Illinois-Chicago — The Knot Community

9/3/11 Vendor Reviews (Part 1)

heyyjude7 — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:01:56 +0000

I didn't post that much, but I did stalk this board quite a bit, and I found the reviews very helpful. So, here are mine! :)

Wedding Dress- David's Bridal, Vernon Hills- B+

I know, I know. It has a horrible reputation, but I couldn't justify spending a lot of money on my dress due to my budget. Overall, I had a very good experience there, though. I fell in love with my Oleg Cassini, and I thought it was perfect. The sales person I had was really wonderful, actually. The dress was in very early, and since all I had to do for alterations was the bustle, I just made it easy and had them do it. I am saying B+ because I didn't think my alterations person was very friendly, but she did get the job done. Overall, I am very pleased.

Tuxes- Men's Warehouse, Deerfield- A

I know, again, national chain, but it was easiest since we had groomsmen all over the country. No one had any issues, so maybe we were lucky.

DJ- Dustin @ Toast & Jam- A+

I have nothing but good things to say. Dustin understood from the beginning what we wanted, and everyone kept saying from cocktails onward how awesome the music was. We didn't want a cookie cutter wedding with the standard group dances (those were all banned), and Toast & Jam was perfect for us. He told me at the end our event was easy because he could play what he liked. My favorite vendor!!!

Cake- Rolf's Patisserie, Lincolnwood- A

Rolf's was included in our package at our venue, so its not like we shopped around. However, I have to say that I thought our cake was absolutely delicious. Sarah, the person we met with, was awesome (the tasting was great too), and everyone loved our white chiffon cake with strawberry mousse filling and white chocolate buttercream frosting. It was gorgeous too, with the exact colors we were using since we gave them a color swatch. Very happy with them. They were also very good about communication, and I always heard back within a couple of hours of an email.

For Sale- cylinder vases, table runners, black river rocks

mtc2009 — Sun, 01 May 2011 21:01:10 +0000

I have the following items used for my centerpieces available for sale.

Items used for wedding centerpieces:

Cylinder Vases in various sizes:
10 vases- 10" tall x 3.25 diameter - $30 for 10
20 vases- 7.5" x 3.25- $40 for 20
10 vases- 6"x 3.25- $20 for 10
10 vases- 16"x 5- $50 for 10
20 vases- 5"x5- $70 for 20

Black River Rocks/vase filler- around 20lbs of rocks- $20.00
30-Black Satin Table Runners- $40 for all 30

Open to all reasonable offers. Pick up in Wrigleyville or possibly can arrange to meet in NW suburbs. Contact me at 2009mtc at gmail if interested.

Thanks!

Spinnin' Discs?

BetsyGIles19 — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:25:03 +0000

We're narrowing down our DJ choices and we really liked Spinnin' Discs. The reviews are really great. I just want to hear some more opinions about them. Also I was wondering if anyone has used their photobooth and what they thought about that. Thanks ladies!!

Boudior this wknd...advice?

hz80408 — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:50:59 +0000

I'm shooting b-pics this wknd w/K. Thame (giving as my "paper" one-year anniversary gift to H) and I'm getting a little nervous!

Any last minute ideas for outfits/props/shots or advice in general?

Also, silly question, but red, pink (like bright/magenta/watermelon) or nude nail polish??

Ceremony Site ideas?

Sarahh456 — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:52:31 +0000

I am having my reception at the Chicago History museum but I want to have my ceremony at a different location. The museum doesn't allow candles and I always wanted a candle lit wedding ceremony. Does any have any suggestions for a ceremony site that's not a church? I was thinking a loft space would be beautiful but am having a hard time finding one.

has anyone used the stonegate?

kellycatalo — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:35:08 +0000

hi! i'm trying to pick out a reception hall. my fiance and i toured the stonegate yesterday and right now it's at the top of our list, but we still have 4 more to look at next weekend. it looks like we will be in the tent because of our small size. i'm wondering, has anyone used it? what did you think? anything you really liked or disliked?

thanks!

Friendship Park Conservatory

mapales2 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:30:22 +0000

Has anyone ever seen wedding pictures done at the Friendship Park Conservatory in Des plaines? We have to pay to book the area for photos, but we aren't sure we will be able to take a look at the place before we book it because we are planning a wedding in suburbs from Champaign. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

LF: Baby Food Jars

AmandaG225 — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:11:23 +0000

Hi Ladies -

I am in search of about 20 - 30 empty baby food jars. Please let me know if you have any you would like to get rid of.

THANKS :)

Amanda

Engagement Photo Locations (Chicago)

sheikscorpio88 — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:03:46 +0000

Any suggestions for great locations in the city for engagement photos? (i.e. park, lake, etc.) Thanks!!!

ceremony and reception on a budget

missnoopy20 — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:20:22 +0000

I need help finding a ceremony and reception hall. I live and joliet and am looking for anything in the area or surrounding cities. I have a very limited budget. 3000 for ceremony and reception that includes catering. anyone know of any good places

Photography

acmorrison915 — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:02:25 +0000

Has anyone used/heard of Don Peterson photography? My fiance found him online but I couldnt find any reviews of him.
Thanks!

PSA: Free 8x8 Shutterfly book code up for grabs!!

Bimbi284 — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 13:14:02 +0000

Hey ladies, I have a code for a free 8x8 Shutterfly photobook if anyone wants it! It'll go to the first to reply with interest!

This size is perfect for photo guest books (that's what we used!!), Bpic albums, or anything you want a photobook for, lol!

Spinnin' Discs opinions

BetsyGIles19 — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:58:26 +0000

PSA: Michaels Coupon--15% off everything plus sale TODAY ONLY

MrsPaps — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:21:42 +0000

Got this in my email today:
15% off all regular and sale price items
Today only from 12p-6p

http://michaels.p.delivery.net/m/p/mich/cpn/coupon.asp?mid=1108559672&cid=13393323704&version=15P0914326

MrsPaps

kellycatalo — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:56:30 +0000

you have a pm! TIA!

George Street Photography..

brittanyjterrell — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 04:28:33 +0000

This is my photography company and I am extremely happy with my choice (despite the fact that the customer service isn't 100% the GREATEST- I know the photographer's work is excellent)

Any brides have any good or bad experiences with the company itself that I should be aware of? And most importantly... how long did it take to get your pictures back?

Cantigny or Fulton's for Reception

quittingtime — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:05:03 +0000

I'm struggling between a "garden" themed wedding reception at Cantigny Golf in Wheaton IL or an "urban chic" wedding reception at Fulton's on the River in River North neighborhood of Chicago.

Prices are pretty comporable although Cantigny will offer a 6 hour reception and 4.5 hours bar, versus 5 hour reception and 4 hour open bar at Fulton's.

Which has a better "wow" factor? Take the poll!

Anyone looking for a part time job?

MrsPaps — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:30:10 +0000

I am looking to hire someone to fill an open Merchandising position we currently have in the Chicago area. If you have retail experience and are interested in Merchandising, please PM me so we can chat!

Vendor Reviews - 9/4/2011 Wedding, Part 2 (Lengthy)

tonyandstef — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:46:38 +0000

Hotel- Hyatt Regency on The Riverwalk, Chicago ---- B
The rooms were great, or at least mine were. My view overlooked the river and Navy Pier, which was kind of fun, because that's where my reception was. Nice aspects of this hotel- large, decents bars and restaurants, and easy to navigate through. My biggest complaint: My cousin flew in with his fiance from Arizona and they were not seated in the restaurant bar for even a half hour, when his fiance's purse was stolen. The hotel seemed slow to respond, and we knew the window of time was within a half hour period. This was frustrating, and while they tried to be helpful- in the end, it was too little, too late. The thieves tried to use the card at four different places immediately and it really put a damper on the evening to say the least. But the rooms were quiet and nice. Room service was quick. Perhaps just TOO many people there if that's makes sense? It was a crazy busy hotel.

Invites and such - Zazzle and Vista Print- online ---- A
I found great invites and were able to customize them to my own easily on Zazzle, and I loved them. Plus, it's easy to find coupons for both, and prices were very reasonable. I would definitely use these sites again. I got my save the dates from Vista Print and thought they looked much more expensive than they were. I was very satisfied with the results.

Florist- Miller's Florist, Blue Island? ------ C
Ugh, this one is tough. Her prices are great. Unfortunately, you do get what you pay for. For me this resulted in addt'l stress. Which was NOT worth it. Initially meeting her, she's friendly, helpful, easy going. I gave her my ideas, and her prices were great. Fast forward to a couple months later, when I would have questions, or when I needed to add another bouquet and such. I consistently had to send 2nd request emails, and it would take up to two weeks to hear back. If I sent another inquiry (2nd or 3rd), then all of a sudden within a half hour I would hear back. Each time there would be some family problem on why she hadn't gotten back to me earlier. It took I think three times emailing her to set up the final appt. so I could get my mock up bouquet. She always arrived timely, and to my house which was very convenient. But it does make you wonder why there isn't a shop to go to. Or at least now I wonder why that is. My mock up bouquet was not really what I had asked for but I asked if one of the flowers (which were white) could be fuschia instead and she jotted it all down, and everything seemed fine. They were very pretty, and I was happy. She said it was just the sample and could be changed. It was also agreed at that time when she would arrive to drop the personal flowers off at the hotel, and she took down both my number and my fiances. I shouldn't have gave her final payment before I had the final contract signed but I did. While no major problems ensued- I never got that final contract, yet the check was cashed the next day. I emailed two days before the wedding to confirm everything was still okay, and she quickly responded that her son and his wife would drop off the flowers and take care of everything. Well. day of. My flowers never arrived to the hotel. I called LInda and didn't receive any answer. I left a message. Nothing. I waited until I absolutely had to leave to go to my reception/ceremony location, and luckily they were all there when I arrived. I was informed that the florist told my venue that they had attempted to go to the hotel but my name could not be found. ( Why didn't they call our cell phone numbers?) Oh wait, maybe it was because my bridesmaids informed me AFTER the wedding that my bouquet had the name Stacy on it. WHICH IS NOT MY NAME. Kind of a big oops. Was that bouquet even mine? And the bouquet looked nothing like my mock up at all. In fact, most of the flowers weren't even the correct color. I had asked for a majority of pink orchids and fuschia flowers (very vibrant pink bouquet), and received a pale purplish/pink bouquet- while pretty, NOT what I had asked for, nor what we had discussed. I wanted exotic, I got romantic. All in all, no one knew better, and the bridesmaid flowers were as discussed. But I wasn't able to take pictures before wiith my bridesmaids due to the stress of not knowing where the flowers were. So, sorry I would not recommend this vendor. She wasted a lot of my time that day. The C rating is for the fact that I had flowers at all, although they were a little wilty.

Limo- M&M Limosine, Chicago ---- A+
Cannot say enough good things about this Limo service. They were easy to deal with, on time, and friendly. Ivan? Evan? was his name and he was fabulous. He quickly got us where we needed to go, and was an absolute pleasure to deal with. Plus, they can split up their hours, so I was able to have a limo for two hours before the wedding, and two hours after. Which was perfect for us. The prices were great, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone.

Photographer- Jen Sacia ------ Pending completion of final product
I've know Jen for a few years, and she is trying to quit her other job and pursue photography full-time. She received her degree in it, and I saw some great portraits she had done --- so hired her for my wedding. I was on a budget and didn't want to spend too much. Hopefully, this all paid off. She was flexible and took plenty of photos. So, we'll see! www.jensacia.com

The last big To Do--Struggling!

motogrl13 — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:05:31 +0000

Hey ladies-

I need some help with the hotel blocks. I contacted the closest hotel to our venue and they are already booked for that weekend (also, I had to contact them three seperate times before I recieved a response, which doensn't bode well for them anyway).

Do you ladies have thoughts for hotels close to the West loop (Randolph between Halsted and Ogden at Prarie Production) that is affordable ($150/night)? I'm really getting stressed out about this and I would prefer to not get stressed out about something like a hotel block, ya know?

TIA

Catholic church ideas near Wheaton if I'm NOT a parisioner?

kellygreen327 — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:30:17 +0000

I have called around to St. Daniels, St. Michaels, St. Pets (Glen Ellen) and Loretto Center - no one will marry us because we don't live in Wheaton and are not members of their parish! I live in Lake Zurich and belong to a Catholic church there. However, 90% of our guests are flying in from the East Coast and my brothers house and others who have offered their houses are in Wheaton (walking distance from Arrowhead where we are having the reception). Never knew this would be an issue. Anyone else come across this and if so, any ideas? Always have LZ as the back-up but I'm so stressed about it since it's Friday wedding and it just puts a huge wrench in everything with many folks not have cars, etc.

Day of Wedding Planner

kwelk — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:49:58 +0000

Did any of you have a good suggestion of a reasonable day of wedding planner in the city? Need someone who knows the city well, can handle my large family, and any stressors ( ie rain) that may happen,. Would love to know your thoughts...

help! Destination wedding dress

jdalsanto — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:11:30 +0000

we are getting married in the bahamas this coming january and i have had no luck with dress shopping. i found one at macys that i had to have shipped in the correct size but ended up not working out. where are you ladys finding dresses? because its a beach wedding i'm obviously looking for a short dress and i'm so afraid because fall and winter coming up i'm going to be out of luck with short dresses. i've been searching on davids bridal, evas bridal, house of brides and even stores like arden b and windsor that carry formal kind of dresses. does anybody have suggestions?? i live in orland but am very willing to travel. bridal stores, regular stores, even good websites. thanks ladies!!

Looking for a Videographer

bhnielsen — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:52:13 +0000

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good videographer that isn't too over priced. It seems like the ones that go with the big photography companies charge more.

Vendor Reviews 9/4/11 Wedding Part 1 (Lengthy)

tonyandstef — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:54:12 +0000

I am willing to provide pics of anything discussed, just ask!

Wedding Dress- A Joyful Occasion, Naperville --- A
This process was easy and enjoyable. The boutique is extremely small, but they had many popular brands of dresses and I found the one I wore for my wedding after my 6th dress. Dress arrived when it was supposed to, and overall, they were a pleasure to deal with. My dress was a Paloma Blanca and I received a ton of compliments on it. It was simple but beautiful. www.ajoyfuloccasionbridal.com

Tuxes- Black Tie Formal Wear, Glen Ellyn ----- A
Extremely easy to deal with even though we had groomsmen in different states. We also changed our minds three times and the tuxes were all correct. The day we went to pick up my hubby's tux, the vest had a small stain on it, we had to wait till the next day, but they dry cleaned it, and it looked great. All in all easy to deal with.

Jewelry - Lori Frantz-Koenig Jewelry Design, Chicago ----- A+
My Jewelry was amazingly gorgeous, one of a kind, and I received comments on it allllll night long. I looked like I was red carpet ready with all the bling I had. I was dripping in swarovski crystals and pearls and the jewelry went perfectly with my dress. Lori is a Chicago area designer who has even had her jewelry worn in Hollywood, so I felt pretty special to snag her. I also had jewelry made for all the bridesmaids, and they looked pretty fabulous if I do say so myself. Check her out- I've seen her stuff at Von Maur or at www.LoriFrantz-Koenig.com.

Venue- Entertainment Cruises/ Mystic Blue Cruise, Navy Pier ----- A
I was overall very happy with my experience with the people I dealt with at Entertainment Cruises. They also were fairly quick to email me and help with questions I had, and any snag we hit, was quickly fixed. We were even given a day of coordinator, which was extremely helpful. Also, nice is they offer "package deals" which included the officiant and the DJ and cake and stuff. Made my life tons easier. Also, included all tax and gratuities which was also nice. My biggest complaints? My gift table seemed to be in no where land, and a lot of people had trouble finding it for some reason. Also, the wedding reception itself was too short. Honestly. It ended at 10pm, and I barely was able to take pics, and do the normal things one does at a wedding reception. Everyone commented on it that another hour would have been perfect. A few people got seasick but I thought it was fine. And we couldn't have gotten a better view with a 3 hours skyline cruise. It was wonderful overall. The food was amazing, and hot! And plenty of it! Plus, there were a ton of desserts. My guests keep commmenting on how great the food was so I was overjoyed to hear that, as most wedding food sucks. Drinks were good and plentiful. Overall, everyone was friendly on the boat and easy to deal with.

Officiant- Joanne with Amethyst Engagements, Chicago ---- A
Entertainment Cruises assigned her to me, but nontheless, she was a pleasure to deal with. Very kind and responsive. I mostly figured vows and all that through email form, but she made everything very easy to deal with. No mistakes were made and it was a breeze to deal with Joanne. I would use her again in a heartbeat.

DJ- Chas Verba- Entertainment Cruises, Chicago ---- A
Chas was assigned to me based on my music likes, and I thought he was perfect. Very personable and he played all the music EXACTLY to my liking. He has great taste and I would use him again as well. I was afraid to use a DJ given to me, but honestly, he was great. And I'm extremely picky when it comes to music. We also emailed back and forth several times, and he was responsive and energetic and creative with ideas. Highly recommend.

Cake- Oak Mill Bakery, Niles ----- B
This bakery was also assigned to me with Entertainment Cruises. When I made the initial appt. for a cake tasting they were very responsive and quick to reply. After meeting with the coordinator and planner for the wedding, I called them to see if I could also get favors made. Three emails went ignored and were never responded to. I called several times and played phone tag, and never got my answer. I gave up and got my favors on my own. By the time I had my appt. they didn't seem to have a clue who I was, nor that I had attempted to contact them several times in the past. While they were friendly and tried to be helpful, I was also disappointed that there was an upcharge for nearly everything. I picked a very simply cake and was told my design would be an extra dollar per person. And this was for a simple ribbon swirl going up my cake. It all worked out in the end, and the day of -- the cake was exactly as I has asked. It was moist and some told me it was the best cake they had ever had. My suggestion: be very specific and find out up front what things cost. They are very hard to get a hold of sometimes, so be patient. But all in all, the cake was wonderful. I did a pear charlotte-- which was a layer of pear filling, and a layer of chocolate mousse. It was yummy.

Bakery?

slthomas611 — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:22:40 +0000

Hi Everyone,

We are looking for a good bakery suggestions. We are looking for a baker that does tradtional wedding cakes, we do not like the modern one's that you see so often now. I am thinking something along the lines of some like the Cake Boss? Something with lots of detail. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!!

kellycatalo

aimers1525 — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:24:58 +0000

Not sure if you will see this, but I responded to your PM!

Help!!!! MY WEDDING DRESS WAS RUINED IN A FIRE!!

aburns20 — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:13:36 +0000

To all fellow brides!

Help!

My dress was involved in a house fire, and due to the smoke the dress is damaged and no amount of cleaning can repair it. I have until the end of Oct to find another dress and not enough time to order a new one. My thought is finding a talented seamstress that can help me recreate the dress.

If any one out there has any suggestions or raved reviews that they can pass on i would be so appreciative! Any where in the chicago land area would be great, northwest suburbs preferred but im willing to go anywhere!

thank you for any help!!

Wes Craft photography

KaitlynandChris — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:34:10 +0000

Hi everyone,
Has anyone used Wes Craft for their wedding before? He originally was a photographer who shot for Modern Image. Everything I read about Modern Image gave him rave reviews. He now has his own business and I was wondering if anyone had worked with him through there. What are his prices like?
Thanks in advance!

Looking For Items

morganalyx — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:36:24 +0000

Hello fellow Knotties -

My fiance & I live in California, but will be getting married in Chicago next July. We're coming out to Chicago next week to meet with vendors & take a look at the site. I thought it might be a good opportunity to also see if we could purchase some items we'll need to mark them off our "need" list. That would help take items off your hands & also take part in the reuse, reduce, recycle movement that's huge out here.

I've noticed some Knotties who have their For Sale stuff listed below each post they do, but I'm wondering if there's a way to locate all who might have items for sale.

Just in case there isn't, I'll post what I'm looking for here. Please contact me privately to let me know what you have for sale.

Aisle Runner (white with interlocking hearts on it)
Flower Girl Basket
Extra Bubble Tubes
Chair Covers &/or Sashes (white, black, or silver/grey)
Table Runners (white, black, or silver/grey)
Ring Pillows (prefer if has hearts on it somehow)

I might be in need of table top decor as well, but want to talk with our florist about that first.

Thank you in advance for contacting me. Hopefully we can help each other out.

Take care,
Alyx