We got married this past Saturday, and we are so pleased with how everything turned out! It was an early afternoon ceremony immediately followed by a cocktail-style reception with heavy hors d'oeurves. Everything took place on the North Side. When I was doing research, I really appreciated when others posted reviews after the wedding. I'd like to pay that forward, and hopefully, this can help someone else!
Church: Riverview United Presbyterian Church
We chose this church for sentimental reasons, but it didn't hurt that it’s a very pretty, classic church with a center aisle, wood beam ceilings and stained glass windows :-) I didn’t use any decorations at the church because I love the elegant simplicity it already has. Also, the organist is amazing.
Reception: The Parador Inn
The Parador is a mansion turned into a B&B. It is very ornate and filled with beautiful antiques. We used the mansion itself and the attached courtyard. There is also a ballroom available. Our guests were so impressed with the venue. Ed, the owner, is very easy to work with and helped make sure that everything ran smoothly.
Catering: Catered Elegance
Jay and his staff did an excellent job, and the food got rave reviews! It poured the morning of our wedding, so everyone involved in the set-up got soaked. Regardless, they held it all together, made a few changes to the set-up (to avoid the mud puddles!) and made sure that our reception went off perfectly. Jay also worked with us to stay on budget and allowed us to provide all the beverages to help keep costs down. Jay and Ed have worked together for a long time, and I really think that contributed to how smoothly everything went.
Cake: Lincoln Bakery
I loved the taste of the cakes and the price was right, so we decided to order our cake from here. I didn’t have high expectations for how the cake would look given that this is a little neighborhood bakery that isn’t necessarily known for wedding cakes. I was stunned when I saw our cake; it was gorgeous. I would highly recommend this bakery as an alternative to some of the pricier, better known bakeries.
Flowers: Johanna’s Garden
Johanna did a phenomenal job with the flowers. I had originally planned to order flowers wholesale and make the bouquets myself because I thought a florist would be way too expensive. My mom convinced me to talk to Johanna, and I’m so glad I did. I gave her pictures of bouquets that I liked, and she helped me choose similar flowers that would get them within my budget. They turned out exactly as I had envisioned. I got everything I wanted and stayed under budget. Johanna came to the church well in advance, stayed until I walked down the aisle and then even went to our reception venue to put the cake topper on (we didn’t order any flowers for the reception, so she wouldn’t have had to go otherwise).
DJ: DJs Tom & Sue
Tom and Sue did a fantastic job. Our reception was only 3 hours long and only required background music. We had a hard time finding a DJ who wouldn’t charge us for the typical 5-6 hours anyways. Tom & Sue were happy to work with us and seemed to enjoy the change of pace.
Rentals: A-1 Rentals (tents, glasses) and Mosaic Linens (linens)
Our caterer handled most of the ordering for our rentals, but everything seemed to go really smoothly. We got just what we ordered. The few times I had to get in contact with both companies, they were very responsive.
Wedding Dress: Exquisite Bride (Gibsonia location)
This is a nice little boutique with a good selection. I found my dress during one of their sample sales. My one complaint is their alteration appointment policies. They knew I lived out of town when I bought my dress, and they still encouraged me to use a particular seamstress who works out of their shop. When I called to make an appointment with that seamstress, I was informed that she does not work on Saturdays. Okay… So then they gave me Chris’ name. Everything was fine for the first fitting, but when I tried to make a follow-up appointment, I was told that they didn’t allow the seamstresses to use the shop on Thurs-Sat during prom season. Okay… Ultimately, it all worked out (with a few Sunday appointments) and Chris did a beautiful job. If I had it to do over, I would have taken my dress back with me and got it altered in the city I live in.
Bridesmaid Dresses: Aria Dress
The dresses looked beautiful but were a bit more expensive than I had intended. When we went to the shop, we were told there was a 10% discount if you ordered four or more. When we went to order them 3 months later, we were told that was a special for October only. Regardless, I really liked how they turned out. The company only has boutiques in 3 or 4 cities across the country, but check them out if you are able to get to one.
Hair: Salon Cercone
We had a tight time schedule (the ceremony was at 1 pm), so the salon brought us in early to make sure that we were ready to go on time. Everyone’s hair looked great. Eddy is a master of curly hair, and he did a great job on my make-up as well. It is a small place, so I’m not sure if they could handle wedding parties much later than ours (there were five of us).
Photographer: Yos Photo
Videographer: Network Videography
Both Yos and Tom were very nice and professional. Their prices were also reasonable. I will post more detailed reviews once we get our photos and video.