Valuable Information
Note: Many questions can be answered by re-reading your rental agreement and visiting the FAQ page on the our MAIN website.
It is NOT realistic to take photos at ALL of Oehme Oasis’ photo spots. Our suggestion is to choose 2-4. Also, please note at some point an Oehme Oasis Team Lead will touch base with your photographer so they are aware of some “hidden gem” spots. These areas are some the Oehmes have created that they otherwise may have missed. *Since being in the photography business for the last 15+ years, having options at all times of day, sun or shade, was important when designing!
We HIGHLY recommend that you do “First-Look” photos. The most impactful decision you can make about your wedding day timeline is whether or not you will see each other before the wedding. Approximately 50% of our couples initially plan on not seeing each other until the ceremony/don’t want to do a first look. However, once they learn all the reasons to do one, about 90% of our couples choose to do a first look. It of course ultimately doesn’t matter to Oehme Oasis; More details on additional pages.
Oehme Oasis Wedding & Events does not design & then decorate for you. We are actually not any more “DIY” than the vast majority of venues in our surrounding areas on this topic. You are welcome to hire a planner, a florist, or decorator. Your friends and family are also welcome to decorate on your behalf. Whoever it may be, we recommend assigning the task of “being in charge of decorating” to a few people you trust and who know your exact plan. OR you may want to look at adding on the “SETUP PACKAGE” through Oehme Oasis.
Oehme Oasis Wedding & Events does not naturally organize or coordinate your ceremony. That is the role of your planner/officiant. You should have someone who is not in the ceremony in charge of getting your bridal party to line up in order or have added the “Day Of Task Management” package through Oehme Oasis.
If you want to have the wooden doors opened & shut before/during your ceremony, please advise your ushers (or planner) that is one of their roles. We are often taking care of other details such as directing last minute guests, vendors, etc. OR if you have added-on “Day of Task Management” to your plan, they can take care of this.
Please make sure your DJ knows that all must-play music must be downloaded before they arrive onsite. Oehme Oasis can not guarantee reliable enough service to stream music. In our experience, if the DJ expects to stream music, it is a “red flag” that they are not the quality you would want on your wedding day.
Sometimes hiring “cheaper” vendors can cost you more in the end. We are all for savvy decision making, but guys, a “cheaper” photographer or DJ is most often not the best decision. A million times over I would cut out the favors, the s'mores/candy bar, printed programs, koozies, or even 100 other things before I would hire an amateur DJ or photographer. If a DJ does a terrible job, your party is NOT fun. If a photographer does a terrible job, you’ll be disappointed for a long time after the wedding. **I personally know this first hand, and yet I paid over $5,000 for my photographer. She was not cheap, but I fell into the “Instagram” trap. I thought she would be great but now 2 years later, I’m still heartbroken of the images I received (and didn’t) of my wedding.**
You do NOT have to use Oehme Oasis’ vetted vendors. However, I would at least encourage you to include them in your initial consideration. You can find vendors we have had great experiences with inside your personal WEVEN account, under the VENDORS tab. *Note: Many of our vendors are MUCH more of an investment if hired outside Oehme Oasis.
Consider hiring small business owners with extensive wedding experience as vendors.
Here’s why - when you read a review about a photographer, DJ, or videographer that owns the company, they probably did the work. That means that their portfolio should actually be a representation of their work. **Always double check though**
It also tends to mean they should naturally care more.
No matter who you hire - READ REVIEWS on Google, The Knot, Facebook, etc.
We get nervous when we see that you have chosen friends & family to be your vendors. However, outside of bar service, the choice of vendors is yours. They just have to be licensed/insured and provide the required documents. —We want your day to be a huge success. While it might sound like a great idea to accept offers from friends & family to be your photographer, DJ, videographer, etc., it might also be the riskiest decision you make.
Here’s why-When you hire friends & family, you are also putting your relationship on the line. What if you don’t like their work on your wedding day? What if that work is something like photography… that you will now have with you for the rest of your life? I repeat it throughout this document, but your wedding is not where you want folks who WANT to become wedding professionals to practice. You don’t get a second chance.
Maybe that friend could be with you earlier in the day (before the professionals arrive) and get extra “getting ready” photos or a video? Or maybe they could be helpful with decorating? There are definitely ways they can add to your big day, without taking the place of a professional who knows how to do the job.
If you have already “hired” a friend or family member, I DO think it is a good idea to put a contract in place. There are so many assumptions in the wedding process, and contracts help clarify the important points. They also lessen the opportunity for misunderstandings between friends & family.
Nearby hotels book FAST. Depending on the time of year, Cedar Lake Speedway & the Somerset Amphitheatre bring a TON of people to the area. During certain weekends, many hotels don’t even allow for “wedding room blocks,”-- instead you have to actually book each room separately on your credit card. (Then cancel later if they are not needed.) Please DO NOT wait to get hotel rooms booked if you know you are interested in one. –With that, we suggest you only put NEW RICHMOND hotels on your wedding websites or any stationary you send out. There are options in Baldwin, but if you list both it becomes tricky if you are doing the shuttles.
Linens are not directly included at Oehme Oasis Wedding & Events. You are absolutely welcome to bring in your own. Just don’t plan to iron linens on site, as it will not work. If you need to steam or iron linens please do so BEFORE you arrive. OR if getting them through our connection, you may add to have them already ironed and on the tables, prior to your arrival.
If Oehme Oasis’ connection is NOT providing your linens, don’t forget the following tables: Buffet, DJ, sweets, gift, guest book, memorial, appetizers, vendor, head table and guest tables. Please consider ordering an extra (or 2) of guest table linens, as well as an 8 foot linen as a backup.
