Before We Know It...

The Knot Cocktails & Connections event will be in The Center on 4-25-12! We are obviously very excited about this event. Our recent renovations have been completed and this is our first opportunity to showcase all of the improvements! For those who are outside of the wedding industry, or who cannot make it to the event, don't you worry about a thing! This event is also a great chance for us to share the space with you in another way... through photography!

For me, it is a close tie for what I enjoy more - seeing the space transform in person vs. going through all of the amazing images photographers have captured of our events so far, for months after they have taken place. As we continue our countdown to the big event (12 more days!) we would like for you to meet the official photographer of the night...

Patrick and Brittany Clark are on a mission to "honor the significance of marriage and family by capturing and creating memories of events with eternal consequences." Go to their website to learn more about them and be sure to look at the wedding and engagement portfolios to see all of their stunning shots! Click here: Shelby Street Photography

You can also find their work on the Shelby Street Photography Blog. Click HERE to see more pictures like the ones below!



Countdown to Cocktails & Connections

13 days to go! The second vendor highlighted in our Countdown to The Knot Cocktails & Connections 2012 event is A Day to Remember USA.

A Day to Remember USA offers wedding and event rentals, as well as planning and officiating services to the greater Cincinnati area. Steve Hoffman has established a collection of beautiful and functional rental furniture for weddings, corporate events and parties. He has also officiated over 23,000 weddings since 1989.

For more company information and to see some of A Day to Remember USA's featured products, visit the website by clicking HERE

The Countdown Starts Now!

On Wednesday, April 25, 2012, wedding industry professionals will come from around the Tri-State to gather together in The Center for The Knot Cocktails & Connections event. We are looking forward to meeting everyone! As we work toward finalizing all of the details, we decided that this is a great opportunity to use our blog to keep you updated and share the latest information from the vendors participating in this event. We will do our best to highlight a different vendor every day leading up to Cocktails & Connections, so that when it comes time to share the final product, you know exactly how it all came together.

14 Days and counting!

Our first featured vendor is Party Pleasers

Specializing in DJ/MC services, specialty lighting and decor, as well as A/V Services, they are a one-stop-shop for many of your event entertainment needs! Party Pleasers has offices located in both Cincinnati (320 W. Benson St. in the Reading Bridal District) and Dayton (4140 Linden Ave. in The Event Connection), and over 20 DJ's available for events.

"Our mission is to use music, lighting and video to create a quality event that is unique to the style, taste, and personality of our customer. We believe good times are best achieved by listening to our customers!"

To visit the Party Pleasers website for more details, click HERE

View through the Window: Reds Opening Day

It's Thursday, April 5, 2012 and from our fabulous location, high atop... okay, two stories above 5th Street, we can see all of the Opening Day excitement!

Our first step in preparing for the day, was to make sure all of the Reds fans outside of The Center at 115 East Fifth Street felt welcome.

The crowd began to assemble in the morning. By 11:30 am the Reds spirit was building.

By 1:10 pm the crowd had more than doubled and Reds fans lined the streets.





 Here is the view from the window on the east side of the Ballroom. A beautiful day to kick off the season!

Then, a little after 1:35, the parade reached Fifth and Vine and headed towards us! Leading the way was Police Chief James Craig.

The grand marshal, and Reds great Aaron Boone was close behind.

What parade would be complete without the wonderful Reds mascots?

Mayor Mark Mallory also rode by The Center.





It was a fun parade to watch and we were grateful to have such a great view! If you're interested in booking The Center for an event, contact us by emailing info@mcacenterllc.com or calling an Event Coordinator at 513-824-7274. You can also find more information on our website www.thecentercincinnati.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheCenterCincinnati 



11 More Steps for the Middle of Planning

We've broken up the wedding planning process into stages of 11 steps each. If you are just starting your planning process, you can refer to our 11 Starting Steps post from February 23, 2012. If you've got your bridal party set, guest list made, venue selected and have thought ahead to your wedding attire and honeymoon - you are ready to move on to phase two! And we are more than happy to bring you the next 11 steps!

Step 1 - Reward yourself for being an excellent planner! It is time to register for your wedding gifts! Depending on your planning timeline, it is recommended that you register 3-6 months before the big day. The Knot has a great list of tips on registering, click here for all of your "When?" "Where?" and "How" answers!

Step 2 - Shop for wedding rings. Click here for tips on how to shop for wedding rings and what things you need to think about before making your final selection.

Step 3 - Plan the rehearsal. Consider the type of dinner you want and make reservations for the space.

Step 4 - Finalize! Finalize all contracts, finalize the guest list, hire any transportation needed, reserve blocks of rooms for out of town guests and make accommodations for the wedding night (if needed).

Step 5 - Reconfirm stylist appointments, rehearsal date and times and finalize your attendants' duties.

Step 6 - Select gifts for your attendants. In an interview with Good Morning America, lifestyle expert and event planner Mindy Weiss gives advice on how much to spend for your attendants - for bridesmaids and groomsmen, $75-$100 is standard, while the flower girl and ring bearer usually receive gifts ranging from $40-$50. Click here for the full article and specific gift ideas.

Step 7 - Make an appointment with the photographer for a bridal portrait.

Step 8 - Mail Wedding Invitations and have an RSVP tracking system in place. If you have not already designed and ordered the invitations, Martha Stewart offers an easy to follow etiquette guide here.

Step 9 - Design and Print the programs for the ceremony and prepare the wedding announcement for the newspapers.

Step 10 - Arrange the final fittings for the gowns.

Step 11 - Confirm honeymoon reservations and travel arrangements.


Take a deep breath and relax! You are not done yet, but you are well on your way and the big day will be here before you know it! Stay tuned and we will give you the final steps leading up to the Wedding Day in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, check us out on Facebook for updates on all of the exciting happenings at The Center!
 

Bridal Flea Market - Buy or Sell at the Junk in the Trunk Bonanza

Brides-to-be need to be at the 915 Monmouth Bridal Junk in the Trunk Bonanza on April 1, 2012!

From 12:00 - 6:00 pm, 915 Monmouth Street in Newport, Kentucky is the perfect place to shop for the pieces that will help complete your wedding! Unlike a yard sale with random items overflowing from someone's garage, the good folks organizing this sale will arrange the items being sold "to create beautifully styled tables so you can see just how all these pieces can look at your own wedding."

Not in the market for wedding accessories right now? Maybe you have some items you're looking to sell?! Send your contact information, and a list of the items (along with pictures) to brides@915monmouth.com before March 24, 2012. A small fee will be assessed based on the number of items you have to sell.

Buyers and Sellers alike, please RSVP on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/events/383820451634865

For more information on the event click HERE!

Charting the way to "I Do"

Personally, I am a huge fan of charts and graphs. I especially enjoy plugging imagined numbers into Excel spreadsheets in order to generate bar graphs that I can then email to my friends. (They too appreciate charts and enjoy seeing how much fun we will have on vacation in graph form.)

I am not at all surprised that the more practical side of me immediately loved this flowchart. A simple solution to what is often a tense and difficult process - making the guest list!

I found myself thinking, "There must be more like this!" A simple google search yielded many helpful results. (That is why we love Google!) Off Beat Bride featured this helpful flowchart for putting together your wedding party.

The chart below, found on the Independent Wedding Association website, outlines how to plan for pictures on the day of the wedding.

 

Is seeing the budget breakdown in numbers a struggle? Now it's easy as pie! (Sorry... I know that pun either made you giggle or groan, but my enthusiasm for charts and also makes me think I am funny!)  Elite Bridal Concierge has this great pie chart showing you how to prioritize your budget.

 

And now for a fun, pointless chart of my own imagined data...

 

*My apologies to those of you whose love of pie is not accurately reflected.