Super head start on wedding planning from Germany

jmyers0410

Hello all of you beautiful CURRENT, furture and Past Brides. Im staring to plan our wedding 2 years early, YES I KNOW thats a long way out but Im already a military spouse and well lets just say we've tried to plan twice! Due to deplyments and moving we've had to cancle both times.

Were currently expecting another deployment the beginning of next year sometime so we want to pln as much a possible before he leaves to save time energy and Money on Flying back and forth from the states.

WITH THAT SAID DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY VENUE RECOMMENDATIONS. I AS SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING THE COLUMBUS ANTHENEUM BUT IM AFRAID AFTER READIN SOME REVIEWS. help! PLEASE!

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

dmackie1218

We are having our ceremony and reception at the Athenaeum in the large theatre on April 13, 2013. We havne't done much planning but I will say that, so far, they have been really great. We worked with Katelyn for the booking and we will be working with Gina for the event planning. There are a couple things things that really drew us to the Athenaeum...... 1. You can bring your own alcohol. This is a plus and a major money saver for us. 2. The rooms are beautiful and don't need much decorating on our part. 3. It is a totally care free environment. The provide you with decoration choices (you can change your mind up unitl like the month before the wedding) and they set up and tear down everything for you. I didn't want to have to worry about any of that stuff on my wedding day. 

They do have specific rules but, so far, I haven't really had a problem with any of them. They have one rule that says that you have 30 minutes to be out of the room (vendors and all). If you are not out, they start charging you. All of our vendors said that they have worked there before and that this will not be a problem for them. Also, about the vendors, they have a preferred vendor list which we found helpful but didn't want to utilize. You have to pay a one time $300 deposit if you don't want to use vendors off the list. None of our vendors are on the list. 

I went to a wedding there a couple of years ago and it was amazing. The bride still talks about how awesome and carefree her day was. We haven't had a tasting yet but I remember that the food was really good. 

I can go on and on about this place. What are some of your concerns or pros and cons? I would be happy to help in anyway that I can. Like I said, we haven't done much with them but I can keep you posted as we move along. 

On a side note, my brother was stationed in Germany about 6 years ago. We went to visit him and it was amazing. It is really a beautiful country. I really enjoyed it there and he was able to do a lot of traveling while he was there. 

Happy Planning!!!!

irshdancr5500

I'm also an Athenaeum bride and have been nothing but thrilled so far! We're getting married in the small theater on Sept. 1, 2012, so we've had our tasting and dmackie is right, everything is delicious! So far, I would certainly recommend them!

FutureMrsG2013

I HIGHLY recommend Scioto Reserve County Club. That's where we're getting married, and it's just beautiful, and offers so much! www.sciotoreserveweddings.com

Good luck!

saacjw

Ok I'll throw a shameless plug here-

As someone else who is doing this from a distance (ok not as far away) I seriously recommend Brookshire near Polaris. It has a lot (like almost everything) included, so it's saving me on having to deal with stuff like extra vendors and all my meetings are at the one place. The package has- food, cake, alcohol, the florist, and the DJ, plus they have space for the reception and the ceremony if you want it there. I also love Joy Brooks, the owner, she reminds me of my mom (which for planning is a good thing). 

jmyers0410

Thanks For all of your responses. The Columbus Antheneum was our first choice. We wanted to get married in the priory and have the reception in the Oak room? i think? I saw some pretty bad reviews and got scared. Do any of you have any vendors ie cake, flower, make up that you would recommend?

jmyers0410

Thanks for all of your information! Is the $300 per vendor or just a 1 time thing for all vendors? Also Germany is a beautiful place if you in the right places. lol Its so boring where i am because we have to drive to the major cities. The best thing about beinghere is the traveling. We've been to Prague and we booked a resort in Malaga Spain. A lot of people travel to paris but i must admit it's not my first choice.

Thanks again for responding you were very helpful!

n Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_ohio-columbus_supe-head-start-on-wedding-planning-from-germany?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:112Discussion:25688327-7973-4205-ba8a-fdd06e71fe43Post:6ba5db21-0850-4c01-bbc9-12d0e008dfdb">Re: Super head start on wedding planning from Germany</a>:
[QUOTE]We are having our ceremony and reception at the Athenaeum in the large theatre on April 13, 2013. We havne't done much planning but I will say that, so far, they have been really great. We worked with Katelyn for the booking and we will be working with Gina for the event planning. There are a couple things things that really drew us to the Athenaeum...... 1. You can bring your own alcohol. This is a plus and a major money saver for us. 2. The rooms are beautiful and don't need much decorating on our part. 3. It is a totally care free environment. The provide you with decoration choices (you can change your mind up unitl like the month before the wedding) and they set up and tear down everything for you. I didn't want to have to worry about any of that stuff on my wedding day.  They do have specific rules but, so far, I haven't really had a problem with any of them. They have one rule that says that you have 30 minutes to be out of the room (vendors and all). If you are not out, they start charging you. All of our vendors said that they have worked there before and that this will not be a problem for them. Also, about the vendors, they have a preferred vendor list which we found helpful but didn't want to utilize. You have to pay a one time $300 deposit if you don't want to use vendors off the list. None of our vendors are on the list.  I went to a wedding there a couple of years ago and it was amazing. The bride still talks about how awesome and carefree her day was. We haven't had a tasting yet but I remember that the food was really good.  I can go on and on about this place. What are some of your concerns or pros and cons? I would be happy to help in anyway that I can. Like I said, we haven't done much with them but I can keep you posted as we move along.  On a side note, my brother was stationed in Germany about 6 years ago. We went to visit him and it was amazing. It is really a beautiful country. I really enjoyed it there and he was able to do a lot of traveling while he was there.  Happy Planning!!!!
Posted by dmackie1218[/QUOTE]

FutureMrsG2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_ohio-columbus_supe-head-start-on-wedding-planning-from-germany?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:112Discussion:25688327-7973-4205-ba8a-fdd06e71fe43Post:7416e4c1-ab6e-4f5b-8983-99f7ed2725d5">Re: Super head start on wedding planning from Germany</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks For all of your responses. The Columbus Antheneum was our first choice. We wanted to get married in the priory and have the reception in the Oak room? i think? I saw some pretty bad reviews and got scared. Do any of you have any vendors ie cake, flower, make up that you would recommend?
Posted by jmyers0410[/QUOTE]

I recommend:
The Cake Studio for cakes
Flowers on Springtree Lane for flowers
Alison Feamster for makeup

Hope that helps a little! =)

irshdancr5500

Oh the Oak Room was our 2nd choice, it's lovely! I just really liked the stage and set up in the small theater, which is why we went with that instead. I also wanted to get married in the Priory, it's beautiful, but FMIL wanted us to get married in a church, so we've headed that direction instead.

I went with recommended vendors for cake, DJ, & flowers so I didn't have to pay the fee. So far I haven't had much interaction with the DJ, but I've been very impressed with cake & flowers. We're going with TEAM DJ, Flowers on Orchard Lane, and Sauer Cakes. Sauer Cakes is phenominal! Michelle does such beautiful, delicious work! Every sample we tried was delicious, it was so difficult picking just a few flavors for cake! Also, the florists have been very easy to work with, very receptive to my ideas, plus they'll set up one of your arrangments for you for free, to be sure you like the direction they're taking, how great is that!

If you have any other questions, keep posting them, I'd love to give any feedback I can!

dmackie1218

The $300 fee is just a one time thing. None of our vendors are on the list but we still only have to pay $300. Also, we just had our cake tasting and I highly recommend A piece of Cake in the Short North. DELICIOUS!!!! They had the best prices we could find, free delivery, and you can choose as many flavors as you want. I have seriously been considering just going back there and buying a cake to eat because it was that good. I am actually craving it now! LOL. I've been getting my hair done at Charles Penzone for years and thorughly trust my stylist so I'm getting my hair and make-up (air-brushing) done there. 

The priory room is a very beautiful room. We looked at it on our tour and really wanted to have the ceremony there but it isn't big enough for us. My FI is actually really bummed out because he loves that room so much. He just couldn't stop raving about how unique the room was. 

sandymbme

My florist is Eva at Ecoflora, LOVE her, she is so super creative, and all of her flowers are organic, and locally sourced as much as possible. She has been very friendly and responsive, great to work with, and has been way affordable. I just couldn't be happier with her.

My DJ is a gem, too. Terry and Kristen at Young Music Entertainment have been awesome, and a steal compared to other DJ's Terry has over 15 years experience in clubs, and has DJ'ed many events for friends and family over the years. He and his fiance opened their business last year, which is why their pricing is so competitive, they are still building the business. My guests LOVE the fact that they can request songs NOW, and my wedding is in October. They gave me a link to put on my wedding website, and my guests can just click and request. We have veto power, of course!

I am a celiac, so I couldn't find anyone who could make a gluten free cake that tasted anywhere near edible without costing a fortune. Fortunately I have a small army of bridesmaids, and we are actually making cupcakes and just putting them on a stand, and I found beautiful sugar flowers on etsy, so it will look professional at a fraction of the price.

My venue is the Olde Gahanna Sanctuary. It is a gorgeous old building, an old Lutheran church built in 1895 with the original art glass windows. It was taken over by the Gahanna Historic Society years ago, and now serves as a community center. They allow you to bring in any caterer you wish, as well as your own alcohol, as long as you do not charge for drinks. Which has saved us a fortune!

Weiland's Gourmet market on Indianola is doing our catering, and because they have a state store on their premises, not only are we having their fabulous food, but they are supplying the alcohol at state minimum pricing, and anything we don't use that evening is ours to keep. They specialize in locally sourced and organic products, and Steve Panico, the catering manager, has put together a fantastic menu for us that we are thrilled with, and will definitely please the "foodies" in the bunch!

jmyers0410

thanks, for all of your post. They have been really helpful! it's definetly helping to read your Posts. I have another question. What is the normal or round about budget for Flowers?