Ceremony & Reception Site: Racine Civic Center (aka Festival Hall) - B
We had our ceremony on the grass lawn facing the lake and our reception outdoors under their large white tent. Everything went smoothly the day of, however, we had SEVERAL issues prior to the wedding. 4 months before the wedding the site informed us they had "accidentally" double booked our day with a "small" annual art fair. Needless to say this caused many headaches and a week of arguing before the art fair agreed to switch to a different date. Also, the event coordinator (Sara) is impossible to get in contact with, whether it be by phone or email, which cause unneccessary frustration. She takes weeks to respond. However, in person she is wonderful to talk to, knowledgeable, and ultimately got the job done. They are a bit pricey when it comes to food, but you are allowed to bring in your own desserts which was a plus!
http://www.racinecc.com/
Photographer: Red Wave Pictures - A+++
We picked their diamond package, which includes two photographers and no time limit. They were fantastic to work with. Our photographers were Lukas and Kyle, and both were very professional, relaxed, and laid back. The morning of the wedding I was super nervous and the photographers' calm nature and humor helped put me at ease. There is a small fee for them to travel out of the Madison area, but it was so worth it! During the dinner they edited a few photos from the day and then played a slideshow of 20-30 pictures during the dancing. This is a group of photojournalists, so they great at finding creative shots and knew how to seem invisible during the day (none of that photographer in the aisle blocking everyone's view!). We were very very happy with them! The day after our wedding photos were posted on their Facebook blog and easily shared with family and friends. Kris was the main contact person for before the wedding. Kris was speedy and professional with all communication and paid attention to detail. What impressed me the most is the fact that they checked in with me often prior to the wedding to make sure they knew the feel and style I was going for. I would HIGHLY recommend them! Both our engagement and wedding photos turned out beautifully!
http://www.redwavepictures.com/
http://www.facebook.com/redwavepictures
Videographer: Red Wave Pictures - A+++
Our videographer was Matt. He does amazing work and was very professional and laid back. He has a great eye for unique shots and timing. I would HIGHLY recommend him! Here's a sample of his work:
http://vimeo.com/44994493
Photo booth: Focus Photo Booths - A+
This company is out of Madison, WI, but they do not charge to travel. This is a married couple and they make a fantastic team. They were professional, upbeat, and pleasant to work with. They were easy to get in contact with and arrived on time. They provide you with a booth that fits up to 20 people, props, a photo album that guests sign, and unlimited photo strips. Our family and friends loved it! We have some many amazing pictures that we'll certainly cherish forever!
http://focusphotobooths.com/
Food - Danny's Meats - A
The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Prior to the wedding we were able to go to Danny's store to taste whatever food we wanted, and ended up going home with all the left overs that could have fed us for days. They have a good variety and Danny is very flexible if you have specific ideas. Danny is good with communication as well.
http://www.dannysmeats.com/
Cake - Piggly Wiggly - A
Since our friend is a baker and agreed to make a small cake for us to cut in pictures, we decided to do sheet cakes for the guests. The sheet cakes were kept in the back of the reception area, plated in back, and then brought out for guests after dinner. We ordered the chocolate, red velvet, and white cakes with whipped frosting. They were DELICIOUS! People couldn't believe they were from the local grocery store and not an expensive bakery. Saved us LOTS of money.
Cake - Barb DeRose - B
She is a local woman in Racine, WI who makes cakes out of her home. She has a HUGE list of flavors to choose from. Her cakes are delicious, but a bit pricey. I found communication with her to be difficult, as I would have to call and leave messages several times before she'd get back to me. We did a free tasting with her, but ultimately chose Piggly Wiggly since they were cheaper.
Limo: Abracadabra Limos - B
They were easy to communicate with, had a great price, on time, willing to travel outside of the Madison area, and the driver was professional. The only reason I gave them a B is because on our wedding day it was very hot (90's and humid), and the limo had poor air conditioning to the point that I almost passed out. Otherwise everything went well.
http://www.abralimo.com/
Shuttle to/from Reception & Hotel - Larry's Transportation - A
In order to keep guests from having to walk, we hired Larry's shuttle service to shuttle guests to the cereony/reception site and then back to the hotel. Larry made as many trips as necessary. He was professional and flexible. Larry's prices were reasonable. I would recommend contact via phone rather than email.
http://larrystransportation.net/
Officiant: Pastor Mary Ubuntu - A+
Friend of the family who is amazing at keeping everyone calm, very fexible, open minded, and has such a positive spirit. She was fantastic!
DJ: We had a friend play DJ by turning on set playlists on our computer. We used iTunes and an editing program called
mpTrim which was super easy and allowed us to fade songs and edit their sound level.
UW Marching Band -
A+We hired them as a surprise for the reception and they were a HUGE hit! We had 11 band members in total which seemed to be the perfect number. They performed for 30 minutes and the dance floor was packed the entire time! Communication and payment was easy, and the band members arrived on time. I would highly recommend them!