So I just got back from my short honeymoon and wanted to post a review of my fabulous wedding! I didn't use a lot of normal wedding vendors as I was on a very strict budget and wanted to DIY as much as I could but I figured that some this would be helpful to some other budget brides in the Cincy area! I'll be posting pictures soon as well as some tips for budgeting - looking at the photos I've seen so far I can't believe I got everything accomplished for under $6000!
Venue (ceremony and reception) -- St Elizabeth Cathedral/Vineyard Central (A)http://www.vineyardcentral.com/st-elizabeths/ I can't say enough great things about this place. From the price to the space to the friends you'll meet from the church community. The only reason I'm not giving them an A+ is due to the informality of their rental process. There is no formal contract to sign but the rental is only $600. Table set-up is DIY but the rental price includes a $100 deposit that they will keep if you want them to tear down the tables/chairs after the event. Everyone at my wedding commented on how unique and beautiful the space is. The church is sort of falling apart with plaster falling down and exposed brick inside, which I think really lends to the atmosphere. Most of the money from your rental goes back to restoring this beautiful cathedral style church. Other pros: we got a four day window (Tuesday-Friday) prior to our Satuday wedding to set everything up because they had no other events taking place at the church that week and most of church members live in the sorrounding block around the church and during our set-up process they came out and introduced themselves and even offered to help in some cases.
Photographer -- Fox Weddings/Jesse Fox Photography (A+)http://foxweddings.com/ For one thing, Jesse Fox's prices cannot be beat. At least in my research, you will not find a more talented photographer offering the same package rates as her. We opted for one of the lower packages ($600) and couldn't be happier with our choice. We've already received our proofs back to select the photos we would like to have touched up and worked on and they are all amazing! Other pros: her husband is a photographer too so you get 2-for-1! That meant we were able to schedule our 5 hour window with her just 30 minutes prior to the ceremony so we had more time for them to take shots during the reception. If we would have had a larger budget we would have definitely selected the premium package.
Invitations -- Vistaprint and WeddingChicks (A)http://www.weddingchicks.com/freebies/invitation-suites/ Because of my budget, I downloaded a free, customized invitation suite from WeddingChicks.com and used Vistaprint to print them. I staggered my orders and used a lot of the free postcard offers I got by signing up for the Vistaprint emails. I used the normal postcard size for the STDs and RSVP cards and the oversized postcard for the invitation. I found VP's quality to be great - sturdy cardstock and clear printing. I don't give them an A+ though because of their shipping options. You can either select a long 21+ day shipping or express shipping and the costs are a little high in my opinion.
Food -- Pompilios (A++)http://www.pompilios.com/catering/Catering-Menu-ala.cfm Brace yourselves for something amazing -- I was able to feed 150 people for $580! Yes, that's right -- delicious homemade pasta and garlic bread for under $5 a person. We ordered from their a la carte menu and were able to offer four different pasta entrees. In addition to the food, I got delivery to my venue, and two servers from Pompilos who set-up, stood at the buffet and assisted guests, and cleared plates after the meal. My total breakdown of costs also includes the salad that we purchased ourselves from Gordon Food Service. (Pompilos salad service is $2+ a person so we found it cheaper to DIY.) Everyone at the wedding commented on how delicious the food was and how courteous the servers were.
Dresses (Bride + Bridesmaids -- J Crew (A++)I purchased my bridesmaids silk tafeta, strapless chocolate brown dresses for just $40 a piece during one of the jcrew.com sales. The dresses were listed on clearance and then there was an additional 30% with a coupon code. Even though they were final sales, I was able to chat with one of their bridal consultants before I purchased and they made a note on my account that they were being purchased for a wedding and could be returned if they didn't fit so I was able to order a few for each bridesmaid for proper fitting and returned the others with no problem. My dress was the Lyden style that retails for $750. I nabbed it during their three day huge bridal sale for just $200! I got soooo many compliments on how gorgeous and unique the dress was. The fit off the rack was nearly perfect (I just need the length hemmed) and the fabric is soo luxurious.
Suit -- LL Bean Signature (A+)http://www.llbean.com/llbeansignature We purchased my husband's suit from LL Bean's Signature line and the quality and price was great. We were looking for a tan or brown slim fit suit and found the perfect cotton seersucker one for just $150! We just couldn't afford Banana Republic and J Crew who sell similar styles for $500+. He got lots of compliments on how dapper he looked
Custom Bow Ties -- Etsy Seller tuxandtulle (A+)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tuxandtulle?ref=seller_info
I knew that I wanted my husband and his groomsmen to wear bow ties and we found the perfect ones on Etsy. This seller was great to work with - very professional, prompt, and the bow ties were great looking!
Coordinator/Personal Assistant -- Best Friend Errand Service/Sue Glew (A+)http://www.bestfrienderrand.com/ I took a cue from another Cincy knottie who said they hired Best Friend Errand Service as a sort of DOC to help out with some of the minutia on the day-of. I didn't have the budget for a DOC (although in retrospect I would have shifted things around to accomodate it). Sue was incredibly professional, courteous, and did an awesome job! She picked up ice on her way to the venue, helped replenish drinks at our self-serve station, cut wedding cake, met my vendors and escorted them in and delivered their checks, cleared plates, and removed and boxed up all the linens and centerpieces at the end of the night. And her rate is only $25/an hour!
Coffee -- Coffee Emporium (B)http://www.coffee-emporium.com/catering_menu.htmMy husband and I are huge coffee connoisseurs and love Coffee Emporium (downtown and Hyde Park) for their finely roasted beverages. So when I found out that they offered coffee catering, I had to have it! Their catering consultant was friendly and professional and great to work with. We ordered just the regular coffee service which was $125 for up to 160 servings (they did half regular/half decaf). Then they charged a $15 fee for delivery. They delivered it in huge dispensers and we had plenty left after the event. Everyone who had a cup commented on how great tasting it was. I only gave them a B because they were 45 minutes late (I scheduled the delivery for around dinner time to be aligned with dessert hour) and my coordinator had to call to get them to the venue. I thought in that instance they should have knocked the delivery fee off but I didn't greet them so I didn't have the opportunity to complain.
Alcohol (Beer) -- Party Source (A)http://www.thepartysource.comWe ordered two kegs of beer to accomdate our 60 or so beer drinkers and had plenty. The order process was super easy (just did it online) and pick-up seemed pretty seamless (we sent two groomsmen to do that). I didn't give them an A+ because they didn't explain the return process to the guys that picked it up very well. I had to call later to get clarification on how long we could keep the kegs, etc.
Alcohol (Wine) -- Trader Joe's (A+)http://www.traderjoes.com/stores/index.aspWe purchased four cases Trader Joe's Charles Shaw brand of wine (two Pinot Grigio and two Cabernet) and had plenty left over to accomodate our 30 or so wine drinkers. The bottles were only $3.80 each but we got a 10% discount for purchasing them in cases which was more affordable than even the cheapest brand at Party Source who offers the same 10% discount. All the guests that had the wine commented on how great it was!
Linens -- LinenTablecloth.com (A)http://linentablecloth.com/I purchased all of my linens (tablecloths, runners, and chair covers) from LinenTablecloth.com and was very pleased with the quality. Thanks to the tips of fellow knotties, I got a much better deal purchasing while they were on sale versus renting. My chair covers ended up being around $1.30 a piece and my tablecloths ranged from $7 - $9. The site runs a huge 50% off sale for four days after Thanksgiving so sign up for their emails to get a notification. The only reason why I didn't give them an A+ is because their website couldn't handle all the traffic on Black Friday for their sale and while trying to make a purchase the site kept going down and I was charged x 3 for my order. I had to keep calling back customer support to get the refund and it took a few days for my bank to process it. I would recommend purchasing with credit card only and not through PayPal.
Alterations - Rip N Stitch (A)I used Rip N Stitch in Florence (NKY) for my dress alterations. I only needed the dress hemmed a few inches which cost me $75. I thought it was a good price for the type of fabric (three layers of heavy silk) and the seamstress had it completed in under a week. Overall I was happy.
Rehearsal Dinner - Molly Malones (B)http://covington.mollymalonesirishpub.com/ We used Molly Malone's for our rehearsal dinner of 35 adult guests and 6 children and were very pleased overall. We got the entire second floor reserved with our own private bar and servers. They catered to the kids nicely by offering several kids menu items separate from our buffet food. My only complaint was that the food wasn't as good as my experience normally is there but our servers and bartender were fantastic.