Re: Make up artists in Chicago
Tlucky8 & mecef I'll be back in 2 days with responses to your questions. Not feeling that good at the moment. Don't have the energy to write everything that I have in my mind right now.
Re: Make up artists in Chicago
Hey! my day has been unofficially finalized mid jan, if it does change tho i guess it will still be around that month. hopefully this weekend well go to check out ashyana, and tomorrow i'll call empress and book a time to see their place. i really am leaning towards ashyana tho i love their table decorations :)
as for makeup trial well i still dont know what my dress looks like! im getting it made from back home, i know what the colors will be but i dont have a sample of the exact shade, so im hoping that as soon as i get that then i can show the makeup artist the shades and give her an idea of what i want. my dress inshala shud be ready end of oct or early nov. i wanna try out mklk and anjum darakshan, on previous blogs a lot of ppl praised both of them. good thing abt mklk is that they do photoshoot too so its like one stop shopping lol..
i'm also gonna check out Mac at macys. i wanted to see how they do makeup, and then maybe i can get someon else to do hair and dupatta setting. i live in the city so its kinda hard for me to go to the suburbs for trials and stuff. also im having a nikah first IA, that is gonna be a really small simple ceremony so i dont think im gonna get special makeup done from someone (plus itll be early morn so dont think many ppl would be available!) but i want to get mehndhi done for the nikah. ive asked some of my freinds here if they know good mehndhi ppl. for eid this year and last i got it done from some place in devon and i didnt really like it, it was untidy, but i cant remember the names of the place..
for decorators ive heard of ravi on this blog, i wanted to check him out. what about invitation cards? a friend of mine sent me a link for invitation card printing i think ill go with it since they have a big variety. im not sure when to distribute them tho? i was thinking end of nov, assuming my day stays fixed in mid jan..
well this is as far as i have gone! there is a LOT to do on my 'to do' list and 'things to look into' list but so far nothing on my lists have been crossed out yet! well we can stress out together lol.. ;)
Bint_e_Naeem, Thanks so much for your help and hope you feel better!!
mecef, wow, you don't got much time left either.
Well Empress will look really nice as well if you can get a nice decorator. but i personally also love ashyana.
Can you please also send me the link for the invitations?I think mid november is perfect time to send out the invitations.
I like the idea of lkmk and photoshoot as well however, what bout the video? I think you might be able to get a better deal with some one who does both together! my cousion got married in July and she hired some free lance photographer and videographer . I will get you there contact info soon.
Also, i don't really believe in the idea of getting hair done from one place and makeup for another. its way too stressful and i think on the big day it will be hectic but if that the best option then it will work. For your nikah, why dont you get some makeup from MAC they have wonderful foundation and other products. You can do the make up yourself using those products it makes it alot easier. Thats what i did on my engagement.
For Mehindi I will get back to you, this girl name areeba did my cousion's bridal mehindi and it was really nice. Let me see if i can find and post the pics.
I feel a bit relieved knowing that there is another winter bride. My parents are a bit worried because of the terrible winter weather of chicago. They are afraid that no one would enjoy the wedding. But due to my studies that might be the only option!
Lets see how things goes, my wedding dress is not even made yet. My MIL is gonna go to pak to get it made but not sure when.
Planinng a wedding is so Stressful!! since you dont have control over everything.
Here you go!! If you like it then i can find out her contact info.
Re: Make up artists in Chicago
^ cute design! there is an older lady by the name of Parveen that lives near Devon who is a talented mehndi artist... her charges are pretty high though but she seems very clean and provides other services (waxing, eyebrow threading, etc.) out of her home... Also, there is a lady in Villa Park who also does mehndi, she is a lot cheaper, and also does it out of her home. Other than that, I've heard a lot of good stuff about the lady at Bibya salon who does mehndi.. i forgot her name though... theres posts on mehndi artists earlier in this thread, try to sift through!
Re: Make up artists in Chicago
i would say send out invitation cards 4-6 weeks before ur wedding, not too soon so by the time ur wedding comes, pple forget about it! and not too late, so people end up committing to other things. Safest would be to stamp and send out 5 weeks before the wedding date so it arrives in people's homes approximately a month before.
I've been through all the wedding hassles, and alhumdulilah my wedding was pretty much everything i wanted... i, too, stressed out about every little detail but realized just in time that its not about everyone else, but about me and my husband. Ask yourself how important certain items are to your actual marriage... focus on the important things, maintain a healthy diet so you have that glow on the big day, and the rest will fall into place insha'Allah! Good luck to all u soon-to-be brides! and remember *JUST SAY NO TO MONTYS*..ugh what a nightmare! ;)
Bint_e_Naeem, Thanks so much for your help and hope you feel better!!
mecef, wow, you don't got much time left either. Well Empress will look really nice as well if you can get a nice decorator. but i personally also love ashyana. Can you please also send me the link for the invitations?I think mid november is perfect time to send out the invitations. I like the idea of lkmk and photoshoot as well however, what bout the video? I think you might be able to get a better deal with some one who does both together! my cousion got married in July and she hired some free lance photographer and videographer . I will get you there contact info soon.
Also, i don't really believe in the idea of getting hair done from one place and makeup for another. its way too stressful and i think on the big day it will be hectic but if that the best option then it will work. For your nikah, why dont you get some makeup from MAC they have wonderful foundation and other products. You can do the make up yourself using those products it makes it alot easier. Thats what i did on my engagement. For Mehindi I will get back to you, this girl name areeba did my cousion's bridal mehindi and it was really nice. Let me see if i can find and post the pics. I feel a bit relieved knowing that there is another winter bride. My parents are a bit worried because of the terrible winter weather of chicago. They are afraid that no one would enjoy the wedding. But due to my studies that might be the only option! Lets see how things goes, my wedding dress is not even made yet. My MIL is gonna go to pak to get it made but not sure when. Planinng a wedding is so Stressful!! since you dont have control over everything.
hi! you can find the invitation cards ppl at:
medinaprinters dot com
(since im a new member on gupshup and have less than 25 posts its not letting me post a link so i had to spell out the website.)
yeah ur right about photo/video.. im still waiting for a friend of mine who said he knows someone who does photo/video, so lets see who he comes up with and ill let u know about it.
I'm also relieved to have someone else to discuss things with! and yeah my family (as well as myself!) are concerend about the harsh weather but just like u said there werent too many options so we kinda had to go with this.. good idea about the mac makeup, by next week i should have my nikah clothes so i'll know what color im wearing. hmmm if the makeup and hair ppl can travel to me then it should be ok, but ur right, if i have to go to 2 separate places then it will be really hectic.
i liked the mehndi u sent, can u please let me know how i can get in touch with areeba?
yes it looks really nice 
please let me know how i can get in touch with her. thanks!
i would say send out invitation cards 4-6 weeks before ur wedding, not too soon so by the time ur wedding comes, pple forget about it! and not too late, so people end up committing to other things. Safest would be to stamp and send out 5 weeks before the wedding date so it arrives in people's homes approximately a month before.
I've been through all the wedding hassles, and alhumdulilah my wedding was pretty much everything i wanted... i, too, stressed out about every little detail but realized just in time that its not about everyone else, but about me and my husband. Ask yourself how important certain items are to your actual marriage... focus on the important things, maintain a healthy diet so you have that glow on the big day, and the rest will fall into place insha'Allah! Good luck to all u soon-to-be brides! and remember *JUST SAY NO TO MONTYS*..ugh what a nightmare! ;)
Thanks for the advice will do :) most of the cards ill give by hand since most of the ppl im inviting i see everyday. i liked what u sed when u sed its not about everyone else- that is VERY important especially when making the guest list!!
Re: Make up artists in Chicago
Is there any other place besides ashyana that also serves halal food as part of the package so that we dont have to cater from outside?
Re: Make up artists in Chicago
where is everyone? :(
Re: Make up artists in Chicago
I wanted to know when you go to any of these salons, do you have to provide your own makeup? or do they have everything that will match your dress????
Barqun, they should have everything there. However; if there is a certain shade of lipstick you want and not sure if they have it you can take it with you or anything else. But they should have all the supplies they will be using on you.
mecef, you would have to find a restaurant/banquet hall in one type of deal.. u could try Sabri Nihari off of north avenue... my brother's nikkah was there.. they have a banquet room separate from the restaurant.. or if you want something fancier, theres meadows club in schaumburg, i think they provide halal food on-site... my cousin's wedding was there, pretty place :) there's also india house in schamburg, decorated nicely, but some pple have issues doing at a place called "india house".. dunno why :P otherwise there are a lot of banquet halls that have a contract with desi restaurants, just call and find out =) my wedding was at stonegate and they had a contract with usmania at the time.... good luckkk!
Don’t loose your sleep Every night half an hour before going to bed do something that doesn’t involve wedding preparations. Probably read a book or something. So when you sleep you really DO get to sleep. I remember during my time. I would literally wake up in the middle of the night & start thinking about my outfit or something regarding the wedding. During my last days I was just so tired. Anyways.
My experience with Syed Studio is such that if I were to do my wedding again I’ll book them as my wedding videographer & photographer. The are a little desified. I am gonna warn you about that one but in our case I almost loved my experience with them. This is how it went.
If you browse through GS I actually started a thread asking about Syed’s but no one responded to that one. Then I read another thread probably 3,4 years old where someone had recommended Syed’s to a Guppy. I actually pmed 5 different guppies & guppans. One never responded. One thought they were just okay. Other three highly recommended them. At the same time I had also read couple of bad reviews somewhere. I don’t know if it was GS or not. At that time I was more inclined on finding a non desi photographer as I wanted a more of a photo journalistic approach. I tried to find someone & was really confused. Then one day we were passing by Syed’s in Villa Park where me & my hubby decided to just check them out. I remembering before entering the studio I was like I am so not booking these guys for my wedding (all because of the confused reviews)
We just went in there without any appointment that is & Javed that’s the guy’s name he showed us some of his work. Also the different kinds of albums they offer & the price differences. I asked him a lot of questions as I had been researching what to ask a photographer/videographer when you see them. He answered all my questions & for the package I wanted quoted me $7000. We left the place telling him we’ll get in touch if we decide to book them & also let him knew that we were gonna check out 2 more people. (trick I have used with all vendors & venue people, they end up quoting you a better price when they find out they are in competition)
We checked out Zeerum & Murad. Zeerum guy was very nice but really disorganized which kinda put me off. He did quote us almost half of what Syed’s had. Murad was a big no no because of several reasons mentioned in the thread previously.
This was all during Christmas break. I went back to Houston & at that time was only satisfied with Syed’s. Also contacted Mili but as good as she is, she is really expensive. Also Twin Productions from NJ. They were already booked.
At the end with many email exchanges we decided Syed’s & booked them for $5000. They mailed my husband the contract & he paid the dep. over the phone. They also mailed him a questionnaire asking him what style of photography we wanted & blah blah.
Come wedding days. They were on time every day. Captured the event beautifully. If anyone decides Syed’s make sure you ask them that Javed personally does the photography. He is really good at it. Besides capturing details he also knew how to handle a desi crowd professionally which I don’t think a non desi would have been able to do that good. He was nice, a little stern at times yet very professional.
One bad thing that happened though is that on Shadi day me & hubby were supposed to go Downtown for a photo shoot before the event. Due to some unavoidable circumstances we couldn’t & that very day asked Syed’s if we could do it later some day. They were a little upset at that & told us that we can do it 2 days later but there will be an extra charge & on the photo shoot day we ended up being 1 hour late & he aksed us to pay $500 extra for being late & doing the photo shoot at a different day. My husband who was already upset that day because of many reasons & a traffic ticket actually didn’t bargain at all & dropped him a $500 check that evening. I do think we could have bargained it down to $300 & Syed would have agreed.
Other than that we got our wedding video 5 weeks back & they had done a good job but me being a prefectionist wanted some editing done. In the start they were a bit ohhh yeh to sahi & all that & my husband & brother had to really talk to them that whatever changes need to be made you should accommodate us properly as we have sent them customers & paid some good amount for everything. After a phone conversation & 2 emails back & forth they are working on the video again now. We should be getting it back anytime soon. can’t wait for that.
Just recently I got my wedding album. Its a flush mount & I LOVE it. They have done an excellent job on the album. You can look at the album & tell that they must have taken some good time in editing. Not that its my own wedding album & I am saying this but anyone we have showed it to so far says they haven’t seen anything like this before. My brother who is a graphic designer himself & initially thought I was wasting so much money on this whole photography thing finally said its so worth it & him being satisfied & talking about the album so many times really means something.
If I was in Chicago I would have offered you girls to show my album & video so you girls could get an idea but I have moved out of the state now.
Oh & they also threw in 2 smaller flush mount albums (copies of the bigger one) as a wedding gift to us
Other than that my advice to all the would be brides. Before finalizing any contract you can add many perks & the vendor will happily do it because they want to be booked. Any word a vendor gives should be written on the contract. It shouldn’t be “oh its between us. Don’t worry I’ll take care of you guys.”
Just an example when Syed’s sent us the contract it was missing how many dvds we would get & we emailed them & made sure that we add it in writing & then faxed a copy of it to them. There shouldn’t be any hesitation. This way you & the vendor is safe.
Long post I know. But hope this really helps.
There are a lot of pretty venues besides Ashyana. I have never attended a wedding in Ashyana but have heard good things about them as well. I have a list of venues & their price list in my old laptop. But the screen is scarily messed up & I don’t think I’ll be able to dig it out for you. Classygal has mentioned couple of places, you could look into them.
Is there any particular reason you don’t wanna cater from outside? All my three days food was catered from outside & it went pretty well. Most venues allow catering from outside & most restaurants know how to take care of it. There are usually no clashes with the venue people or the restaurant people.
To make it easier. When you email or call a place. Besides telling them your date & checking their availability, first thing you should ask is if they allow outside catering. You can also specify that its because you will be serving Halal food. Places that allow outside catering will ask you if its from a licensed restaurant or caterer. If it is then they don’t have any issues. Most venues in & around Chicago are familiar with names like Usmania, Sabri, Gulshan e Devon & a guy named Masood who owns a restaurant named Parvaz in Lombard. Some people might still ask to hold a meeting 1 week before the event with the caterer to make sure everyone is on the same page.
In that meeting all they wanna make sure is what sort of food will be served so the hall people can be prepared with enough warmers & coolers. Serving style as most of the wait staff wouldn’t know the difference between our appetizers & main courses or even desserts. They also decide who will be bringing or providing the chaffing dishes & most of all most halls request at least 1 or 2 people from the restaurant or caterer to be there during the event when the food is being served.
In my case Usmania sent 2 people with them & their serving charge was $200. This charge is mostly besides the delivery charge & is so worth it.
Gulshan -e- Devon sent 1 person & the charge was $150.
Hope this helps
Re: Make up artists in Chicago
Oh another thing. Parveen Aunty is no doubt very good & expensive lol. My sister recently tried to get in contact with her for her Nikkah mehndi. Left her numerous msgs but she never responded. I wonder if she is still in Chicago or if something else is up.
The lady from Bibya who is supposed to be good is Zara. She did my sister's henna & although I never said anything I personally didn't like it. Or maybe because I am into Arabic style & hers is more of an Indian style.
Also winter brides as much as it worries you to be doing everything in winter. Keep in mind you can get away with paying almost half to what many seasonal brides might pay for the same thing. Take it to your advantage when you book a venue & ask for more discounts.
Re: Make up artists in Chicago
rabia sikander just did my friends wedding 2 weeks ago and she looked STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!! she did her hair as well. I wish she had pictures up but she doesn't yet! and I dont have any to share. I hear she is now working at MAC now too. I am obsessed with makeup and makeup artists. and FB is flooded with them! too bad most of them are not good! anyway - i wish i could upload some picts.
Go to facebook and type: Makeup by Rabia
there is another girl named deanna. I hear she is good also. but she does not do hair or duhpatta settings.
Is there any other place besides ashyana that also serves halal food as part of the package so that we dont have to cater from outside?
there are lots of places!! at stonegate you are able to provide the meat and it can be zabiha. most halls do allow outside catering. most people go with usmania or sabri!
I got married last year and my wedding was at stonegate. the food turned out great and everyone loved it!!
for henna i went to some random aunty that my aunty referred. she was just okay. decor I went with this guy named Yanni. He is sooo good!! the hall looked spectacular!! his website does not do his work justice!!