Vendor Reviews

druffelhoover

Hi Ladies,

I didn't post much throughout the process but I did read a lot of other Vendor Reviews that helped me so I thought I would return the favor

Venue - The Bell Event Centre A+++
Amy and Erin were amazing through the whole process of planning our wedding.  We were very lucky and had permission from the Catholic Church to also get married at The Bell (which we were told was very difficult to do).  We have received many compliments on the food and how beautiful the venue itself is.  Amy was who I dealt with mostly and she was more than amazing, she made sure Brandon and I were taken care of the whole night and was so relaxed which in turn made me relaxed.  Erin was there to help and was SO great to help with the details (even though she is having a baby in 5 weeks!!!!!)  Although the prices are expensive, it was worth every penny for the amazing experience we had on our wedding day!

Photographer - Amanda Donaho A+++
I found Amanda through other Vendor Reviews and I now understand why she always get's A+'s!  She was one of my best vendors for the day   She is reasonably priced and has many perks with her packages (photobook, engagement session and rights to thephoto's).  She helped me plan my schedule for the day and made sure I never looked at it so I wouldn't know if we were late or on time (which I LOVED!), she took control of the situations so I didn't have to stress.  Her photos are amazing and my family and friends were excited that 2 days after the wedding she even put up a "Sneak Peak" on her blog! http://amandadonaho.com/blog

Band - The Paul Otten Band A+++
When looking at Venues back in Jan 2011 we asked if anyone recommended an band, EVERY Venue's response was The Paul Otten Band!  We went to RP Murphy's in Hyde Park to check them out one night when they were playing and we were sold.  We met with Paul about 2 weeks before the wedding to go over some details and he helped us with some song choices and was so easy to work with.  We have had MANY people compliment on the Band and how great and energetic they were.  They were amazing and Paul has such a great voice

Florist - Eden Florist A+++
We live in Over-The-Rhine and wanted to keep most of our Vendors local.  Eden Florist is right down the street from us and we called to set up an appointment (they are very flexible with their schedules to meet with you).  Kelly and Kelly were great!! We discussed out budget and they went above and beyond my expectations.  Not to mention, we were married on St. Patty's Day and the parade was a big issue for a lot of vendors to get to the Hilton.  Kelly and Kelly walked with ALL the flowers (and a bottle of champagne) through the crazy crowd to get to us! They are the nicest people and really do care a lot about their work and take much pride in the results.

Cake- Skirtz & Johnsons A+++
Another Over-The-Rhine Vendor we picked   Andrew was great throughout this whole process even though I am sure my procrastination was killing him!  We had a smaller 3 tier cheesecake and chocolate cake layers with 3 types of small desserts.  Everything was so great and EVERYTHING was gone!  We had people going back for seconds and pocketing the cookies.  Andrew was so patient and dropped the cake off on his way home (no charge!).  He was creative and did an awesome job with the presentation.

Hair - Jim Brofft Salon Central A+++
I searched and searched for a reasonably priced hair stylist that would come to us at the Hilton.  I had tried many people and were not please with many of their responses (1 stylist for 8 girls OR the prices we very unreasonable).  I go to Erin for my haircuts on a normal basis and decided to call and see if she would be able to do it.  She called me back and said her and Tim (also works at the Salon) would LOVE to do it.  They were amazing and VERY reasonable ($50 Down / $75 Updo)  This being part of my gift for my girls I was very happy that the prices were reasonable.  I did my trial with Erin about a week before the wedding and she did exactly what the picture looked like Her and Tim were great the day of and were so easy going and made the morning fun.

Makeup - Bride Face A+++
This was the other part of my gift for my girls   And it was a hit! Nancy and Molly were great the day of the wedding!  I had my trail with Nancy back in Oct 2011 and she remembered everything (down to the lip gloss) we had decided on.  The make up helps make your photos look amazing and stays on ALL night.  They are a little expensive (as many other reviews also state) but personally I think it was well worth it.  They only require a small deposit and give you many options for payment.  Over all it was a great choice and my girls LOVED it.

Harpist - Elizabeth Motter A+++
I found Elizabeth here on The Knot and I can see why she got some many great reviews.  A few weeks before the wedding we spoke and she realized I had no idea what type of music I wanted for the ceremony.  I told her that I trust her and she did an amazing job!  She played music for the procession and mother's and also joined us outside for an hour cocktail hour which was a very nice touch to have a harp as the background music.  She was so sweet and really takes pride in what she does.

Hotel for Guest - Hilton A+++
Kelly was GREAT! We had a block for all our hotel guest at the Hilton Netherlands Plaza Downtown ($109 per night).  Since everything was downtown we wanted our guest to be in the heart of everything and not to have to drive anywhere.  Kelly was great at helping us with the Guest Bags we left at the front desk for everyone who checked in and also helped reserve us a Bridal Room to get ready in Saturday morning.  Again the St. Patty's day parade was a hiccup in our day but Kelly was great working with A Savanah Night and getting them access to the closed streets and picking us all up.

Limo Bus/Passenger Bus - A Savanah Night A+++
This was another Vendor I did a lot of research on and A Savanah Night BY far was the best.  Ty responded to my emails very quickly and was on top of everything.  Where as other places I tried took days to get back and that made me a little uneasy.  I will say they are expensive BUT you get what you pay for.  They were on time for EVERYTHING and followed the schedule to a tee! Brian (the limo bus driver) called me Friday to introduce himself and find out what our colors were so he could go buy some matching napkins (a sweet touch I thought!).  We had passenger vans transport our guest from the hotel to the Bell Event Centre also and it couldn't have gone better.  The bus drivers had a schedule down and kept eeverything on time and had all the guest there on time. 

Photo Booth - Say Cheeze A+
The photo booth was our gift to our guest and it got great reviews from everyone!  We did the large photo booth and also had the guest book for everyone put their photo in and write us a note.  It was great and SO funny to read the next day.  They were very organized and easy to work with.  They were expensive but when we turned it into our guest gifts it worked out great.

Alterations - Tony King A++
I have used Tony in the past for bridesmaids dresses so it was an easy decision to use him for my own wedding.  He is great at what he does and will make you laugh the whole time during your fittings!! He tells so many good stories all while making sure you look your best. 

Rehersal Dinner - McCormick & Schmicks A+++
Friday evening before the wedding we had our rehearsal dinner at McCormick & Schmicks downtown (again to make it easy for our guests).  They were amazing from the tasting a few months ago to the final event on March 16th.  The food was amazing and everyone loved the view from their great venue over looking Fountain Square.  The waiters and staff were great to work with and were quick responders to all emails and phone calls.

Sorry for the lengthy review but I hope it helps

acbp2011

Tony King is doing my alterations and I love him!  I'd seen some so-so reviews on here of him with some brides complaining that he was arrogant and hard to work with, so I was a bit nervous in choosing him.  In the end I'm so glad I'm using him!  Tony was strongly recommended by the bridal salon I used (Fabulous Bridal) and he sure as heck knows his stuff. 

aor9487

Congrats on your big day and having such great experiences with the vendors you chose. I'm excited to see Elizabeth Motter got such a great review...we booked her for our June wedding!!

gabriel0915

SO glad you had good experiences with your vendors. Thanks for posting so ladies know who to go to! Congrats on the wedding!

katiebean1

So glad you liked your vendors so much! I just booked Skirtz and Johnston today! I actually went to pastry school with them and I am so excited to hire them!

StephanieWeiland

THANK YOU!