Joseph Kelly45, when it comes to makeup artists, our resident expert here is Ivy—definitely reach out to her. I was absolutely thrilled with her work. You could also try checking around local department stores. As for flowers, we used to get ours from Aunt Biljana at the farmer's market; we were so impressed with her creativity and how reasonable her prices were. There's also Fantasia downtown that does beautiful work, plus they have alstroemeria and palms from the Midwest area. If you scroll through this thread, I’m sure you’ll stumble upon plenty of other contacts. I had my hair done at my usual hair salon. Regarding photographers and videographers, we couldn't have been happier. They used to go by Photo Papa, but now they've struck out on their own as Infinity Studio. Anic from White Plains is also a solid choice. Our cake was made by Mrs. Spomenka, who taught at the local culinary school. It was stunningly beautiful and tasted delicious. I hope this helps!
placidsurfer15, you might want to check out the Bouquet thread too. There’s one bouquet here featuring alstroemeria (it's the second one in the row) and it lists what they were paired with. You can also see them right here http://www.cvjecaralivia.com/shop/pr...roducts_id=412 I actually had some myself once, and they were mixed with roses along with various field grasses and thistles 😍 the photo is over in the Bouquets and Boutonnières gallery on page 44 (my computer is being a bit finicky, so I can't grab the direct link for you)
Hey, you might want to delete your number just to be safe and avoid any unwanted attention. Infinity is actually a group of former photography pros who handled our wedding—I’ve raved about them before! If you need their info, feel free to shoot me a DM instead. They've even added crane services to their lineup this year. 😉
xattillda, don't sweat it. I'm not on here all that often, so I honestly can't say who the go-to experts are and who isn't 😉 For our wedding with about 90 guests, we ended up spending roughly $19 for the specifics—you should probably check out that other thread again. I totally get why you're trying to nail down a ballpark figure, but it’s so hard to estimate what your big day might cost. It really depends on the person. One couple might drop $10,000 on a photographer, someone else puts it all into the dress, another focuses on the rings, one person might spend $50 just on me, and someone else might only spend $300 (okay, I'm exaggerating a bit there; those aren't exact prices, just my best guess 🙂). We all have such different priorities 😉 If there's any way we can help out, just let us know 🙂
Angela Alvarez6, please post those photos in the cake thread so everyone can see them! But please, do delete the phone number—we aren't supposed to post contact info or use this space for self-promotion (and if I'm being honest, this feels a little bit like an ad 🤷)
Samuel Gomez312, Krishna and I just had dinner over in Zelenkrov. Honestly, you should probably start sketching out a rough budget for how much your Wedding is actually going to cost. For us, we did two courses—the first one was beef brisket, followed by a hearty stew—plus all the non-alcoholic drinks, a welcome cocktail, and some champagne for the newlyweds and the wedding party. For 90 guests, it ended up being a little over $7.25. I think there might be an option where you just rent the venue and bring in your own catering, but I can't really speak to that side of things with much authority. The food was fantastic, though; our guests were genuinely impressed. Don't stress yourself out too much about it. You'll get everything sorted in the end. As for flowers, we actually bought ours from this lovely lady at the local farmers market—she was super creative, very affordable, and we couldn't have been happier. I've also noticed that shops like Fantasia, Mosaic, and Alstromeria do beautiful work, as does Palm Florals over in Indianapolis.
I’m pretty sure the wedding catering is handled by Nutrition and Fratelli. Corolla also does some really lovely platters if you just need something beautiful to put out, though I don't think they handle specialized table decor. We actually used them for our event and were incredibly happy with everything. If you're looking for something simpler, you can always grab platters at places like Whole Foods or Kroger.
Maybe try asking the makeup artists at a local Sephora or Ulta. They usually have staff on hand who do touch-ups during special promotions or events. Also, you could send a quick DM to poison ivvy to see if she has any recommendations, or if she might even be available to come out to you herself!
You might want to check in with Quiet Lake. She makes absolutely incredible cakes, and I’m sure she could point you in the right direction for cookies too.
Here are a few more photos for you all. Some of them might look pretty similar to the ones wanderinghawk99 snapped, but that’s just what happens when we’re working with the exact same models. 😛 Enjoy! http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/i...afilter=images
hiddenrider6, I actually went last year. It was pretty decent! It was fun catching the fashion show, and they had some giveaways too. There were plenty of booths set up—everything from invitations and thank-you notes to cakes and pastries. You’ll see local restaurants promoting themselves, along with tent rental companies, limo services, bridal boutiques, photographers... it's a really nice way to spend an afternoon walking around. Just bring Jane along if you decide to go. She already has my cell number. I'll try to snap a few photos, but I can't promise anything—I don't want anyone coming after me for failing to deliver on my word! 😂
panda, wait, how are you traveling all the way from Chicago to Indianapolis for the trade show? I was actually thinking about swinging by for a quick stroll through the exhibits myself. Want to head over together? I can meet you at the train station. Let's swap numbers via DM. Is anyone else planning on walking the floor with us? I won't have a ton of free time, unfortunately, but I can definitely carve out an hour or two.
Pollux, I found myself in a very similar situation once—same church, same priest. Neither of us actually belonged to that specific parish, but I was adamant about getting married there because my grandmother and parents were married in that exact building, and I had received a sacrament there myself. We just really wanted it to be that church (well, I wanted it, and my husband went along with it 😍). We initially called ahead to ask if he would perform the ceremony if our own priests gave us permission. He told us straight out that he doesn't like stepping on his colleagues' toes and prefers to prioritize couples from his own parish, but if our local priests cleared us, he would do it. My priest thought his reasoning was a bit flimsy, but he gave us the green light anyway. Since my husband belongs to the downtown Cathedral, they didn't mind at all since everyone tends to crowd the downtown services anyway. He was actually quite pleasant during the meetings leading up to the wedding when we were dropping off paperwork and going through the rites. However, on the actual wedding day, he was in a terrible mood and did something truly awful in my eyes: he kicked my little flower girl out of the church, saying, "Take the child out so she doesn't ruin the service." I should mention she’s just a little girl who wasn't making any mess at all; she goes to church with her mom every Sunday, so she knows exactly how to behave. Because of that, the godparents ended up having some pretty heated arguments with him both before and after the ceremony. The ceremony itself and the sermon were lovely, and I am genuinely grateful he welcomed us and allowed us to marry in the church we loved, but his behavior was a huge mistake that left everyone with a bitter taste in their mouths. I won't even get started on how some guests had to stay outside because they didn't have anything to cover their shoulders. They could have anticipated that most churches require shoulders to be covered, but honestly, any church could keep a few yards of fabric on hand for those who forget. It's not their job to provide it, obviously, but it would certainly prevent those awkward situations. My impression was that he is a very self-centered man who simply lets his mood dictate how he treats people. As for what you mentioned regarding the car and the house, I don't think that has anything to do with this story, IMHO. Not all priests receive a steady salary, especially in smaller parishes, and not all of them get cars. And yes, there are plenty of good priests out there. We shouldn't judge the Church or God based on priests who can't seem to behave themselves. God is what matters. I'm not sure what you can do. Technically, you have the right to marry in any parish, though the Church encourages staying connected to your own parish and community, which is supposed to feel like family. That's the official stance. I truly believe you just ran into him on one of his bad days. Speaking from experience, perhaps it’s better that this happened now rather than on the actual wedding day. Regardless, I really hope your wedding day turns out exactly the way you want it to.
You might want to try checking out a local agricultural cooperative; I remember they used to have a location near the downtown courthouse, right by that bakery. Alternatively, you could probably find some empty jars at a Target or Walmart. Or, if you want to get fancy, you can order them online through Amazon—there should be a link somewhere on this forum, likely in that thread about guest favors—and then you can just fill them with your own honey and design your own custom labels.
Jason Myers8, no need to panic! 😉 fadedviper14 is originally from Memphis, though she actually had her wedding guests in Vinkovci, so I think her experience should still be useful to you. Adelina is from Ilok. Try sending her a private message. ANIC Photography has their own website. Just Google Digital Studio Manic and they should pop right up. At the beginning of February, the second annual wedding expo will be held at the Pampas Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of inspiration there. They had limousine rental companies at the last one, so I expect them to show up again this year. To be safe, maybe try searching for the first Indianapolis wedding expo online to see who the exhibitors were. Most likely, the limo services will be on that list too. 😉
crimsonorca11, you might want to try reaching out to that DJ girl from the Midwest radio station (honestly, I’d just call the station directly and ask when she’s on air). It seems like he’s one of the more well-known guys and does weddings too.
driftingmarlin11, I’m definitely jumping on board with that recommendation. We had our wedding photos and video done by them too, and honestly, we were beyond disappointed with the results 😍. If anyone is looking for a different contact, feel free to shoot me a DM
There’s a fabric shop on Radie Street right by the stop sign, and another one further up the same street closer to the library. You can also find some near the community center downtown—that’s usually the cheapest spot—or over in the county district right next to Goldman Sachs. The prices top out at about $6.75 per yard, though the bolts are typically quite wide. I actually picked up a smaller amount from there once, and I've grabbed some supplies in Missouri too.