Overall, I must admit that the end result of our wedding was wonderful. Our guests, had a great time at the ceremony and reception and most importantly...we got married! However, there were a few snafus along the way (only with the venue), that I want to make sure don't happen to any future brides in the area.
Venue, Morning Glory Inn (both ceremony and reception):
I had originally booked The Morning Glory because the owners were from my hometown in WV and I wanted that connection for my family visiting from the area. At first, it seemed like everything was going to go smoothly, despite it being a bit costly JUST to use the bed and breakfast for the wedding. Catering and bar was on top of the cost for the space (billed as "use of the bed and breakfast and Dave and Joy's time and preparation"). Positives: It's a lovely space, though a bit worn here and there. Joy, the Event Coordinator (once I was finally allowed to meet her...more on that later), was incredibly helpful. She is the sunshine in that place and I would be happy to count on her to plan anyone's wedding. Truly a wonderful person. Negatives: Upon first meeting Dave, he was slightly gruff and not quite the type of person you would expect to be running a hospitality business. But, being an event planner myself, I thought...well, there are all kinds of people and I'll just try to work around his very matter-of-fact, slightly cold and distant demeanor. I asked to meet with the wedding event planner, Joy, and was told several times that "it wasn't necessary." Not exactly reassuring for a bride to hear that she wouldn't be able to meet with the person who would be running the show. A week before the wedding, I dropped off the final payment and was told that I would need to have a receiving line immediately following the ceremony. We had 100 guests and didn't want to do a receiving line. We wanted to take photos so the kids in our wedding party could get it over with and get messy/ eat dinner, etc We had also booked a band to play during dinner and only had them for a certain amount of time. When I told him we would not be doing a receiving line, it absolutely did not compute for him. He argued with me that he would have no way to alert guests about how dinner would work if we weren't there doing a receiving line. I told him that I had a spreadsheet of the timeline for the reception and that we needed to stick to a schedule and needed to know how it was going to go ahead of time. A week before the wedding was not a good time to tell me he was going to have a problem being flexible. In fact he said to me "you don't need to know what is going on. Other people will be doing everything for you." Yeah.
He got really aggravated and I had my first warning sign that the other reviews I had read about it being his way or the highway were absolutely true. I emailed him the next day a spreadsheet of how the evening was going to go and very politely said that I had every confidence that he and his staff would be able to execute our schedule with no problems. Keep in mind, I didn't even get to meet with Joy until the day of the wedding. Thank goodness she really is great.
Dave was also very rude and gruff to our guests staying in the Inn. One guest (who was staying two nights) called to tell him that her shower wasn't working and was told "I'm in the middle of a wedding. I'll get to it on Monday." Obviously, a guest staying at the Inn BECAUSE of that wedding wasn't any of his concern. He treated our Catering Staff terribly, telling them that the food was good, but the presentation needed some work. (see catering review below) He complained extensively (in front of guests) about the kegs we had delivered not being the kind that he preffered. He also threw away all of the leftover cupcakes, instead of boxing at least some of them up as I had asked. He blamed the caterers (though the cake didn't come from them and was not their responsibility).
Also, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but when you are running a bed and breakfast, I would think that your initial concern would be the comfort of your guests. I had to remove about 14 Glenn Beck books and anti-Obama literature that he had placed in every single room with a sheet of paper telling guests to "at least read the first 12 pages". Just unbelievable.
Again, the wedding itself was beautiful. We have no complaints there. But I would NEVER suggest dealing with Dave Eshelman or the Morning Glory Inn. It just isn't worth the stress and strife.
Catering, Fish Hawk Acres:
Chef Dale Hawkins and his staff were incredible! They came all the way to Pittsburgh from Rock Cave, WV (one of the three catering choices you have for the Morning Glory) and brought with them fresh, organic produce from their farm and the most amazing culinary creations, all prepared to our exact specifications. They even made haggis a part of the meal (for the groom!). We had lamb sliders, artichoke crostini and chilled strawberry soup shooters for the cocktail hour and three dinner food stations and all were amazing. Salmon, carving hens, the most amazing "fancy" mac and cheese, lush field greens salads, artisan breads, melt in your mouth grilled asparagus. I would highly reccommend them for anyone's wedding or event. They are professional and personable and their presentation was nothing short of gorgeous. Hire them!
Cupcakes, ThreeFifty Bakery:
Again...the food at our wedding was top notch. The girls at ThreeFifty (Janie and Barb) are seriously gifted! If you're ever at Piper's Pub on the weekend, be sure to have the dessert specials since they make them! We had four flavors...lemon creme, mint chocolate chip, salted caramel, and the most incredible neopolitan with REAL strawberry frosting. Amazing. Hire them today! In addition to the cupcakes being so good, their presentation was absolutely stunning. I provided flowers and cupcake tower and they did the rest. So many compliments! (And to think that Dave just threw them away without the Groom even getting to eat one. It breaks my heart.)
Hair, Sarah Evans at Salon Ivy (Southside):
What can I say? Sarah is fantastic. More than fantastic. Not only did she listen to exactly what I wanted and work with me to make it happen, she listened to a lot of what I was going through with the wedding. She is both artist and therapist and absolutely wonderful. All of the ladies at Salon Ivy are great. Hire them (and rest assured that they will help your troubles go away with red wine and great hair). I felt beautiful!
MakeUp, Clare Lozano
Clare did an incredible job! I looked like me only a million times better. She does a pre-wedding trial run, so you can feel confident that you will look great on the big day. She was professional and on time and worth every penny. Hire her!
Alterations, Clarissa Boutique (Carson Street):
Fortunately, I only had to have a bustle put in my gown and Clarissa's did a wonderful job. Affordable and dependable. Not the first, nor the last time I will use them. Hire them!
Amy