About Us
We have a love and passion for all things wedding! Our mission is to connect engaged couples with talented local wedding professionals here in Northeast Ohio. We serve as a convenient one-stop destination for couples embarking on their wedding planning journey. We offer a wide range of resources, inspiration, and connections to ensure that your special day is nothing short of unforgettable.
Our goal is to help make your wedding planning process easier. In order to do that, we offer you a free wedding magazine that covers the entire Northeast Ohio area, invite you to join us at one of our bridal shows throughout the year, and visit us here online. With these combined resources, you can research and meet hundreds of local wedding vendors, get inspired by the latest trends, get helpful tips and advice, see real weddings from other local couples, and download our free resources to help you organize every detail. We can’t wait to help you get started!
Did you know Today’s Bride is local to Northeast Ohio?
We started in Akron in 1989 and remain dedicated to helping engaged couples plan the wedding of their dreams! We do this by connecting them with local businesses in Akron, Cleveland, Canton, and the surrounding areas. That’s how we’ve earned the reputation as Northeast Ohio’s most respected and trusted wedding resource by both couples and vendors alike. Interested to hear how Today’s Bride got started? Give our history a read to hear how this family-owned business began.
How do we connect couples to vendors?
We publish an inspirational and advice-filled magazine each year to help couples with every detail of their wedding planning, from choosing the venue to planning the honeymoon. Our magazine includes real local weddings, current trends and inspiration, planning tips, wedding vendors, and a master planning checklist. Plus, we host four bridal shows in both Cleveland and Akron throughout the year, letting couples plan their wedding all in one place and meeting vendors face-to-face!
Read on to find out more about our amazing staff who work tirelessly to make this planning process easy for couples like you! Interested in check out our latest magazine or visiting us at an upcoming show?
MEET THE STAFF
Jim Frericks
OWNER & CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
With Today’s Bride since 1989
Contact Jim
About Jim
What was your first concert?
I don’t remember my first, but my favorite concert was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” at the old CLE Municipal Stadium in 1985. As a college football player, I worked security and my job was to make sure no one fooled with a particular spotlight in the upper deck, but once the concert started, I took off my security shirt and partied with the rest of the fans.
What is your favorite movie?
Dumb & Dumber has the best and most memorable movie lines (“….so you’re telling me there’s still a chance”) which I tend to recite often as a sales executive.
Which emoji do you use most?
🍺 Embarrassingly, the beer mug emoji is the one I use – and receive – the most. 🍺
Denise Frericks
OWNER & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
With Today’s Bride since 1989
Contact Denise
About Denise
What was your first concert?
Kiss at the old Coliseum arena in Richfield was the first concert I attended, and I remember coming out and there had been a bad snowstorm and all the cars looked alike.
What is your favorite movie?
Dirty Dancing, hands down.
What is your hidden talent?
Planning trips! I love to travel and I’m really good at finding deals and hidden gems. Maybe in another life, I will be a travel agent!
About Jennifer
Which emoji do you use most?
🍷 The red wine glass. It’s a signal between me and my friends to meet for a happy hour! 🍷
What is your favorite app?
An app called HeadSpace is perfect for digital burnouts like me. If you’re always on your phone or in front of a computer, it helps you relax with meditation and mindfulness techniques!
What is your favorite movie?
Employee of the Month. I’d love to shoe-heel-wheelie my way through a warehouse store after hours.
Abby Frericks
CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER
With Today’s Bride since 2019
Contact Abby
About Abby
Which emoji do you use most?
Definitely the laughing crying emoji face… probably too often actually 😂. I also love the wine emoji because that usually means a girl’s night watching the Bachelor or The Real Housewives! 🍷
What is your favorite movie?
The Greatest Showman! I am obsessed with the music and listen to it on repeat (actually listening to it right now). I think I watched the movie 5 times during the first week it was released. I hope it becomes a broadway play – I’d buy front-row seats.
What is your favorite app?
I love Instagram! I only post maybe once every few weeks, but I check the app multiple times per day. I love seeing what my friends and family are up to, but I also love watching Tasty videos, makeup tutorials, and pretty much any video that has a cat in it. I get inspiration from Instagram too – clothes, workouts, recipes, quotes, anything!
Kelsey o’hearne Bohl
ACCOUNT MANAGER
With Today’s Bride since 2021
Contact Kelsey
About KELSEY
What was your first concert?
Hanson! I was 6 – my mom and aunt bought tickets for my cousin and me for our birthdays (we are 3 weeks apart). People looked at our moms like they were crazy for bringing two little girls to this concert with screaming teens and girls in their 20s! It is one of my favorite memories from growing up.
What is your favorite movie?
Dirty Dancing! From the age of 3 through college and even after, I have been trained in many different styles of dance. To watch how dancing pulled Baby out of her shell and gave her the confidence she needed is absolutely relatable.
What is your favorite holiday?
When I was a kid, it was Christmas because I come from a big family and there was nothing better than when everyone was able to be together under the same roof for two days. But as an adult, it has changed to Thanksgiving. Most holidays are spent with family, but for years we have had this tradition of spending Thanksgiving with our friends. Every year there are new faces, but it is a great reminder that your friends are your chosen family and that is something to be thankful for.
PHIL BELL
ACCOUNT MANAGER
With Today’s Bride since 2023
Contact Phil
About PHIL
What is your favorite hobby?
My favorite hobby is getting outside and playing golf. It combines everything I like the most, which is being outdoors, walking, being with friends & making new ones, and being able to turn my phone off! I like how challenging every round is and how it is as much of a mental game as it is a physical game. It’s a game you never have to stop playing, unlike many others. I also like the solitude of being able to play alone and really enjoy just focusing on myself and taking that time to be alone and be present in a peaceful place.
Tell us about your ideal weekend.
My ideal weekend has changed since welcoming my son, Elliott, in June of 2022. Now it centers around him, taking that time to be with him and my wife. In a perfect world, I can get out golfing early in the morning and be back by the time everyone wakes up. The rest of the weekend is spent with my family. We love to watch football games during the season, he is the Browns’ good luck charm if you ask me! My wife and I love to take him on walks and get out of the house to our favorite park Allardale Park. We love to have friends over and eat delicious food. We are fortunate to be able to be surrounded by family and close friends on the weekends.
Where is the coolest city you have traveled to?
The coolest place I have traveled to would be Traverse City in Michigan. I went there with my wife for a birthday weekend, and it was fantastic. The city was amazing and the nature up in Northern Michigan is something you must see to believe. It was a trip I will never forget and holds a special place for me. The town has so much charm and character while being big enough to have a variety of things to do!
