Texas-San Antonio

Hello Ladies,I need your help :)

I'm a December 10, 2010 Bride :D 

As of now, I have a guest list of 170 

And I'm looking for recommendations for a DJ, Cake Maker, & Photographer
Let me know how your experience was with them, and what they included if possible :)

Also, what would you consider a reasonable rate for the DJ/Cake/Photographer? & Also, What would you consider too much?

I got an email from a DJ who quoted me $1,000 dollars  for 4 Hours of Performance Time , A Custom Wedding Agenda, Online Music Database, Professionally Groomed and Tailored DJ, and an  Upscale Lighting Package that moved to the beat of music and arrival of 3hrs before guests arrive

Is that reasonable or not? I have no ideaaaa...

Thank you for helpSmile

"If music be the food of love, play on ..."-William Shakespeare

imageMy Wedding Blog

Re: Hello Ladies,I need your help :)

  • edited December 2011
    I used the Pastry Garden for our cake and it was DELICIOUS and exactly what we ordered.  She even embedded a digital picture frame IN our cake per DH's special request.  Her price was pretty much average.

    My photographer was my FAVORITE wedding vendor.  She was so super fantastic and her rates are superb.  She is Caitlin's Creations - her website is www.ccportraitdesign.com. This is her blogpost from our wedding: http://blog.ccportraitdesign.com/?p=51 (you can see the cake there too).

    Good luck!
    Photobucket

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  • edited December 2011
    I used Lynda from Sweet Traditions for the big cake, and The Ultimate Cheesecake Bakery for the groom's cake. You can read my full reviews and see pictures in my wedding bio (Pro Pics>Details probably has the best cake pictures), but all in all I loooved Lynda and would highly recommend her. We got a 3 layer white cake with raspberry filling, and a 4th fake bottom tier to make it look bigger. :o) We paid about $500 for that, $50 of which was the fake tier. The delivery and all decorations were included in the total cost.  The taste was so delicious and the final cake was gorgeous.   For the groom's cake (which they also make regular big cakes too), the design was a lot simpler since it was a sheet cake but still turned out great. Their carrot cake flavor was our favorite out of all the shops we tried. We ended up paying $100 for about a 48 person sheet cake, and we picked it up ourselves so I don't know how much delivery would cost.

    I LOVED my photographer too. I used Josh Fowler Photography. I'm still working on uploading pictures to my bio, but you can see some under the Pro pics in my wedding bio, and under "Say Cheese" in my planning bio.  Him and his wife work together and they do an excellent job. They are both soo much fun to work with, and I'm so happy with how our pictures turned out. He is probably what I'd call average priced for a photographer. Not the cheapest you could find, but not the most expensive either. We paid $2400 for a package that included engagement pics, bridals, 4 prints (16x20, 11x14, 8x10, 5x7), 8 hours wedding day coverage, $100 additional print credit, and all of our pictures on a DVD with copyright release.

    I used Music Connection for our DJ. I thought they did a great job at keeping people out on the dance floor and MCing the event. He did adapt his playlist to what the crowd was responding to, which was great. We paid $600 for 6 hours. That included all of the music they have (plus they will purchase any other music you want) and basic lighting. Jesse, the owner, also helped me come up with my timeline for the day, and Brian, the actual DJ arrived groomed and dressed professionally.  I think the $1000 you were quoted seems pretty high, but it might be that special lighting that adds a lot to the price.
  • edited December 2011
    For cakes I would say average price is about $600 - $700 for that guest list and including a grooms cake.  I went with Elm's Bake Shoppe.  Their buttercream icing was the best I tasted and it is made totally from scratch - you'd be surprised how many bakers use mixes.

    I have gotten compliments saying my wedding pictures are the best they've ever seen and I'd have to agree...Bend The Light Photography...check them out www.bendthelight.com. There is a large discrepency in photography prices...a lot really depends on the skill and experience on the photography.  For a an experienced photograpehr with great quality photo's and a reall artistic eye, expect to pay at least $3000.

    I think $1000 is a little much for a DJ.  We went with Music Connection and paid about $450 and were extremely happy with them.
  • edited December 2011
    Hey there!!

    DJ - I used Fred Bishop of Encore Entertainment.  He was great!! He actually did our wedding FREE of charge since he felt bad for my terrible experience with this other DJ.  I'm not sure of his rates, but he really was fabulous and I highly recommend you contacting him!  His email address is: encore-entertainment@austin.rr.com

    Cake Maker - Cathy Young was my baker and I loved her work.  It was a GORGEOUS cake and tasted so moist and delicious.  I ended up paying $650 for a 165 guest wedding.  Her email address is: Cjy1250@sbcglobal.net

    Photographer - I used Amy DeYoung and her work was outstanding.  She is a little pricier than some of the other photographers, but she is excellent.  Amy's email address is: amy@amydeyoung.com

    HTH!
  • MBLoveMBLove member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I had a friend bake my cake and a friend was our DJ. Please look into Caitlin's Creations for your photography. She is very reasonable with her prices and she does a la carte services too. I was thrilled with our photos and she was probably the best vendor i worked with for my wedding. She will not try and pressure you into things you don't need and since she does a la carte stuff, she wont charge you for a "package" with stuff you don't need or want!!!
    Photobucket image
  • Little_Lily_9Little_Lily_9 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thank ya'll sooo much :)
    "If music be the food of love, play on ..."-William Shakespeare

    imageMy Wedding Blog
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