Everything you need for a Midwest wedding

Steven Wilson70 said:Where can I snag a cool guestbook for impressions?!! Somewhere in the Midwest, maybe near Chicago or St. Louis?? 🙂

Check this site: http://www.artikli-vjencanje.com/

The guy is from Albuquerque and had a booth at that big wedding expo in NYC. I picked up a guest book and some picture frames there as a gift for my parents...

Jack Lee5 said:For lighting, you've got Leon Productions and Tobler... they're actually the ones handling our setups right now.

Anyone know what their rates are? I can't find a price list anywhere. So Tobler is actually doing the work for us?

Harold Hayes9 said:I actually reached out to PhotoZoom to see if we could book Car for photos and Vlad for video, since I’d heard such great things about them... people were saying they're amazing while everyone else is kind of hit or miss. But they wouldn't even let us book them! Plus, they were super rude and just didn't seem to care at all (honestly, it confirms everything you guys have been saying on here about them being disinterested and won't even show you their albums or anything). My mother-in-law and I went down there together... Elijah was already booked for our date, so I ended up going with Brzica (apparently he’s the veteran photographer in Indianapolis).... and honestly? He showed me his portfolio and the shots look solid. So, yeah... one less thing to worry about 🙂

Does anyone know what Brzica charges for photography and video? From what I understand, the Tsar only works through Zoom, but otherwise, he's an independent photographer you can reach out to directly.

MidwestGirl1234, $1.25 the price is basically the same whether you go with Zoom or Speedy....just the same 🙂

I'm not sure if he works solo or what, but I heard you can still try to track him down....basically, another couple tried to book him for the exact same date as my wedding. They hadn't put down a deposit yet, but since I had already paid mine, I was like: "Hey, look, I've got the deposit ready, they haven't, can I just reserve him?" And they actually called me back in the afternoon to say they were giving him to the other couple anyway. I just played it cool, thanked them, and wished them the best with their business... especially since I had already rushed over to Speedy to drop off my deposit earlier... didn't want to end up without a photographer! Elijah was booked up for that date, he's $1.25.

Harold Hayes9 said:MidwestGirl1234, $1.25 the price is basically the same whether you go with Zoom or Speedy....just the same 🙂

I'm not sure if he works solo or what, but I heard you can still try to track him down....basically, another couple tried to book him for the exact same date as my wedding. They hadn't put down a deposit yet, but since I had already paid mine, I was like: "Hey, look, I've got the deposit ready, they haven't, can I just reserve him?" And they actually called me back in the afternoon to say they were giving him to the other couple anyway. I just played it cool, thanked them, and wished them the best with their business... especially since I had already rushed over to Speedy to drop off my deposit earlier... didn't want to end up without a photographer! Elijah was booked up for that date, he's $1.25.

??? We put a deposit down for Elijah last week and he is also $1333, by the way, does anyone have experience working with Elijah?

Harold Hayes9 said:Jeffrey Walker3, do you know anyone good for makeup??? I'm from Warsaw.....🙂 plus I still need a hairstylist and flowers.... thanks 🙂

I see you're living in Memphis. If you need jewelry, the gold pieces at Tiffany & Co. over at the mall are actually pretty reasonably priced; I picked mine up there $667 about a month ago.
For flowers, I’d suggest Orchid Florist. Their prices are great and the owner is genuinely nice.
Here’s the breakdown: a bouquet is roughly 180-$83, a centerpiece for the head table goes for about $50, boutonnieres for the groom, groomsmen, and parents are $6.75, and the tossed bouquet is $17.
If you haven't found a dress yet, Jasmine Bridal (located at the fairgrounds) has rentals starting at 700-$1000. Mine ended up costing me $500.
Hopefully, this helps you and the rest of the girls!

Jesse Morgan73 said:Has anyone here actually hired a light show vendor for a wedding? I’m specifically looking into that one guy based out of the Midwest—we reached out to him today and he told us $1333!! Has anyone worked with him before? I’d really appreciate any honest feedback or experiences you could share. Or, if you have a solid recommendation for someone else in the industry, I'm all ears.

We actually booked him for our own big day! He’s such an awesome guy, super easy to talk to, and totally flexible with everything!! I’ve been to 3 or 4 weddings where he did the lighting and it looked incredible, from the bubble machines to the light displays!! Honestly, you can't go wrong!! 😉

ANA7777, maybe their rates vary depending on the date, right? I’m getting married on October 15th. We originally really wanted Elijah—he comes highly recommended by basically everyone I know. My fiancé is from Savannah, so all his people swear by Elijah... but he’s already booked for our date. Since Elijah trained under Brzica, we ended up putting a deposit down with Brzica instead... so fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly! Honestly, I don't think we could've gone wrong with either Elijah or Brzica, but if I had gone with Zoom, I would've totally messed up...🙂

vatrenamala5, I haven't picked out flowers yet, so I might head over to an orchid shop... I saw some great reviews for an exclusive place in Chicago—not even sure where exactly it is though...

Still hunting for a makeup artist, but honestly? I’ll probably just do my own face. I don't think anyone could nail my look quite like I can... I do my friends' makeup sometimes, so I definitely know what I'm doing... but, I guess I'll go for a trial run... just to see how it turns out...

Haven't found any balloons yet (like those balloon arches, or a huge balloon with a garter inside)—does anyone know a vendor who does that? I'm skipping Vigus, though; I've seen some bad vibes about them on the forums...

I actually found my wedding dress a while ago! It's stunning, a total princess style, found it in St. Louis...

Has anyone ever used VOX?

Harold Hayes9 said:ANA7777, maybe their rates vary depending on the date, right? I’m getting married on October 15th. We originally really wanted Elijah—he comes highly recommended by basically everyone I know. My fiancé is from Savannah, so all his people swear by Elijah... but he’s already booked for our date. Since Elijah trained under Brzica, we ended up putting a deposit down with Brzica instead... so fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly! Honestly, I don't think we could've gone wrong with either Elijah or Brzica, but if I had gone with Zoom, I would've totally messed up...🙂

That’s actually a relief to hear. Every person I asked hadn't heard of Elijah; they all just kept pushing Zoom. We liked Elijah much better since people seem genuinely invested in his work compared to Zoom, and they explained everything so clearly. I don't get married until June next year, but we already locked in the Classic venue, a full band, and Elijah for photography. If anyone wants to know about pricing, just ask....
It's still a bit early to plan the rest, but I'm slowly gathering useful info here on the forum 🙂

Anne, you guys have the exact same kind of luck as us! 👍

Harold Hayes9 said:vatrenamala5, I haven't picked out flowers yet, so I might head over to an orchid shop... I saw some great reviews for an exclusive place in Chicago—not even sure where exactly it is though...

Still hunting for a makeup artist, but honestly? I’ll probably just do my own face. I don't think anyone could nail my look quite like I can... I do my friends' makeup sometimes, so I definitely know what I'm doing... but, I guess I'll go for a trial run... just to see how it turns out...

Haven't found any balloons yet (like those balloon arches, or a huge balloon with a garter inside)—does anyone know a vendor who does that? I'm skipping Vigus, though; I've seen some bad vibes about them on the forums...

I actually found my wedding dress a while ago! It's stunning, a total princess style, found it in St. Louis...

Has anyone ever used VOX?

There's a company on Facebook called 99balloons. We used them for a balloon explosion (that one with the garter inside)

Robert Moore86, I can't find those "99 balloons" on Facebook! Is that actually what I should type into the search bar?? Nothing's popping up for me.

Write 99 in words! 😉

Yay! I finally found 😍 thanks so much 😉

Hey! How much are those balloons going for over there? Since you're from the Midwest, I figured you'd know—did you pick some up recently?

From $217 up to $333 I guess it all depends on what you're actually looking for... installation, just the ceiling, maybe some small accent balloons tucked in there, or finishing it off with balloon clusters at the edge... there are plenty of ways to mix it up

Midwesterner 27, thanks....

Chocolate 555, I find the girls over at Exclusive to be pretty pricey, even if their work is solid. You can find their profile on Facebook under Wedding Decoration (Wedding Decoration Vu).
I’ve decided to handle my own wedding decoration. I’ve already sourced most of what I need, and it’s going to cost me about $300, maybe even less.
As for makeup, I’m useless there—I haven't even figured out who I'm booking yet.

I'll probably just do my own makeup. I've been looking at photos of professional stylists lately and honestly, none of their styles are really my vibe. I need to go heavy on the eyes because otherwise, I look totally washed out—like a ghost or something! Plus, I’ll probably try to catch some sun in the backyard before then 😍 and I'll instantly look way better