Vendor Reviews - Chicago suburbs (& online)
My wedding on Saturday went off without a hitch. I'll get photos out to everyone later, but in the meantime, how about some vendor reviews?
Engagement Ring:
My engagement ring came from http://www.titaniumera.com. It is gorgeous, came way early, and came just as ordered. Customer service is spectacular and the ring is holding up ridiculously well to the amount of abuse I put it through. In case you're curious, I've got the "Proxima" model- diamond in the middle, sapphires on either side.
Wedding bands:
These were ordered straight off off ebay! We ordered through user titanium_knights. The rings are gorgeous, perfectly fitted, shipped safely, and to us within a week. Not bad for $51. I'm not a sparkly kind of person, so I was pleased to go with titanium.
Venue:
We got married at Danada House in Wheaton, IL. Website is at www.danadahouse.com. It's a gorgeous old mansion with beautiful grounds and a newer atrium attached. Our ceremony was in the front garden, appetizers & punch happened on the west porch, the reception happened in the atrium and general celebrations and dog-play spilled out into a little courtyard area. Jill from Danada was a dream to work with- everything went off without a hitch. The gardens were gorgeous... we couldn't have asked for more.
Catering:
Food was provided by Uncle Bub's of Westmont, IL. Website is at www.unclebubs.com. We wanted a casual, picnic-y reception with good food, and boy did they provide! Mark was easy to work with and 100% willing to work with us on EVERYTHING. That said, he was a little forgetful and we did have to keep on him about some things. All in all, he was a great choice to go with. The food was DELICIOUS, they were on time, attentive, prompt, inconspicuous, helpful... everything you want in a caterer!
Cake was created by Traveler's Cafe of Westmont, IL. Their website is at http://www.thetravelerscafe.com. We went to them with a concept- they went with it, with absolutely stunning results. Their cupcakes are ridiculously tasty, the frosting is good, the decorations are gorgeous. They were prompt with delivery, polite with questions, and true to our requests. We had so many compliments on our cupcakes- both on appearance and taste.
Music:
We wanted a casual, relaxed afternoon. We got it! Joe's college roommate performs professionally with various small jazz groups. For $500, we got an amazing jazz trio. A week before the wedding, we handed them a stack of the original scores to Beatles tunes and they jazzed them up and did an amazing job. Contact me if you'd like his contact info- very professional, very talented, very friendly!
Flowers:
Flowers were provided by Costco.com and my local Jewel Osco, as well as Ikea for the vases. This fit my casual, whimsical day to a T. Don't overlook your grocery stores!
Wedding Day Appearance:
My hair was done by "Izzy" from the Mario Tricocci Salon in Orland Park, IL. Izzy was super easy to work with and very creative. She stuck around and fixed my hair when all the hugging destroyed it. I use her regularly and will continue to do so!
My dress was from Priscilla's of Boston in Oak Brook, IL. This is the one place that I'm hesitant to recommend. They were good while I was deciding on a dress, but then completely rude and unhelpful when the dress wasn't in when it was supposed to be. The dress was pretty, but not anything absolutely jaw-droppingly amazing. Had I known that this is what their service was like, I wouldn't have bothered purchasing the dress from them.
Alterations on the dress were done at a tiny shop called Pat's Alterations in Joliet, IL. Pat's was prompt, cheap, and good! I love how attentive they are to details and going to Pat's is like a visit to your grandmother's.
Other hair/skin/etc stuff was done by Kate from VIP Salon & Spa in Joliet, IL. I can't say enough good things about Kate- she's great to work with. She did a bikini/leg/eyebrow wax on me. Several people commented on my eyebrows, and the boy commented on the others- that's a gold star in my book!
Photography:
Ainsworth Photography did our wedding photos. This is my Uncle's business and we swapped him his services for a new website. He did a great job and just handed us all the raw images. Cheap prints for us and everything should be available online this evening. He's a great photographer and caught some great moments. He is based out of Joliet, IL.
Honeymoon:
We zipped up to Mineral Point, WI and stayed at Brewery Creek Inn. Oh my goodness- what a spectacular place to spend a weekend! Our room was huge, beautiful, and sooo comfy. The entire stay was relaxed and comfy, the food at the restaurant was delicious, the beer was tasty, breakfast was good... I really can't recommend this place enough. They went out of their way to put roses in our room, as well as a bottle of wine. The town was quiet and quaint- not overly touristy. We visited House on the Rock and spent an afternoon splitting bottles of wine, eating saltwater taffy, and playing Scrabble. Nice big bathtubs there, no kids running around- perfect for a quiet weekend!
That about wraps everything up for now- we'll get photos uploaded soon and I'll do a quick write-up of our day!
Engagement Ring:
My engagement ring came from http://www.titaniumera.com. It is gorgeous, came way early, and came just as ordered. Customer service is spectacular and the ring is holding up ridiculously well to the amount of abuse I put it through. In case you're curious, I've got the "Proxima" model- diamond in the middle, sapphires on either side.
Wedding bands:
These were ordered straight off off ebay! We ordered through user titanium_knights. The rings are gorgeous, perfectly fitted, shipped safely, and to us within a week. Not bad for $51. I'm not a sparkly kind of person, so I was pleased to go with titanium.
Venue:
We got married at Danada House in Wheaton, IL. Website is at www.danadahouse.com. It's a gorgeous old mansion with beautiful grounds and a newer atrium attached. Our ceremony was in the front garden, appetizers & punch happened on the west porch, the reception happened in the atrium and general celebrations and dog-play spilled out into a little courtyard area. Jill from Danada was a dream to work with- everything went off without a hitch. The gardens were gorgeous... we couldn't have asked for more.
Catering:
Food was provided by Uncle Bub's of Westmont, IL. Website is at www.unclebubs.com. We wanted a casual, picnic-y reception with good food, and boy did they provide! Mark was easy to work with and 100% willing to work with us on EVERYTHING. That said, he was a little forgetful and we did have to keep on him about some things. All in all, he was a great choice to go with. The food was DELICIOUS, they were on time, attentive, prompt, inconspicuous, helpful... everything you want in a caterer!
Cake was created by Traveler's Cafe of Westmont, IL. Their website is at http://www.thetravelerscafe.com. We went to them with a concept- they went with it, with absolutely stunning results. Their cupcakes are ridiculously tasty, the frosting is good, the decorations are gorgeous. They were prompt with delivery, polite with questions, and true to our requests. We had so many compliments on our cupcakes- both on appearance and taste.
Music:
We wanted a casual, relaxed afternoon. We got it! Joe's college roommate performs professionally with various small jazz groups. For $500, we got an amazing jazz trio. A week before the wedding, we handed them a stack of the original scores to Beatles tunes and they jazzed them up and did an amazing job. Contact me if you'd like his contact info- very professional, very talented, very friendly!
Flowers:
Flowers were provided by Costco.com and my local Jewel Osco, as well as Ikea for the vases. This fit my casual, whimsical day to a T. Don't overlook your grocery stores!
Wedding Day Appearance:
My hair was done by "Izzy" from the Mario Tricocci Salon in Orland Park, IL. Izzy was super easy to work with and very creative. She stuck around and fixed my hair when all the hugging destroyed it. I use her regularly and will continue to do so!
My dress was from Priscilla's of Boston in Oak Brook, IL. This is the one place that I'm hesitant to recommend. They were good while I was deciding on a dress, but then completely rude and unhelpful when the dress wasn't in when it was supposed to be. The dress was pretty, but not anything absolutely jaw-droppingly amazing. Had I known that this is what their service was like, I wouldn't have bothered purchasing the dress from them.
Alterations on the dress were done at a tiny shop called Pat's Alterations in Joliet, IL. Pat's was prompt, cheap, and good! I love how attentive they are to details and going to Pat's is like a visit to your grandmother's.
Other hair/skin/etc stuff was done by Kate from VIP Salon & Spa in Joliet, IL. I can't say enough good things about Kate- she's great to work with. She did a bikini/leg/eyebrow wax on me. Several people commented on my eyebrows, and the boy commented on the others- that's a gold star in my book!
Photography:
Ainsworth Photography did our wedding photos. This is my Uncle's business and we swapped him his services for a new website. He did a great job and just handed us all the raw images. Cheap prints for us and everything should be available online this evening. He's a great photographer and caught some great moments. He is based out of Joliet, IL.
Honeymoon:
We zipped up to Mineral Point, WI and stayed at Brewery Creek Inn. Oh my goodness- what a spectacular place to spend a weekend! Our room was huge, beautiful, and sooo comfy. The entire stay was relaxed and comfy, the food at the restaurant was delicious, the beer was tasty, breakfast was good... I really can't recommend this place enough. They went out of their way to put roses in our room, as well as a bottle of wine. The town was quiet and quaint- not overly touristy. We visited House on the Rock and spent an afternoon splitting bottles of wine, eating saltwater taffy, and playing Scrabble. Nice big bathtubs there, no kids running around- perfect for a quiet weekend!
That about wraps everything up for now- we'll get photos uploaded soon and I'll do a quick write-up of our day!