New & Noteworthy in the Columbus Weddings Scene

Openings 

For the Gram Photo Booth Co. opened in March, with bookings starting in April. Offering live galleries, GIFs, green screens, gallery analytics and more, the open-air-style photo booth company is owned by Morgan Jeter. If her name sounds familiar, you probably are a frequent reader—she and her husband, James, were featured in the Real Weddings section of our last issue. forthegramphoto.com 

Beyond that, several venues have opened in recent months: 

First up is the long-awaited Genesis Downtown, which we first reported on more than a year ago. The Black-owned, woman-owned venue began hosting its first events in May. Its leadership team isn’t new to weddings, though; co-owners Taylor Keene and Karima Crawford are a former events manager with Hilton hotels and the owner of the Planning Bee wedding planning company, respectively. A major tenet of the venue is couples’ ability to bring in any vendor they choose, rather than working solely with preferred lists. 17 E. Long St., Columbus; 614-726-7360;genesis-downtown.com 

Franklinton is home to the region’s newest independent lifestyle hotel, the Junto, which opened in May. It features more than 13,000 square feet of event space; warm and inviting décor; and indoor and outdoor spaces, many with views of the Scioto River and Downtown Columbus skyline. Meeting spaces offer capacity for groups of 15 to 300; the hotel also offers 198 guest rooms and multiple on-site dining options, including a rooftop bar. 77 Belle St., Columbus; 888-976-2106;thejuntohotel.com 

The former Municipal Light Plant on the edge of the Arena District is now MLP Events Live, an industrial-chic venue with multiple rooms and capacity for up to 300. Of note is the rooftop space, which boasts views of the Downtown Columbus skyline and Lower.com Field, gas-powered fire pits and space for up to 75 for a seated dinner. 589 W. Nationwide Blvd., Columbus; 614-647-5483,mlp-events.live 

Columbus Hospitality Management—operator of several area hotels and event venues, including Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center and the Grand Event Center—debuted its latest offering in May. Located in the University District near Mirror Lake and the Wexner Center for the Arts, Vitria on the Square boasts two ballrooms with capacity for up to 350. The venue offers in-house catering and event coordination, space for décor storage, group hotel rates at nearby Hyatt Place Columbus/OSU and more. 14 E. 15th Ave., Columbus; 614-540-3436;vitriaonthesquare.com 

Closings 

Longtime staple bakery (and frequent winner/runner-up in our annual Best of Columbus Weddings poll) Short North Piece of Cake shuttered abruptly in March after 25 years in business. Emails to the company were met with an auto-response promising to refund deposits on current orders but offering little by way of explanation, while its phone line went unanswered. The business opened in 1998 under Brian Hotopp, who sold it to former manager Laura Harter in 2013. Bryce Minamyer purchased the business from Harter in 2021; since then, reviews posted to Yelp and Google complained of issues with customer service, product quality and store sanitation.  

Change 

Grove City bakery Capital City Cakes closed its storefront after more than a decade and transitioned back to a home-based operation late last year. Citing a renovation project in Grove City’s Town Center that resulted in the loss of their lease, owners Gary and Sue Baisden are using the change as an opportunity to redirect their business model. Moving forward, they will focus only on custom wedding and specialty cakes. 614-277-9338,capitalcitycakesoh.com 

Three other area vendors changed addresses in recent months. J’s Sweet Treats and Wedding Cakes moved its storefront from Polaris Fashion Place to the Greater Columbus Convention Center in January, while Dublin Bridal moved a mile east along West Bridge Street/Dublin-Granville Road. Its sister company, By Vesna, took over its former storefront and changed its name to Dublin Formals. The change also saw bridesmaid and mothers’ gowns shift from the bridal storefront to the formals one; wedding gown alterations now take place at Dublin Bridal, while suit and other formal gown alterations have stayed with Dublin Formals. J’s Sweet Treats, 400 N. High St., Columbus, 614-906-8888,jssweettreats.net; Dublin Bridal, 4545 W. Dublin-Granville Road, Dublin, 614-553-7146,dublinbridal.com; Dublin Formals, 313 W. Bridge St., Dublin, 614-726-9477,dublinformals.com 

After a devastating accidental fire nearly destroyed it last October, Buxton Inn is once again open for business. The more than 200-year-old hotel and event space reopened in early April with newly renovated guest rooms; its Tavern also reopened for drink services only, Thursdays through Saturdays. Work continues on the renovation of the on-site restaurant’s kitchen, which was gutted in the fire. Jennifer Valenzuela, who co-owns the property with her father, Bob Schilling, says the devastation has a silver lining where the kitchen is concerned: “It was very compartmentalized; it wasn’t [a] very productive, usable space,” she told ABC-6 in January. “So I see a huge opportunity here to make really long-lasting improvements.” 313 E. Broadway, Granville; 740-587-0001;buxtoninn.com 

Announcements 

WatersEdge Event + Conference Center has expanded to add the Cove at WatersEdge, bringing the venue’s total space to 20,000 square feet. Mixing midcentury and industrial aesthetics, the Cove features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the on-site lake, two spacious suites for couples and their wedding parties to get ready in, an adjacent patio and capacity for up to 200. 4643 Trueman Blvd., Hilliard; 614-450-1545;watersedgeevents.biz  

Fiori Florals Design Studio, the floral arm of BTTS Holdings (which also owns WatersEdge and several other area venues), is now the preferred florist for Vue Columbus and Retreat 21 (both owned by Liz and Carl Seiley). The Seileys and Fiori Florals’ Kristen Pulcheon share values of sourcing locally grown flowers and reducing environmental impact, according to a joint press release. To that end, the companies will source flowers grown on acreage at Retreat 21, and a tree-planting initiative will direct a portion of proceeds from both businesses to the purchase and planting of trees. Fiori Florals Design Studio, 659 Lakeview Plaza Blvd., Suite E, Worthington, 614-255-0206,fioriflorals.biz; Retreat 21, 11433 Industrial Pkwy., Marysville, 614-321-1713,retreat21.com; Vue Columbus, 95 Liberty St., Columbus, 614-454-1877,vuecolumbus.com  

Cincinnati-area venue owner Angela Norman is coming to Central Ohio with White Willow Meadows, slated to open in February 2024. The upscale barn property will feature three individual buildings, an on-site Airbnb and florist, and more. 10260 Ballah Road, Orient; 513-507-0005;whitewillowmeadows.com 

A version of this story first appeared in the fall/winter 2023 issue of Columbus Weddings, published in June 2023.