Well, our big day is officially over.
Since this forum was such a lifesaver for me when I moved to Chicago just two months before the wedding, I figured I should pay it forward and share my own experience.
The ceremony took place in Manhattan at St. Patrick's Cathedral, tucked away under some beautiful pines. They don't really let you decorate that church yourself; instead, you give a donation to their lady there, and she handles the decor however she sees fit. Since another bride had a wedding right before ours, we actually coordinated with her. Everything ended up looking exactly how we asked for it.
We held a little gathering and catering session before the mass, also in Manhattan, right on the grounds in front of the church. It was a scorcher that day—total St. Anthony weather—but there were enough pine trees providing shade to keep things relatively cool.
The catering was handled by Miller from Castle Rock, and honestly, I can't say enough good things. He blew everyone away with both the food and the setup. The price was $18 per person without drinks, and $23 once everything was included. On top of all the standard catering fare, I added some small cheese, spinach, and apple strudels, plus some fritule. Since I brought along a savory pie my neighbor made, he went above and beyond by preparing breaded shrimp and stuffed chicken. He even let us use a chocolate fountain in the hall and personally showed up before the reception to slice fruit and create those lovely fruit displays. I’m speechless; it was perfect!
There was actually another civil ceremony happening at the same time, and they used a caterer from Pirate. Their crew was basically hovering around our catering team, trying to pick their style because they couldn't get enough of them—and we all know how much Pirate usually charges per head.
Our priest was a close family friend, which was fantastic. I highly recommend going that route; it hits differently when the person officiating actually knows you. The whole mass was beautiful and melodic, thanks to some friends from our Our Lady of Fatima prayer group and the Rock; they were incredible.
The reception was held on the terrace at Lara at Dodger Stadium. We had 210 guests, and the seating was $34 per person. The menu was massive: prosciutto, cheese, French onion soup, then black and white shrimp risotto, followed by the main course featuring veal medallions with mushroom sauce gnocchi, schnitzel, breaded stuffed chicken, stuffed tenderloin, roasted potatoes, and veggies. Then came the lamb, suckling pig, and salad, ending with cake and desserts. Everything was included except for the hard liquor, which we provided ourselves.
The service was top-notch. They were constantly refilling plates, and the servers actually bonded with the guests. They kept checking in on us to make sure we had everything we needed, and at the end of the night, they even packed up all the leftover food for us to take home—and there was plenty left.
I picked up the sweets from My Little Cookies in Castle Rock. They were perfect—homemade, soft, and delicious. I got to hand-pick exactly what I wanted, at $25/kg.
The cake was from Red Velvet Cake, also out of Castle Rock. It was five tiers with an entire nautical theme—seashells, starfish, coral, you name it. It looked stunning, $667. I didn't actually get to taste it, but everyone said it was amazing, with a different flavor for every tier.
They also made me some sea-themed muffins and dessert cups, priced at $2.75 each; I had 150 of those in total.
For lighting, we went with MediaCom, specifically Joe Orlandini. I asked for soft colors and gentle washes of light, and he pulled it off perfectly with some fog and bubbles, even lighting up the olive trees to tie the whole scene together, $2167. The lighting really elevated the vibe; it looked flawless. Joe is a great guy and a true professional to work with.
Our photographer was Tony Cherina from Solina, who was also wonderful to work with. He stayed until 5 AM. I didn't see the videographer once all night, and during the reception, I actually panicked thinking we wouldn't have any footage, but they reassured me he was there the whole time—just being so low-key that I didn't notice him. I haven't seen the photos or videos yet, though, so fingers crossed.
A friend did the flowers for me, so I only paid the cost of the supplies. We went with roses and hydrangeas, which was a gorgeous combination.
The music was provided by the Trocadero Band (or the Shirokobriješki Dukati), and they played both at the catering area and in the hall. We hired them because they play music from all over the country, and since we had guests coming from everywhere, it was a huge hit. They cost $1500 and never stopped dancing.
Tina Kalinić did my makeup. She also did five of my bridesmaids, and I loved how she gave each of them a unique look that suited them personally rather than forcing everyone into the exact same style. Even though I was meeting them for the first time, she nailed it. Her work looks very natural, beautiful, and stays put all night.
My hair was done by a stylist at a salon near a local bistro in Chicago; there were seven of us in total. She gave everyone exactly what they asked for, and my style actually held up for two days—I even went for a photo shoot on Monday with the same look.
We picked out the rings at a jewelry store called Dvornik, $1000, looking at some of their newer designs.
As you can tell, everything turned out exactly how I envisioned it, except for one massive disappointment: Royal Bride in Chicago, where I rented my wedding dress. I ordered a brand-new gown back in December, and they promised it would arrive within four or five months. After calling them multiple times, the dress still hadn't shown up. Then, on June 10th—the day I was supposed to come in for my fitting—they called me at 8:00 PM to say it wasn't there yet, even though the party was only three days away! It finally arrived at the absolute last second, still packed up, and because we were rushed, they couldn't fix it properly. The tulle wasn't set right, the hem was off, and the straps kept slipping off my shoulders. To top it all off, I didn't even have time to get it cleaned. $2000 They charge for the rental, and then they even tack on $33 for the little girl's dress who carried the rings.
On top of that, they told me I had to return it by 1:00 PM on Monday. I had emphasized several times that the wedding was in California and that I had a photo shoot scheduled for Monday, so I specifically asked months in advance if returning it on Tuesday would be an issue. They told me it wouldn't be a problem, but they completely ignored our agreement. Naturally, I didn't manage to get it back to them until 5:00 PM on Monday, and meanwhile, they were blowing up my phone asking where the dress was. They caused me such unnecessary stress right before the big day, and I made sure to let them know exactly how much that sucked!
So, that's the whole story. Only Chicago let me down, so I wouldn't recommend them to anyone, though maybe I just had a run of bad luck.
Everything else was wonderful, and honestly, I could relive that day a hundred times over!
Good luck to everyone, and my advice? If you find something or someone you truly love, stick with them. Getting tangled up in complications usually doesn't end well.😉
