Everything you need for a Midwest wedding

Hi ladies, I’ve been reading through your posts quite a bit lately—honestly, there is just so much helpful info here.

So, my fiancé and I have decided to get married next year in October, and everything would be fine if I were actually from around his area and knew a bit more about what’s available locally. 🙂

The thing is, I’m originally from NYC, but my fiancé is from Indianapolis, so we’ve decided to hold our VK Wedding in Indianapolis.
We’re planning to both leave from the same house because we really don't want anyone—especially since we're the first ones doing this—to have to drive 200 miles on the wedding day just to follow some old tradition where I have to leave my own home.

Since we’re expecting about 300 guests (around 200 of them are mine), I could really use some solid recommendations for venues, lodging, and music (and photographers too!). About 80% of my family is coming all the way from California, so I need somewhere to put such a large group at an affordable rate—though we'll probably try to split people up among various houses as well.
Regarding venues, I’m specifically curious about what you recommend and what you definitely wouldn't. I heard recently that over at Admiral, the food refills were pretty slow, and apparently, they didn't even get the heat turned on for people during certain months... which sounds a bit iffy. Since we'll have people traveling from everywhere—the Midwest, California, and DC—I’m really interested in hearing who offers a good, diverse menu. I noticed that Laura in Ivan underwent some renovations and looks nice enough, but unfortunately, they don't seem to offer round tables at all.

Gosh, I could ask you a million other things, but this is the most pressing stuff for now. Just imagine if you had to recommend the absolute best options to someone you cared about. 😛

And please don't forget to suggest music and a photographer (does anyone have experience with Leon production out of Columbus?). Ideally, the venue should be in Indianapolis, but everything else can be from the surrounding areas.
Thanks so much!

I’m also from Washington, D.C., and my dear is from Indianapolis... so we’re looking at having the wedding there too. We actually put down a deposit on Ivan's Estate in Dakota on 10/04/2014, so that date is officially off the table for anyone else!🙂We spent forever scouting out venues all over Dakota and Indianapolis, but honestly, that one just blew us away. We’re planning on about 300 guests, and they have those perfect round tables specifically set up for a crowd that size. I haven't actually attended a wedding there myself, but everything I’ve heard has been nothing but glowing reviews.
As for the band, we already locked them in—we went with the Gentlemen, those musicians from Columbus, and everyone talks them up. They aren't your typical old-school band; they play absolutely everything, so I’m positive they’re going to put on an incredible show...😘

quietcobra52 said:Catherine doesn't even work there anymore

Where on earth are you getting the idea that Catherine isn't working? She absolutely is—in fact, I was just over at their shop today to finalize the dessert order for the wedding guests.🙂
I placed my order for the pastries at Catherine's Bakery & Cafe, though I'm thinking about heading over to Vigor for the cakes.

Quote:>

driftingjackal9 says: I'm also from Washington, D.C., and my fiancé is from Indianapolis... we're actually having our wedding there too. We ended up booking Ivan's Castle in Ivan on 10/04/2014, so that date is already taken.🙂 We looked at several venues around Dakota and Indianapolis, but in the end, this one was our favorite. We're planning on about 300 guests, and they have those nice round tables that work perfectly for a group that size. I haven't actually attended a wedding there myself, but I've heard nothing but glowing reviews. We booked our band as well—we went with the Gentleman musicians from Columbus, and everyone speaks so highly of them. They aren't just your typical traditional players; they play absolutely everything, so I'm pretty sure they'll put on quite a show...😘>

Hahaha, you've got to be kidding me... my fiancé and I were actually looking at that exact same date, and—as luck would have it—he's originally from Ivan! heheheh. Honestly, I wouldn't even consider looking anywhere other than the VK Hall, mostly because I have a huge chunk of family coming in from California, and I want to make things as easy as possible for them to stay nearby. I was actually there for a prom a year or so ago (just in the smaller section), and everything seemed fine. Everyone raves about it—they say it's a fantastic venue, and I've heard the food is amazing, too, so... yeah, it sounds super, super good. Bravo! 🙂 Would you mind asking what their pricing is like?

Quick question for you guys... is it actually a thing for newlyweds to give gifts to their best man and maid of honor? Like, do they actually go out and buy them something? I’ve heard conflicting things about whether people still do this or if it’s just an old-school tradition that died out. Does anyone know if this is still a thing in the US nowadays???

Paul Fisher34 said:Quick question for you guys... is it actually a thing for newlyweds to give gifts to their best man and maid of honor? Like, do they actually go out and buy them something? I’ve heard conflicting things about whether people still do this or if it’s just an old-school tradition that died out. Does anyone know if this is still a thing in the US nowadays???

So I actually asked my mother-in-law the other day—she basically said that nobody does that anymore.

mellowridge7 said:Where on earth are you getting the idea that Catherine isn't working? She absolutely is—in fact, I was just over at their shop today to finalize the dessert order for the wedding guests.🙂
I placed my order for the pastries at Catherine's Bakery & Cafe, though I'm thinking about heading over to Vigor for the cakes.

My dear sister who lives over there told me they were shut down... maybe they'll reopen once they deal with all this new tax stuff.

driftingjackal9 said:I’m also from Washington, D.C., and my dear is from Indianapolis... so we’re looking at having the wedding there too. We actually put down a deposit on Ivan's Estate in Dakota on 10/04/2014, so that date is officially off the table for anyone else!🙂We spent forever scouting out venues all over Dakota and Indianapolis, but honestly, that one just blew us away. We’re planning on about 300 guests, and they have those perfect round tables specifically set up for a crowd that size. I haven't actually attended a wedding there myself, but everything I’ve heard has been nothing but glowing reviews.
As for the band, we already locked them in—we went with the Gentlemen, those musicians from Columbus, and everyone talks them up. They aren't your typical old-school band; they play absolutely everything, so I’m positive they’re going to put on an incredible show...😘

We've got our big day at Ivan's Castle this year! Huge shoutout to the owner, Mark, and his wife, May !!!!—the staff is seriously the best.

mellowridge7 said:Where on earth are you getting the idea that Catherine isn't working? She absolutely is—in fact, I was just over at their shop today to finalize the dessert order for the wedding guests.🙂
I placed my order for the pastries at Catherine's Bakery & Cafe, though I'm thinking about heading over to Vigor for the cakes.

Does anyone know where Catherine's Bakery & Cafe is located? I was wondering if they have a Facebook page or a website, and what street they're on. I don't think I've ever heard of them before.

hey, which one of you went to Staples to grab paper for DIY invites?
what kind of prices are we looking at—and any idea on standard sizes?

Kevin Smith7 said:Does anyone know where Catherine's Bakery & Cafe is located? I was wondering if they have a Facebook page or a website, and what street they're on. I don't think I've ever heard of them before.

It's over in Ivan near Indianapolis.
https://www.facebook.com/caffeslasti...tarina?fref=ts

Kevin Smith7 said:Does anyone know where Catherine's Bakery & Cafe is located? I was wondering if they have a Facebook page or a website, and what street they're on. I don't think I've ever heard of them before.

The shop is right in downtown Indianapolis—it's actually run by the son of the woman who does all the baking. If you're specifically interested in their pastries, he can probably point you toward the actual house where they bake everything.
Their Facebook page is listed as Catherine's Bakery & Cafe.

quietcobra52 said:hey, which one of you went to Staples to grab paper for DIY invites?
what kind of prices are we looking at—and any idea on standard sizes?

I’ve purchased some myself—a single sheet of 70x100 paper will run you about $6.75. If you need it, I can actually cut the paper down to whatever specific dimensions you require; there’s no extra charge for that service.

silentraven18 said:Quote:>

driftingjackal9 says: I'm also from Washington, D.C., and my fiancé is from Indianapolis... we're actually having our wedding there too. We ended up booking Ivan's Castle in Ivan on 10/04/2014, so that date is already taken.🙂 We looked at several venues around Dakota and Indianapolis, but in the end, this one was our favorite. We're planning on about 300 guests, and they have those nice round tables that work perfectly for a group that size. I haven't actually attended a wedding there myself, but I've heard nothing but glowing reviews. We booked our band as well—we went with the Gentleman musicians from Columbus, and everyone speaks so highly of them. They aren't just your typical traditional players; they play absolutely everything, so I'm pretty sure they'll put on quite a show...😘>

Hahaha, you've got to be kidding me... my fiancé and I were actually looking at that exact same date, and—as luck would have it—he's originally from Ivan! heheheh. Honestly, I wouldn't even consider looking anywhere other than the VK Hall, mostly because I have a huge chunk of family coming in from California, and I want to make things as easy as possible for them to stay nearby. I was actually there for a prom a year or so ago (just in the smaller section), and everything seemed fine. Everyone raves about it—they say it's a fantastic venue, and I've heard the food is amazing, too, so... yeah, it sounds super, super good. Bravo! 🙂 Would you mind asking what their pricing is like?

We went with the per-chair rate $50 yeah, but I'm not sure what the base price for just the hall ends up being.
Look, my first choice was actually Admiral strictly because of the rooms. I wanted everyone right there so nobody has to deal with driving around. But once we crunched all the numbers, the price gap was actually pretty massive. Mark, the guy over at the estate, told us they sign deals with local hostels and motels every single year to keep the room rates around $33, which isn't bad at all... so we ended up pulling the trigger on that instead...😉

quietcobra52 said:Catherine doesn't even work there anymore

I'm not sure where you heard that. We actually just met with the owner from Catherine's place and finalized everything—ordered the cake and pastries for 9 people.🙂

So, there really is quite a significant price gap after all.

Could someone maybe list the pros and cons for these specific venues (listed below)? I'm curious about things like food quality, anything missing from the service, extra fees for AC or heating, broken promises, or whatever else comes up...

Lucy (Zuki), Johnson’s Estate, Laura, Admiral, Baron Trenk, Renic (Andrijaševac)

silentraven18 said:Hi ladies, I’ve been reading through your posts quite a bit lately—honestly, there is just so much helpful info here.

So, my fiancé and I have decided to get married next year in October, and everything would be fine if I were actually from around his area and knew a bit more about what’s available locally. 🙂

The thing is, I’m originally from NYC, but my fiancé is from Indianapolis, so we’ve decided to hold our VK Wedding in Indianapolis.
We’re planning to both leave from the same house because we really don't want anyone—especially since we're the first ones doing this—to have to drive 200 miles on the wedding day just to follow some old tradition where I have to leave my own home.

Since we’re expecting about 300 guests (around 200 of them are mine), I could really use some solid recommendations for venues, lodging, and music (and photographers too!). About 80% of my family is coming all the way from California, so I need somewhere to put such a large group at an affordable rate—though we'll probably try to split people up among various houses as well.
Regarding venues, I’m specifically curious about what you recommend and what you definitely wouldn't. I heard recently that over at Admiral, the food refills were pretty slow, and apparently, they didn't even get the heat turned on for people during certain months... which sounds a bit iffy. Since we'll have people traveling from everywhere—the Midwest, California, and DC—I’m really interested in hearing who offers a good, diverse menu. I noticed that Laura in Ivan underwent some renovations and looks nice enough, but unfortunately, they don't seem to offer round tables at all.

Gosh, I could ask you a million other things, but this is the most pressing stuff for now. Just imagine if you had to recommend the absolute best options to someone you cared about. 😛

And please don't forget to suggest music and a photographer (does anyone have experience with Leon production out of Columbus?). Ideally, the venue should be in Indianapolis, but everything else can be from the surrounding areas.
Thanks so much!

Look, I can definitely give you a tip on photographers. Leon production is fine, but man, they charge A LOT OF MONEY! Personally, I think they're totally overpriced... I got married on May 11th and used STUDIO 69 from El Paso, and let me tell you—the photos are AMAZING! I am beyond happy. The crew was totally in sync and super relaxed. I think the most important thing for any bride is having as little stress as possible on her big day!
Here is the link to their page if you're on Facebook 😁

https://www.facebook.com/stu69dio?fref=ts

btw. here are my fiancé and I in our cover photos 🙂

jadeotter10 said:Look, I can definitely give you a tip on photographers. Leon production is fine, but man, they charge A LOT OF MONEY! Personally, I think they're totally overpriced... I got married on May 11th and used STUDIO 69 from El Paso, and let me tell you—the photos are AMAZING! I am beyond happy. The crew was totally in sync and super relaxed. I think the most important thing for any bride is having as little stress as possible on her big day!
Here is the link to their page if you're on Facebook 😁

https://www.facebook.com/stu69dio?fref=ts

btw. here are my fiancé and I in our cover photos 🙂

Now, from some rather reliable sources, I've heard whispers that the folks at 69 won't be booking weddings for the upcoming year unless they already know the clients—they apparently have some other projects lined up (but definitely double-check that, just in case it's a false rumor 🙂 ))

You should also check out Artistic; in my opinion, they are easily the highest quality pros in the Midwest 😉 (I've seen several full albums they've produced, and those girls were born for this—they have such a keen eye for detail, a true instinct for photography)

As for the music, my absolute favorites have to be Sax-ovac—from the moment I first heard them, I knew they’d be playing at my wedding too (they’re the group from VK)

At Zebra, you can pick up thin cardboard starting at just $4.00 per piece!

Does anyone actually know what the total comes out to for RCA Records and Taylor Swift?🙂