We had our wedding on NYE and everything went off went great! I wanted to post my vendor reviews because I think I found almost every one of my vendors from reviews on the knot.
Ceremony/Reception - Columbus Athenaeum - A+
We had our ceremony in the Macedonian room and the reception in the grand ballroom. Gina was our coordinator and she was fantastic. They were so helpful during the planning process and were amazing the day of the wedding. There were so many people there to take care of us during the reception, which made things go soo smoothly. They are known for having pretty strict rules, but Gina worked with us on a lot of things. She even came in early on the day of the wedding so we could start our pictures earlier.
Photographer - Melee Photography - B+
We booked Melee after meeting them through a bridal show when they were still pretty new. I think they got a lot more business than they expected, and became overwhelmed. For a little while they were very hard to get ahold of and were pretty non-responsive. When we first met them, we were told there were two photographers who worked for them, but I think with how busy they became, they contracted out some of the work. We ended up having Stephanie Shaw for our main photographer. She did a great on our engagement pictures. However, my husband was trying to get some developed back in Novermber for my birthday, (we have the rights to the pictures,) he had a hard time getting a hold of her to get proof that we had the rights. On the day of the wedding, we had her and someone else named Jeremy. They were great! We got our pictures yesterday and our wedding was on 12/31 The pictures totally exceeded my expectations. At the reception, they had a TV set up with a slideshow of some of the pictures they had taken earlier in the day. Everyone loved it!
Dress/Veil/Bridesmaid Dresses/Undergarmets - Wendy's Bridal - B+
Wendys was the first place I went to try on dresses and I ended up getting my dress there. I worked with Erin, who I loved. The dress I ultimately got was one that she picked out. I thought their prices were reasonable and they had a good selection. I ended up picking bridesmaid dresses from there as well. I loved the dresses, but the measuring of the girls was another story. The woman who did the measurements was getting confused as to whose measurements were whose, and one of the dresses ended up being ordered in the wrong size. Wendys took the blame and said they would exchange the dress, however, the dress ended up being discontinued. At that point, they turned around and tried to blame the bridesmaid saying she must have ordered the wrong size. They ended up doing her alterations for free, but it was definitely a hassle.
Flowers - Kelly Karsten - B-
This review is hard for me to write because the end result of Kelly's work was beautiful. My bouquet was exactly what I had pictured and the centerpieces were gorgeous. However, there were some problems the day before and the day of the wedding. Our centerpieces were non-floral, so we arranged with the Athenaeum a time on Friday (day before the wedding) for Kelly to drop them off. She never showed up. On the day of the wedding, she was supposed to be at the hotel at 3:00 to drop of the bouquets. She didn't arrive until 3:40. My mom called her multiple times and she didn't answer her phone. Then, she was supposed to be at the Athenaeum by 5 to start setting up. She didn't show up until 5:45 and again did not answer her phone. Needless to say, it caused us some stress. Everything ended up being set up on time and looked great, but she definitely added some stress that we didn't need.
Make Up - Alison Feamster - A+
Alison was great! She came to our hotel the day of the wedding for our makeup. I loved what she did! I don't normally wear a lot of makeup, so she did a good job making it look really natural. I did the airbrush and also did the fake eyelashes and loved both. She did a great job on all of my bridesmaids and the two moms also.
Hair - Charles Penzone (Dublin) - A
Dakota from Penzones is who I go to normally to get my hair cut and highlighted. We had 9 people getting their hair done for the wedding - me, 2 moms, and 6 bridesmaids. Penzones provided two other people in addition to Dakota to come to the hotel. They all did a GREAT job. I loveddd my hair! I would give them an A+, but I think they are a little pricey compared to some others and you also have to pay a travel fee.
DJ - Ryan Smith - A
My husband and I listen to a lot of country, so other than picking out songs for the first dance, cake cutting, etc., we pretty much gave Ryan free rein. He did a great job. Everyone was dancing right away and danced all the way until the end. He was also very helpful with suggestions and always very responsive.
Invitations - You're Invited - A++++
Sarah from You're Invited was my favorite vendor to work with. We went to her initially just for invitations, and ended up getting manyy other things from her - Place cards, programs, menu cards, napkins, stickers for the welcome bags, and table numbers. She is so so good at what she does and there were a few things we asked for at the last minute and she was able to do it without a problem. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone.
Transportation - Columbus Tolley - A
We used Columbus Trolley to transport guests to/from the hotel. They were great! They showed up on time, and even ran later than we had initially booked them. The trolley was also decorated on the inside with flowers and lights - it looked beautiful.