Everything you need for a Midwest wedding

mellowjackal85 said:Hey everyone, finally jumping in here. 🙂
We’ve locked in Crystal Hall over in Slough for October 4th next year—booked the Vagabond Band from New Gradiska based on a friend's tip. Haven't caught them live yet, just listened to some clips online and liked what I heard. Everything I've gathered about them seems solid.
Has anyone actually seen them perform?

Just need to track down a photographer and then I can breathe easy for a while... still plenty of time before the wedding, though. :-)

I actually attended a wedding where they were the ones playing... If my husband gets his way, they'll be our top choice, too... They are just fantastic. 🙂They have a female vocalist, which you know is a plus, and they don't just play music—they sing, they entertain, and honestly, I think you're going to have an absolute blast. 😉The Stage was a little on the small side for everyone who wanted to hit the dance floor, though.

In my book, Quatro is hands down the best band out there...

..they don't pull any of those long, dramatic hiatuses, they play absolutely everything, and they’re just incredibly down-to-earth—both the lead singer and the rest of the guys actually hang out and live alongside the wedding crowds...

It's just top-tier stuff... anyone who was actually there to catch one of their sets knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Anyone got a solid recommendation for hair and makeup around the Z-V-K area and the surrounding suburbs?!!

Hey everyone! I'll try to keep this brief, but I really wanted to give back because we desperately needed this kind of info ourselves. We had our wedding last year. Forum, or rather, these specific sub-sections of the site, were absolute lifesavers for us. We were flying totally blind at first! I just stumbled upon these pages by chance, and every single question I asked turned into a goldmine of information. To save myself the headache, I narrowed my search down to two things: the band and the venue!!! Best decision I ever made.!!

The reception was held at the Crystal Ballroom (the big one). We had about 350 guests, and the service was top-notch. Right from the start during negotiations, they gave us several menu options to choose from ourselves. The food was delicious and served right on schedule, exactly how we’d planned it.

But here’s the most important part for me: The Band played for us, and it was actually through these very pages that we got the recommendation for them..!! Once the party wrapped up, the thing I was most proud of was picking that band—they were the ones guests kept raving about all night. Even now that it's all over, I still believe that music is arguably the most critical element of the whole day..!!!
I teach music in school, and honestly, I've been a guest at plenty of weddings (both before and after my own), and unfortunately, the music is usually terrible (at least in my book). The girl and guys from The Band left such a great impression on me; we still go to catch them whenever they're playing local spots. They're fantastic!..:-)

Hey everyone. Does anyone happen to know if I can pick up those T-shaped lapel pins anywhere here in Indianapolis? https://imageshack.us/a/img860/9596/54597137.jpg Does anyone happen to have one lying around? Or maybe someone has a few extra they’d be willing to part with for a decent price? I’m looking to pick up about eight of them. Hallelujah!

Roger Cooper5 said:Has anyone here actually eaten at Chili's in Indianapolis, or is anyone planning to go?

The venue itself is tiny, and frankly, the restroom situation was a disaster—filthy and falling apart. On the flip side, the food was actually quite delicious. I was there recently, though not for a wedding, just a different occasion. To be honest, it feels like there are much better options out there than Kopika, even if I haven't fully crunched their pricing yet... so, I'm not sure how much this helps you.🙂 For me, personally, having a clean restroom is a non-negotiable when it comes to weddings. I need toilet paper, I need it to be sanitary, and I certainly don't want it smelling terrible... which was exactly the experience I had there. ☕

Ethan Ramirez7 said:I actually attended a wedding where they were the ones playing... If my husband gets his way, they'll be our top choice, too... They are just fantastic. 🙂They have a female vocalist, which you know is a plus, and they don't just play music—they sing, they entertain, and honestly, I think you're going to have an absolute blast. 😉The Stage was a little on the small side for everyone who wanted to hit the dance floor, though.

Well, you just made my day... hearing nothing but good things makes me feel a lot better about this... because music is a huge deal to me. 🙂

Ladies, does anyone happen to know where I can track down some Orangina bottles to repurpose for my homemade spirits? I’ve been searching everywhere but have zero luck. I need about 30 of them... 🙂

coastalbadger86 said:Ladies, does anyone happen to know where I can track down some Orangina bottles to repurpose for my homemade spirits? I’ve been searching everywhere but have zero luck. I need about 30 of them... 🙂

I think someone mentioned this before—apparently, you can grab them from Miller's for about $0.17 per
.
Otherwise, maybe just ask at a local coffee shop if they could set aside enough for you?

Has anyone ever held their wedding at the Zoe venue? It used to be a bit dated, but I heard they did some renovations and it looks gorgeous now. Apparently, they hosted a bunch of weddings this year, but I'm not sure how everything actually went... Thanks!

Does anyone happen to have contact info for Victoria Petrović or Antonia Gavran for makeup services? Or honestly, if you’ve used another artist and were super happy with them, please send those numbers my way too. I'm looking for someone in Indianapolis and I really need to get this booked ASAP. If you know their rates, that would be amazing...

I’ve been scrolling through the forum for a bit, and it got me thinking... besides the Crystal Hall, which one of you would actually recommend?

Seriously, any tips at all are appreciated. 🙂

Hey everyone, can someone give me the lowdown on Rahela’s photo studio over at VK? I’m looking for some honest feedback—pros, cons, anything really. We actually put down a deposit for our wedding this October, but I stumbled upon some old posts online that made me feel a bit uneasy about their work quality... 😢 I really hope we didn't make a huge mistake by booking them 😢

Hannah Moore32 said:Hey everyone, can someone give me the lowdown on Rahela’s photo studio over at VK? I’m looking for some honest feedback—pros, cons, anything really. We actually put down a deposit for our wedding this October, but I stumbled upon some old posts online that made me feel a bit uneasy about their work quality... 😢 I really hope we didn't make a huge mistake by booking them 😢

It seems to me—though I could be mistaken—that they were taking photos of my niece. Mind you, that was all the way back in 2008, so I have no telling how much the landscape has shifted since then.
The photos are undeniably lovely—truly beautiful, in fact—but they are pure, unadulterated classicism. There isn’t a single over-engineered concept or any sort of flashy digital manipulation to be found here; it’s all very straightforward. Whether that works for you really depends on your specific taste—if you're looking for something avant-garde, you won't find it. As for the video? It’s nothing to write home about—just one of those long, somewhat tedious slogs that drags on for several hours. 😬

And now, looking back—it really was five years ago...

graniteridge6 said:It seems to me—though I could be mistaken—that they were taking photos of my niece. Mind you, that was all the way back in 2008, so I have no telling how much the landscape has shifted since then.
The photos are undeniably lovely—truly beautiful, in fact—but they are pure, unadulterated classicism. There isn’t a single over-engineered concept or any sort of flashy digital manipulation to be found here; it’s all very straightforward. Whether that works for you really depends on your specific taste—if you're looking for something avant-garde, you won't find it. As for the video? It’s nothing to write home about—just one of those long, somewhat tedious slogs that drags on for several hours. 😬

And now, looking back—it really was five years ago...

Regarding the photography, I actually prefer the classic look... It's fine by me. We asked about the video because we didn't want something three hours long, and she said she could put together an hour or maybe ninety minutes if we wanted. But, someone mentioned they might not have captured anything inside the venue—you know, the cake and all that stuff... Now I'm getting a little anxious ://. Even if everything makes it into the video, still...
And yeah, they did some shots at my high school reunion recently. The photos were creative and interesting, but honestly, a bit much for my taste... I don't really need a whole album of photos where my mom and I are making silly faces just for the sake of being funny. 🙄

Hannah Moore32 said:Regarding the photography, I actually prefer the classic look... It's fine by me. We asked about the video because we didn't want something three hours long, and she said she could put together an hour or maybe ninety minutes if we wanted. But, someone mentioned they might not have captured anything inside the venue—you know, the cake and all that stuff... Now I'm getting a little anxious ://. Even if everything makes it into the video, still...
And yeah, they did some shots at my high school reunion recently. The photos were creative and interesting, but honestly, a bit much for my taste... I don't really need a whole album of photos where my mom and I are making silly faces just for the sake of being funny. 🙄

At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you actually expect and what you specifically negotiate with them.
People have such wildly different tastes when it comes to photography—what one person considers a perfect shot, another might find totally unnecessary. It’s all subjective, really. 🙂

rustyjackal26 said:The venue itself is tiny, and frankly, the restroom situation was a disaster—filthy and falling apart. On the flip side, the food was actually quite delicious. I was there recently, though not for a wedding, just a different occasion. To be honest, it feels like there are much better options out there than Kopika, even if I haven't fully crunched their pricing yet... so, I'm not sure how much this helps you.🙂 For me, personally, having a clean restroom is a non-negotiable when it comes to weddings. I need toilet paper, I need it to be sanitary, and I certainly don't want it smelling terrible... which was exactly the experience I had there. ☕

I completely agree. A few things regarding their contract process felt unclear to me as well🤷, so we ended up passing on them altogether.... I have some reservations. Thanks for the heads-up..!!🙂

graniteridge6 said:At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you actually expect and what you specifically negotiate with them.
People have such wildly different tastes when it comes to photography—what one person considers a perfect shot, another might find totally unnecessary. It’s all subjective, really. 🙂

True, yeah, you're absolutely right there... It's one of those things where you just can't argue with personal taste. 😛 I guess I'm just hoping they actually stick to what was agreed upon. 😳

Hey everyone, I could really use some help here... Does anyone know of a folk ensemble that performs both traditional string music and vocal harmonies? I think I saw someone mentioning a group from the Savannah area on a forum once, but I need the actual details—specifically the band's name and how to get in touch with them... 🙂