6/12/2011 Vendor Reviews

I'll start out by saying that we did a lot ourselves. I can also explain how that went!

DJ - Us. The venue had a sound system we were able to plug into. We used a laptop and iTunes and recruited a friend of ours to make what few announcements we needed. This worked out perfectly. Even though we had planned the playlists ahead of time, we ended up needing more dinner music, and less dance music. I guess this depends on what kind of food you're serving, but we had plated entrees. It was fabulous and saved us so much money!

Flowers - Me, mostly. And, my aunt. I got a silk bouquet from Lightinthebox.com and added crystals and pinwheels to it. The bouts were made by me (pinwheels) as were the bridesmaid "bouquets" (large pinwheels on ribboned dowels). The ceremony and reception decorations were large and small pinwheels, pomanders, and paper flowers applied in different ways. All of this was VERY labor intensive but can be a good bonding experience with your bridal party and any willing family members.

Wedding Dress/Veil and Alterations - David's Bridal (A+)

I was fortunate to have very few alterations needed to my dress. It was not very expensive and everything was done properly. If your ideal experience involves someone doting on you and only you, then you probably wouldn't like this. On the first fitting there was another bride in the alterations area getting fitted by someone else. This did not bother me at all. They were polite and considering how complex the three tiered French bustle was and how much the dress had to be taken up,=, it was VERY affordable.

Ceremony and Reception Venue - Clintonville Woman's Club (A-)

The CWC doesn't really advertise at all, which translated into lots of savings. We got married on a Sunday, which got us 5 hours of total time instead of 4. We had up to four menu selections (We had beef, chicken, vegan, and a kid's option) and could bring our own alcohol, and bartender. They will give you names of people who will bartend for you, if you have nobody to do it. They will also provide a cake for free (we did not go with this, as we did not like the cake that Bachmann's provides) if you choose to use it.

The plated dinner included passed hors d'œuvres during the cocktail hour. The food was good, but the chicken option (Cornish Game Hen with Cherry Cognac Glaze) was not what actually was served. It was a basic gravy/sauce that was okay, but I personally did not care for it. Nobody asked about it, and nobody complained. This was the reason for the A minus.

The staff was courteous and allowed family and friends to come in and decorate before everyone got there. I was able to change in their downstairs area. The outdoor space where we got married is beautiful, and customizable. We had paper flowers, pomanders, and pinwheels (the wedding had a pinwheel theme).

Officiant - Damian King (A+)

Damian is energetic, sincere and a pleasure to work with. We did a rehearsal with him, which I definitely do not regret! He was easy to hear and everyone commented about how nice he was. He gave great direction to the bridal and groom parties, and the ceremony was beautiful, thanks in part to him.

Rehearsal Dinner - Junior's Tacos (A+++++++++)

That's right, we had a taco truck. They came to DH's aunt's house where we had set up with tables and chairs outside. They took everyone's orders and people got whatever they wanted (Quesadillas, Tortas, Tacos, Burritos). They also provided guacamole and salsa with chips for each table. They were extremely affordable and the food was AMAZING. We were also told they could have done a buffet style, but the ordering straight from the truck made it casual and fun.

Photography - Patience Gerber, Gerber Photography (A+)

Patience has a really fun, upbeat personality which was nice considering how frazzled I was before the wedding when we took photos! She's a real professional and seems to absolutely love what she does. We haven't seen the finished/edited photos yet, but I'll post some as soon as we get them!! She is also very affordable.

Favors - Terra Verde Soap Co. (http://www.etsy.com/shop/terraverdesoapco) (A+)

The woman who made the soaps is local to Cleveland (where we live) and has her products (Candles and soaps) featured in a boutique in Cleveland. We'd met her through various indie craft shows and decided to work with her. We had individually wrapped soaps (wrapped in brown paper, tied with twine and a personalized label) with a scent we chose/created. It ended up being about 1.50 per soap (2x2 size, approximately). We presented these to our guests in a basket on the guestbook table and they were very well received. The soap was a hemp base, naturally dyed with clay and using natural scents. I would contact her if you're thinking about this, it was a very nice, personal touch!

Hotel - The Lofts (A)

We got there around 9 on Sunday night and were exhausted. Shane told us there'd be a surprise in our room and we were very excited! There was no gift or surprise to be found. When we came down later in the evening to pick up our pizza (there was hardly time to eat at the reception) he asked how we liked the rose petals on our bed, and we had to advise there were none. So, a slight mis-step but the room itself, and the Aveda products in the room were amazing.

Cake - Short North Piece of Cake (A++)

Brian Hotopp was a pleasure to work with. One of the great things about this shop is that they don't upcharge you for cake flavors or fillings. What determines the price per slice is how ornately designed your cake is. If you have a lot of decoration or fondant, the price goes up, but Brian is VERY up front and direct about that. We got a simple design, two different flavors/fillings and it was delish!

Vegan Cupcakes - Pattycake Bakery (A++)

We had three guests who were strictly vegans. We did not want to exclude them from the cake portion of the afternoon, so we picked up three lemon cupcakes from Pattycake. They also have cakes, but the cupcakes were perfect. Our friends raved about them and were happy and surprised that the option was presented for them.

Hair - Shannon Goode (A+)

I have fine hair and was so afraid to do an updo. I asked if this was possible and she said yes! My hair held all day with no issues. I would have worn my veil up a little higher but that had nothing to do with her, she did exactly as I asked. She was very polite and calming.

Makeup - Joy Macke, State of Face (A-)

The makeup looked great. She does airbrush, and also used eyelashes. By the end of the night, the makeup was sticky and a little shiny. That could be partially because I didn't think I needed any powder throughout the day. I guess I'd bring a compact if I could do it over again. I doubt this was her fault.

Manicure and Pedicure - Nurtur the Salon (D+)

I'm used to having the massage chairs with the built in tubs for your feet, as well as drying your hands/toes under UV lights. For as much as we paid, I thought I'd get this and then some. Nurtur has none of this. They cart you off to a room where you sit in a regular chair. They bring a tub over for your feet, and then you have to awkwardly contort your legs (I was in a skirt, kinda felt like I was at a gyno visit!) for them to work on your toes. Then, your polish air-dries. Same with the fingernails. When my nails were done (they did them last) they wanted me to leave right away! The very night of the wedding (I got them done the day before) the polish was peeling in huge sheets off of my nails! 4 days later and it's almost totally gone. The toes have held up so far, but I would not tell anyone to go there, nor will I ever use them again.

We did not have any transportation specially arranged, so there's nothing for that. Also, we aren't going on the honeymoon till July 9th so I'll have to post about that later! Please post here with any questions you may have. Here, have a wedding (non-pro) picture!