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!

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 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!

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!

The wedding took place at the Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake.  It was a great place to have a wedding as many of our family members were able to stay for the weekend! 

She was surrounded by some of my favorite wedding professionals.  It was very difficult for me to help her choose her vendors as I work with so many wonderful photographers, florists, videographers, bands…etc!  I was able to provide her with people to look at and allow her to make her decisions! 

One of my newest favorite wedding professionals is Laura Woofter from Paper Allure in Canton, Ohio!  She is something else!  What a talented lady.  She helped Laura and I design all of the paper products – from the beautiful Dupioni Black silk invitations to the blinged out placesetting chart.  Lots of pictures of these gems below!  She is amazing!

The Decor for the day was designed by the one and only, Neil Leeson!  Neil is about as talented as they come and more so, one of my very good friends!  He can pull ideas out of anyone’s head and that is what he did with Laura – he helped her create the day from start to finish!  We of course had lighting from Dean at Event Lighting and beautiful linens from L’nique Linens and chair covers from Sitting Pretty Linens!  The Beautiful Chargers Plates and cake plateau was from one of my favorite rental companies – Elegance by ELM….Thanks Eileen, Leslie and Magita!  And what a band….we had Redline, a Jerry Bruno Productions band, and they were phenomenal.  And one of the best things about Redline was they were not “too loud”….so many people commented on how they could still talk! 

The Bridesmaids dresses and my mom’s dresses were purchased at Abbott’s Bridal in North Canton, Ohio.  What great service we received from Barb and her staff.  Classy place, great selection….even worth a few extra dollars because there was not a worry to be had as there may have been at other locations!

The ceremony was my favorite part of the day!  I truly believe that the wedding is the most important part of the day and I wanted to help Laura create a ceremony to remember.  The music was awesome!  We had Mark and Kathleen Lyda as our organist and solist.  They are the music directors at St. Francis Assisi Parish in Mayfield Heights and they are so talented…seriously, we have nicknamed him “Josh Groban!”  We also had the Regis Bookshar Trumpet Ensemble, of Special Productions – nothing like Trumpet Voluntary with a fanfare.  And we ended the ceremony with a bagpiper, Donald Willis.   Laura had our Neice and Nephew do the Prayers of the Faithful – as you can see from the pictures below…this bored my neice Maggie to pieces! 

Since I was the Matron of Honor at the wedding….and I was also trying to make sure all the details were tended to….I decided I absolutely needed to call for reinforcement!  I am the type of coordinator that is not afraid of competition…there are plenty of weddings to go around.  And so I have thrilled to have become friends with with Brandi at All Events Planned!  She is bubbly, outgoing, detailed and just plain “good!”  I felt so relaxed on the wedding day, knowing that the details were in the hands of Brandi and my “normal” wedding assistant Laura Palmer!  Thanks ladies for taking this detailed day and crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s!

One of my favorite “wedding people” is Brian and Suzy Morris with 2nd Mile Productions.  They were our videographers for the day and they are so great!  They surprised Laura and Dean with a Same Day Edit that only they can put together!  Enjoy:

http://www.2ndmileproductions.com/blog

So would you like to see a few pictures?!?!  We had one of my favorite photographers with us all day.  Jonathan Koslen from New Image Photography.  He has more energy than I do…and for those that know me, that sometimes is hard to beat!  Below are some photo’s from the day from Jonathan , an absolute great guy: 

The wedding day started with a private, intimate wedding ceremony in Boardman, Ohio.  The quaint “little church” was straight out of a magazine.  It reminded me of the church in Little House on the Prarie – one of my older sisters favorite shows growing up. 

Davene’s daughter, Sydney, is 7 years old now and she brought the entire church to tears as she placed her hand on her mommy’s hands during the final prayer.  Her big smile throughout the ceremony was perfect!

After the ceremony, the bride and groom had a laid back afternoon of visiting with friend and lots of pictures.  Having a very early ceremony allowed for an afternoon of creative photographs.  Genevieve and James Nisly were the photographers for Davene and Andrew and they are truly one of the very best!  They are creative, laid back, and just fantastic photographers.  All of the photo’s in today’s blog are photo’s from Genevieve Nisly Photography! 

Later in the day, guests gathered at Glenmoor Country Club for an upbeat, exciting wedding reception.  Glenmoor’s staff was fantastic, as usual.  The UpEnsemble Trio entertained guests during a cocktail reception.  Later in the evening, Bill Bowens with Jerry Bruno Entertainment took over the DJ position. 

The decor for the evening was sophisticated, modern and very much the vision that the Bride and Groom carried throughout the planning stages.  Flowers were designed by Neil Leeson and he is so creative and one of my absolute favorite people!  The centerpiece of the room was an exagerrated vase of calla lillies – so large that it could not even fit under one of the chandeliers as it was originally planned. 

One of my favorite components that was chosen is the mirrored cake table.  The cake was placed on top of a 60″ round mirror – what a photo it made! 

I wish Davene and Andrew all the happiness in the world – and Sydney…you were the hit of the day!

Enjoy the pictures – and if you would like to see more – visit Genevieve Nisly Photography’s Blog!

A very happy flowergirl!

The Sweetest Little Church

My favorite photo!

Showing Davene the room for the first time - best part of the day for me!

What a treat to help friends plan the day of their dreams!  A little Background:  I first met Bob years ago when he was my husband’s boss.  Bob lived in New Jersey and would travel here frequently for work.  About 3 years ago, he moved to Canton, Ohio and although my husband had moved on to another company by then, we remained in touch.  Bob had a girlfriend, who also lived in New Jersey…Diana!  Diana is a bundle of energy and a wealth of knowledge.  We became fast friends!  Diana moved to Canton and the wedding planning began!

Bob and Diana wanted a small, intimate wedding for their IMMEDIATE Family only!  So that is exactly what they got!  The guestlist consisted of their children and dates, and a few very close family members – 15 people in all!  We planned an intimate wedding ceremony in their living room, followed by a wine tasting cocktail hour. 

The guests then moved into a completely transformed family room for a six course meal prepared by Chef Joe Pileggi.  On the menu was a shrimp Amuse, a ravioli Appetizer, Insalata Caprese, Intermezzo Sorbet, chicken and filet entree, and of course wedding cake! 

After dinner, the party continued with a casino night! 

Everyone had a wonderful time and most importantly, Bob and Diana radiated with happiness! 

Because Bob and Diana were friends of mine, I offered to do some things that I normally don’t get my hands into – flower arrangement and photography!  I had a great time taking pictures for them…but I have a whole new respect for the photographers that I hire…that is pressure!  I think I captured some good shots though…here are a couple!