Need your planning tips!

Knot Annie · August 2011

Hey MN Knotties,

We’re doing an article for the local Knot Magazine, and we want to hear your tips on the best places in your area. Basically, this is a chance where we get to give props to local vendors. So tell us: What’s the best place for a bachelorette party in your city, the greatest florist, cake baker, hairdresser (and why!), or even the coolest place for photos or a post-wedding brunch. You’re not limited to these things, but it’s just an idea to get you started.

Post below, and thanks in advance!

Annie

tegdirb2001 · August 2011

Coolest places for photos = Downtown Stillwater!!!! So many options for 'backdrops'. You could have water, beautiful trees, old historic buildings, etc.

I'll keep adding as I think of more topics

newlyseliski · August 2011

Coolest places for photos: Cathedral Hill in St. Paul... lots of alleys, cobblestone roads, cool restaurants and beautiful old houses. Any apple orchards in the fall are also gorgeous places for engagement photos!

Greatest cake baker: Jeff Perila... absolutely amazingly delicious cake and very reasonable prices!

Photographer: Ben Berndt... very reasonable, incredibly talented photographer who goes out of his way to provide exactly the photos you want. We appreciated working with an independent photographer versus a studio because he was very flexible, accomodating and responsive to our inquiries and requests!

Hairdresser: Smart and Chic was great! They schedule the stylists for you, do trials and come to you on the wedding day rather than the other way around. It cost about the same (if not a bit less) as if we were to go into a salon.

Alterations: Definitely Louise Kegley... she's very skilled and very affordable! Although she is busy and can be challenging to schedule appointments with, it's well worth the trouble. She completely transformed my dress from strapless to bateau neckline and I got so many compliments on it!

aabrahams7 · August 2011

Best place for cost effective alterations...Amazing Alterations in Anoka.

AshP12 · August 2011

Alterations: Marta's Tailor Shop in Coon Rapids. The ladies there are so friendly and helpful, and they do a beautiful job! My bridesmaid dress was ready for me in just three days, and they have VERY affordable prices.

graysquirrel · August 2011

Best place for E-pics: I agree with downtown Stillwater. Fabulous, unique backdrops, especially for those doing vintage shoots like we did.

Best Caterer: K&J Catering. This family-run business went above and beyond to make sure that our reception was a success. Their food was fantastic and very reasonably priced-- we had lots of people going back for thirds!

Best Jeweler: Shane Co-- this was the only place in the Twin Cities that had the real, lighter blue sapphires we wanted for my non-traditional engagement ring. The sales staff is knowledgeable and, since they don't work on commissions, will do their best to find what you want rather than to up-sell you.

Cackle6 · August 2011

First, PLEASE CHECK YOUR PM'S!

And I will second Jeff Perlia - his cupcakes are AMAZING!

AETS26 · August 2011

I agree re: Shane Co. Sooo nice that they don't work on commission. We looked at many stores, chain and independent, and felt that Shane Co. was the most knowledgeable, listened the most closely to what we wanted as far as budget and style, and gave us a discount to bring "the one" ring into our price range.

kamiawi · August 2011

Agree here. Loved Shane Co. (and the ring he brought home). We had so much fun going there and browsing for hours without feeling any pressure, which was definitely a change from the other jewlers in the twin cities we wen't to!

tegdirb2001 · August 2011

Another Shane Co bride here

No pressure at all...very nice and knowledgable. They brought in a very specific band for me from a CA store because they didn't have it at the one I went to. I like how they go above and beyond!!!

musicalsunlight · August 2011

I'll also jump on the train that is recommending Shane Co. We love their customer service and how knowledgeable and patient they are. I wouldn't go to any other jeweler!

I would give props to pixelposey photography, because even though I haven't had my wedding yet, just meeting with Troy was a great experience and his talent is amazing for the reasonable prices he gives you. It is clear he has a passion for what he does and wants each couple to have a blast on their wedding day.

EmilyCMN · August 2011

We did our wedding in northern MN but I was able to get a lot of help from vendors in the cities still:

Hair: Smart & Chic actually drove up for our wedding and they were fabulous. All of the girls looked amazing!

Cake: We did Muddypaws Cheesecake!! Everyone loved it. I had to pry all the extra cheesecakes out of our parents' hands because with each day they were holding them we lost another cheesecake. They were also an affordable alternative to wedding cakes since they don't need decorating.

Photographer: Ben Berndt was amazing to work with!! He was so flexible and has a great eye and very affordable.

Videographer: Merecinema out of Duluth. Ryan was great to work with and I can't wait to see how our videos turn out. If ours looks half as good as the ones on his website we will be very happy.

DJ: Pro Sound & Light, also out of Duluth. I cannot say enough good things about them. They gave us a great price for having a Friday wedding and I have never seen such a good DJ. They got everyone on the floor and really read what was working and what wasn't working. And when people were needing a break from dancing he had some amazing and fun games to play to get the guests interacting while entertaining us all.

Jeweler: Wedding Day Diamonds has been amazing to work with also. They are similar to Shane Co. in that they don't work on commission and will take tons of time to work with us. They have done our engraving for free with our rings along with all of the soldering. They are also going to work with my new husband to exchange his ring because we aren't happy with it. They are going to give him exactly what he paid for it back to put towards a new ring!

EmilyCMN · August 2011

For bachelorette parties my girls planned an amazing evening. We went to the Aveda Institute for facials and make-up application which is very affordable since it is a school. Then we did dinner at Fogo de Chao which was spectacular. After that we went to Acme Comedy Club for a show. Then at that point we said good night to the parents and we stayed at the Radisson downtown. Which luckily was a block away from The Shout House with the dueling pianos which was amazing. We were having so much fun there we stayed until it closed!

trixie549 · August 2011

Jeweler - Continental Diamond was hand-down the best jeweler we found when looking for my e-ring (we also looked at Shane Co., Wedding Day and Tiffany). We worked with Andy and he was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly; FI says that he [Andy] is now his jewelry guy for life! Highly recommended!

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