I got married on 8/8 and what a whirl wind day! I was planning on getting married outside at a gazebo but just in case the 40% chance rain came through, we had a gorgeous plan B under a beautiful tent. I woke up the morning of my wedding with all of my bridal party around 8:30am. A good friend of mine from 2 hrs. away who had been my hairdresser all my life was driving in with her little girl to do our hair at the hotel. At 8:57 she calls and tells me she's about 3 minutes away from the hotel but that she just got hit by a semi-truck. Yes, a semi. She is 7 months pregnant and had her 5 year old girl with her in the back of the truck. Long, long story short, she is okay, so is the baby - to - be and her daughter. The truck was absolutely totaled and due to the high stress she got towed home. Once she was taken care of the "hair" panic set in. It was Saturday hours before my wedding and none of us had anyone to do our hair. I sent the girls out to find random "Best Cuts" and places like that to get simple up-dos. My bridesman called every salon in our area and only one salon pulled through for us: VCS in Medina. Which leads me to my first review: Salon: VCS Salon in Medina, OH A++++++++: I just booked my appt. moments before I arrived. They squeezed me in to their already booked schedule and greeted me with smiles as tears of stress rolled down my face. They had finger foods and champagne waiting for me and my sister, MOH. My sister had her hair done at a Best Cuts and hers was the only "casualty". Her hair looked awful. So, while I was getting mine down, they took my sister aside and redid her hair: for free!!! My hair ended up looking gorgeous!!! All was right with the world!
Ceremony Site and Reception Hall: Blair Center, Westfield Center, OH A++++++++++++: I was supposed to get married at the village gazebo but the sky looked too threatening. So, we proceeded with plan B at noon that day for a 4pm ceremony. The Blair Center kicked it in to high gear and set up the tent for 140 guests. It looked stunning. I am Greek and wanted to incorporate a greek dish in to my guests dinner choice and they had no problem accommodating me. This place is also great b/c guests are stuck inside to watch the dance floor. They have this massive porch outside where guests can sit by the fire pit, the ceremony tent was then converted to a lounge area where the guys found a spot to smoke their cigars, you could also take a walk along this massive pond and watch the fountains go off. This place is gorgeous. A hidden gem. Hotel: Westfield Inn A+++++++: The Inn is steps away from the reception site, which was important to be because we have an open bar and I didn't want anyone driving if they were drinking. This Inn is gorgeous. The bridal suite was out of this world. It's just been remodeled. The staff is more than accommodating. Photographer: Catherine McKinley Photography A++++: She is probably my favorite thing about this wedding process. Her work is stunning and she loves her job!!!! She never made us feel like we were just another couple. We haven't gotten our day of pictures back yet but we had two engagement sessions, and all those photos came out wonderfully. She was professional and listened to our ideas. She also let us create our own package to fit our budget. Videographer: Pixer Pro Tony Ezzo B+: This is only determined by his vibe on our day of, we have yet to received our video. I will keep you posted if anything to note comes out of it. He was fine. He was there on time, left on time, got his shots and seemed to work pretty well with the photographer. Florist: Seville Flower and Gift, Jane Webb A: Jane was great. I was a long distance bride and she was great to work with over the phone. We came up with a plan and budget. Then, both my fiance and I lost our job and I called her to see if we could cut back a bit. She had no problem adjusting. She showed up on time to the wedding and the flowers were beautiful. DJ: The DJ Crew A: My head DJ was Mike. He called me the Monday before my event to ask me all the questions he needed answers to regarding my wedding. The day of he was great. Hunting me down whenever we needed to get another event underway. I guess my only complaint is that there were a few "must play" songs that were never played. Honeymoon: Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort and Spa, Jamaica, B+: We had a great time at our resort. It was massive and beautiful. It has only been open a year or so so there are some kinks. But, it was nothing you couldn't decided just to ignore. Some of the restaurants were under renovation. A lot of the resort had a lot of manual labor going on trying to continue to spruce up the place. But, it really was gorgeous and the all inclusive deal was fantastic. Our honeymoon bungalow had an outdoor shower and was the best part about the trip!!! I think that's everyone. I just think my wedding proves that although the entire day didn't run perfectly....it was still the perfect wedding and all in all...I got married to the best guy!!!