John and Molly's Wedding in Cleveland, Ohio

The story of our wedding

We had a perfect day. Perfect weather, perfect venues, and none of the addition, expensive fluff that a) no one cares about, and b) most couples are pressured by the wedding industry to include. Our small-ish wedding (about 100 people) took place at St. Patrick in Bridge in Ohio City (Cleveland). We had only a maid of honor and a best man, no insane wedding party of our 16 “closest friends” to stress us out with unsolicited input into how to design OUR big day. We also didn’t waste time/money on jingle bells or bubbles that would’ve gotten thrown away immediately afterward; our loved ones just cheered their hearts out when we exited the church, and we loved it. I utilized Afloral.com for stems of latex orchids ($7.50 per stem, so my bouquet cost about $25 and I can keep it forever).Since our wedding party was small, the photographer drove us to the different sites of our post-wedding photos. From there, she took us to the reception venue: Great Lakes Brewery’s Tasting Room. Such a fun venue! Our guests got to enjoy the sights and sounds (and bars) of Ohio City for the about 1.5 hours between the wedding and reception, and the Fall weather was perfect for it. The reception was catered by the venue, and we received so many compliments on the food (and, of course, the drinks!). Instead of spending time on centerpieces we’d have to try to sell later, we rented the Great Lakes growlers and dropped off stems of the latex orchids to put in each one. Instead of favors (let’s face it: no one wants your “spoonful of kisses for the Mr. & Mrs” or your rustic jars of apple butter), we made a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, in memory of my father. On each plate, a small card was placed that explained the donation. We felt good, our guests felt good, and no one had to carry around a candle or bag of mints for the rest of the night. Speaking of cards, we used Etsy vendor Penelope’s Paper Pantry for everything — save-the-dates, invitations (with the help of envelopes.com), wedding programs, table numbers, and the “favor” cards. They all coordinated, and they have so much to choose from. Our cake topper, guest book (constellation chart), and card box were also from Etsy vendors (not to mention my veil, which I believe was $40 and just as good as any $300 veil you’d buy in a bridal shop). At the end of the night, after some post-reception bar hopping with our friends, we took a Lyft back to the hotel. Saved a bundle on the silliness of expensive and unnecessary wedding transportation, especially considering our church, reception venue, and bars were all pretty much within walking distance of one another. Overall, I can’t stress enough that by eliminating some of the little details no one notices or cares about, you will save yourselves a lot of time, money, and frustration. I only hope that everyone’s special day could be as fun, stress-free, and loving as ours was. As long as you have your significant other and the people who love you, your day will be amazing. Don’t let the wedding industry tell you what you have to do. Do it YOUR WAY, and no one else’s!