The other vendors that make it happen

A successful wedding takes a lot more than a skilled photographer. I have certainly seen my fair share of weddings and am always taking note of stand out vendors (good and not as good). I have no affiliation with any of these companies and get zero kickbacks. I just want to recommend quality services that I have experienced firsthand.

First a good DJ

A good DJ can make a tremendous difference at the reception. A good DJ does a lot more than bring in the music/equipment. A good DJ will be an engaging MC, and when it comes time to play the dance music they will read the room and match the crowd’s energy. When choosing your DJ, you want to ask how comfortable they are experienced with mixing songs. A good DJ might only play one song for 20-30 seconds before working in a different song. I explain all this because I think a lot of people aren’t aware that there is so much more that a DJ can do besides bring some speakers and a music library.

Now to the recommendations:

I would absolutely recommend Alex Hunt at ARM Entertainment. He is one of the best DJs I’ve ever come across and is a very nice dude. He’s based out of Wichita, but he travels into most of the greater KC metro area.

Brian Thiel AKA DJ Boogie B with KC Event Co is also a standout DJ. He brings energy and uniqueness to your special event and he is so easy to work with. His mixing is impressive and he knows how to get a dance floor moving!

Another name I recommend is Fransisco Ocampo from Elite Sounds. He’s also one of the best, but not the only DJ within this DJ group. You must ask for him specifically!

On the flip-side, Complete Weddings is very popular and pretty cheap. Some of their DJs are good, but some are very much not. You generally won’t know who you will get until very close to your actual wedding day. So, I forewarn you on groups like that.

Suits

I would be cautious about renting suits from Men’s Wearhouse. I have witnessed many errors with their rental suits. Generally, I’ve seen their suits tend to not fit well. If you buy them ahead of time you would be safer, because you’d know if something was off in time to fix it. When you rent and they don’t have the right stuff for you it gets problematic. When it comes to a wedding day timeline, we have to have everything we need, perfectly, to keep on pace with the day’s events.

I chose to go with Slabotsky’s for my own wedding. They make custom-tailored suits for about the same price as renting, but you actually get to keep the suit! Another similar and great option is Dan the Tailor.

Video

If you plan on working with a videographer, I would recommend Robot Monster Creative. He’s creative like his name, and a really nice guy.

Planner

If you are interested in a wedding planner, I ask that you connect the two of us. When we can work together, it will make the day run a lot smoother.

Julie Schlueter | Fiore Events is my new top recommendation. She is incredibly detailed and is on the ball with communication well before the wedding, during the wedding, and even does a fair amount of work after. Essentially she’s a hard core boss and I CANOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT HER.

I was also VERY impressed with Cherished Weddings. She was well organized, goes above and beyond, and is a very hard worker. I watched as she single-handedly set up a massive wedding, décor and all, kept it running smoothly, and packed it all up with no one else lifting a finger. If you are looking for a smooth, easy day, she is worth her weight in gold.

Cakes

I recommend Foster’s Frosting. She’s also a vendor we hired for our wedding. She has offered anyone who books through me a 20% off discount on their cake (again, no kickback to me). She’s a very talented baker who works as the bakery manager at Price Chopper by day, and makes AMAZING cakes for her own business by night. She’s unique in her ability to make very classy cakes, and also fun/creative cakes.