Ceremony and Reception venue: The Loft, Dock580: A
We toured many, many venues during our search. Dock580 was the very last place we visited, and an hour after we left, we decided to go with them. I have read some no-so-great reviews about Steve (the owner), but we loved him! We don’t live in Columbus, and he came in especially to meet with us while we were in town. After booking, we worked with Molly. She is so organized and detail oriented, something many of the other venues I talked to were lacking. The wedding went very smoothly, and everything looked beautiful. The only thing I was kinda bummed about was the 3:30 rehearsal time. After it was all over though, this was really a minor detail. My wedding was wonderful, the food was delicious, and I would recommend them to anyone and everyone.
Photographer: Stephanie Barnes Photography: A
Stephanie is so sweet and easy to talk to. She helped me pick the best locations for my engagement shoot (the engagement session is included in the wedding package), and my wedding day portraits, as well as work out my timeline. All of the pictures turned out amazing, despite the freezing temps both days.
Videographer: Prodigy Cinema
I can’t fairly grade Nathan and his team yet because I still have to receive the final product, but I wanted to go ahead and put them out there incase anyone is looking. Nathan was amazing to work with throughout the whole process. My girls and I were a little nervous about him hanging out in out hotel suite all day, but he just blended right in! I totally forgot I was being filmed 99% of the day. In my search for the perfect videographer ( and it was a bit of a search), no other work compared to theirs for me. The prices were a bit higher than I was hoping for, but after viewing many videos, I decided it was worth expanding my budget. I’m so happy I decided to use a videographer, and really think I would have regretted it, had I not. Waiting for the final video is definitely the hardest part, and I cannot wait to see it!
DJ: Buckeye Entertainment: A+
I cannot recommend Byron enough. He was the only DJ we met with, and we felt completely comfortable with him right away. He did exactly want I wanted, sometimes even without me telling him! Thanks to him (and maybe the bartender), people are still talking about the party almost a month later. He is great a reading a crowd and keeping the party going. They have a new online planner that makes selecting your songs a breeze. We really didn’t choose much of our music, just told Byron what we liked ( and didn’t like), and it took it from there. I have never been to a wedding where I particularly cared for the DJ, but I loved ours. His prices are the best anywhere, and I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if he raises them soon, so book him now!!
Cake: Anita Kline: A
I met with several bakers, and Anita was the only one willing to make me a 4 tier cake for 80 people. That’s the reason I chose her, and I’m so glad I did. I was sick during all the tastings, and honestly could not taste a thing, so I had to rely on husband’s taste buds. She was so kind and willing to do whatever I wanted. We designed the cake together that day, and she allowed me to have 5 flavors at no extra cost (another thing no other baker would do). One flavor did not end up making it into my cake, but I’m sure no one else noticed ( not even my husband, who helped pick them out!). The cake was gorgeous, and the outside was exactly what I asked for. It still tasted delicious a week later, when we finished off the leftovers.
Officiant: Chase Waits: A+
Chase has many different ceremony layouts to chose from, and allows you to customize yours however you want. He will also help you to select which ceremony fits your wedding best. I think he specializes in secular weddings, but any religious preference is ok. We had some Jewish customs in ours, and he was very helpful. My Ceremony was flawless.
Hair: Shannon Goode: A+
If you have read any number of reviews on here, you already know about Shannon. I had very high expectations going in, and she did not disappoint! My hair was gorgeous, and stayed put all night (and the next day). My hair received the most compliments of the evening. She also did all of my girls, my mom, and my 5 yo flower girl. Everyone looked fabulous, and she was fun to have around all morning. There was a little bit of a set back with my trial, and she had to reschedule a couple of times, but even that could not deter me from giving her the highest rating possible. Shannon rocks, and I wish she could come do my hair every day.
Makeup: Joy Macke/ State of Face Artistry: A
I had my trial with Joy the same day as my engagement pictures. They turned out great, but I asked her to tone down my cheeks and eyes a little for the wedding. She did, and my photos are amazing. I got the airbrush, and definitely recommend it. Only one of my girls had planned on having Joy do their makeup, but they liked ours so much that she ended up doing 2 more.
Florist: The Flowerman: A+
This was my very favorite vendor, and the best decision. Since my wedding was in February (wedding off-season), Melissa encouraged me to do the DIY package, since she would have no other bridal parties there, and I would get her full attention. I can’t tell you how happy I am about the outcome. First off, many people may think doing your own flowers would be too stressful the day before your wedding. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was therapeutic for me, and a stress-reliever. Melissa caught on to my vision right away during the consultation, and I left feeling very confident about choosing them. All of my flowers were beautiful, even long after the wedding. And I definitely got a sense of pride knowing that I MADE my own bouquet! Haha. I was very proud of it. This was so much fun. Do it!
Room Block: The Hilton Downtown: C
This is the hardest review for me. I’ll start with the good. The Hilton is so beautiful. The rooms were fabulous, and they had this parlor room with a big desk with outlets on it, which was perfect for me & my girls to get ready in. Allison coordinated my room block, and she was great. She made everything very easy, and even hand wrote a thank you note to us, sent to our room with a nice gift. Every employee we met was very sweet. If you ever stay here, valet! The self parking is confusing, and too long a walk. Valet is just a few bucks more, and definitely worth it. Now the not great. My mother and I each reserved several rooms under our names. My mother paid for all of hers as a gift to her relatives for coming. When said relatives went to check in, they were asked for a credit card to “hold the room” and then charged the room rate my mother had already paid. This did get resolved that day, but resulted in my entire group running over an hr behind for pictures. Not to mention the stress while we should have been leaving for the wedding. I paid for 4 rooms myself, and was never told there would be an extra $50 hold on my credit card for each room. Imagine my surprise when I was being charged over $200 extra. They also charged me for an additional room, and an upgrade I did not order. I called and spoke with Brad. He was very nice, and took the time to explain all charges to me, and fix the additional room charges. The holds also came off, but I was charged 3 times for my valet (one car), and no one has made this right as of yet. With the hundreds of dollars worth of holds and additional charges, my credit card was declined at breakfast the next day. Embarrassing. They also charged my room service to the wrong room. Not a huge deal, but further proof of their disorganization.
Limo: Columbus Coach: A+
To limo or not to limo? I struggled with this, especially since I could not find a single limo company with consistently good reviews. Husband heard an ad on the radio, and I contacted Columbus Coach. John, the owner, responded almost immediately. He had the best rates I had seen, so I sent husband to look at the car. His standards are not as high as mine, but I decided to trust him on this, and booked a couple weeks before the wedding. I was pleasantly surprised when the limo arrived (on time!) at the hotel. It was clean and beautiful. The driver, Stacia (I believe), was very helpful. She even kept my littlest BP members entertained with her phone while we finished up the pictures, and helped me in and out of the car a million times with my huge dress. Highly recommend.
Invitations: You’re Invited: A
I had a really hard time finding invitations I loved. Sarah had a huge selection and took a lot of time helping go through them and find ones I liked. She did all of the proofing with me via email (since I live out of town), which was great. She got sick right before I ordered and her studio was closed for like 2 weeks. I was starting to freak out. Since it had taken so long to find my perfect invites, I was on the wire. She came through and spent an entire afternoon online with me, sending proofs back and forth to get my order out that day. My invites were beautiful.
Save the Dates: Vista Print: A
I love Vista Print! I used their large magnets for my STDs, and have ordered several things from them since. I have a feeling this is a lasting relationship J
Dresses: David’s Bridal: B
I don’t love David’s Bridal, but I did use them for my dress, FG, BM’s and MOB. Why? Because they are convenient. They are the sister company of Men’s Warehouse, and these were the only two chains available everywhere I had a bridal party member living. They are also decently priced. I was not told I would be buying my gown off the rack, partially my fault for not asking. By the time I checked out, I was so excited about finding my dress, I just paid for it. If I could go back, I would have gone home and ordered the exact same dress online, new, for the same price. My saleslady at the Dublin store was kinda pushy, but I prefer that over the neglect I almost always experience at the Easton store. I’m a frequent flyer at David’s, and I can see they are trying to improve their customer service. They have been calling and emailing to check back with me lately (after a couple of other- wedding related visits), they didn’t even do this when I purchased my wedding dress. So they’re trying.
Tuxes: Men’s Warehouse at Tuttle: A
This rating is for the Dublin store only! I had a horrible experience in the Easton store, and will not return. The manager is the best! She made the ordering very easy. Since I bought my dress at David’s, my boys all got a discount at MW. They are also the only local chain with a store in Alaska, and thus my only choice in ensuring my father got his tux. After my previous experience, I was very reluctant to use them. So I went up to Dublin to try my luck at another store, and so glad I did! I did have a mini freak out when, less than 2 wks before the wedding, I got a call from a salesman stating that there was a mistake and husband wouldn’t get his rental for free. The problem was fixed the next day, and all of the tuxes looked and fit perfectly.
Veil: Etsy seller CLCostaDesigns: A
I looked all over for a veil, and couldn’t find what I was looking for. So I browsed Etsy, where I found Claudia and her gorgeous veils. She was a dream to work with, gave me exactly what I wanted, and got it to me quickly. She does custom veils, so if you can’t find what you’re looking for, definitely check her out!