What is a Custom Monogram?  Still not sure what a custom monogram is?  No worries, check out our 2-Minute informational video that’ll break down monograms and gobos.  Press play to begin!

Imagine your name or initials etched on your dance floor with light. It’s now possible with Custom Monograms and Custom Gobos. Our monograms can be made to incorporate any design you wish whether it be your initials, name, logos and/or wedding date. You tell us what you want and we’ll work hard to custom tailor your monogram to your exact specifications.

Each monogram is custom produced exactly for your event.  This means you get to keep it. The first custom gobo ordered is $125 and each additional copy is an extra $150. We can have a maximum of 4 custom monograms at each event if you choose.

LED Uplighting is one of Chicago’s newest and most popular wedding trends for 2012. We now offer several LED up-lighting packages for almost any budget. Each package includes the color of your choice, setup, programming, positioning and clean up.

Package #1 Head Table in Lights: Uplighting your head table from behind is a simple and affordable way to bring life to your venue.  Not only will your head table look amazing, the lights will also add depth to your room!  This package includes 5 lights for $125.  Choose your color!

Package #2 Wall of Lights: Sometimes all you need is one wall of vibrant color.  This package will do just that.  These 10 LED Uplighting fixtures will give you a full accent wall of color.Choose your color!

Package #3 Lighting in the Round:  With this elite lighting package you’ll receive 20 uplights which will easily cover a normal size banquet room from wall to wall for the Ultimate WOW Factor.  With this package you’ll also get a FREE site appointment with one of our lighting techs.  We do this to ensure each fixture is strategically placed for the best visual appeal. Choose your color!

Here’s a list that we started compiling a few years back containing some of our favorite Banquet halls here on the Southside of Chicago. This list was originally created to help our clients find the best banquet hall on the Southside of Chicago without having to visit them all. After each wedding our Chicago Wedding DJs come back to the office and write a brief review describing their experiences. Please note we’re not experts in fine dining or interior decor. We’re just regular guys sharing our honest opinions. If you’d like to share any of your recent experience at one of these banquet facilities please feel free to leave your comments below.

If you have any questions regarding these wedding banquet facilities please feel free to contact us. We’d be more than willing to assist you in choosing the best banquet hall on the southside of Chicago for you. Also be sure to click the links below to read a brief review on each of them.

Belvedere Chateau in Hickory Hills, Illinois
Chateau Bu-Sche in Alsip, Illinois
Cog Hill Banquets in Lemont, Illinois
Crystal Tree Country Club in Orland Park, Illinois
Crystal Grand in Lemont, Illinois
Dinolfos in Mokena, Illinois
Dinolfos in Homer Glen, Illinois
The Double Tree in Alsip, Illinois
Gaelic Park in Oak Forest, Illinois
Jacob Henry Mansion in Joliet, Illinois
Lake Katherine in Palos Heights, Illinois
Martinique Banquets in Burbank, Illinois
Mickadoon in Orland Park, Illinois
Nikos in Burbank, Illinois
Nickobees in Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Oak Lawn Hilton in Oaklawn Illinois
Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park, Illinois
Orland Park Chateau in Orland Park, Illinois
Patrick Haley Mansion in Joliet, Illinois
Riatlo Square Theatre in Joliet, Illinois
Royalty West in Willow Springs, Illinois
Silver Lakes Country Club in Orland Park, Illinois
Toby’s in Palos Park, Illinois
William Tell Banquets in LaGrange, Illinois
Willowbrook Ballroom in Willow Springs, Illinois
Woodbine Country Club in Homer Glen, Illinois

Choosing the best music for your R&B Wedding Ceremony isn’t always easy.  Here at Operation Getdown we thought we’d try to help you compile a list of our Top 10 R&B Wedding Ceremony Songs. From the prelude to the recessional, we’ve tried to cover it all.  If you’d like to add additional songs to our Top 10 R&B Wedding Songs please feel free to comment below.  We value your suggestions and insight!

Top 10 R&B Wedding Prelude Songs:

1. You Bring Me Joy – Anita Baker
2. Let’s Get Married – Jagged Edge
3. Nothing Can Come Between Us – Sade
4. All My Life – K-Ci & JoJo
5. One Love – Midwest City
6. Greatest Love – Musiq Soulchild
7. Love You More – Ginuwine
8. Must Be Nice – Lyfe Jennings
9. Down The Aisle – LL Cool J & 112
10. Never Felt This Way – Alicia Keys

Top 10 RnB Wedding Songs For Wedding Ceremony:

1. Forever – R. Kelly
2. This Very Moment – K-Ci & JoJo
3. I Swear – All-4-One
4. I Do – Boyz II Men
5. Very Special – Debra Laws
6. From Now On – Regina Belle & Glenn Jones
7. I Do – Natalie Cole
8. Once In A Lifetime – Craig David
9. When I Said I Do – Chante Moore & Kenny Lattimore
10. Ribbon In The Sky – Stevie Wonder

You’ve just been asked to give a wedding toast at your best friend’s wedding reception!  The problem is you’ve never had to give a speech before and you don’t know where to begin.  No problem!  We’ve listed a few quick tips below that will help get you through the big day and deliver the best wedding toast ever!  Whether you’re a maid of honor or a best man, these tips will work great!

During Your Wedding Toast You’ll Want To:

• Try to make it personal.  If possible try to come up with three anecdotes that are funny or humorous that will help illustrate something the guests may not know about the bride and groom.
• Make sure your humor isn’t over the top.  Remember who your audience is.  You don’t want to offend Grandma.
• Make sure you rehearse, especially while you’re at the venue.
• Prepare yourself the day of the wedding and be sure to work off any nerves.
• Always be sure to complete your toast with an upbeat or  positive comment about the couple.
• Don’t forget to raise your glass!

Avoid The Following When Giving Your Wedding Toast:

• Try not to exceed five minutes.  The perfect wedding toast is usually between two or three minutes.
• Don’t try to be funny if you’re not.  Now is not the time to practice your humor.
• Avoid any alcoholic beverages before your toast.  You may think they’re settling your nerves, but alcohol makes it worse.
• Don’t write our your speech and read it verbatim from the sheet.  If you have to write something out try to use note cards.
• Avoid the cheesy and canned wedding toasts that are available on Youtube  or the Internet. Especially “the last time your hand will be on top” routine.  It’s been done.  ;)

Do you have any additional tips for creating the best wedding toast that you’d like to share?  If yes then please share them below.  We look forward to reading your responses!

So I was paging through the Chicago Style Weddings magazine last night and I came across an advertisement for a company called Last Night Chicago.  In case you’ve never heard of them before they’re one of Chicago’s leading Bachelor and Bachelelorette party specialists.  If you haven’t seen their website yet you’ve got to check it out at LastNightChicago.com!

Chicago Bachelorette Party

After checking out their website I noticed they have some pretty sweet trips at incredibly affordable rates.  With prices starting at $45/person you can get a fully stocked limo to the destination of your choice.  This even includes free admission/cover to the club of your choice.  Now that’s a deal in itself right there.  Most clubs downtown in the city will charge you as much as $25 to even walk in the door.  That’s outrageous!

Now if you’re looking to spend a little more I would suggest checking out their wicked or insane packages!  These exotic trips will give you 6-8 hours of fun and they’ll take you to one of Chicago’s biggest night clubs with full VIP access. This includes your own private area, personal dancers, and even your own private DJ!  They’ll also throw in free food and drinks.  Now that’s a party!

Chicago Bachelor Party

If that still isn’t enough for you, then you’ve got to check out their Wet N Wild package!  This package includes 8 wild and crazy hours with a fully stocked limo that’ll drop you and your guests off on the shores of Lake Michigan. From there you and your bridal party can catch a 3 hour luxury yacht cruise around Lake Michigan!  They’ll provide a fully stocked bar while you’re on the yacht and you’ll also get a complimentary dinner. Still not satisfied? Well, when the party is over your exotic limo will be waiting to pick you and your bridal party up to head to one of Chicago’s finest night clubs.  All of this for a price tag of only $160/person.  That’s an amazing price tag right there! I spent almost $200 at the last bachelor party I was at and all we did was ride go carts and go home. Not a bad gig right there!

Last Night Chicago bachelor party and bachelorette locations throughout Chicago include:

• Operation Paint ball
• Skydive Chicago
• Whirly Ball
• Schaumburg Golf Club
• Crowbar
• Stone Lotus
• Transit
• Spy Bar
• En-Clave
• Crescendo
• Bull & Bear
• Vision
• Rockhouse
• Dicks Last Resort
• The Leg Room
• Famous Freddies Roadhouse
• Alumni Club
• Apartment
• Loft
• Joe’s Bar on Weed Street
• Scores
• Pink Monkey
• VIPs

For more information on Last Night Chicago checkout their website at www.LastNightChicago.com.  This is not a paid advertisement.  I just found their advertisement in the magazine and thought it was worth posting! If you’ve had any experiences with this company I invite you to post them in the comments section below. I look forward to reading your responses!

Northwest Indiana Wedding receptions require a lot of planning when you want things to be absolutely perfect! One of the first steps of planning your perfect wedding reception is choosing where you want your Northwest Indiana Wedding to be held. This is a very important decision because this will be the site where all your wedding memories will be created. Whether it’s the food being served or the ambiance the room gives off, you’ll want to consider it all. It’s also imperative that you don’t settle on a Northwest Indiana Banquet hall that doesn’t meet your needs. Even though a first choice location may pop into your head, looking at other locations is never a bad thing as this may give you more ideas on what exactly you want.

Whether you’ve realized it or not there are a lot of Northwest Indiana Banquet Halls to choose from. Each is unique in it’s own manner and each caters to a specific clientele. One of the greatest things about being a wedding vendor is we’ve had an opportunity to attend almost all of them. We’ve tried their food, we’ve tested their service and we’ve even scouted their facilities.   For this reason alone, we’ve chosen to review a list of Northwest Indiana Banquet Halls (from a wedding vendors perspective, of course).

Checkout our Northwest Indiana Banquet Hall reviews below. This list is updated monthly,  so if you don’t currently see a specific banquet hall on here yet, no worries. It will be coming very soon. Browse our banquet hall reviews below and if you’d like a specific review, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Also be sure to check out our Chicago Banquet Hall reviews as well!

Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso, Indiana
Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Indiana
Carmelite Banquet Hall in Munster, Indiana
Casa Maria in Dyer Indiana
Centennial Park in Munster Indiana
Chateau Banquet Hall in Merrillville, Indiana
Cloister in the Woods in Munster, Indiana
County Line Orchard in Hobart, Indiana
Crown Point Courthouse in Crown Point, Indiana
Dynasty Banquets in Hammond, Indiana
Fiesta Palace in Merrillville, Indiana
Meyers Castle in Dyer Indiana
Munster Performing Arts Center in Munster Indiana
Patrician Banquet Center in Schererville, Indiana
Promenade Hall in Merrillville, Indiana
Villa Cesare in Schererville, Indiana
Villa de Bruno in Lynwood, Illinois
White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Indiana
Wicker Park in Highland, Indiana

We do hope the reviews for these Banquet Halls in Northwest Indiana were beneficial in helping you choose the best reception hall for your Northwest Indiana Wedding. If you’d like more information on our Indiana Wedding DJ services please feel free to contact us or check your availability now. We book up quickly so be sure to check your date today

Imagine this……. You’ve just walked into a room and you don’t recognize a face in the crowd. You have nowhere to sit and no one to talk to. How do you feel? You probably feel invisible right? You wouldn’t want your wedding guests to feel this way would you? Probably not, that’s why we have a seating chart.

Although a seating chart can take a little extra effort it’s well worth it A seating chart will help ease some of the tensions your guests first arrive with and will immediately make them feel more comfortable and ready to have a good time.

Here are some tips to help create your wedding reception seating chart.

Start Early: Most couples will wait to start their seating charts as soon as all of the RSVPs come in. Unfortunately, you’ll quickly realize the most RSVPs don’t ever make it back on time or even make it back at all. This can leave you frustrated and confused. The best thing to do is begin your seating chart with the people you already will be attending (Ex: Parents, Siblings, etc). Feel free to call close friends and family members early and confirm their attendance.

Draw up an Outline:  You’ll want to begin by charting out a graph and pencil in where all of your VIPs will be sitting. Wedding reception VIPs include the bride, groom, parents, grandparents, siblings, wedding party and important relatives.

Who’s at your Head Table?  In Chicago, the traditional head table will include the Bride and Groom at the center of the table and the bridesmaids on the left side and the groomsmen are on the right. On occasion some couples will waive the traditional seating and allow their bridesmaids and groomsmen to sit amongst the guests with their spouses or significant others. This leaves the newlyweds to their own private table and can be somewhat romantic. The decision will be yours and what you prefer.

Ask for Guests Help:  If you’re not sure where to place certain guests just ask them. For example, if you’re not sure where you should put certain children ask their parents. See where their kids will be most comfortable and arrange from there.

Only Assign Tables and Avoid Seat Numbers:  This is an obvious tip, but I’ve still been to some receptions where the bride and groom like to micro-manage every detail. You shouldn’t worry about putting people next to each other and hope they get along. Let the table decide for itself.

Order the Place Cards:  Once you’ve managed to complete your seating charts its now time to organize the place cards in a systematic order. The most traditional way of doing this is to number the tables in your reception hall and then write the table number on to the guest’s place card. You’ll want to remember to keep your immediate family members at the tables with lower numbers (Ex: Brides Parents=table 1, Grooms Parents=table 2). This may seem kind of dumb, but your parents might not be happy that they are sitting at table number 24 as opposed to number 2. It wont even matter if table 24 is closer to the front. Be sure to inform your reception hall and make sure they give the tables in the front a lower number.

Be Creative:  Using a seating chart and place cards is a great way to be creative and spin your own twist as a couple. I’ve been to a wedding in the past where the couple were musicians and gave each table a name of a musician. For example instead of the table 2 there was the Beatles table. I’ve been to another wedding where the couple were law enforcement agents and each table was given a police code. It was quite funny and very unique, but since most guests were of law enforcement background they all got the joke. Be creative and add your own twist.

As you can see with a little pre-event planning you can avoid some sticky confrontations and let your guests relax and enjoy the night.

If you have any additional comments or ideas on this article please share them below…

When the time has come to choose your wedding entertainment,  it’s very important that you choose wisely.  There’s no doubt that music played can easily make or a break a wedding celebration.  The following Pros and Cons will help you as you decided between Chicago band or a Chicago wedding DJ. 

Pros Of A Chicago Wedding Band:

• When it comes to live music, there is nothing like it! With a wedding band it can often be  easier to get your guests to dance.
• The sound of live music will generally sound more vibrant than pre-recorded music.
• You can hire a band that specializes in almost any genre of music. A specific type of band can also easily accommodate a themed reception. An example would be a 1920s themed wedding band or a Celtic band for an Irish wedding.
• Wedding bands will often deliver a greater “wow” effect.

Cons of a Chicago Wedding Band:

• In general, live bands often cost more than a Chicago DJ.
• Their repertoire of music can be somewhat limited.
• The best wedding bands book up quick.
• If the band needs to take a break, the music will most likely have to stop.
• Not all bands have full control of their volumes. This can annoy your guests that don’t like loud music.

Pros of Chicago Wedding DJ:

• A DJ is more affordable.
• Most DJs will accept music requests.
• A DJ will play the music the way it was originally recorded.
• There is typically no break in the music so your guests can dance all night long.
• A wedding DJ will most likely have the right equipment to fill a room of any size with any number of guests.

Cons of a Chicago Wedding DJ:

• A DJ in often notorious for bringing in way too much equipment.   Be sure to specify the mood you’re looking to create. If it’s elegant and relaxing tell them to leave their lasers and bubble machines at home.
• It may take a little more effort to get your guests to dance with a DJ. 
• Some guests think a wedding DJ can be too casual for a formal reception.
• If you hire a DJ who books often you could run the risk of hiring a tired and overbooked DJ. Nothing is worse than having a tired DJ at your wedding receptions. 

In conclusion, ask yourself: how many wedding receptions have you attended?  With those you attended, how many had a live band and how many had DJs?  Which ones did you enjoy the most?  You may be surprised at how you can make a decision in a snap simply by trying to recall what your past experience was!  Think about it!

Article written by: Stevie Dee; Owner/General Manager of Operation Getdown DJs. For more information check out his website at Chicago DJ.

Did you know that in the city of Chicago alone there are over 38,958 wedding photography companies?  Assuming most of those companies have anywhere from 3-12 photographers on staff that could add up to well over 467,496 wedding photographers in a 30 mile radius.  Yikes, now that’s A LOT of pictures each weekend.  After hearing those statistics, trying to choose the right photographer for your reception may seem almost impossible.  Luckily, there are several online resources to help you choose the right Chicago Wedding Photographer for your reception.  After reading a few of these sites we’ve compile the top  5 easy tips for choosing a wedding photographer?  Here they are listed below.

1. Define a Style Of Photography You Like: Wedding photography is typically classified into 3 different styles traditional, photojournalistic (or candid), and artistic. There is great deal of information online to help you define your favorite, but after speaking with several different photographers I’m told that the best wedding photographers are the ones that know how to do all the styles equally well.
2. Choose A Photographer With Wedding Experience: This is very important! When it comes to wedding photography there are several different styles out there. Just because someone knows how to take a picture does not necessarily mean they should be in charge of handling the precious images you’ll be looking at for the rest of your life. Trust a trained and experienced wedding photographer. Be sure to keep in mind that even with the proper equipment, photographing a wedding properly can be a challenging job requiring considerable experience. A wedding photographer needs to have the artistic vision to capture the memorable details and emotions of your wedding day all while being virtually invisible. It is certainly not a job for the faint of heart.
3. Check out their Portfolio: This is, of course, an obvious step but as you page through their portfolios you should be in tune with the images you are looking at. It’s important to review a good portion of the photographer’s work and you should love most (if not everything) you see. If there isn’t an emotional connection with the photos, then you need to check out another photographer. You want a photographer who creates photos you can resonate with.
4. Who is Taking Your Pictures: It’s very important that you know who is going to be shooting your wedding before you sign a contract. It’s also equally important that you meet this photographer and feel a personal connection with them. Remember, this person will be following you for one of the most important days of your life. It’s important that you have a great relationship. Your photographer should be calm, assertive, and should bring a level of positive energy.
5. Book Early: As with all Chicago Wedding Vendors, be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to find the most suitable wedding photographer for you. Most higher quality photographers are in high demand and will book up early. As soon as a date had been set it’s important to begin the journey of finding the perfect wedding photographer for you! Don’t wait too long or you may be regretting it later on.

Do you have any Wedding Photographers that you would like to recommend to our readers? If yes, then please post their weblinks below…….