Meet Ava Rose Event Design!

photo by La Dolce Vita Wedding Photography

Colleen Sutton from Ava Rose Event Design recently shared some great information about her business. To check out more of her work, be sure to view her website.

How long have you been in business?
I have been in the events industry since 1999 on a full-time basis. From the Banquet Manager at the Greenbrier Inn in Boulder, Colorado to an Events Planner at the Lionsgate Center in Lafayette, Colorado. Then a big move to Indiana where I was the General Manager for Chateau Pomije Winery and Banquet Facility in Guilford, Indiana and then landed a wonderful position at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza as an Executive Catering Sales Manager. I left there to have my daughter in November of 2007 and began working with Dawn Dagenbach in her wedding business, Details by Dawn, as one of her assistants and then started Ava Rose Event Design in January of 2010. So to answer your question … about 11 years!

How many weddings do you do each year?
On my own as Ava Rose Event Design I would prefer to keep it on the smaller side and do about 5 weddings a year. I still assist Dawn in her business and with a toddler at home … I need to keep my priorities in check. GOD, FAMILY, BUSINESS. In that order.

Where are you located?
I live in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, which is about 23 miles from downtown Cincinnati. I am primarily working in the Tri-State area. However I am familiar with what it takes to put together an out of state event. I have assisted with 5 weddings while I have been located here in Indiana and the weddings were in NY, Colorado and Utah.

What sets you about from others in your industry?
I do have some knowledge and experience with Indian (Hindu & Muslim) Weddings. I have had the pleasure of assisting 5 Indian Brides create their special day. I love the culture and respect the process of putting together an elaborate event over the course of many days. It’s a wonderful experience to be a part of something that spectacular.
I also know that one of my strong points is that I have an ability to connect with my client on a level that gives them a peace of mind that everything will work out. I give them confidence in my ability to be a productive part of their team and to assist them in achieving the event that they have only just dreamed of and now can be a reality.

What is something new that you are excited to share?
My website … www.avaroseeventdesign.com

What are the advantages of using your services?
Keeping within or staying below your Wedding Budget! A top priority for me as your consultant is keeping you on budget. With the vast repertoire of local vendors at my fingertips, I am able to provide you with the ones that suit your needs and fit into your budget.
What is your favorite part of the Wedding Day?
The Ceremony … hands down! In this era it seems that Ceremonies fall to the wayside compared to all the planning it takes to prepare for the Reception. The real reason everyone is coming to your Wedding ... is because you are getting MARRIED. If you are considering writing your own vows ... take some personal time together or apart and really consider that this is what its really all about. Capture the moment with the opportunity to be able to really pour your heart into what you want your spouse to really know about how you truly feel about becoming a wife/husband. You won't regret it! I get teary eyed every time!

What should a couple know about your service that they may not thought of?
Consultants should be thought of as part of the overall budget. Not an after thought. We are one of your vendors and including us as part of your team from the beginning ensures a smooth planning experience and a great way to reign in the spending. Too many Brides think about hiring a planner at the end of the planning process to assist them with tying it all together and the budget is already spent and therefore when they see a qualified consultants fee … they are reluctant to pay and instead go the route of a lesser qualified person and thus do not get the entire benefit of what we really do. When hiring a wedding consultant you get more than just that, you get a coordinator, an advisor, a financial planner, a mediator and a best friend!

What are some of the advantages of hiring a Professional?
Professional consultants’ are equipped to handle all things unexpected and most of the time without your knowledge that something has gone array. Most of us have seen it, done it and dealt with it, and it all comes out smooth sailing in the end. So the question becomes, how can we NOT be an advantage to you?

Anything else that you would like to share?
Please start to educate your friends and family that there really is no such thing as a Day Of Coordination in this professional industry. Anyone who would jump into an event on the Day Of and think that they can pull it all together without having met with the Bride & Groom on numerous occasions, to get the feel for what their vision is, is crazy! I would never put myself into a situation like that. Also not having contacted the vendors and gone over timelines and load in and load out instructions or making sure everyone has final numbers and overall taking control at least a month out. There are too many things that can happen and if you are not well prepared to handle the unexpected, it then reflects poorly on the ones in this field that can do it properly and have had the experience.

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Meet Dulce Designs!

Meet Angela Jolley the owner of Dulce Designs! Her motto is "Life is Sweet" and you can tell by her cheerful designs that she has passion for all things sweet!

photo by Neysa Ruhl Photography

photo by Michelle Brown Photography

photo by Michelle Brown Photography

How long have you been in business?
I am a new business owner, I received my vendors license and started getting designs and ideas together last May but did not officially start until Jan 1, 2010.

How many weddings do you do each year? Being newer I do not have an exact yearly number yet, but I do hope to stay pretty busy. I can tell you that as of right now I have 15 weddings booked from May-August, that is not to mention the other events I am doing. So things are great so far, I feel very blessed to have met such great brides (and grooms)!

Where are you located?
I work out of my home right now...meeting the brides at local coffee shops for our one-on-one consultations, where we go over all the ideas/designs for their big day.

What sets you about from others in your industry?
I can incorporate any design into a candy buffet, the sky is the limit! I have one wedding booked where the candy is all white and silver and on the other hand a different wedding wants a mad hatter theme. I can do all of these things but still am very reasonably priced, I realize that most bride and grooms are paying for a lot of weddings themselves nowadays and I do not want them to not have something they really want because of it being over priced.

What is something new that you are excited to share? I have recently partnered with another new small business owner who helps me to provide cookies, buckeyes, dipped pretzels, cupcakes etc...so I can do not only candy buffets but whole dessert buffets, which are becoming more and more popular.

What are the advantageous using your services?
I design the candy buffet/dessert table based on the colors or theme of the wedding, I come and set it up/take it down...sending the leftover goodies home with the bride and groom, my packages offer: the jars, scoops, décor, candy, bags etc... You name it I am pretty sure I can make it happen, I take the brides vision and make it a reality while still being very affordably priced.

What is your favorite part of the Wedding Day?
Knowing that something I created helped to make a couples wedding day special, that is a great feeling. I also have to admit I love seeing adults go crazy over candy as if they were children!! :)

What should a couple know about your service that they may not thought of?
Not only do I do weddings but I also do: bridal showers, birthdays, corporate events, graduation parties...really any event!

What are some of the advantages of hiring a Professional?
It takes the stress away from a bride! Doing a candy buffet is a very detail oriented task, let me take the stress of that away so the bride can focus on other much needed details.

Anything else that you would like to share?
Every candy buffet can be designed to match your theme, creating your own candy land design. Candy buffet attendants, labeled candy bags, personalized décor...can all be added to the candy buffet. For more information please check out our website at http://www.dulcedesignscandy.com/Home_Page.html, and remember "Life is Sweet"!!

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Congratulations Lauren and Todd

Lauren and Todd had a beautiful November wedding. Their wedding was full of wonderful details everywhere you looked. It was fun to see the months of planning come together. When we arrived at the hotel for photos, Lauren and Todd had a nice special moment to see each other and then we took the formal photos. We also got to sneak a peak of the transformation in progress of the ballroom. Their ceremony was at the grand St. Boniface Church. I could see why they were so excited to be married there and why Todd really wanted lots of fisheye photos! Since we were able to capture all of the formal photos before the ceremony, the bride and groom were able to be announced during their cocktail hour and get right into the fun of the reception. The ballroom at the Kingsgate Marriott looked stunning!The mood was set with tons of dim lights. I love how the cake complimented the design of the bride’s dress. Once the party got started there was a ton of fun music and dancing.
Photos by: Pottinger Photography

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Meet Inkredible Creations

Photos provided by Beth Jacobs.

Beth Jacobs from Inkredible Creations recently shared some information about her business. Be sure to check out her website and Facebook page!

"I have been scrapbooking for over 10 years. I have been making scrapbooks for others for 3 years. I recently decided to get into the wedding business. I realized that there is not anyone out there that offers scrapbooking services for the bride. Yes, most brides get professional photo albums, but what about all the other photos that are taken throughout the entire wedding preparation and the wedding? I design custom scrapbooks for the bride and groom to preserve their most precious memories. I offer scrapbooks for bridal showers, bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinner, bridesmaids' gifts, mother and mother in law presents, the wedding and reception, honeymoon, and anniversaries."

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Wedding Dress Tips from Cincinnati Bride

Top Ten Reminders When Shopping For Your Dream Gown
by Kelsey Hubble

Cincinnati Bride has been working with brides to find their dream gowns for over 30 years. Below are some great tips from working with many brides.

Set A Budget!
Probably the most obvious rule for the new bride! Your budget should be set before you make any wedding decisions, buying your dress is no different. We like our brides to know what they want or need to spend to make their dream come true. Most bridal salons offer packages or discounts and almost all salons are more than willing to work with the budgeted bride. And remember, that $ marked gown isn’t going to make or break your dream day, shop around and find the dress that works on you and for you!

Do Your Research!
Some girls have their dream dress etched into their minds since they first saw Cinderella, others, well they’re a little less than clueless. Your best bet is to do some research! Grab a magazine, go to BrideBuddy.com, and ask as many questions to as many people as possible – at least you’ll have an idea of what you like and don’t like. It’s also helpful to associate yourself with bridal terms (if you haven’t already!) Terms like rouching, pickups, trumpet, bustle, MOH, ect.

Mother’s Golden Rule…
Everyone remembers their mother’s golden rule, “Always wear clean panties, you might end up in the hospital and what would you say then!” (must say in a nasally voice!) Apply that rule to gown shopping. You and your consultant are going to get up-close and personal in that dressing room, and no matter how gorgeous that dress is you won’t look like a bride if you look like you just got back from Extreme Spinning. Also keep in mind the amount of make-up you wear, with all the different color options for brides these days you want to be able to match the perfect one to your natural skin tone.

Leave the Entourage on HBO
We know you want help deciding on the dress of your dreams, but how could you possibly concentrate with 7 women giving you their detailed (and obviously right) opinion, 2 screaming 5 year olds desperately grabbing at your beautiful cathedral length veil, and Great Aunt Hilda squawking on and on about what happen back in her day?? Exactly. You need to be able to trust your own opinion (and at least hear yourself think!). So on the first couple fittings just bring your most trusted advisors, Mom, little sis, MOH, the women in your life who will set you straight and truly express their needed opinions. Once you decide on your dress, bring that crowd in for a fashion show, heck, even Great Aunt Hilda.

Foundations Are Called That For A Reason!
Your foundation garments (slips, corsets, ect.) under your gown can make or break your dream day. Who wants that itchy tulle burn or the dreaded “Janet Jackson-Slip”? Most bridal salons will provide foundations for you to try on when you come for fittings and more sell them in packages with your dress. You want to be remembered for how beautiful you look – not how fidgety you were. So start from the ground up!


Timing Is Everything!
The company line is 6 – 8 months when you order your gown. That means it will take 6 – 8 months to come in from the designer, not including shipping and alterations. Most salons tell you to order 9 – 10 months prior to your big day to allot enough time, and they’re the experts! Bridesmaids and Mother of the Bride/Groom dresses take about 3 – 4 months and you should plan on ordering 5 – 6 months before to allot for alterations. So begin your search accordingly!! Also remember consultants like to allow ample time to work with you, usually an hour and a half – two hours for your first fitting. So think about the time you have and plan enough time between your appointments!

Embrace Your Consultant!
Bridal salon consultants are different from your department store consultants! They need to work closely with you to help find your gown, so be honest with them! They know the gowns in their store and are there for you. So don’t feel crowded – enjoy the attention!

First Time’s A Charm!
It sounds crazy, but the gown you’ve dreamed of could be the first one you try on! We see it all the time when girls find the one that they love is the first gown they wore, ever! It’s not a fluke, it’s a woman’s intuition, so don’t worry – it means you know what you want and were a prepared shopper. And think of what a great story that makes!!
You Do Not Have Commitment Issues!
All sales are final in the bridal world – and that scares some girls. Don’t fret buyers remorse, you’re not buying a mass produced cocktail dress it’s your individually cut bridal gown! Know the bridal stores policies before hand (pay in full, 60% down…) and know what options you have with bridal packages (veil, foundation garments, alterations, ect.) And remember, you said yes to the man – you can say yes to the dress!

All About You
Never forget who this is all really about…you and your man. Shopping for the dress of your dreams shouldn’t be another check mark on the list, but a once in a lifetime experience! Have faith in your choice and relish in the fact that this big decision is the one for you. Take a deep breath and smile! You’re going to look phenomenal!!

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Congratulations Janine & Robby

Jacayln Mains from JMM Photography submitted this beautiful fall wedding!

Janine and Robby’s wedding will always hold a special place in my heart because Janine is a close friend of mine! I was so excited to be able to photograph her wedding because I feel like we could be family! So, it was very special play a few roles that day….a photographer, friend, and guest!

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Skeffington’s Formalwear

At Skeffington’s Formalwear we understand how important it is to have the wedding party look stunning. It gives us great pride to know that we are able to assist our brides and grooms in this exciting process. Formalwear can appear to be an overwhelming decision for many brides and grooms so we love to share our expertise with our clients and to help make the entire experience enjoyable for them.

We have been family owned and operated since 1972, which allows us to provide our clients with exceptional customer service. We pride ourselves in our willingness to go above and beyond to better serve our brides, grooms and their wedding party.
There are currently ten Skeffington’s Formalwear locations and are connected with each other to provide live time convenience for our clients, and even though we are a local company we specialize in working with members of a wedding party who live out of town.

Being family owned we carefully purchase our merchandise to ensure that we always have the best quality garment and that we are able to offer a variety of designers and styles. We also carry a wide variety of colors for vest and tie combinations so that matching with other members of your wedding party should be a fun and satisfying process. Another benefit of being a local company is that we have a local distribution center for easy and quick delivery. All of our associates are also trained to do minor alterations in-store to ensure the best fit.

All of these benefits make Skeffington’s Formalwear a unique experience and has allowed us to provide incomparable service to our clients for many years.

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Friday's Featured Wedding

Congratulations Lindsay and PJ

Lindsay and PJ's wedding day was a beautiful crisp fall day–perfect for a fall themed wedding. One of great memories of the day includes the ceremony. The officant was doing a great job with the ceremony and when it came time to do the vows, he turned to Lindsay (after PJ recited his vows) and asked Lindsey to repeat … “I Patrick” and so there were a few giggles until he corrected himself. It was a great moment because it broke some of the nervousness and made it real and fun. After the ceremony the couple headed to one of their favorite parks. The park was just beautiful with so much fall foliage! The couple could relax and enjoy some fun together at the park. The reception was a hoot! Jason and Bill from Hey Mr. Dj had some great ways to get the party going. For an extra special treat the couple tons of little desserts to go along with their cake.

Photos by Pottinger Photography

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Incredible Endings

How long have you been in business?
I have been in business for 20 years.

How many weddings do you do each year?
I limit the number of weddings each weekend to three.

Where are you located?
I am located at 9204 Gunpowder Road, Florence, Ky, about 2 miles from I-75.

What sets your business apart from other wedding cake makers?
Every cake I make is custom designed with the couple. I can create a cake from a photo or from a combination of many ideas pulled together to design the perfect wedding centerpiece.

What is something new that you are excited to share?
I am now offering my Sweet Petits, which are a step above the cupcake trend of today. Like my wedding cakes, they also can be custom designed according to your wedding ideas and colors.
What are some of your favorite types of cakes to make?
I enjoy making wedding cakes that are new and different. I look forward to couples bringing me their ideas and we work together to design a wedding centerpiece that is perfect for their wedding.

What is your favorite part of the wedding day? The most important part, the ceremony itself. When the two of you will become one.

What should a couple know about wedding cakes that they may have not thought of?
The wedding cake should taste as good as it looks and it should look as good as it tastes. All my cakes are kept refrigerated until just before I deliver them a few hours before the reception to ensure that they are at their perfection for your wedding centerpiece.

How do you figure out how many pieces work for the guest size? What do you recommend for an average size (180 guest) wedding? When I meet with couples I find out how they would like the cake to look first then I ask them how many guest they are going to need to serve. I will then design a cake to feed that number of guest.
I can design a 4 layer round cake to serve 177.

What are the advantageous to hiring a professional?
A professional has experience. They will know the details of how to make your wedding cake and get it delivered on time.

What is the biggest cake you have ever made?
I have made wedding cake for over 400 guests. The tallest cake was 6 layers.

Anything else that you would like to share?
It is very important to finish your wedding cake with a decorated table. It can be done very simply or very elaborate. But it is something that must be done to give your wedding centerpiece a finished platform.

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Hey Mr. DJ

Brandon from Hey Mr. DJ is a wonderful DJ that has been in the business for 10 years. It was great to interview him and have him answer a few of my questions about his business and about the upcoming trends for wedding receptions.

How many teams of DJs do you have?
Five teams made up of a separate Disc jockey and Master of Ceremonies

What sets your business apart from other DJs?
I know from first hand experience that you all incorporate some really fun original games and ways of doing things that help make the reception a lot of fun. What else do you do that makes their night special? We set us apart. This is a talent based business. Our guys are not just push play DJs who perform the same tired wedding reception every week. We are talented wedding experts. We’ve traveled all over the country training and collecting ideas so that our clients are offered something they can only get from us. Every DJ does wedding party introductions, introduces the father daughter dance, the cake, etc. It’s how we do those things that set us apart. It is creative ideas, personalization and forwarding thinking that have placed us in such high demand.

What is something new that you are excited to share?
We have a few new things to be excited about for 2010. The addition of our lighting company will allow us to offer brides decorative lighting choices such as monograms and uplighting to spice up their reception and set a mood visually. We’re excited about our new website. We are also doing educational seminars for grooms in 2010 called “The Groom’s Workshop – Why Just Be The Groom, When You Can Be The Man?”. We just did our first one and the grooms were very excited about the information they got.

What was the most popular reception song of 2009?
The most requested song was easily The Cupid Shuffle. For weddings that didn’t want line dances then I’d say “Forever” by Chris Brown. The YouTube video where they used that song to dance into the ceremony really gave that song new life at weddings.
What are you looking forward to in music for receptions? I like the recent trend of some of the newer hip hop songs being faster. For a few years everything new was very down beat type grinding music. We want to create energy at weddings so more new songs that are up tempo would be great.

What is your favorite part of the wedding day?
The hug from the bride at the end of the day when you can tell that you’ve helped her reception exceed even her own expectations.

How can a couple insure that there will be lots of dancing and a good time?
If the bride and groom dance it really helps. Also, setting a good mood way before the dancing starts helps loosen people up. Getting the guests involved early makes it easier to get them out of their seats later when dancing starts.

What are the advantageous to hiring a professional DJ?
The keyword here is professional. So many hobbyist DJs exist and claim to do the same things as us but fall short in areas like professionalism, talent and experience. Their price is appealing but by the time you realize the difference at your reception it is too late.
The short answer is - we keep the event moving. We tune guests into the events as they happen and put their focus on you. We create atmosphere and offer great ideas. We allow you and your parents to relax and enjoy the night instead of worrying about details. We do lighting, sound, event direction, problem solving, planning and oh yeah we play great music.

Anything else that you would like to share?
We had three weddings Saturday night. All were very different. One was a rock n roll theme for a really cool rocker couple. One was a small wedding of under a hundred people in a lounge with a nightclub vibe and the other was a three hundred person amazingly decorated reception at Dree’s Pavilion for a young, fun couple who wanted class, creativity and lots of dancing. By Tuesday we have already received a very glowing phone call thank you from one of the weddings and raving reviews by email from the other two. It’s no accident. We are listening to our clients and delivering unique, creative, personalized wedding receptions. Not all DJs are the same.

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Introducing the Bride and Groom Planner Family!

I would like to introduce people behind the pages of Cincinnati's Bride and Groom Planner! They are wonderful people who are very involved in the wedding community.

About Christy: During my college years, I studied Promotions, Advertising, Marketing and Communications at the University of Cincinnati. After college I worked as an Account Executive for WB64 where I learned all the benefits of Marketing and Advertising your business to your target audience! One of my projects was putting together a bridal show that aired on the station! During this project I worked closely with many Wedding Professionals! Upon leaving WB64, I sold advertising for another Wedding Publication it was during that experience that I could provide the missing link to other Entrepreneurs at heart like myself! They were passionate about their hobby which they crafted into a career!

Purchasing the Franchise of the Bride and Groom Planner presented itself at a time in my life when I was ready and prepared to unleash my creative talents! I knew that by bringing fresh and exciting new energy we could bring life back to the Bride and Groom Planner!

Joe and I have always been close! Joe may have to bring me back to reality from time to time, but during that process I provide him with a whole lot of laughs!

About Joe: Joe went to school for Business and Finance! He is very tight and responsible with his finances and he is very logical in his thought process! He working as a meat cutter through college and never left! Until I approached him about going into biz together! It all just fit together and made sense! So we did it!

Changes to the Bride and Groom Planner: We are extremely excited about 2010; we have put a lot of time and energy in 2009 learning about what wedding vendors want in their advertising! We customized marketing plans for a few clients and they got RESULTS! We cannot wait to help other wedding vendors generate more business for themselves! With a BOLD, Sassy, Elegant and classy front cover, cosmetic changes to the Website and creating our VIB (Very Important Bride) Club we are bond to take this industry by storm.

Our Family: We lost our dad 3 years ago to Pancreatic Cancer! Our whole community and family stood by us with loving arms and a great deal of support! He was our rock…our “go to” guy! We now look at our loss as a blessing in disguise, he is now watching and protecting us in a way he never could physically do here on Earth! He gave me the gift of gab and the ability to stand strong in any given situation! He gave Joe the gift of grounding and preparing for the future!

About Caitlin: Caitlin Workman is the newest team member to the Bride and Groom Planner! She has been in the wedding industry since 2003 working at the Kings Island Resort and Conference Center. Her position was in the sales and catering department booking weddings and servicing clients wedding needs throughout the planning process. She has planned all types of weddings and enjoyed this aspect of the wedding industry. She also has a unique drive and ambition which will make her a valuable asset to our team!

She grew up in the Blue Ash area and currently resides in Reading, Ohio with her husband and 2 children; a 3 year old daughter Hailey and an 8 month old son, Gavin.

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