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!!
Oh can u tell me Yannis contact info and his website as well? i think well stick with ahysna the hall is nice and location is good too, parking wont be a problem. were just worried that since it will be winter we dont want the caterersto get stuck in traffic and have the food not taste fresh, thats the only issue.
Hello everyone!
just to update you all, i finally got married! it was a success even though I was so anal about all the little things which did not matter. i agree with classygal about not stressing. Just enjoy the moment!
my wedding day turned out so nice, from the stage to my clothes to my make up... im looking at the pictures all the time :)
i really hope all you bride to be's understand this before the wedding!
Asalamwalaikum everybody,
I just found this website from typing "makeup artist in chicago" into google. I must say, this is some very useful information and I am so glad i did that. I am getting married in May 2010 inshallah and wanted to research on who to book to do my makeup and hair. Alot of people told me to check facebook but I do not have an account on there. My friend from new york told me to look into Anna and Saliha?
any suggestions?
Hello everyone!
just to update you all, i finally got married! it was a success even though I was so anal about all the little things which did not matter. i agree with classygal about not stressing. Just enjoy the moment!
my wedding day turned out so nice, from the stage to my clothes to my make up... im looking at the pictures all the time :)
i really hope all you bride to be's understand this before the wedding!
Congrats Good to hear things went well! u can give us brides to be advice on who to go to :) who did ur makeup?
Thank you Mecef =)
Saleha did my makeup! She did an amazing job on both events; you should try her out if you don't have a makeup artist yet. Every person loved it, I am pretty sure she will be getting a lot more business from my wedding.
Is your date set yet? I wish you the very best in your wedding planning!
Thank you Mecef =)
Saleha did my makeup! She did an amazing job on both events; you should try her out if you don't have a makeup artist yet. Every person loved it, I am pretty sure she will be getting a lot more business from my wedding.
Is your date set yet? I wish you the very best in your wedding planning!
Thanks for the info maybe ill get a trial from saleha.. this week were gonna try to get decorators and stuff, maybe next week ill try makeup trials. who did your stage decor? my date inshala is expected mid jan and nothing has been done yet =(
how are the preparations going for the other to be bride's.
I am just starting my preparations since my date is finally decided Mid Feb right around Valentines day.
I am probably going to contact LKMK makeup- Any ideas how much do they charge for a trial? Plus, I don't have my bridal dress yet and not sure how it is going to be. Is it a good idea to go for a trial without it?
For decorator i dont want to spend more then $600. I was planing on contacting Rami as soon as i finalize the hall.
Anyone know any cheap place to order a bridal dress from? i dont want to go for designer and the ones at devon are super expensive!!
how are the preparations going for the other to be bride's.
I am just starting my preparations since my date is finally decided Mid Feb right around Valentines day.
I am probably going to contact LKMK makeup- Any ideas how much do they charge for a trial? Plus, I don't have my bridal dress yet and not sure how it is going to be. Is it a good idea to go for a trial without it?
For decorator i dont want to spend more then $600. I was planing on contacting Rami as soon as i finalize the hall.
Anyone know any cheap place to order a bridal dress from? i dont want to go for designer and the ones at devon are super expensive!!
So much to do and so little time!!!
yeah tell me me about it there is so much to do and no time.. ur getting a ready made wedding dress right? i only know devon, its ur best chance if ur gonna get it from chicago. u can check in online stores but then u might have problems with fitting. i also dont wanna spend more than 600 for stage and photogrpaher. i might go to look at makeup ppl next weekend. have u chosen anyone to put henna on u?
i would say wait until u atleast know what colors ur gonna wear and then go for a makeup trial.. i highly recommend saleha, makeup by rabia, or anna shafei... all 3 have repeatedly done a fabulous job on the brides i have seen over the summer...
rami is a little more expensive but does an amazing job, other cheaper alternatives are 'sprinkles', 'son ray', and 'professional party planners'.. they do a fairly decent job for a much less cost!
all the clothes in devon are soo overpriced and ugly! i had a difficult time finding anything that looked pakistani... all the styles were with the short 'choli' and the 'lengha'...why dont u try contacting someone thru facebook (there are loads of designers on there!) and do some research and find someone u can send a pic to and they can copy it... obviously ur going to have to get lots of good referrals before u make this type of investment... i was actually doing this but then i squeezed in a trip to pakistan and got my own outfit... but again, devon is a bad idea!
the only mehndi lady i know of is parvin who i got my mehndi done from and my friend got hers done from her just a couple of months ago.. shes amazing but quite expensive... u should try contacting the girl from Bibya salon in devo, if u like that indian style "bhari hui" mehndi...
good luck! atleast im married but i have to go thru all of this for my brother's wedding in dec... and his fiance is not from chicago so i have to set everything up for her.. but im excited =)
This is a link to one of the ladies on facebook. My sisters recently bought some formals & semi formals from her & say that the prices are amazing. She also makes copies of others designs you give. Try contacting her & see if she can make your bridal lehngas. She has started her work recently & that’s why at the moment has reasonable prices.
Thanks Guys- Well i am really trying to convince my Fiance to let my MIL go to pak before wedding because she has to go for other issues sooner or later. He is kinda hesitating becz of all the issues that are going on there right now. Lets see. If she goes there then i am all good because eventhough it might not be something i picked out but atleast knowing her choice it will be nice.
The facebook group are totally over priced and i am just scarred of how are they going to turn out and since i dont have much time i cant take that risk.
I really wish i can go to pak- But gotta save that money for Wedding and i am in middle of my semester in college.
Makeup i am gona go around december hopefully by then i have some idea.
Decorator- My cousion got her stage done from this arabic lady. I am gonna contact my cousion for her contact info and will share.
For venue- i am thinking of somthing close by since its in a Peak winter season. Meaning lots of snow. I am looking at Empress and Ramada Inn. Empress is beautiful but very pricey. and Ramada inn is not as elegant but i am getting a very cheap rate which includes a bridal suite.
Let see still deciding between how we want to do the wedding either the traditional way or just mehindi/nikkah and like a reception with rukhsati.
Thanks Bint, Classygal and mecef for all your help!
empress was too pricey? really? i went there with my friend last month because she was considering having her maayon there and we spoke to a man (forgot his name but he was tall and thin and young and good looking lol) but he totally bargained down the price.. it was coming to like $16 without food and he was throwing in a free HUGE delicious dessert table... which i think is quite reasonable... but maybe the prices have gone up since then or u have a different budget.. .. anyway, she decided not to go with them cuz that place has an old look to it and she didnt like the low ceilings.. i personally am sick of the place cuz ive been to 30 weddings there already... its a cute place though... we're actually thinking of having my bro's mehndi at ashyana.. dont know if u've checked them out yet but they're pretty reasonable and easy to work with =)
Hi Tklucky8,
The trials are $35, you can check the website for more information. LKMK MAKEUP
It would be a good idea to have the dress here before you go for a trial, unless you know exactly what you want and know the outfit colors.
There’s a lady in Indiana, who does Bridal and formal wear from Pakistan, beautiful clothes, and reasonable, her name is Aisha Majid, contact is: 317-566-9996
Not sure how much Rami charges, but sure does an amazing job.
I did a bride a week back, she had both her bridal outfits from seasonsindia.com, really nice, some of their things are reasonable so maybe check that?
Thanks Guys- Well i am really trying to convince my Fiance to let my MIL go to pak before wedding because she has to go for other issues sooner or later. He is kinda hesitating becz of all the issues that are going on there right now. Lets see. If she goes there then i am all good because eventhough it might not be something i picked out but atleast knowing her choice it will be nice.
The facebook group are totally over priced and i am just scarred of how are they going to turn out and since i dont have much time i cant take that risk.
I really wish i can go to pak- But gotta save that money for Wedding and i am in middle of my semester in college.
Makeup i am gona go around december hopefully by then i have some idea.
Decorator- My cousion got her stage done from this arabic lady. I am gonna contact my cousion for her contact info and will share.
For venue- i am thinking of somthing close by since its in a Peak winter season. Meaning lots of snow. I am looking at Empress and Ramada Inn. Empress is beautiful but very pricey. and Ramada inn is not as elegant but i am getting a very cheap rate which includes a bridal suite.
Let see still deciding between how we want to do the wedding either the traditional way or just mehindi/nikkah and like a reception with rukhsati.
Thanks Bint, Classygal and mecef for all your help!
is there anyone u have in pak like a cousin or friend who can get you a dress? even a ready made one from pak will be much nicer than the ones u can get here. the dresses in devon look nice thru the glass but when u look at them from close up the material is not nice at all and the work is not neat. plus u wud need somehting that fits u well and a dupatta that falls nicely. so even if u can ask a friend to get u somehting ready made from pak it would be better since they know ur build and would be able to get an appropriate size.
look at some designs online and they can get one that is closest to it. i would say that invest more in ur dress and skimp on the decorations stage etc cuz ur dress is for YOU whereas the hall/stage etc is more for everyone else's enjoyment..
were sticking with ashyana mainly because we dont wanna take the responsibilty fo caterers. i went to empress, i didnt ike it that much tho. ashayana- i loved the place and the manager was extreeeemly cooperative and helpful and sat us down and went thru all the options of what we could do etc. at empress we were just shown the rooms and that was it. the ppl didnt really give us much imprtance.
i understand that its hard to decide whether to have a simple thing or a full blown traditional one. my own thing is gonna be simple, im not inviting loads of ppl, im just inviting those ones who i really want to be there. well probably have less than 80 ppl total both sides included, this gives us more face time. this way we can afford to make it look nice too cuz all the expenses are not going into the guest list but will be distributed evenly. were gonna do the decorations ourselves for the mehndhi and nikah. at party city u can get really cute things. and were gonna have it in the rec room of our apt building. so think abt whats important to u at the end of the day.
Just want to update that I am probably going with Empress will finalize this weekend.
Any one here heard of Lal Qila in palatine? I love their pictures on facebook. I will probably drop there this weekend as well. Its a little far but my fiancee is interested in it for Valima since it will be a small one. Please let me know any reviews
Also just want you girls to know that there is a bridal expo at Waterford Banquets in Elmhurst.
Lal Qila, the food is amazingly good, and the place is very nicely done up, only thing is that it is a little small, again depends on the number of guests your having.
There is also also Dulhania Bazar coming up in Feb 2010, it will be at Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel.
**Thanks fotonic. My fiance went to see it and they had dinner there too. They loved the food. The place is very nice, it is small. Most probably the valima will be in a smaller scale. only intimate family friends. So it might work, Let's see he is still deciding.
The bridal Expo is after my wedding date lol So it will be of no use to me. I am getting married Inshallah a weekend before on Feb 20th 2010.
I also wanted to get a hold of you in regards to LKMK makeup. Eventhough i dont have my dress yet and not sure how is it going to be. Most probably Red and Gold. I would like to get a trial somtime in December. I see you are located in Carol stream which is very close from my place. Whats the best way to contact you? Phone or email?
