Geauga Maple Leaf Spring Bridal special section

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Geauga County Maple Leaf • Spring Bridal Special Section

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Manager Patrick Kohn and owner Wes Cowie are ready to answer your wine questions.

Colonial Wine & Beverage Ready To Supply Your Gatherings SUBMITTED Chesterland’s oldest family-owned beverage store has been undergoing some major changes in the last year. The shop – the largest independently-owned wine store on Cleveland’s east side – was purchased by employee Wes Cowie and his father in February 2016 and they have set about quietly modernizing the décor and bulking up the closeout value offerings.

Locals will remember renowned entrepreneur Bob Eppich, who guided Colonial from humble beginnings to a powerhouse of closeouts, values and high-end wine selections. The Cowies aim to restore Colonial’s reputation for unparallelled selection and values with the help of long-time employee Patrick Kohn, who has captained the store for more than nine years and brings an incredible depth of local experience and know-how. Cowie and Kohn are both longtime wine industry veterans, with a combined 30 years of experience between them.

Cowie’s career in wine started 14 years ago as a back-waiter at the now-defunct Vue Restaurant in Hudson. Stints at multiple wine shops in Washington, D.C., writing wine lists for North End Wine Bar in Hudson for three years and another three years working for a wine distributor has prepared Cowie for this new challenge.

“I never imagined I would have the opportunity to purchase Colonial Beverage,” said Cowie. “I remember pouring over Colonial’s ads when I was at other jobs and marveling at their offerings. It is really a treat to be able to continue this shop’s great tradition of quality.”

Kohn’s career in the wine industry began 15 years ago, first with Gene Veronese at Shaker Beverage, followed by a long stand at Riverside wine bar in Kent. Kohn worked with Bob Eppich beginning in 2008 at Colonial, and his nine years of continual

service are integral to the shop’s identity.

Kohn is also a Certified Specialist of Wine.

“At the end of the day, we are in the enjoyment business,” said Kohn. “I aim to connect our customers with just the right bottle – it’s about listening and communication. Our customers value our one-on-one service and our depth of knowledge. Wes and I have scrutinized every single bottle that we carry. Every bottle we own is here for a very good reason. And we have personally tasted each and every one.”

As winter begins to thaw, the guys at Colonial are setting their sights on spring and summer business, and that means parties.

“Weddings, graduation parties, cookoutsthese are our bread-and-butter in the warmer months,” said Kohn. “I have personally planned and executed beverages for hundreds of weddings over the years – experience that our customers find invaluable.

“People often don’t know where to start when it comes to party planning,” Kohn continued, “we help guide our customers to solutions that are both tasty and walletfriendly. We have become very adept at calculating beverage needs, which helps customers keep their costs in check. We also offer free delivery – which is so important, especially for weddings.”

“We supply dozens of weddings every year, we enjoy close relationships with many of the finest venues in the area, their referrals are an incredibly important part of our marketing and we are proud that our service merits repeat business,” said Cowie. “When it comes to graduation party and wedding planning, just remember that Colonial offers free consultation and free delivery – on top of our massive inventory selection.”

Colonial Beverage is at 8389 Mayfield Road, in Chesterland. For more information, contact them at 440-729-7303 or visit www.colonial-wine.com.

The Venue at Wicked Woods is Ready to Welcome Your Guests SUBMITTED The Venue at Wicked Woods is a beautiful banquet room in the heart of Geauga County.

The view from the balcony spectacularly looks across the Upper Cuyahoga River Valley and the rolling hills of woods and fields. Cherry paneling milled from the property, a majestic floor to ceiling fireplace, a welcoming Amish-made bar, hickory candelabras, with interesting and historic Geauga scenes pull nature’s outside beauty inside the room.

The friendly staff will provide you with a memorable experience for events from weddings to corporate meetings to charity fundraisers to golf outings. Your guests will be warmly treated with the ambience and theme that you select – white linen to business casual to country chic.

The facility comfortably seats up to 160 guests and can be set up with or without the dance floor. We do not have a set menu

because we want to serve what you would like and will work with you to provide the delicious meal that you envision.

Wicked Woods does have a full liquor license staffed by friendly and well-trained bartenders. Weather permitting, the fulllength balcony provides another relaxing vantage point to enjoy Nature’s vista.

Parking is not a problem with our paved, well-lit lot that has a circular drop-off drive.

Valet parking is available.

Since purchasing Wicked Woods, just two years ago, Connie and Ed Babcock have made major improvements to the golf course and to The Venue.

No one understands customer service and providing warm hospitality better than the Babcocks and their entire staff. They welcome you to come and visit so they may share all the beauty and advantages that The Venue at Wicked Woods has to offer you and your guests.

Please, visit WickedWoodsGolfClub.com, click on The Venue, or call 440-564-7960.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Geauga County Maple Leaf • Spring Bridal Special Section

Apart from bouquets, flowers can enhance weddings in several different ways and take their cue from historical traditions.

Incorporate Flowers as Part of Your Special Day METROCREATIVE Weddings are special moments for couples and the guests they invite to share their happiness on their big days. Beautiful weddings require substantial planning, as every last detail must be considered for couples to enjoy the wedding of their dreams.

Flowers play a big role in many weddings, and couples can add beauty and ambiance to the event by using f loral arrangements in various ways. Modern floral arrangements are stunning, and many couples may not know that herbs, spices and flowers have been used in weddings for centuries.

Today, flowers are used to decorate wedding venues, impart sweet fragrances and complement formal attire, but in ancient times they were used differently. Flowers were used to bestow good luck on the couple and keep bad omens away. Brides carried aromatic flowers and spices to keep evil spirits from spoiling the festivities, and some even tucked bulbs of garlic into their bouquets. In ancient Greece and Rome, both the bride and groom wore garlands made out of strong-smelling herbs flowers around their necks or heads. These wreaths were considered gifts of nature, and thus extremely appropriate for a wedding. Traditionally, bridesmaids would be responsible for fashioning these floral components. In ancient Sweden, young girls would carry small bouquets of fragrant herbs down the aisle and the groom would put thyme in his pocket.

These aromatics were thought to help keep trolls at bay.

Besides warding off spirits or hungry trolls, flowers also served more practical purposes throughout history. During the

Middle Ages, people bathed less frequently than they do today. Bathing might only have occurred twice a year, once during summer and then again at Christmastime. Because many weddings took place in the spring, flowers were used to mask bodily odors. Not only were flowers and herbs carried, but they also would be sewn into clothing.

Modern brides and grooms may no longer see their wedding days as times for opportunistic evil spirits. But that doesn’t mean that couples cannot borrow from ancient traditions and incorporate flowers into their weddings in various ways.

• Wreaths and garlands: Ask the florist to weave small flower buds, berries and vines to a headband, wreath or piece of twine so that the bride and groom can wear these flowers in the way they were worn by ancient Greeks and Romans. When coupled with Grecian-styled wedding gowns, brides can look like beautiful goddesses on their wedding days.

• Fragrant favors: Tuck dried rose petals and other fragrant f lowers into sachets that are embroidered with the wedding date and couple’s names. Guests can use these sachets to keep clothings smelling fresh in drawers or as subtle air fresheners around the house.

• Edible flowers: Ask the caterer to make meals flower-friendly by including some edible blooms in the salad or as a garnish on meals.

• Raining petals: In lieu of bubbles or birdseed, guests can shower the newlyweds with rose petals after the ceremony.

• Memorial: Some couples like to honor departed family members. Floral arrangements with small placards can make for fitting memorials.

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Geauga County Maple Leaf • Spring Bridal Special Section

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Find a Passion for Wine At Red, Wine & Brew Whether you’re planning a large wedding, getting ready for a wine and cheese party or just want to pick up a nice bottle of cabernet on the way home from work for dinner, Red Wine & Brew in Chesterland is just for you.

And if you’re looking for wine, Wine Director Alex Bossard at Red, Wine and Brew is your man.

When you enter, simply ask for Alex and he will set you up with your ideal wine.

“I have a very strong passion for wine,” Bossard said. “So much goes into a bottle – geography, family, the volume when harvesting the grapes, history – each vintage is an evolution of the family who owns the vineyard. It’s all incredible and fascinating.

There’s so much to know.

“I love it. That’s why I do what I do.”

Luckily, Alex knows quite a lot and is sure to use his passion to point you in the right direction.

“There is a wine for everybody,” Bossard said. “I can help you if you want wine for a party on a yacht, a box of wine or if you want a $2,500 bottle of wine to drink in a shack.

“I always ask them, ‘What’s your price range? Are you having food with the wine or is it by itself? And what is the ambiance? Is it a gift for a fancy dinner, movie night or a proposal?’

“If you’re looking for wine, this is the place to come because of our selection and the attitude we bring to it. You’re not going to get our experience and our level of service anywhere else.”

Bossard makes it a point to really get to know customers.

“I know people by their first name,” Bossard said. “I love getting to learn someone’s palette.

“People come in and I get excited. I know I have something you’ll really like.”

Red, Wine & Brew has more than 6,000 different types of wine.

“We have the best selection in Ohio, bar none,” Bossard said. “We go out of our way to get highly allocated wines.”

If you want to make sure you get a chance to speak with Bossard, you can always call ahead and schedule an appointment.

“And it doesn’t stop here (at Red, Wine & Brew),” Bossard said. “I go home to a stack of wine books. I practice blind tasting so I can blindly identify wine and where it came from.”

Sommelier Alex Bossard is ready to help customers with their wine questions.

Bossard is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional – known as a Sommelier – after having passed a test this past April at Cornell University. He’s currently studying for another test to reach the next level. “ The goal is to become a Master Sommelier,” Bossard said. “It’s a very difficult test.”

So Bossard is clearly the man who can take care of your wine needs.

“If you haven’t stopped in or even if you’re on the fence, rest assured, you’ll get the highest level of service I can provide,” Bossard said.

The award-winning store with beer, premium cigars and tobacco, and, of course, fine wine, is located at 8099 Mayfield Road in Chesterland. Red, Wine & Brew will also be expanding in the near future with a new restaurant right next door. Bossard plans to help out with this new dining experience once it’s open.

For more information or to set up an appointment with Bossard, call Red, Wine & Brew at 440-729-7376, visit www.redwineandbrew.us or email Bossard at alex.b@ rwbchesterland.com You can also follow Red, Wine & Brew on Facebook and Twitter.

Live The Resurrection With Community Church SUBMITTED BY REV. JASON BRICKER -THOMPSON Community Church of Chesterland is a progressive, all-inclusive and contemporary community of faith. Our faith is 2,000 years old, but our thinking isn’t.

On Sunday, April 23 (the Sunday after Easter) at 10 a.m. our faith community will be meeting at our church before spreading out into the community to “live the resurrection” by volunteering as our worship for that Sunday.

During Lent, leading up to Easter, Community Church invites members and visitors to practice Micah 6.8 by “Doing Justice, Loving Kindness and Walking Humbly with God.” We will be having multiple small group discussions each week, as well as opportunities each Sunday for learning about social issues and volunteering to cook meals for an area nonprofit.

All are welcome regardless of age, belief, gender, ability, sexual orientation, or any other distinction that might seek to separate us. Community Church was founded in Chesterland in 1819 and has sought to engage the spiritual needs of our community for nearly 200 years. We are a congregation of

the United Church of Christ, which is a mainline protestant denomination with lineages from the Congregational (pilgrim/puritan), Christian, Evangelical and Reform Churches.

The United Church of Christ is committed to hearing God’s ancient story anew and afresh in our lives and in the world today. We try to remain attentive to God’s creative movement in the world. Religion and science are not mutually exclusive, and your head and heart are both welcomed in worship.

We believe in extravagant welcome. This is why we insist that God’s communion table is open, not closed, and God’s gift and claim in baptism are irrevocable.

We advocate justice for all. Our congregations extend hospitality as a sign of God’s inclusive love. Our perspective is global. We work with — not against — people of other faiths.

We believe the church’s mission is to change lives — individually, systemically and globally. We work to make transformation possible, but trust in God’s grace. This is why we insist that churches must be places of vitality in worship, learning and advocacy.

We are committed to working for justice, and we believe that lives are changed through global experiences and friendships.

Why? Because God is still speaking,

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Geauga County Maple Leaf • Spring Bridal Special Section

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Better Business Bureau’s Guide to Surviving a Bridal Fair SUBMITTED BY SUE A. MCCONNELL BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU SERVING GREATER CLEVELAND Did you get engaged over the holidays?

Are you starting to make plans for the big day? If so, you are probably checking out the various bridal shows scheduled in our area.

Bridal shows are a good source of one-stop shopping to find everything needed for a wedding. Dresses, tuxedos, caterers, florists, limousine services, cake designers, travel agents, and more can be found conveniently under one roof. Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland has some tips to make your planning experience less stressful.

• Research exhibitors ahead of time Visit the bridal expo’s website for a list of exhibitors. Research businesses in advance by going to bbb.org/cleveland to see complaint details, customer reviews, and their BBB grade ratings.

• Ask the right questions - Make certain the company is available for your wedding date and get details about packages that fit your budget. Are the prices still available if you do not book that day?

• Get customer references - Ask potential vendors for references from previous customers and contact them to see if they were satisfied with the products or services.

• Get all promises in writing - Get all details and promises in writing. Read the fine print for details about costs and any penalties associated with changes or cancellations. Obtain a business card before you leave and set a time to follow up after the show. Don’t be pressured to put down a large deposit for fear of losing out.

• Create a new email just for the show Whether you are pre-registering or signing up at the door, it is a good idea to create a unique email for wedding vendor communi-

cation. This allows you to keep track of all of the special offers and promotions you will likely receive after the show. This can also help reduce high volumes of email in your personal inbox.

• Bring someone you trust - Bring someone with you that is not as emotionally or financially connected to the wedding planning. This individual may provide a different, yet helpful, perspective when talking with vendors and visiting booths.

• Save All Documents - Hang on to any receipts, confirmation numbers, paperwork, and emails until you are entirely satisfied with the results.

• Pay with a credit card - Paying with a credit card typically offers fraud protection and the ability to dispute charges over $50 within two months of a purchase.

• Think About Insurance - According to The Knot, the average cost of a wedding in 2015 was $32,000. One way to protect that investment is with the purchase of wedding insurance. Wedding insurance can help you recoup losses of photos, gifts, rings, deposits, and other items.

Every year, BBB receives hundreds of complaints about wedding related services.

Most concern contract disputes and failure on the part of the vendor to provide the agreed upon services.

Considering foregoing brick and mortar companies and shopping with online vendors? Proceed with caution. Many online dress retailers with tempting discounts on “designer” wedding gowns are located overseas. If you knowingly buy from a company overseas, U.S. laws and protections will be dif ficult, if not impossible, to enforce.

Also be careful if ordering f lowers online. Some businesses deceptively use bogus addresses to appear to be located within the United States, but are actually overseas.

Other tips for buying online: • Know how much you are paying - Dig for hidden costs. Read guarantee, return and refund policies. Look for applicable shipping and handling fees. If you aren’t happy with your purchase, will you receive a refund or merchant credit? Do you pay for return shipping?

• Getting the product - Check delivery promises. Does the site clearly state its typical delivery times? What happens if the purchase doesn’t arrive on time for your event?

The Federal Trade Commission requires merchants to ship within 30 days unless the seller states otherwise at the time of order.

Buyers are entitled to a full refund if the seller is unable to ship within the stated time-

frame, or 30 days if no timeframe is given.

• How to pay - Stick with a safe payment method. Never pay by wire transfer or prepaid money cards. Credit cards still offer the most protection, such as zero liability and longer periods to challenge charges. Debit cards don’t offer these, and using them online also could put your banking information at risk for fraud.

• Only make an https secure payment Before you enter your credit card number, look at the address bar on the payment page to see if it starts with “https” or if there’s a padlock icon on the page. Read privacy policies. Does the store sell your information to other vendors? How is your information kept secure?

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Geauga County Maple Leaf • Spring Bridal Special Section

Thursday, March 9, 2017

The Banquet Room at St. Mary’s Offers Many Amenities, Catering SUBMITTED About 14 years ago, after realizing the need for a local space in Chardon to host social events, St. Mary Parish decided to build a banquet room.

In the past 14 years they have held many local events, from workshops and conferences to nonprofit fundraisers, funeral luncheons, anniversary parties, birthdays, showers, rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, and community organization luncheons and meetings, as well as many of their own parish functions, including the very popular Lenten fish fries.

The elegant and spacious banquet room is completely handicap accessible and will accommodate guests for a small luncheon of 50 or a larger event seating 230 guests.

The experienced staff is available to assist you in planning your private event or corporate function.

St. Mary’s Parish preferred caterer, Chef Christopher from The Reserve House, has a variety of menus and services to meet your budgetary considerations from simple to elegant. He offers impeccable service and a variety of standard and signature menu items with the ability to customize menus and recipes to suit your needs.

When using their preferred caterer many fees charged by others are included, such as cake cutting fees, corking fee for bartending, set up and clean-up, and maintenance fees.

Alcohol is provided by the client with onstaff bartenders paid directly by the client.

The Reserve House offers on- and off-site catering and service.

Clients are welcome to choose to bring in their own licensed and insured caterer.

Outside caterers have access to the hall’s catering kitchen for warming and cooling and service. However, there are some additional fees for maintenance and set up and clean up associated with that.

St. Mary’s Parish offers many amenities, including a multitude of centerpiece components at no charge, a choice of linen colors, china, silverware, and glass. They provide round table seating for 8-10 guests, a full size contemporary bar set-up, a parquet dance floor, audio and visual equipment, adjustable lighting, and climate controlled rooms. The Banquet Room is accessible to the adjoining room for food service and auction items or other activities. Discount pricing is available for community and nonprofit organizations for both the room fee and catering fees.

St. Mary’s Parish welcomes the opportunity to help you plan and execute your next private or corporate event. Their goal is to realize your vision and exceed your expectations with impeccable service that only a first class catering facility can present.

For more information about the Banquet Room at St. Mary’s Parish, call 440-2888879. For more information about The Reserve House catering, call 440-286-6996 or visit www.thereservehouse.com.

The Banquet Room at St. Mary’s is at 401 North St., Chardon.

How to Build a Wedding Budget METROCREATIVE Couples engaged to be married have a lot on their plates as they begin planning their weddings. Whereas tradition once demanded parents of the bride pay for a couple’s wedding, nowadays more and more engaged couples are completely or partially financing their own nuptials. That means prospective brides and grooms must develop wedding budgets that won’t ensure their first act as Mr. and Mrs. is paying down debt.

In its 2015 Real Weddings Study, online bridal resource The Knot found that many couples still receive substantial financial support from their parents to pay for their weddings. The survey found that, on average, the bride’s parent’s contributed 44 percent of the overall wedding budget in 2015, while couples financed 43 percent (the remaining 13 percent was financed by the groom’s parents and additional sources). Couples who hope to follow that formula or pay for their weddings on their own can heed the following tips to build wedding budgets that won’t break the bank but will still ensure a day to remember forever.

• Examine your collective finances. Few couples know the details of each other’s finances before getting engaged. While some may still hesitate to share their personal financial information upon getting engaged, an open and honest discussion and examination of each person’s finances is the only way to develop a realistic wedding budget that both partners can live with. Once couples know what they can contribute, they can then consult their parents to determine if their mothers and fathers are intending to contribute.

• Develop a preliminary guest list. A preliminary guest list can give couples an idea of how large and expensive their weddings will be. According to the Real Weddings Study, the average cost per wedding guest in 2015 was $237. While that cost can vary greatly depending on geography and other factors, couples should keep that figure in mind when drafting their guest lists. If need be, keep costs down by trimming the guest list so it includes only close family members and friends.

• Don’t count on gifts. Many couples justify runaway wedding budgets by telling themselves that they will ultimately get the money back via wedding gifts. While many guests will give financial gifts, counting on such windfalls is a recipe for accruing debt.

Do not build potential wedding gifts into your wedding budget. If you do so and your expectations fall short, you could be facing considerable debt upon returning home from your honeymoon.

• Gather quotes before choosing where to tie the knot. Where couples get married will have a great impact on how much money they will spend on their weddings. For example, the Real Weddings Study found that, in 2015, the average wedding in Manhattan cost couples slightly more than $82,000, while the average Alaskan wedding cost just over $17,000. Venues within the same city can vary greatly with regard to pricing and offerings as well, so couples should give themselves ample time to gather quotes and find an affordable venue they like.

• Build extra costs into your budget.

When determining a budget you can live with, remember to include a little extra for unforeseen costs. Weddings are large undertakings, and it’s reasonable to expect some unforeseen costs to arise. Building such costs into your initial budget will make these unforeseen circumstances that much easier to handle.

Budgets can help couples stay on track and avoid debt as they plan their weddings.

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Geauga County Maple Leaf • Spring Bridal Special Section

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Tips for Nontraditional Weddings METROCREATIVE Families come in all shapes and sizes.

Dur ing special events — par ticularly those steeped in tradition, such as weddings — blended families may have to employ cer t ain t actics to ensure t he events go off without a hitch.

When planning their weddings, couples must give consideration to the needs of their families. Even though a wedding is about the union of two people, oftentimes couples engaged to be married must contend with the politics of divorce or other familial issues. This includes if and how to incorporate stepparents and stepsiblings into the ceremony and celebration.

There are no traditional rules regarding how to handle blended families, so brides- and grooms-to-be can customize their decisions based on their own unique situations. Even when families have been happy through the years, the unique circumstances and traditions surrounding the nuptials can dredge up former insecurities, and certain aspects may require extra patience and tact. Here’s how to navigate the process.

• Consider stepparents and stepsiblings VIPs. Brides and grooms who are not particularly close to their stepfamilies still have to recognize the role they play in the family dynamics. These people are still family, so respect and cour tesy should be offered.

If there is any lingering animosity, extend the olive branch on this day and try not to let anyone be made to feel as if they are unimportant. A simple announcement of who stepparents are at the wedding reception or inclusion of their names on wedding itineraries can help smooth over any potential bumps.

• Put others’ needs before your own.

While the wedding may be about you and your future spouse, you must consider the feelings of others. Biological parents and stepparents may act defensively if they feel uncomfortable or hurt, and that can create an air of negativity to the day. Try to avoid this by considering potential areas of conflict.

For example, mothers might be hurt if their ex-husbands’ new girlfriends are asked to be in a group family photo.

Instead, select separate times to have everyone included. Remember to give parents and stepparents priority seating as well, and they each should be seated next to someone they love and someone with whom they can converse comfortably. You may think everyone can play nice, but it’s best not to push the issue just to make a point at the wedding.

• Recognize that some families break the mold. Recently, a father made waves on t he Inter net when a video of him pulling the bride’s stepfather up to assist in walking her down the aisle went viral.

This was a wonderful image of families making it work despite their differences or the awkwardness that can result when brides or grooms have parents and stepparents in attendance. Although this scenario might not play out for all, find ways to impart a special touch, especially if you’re close to both your biological parents and your stepparents. For example, your biological father may walk you down the aisle, while your stepfather may enjoy the first dance.

• Order f lower s and gif ts for all.

Purchase flowers and wedding party gifts for all of the special people in your lives, including your stepfamily.

Weddings can be complicated affairs when factoring in blended families. With patience and compassion, such families can enjoy a beautiful and happy day.

L

et Us Host Your Next Event Seating up to two-hundred people, and the best view in central Geauga County.

Group & Company outings, fully catered Party Center

Our facility has a full commercial kitchen and can seat up to two hundred guests.

The spacious room is paneled with native cherry wood from the property installed by master carpenter Dan Hess. The room opens onto a full length deck with beautiful views looking over the golf course and Upper Cuyahoga River Valley. Air-conditioned with sound system, dance floor and wet bar. Caterer, event planner and valet parking available. Gazebo by the lake for small ceremony and pictures. Plan your next event with us for an outstanding experience.

Wi c ke d Wo o d s Ba n qu e t Ro o m or $

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Geauga County Maple Leaf • Spring Bridal Special Section

Thursday, March 9, 2017