I always found these helpful:
Dress and Veil: Kasia's Bridal (Chicago)- A+
I bought my dress a year before my wedding at their sample sale. I am a plus size bride and was concerned that wouldn't have a lot of selection in samples for me. I was wrong!!! I tried on about 20 dresses and found the one I loved. It was a $3000 gown I got for $500. Kasia was wonderful and honest, not pushy at all. I would highly recommend them!
Bridesmaid dresses: Bella Sposa (Tinley Park)- B
The owner is a friend of my cousin/DJ, so they came highly recommended. Jaime was wonderful with myself and my girls, however the rest of her staff was another story. They forgot to give the girls their shawls (that we paid extra for), switched two girls' dresses, and insisted we have them do the alterations even though a good friend of mine is a tailor. All in all the shop was OK.
Invitations and Save-the-dates: DIY from Michael's- A=
I purchased DIY invites and save-the-dates from Michael's because I was a very budget conscious bride. I couldn't justify spending $600 on paper. For 120 invites and save-the-dates cost me $85. They were very easy, took a little tweaking but came out beautifully!!!
Reception: Nickobee's Banquets (Worth)- A-
My family have been long time customers of Nickobee's Restaurant just down the street from their banquet facility. They were very easy to work with regarding food and special requests I had. Steve (the owner's son) was very accommodating, his father George however was not. He wanted to nickle and dime me to death. Stay firm with him, and it's fine. Overall everything went well. I got everything I asked for.
Hair: Laura from Hair Reflections (Oak Lawn)- A+++
Laura is my hairdresser and I love her. She is the one person I trust with my hair. Due to my schedule (we moved two weeks before my wedding) we could not do a trial run. All I did was bring a photo of how I wanted my hair the day of my wedding and an hour later I was done to perfection!!! Love her!!!
Make-up: Susan Rogan (Oak Lawn)- A+++
Susan does airbrushing which I love. She did my makeup for my brother's wedding last yer so I knew how wonderful she was. Again with her like my hair, we did not do a trial run. I walked in, she asked what type of look I was going for (subtle, smokey, dramatic, etc.), and what colors were in the wedding. I told her I like subtle and my dress was ivory and the girls' dress were brown with pink. With that little info, 30 mins later I was done and loved how I looked!!! I would tell anyone to have Susan do their makeup. She's awesome!
Limo: M & M Limo- A-
Their prices were great. We got a 14 passanger stretch Expedition for $400 for 5 hours. Although the driver forgot our Just Married sign (that's why I gave them an A-), they were great!!!
Chair Covers: The Chair Couture- A+++
LOVE THEM!!! Czaria and Carina did a wonderful job. They showed me all the different shades of pink and brown they had and all the different types of bows they do. I had ivory chair covers with a brown and pink double bow. Their prices were the best by far, especially for a double bow.
Photographer: Dazzle Me Photography (Round Lake)- A+ (pending photos). I met with Kathie about 10 months before the wedding. She explained every package in great detail. For two photograhers, utlimited photos and time, the rights to my photos, a CD with every edited photo, and a 30 page hard-bound storybook album, we paid $1250. She also photographed my bridal shower and is also photographing my sister-in-law's baby shower. My bridal shower photos were beautfiul so I have no doubt my wedding photos will be too.
Hotel for guests: Days Inn (Bridgeview)- A
My husband and I wanted to find a nice hotel for a decent price as we had a lot of out-of-town guests. The other hotel we looked at was the Oak Lawn Hilton who wanted $120 a night. We looked at the Days Inn and it was very nice. They just remodeled and were only $60 a night!!!!!
Flowers: P & P Petals- A+++
I met with Patti and her partner back in February and told her the budget I was working with and what I was looking for. I needed my bouquet, a toss bouquet, 5 bridesmaid's bouquets, 2 small bouquets for mothers, 2 boutonnieres for fathers, 3
boutonnieres for groomsmen and one for my husband. We also had 16 centerpieces all for $550. The flowers were GORGEOUS and lasted for a week and a half after the wedding!!! I would highly recommend them!!!
DJ: Chicago DJ Service (New Lenox)- A+++
I might be a little biased since our DJ was my cousin, but he did a great job. He has a website where you just plug in all our songs-first dance, father/daughter, etc. We also gave him a list of songs we loved which gave him ideas of what type of music we liked. He played for over 6 hours and everyone loved him!
Cake: Tuzik's Bakery (Oak Lawn)- A+++
My family has been going to Tuzik's for 30+ years. We were on a tight budget but still wanted something elegant. We had a three tier cake, plus 1 and 1/2 sheet cakes (to be cut in the back) plus delivery for $160. Not only was the cake beautiful but delicious!!!
Any questions just ask!!!!!