Wedding Blog
Dearest Cleveland,
Ah, Cleveland, the city where my heart resides! From the Rock Hall to Jacobs Field, you have a lot going for yourself.
But city I love, you are a very strange bird when it comes to weddings. You operate on a different wedding planning clock than the coasts do (and what magazines tell me!). Places aren’t typically booked a year in advance. Prices are much lower for just about everything. But you lack the availability of floral designers, couture dresses, photojournalistic photographers and interesting venues that are found other places. So many of your residents, both vendors and family, still do weddings how they were done in the 1980s. While I can chicken dance with the best of them- not only am I from Cleveland, home of the Polka Hall of Fame, but I’m also German- Mr. Dahlia doesn’t want that. How you force us to be resourceful to seek out vendors and locations that seem to be readily available elsewhere in the nation!
But you have your hidden strengths and talents. Your restaurant scene is phenomonal, with too many choices for a fabulous rehearsal dinner. Michael Symon’s Lola or Lolita, the Baricelli Inn, Paladar or Sarava.
And you are really easy to get to and around, whether by car, plane or public transportation. While understated with an inferiority complex, you really have a lot to offer people who are visiting. You frustrate me, but deep down inside I know I will always come back to you.
Love,
Miss Dahlia
~
Has anyone else found significant differences between what is in magazines/books/blogs/websites and what is available in their area? And does anyone have any tips for bringing out the best in cities for guests who wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for your wedding?
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Share this post: A Love Letter To Cleveland
teheheheh! I have family in Ctown, and was born there. Ironically, i did find my wedding dress there, in a sweet little shop in Rocky River. 
Cute post, and good luck!
I wish that bridal mags and sites had more on my area, but they don’t. As far as Atlanta goes, though, I have found that it is typically the really posh places that are in the mags, not the cheaper, more affordable, or most booked places that are, in my opinion, a much better option.
I live forty minutes north of our state’s largest city, and while everything under the sun is available in the city, the pickings get slimmer as you go north. While most vendors are willing to travel, I don’t want to. I did have to meet/interview them after all. And then there’s the venue. Ah the venue we had come up with 3 months before the wedding. In the city, there would have been many choices, but north…well, we lucked out, but it was close.
I would love to see more growth (wedding wise) in my area so brides can enjoy it without having to involve travel.
LOL That post could’ve been written about my wedding. We’re getting married in Des Moines, Iowa. We’re running into the exact same things.
As for bringing out the best, we’re focusing on what we know is good in Iowa - great steak, great night thunderstorms, and caring, wonderful people.
I sympathize…I live in Hawaii, so it’s a peculiar situation. We have a wonderful wedding industry, and we’re fairly cosmopolitan, so there’s a lot available. However, things you see in the nat’l magazines can be a) hard to come by; b) expensive and/or c) just not available unless you find a creative solution. (Of course, this goes for *everything* not just wedding-related stuff. The price you pay for living on a pretty island…thousands of miles away from anything else.) Fortunately, it’s the “smallest big city” and word of mouth is very strong, and there are a lot of good resources to be found locally. If you’re planning a HI wedding, I’d recommend you get your hands on a copy of “Hawaii Bride & Groom” magazine and/or check out http://www.theweddingcafe.net — they are a great local business that provides resources to brides. DO NOT rely on the nat’l mags’ “Hawaii feature”s (i.e. in “Brides,” “Martha Stewart,” etc.) — they are not very accurate at all.
I went to a wedding in Cleveland once and it was the most unique venue ever. It was in a big tropical glass dome at the zoo with lots of amazing animals! Plus, it was ~November so the heat was wonderful a reminder of the summer….FYI
Miss Dahlia,
My wedding was in LA, but I was living in Cleveland at the time! So many of my friends are getting married right now in and around Cleveland and they’ve all expressed the same problems. One ended up getting married in Canton, because it was the only location that they loved! Good luck with all your planning, btw: I have often thought how wonderful Mad Green at Cedar / Fairmount would be for a rehearsal dinner. It’s beautiful on the inside and so wonderfully open
Ha! I know exactly how you feel. I am in Montgomery, AL. Most traditional wedding venues here are decorated in shades of peach and drowning in tulle!! It’s a tacky 80’s nightmare!
So glad to have a Cleveland blogger on board! We’re planning our NE Ohio wedding from Tampa so we’ve been internet searching ’til our eyes glaze over. I found several photographers in the area that specialize in photojournalism. I have links if you’d like ‘em. I think the Cleveland market has a lot of options w/ reasonable prices. Looking forward to future posts. Go TRIBE!
Any way to take off my first comment? I think I accidentally auto- populated the form and included my full name. Whoops!
I had my wedding in Syracuse which makes Cleveland look like Paris. We managed to find some cool stuff there though.
One question I have for Cleveland though… what is up with the 90 degree turn on the I-90? Who’s idea was that!
Just got married this easter in Cleveland. When I moved here and invited friends to visit I would get “what’s in Cleveland?” (like why should i visit) Lots of transplants enjoy dissing Cleveland but I like this city. (i’m from DC)
On ur invite enclosure, u could give a lil history. Then list different sections, like culture, sport, ur fav restaurants. Cleveland orchestra is one of the best in nation according to O magazine. One of those cities that has all 3 sport teams (ok, not the best but they’re getting better:P) and designed in a way that it’s all next to each other. And one of the best hospitals in the nation. Gosh, talking like i’m from cleveland.
I didn’t have problems finding vendors. Good luck.
You’re oh-so-right about all of the planning nuances in Cleveland, but when it comes down to it - I think it will be great for the wedding. And I actually did have to book all of my stuff 1.5 years in advance….
Cleveland has everything you just have to look way harder to find it. I have enjoyed planning here because it has forced us to think outside of the box. Cheesy party centers with glass ceilings and no windows are a dime a dozen in this town. The hotels are the standard issue nicer chains to crappy chains with a couple of exceptions.
I think what’s really hard though is that cute stuff isn’t online and doesn’t really advertise in bridal magazines and the like. I just stumbled accidently on my venue and found a fabulous bridal boutique only because I googled Melissa Sweet and it was having a Melissa Sweet sample sale (www.allbridesbeautiful.com). My caterer has no website and does not advertise, but a girl who works for my venue recommended her. And pictures! Ooo! I can’t wait for our pictures. There are so many wonderful backdrops literally in my backyard!
Maybe it’s because I grew up here, moved away to a much bigger city, moved back, but I’ve always loved the way this place is a rough providing an exciting and super fun hunt for diamonds. And these diamonds are CHEAP!
Oh and I started planning in June for our wedding in November and pretty much had my pick of whatever we wanted!
maverika, that’s where I got my dress!
And I think it is awesome that so many of you are sharing the Cleveland love
[...] figured out our budget, we basically narrowed it down to three. (In Cleveland, as I’ve mentioned before, you don’t necessarily have the panoply of options that you have on the coasts). One other [...]
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Ms. Dahlia, Detroit/Cleveland
Age and Occupation: 24, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, IT System Administrator
Engagement Date: December 31, 2006
Wedding Date: May 2008
Blogging Since: September 19, 2007
Venue: United Methodist Cathedral & historic downtown hotel in Cleveland
About Me: I enjoy cooking, dancing and swimming. I am a geek and apply game theory to my everyday life. Winter is my favorite time of year, especially when spent curled up with good coffee and a book by Madeleine L'Engle.
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