We took wedding dance instruction classes from a couple out of Lake In the Hills. They were terrific to work with! I am not very coordinated, and they were patient and helpful in giving instruction. It's really great to be taught by a couple-- there is an expert for each "role." They helped me to get over the dancing jitters and were very friendly. They made learning to dance not as intimidating as I thought it would be. I highly recommend them!

I had my hair and makeup services as well as my bridesmaid's hair services done at Ivana Di Piero for the day of the wedding. I brought in pictures for the stylist. Everyone's hair turned out beautifully, and lasted throughout the evening. (Mine even lasted until the next morning)! I couldn't have asked for a better experience with this vendor. The makeup artist gave me suggestions that I would have never thought of. She was very knowledgeable and savvy as to how my face would photograph using different types/colors of makeup. The look she created was very tasteful. I recommend this salon for wedding day services!

Nadeau's Ice Sculptures created a beautiful sculpture of a castle for our dessert buffet table. It absolutely was a work of art. I believe they work with the Brookfield zoo, our reception site, often. They were a pleasure to work with- I felt has if they went above and beyond what we had hired them for. They can also add light elements to the sculpture, but we opted out of this option due to the cost. I highly recommend!

We found Frost Lighting through The Meetinghouse Company. Frost Lighting provided both special effects and outdoor lighting for our Brookfield Zoo dream reception. The lighting they provided made for some amazing evening wedding photos. The did a great, quick, efficient job of getting set up. They complied with the rules of the zoo, without us having to reiterate them. Our guests were simply astonished. The services were very pricey, but created the perfect ambiance- it was more beautiful than I could have imagined.

My husband and I were transported from our ceremony to our reception in Classic Chassis' 1940 Packard. It was such a great car, and their service was wonderful! Classic Chassis had a variety of classic cars to choose from. The driver was prompt, the car was clean, and the staff was always courteous. There were even cute little flowers inside the car! I highly recommend this company. A classic car is a unique option for transportation for the bride and groom only.

We hired The Meetinghouse Company for some of our party rentals/centerpieces, and also were directed to our ice sculptor vendor and lighting vendor through Meetinghouse. Meetinghouse provided birds of paradise and orchid centerpieces. The items we purchased were very expensive, but well worth it. They brought a very special touch to the wedding that none of guests could have ever expected. The staff was wonderful to work with, they were very friendly and accommodating. This vendor provides an excellent service, but be prepared to pay accordingly.

AAA Limousine of Chicago had a very clean limousine, fully stocked bar, and excellent service when transporting my bridesmaids and out-of-town guests to the wedding. Unfortunately, they were instructed to transport all of the groomsmen to the church, but failed to do so. It got so late, that the groomsmen ended up having to walk to the Church. Additionally, they attempted to charge us twice for their services. We were able to get our money back within a few weeks. This was a big hassle, and we were disappointed in their inability to complete the service we paid for.

Our flowers were created by Aberdeen's Wedding Flowers. I wanted a very exotic floral theme, because my reception was held at The Brookfield Zoo. However, a lot of the more exotic flowers that I had wanted were not in-season when my wedding took place. So, the florist painted some of the flowers to look more like the flowers I wanted. They ended up looking a bit fake in person. In the photos, however, the flowers looked stunning. The flowers arrived fresh and remained fresh throughout the day. My bouquet consisted of flowers and berries- it looked like something out of a magazine!

My bridal gown and bridesmaid's gowns were purchased from David's Bridal. I first saw my gown in a catalog, and fell in love with it. When I finally saw it in person, it had a bit more silver on it than I expected, but was beautiful! It also had gorgeous floral and crystal embellishments. The staff at David’s Bridal was very helpful during my gown selection. I ran into problems, however, when I went for alterations. During my second fitting, the gown was still a bit big and needed to be taken in again. They claimed I had lost weight, even though I had not. So, I was charged a second time for alterations. At that point, I simply wanted my gown so I didn't make too much of a fuss. My bridesmaids looked fantastic- David's was even able to accommodate a pregnant bridesmaid of mine. I was very happy with that.

Reuter's Bakery of Chicago created our gorgeous and delicious wedding cake. At the reception, we barely had time to eat it, but the few bites we snagged were amazing. When we selected our cake, we were provided with a huge selection and they worked within our budget. The day of the wedding, the icing was done beautifully with detailed embellishments. It was a work of art!