Vendor Reviews - Top 4

Let me start off by saying that everyone who worked on our wedding was fabulous. I would recommend them wholeheartedly. Even so, there are 4 vendors we worked with whose feet I would bow down to kiss. They went above and beyond and gave us way more than expected. They were our photographer, day-of coordinator, caterer and DJ.

Photographer - David Wittig Photography

Dave and Nancy are unbelievable. Not only do they produce insane photographs, they are two very cool and fun people to hang out with for 11 hours. They are extremely professional and reliable and work their butts off for you. And if you mention you're feeling hot and sweaty and kind of gross on your wedding day while taking photos outside, they will keep telling you how beautiful you look, which is always a plus. They were the first people we hired for the wedding and hands down the best decision we made. I could gush on and on, but I'll let their photos do the talking during my upcoming recaps. Thank you, Dave and Nancy.

Day-of Coordinator - Lauren Carter at LOLA

You may have picked up on the fact that I'm a Type A personality. I have a hard time relinquishing control. I kept trying to do Lauren's job in the weeks leading up to our wedding. I'm pretty sure I annoyed her. But by Thursday when Lauren came by our apartment to pick up the ceremony and reception supplies and give us a final timeline, I was more than willing for her to take over everything. And did she ever. (She even pretended like I hadn't been annoying over the previous weeks.) Lauren and her assistant, Kathleen, coordinated photo locations, transferred beer and food from trolley to trolley, got 200 guests onto 5 trolleys after the ceremony, made sure CDs were playing in trolleys, bustled my dress, orchestrated the flow of the entire reception, brought all our stuff from the reception back to our hotel and so much more. Oh, and she let me borrow her blush 10 minutes before our ceremony started.

Almost as important as what she did was her personality and how she did it. She was hardworking and effective, but not crazy. The wedding party loved Lauren. Ellen nicknamed her LC and Cousin Kristin gave her the ultimate compliment: "I want to shrink her down and carry her around in my pocket." Thank you, Lauren and Kathleen.

Caterer - Brian Kiefer at Food for Thought

Ed and I shopped around for caterers for awhile. Even with a DOC and a general timeline, it's really the caterer that runs the show. You count on them to make sure people are getting enough to drink and that dinner is served efficiently. They set the tone and flow for the night. We weren't as much concerned with the quality of the food as the management of the event. We left our first meeting with Brian thinking that not only is he a great guy, but we have 100% confidence in his ability to handle our wedding. We hired FFT and were never disappointed. From the countless emails and phone calls he responded to, to the wonderful tasting he provided for us and our parents to finding Ed and me at the beginning of cocktail hour and bringing us drinks, he was always on top of things.

And the food? It was delicious and beautifully presented, if I do say so myself. I can't tell a lie - we went into this process with low expectations. It's catered food for 200+ people - how good can it really be? Based on the number of compliments we've received (especially from people who don't normally comment on stuff like this), FFT knocked it out of the park.

p.s. - Brian is from Indiana, is a great dresser and knows what buckeyes are. All those things have no bearing on how he did his job, but they made me like him even more. Thank you, Brian.

DJ - Tyler Huffman at Cage & Aquarium

You won't find a nicer guy than Tyler. Or a guy/company more committed to making sure you have the best wedding possible. One thing I noticed in my DJ search was that it is tough to find musically inclined, non-cheesy people who are also business-minded and dependable. During our meetings and emails, Tyler was always organized, on top of our details and made us feel as if we were the only event he was working on. He listened to our ideas for cocktail, dinner and dancing songs, but also lent his professional advice. The enthusiasm he expressed about our music made us all the more excited.

The music rocked the night of our wedding. It satisfied the entire spectrum - had the music snobs impressed and the dance floor packed for hours. And when I pitifully begged him to play a 3rd "last" song, he obliged and gave Ed and I one of our best memories of the entire night. Thank you, Tyler.

Final thoughts: If you are planning a wedding and can hire any or all of these vendors, DO IT. You will not be sorry.