Your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast with Kathy Piech-Lukas
Your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast with Kathy Piech-Lukas
I Do's and Brews: Weddings at Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati
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
Hi, welcome to your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast and YouTube channel. I'm your host, Kathy Piech Lucas, and today we have two very special guests. We have Cass and Jess from Rheingeist Brewery.
Speaker 2:Say that 20 times in a row Rhinegeist, Rhinegeist, Rhinegeist!
Speaker 1:We're very excited to have Rhinegeist on here. You guys are a Cincinnati staple. Yeah, I mean not just for the beer that is brewed here, but your wedding venue. It's a historic building. You want to tell us a little bit about the building?
Speaker 2:yeah, so originally I want to say like in 1910, because it used to be the Christian Moorline like bottling plant, so that you know that was over 100 years ago, so we haven't been around that long, but Rhinegeist has been around since 2013. So we came in, renovated this whole place and what you come into for the top room is going to be like where they used to bottle things, and then you'll see like in our different event spaces we have four those are also like the original spaces as well. So like you'll see like exposed brick, like right behind us. You'll see like the tiling on the floor in some of the spaces, as well as like the exposed rafters. They're all original.
Speaker 1:And it's. You know, when you have a venue like that, it has history, but it has so much character, you know, and if you're looking for a hotel ballroom, you know what to expect. But when you go into a historic building, this is where you get all those beautiful gems yeah, Within the decor. Are there any like specific things that jump out at you that are your favorite details here at Rhinegeist?
Speaker 2:I mean the way that, like I love the exposed brick, I love, like seeing the exposed rafters. I wish we could turn the camera on and show everybody, but you're going to have to come and see yourself.
Speaker 1:Well, no, you're going to have to watch the TikTok reel and the Instagram and Facebook reel that we're going to do after this so that you can get a little behind-the-scenes tour of what this property looks like. But it is just incredible, and your staff is amazing to work with too.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you, we've (Your Dream Day) has had weddings here. The last wedding we had here was in the 250-guest room. The clubhouse, in the clubhouse, and we had the ceremony, and then guests had a cocktail hour and then we flipped and got and got rid of the ceremony chairs and made that yeah to a dance floor. So well, fantastic.
Speaker 2:And you also have a wedding show coming up we do, yes, and Cass is going to tell a little more about that yeah, so we're super excited.
Speaker 3: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 that includes your first complimentary drink on arrival and we'll also give you a little goodie bag with information from each vendor, and then it's also great to carry around. Put any goodies that vendors have throughout the day or more information for you to take home with you.
Speaker 1:I like that. It's a nice pink bag. It's a pink bag that says your dream day podcast on it, so of course, of course I'm going to like the pink goodie bag! But who are some of the vendors that people can expect to talk to? What types? Any specific names that you can tell us?
Speaker 3:So all of our vendors are listed on the event page, which we'll get to in a little bit, but we have just under 60 vendors, everything from those more traditional wedding and event vendors like caterers, florists, planners, djs, live music, but also some that are a little more non-traditional that maybe somebody wouldn't have thought of, like there's going to be a travel agent there. There's going to be somebody from an insurance company who is great to reach out to about insuring that new wedding jewelry you just got. There is a nanny service.
Speaker 1:I actually have a wedding in a few weeks and we have a nanny service that's going to be there that day. They're going to be babysitting four or five children.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so just something a little unique and really no matter your style, your budget, your venue choice, your partner, there is going to be something here for you. 60 vendors, that's a big turnout. Yes.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:Exciting. We're super excited. This is our second annual wedding expo. Last year we were at about 31 vendors, so it's much bigger, much more exciting. We're thrilled. So double the size. Double the size, yeah, double the fun.
Speaker 1:Well and hopefully double the weddings too, yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Now that the COVID chapter is behind us, thank goodness, we could start getting back to reality and start planning all of these amazing weddings. Before we started recording, we had also talked one of the spaces that you have is perfect for post-elopement, and you mentioned the travel agent as one of the wedding professionals that will be exhibiting at the I Do's Brews Brew's event. But one trend that you're seeing here is not only somebody having their ceremony and reception here, but somebody who went someplace else to have a small ceremony and then they come back here for an elopement celebration. Yeah, so do you want to tell us a little bit about how those work for you?
Speaker 2:Sure, do you want to talk about the lounge? Sure, yep. So one of our newer spaces is going to be the lounge, which we are actually sitting in right now.
Speaker 1:You get the great view in here.
Speaker 3:But it's amazing.
Speaker 1:It's got this beautiful exposed brick and these chandeliers I mean these look like vintage chandeliers.
Speaker 2:They definitely look like vintage chandeliers. So the lounge definitely has like a very moody aesthetic to it, so like there's like hand-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 of character, which it's one of our favorite spaces automatically, just because it's just very unique. You're not going to see a lot of spaces like this. It's cozy, it's very cozy.
Speaker 1:When I arrived here, that was the first word that came to mind was this is very cozy.
Speaker 2:it's very cozy.
Speaker 3:It's very intimate and it's kind of sexy too. Like it's like very just like moody and intimate.
Speaker 2:This is a great space for not just the elopements but for, like, rehearsal dinners. We use this for the signature room. For some of our smaller weddings is the cocktail hour, so the guests can use this really for anything they'd like, which is great with all of our spaces.
Speaker 1:They're very versatile, versatile, yeah, that's a great way. Exactly, I like that well, and it's true because each room has just a little bit of a different character to it even exactly even though it's overall definitely has that I don't. Rustic is not the word I'm looking for, because whenever I think rustic, I think of a barn, like a barn, I think of more like industrial.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:More industrial then, and with a historic twist to it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love the way you put that. That, oh, boy, I made it in the brochure.
Speaker 1:How many weddings do you have booked here? Uh, for this year so far.
Speaker 2:Um.
Speaker 3:I'm actually not sure on the exact number I'd have to look that up but we are typically always booked every Saturday throughout the year, especially those busy months like um September, October, December is always the year, especially those busy months like September, October, December is always the wild wild west for events, not just with weddings but holiday bookings and things like that. And then, like she mentioned, we have another smaller event space, the Signature Room in the Lounge that accommodates those smaller weddings as well as our larger 250 guest weddings. So it's often that we're hosting two weddings in one night.
Speaker 1:That's extremely common for us in those busy months, which is super fun and exciting. It's important when you have multiple weddings, you know that you have a venue that's used to doing that because you want to make sure that the paths don't cross. It's a huge responsibility for the venue to make sure that that happens. Yeah, and you two have definitely perfected that for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so when somebody is looking for a venue, what are some questions that they should be asking before they even pick up the phone to call you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a great question and a lot of people who come to us maybe haven't gone to any venue tours or haven't really dipped their toes in any sort of planning or the event industry as a whole. So I would say, really the biggest question for them to consider is what is their budget and then what are their non-negotiables. So, is it the guest count? Is it that catering is on site or is it that they can select whichever caterer that they choose? Like with us, we don't have catering insights, so the couples can bring in their own vendor, of course with our approval and recommendations. But it does give you that flexibility to really craft the day that you want, day that you want.
Speaker 3:I would also say what's included in the venue. That's really important and something 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 event coordinator 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 before even considering, and then you'll really learn what's important to you. Sometimes people think that the date it's a non-negotiable. I need this date. It's really you find what is important to you. Find the venue and go from there.
Speaker 1: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 they find the space. They know, Because they just get this, their body language completely changes. They just relax that little bit and so, you know, going online and looking on websites. That's a great place to start, but you definitely want to go to the venue itself and get the true vibe of the venue when you come down.
Speaker 1:What would you say? What is the most fun wedding that you can remember that you've had here, One that stands out.
Speaker 3: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 week and the couple came in and the bride immediately started crying because she just was such an all and I feel like that was really memorable to me. And you know, sometimes that doesn't always happen, because they're overwhelmed, they don't know what questions to ask, they're nervous, and so just seeing that true, genuine reaction was really sweet. And then I would say the actual wedding, one that I think was the most memorable. I had this couple I'll go ahead and name them because I love them Park and Jonathan, who were just so fun to work with. Their wedding was fantastic. They had a great group of vendors, it was a really fun day and just they were so grateful and so kind and I feel like that was just really memorable, because you get so close when you work with your couples.
Speaker 3:And yeah, even as just a venue sometimes, and we have event coordinators on site as well, so you get really close and you work through those details over a long period of time. Um, so I mean even weddings that I worked years ago still, you know, just are here well it's.
Speaker 1:It's funny because, like a lot of my past uh couples, we're still friends on facebook like I had. I had a wedding that I want to say. It was almost 15 years ago and she she posted pictures of her kids going to prom. Yeah, but it's really fun to watch. You know their families grow. Yeah, and you know, the reason why people get married is to start a marriage together.
Speaker 1:Sure, you know, and when you have the reception and when you have, you know, the photographer and the DJ and the food, you know that's the that's the celebration part, you know, but it's also the ceremony part is the rock of the marriage and it's just really exciting because you know I say this jokingly but I actually started putting it into my marketing, like you guys are going to, with this little sentence, little whippersnapper I came up with. But we were reading a lot of our reviews on some of the wedding planning websites and we were seeing very consistently she was like a big sister, she was like a second mom, she was like a big sister and I never really thought about that. But I say jokingly that we include free therapy sessions with our packages and they do exactly what you two just did.
Speaker 1:They start laughing because they think it's funny. And then low and behold. "an I talk to you about something? And then they'll start talking about oh, I'm having issues with my future mother-in-law and I don't know what to do, or I'm having issues with this and the thing is we've all heard this before.
Speaker 1:And it's like no, this is not the first time I've heard it and it's totally, it's somewhat normal. But you know you can give some direction as to. You know this might be a way to handle it. This might be a way to handle it, but you know planning a wedding is stressful. It's very stressful, and you know planning a wedding is stressful. Oh yeah, yeah, it's very stressful, and you know having a good team of vendors, like you were talking about, you work with that vendor team for anywhere from eight to 16 months, depending on how far out you book them, and you do develop a relationship and a rapport. So when you're booking your vendors, you want to get people that you trust. Your instinct does it feel right? It's like your photographer if you don't feel comfortable around your photographer, it's going to show in your pictures because you have to click with them.
Speaker 2:You have to feel a comfort level with them.
Speaker 1:Or, you know, when you get your florist, you want to make sure that they're understanding your vision and your budget. You know, that's, I think, what one of the things that can be tricky with Pinterest. Do you have a love hate relationship with Pinterest?
Speaker 2:Um, I'm currently dealing with Pinterest right now because it's like I have so many ideas and then it's just like then I just have too many ideas and I'm like I don't even know what I want anymore, but I want everybody else's wedding.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like one of the things I think, especially for decorators and florists, is that you know they, they feature all of these platinum weddings and luxury weddings on them, and then they go to the florist and the florist tells them, well, that's a $500 centerpiece, that you like.
Speaker 1:And so you know. It's also important to find you know vendors that understand your vision but also understand your budget, because going into debt is no way to start a new chapter of your life yeah, wonderful. What are some other tips that you would offer to couples who are listening today, that are just getting started in the wedding process? Because choosing a venue is step number one? Yes, the church and the venue that's your first stop.
Speaker 2:Yes, so I'm actually a 2025 bride.
Speaker 1:Congratulations, thank you so much yes, bling, the bling, bling the bling, there we go!
Speaker 2:So I was yeah, shout out to Zach, so Planning a wedding. Like I started you know, I got engaged the end of last year but, like working in this industry, I already knew who I wanted to work with, based on, like that rapport, like I have with those other vendors and like how well we've worked with, like the clients and myself and the other coordinators. So it's like I knew exactly who I wanted to work with wedding planning and also looking for a venue, as if, like I want my wedding to feel the same way that I would run it the day of, because a lot, of, a lot of other venues don't have what we do. So, like having a coordinator on site, whether you choose a coordinator, that's going to be, you know, especially with the venue, or if you're going to have a planner, it is so important to know who's going to help you run that day, because I don't want to work on my day.
Speaker 1:Good, that's the way it should be.
Speaker 2:So I think like yeah, exactly like what Cass was saying like finding somewhere that is, are they going to have a coordinator on site who's going to help you get those pieces together and bring your vision together and help you with those little things? Because we really work with each other for like the next year to six months to the day of like we're constant contact with each other. So I definitely went into it like trying to find like a venue that's going to, you know, check the same boxes that Rhinegeist does, because I love the way that we coordinate our weddings. Like we are very precise about everything to a point where it is like down to perfection that we we take the timeline very seriously around here.
Speaker 1:I joke, but like I mean I literally. Usually it's a printed out six page timeline because it's so detailed. But you have to be that way because you need to make sure that it's almost like a script, like a movie script. You have to know when's your bakery delivering your desserts and your cake, and what time is your photographer starting pictures. Are you seeing each other beforehand?
Speaker 1:you know, just all the little things that you wouldn't think that you have to spell out, but you actually do.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, yeah like sometimes I'll be asking couples and I'm like so when do you want to go do rooftop photos? And they're like rooftop photos and I'm like, oh, you don't know about our rooftop. Let me show you what you're here.
Speaker 2:I just keep selling it kind of a little bit because, like, we have one of the best rooftops in Cincinnati, which it's if you haven't seen the photos on our Pinterest, by the way absolutely beautiful, like the pictures that we get that on the rooftop, because the sun sets right over the hills and you know there's a bunch of beautiful houses and artwork that are going to be in the hills right behind us. It's just like one-of-a-kind space, especially just like being at Rheingeist, cincinnati staple. Like you can't go wrong with that wonderful.
Speaker 1:Well, and the other thing that's nice about Rheingeist is, if you have your ceremony here, you don't have to worry about a rain plan yes, yes, all inside Air condition.
Speaker 2:Air condition is a big one.
Speaker 1:It's huge, it's huge. You know, one time I had a ceremony and, uh, we had to put that this particular venue had an outdoor space and it was 105 heat index outside and it broke my heart, cause I always try to keep the ceremonies in their original intended location if we can, but it was just too hot and we had to move it inside and, and you know, the bride was a little heartbroken at first, I think she was a little mad at me, but then, after the ceremony was over, she's like I just want to thank you.
Speaker 1:You were smart and you pulled it in and I I know I was telling you not to, but you were right, yeah, but, um, wonderful. So how can people find Rhinegeist online?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so Rheingeist, just Rhinegeist. com/privateevents. Do you want to spell?
Speaker 1:Rhinegeist, because it's not like it sounds.
Speaker 2:Yes, we were talking about that before we went on.
Speaker 1:I'm like, yeah, with a last name like "peach, that's not spelled that way. Sure, yeah All about spelling.
Speaker 3: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's and brews um, you can visit our website or you can go directly to the ticketing page, which is, um, I believe it's humanitix. com slash I do's and brews, or eventshumanitics slash I do's and brews. Wonderful when you can get those $15 tickets and we can't wait to see you there.
Speaker 1:Wonderful. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you for tuning in.
Speaker 1:Hopefully you got some really great tips and advice for when you're first starting your wedding planning process, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Be sure to subscribe to your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast and our YouTube channel so that you can get all the latest and greatest as far as tips go for planning your upcoming wedding. This is Kathy Piech Lukas with Your Dream Day. Happy planning.
