Paper Design: Rachel Sheaters, A+
Ok I am biased here too because Rachel is my sister’s best friend and designed our STDs and invitations as a wedding gift. But we had so many compliments on them!! Rachel went to the Pittsburgh College of Art for graphic design and now works at American Greetings as a card designer. She mentioned to me that she would eventually like to get into more wedding freelance work so let me know if you want her contact information.
Final verdict: awesome!
Paper Printing: Monks Printing, A+
Our favor card that Monks Printed
Monks has two locations, one downtown and one in Westerville, and we used both for our wedding. We had them print our STDs, invitations, favor cards, and programs so we have seen their work on a variety of different papers and in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are fast (every time I dropped something off there it was available for pickup either the same day or the next day), and their prices are great! Plus, I love supporting local business, as opposed to a Kinkos.
Final verdict: You cannot go wrong with this local printer!
Rehearsal Dinner: Spaghetti Warehouse, B+
It was a breeze to book with the Spaghetti Warehouse, and their party rooms are free which is nice. The food is pretty good, and our servers were attentive. The only reason they do not get an A was because we had wanted a dry RD because my husband’s(!!) father is a recovering alcoholic. He is 24 years sober so it was not a huge deal, but since they were paying for the RD it seemed like the right thing to do. This message apparently didn’t get passed along to the waitresses, and a couple of people we forgot to mention the no-alcohol policy ended up ordering some wine. Not a huge deal, but our friends who ordered drinks felt bad, and I wish the waitresses would have limited the ordering to non-alcoholic drinks.
Final verdict: A good, affordable option for a large group
Hotel Block: Staybridge Suites, A+
No complaints or issues here. They were easy to work with and gave me free Diet Coke (I am addicted) when I tried to buy it from their little convenience shop. It is the little things, you know?
Final verdict: go with them if you want something close to the airport
Wedding Night Hotel: The Lofts Downtown, A
A little pricy, but a wonderful option for your wedding night! They say that they have a two-night minimum for weekends if you try to book online, but they allowed us to book one night when we explained it was our wedding night and we were going to be leaving on our honeymoon the next morning.
Final Verdict: a nice splurge