(Photos are posted after vendor review below!)

Vendor Review for Our Cleveland Area Wedding:

RECEPTION HALL - Belarusan American Community Center, Strongsville OH (440-842-5896, Marge Walter) --- A+ --- The food and service were top-notch. On our menu, we had roast beef w/ gravy, lemon breast of chicken (my favorite!), fettuccine alfredo, buttered red skin potatoes and California mix. Marge and her staff did a great job setting up my centerpieces (I had 2 designs) and other decorations. All I had to do was drop off the ‘pieces’ (candles, bowls, silk ivy) and they set everything up with minimal instruction when we brought everything to them Thurs. night -- even finding spots to use extra decorations I had in the box. Marge let us borrow her 12x12 mirrors for the centerpieces (no charge). We brought our own alcohol (beer and wine) and bar snacks to be served. Bartenders are included and you can bring kegs if you want because the bar has two taps. No extra cake-cutting fees. We paid $29/pp. I think it’s $30/pp from May-Sept? The staff really went out of their way to make things right. I can email pics to you, if you're interested in seeing more of it. Page me on the Cleveland Board. Belarusan web site

CHURCH - Pleasant Hills United Methodist Church, Middleburg Heights OH (440-845-1244) --- A+ --- Pastor Bill Buckeye was very easy to work with. He didn’t require any questionnaires or counseling beforehand, and he’s very down to earth. (Besides, any pastor who can get away with wearing an earring and wingtip shoes for the service is pretty cool in my book.) The church also printed and folded our programs for free. We provided them with the paper and did the layout ourselves, but they would have done the layout, too (for a fee). You can use their organist or soloist, but we brought in our own group instead. Pleasant Hills UMC web site

My DRESS & VEIL - Julianne's Bridal Outlet, Olmsted Falls OH (440-235-7774) --- A --- I found a Maggie Sottero dress from the previous design season priced at half off retail. It *almost* fit (slightly big) without alterations, but with a few adjustments by Denise (the house seamstress), it fit perfectly. Denise did great work and alterations were priced very reasonably, too. At the wedding, I received many compliments on the dress and the veil which was fingertip-length and studded with rhinestones in the tulle. I actually got to wear the dress twice, too, since my photographer did a pre-wedding shoot a few weeks before the big day. Definitely got my money’s worth! / Julianne's Bridal Outlet web site

BRIDESMAIDS' DRESSES - David's Bridal, North Olmsted OH (440-716-1774) --- B --- Periwinkle separates (a-line skirt with bridesmaid's choice top). Missy was our salesgirl and she was helpful to a point. I pretty much knew what I wanted and that may have turned her off a bit (perhaps she’s used to dealing with indecisive brides?), but oh well. Once ordered, the dresses arrived within 3 weeks. Everything was the correct style and size. All three of my girls then took their dresses elsewhere for alterations. FI’s mom did one and the other two girls used Julianne’s Bridal. At the wedding, all three girls were getting compliments all day. The funniest one came from DH’s uncle who’s a guy that always speaks his mind. He said that it was nice to see bridesmaid dresses that ‘didn’t look like crap’. Hehe! David's web site

HAIR STYLING - Illusion Unlimited, Strongsville OH (440-572-7704) --- A --- Emily did my updo and she did a wonderful job. I had been to her for a trial the month before and brought the photos as a refresher for her. That worked well. She referred to them several times to make sure she was doing the same style as before. It was dead-on perfect and she was done in about 40 minutes! I was impressed. Two of my BMs also got their hair done at the same time and they were pleased as well. One BM had an updo (though her hair is a little shorter) and the other had a half-up/half-down. Both looked great! We all did our own makeup and nails. Illusion Unlimited web site

TUXEDOS - Men's Wearhouse, Strongsville OH (440-846-5917) --- A --- Candice helped us initially, but everyone we dealt with was knowledgeable and friendly. DH was impressed at their very classic styles and at how thorough they were for the measuring and fitting. With 4(?) tux rentals, the groom’s is free -- same deal that the other tux places run. With groomsmen from all over the country, this worked well. Each of the guys picked up their tuxes in their home cities and after the wedding, they were all able to return them to the Strongsville location, no problem. Only DH’s dad needed a different pair of pants to be reordered beforehand, but that was taken care of quickly and he picked them up in Strongsville the day before the wedding. We were very pleased with their customer service and professionalism. Men's Wearhouse web site

CAKE - Breads & Beyond Bakery, Strongsville (440-888-5623 - Parma location) --- A+ --- The decorator, Mike (with 30 years’ experience), did a great job. I brought him a photo of the approximate design we wanted and he embellished it nicely to coordinate with our topper. The topper was actually something we created with him. We purchased a couple Benders characters (magnetic, bendable stick-people) and he helped us put together a nice base on which to display them with some silk flowers and ivy. We had white cake with buttercream frosting on the outside, but the filling was special. I brought Mike a Godiva raspberry cordial and had him duplicate the raspberry filling flavor. It came out great! We used that filling along with a ribbon of chocolate fudge in between each layer. YUM! For specialty fillings like ours, it’s $2.25/slice. (Basic cake runs $1.65/slice) UPDATE: We had the Parma location create an anniversary cake for us a year later. It came out nice and tasted really good! Bob decorates at the Parma store, which is the only location now. Breads & Beyond web site

BEER & WINE - Heinen's Middleburg Hts. (440-886-2205, Heather Collins) --- A --- Heather knows her stuff! She guided us in determining what quantity to buy and what kind of mix to get. She also recommended an excellent Pinot Grigio wine that was a complete hit at the reception! It’s a $7 wine that tastes like a $15 wine. We had two whites, a red, and a rose wine, along with two kinds of Great Lakes Brewing Co. beer, Miller Lite, & Upper Canada (since we got engaged in Canada) instead of Budweiser. Heather only needed a week to place the order. When it was ready, their guys loaded up our vehicle and we dropped it off at the hall. We ordered enough for 150 people, though we had about 170 guests, and still had a fair amount left over. At least it’s good stuff that we’ll drink, so not a big deal. Heinen's Wine Source web page

DJ - Joe Wolan (Direct Hits), Sheffield Lake OH (440-949-8057) --- A- --- We gave Joe a list of songs and artists that we liked, as well as a shorter list of what not to play. We also instructed him to go with the crowd. It worked well. The only song that got played which was on our Do Not Play list was something by Rod Stewart that must have been requested. Neither DH nor I care for Rod Stewart, but whatever. At that point, we didn’t care. At least the Chicken Dance was not played. :-) Joe handled the introduction names very well, considering we had one potentially difficult Polish name for him to pronounce. No problem. Everything went smoothly and many guests told us they were having a great time. That was our goal and it’s a relief that we achieved it. Joe is very reasonably priced, too. We paid $600 for the 6 hour reception on a Saturday night.

CEREMONY MUSICIANS - Trombone Quartet (friends of ours) --- A --- Matt, Brian, Dan and Heather are so talented! The sound of four trombones is absolutely majestic and very unique for a wedding ceremony. We received many compliments. We had them play Pachelbel’s Canon in D and Trumpet Tune for the processional, plus music before and after the ceremony. If anyone’s interested in a different kind of sound for your ceremony, page me. The group has decided to take on other wedding gigs.

PHOTOGRAPHY - two friends of ours, Max & Chris --- A --- They shot over 700 photos throughout the day and got LOTS of good ones. We had our proof book within 3 weeks. They took both film and digital photos & we also received them all on CD, plus some Quicktime clips of reception highlights. Our 8x10 wedding album & the two parents’ albums came out great! We took the bulk of our pre-ceremony photos at the Brooker Insurance Building on Pearl Rd. in Strongsville (440-238-5454, Melissa). What a lovely backdrop (indoors & outdoors) for wedding photos, and it only cost $75 to rent the place for an hour. Brooker Insurance web site

HONEYMOON - Mayan Riviera, Mexico through Pleasant Valley Travel in Parma, OH (440-888-6410) --- A (for travel agency & for resort) --- What an awesome place to visit! We went to the Riviera Maya for our HM in May & stayed at the (all-inclusive) Iberostar Paraiso Lindo. AWESOME resort! Highly recommend. They have 5 pools, one with a swim-up bar & ice cream shop. The 7 restaurants are excellent -- even the buffet ones. Food is tasty & fresh. No worries about drinking water/ice quality here either. Stocked beverage fridge in the room (beer, pop, bottled water). Gorgeous grounds & beach access with lovely boardwalk. The water was too rough for swimming when we were there, but we saw the most amazing sunrise on the beach one morning. If you're into activities, there are many throughout the day including: archery, snorkeling, volleyball, salsa dancing, table tennis, (outdoor) billiards, etc. Entertainment nightly... a different show each day. Also, many off-site excursions available. We did a day trip to Tulum & Xel-Ha (natural water park), as well as snorkeling & a trip to the ruins at Coba. Loved the place! It's not billed as 'couples only', but we didn't see many kids there. Iberostar is a European company & one of the best resort companies around, from what I've heard. Oh, since the Paraiso is one of their top rated resorts, you can use ANY facilities at their other resorts in the area, including having dinner at another resort's restaurant. I believe that 3 related resorts are within walking distance. A few photos are at the bottom of my bio. Pleasant Valley Travel web site and Iberostar Resorts web site

INVITATIONS - Rexcraft 1-800-635-3898 --- A --- Prompt service, accurately completed order, and inexpensive pricing. They ship quickly, too! Of the 150 invitations we ordered, only one was blank and the rest were printed perfectly. I had originally planned to DIY, but due to time crunch, I bagged that idea. It’s nice to have someone else worry about them. DH and I addressed them ourselves by hand -- no fancy calligraphy. We did order pre-printed return addresses on the invitation envelopes and were VERY glad that we did. Rexcraft web site

FLORIST - Diane Vargo, Maple Heights, OH (page me for contact info) --- A+ --- Diane has been in the floral business for about 30 years. She does weddings from her home workshop and she’s extremely enthusiastic about her work. The flowers looked fantastic! Honestly, they brought tears to my eyes, seeing them for the first time. My bouquet combined white and yellow roses (nicely open, as I requested) with white stock, light blue delphinium, and ivy. The 3 BM bouquets were slightly smaller, yet still very full with a scaled down mix of the same flowers/ivy. All bouquets were hand-tied and matched our dresses beautifully. Bouts were roses with ivy; corsages were sweetheart roses with ivy and delphinium. The church flowers were amazing, too. I was surprised at how big the arrangement was for how little I paid, and Diane did a great job making our 2 vases of 6 roses (dedication to deceased grandparents) look awesome. The only downside that I can think of is that she ‘doesn’t do’ email. All correspondence was done through snail-mail or phone calls, which is fine, but it would have been easier if I could have emailed church photos, etc. to her. For everything, including 12 potted mums for the reception, the flower bill was $600.

REHEARSAL DINNER - Antonio's Restaurant, Parma, OH (440-886-2511 Patty Cahill) --- A --- DH’s parents paid for it, but we planned it since they don’t live in the Cleveland area. Their only request was that we select a casual place. They, and everyone in attendance, loved the food. Antonio’s set our tables in white linen with a cute bride and groom centerpiece on the main table. They printed a custom menu for us, too. On our menu: stuffed shells, chicken marsala & orange roughy w/ crab. Excellent for $15/pp (including lemon ice for dessert, soft drinks, salad, homemade bread).

*** If you have any questions or would like further information on any of these vendors, feel free to page me on the Cleveland board. ***


Trial of floating-candles centerpiece. Picture a 12 in. mirror beneath, instead of the white paper.


Trial of our second centerpiece (yes, we had 2 different ones), with mums. Again, the base actually was a 12 in. mirror.


Our simple single-card, ivy-embossed invitation from Rexcraft.


Our pastel m&m (Easter mix!) favors.


Our cake with round & hexagonal layers. We made the topper using 'Joe & Wendy Bender' characters.


The bouquets: roses, phlox, delphinium, ivy. <!--—image 7 ---->


The guys' boutonnieres (ok, 'bouts'): roses & ivy.


Best Man & Maid of Honor in periwinkle. Suits from Men’s Wearhouse. Dresses from David’s Bridal.


Bridesmaid dress.


Pleasant Hills United Methodist Church.


Our floral arrangement, centered on the altar.


We had two of these vases -- remembrance flowers in honor of our deceased relatives and friends -- placed on each ‘side rail’ at the altar.


Two pew bows, made by my MIL. They're actually white ribbon with a touch of periwinkle ribbon in the center, & silk ivy. We attached them to the pew arms with narrow ribbon.


Our first dance at the Belarusan American Community Center


Bride & groom in lobby of the Brooker Building.


My wedding updo, studded with rhinestones, shortly after the salon visit.


Another view of my wedding hairdo.


A picture of our borrowed bird cage card holder, decorated with silk ivy.


Really cool cake from my first shower. It depicts our engagement which took place at a camp site in Algonquin Provincial Park.


A photo of the Belarusan banquet room, set up for an autumn wedding in Nov. 2004. The chair covers/sashes are an extra charge. We did not use the covers for ours. Page me on the Cleveland Board if you'd like to see more photos of the Belarusan in Strongsville.


Honeymoon on the Riviera Maya! Photo at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo resort.


The happy couple at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo resort.


DH relaxing in our room. Loved the outdoor patio!


Mexican sunrise on the beach accessible from Iberostar Paraiso Lindo.


Another photo of the beautiful Riviera Maya sunrise.