Find a Wedding Service Professional near Cedar Rapids, IA

Reviews, interviews and menu tastings will help you find the right catering choice for your big day. Start by screening possible wedding caterers based on past reviews. If a caterer you are interested in has a review that concerns you, ask them about it; how they respond will be very telling. Next, ask about their availability for your wedding date.

If the wedding caterer is available on your date, it’s time to talk about menus and prices. Be clear about what your maximum budget is find out what choices this will allow you. Caterers may custom-create a menu for your event, or they may have menu templates within different price ranges that can guide your decision. A clear budget gives the caterer clear parameters within which to work and offer creative suggestions. Schedule a menu tasting to confirm you love your wedding menu. Once you have a menu and date, and have paid a deposit to reserve the caterer’s services, confirm additional details including when the food will be delivered to the site, what kind of service will be provided, how many servers will be onsite and for how long, and who is responsible for setup and cleanup. The more specific your contract, the fewer worries you’ll have on your wedding day. Get more smart hiring tips here.

Hiring a DJ typically costs anywhere from $300 to $1,200. It all depends on how long they’ll be working at your wedding and other various factors. The cost to hire a wedding DJ is usually higher than the cost to hire a DJ to play at a birthday party or similar event. 

To find out exactly how much your wedding DJ will cost, ask for a cost estimate from several professionals in your area.

First, pull up a list of nearby hairstylists on Thumbtack, and read their profiles to get an understanding of what they specialize in — hair coloring, cutting, extensions, wedding hairstyles, etc. Then, start searching for stylists who have high ratings and customer reviews. You should also spend some time looking at photos that showcase their work. That way, you can determine if a stylist has the experience and skills needed to achieve the look you want. 

When you’ve identified at least three hairstylists you like, ask them for a cost estimate and make sure they have the proper credentials.

Use Thumbtack to find wedding DJs in your area. Here, you can quickly see which local DJs have the highest ratings and best reviews. You can also see how many times each DJ has been hired, whether they’re responsive and if they’re in high demand.

Catering prices depend mainly on how fancy you want the food and service to be and how many guests you’ll have. When you’re first looking to hire a caterer for your event, consider how many guests you’ll have and your total food and drink budget. The national average for event catering is $340, but catering prices can range into the thousands depending on your menu, guest count, and service.

Event catering is a broad term that covers everything from fully prepared, ready-to-eat food that the hosts plate and serve themselves to full-service, multicourse meals, including rental of linens, glassware and other items, with service staff organized by the catering company. Usually a caterer will determine cost based on the type of event you’re having, how many guests will attend, the level of service you desire, and what type of menu you’d like to have. For example, if you have a set catering budget, say $1,500, and you plan to have 50 people attend, that means you have $30 per person for food. If you have the same budget with 100 people, you have $15 per person for food. In this way, the number of people you want to attend your event and the level of food you want to serve them determines how much catering will cost.

Catering prices can range from about $10 per guest on the low end to $150 or more per person on the high end. Catering costs represent the quality of food, presentation, variety, ingredients and service. But catering prices are more than the cost to cook the food that will be at your party; they also include the cost for the company to do business. Here is a simple breakdown of catering prices:

• Menu: The food you serve your guests will directly affect the price per person. Organic ingredients, complex recipes, elaborate presentations, or high-ticket items like lobster or filet mignon all add to the cost.
• Service: Buffet, family style, plated dinners — how you serve the food affects the cost per person. For example, a true plated meal can cost about twice the price of a staff-assisted buffet because of staffing costs. Hiring waiters, bartenders and cleanup crew will all be calculated into the per-person catering price.
• Drinks: Providing beverages and alcoholic drinks for guests greatly increases your catering budget. Hosting an open bar can cost as much per person as the meal.
• Rentals: Seating, plates, glassware, etc., will all have an effect on the cost per person for catering. For example, a plastic conference table that seats 10 costs about $6 to rent on average, while a wooden farmhouse table is about $80 to rent on average.
• Business costs: Any catering cost will also include the cost for the company to do business such as insurance, employee wages, commercial kitchen space and more.

Wedding catering costs will always vary based on the number of guests you’re inviting, the menu you want to serve, and the way the food will be served to your guests. As you interview wedding catering companies, you’ll be presented with a cost per person for various menus. On the low end, wedding catering may cost approximately $15-$18 per person. This would include prepared food only, with no setup or service of any kind. The starting price for a simple buffet meal with minimal service typically averages $22 per person. Opting for the same menu with all organic ingredients could raise your costs to about $33 per person. A moderately upscale menu (finer ingredients, more elaborate presentation) could range from $24 to $34 per person. High-end wedding catering cost truly has no limit. Lobster, filet mignon, specialty seafood, organic ingredients — menu choices like these can boost your cost per person up to $150 and more.

A wedding makeup artist can ensure a flawless look on your big day. Finding the perfect person isn’t all about price, though. Here are tips for choosing the right makeup artist for your wedding:

• Research before reaching out. Wedding makeup artists should have an online presence with portfolios of their work. Find someone with an aesthetic you love.
• Read reviews. You want a wedding makeup artist who’ll be on time, do beautiful work, and add a positive vibe to your day. Pay attention if previous clients report bad experiences with a makeup artist.
• Consider skin tones. If your bridal party has a range of skin tones, make sure your wedding makeup artist and assistants are experienced and talented working with everyone.
• Is your top pick available on your date? If so, put down a deposit to secure their services.
• Confirm rates and payment. Clearly discuss prices and payment plans, and sign a detailed contract so there are no surprises on your wedding day.

After you find a few hairstylists you’re interested in, you need to decide who to hire. To figure this out, ask yourself these questions when evaluating each candidate:

• Does the hairstylist have mostly positive customer reviews and high ratings?
• Is the hairstylist charging prices that are reasonable and within my budget?
• Does this person specialize in my hair type and texture?
• Can the hairstylist achieve the look I want?
• Does the hairstylist have the proper training?
• Can the hairstylist come to me (i.e., are they a mobile hairstylist?), or do I need to go to their place of business?

Hourly rates for DJs can vary depending on where you live, the event type (weddings, prom, birthdays, etc.) and many other factors. For an accurate hourly rate, request cost estimates from top-rated DJs near you.