I remember when I was wedding planning I stalked this board for vendor reviews, so here are my honest opinions/experiences with my big day! It was an amazing day, planning is stressful but it's worth it in the end. Enjoy wedding planning ladies
Ceremony - Kumler Chapel A
Kumler is in oxford and I ALWAYS wanted to get married there because it's gorgeous. You book a year in advance, pay the deposit/price and it's done. You really don't need any decorations because it's so gorgeous on the inside, and Jane who is the coordinator is amazing to work with and is always quick to reply to any questions. We were locked out the day of our ceremony, but we made a few phone calls and the doors were unlocked within a few minutes.
Reception - FOP Event Center, Fairfield Ohio B
Caterer - All Things Catered A+
All Things Catered now owns the FOP Event Center which is in Joyce Park in Fairfield so I'll lump these together. I picked this spot largely due to budget, it was much more affordable than anything in Oxford. I worked closely with an employee throughout the planning process, and she left her position about a month before the wedding. This was difficult because I started working with someone else and of course I already had things in my mind a certain way that I had discussed, and we definitely butted heads somewhat. My biggest complaint was that I attempted to contact her over 10 times the week before my wedding regarding the final balance and final questions, and kept getting vague replies if any at all. VERY stressful when you'r ethat close to the wedding. But in the end, the reception was wonderful, and it all worked out. I did 98% of the decorations myself - buying things from michaels and what not throughout the year I was engaged so that helped to save money for sure. We had an open bar and never had any issues with guests not getting drinks, food, etc.
Flowers - Ball of Oxford B
Flowers were an issue for me - either the florist was already booked, or way out of my budget. I decided to go with Ball of Oxford due to their location being so close to my ceremony site, and we met in person I explained what I wanted - had photos and a detailed list. I gave an honest amount i was willing to pay, and she built something around that. To be honest, when I received my flowers the day of the wedding I was a bit disappointed. My bouquet wasn't exactly what I wanted - and did wilt by the end of the ceremony. The grooms boutinere also wasn't exactly what I had imagined, and did not stand out as much as I wanted it to. the bridesmaids I had wanted 3 single stem roses NOTHING else, and they arrived with all kinds of greenery around them that we ended up cutting off before the ceremony. I paid $400 so I really can't complain, but I do wish I had made an attempt at finding a florist sooner than I had.
just as a side note - everyone recommended Kroger to me for flowers, but I never could get anyone to call me back or answer my questions. Very frustrating.
Photographer - Sheila Castle (Rachael Spears 2nd shooter on big day) A++
The photographer was most important to me because at the end of the day that's what you have left for the years to come. Sheila exceeded my expectations. we did engagement photos and were both nervous it would feel awkward to have someone staring at you taking photos but it was a blast We immediately felt like we were with an old friend, and just LOVE our photos. She did such an amazing job, and the few from our wedding I've seen are absolutely amazing. I showed her some things on pinterest I wanted to replicate and she was always 100% ready to do so and of course had her own great ideas for poses/shots etc. For the big day she had Rachael Spears as her second shooter, who also was amazing and made us feel like we were working with friends.
Ceremony Musicians - The Happy Couple C -
This was the worst part of my day - hands down. Being that kumler was so beautiful and old, I knew from the beginning I wanted string musicians to play. I found the happy couple on the knot actually, and the price we discussed seemed reasonable. I was VERY clear from the beginning that I wanted to hear samples of what they played as I planned on choosing non-traditonal wedding music. this became a HUGE issue. There was a period when it took almost a month for me to get a response via email, and it wasn't until I posted on the knot message board about how shitty they were that I got an email from them which quite frankly felt VERY rude given that they were stalking the knot closely enough to notice a bad review/comment but couldn't answer their current client's questions/emails. I did end up receiving the samples I requested via email, and chose my songs. They attended rehearsal - as did my family who many of which are musicians. I noticed that many of the songs did not sound rehearsed and the tempo was off on the song the bridal party would be walking to - which is very upseting considering that's the music I would be walking down the aisle to at my wedding. My brother who is a drummer/musician and has been for many years, approached the couple privately to discuss my concerns, as he also noticed them. I wasn't there for the interaction but my brother was upset at the way they handled it and felt that it was not well received considering it was just a comment from a paying customer about their wedding music. They played the ceremony, and my family had planned on thanking them and giving them a tip for playing but they left so quickly - we couldn't find them. I understand it was a saturday and they probably were busy, but it just added to the issues. I personally believe our personalities maybe didn't Jive properly, as many people have posted great reviews - so I don't want to detour anyone from booking with them -- I just wish I had explored other options as I was not 100% pleased. Music is a huge part of my life, and I was very paticular about what I had wanted/expected out of the ceremony music - and I just don't feel they delivered that.
DJ - Yung Productions (Friend) A
My husband works with a guy who DJs on the weekends, and he was our DJ. We provided a list, worked out a fair price, and he showed up on time, played the wedding and did what we asked of him. I did have a long list of songs I wanted played, and due to time constrictions alot weren't played - but that's just how it goes. People danced, and we had a good time so it was fun!
Cake - Mindy Fahrmeier from Receptions A+
Mindy works from Receptions in Fairfield but also does cakes for weddings at other locations. We told her what we wanted, she made it BEAUTIFUL so beautiful I didn't want ot eat it!! we had different flavors for each layer, and they all were phenomenal. We actually only had 60-70 guests, got enough cake for 100 and didn't have any left! She was very quick to reply via email, answered all of our questions, and was a super nice lady. I would highly recommend her!
Make-Up - Heidi McKenna A++
I heard about Heidi through the knot, she did a make-up trial for my engagement photos and my wedding day make up and both were awesome. She covered up a birth mark on my face with no problem, and everything looked beautiful. I don't wear much make up on a day to day basis but she made me feel comfortable and look good. also VERY affordable, and sweet. Replies to both email and phone quickly, answered all my questions and never had any issues.
Hair - Michelle Marxey A
I decided at the last minute to find someone to do my hair, and Michelle was wonderful. We did a trial that was the same day as my final fitting, and then she came to the hotel we stayed in to do my hair for the wedding. I have thick long hair, and wanted lots of curls and she made it happen. She was fun to talk to, and once again made me feel like a friend was involved and not just a vendor. my bridesmaid decided to have her hair done at the last minute the day of, and Michelle helped her figure out a hairstyle she loved and both of our hair stayed put all night. She does do air brush make up if you're looking for someone to do both.
Dress - Bridal and Formal A-
Bridal and Formal is Bridal and Formal. Every person has a different experience. I had a HORRIBLE time at wendys and davids bridal (both told me that with a H cup breast and average body size I was "too big" for any of their dresses. I wear a size 16 pants.. I mean come on.) so Bridal and Formal was a breath of fresh air for me. I found a dress almost identical to the one I loved at wendys, and a gorgeous jeweled belt to go with it - within my price range. Some of the employees are REALLY young and don't know what they are doing - and some are amazing. I had encounters with both, but luckily had family and friends with me to help. Most of their accessories are extremely overpriced, so I got my veil, jewelry and shoes else where and unless you have an unlimited budget would suggest the same. Just beware because they have dresses ranging from a few hundred to thousands - just be honest with your budget!
Alterations - Sew Much A+
Mary at Sew Much is AMAZING. She did a ton of work to my dress (including turning a zipper into a corset), and in my opinion does not charge nearly enough for what she does. My dress fit perfectly, and the corset back was exactly what I wanted. She attached my belt, bra cups into the dress, and hemming and it all was perfect. I found shoes in her store that were what I was looking for - and she helped to get me the right size in time for the wedding. Again, very quick to respond to emails, calls, walk in - and never much difficulty getting an appointment with her. Highly recommend her for alterations - I spoke with others in town who wanted 2-3x more than she did for the same work. Not to mention, Mary is a super sweet lady and makes you feel very comfortable/at ease.
Bridemaids Dresses - David's Bridal B
As I mentioned earlier, I shopped for my dress at david's bridal and had a horrible time. I looked online and ended up finding a bridesmaid dress I loved at david's so we went back for that. Honestly, the selection of colors in styles in pretty lacking. I wanted a deep purple of a certain fabric and many of the dresses didn't come in it, or came in a variation. They are unwilling to make any kind of adjustments on price like some other bridal shops are - but for the most part they are affordable. The girls got the dresses in time, I just was disgusted with their customer service at times and my personal experience with them.
Paper Products - Vistaprint A++
I designed and printed my invitations, programs, response cards, save the dates, thank yous, and others from vistaprint.com and saved a TON of money and time. They often sell groupons/living social deals for $10 for 70 to spend or other great deals which makes it even a better bargain. The prices are hard to beat, and they also send out emails with free things/shipping/etc very frequently. There's a girl on the DIY board who posts the emails frequently and I got alot of things 100% free! The paper is high quality depending what you choose - and there are tons of fonts, colors, etc. Shipping can be pricey because they make up for making money but honestly so much cheaper than other places and you can design things 100% or use a template. Vistaprint is amazing and I now use it for christmas cards and anything else.
Photobooth - Showtime Photobooth A+
If you're considering a photobooth at your reception - do it! It was SO MUCH FUN! Our guests LOVED it, and we have amazing photos to remember it by. My husband and I saw one at a bridal show and fell in love with the idea when we realized how fun it was, and how fun it would be to have the photos. We adjusted our budget so we could have one and showtime was very easy to work with and VERY affordable. Some photobooths are over $1000 in cincinnati, ours was below $500. We had so many compliments on the idea, and the booth was never empty. They brought props with them, we made a few extra moustaches on sticks but it was super super fun. Great memories!
Travel Agent Honeymoon - Unforgetable Honeymoons A+
we used a nationwide travel agent online to book our honeymoon to Jamacia and I am glad we did. They got us the lowest price we found online, and if we found one lower between booking and leaving - they'd adjust the price accordingly. We made a down payment and then made payments each month which also made it much more feasible for us to afford. we had an AMAZING honeymoon and Leah at Unforgettable honeymoons spend time on the phone and emailing with us to help us find the destination that fit what we were looking for, and in our price range. They email everything you need and make the process very easy.
Extras..
CardBox - Ordered from Clegg Farms on Etsy, ADORABLE. Worth the splurge as it is adorable and something to keep forever.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CleggFarmCreationsCake Topper - was personalized to match my husband, me in my wedding dress, and our yorkie. Again worth splurging. Her name is Keren, again on etsy
her shop is :
https://www.etsy.com/people/mudcards But look at our topper!!
https://www.etsy.com/conversations/image?convo_id=64416533&image_id=15165537&image_type=fullThumbprint Tree - We found a shop on etsy who personalizes trees and mails them to you. We had almost all our guests use the tree, and look forward to framing it and admiring for many years. It wasn't exactly what I imagined when it arrived - just felt some of the design was strange but that was my own fault. Price was right, they give a coupon if you like them on facebook.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TJLovePrints