Carla + Jeff – St. Gabriel Church & Tall Oaks Event Complex

Carla “The Bride”- We had a spectacular experience from start to finish, even on a day with less than perfect weather. Choosing vendors who you trust, who match your energy, and who are professional truly makes the wedding day smooth and enjoyable for everyone.

It is so important to have the perfect wedding day outfits – those photos last forever! Maestro Tailoring hooked the groom Jeff up with a stylish suit, and Galleria Gowns helped me (the bride) find a dress that was just her style. We loved working with both of these vendors and formed great relationships with the staff during all of our tailoring visits. They feel like family to us now!

Our wedding “weekend” (Thursday) got off to a great start with a fun rehearsal dinner at Red, Wine, and Brew in Mentor. Their Loft event space offered plenty of room for our guests and the food was wonderful. It was important to us that we socialized with our closest family and friends at the rehearsal, knowing that the wedding day with 225 guests would be a lot more chaotic. 

We loved our reception venue, Tall Oaks Event Complex in Kirtland, and we were the first wedding ever to utilize their Cottage Inn and getting ready space. It was so convenient to stay in the beautiful bridal suite and wake up on-site the next day. Their giant lounge and kitchen area, and salon-style space, offered natural lighting and plenty of space for our breakfast buffet. They really pulled out all of the stops when they designed the Inn! Kay the Hair Doctor worked efficiently and was so professional to get all of our girls photo-ready for the day. Her hair and makeup team were on time, so kind, and knocked it out of the park with our wedding day looks. Merkel’s Floral delivered the most beautiful and impressive flowers to us – Kristin could not have been easier to work with and she perfectly captured our vision for a colorful, bold, and sophisticated look. As I am someone who knows very little about flowers, Kristin really took my vague description and made it something special.

A-1 Mr. Limo transported us to the ceremony – they were professional, courteous, and friendly. We didn’t have a very long ride to

St. Gabriel Church, which was a wonderful location to host our ceremony. We specifically picked a date just after Easter, as the church was decorated beautifully with colorful hydrangeas at that time. Their warm staff, music professionals, and gorgeous stained glass really elevated the experience for our Amalfi-Coast-inspired day. They even let us bring our own pizza to serve after the ceremony for any guests who wanted a snack!

Buckeye Classic Limo provided our getaway ride to our venue following the ceremony. We loved the footage and photos of us pulling away in our 1931 Model A. Thanks to some family friends, our whole bridal party had vintage cars to transport them as well and the mini-parade we had was so memorable. This was definitely a highlight for us because as a couple, it gave us a bit of time to spend together without the pressure of greeting guests, posing for photos, or worrying about what was next. Highly recommend a getaway car for the bride and groom only to get a breather!

 Thank goodness our venue offered so many beautiful indoor and covered spaces (in addition to the stunning grounds outside), as a bit of rain made for a muddy event.  The food catered by Tall Oaks was incredible and their kind and helpful staff was really a game-changer for us and our guests. Taylor was amazing and so down to earth during our planning process too. Their balcony and grand staircase made us feel like celebrities during our introductions. After our first dance and cake cutting (thanks to Confectionary Cupboard), our DJs, Madison Avenue Productions, got the party started and we had a blast dancing all night. From our traditional Italian family dances to Hang on Sloopy, we barely left the dance floor.

We had a few constants throughout our day:
our photographer, Dilshad Yogi-Smith; her fresh and light style captured our colorful day in the best way. She took amazing and artistic detail shots and was the absolute sweetest person to work with! We loved her husband Ethan too, who was her second shooter.
Our videographers, John and Adel; they were so easygoing and fun to be around, but not at all invasive or too in-your-face with the cameras. The video shots showcased our day perfectly, and their drone footage and more creative shots really blew us away! We also really appreciate that they were able to accommodate us since we were a last-minute request. One of our best decisions! 
Our month-of-coordinator, Emily of Em & Me Event co.; Emily met with me several times in the months leading up to the wedding and took care of everything the month before, which was important as we were out of town for work for most of that month. She made the day run smoothly, from tying the bridal sneakers to distributing tips to vendors, to getting us down the aisle on time. Emily is worth every penny, and then some.

Our family members and bridal party all commented how the day was so enjoyable and easy, thanks to our dream team of professional vendors. After months and months of planning, the wedding came and went; only a few things remain our photos, our videos, and our love. We are so grateful to everyone who made our special day possible! 

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