Posts by Nicole Hill35

placidsurfer15 said:Has anyone here actually dealt with Crystal catering over in Memphis?

I’ve been scouring the web, but I can't find a single decent website or review page for them.

I'm trying to get the lowdown on the service, the food quality, the pricing... everything.
I gave them a call, and honestly, they sounded super polished—talking a big game about how professional their organization is, the vibe they create, the menu... all that stuff. I definitely need to swing by and see the setup in person, but before I do, I really want to hear what you guys have actually experienced!

I’ve tried calling them a few times and honestly, nobody ever picks up.

It’s basically the same deal as Maticevic, just one dollar more expensive. Their basic menu is around $25, which covers pizza, desserts, cake, champagne, and the Wedding Decor.
That price is based on a guest list of 300. If you have fewer people, the price bumps up—maybe an extra buck for 250 guests, two bucks for 200, and so on.
They have two halls, a large one and a smaller one. As far as the food and service go, they're actually pretty solid.

Andrew Lee15 said:Hey everyone🙂
Got a ton of questions on my mind🙂 but I'll take them one by one.. 😉

Is anyone here familiar with the Matić Center in a small town in the Midwest?
Also, any other venue recommendations for about 150 people? ☕

I checked out the venue over the weekend. This new hall is spot on. They had 20 tables set up for about 160 people, which is the sweet spot. Any more than that and you’re just packing people in like sardines; this way, there was actually room to get up from your seat or hit the dance floor.
The head table sits right in the middle, though the layout is a bit of a mess. It’s tucked back too far, so guests end up with their backs to the couple—but honestly, that kind of thing happens all the time anyway. 🙂

The chairs are high-backed and white—no need to waste money on covers. But you definitely need a chandelier, or maybe two.🤷They're perfect. Honestly, they look way better than my old ones, but they’re just too small for me.

The calendar is basically slammed through the end of October. Every single slot is pretty much spoken for.
If you have anything else on your mind, just ask. 🙂

Andrew Lee15 said:Yeah, that’s definitely the move—I think they even offer trial runs there. My godmother couldn't do it during the week since she lives in NYC, so she swung by on Friday to set everything up for a Saturday hair session. It's gonna be sweet, haha.
There you go...
Ugh, me and my hair drama—can't even pick a date, let alone decide on a style!🙂 😂
Hey!😁

🤣 Same here. I spent forever looking at options before finally just picking a date.🙂

Andrew Lee15 said:My bestie had this killer hairstyle—I can't remember the exact name of the salon (I think it’s on a main street over by that old Martimex building, just tucked behind it if you know what I mean 🙂)... it was this loose, wavy look that just looked so high-end.
I've heard a ton of young people head there too.

edit: Pretty sure it's this one
Personally, I'm a huge fan of Jane's place near Iguana and Studio BB by Valinor (those are my go-tos, though I don't really go in for special occasion styling unless I have to)🙂. Anyway, that's the scoop!

I know where Martimex is, I'll swing by sometime to check it out.

I ruled out Studio BB immediately. I went once and the vibe was just completely off, 🤷

I need to do some digging. I've been putting it off forever, acting like I have all the time in the world. 🙂

Andrew Lee15 said:

Musicians were my biggest headache, honestly. We finally pulled the trigger on Svirce. They aren't cheap, but man, they're good. They play the banjo stuff until midnight then switch over to other instruments.
Prices vary wildly, really depends on what you're looking for.

...
I've heard of them... and Bravo Band and a few others—all I know is they don't do that cheesy country stuff or those long-winded dances that go on for two hours...
Ugh, I have zero clue how any of this works 😂😂😂
I don't even have an exact date set yet🤣
Which photographer did you guys end up hiring?
And what kind of range are we talking for prices (the band, plus that one guy who comes to the house, and the photographer)
?
Just trying to get a ballpark idea... because it feels like I'm totally lost on how this all goes down😂

The musicians played some old-school country tunes, nothing like that loud pop stuff you hear on the radio. You can pretty much negotiate whatever you want with them; if there's something I definitely don't want to hear, they just respect the boundary. No big deal.
They’ll be dragging this out from noon until the bitter end, and it’s going to cost us $2,000. I can't even remember if there are five or six of them coming—all I know is the drummer isn't showing up until midnight.

The band is fine if you're looking for something upbeat and aren't really into folk music. I don't know their exact rates, but I heard they charge more than a solo musician. I actually met one of the members once, and I couldn't stand his attitude—he treats the whole gig like he's just punching a clock.

Photographer—we ended up going with Art Studio Oliver; you can find him on Facebook under Oliver Olanovic. We passed on Tonio Photography right away, and we tried reaching out to Mirror too, but he was booked up. I get why he couldn't make it work, but it took him over two weeks to reply to an email after promising a quick response. For the more modern crowd, expect to shell out about $8,000 for the full photography and video package.

I'm hunting for a decent hairstylist right now. Since I haven't lived in this part of the country for a while, I'm pretty much flying blind on where to go.

Andrew Lee15 said:Nicole Hill35—hell yeah!! thanks 🙂
definitely let me know how it goes....
I called them today, and the girl seemed super sweet! My only gripe is that for a group of 150-200 people, you gotta tack on an extra $5 per head for every menu choice... but from what I’ve gathered, that’s pretty much the standard at most banquet halls and restaurants around here anyway..
--
What kind of band did you guys book? And what's the general price range like? (I am totally clueless here ;( )

edit: here's a shot of part of the venue http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

Yeah, Jane is incredibly sweet and easy to work with.

Most places base their pricing on a 300-person count; for every 50 fewer guests, the price drops by a buck. Turns out that's not just a thing in Pittsburgh.

Looking at this photo, the room seems a bit cramped, but I love the chandelier and the chairs. It saves me from having to rent chair covers, which just drives the price up if you have fewer than 300 guests.

Finding musicians was my biggest headache. We ended up going with Svirce. They aren't cheap, but they're top-tier. They play folk music until midnight then switch over to other instruments.
Prices vary wildly; it all depends on what kind of vibe you're chasing.

Andrew Lee15 said:Hey everyone🙂
Got a ton of questions on my mind🙂 but I'll take them one by one.. 😉

Is anyone here familiar with the Matić Center in a small town in the Midwest?
Also, any other venue recommendations for about 150 people? ☕

I'm heading out to see her this weekend, so I'll let you know how it goes. We actually booked before everything was finalized; the deal was that if they overbooked, the larger groups would just get moved to the old location.
I checked out the photos—there aren't many, but that first one looked great. The rest look a little off to me, so I'll just go see it in person.

Robin Chase7 said:So we’ve got Mike, and honestly, his whole package is costing us $2867 without even a single thank you, though I suppose instead of Mike taking the photo, it'll probably be Krešo! If you can even make sense of what that means

Thanks. Any info helps. 🙂

Steven Wilson70 said:Oliver's Art Studio, or just Mike doing freelance work
For studios, check out Foto Tref, Mirror Photo, or Photo Top
Those were my absolute favorites! 🙂 Good luck!

Thanks 🙂
I hadn't heard of Mike before, so I did a quick search—he's actually great.
But his prices compared to Oliver's? I felt like I was dealing with Mirror Studio or Photo Max yesterday.

👋
I need some help finding a photographer in St. Louis. Looking for recommendations and a ballpark idea of what a larger package might run me.