May 15, 2024 • 19 mins
For those on the hunt for wedding wonders, the I Do's and Brews wedding show on May 19, 2024, is your golden ticket to a world of vendor variety, all under the roof of a local Cincinnati treasure, Rhinegeist Brewery.
Have you ever felt the walls of a venue whisper tales of history and romance to you? Cass and Jess from Rheingeist Brewery visually escort us through the stunning corridors of their wedding venue. The architectural charm of exposed brick and original rafters sets the stage for "I do's" that are as unique as they are memorable. One of the new trends at Rhinegeist? Elopement celebrations, or a wedding reception after the couple returns from an elopement or destination wedding.
Then we take a heartfelt journey into the soul of wedding planning, where the quest for the perfect venue mirrors the magic of finding 'the one' in a wedding dress. Our conversation guides you through the busy seasons of bookings, advising on the necessity of claiming your spot in the coveted months, creating your non-negotiable list, questions to answer before you call a venue for a tour, and the ultimate joy of seeing your wedding vision come to life.
To listen to more episodes visit www.yourdreamday.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:24):
Hi, welcome to your Dream DayWedding Planning Podcast and
YouTube channel.
I'm your host, Kathy PiechLucas, and today we have two
very special guests.
We have Cass and Jess fromRheingeist Brewery.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Say that 20 times in a row Rhinegeist, Rhinegeist,
Rhinegeist!
Speaker 1 (00:46):
We're very excited to have Rhinegeist on here.
You guys are a Cincinnatistaple.
Yeah, I mean not just for thebeer that is brewed here, but
your wedding venue.
It's a historic building.
You want to tell us a littlebit about the building?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
yeah, so originally I want to say like in 1910,
because it used to be theChristian Moorline like bottling
plant, so that you know thatwas over 100 years ago, so we
haven't been around that long,but Rhinegeist has been around
since 2013.
So we came in, renovated thiswhole place and what you come
(01:23):
into for the top room is goingto be like where they used to
bottle things, and then you'llsee like in our different event
spaces we have four those arealso like the original spaces as
well.
So like you'll see like exposedbrick, like right behind us.
You'll see like the tiling onthe floor in some of the spaces,
as well as like the exposedrafters.
They're all original.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
And it's.
You know, when you have a venuelike that, it has history, but
it has so much character, youknow, and if you're looking for
a hotel ballroom, you know whatto expect.
But when you go into a historicbuilding, this is where you get
all those beautiful gems yeah,Within the decor.
Are there any like specificthings that jump out at you that
(02:03):
are your favorite details hereat Rhinegeist?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
I mean the way that, like I love the exposed brick, I
love, like seeing the exposedrafters.
I wish we could turn the cameraon and show everybody, but
you're going to have to come andsee yourself.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Well, no, you're going to have to watch the
TikTok reel and the Instagramand Facebook reel that we're
going to do after this so thatyou can get a little
behind-the-scenes tour of whatthis property looks like.
But it is just incredible, andyour staff is amazing to work
with too.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Thank you, we've (Your Dream Day) has had
weddings here.
The last wedding we had herewas in the 250-guest room.
The clubhouse, in theclubhouse, and we had the
ceremony, and then guests had acocktail hour and then we
flipped and got and got rid ofthe ceremony chairs and made
that yeah to a dance floor.
So well, fantastic.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
And you also have a wedding show coming up we do,
yes, and Cass is going to tell alittle more about that yeah, so
we're super excited.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I Do's and Brews, a craft wedding experience with
Rhinegeist Brewery, is on Sunday, May 19th, from 12 to 3 pm.
This, this is a ticketed event.
It's only $15 a ticket and thatincludes your first
complimentary drink on arrivaland we'll also give you a little
goodie bag with informationfrom each vendor, and then it's
also great to carry around.
Put any goodies that vendorshave throughout the day or more
(03:21):
information for you to take homewith you.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
I like that.
It's a nice pink bag.
It's a pink bag that says yourdream day podcast on it, so of
course, of course I'm going tolike the pink goodie bag! But
who are some of the vendors thatpeople can expect to talk to?
What types?
Any specific names that you cantell us?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
So all of our vendors are listed on the event page,
which we'll get to in a littlebit, but we have just under 60
vendors, everything from thosemore traditional wedding and
event vendors like caterers,florists, planners, djs, live
music, but also some that are alittle more non-traditional that
maybe somebody wouldn't havethought of, like there's going
(04:02):
to be a travel agent there.
There's going to be somebodyfrom an insurance company who is
great to reach out to aboutinsuring that new wedding
jewelry you just got.
There is a nanny service.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I actually have a wedding in a few weeks and we
have a nanny service that'sgoing to be there that day.
They're going to be babysittingfour or five children.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Yeah, so just something a little unique and
really no matter your style,your budget, your venue choice,
your partner, there is going tobe something here for you.
60 vendors, that's a bigturnout.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Exciting.
We're super excited.
This is our second annualwedding expo.
Last year we were at about 31vendors, so it's much bigger,
much more exciting.
We're thrilled.
So double the size.
Double the size, yeah, doublethe fun.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Well and hopefully double the weddings too, yes,
absolutely.
Now that the COVID chapter isbehind us, thank goodness, we
could start getting back toreality and start planning all
of these amazing weddings.
Before we started recording, wehad also talked one of the
spaces that you have is perfectfor post-elopement, and you
(05:10):
mentioned the travel agent asone of the wedding professionals
that will be exhibiting at theI Do's Brews Brew's event.
But one trend that you'reseeing here is not only somebody
having their ceremony andreception here, but somebody who
went someplace else to have asmall ceremony and then they
come back here for an elopementcelebration.
(05:32):
Yeah, so do you want to tell usa little bit about how those
work for you?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Sure, do you want to talk about the lounge?
Sure, yep.
So one of our newer spaces isgoing to be the lounge, which we
are actually sitting in rightnow.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
You get the great view in here.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
But it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
It's got this beautiful exposed brick and
these chandeliers I mean theselook like vintage chandeliers.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
They definitely look like vintage chandeliers.
So the lounge definitely haslike a very moody aesthetic to
it, so like there's likehand-placed mosaic tile floors.
We just repainted everything.
There's a beautiful marble bar,as well as the exposed rafters
that I had mentioned.
So this room has a lot ofcharacter, which it's one of our
favorite spaces automatically,just because it's just very
(06:16):
unique.
You're not going to see a lotof spaces like this.
It's cozy, it's very cozy.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
When I arrived here, that was the first word that
came to mind was this is verycozy.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
it's very cozy.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
It's very intimate and it's kind of sexy too.
Like it's like very just likemoody and intimate.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
This is a great space for not just the elopements but
for, like, rehearsal dinners.
We use this for the signatureroom.
For some of our smallerweddings is the cocktail hour,
so the guests can use thisreally for anything they'd like,
which is great with all of ourspaces.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
They're very versatile, versatile, yeah,
that's a great way.
Exactly, I like that well, andit's true because each room has
just a little bit of a differentcharacter to it even exactly
even though it's overalldefinitely has that I don't.
Rustic is not the word I'mlooking for, because whenever I
think rustic, I think of a barn,like a barn, I think of more
(07:09):
like industrial.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yes, yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
More industrial then, and with a historic twist to it
.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, I love the way you put that.
That, oh, boy, I made it in thebrochure.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
How many weddings do you have booked here?
Uh, for this year so far.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Um.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
I'm actually not sure on the exact number I'd have to
look that up but we aretypically always booked every
Saturday throughout the year,especially those busy months
like um September, October,December is always the year,
especially those busy monthslike September, October,
December is always the wild wildwest for events, not just with
weddings but holiday bookingsand things like that.
And then, like she mentioned,we have another smaller event
(07:53):
space, the Signature Room in theLounge that accommodates those
smaller weddings as well as ourlarger 250 guest weddings.
So it's often that we'rehosting two weddings in one
night.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
That's extremely common for us in those busy
months, which is super fun andexciting.
It's important when you havemultiple weddings, you know that
you have a venue that's used todoing that because you want to
make sure that the paths don'tcross.
It's a huge responsibility forthe venue to make sure that that
(08:26):
happens.
Yeah, and you two havedefinitely perfected that for
sure.
Yeah, so when somebody islooking for a venue, what are
some questions that they shouldbe asking before they even pick
up the phone to call you?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah, that's a great question and a lot of people who
come to us maybe haven't goneto any venue tours or haven't
really dipped their toes in anysort of planning or the event
industry as a whole.
So I would say, really thebiggest question for them to
consider is what is their budgetand then what are their
non-negotiables.
So, is it the guest count?
(08:59):
Is it that catering is on siteor is it that they can select
whichever caterer that theychoose?
Like with us, we don't havecatering insights, so the
couples can bring in their ownvendor, of course with our
approval and recommendations.
But it does give you thatflexibility to really craft the
day that you want, day that youwant.
(09:24):
I would also say what's includedin the venue.
That's really important andsomething people really often
don't consider.
So are the tables included?
Are the chairs included?
Are the linens and the napkins?
Do you have an eventcoordinator who's going to make
the day happen?
All of these things, I think,are really good things to think
about and ask the venues beforeeven considering, and then
you'll really learn what'simportant to you.
Sometimes people think that thedate it's a non-negotiable.
(09:45):
I need this date.
It's really you find what isimportant to you.
Find the venue and go fromthere.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Well, and the other thing I always find with couples
is when they go into a space,it's like it's when they find
the dress, it's like when theyfind the space.
They know, Because they justget this, their body language
completely changes.
They just relax that little bitand so, you know, going online
and looking on websites.
That's a great place to start,but you definitely want to go to
(10:14):
the venue itself and get thetrue vibe of the venue when you
come down.
What would you say?
What is the most fun weddingthat you can remember that
you've had here, One that standsout.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
So when I'll do two things.
So one, I would say a tour,because I give a lot of tours of
this space.
We just gave a tour this weekand the couple came in and the
bride immediately started cryingbecause she just was such an
all and I feel like that wasreally memorable to me.
And you know, sometimes thatdoesn't always happen, because
they're overwhelmed, they don'tknow what questions to ask,
they're nervous, and so justseeing that true, genuine
(10:49):
reaction was really sweet.
And then I would say the actualwedding, one that I think was
the most memorable.
I had this couple I'll go aheadand name them because I love
them Park and Jonathan, who werejust so fun to work with.
Their wedding was fantastic.
They had a great group ofvendors, it was a really fun day
and just they were so gratefuland so kind and I feel like that
(11:12):
was just really memorable,because you get so close when
you work with your couples.
And yeah, even as just a venuesometimes, and we have event
coordinators on site as well, soyou get really close and you
work through those details overa long period of time.
Um, so I mean even weddingsthat I worked years ago still,
you know, just are here wellit's.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
It's funny because, like a lot of my past uh couples
, we're still friends onfacebook like I had.
I had a wedding that I want tosay.
It was almost 15 years ago andshe she posted pictures of her
kids going to prom.
Yeah, but it's really fun towatch.
You know their families grow.
Yeah, and you know, the reasonwhy people get married is to
(11:54):
start a marriage together.
Sure, you know, and when youhave the reception and when you
have, you know, the photographerand the DJ and the food, you
know that's the that's thecelebration part, you know, but
it's also the ceremony part isthe rock of the marriage and
it's just really excitingbecause you know I say this
(12:16):
jokingly but I actually startedputting it into my marketing,
like you guys are going to, withthis little sentence, little
whippersnapper I came up with.
But we were reading a lot ofour reviews on some of the
wedding planning websites and wewere seeing very consistently
she was like a big sister, shewas like a second mom, she was
like a big sister and I neverreally thought about that.
(12:39):
But I say jokingly that weinclude free therapy sessions
with our packages and they doexactly what you two just did.
They start laughing because theythink it's funny.
And then low and behold.
"an I talk to you aboutsomething?
And then they'll start talkingabout oh, I'm having issues with
my future mother-in-law and Idon't know what to do, or I'm
(13:00):
having issues with this and thething is we've all heard this
before.
And it's like no, this is notthe first time I've heard it and
it's totally, it's somewhatnormal.
But you know you can give somedirection as to.
You know this might be a way tohandle it.
This might be a way to handleit, but you know planning a
(13:27):
wedding is stressful.
It's very stressful, and youknow planning a wedding is
stressful.
Oh yeah, yeah, it's verystressful, and you know having a
good team of vendors, like youwere talking about, you work
with that vendor team foranywhere from eight to 16 months
, depending on how far out youbook them, and you do develop a
relationship and a rapport.
So when you're booking yourvendors, you want to get people
that you trust.
Your instinct does it feelright?
It's like your photographer ifyou don't feel comfortable
(13:47):
around your photographer, it'sgoing to show in your pictures
because you have to click withthem.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
You have to feel a comfort level with them.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Or, you know, when you get your florist, you want
to make sure that they'reunderstanding your vision and
your budget.
You know, that's, I think, whatone of the things that can be
tricky with Pinterest.
Do you have a love haterelationship with Pinterest?
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Um, I'm currently dealing with Pinterest right now
because it's like I have somany ideas and then it's just
like then I just have too manyideas and I'm like I don't even
know what I want anymore, but Iwant everybody else's wedding.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yeah, like one of the things I think, especially for
decorators and florists, is thatyou know they, they feature all
of these platinum weddings andluxury weddings on them, and
then they go to the florist andthe florist tells them, well,
that's a $500 centerpiece, thatyou like.
And so you know.
It's also important to find youknow vendors that understand
your vision but also understandyour budget, because going into
(14:42):
debt is no way to start a newchapter of your life yeah,
wonderful.
What are some other tips thatyou would offer to couples who
are listening today, that arejust getting started in the
wedding process?
Because choosing a venue isstep number one?
Yes, the church and the venuethat's your first stop.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yes, so I'm actually a 2025 bride.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Congratulations, thank you so much yes, bling,
the bling, bling the bling,there we go!
Speaker 2 (15:09):
So I was yeah, shout out to Zach, so Planning a
wedding.
Like I started you know, I gotengaged the end of last year but
, like working in this industry,I already knew who I wanted to
work with, based on, like thatrapport, like I have with those
other vendors and like how wellwe've worked with, like the
clients and myself and the othercoordinators.
So it's like I knew exactly whoI wanted to work with wedding
(15:39):
planning and also looking for avenue, as if, like I want my
wedding to feel the same waythat I would run it the day of,
because a lot, of, a lot ofother venues don't have what we
do.
So, like having a coordinatoron site, whether you choose a
coordinator, that's going to be,you know, especially with the
venue, or if you're going tohave a planner, it is so
important to know who's going tohelp you run that day, because
I don't want to work on my day.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Good, that's the way it should be.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
So I think like yeah, exactly like what Cass was
saying like finding somewherethat is, are they going to have
a coordinator on site who'sgoing to help you get those
pieces together and bring yourvision together and help you
with those little things?
Because we really work witheach other for like the next
year to six months to the day oflike we're constant contact
with each other.
So I definitely went into itlike trying to find like a venue
(16:25):
that's going to, you know,check the same boxes that
Rhinegeist does, because I lovethe way that we coordinate our
weddings.
Like we are very precise abouteverything to a point where it
is like down to perfection thatwe we take the timeline very
seriously around here.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
I joke, but like I mean I literally.
Usually it's a printed out sixpage timeline because it's so
detailed.
But you have to be that waybecause you need to make sure
that it's almost like a script,like a movie script.
You have to know when's yourbakery delivering your desserts
and your cake, and what time isyour photographer starting
pictures.
Are you seeing each otherbeforehand?
(17:04):
you know, just all the littlethings that you wouldn't think
that you have to spell out, butyou actually do.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Yes, yeah, yeah like sometimes I'll be asking couples
and I'm like so when do youwant to go do rooftop photos?
And they're like rooftop photosand I'm like, oh, you don't
know about our rooftop.
Let me show you what you'rehere.
I just keep selling it kind of alittle bit because, like, we
have one of the best rooftops inCincinnati, which it's if you
haven't seen the photos on ourPinterest, by the way absolutely
(17:31):
beautiful, like the picturesthat we get that on the rooftop,
because the sun sets right overthe hills and you know there's
a bunch of beautiful houses andartwork that are going to be in
the hills right behind us.
It's just like one-of-a-kindspace, especially just like
being at Rheingeist, cincinnatistaple.
Like you can't go wrong withthat wonderful.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Well, and the other thing that's nice about
Rheingeist is, if you have yourceremony here, you don't have to
worry about a rain plan yes,yes, all inside Air condition.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Air condition is a big one.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
It's huge, it's huge.
You know, one time I had aceremony and, uh, we had to put
that this particular venue hadan outdoor space and it was 105
heat index outside and it brokemy heart, cause I always try to
keep the ceremonies in theiroriginal intended location if we
can, but it was just too hotand we had to move it inside and
(18:22):
, and you know, the bride was alittle heartbroken at first, I
think she was a little mad at me, but then, after the ceremony
was over, she's like I just wantto thank you.
You were smart and you pulled itin and I I know I was telling
you not to, but you were right,yeah, but, um, wonderful.
So how can people findRhinegeist online?
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Yeah, so Rheingeist, just Rhinegeist.
com/privateevents.
Do you want to spell?
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Rhinegeist, because it's not like it sounds.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Yes, we were talking about that before we went on.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
I'm like, yeah, with a last name like "peach, that's
not spelled that way.
Sure, yeah All about spelling.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Yeah so Rhinegeist.
Yeah, all about spelling.
Yeah so Rhinegeist.
R-h-i-n-e-g-e-i-s-t.
Um, we're in over the rhine,which is so where we got our
name.
Rhinegeist.
com/specialevents.
And then for tickets for I do'sand brews um, you can visit our
website or you can go directlyto the ticketing page, which is,
um, I believe it's humanitix.
(19:16):
com slash I do's and brews, oreventshumanitics slash I do's
and brews.
Wonderful when you can getthose $15 tickets and we can't
wait to see you there.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Wonderful.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Thank you, thank you for tuning in.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Hopefully you got some really great tips and
advice for when you're firststarting your wedding planning
process, and congratulations onyour upcoming wedding.
Be sure to subscribe to yourDream Day Wedding Planning
Podcast and our YouTube channelso that you can get all the
latest and greatest as far astips go for planning your
upcoming wedding.
This is Kathy Piech Lukas withYour Dream Day.
(19:52):
Happy planning.
Hi, welcome to your Dream DayWedding Planning Podcast and
YouTube channel.
I'm your host, Kathy PiechLucas, and today we have two
very special guests.
We have Cass and Jess fromRheingeist Brewery.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Say that 20 times in a row Rhinegeist, Rhinegeist,
Rhinegeist!
Speaker 1 (00:46):
We're very excited to have Rhinegeist on here.
You guys are a Cincinnatistaple.
Yeah, I mean not just for thebeer that is brewed here, but
your wedding venue.
It's a historic building.
You want to tell us a littlebit about the building?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
yeah, so originally I want to say like in 1910,
because it used to be theChristian Moorline like bottling
plant, so that you know thatwas over 100 years ago, so we
haven't been around that long,but Rhinegeist has been around
since 2013.
So we came in, renovated thiswhole place and what you come
(01:23):
into for the top room is goingto be like where they used to
bottle things, and then you'llsee like in our different event
spaces we have four those arealso like the original spaces as
well.
So like you'll see like exposedbrick, like right behind us.
You'll see like the tiling onthe floor in some of the spaces,
as well as like the exposedrafters.
They're all original.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
And it's.
You know, when you have a venuelike that, it has history, but
it has so much character, youknow, and if you're looking for
a hotel ballroom, you know whatto expect.
But when you go into a historicbuilding, this is where you get
all those beautiful gems yeah,Within the decor.
Are there any like specificthings that jump out at you that
(02:03):
are your favorite details hereat Rhinegeist?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
I mean the way that, like I love the exposed brick, I
love, like seeing the exposedrafters.
I wish we could turn the cameraon and show everybody, but
you're going to have to come andsee yourself.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Well, no, you're going to have to watch the
TikTok reel and the Instagramand Facebook reel that we're
going to do after this so thatyou can get a little
behind-the-scenes tour of whatthis property looks like.
But it is just incredible, andyour staff is amazing to work
with too.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Thank you, we've (Your Dream Day) has had
weddings here.
The last wedding we had herewas in the 250-guest room.
The clubhouse, in theclubhouse, and we had the
ceremony, and then guests had acocktail hour and then we
flipped and got and got rid ofthe ceremony chairs and made
that yeah to a dance floor.
So well, fantastic.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
And you also have a wedding show coming up we do,
yes, and Cass is going to tell alittle more about that yeah, so
we're super excited.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I Do's and Brews, a craft wedding experience with
Rhinegeist Brewery, is on Sunday, May 19th, from 12 to 3 pm.
This, this is a ticketed event.
It's only $15 a ticket and thatincludes your first
complimentary drink on arrivaland we'll also give you a little
goodie bag with informationfrom each vendor, and then it's
also great to carry around.
Put any goodies that vendorshave throughout the day or more
(03:21):
information for you to take homewith you.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
I like that.
It's a nice pink bag.
It's a pink bag that says yourdream day podcast on it, so of
course, of course I'm going tolike the pink goodie bag! But
who are some of the vendors thatpeople can expect to talk to?
What types?
Any specific names that you cantell us?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
So all of our vendors are listed on the event page,
which we'll get to in a littlebit, but we have just under 60
vendors, everything from thosemore traditional wedding and
event vendors like caterers,florists, planners, djs, live
music, but also some that are alittle more non-traditional that
maybe somebody wouldn't havethought of, like there's going
(04:02):
to be a travel agent there.
There's going to be somebodyfrom an insurance company who is
great to reach out to aboutinsuring that new wedding
jewelry you just got.
There is a nanny service.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I actually have a wedding in a few weeks and we
have a nanny service that'sgoing to be there that day.
They're going to be babysittingfour or five children.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Yeah, so just something a little unique and
really no matter your style,your budget, your venue choice,
your partner, there is going tobe something here for you.
60 vendors, that's a bigturnout.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Exciting.
We're super excited.
This is our second annualwedding expo.
Last year we were at about 31vendors, so it's much bigger,
much more exciting.
We're thrilled.
So double the size.
Double the size, yeah, doublethe fun.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Well and hopefully double the weddings too, yes,
absolutely.
Now that the COVID chapter isbehind us, thank goodness, we
could start getting back toreality and start planning all
of these amazing weddings.
Before we started recording, wehad also talked one of the
spaces that you have is perfectfor post-elopement, and you
(05:10):
mentioned the travel agent asone of the wedding professionals
that will be exhibiting at theI Do's Brews Brew's event.
But one trend that you'reseeing here is not only somebody
having their ceremony andreception here, but somebody who
went someplace else to have asmall ceremony and then they
come back here for an elopementcelebration.
(05:32):
Yeah, so do you want to tell usa little bit about how those
work for you?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Sure, do you want to talk about the lounge?
Sure, yep.
So one of our newer spaces isgoing to be the lounge, which we
are actually sitting in rightnow.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
You get the great view in here.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
But it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
It's got this beautiful exposed brick and
these chandeliers I mean theselook like vintage chandeliers.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
They definitely look like vintage chandeliers.
So the lounge definitely haslike a very moody aesthetic to
it, so like there's likehand-placed mosaic tile floors.
We just repainted everything.
There's a beautiful marble bar,as well as the exposed rafters
that I had mentioned.
So this room has a lot ofcharacter, which it's one of our
favorite spaces automatically,just because it's just very
(06:16):
unique.
You're not going to see a lotof spaces like this.
It's cozy, it's very cozy.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
When I arrived here, that was the first word that
came to mind was this is verycozy.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
it's very cozy.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
It's very intimate and it's kind of sexy too.
Like it's like very just likemoody and intimate.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
This is a great space for not just the elopements but
for, like, rehearsal dinners.
We use this for the signatureroom.
For some of our smallerweddings is the cocktail hour,
so the guests can use thisreally for anything they'd like,
which is great with all of ourspaces.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
They're very versatile, versatile, yeah,
that's a great way.
Exactly, I like that well, andit's true because each room has
just a little bit of a differentcharacter to it even exactly
even though it's overalldefinitely has that I don't.
Rustic is not the word I'mlooking for, because whenever I
think rustic, I think of a barn,like a barn, I think of more
(07:09):
like industrial.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yes, yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
More industrial then, and with a historic twist to it
.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, I love the way you put that.
That, oh, boy, I made it in thebrochure.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
How many weddings do you have booked here?
Uh, for this year so far.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Um.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
I'm actually not sure on the exact number I'd have to
look that up but we aretypically always booked every
Saturday throughout the year,especially those busy months
like um September, October,December is always the year,
especially those busy monthslike September, October,
December is always the wild wildwest for events, not just with
weddings but holiday bookingsand things like that.
And then, like she mentioned,we have another smaller event
(07:53):
space, the Signature Room in theLounge that accommodates those
smaller weddings as well as ourlarger 250 guest weddings.
So it's often that we'rehosting two weddings in one
night.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
That's extremely common for us in those busy
months, which is super fun andexciting.
It's important when you havemultiple weddings, you know that
you have a venue that's used todoing that because you want to
make sure that the paths don'tcross.
It's a huge responsibility forthe venue to make sure that that
(08:26):
happens.
Yeah, and you two havedefinitely perfected that for
sure.
Yeah, so when somebody islooking for a venue, what are
some questions that they shouldbe asking before they even pick
up the phone to call you?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah, that's a great question and a lot of people who
come to us maybe haven't goneto any venue tours or haven't
really dipped their toes in anysort of planning or the event
industry as a whole.
So I would say, really thebiggest question for them to
consider is what is their budgetand then what are their
non-negotiables.
So, is it the guest count?
(08:59):
Is it that catering is on siteor is it that they can select
whichever caterer that theychoose?
Like with us, we don't havecatering insights, so the
couples can bring in their ownvendor, of course with our
approval and recommendations.
But it does give you thatflexibility to really craft the
day that you want, day that youwant.
(09:24):
I would also say what's includedin the venue.
That's really important andsomething people really often
don't consider.
So are the tables included?
Are the chairs included?
Are the linens and the napkins?
Do you have an eventcoordinator who's going to make
the day happen?
All of these things, I think,are really good things to think
about and ask the venues beforeeven considering, and then
you'll really learn what'simportant to you.
Sometimes people think that thedate it's a non-negotiable.
(09:45):
I need this date.
It's really you find what isimportant to you.
Find the venue and go fromthere.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Well, and the other thing I always find with couples
is when they go into a space,it's like it's when they find
the dress, it's like when theyfind the space.
They know, Because they justget this, their body language
completely changes.
They just relax that little bitand so, you know, going online
and looking on websites.
That's a great place to start,but you definitely want to go to
(10:14):
the venue itself and get thetrue vibe of the venue when you
come down.
What would you say?
What is the most fun weddingthat you can remember that
you've had here, One that standsout.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
So when I'll do two things.
So one, I would say a tour,because I give a lot of tours of
this space.
We just gave a tour this weekand the couple came in and the
bride immediately started cryingbecause she just was such an
all and I feel like that wasreally memorable to me.
And you know, sometimes thatdoesn't always happen, because
they're overwhelmed, they don'tknow what questions to ask,
they're nervous, and so justseeing that true, genuine
(10:49):
reaction was really sweet.
And then I would say the actualwedding, one that I think was
the most memorable.
I had this couple I'll go aheadand name them because I love
them Park and Jonathan, who werejust so fun to work with.
Their wedding was fantastic.
They had a great group ofvendors, it was a really fun day
and just they were so gratefuland so kind and I feel like that
(11:12):
was just really memorable,because you get so close when
you work with your couples.
And yeah, even as just a venuesometimes, and we have event
coordinators on site as well, soyou get really close and you
work through those details overa long period of time.
Um, so I mean even weddingsthat I worked years ago still,
you know, just are here wellit's.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
It's funny because, like a lot of my past uh couples
, we're still friends onfacebook like I had.
I had a wedding that I want tosay.
It was almost 15 years ago andshe she posted pictures of her
kids going to prom.
Yeah, but it's really fun towatch.
You know their families grow.
Yeah, and you know, the reasonwhy people get married is to
(11:54):
start a marriage together.
Sure, you know, and when youhave the reception and when you
have, you know, the photographerand the DJ and the food, you
know that's the that's thecelebration part, you know, but
it's also the ceremony part isthe rock of the marriage and
it's just really excitingbecause you know I say this
(12:16):
jokingly but I actually startedputting it into my marketing,
like you guys are going to, withthis little sentence, little
whippersnapper I came up with.
But we were reading a lot ofour reviews on some of the
wedding planning websites and wewere seeing very consistently
she was like a big sister, shewas like a second mom, she was
like a big sister and I neverreally thought about that.
(12:39):
But I say jokingly that weinclude free therapy sessions
with our packages and they doexactly what you two just did.
They start laughing because theythink it's funny.
And then low and behold.
"an I talk to you aboutsomething?
And then they'll start talkingabout oh, I'm having issues with
my future mother-in-law and Idon't know what to do, or I'm
(13:00):
having issues with this and thething is we've all heard this
before.
And it's like no, this is notthe first time I've heard it and
it's totally, it's somewhatnormal.
But you know you can give somedirection as to.
You know this might be a way tohandle it.
This might be a way to handleit, but you know planning a
(13:27):
wedding is stressful.
It's very stressful, and youknow planning a wedding is
stressful.
Oh yeah, yeah, it's verystressful, and you know having a
good team of vendors, like youwere talking about, you work
with that vendor team foranywhere from eight to 16 months
, depending on how far out youbook them, and you do develop a
relationship and a rapport.
So when you're booking yourvendors, you want to get people
that you trust.
Your instinct does it feelright?
It's like your photographer ifyou don't feel comfortable
(13:47):
around your photographer, it'sgoing to show in your pictures
because you have to click withthem.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
You have to feel a comfort level with them.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Or, you know, when you get your florist, you want
to make sure that they'reunderstanding your vision and
your budget.
You know, that's, I think, whatone of the things that can be
tricky with Pinterest.
Do you have a love haterelationship with Pinterest?
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Um, I'm currently dealing with Pinterest right now
because it's like I have somany ideas and then it's just
like then I just have too manyideas and I'm like I don't even
know what I want anymore, but Iwant everybody else's wedding.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yeah, like one of the things I think, especially for
decorators and florists, is thatyou know they, they feature all
of these platinum weddings andluxury weddings on them, and
then they go to the florist andthe florist tells them, well,
that's a $500 centerpiece, thatyou like.
And so you know.
It's also important to find youknow vendors that understand
your vision but also understandyour budget, because going into
(14:42):
debt is no way to start a newchapter of your life yeah,
wonderful.
What are some other tips thatyou would offer to couples who
are listening today, that arejust getting started in the
wedding process?
Because choosing a venue isstep number one?
Yes, the church and the venuethat's your first stop.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yes, so I'm actually a 2025 bride.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Congratulations, thank you so much yes, bling,
the bling, bling the bling,there we go!
Speaker 2 (15:09):
So I was yeah, shout out to Zach, so Planning a
wedding.
Like I started you know, I gotengaged the end of last year but
, like working in this industry,I already knew who I wanted to
work with, based on, like thatrapport, like I have with those
other vendors and like how wellwe've worked with, like the
clients and myself and the othercoordinators.
So it's like I knew exactly whoI wanted to work with wedding
(15:39):
planning and also looking for avenue, as if, like I want my
wedding to feel the same waythat I would run it the day of,
because a lot, of, a lot ofother venues don't have what we
do.
So, like having a coordinatoron site, whether you choose a
coordinator, that's going to be,you know, especially with the
venue, or if you're going tohave a planner, it is so
important to know who's going tohelp you run that day, because
I don't want to work on my day.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Good, that's the way it should be.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
So I think like yeah, exactly like what Cass was
saying like finding somewherethat is, are they going to have
a coordinator on site who'sgoing to help you get those
pieces together and bring yourvision together and help you
with those little things?
Because we really work witheach other for like the next
year to six months to the day oflike we're constant contact
with each other.
So I definitely went into itlike trying to find like a venue
(16:25):
that's going to, you know,check the same boxes that
Rhinegeist does, because I lovethe way that we coordinate our
weddings.
Like we are very precise abouteverything to a point where it
is like down to perfection thatwe we take the timeline very
seriously around here.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
I joke, but like I mean I literally.
Usually it's a printed out sixpage timeline because it's so
detailed.
But you have to be that waybecause you need to make sure
that it's almost like a script,like a movie script.
You have to know when's yourbakery delivering your desserts
and your cake, and what time isyour photographer starting
pictures.
Are you seeing each otherbeforehand?
(17:04):
you know, just all the littlethings that you wouldn't think
that you have to spell out, butyou actually do.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Yes, yeah, yeah like sometimes I'll be asking couples
and I'm like so when do youwant to go do rooftop photos?
And they're like rooftop photosand I'm like, oh, you don't
know about our rooftop.
Let me show you what you'rehere.
I just keep selling it kind of alittle bit because, like, we
have one of the best rooftops inCincinnati, which it's if you
haven't seen the photos on ourPinterest, by the way absolutely
(17:31):
beautiful, like the picturesthat we get that on the rooftop,
because the sun sets right overthe hills and you know there's
a bunch of beautiful houses andartwork that are going to be in
the hills right behind us.
It's just like one-of-a-kindspace, especially just like
being at Rheingeist, cincinnatistaple.
Like you can't go wrong withthat wonderful.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Well, and the other thing that's nice about
Rheingeist is, if you have yourceremony here, you don't have to
worry about a rain plan yes,yes, all inside Air condition.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Air condition is a big one.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
It's huge, it's huge.
You know, one time I had aceremony and, uh, we had to put
that this particular venue hadan outdoor space and it was 105
heat index outside and it brokemy heart, cause I always try to
keep the ceremonies in theiroriginal intended location if we
can, but it was just too hotand we had to move it inside and
(18:22):
, and you know, the bride was alittle heartbroken at first, I
think she was a little mad at me, but then, after the ceremony
was over, she's like I just wantto thank you.
You were smart and you pulled itin and I I know I was telling
you not to, but you were right,yeah, but, um, wonderful.
So how can people findRhinegeist online?
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Yeah, so Rheingeist, just Rhinegeist.
com/privateevents.
Do you want to spell?
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Rhinegeist, because it's not like it sounds.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Yes, we were talking about that before we went on.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
I'm like, yeah, with a last name like "peach, that's
not spelled that way.
Sure, yeah All about spelling.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Yeah so Rhinegeist.
Yeah, all about spelling.
Yeah so Rhinegeist.
R-h-i-n-e-g-e-i-s-t.
Um, we're in over the rhine,which is so where we got our
name.
Rhinegeist.
com/specialevents.
And then for tickets for I do'sand brews um, you can visit our
website or you can go directlyto the ticketing page, which is,
um, I believe it's humanitix.
(19:16):
com slash I do's and brews, oreventshumanitics slash I do's
and brews.
Wonderful when you can getthose $15 tickets and we can't
wait to see you there.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Wonderful.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Thank you, thank you for tuning in.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Hopefully you got some really great tips and
advice for when you're firststarting your wedding planning
process, and congratulations onyour upcoming wedding.
Be sure to subscribe to yourDream Day Wedding Planning
Podcast and our YouTube channelso that you can get all the
latest and greatest as far astips go for planning your
upcoming wedding.
This is Kathy Piech Lukas withYour Dream Day.
(19:52):
Happy planning.
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