able to re-create something different so quickly on the spot! I literally told them, "Just do whatever you think!" And Candlelight Occasions did an awesome job coming through!!! · Beautiful Blooms by Jen... for doing wedding ceremony flowers!!!! Everything looked beautiful! It definitely took the stress off of us (for the flower side of things at least!) by making sure everyone was ready to go by pictures! Beautiful Blooms by Jen definitely has that special touch!! Love the detail of the accents added to each boutonniere, corsage, and bouquet! Amazing! · Troyer's Dutch Heritage Catering... for catering our wedding reception!!!! We couldn’t tell you how many compliments our guests gave about the food… Dutch Heritage did an awesome job!!!! They changed plans on the spot and adjusted with the last minute changes. So, so glad Troyer's Dutch Heritage Catering were there to help us pull off this crazy wedding despite the unexpected unbearable heat in our new venue that didn't have air conditioning on this unbearably hot summer 95+ degree day.. So we definitely know it was much hotter inside! Thanks again for your hard work!!! · Mutach’s Market of Marblehead... for their donation to our wedding! Luckily the Johnson’s Island Club opened their private lodge for us, but unfortunately we couldn’t use the water there. We would like to thank Mutach’s Market of Marblehead... for being so kind to donate water for our day! We greatly appreciate it! · Lowe's of Fremont, Ohio... for their donation to our wedding! Luckily the Johnson’s Island Club opened their private lodge for us, but unfortunately there was no air conditioning. We would like to thank Lowe’s for being so kind to donate the use of their fans for our day! We greatly appreciate it! AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE ELSE NOT MENTIONED ABOVE! Bartenders, Hair/makeup/nail artists, Marblehead Lighthouse, etc. We couldn't have pulled it off with each and every one of you! With this awful experience, I have now been inspired to start my own business, Jump House Entertainment-Ohio Event Rental (listed on the knot), that rents affordable elegant wedding decor items, linens, jump houses, etc. I have started helping other brides, like all our wonderful vendors helped us. Wish me luck! I figured after what we went through, there is nothing I can't handle for helping other brides! If you would like more info on any of the vendors I have mentioned, please don't hesitate to contact me at [email protected]. The best compliment we can give our vendors is to send a referral, so be sure to mention the recommendation! Thanks for reading about our crazy story! Holly
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