Always Eventful

Kate and Brian’s wedding at the Chagrin Valley Hunt Club was a true Family Gathering!  Every detail of the wedding day was planned with their family and friends in mind.  They wanted to treat their guests to an evening of wonderful food, great entertainment and lots of fun.  The weather could not have been more beautiful for the outdoor ceremony.

It was my immense pleasure to work with the wonderful staff at the Hunt Club.  They were professional and a lot of fun.  The chef was amazing and created a dining experience that no guest will soon forget.  He even treated all of the hard working vendors to his cuisine and we LOVED it!  The décor was designed by the uber talented Pieter Bouterse and his staff.  The farm tables and their settings were exactly what Kate had envisioned.  Thanks to Vincent lighting and Special Request for the wonderful lighting and entertainment.  The final touch on the evening was the late night ice cream truck that allowed the guests to get an extra special treat!

Enjoy the photo’s from the master photographers – Genevieve and James Nisly of Genevieve Nisly Photography, they are wonderful to work with and I love their pictures!

Set your DVR’s!  NBC’s hit show “SMASH” premiere’s tomorrow!  Starring  Jennifer Hudson, Katharine McPhee, Debra Messing, Megan Hilty, Angelica Huston and Jeremy Jordan, the groom in a wedding I helped produce in September!

Ashley Spencer, a native of Canton, Ohio, married Jeremy in a beautiful ceremony in Canton.  It was a super fun wedding to help plan as Ashley and Jeremy were both heavily involved and they are both such great people.  They are both extremely talented and I knew the day would be filled with lots of fun!

 Ashley has been on Broadway for many years and has starred in such shows as  “Grease”, “Hairspray”, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” and “Rock of Ages”!  Jeremy has also been a Broadway star for years, starring in “West Side Story”, “Bonnie & Clyde”, and most recently as the Tony Nominated star of “Newsies”!  He also made his film debut alongside Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah in “Joyful Noise”.  Jeremy left “Newsies” last August to concentrate on filming “SMASH”!

Ashley and Jeremy were married at St. John’s Catholic Church and the wedding really was a celebration of love for Ashley, Jeremy and their families!  The reception was held at Brookside Country Club and it started out with a red carpet cocktail party!  The red carpet greeted the guests and led them to a “step and repeat” (Broadway premiere backdrop) with the caricatures of the bride and groom!  All of the guests had their photo’s taken and then were presented with their “Playbill” of the evening’s activities!  On the walls of the cocktail hour… the actual Playbill’s from many of Jeremy and Ashley’s Broadway shows!

 The reception was a beautiful, elegant and FUN party!  Many of the guests were Broadway stars and the dance floor was packed and so fun to watch!  Ashley also had a “costume change”….assisted by her friends from Broadway (her makeup artist, hair stylist and Jeremy’s costume changer!). 

Ashley and Jeremy are so very talented and I am very excited to watch their careers in the future….starting with a little SMASH party tomorrow night! 

 Enjoy some pictures from their wedding day, taken by the amazingly talented Jared and Heather from Inlux Photography!  Other vendors for this wedding:  Jane Zitney (florist) of Elegant Weddings made EZ, Dan Sibila’s Vintage Cars, Lnique Linens, Event Source Rentals, Johnnies Bakery, David Palmer (Lighting)!

I first met Brandi back in the bitter winter of 2010!  I knew from the start that planning her wedding was going to be a great experience.  I knew from the beginning that it was going to be detailed and elegant.  I thought that it would entail a lot of details and parts, and I was absolutely right.    The wedding ceremony occured at the St. Johns Cathedral in Downtown Cleveland with the reception being held at the Old Courthouse on Lakeside.  Both are amazing….old world charm!

I have said over and over, this wedding had the A team.  So many great vendors collaborated to make this an evening that I know was enjoyed by everyone in attendance.  I loved getting to know Brandi and Michael, they are very kind, extremely funny and really just a joy to be around.  I worked a lot with them as well as their families in the creation of this wedding.  It truly was a team effort….including getting the bridal party out of the hotel and into the church during an absolute downpour (see photo below!)  I was drenched, but it wasn’t about me…..they were dry and that is all that mattered!

So back to the “A Team!”:  The food was amazing and the service staff was top notch.  Peggy Hauser with BonAppetit was absolutely fantastic to work with.  The guests dined on an Amuse- Bouche of Corn Creme Brulee, an artistic salad and the entree was Surf and Turf! 

The amazing decor was designed by Stephen Tokar.  Until this wedding, I have not had the opportunity to work with Stephen and I am simply amazed!  Not only is he a great designer, patient and kind….but he is also truly fun to be around!  I am so glad that we had the opportunity to become friends through this wedding!

Jim Lottig from Event Source was also a big help in the planning of this wedding.  Countless hours went into the rental selections and many of the items we chose were purchased just for this wedding, including the china and glassware. 

The rest of the A Team:  Jerry Bruno Orchestra was the fantastic entertainment for the evening, along with a Frank Sinatra impersonator (Michael Sonata) that had the guests saying, “what, it sounds just like him, WOW!”  Maria at SoBella assisted in the design of all of the paper products and they were over the top beautiful.   Lighting was provided by David Palmer of Network Sound in Aurora, Ohio.   The beautiful and delicious cake was from Phyliss Lester Designs, and the late night chocolate treats (Gran Marnier, keylime, banana foster treats!) were made by Creme de la Creme in Akron, Ohio.   And our transportation was provided by A1 Mr. Limo, always a pleasure to work with! 

I cannot wait to see the video that will be produced by my friends, Brian and Suzi Morris of 2nd Mile Productions.  They are such a pleasure to work with and I adore their work.  And of course, last, but definately not least, our photograhy was provided by James and Genevieve Nisly of Genevieve Nisly Photography.  You can see many of their photo’s of this wedding at:  http://genevievenislyblog.com/2011/05/16/michael-and-brandis-elegant-wedding-at-st-johns-cathedral-and-old-courthouse/    The pictures are just simply outstanding and here are a few more to enjoy!

What a fun wedding Bobby and Angela threw for their family and friends!  I met this sweet couple almost a year ago and from day one, I knew that we would end up as friends!  Bobby and Angela have so much respect for one another and the love that they share is evident as soon as you meet them.  The wedding that we planned centered around family and tradition….and great food! 

The ceremony occured at St. Marons in Downtown Cleveland and the reception was held at Casa di Borally’s.  I have to say, Bobby told me for months that the food was amazing…..and he was right.   The pasta tasted just like my Great Grandma Jennie’s with the shredded Romano cheese….Mmmmm! 

Thank you to Bobby and Angela’s families for making me “part of the family” for a night.  Bobby’s mother kept saying, “now I know why Bobby and Angela love you so much…!”  I’m so happy the day was everything they hoped it to be!

I do not take pictures at my weddings but I was able to snag a few shots from relatives to post on the blog.  As soon as I have the professional photo’s, I will post again! 

Bobby’s Uncle owns Sweetheart USA and they made the cake!  It tasted great and it looked fantastic! 

The first wedding of the season, and what a wedding!  I had the pleasure of helping to coordinate the wedding for Renee and Chad this past weekend.  What a beautiful, loving, committed couple and a joyful family. 

The wedding ceremony happened at the stunning Hartville Mennonite Church and the reception was at Greystone Hall in Akron.  Greystone has recently been taken over by the John S. Knight Center in Akron and the staff there did a fantastic job.  The minister for the wedding was a family friend of the couple and ironically was the brother of a good friend of mine – what a thoughtful and heartwarming ceremony!

This wedding was special for me from day one, as Renee is the sister of one of my favorite wedding professionals, James Nisly.  James and his lovely wife, Genevieve, are phenomenal photographers in Northeast Ohio – Genevieve Nisly Photography.  There was a bit of pressure to make sure this wedding was executed perfectly, but not nearly as much pressure for me, as for the photographers associated with this one!  James and Genevieve wanted to enjoy the wedding day, so they trusted the photography to Tom Forrest and the Inlux Photo Team of Jarred and Heather.  It was like Paparazzi at times…to watch these 3 photographers work was exciting.  They caught every angle and were just all around wonderful people to share the day with.  What an energetic and exciting wedding to be a part of.  And the photo’s….there was NO need for me to have a camera, so you will have to travel to see some amazing photo’s of this wedding!  Enjoy Tom’s Blog and Inlux’s Blog….fantastic work!

Renee and Chad – thank you for trusting me with your day.  I hope that you enjoyed every second of it.  You truly were a beautiful Bride and Groom and I wish you nothing but happiness!