#TheBuffsWed- Our Vendors

Today marks one month since our wedding. In some ways, it feels like it was just yesterday. We're fully enjoying being "newlyweds," and it still feels odd to use my new name. In other ways, it feels as though the wedding was for-ev-er ago. I think having the holidays immediately after the wedding is throwing me off. As I reflect back on the wedding today, I just wanted to share a post that highlights our fabulous vendors that helped make that day so special.

We held the ceremony and reception at Cibreo Privato. It is the special event space located in PlayhouseSquare, off of their main restaurant, Cibreo Italian Kitchen. The newly remodeled space used to be the 14th Street Theatre, so it has a fantastic sound system, small stage, lighting system, and a large separate bar area with a private entrance. The space has a warm Tuscan-themed atmosphere, and we had to do very little to the space to make it look and feel special for our wedding.

White linens are included in the room rental, but I decided to add a jute overlay and ivory lace runner. These, and the wicker chargers, were provided by Event Source. Their showroom is an event planner's dream! They have an overwhelming number of options, and a long list of rental equipment. I was lucky enough to work with my friend, Linley, over there, and the selection process was totally easy and fun!

The space, and the additional rentals, captured the rustic, romantic look that I was going for. Under the leadership of GM Greg K. at Cibreo (who was amazing to work with during the planning and execution of our wedding), the staff made my dream wedding come to life in that room.

One item that I was unwilling to budge on was that I wanted to use succulents in my bouquet and centerpieces. I'm obsessed with the look of them, and I had to have them. I found Urban Orchid Floral Boutique through a recommendation on Twitter from a Cleveland fashion blogger that I trust. I was familiar with the business, and my meeting with Brandon, the owner, could not have gone smoother. What a sweetheart. He captured my vision immediately, and the arrangements looked even better than I could have imagined on the day of our wedding.

We rented the birch centerpiece holders, and they just added to the rustic touches that I had. I also love peonies, and found some new favorites in the yellow billy balls.

Lastly, this is a food blog, so of course, I have to talk about the food. Ahh, the food! Cibreo is one of the Driftwood Restaurant Group restaurants (others include Hodge's, Washington Place Bistro, Bin 216, etc.). They also have Driftwood Catering.

We wanted to provide passed hors-d'oeuvres during the Cocktail Hour. We actually did the cocktail hour first, before the ceremony, so that our guests could arrive and immediately start enjoying themselves. We had two signature cocktails: The Marshall and The Homer. They were custom crafted by the bar staff at Cibreo, and both were delicious! Cocktail hour food included lobster bisque shooters, pork dumplings, and tuna poppers and hanky pankies that can both be found on the Hodge's restaurant menu.

The reception was a plated dinner, with a delicious salad and the option to choose between three entrees.

Seared Scallops with a Corn and Asparagus Risotto

Braised Short Ribs

and Hodge's famous French Onion Ravioli (not pictured). It was hands-down the best wedding food that I've ever had. Exactly what I wanted.

I already showed you our two cakes from A Cookie and A Cupcake. We're still dreaming about that Salted Caramel cake. The two designs were expertly done, and were certainly memorable.

All of the images included above were captured by Peak Moments. David and Dale were such a pleasure to work with, from start to finish. They captured some amazing shots during our engagement shoot and the full day of our wedding. The images are something that we'll treasure forever, and I can't thank them enough for making the experience so relaxed and comfortable. We both weren't sure how we'd feel being in front of the camera.

Every single one of our vendors exceeded my (high) expectations. With the exception of our DJ. We used Marino Brothers. They came highly recommended, and we've attended several weddings where they provided the entertainment. Working with the owner, Dave, was a pleasure, but the Lead DJ was rude and pushy from the first time that I spoke with him all the way through our wedding night. We also did not receive all of the contracted services, and had to be saved by Cibreo for some background music at times. I was furious, and had hoped to resolve the issues with Dave after the wedding. After a couple of phone tag calls later, I gave up. He didn't seem interested in hearing my opinion on what happened or resolving the problem. Very disappointing, and they are the only vendor that we used that I would never recommend to another bride.

It was fun to reflect back on the day, as we hit our one-month mark. I hope that this is helpful information for any Cleveland bride planning a wedding. From start to finish, each of these vendors was a pleasure to work with, and were competitively priced for the quality we received. The day was almost flawless, and it was everything that I could have hoped for. I had the best three days of my life, surrounded by family and friends and making a memory that will last a lifetime.