Posts by Brian Reed74

Robin Myers said:I’m trying to plan a wedding that doesn't instantly turn my hair gray from pure stress... if I try to go all out and afford everything the majority of you seem to manage—which frankly, is way out of my budget—I’ll be waiting a whole year just to actually tie the knot, and that’s the last thing I want...

On that note, what should my move be? Should I start hunting for a freelance journalist or maybe a photographer, or...

Look, I’m not sure how much this helps since "expensive" is a pretty subjective term. I live in Beli Manastir, and we used Photo Mara—we were extremely happy with them! (I think I mentioned this before; check my signature for some pro and amateur shots.)
Basically, his rates depend on the guest count. We had 170 guests and paid $1500—for that, we got three DVD sets totaling 4.5 hours of footage, 350 photos of our choice (which you can also use for thank-you cards), and they put together albums for us for free—something we definitely couldn't have designed ourselves.
It's a married couple running the show, so you can negotiate everything with them, and they truly respect what the couple wants.

Dana Gomez89 said:Fine, thanks... But what did the cake actually look like once you sliced it? Since it was basically a cake on top of another cake, I'm curious. How did that even look on the plate?!

Well, we just cut into the bottom layer and it looked fine—not sure I follow your point.
It’s probably some kind of Swiss buttercream—we imported it from Switzerland. Like I mentioned earlier, there wasn't any filling inside because the lady baking them was worried the structure might collapse; she’s never worked with this specific frosting before (she bakes at home, she isn't a pro), but she did a great job regardless. The only thing is, the cake was incredibly heavy. We went through 8kg of that frosting—I'm not sure if that's standard or if she just overdid it out of pure nerves. The "glaze" layer was pretty thick.

Does anyone here who knows more about this know if 5kg of mixture is enough to frost three cakes? I have some left over and want to give it to a friend for her wedding, but since my batch used up 8kg for my three cakes, I can't tell if that's normal or if she went overboard. (She also made all those little frosting flowers, which my friend doesn't need).
thanks

Cutting was actually fine—even though it was a bit on the firmer side—but presenting the cake was the real headache since it turned out pretty dry inside. The lady who made it was still getting her footing with this specific batter, and she was so worried about the whole thing collapsing that she skipped the filling entirely.

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This was my cake—and honestly, I thought it turned out pretty great.😍

We hosted our wedding on May 12th, and I can’t recommend the Napa Valley area enough—specifically the Panon restaurant and its swimming pool setting. The venue accommodates about 180–190 guests, and at $17 per person, it was a great deal. The price covers two courses: first, a hearty ragu followed by three types of roast with sides and salad; then, a second course featuring either stuffed cabbage or shepherd's stew along with the meat from the first course. The staff was fantastic and the food was excellent—no complaints here. Once I figure out how to upload files, I’ll post a photo of the hall.

I would also highly suggest Mara Photography from that Canadian border town nearby. The husband-and-wife duo is wonderful—they truly love what they do, and you can tell. They charge based on the guest count; we had 175 people, and for $1667, we received 450 selected photos and a 3D DVD.

My wedding is five months out. We booked a venue with pools up in Napa Valley—two dinners scheduled around $40, including all the catering and prep work. We've got a band from Live Nation—$2000. For dessert, we're working with two local ladies privately—one handles cakes, the other does pastries. I don't have their exact rates yet, but if anyone's interested, I can track down their numbers. As for photo and video, we're looking at "Mara" Photography—I think they're running about $1433 for the shoot and 150 photos. I already reserved my dress at Isabelle—$1333. I found some invitations I really love, though it’s still a bit early to pull the trigger—they're $2.25/piece including printing. For thank-you notes, I'm going with a photo print at $2.00/piece featuring our date and names. I toyed with the idea of giving different types of favors, but honestly, photos feel like the right call—most other stuff just ends up in the trash eventually. We're planning to make the favors ourselves; it's not a massive cost saving, but we want that personal touch. We might even DIY the invitations if I find the right paper. I’d love to craft everything by hand, but unfortunately, time isn't exactly on my side 😢

Brandon White4 said:My wedding was just three months ago—up in Indianapolis—so everything is still pretty fresh in my mind, though I haven't done deep research so I can't be an expert. I can only share what I did. I picked up my dress at Midwest on Rockefeller, right near the Cathedral. It wasn't pricey, but it was gorgeous—simple, yet unique. I can send over a photo if you want... Generally, dresses run anywhere from $500 (old, reused stuff) up to $3,500–$4,000 (for something brand new from the 2006/2007 collections). I ordered Caitlin’s cookies, and we were actually quite happy with them. Prices seemed to hover around $55–$20 per pound wherever I asked. My guest list wasn't huge, which made organizing everything a bit easier. We had dinner at Midwest, and it was perfectly fine. Since I have very pale skin, and the sun isn't quite hitting as hard as it does lately, I went to Pearl (near Central Park) for a spray tan, and I was really pleased with the result. The girls there are great. $40 covers the whole body. I did a trial run a week beforehand just to make sure I didn't end up looking blotchy at the wedding. 🙂 We DIY'ed the invitations and the confetti. It turns out much cheaper if you're the creative type. Everything else—flowers, makeup, cake, hair—we hired professionals or acquaintances for. If you need more details, just ask...

I've already got the venue, the photographer, and the catering sorted. I was thinking about hunting for a dress around November or December since the wedding isn't until May 2007 (maybe I waited a bit too long to start planning 🙂), so is it still too early?
Can you send a photo of the dress and the bouquet if you can? Also, I'm extremely pale, so I'm really curious about the spray tanning. Does it wash off quickly? Does it stain clothes? How dark do you actually get? Did you happen to go to that MO-MI salon over on the loop? I heard they do custom dress orders. And where did you find the supplies for the invitations and confetti? That's all for now; if I think of anything else, I'll reach out.

Hi everyone!
I’m finally joining the conversation🙂
I’ve been reading through some great ideas here, but the issue is that most of the good stuff seems to be concentrated in New York City.
I’m trying to figure out what's available locally in Indianapolis—specifically where I can find things like balloons, bows, candles, decorative paper, glassware, or maybe a local potter or candle maker who does custom work. I'm also looking for invitations, thank-you notes, live bands, cake decorations, and basically anything else a wedding needs that hasn't crossed my mind yet.
Also, how far in advance should I be looking to rent a wedding dress? What are the typical costs, and what have your experiences been? Is it better to go custom or just rent?
Basically, any recommendations or advice would be much appreciated.😉