One-stop Wedding Shop

While stepping into our 15,000 square-foot, hardwood-floors, blank-walls venue, one may get a bit overwhelmed; there’s a lot of ground to cover! To utilize this space, most brides envision their reception taking place in our Ballroom, with a cocktail hour in our Dome Room. However, this isn't the only set-up option available. We want brides to remember that The Center can host your ceremony as well! By providing you with a number of different ceremony set-up possibilities, we're hoping to show how you can transform our space into a one-stop ceremony & reception shop! 

*Note* These drawings are not to scale! Although, I am impressed with my Paint skills.*

First up, the Dome Room:

 

 

Just to clarify, the blue dots are chairs and the black square is where the bridge and groom will say "I Do." This set up can be used if you would like to have a smaller, more intimate wedding. The smaller size of the Dome Room makes a ceremony really personal. One past bride (shown above) brought in a riser for her and her groom to stand on so her guests could get a better view of her perfect day. She was then able to enter through The Center's main double doors for her grand entrance.

Utilizing the Dome Room in this way allows the bride to fit more guests comfortably. This is for those who still want an intimate ceremony, yet invited more guests. The bride will then be able to enter from one of our side rooms to walk down the aisle.

Now, the Ballroom:

For the bride who wants to incorporate downtown Cincinnati into her wedding ceremony, walking down the aisle toward our huge window that looks out to Fountain Square would be the perfect place for you! If you're not so much a fan of the city, but want your ceremony to be overflowing with natural light; then use a floral arrangement to block the city view (shown above) and call it a day! 

Or have your bride and groom be The Center of attention by having your ceremony right smack dap in the middle of the Ballroom. By draping off a section of the space, you are able to have a portion of your reception room already set and ready to go! That way, all you have to do after the ceremony is escort your guests to the Dome Room for cocktail hour and have your event planner move everything out from behind the draping to flip the space into a gorgeous reception venue!

Like what you're seeing? Call 513-824-7274 or email us at info@mcacenterllc.com to schedule a tour today!

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Top O' The Morning (or afternoon) to Ya! To celebrate this holiday, we are providing you with some St. Paddy's Day wedding facts you might not be too familiar with!

• Unless it falls on a Saturday, St. Patrick's Day is considered the luckiest day of the year to get married. According to Irish proverb, Saturday is the worst day of the week to get married.
• The traditional Irish bride wore a blue wedding dress instead of white. Blue was a symbol of purity in ancient times. As odd as it may seem, it is considered bad luck for the bride to wear green, as it is thought to entice the fairies.
• It was common for Irish brides to wear their hair in braids, with a ribbon or lace woven through the hairdo. Braided hair is an ancient Irish symbol of feminine power and luck.

• The Claddagh Ring is the traditional Irish wedding ring. It is a heart held by two hands with the heart topped by a crown. The hands represent faith, the crown symbolizes honor and the heart signifies love.
• Taking matter into her own hands, St. Bridget proposed to St. Patrick after complaining that girls were tired of waiting for marriage proposals from men, according to legend.

• The phrase "tying the knot" comes from an Ireland Celtic tradition, in which a man and women hold the hands of the other and wind a ribbon over the top of wrist and under the other, creating the infinity symbol.
• Giving a bell as a wedding gift is an Irish traditional that says the chime of the bell keeps evil spirits away and remind the married couple of their wedding vows. Today, many Irish brides will pass out bells to guests for them to ring when the bride and groom are "tying the knot".

Sources: http://www.yourtango.com/2013177601/things-you-didnt-know-about-st-patricks-day
http://greenweddingshoes.com/a-mythical-tune-irish-wedding-traditions/
Pictures provided by: www.Pinterest.com
http://greenweddingshoes.com/a-mythical-tune-irish-wedding-traditions/

Food for Thought; Jeff Thomas Catering

Every Friday, we have decided to post a "Food for Thought' segment, where we introduce a local caterer or baker asking them to share their story and some wedding insights to our readers. Our last "FFT" post we let Daveed's NEXT Restaurant & Catering have the mic as they provided us with a brief description of their company. This week we decided to take the same approach and gave Jeff Thomas Catering a chance to provide  us with a little snippet of why Jeff Thomas is the Man! Take a look to see what Jeff Thomas Catering had to say about their extraordinary catering company!

"Enjoying 29 years of service to the Greater Cincinnati Area, we pride ourselves with the knowledge of world cuisine and the ability to customize menus to fit our client’s needs.  Whether it is 'farm to table' with fresh local ingredients to international flair, we rise to the occasion with innovative presentation and execution.
 We acquire this knowledge by 'forcing' Jeff to travel the world experiencing world cuisine from Indian, to Vietnamese, to Thai, to the Rjjstafel of Amsterdam.  Food is our passion. Creating memorable occasions for our clients is our mission.

Under the guidance of Chef Steve Waddell, Steve is assisted by two Sous Chefs, Scotty’s forte being world cuisine including world street food and Ali, a practicing Vegan, brings vegetarian and Vegan to a whole new level.  Our Pastry Chef, Megan joins us from the The Hamptons in New York and knows world pastries from her east coast experiences.

While a Jeff Thomas Catering experience is not inexpensive, we strive to bring as much creativity to our client’s experience as the budget will allow.  Sometimes this may be achieved by our very competitive floral and rental pricing.  As you know, it’s all about the bottom line in getting the experience you want and deserve. Being able to assist in these areas many times helps our clients upgrade the culinary experience to their desirable taste level. "

Now we're starting to talk wedding! Keep reading to find out what types of services Jeff Thomas Catering provides to brides when planning their perfect day.

 

"When planning the perfect wedding, we look at many aspects and consider your day a theatrical production.  We assist and advise with the floor plan, the timeline, other vendor recommendations and more.  But most importantly, we strive to set your wedding apart from all the others you are experiencing with creative menu items and presentation."

What types of "creative menu items" is the Jeff Thomas team talking about, however?

"If we were to site a few of our favorite’s ideas and signatures, one would be our salad wrapped in grilled zucchini and layered.  This architectural visual maintains the chill of the salad and holds the dressing in the condiments so the lettuce does not wilt.  It is also a much better visual to come to the table with a pre-plated salad than a typical banquet salad.  For fall and winter weddings we often suggest a cornbread crusted soup like roasted corn chowder served with a side salad. We bake the bowls and seal the top with cornbread keeping them piping hot at the table for a good 45 minutes. And once again, your guests come to the table with a surprise.  It’s just something different from all the rest!

Probably our favorite main course is a dinner prepared in parchment paper.  Cooking with parchment seals the juices and locks in the flavor.  Everyone gets a hot meal and fast!  We once served a party of 900 this main course in 19 minutes! The show of this execution is all on the front of house and a thrill to watch.

Very few of our weddings use buffet style any more.  It’s primarily seated or stations. If stations, is your preference, we have recreated the execution of this concept.  Early years of stations saw salads station, pasta or mashed potato bars and carving. Yawn! Yawn!  Now, our staff works from back stations and pre-plate mini meals on cocktail plates or martini glasses.  Often there is also a wine, beer or cocktail pairing at the station.  It’s much more sophisticated and you spend more time at your table than at the station as we can plate the meals on behalf of your guests.

Whether seated, buffet or stations, we suggest a pre-set salad and/or soup.  This allows time for all of the necessary ceremonial components to unfold.  During this course, we suggest everything happen from the bridal intro, to the blessing, father of the bride welcome and depending on the size, the toast.  All of this should happen before the main course or station’s open.

Also, when possible, we like to serve the cake as a course by painting a full size plates with crème Anglaise and raspberry hearts and with seasonal fruit garnish. Again, this is just something different than every other reception you attend.  It feels more like a special dessert instead of 'here’s your cake.'

Another thing to keep in mind is once the cake is cut and the first dance sequence unfolds, we are servicing your guests with cake and coffee service. At this point, many of your guests have started to celebrate…. by dancing of course!  We offer a complementary coffee station with whipped cream, shaved chocolate and caramel sauce.  In the spring and summer we also offer iced Caramel latte.  In the autumn, we switch to an offering of hot cider."

These types of services allows the bride to turn her wedding day into an out-of-the-ordinary, unique, classic wedding experience. Jeff Thomas Catering provides services you didn't even know a catering company could offer! Not only do we, at The Center, appreciate all the hard work they put in with brides, they also are accustomed to flipping our space from a ceremony to a reception area in minutes!

 "The Center is one of our more favorite venues.  We are quite used to 'flipping' the reception room from ceremony to dinner.  The open cocktail reception area makes it easy for both guests and staff as we recreate the room for a whole new experience.  They also spoil us with a very equipped kitchen facility that ensures hot meals for all guests.  Just remember that at The Center, you don’t have to settle for typical wedding food. A memorable experience is part of the package."

Thanks for all the info, Jeff Thomas Catering! We always enjoy working with this wonderful company and staff!

To learn more about Jeff Thomas Catering and the services they offer, contact them at events@jeffthomascatering.com or call them at 859-291-0286.



 

Know your Style

Now that we’ve discussed how to decide on a wedding budget, who to invite to the wedding events and what day your wedding should fall on, it is time to move on to the next step of wedding planning; deciding on the theme/style of your wedding! Or in our case, "The What" of your wedding (as described in our previous post, "He Just Proposed; Now What?!")

 

With a million different linens and rental décor out there, it’s almost necessary for a bride to choose on a general "feel" of her wedding and reception. In our previous post “Friday Find” we showed you  pictures from the past bachelorette’s engagement party and immediately you get the vibe that her party was a rustic, elegant affair.  If you want your guests to walk into The Center and say “Wow! This screams Victorian Vintage!” or “It feels like I’m on a tropical island!” then you must decide on a theme!

However, keep in mind that “themes” aren’t for everyone, and it’s completely OK if you’re the bride that mix and matches a whole bunch of different ideas (these tend to be the most colorful weddings)!

We talked through a couple of different wedding style ideas with Kristen Mueller, Event Consultant of All Occasions Event Rental, to get a grasp of what types of rental items are available to brides.

These Swarovski crystal chandeliers are one of
Kristen's favorite rental items!

All Occasions Event Rental features a broad array of rental items and décor, “including tableware, tables, chairs, tenting and the largest selection of specialty linens in the area,” making it a one-stop shop for the theme-loving bride.  

 “At All Occasions, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the trends – constantly updating our product inventory and design ideas – through frequent buying trips, our extensive connections in the rental community, membership in professional organizations and continuing professional education,” Kristen explained.

 To prove this rental company stays up-to-date on the latest wedding haps, we asked Kristen to recommend pieces that would look great for a rustic and vineyard wedding theme, a modern/contemporary wedding theme, and an elegant/glamorous wedding. Her recommendations were nothing short of amazing!

Rustic & Vineyard Wedding

"We have an amazing variety of items to choose from that are unique to All Occasions such as: our vineyard tables, chairs and stools, custom-made authentic barn wood light fixtures, bars and screens, wooden benches and barrel bars. For the tabletop, we have the perfect accents including our light blue, green or white fleur de lis china, burlap linens and runners, brown metal lanterns and jute and linen flower napkin rings - to name a few."

 

 

Modern/Contemporary Wedding

"Our sleek white or black milano chairs and stools, as well as our clear mirage chairs would be great seating options. We also carry a wide variety of linens such as our Metallic Chevron as well as many more. The Schott Zwiesel crystal glassware and Tivoli flatware would accent the table handsomely."

 

Elegant/Glamorous Wedding

"Our chiavari chairs come in a range of finishes complete with a padded cushion that comes in a variety of colors. Our crystal silver & gold napkin rings and luxurious satin napkins and linens add that special detail to the table. Damask overlays in a variety of colors, including our new blush and champagne option or our shimmering overlays like the Navy Blue Sprinkle Sequins add a layer of decadence to any table. Complete with a set of our Elegance china, cut-crystal glassware and silver-plated Vanessa flatware would make a table set for royalty."

 

 

No matter what theme/style you decide on, All Occasions is sure to have something to fit your taste! Which brings up a very important matter -- don't feel pressured by Pinterest or wedding blogs to have an over-the-top, extravagant wedding theme, instead focus on a style that is representative of your own taste and personality, as Kristen advised.

If you want to have a very simple wedding, then have a simple wedding! If you want to have each table linen be a different color of the rainbow, then go for it! It's not about what the hottest trend is, it's about what you feel comfortable with. "A wedding is an extension of the couple," Kristen added.

And you're sure to feel comfortable working with All Occasions Event Rental. All Occasions is nationally recognized as having the highest number of Certified Event Rental Professionals (CERP) of any rental company in the United States and Canada, "with nearly 100 percent of our event consultant and service staff earning this designation or working towards earning it. Plus, a large majority of our consultant and service team members have 5 years or more in the event rental business. All this translates to top-notch service for you," Kirsten exclaimed! Wow! Now this is a rental company that knows their stuff!

Are one of these wedding styles tickling your fancy? Contact All Occasions to learn what else they have to offer for your perfectly themed day. Call them at 513-563-0600 or stop in their showroom located at 10629 Reading Road Cincinnati, OH.

 

Friday Find

We have been obsessing over past bachelorette Desiree Hartsock's engagement party all week! Her party was overflowing with elegance, with a dash of rustic charm.  As our treat to you, we decided to put together a couple of our favorite pieces from the night! You're welcome, reality TV lovers!

 

 

 

How awesome would these vintage furniture pieces look in The Center?? It would really bring our ballroom to life! We have our fingers crossed that Des will choose The Center for her reception (After much time spent stalking her blog, we discovered her parent's live in Ohio, so it could happen!)

This extravagant event was put on by Capstory. See the rest of the pictures by visiting Desiree Hartsock's blog!

Added Note* Desiree favorited the tweet we posted about this! No, I am currently not screenshotting it and sending it to all my friends. ;)

Pictures credited to Desiree Hartock's blog and Carla Ten Eyck Photography.

Vendor Spotlight; Say Cheese Photo Booth

Lights, camera, action! This week we are setting the stage for Say Cheese Photo Booth; a family owned and operated photo booth company located out of Florence, KY.

 

Patrick Callahan, Marketing and Operations Director of  this photo booth company, let us in on why brides can't wait to "Say Cheese!"  Starting off as a company, which maintained a number of arcade machines and photo booths in movie theaters around the region, Say Cheese was developed in 2006, “thinking that people would enjoy renting [photo booths] for weddings and all sorts of parties,” Patrick said.

And the Say Cheese family was right! Photo booths are now becoming a popular trend at weddings, as they allow brides to collect memories from their big day with a simple snap. Literally! Say Cheese Photo Booth offers a new service called “Snap N’ print,” allowing guests to take pictures they catch on their cell phones and print them in a 4x6 format while at the reception. “These pictures can be placed in the scrapbook, along with photo strips, or the guests can take them home,” Patrick told us.

Not only do brides enjoy having photo booths available at their weddings, but Say Cheese Photo Booth enjoys being there as well. “Weddings are parties, so typically you don’t work in a ‘stale’ environment,” Patrick explained. “There is music and I often meet interesting people. I also enjoy seeing familiar vendors and getting a chance to catch up and deepen relationships with them.”

Say Cheese doesn’t just provide your typical photo booth, however, Patrick mentioned that this company offers a complete wedding package including 4 hour rental, a personal attendant, a digital copy of all photos taken at the event (via Drop Box), magnets to place on the back of each guest’s copy of their photo strip as a great party favor, a scrapbook, and props for photos. Included in these props are hats, glasses, stick props, and a Vikings helmet, which Patrick admitted is his favorite. However, brides should feel free to bring their own props as well. “I remember one bride supplying a gorilla head and NASA helmet that the guests wore.”

Say Cheese Photo Booth can also provide a themed boarder to each picture. “The ‘I am with stupid’ border always produces some laughs,” Patrick said. “Finally, our booths can digitally give you a new hair color and style.” Which Patrick acknowledged, becomes a popular choice around 11 pm.

We encourage brides looking to provide this fun entertainment to book soon! As of right now, Patrick told us that brides can receive a free photo mosaic or “Save-the-date” photo strips when reserving this package. “Our photo mosaic allows us to recreate a favorite wedding day photo (or any photo for that matter) using all the photo booth pictures of your guests. It’s really neat to look at.” And we happen to agree! How cool is it to see all of your guests pictures put together to make a giant print of you and your hubby? We think it’s photo-tastic! (OK- that was cheesy)

“Our save the dates offer an affordable alternative to traditional save the dates. With this option, we will create a personalized message at the bottom to send out to guests and we will mass print them on the spot at our showroom. Brides and grooms walk out the door in 45 minutes with pictures and magnets to mail out to their guests,” Patrick exclaimed!

That’s not all; Say Cheese Photo Booth can also provide a “drop off” option.  This includes dropping off and picking up the photo booth and is intended for the bride who wants to save a bit more money by providing her own scrapbook and photo booth attendant. Patrick confessed that, “If you graduated the 2^nd grade, you can operate all of our photo booths.”

The Say Cheese Photo Booth family didn’t stray away from movie theatres completely, however, their “traditional style” photo booth can still be found inside all the Regal cinemas in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

With competitive pricing, a la carte services and discounts for Fridays, Sundays and during the week, this photo booth company is a great bang for your buck.  Get ready to “Say Cheese,” brides!

Learn more about this fun service by calling them at (513)256-3460, email them at deb@saycheesephotobooth.com or visit their website at www.saycheesephotobooth.com.

Pictures provided by Say Cheese Photo Booth.

And the Winner is...

With award season coming to a close, we couldn't think of a better way to say goodbye to the Red Carpet than by watching the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the Oscar's, last night. I mean, seriously, what's better than gushing over Jared Leto's perfectly ombre hair and fantasizing about Bradley Cooper's amazing smile in the best selfie ever taken? Not to mention John Stamos also made an appearance at the awards (Hellooooo, Uncle Jessie). However, the boys weren’t the only things we paid attention to last night, we also “oooooed” and “ahhhed” over the outfits! That’s why, in order to celebrate the end of a fabulous award season, we decided to pick out who we thought were the best dressed celebrities and how their stunning dress choices can be used as inspiration for your wedding day! Keep in mind that these ideas are merely opinions and we, in no way, consider ourselves fashion experts!

First up is, of course, Giuliana Rancic. We think this dress would be perfect for those out-of-the-box brides who think a white dress is so last year.

 

If you prefer a classic, white dress, yet want to add a little color to jazz things up; then we think Kelly Osbourne's Oscar look is the one for you.

 

 

 

E! News confessed that Tara Lipinski looks "ready for a winter wonderland wedding" and we happen to agree! The silver print on this dress could make for a fun, yet classy way to make your wedding dress pop!

 

 

Maria Menounos also looks like she could walk down the aisle any minute in this gorgeous beaded white gown. For the bride who likes bling, don't be afraid to wear a wedding dress that reflects your true style!

Now let's talk bridesmaids; Jennifer Garner's dress is a fun way to give your bridesmaid's dresses some life. Incorporate fringe in your bridesmaids' dresses for a wedding inspired by the roaring twenties.

If any of your bridesmaids are expecting, dress them up in a free-flowing dress which gathers a little at the top, this way she can be comfortable yet still look classy. Thanks for the inspiration, Kerry Washington!

 

We looooveee the fun one-shoulder dresses, and boy does Louise Roe's charming dress make us green with envy. What a unique dress idea for a bridesmaid!

 

One more one-shoulder dress coming at ya! Penelope Cruz's dress would be perfect for bridesmaids in a winter wedding. We think the shoulder swoop makes this dress elegant, while the little bow gives it a cute, younger look; it's the best of both worlds!

 

Now time for the mother-of-the-bride! June Squibb shows how a matching jacket can make a dress that much more flattering.

 

Meryl Streep also gives great inspiration to mothers-of-the-brides! We love the belt and swoop neck, which will make this dress stand out above the guests.

 

 

Don't think we forgot about your grooms, however! Both Jared Leto and Ryan Seacrest help us realize why white and cream might be the new way for groom's to go. Jared also shows how a groom can add a little color to his outfit. How fun is it for your groom to match one of your wedding colors? We love it!

 

 

 

While both Jared and Ryan rocked bowties, we wanted to throw in the idea of your groom wearing a skinny tie as well. We think Zac Efron would make a great groom right about now -- or is that just me? ;)

 

Martin Scorsese shows us how nice a under vest can look for a wedding! Not only this, but the silk embellishments also make for a great, classic groom's and father-of-the-bride's tux!

 

Also, here is the best selfie ever that Ellen DeGeneres took last night! Now you know what we were talking about when we mentioned Bradley Cooper's smile earlier!

Pictures provided by E! News.