uofigal's reviews

We used Chicago Land Limo service for our wedding day. They accommodated the long distances we had them drive, as we were back and forth to the city and the suburbs during our wedding day. Their service was flawless. The driver even decorated the limo and had champagne waiting for us right after the ceremony. (There were some great photo taken of this)! During our limousine ride, there were complimentary drinks. The driver took us for a spin for a half hour before the reception. There was a great selection of cars when we were making our choices... We had an overall great experience with Chicago Land Limo Service!

The rehearsal dinner, planned by my in-laws, was held at Bailey’s Restaurant in Park Ridge. The food was delicious, we were offered four menu options for our occasion. They didn’t have a separate room for us, but did have a separate section. In retrospect, I would have preferred to have a private room. The service was excellent, however, and the atmosphere was sufficient for us to give gifts to our wedding party and make speeches with ease. The restaurant was also in good proximity to the church, St. Juliana's.

I chose St. Juliana's Church of Chicago because it was the parish I belonged to for a number of years. The priest at the church is a family friend. St. Juliana's has one of the longest aisles in the city of Chicago and makes for a long luxurious walk down the aisle : ). The church can accommodate a lot of guests- there is plenty of seating in the pews. St. Juliana's is a beautiful location for a ceremony. My only complaint was the size of the bridal room we waited in prior to the ceremony. It was quite small and uncomfortable. However, the music was phenomenal and the priest did a beautiful job of delivering a personal message during the homily. I couldn't imagine having my ceremony anywhere else.

Ameritune was the company we used for our reception DJ. When we originally met with the company, we viewed video clips of the different DJ’s. We selected Byron, because we were captured by his personality. We found it easy to make song selections through this company. They also had us fill in a schedule for the evening-so that the DJ could "conduct" the reception as we wanted. The company also provided fun options for guest involvement throughout the night. The night of our wedding, Byron had a great energy. He played great, fun music to dance to. We had an excellent experience with them, I highly recommend Byron and Ameritune.

For my wedding day, I had my hair and makeup services done at Spa Bleu. Prior to the day of the wedding, I had a practice hair and makeup session. I had never had my makeup professionally done before. I usually don’t wear a whole lot of makeup on a daily basis, but the artist catered to my requests. I got married on an extremely hot day- but my makeup was flawless all evening. I brought in photos for my hairstylist, and she did a spectacular job capturing the look I wanted for my hairstyle. The staff was great, they were so personable and warm. I now go there for all of my hair services, the bridal experience made me a return customer.

Our tuxedos were rented from Black Tie Formalwear in the House of Brides wedding mall. We were able to match the tuxedo accessories with the color of my bridesmaid gowns easily, since we selected our bridesmaid's gowns from the House of Brides. We also selected our Honeymoon package through Black Tie Formalwear. We received roundtrip airfare free, which was a great deal! The tuxedos themselves were perfect the day of the wedding and the pick up and drop off times were reasonable. The store is small, so there were some periods of waiting when we stopped in, but the customer service was worth the wait. Additionally, we ordered our invitations through Black Tie. Because we did so many of our services through them, I believe we received the invitations for about 50% off.

Our reception was held at Cafe La Cave. The restaurant is owned by a family friend and my sister, aunt, and uncle had all held their wedding receptions at this site. We had such beautiful reception, everything went perfectly! The staff was right at our side whenever we needed anything. The food was excellent. Throughout the night there were no surprises or glitches. The room was decorated beautifully and the service was perfection. The site also has a great geographic location, as there are several hotels in the immediate surrounding area. Randy, the event coordinator at Cafe La Cave was so amazing to work with, he was like my own personal wedding planner!

The House of Brides in Schaumburg was one of only three or four places that I shopped for my wedding and bridesmaid's gowns. Charlotte, my consultant, was fabulous to work with. We were able to schedule appointments easily, and the process was simple. As a bonus, because we used other vendors in the House of Brides wedding mall, we received discounts. All of our gowns arrived on time and as ordered. I was very satisfied with my experience with this company.

We used Fabbrini's Flowers out of Hoffman Estates for our wedding day florist. They were the only florist I ended up meeting with. I brought in some photos from magazines of bouquets that I loved, and the florist we met with sat down with my mom and I to review my choices. Immediately, she pulled flower types and color schemes. She understood our budget, was very helpful, didn’t pressure us in any way. The day of the wedding, the flowers were delivered on time and as expected. Overall, Fabbrini's Flowers' staff was very friendly and easy to work with.

Our wedding photographer was Dane from Picture Perfect. He had photographed a friend's wedding prior to ours. We had a great experience with him on our wedding day. He was so personable and focused on getting the images we asked for. Working with the company Picture Perfect, as a whole, was also pleasant. From start to finish, they didn’t make us feel pressured, or like we were just another sale. Ordering the photos was user-friendly, as we were able to select the photos via the web.