My wedding *weekend* was everything I dreamed of and more. So many of our friends and family came from out of state to celebrate with us. And it was absolutely incredible, thanks largely to our amazing vendors!
The South Florida Knotties all were so helpful to this long-distance bride, so I want to return the favor. I'm a very tough grader, but my vendors really pulled through for me.
VENUE (The Rusty Pelican): A+
PLANNING: Christina was my lifesaver. She kept me organized and accommodated my every need, including all of my crazy requests. I felt completely confident in her recommendations and suggestions. As a long-distance bride, you need to work with someone you trust. Christina was all that and more; I'm so grateful I worked with her!
SERVICE: Wow. I was so impressed. Our glasses never went empty, the food was delivered promptly and according to schedule, the cake was cut and distributed quickly. We couldn't ask for anything more.
FOOD: De-li-cious. The appetizers we had were so tasty! The seafood buffet our guests had was awesome and my dad was thrilled with the giant shrimp and crab claws. For dinner, we had caesar salad, a dual-entree of steak and salmon, veggies and garlic mashed potatoes on the side. Everything was perfectly cooked, most notably the steak which was so tender that guests could cut it with a butter knife. Our very picky NY crowd was raving! We rarely get food this good at the country clubs up north. Quite simply, this was the best food of any wedding/black-tie/semi-formal event out of the dozens we've attended. I'm so happy I got to eat my full meal!
LOCATION: The ceremony went perfectly on the terrace, and we had our cocktail hour in the foyer. Since we were the only wedding, we spread out and everyone relaxed and got their drink on. The view from the Biscayne Room can't be beat, and we had plenty of room for all of our tables, the photobooth, and dessert stations. Later on, we had a cigar bar on the terrace that was a total hit. Our friends were lounging outside with cigars and cocktails, chatting and having the best time. I swear, I almost cried. Total bliss.
I couldn't recommend TRP more. To the upcoming brides - you're in for an amazing night!
CAKE (Edible Creations): A+
Meeting Lily first was one of the best decisions of this wedding. I wanted square, simple, elegant. She went above and beyond. She made some design suggestions that were incredible -- the cake was my dream come true and beyond! Everyone stopped and stared when they saw it. And then their jaws dropped at the groom's cake! I wanted a black t-shirt with his favorite band's logo on it, and it was EXACTLY the same as the picture I sent her. (He absolutely flipped out when he saw it!) I'm so glad Lily was setting it up in person because we just HAD to hug her!
Our wedding cake was vanilla rum with dulce de leche filling and chocolate kahlua with hazelnut filling. It was so ridiculously to die for, people were stealing pieces off of other tables! The groom's cake was red velvet with cream cheese filling and he was in cake heaven. Her fondant was delish. Neither of us ate any other desserts - nothing but cake. When we came back from the honeymoon, we were still eating vanilla rum cake and it was just as good as the day we cut it. Awww.
I will gladly order all my special events cakes from her from now on. She made a birthday cake for my dad that was just as incredible! She puts so much care and offers such wonderful customer service... Edible Creations is by far the top cake vendor in Florida.
PHOTO (Lux Images): A+
I cannot express in words how much I love Andy, Oscar, and Jennifer. Seriously. Andy completely GOT US, from our e-pic session to the very last minute of the wedding. He was quick to reply to email/phone calls, was always on top of scheduling, and always had the best personality. He and Oscar were great in capturing sneaky candids without us noticing, and accommodating all the craziness that occurred. They even dealt with my rude extended family with a smile on their face (sorry guys!)
Their work? Speaks for itself. I can't believe that's really us in the photos. I told him I wanted a bunch of detail pics, and certain specific shots -- they got them all and then some. The teasers were AMAZING! We were on our honeymoon when we saw them and they were just incredible. Our parents burst into tears when they saw them.
We received teasers, our full online gallery, and album designs before some friends even received their teasers. Our album design is incredible and will be a fabulous reminder of such a special day with the people we loved.
Choosing Lux ensures that your big day -- or any important event! -- will be captured flawlessly and completely. Our pictures were full of emotion, fun, and love. I will always be grateful that we worked with them. Thanks Andy & team!
VIDEO (Reinhardt Productions): A+
I'm in love with Marty and Kenya. They're the sweetest people in the world. My husband has worked in film production, so he did all the research here. Marty was so professional and impressed him, which is hard to do. There were no other choices in videography; they were the only ones we spoke to and we booked them without meeting them in person.
Reinhardt did a great job of filming our wedding in its entirity. They were with us the ENTIRE day - from the first fluff of hair to the very last dance. We appreciated that there was no time limit and we didn't feel rushed with them. They worked beautifully with our photographers so they could both record the wedding without getting in each others' shots. And they did not disturb people who were partying and celebrating, and did a fabulous job getting interviews without any awkwardness. Everyone loved being around them, because of their friendly personalities and professional ease.
We received the completed DVD within 2 months of the wedding. Aaaand... it's awesome. They captured everything beautifully, the sound quality was perfect, and they really "got" what we were all about. There wasn't a single moment missed. They got every dance, every bite of dessert, all of our friends lounging on the terrace. Watching it makes me feel like I'm reliving the events. We are so happy to have our memories captured so well, and at such a fantastic price.
HAIR/MAKEUP (VIP Salon in Sunny Isles): A+
William is the only person I trust to cut my hair, so of course I wanted him to make my bridal party gorgeous. He did everyone's hair; Jessica did our makeup including individual lashes. Everything went perfectly on schedule, and everyone looked stunning! The hair and makeup lasted all night, looked very natural yet striking in pictures. We hardly needed to touch up. And I can't believe how great his prices were! I wish I hadn't wasted so much money on trials with "bridal specialists." William works on photo shoots and with magazines, and he knew exactly what we wanted. DEFINITELY give him a call!
DJ (Ubi's Music): B
We had a really detailed intro script and an unusual playlist, and they accommodated both. The DJ (I didn't get his name) was able to read the crowd well and played a good mix of music. The uplighting is stunning in the Biscayne Room. Page me for more info.
PHOTOBOOTH (Partybooths): A
Took a recommendation from Knottie Mrs. Orly and I can't thank her enough! They had the best pricing of everyone I spoke to, and were prompt in replying to all my emails. They even put a custom graphic at the bottom of our photo strips! I didn't get the name of the woman who worked with us to supervise the booth, but she was very sweet. My friends all flipped out and had a BLAST in the booth -- even the older guests got in on the action! One of my bridesmaids says this is a must-have for weddings from now on.
ICE LUGE (Elegance in Ice): A+
This was included in my package at TRP. Ed is a genius. We wanted a kind of crazy ice sculpture - for the football fans, we wanted "the catch" of the 2008 Super Bowl, when a NY Giants player caught a ball on his helmet. We would have been happy with just the helmet, but he created a TORSO, too! And he put the team name and the player's number on it, too!!! It was probably the biggest secret of our wedding and it was a great "WOW" for our guests at the cocktail hour.
DESSERT (Misha's Cupcakes): B+
Before we decided to add vanilla rum to our cake, we ordered mini-cupcakes to compliment the dessert buffet. We had cinnamon sugar and coconut, and they were very yummy. They worked well over email and matched the color sample of icing. However, when they delivered the cupcakes, they forgot the cupcake stand I'd sent a deposit for. It didn't show up until 7PM -- ceremony time! I'm grateful they brought it at all... but I didn't appreciate them calling my cell phone at 6:59pm to tell me to come outside and get it. They didn't know I was about to walk down the aisle. :)
DOC (Tara @ Platinum Weddings Florida): A-
Tara and her team had the tough job of setting up the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception within 2 hours. I can't imagine! I gave her really detailed instructions and timelines and she followed everything perfectly. I wish we had a little bit more attention during the dinner, but she was busy taking care of other stuff. Her prices were AMAZING for the services she provided.
FLOWERS (Terra Flowers Miami): A
Terra Flowers did all of our personals and they gave me EXACTLY what I wanted. The flowers were flawless and I was pleased with pricing. Heidi even tied on the little bouquet charms I'd bought for each girl. I was so happy she included a toss bouquet, because I was in LOVE with mine. She responded promptly to calls and emails, even last minute changes.
LIMOS (Meilan): A
Prompt, professional, perfect. We rented two limos to get there, one on the way back. We asked for one Excursion and one regular, but the second limo was upgraded to an Excursion as well. The ride flew by! Our driver Bartolo was the coolest. Our dads loved him!
BUSES (Gator Trax): A
I loved working with Buddy. He made it so easy and the buses were lovely. He had the best prices of all the vendors I researched. My friends had a BLAST the entire drive, and it made everyone more willing to indulge in the fabulous open bar. I kinda wish we'd rode with our friends on the way back!
INVITATIONS/PLACECARDS (Twin Ravens Press): A-
CALLIGRAPHY (Calligraphy by Michele): A
PROGRAMS (BeyondDesign at Etsy): A
MINI-MENUS, PHOTOCARDS, TABLE NUMBERS (My MOH!): A+
YARMULKES (Mazeltops): A
CUSTOM TIES (B-Screened): B
CUSTOM TOTE BAGS (CSI Studios Chicago): A
GUEST HOTEL (The Monaco, Sunny Isles): A+
BRIDE HOTEL (The Thunderbird, Sunny Isles): A
LATE NIGHT BARS (The Thunderbird and The Porterhouse, Sunny Isles): A
Page me for more details! Thanks again for all of your help. :)
Showing posts with label Rusty Pelican. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rusty Pelican. Show all posts
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Jessie720's Reviews 05.23.09
The weather suuuucked and it poured for the only moment in time I wanted it to be clear- getting out of the limo and to church. I had a team of men come and get me with umbrellas and they got soaked and my hair lost its curl. Also I would recommend tucking a hankie into your cleavage or something; I couldn’t stop crying through the whole ceremony and had a snot rocket type situation going on when we exchanged rings. Not pretty. However, I loved how my wedding turned out overall and I am so happy to be married!
Ceremony: St. Hugh Catholic Church- B
First off, I LOVE Maria, who is the church coordinator. She is so sweet and super helpful. Father Garcia also delivered a wonderful ceremony for us. There were a few things that did disappoint me. I was told that Father will not be happy if you are late to your rehearsal because he does them all in one day, so I drilled it in to my bridal party to be there super early. Our rehearsal was scheduled for 5 PM and we were there at 4:30, except for my in laws who arrived around 5:10. Anyway, we started the rehearsal around 4:50 with a few people missing, and when they showed up at 5:10, he refused to go over the order of things again, even though we were scheduled to have rehearsal till 5:30. This wasn’t a huge deal. The day of the wedding, Ollie and his crew of men showed up at the church at 3 PM, which is when the second photog was going to be there to get some shots. Well some guy that works for the church refused to open the gate for them. He didn't want anyone in the church before 3:30. They didn't want to go into the sanctuary, the just wanted to park thier cars and take some pics out front. At this time there were about 10 cars clogging up the road, trying to get in for my ceremony (invites said 3:30, it started at 4.) Ollie threatened to call the archdiocese of Miami and magically the gates opened. I was mostly disappointed that during the ceremony, the readings were not placed on the stand for the lectors to read them. Luckily my one reader printed it out and brought it with her to the stand. My second reader, poor girl was only 11, just stood there for a minute like a dear in headlights. Luckily, I had made programs with the readings in there, and my MOH finally ran up to her with the reading. Since then, I have become an advocate for programs! Also my cousins went up to bring the gifts to the priest, and there was no bread or wine for them to bring up. What REALLY upset me was we only had 10 minutes to take pictures at the altar. Just when our grandmas were lining up to take pics with us, we got kicked out and we never did get to take a picture with them. They are all still upset over this, as am I.
Ceremony Vocalist: Cecilia Witkowski from St. Hugh- A
I was really surprised that people even paid attention to the songs at the ceremony, but they kept coming up to me all night commenting on how amazing she made the ceremony. Her communication was great and she gave an excellent performance.
Reception Venue: The Rusty Pelican- B
I was working with Betty originally, and then I was assigned to Edward. I will say that this place did give me some headaches early on, and what annoyed me the most was when they informed me I couldn’t bring my wedding items to the venue until the morning of the reception. This was just not possible for me logistically. When I signed our contract, they said we could bring in all of our stuff when we gave the final payment, which is 4 days before. Needless to say, I argued until they let me bring the stuff Friday afternoon, but I was still super peeved. I ended up buying a ton of things to bring to the reception, and if I had known about this rule when it changed, I wouldn’t have accumulated so much stuff. Also, because we opted to have a buffet set up, we were invited to the Sunday brunch as our tasting, but none of the food was the same as what we could select, so we really didn’t have a tasting. At our cocktail hour, which was scheduled from 6-7 PM, they told our guests the bar will not open till 7, which was an error because I paid for them to begin serving liquor at 6. They did fix it but I had some unhappy guests for awhile. During our planning meetings, they kept telling me not to stress about the timeline. If guests arrive for cocktail hour early, they will serve everything early and just move up the timeline. My guests arrived at 5:30, and food and liquor was not served until 6, after the minor mishap of when to open the bar. I would have much preferred everything moved up a half hour like they said they would. Sometime towards the end of the reception while I was dancing, a server came up to me to give me a comment card to fill out. Ummm I was kinda busy and did not need to be bothered with that. I told them to leave it on the sweetheart table and I have no idea what happened to it. Overall I am still thrilled to have had my wedding there, because the ballroom, the view, and the food are still being raved about.
A little story about their valet drivers- while we were partying at the Rusty Pelican, one of the valet drivers ran a customer’s car into the limo my in laws had. The police came to do the report, and it was discovered the valet did not have a license. He went to jail that night. 2 other valet drivers were found to either have no license, or a suspended license. Not sure if they went to jail or were fired or whatever. Craziness that valet companies don’t check to see if people have valid licenses! And the clientele of that restaurant have expensive cars.
Fabulous Fetes, Justine- A
She was VERY helpful prior to the wedding day, printed my programs free of charge and also did my menus and printed them free of charge for me. I spoke with her when I was having doubts with my vendors and she was a good sounding board. She offered to meet with vendors when I had meetings with them, but I didn’t really need her to do that. She dropped off my menus at AB Covers for me and finalized all of my vendor contracts. She attended our rehearsal and took all the directions from the priest. Everything was set up the day of the way I wanted it to, and came out beautifully. I tried to keep my guests out of the ballroom until my photogs got there, but my mom told her to open the doors so I got overruled. I spoke with her several times during the night to have her do something for me and it was never a problem. Everything was packed up nicely at the end of the night. Overall I thought she did a good job.
Photography: DB Images- A (pending pictures)
Based on how my e-pics and shower pics came out, and my incredible wedding teasers, I am super happy with my decision to have used Devynn. I spoke with her constantly during the planning process and she always got back to me, it really feels like we have become friends. She is also shooting my cousin’s wedding so I know we will be in touch for a long time to come.
Photography: Joseph Keith Photography- A (pending pictures)
I really wanted a second photographer, and Devynn hired Joseph for me. I had no prior contact with him before the wedding. He brought along a ton of lighting gear, and I love a lot of the ideas he had for posing us and setting up shots. He went to the church to photograph the guys before I got there, and they thought he was super cool and they loved working with him. Ollie couldn’t stop raving about him on our honeymoon lol. I have yet to see any of his final photos though, but based on his professionalism that day, I am super excited to see his shots. I have heard he is relatively inexpensive, so check him out if you don’t have a large budget for photos.
Video: My Treasure Videos- A+!! (pending final video)
I had not even met Javier in person until my wedding day, so I really didn’t focus too much on our video. After the drama I experienced with another video company, I felt I could trust him 100% to do his thing and he did. He gave us a ton of upgrades just because he really wanted us to have certain things. Our video recap is so beautiful and I barely noticed Javier at all that night, even in our cramped hotel room getting ready. I really cannot get over how nice he is and how he couldn’t wait to do our recap, it was ready the next day!
Video: Dreammaker Events- no grade, just do NOT use them!
I feel entitled to review them since for a long time I was a client of theirs. This review is based on my actual experience with them, ALL CRAZY KNOT DRAMA ASIDE. I can say that Rob always returned messages, however I had a lot of concerns based on the experiences of other brides. When I brought the concerns to his attention, he basically said everyone was lying and his company would never do these things. When I originally booked with them, I was told you had to have the blu ray package, they didn’t shoot in standard definition anymore. Of course when I told him he was no longer worth the 2 grand I was contracted for, he told he would let me change my package to a smaller one, without blu ray. Where was this package when I originally asked for it? He refused to do anything to make me happy, and was saying that all I wanted was a discount. Not completely true, I just felt he was no longer worth the money and that I wouldn’t receive what I was paying for. I ultimately went elsewhere and could not have been happier.
DJ: Liquid DJs- A
Shannon sent us DJ L.A. and the dance floor was busy all night, which is really the only thing I cared about. Communication with Shannon was great leading up to the wedding. We wanted to be announced into the ballroom and then go straight into our first dance, and I don’t know why there was a delay, but after we were announced, the DJ played some dance music and told everyone to join us on the dance floor, then 30 seconds later they all sat down when our first dance song came on. Kinda awkward, but it wasn’t a big deal.
Uplighting: Ubi- A
Ubi tried to get me a DJ a few weeks before my wedding, but he was all booked up. He offered to try and hunt one down for me with another company, but I ended up finding Liquid DJs so it was fine. The lighting looked awesome and as far as I know it was there on time and set up properly.
Cocktail hour violinist: Music for Anything- A
I had heard stories about how bad their communication is but I actually had an awesome experience in that regard. I only hired them about 2 weeks before and it was constant communication. I didn’t hear the music at all, and nobody really told me about the performance, but I know they did their job and were prompt.
Cake: Lily with Edible Creations- A
This woman is as sweet as her cakes. It was delicious and the design was exactly what I requested. The red velvet was a the biggest hit with our guests.
Florist: Gil Sosa- A
What can I say that already hasn’t been said about this man. His communication definitely improves when your wedding nears (but you have to be super close, like a week out.) 4 days before the wedding, he offered me a new idea for my centerpieces that sounded really awesome. It was to use the floralytes like on one of the weddings on Justine’s blog, with opaque white vases. He said it would blow my mind and it probably would have, but I opted to keep my original design because my flowers and linens were white, so I just felt like white vases would have been too much white. My flowers turned out beautifully. My sign in table was my favorite thing. I will be nitpicky for a second and say that a few things were different from my contract. The BM bouquets were supposed to be only calla lilies, but they ended up having several types of white flowers with the little green berries. This was fine, they looked good. I wish my cake had flowers on the very top tier though; I am not sure why that part was left out. Lastly, my centerpieces were surrounded by cylinders with floating orchids, as opposed to the candle holders that were originally used during my trial. It still looked nice, but I would have preferred the candle holders with different heights.
Linens: AB Covers- A
I love Ana, she did several different set ups for me and didn’t pressure me into upgrading. The only linens I upgraded were the napkins, I wanted them to be teal. She offered to take my extra damask fabric and make napkin ties. This came out so fabulous and she didn’t charge me anything for it, even though sewing the edges on all those ties must have taken a lot of work and time.
Limos: A-1 Limos out of Boyton Beach
We had 2 limos and a towncar the whole night. They were on time and very professional. They tried as hard as they could to get me close to the front doors of the church, the parking area of St. Hugh is quite awkward. My FIL booked the limos so I do not know how their prices were or their customer service prior to that day. I do know my FIL told me we would be getting an 8 passenger limo, and we got a huge SUV limo that could have fit 15.
Flower preservation: Forever Flowers: A (pending final product)
They picked up my flowers at the reception venue on time, I still need to pick out how I want my display to look.
Wedding Gown: bestbridalprices.com- A
Although they no longer sell Maggie Sottero gowns, I was able to get mine from there before they stopped. The dress was perfect and came a few weeks early. I agonized over this decision, since buying a wedding gown online is not ideal for a nervous bride. It was probably one of the better decisions I made during the planning process.
Alterations: Reina- C
This review disappoints me so much. I loved the way my dress fit, don’t get me wrong. Reina did a fabulous job with it and had to do a significant amount of alterations. However, my mom and I tried on our dresses for the last time, and then we waited over an hour for her to steam and press them and then took everything home. Imagine my surprise when I take my dress out of the bag on my wedding day to find it is NOT pressed or steamed at all! I had to call the Biltmore and they sent a steam machine up to my room, so my aunt and I were steaming my dress. I only had enough time to do the front, which looked awesome. You can see how wrinkled the back of the dress was though in a black and white photo on Devynn's blog. I was so upset by this, it was my biggest disappointment. I still love her and would recommend her to anyone for alterations; I just don't understand how my dress wasn’t pressed when I was sitting there while they worked on it. It didn’t occur to me to take the dress out of the bag to check and make sure it was steamed. My dress really needed it because I ordered online and it was packed up in a box for a while.
Hair: Dina Acle- A
What a sweetheart! She did my hair, my mom’s, my grandma’s, 2 of my bridesmaid’s, and my flower girl’s. Everyone looked great. My hair did lose some of it’s curl throughout the night but only because it downpoured on me. I can’t blame her for that, I still insisted on having my hair down regardless of the weather. I am still happy I decided to have it down, because it still looked decent in pictures. She also did my eyebrows for me a week before the wedding, and she will send you lots of pictures of her work.
MAC Makeup: Jorge Pena- A
This guy is a trip and half and kept up the entertainment factor while doing my cousin’s makeup, my mom’s, and myself. My mom looked so awesome, she never wears makeup. Same with my cousin, she usually wears none and she looked great that night. I loved my own makeup and it help up all night. Great communication with him as well.
Bridesmaids Dresses: Patricia South- A
The dresses were fabulous and all the guests loved them and the girls looked smokin. They came in on time and were the best price I found besides online ordering.
Groomsman Tuxes: MW Tux Aventura- C
I don’t know too many details because everyone hid the problems from Bridezilla, but I do know that our long distance groomsman had their tuxes delivered to their local tux places instead of here in Aventura. A bunch of them had to get refitted, and one groomsman did not have his tux delivered to him until 1 PM on our wedding day (ceremony started at 4 PM!)
Hotel block: Biltmore Hotel- A
LOVE this hotel, it is a great backdrop for photos. I recommend staying here because they allow you take photos for free as a guest on their gorgeous grounds, instead of paying the $200 fee or whatever it is. They had a few weddings going on that day, so they asked us to leave those areas, but that is understandable. Those brides are paying an exorbitant amount of cash and deserve priority. They also dropped our room rates by 70 bucks a night a week prior our stay, for no reason that we know of. Super grateful for that! When I needed my wedding dress steamed, they sent a commercial steamer up to me right away to take care of my dress. That was lifesaving right there.
Rehearsal Dinner: Los Ranchos Cocowalk- A
I had never been there before, but their food was amazing. The steak I had with tons of chimichurri was a lifechanging experience. Service was great and prices seemed reasonable, although I know we had a large bill due to the alcohol we consumed. I cannot wait to go back there and have more steak. Everyone had a great time and the families got to know each other better. My in laws did all of the arrangements, so I cannot comment on that experience but I am guessing it went smoothly.
Honeymoon: Sandals Regency in St. Lucia- A
We used Nancy Finn as our travel agent and she was a pleasure to work with. We were orginially booked at the Sandals Grande, but we decided to switch over to the Regency to save money. The amount was saved was significant, and we think the Regency was the resort for us anyway, after visiting all of the other Sandals on St. Lucia. Our room was super cute and we had a phenomenal view. The food is okay, and the bartenders are very liberal with the alcohol. The only thing that is odd is that you can't eat lunch past 2:30 or dinner past 9:30, and a few times were were later than that so we got stuck eating at the burger grill that is open all the time. I would highly recommend the zipligning excursion, as well as Simon Says tours. He is independent from Sandals but gives you a local tour of the entire island, and he even brings you back to his house and his wife cooks you some awesome carribbean food. Money well spent, and we definitely needed the time to relax after the wedding planning.
Ceremony: St. Hugh Catholic Church- B
First off, I LOVE Maria, who is the church coordinator. She is so sweet and super helpful. Father Garcia also delivered a wonderful ceremony for us. There were a few things that did disappoint me. I was told that Father will not be happy if you are late to your rehearsal because he does them all in one day, so I drilled it in to my bridal party to be there super early. Our rehearsal was scheduled for 5 PM and we were there at 4:30, except for my in laws who arrived around 5:10. Anyway, we started the rehearsal around 4:50 with a few people missing, and when they showed up at 5:10, he refused to go over the order of things again, even though we were scheduled to have rehearsal till 5:30. This wasn’t a huge deal. The day of the wedding, Ollie and his crew of men showed up at the church at 3 PM, which is when the second photog was going to be there to get some shots. Well some guy that works for the church refused to open the gate for them. He didn't want anyone in the church before 3:30. They didn't want to go into the sanctuary, the just wanted to park thier cars and take some pics out front. At this time there were about 10 cars clogging up the road, trying to get in for my ceremony (invites said 3:30, it started at 4.) Ollie threatened to call the archdiocese of Miami and magically the gates opened. I was mostly disappointed that during the ceremony, the readings were not placed on the stand for the lectors to read them. Luckily my one reader printed it out and brought it with her to the stand. My second reader, poor girl was only 11, just stood there for a minute like a dear in headlights. Luckily, I had made programs with the readings in there, and my MOH finally ran up to her with the reading. Since then, I have become an advocate for programs! Also my cousins went up to bring the gifts to the priest, and there was no bread or wine for them to bring up. What REALLY upset me was we only had 10 minutes to take pictures at the altar. Just when our grandmas were lining up to take pics with us, we got kicked out and we never did get to take a picture with them. They are all still upset over this, as am I.
Ceremony Vocalist: Cecilia Witkowski from St. Hugh- A
I was really surprised that people even paid attention to the songs at the ceremony, but they kept coming up to me all night commenting on how amazing she made the ceremony. Her communication was great and she gave an excellent performance.
Reception Venue: The Rusty Pelican- B
I was working with Betty originally, and then I was assigned to Edward. I will say that this place did give me some headaches early on, and what annoyed me the most was when they informed me I couldn’t bring my wedding items to the venue until the morning of the reception. This was just not possible for me logistically. When I signed our contract, they said we could bring in all of our stuff when we gave the final payment, which is 4 days before. Needless to say, I argued until they let me bring the stuff Friday afternoon, but I was still super peeved. I ended up buying a ton of things to bring to the reception, and if I had known about this rule when it changed, I wouldn’t have accumulated so much stuff. Also, because we opted to have a buffet set up, we were invited to the Sunday brunch as our tasting, but none of the food was the same as what we could select, so we really didn’t have a tasting. At our cocktail hour, which was scheduled from 6-7 PM, they told our guests the bar will not open till 7, which was an error because I paid for them to begin serving liquor at 6. They did fix it but I had some unhappy guests for awhile. During our planning meetings, they kept telling me not to stress about the timeline. If guests arrive for cocktail hour early, they will serve everything early and just move up the timeline. My guests arrived at 5:30, and food and liquor was not served until 6, after the minor mishap of when to open the bar. I would have much preferred everything moved up a half hour like they said they would. Sometime towards the end of the reception while I was dancing, a server came up to me to give me a comment card to fill out. Ummm I was kinda busy and did not need to be bothered with that. I told them to leave it on the sweetheart table and I have no idea what happened to it. Overall I am still thrilled to have had my wedding there, because the ballroom, the view, and the food are still being raved about.
A little story about their valet drivers- while we were partying at the Rusty Pelican, one of the valet drivers ran a customer’s car into the limo my in laws had. The police came to do the report, and it was discovered the valet did not have a license. He went to jail that night. 2 other valet drivers were found to either have no license, or a suspended license. Not sure if they went to jail or were fired or whatever. Craziness that valet companies don’t check to see if people have valid licenses! And the clientele of that restaurant have expensive cars.
Fabulous Fetes, Justine- A
She was VERY helpful prior to the wedding day, printed my programs free of charge and also did my menus and printed them free of charge for me. I spoke with her when I was having doubts with my vendors and she was a good sounding board. She offered to meet with vendors when I had meetings with them, but I didn’t really need her to do that. She dropped off my menus at AB Covers for me and finalized all of my vendor contracts. She attended our rehearsal and took all the directions from the priest. Everything was set up the day of the way I wanted it to, and came out beautifully. I tried to keep my guests out of the ballroom until my photogs got there, but my mom told her to open the doors so I got overruled. I spoke with her several times during the night to have her do something for me and it was never a problem. Everything was packed up nicely at the end of the night. Overall I thought she did a good job.
Photography: DB Images- A (pending pictures)
Based on how my e-pics and shower pics came out, and my incredible wedding teasers, I am super happy with my decision to have used Devynn. I spoke with her constantly during the planning process and she always got back to me, it really feels like we have become friends. She is also shooting my cousin’s wedding so I know we will be in touch for a long time to come.
Photography: Joseph Keith Photography- A (pending pictures)
I really wanted a second photographer, and Devynn hired Joseph for me. I had no prior contact with him before the wedding. He brought along a ton of lighting gear, and I love a lot of the ideas he had for posing us and setting up shots. He went to the church to photograph the guys before I got there, and they thought he was super cool and they loved working with him. Ollie couldn’t stop raving about him on our honeymoon lol. I have yet to see any of his final photos though, but based on his professionalism that day, I am super excited to see his shots. I have heard he is relatively inexpensive, so check him out if you don’t have a large budget for photos.
Video: My Treasure Videos- A+!! (pending final video)
I had not even met Javier in person until my wedding day, so I really didn’t focus too much on our video. After the drama I experienced with another video company, I felt I could trust him 100% to do his thing and he did. He gave us a ton of upgrades just because he really wanted us to have certain things. Our video recap is so beautiful and I barely noticed Javier at all that night, even in our cramped hotel room getting ready. I really cannot get over how nice he is and how he couldn’t wait to do our recap, it was ready the next day!
Video: Dreammaker Events- no grade, just do NOT use them!
I feel entitled to review them since for a long time I was a client of theirs. This review is based on my actual experience with them, ALL CRAZY KNOT DRAMA ASIDE. I can say that Rob always returned messages, however I had a lot of concerns based on the experiences of other brides. When I brought the concerns to his attention, he basically said everyone was lying and his company would never do these things. When I originally booked with them, I was told you had to have the blu ray package, they didn’t shoot in standard definition anymore. Of course when I told him he was no longer worth the 2 grand I was contracted for, he told he would let me change my package to a smaller one, without blu ray. Where was this package when I originally asked for it? He refused to do anything to make me happy, and was saying that all I wanted was a discount. Not completely true, I just felt he was no longer worth the money and that I wouldn’t receive what I was paying for. I ultimately went elsewhere and could not have been happier.
DJ: Liquid DJs- A
Shannon sent us DJ L.A. and the dance floor was busy all night, which is really the only thing I cared about. Communication with Shannon was great leading up to the wedding. We wanted to be announced into the ballroom and then go straight into our first dance, and I don’t know why there was a delay, but after we were announced, the DJ played some dance music and told everyone to join us on the dance floor, then 30 seconds later they all sat down when our first dance song came on. Kinda awkward, but it wasn’t a big deal.
Uplighting: Ubi- A
Ubi tried to get me a DJ a few weeks before my wedding, but he was all booked up. He offered to try and hunt one down for me with another company, but I ended up finding Liquid DJs so it was fine. The lighting looked awesome and as far as I know it was there on time and set up properly.
Cocktail hour violinist: Music for Anything- A
I had heard stories about how bad their communication is but I actually had an awesome experience in that regard. I only hired them about 2 weeks before and it was constant communication. I didn’t hear the music at all, and nobody really told me about the performance, but I know they did their job and were prompt.
Cake: Lily with Edible Creations- A
This woman is as sweet as her cakes. It was delicious and the design was exactly what I requested. The red velvet was a the biggest hit with our guests.
Florist: Gil Sosa- A
What can I say that already hasn’t been said about this man. His communication definitely improves when your wedding nears (but you have to be super close, like a week out.) 4 days before the wedding, he offered me a new idea for my centerpieces that sounded really awesome. It was to use the floralytes like on one of the weddings on Justine’s blog, with opaque white vases. He said it would blow my mind and it probably would have, but I opted to keep my original design because my flowers and linens were white, so I just felt like white vases would have been too much white. My flowers turned out beautifully. My sign in table was my favorite thing. I will be nitpicky for a second and say that a few things were different from my contract. The BM bouquets were supposed to be only calla lilies, but they ended up having several types of white flowers with the little green berries. This was fine, they looked good. I wish my cake had flowers on the very top tier though; I am not sure why that part was left out. Lastly, my centerpieces were surrounded by cylinders with floating orchids, as opposed to the candle holders that were originally used during my trial. It still looked nice, but I would have preferred the candle holders with different heights.
Linens: AB Covers- A
I love Ana, she did several different set ups for me and didn’t pressure me into upgrading. The only linens I upgraded were the napkins, I wanted them to be teal. She offered to take my extra damask fabric and make napkin ties. This came out so fabulous and she didn’t charge me anything for it, even though sewing the edges on all those ties must have taken a lot of work and time.
Limos: A-1 Limos out of Boyton Beach
We had 2 limos and a towncar the whole night. They were on time and very professional. They tried as hard as they could to get me close to the front doors of the church, the parking area of St. Hugh is quite awkward. My FIL booked the limos so I do not know how their prices were or their customer service prior to that day. I do know my FIL told me we would be getting an 8 passenger limo, and we got a huge SUV limo that could have fit 15.
Flower preservation: Forever Flowers: A (pending final product)
They picked up my flowers at the reception venue on time, I still need to pick out how I want my display to look.
Wedding Gown: bestbridalprices.com- A
Although they no longer sell Maggie Sottero gowns, I was able to get mine from there before they stopped. The dress was perfect and came a few weeks early. I agonized over this decision, since buying a wedding gown online is not ideal for a nervous bride. It was probably one of the better decisions I made during the planning process.
Alterations: Reina- C
This review disappoints me so much. I loved the way my dress fit, don’t get me wrong. Reina did a fabulous job with it and had to do a significant amount of alterations. However, my mom and I tried on our dresses for the last time, and then we waited over an hour for her to steam and press them and then took everything home. Imagine my surprise when I take my dress out of the bag on my wedding day to find it is NOT pressed or steamed at all! I had to call the Biltmore and they sent a steam machine up to my room, so my aunt and I were steaming my dress. I only had enough time to do the front, which looked awesome. You can see how wrinkled the back of the dress was though in a black and white photo on Devynn's blog. I was so upset by this, it was my biggest disappointment. I still love her and would recommend her to anyone for alterations; I just don't understand how my dress wasn’t pressed when I was sitting there while they worked on it. It didn’t occur to me to take the dress out of the bag to check and make sure it was steamed. My dress really needed it because I ordered online and it was packed up in a box for a while.
Hair: Dina Acle- A
What a sweetheart! She did my hair, my mom’s, my grandma’s, 2 of my bridesmaid’s, and my flower girl’s. Everyone looked great. My hair did lose some of it’s curl throughout the night but only because it downpoured on me. I can’t blame her for that, I still insisted on having my hair down regardless of the weather. I am still happy I decided to have it down, because it still looked decent in pictures. She also did my eyebrows for me a week before the wedding, and she will send you lots of pictures of her work.
MAC Makeup: Jorge Pena- A
This guy is a trip and half and kept up the entertainment factor while doing my cousin’s makeup, my mom’s, and myself. My mom looked so awesome, she never wears makeup. Same with my cousin, she usually wears none and she looked great that night. I loved my own makeup and it help up all night. Great communication with him as well.
Bridesmaids Dresses: Patricia South- A
The dresses were fabulous and all the guests loved them and the girls looked smokin. They came in on time and were the best price I found besides online ordering.
Groomsman Tuxes: MW Tux Aventura- C
I don’t know too many details because everyone hid the problems from Bridezilla, but I do know that our long distance groomsman had their tuxes delivered to their local tux places instead of here in Aventura. A bunch of them had to get refitted, and one groomsman did not have his tux delivered to him until 1 PM on our wedding day (ceremony started at 4 PM!)
Hotel block: Biltmore Hotel- A
LOVE this hotel, it is a great backdrop for photos. I recommend staying here because they allow you take photos for free as a guest on their gorgeous grounds, instead of paying the $200 fee or whatever it is. They had a few weddings going on that day, so they asked us to leave those areas, but that is understandable. Those brides are paying an exorbitant amount of cash and deserve priority. They also dropped our room rates by 70 bucks a night a week prior our stay, for no reason that we know of. Super grateful for that! When I needed my wedding dress steamed, they sent a commercial steamer up to me right away to take care of my dress. That was lifesaving right there.
Rehearsal Dinner: Los Ranchos Cocowalk- A
I had never been there before, but their food was amazing. The steak I had with tons of chimichurri was a lifechanging experience. Service was great and prices seemed reasonable, although I know we had a large bill due to the alcohol we consumed. I cannot wait to go back there and have more steak. Everyone had a great time and the families got to know each other better. My in laws did all of the arrangements, so I cannot comment on that experience but I am guessing it went smoothly.
Honeymoon: Sandals Regency in St. Lucia- A
We used Nancy Finn as our travel agent and she was a pleasure to work with. We were orginially booked at the Sandals Grande, but we decided to switch over to the Regency to save money. The amount was saved was significant, and we think the Regency was the resort for us anyway, after visiting all of the other Sandals on St. Lucia. Our room was super cute and we had a phenomenal view. The food is okay, and the bartenders are very liberal with the alcohol. The only thing that is odd is that you can't eat lunch past 2:30 or dinner past 9:30, and a few times were were later than that so we got stuck eating at the burger grill that is open all the time. I would highly recommend the zipligning excursion, as well as Simon Says tours. He is independent from Sandals but gives you a local tour of the entire island, and he even brings you back to his house and his wife cooks you some awesome carribbean food. Money well spent, and we definitely needed the time to relax after the wedding planning.
Melissainabq's Reviews 6.21.08
Ceremony and reception location: The Rusty Pelican
Planning review: A
I have been working with Betty, and she's been an absolute pleasure. She has been very accommodating and helpful, which has been a blessing since I'm not local and need all the help I can get.
Final review: A
The Rusty Pelican really came through for us. I cannot imagine a better, more perfect location. They were handing us water when we needed it, filling our glasses when we were thirsty and made sure that our every need was taken care of. There were a few hiccups along the way, which I think is expected with any big event. But when I turned the corner and saw the room all decorated, it truly took my breath away. Anyone who is wanting a smaller wedding (like 100 people or less) without spending the money for the upper ballrooms, I have no qualms about recommending the lower lounge. At no point did we feel like we were in a public portion of the restaurant. We both had people coming up to us and telling us how much they loved the food and were impressed with the venue. I especially recommend the chicken with spinach and pine nuts with the sundried tomato sauce – it was soooo yummy.
String Trio: Music for Anything
Planning review: A
Victoria has been great. This is one of the vendors I'm most excited about because I know they will add so much to our wedding ceremony and the cocktail hour.
Final review: A
They made the ceremony so beautiful. The music was perfect, and they were easy to deal with during the planning process. Guests from another wedding taking place at the Rusty Pelican even booked them on the spot to play for a bit.
DJ: DJ Ubi
Planning review: A
I really enjoyed my meeting with Ubi, and I look forward to working with him throughout the planning process as the wedding gets closer.
Final Review: A
This is going to sound awful, but I do not even know that I ever got the name of the DJ that worked our reception. He screwed up a few names during the introduction of the wedding party, but the music was great and he was easy to work with on the fly. I highly recommend Ubi and his company.
Photography: Melissa Powell Photography
Planning review: A+
I have really enjoyed my dealings with Melissa. She has a beautiful style, and her booking process was a breeze. She does everything online (which for a bride halfway across the country is a huge help), and she always responds to emails very promptly - sometimes within minutes. I look forward to working with her and seeing her images of our wedding. I know she is going to bring so much to our day.
Final review: A+ and more
The images we've seen so far say it all. Her work is breathtaking, and we have a hard time looking at them and not crying (well at least I do). We also look at them and almost can't believe that it's us and it's our wedding.
DOC: Leah Beth Events
Planning review: A+
Leah has been amazing. She has gone above and beyond the call of duty for a DOC by helping this out-of-town bride with a bunch of stuff, including info on a marriage license and scouting out florists, hairstylists etc. Even though we've only talked by phone and email, I've been amazed with her attention to detail and her help with things I hadn't even thought of. I highly recommend her to anyone who needs coordination assistance. I know she is going to make our wedding run smoother than I ever could have imagined.
Final review: How many + can you add to an A?
I do not even know where to begin to describe how blessed we were to have Leah handling our wedding. She went far beyond the role of a day of coordinator, which because I was so far away was a huge help. She was calm and patient with my crazy family and many people came up to me and told me how impressed they were with her work. She kept everything running very smoothly and made sure that we were always attended to. I have absolutely no doubt that our wedding would not have been the party it was without her. I was able to just relax and celebrate instead of focusing on what time the cake cutting was being done or when the first dance would happen.
Chair covers/linens: AB Cover Design
Planning review: C
This vendor has been difficult to work with. I requested swatches of the chair sashes, which took almost six weeks to arrive because they never managed to get them in the mail. Ana has been better to work with than the original person I contacted, but to be totally honest - if they weren't part of my package at TRP, I'd have found another vendor by now.
Final review: B-
The final product was beautiful. We only ended up getting chair sashes and covers from them. We just didn't have money in our budget for extra linens, and in the end we're glad we didn't. Everything was beautiful as it was and we didn't need to spend any money on extra stuff. The only reason I upgraded her rating is because the final result was beautiful. I still don't feel like they were too easy to deal with.
Hair: Angelica Fernandez
Review: A
Angleica was great. The trial went really well, and she did a superb job with everyone the day of. She was very patient with my really disorganized, overly stressed family, and she even jumped in and finished my makeup since we didn't hire someone. Her prices were very reasonable and she was worth the money and more.
Cake: Edible Creations
Planning review: A+
Ana Paz: F
Cakes by Edda: C
At first, the Rusty Pelican gave me two choices for cakes: Ana Paz and Cakes by Edda. Recently I found out they had added Edible Creations in Pembroke Pines to their package. In an effort to be helpful to others struggling to make a decsion, I have reviewed all 3 vendors here.
Ana Paz was exceptionally rude to me on the phone and completely unhelpful and wouldn't listen to me when I told them I was not local and had limited windows for a tasting.
Cakes by Edda: While the staff was extremely helpful on the phone when I was trying to fit a tasting into an already busy wedding weekend, the cake left a lot to be desired. I did my tasting at the Pembroke Pines location as they were the closest to my family's house. While the cakes were beautiful, they didn't have the rich flavor I prefer. I found the chocolate to be rather dense and tasteless, while the vanilla rum (their signature flavor) was overly rum-tasting.
Edible Creations (954-433-3445): Wow - that is the only word that comes to mind. From my first conversation with Lily, she has been a pleasure to work with. My mom did the tasting for me since I wasn't in town, and she seconded my great feelings about Lily. She said that Lily sat with her and explained everything - down to the thickness of each layer. She also said the cake was incredibly flavorful and that she that in her eyes, choosing Lily was a "no brainer."
Just for reference, I thought I'd include one more review here. While sending my mom on a whirlwind three-tastings-in-one-day adventure, she also visited Elegant Temptations in Hialeah Gardens. Rosie was a joy to deal with by phone and email, and my mom said the chocolate cake with chocolate chip cheesecake filling and the banana cake were just amazing. Her work is beautiful, and the main reason we went with Edible Creations was that they are part of the package and that Rosie's cakes were a little beyond our budget. However, I have no problems recommending her to others because of the taste and outstanding customer service both me and my mom experienced.
Final review for Edible Creations - Speechless
I didn't do the tasting. I never met Lily, and she is one of my new favorite people. She came through with flying colors. The cake looked amazing and tasted amazing too. In fact, it was so beautiful that it stopped me in my tracks when walking to the ceremony. I shouted "look at the cake" without realizing everyone was looking in the windows waiting for me to walk down the aisle. My coordinator was sitting there waving "come on" at me and I was just mesmorized by the cake.
Flowers: Flowers by Gerardo
Planning review: A+
Gerardo has been great to work with so far, and he is working with our very small floral budget. I look forward to seeing the final product.
Final review: A+
This is another vendor I never got to meet and someone I'd love to give a big hug. The flowers were simply gorgeous. When they were delivered, the room literally fell silent. All the girls just stood there staring at them in amazement. I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful result. He quote me based on a picture and stuck with the design and the quote. I highly recommend them.
David’s Bridal – Miracle Mile
Review – F
This location truly was awful to deal with from start to finish. We took my dress there a week before the wedding for a light steaming. It was supposed to be free but they charged my dad. Then on the day before the wedding, when I called to confirm my pickup appointment, they could not find the dress. The woman even said “don’t worry – we’ll just get you another one.” When I told her the wedding was the next day, she said “ooh – maybe not.” I gave them my name and my father’s name, and they never bothered to look under his. So for 45 minutes they kept me in a total panic (we were on our way to the rehearsal so this is what I was stressing over as we got ready). When they found it, they had not even started steaming it. A few hours later, when I went to pick it up, they did not even acknowledge what had happened earlier. Plus, it was storming like I had never seen, and the water in front of the store came up to just below my knees. I had to run into the store barefoot, and that was all they could focus on. I asked if they had a back door with better drainage since we had to go and were going to have to run through the rain in the dress, and they very begrudgingly said yes. They led me back there, and no one even bothered to help me carry the dress through the store. They glared at me and talked about me in Spanish (and I understood the nasty things they were saying) while I waited for my mom to drive around to the back of the store. There was not one friendly person there, and if that was the experience I’d had when looking for a dress, I would never have purchased from David’s.
David’s Bridal – Albuquerque, NM
Review – C
I have very mixed feelings about this store. I had a few bumps with their staff, but I loved my dress. I also had a few glitches with the alterations, but I was happy with the final outcome. They shipped my dress perfectly and it actually didn’t require much touch-up steaming.
Tuxedos: Mr. Tux in Albuquerque
Planning review: A
These guys have been great. We had visited the Men's Wearhouse on the west side, and walked out almost immediately because they were so rude and because we didn't want to pick our tuxes from a book. Mr. Tux (Eubank Blvd Location) is giving us a great deal and we can take the tuxes with us to Florida. They aren't even charging us extra for the extended rentals. I feel so much better knowing that we will be able to closely check the tuxes before we leave and that they can make any last-minute changes if necessary.
Final review: B-
The servie we got during our planning definitely was not what we got during pickup. Shirts were dirty. Stuff didn't fit. And we didn't notice until we got to Florida that they gave us a long tie instead of a bow tie for our ring bearer. The guys looked great, though, so in the end I wasn't too disappointed.
Invitations: Elva Marie's Fine Papers
Final review: A+ and more
I struggled choosing invitations. I must have ordered 20 samples from various catalogs, but none of the samples looked like "my" invite. Then I stumbled across a brochure from Elva that I had picked up a while ago at a bridal show and shoved away when I made the decision to have my wedding in Florida instead of New Mexico. I am so thankful I found that brochure because Elva is bring my thoughts to life. She brought a designed sample to our first meeting after I sent her some ideas. And she has been so patient with my many changes. I am really excited to see my final product. Plus I'm getting custom-designed invites with an RSVP card and additional insert, plus printed envelopes for about $3 per invite. Yay!
3/28 update: I picked up my invites today and I'm so happy. I just wish we had more to do because working with Elva has been a true delight.
Bridesmaids' Jewlery: Etsy.com seller Handmade by Diana
Final review: A+
Diana was very easy to work with during the ordering process. Her store had pictures of the necklace on a jewelry form, and I had trouble determining how they'd look on a person. I asked for pictures, and she sent them within 24 hours. Seeing them on a person (she took a pic of herself wearing it) sealed the deal, and I'm excited to see how they turn out.
Card Box, Photo Guest Book and Cake Topper: Etsy.com seller SheaChicDesigns
Final review: A+ and more
Amanda has been simply amazing to work with. We have easily exchanged 100+ emails over the last 8 weeks and I can not rave about her enough. The cake topper isn't done just yet, but I can't wait to see it. If it's even half as gorgeous as the card box and guest book, we'll be thrilled to no end. I highly suggest her for any projects you just don't have the time or energy to DIY.
Update: I didn't see most of the pieces until I walked into the reception, and Amanda really came through. Everything was just beautiful and worth the time and investment.
Garter: Etsy.com seller GartersbyKristi
Final review: B+
They aren't quite the color I had in mind (a little more turquoise than I pictured) but the work is nice and the shipping was very fast.
Ring Pillow: Etsy.com seller regianna
Final review: A
I haven't seen the pillow yet because like many other things, it was shipped directly to the wedding destination. However, her responses were always very quick and it arrived in under a week. I have a feeling it'll be more gorgeous in person than it is in pictures.
Update: The pillow was gorgeous and just what I wanted.
Candles: http://www.candlesjustonline.com
Review: A
Fast shipping. Good prices. And they looked great!
Group accommodations: Marriott Residence Inn, Coconut Grove
Planning review: C+
These people have been horrible to deal with. They act as though they are doing you a favor by hosting your group. I know for a fact that they are very empty during my timeframe (because a friend works for Marriott and looked up their occupancy for my wedding weekend), yet I can not get them to do anything - like return messages or emails. If the hotel wasn't so convenient to my wedding I'd find another one. As such, I'm just stuck for now. But I will be following up with Marriott when the wedding is done.
Final Review - B
As I said above, I had a pretty miserable experience with them in the months leading up to the wedding. But all of the people I dealt with had been fired by the time our wedding rolled around. My biggest complaint about our stay was that they had a list with all our group room names, and they still put us all at opposite ends of the hotel. Plus, my contract specified that we had half-price parking and no one there had any of the info. So I still have to follow up with them in order to get the extra money refunded to all of my guests. But the location of the hotel, the breakfast and the manager’s reception all were really nicely done and overall it was a good value for the money.
Bridal/wedding night hotel: Sonesta at Coconut Grove
Final review: A
The one bedroom suite with the bay view was gorgeous. The servie was also fantastic. No complaints! Plus the suite had a jacuzzi tub, which I didn't know about until I arrived.
Travel: Carnival Cruise Lines, Kenneth Hagen
1-800-819-3902, 85904
Review to-date: A+
Kenneth has been so wonderful to work with. He has been very friendly and never seems upset when I send him 20 questions in any given email. He called to let us know they were having a double upgrade sale, and no one has been able to meet or beat that price since we put our deposit down back in November. I highly recommend using Kenneth if you're considering Carnival. If you do talk with him, let him know Melissa sent you.
Planning review: A
I have been working with Betty, and she's been an absolute pleasure. She has been very accommodating and helpful, which has been a blessing since I'm not local and need all the help I can get.
Final review: A
The Rusty Pelican really came through for us. I cannot imagine a better, more perfect location. They were handing us water when we needed it, filling our glasses when we were thirsty and made sure that our every need was taken care of. There were a few hiccups along the way, which I think is expected with any big event. But when I turned the corner and saw the room all decorated, it truly took my breath away. Anyone who is wanting a smaller wedding (like 100 people or less) without spending the money for the upper ballrooms, I have no qualms about recommending the lower lounge. At no point did we feel like we were in a public portion of the restaurant. We both had people coming up to us and telling us how much they loved the food and were impressed with the venue. I especially recommend the chicken with spinach and pine nuts with the sundried tomato sauce – it was soooo yummy.
String Trio: Music for Anything
Planning review: A
Victoria has been great. This is one of the vendors I'm most excited about because I know they will add so much to our wedding ceremony and the cocktail hour.
Final review: A
They made the ceremony so beautiful. The music was perfect, and they were easy to deal with during the planning process. Guests from another wedding taking place at the Rusty Pelican even booked them on the spot to play for a bit.
DJ: DJ Ubi
Planning review: A
I really enjoyed my meeting with Ubi, and I look forward to working with him throughout the planning process as the wedding gets closer.
Final Review: A
This is going to sound awful, but I do not even know that I ever got the name of the DJ that worked our reception. He screwed up a few names during the introduction of the wedding party, but the music was great and he was easy to work with on the fly. I highly recommend Ubi and his company.
Photography: Melissa Powell Photography
Planning review: A+
I have really enjoyed my dealings with Melissa. She has a beautiful style, and her booking process was a breeze. She does everything online (which for a bride halfway across the country is a huge help), and she always responds to emails very promptly - sometimes within minutes. I look forward to working with her and seeing her images of our wedding. I know she is going to bring so much to our day.
Final review: A+ and more
The images we've seen so far say it all. Her work is breathtaking, and we have a hard time looking at them and not crying (well at least I do). We also look at them and almost can't believe that it's us and it's our wedding.
DOC: Leah Beth Events
Planning review: A+
Leah has been amazing. She has gone above and beyond the call of duty for a DOC by helping this out-of-town bride with a bunch of stuff, including info on a marriage license and scouting out florists, hairstylists etc. Even though we've only talked by phone and email, I've been amazed with her attention to detail and her help with things I hadn't even thought of. I highly recommend her to anyone who needs coordination assistance. I know she is going to make our wedding run smoother than I ever could have imagined.
Final review: How many + can you add to an A?
I do not even know where to begin to describe how blessed we were to have Leah handling our wedding. She went far beyond the role of a day of coordinator, which because I was so far away was a huge help. She was calm and patient with my crazy family and many people came up to me and told me how impressed they were with her work. She kept everything running very smoothly and made sure that we were always attended to. I have absolutely no doubt that our wedding would not have been the party it was without her. I was able to just relax and celebrate instead of focusing on what time the cake cutting was being done or when the first dance would happen.
Chair covers/linens: AB Cover Design
Planning review: C
This vendor has been difficult to work with. I requested swatches of the chair sashes, which took almost six weeks to arrive because they never managed to get them in the mail. Ana has been better to work with than the original person I contacted, but to be totally honest - if they weren't part of my package at TRP, I'd have found another vendor by now.
Final review: B-
The final product was beautiful. We only ended up getting chair sashes and covers from them. We just didn't have money in our budget for extra linens, and in the end we're glad we didn't. Everything was beautiful as it was and we didn't need to spend any money on extra stuff. The only reason I upgraded her rating is because the final result was beautiful. I still don't feel like they were too easy to deal with.
Hair: Angelica Fernandez
Review: A
Angleica was great. The trial went really well, and she did a superb job with everyone the day of. She was very patient with my really disorganized, overly stressed family, and she even jumped in and finished my makeup since we didn't hire someone. Her prices were very reasonable and she was worth the money and more.
Cake: Edible Creations
Planning review: A+
Ana Paz: F
Cakes by Edda: C
At first, the Rusty Pelican gave me two choices for cakes: Ana Paz and Cakes by Edda. Recently I found out they had added Edible Creations in Pembroke Pines to their package. In an effort to be helpful to others struggling to make a decsion, I have reviewed all 3 vendors here.
Ana Paz was exceptionally rude to me on the phone and completely unhelpful and wouldn't listen to me when I told them I was not local and had limited windows for a tasting.
Cakes by Edda: While the staff was extremely helpful on the phone when I was trying to fit a tasting into an already busy wedding weekend, the cake left a lot to be desired. I did my tasting at the Pembroke Pines location as they were the closest to my family's house. While the cakes were beautiful, they didn't have the rich flavor I prefer. I found the chocolate to be rather dense and tasteless, while the vanilla rum (their signature flavor) was overly rum-tasting.
Edible Creations (954-433-3445): Wow - that is the only word that comes to mind. From my first conversation with Lily, she has been a pleasure to work with. My mom did the tasting for me since I wasn't in town, and she seconded my great feelings about Lily. She said that Lily sat with her and explained everything - down to the thickness of each layer. She also said the cake was incredibly flavorful and that she that in her eyes, choosing Lily was a "no brainer."
Just for reference, I thought I'd include one more review here. While sending my mom on a whirlwind three-tastings-in-one-day adventure, she also visited Elegant Temptations in Hialeah Gardens. Rosie was a joy to deal with by phone and email, and my mom said the chocolate cake with chocolate chip cheesecake filling and the banana cake were just amazing. Her work is beautiful, and the main reason we went with Edible Creations was that they are part of the package and that Rosie's cakes were a little beyond our budget. However, I have no problems recommending her to others because of the taste and outstanding customer service both me and my mom experienced.
Final review for Edible Creations - Speechless
I didn't do the tasting. I never met Lily, and she is one of my new favorite people. She came through with flying colors. The cake looked amazing and tasted amazing too. In fact, it was so beautiful that it stopped me in my tracks when walking to the ceremony. I shouted "look at the cake" without realizing everyone was looking in the windows waiting for me to walk down the aisle. My coordinator was sitting there waving "come on" at me and I was just mesmorized by the cake.
Flowers: Flowers by Gerardo
Planning review: A+
Gerardo has been great to work with so far, and he is working with our very small floral budget. I look forward to seeing the final product.
Final review: A+
This is another vendor I never got to meet and someone I'd love to give a big hug. The flowers were simply gorgeous. When they were delivered, the room literally fell silent. All the girls just stood there staring at them in amazement. I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful result. He quote me based on a picture and stuck with the design and the quote. I highly recommend them.
David’s Bridal – Miracle Mile
Review – F
This location truly was awful to deal with from start to finish. We took my dress there a week before the wedding for a light steaming. It was supposed to be free but they charged my dad. Then on the day before the wedding, when I called to confirm my pickup appointment, they could not find the dress. The woman even said “don’t worry – we’ll just get you another one.” When I told her the wedding was the next day, she said “ooh – maybe not.” I gave them my name and my father’s name, and they never bothered to look under his. So for 45 minutes they kept me in a total panic (we were on our way to the rehearsal so this is what I was stressing over as we got ready). When they found it, they had not even started steaming it. A few hours later, when I went to pick it up, they did not even acknowledge what had happened earlier. Plus, it was storming like I had never seen, and the water in front of the store came up to just below my knees. I had to run into the store barefoot, and that was all they could focus on. I asked if they had a back door with better drainage since we had to go and were going to have to run through the rain in the dress, and they very begrudgingly said yes. They led me back there, and no one even bothered to help me carry the dress through the store. They glared at me and talked about me in Spanish (and I understood the nasty things they were saying) while I waited for my mom to drive around to the back of the store. There was not one friendly person there, and if that was the experience I’d had when looking for a dress, I would never have purchased from David’s.
David’s Bridal – Albuquerque, NM
Review – C
I have very mixed feelings about this store. I had a few bumps with their staff, but I loved my dress. I also had a few glitches with the alterations, but I was happy with the final outcome. They shipped my dress perfectly and it actually didn’t require much touch-up steaming.
Tuxedos: Mr. Tux in Albuquerque
Planning review: A
These guys have been great. We had visited the Men's Wearhouse on the west side, and walked out almost immediately because they were so rude and because we didn't want to pick our tuxes from a book. Mr. Tux (Eubank Blvd Location) is giving us a great deal and we can take the tuxes with us to Florida. They aren't even charging us extra for the extended rentals. I feel so much better knowing that we will be able to closely check the tuxes before we leave and that they can make any last-minute changes if necessary.
Final review: B-
The servie we got during our planning definitely was not what we got during pickup. Shirts were dirty. Stuff didn't fit. And we didn't notice until we got to Florida that they gave us a long tie instead of a bow tie for our ring bearer. The guys looked great, though, so in the end I wasn't too disappointed.
Invitations: Elva Marie's Fine Papers
Final review: A+ and more
I struggled choosing invitations. I must have ordered 20 samples from various catalogs, but none of the samples looked like "my" invite. Then I stumbled across a brochure from Elva that I had picked up a while ago at a bridal show and shoved away when I made the decision to have my wedding in Florida instead of New Mexico. I am so thankful I found that brochure because Elva is bring my thoughts to life. She brought a designed sample to our first meeting after I sent her some ideas. And she has been so patient with my many changes. I am really excited to see my final product. Plus I'm getting custom-designed invites with an RSVP card and additional insert, plus printed envelopes for about $3 per invite. Yay!
3/28 update: I picked up my invites today and I'm so happy. I just wish we had more to do because working with Elva has been a true delight.
Bridesmaids' Jewlery: Etsy.com seller Handmade by Diana
Final review: A+
Diana was very easy to work with during the ordering process. Her store had pictures of the necklace on a jewelry form, and I had trouble determining how they'd look on a person. I asked for pictures, and she sent them within 24 hours. Seeing them on a person (she took a pic of herself wearing it) sealed the deal, and I'm excited to see how they turn out.
Card Box, Photo Guest Book and Cake Topper: Etsy.com seller SheaChicDesigns
Final review: A+ and more
Amanda has been simply amazing to work with. We have easily exchanged 100+ emails over the last 8 weeks and I can not rave about her enough. The cake topper isn't done just yet, but I can't wait to see it. If it's even half as gorgeous as the card box and guest book, we'll be thrilled to no end. I highly suggest her for any projects you just don't have the time or energy to DIY.
Update: I didn't see most of the pieces until I walked into the reception, and Amanda really came through. Everything was just beautiful and worth the time and investment.
Garter: Etsy.com seller GartersbyKristi
Final review: B+
They aren't quite the color I had in mind (a little more turquoise than I pictured) but the work is nice and the shipping was very fast.
Ring Pillow: Etsy.com seller regianna
Final review: A
I haven't seen the pillow yet because like many other things, it was shipped directly to the wedding destination. However, her responses were always very quick and it arrived in under a week. I have a feeling it'll be more gorgeous in person than it is in pictures.
Update: The pillow was gorgeous and just what I wanted.
Candles: http://www.candlesjustonline.com
Review: A
Fast shipping. Good prices. And they looked great!
Group accommodations: Marriott Residence Inn, Coconut Grove
Planning review: C+
These people have been horrible to deal with. They act as though they are doing you a favor by hosting your group. I know for a fact that they are very empty during my timeframe (because a friend works for Marriott and looked up their occupancy for my wedding weekend), yet I can not get them to do anything - like return messages or emails. If the hotel wasn't so convenient to my wedding I'd find another one. As such, I'm just stuck for now. But I will be following up with Marriott when the wedding is done.
Final Review - B
As I said above, I had a pretty miserable experience with them in the months leading up to the wedding. But all of the people I dealt with had been fired by the time our wedding rolled around. My biggest complaint about our stay was that they had a list with all our group room names, and they still put us all at opposite ends of the hotel. Plus, my contract specified that we had half-price parking and no one there had any of the info. So I still have to follow up with them in order to get the extra money refunded to all of my guests. But the location of the hotel, the breakfast and the manager’s reception all were really nicely done and overall it was a good value for the money.
Bridal/wedding night hotel: Sonesta at Coconut Grove
Final review: A
The one bedroom suite with the bay view was gorgeous. The servie was also fantastic. No complaints! Plus the suite had a jacuzzi tub, which I didn't know about until I arrived.
Travel: Carnival Cruise Lines, Kenneth Hagen
1-800-819-3902, 85904
Review to-date: A+
Kenneth has been so wonderful to work with. He has been very friendly and never seems upset when I send him 20 questions in any given email. He called to let us know they were having a double upgrade sale, and no one has been able to meet or beat that price since we put our deposit down back in November. I highly recommend using Kenneth if you're considering Carnival. If you do talk with him, let him know Melissa sent you.
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