Michael and I are married! We had a mini-destination wedding in Loudonville, OH at Landoll's Mohican Castle and the day turned out great! The wedding planning had its ups and downs – especially doing a lot of the work ourselves, but the day was wonderful and everything we had imagined!
A Wedding Wish
Click below to follow links To:Pro PicsDetailsVendor Reviews Wedding Dress For SaleCandidsInvitationsUpdo TrialPlanning BioPro PicsNoble Images were our photographers and I can’t say enough about them! Here is a sampling of our pro pics from Landoll's Mohican Castle! Enjoy!Before the CeremonyCeremony & DetailsBride, Groom and the Whole GangReception & DetailsBefore the CeremonyBack to Beginning of Pro PicsThe CeremonyBack to Beginning of Pro PicsThe Bride, Groom and the Whole GangBack to Beginning of Pro PicsThe ReceptionBack to Beginning of Pro PicsBack To TopFor SaleAll of our wedding decorations have been SOLD at this point but I want to leave photos posted so others can get ideas of what we used to pull off our rustic wedding and reception. If you have any questions about where to find similar items or anything else pertaining to our wedding, please email me at at ayamm1123@excite.com if you are interested in any of the following items(I used the best pics I have currently so I could get this posted asap!): This Signature mat photo frame was purchased early on – changed our minds later so that our signature mat would match our decor in our living room better! Brand new with the cardboard corner protectors still - This frame is @ 30”x 30” square (Mat – 24”x24” and holds an 8” x 10” picture in the middle!) This would look amazing with a black and white wedding photo in it! SOLD!!! Two altar arrangements in metal urns (look close – the handles are leaves!) for sale as a pair. The urns can be seen in the background flanking the arch of one of our wedding photos below!(SOLD)These two lighted twig trees served as arrangements outside the main doors to the reception hall and looked beautiful as the sun went down! I don’t have a photo of these from the wedding itself yet!(SOLD)These are the 3 color variations of the 4’ garlands we used over the windows (accompanied by a sheer over each window). From left to right, 15/12/4 of each color variation for a total of 31.We alternated color strands every other window. We also wrapped two colors together as tiebacks for the fabric on the arch for the ceremony. All of the types work well entwined together or separately! (SOLD)The pile of sheers left over from the windows and tables. 21 orange/yellow sheers(top of picture) are available for sale (used over windows) and 6 orange/brown sheers(bottom of picture) are available for sale (used on the signature mat table and photo album table mixed with brown overlays from the chaircover company!) (SOLD)The 3 berry sprays on the left were used on the back of every chair attached to the brown chair sashes. The multicolored berry spray was intertwined in the chain of the chandelier at the reception hall (sorry- no pictures from the reception!) (Solid Color Sprays SOLD/Multicolor Sprays SOLD)! 6.5’(H) x 6’+(W) tall gold Curly Willow Tree set in Cement base ready to be the focal point for the next bride’s wedding! Here, we hung 5 rustic lanterns(SOLD) from the tree and surrounded the base with moss (SOLD) and put the flat river rocks (tie to my Geology background) used as the namecards around the base! We had SO MANY compliments on that Tree!Here is a picture of the Gold Willow set up at another wedding (the original owner that I bought the tree from) Here she strung crystal strands of beads from the tree for her summer wedding!Here is a photo of one of 23 centerpieces we designed ourselves (SOLD)! Each centerpiece is around 5’ tall and completed the look of the reception hall! We received tons of compliments on how unique and beautiful these were, and a number of guests wanted to take them home with them to decorate their homes with them! I would like to sell all centerpieces as a package deal but may be willing to sell each separately! Here are the 2 variations of the centerpiece – one with orange/yellow balls, and the other with orange/brown cattails! Both tied together perfectly for our Fall wedding!The best picture so far of a table setup with a centerpiece – we used 3’x3’ Brown tables squares (For Sale – 35 squares) on the white table linens to break up the solid white and bring in the Brown (wedding color) to each table. 5 double votives filled with moss circled the base of our centerpiece and was our wedding favor for each couple/guest. We have a box of 24 double votives filled with moss(easy to change) SOLD! We named each table after local tree names (since we were near Mohican State Park) and to make it look a little swanky we added the scientific name underneath (another tie to my science background). We have 24 - 4’x6’ identical wood photo frames - SOLD!Our all brown candy buffet was a total hit!!!! We are no longer looking to sell the glass since I have a wedding in September ‘07 and a wedding in December ‘08 using the glassware. If you are in NE Ohio and are looking to RENT the glassware (so you are not stuck with all the glassware after your wedding as well!) feel free to contact me! (Worth a shot!) SOLD!!!- We have @ 27 orangish sheers and around 30 strands of berry garland (used on wedding arch, windows, table decorations, etc.)Also we have 160 berry sprays that were added to the back of every chair sash to spice it up! This is a close up of the double votives we used for the memorial candles (here – for my grandmother who was a stamp collector) and for our guests to take home (filled with moss) I have a case of unused 24 votives with moss in them (easily changed!) SOLD! If anyone is interested in our items for sale, or have questions about what we did/how we did something, page me on the NE Ohio board or email me at ayamm1123@excite.com Thanks for looking! Back To TopVendor ReviewsCeremony/Reception Location – Landoll’s Mohican Castle (Loudonville, OH) F+ Where do I begin – so I do not get removed from the Knot, feel free to email me at ayamm1123@excite.com for my detailed opinion of Landoll’s Mohican Castle. They get a “+” for the beauty and uniqueness of the location.
Invitations - Cherished Guests - Jennifer Crawford A++
Jennifer has a side business of invitations and announcements and does an AWESOME job for a fraction of the cost! I was able to send her ideas of invitations and layouts I was interested in and she came up with exactly what I was looking for! Feel free to email her at metzcrawford@hotmail.com - she lives in Columbus OH but has worked with brides all over the US via email (the wonders of technology)!DJ – Rock Jocks (Cleveland Area) C We had met Rich and Shane at a previous wedding and loved them! We contacted them on an off for a few months to set up our wedding and details –when we talked, we chatted like old friends. Since they felt like they “knew us,” I feel they took a relaxed approach with us and missed some key coordination things on the day of the wedding. Our timeline for the evening was governed by our shuttle bus schedule and only Rich seemed to know about the bus. About 30 minutes before the first shuttle was LEAVING the reception, I approached them with the need to get in the Anniversary dance, bouquet toss and garter before the first round of guests left on the bus. 2 more songs later the Anniversary dance was announced and everything seemed to be “boom boom boom” instead of spaced appropriately. As for the rest of the evening, they had a good feel for the crowd, kept the dance floor busy and even brought “props” for YMCA at no cost. I have seen them at a wedding since ours and they did a much better job than at ours! All in all – as long as you keep a level of professionalism with them, you will fair better with them! Cake – Cakes by Dianne (Millersburg, OH) C+ I was impressed with her photo album of books, and her prices were reasonable. I had brought in a number of cake pics that I had in mind and she said she would be able to pull off a look “very close” to those I was showing her. When we saw the cake at the reception, I did not see the similarity. To make matters worse, we neglected decoration for the cake table (We were so focused on the candy buffet!) and we could not locate our cake knife so we cut our cake with a butter knife. Lesson learned – even if you think you have everything covered since you are a DIY bride, a DOC would have saved the day with the cake issues! The cake did taste great though! Photographer – NOBLE IMAGES (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) A+++++ Basically, this was by far our favorite vendor and THE vendor we will recommend time and time again! Jason and Danielle Noble are the nicest, most genuine couple you could ever meet and their ability to capture your wedding day with a truly photojournalistic style is FAR superior to any I have seen in the NE Ohio area. They do not do much media advertising because they have so many “Word of Mouth” recommendations to keep them busy all year around. The Team of photographers is an added bonus because so much more detail can be captured when there are 2 cameras snapping away. For instance, one photographer stayed up front for close-ups of the ceremony (and front shots of me walking down the aisle), while one stayed to the rear to capture the entire setting (and rear shots of me walking down the aisle), which was so important to us since the setting was gorgeous! Booking a team of photographers is just something to think about in the whole process. Visit them at www.nobleimages.us . Dance Floor Rental – Miller’s Party Rental (Akron, OH) C Well – just take a look at our pictures and you will see that the dance floor began separating at dinner time and was removed by 7:30 by family and friends. My husband still to this day (almost a year later) does not find any humor in the “dance floor mishap.” He was on the phone Monday morning following the wedding (On our layover heading to our honeymoon in fact!) expressing his anger and the need for a refund/ resolution in the matter. The owner, Mr.__ Miller fully refunded our money and then some, apologized both verbally and in a letter, and stated that in 25 years of business he has never experienced a dance floor separating and falling apart. They receive a “C” instead of an “F” for their professional handling of the situation. Flowers – DIY (Hobby Lobby) AThe price was right for Calla Lilies - $1.00 per stem to be exact. I added in some orange berries into my bouquet of 24 mini-callas and added multi-colored berries into the BM 12 mini-calla bouquets. The boutonnieres were made of wired berry sprays and turned out great. Lesson # 2 – DOC would have been helpful in this case since the box holding the fathers’ bouts went MIA and they ultimately went without! Transportation – S&S Coach Company (Lexington, OH) A The 55 passenger bus was the best “brain child” we had in planning our wedding in a rural location. From what I gathered, this was the first wedding shuttle service this smaller bus company had done (vs. the typical tours and cross country trips) and they pulled it off without a hitch. Their price was several hundred dollars cheaper than the “big shots” of coach buses. We had a tight time schedule getting the WP out to the site and returning to the HGI hotel in Wooster 35 minutes away to pick up the next round of guests. “Bride-and-Groom-BYOB Beverages” were served on the bus and had been discussed with the agents when I booked the bus. Similarly, the first shuttle of guests heading back to the HGI hotel left at 10:30 and he was back at 12:15 for the final shuttle of guests. The roads are NOT made for even delivery trucks, so I was impressed with his ability to maneuver the side roads and the drive to the castle. I would recommend them again (although they may not want to do a wedding ever again after ours!).Wedding Dress For SaleI am a Two-Dress Bride so I obviously have one available for sale! It is an unaltered dress. The following dress is: Forever Yours Style 44151 (Moulin Rouge Too) Color: Ivory (looks just shy of white)Size: 10Asking Price:$200 O.B.O.Please email me at ayamm1123@excite.com if you are interested or have any questions!Back To TopCandidsHere are photos from Our October 14th, 2006 wedding - Non professional pics! A Vendor review will follow! A Picture of our JR BM and our FG with their Bridal party gifts – build-a-bears. To Change up the Jr BM a bit, I used RIT dye on a white Wedding/Communion Dress (shoes, veil and all) from the store and dyed it Brown like the BM dresses were – MY Favorite DIY project and it turned out SOOOOO cute! We used S&S Coach Company out of Mansfield Area to 1) transport BP to ceremony/reception, 2) Transport guests from Hotel to Castle 30 minutes away (55 passenger but about 60 took the bus out!) 3) 2 runs from Castle to hotel at 10:30 and 12:15 am. Since we were out in the middle of nowhere, it was important to us and our family that everyone had the option of a safe trip to/from the wedding, and let people party HARD if they wanted to!! Additional deposit was paid to drink on the bus and was well worth it! Here is my Family on the big day! The weather cooperated perfectly and everyone looked so classy and beautiful! My parents and Michael’s parents! Everyone looks great! The entire bridal party! 5 BM, 5 GM, 1 Jr. BM and 1 FG! LOVED the Chocolate Dresses from Jordan #1205 and our DIY Silk Flower bouquets!!!A shot from afar to show the simple altar set up with the fabric covered arch and 2 urn arrangements on either side. Exactly what I had imagined - We look pretty good too………A closeup of Michael and I getting our posed photos taken! I can’t wait to get our professional shots back from NOBLE IMAGES!!!! The wait is painful…. Our Harpist for the ceremony music – Rebecca Hoover. Highly recommend her – easy to work with and affordable – harp music really is perfect for outdoor ceremony (and not nearly the cost of a trio or quartet, but still fills the air with music)! My favorite part of the ceremony – FG stopped at the top of the aisle, waited to get my attention, pointed frantically at the basket of leaves as if to ask “I toss these, right?” and when I give her the thumbs up, she turns and runs down the aisle not dropping one leaf!!! Too Cute! Shot of our Ceremony – Talented Sister decorated the arch PERFECTLY! FYI to all you outdoor ceremony brides– your dress will be trashed even before the reception – DON”T WORRY ABOUT IT!!! We just finished a gauntlet leaf toss instead of birdseed, bubbles, etc. and I can’t wait to see pictures of it from Noble Images!Our Dance floor rented from Miller’s Party Rental began separating before dinner and was torn apart by our guests by @ 7:30 pm before dinner was over! Miller's Party Rental did go out of there way to take care of us and refund the money so I am over it!!! The Signature mat, guest book and basket of ready-to-mail CD’s for our guests to take with and burn us a copy of digital photos they took at the wedding! All the guests had to do was drop them back in the mail (alternative vs. having cameras on each table)Our corner table with a photo album of Michael and I through the dating years (1998-2006 to be exact) surrounded by votives for each person who were with us in spirit that day. The double votives were awesome since we added a creative and touching spin to the candle memorial by filling each with an item that reminded us of that person who had passed (stamps for my grandma, nuts/bolts for my grandpa, feathers/turquoise beads for his grandfather’s Native American heritage, sand/seashells for VA Beach relatives, etc) – it meant a lot to those family closest to those who had passed. A picture of our wedding cake - not exactly what we wanted but loved our cake topper we ordered from http://www.weddingcuts.com - Since my new last name is WISH, it was fitting to have a custom cut topper made for it! They do any custom word for a little extra – nice spin on the Monogram Cake Topper! Back To TopInvitationsMy sister Jennifer (interior designer) is extremely talented with invitations, programs, baby announcements etc. and is beginning a side business of creating personalized invitations and announcements. She has done so many things for friends and family but now it is time to spread her talent to others! If anyone is interested in pricing or invitation/announcement designs, contact Jennifer at metzcrawford@hotmail.com (Out of Columbus, OH, but can work with anyone via phone, email etc). On top of doing my Graduation announcements, she did all of the details for my wedding, from start to finish!Save the date card made from a photograph of the Castle and text style used on advertising used at the castle! LOVED THESE!!!! Shower invitation with Paisley leaves background and overlay. She makes great maps too!!! Invitation was a hand-made invitation consisting of metallic orange cardstock with brown ribbon that matched to brown text card with design in the background! We got tons of compliments on the look of these invitations! The rest of the inserts in the invitation are as follows: Map, response postcard, and Information card with hotel info and a wedding day celebration schedule (since everything was in one place, I wanted to let guest know that there was a cocktail hour they could enter immediately while we took pictures!)The simple program that continued the use of the same design and text as the invitations! Everything tied nicely together and I loved them!Back To TopUpdo TrialFront shot!Side shot! The back was just a big bundle of tease!!The veil stayed secure in the big tease bundle and not a Bobbie pin was needed on the big day!Back To TopPlanning BioMichael and I have been together since my Senior year of High School, and after 6 long years of college we finally get to concentrate on US! Here's a few quick pics as I begin learning all this KNOT Bio stuff and start planning our wedding for October 14th, 2006!Michael and I in Punta Cana, DR where we got engaged!Another pic of Michael and I in January 05!Yet another one at my BF's wedding! We both had curls this day! My sisters Jen and Marcy - the best sisters in the world!Michael's sis Amy with the two of us in Williamsburg, VAMy BF Stacie and I at her Bachelorette Party! Emilie and Michael at BW graduation in May 2005My parents - Linda and KenMichael's parents - Josie and DennisMy dog Inky - She Rocks!Towel Cakes - I make them for all of my friends' showers!We are booked for October 14th, 2006 at Landoll’s Mohican Castle!! WOOHOO!!!Here is a dark pic (SORRY!!) of the inside of the 250+person hall!!! Beautiful!This is the outdoor wedding patio that we will be getting married! Thanks to my goofy parents, it made the pic just that much better!Here are the 2’ tall hurricanes that I will be using as centerpieces….a steal from Sam’s Club. I will not be using the candles in the hurricanes….think twigs, berries, etc. Back To Top