My recommended vendors

Introduction and process

Hey y’all I’ve photographed quite a number of weddings in my career and in that time I’ve met and worked with some great people, so I wanted to share a couple of them with you.

This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list and you’ll notice that in some categories I don’t have any recommendations. I also kept my list to more local and smaller businesses that either have one man/woman running everything or a couple small employees. I didn’t think it was worth mentioning some of the nationally known wedding companies like Men’s Warehouse, David’s Bridal and Kay Jewelers. You already know about them, so I don’t need to say much.

Also, the companies I’m mentioning I am choosing because I feel comfortable personally vouching for them. I’ve met them, worked with them and I either love their personality, their style or just think they’re very good at what they do. You may not know them, so I want you to meet them. Just like me, they can be a hidden gem in your wedding planning journey.

Unlike many situations, most of these vendors don’t even know that I’m pumping them up on my website. I’m not just putting their names down here, so they’ll reciprocate and put my company on their websites. I actually like these vendors and just want them to get more business. And, if you happened to hire any of them it’d bring a smile at my face to see them again at your wedding!

• Jack Boatman Music; jboatmanmusic.com

– I’ve worked a couple weddings now with Jack and he’s a standout DJ. He also plays violin and played violin as a one-man band during the ceremony of the weddings. He also has all-white DJ equipment, which gives him a super classy look.

• Jacob at DJ Positive djpositive.net

– Jacob actually DJ’d my own wedding and that’s how I met him. Later I worked with him again when a client of mine asked for a recommendation. Both times, he was just so classy and clean. He can pump up the crowd and he is great making older guests and younger guests both want to groove at the same time.

• Dan Oberman – https://www.soundblessed.com/

– If you’re sensing a theme here than you’re learning a little bit about me too. Dan is also a classy DJ, which I personally thinks works really well for weddings. He’s also a super friendly guy. Both weddings I’ve worked with him and you could see he almost became a friend of the couple.

• NL Suits http://www.nlsuits.com/

– I first heard of NL Suits when a groom, who later became a close friend of mine, and all his groomsmen got custom suits there. Later I got my own suit there and I still get compliments to this day on it. They are fast and efficient and really know their stuff. It’s not the cheapest place to get a suit, but for a custom suit and the quality they provide the beginning prices are really reasonable.

• Anna Katner of Spin City Productions and Events https://www.spincityeventsandproduction.com/

– Right away when I met Anna I liked her. She was energetic, friendly and down to earth. Later that night when I left the reception I just had to tell her that she was the coolest wedding planner I have ever worked for. If you reach out to Spin City, definitely ask for her.

• Emily Ernest https://www.instagram.com/emilyernesthair/

– I first met Emily years ago when I was in the first couple of years of my wedding photography career. She did an amazing job and was super friendly and energetic.

• Blooming Lotus Bakery https://www.blbmke.com/

– First off, my wife loves this bakery. It specializes in gluten free, dairy free, vegan free, grain free and refined sugar free baked items. We also used this for our own wedding and even bought the same exact wedding cake for our 1-year anniversary. Both times we ate the cake very fast!

• Herberts Jewelry https://herbertsjewelers.com/

– I went to every jewelry store in the greater Milwaukee area, before I settled on Herberts in Kenosha. I bought my wife’s engagement ring here and Matt who was working here really went above and beyond to help me out. He emailed me over and over again as I waffled on ring designs and his communication was excellent.

• Delafield Hotel https://www.thedelafieldhotel.com/dining

– This isn’t the most helpful recommendation, since the staff here only serves food if you book the Delafield Hotel, but I still have to say that they had the best food I’ve ever tasted at any wedding.