Church
Saint Clement Church - A+
We started going looking for a Church for both our wedding and to go to on a weekly basis. We wanted a modern Catholic Church. A place that was with the times and had a strong young adult community. Saint Clement is exactly that. It is an absolutely gorgeous Church (Which is probably an understatement if you have ever seen it). We went through the Pre-Cana program at Saint Clement and we both felt it was really great. We met 4 times (once a month for 2 hours) with 4 other couples and 2 host couples, one married for 5 years, one 15 years. We really got a lot out of the program and I think everyone should do something like this. It was much more effective compared to the Archdiocese one, from what I hear. Our Priest was Father Ramil and I cannot say enough about how great he was to work with. He is really down to earth and we enjoyed meeting with him to prepare for our wedding. The Church is also super organized, they give you a packet with all the info you will need and they have all the music online so you can listen to it. They have a well run operation and considering they do 4 weddings a Saturday, you can understand why:)
Reception
Salvatore's - A+
Salvatore's is one of the best values in the city without sacrificing quality. The food was amazing, we continually get compliments on how good it was. We did the Extravaganza Package, which is their top package and includes everything from cake to champagne to a 5 hr premium bar. Suzi and Amra are great to work with. They are so laid back, but also super organized. This place runs like a well oiled machine. They do so many weddings and events, they really have it down to a science. The day of the wedding Suzi was attending to our every need. As soon as I walked in, she was getting me a drink, letting me know how everything was going and telling me not to drink the Apple Martini's bc they were strong! haha, good tip! We dropped off all our things (escort cards, pictures we wanted out, accessories, guest book, etc) a few days before. They set everything up exactly like we wanted it. They are super responsive and answer the phone when you call. I usually emailed and they got back to me within the hour most times, but definitely same day. The actual space is so beautiful. I really liked the 2 separate rooms because people who wanted to talk could sit in the other room while our band played. Overall, I would highly highly recommend Salvatore's, they went above and beyond for our event and totally exceeded our expectations.
Flowers
Kio Kreations - A++
Kristen was one of my absolute favorite vendors. When we first met with her, I could tell she really got what I was going for. I had met with one other florist and she just never seemed to get my vision. Kristen had a ton of great ideas and since I don't really know a ton about flowers, I appreciated her expertise. I really trusted her artistic expertise and let her run with what she thought would fit our event. She is also a graphic designer and so she did my menus, table numbers, card "box" with monogram, bouquets, bouts, centerpieces, etc. She also gave me some graphics for free, since I am a DIYer and was making my own invites and such, which I thought was really nice. She also helped with setting up a bunch of extra stuff we had the day of. I gave her a bunch of extra items I wanted set up and she did it all. When she arrived at the hotel with the flowers, they were beyond my greatest expectations. She seriously did such an awesome job. The venue looked amazing as well. If you want to book her, book early! She is getting really popular for obvious reasons! :)
Band
Spoken Four - A+
We were at a wedding Spoken Four played (one of my best friends). We thought they were awesome. The thing when looking for a band is, there are sooo many cheesy ones out there! We wanted someone more like a cover band, but that could still play the oldies for the older folks and do the whole wedding thing. Spoken Four did that great. They were really easy to work with and do a lot of weddings and regular shows, so they do the Emcee thing well too. Our guests loved them, the dance floor was packed the entire night and they only took one break, when they usually do 2. It was a great great time and I am so glad we went with a band over a DJ!
Photographer
Brian Kinyon - A+
Brian is one of the nicest guys and so easy to work with. When we met with photographers, we definitely just felt the most comfortable with him. he is very laid back. We did our engagement photos in October and they turned out awesome. We had a lot of fun too. I would highly recommend doing these no matter who your photog, because you get used to getting photographed, it is a little weird at first, haha. He is really accessible, I mainly worked through email and he helped me figure out day of locations and had great ideas since he has done a lot of weddings in Chicago. The day of, he was really great to work with, especially because he was with us the whole day and kinda helped us figure out what to do, like "where am I supposed to be right now, or what comes next?" haha, it sounds silly, but I thought it was nice. We went to Wrigley after a Cubs game, which was really crazy, I cannot wait to see those pictures! We also went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and then to a bar right by the reception. The rest of the night I didn't even notice he was there! I can't wait to see our pro pics!
Update - I couldn't be happier with the final product! We got over 900 wedding pictures and about 200 RD pictures. I highly recommend spending the extra money to have your photog at your RD. We wouldn't have gotten any good shots there due to the lighting and we have some great photos from that night. I love love love our wedding photos! He caught all the important moments and everyone just looks so good in all the pictures. My uncle, who is a professional sports photographer even mentioned that our pictures are some of the best wedding pictures he has seen, so that is good! He caught some really cool moments and I would HIGHLY recommend him!
Trolley
Flying Lady Livery - A
I loved how our trolley looked, it was white and had a bar in the back. Everything about it was great. We booked them for 4 hours and thye had us fill out a sheet with all the stops we wanted. Everything went so smoothly, I never had to tell the Trolley driver where to go and he was super nice. I don't really have anything else to report because it went perfectly!
Hotel Block
Belden Stratford - A+
Susan was pretty easy to work with. We made an appointment and she showed us probably 10 rooms (since the rooms are all different there). She then put together pricing for us. They gave us really good pricing. All the rooms here have kitchens and there are suite options with separate rooms with pull out sofas.We had to fill a minimum of 5 rooms in order to block anything. This hotel is a great value for the city. It has an old Victorian charm and the rooms are huge! We had 2 bathrooms, a huge bedroom, dining room, living room, and kitchen. It was great for getting ready. All the reservations were right, and the lobby is gorgeous too. Great hotel!
Westin Michigan Ave - B-
It took me about 5 emails and calls to actually get someone to send me pricing. I spoke with a girl twice and both times she took all my info, then never sent me anything. I finally got the pricing and it was average. We used this hotel as our higher end option. They also charge $2.50 or something per OOT bag if you want them to give them to your guests. They did block 10 rooms for no commitment though, so that was nice.
Spring Hill Suites - A
I tried to book a couple other Marriott properties and they all ended up being booked. I wanted a less expensive options for guests and they gave us a great rate. They also booked 10 rooms with no commitment. Overall, easy to work with, nothing super exciting to report:)
Bridesmaids Dresses
JCrew - A+
The girls wore Cotton Cady in Navy. We went to the Michigan Ave store to try on the dresses. They have them all there in mostly size 8's to try on. They were really helpful and what I liked is that all the girls could order them on their own online and use the coupons they send out all the time. Most ordered them right near the holidays so there were up to 30% off coupons. I also liked that they could each pick out their own style that fit them best. Most girls got them within a week of placing their orders and they won't need alterations! Definitely recommend.
Dress
Shelley's Bridal - West Dundee - A-
I had a great experience at Shelley's. It was the first and only place I went to get my dress. My consultant was Christina and she was great. She was honest about what looked good and what didn't and had me try on everything so I knew what would actually look good on and not just what I thought I liked. I didn't feel like they pressured me at all to buy my dress the first day and I got 20% off because I did! Shelley was in the salon as well and I ended up buying the 3rd dress I tried on, although I did try on like 15. My dress came in in 5 months and it fits perfectly. The only thing I didn't like is they convinced me to buy a slip which was like $80 and I don't need. Now I have to go see if they will take it back.
Blue by Enzoani - Alpine - A
This dress was awesome quality for the price I paid. I also love that Blue by Enzoani has a built in corset-type thing. I cannot leave the house without a bra and didn't have to wear one on my wedding day! This dress had a huge train and so my bustle had like 16 ties or something crazy. This did drive my alterations cost up quite a bit as well as having lots of layers so that added to the cost too. It fit perfectly and I really loved it!
Alterations
Sarah Ciliberto - A
Sarah is a dress maker and does alterations. She is located in Long Grove and she made my dress fit absolutely perfectly. At first I thought it was a little tight, but in the end, it fit exactly perfect. When I look back at pictures I think she really made it look great. Plus my bustle was super complex so she did a great job with that. The dress was super heavy before, but once bustled it was so much easier to walk in. One other thing that she does is have you bring everything with you to your fitting (shoes, veil, hair piece, jewelry, etc). She helps you put the whole thing together. I ended up getting different shoes, veil, and not buying a bra which I thought I would have had to. So I would recommend not buying this stuff (unless you can return it, which I could) until your first fitting. I ended up changing my mind on a lot of stuff. She is a little pricier than some places, but she was definitely worth it in my opinion! Oh and she is super funny too!
Veil
I Do I Do Chicago - B
Veil - A+
Well, I didn't have a veil at about 40 days until the wedding, I was going to use a birdcage veil, but it didn't go with my dress or hair so back to the drawing board. I just was not convinced I needed to pay hundreds of dollars for a veil. So after my mom and I trying to make one for about 8 hrs, we went to I Do I Do. They have a TON of stuff! A TON, piled high throughout the store. The owner is knowledgeable and a little quirky. She knows where everything is. The one thing I didn't like was that she made me seem like I was cheap because I didn't want to spend $400 on a veil. If she had showed me the cheap ones against the expensive ones, I could have seen the difference. Anyway, we got there, I ended up buying a fairly expensive one (IMO) and my sister will wear it too.
Hair Pin
I Do I Do Chicago - A
I love love love my hair pin! I think it was a great price and I thought the same woman who I mentioned about was very helpful in pulling things in my price range. Highly recommend! Plus, they have a ton of stuff I haven't seen anywhere else!
Shoes
Forbes, Nina Shoes - A
I love these shoes, they are so cute. I really wanted Navy shoes. I just wish Nina offered free shipping. I did get 20% off though through signing up on their mailing list. I loveeeeed these shoes and got tons of compliments on them. And I lasted through the Church, 2 hours of walking for pictures and I could have kept them on longer, but switched to the flip flops:) (www.ninashoes.com)
Shoe Clips
AbsolutelyAudrey.com - A+
I ordered them online and they came super quick, maybe in about 3 days! The process was simple so I don't have too much to say, but I would definitely order from here again! (www.absolutelyaudrey.com)
"Grace" Shoe Clips - A+
I think these look even prettier in person than they do in pictures. Definitely worth the $25 to make my shoes a little sparkly-er!I didn't end up using these, but they are so pretty.
Hair
Rebecca Rodriguez - A+
Rebecca was awesome! I actually found her through ChicagoG&A09 on the Chicago Board. I loved her pictures of her hair so I called Rebecca. My hair was so awesome. She also did all my bridesmaids and the moms and they were all thrilled with their hair! She just got married as well so she was great to work with and helped me with my timeline and such. She came to the hotel to do our hair. I would highly recommend working with her.
MakeUp
Kim Nather - A+
Kim has done 2 weddings I have been in, so I had had her do my makeup as a bridesmaid twice. She is very easy to work with and her prices are so reasonable as well. I did a trial and then she did mine and all my bridesmaids and the moms the day of. She was great, I loved my makeup, it looked awesome in pictures and I think she did a great job. She came to the hotel as well. I would highly recommend her as well.
Cake Topper
Naked Peggies - A+
I got mine from Etsy seller Naked Peggies. She has a website as well. www.nakedpeggies.com. It is so cute! I just sent her pictures of us, told her what we would be wearing that day and then she mailed me the finished product. I can't recommend her more! Adorable!
Saint Clement Church - A+
We started going looking for a Church for both our wedding and to go to on a weekly basis. We wanted a modern Catholic Church. A place that was with the times and had a strong young adult community. Saint Clement is exactly that. It is an absolutely gorgeous Church (Which is probably an understatement if you have ever seen it). We went through the Pre-Cana program at Saint Clement and we both felt it was really great. We met 4 times (once a month for 2 hours) with 4 other couples and 2 host couples, one married for 5 years, one 15 years. We really got a lot out of the program and I think everyone should do something like this. It was much more effective compared to the Archdiocese one, from what I hear. Our Priest was Father Ramil and I cannot say enough about how great he was to work with. He is really down to earth and we enjoyed meeting with him to prepare for our wedding. The Church is also super organized, they give you a packet with all the info you will need and they have all the music online so you can listen to it. They have a well run operation and considering they do 4 weddings a Saturday, you can understand why:)
Reception
Salvatore's - A+
Salvatore's is one of the best values in the city without sacrificing quality. The food was amazing, we continually get compliments on how good it was. We did the Extravaganza Package, which is their top package and includes everything from cake to champagne to a 5 hr premium bar. Suzi and Amra are great to work with. They are so laid back, but also super organized. This place runs like a well oiled machine. They do so many weddings and events, they really have it down to a science. The day of the wedding Suzi was attending to our every need. As soon as I walked in, she was getting me a drink, letting me know how everything was going and telling me not to drink the Apple Martini's bc they were strong! haha, good tip! We dropped off all our things (escort cards, pictures we wanted out, accessories, guest book, etc) a few days before. They set everything up exactly like we wanted it. They are super responsive and answer the phone when you call. I usually emailed and they got back to me within the hour most times, but definitely same day. The actual space is so beautiful. I really liked the 2 separate rooms because people who wanted to talk could sit in the other room while our band played. Overall, I would highly highly recommend Salvatore's, they went above and beyond for our event and totally exceeded our expectations.
Flowers
Kio Kreations - A++
Kristen was one of my absolute favorite vendors. When we first met with her, I could tell she really got what I was going for. I had met with one other florist and she just never seemed to get my vision. Kristen had a ton of great ideas and since I don't really know a ton about flowers, I appreciated her expertise. I really trusted her artistic expertise and let her run with what she thought would fit our event. She is also a graphic designer and so she did my menus, table numbers, card "box" with monogram, bouquets, bouts, centerpieces, etc. She also gave me some graphics for free, since I am a DIYer and was making my own invites and such, which I thought was really nice. She also helped with setting up a bunch of extra stuff we had the day of. I gave her a bunch of extra items I wanted set up and she did it all. When she arrived at the hotel with the flowers, they were beyond my greatest expectations. She seriously did such an awesome job. The venue looked amazing as well. If you want to book her, book early! She is getting really popular for obvious reasons! :)
Band
Spoken Four - A+
We were at a wedding Spoken Four played (one of my best friends). We thought they were awesome. The thing when looking for a band is, there are sooo many cheesy ones out there! We wanted someone more like a cover band, but that could still play the oldies for the older folks and do the whole wedding thing. Spoken Four did that great. They were really easy to work with and do a lot of weddings and regular shows, so they do the Emcee thing well too. Our guests loved them, the dance floor was packed the entire night and they only took one break, when they usually do 2. It was a great great time and I am so glad we went with a band over a DJ!
Photographer
Brian Kinyon - A+
Brian is one of the nicest guys and so easy to work with. When we met with photographers, we definitely just felt the most comfortable with him. he is very laid back. We did our engagement photos in October and they turned out awesome. We had a lot of fun too. I would highly recommend doing these no matter who your photog, because you get used to getting photographed, it is a little weird at first, haha. He is really accessible, I mainly worked through email and he helped me figure out day of locations and had great ideas since he has done a lot of weddings in Chicago. The day of, he was really great to work with, especially because he was with us the whole day and kinda helped us figure out what to do, like "where am I supposed to be right now, or what comes next?" haha, it sounds silly, but I thought it was nice. We went to Wrigley after a Cubs game, which was really crazy, I cannot wait to see those pictures! We also went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and then to a bar right by the reception. The rest of the night I didn't even notice he was there! I can't wait to see our pro pics!
Update - I couldn't be happier with the final product! We got over 900 wedding pictures and about 200 RD pictures. I highly recommend spending the extra money to have your photog at your RD. We wouldn't have gotten any good shots there due to the lighting and we have some great photos from that night. I love love love our wedding photos! He caught all the important moments and everyone just looks so good in all the pictures. My uncle, who is a professional sports photographer even mentioned that our pictures are some of the best wedding pictures he has seen, so that is good! He caught some really cool moments and I would HIGHLY recommend him!
Trolley
Flying Lady Livery - A
I loved how our trolley looked, it was white and had a bar in the back. Everything about it was great. We booked them for 4 hours and thye had us fill out a sheet with all the stops we wanted. Everything went so smoothly, I never had to tell the Trolley driver where to go and he was super nice. I don't really have anything else to report because it went perfectly!
Hotel Block
Belden Stratford - A+
Susan was pretty easy to work with. We made an appointment and she showed us probably 10 rooms (since the rooms are all different there). She then put together pricing for us. They gave us really good pricing. All the rooms here have kitchens and there are suite options with separate rooms with pull out sofas.We had to fill a minimum of 5 rooms in order to block anything. This hotel is a great value for the city. It has an old Victorian charm and the rooms are huge! We had 2 bathrooms, a huge bedroom, dining room, living room, and kitchen. It was great for getting ready. All the reservations were right, and the lobby is gorgeous too. Great hotel!
Westin Michigan Ave - B-
It took me about 5 emails and calls to actually get someone to send me pricing. I spoke with a girl twice and both times she took all my info, then never sent me anything. I finally got the pricing and it was average. We used this hotel as our higher end option. They also charge $2.50 or something per OOT bag if you want them to give them to your guests. They did block 10 rooms for no commitment though, so that was nice.
Spring Hill Suites - A
I tried to book a couple other Marriott properties and they all ended up being booked. I wanted a less expensive options for guests and they gave us a great rate. They also booked 10 rooms with no commitment. Overall, easy to work with, nothing super exciting to report:)
Bridesmaids Dresses
JCrew - A+
The girls wore Cotton Cady in Navy. We went to the Michigan Ave store to try on the dresses. They have them all there in mostly size 8's to try on. They were really helpful and what I liked is that all the girls could order them on their own online and use the coupons they send out all the time. Most ordered them right near the holidays so there were up to 30% off coupons. I also liked that they could each pick out their own style that fit them best. Most girls got them within a week of placing their orders and they won't need alterations! Definitely recommend.
Dress
Shelley's Bridal - West Dundee - A-
I had a great experience at Shelley's. It was the first and only place I went to get my dress. My consultant was Christina and she was great. She was honest about what looked good and what didn't and had me try on everything so I knew what would actually look good on and not just what I thought I liked. I didn't feel like they pressured me at all to buy my dress the first day and I got 20% off because I did! Shelley was in the salon as well and I ended up buying the 3rd dress I tried on, although I did try on like 15. My dress came in in 5 months and it fits perfectly. The only thing I didn't like is they convinced me to buy a slip which was like $80 and I don't need. Now I have to go see if they will take it back.
Blue by Enzoani - Alpine - A
This dress was awesome quality for the price I paid. I also love that Blue by Enzoani has a built in corset-type thing. I cannot leave the house without a bra and didn't have to wear one on my wedding day! This dress had a huge train and so my bustle had like 16 ties or something crazy. This did drive my alterations cost up quite a bit as well as having lots of layers so that added to the cost too. It fit perfectly and I really loved it!
Alterations
Sarah Ciliberto - A
Sarah is a dress maker and does alterations. She is located in Long Grove and she made my dress fit absolutely perfectly. At first I thought it was a little tight, but in the end, it fit exactly perfect. When I look back at pictures I think she really made it look great. Plus my bustle was super complex so she did a great job with that. The dress was super heavy before, but once bustled it was so much easier to walk in. One other thing that she does is have you bring everything with you to your fitting (shoes, veil, hair piece, jewelry, etc). She helps you put the whole thing together. I ended up getting different shoes, veil, and not buying a bra which I thought I would have had to. So I would recommend not buying this stuff (unless you can return it, which I could) until your first fitting. I ended up changing my mind on a lot of stuff. She is a little pricier than some places, but she was definitely worth it in my opinion! Oh and she is super funny too!
Veil
I Do I Do Chicago - B
Veil - A+
Well, I didn't have a veil at about 40 days until the wedding, I was going to use a birdcage veil, but it didn't go with my dress or hair so back to the drawing board. I just was not convinced I needed to pay hundreds of dollars for a veil. So after my mom and I trying to make one for about 8 hrs, we went to I Do I Do. They have a TON of stuff! A TON, piled high throughout the store. The owner is knowledgeable and a little quirky. She knows where everything is. The one thing I didn't like was that she made me seem like I was cheap because I didn't want to spend $400 on a veil. If she had showed me the cheap ones against the expensive ones, I could have seen the difference. Anyway, we got there, I ended up buying a fairly expensive one (IMO) and my sister will wear it too.
Hair Pin
I Do I Do Chicago - A
I love love love my hair pin! I think it was a great price and I thought the same woman who I mentioned about was very helpful in pulling things in my price range. Highly recommend! Plus, they have a ton of stuff I haven't seen anywhere else!
Shoes
Forbes, Nina Shoes - A
I love these shoes, they are so cute. I really wanted Navy shoes. I just wish Nina offered free shipping. I did get 20% off though through signing up on their mailing list. I loveeeeed these shoes and got tons of compliments on them. And I lasted through the Church, 2 hours of walking for pictures and I could have kept them on longer, but switched to the flip flops:) (www.ninashoes.com)
Shoe Clips
AbsolutelyAudrey.com - A+
I ordered them online and they came super quick, maybe in about 3 days! The process was simple so I don't have too much to say, but I would definitely order from here again! (www.absolutelyaudrey.com)
"Grace" Shoe Clips - A+
I think these look even prettier in person than they do in pictures. Definitely worth the $25 to make my shoes a little sparkly-er!I didn't end up using these, but they are so pretty.
Hair
Rebecca Rodriguez - A+
Rebecca was awesome! I actually found her through ChicagoG&A09 on the Chicago Board. I loved her pictures of her hair so I called Rebecca. My hair was so awesome. She also did all my bridesmaids and the moms and they were all thrilled with their hair! She just got married as well so she was great to work with and helped me with my timeline and such. She came to the hotel to do our hair. I would highly recommend working with her.
MakeUp
Kim Nather - A+
Kim has done 2 weddings I have been in, so I had had her do my makeup as a bridesmaid twice. She is very easy to work with and her prices are so reasonable as well. I did a trial and then she did mine and all my bridesmaids and the moms the day of. She was great, I loved my makeup, it looked awesome in pictures and I think she did a great job. She came to the hotel as well. I would highly recommend her as well.
Cake Topper
Naked Peggies - A+
I got mine from Etsy seller Naked Peggies. She has a website as well. www.nakedpeggies.com. It is so cute! I just sent her pictures of us, told her what we would be wearing that day and then she mailed me the finished product. I can't recommend her more! Adorable!
