Our wedding recap: Thorough planning paid off for our beautiful, special day

Aug 01, 2023

My now-husband and I were married in late July, so I figured it's only right to put together a wrap-up column detailing our big day.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Well, we did it. We’re married. So... what now?

Just kidding. My now-husband Tom and I have plenty of items to check off our to-do list now that we’re wed and home from our honeymoon.

We were married on a beautiful Saturday evening in late July. The weather could not have been better – sunny skies, not too hot or too humid. Just splendid.

For this final wedding column from me, I think it’s only right to tell you about our wedding day and frame it within the context of our vendors. Luckily, most of what I have to say is very positive.

Writing this column has been a lot of fun, and I hope those who have read it have learned something, or at least got some entertainment from my hectic planning process. I wouldn’t call wedding planning fun, and I probably wouldn’t do it again, so it’s a good thing I don’t plan on it. Thanks for reading.

I have put a link to the vendors’ contact information at the end of each section.

I cannot say enough about how nice Glidden House is as a wedding venue.

If you’re not familiar with Glidden House, it is in University Circle, across the street from the Case Western Reserve University Law School. It is on the National Registry of Historic Places, as it was the first home to Francis K. Glidden, the son of the founder and president of Glidden Paint Co. The original mansion space was expanded, and in the 1980s it became a boutique hotel and event space.

Glidden’s event coordinator, Jennifer, was a wizard with her detailed notes about the specifics of our wedding day. It’s no surprise, though, as Glidden does so many weddings each year; they are a well-oiled machine, and it showed on our big day.

The setting for our outdoor ceremony was stunning, and the ability for our guests to flow between the gorgeous ballroom – our reception space – and the outdoor patio was a game-changer. We had plenty of folks on the dance floor inside, but the patio was a hit throughout the night if you needed a breath of fresh air (and maybe a cocktail or two).

Learn more about Glidden House here.

Tom and I found Tim while searching wedding websites like The Knot and WeddingWire. We were drawn to him because we were intrigued by the fact that he writes each of his ceremonies from scratch. Other officiants we found or interviewed often worked off templates, and we liked the idea that our ceremony would be specific to us. He asked us to complete an extensive questionnaire so he could get to know us better and help shape the script, so to speak.

RELATED: Compromises big and small: the highs and lows of planning a wedding ceremony

We met Tim in person the day before our wedding at the rehearsal, and he quickly made me feel at ease. Tim was the perfect combination of serious, sentimental and funny. He also kept the ceremony short and sweet; I didn’t have a watch (obviously), but I had folks tell us it wasn’t longer than 20 minutes.

I had several family members ask how long Tom and I had been friends with Tim before asking him to do our wedding – that’s how great the ceremony went.

Learn more about Tim and his services here.

I remember writing one of my very first planning columns about how I found my dress. Take a look if you need a refresher.

I did not look at my wedding dress – kept in a garment bag at my mother’s house – for about nine months before I took it to a seamstress for the first alterations consultation. I found my seamstress, Christina, through a Google search. She’s a Kent State graduate whose appointment-only studio is in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood.

Luckily, the dress still fit! Unluckily, Christina took a close look and found that the zipper issue I knew about when purchasing the dress wasn’t exactly a simple fix; we needed to completely replace the zipper.

No fear, though. She replaced and extended the zipper, hemmed the bottom of my dress and moved some of the back details so the dress would be easier to slip into and more comfortable on my wedding day.

I felt beautiful on my wedding day, and still feel strongly that my dress couldn’t be more perfect for me. I am grateful to Tanya at Gilded Social for helping me find my dream dress, and to Christina for altering my wedding dress and my mother’s mother-of-the-bride dress perfectly and for a fair price.

Related to wedding day attire: I wore Keds tennis shoes and earrings from Nordstrom on the big day. I also wore a bracelet and carried a handkerchief that belonged to my grandmother. My husband purchased his custom suit through Indochino, a national made-to-order men’s formalwear chain that has a store at Pinecrest in Orange Village.

Find more information on Gilded Social here, and on Christina Catherine’s offerings here.

It is hard to choose a favorite piece of our wedding day, but our flowers are certainly high on the list. I chose to go with Segelin’s Florist after my mother suggested the shop. She used Segelin’s for her flowers when she married my father. The shop ownership has since changed hands, but the work was still flawless.

I don’t have the words to describe just how impeccably our florist, Jeremy, executed my vision after only meeting in person a couple of times before the wedding day. I was in awe. My bouquet was bright, colorful and full of different textures and blooms. The centerpieces and all the other flowers complemented each other impeccably.

We received so many compliments on our summer color palette. I am so glad I chose to buck the norm (a bit) and go with the fun flowers.

Find more information about Segelin’s here.

When Tom and I hired Rock the House for our wedding entertainment, we knew they’d be the right fit, and they did not disappoint. Our point of contact along the planning journey was on top of things, reminding us of payments and to fill out all the necessary forms, like wedding party names and must-play songs, before we hit a hard deadline.

Our MC and DJ were class acts; no mispronounced names, and they helped run the ship smoothly between dances, speeches, cake cutting and special dances – yes, lots of polka.

But arguably the best decision we made when it came to our wedding entertainment was to splurge and pay for the 360-degree camera photo booth. Tom and I saw one at a party soon after getting engaged and knew we had to have one for the wedding. It was money well spent; so many of our guests took fun, quick videos at the booth, and we got access to all of them. Seeing so many smiles at our wedding was totally heartwarming.

Learn more about Rock the House’s services here.

You may recall the column where I wrote about our catering selection. No regrets there.

Related: Previous coverage: Reliable and experienced: How and why we chose our wedding caterer

We chose Marigold Catering from the list of four caterers with whom the Glidden House works. Marigold was truly the reliable, well-oiled machine we expected, even though there were some staffing changes made about a month before our wedding.

Because we were taking photos during cocktail hour, Tom and I did not get to have our passed appetizers with the rest of our guests, but we had plates of them set at our sweetheart table when we entered the reception room.

Our dinner was as delicious as I remembered from our tasting back in the winter. My only complaint was that Tom and I did not get to have any of our desserts. We got busy (naturally), and the small bites were gone quickly. Our friends who did sample the sweet treats did say they were delicious, though, so that’s all that matters in the end.

Our photographers – a sister duo who are yes, both Geminis – were a dream to work with. Tom and I did not take engagement photos, so we did not meet them in person until about two weeks prior to our wedding. We immediately clicked.

What really stands out to me is that the sisters, Sandra and Nichole, were understanding and flexible when we were down to the wire, so to speak, regarding where we would be the morning and early afternoon of our wedding. They were willing to meet us and our families where we needed them, and it was fun to sit and chat while I got ready at Glidden House mid-afternoon.

There were times were I almost forgot they were there, and I mean that in a good way! Sandra and Nichole are professionals who did not push into touching moments with large lenses and flashbulbs. They captured our love, as well as the love and excitement of our guests, to perfection. I cannot wait to receive our full album of snapshots from our special day.

Learn more about Gemini Photography and their services here.

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