We are so happy we went with D&T Productions- John was our DJ and he was amazing. He put up with our indecisiveness and was a huge help with music selection. He was happy to accommodate our music suggestions, but at the same time we felt like he could put a fantastic show together on his own - he had people on the dance floor the entire night. He basically was a day of coordinator and kept the entire reception running smoothly and would give us a 5-10 minute "warning" before anything happened (cake cutting, toasts, dances, etc.) which was greatly appreciated. He made it so that we could enjoy the reception and not worry about what needed to happen throughout the night. We got many compliments from guests on the DJ and we would highly recommend him for a wedding or any other event!!
Our cake was delicious and beautiful. My only complaint is that we went with an ombre teal butter cream frosting, and wish the baker would have warned us about the effect the dye would have on our mouths/lips! At the suggestion of our photographer, we did our cake cutting at the bottom of the cake (where the darkest frosting was), and I ended up with dark teal teeth and lips for the picture and my following father-daughter dance. Perhaps we should have known or asked, but a warning would have been nice. Despite that, the cake was absolutely perfect. We also had a groom's cake the night before that was decorated with fondant sculptures of our pets that was adorable!
I had my hair done by Missy- who I go to regularly, and my makeup done by Nicole. Nicole was amazing and very accommodating considering my debacle with the first makeup artist. Three women at Ulta did makeup, and Nicole was by far the best. The others were ok, but both had "errors" that Nicole had to correct with my bridesmaids makeup.
I made centerpieces and got flowers from Lemler Valley Farm at the South Bend Farmer's market. The flowers were beautiful and made it through a bridal shower, the rehearsal dinner, reception and a brunch (we picked them up Thursday and the brunch was Sunday). The flowers were $7/ bunch, which is the standard size bouquet you get in the stores- so a great deal. We loved the look of fresh cut flowers, especially considering our location.
Shigs In Pit catered our rehearsal dinner and the food was amazing. We went with the buffet style and had beer and wine provided for a "champagne toast" that all guests were invited to following the rehearsal dinner. The beer was from Mad Anthony's Brewing company and was a big hit. One of the primary reasons we went with Shigs In Pit was that, unlike most catering companies, they did not have a minimum requirement for the number of guests. Most places had minimums of 25 to 50 people, and with only 15 people at the rehearsal dinner, I was thrilled to find a place that would cater to smaller groups.
Jennifer did my dress alterations and they turned out perfectly. I had a keyhole back with cap sleeves added to my strapless dress and I thought it looked amazing.
I made my own invitations, but purchased premade pocket invitations and used their templates to design my inserts. They have several levels of DIY and can print invitations for you. I was very impressed with their product selection and pricing.