we started with art in a snowstorm, re learned our a-b-c’s, and discovered nothing rhymes with orange. in may, we went to indiana, dogged a thunderstorm,  had #bigfun. we thought it couldn’t get any better but then dadzilla got married, we kissed a groomsdog, broke some glass, and “made it rain” with a fob.  july had some amazing views and  international guests… felt so lucky with 1000 paper cranes and a lil bit of vegas… and ended up with stanford’s sweethearts. we had a surprise grand dance with a dad, major dancing with grand avenue band, a hip hop first dance, a dance covered in cash and even some dwts-like choreography. then there was a roast toast, choos shoes, sweet treats and petals settling!

we got a new look, left behind corporate and added new services…. the knot loved purple and loved yellow and loved USises! we made it in the local paper and we made it in a local mag. you chose us, and then you dashed! there were some bridesmaidszilla-zis, and some sips and dips-asis!  and finally we helped plan a wishful party and can’t wait to celebrate forty!

if you don’t believe us you can see “heidzillas at work” on facebook. and there’s more to come – we still have four more weddings to come in the next two weeks! this year going out with a BANG with a wish, some ninjas, the best gift ever annnnnd a ritzy celebration.

i can’t leave out our 2011 brides and grooms seem even more raring to go! next year our weddings are inspired by fashion shows, drag racing, natural settings, peacock feathers, being green, lantern lit paths, seattle, blizzards… and more. see our inspiration stream on tumblr.

stay tuned for more fun to come! and please vote for heidzillas for the fox 8 hotlist by this friday, december 3!

$50 off a zillas power hour

more information about zilla power hour here.
must inquire today, saturday november 27, 2010 by 11:59 pm
current day of coordination or brand new clients may inquire

Engaged volunteers needed!

I am looking for volunteers for a study of attitudes towards marriage and parenthood among engaged couples. The study consists of a 25-30 minute online survey. To qualify for the study, you must be 20-35 years old, live in the U.S., and plan to marry or have a commitment ceremony within the next 365 days. You and your romantic partner must not have children, and this must be the first marriage for both of you.

You can:

-Help a doctoral candidate;
-Increase the pool of scientific knowledge;
-Support research on marriage and families; and
-Spend some time thinking about your relationship!

I am working with Dr. Charlotte J. Patterson, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. This study has been approved by the University of Virginia Institutional Review Board #2009025800.

If you and/or your romantic partner are interested in participating or want further information, please email me at survey.couples@gmail.com. I will send you a link that you can use to access the study.

Thanks!

Cristina Reitz-Krueger
Doctoral Student
University of Virginia
(434) 243-8558
survey.couples@gmail.com

vote for heidzillas now

see all of the wedding vendors competing:
cakes • caterers • dj • favors • flowers • invitations • limousine • music • officiant • photographer • rentals • rings • venue • wedding dress

dashers would have to read the big and small chalkboards to figure out the timeline riddle in order to get the code to proceed!
once they got the code, they texted it to the challenge number and received the next clue. they also got special instructions to high five the heidzillas clue before they left! :D

some contestants made up their own team shirts…

while most contestants wore the contest orange tshirts with the sponsors listed on the back ;)

once someone completed the challenge and the posts were tallied, a text message went out that there was a winner! everyone headed back to cadillac ranch for food, drinks, cake, gift bags and to see who won!

congratulations christina and frank who won the $15,000 / 1.26 carat engagement ring! the heidzillas team was standing right near them when they got the text message that they won.

poor frank was heckled by the crowd for not proposing right on the spot, but i thought his reason for not doing so was totally valid: he hadn’t asked her father yet. best wishes you two!

more photos are to come from the official alson diamond dash photographers, but be sure to watch the channel 3 segment about the event below or by click here!

previous post:
win a $15,000 engagement ring!

july 10 at 11:00 am, erieview plaza on the mall in downtown cleveland, ohio.

i’m proud to announce that heidzillas is the official wedding planner and presenting sponsor of the first ever alson jewelers diamond dash!

couples will be competing in a high-tech treasure hunt around downtown cleveland to find the hidden diamond ring. teams of two can hike, bike or dash around cleveland while solving clues and riddles via text-message. the entire hunt ends at cadillac ranch for a fun after-party with the other couples who also participated.

for ALL of the information and to sign up a team, go to alsondiamonddash.com! teams ARE LIMITED, so be sure to go to the site before thursday, july 8. want to be sure you’re in the “special candidate pool”? send me a tweet or facebook note and i’ll send you a special code!

the heidzillas team looks forward to seeing you or your friends there! good luck!

be sure to vote for your favorite:
cake
caterer
dj
dresses
flowers
invitations
limousines
music
photographers
rentals
rings
venue
videographer
wedding planner (it’s okay, you can vote for them. i’m in the cleveland category ;))

here’s how the voting shook out the last past two years: 2009 winners - 2008 winners

good luck everyone!

previous posts:
fox 8 hotlist: heidzillas wins first place!
thank you voters!
it’s election day! & voters giveaway

and while i’m gone, why don’t you look through my archives? (hover over “topics” above) already read all those? here are some of my very favorite wedding related blogs: classic bride - intimate weddings – jesi haack weddings – relentless bride – ruffled (vintage glam bride) – truly engaging – wed2010 and a few nwr blogs: geek in heels – i can has cheezburger – i has a hot dog – pineapple grass – two snarky broads

and until i’m back, why don’t you send me a question? do you have a pressing wedding question you’re trying to figure out and need heidzilla’s help? looking for the perfect northeast ohio wedding vendor? or maybe, you have a question about heidzillas in general?

brides or wedding vendors can enter: email me at heidi at heidzillas dot com. the best question emailed to me between now and sunday, february 14, 2010 at 11:59 pm est will be awarded a prize!

i was delighted to see comments from a variety of  vendor-coworkers; past brides and groom; past brides and grooms’ family members, friends and bridal party members; future clients; and even some potential clients! regardless of the results of the actual voting (which should post sometime this week),  reviews mean so much more to me.  i am so appreciative for the overwhelming support of my business which is still in its first full season. THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to register their email addresses to vote and/or leave a review for me. and thanks for your patience while i reminded everyone to vote here on my blog, twitter feed and facebook fan page for the past couple of weeks.

here are a few of my favorite comments left:

Heidi is SO helpful, even before I hired her, she was emailing me back and forth giving me suggestions on vendors shes worked with~I don’t know Anyone that would take their time to answer questions for people that arent “paying” them first! She actually cares, and is there to help with Any of your needs~ Shes Great & deserved to be #1 with all the raves ive heard from other girls whom have used her which is why I chose to use her services because of all the good things I hear!!! :)
~vicky (current client)

Heidi is everything you could want in a planner – organized, creative, dependable, and patient. She goes above and beyond for her clients and is truly a joy to work with. Heidi recently coordinated for my wedding, and she was a dream come true – she took care of any and everything so that neither I nor my friends/family had to worry about getting stuff done.
~amber s (past client)

I would recommend Heidzillas because she mentions things for the wedding that you don’t always think of (because you’re too busy thinking of a million other things). She offers to help whenever you need it. She is smart, quick, organized, efficient, friendly and professional. She knows the wedding business very well. She truly helped make my day (sept 4) run so well, I couldn’t find one thing wrong with the scheduling of my wedding day. An absolute must have if you’re a busy girl like me and need some extra help planning and if you just want a stress-free wedding day
~maria b (past client)

Even though I have not booked her yet I will she has been so nice and I think she will be such a joy to work with. I cannot wait to work with her. I know my wedding will be awesome with her being the coordinator..not stress of that I am sure.
~eurasia27 (potential client)

It was delightful to design Heidi’s own wedding and it’s always a pleasure to work with her as a planner. Thank you for your continued support!!
~arne k (vendor)

Recently worked with Heidi and could not believe how much she gets done…all within guidelines and time frames! She works her magic in transforming a plain setting into an amazing room. And talk about calm….have never seen someone with so much to do remain so calm! Wish all planners had her attitude!!
~sharon c (vendor)

well organized, very pleasant with familiy and guests. excellent follow through. professional. lovely smile. Thought of everything!!!!  took beautiful pictures
~fran (bride’s mom)

This past summer,we hired Heidi as the day-of coordinator. I can not compliment her services high enough – she was fabulous and more! She took care of everything with the highest degree of professionalism and graciousness. I was able to completely enjoy the day knowing that Heidi was there to oversee every detail. Heidi was a large part in helping to make my daughter’s wedding day the beautiful day that it was!
~71109 (bride’s mom)

Just an amazing woman with the organizational skills of a P.A. and the brains of an M.B.A.
~devin b (my awesome husband :-D)