Something White’s Boutique Bridal Bazaar

When my lovely friend Amanda allowed me the opportunity to take her place at the Boutique Bridal Bazaar hosted by Something White, my first thought was, “Well, I guess I SHOULD probably start planning my wedding…”

My wonderful fiancé asked me to make it street legal in September, after 5+ years of happily dating and cohabitating.  I tend to err on the side of “if it ain’t broke…” but in this case, I was very excited that we decided to take this next step together.

That being said, the wedding planning scene is daunting. I didn’t know where to start or who to ask, and the internet, in this state of confusion, is not your friend. So, upon reading Amanda’s post about the Something White event, I thought, “This is it… professional help!”

Ali (left-center) with her friends at Boutique Bridal Bazaar

Accompanied by my three of my best friends (who are way better at this stuff), I went on Sunday, January 12 to the Tudor Arms Hotel, on the near east side.  For as many times as I’ve driven by, I had never been inside. I knew it was a historic Cleveland landmark, and that it had recently undergone a bit of a make-over, but I was still really surprised by the inside of the building.

It was really stunning, with huge ceilings (35 feet!), beautiful murals on the walls, lots of big, open spaces in the two separate ballrooms, and amazing windows that let in such wonderful natural light. It is a gorgeous space, and my friends immediately decided that I shall be getting married there, no questions asked.

When we talked to Michelle from Tudor Arms, she did tell us that they were already booked most of the summer and fall, with few Fridays and no Saturdays until November. Timeliness is key if you want a space like this, and since timeliness is my Achilles heel, we’ll see if that will actually work out for me.

Inside the Tudor Arms Hotel

The first thing we saw when we walked in was the “Etsy aisle”, which was basically Etsy sellers, bringing in all of their wares to see in real life. This was great for me, because although from time to time I am the epitome of the “Pinterest Fails” board, I am fairly crafty.

So while I will continue to buy lip gloss from professionals and not make my own everything, I did want a (semi) DIY approach to our fiesta, for a couple of reasons: 1) cost and 2) you only get to do this once, so might as well get down and dirty with it.  So, the Etsy aisle at the event was super awesome, because you couldn’t help but find cool inspiration.

Paper bouquets

The vendors ranged from calligraphy from Seaworthi Calligraphy & Illustration or beautiful paper flowers from Rose Gold Studio (along with a whole range of custom design options!).  And when talking with some of the sellers, they said that they are always glad to do custom work. Double bonus – small biz + local vendor = sweet deal.

The amount of culinary vendors there was honestly shocking, and incredibly filling (so much for that wedding diet…), but everything we tried was amazing, from the vegan cupcakes at Vegan Sweet Tooth or the mushroom risotto from Gatherings Kitchen.

If you are able to choose your own caterer once you find a venue, there is no shortage of amazing local chefs to make your wedding day snacks memorable.  Many of them were advocates of local and sustainable products, and embraced gluten free, vegan and vegetarian diets, which means all of your guests will have a delicious meal (because let’s be honest, the vegetarian options at most events are pretty sad indeed).

Packed house at Boutique Bridal Bazaar

Finally – my two favorite places to pop by (hah!) were the Chill Pop Shop stand, and Urban Orchid florist.  At Chill Pop, they came up with these awesome flavors that include everything from avocado to all the usual suspects (I had strawberry cream), but they also make these “poptails” – i.e. your popsicle would be in a drink!

I worked in Brazil for a spell, and had a caipirinha made with a fresh pineapple popsicle that I sometimes still have dreams about. And now, right here, in good ole Cleveland, my dreams can come true! These would be adorable for showers, rehearsal dinners, or dessert on your big day, and it was such a fun idea – little artisan popsicles served in, for example, a little glass of champagne!  Be still my heart.

And if you need flowers, whether it’s just boutonnieres or the whole shebang, Brandon Sitler at Urban Orchid is your guy.  Mixing succulents, fresh flowers, plants and whatever you can dream up, I’ve never been disappointed by anything he’s done, for me or for others.

Beautiful flowers at the Boutique Bridal Bazaar

Located in Ohio City, he is a great addition to the neighborhood.  You could smell the fresh flowers from his stand from 20 feet away, and while I know flowers can be a large expense for your wedding day, I can’t imagine not having a fresh bouquet (although all the paper bouquets I saw were super cute too).

All in all – it was a great, somewhat overwhelming day, full of delicious snacks, beautiful inspiration and lots of happy brides. LOTS.  Much thanks to Something White Bridal and to Amanda for kicking me into gear and helping me get started to plan our big day.  There’s a poptail with your name on it.

Disclosure: I was offered one ticket to Boutique Bridal Bazaar in exchange for blogging about it. Because I was out of town attending my sister-in-law’s wedding, I was unable to attend. My friend Ali attended it instead. Her and my opinions are 100% our own.

Win 2 tickets to Cleveland’s Boutique Bridal Bazaar – January 12

As I look ahead to 2014, I can’t believe that Scott and I will celebrate not just our fifth wedding anniversary this year, but also an entire decade together. A decade?!? Where did all of that time go? On top of that, we’re traveling to DC in a few weeks for Scott’s sister’s wedding.

With all of this going on, I’ve been thinking a lot about our wedding. At the time, I thought it was a good idea to DIY our invitations, centerpieces, favors, and more. It was a lot of fun and allowed us to put a personal touch on things, but these were the pre-Pinterest and Etsy days and it wasn’t easy.

Fortunately, today’s bride has all of these tools at her disposal, as well as events like Something White’s Boutique Bridal Bazaar.

On January 12 from noon til 4pm, the beautiful Tudor Arms Hotel will host off-the-beaten-path vendors, decor and fashions for Cleveland couples looking to add a unique, avant-garde twist to their wedding.

The Boutique Bridal Bazaar features fashion for men and women, as well as unique, local food and decor (Britney McDonald Photography)

This is Boutique Bridal Bazaar’s third year and joining the mix are vendors who can provide couples with poptails (popsicle + cocktail), locally sourced catering, gourmet coffee bars, custom perfumes, and alcoholic cupcakes.

Support local businesses and caterers like L’Nique Specialty Linen, Dante Lucci Salon, Chill Pop, Cleveland Boudoir, DeBoe Studio: Weddings & Parties, Sow Food, and Spice of Life Catering.

There will also be tastings and the ability to purchase locally handmade goods in the “Etsy Aisle.” The Something White fashion show will not only feature models wearing the boutique’s newest gowns, but also past Something White brides taking one more walk down the “aisle” in their wedding gown.

I know all of that browsing would tire me out so attendees can relax in an inspirational lounge area and treat themselves to a fresh donut buffet.

Check out the Etsy Aisle for homemade accessories and designs from local artisans (Britney McDonald Photography)

Even if you’re not getting married, you’ll find plenty of inspiration for the next party you throw. We’ve used L’Nique for our linens at Jump Back Ball, and Dante Lucci is my go-to salon for all special occasions.

Tickets cost only $10 and can be purchased online ($15 at the door).

I’m also giving away a pair of tickets to the event. How to enter: Do one, some, or all five of the entries. A separate comment is needed for each.

There are 5 Easy Ways to Enter the Giveaway
**You must leave a separate comment on this post for each entry**

1) What has been your biggest challenge so far in planning your wedding? If you’ve already been through the gauntlet, what was your biggest challenge? Mine was DIYing our invitations. Leave a comment on this post with your answer.

2) Follow @SomethingWhiteB and @ADHicken on Twitter and leave one comment on this post telling me you did both.

3) If you’re a fan of Clue Into Cleveland and Something White, A Bridal Boutique on Facebook, leave one comment on this blog post letting me know. If you’re not yet a fan, you can become one here and here.

4) Tweet the following and leave one comment letting me know you tweeted:

Planning a wedding or party in #CLE? Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway to win 2 tickets to #BoutiqueBridalBazaar: http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-2mA

You can tweet once per day for additional entries. Just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

5) Subscribe to Clue Into Cleveland via a feed tracker like Bloglovin’ or Feedly and leave one comment letting me know you did. This can also include signing up to receive email notifications in the top-right “Subscribe” section of this page.

You have until Wednesday, January 8 at 11:59 PM to enter. Random.org will select the winner, which I will announce on Thursday, January 9. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry – good luck!

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the Boutique Bridal Bazaar in exchange for hosting a giveaway. My choice to post about this event and opinions are 100% my own. Photos by Britney McDonald Photography.