the Vendors
Check out some of our pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2283855&id=32802670&l=39f82d51f8
Ceremony: Old St. Pat's Church
http://www.oldstpats.org/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND It feels funny to review a Church, but everything was perfect. The Church was beautiful and Father Jack Wall was amazing!
Reception/Wedding Cake/Ice Sculpture/Candy Buffet supplies: Hyatt Regency Woodfield
http://woodfield.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND Everything at the Hyatt exceeded our expectations. Our contact was Barbara and she was just so great - totally organized and on top of everything. There is no need for a DOC with her around. And the staff was so nice and helpful -- going above and beyond what they needed to do and making our guests feel comfortable and happy. The food was incredible too. Everyone kept telling us how good it was (btw, for any future brides - we highly recommend the appetizer of braised short rib with gnocchi!)
Our ice sculpture was created by a different vendor through the Hyatt. I just wanted a skyline - I didn't expect it to be so huge! It was awesome and talked about all night! To see our ice sculpture, go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Ice Sculpture
Barbara took care of our candy buffet. She had glass canisters but opted for the silver canisters because of the Chicago bean.
To see our candy buffet, go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Favors
Photographer: Danielle Aquiline
http://www.danielleaquilinephoto.smugmug.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND Danielle is an amazing photographer. We loved all our photos - engagement and wedding. She has a great eye for pictures. She is also sooo sweet and very fast with communication. I can't wait to use her for our one year anniversary pics...and future family ones :) Her work speaks for itself!
Link to engagement photos: http://danielleaquilinephoto.blogspot.com/2009/08/lady-may-ryan.html
Link to wedding pictures: http://danielleaquilinephoto.blogspot.com/2010/05/lady-may-ryan.html
Videography: Orange Video Productions (JJ Kim)
http://www.orangeweddingfilms.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND We haven't gotten our official video yet...so the grade is based on our trailer and JJ himself! We LOVED it! We can't wait to see the whole thing! JJ is great to work with and fast at communication as well!
Link to our trailer: http://orangevp.blogspot.com/2010/05/lady-may-ryan-wedding-film-trailer.html
Transportation: Chicago Rolls Royce, Limo, & Trolley
http://www.chicagoweddingtransportation.com/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND The trolley came on time, was clean, and so much fun! We went with the 702.
Wedding Website: www.mywedding.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND The site is sooo easy to use!
Wedding Dress: The Bride's Room
www.thebridesroom.net/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I don't believe they are still open...but they were great! I went on a sample sale just for fun, and the owner was so sweet. I told her what I didn't like and what I thought I did like and she knew exactly what I wanted. We tried on a few things until the dress she had in mind for me was available. I tried it on and that was it. My sister and best friend were like, "That's the one!"
Bridesmaid Dresses: House of Brides online
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND We looked at dresses at HOB stores, but the price was a lot lower on their online site. (see my comments under: Attire/the Bridesmaids). The ordering process was easy and the dresses were perfect when they arrived 3 months later.
Flower Girl Dresses and Mother of the Bride dress & two bridesmaid alterations: Vogue Fashions in Niles, IL
Review: C DO NOT RECOMMEND The flower girl dresses and the mother of the bride dresses were nice, but they kind of gave my mom a hard time about things especially about the alterations. Then, two of my bridesmaids went there for alterations as did the flower girls, and they had to come back twice as they were wrong the first time. One of them left the straps attachment on, and they sewed the straps in when we didn't ask. It was an easy fix - she just hid the straps on her dress, but she was just very frustrated with all of them. It didn't help that the women didn't speak much english either.
Tuxes: Men's Wearhouse, MyAngelicKids.com (for kid's tux)
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND The tux we picked out for the boys was a little pricey ($160ish)....but it sounded like they were all really comfortable in them, so that was a plus. The sales people were really friendly and easy to contact. We actually came in on a Thursday without an appointment (Ryan didn't think we needed one), but it was fine. They weren't busy. Our ring bearer was a baby and we opted to go the cheaper route and get a tux from him myangelickids.com. Shipping was super fast and the outfit was great - he looked like a little stud!
Alterations: Mary Catomy
[email protected]
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND She took a size 10 dress to fit to my size, lowered the back and made it into a V, added buttons to the back and removed the zipper, and shaped the top of my dress -- she did an incredible job! She also made a bolero for me, which I ended up not using (it was really pretty though) and she sells jewelry (got my bracelet from her). The only thing I wished she did more was to suggest things. At my second fitting, I was absolutely in love with my dress, but I was wondering if I should change the top to be more of an obvious sweetheart. My friend suggested something and we went with it. At the third fitting, I knew something was wrong at the top, but I didn't know what - so my friend suggested it go down a little more....and then a few days later, after I was checking out my friend's iphone, I saw pictures of me at the second fitting...I really did love it, so I contacted Mary as soon as I could to ask if it would be that way instead.....but it was too late...she had already cut down the dress. I went to see it - it was a lot more obvious - and I told her that I wish we hadn't cut it down. She said the same thing too. Sigh...she said she would try to change it to look less gradual and asked me to come back in a week. After I left then, I called my fiance and basically burst into tears all the way home....I was so so sad....a week later, I picked up the dress and it was completely different. The top was a cross between the 2nd fitting and the previous one, and it was just SO much better. I wasn't completely happy with it, but it was at my fault and she did an incredible job to make it back to the way it was.
Save the Dates: www.magnetstreet.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND We loved our magnets! The site was super easy to use. The magnets come with envelopes (which I didn't know, I was wondering after I bought them how I was going to send them) and they looked so high quality.
To see the save the dates: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Save the Dates
Invitations: www.cardsandpockets.com (supplies), Kwik Kopy Arlington Heights (printing), Hobby Lobby, USPS
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND Each of these vendors did such a great job! Cardsandpockets have an incredible stock of merchandise, and they are super helpful too! I had so many questions about DIYing my invitations, and they answered them. I did find that they were on the expensive end for printing, but I got a few quotes around the area and Kwik Kopy ended up being the cheapest. I sent them all the materials for printing, the sizes of the print jobs, and to make my invitations look even more professional, they suggested thermography (raised print) for only $10 - it turned out so great!
To see the invitations: go to Inspiration & Ideas/Wedding Invitation
RSVP Picture Board: Michael's
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I took this idea from JanuaryBride. I put my guests to work and asked for them to draw or write on the back of the RSVP. I bought canvas for 40% off and a hot glue gun and put my board together.
To see the RSVP Picture Board: go to Inspiration & Ideas/Wedding Invitation
Rehearsal Dinner Invitations: Shutterfly
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I took one of our engagement photos to put on a shutterfly template. I went with the matte look - they looked really good and professional.
To see the rehearsal dinner invitations: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Rehearsal Dinner invites
Monograms: from an old HS friend and fellow knottie, "kermiefrg"
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND She's awesome and may be starting an etsy site soon! I'll keep ya posted!
To see the monograms: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Monograms
Cab/Photo-Sharing Cards: Vistaprint
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND They turned out so well and professional looking.
To see the cab/photo sharing cards: go to Inspiration & Ideas/Photo Sharing and Cab Cards
Thank You Cards (wedding): Vistaprint
Review: Pending Review I used one of our wedding photos, our monogram, and added "Thank You" and our photographer and videographer information. I upgraded the paper to linen. I can't wait to see them!
To see the cards: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Paper/the Thank You Cards
Thank You Cards (shower and bridal party): Target
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I was at Factory Card Outlet and didn't like the package of thank you cards they had. Next door was a Target and I decided to check out their thank you cards. They were so much better! I bought these specifically - http://www.target.com/Thank-You-Champagne-Swirl-50ct/dp/B0039P4UQI/ref=sr_1_83?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&searchView=grid5&searchNodeID=1038576%7C1287991011&node=1038576%7C1287991011&sr=1-83&searchRank=target104545&keywords=thank%20you%20cards&searchPage=1&searchSize=90&id=Thank%20You%20Champagne%20Swirl%2050ct&qid=1277153910 I love that they matched my colors.
Unity Candle: Michael's Arts & Crafts and decal paper from Amazon
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I bought a white candle from Michaels and printed out our monogram on decal paper. The decal paper was a little tricky, but it ended up great!
To see the candle: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Unity Candle
Fan Programs: I designed the program using MS Word, etsy seller "SophieSky" printed, cut, and put eyelets
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND She did an awesome job and a quick turnaround!
To see the programs: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Wedding Programs
Entertainment & Gogo: An Enchanted Evening,
http://anenchantedevening.com/
Review: B. RECOMMEND I didn't have any issues with contacting them as they always answered the phone, but I do question their organization/office skills. Ryan and I went a month before to watch their videos and pick out our DJ (I hated the thought of randomly getting just anyone). Scot met us at the door and after watching the video, he was the DJ that we wanted to book for our wedding. Three days before the wedding, I get a call from Mike (our 2nd choice) saying he was going to be our DJ due to some mix up with their papers. It was really annoying as we were looking forward to Scot, and then what if Mike hadn't been available?
Overall, Mike did a pretty good job as the DJ, but we were upset at a few things: he was a rude to my mother in law when she asked if she was going to be escorted in at the reception, then in the beginning, he wasn't playing any of the songs from our playlist so Ryan went up to him (though at that moment, he had just started to play one of ours so that was funny), and he definitely stopped at midnight (which was fine, but I thought back about how they emphasized "unlimited time" in their sales pitch), and I wasn't so impressed with our name in lights. I think I saw it twice, but I think he may have turned it off as the light was shining into people's eyes on the dance floor. Ah well...everyone still had a great time and loved our music (though we'd want to take credit for most of that, as we did make up a large part of our playlist).
Flowers: design by my Aunt Bella
Sources: Michael's Arts & Crafts (vases), Sam's Club (shades of pink roses), WholeBlossoms.com (Metropole Peony Garden Rose, Aphrodite Garden Rose Pink Flowers), myflowerbuyer.com (light pink flower petals), save-on-crafts.com (real touch pink calla lilies, colorfill for vases), partylightsite.com (LED Submersible Lights, Amber light), Jewel (pink peonies)
Review: A RECOMMEND My aunt did an incredible job with the flowers - I would highly recommend her! The only thing that I didn't like about this whole process was the flowers...all the sites were easy to order and everything, but the issues were the color of the flowers. The one that stood out the most was from Sam's Club - we ordered flowers with hot pink tips, but the tips were RED! We called them and they said they fade out (uh NOT so much...). I was so upset that night - the Thursday night before my wedding - and my friend and I went to Jewel and found a bunch of pink peonies (these went to my bouquet). I think with WholeBlossoms, they didn't have the flower I purchased, so they called me and worked with me to find something similar. The one they sent me were a little more orangey than pink, but it worked out well as they were still a light color.
Ceremony Music: Old St. Pat's
Piano: Bill Fraher
Violin: Tom Yang
Vocalist: Maggie Girgis
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND They played everything so beautifully. Maggie has an incredible voice!
Harpist (cocktail hour): Sarah HM Thompson
www.withallmyharp.com
[email protected]
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND One of my bridesmaid's sisters used her for her wedding. She was amazing and we got a lot of compliments about her.
Dance Lessons: Szewai Lee
[email protected] or www.ballroomdancechicago.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND We got so many compliments on our first dance! We took about 10 lessons with Szewai (and had help from Matthew at times). They are super sweet and so patient. We never realizeed how hard dancing was! I also took 3 lessons with my Dad, and Szewai worked with us to get something decent down (I didn't realize my dad had two left feet! We would have started way earlier!). Awesome vendors!
Make Up: Sonia Roselli
http://www.soniaroselliweddings.com/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I can't say enough about Sonia - she rocks! I loved the makeup she put on me, my mom, my sister, and best friend. I had my trial with her to do more of a smokey eye look, but on the day of my wedding, I decided I wanted something different. She took one look at my dress and hair and did her own thing - a soft romantic look. I got so many compliments on my makeup - I passed her info onto my friends! My makeup was in place the entire day, even after some tears at the Church. Oh and she took pictures with her camera after my photog left to go to the Church - she's also skilled at that too!
Hair: James Litwin
847-456-9865
Review: A RECOMMEND After Monique Madrid cancelled on me and I waited too long to book Holly Kaspirin (who had another bride interested in my date), I booked Jim. He did my friend's wedding the previous April and he did a pretty good job on the bridal party. He works in a salon in Lake Zurich called Salon Coccole and he is very affordable. He did an updo trial for me, which I really liked (but I don't know...it didn't seem like me - I'm not an updo type of person - I could go on and on about how I don't like my hair up, lol). On the day of the wedding, I showed him a picture of J Lo with her hair all big and curly and he went with it. He is super nice and friendly.
Hair: Monique Madrid
Review: NO RATING but CAUTION. I booked Monique in January of this year for my upcoming wedding....a few weeks later, she received news that her and her husband received a job offer for a few months and had to cancel on me. She sent back the deposit promptly and apologized and sent me a few references (which out of the 3, two were makeup artists and I just needed hair). I posted on the theknot boards and heard back that she has cancelled on people before. I'm sure she's an incredible stylist, but I would probably consider other stylists before booking her.
Guest book: www.mypublisher.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND The site is sooo easy to use, and I was so excited when we received it. The book looked so professional. We got a lot of compliments on our guest book. :)
To see the guest book: go to Inspirations & Ideas/the Guest Book
Backdrop and Uplighting: Yanni Design Studio
http://www.yannidesignstudio.com
Review: B+ RECOMMEND I waivered on this grading. I worked with Tara and she was awesome - great communication/quickly responded to all my emails, and the backdrop itself was exactly as pictured. The only thing I didn't like was the lighting. I wanted amber uplighting...but they went with purple. My colors were baby pink, dark brown, and champagne. They could have at least done pink! It was the only I actually noticed that went wrong that entire day and it was still pretty & we got compliments on it....so I guess it's not that big of a deal....just annoying.
Rehearsal Dinner: the Parthenon
http://www.theparthenon.com/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND This is one of our favorite restaurants in the city and it is right by the Church. They have a private banquet room on the right side of the restaurant, which accommodated our 60 guests. They also have free valet parking, which was a great plus....but the food - it's still talked about - it seemed like it was neverending and it was all soooo good! Tasos and Zoto (sp?) were great! Oh and for anyone wanting to do a slideshow for their event, they have a screen on their ceiling that comes down. Unfortunately for us, the DVD we made didn't work.
Groom's Cake: Bittersweet
http://www.bittersweetpastry.com/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I wanted to surprise my fiance with a groom's cake at the rehearsal dinner. I called a few places and was shocked at the cost! I wanted a red velvet cake in the shape of a Bears jersey. Neither of the more expensive places told me that red velvet dries out as a sheet cake (I heard this from another bakery), they just told me the $300 price tag. Someone on the boards recommended Bittersweet and I called them. It was less than $100. It came as a round layer cake with red velvet and white chocolate frosting. On the top, they created a dark blue Bears jersey in what looked like fondant with his last name and our number - from far away, it looked like a real jersey! It was incredible! And it tasted awesome too!
To see the groom's cake: go to Inspirations & Ideas/the Cake
Bridal Shower: Venuti's
www.venutisbanquets.com
Review: A HIGHLY RECOMMEND The room was beautiful and the setup of everything was very nice. The waitstaff was on top of everything and made sure everything was going right. The food was pretty decent; better in their restaurant than banquet.
Accessories:
Garter: ebay seller "wedset"
Veil: OccanseyDesigns.com or obridal.com
Shoes: Piperlime - "Badgley Mischka"
Jewelry: earrings from etsy seller "luxedeluxe" and bracelet from Mary Catomy
Rings: Adiamor
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND All the vendors shipped their merchandise super fast and they were wonderful!
Favors:
Personalized drinks: Jones drinks, myjones.com
Napkins & Matches: theknot shop
Candy Buffet bags: papermart.com
Candy: candywarehouse.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I only had an issue with theknot shop as the ink on some of my napkins and matches came out bad. I took pictures and emailed them to theknot, and they ended up redoing the entire order and sending it back to us. They turned out great!
Bridal Party gifts:
1.) Old Navy flip flops (in pink for the bridesmaids)
2.) Vistaprint tote bags "love is beautiful 05.15.10" (bridesmaids)
3.) Illusion necklace and earrings from etsy seller "TwistsandFacets" (bridesmaids)
4.) Bath and Body works lotion (bridesmaids)
5.) Cigars International (cigar holder for the groomsmen), etc.
6.) Clutch for the bridesmaids from Macys.com (found them on clearance)
7.) Build a Bear stuffed animals for the flower girls and ring bearers
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Registries: Crate & Barrel, Williams Sonoma, Amazon, Foodie Registry
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND The registries were great to work with! Most of our gifts came from Crate and Barrel so we had a lot of doubles and returns, and the return process was super easy. We got a big gift card back, which ended up going to pots and pans. That was the only registry that was completely sold out. Williams Sonoma sent us a 10% giftcard for any purchase for up to six months after our event.
Ceremony: Old St. Pat's Church
http://www.oldstpats.org/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND It feels funny to review a Church, but everything was perfect. The Church was beautiful and Father Jack Wall was amazing!
Reception/Wedding Cake/Ice Sculpture/Candy Buffet supplies: Hyatt Regency Woodfield
http://woodfield.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND Everything at the Hyatt exceeded our expectations. Our contact was Barbara and she was just so great - totally organized and on top of everything. There is no need for a DOC with her around. And the staff was so nice and helpful -- going above and beyond what they needed to do and making our guests feel comfortable and happy. The food was incredible too. Everyone kept telling us how good it was (btw, for any future brides - we highly recommend the appetizer of braised short rib with gnocchi!)
Our ice sculpture was created by a different vendor through the Hyatt. I just wanted a skyline - I didn't expect it to be so huge! It was awesome and talked about all night! To see our ice sculpture, go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Ice Sculpture
Barbara took care of our candy buffet. She had glass canisters but opted for the silver canisters because of the Chicago bean.
To see our candy buffet, go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Favors
Photographer: Danielle Aquiline
http://www.danielleaquilinephoto.smugmug.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND Danielle is an amazing photographer. We loved all our photos - engagement and wedding. She has a great eye for pictures. She is also sooo sweet and very fast with communication. I can't wait to use her for our one year anniversary pics...and future family ones :) Her work speaks for itself!
Link to engagement photos: http://danielleaquilinephoto.blogspot.com/2009/08/lady-may-ryan.html
Link to wedding pictures: http://danielleaquilinephoto.blogspot.com/2010/05/lady-may-ryan.html
Videography: Orange Video Productions (JJ Kim)
http://www.orangeweddingfilms.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND We haven't gotten our official video yet...so the grade is based on our trailer and JJ himself! We LOVED it! We can't wait to see the whole thing! JJ is great to work with and fast at communication as well!
Link to our trailer: http://orangevp.blogspot.com/2010/05/lady-may-ryan-wedding-film-trailer.html
Transportation: Chicago Rolls Royce, Limo, & Trolley
http://www.chicagoweddingtransportation.com/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND The trolley came on time, was clean, and so much fun! We went with the 702.
Wedding Website: www.mywedding.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND The site is sooo easy to use!
Wedding Dress: The Bride's Room
www.thebridesroom.net/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I don't believe they are still open...but they were great! I went on a sample sale just for fun, and the owner was so sweet. I told her what I didn't like and what I thought I did like and she knew exactly what I wanted. We tried on a few things until the dress she had in mind for me was available. I tried it on and that was it. My sister and best friend were like, "That's the one!"
Bridesmaid Dresses: House of Brides online
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND We looked at dresses at HOB stores, but the price was a lot lower on their online site. (see my comments under: Attire/the Bridesmaids). The ordering process was easy and the dresses were perfect when they arrived 3 months later.
Flower Girl Dresses and Mother of the Bride dress & two bridesmaid alterations: Vogue Fashions in Niles, IL
Review: C DO NOT RECOMMEND The flower girl dresses and the mother of the bride dresses were nice, but they kind of gave my mom a hard time about things especially about the alterations. Then, two of my bridesmaids went there for alterations as did the flower girls, and they had to come back twice as they were wrong the first time. One of them left the straps attachment on, and they sewed the straps in when we didn't ask. It was an easy fix - she just hid the straps on her dress, but she was just very frustrated with all of them. It didn't help that the women didn't speak much english either.
Tuxes: Men's Wearhouse, MyAngelicKids.com (for kid's tux)
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND The tux we picked out for the boys was a little pricey ($160ish)....but it sounded like they were all really comfortable in them, so that was a plus. The sales people were really friendly and easy to contact. We actually came in on a Thursday without an appointment (Ryan didn't think we needed one), but it was fine. They weren't busy. Our ring bearer was a baby and we opted to go the cheaper route and get a tux from him myangelickids.com. Shipping was super fast and the outfit was great - he looked like a little stud!
Alterations: Mary Catomy
[email protected]
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND She took a size 10 dress to fit to my size, lowered the back and made it into a V, added buttons to the back and removed the zipper, and shaped the top of my dress -- she did an incredible job! She also made a bolero for me, which I ended up not using (it was really pretty though) and she sells jewelry (got my bracelet from her). The only thing I wished she did more was to suggest things. At my second fitting, I was absolutely in love with my dress, but I was wondering if I should change the top to be more of an obvious sweetheart. My friend suggested something and we went with it. At the third fitting, I knew something was wrong at the top, but I didn't know what - so my friend suggested it go down a little more....and then a few days later, after I was checking out my friend's iphone, I saw pictures of me at the second fitting...I really did love it, so I contacted Mary as soon as I could to ask if it would be that way instead.....but it was too late...she had already cut down the dress. I went to see it - it was a lot more obvious - and I told her that I wish we hadn't cut it down. She said the same thing too. Sigh...she said she would try to change it to look less gradual and asked me to come back in a week. After I left then, I called my fiance and basically burst into tears all the way home....I was so so sad....a week later, I picked up the dress and it was completely different. The top was a cross between the 2nd fitting and the previous one, and it was just SO much better. I wasn't completely happy with it, but it was at my fault and she did an incredible job to make it back to the way it was.
Save the Dates: www.magnetstreet.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND We loved our magnets! The site was super easy to use. The magnets come with envelopes (which I didn't know, I was wondering after I bought them how I was going to send them) and they looked so high quality.
To see the save the dates: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Save the Dates
Invitations: www.cardsandpockets.com (supplies), Kwik Kopy Arlington Heights (printing), Hobby Lobby, USPS
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND Each of these vendors did such a great job! Cardsandpockets have an incredible stock of merchandise, and they are super helpful too! I had so many questions about DIYing my invitations, and they answered them. I did find that they were on the expensive end for printing, but I got a few quotes around the area and Kwik Kopy ended up being the cheapest. I sent them all the materials for printing, the sizes of the print jobs, and to make my invitations look even more professional, they suggested thermography (raised print) for only $10 - it turned out so great!
To see the invitations: go to Inspiration & Ideas/Wedding Invitation
RSVP Picture Board: Michael's
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I took this idea from JanuaryBride. I put my guests to work and asked for them to draw or write on the back of the RSVP. I bought canvas for 40% off and a hot glue gun and put my board together.
To see the RSVP Picture Board: go to Inspiration & Ideas/Wedding Invitation
Rehearsal Dinner Invitations: Shutterfly
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I took one of our engagement photos to put on a shutterfly template. I went with the matte look - they looked really good and professional.
To see the rehearsal dinner invitations: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Rehearsal Dinner invites
Monograms: from an old HS friend and fellow knottie, "kermiefrg"
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND She's awesome and may be starting an etsy site soon! I'll keep ya posted!
To see the monograms: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Monograms
Cab/Photo-Sharing Cards: Vistaprint
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND They turned out so well and professional looking.
To see the cab/photo sharing cards: go to Inspiration & Ideas/Photo Sharing and Cab Cards
Thank You Cards (wedding): Vistaprint
Review: Pending Review I used one of our wedding photos, our monogram, and added "Thank You" and our photographer and videographer information. I upgraded the paper to linen. I can't wait to see them!
To see the cards: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Paper/the Thank You Cards
Thank You Cards (shower and bridal party): Target
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I was at Factory Card Outlet and didn't like the package of thank you cards they had. Next door was a Target and I decided to check out their thank you cards. They were so much better! I bought these specifically - http://www.target.com/Thank-You-Champagne-Swirl-50ct/dp/B0039P4UQI/ref=sr_1_83?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&searchView=grid5&searchNodeID=1038576%7C1287991011&node=1038576%7C1287991011&sr=1-83&searchRank=target104545&keywords=thank%20you%20cards&searchPage=1&searchSize=90&id=Thank%20You%20Champagne%20Swirl%2050ct&qid=1277153910 I love that they matched my colors.
Unity Candle: Michael's Arts & Crafts and decal paper from Amazon
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I bought a white candle from Michaels and printed out our monogram on decal paper. The decal paper was a little tricky, but it ended up great!
To see the candle: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Unity Candle
Fan Programs: I designed the program using MS Word, etsy seller "SophieSky" printed, cut, and put eyelets
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND She did an awesome job and a quick turnaround!
To see the programs: go to Inspiration & Ideas/the Wedding Programs
Entertainment & Gogo: An Enchanted Evening,
http://anenchantedevening.com/
Review: B. RECOMMEND I didn't have any issues with contacting them as they always answered the phone, but I do question their organization/office skills. Ryan and I went a month before to watch their videos and pick out our DJ (I hated the thought of randomly getting just anyone). Scot met us at the door and after watching the video, he was the DJ that we wanted to book for our wedding. Three days before the wedding, I get a call from Mike (our 2nd choice) saying he was going to be our DJ due to some mix up with their papers. It was really annoying as we were looking forward to Scot, and then what if Mike hadn't been available?
Overall, Mike did a pretty good job as the DJ, but we were upset at a few things: he was a rude to my mother in law when she asked if she was going to be escorted in at the reception, then in the beginning, he wasn't playing any of the songs from our playlist so Ryan went up to him (though at that moment, he had just started to play one of ours so that was funny), and he definitely stopped at midnight (which was fine, but I thought back about how they emphasized "unlimited time" in their sales pitch), and I wasn't so impressed with our name in lights. I think I saw it twice, but I think he may have turned it off as the light was shining into people's eyes on the dance floor. Ah well...everyone still had a great time and loved our music (though we'd want to take credit for most of that, as we did make up a large part of our playlist).
Flowers: design by my Aunt Bella
Sources: Michael's Arts & Crafts (vases), Sam's Club (shades of pink roses), WholeBlossoms.com (Metropole Peony Garden Rose, Aphrodite Garden Rose Pink Flowers), myflowerbuyer.com (light pink flower petals), save-on-crafts.com (real touch pink calla lilies, colorfill for vases), partylightsite.com (LED Submersible Lights, Amber light), Jewel (pink peonies)
Review: A RECOMMEND My aunt did an incredible job with the flowers - I would highly recommend her! The only thing that I didn't like about this whole process was the flowers...all the sites were easy to order and everything, but the issues were the color of the flowers. The one that stood out the most was from Sam's Club - we ordered flowers with hot pink tips, but the tips were RED! We called them and they said they fade out (uh NOT so much...). I was so upset that night - the Thursday night before my wedding - and my friend and I went to Jewel and found a bunch of pink peonies (these went to my bouquet). I think with WholeBlossoms, they didn't have the flower I purchased, so they called me and worked with me to find something similar. The one they sent me were a little more orangey than pink, but it worked out well as they were still a light color.
Ceremony Music: Old St. Pat's
Piano: Bill Fraher
Violin: Tom Yang
Vocalist: Maggie Girgis
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND They played everything so beautifully. Maggie has an incredible voice!
Harpist (cocktail hour): Sarah HM Thompson
www.withallmyharp.com
[email protected]
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND One of my bridesmaid's sisters used her for her wedding. She was amazing and we got a lot of compliments about her.
Dance Lessons: Szewai Lee
[email protected] or www.ballroomdancechicago.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND We got so many compliments on our first dance! We took about 10 lessons with Szewai (and had help from Matthew at times). They are super sweet and so patient. We never realizeed how hard dancing was! I also took 3 lessons with my Dad, and Szewai worked with us to get something decent down (I didn't realize my dad had two left feet! We would have started way earlier!). Awesome vendors!
Make Up: Sonia Roselli
http://www.soniaroselliweddings.com/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I can't say enough about Sonia - she rocks! I loved the makeup she put on me, my mom, my sister, and best friend. I had my trial with her to do more of a smokey eye look, but on the day of my wedding, I decided I wanted something different. She took one look at my dress and hair and did her own thing - a soft romantic look. I got so many compliments on my makeup - I passed her info onto my friends! My makeup was in place the entire day, even after some tears at the Church. Oh and she took pictures with her camera after my photog left to go to the Church - she's also skilled at that too!
Hair: James Litwin
847-456-9865
Review: A RECOMMEND After Monique Madrid cancelled on me and I waited too long to book Holly Kaspirin (who had another bride interested in my date), I booked Jim. He did my friend's wedding the previous April and he did a pretty good job on the bridal party. He works in a salon in Lake Zurich called Salon Coccole and he is very affordable. He did an updo trial for me, which I really liked (but I don't know...it didn't seem like me - I'm not an updo type of person - I could go on and on about how I don't like my hair up, lol). On the day of the wedding, I showed him a picture of J Lo with her hair all big and curly and he went with it. He is super nice and friendly.
Hair: Monique Madrid
Review: NO RATING but CAUTION. I booked Monique in January of this year for my upcoming wedding....a few weeks later, she received news that her and her husband received a job offer for a few months and had to cancel on me. She sent back the deposit promptly and apologized and sent me a few references (which out of the 3, two were makeup artists and I just needed hair). I posted on the theknot boards and heard back that she has cancelled on people before. I'm sure she's an incredible stylist, but I would probably consider other stylists before booking her.
Guest book: www.mypublisher.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND The site is sooo easy to use, and I was so excited when we received it. The book looked so professional. We got a lot of compliments on our guest book. :)
To see the guest book: go to Inspirations & Ideas/the Guest Book
Backdrop and Uplighting: Yanni Design Studio
http://www.yannidesignstudio.com
Review: B+ RECOMMEND I waivered on this grading. I worked with Tara and she was awesome - great communication/quickly responded to all my emails, and the backdrop itself was exactly as pictured. The only thing I didn't like was the lighting. I wanted amber uplighting...but they went with purple. My colors were baby pink, dark brown, and champagne. They could have at least done pink! It was the only I actually noticed that went wrong that entire day and it was still pretty & we got compliments on it....so I guess it's not that big of a deal....just annoying.
Rehearsal Dinner: the Parthenon
http://www.theparthenon.com/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND This is one of our favorite restaurants in the city and it is right by the Church. They have a private banquet room on the right side of the restaurant, which accommodated our 60 guests. They also have free valet parking, which was a great plus....but the food - it's still talked about - it seemed like it was neverending and it was all soooo good! Tasos and Zoto (sp?) were great! Oh and for anyone wanting to do a slideshow for their event, they have a screen on their ceiling that comes down. Unfortunately for us, the DVD we made didn't work.
Groom's Cake: Bittersweet
http://www.bittersweetpastry.com/
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I wanted to surprise my fiance with a groom's cake at the rehearsal dinner. I called a few places and was shocked at the cost! I wanted a red velvet cake in the shape of a Bears jersey. Neither of the more expensive places told me that red velvet dries out as a sheet cake (I heard this from another bakery), they just told me the $300 price tag. Someone on the boards recommended Bittersweet and I called them. It was less than $100. It came as a round layer cake with red velvet and white chocolate frosting. On the top, they created a dark blue Bears jersey in what looked like fondant with his last name and our number - from far away, it looked like a real jersey! It was incredible! And it tasted awesome too!
To see the groom's cake: go to Inspirations & Ideas/the Cake
Bridal Shower: Venuti's
www.venutisbanquets.com
Review: A HIGHLY RECOMMEND The room was beautiful and the setup of everything was very nice. The waitstaff was on top of everything and made sure everything was going right. The food was pretty decent; better in their restaurant than banquet.
Accessories:
Garter: ebay seller "wedset"
Veil: OccanseyDesigns.com or obridal.com
Shoes: Piperlime - "Badgley Mischka"
Jewelry: earrings from etsy seller "luxedeluxe" and bracelet from Mary Catomy
Rings: Adiamor
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND All the vendors shipped their merchandise super fast and they were wonderful!
Favors:
Personalized drinks: Jones drinks, myjones.com
Napkins & Matches: theknot shop
Candy Buffet bags: papermart.com
Candy: candywarehouse.com
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND I only had an issue with theknot shop as the ink on some of my napkins and matches came out bad. I took pictures and emailed them to theknot, and they ended up redoing the entire order and sending it back to us. They turned out great!
Bridal Party gifts:
1.) Old Navy flip flops (in pink for the bridesmaids)
2.) Vistaprint tote bags "love is beautiful 05.15.10" (bridesmaids)
3.) Illusion necklace and earrings from etsy seller "TwistsandFacets" (bridesmaids)
4.) Bath and Body works lotion (bridesmaids)
5.) Cigars International (cigar holder for the groomsmen), etc.
6.) Clutch for the bridesmaids from Macys.com (found them on clearance)
7.) Build a Bear stuffed animals for the flower girls and ring bearers
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Registries: Crate & Barrel, Williams Sonoma, Amazon, Foodie Registry
Review: A+ HIGHLY RECOMMEND The registries were great to work with! Most of our gifts came from Crate and Barrel so we had a lot of doubles and returns, and the return process was super easy. We got a big gift card back, which ended up going to pots and pans. That was the only registry that was completely sold out. Williams Sonoma sent us a 10% giftcard for any purchase for up to six months after our event.