Everything you need for a Midwest wedding

Hi everyone, I'm joining the conversation. It seems like many of you are struggling with the cost of drinks lately—specifically wine prices. If anyone is looking for some more affordable options, feel free to send me a private message. Just wanted to share a bit of feedback from my side: we hosted our in-laws at the Missouri banquet hall and they were beyond impressed. Also, the desserts from Dundovic from Josipovac were absolutely incredible; my sister had their pastries, and they were delicious—honestly looked like tiny little masterpieces, and the cake was just as good. My own photos didn't really do them justice, so I won't bother sharing those, but Samir Kurtagic took some shots of her, and they are truly phenomenal. That's all from me for now. 😁

I caught a glimpse of Samir's photos—honestly, they are absolutely stunning, maybe some of the most beautiful shots I've ever laid eyes on.
I have Maya, and I’d definitely recommend her too...😍

If you ask me, I’d definitely point you toward Leon's production... 😍

Quick question about baking. ☕
Where I live, it’s common for family to drop off all the ingredients—margarine, chocolate, the whole works—for my parents to make cakes. Does anyone know an auntie with a registered small business or something similar so we don't get slapped by the health inspectors, because god knows we’re a bit too naive for our own good, 🤣 or maybe a local bakery that would work with us on pricing based on what we provide? The ones around here aren't licensed; they're all just operating under the table

Thanks for all the photographer recommendations...
I need to run this by my better half first 😍 (apparently I've been accused of making all the decisions without him getting any input🙂).

Carl Clark said:Quick question about baking. ☕
Where I live, it’s common for family to drop off all the ingredients—margarine, chocolate, the whole works—for my parents to make cakes. Does anyone know an auntie with a registered small business or something similar so we don't get slapped by the health inspectors, because god knows we’re a bit too naive for our own good, 🤣 or maybe a local bakery that would work with us on pricing based on what we provide? The ones around here aren't licensed; they're all just operating under the table

Well, back when we were at Grandma's Ridge, they used to take them, though I'm not really sure what the situation is like nowadays, so you might want to check with them first.

Carl Clark said:David Ramos25, any chance you could tell me who you ended up hiring? I’m actually on the hunt for a photographer right now...🤣

The ladies have already listed themselves, if I am reading this correctly. Maya Peric and Helen Rasic.
Helen is my photographer.

David Ramos25 sent you a private message, check your inbox 🙂

Carl Clark said:Quick question about baking. ☕
Where I live, it’s common for family to drop off all the ingredients—margarine, chocolate, the whole works—for my parents to make cakes. Does anyone know an auntie with a registered small business or something similar so we don't get slapped by the health inspectors, because god knows we’re a bit too naive for our own good, 🤣 or maybe a local bakery that would work with us on pricing based on what we provide? The ones around here aren't licensed; they're all just operating under the table

Maybe I shouldn't be posting this, but here goes...

That's mostly how it works. You pay for a portion of the cakes on the receipt—those are the ones served in the hall and such—while the rest is made at home or by someone working off the books using those ingredients people brought you (these cakes are usually served at home and handed out to family later). If an inspector ever shows up, you have a receipt for the cakes, and nobody is going to come counting individual pieces to see if there's exactly as many as the receipt says.

I know there’s a bit of a "loophole" ☕ where you can claim everything was just homemade—you know, the whole "DIY enthusiast" thing—but honestly, it makes me nervous. I’m going to check in with someone at Grandma's Ridge because there is absolutely no way I’m paying full price just to end up with enough cake to feed an entire wedding party instead of just my half (that's just not how things work over at my fiancé's place). My mother-in-law actually has her wedding coming up before mine, and she’s decided to play it strictly by the book: she’s buying all her eggs from a commercial supplier with a proper receipt, and then handing those ingredients over to a lady who bakes off the books. Their logic is that eggs are the only thing that can go bad, so as long as they have a receipt for fresh eggs to show an inspector if they ever show up, they think they're covered.
It all feels a little sketchy to me. 🤷We'll see how it goes.
Thanks for the help.

As for Maya, her photography is incredible😍... but she's already booked for my date 😢

Wait, what are we even talking about here? I get that if you're at a formal banquet, there have to be labels on everything... but am I supposed to have a formal declaration for snacks in my own backyard during a get-together? These people are in my house, not out in some public park..

Robert Moore86 said:Wait, what are we even talking about here? I get that if you're at a formal banquet, there have to be labels on everything... but am I supposed to have a formal declaration for snacks in my own backyard during a get-together? These people are in my house, not out in some public park..

Excuse me??!! Since when do you need a formal declaration for cookies at home? Is just the declaration enough, or do you need a receipt too? My Fiancé's mom works at a bakery and they were going to grab some sweets for the wedding, but she can't get a receipt—just a declaration—because the treats are free!

Jack Lee5 said:If you ask me, I’d definitely point you toward Leon's production... 😍

Look, I actually use Leon's production services myself, and honestly, I'm counting down the days until I see what they come up with for us! 👏

Ronald Jones11 said:Look, I actually use Leon's production services myself, and honestly, I'm counting down the days until I see what they come up with for us! 👏

Same here, though my in-laws aren't getting married until next year... the anticipation is killing me! They have some ideas floating around right now that are enough to give anyone a massive headache.😁

Carl Clark said:Quick question about baking. ☕
Where I live, it’s common for family to drop off all the ingredients—margarine, chocolate, the whole works—for my parents to make cakes. Does anyone know an auntie with a registered small business or something similar so we don't get slapped by the health inspectors, because god knows we’re a bit too naive for our own good, 🤣 or maybe a local bakery that would work with us on pricing based on what we provide? The ones around here aren't licensed; they're all just operating under the table

Look, I'll give you some straight advice: tell your folks to tell these people that if they want to provide the supplies, they should just hand over the cash equivalent instead. I know that sounds blunt—maybe even a little rude—but at the end of the day, those people have to buy all this stuff anyway. It’s better for them to just give your parents that $200 or $300 or whatever the amount ends up being. If you can't find someone willing to work with the raw materials, you're just going to be stuck sitting on a mountain of ingredients, and trust me, it won't be a small amount ☕

Around here, it’s pretty common for people to show up with these big gift baskets filled with baking supplies. Since I really wasn't feeling the whole DIY vibe, we figured out a different way to handle it:
We just went ahead and pre-ordered the cookies and the wedding cake from a local bakery. We left them a list of our favorite flavors so guests could just order a slice or a mini cake directly from the shop instead of bringing those heavy baskets. Honestly, it ends up costing about the same—if not a little less!

It’s the exact same story at my place; we usually handle everything ourselves through our local community volunteers, but because of all these constant inspections lately, I actually ended up having to order the desserts from a professional bakery.

Last summer, the inspectors hit three different weddings in the next small town over. It was all over the local news—they were demanding receipts and business licenses for everyone, from the photographers to the bands. It caused quite a stir since our volunteers usually handle the catering, baking all the cakes and sides themselves.

The closest place to me with a fully licensed commercial kitchen and everything strictly by the book is a small town in the Midwest, so we sourced all our sweets from them... When it comes to the cakes, I’ll let the volunteers know if they were planning on making them so they can just order through the bakery instead. They offer delivery, which really helps me out because then I have a clear line item on the receipt for exactly which cake was purchased. They’re currently handling the pastries for our volunteers, and they're flexible enough that we can call them in with last-minute changes or additions right up until two days before the big day.

I just put in my order for the cookies at some small town in the Midwest. They’re handling the wedding cake too, but the rest of the desserts? That's all being outsourced to neighbors and various relatives. Honestly, who cares. We did the exact same thing when the neighbors got married, and there wasn't any inspector breathing down our necks back then, so I'm betting we won't see any trouble now either.

I’m giving away a flyer from the recent bridal expo—it includes a 30% discount valid at the design studio in Des Moines.

frozenangler87 said:I guess I already mentioned something similar over on the "Dream Wedding Dresses Vol. 2" thread, but I felt like I had to post here too because I think some Midwest women might get what I’m talking about better!

So, basically, my husband and I were walking past Rahelad's Photo studio last night to check out some wedding shots, and I just spotted this one girl in the most amaaaazing wedding dress.
It wasn't just your typical off-the-rack boutique gown; it had this intricate smocking all through it and a super modern cut—it was just... wow!
I was honestly obsessed, it looked so gorgeous!
Now, I'm not sure if everyone here knows what smocking actually is, but if anyone happens to know how much a dress like that would run, I would be so incredibly happy to know!
I took a quick picture, but I feel kind of awkward posting someone else's photo on a forum like this!
Or, if anyone has any similar photos or something, please show me.
The style is sort of like those low-waisted dresses. The bottom part is really wide and flowy, but it's just the edge that has that smocked detail! And the bodice is just stunning too!!! Seriously! 😍
I kept thinking about going into the shop and asking if they could give me the girl's number so I could call her and ask about it, but that feels kinda weird... I don't know... 🤷

My godmother actually wore a dress just like that for her engagement shoot. Her mother-in-law made it herself. I can DM you the link to the video if you want to see it.
If you send me the photo of the dress, I can ask the girl who works at Rachel's who the bride was, and maybe I can track her down. Also, right across from the boardwalk, there’s a local shop where women do that kind of custom needlework. I actually wanted to have them make a dress for my godmother's bridesmaids, but I couldn't do white, so I passed. They quoted me $200 for it. Which, honestly, isn't even that much.