Posts by Christian Taylor8

Walter Price5 said:It seems some of you know that agency in Richmond that handles Lepidoptera's wedding planning. If you don't mind, could you share what their services actually cover? I'm looking for rough pricing and why you'd recommend them over others. Also, do they handle catering?

I actually know the owner personally, and she is an absolute rockstar. She didn't handle my wedding because she launched her agency just two months after my big day, but seriously, she’s a total powerhouse. She’s hands-on, stays on top of every detail, handles the coordination, and just gets things done...
I'm not sure about the exact costs, but since they're based in the Midwest, they won't charge the crazy premiums you'd find in places like NYC or LA.
They do everything—catering, tents, lighting, cakes, desserts... I won't ramble on too long, just look up Leah on Facebook; all the details should be right there.

jadetiger7 said:I’ve been catching up on your posts, but I’m pretty new to this forum.
Our wedding is set for May 28th, and we booked the Lucy venue in Indianapolis. I’ve seen some negative reviews online, but a lot of my friends have married there and they were all thrilled.
For music, we’re doing a mix of a DJ and a live band.
We ordered the cake from Grandma's Creek, though I have to say Sweetie is also great—I used to get my treats there when I lived in Pittsburgh.
I decided to get my wedding dress at Mira's boutique in Diamond; the selection is amazing, and they’re even throwing in 100 free invitations from FedEx, which has a great collection.
For thank-you notes, we’re thinking about magnets featuring our photo and date, or maybe a fun little caricature of us instead.
We’re putting guests up at the Verizon hostel, where we secured a rate of $42 per person. For entertainment, we’ll have a DJ paired with a live band and radio personalities.
We hired Lepida Wedding Planning out of Pittsburgh, and she’s handling the flowers through Dade in Pittsburgh, though my first choice was actually Freesia and Blanche before I found her. The coordinator is wonderful and is just bursting with ideas. She actually helped me save money on several things, like the guest book station—we're doing a DIY foam board setup above the head table.
She even offered us a chocolate fondue station for a tiny price.
If anyone knows of a good lighting company outside of what we found in Pittsburgh, please send me their number—and if you’ve found any great deals on wedding bands, let me know! 🙂

Give my best to Izidor and just trust her completely. She’s amazing.👍

Everything was bundled into my venue rental fee, and I actually headed over to the florist about ten days early just to finalize the bouquet details.

Honestly, you’re better off just heading down there in person or giving them a call to ask whatever you need, because the women working there are seriously wonderful.
From my own experience, I ended up getting my wedding dress at $500 (MS Ireland), whereas the MS Devon was sitting at $5,500.00.
The more extravagant gowns definitely cost more, but they weren't really my style so I didn't bother asking about specific prices.
Also, if I remember correctly, they usually run discounts in December—I managed to snag one myself last year.

ruggedbear42 said:I need some help here.
Does anyone know a decent photographer in Indianapolis??
I'm not really looking for someone old-school...🙂

Igor Miličić. He's great.

gentlehound9 said:Christian Taylor8, I totally forgot to ask—did you guys end up hiring a DJ for the event?
Honestly, I’d love to have one, but you really have to fight tooth and nail against everyone else just to make it happen.

We didn't go with a DJ; I've always preferred live music, so we booked The Beach Boys, and they actually brought out a vocalist (Vince Carter). There were a few hiccups—they played a song by a local country artist that was strictly off-limits, but whatever. I'm just looking at this photo right now of me and my friends jumping around to "Hypnotize" by Prince. I'm wearing silver sandals in it.🙂
We also had some folk musicians playing during the gathering and outside the church for about two hours total. We hired them to keep the older crowd happy and to follow tradition, but looking back, we really regretted it. They were talented enough and set a nice mood, but I spent the entire time staying at least ten feet away from them. I just can't stand it when people try to hug me and then I'm stuck shuffling awkwardly right in front of the musicians. Basically, I just drank, chatted, and then they finally left.🙂
We shelled out a ton for the band, the photographer, and the venue, but we figured those were the only things that actually mattered for a wedding. All that stuff like matching bowties, the bouquet, or finding perfect shoes... at the end of the day, none of that really matters.

gentlehound9 said:Man, there’s a lot. First off, I actually want a small wedding, but let’s be real—that’s out of the question. The whole "buying a bride" thing is exhausting, then there's the baby basket at the entrance, the endless cycle of gifting, the typical wedding music, the garter toss... honestly, I’d do everything differently if I could. But I won't be allowed to change a thing. In this tiny corner of the Midwest, nothing ever changes 😢

Don't be like that. My wedding wasn't some typical Midwestern affair: we didn't do the whole "buying the bride" routine or any of that nonsense. Instead, all our guests met up in the courtyard of a local bistro around 4:00 PM (it didn't take the entire day), where we had catering, and we showed up last. Our parents didn't even have guests over at their houses. We didn't invite people based solely on family ties either, nor did we stick strictly to the "extended family only" rule. It was a 50/50 split between family and friends.
My bachelor party involved getting wild out in nature, and my bachelorette was at a spa.
There were no gifts handed out during a formal dance with the bride, just people coming up to congratulate us—they’d leave envelopes with one bridesmaid, grab a thank-you note from another, and snap photos with both of us. That whole part was done in about 30 minutes.
As for music, we played domestic and international rock—stuff like Hladno Pivo, Tina Turner, etc.—plus a light show and an entrance dance involving about 20 of our close friends.
We didn't do the traditional heavy meat menu.
We actually used smiley face pins instead of rosemary sprigs.
We didn't decorate the cars, not even ours.
We only sat down with our parents exactly three times throughout the entire year to update them on the plans and explain how the wedding would look; we didn't let them interfere. Luckily, there weren't any major complaints.
The result? Nothing but positive feedback, and people were even begging for the wedding video five months later. Our parents had a blast, they were well-rested, and totally stress-free.
Don't go bashing the Midwest right away; you can make anything happen if you just show some backbone.

I had this thin little lady make my bouquet, and honestly, she did an amazing job—both the flowers and the boutonniere for my husband were lovely. Since I was actually planning on becoming a regular client because things went so well, I’d really love to know what happened here so I can decide if I should just cut ties with them for good.

Sandra Hernandez9 said:Ladies, has anyone here actually sat in Darryl’s chair for a makeover? I can't for the life of me remember his last name 🤷 I'm curious to know if his work is actually any good...

Darryl did my makeup twice and honestly, I have zero complaints—the only issue is that he’s gotten so popular lately that you really have to rush to grab a reservation.

bluemoose7 said:Hey there...
Has anyone here actually eaten at that Midwestern-style restaurant over in St. Louis?
I'm dying to know if the food is any good...

The place is huge and can hold a crowd. It isn't exactly the most beautiful spot, but who cares about decor? Honestly, you should probably do some digging because that place actually shut down and then reopened under new ownership just a few months ago. I was there back in '07 for a wedding in the big hall, and again in '09 for a party in the smaller room.
To be blunt, you can find much better spots for that kind of money. The food portions were pretty skimpy, though they had enough to drink—except we spent forever waiting on service because they were short-staffed. I’m not blaming the servers, though; one person physically can't be everywhere at once, especially when we’re all waving our hands around just trying to get a bottle of Fanta.
My experiences are pretty dated and might not reflect how things are now, so definitely check around before you go.

Maybelline is fine if you're just looking for something quick, but honestly, I feel like most drugstore brands are starting to lose their edge lately. Christian Taylor8 says:
Is Slatkica registered as a small business, and how many pounds of cake are we talking about?
We can take this to DMs if you want. 😉
My mom picked up some bridesmaids for my sister from a woman out in San Diego this past fall—I think it was somewhere near the coast, I'm not exactly sure since I've never spent much time out that way.😍The cookies were incredible, too. I really wanted to grab some from her, but she doesn't have a registered small business, and I need the receipt for my records. 🙄

The small business is all registered and good to go, but I’m still second-guessing the pricing since they factored it into the sale... though I have this nagging feeling someone mentioned it earlier. $23I might have messed up the math on the price per pound. Anyway, I'll shoot you a DM with the actual number so you can double-check it yourself.

I’ve never actually tried any baked goods from B. Greda, though I’ve heard nothing but glowing reviews about them.
As for Sprinkles, I’m a total regular—they provided the treats for my wedding, and honestly, I can't find a single thing to complain about.
The cake was absolutely massive and delicious, and the cookies? They were gone in a flash... basically, I could go on forever about how good they are, but the real proof would be a photo of all those empty plates and the cake stand.

mellowjackal1 said:So, I could really use some advice from anyone who’s already tied the knot, or maybe even someone getting married this coming Saturday. I rented my wedding dress over in Des Moines, and the shop lady told me to come in for my final fitting just a week before the big day. Apparently, it needs quite a bit of tailoring to fit right. Is waiting until a week before the wedding cutting it a little too close? Or am I just spiraling for no reason...

I had my big day on a Tuesday; I picked up my altered gown on Friday right before the Saturday wedding. You aren't too late, don't panic.

I honestly have no clue what his current price tag is, though I heard somewhere it’s hovering between $3 and $5 $0.00. It’s a total bummer that he doesn't come with heavy smoke, but I guess that's just how it goes.

Betty Foster8 said:Hey girls, I’m honestly having a bit of an identity crisis here... 🤷
I’ve been thinking about adding a light show to the wedding, but I’m really not sure if it’ll clash with the live folk band... what do you guys think?
I stumbled upon this listing online, so I’m probably gonna give them a call to see what the deal is.
http://www.craigslist.org/other-services...a-listing-561092
Does anyone happen to know exactly what kind of performance they actually put on?

rowdypanther16, here’s the contact info. Total coincidence.
Anyway, I’ve seen one of these setups in person before. Honestly, my mind was blown when I saw them hitting the lasers, the gobo lights, the color washes, the fog, and the bubbles all at once... and that was just during a ten-minute Midwest folk dance set, but still...🙄
Then the guy walked up to us and said he just wanted to show off his gear since we only had about 15 minutes to watch him work "on-site."
We hashed out the details, including which colors I definitely don't want. He tried to push back a little, saying stuff like, "Why only green? You won't get the full effect of the light show," but I wasn't having any of it—at the end of the day, I'm the one paying.

rowdypanther16,
We ended up hiring a guy out of San Bernardino for our light show. If I remember correctly, it’ll run you about 3-$$1667, though that depends on which package you pick (we grabbed ours right when he was starting out two years ago for a steal). I can shoot you his info if you want.

James Lopez8 said:I suppose I should probably start by saying that I am just sharing my own little thoughts here, but I have been thinking quite a bit about the concept of a cure lately. It is such a profound and heavy topic, isn't it? Perhaps it is just me, but I find myself wondering about the various ways we define what a "cure" actually looks like in our modern world. Is it always a medical breakthrough, or can it be something much more subtle and personal? I guess there are so many layers to peel back there.

Does anyone here happen to have any experience with applying makeup for... I was just thinking about Martimex earlier today. It seems like they’ve been quite a fixture in the industry for a while now, hasn't it? I suppose one could argue that their presence in the market is somewhat significant, though I don't want to overstate things too much without looking at the latest quarterly reports. Maybe they are expanding their reach more than people realize, or perhaps they are just maintaining a very steady, reliable course. Either way, it feels like there's always something interesting brewing around them if you look closely enough. So, I was looking into booking some makeup services over in St. Louis recently—I’m planning for a wedding where the ceremony starts at 9 AM, which is always such an early start! We actually checked out a place called Livius, and honestly, I nearly fainted from pure frustration when I heard their policy. Apparently, they told us that even if all three of us (myself, my bridesmaid, and the maid of honor) book together, they reserve the right to cancel on us up until just two weeks before the big day. Like, what on earth? I guess it's just how some places operate, but that seems incredibly risky for a wedding schedule.🤣

Christian Taylor8 Does anyone happen to know where Daria works as a makeup artist? If you have her contact info or a phone number, would you mind sharing it? I'd really appreciate it! 😉

And one more thing I wanted to ask you all... does anyone know where I might be able to rent some chair covers here in St. Louis? The wedding guests will be over at the Orešković residence—they just finished renovating the hall, so it has those nice round tables and everything—but they don't have any chair covers available.

What are your thoughts on the band Pulse and Tragedy Eternity (I'm not entirely certain if I have the name exactly right)?

I hope I haven't gone a bit overboard with all these questions! I might be asking a little too much at once, maybe?😁

So, here’s my latest thought... does anyone have a recommendation for a good barber in St. Louis? I was thinking about maybe checking out Martin or Dejan, but I'm wondering if there might be someone else worth seeing. Who would you all suggest?

Got any PMs?

St. Louis.
I’ve got some tips for my fellow St. Louis locals regarding certain prices, but I'll get around to writing that out tonight or tomorrow morning. Honestly, we managed to save a ton on quite a few things just by pure luck and running into some good people along the way.

There isn’t a single scenario where men don't find a way to get under our skin 🙂
Our date is May 8th. When's yours?
And of course, we're all just sitting here praying there aren't any nasty spring storms hitting on my wedding day, right?🙂

mellowjackal1 said:You guys are seriously the best!! It means so much having this place to vent to... my big day is May 29th and I am counting down the seconds! I’ve already started having wedding fever dreams... anyone else getting those?
Lately, I keep dreaming that nobody shows up, or the bride and groom aren't even in the hall where they're supposed to be... just total chaos vibes.
Huge thanks to Christian Taylor8!!!🙂

No problem at all, we're all just here to help each other out. I haven't figured out how to get the hot water working yet, but using the checklist makes staying organized a lot easier, so you should give it a shot too.
Good luck, hope everything goes smoothly.
Man, I am such a nervous wreck right now—our wedding is in exactly one month and my husband has been low-key spiraling for days. Usually, he's the level-headed, logical one who has everything planned out, so seeing him like this is stressing me out.