We had a fabulous wedding day (5/5/12). Since I got so many ideas from this board, I wanted to share my reviews on our vendors to help out future brides. I apologize for the length of this. We had a venue where we could choose our own vendors.
Bridal & Formal – B+ We went on a Saturday in September to shop for the wedding dress and on a Saturday in November to pick out the bridesmaids dresses. It was busy but we did not have to wait too long for a corner of the dressing room. I only took my mom and sister for the wedding dress portion and it helped out not being overwhelmed by so many opinions. I only had a bridesmaid and a maid of honor so the bridesmaid shopping was easy too. The consultant was helpful and told me that I could basically take 20% off the price on the tag and see if the dress was in my budget. It was a little overwhelming looking through the racks, but I’m not the type of person who likes a salesperson hovering at my elbow. I liked the freedom. Once I narrowed it down to the designer I liked, she was able to go and pull other versions for me to consider.
The dresses all came in around mid to late February and the store was fairly accurate with the delivery time. Also, I tried on my dress before I left the store and made the final payment to make sure everything was ok.
Tip: If you can handle the open dressing room, it’s much easier getting in and out of the gowns than stuffing yourself in a small private room with all the fabric. Also, don’t be sucked into the accessories section. They put all the expensive veils, jewelry, and hair pieces on you to give you an idea what everything looks like together. I did appreciate this portion of it. However, if I had bought everything they showed me, it would have cost more than the dress.
Presidential Tuxedo (Northgate Mall Location) – B Overall an ok experience. Everything fit pretty well. However, I think they should have shirts that have a more athletic cut to fit men better. Everybody’s shirts seemed to have extra fabric that they didn’t need, but they just had to tuck it in. But I think this is all tuxedo shirts. All came in on Thursday afternoon and we returned them on Sunday afternoon with no issues.
Alterations - Margaret Oldfield
I loved working with Margaret. She raised my hem, put a french bustle in, took in 3" in the bust, and steamed and pressed the gown for me. It fit me like a glove and she was very easy to communicate with. I changed what shoes I was going to wear after my first meeting and she was able to adjust my hem to account for the extra height. I thought her prices were very reasonable for all of the work she did. Her fitting appointments are very convenient and she stored my dress until two days before the wedding.
Make Up – Heidi McKenna Heidi was great to work with. She did the make up for me and my 2 attendants. She came to our hotel room and worked quickly and efficiently. It lasted all day and night through the heat and the humidity. I only had to refresh my lipstick and use blotting papers after we finished taking pictures outside.
Christ Lutheran Church (Colerain Township) – A We had our ceremony at my church. The pastor was easy to work with on our premarital sessions. They were very accommodating with allowing us to decorate before the rehearsal if we needed. As part of our use of the church, they allowed us to use two brass candelabras and oil candles that mounted to every 3rd pew at no extra charge.
Reception Venue - Colerain Township Community Center – A Andrea was very easy to work with. She responded to all of my e-mails and crazy questions as we tried to nail down the details. They have done a major renovation on the hall that included installing wood floors, new lighting, and paint. They also purchased silver chivari chairs that are included in the rental price. Use of 5’ round tables, rectangular 8’ tables, and use of the kitchen (no cooking though) are included in the price. They allow you to hire whichever vendors you want. They did have stipulations on having to hire a bartender with liability insurance if you were going to have alcohol, no open flames, no glitter, and no candles over 3” tall.
Flowers - All About Flowers (Cheviot) – A Easy to work with. I feel like I got quite a bit for my small budget. We only spent about $500 and I got 1 bridal bouquet, 2 bridesmaid bouquets, 1 toss bouquet, 5 boutonnieres, a 75’ runner, 3 corsages, 2 altar arrangements, greenery to go around our unity candle, and several clusters of flowers to use on our cake. They actually delivered the cake flowers to the community center and then the remainder of the flowers to us at the church. I gave her an overall look I was going for and she was able to find flowers that wouldn’t break the bank. They all held up well considering they were delivered at 2 pm and we took pictures in the heat and humidity for the next several hours before the ceremony. My bouquet that I put in the fridge was in pretty good condition after we got back from the honeymoon.
Day of Coordinator – Heartistry by Allison Lyons : A++ Allison was absolutely wonderful. I really needed her to execute my ideas the day of and she delivered flawlessly. I only received 1 phone call from her the day of, and I really shouldn’t have because somebody else was supposed to have my phone. J She came to the rehearsal, set up the reception, tore down the reception, managed the vendors and their payments, and picked up and delivered all of the reception items back to my house. It was so nice not to have to worry about the details. I knew she was taking care of them and it was money well spent. Plus, my entire family got to enjoy the event without worrying about sweating and cleaning up in their nice attire.
DJ – Brian Childs: A
Brian is easy to reach and always responded to my e-mails. I booked him based on recommendations from other people on this site. He followed my timeline and kept the reception moving at a good pace with announcements and activities. I didn't give him a ton of "do not play songs" but he stuck with the list. The only time we deviated was a 3 year old friend of the family wanted a song that I am not a huge fan of , but he asked me if it was ok and I agreed to let it play. Other than that everything was very appropriate. Kept everyone dancing until the very end.
Cake – Jeana’s Great Cakes: A Jeana did a fabulous job. The cake tasted wonderful and it looked just as amazing. I had the French vanilla and strawberry filling and chocolate with chocolate filling. I’ve tasted cakes from some of the other “big” bakeries in Cincinnati at bridal shows and hers is hands down the best. She makes everything fresh a few days before the wedding and doesn’t freeze anything.
Food - Be Creative Catering: A We wanted a heavy appetizer reception – something people could make a meal out of. Be Creative delivered with an amazing selection at a great price. Everything tasted good and our guests enjoyed that it wasn’t the traditional chicken meal. They also cut the cake and provided plates for this portion of the event.
Bartending Service – Bourbon Street Bartending: A John, the owner, was very easy to work with. He responded to all my e-mails and changes that I made along the way. We ended up with his premium bar package. All top shelf liquor, bottled beer, bottled water, and Coke products were included. They also brought 2 nice bars that they served from and they were included in the cost. The next day after the reception I found out that the vodka had run out at some point during the night but that they went out and got more. I appreciated this because sometimes vendors will tell you they are out and there’s nothing that can be done.
Limo – Your Chauffeur Limousine (YC Limo): A Originally I had a contract with M&M Limousine. About 2 months before our wedding, they called to tell me they were retiring. My heart dropped when I got that phone call. Then he explained that they were working with YC Limo to transfer any outstanding contracts to them. I was given the option to transfer my deposit and all terms of my contract (price, type of car, etc.) or get a refund. I wasn’t stupid. My wedding was the same day as proms and Derby. I transferred my deposit and accepted the new company. They did end up giving us a larger limo because they did not have the same size that M&M did. However, this was at no additional cost to us.
The driver showed up on time and was courteous. The car was clean and in good condition. After our pictures at Spring Grove we needed beverages and he stopped at a gas station in this huge car so the guys could run in. It was quite a sight. We arrived everywhere on time.
Photography/ Videography The videographer was a friend of the family who does this on the side. My photographer was my cousin whom I flew in from Montana where she works as a photojournalist. She doesn’t get to come home too often so the plane ticket and hotel stay were considered payment.
Honeymoon – Secrets Maroma in the Riviera Maya (Mexico) We stayed 6 nights at this fabulous all-inclusive hotel. Two of the great things about this resort is they do not require you to wear wrist bands and it is adults only. We went on a couple of excursions and would pick up people from other hotels and they would get on the bus with plastic bracelets on their arms. Who wants that tan line? Alcohol was top-shelf and they even had Bud Light for those of you who like it. I just don’t enjoy local beers when I travel. It was good to see a familiar favorite among the choices. Food was everywhere and there were many restaurant options. The beach was always clean. No shells and crystal clear water. Great pools too. It was never hard to find a lounge chair. We booked through the resorts website and got a better deal than if we had gone through one of the major travel agencies. The resort was a t full capacity when we stayed (5/7-5/13) so if you are considering going book early. There were also no clocks in the public areas. Definitely a place for relaxation and not worrying about what you have to do.
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions, send me a note. I'll be around for a little bit longer as I get my website together to sell a bunch of wedding stuff that I no longer need.