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Photographers, Caterers, Priests...

(note: It might help if I posted this a few weeks ago when I actually got back...oops... I find that I can take this wedding stuff in small doses- if I do alot at once, I need a HUUUUGE break)



So I just got back from my whirlwind trip to Cleveland, where I managed to meet with my photographer, my priest, my caterer, AND look at dresses. This was a big step for me, as I have been having such a hard time even dragging myself into a bridal shop.


First things first! S and I got into town late Friday night, hung out with my mom for a little, and then crashed.



Early Saturday morning, we went to meet the priest at St. Michael's church in Independence. I grew up attending this church, and figured it was the best option for our ceremony. It is right off 77 so hopefully guests will not have a hard time getting there from downtown. (disclosure: I initially wrote the 77, and realized I would have to take it out before I got mercilessly mocked by you Clevelanders- what can I say, I'm a Buffalo girl now.)


The best option would be to have it at a church downtown, to minimize driving for the out of town guests. I looked into the cathedral, and they had an exorbitant fee and strict rules. I'm not familiar with any other churches downtown. I'd be happy to take suggestions!


We met with the priest, and even though I was a little nervous about my lack of participation in a church in Buffalo (S isn't Catholic), he was cool with it, and had no problem scheduling our wedding for the date we wanted. We had a slight issue with the time, but if we do all our pictures either before the ceremony, or if we do them afterwards somewhere other than the church, we can have the later time. There is a nice gazebo nearby that I am hoping we can do the family pictures in.


We have to do a pre- canna course, and the deacon e-mailed us an online compatibility test, but that's it! And the $400 fee includes musicians! So everything sounds good to me.


Afterwards, we drove out to meet our photographer, Corey Ann. She lives in Canton, so she met us halfway. I have to admit that I didn't spend too much time looking for a photographer. I read a few recommendations of her on theknot, I liked the pictures I saw, and I decided to go with it. She is available on my date, her prices are fairly reasonable, and I get all of the digital images on a disk so I can make my own photo books. She was super nice in person, and seemed like a vendor I could trust and be comfortable with. I hope my pictures come out as beautifully as some of her others!



Next up was the dress trying on(exhausting!) that I detailed in my last post.



Sunday I met with a potential caterer, A Silver Service. Everything seemed to go well. I'll do another post after I finalized all the details with that.

All in all, I felt very productive on this wedding shiznit for once. Although it is still far from enjoyable.

I'm in love!

On Saturday, I met my mom and sister at Catan's. They were having a sample sale that day, and were super busy. I didn't find anything remotely appealing about the samples, so I went to have my normal appointment. Unfortunately, they were too busy to take my appointment. My mom asked them about my favorite designer, Alvina Valenta. All of the sudden we were whisked to a secret part of the shop to try on the couture dresses! Let me tell you, it was like a whole other world in there. It was quiet and softly lit. The dresses were all perfectly hung in rows. Out in the main part of the salon, dresses were thrown everywhere, the lights were harsh, and girls were tripping over each other to grab the dresses.

I got my own huge room, and a super sweet and charming Russian girl to pull the dresses for me. I told her one style I was interested in, and she pulled 6 dresses that I am now absolutely in love with. Problem is that they are all waaayyy out of my price range. Here's all the goodness:

rder=0> Pronovias- love this dress- everything from the straps with the little flowers to the dramatic fit and flair. Close up, the top layer is actually two layers of patterned tulle fabric- so luchious!

Alvina Valenta- the designer I first fell in love with. This dress is so elegant and beautifully made. It is the most expensive at $4200! I saw an old style on ebay for only $300 this week. I ultimately didn't buy it, because I want to stay away from a strapless gown.

Paula Varsalona- I LOVE THIS DRESS. I love everything about it, from the fitted sillouhette, the rouching, and the gorgeous lace straps. The only thing I woul change is to a darker ivory or gold. Swoon... I think this one was around $3000.

Jim Hjelm- the Russian girl in the background helping me said this one was "Sexy Sexy!" She is right. It is a gorgeous dress, and would really show off your assets. I jsut don't think it is me for the wedding. Haha

James Clifford- My mom and sister like this one- it is very romantic and ethereal. I jsut don't think it is dramtic enough for me. I really like the more fitted dresses.

Matthew Christopher- I tried this one on at my mom's urging. It really is a beautiful gown. Those little bows on it are all individually made and sewn onto the dress to create the scatter affect. I like how the vertical lines make me look long and lean. Ultimately, the silouhette is the A-line strapless that I wanted to stay away from.

So what do you think? What is your favorite?

Caterers!!!!!!!!

I just got a comment from a reader( my first reader other than my friends who could actually care less about wedding planning?) about the Courthouse and catering. I realized that I haven't wrote a post about my caterer. I have been distracted by the election, so I hope my last 2 political related posts didn't bother anyone. But I promise I will get back on track!!!

I've been in contact with about 10 or so caterers, but have only received proposals from my top 3. I'll go over each one in detail.

Robert J Catering in Akron, OH

I drove out to talk to Bob, the owner back in May, and then later went back for a tasting. Their menu prices originally seemed reasonable, but when I asked them to convert a buffet menu into stations(which I want), everything got a little more expensive. I've been making excel spreadsheets of caterers to compare cost, and this is what jumped out at me about Robert J.

Their base prices initially seem reasonable, but then you have to add tax and gratuity. Their extra charges for bar glassware, wash, and bartenders was going to be around $2,500! Add in the alcohol (at around $2,000), and the bar was going to cost close to the amount at any other venue. One way for me to justify the cost of the courthouse, was the fact that we could bring our own alcohol and save money. Most venues downtown charge over $20 pp for alcohol, so bringing our own could be a significant savings. Except for thousands in glassware charges.

I thought about plastic cups(more on that later), and went to a tasting. Let's just say I was not impressed at all. The steak was tough, the asparagus was terrible, and it just seemed...blah. I didn't really hit it off with the owner, and I couldn't see us working together. Plus, he charged me $30! I probably still would have worked with them, but $50 pp(after tax, gratuity) for the dinner and appetizers, another $2,500 for the bar and staff, plus a couple thousand to rent chairs and tables... and its over my budget for a caterer I am only so-so on. NEXT!

Taste of Excellence in Parma, OH

This is probably the first catering choice for a Courthouse wedding. I met with Chris from TOE back in May. He was very professional and knowledgeable about the courthouse, and suggested a menu that sounded way more fun and cool than any other caterers. Mashed potatoes in martini glasses? Chef seared meat right on the floor? Awesome!

I had a few reservations, after I talked to one of the only brides I could find who had used them. She gave them a bad review and told me all these things they had screwed up for her. I could forward her e-mail to anyone who is curious. Just let me know. Ultimately, it came down to price. The first proposal he e-mailed me was way over my budget. I changed a few things, and asked him to send me a new one. It was still over my budget. I asked if there was anything he could suggest for me to get my price down. The final proposal he sent me took off like one thing and did not save much. I really felt like he wasn't interested in working with anyone who wasn't willing to spend almost $20 k on the catering. If you think about it in terms of anything else you would buy for that much, it is a HUGE amount of $$. I could buy a brand new car for that, and have it for 10 years!

I was determined to keep my costs down and still have a fabulous wedding! NEXT!

A Silver Service Catering Parma, OH

I forgot how I heard of them (probably the knot), but I called and asked her for a proposal. She was extremely prompt at getting back to me. Her proposal was very detailed, and including the cost of everything. The bottom price was the actual price I would pay for everything. I was actually in shock at her price. Even though she charged me a holiday premium(not sure why, no one else had mentioned it), it was way lower than the other two. It included all glassware, two bar set- ups, all dishes, linens, buffet, labor, chairs, tables, set- up....everything!

I haven't met with her yet, and I might change my menu to stations and see how that affects the price, but so far I don't see a reason not to go with her. Hopefully I will set up a tasting soon, and let everyone know how it goes.

Cha Cha's Chuckwagon

Just thought I'd throw this one on there- I heard about her from the the knot, and figured what the hell, I'll contact her. Her website had amazing menus at good prices, and I was tempted to change my menu to a barbecue theme, considering the date! She was extremely nice on e-mail, and my mom and I made the long drive out there one Sunday in July. Her food was all home made, and very good. After speaking with her, I realized that she is just not equipped to do a wedding on this scale. She wouldn't be able to provide any chairs, tables, dishes, and had never done a huge formal wedding before. I absolutely would recommend her for a more casual party or gathering.

I have sent an initial e-mail to a few other caterers- A Big Show, Normandy Catering, Chenoweth, Sammy's, Executive Caterers, but haven't really followed up yet for one reason or another. If someone doesn't respond to me right away, and won't send me any info on e-mail, it usually makes me reluctant to work with them.

Any other catering suggestions?

The McCain Palin Mob

This scares me.... this is not far from my hometown. I am truly glad that I now live in a far more progressive state.

The McCain- Palin Mob


That is all.

Links!

Since I spend so much of my day on the Internet collecting interesting links, I thought I'd start sharing them with everyone. Not always wedding related!


Sexy Robots....creepy, but interesting

Best Time to Buy (including wedding dresses)

Marry a Rich Dude... um who takes this kind of advice???

Must Read on Wedding Debt... be careful girls, its easy to get carried away

Girls Gone Wild... not innocent fun

Wedding Industrial Complex

Ok, because of the current state of the economy in the US, I thought this would be a good time to bring this up. I am a budget bride. Before I started all of this, I had no idea what weddings cost. Depending on who you talk to, the average cost of a wedding in the US is between $14 and $43 thousand. Now some people say that the higher numbers come from polling by wedding magazines and wedding websites, which are sure to skew the numbers a little. Brides with lower budgets are probably not participating or responding to these sorts of surveys.
It pains me to spend that amount of money on a wedding. Not when there are so many people in our world who don't know where their next meal is coming from. Some days I feel like not having a wedding at all, and other days I get caught up into the hype the WIC feeds us all. It's a difficult struggle for me. I want to make my family happy, but I want to put a cap on the spending as well. We were lucky to be given a fairly large budget from both sets of parents. However, I feel that it is not necessary to spend all of this- we have a house and other responsibilities.
I know I got a little bridezilla- ish when searching for the perfect venue. It just so happens that the place I fell in love with costs over $3,000 in rental fees. It is really hard for me to justify this cost- which is why I've been so back and forth on the whole eloping/ destination wedding thing. However, I feel like its all or nothing. I either want to elope, or have the beautiful wedding of my dreams. There is no option that lets me have a big party in my parents' backyard. I kind of wish I would feel very decisively one way or another. My ambivalence is making it difficult to start planning.
But in the end, I want my family there. I want my 92 year old great- grandmother to watch us say our vows. I want my parents (yes, both of them) to walk me down the aisle as a sign of love, not to give me away. I want my cousins to tear up the dance floor.
Next up- how I try to have the wedding that I want without all the bills....

Save the Date!

I am in the process of making our STD's (haha) for the wedding. I really wanted to go with magnets, so my guests can stick them on their fridge. That way my wedding will stay on everyone's mind! While doing some research, I came across this site. They have hundreds of templates for Save- the- Dates, and you can even customize some of them with your own photos. I loved this photo booth one:

A little pricey for me at 100 for $150. I briefly considered buying magnet paper and printing my own, but then I found VistaPrint. I signed up a few months ago, and I am literally bombarded with free offers. A little annoying, but well worth it for the great deals! Currently, 25 small magnets or 10 larger magnets are FREE! I've decided to go with the smaller size (3.5" x 2.0"). It's about the size of a business card, but I think can still be well done. You can download a template and design your own for a $4 upload fee. (I used Illustrator, with a free 30 day trial.)

As a caveat, I am not a graphic designer, and have never used Illustrator before. However, I am fairly computer savvy, and spent a few hours figuring out how to use the tools and came up with this:

Those pictures in there are just placeholders- I want to rip- off the photo booth one, where we hold a sign that says "Please Save" in the first one, and "the Date" in the second one. I might put a background of fireworks behind the picture or somewhere on the magnet. What do you think?

If you don't feel like messing around with Illustrator, there are hundreds of templates on Vista. I saw that Miss Champagne from WeddingBee used a template of gold damask, two elements I wanted to incorporate in our wedding. If you search through Vista's templates, keep in mind that you can change the colors of their designs, and also change all of the text, font, and placement. I rotated all of my text and pictures 90 degrees so that it would print out longways instead of like a business card.

Again, not planning on using this picture, although I do love how my dress complements the colors! I am wearing this dress again this weekend for a rehearsal dinner, so I may ask my sister to take a bunch of shots of us to get one that might be usable. We are going to eventually take engagement pictures, but I am not sure if they will be done before I want to send these out. Which design do you like better?

Breakdown:

100 small magnets from VistaPrint........ $30 with shipping

100 postcards to mount magnets from VistaPrint..... FREE promotion

100 plain envelopes..... $10

100 stamps...... $42

TOTAL COST FOR STDs........ $82 or $.82 each!

Cleveland Lakeside Courthouse!!!

I finally made the final choice on my venue! I just was so overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the courthouse that I knew it had to be my venue. If you are thinking about using the courthouse for your wedding, there are a few things you should know.

1. The "coordinator" there is extremely difficult to work with. She sometimes took over 2 weeks to return my calls. Also, she wouldn't send me the contract until one year out from the wedding. On July 5, I started calling her to get the contract. Three weeks later, she finally answered my call. Let me just say I was extremely freaked out during those three weeks that I had lost the venue. If you want her private number, leave me a comment with your email.

2. It costs $525 an hour. If you want the attached parking garage it is another $550. However, you get from 5 PM Friday until 8PM Monday to set up, tear down, etc. They only charge you for your actual ceremony/ reception times. I'm planning on going with the parking, although I'm not sure if it would be absolutely necessary for everyone. It tends to be pretty empty in that area on the weekends.

3. You also have to get liability insurance for $1 MM. Now, most people can do it through their homeowners insurance, but it will cost between $200-400. This is a cost I didn't know about- if it wasn't already enough there!

4. There is no kitchen area, not even a sink. Most caterers will charge you alot more to cater a wedding here, because they need to bring immense quantities of glasses, silverware, and cooking set- ups. No glasses can be washed or reused.

Congrats! And if any readers are having their wedding there, I'd be happy to talk about caterers, rentals, decor ideas, etc. I haven't booked a caterer yet!!

A 4th of July Wedding

While searching for a theme for a 4th of July wedding, I came across a few rather obvious ones. American flags, red, white, and blue, eagles, or stars and stripes. I wasn't feeling any of these ideas though. My original ideas for a wedding had been to use a black and white damask, and a pop of a bright color like fuscia or red. After deciding on my venue, I wanted to incorporate gold into my color scheme.
Enter my new brilliant idea.... fireworks! It still represents the 4th of July, but is not as cheesy as having American flags everywhere. There are lots of great ideas that would incorporate a fireworks theme. I can give sparklers to the guests as favors, or have a sparkler send off.

So fun! For centerpieces, I don't really want flowers(or the florist bill that comes with), so I've been looking into other options. I wanted to make an impact with tons of candles, but unfortunately my venue won't allow them. I like the look of the curly willow branches I've seen brides using. I would like to spray paint mine gold, and put them into a large vase with Floralytes to provide a soft glow.

If I wanted to use candles, I'd have to use the flameless LED ones. They have floralytes that change colors- would this be a cool way to show off the colorfulness of fireworks, or just be cheesy? I also like the centerpieces that use ostrich feathers. Now, I'm not sure on this saving money, because ostrich feathers are surprisingly expensive. But they are beautiful, and you can get the feathers dyed any color you want. I could also use the colored floralytes for these too.

I love how both these ideas kind of evoke the feel of fireworks- high and lighted against the dark, both fanning out into beautiful patterns. Maybe I could do a mixture of both, one type on the long tables, the other type on the rounds? Could I also use damask with these ideas, or does it not go together?

Long Tables vs. Rounds

I'm thisclose to finalizing my venue contract, so I decided to start with the seating plans.... more later on which venue I went with!

I am in love with the idea of doing long feasting type tables at the reception. I know there are a lot of pros vs. cons out there, so I might do a mix of both long tables and rounds. I can put our friends and cousins at the longs(because I don't want to split all the groups up), and put my parents and other relatives at the rounds. Hopefully this works out. I've been using this program to help me with the table design and seating, and for a FREE program it works great! Just sign up, and got to Weddings/ Seating. I also put my guest list into excel, and you can upload it right into the program. I'm an accounting geek, so I use excel for everything, and it is super easy to sort people.

Here's a vague picture of how I want my tables to look:

The middle one will be the kind of head table. We haven't decided on if we are having a bridal party or not, but even if we don't we would just put family in friends up there who would have been in the bridal party. So it would be kind of the un- head table. The two rounds closest to us would have our parents, and whoever they would choose to sit with them.

I am still trying to figure out how to seat people at the longs. I plan on fitting between 20-25 people at each one, so I don't want to just tell guests which table and have them find their own seat. That could create some confusion. I will probably put something at each setting with a name on it. Maybe a sparkler!

Also, my side of the guest list is significantly longer than FI's, because of my massive family. Should I seat some of my side over on his? I'm sure there are other bride's out there with lopsided guest lists- how did you figure this out?

Does anyone have any experience at a wedding with long tables and can offer any suggestions?

I'm Back!!

Ok, so I know I was getting pretty discouraged and overwhelmed with all the planning. So I took a few months off. But now I'm back in full swing. My reception, caterer, and photographer are almost booked, and I have lots of new decorating ideas to show you. I promise I'll stick around this time!

Runaway Bride

Two posts on one day! I had actually been saving up the previous post for awhile now because I had been too busy (lazy) to edit and post it. And no, I am not blogging about running away from my FI in a scary looking spandex bridal outfit, but this pic is pretty funny isn't it??

What I am really bloggin about is the possibility of a Destination Wedding. The past few weeks have been pretty rough for me- stress from work, school, house, family, and wedding planning has gotten to me. I am no closer to making up my mind on the wedding venue. I had a pretty bad episode with my family over Easter about the wedding plans. Everyone has their opinions of what I should do, and some others were downright nasty to me for no apparent reason. I am dreaming about taking a nice long tropical vacation!

This has gotten me thinking. FI and I decided that one thing we both really want is an amazing and exotic honeymoon. He wants to lie on a beautiful beach- I want to explore a foreign city. We came to a compromise- one week on the beach, one week exploring. I have been obsessed with the idea of going to Bali. The island is supposed to be beautiful and offer plenty of beaches and exploring all in one. It is also in Indonesia, which means we could fly in by way of Hong Kong or Singapore and get in a few days in one of these exotic cities. It's win- win for both of us!

Bali has a great exchange rate right now, and I've looked up some accomodations that seem like a fantastic deal- now all we have to do is get there.

During my honeymoon dreams, I started noticing all the pictures of the care- free bride and groom saying "I DO" in the breezy tropical air. They look sooo happy and content. Why can't I do this??? This would solve ALL my problems!

Well, not quite, but it just seems so awesome. There are whole villas you can rent in Bali, often for less than $100 per person per night. The villas come with a full staff- chef, maids, butlers, even a chauffeur and car. We could have our ceremony there and then have our staff cook us a delicious dinner- all for the cost of food from the markets! How amazing does this sound? I know that not many people would be able to come around the world for us- probably just our parents, siblings, and MAYBE a few other close friends or family members. It does seem as if the cost would be sooo much less than a normal wedding and soo much more enjoyable. Plus we will be ON our dream honeymoon as we are getting married. What could be better than that?

Downsides are the fact that we both want all of our friends and family to be there for the big day.

I guess there always is the AHR (At home reception), but this is not quite the same. It also seems difficult to plan a wedding that will take place thousands of miles away without even going there to scope anything out. I'm sure it would be doable, and probably less overall work than a big wedding here. I just don't think I would care as much to have everything perfect when I am already in an amazing and tropical surrounding. The natural beauty of the island and the close intimate celebration would be enough for me.

What do you think? Anyone else struggle with a tough decision over a DW?? I don't want to upset and offend my family, but this is OUR choice. This view might sway your opinion!!:)

Decisions, Decisions...

Well loyal readers (is anyone out there???), I've narrowed my venue list down to three, no easy task. However, it is much much harder to decide from this shorter list. Help me!! I've been having wedding nightmares, and I just want to get this decided.

Choice #1 : The Lakeside Courthouse

I blogged about the courthouse in my last post and why I thought it was so divine. After a few more weeks of thinking about it, I haven't changed my mind. I still love it. I think this option could be as expensive or as cheap as we want it to be. With everything I want to do, it will probably come in at about mid- way between my three final choices. I also thought of some easy ways to cut costs even more.

1. Change the date- not my favorite idea, but if I had it on any other Saturday other than the 4th of July I probably would not have to pay for parking.
2. Be reasonable with rentals- No I DO NOT need the gorgeous chivari chairs (tear), nor do I need to pay an extra $1000 to have glass glasses at the bar
3. Cut back on decorations and other extras- the space is already gorgeous.

Choice # 2: Windows on the River

I also wrote about Windows in a previous post, but let me sum up why it made it to the top 3.

1. WINDOWS!!! I love the view of the city, and the awesome downtown location.

2. The possibility of having an outdoor patio for cocktails.

Cons are:

1. I can't have it on Saturday July 4th. That date is taken, so I would need to do it on the 3rd. I'm not sold on a Friday wedding.

2. It would be the most expensive- even on a Friday. However, the price does include hors d'oeuvres, dinner, drinks, the cake, and some flowers, so that helps.

3. The room I like has a balcony that overlooks the rest of the room. The problem is that the lower room can only fit 200 people, and anyone over that would have to be seated on the balcony. Would this offend anyone??

4. The room itself is very very GREEN. Green carpet, paint, etc... it would be too overwhelming to almost any other color I brought in.

Looking at this, I realize I have more cons than pros. Does my love of the view outweigh all the bad stuff??? Would it for you?


AND... Choice # 3: Party Center

I haven't blogged about this location before because I haven't actually been to see it yet. Then why would I even consider it? Well, I actually have been to see it, but the last time I was in there was around 10 years ago. IT is owned by the family of my best childhood friend ever. I am actually in her upcoming wedding that is taking place there this September.

My mom contacted her father a few weeks ago because I had been procrastinating. I just felt bad about potentially contacting him if I decided I didn't like it. However my mom is all excited now because his prices are amazing. I can't believe the highway robbery other venues are committing when I take a look at how much less he can provide me with the SAME things for.

So, here we go with the PROS:

1. I've known the family forever, so I know they would so a REALLY good job! I would completely trust my event in their hands.

2. It would be by far the least expensive option, and the least amount of work for me. My parents like the idea.

3. I will be at my friends' reception taking place almost a year before mine, and can decide what I do and don't like about it.

4. It's literally a quarter- mile from my parents' house.

Cons:

1. It's literally a quarter- mile from my parents' house, which is in the middle of BFN. (butt- f***ing NOWHERE!). Where would the guests stay?? I would need a shuttle to and from a hotel somewhere. Also, not a cool fun downtown area like I wanted!

2. It looks nice in the pictures, but it really is just another catering hall, just like every other one. No originality here! If I go crazy with extra decorating or other things it will just erase the whole point of having it there to save $$$.

3. He's not sure if I can have it on the 4th... he said he might not be able to get anyone to work. WTF?? All the other days I potentially wanted it were already taken.




And I guess Option #4...keep looking.......... I am starting to get MAJORLY frustrated here though, and might not be able to take it anymore. So what do YOU think??

The one??

This past weekend's visit to Cleveland was mainly for my Grandmother's 70th birthday party, but of course I got a little venue hunting in! I had really high hopes for this one- the Cleveland Lakeside Courthouse downtown.

FI and I got there early Saturday morning and walked up to the imposing black doors. Once inside, the guard grunted and made us walk through the metal detector. Good thing we were on the list! Keep in mind this is the actual Courthouse building during the week.

Those doors are HUGE and heavy! Then we walked in and..............

Words cannot express how I felt on seeing the inside. How lucky we were to see that it was set up for a wedding that day! The gold chairs looked amazing in there. The ceilings are so huge and beautiful. The space really does not even need any decorating. One thing I would like to use in there would be all long tables,like this:

I really like that look. There is also a balcony at the top of a beautiful curving staircase.

They had a bar set up there. The balcony can be used for the cocktail hour, or just a place for guests to come and observe all the action going on below:

I LOVE this.

Other pros include bringing our own caterer and alcohol, which gives me complete creative control. It is downtown by the water which I really wanted and close to many many hotels. If I keep the 4th of July date, there will be traffic, but guests can stroll outside and have prime fireworks views, and there is an orchestra playing in the square all day.

So what are the drawbacks you ask. Why am I not running in a frenzy to sign the contract NOW!!!

1. small thing I know.... buuuuttt, this is a public building during the week, and the bathrooms totally reflect that. The look like ramshackle gas station bathrooms. Not much you could even do to make them nicer.

2. EVERY last thing from a fork to a gorgeous guilded chivari chair has to be rented and brought in. There are no kitchens, so an over abundance of glasses and plates need to be brought in. This stuff all adds up.

3. It costs $525/hour to rent this space. I would also have to rent the parking garage for $500. Yikes!

4. No windows! Ugh.. it seems like everything is a compromise.

5. More vendors and MORE work for me!

Sigh... what do you think?

Vexing Venue Issues

Ok, so I am still having major problems with my vendor decisions. I think I ruled out all three I previously posted on. The dance floor in the tower just kept bugging me, I decided Brennan's was too ugly, and the Metro sent me a ridiculously expensive proposal.

Here's the run- down from my last trip:

Massimo de Milano was my first stop on my way in from Buffalo. Unfortunately I didn't get any good pics because I forgot my camera in the car, and was too scared to go back and get it. Which brings me to my main issue with the place- location. Its downtown in Ohio City which is great, except for the bums and generally shady looking people crawling around the parking lots. Maybe this is why they offer FREE valet parking
Here's a picture from their website.



It was very pretty inside, with tulle draped from the ceiling and a light, almost ethereal look. A couple of other pros were their straightforward pricing- flat fees per person which included taxes and gratuity, 6 HOURS TOP SHELF BAR (this is unheard of), and a great menu choice. The food is Italian, and you have a chance to try before you buy.

The issues I had were neighborhood it is in, and the size(they told me it an fit a max of 250). I am expecting AT LEAST 250 guests, and it also did not look like it could accommodate that many comfortably. Also, the bar and cocktail area is kind of ugly. There is not a hotel within walking distance either, although the city is right across the bridge, a 2 minute drive. I am still keeping this in mind.

Next stop- Windows on the River. Here is the entrance. Now, some people don't like this industrial look and the green paint everywhere. However, I LOVE it. I think it is so much more interesting then the typical hotel lobby entrance. Also, there is an arcade around the corner.

There are two room choices here. First, the Bridgeview room.


This room was ok. I wasn't overly impressed. The view of the bridge and city was great! Next she took me into the Cityview Room. I am noticing now that I didn't take any great pictures of the actual room, I was so busy admiring the view. Here's one to give you a general idea of the room.

The room is two stories, with a balcony. This was a problem, because any guests over a count of 200 would need to be seated up here. I'm not sure if anyone would take offense at this. Thoughts? Also, my date (July 4) was taken! Waaa! I would have to have it on Friday, July 3. As soon as I mentioned this, she whipped out their Friday menu, a good $13 less per person. Ok, maybe a Friday isn't so bad. Everyone gets that Friday off...... right? Even with the discount, Windows is NOT cheap. It would be a little little bit over our budget, however they include your cake, flowers, and other decorations in the price. Plus, we can have our cocktail hour right on this patio by the river. At night, with the lights.... I think it would be awesome! Check out the view!

I really like (almost) everything about Windows and am still considering it.

The next day, Rachel (my sis) and I went out to Strongsville to check out two different places. They were each about 35-45 minutes from our house. First up was the Belarusan Community Center. I have heard some rave reviews about the food from here (especially the lemon chicken). The caterer was a straight forward no- nonsense woman that I instantly liked, and it is a one room party center- NO other weddings. We can bring our own alcohol (bring on the signature drinks!), even kegs too. It had an outdoor patio, and was very large. Here's the entrance:

There were some things I didn't like- Belaruse is a Russian country, and their country crest or whatever is plastered EVERYWHERE! There is a huge one on the wall by the bar. Ugh! I would have to see about covering that up. It's not downtown, and there is no hotel in walking distance (although there should be some a short drive away.) It's just not very fancy, or interesting. (I do like the disco ball! LOL)

Next we stopped by a wedding factory in the area, Michaud's Town and Country. Ok, the reason I call this a wedding factory is that they have 8 rooms there! This instantly turned me off. The entrance was very pretty though, and the prices were good. It is also BYOB. The only room I liked there had a 300 person minimum, and is HUGE!

I don't think I can guarantee AT LEAST 300 guests- and I would have to pay for any extras. I think this is OUT?!??

Our last stop of the day was Landerhaven in Beachwood. I have heard great things about this place from my friend's sister who had her wedding here. Rach and I were starving by the time we got here, so when they handed us a complimentary tin of fresh baked cookies, I was in heaven. (We promptly stuffed our faces as soon as we left the place! haha) Ok, this place is right NEXT to a hotel, which is great. Free parking, and a nice entrance as well. It does feel a little corporate though, with a big office in the lobby. The coordinator was a mess though- she took us to the first room which at the moment was partitioned into three parts. "Oh, just imagine these all pulled back." Ummmmm...ok. It did have a nice patio area though, with a garden and fountain. Then she took us into the cocktail area for the other ballroom. Gorgeous!

I love the huge windows! Then she peeks into the ballroom, and proceeds to tell us that there is a wedding going on, and that she couldn't take us in there because it was a black wedding and we would stick out. Ummmm....what!?! Ok, we're wearing jeans and I'm carrying a million notebooks, so yeah I think I would stick out at a formal wedding no matter what. She then takes us to see the "private" bridal suite where the WP can get ready. Yeah super private I guess, anyone can get a tour through it while someone is using it. I was very turned off by her obvious unprofessionalism. She gave me the prices, which were outrageous anyways, and then tried to get me to put down a deposit right then and there. Ok, I didn't even actually see any of the rooms, so no thanks. I will not be going back there.

So.... some good and some bad. Still no decisions! I have another idea that I'm working on though, and hopefully can blog on soon.

Wedding Budgets

I found this website today. http://www.costofwedding.com/ I have been freaking out a little lately, becasue I currently have no clue what our budget is supposed to be. Between all of our expenses lately- the new house mainly, we're going to need to rely on ALOT of help from our parents if we are going to have any sort of normal wedding.

I put my zip code in Cleveland in and came out with $24 k. Yikes! When I first started this whole wedding planning thing, the number seemed ridiculously high. We could hire someone to come and finish painting and fixing up our house for that. Or put on the new roof that we desparately need.


However, after making a few phone calls, and going to visit my venues, my heart started to sink. Frankly, if I can pull off a wedding for ONLY $24 k, I would be ecstatic! Sigh........... I just wish someone would give me some actual numbers to work with.

For the fun of it, I put in my Buffalo zip code, and came out with $14 k. Ten thousand dollars less..... maybe I should change the location.

What's your wedding budget? How did you find out how much money others (parents) would contribute to your budget?

Wedding Colors.....

My biggest obstacle in life is making decisions. I tend to have a hard time making up my mind and actually committing to any one thing(excpet my gorgeous fiance of course!) I always have a million ideas in my head, and I want to try them all! This can be a problem when it leads to my horrible indecision. Do I want to live in Buffalo or move somwhere much warmer? Do I want to stay in grad school or have I had enough? Do I want to continue working in finance or open the organic store like I've always wanted?

Those are all problems for another day though. On my mind today... what is the theme for my wedding? I've been seeing all these lovely inspiration boards... check out http://www.stylemepretty.com/ for some crazy wedding porn. Unfortunately, this orgy of choice is just leading me back to my familiar problems.

I've been obsessed with the color green for awhile now. This was my original choice for a wedding color. Green bridesmaids dresses, green flowers, green shoes....

How cute...

I especially love the idea of having colored shoes...even if they aren't green. Once I started looking through more wedding boards I became obsessed with this:

Black and white damask... how perfect and elegant. A black and white wedding would be so classic. I can imagine the pearls, gloves, and thousands of white candles.

However, I feel like I might need a LITTLE bit of color. What about red? When I was around ten years old, the only colors I would wear were red, black, and white. That would be so cute to have my favorite childhood colors incorporated into my wedding. However, I am in love with these flowers:

Black, white, red, and pink? Thoughts?

Venue Search

So all the planning books I've religiously consulted hammer in the fact that you need to find a reception venue before anything else. I have spent the past three weeks researching, calling, and comparing venues. Also since I am a huge finance nerd, I compiled all of my results into an excel spreadsheet for easier comparing.

I decided to make a grand total of 10 appointments for this past weekend. Because I am planning my Cleveland wedding from Buffalo, I need to cram everything into one weekend (A vendor bender!) If anyone is from the Cleveland area, you would know that we were absolutely pounded with a blizzard on Friday and Saturday. All my carefully laid plans were ruined!!! After making a harrowing trip back(included a broken muffler and burnt out headlight on the middle of the freeway), over half of my appointments canceled on me because of the snow. Waaaaaa!

However, I still made it to three- one of which was my top choice from all the information I had so far.

First choice: Frank & Pauly's - Atrium at the Square

Gorgeous view from the balcony- main reason this place was my original fav:

The food is Italian, and reasonable prices for family style eating. It can fit my expected 250-300 guests, and the are reasonable about decorating restrictions(not that the space needs any!)

Main issue- location of the dance floor. My family likes to PARTY, and that means dancing. The dance floor is like shoved off to the side, and blocked by all these pillars.

The coordinator there told me I could bring in a dance floor to put in the middle, but that seems like so much trouble. Another issue is the bar- their house package is well, WELL liquor, and my fiance will not stand for that. Actually the only questions he asked of anywhere we went was the brands of liquor in the bar packages..(well, at least he is interested in something!) Upgrading gets pricey though. Another problem is that it is downtown, so parking is an issue. I can rent the attached garage, but then either I or the guests(tacky to ask people to pay their own parking?) have to pick up the tab.

Option 2: Sammy's at the Metropolitan Ballroom

View from the top floor windows....WOW

Can you imagine this at night? That's Lake Erie in the background. The ballroom is gorgeous too, decorated in a 1920s style that I could totally imagine my wedding. This would be my vision for this space:

Here's the inside:

Downsides to this venue: no outdoor space- you can't use the roof, PARKING again, and general extreme priciness!

Third option: Brennan's

Brennan's is not downtown- its actually kind of in the ghetto (lol) off W 130th. It's more of a catering hall- they have 4 banquet rooms, which look like most other banquet rooms in catering halls- stuck in the early 90s! Ugly carpet, tacky chandeliers, you get the picture. However, these places tend to look a million times better by candle light, so I'm keeping an open mind.

What do you think?

The main attractiveness of a place like this is the price(reasonable)...AND... its BYOB! Haha... actually it means we get to bring all our own wine, liquor, or beer for them to use at the bar. Not only does it save ALOT of money, but the boy likes it because he can have complete control over the alcohol. Crytal for everyone! Parking is free. Drawbacks are its lack of any sort of originality.

So... what do you like best? Option 1, 2, or 3??

Sis and I at the Atrium...girl risked her life to drive us around Cleveland that day in a terrible blizzard...that's why she's the MOH!!

About me....

I'm starting this blog to keep track of my wedding planning, and to get all of my ideas down in a permanent fashion. I was the last person to expect to become excited at the thought of getting married or planning a wedding, but after a few peeks at some crafty do-it-yourself planning sites, like this - www.weddingbee.com, and I'm officially obsessed.

I currently live in Buffalo, NY, but my hometown of Cleveland, OH is the location of our wedding. I've also lived in France briefly, and have had many exciting adventures in my life.... lots of traveling, friends, and fun! Currently, my fiance and I have been busy renovating our new house, I have a full time job, and am attending grad school part time in the evenings. With all this on my plate, I need to stay super organized if I want to get hitched anytime soon! Its time to PLAN A WEDDING!!!