Danielle and Michael, February 21, 2009

Danielle leads by example! She is a fellow wedding planner who owns the company Soiree in Cincinnati. She and I spoke late in 2008 and she said to me, "Kathy, I need a wedding planner." At first, I was like, "Danielle, you're a planner?!?" She's said, "I am no different than any other bride, I need someone to help me tie down the details the weeks prior and make sure that everything goes smoothly on the wedding day. I'm a total hypocrite if I don't. I'm setting an example for my clients." She actually let go and let us handle the details so she could enjoy the wedding day. This is an example of how well the wedding planners in the Association of Bridal Consultants in our market get along so well and act as co-opitition instead of as vicious competitors.



We also helped Danielle pull off a surprise performance for her new husband, Michael, from their favorite performing artist. The two spent their honeymoon at the Willis Graves in Burlington, KY. Congratulations Danielle and Michael!! Thanks for choosing us to help you on your special day!

The testimonials below were pulled from Danielle's website. The video footage is compliments of Studio Z Films and the amazing Steve Zugelter and photos by Tine Hoffman. (My added comments are in parentheses).

Ceremony Location: Norman Chapel at Spring Grove Cemetery (Gorgeous!)
Reception Location: Private Recording Studio (Very contemporary and unique venue for a cocktail reception.)

Videographer: Glass Eye Video Steve Zugelter simply mystifies me with his many cameras and knack for being able to literally shoot everything at once. I have never seen a video of his that didn't leave me holding my breath and mine is no exception.

Wedding Coordinator: Your Dream Day
I tell brides all the time that they just cannot do this by themselves and I am no exception to that rule. Kathy and the Dream Girls were there from 9am till midnight taking care of every little detail from setting the room to making sure Michael didn't find out that I hired our favorite band to play a surprise private concert at the reception. There is absolutely no way I could've gotten through the day without them.

Ceremony Musicians: Ashley Peacock, Marjie Long, Alison Haynes
This is one area that I was so so glad to have the inside scoop on. I have been to so many weddings where the vocalists were painful or awkward and I knew I certainly didn't have to worry about that. Ash and Marjie sounded like absolute angels and were backed up on the piano by Alison Haynes, who I swear belongs on Broadway. (She gives private lessons by the way so check her out.)

Catering: Cincy Art of Entertaining
I cannot say enough amazing things about Julie and Chef Jacob. Amazing vision, fantastic staff, and they found a way to give our food some Indian Infusion without compromising the style of the event. (Dreamgirls thought they were amazing and easy to work with behind the scenes!)

Linens and Rentals: Finch Rental
This could be my new favorite rental company. Visiting was such a pleasant atmosphere and the owner, Russ Finch, was there to answer any questions I had. He was incredibly accommodating when I needed particular set-up and pick-up times. When he couldn't make the pick-up time I needed work out, he made a special trip from Dayton to do the pick-up himself. Huge thank-you to you, Russ!

Florist: Timothy's
I love this guy. I changed my flower order about 16 times and he stayed tracking with me the whole time. My bouquet was gorgeous and the way me got the feathers to look in the Bridesmaids bouquet was like magic.

Cake: Tres Belle Cakes
My favorite Cincinnati baker by far. Tracy makes amazing cakes and you get her awesomeness at no extra charge. ($2.50 a slice to be precise! She's amazing!)

Hair and Make-up: Hair and Body Works of Hyde Park
I stuck with my personal salon for hair and make-up and am so happy that I did. Debrah did an incredible job with my challenging veil. This place is an oasis of peace and beauty. Stop in for a new hairdo from Debrah or a life-changing facial from Benny.

Photo Booth: Say Cheese Photo Booth
Not only are these booths great fun but the operators are a blast to work with as well. It was so great to come back from our honeymoon and have a scrapbook full of photo booth pictures to look at. Frank had a flash drive with digital files of all the pictures in the mail to me within days of the wedding. This is must-have fun! (We love these guys! They are a great addition to any wedding and very professional to deal with.)

Photographer: TM Photography
Tine is, in my opinion, the very best photographer in Cincinnati. She knows how to shoot a woman and make her look like a rock star. Whether it is for wedding pictures, trash the dress sessions, or boudoir photos, she is absolutely the most creative and talented photographer I have ever worked with. Plus, her accent is fantastic.

Custom Jewelry and Veil: Meg Jewelry
This woman is just too many things. She is my friend and jewelry goddess. Every piece that Meg delivers is made with the purest soul and most positive energy. She designs magnificent pieces, intended to look as well when worn alone as when worn with a wedding dress. Please, please do yourself a favor and check out her phenomenal work. She made both my necklace and hairpiece/veil. (I loved her veil! It was one of my favorite things about the day!)

Invitations: Momental Designs
Our invitations were custom designed by Kristy Rice of Momental Designs. All of her invitations contain original artwork by Kristy.

Say Cheese Photo Booth

This is a video I shot when I was at the Wedding Mafia Bachelorette Party last week. Frank Calahan, the owner of Say Cheese Photo Booth, demonstrates how the video booth works. I've had several clients use the photo booth this year at their wedding reception and it's really cool. Not only will your guests have a fun favor, but a copy of each photo is saved for you in a scrapbook. Highly recommend! Enjoy the video and check out Say Cheese.

Catholic Wedding at St. Susanna's and Manor House Reception in Mason, Ohio

Bobby and Tiffany were one of the best couples ever! Tiffany became more than just a client, but a friend. I saw so much of myself in her. We are both Xavier grads (go muskies!), both have type A personalities, and just had a ball planning this wedding with her mom.

The couple incorporated some really neat things into their wedding to truly make it their own. For example, Tiffany works at the Cincinnati Zoo, so greeting guests at the wedding reception at Manor House were real live animals from the Zoo! Tiffany also made custom table numbers which had photos of the two of them at each age (example, table 5 had photos of them at age 5). Tiffany's mom also made custom antique door knob table holders for the table numbers. Her florist also incorporated jeweled butterflies into each of the centerpieces, serving as a memory to those who couldn't be there to celebrate the day. Their guests were entertained by a photo booth -- one copy of the photo went to the guests and one went into a guest book for the bride and groom. During the ceremony, Tiffany's son, Conner, was presented with a Unity Pendant to symbolize that he too was becoming part of the new marriage union.

To view a trailer video from the wedding here, click here

My funniest story of the day? When Tiffany and Bobby celebrated their first moment outside at her mother's estate, her son and the flower girl decided to wrestle with a 100 pound dog. The dog didn't like that too much and the little girl's flower dress ripped at the waist and the ring bearer got a cut that was bleeding (and mixing with his tears) all down his face! Needless to say, we got everything fixed before the bride got back and she didn't know until later that day.

Making the day possible were Images by Daniel Michael Photography, Forever Wedding Video, Manor House, Savannah Nite, Patricias Weddings and Custom Cakes, Say Cheese Photo Booths, Party Pleasers (DJ and Lighting), Fassler Florist, The Scarlet Envelope and Jags for the rehearsal dinner.

And the future for this adorable couple? A baby girl, expected this fall. Congrats!