Finally getting around to posting reviews of vendors from our wedding. Hope this helps anyone who's in the planning stages. Our photographer and minister were friends of the family who came from out of town, so they are not listed.
Venue: Alms Park
Alms Park was an incredibly beautiful location for the wedding, just as nice as Ault Park but smaller and quieter. The ceremony was at the overlook and the reception was at the pavilion. Keep in mind that the parks have to be booked a year in advance. All rentals (of the site and of chairs, tables, etc) are handled through Historic Properties Management. HPM has some fairly strict policies, so make sure you read through the info before you book to know what you are getting into. We found that it was a lot of work on our part organizing the wedding in the park, but it ended up being really nice.
Caterer: Village Pantry Catering
Village Pantry was wonderful! We had a buffet dinner and they let us customize our own dinner options when we had a special request. The food got rave reviews from carnivore and vegetarian friends (their signature salad was awesome!). The staff are great, too. Our wedding was outdoors on a hot day, and the caterers brought down water to where we were doing pictures.
Cake: The Bonbonerie
Delicious! Once again, the cake got rave reviews from everyone that tasted it. We got a small cake and 2 round cakes on the side. Had far too many leftover pieces but was happy to eat them so it didn't matter. The cake didn't look quite like what I remember picking out, but who cares. It was that delicious.
Videographer: Brett Hatfield Productions
We booked Brett last minute, and he was very flexible and accommodating. Our guests had fun doing the interviews with him during the reception. And the video made my grandma (who couldn't come to the wedding) very happy, so that's what really matters.
Dress: The Snooty Fox
I got my dress at the Snooty Fox in Mariemont. It was a new dress (tags still on), and since it had been in the store for a while, the manager knocked $100 off the price, so I got a gorgeous dress for $200. I highly recommend that brides on a budget check it out. The selection isn't huge, and they generally only have one of each dress, but you never know when you'll get lucky.
Tux: Men's Wearhouse
Got the job done with no big problems. Tuxes were fine.
Florist: The Wedding Designer
Susan did an awesome job with the flowers. She really listened to what I had in mind and helped suggest things that would go with the color scheme and still be in my budget. I had a small budget for flowers and a huge wedding party, but she made it work!
DJ: Party Pleasers
I was originally reluctant to have a DJ at the wedding, but I was glad we did. Jeff did a great job making sure that everything ran smoothly during the reception. He read the crowd well and amped up the energy when we needed it. He really respected our musical choices as well and helped us to pick music that we wanted. We got a ton of compliments on the DJ, so I would recommend checking them out.
Ceremony musicians:
We hired a couple of music students from Xavier University, a harpist and soloist, to do music for the ceremony. They sounded great and were very professional and reasonably priced.
Bar: Cork & Bottle
Richard was very professional and helpful with suggesting wines in our price range. It was nice to be able to return unopened bottles as well.
Rehearsal Dinner: Primavista
We picked Primavista for the view and the delicious Italian food. The party room is located below the restaurant, so it is very private. The staff were very nice and helpful, and the food was amazing.
Good luck planning! It is a pain in the butt, but it is all worth it to get married!