Mayda<3lester's Review 05.16.09

VENUE

Coral Gables Courtyard Marriott – A (service prior to the Wedding)/ B (Day of the Wedding)
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/miagb-courtyard-miami-coral-gables/
I booked this Venue back in August 2008. It had recently been opened after they revamped the old hotel that used to be there and we looooved it the minute we walked in. The décor is very modern and stylish. The Ballroom was perfect for the small, intimate Wedding we wanted and since they only have one, we didn’t have to worry about running into another Wedding the same day.

Maggie, the Catering salesperson was very accommodating. We were the first ones to book a Contract for a Wedding once they opened as a Marriott. Their prices are very affordable being that is located in Coral Gables and the service is great! We did our tasting and changed a couple of things, so they scheduled another one for us to try the new Menu. Overall, the Cocktail Hour and Reception were perfect. The hor devours were delicious, they served Dinner on time, the waiters gave superb service to my guests and the food was great!

The only issue we had was on Wedding Day due to the weather. We really wanted the Ceremony to be Poolside in the Terrace but the forecast predicted rain for that Saturday so she called me on Friday to tell me that the Ceremony would not be outdoors as previously discussed in our meetings. The day of the Wedding the weather unexpectedly improved even though it was raining on and off. All we wanted was for her to give us the chance to wait a little longer to decide whether to move it or not but she was gave us a hard time and was not professional. Please contact me for further details…

My Ceremony was indoors but it was sooooo beautiful! (Even though, it didn’t rain outside in the end) We used our Chiavari chairs and they looked great! The Uplighting made it so romantic and we were very happy with how it turned out.



PHOTOGRAPHER

Devynn – DBImages A+++++++++++++++++++
http://www.dbimagesblog.wordpress.com/
http://www.dbimages.ca/
We were having issues with the photographer we had initially hired. Karla suggested to invest in a professional and reliable Photographer, and showed us Devynn’s wok. We fell in love right away! and hired her only 6 weeks before our Wedding. I am sooo glad she was still available for our date. Everything happens for a reason and even when you feel stressed, there’s something better out there. She was the BEST decision we made and we could not be happier with the end results.

Devynn was at the Hotel early to take some Getting-ready shots and even being pregnant, laid on the floor to get different angles. She and her crew were all over the place snapping shots of the night. She totally blew us away with the teasers only 2 days after our Wedding and captured our Beautiful Day perfectly. J I highly recommend Devynn to any bride looking for a Photographer, her work is awesome and she is a sweetheart!!!


VIDEO

Javier – My Treasure Videos A+++++++++
http://www.mytreasurevideos.com/
We contacted Javier right after we booked Devynn because my cancelled Contract with the other photographer included a video. I had seen his work and was crossing my fingers he was available so close to my Wedding date and he was!!!

We were very excited to have him on our Wedding Day. He is such a professional! plus he is very sweet. He was there early as well and started shooting our Pre-Ceremony pictures. We never really ‘felt’ him there because he did his job without being on everyone’s face. He even stayed over beyond the time contracted to get more footage and I can not thank him enough for being so generous. I totally recommend him!!!



UPLIGHTING

DJ Ubi A+++
http://www.ubismusic.com/
Ubi was our first option for DJ but he was booked for Our Wedding date already L. We hired him for Uplighting and he even went to walk-through our Venue to determine how many lights we needed. The end result was stunning! The room was glowing in pink and it gave such an ambiance! He also provided a GOBO and Pin-light for our Cake as a surprise to us from my sister. I highly recommend him!


MUSIC
JP Productions A++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.jpdisco.com/
Let me just say, JP had EVERYONE on the Dance floor all night long! He called me a couple of days prior to the Wedding to confirm our Play and Do not Play List. He followed everything to the T for all our Dances. We were going to provide him with a CD of music we wanted to play for our guests since it is very popular in our country but I was not able to get it. When he saw we didn’t have it, he downloaded the songs {very hard to find} into his laptop and played them for us!!! Our guests are very different to the usual Wedding crowd and he knew the in and outs of the music from our country which blew everyone away! We did the Crazy Hour and passed out masks and beads and he also did an amazing job with the Carnival Music.

This man went above and beyond our expectations and my guests are STILL talking about how good he was! At the end of the night, people were complimenting him as they left the party. I highly recommend!



LINENS & CHAIRS

ABCovers A+++++++++
http://www.abcoverdesigners.net/
I had a pleasant experience with Ana when I came in for my appointment. They have a great selection and she was very helpful when offering different options for Linens and Chairs. We came up with a Beautiful table set-up using my Wedding Colors, Lime Green and Pink.

I had rented some sashes for my Ceremony chairs but when we had to switch to plan B due to the rain, their crew came back to set-up those sashes on the white Chiavari Chairs we were using inside the Ballroom. It definitely looked even better than I had envisioned. Everything looked gorgeous on my Wedding Day!



FLORIST

Flowers by Gerardo- Final Product (A+++++++) Customer Service (Read below)
http://www.flowersbygerardo.com/
Gerardo came recommended by another bride who got married in November. She said he was affordable and her flowers were beautiful! When I came in for a consultation, he was not very helpful when it came to giving ideas (being the expert) but fortunately we knew exactly what we wanted. We just didn’t find his personality to be customer-friendly.

He gave us the quote right there and then, and when we saw the prices we knew we couldn’t get that somewhere else so we booked him on the spot! The fact that we were providing the Glass Cylinders helped us with pricing. When it was time to drop them off 2 weeks before my Wedding, I mistakenly took the wring vases to him. Once I realized that and took the right ones, we had an issue because he claimed not to know that they were that big but we had told him in advance.

In the end, he too blew us away with the Centerpieces, altar arrangements and my bouquet, oh so gorgeous!!! He even included a calla inside the vases, which he had told me wasn’t included so I appreciate that! Honestly, I just think his customer service can be improved but the quality and value for cost, it’s phenomenal! I highly recommend to all the brides on a budget just like me.



WEDDING CAKE

Rosie – Elegant Temptations A+++++++
http://www.eleganttemptations.com/
We met with Rosie to work on a custom design for my Cake. I wanted something that didn't look so common or copied out of a magazine. I told her that we were doing a Elegant Garden theme and she came up with a beautiful design that incorporated flowers, rhinestones and a gorgeous stand.

I was blown away when I saw my Wedding Cake. It was definitely a focal point in the Reception and my guests raved about the flavor and how original it was. I highly recommend Rosie if you want to have a delicious custom cake and great customer service.

I personally think that Edda's and Ana Paz are becoming too commercial and the service is not that good anymore. You feel like you are just another cake for the weekend and I prefer to pay a bit more for better service.


DOC

Karla – Stylish Events
http://www.stylishevents.net/
Karla designed our Wedding from scratch. We wanted a Garden-themed Wedding that was not overdone or tacky but Elegant and Classy. She took my vision and brought it to reality 100x more than I could have ever imagined! Our guests were WOWed with every detail throughout my Wedding, as it is I’m still getting calls to find out where I got this or how did I do that.

She designed and printed my paper goods (Programs, Placecards, Menus, Table Numbers and Signs). I wanted to have a Huppah for the Ceremony and Backdrop draping behind my Sweetheart Table but it was way out of my budget so she offered build it and it all came out perfect!. Karla also decorated the Cake stand to implement our theme and the result was stunning! I could go on and on talking about everything she did and it would still not be enough because it was all flawless!!!

I've been as impartially honest as possible and did not grade this review because besides being my DOC, she is also my sister and I'd like to avoid the validity of review being questioned.



Make Up

Jorge Pena - A+
786-306-5463
I had a trial with Jorge a few weeks before my Wedding and I loved how he did my make-up. That day, I had my Bachelorette party and the make-up looked weird (too white under my eyes) in the pictures so I brought this up to him the day of my Wedding and I showed him the pics. He worked on my make-up and then took pictures with my camera to make sure it was ok.

The make-up lasted all night and everyone told me how natural I looked which is what I really wanted. Jorge is really outgoing and clicks with you right away! I highly recommend him.



Hair

Alcira - A+
305-205-3579
I didn't have a trail with Alcira. I met with her in her house and showed her pictures of what I wanted my hair to look like. I simply wanted a loose updo that matched the natural make-up look I was going for.

She had done that Hair do for other brides as well and showed pictures of them. She arrived early the day of the Wedding and did my hair just as I had asked. It turned out perfect! After dancing all night, it started to undo a little bit but it was totally fixable. I was really pleased with Alcira and would recommed to other brides!


Alterations

Reina - A+
954-785-6222
I highly recommend Reina! She is not only very sweet but also does amazing work. She hemmed my dress and took in a couple inches. She steamed it for me and I was very pleased with the results! She is located in Pompano Beach but is worth the trip.


Tuxedo Rentals

Tommy's Tuxedos - A
http://www.tommystuxedos.com/
Best price in town. They are located on 87th Ave and SW 8th Street. Tommy takes care of his clients himself and the service is outstanding. They have tuxedos for $60.00 +tax and when you take the Bridal Party, the Groom gets his for free. I only had a Best Man and some family members but I think that is a great deal.


Vendor I do NOT recommend:

VARONA PHOTOGRAPHY- D
Do NOT use. Nestor Varona was the photographer I had initially hired and we canceled our Contract almost
6 weeks before the Wedding. Contact me for further details @ mayda.lester at gmail dot com

Muddilicious's Reviews 03.21.09

We had a great wedding! It rained, but it was a-ok. In the end, I think all our guests had a great time and they ate, danced, and partied all night. However, my husband and I have very opinioned reviews of our vendors. We have included them since knotties were so intregal to us when chosing ours.



Ceremony and Reception
Jungle Island - We have to break this down into parts to give an accurate review.

(A) Service (Day of) B : The waiting staff and bartenders were wonderful and were plentiful. Our guests felt well taken care of. However, the head person bowed out at the middle of our event and had to be replaced, then at the end of the evening, she magically reappeared for her tip - weird.

(B) Catering Management Staff (Planning) D+: I could go on and on, but to be brief, they promised things that they didn't do. Namely, they said that no event would start to the same time as us, nor would they be located near us. A wedding and a 1000 person corporate event all started within 30 minutes of our wedding. All our guests ran into each other. Plus, we had bass and steel drums that we could hear from the other events that we had to tell them to quiet down. There were many other issues here, involving them having problems following our contract (dates, times, etc), not being informed of our new coordinator (my emails were just unanswered), excess folded tables and trash being left out in full view of our guests during the reception, and planning staff being extremely rude on several occasions (the head honcho actually said "I wonder how much money I am going to lose on your wedding"). They caused me alot of stress that I never expected from a relatively all-inclusive venue. If you book them, make sure you understand that they are all in it for the money, so if another big ticket event wants to book on your wedding day - you will be bumped. We actually got kicked out of our cocktail hour space 1 week before the wedding, because the 1000 person event needed to walk through it. Email me for more details.

(C) Food B: The entrees themselves were eh and some of the dishes were under-seasoned. Passed appetizers were good (some much better than others). Salad was good, but had very few hearts of palm. The seated appetizer crab cake was much too spicy for a broad audience - it was disappointing. It was a bit of a letdown compared to our tasting.


Cake
Cakes by Edda: B-. Service and quality vary by location. I definitely had a rocky start with the Doral and Coral Gables locations, but Coral Gables and their fresh cake tastes great. That being said, I would not have booked them if they weren't included in our package. My advice is to avoid the weekends and make an appointment (get their name!) for FRESH cake and the fillings you want.

I dislike that they charged us extra for (1) making the buttercreme a color and (2) for filling to be added in between the layers (is there someone that has no filling in their cake?). I feel that this is something that should be included in our package cake. However, this might be more of something to bring up with the venue instead.

Our cake itself was gorgeous and the perfect color, the buttercreme was so smooth and looked just like fondant! However, the orange flavor was much too intense and the texture wasn't so good. It was coarse. The strawberry filling also did not taste the same as the tasting and was a really thin layer. Overall, I was quite disappointed in the taste, but happy with the appearance. I recommend that you look elsewhere and go with a smaller baker that isn't so hit-or-miss.


Officiant
Eddie Rodriguez A: So wonderful that we pretty much booked him on the spot, without interviewing anyone else. He is a very structured person, which I find to be a great quality for someone in this field. He constructed a great ceremony for us that was very personal and relevant. Everyone has been raving about it. He gave us great advice and pointers for the ceremony that we needed. I am so glad we had him marry us.


Day of Coordinator
Stylish Events by Karla A+ Wow, I feel so lucky to have have won her contest. About 1.5 months out she came on board and helped us out tremendously. Before the wedding, she helped construct our timeline and recommend the remaining vendor we needed. The day of the wedding, she was a God-send! We had to go to Plan B b/c of rain and she was there acting as an intermediary to our venue and us and set up. She did a great job, especially since everything changed from our original design. Her husband was also behind the scenes working the entire time.

Honestly, I never thought I needed a DOC. My catering coordinator at my venue assured me I didn't. However, I believe, that they deliberately try to get away from DOC's so that they don't have someone annoying them making sure that they are doing things the way that they are supposed to.

I highly recommend having a DOC and Karla. She saved us!


Wedding/TTD Photographer
KLK Photography TBD: Kristi is super sweet and creative, I can't wait to see what our pictures look like.


Videography
Blue Sky Videos A: Paul was super nice and accommodating. We love our long and short length videos. The audio selections were spot on too.


Engagement Pictures Photographer
Uplift Photography A+: Only the most awesome girl in the world! Jade took stunning pictures of us under crazy time constraints. And when we had no idea what to do, she gave us great direction. She is the best! Everyone raves about our pictures. Just stunning work!!! Highest recommendation!


B-Pic Photographer
Danielle Fletcher (Petaluma, CA) A: I am so happy with my pics and album. She was such a pleasure to work with and really made me at ease. Let her know when you need your album and you are good to go. Highly recommended!


DJ
Visions DJ Steven B+: Their online selection system and professionalism sealed the deal for us. Steven was super nice and played all the songs we suggested, however he technically wasn't the greatest DJ. His mixes weren't that good and he cut out ALOT of the best parts of songs. In his defense, dinner took so long, that we were left with little dancing time and he probably wanted to fit in as much of the music that we chose.


Cocktail Hour Musician
Deborah Fleisher A: She is a quirky, but talented harpist. She has a huge repertoire. I didn't hear too much of her music, but what I did was lovely.


Florist
DIY - I do not recommend DIYing your flowers unless you have experience with doing someone else's and/or have lots and lots of help. It could be a very unneeded last minute stress event. For me, it was truly relaxing arranging them the Thursday before our wedding. I loved it!
The Flower MegaStore. A: I bought my flowers from here. Giselle is great and was very honest with what she could and couldn't get (and what she might get). She has amazing prices and a great selection. She will keep you updated on her stock if it is something you are interested in. She really helped me alot and stayed in good contact.

Invitations
DIY - A pain in the booty, but I like them well enough. They weren't perfect, but I love the way that the envelopes came out. I would have done postcard RSVPs, had I had to do it all again. Some people had difficulty with doing the online RSVP.
Paper & More A+: Liner paper and thank you card envelopes were bought here. They have very fast and reasonable shipping. They also have inexpensive samples.
Paper Presentation B- : My cardstock had tears in it. They shipped a replacement in an envelope with no protection and therefore the replacement cardstock was bent. You also have to shell out $35 for samples and their shipping is expensive. However, the cardstock is beautiful.


Favors
DIY - I do not recommend DIY-ing food favors to everyone either, but I make these cookies in bulk every year, so I knew what I was tackling. I knew it would take me a whole day to do these. They went over very well.
PaperMart A: Bags were shipped quick and they have good prices.


Transportation
Meilan Limo A: Great service, easy to book. They made my life much easier and even brought the cake that was left behind in the truck back to my mom. I was extremely happy with their service day of.


My Dress
Amy Kuschel A+: They might not be the least expensive shop in town, but the quality of the dresses, the custom alterations, and the amazing customer service make this place a great deal, especially if you are a petite or tall woman. It was a wonderful experience every step of the way.
Adalgis Bezanilla A: Ada is a professional Bridal Valet and retired bridal gown consultant. If you need someone to come and take care of you the day of your wedding, this is your lady. For me though, she just pressed my dress and my mother's, when no other bridal shop in Miami would. She was quick and SOOO nice. I highly recommend her if you are an OOT bride in Miami and need your dress taken care of. She will even come to you. I just could not bring myself to entrust it to just a dry cleaner. Her contact numbers are 305.260.4421 and 305.969.4491


Tuxedos
Black Tie on the Circle A-: Great service and lovely tuxes. It may not be the cheapest in Miami, but it is a locally owned business that owns all of their tuxes. FI said it was the best feeling tux he ever had on. They treated all of us very well during the initial fitting, but DH felt a bit slighted on the day of pickup. I highly recommend them.


Jewelers
Shane Co. A+: My E ring & band. Absolutely wonderful. The only place that treated my FI well. They have taken great care of my rings.
West Coast Jewelry A: FI Band. Great selection and has a wonderful return policy. Quick shipping too. Highly recommended.


Hair/Make-up
Josey from MAC South Beach Macy*s B-: She did a great job on my trial at the counter. My mom wasn't so happy with hers so she offered to re-do her eyes, which she did a great job. However, she went on vacation and never contacted me until I hounded her down 3 days before our wedding. She made us an appointment with another girl, but I would have appreciated some more notice.
Fliberto from Bobbi Brown South Beach Macy*s A: I did both my trial and day of at counter. He did an amazing job and is a super nice guy. I highly recommend him and he is willing to travel for bridal parties.
Van Michael Salon Geer: B+ I learned my lesson and didn't tell them I was the bride, only that I wanted an updo. I found that there is a difference in price with salons for "Bridal" hair. This place is not cheap, but has a great rep, so I saved $ by not having a trial. Although, I did like my hair, I felt like she rushed it by the end when she was the one that started late. I had tons of frizzies and hair popping out that I had to tell her to fix over and over again. It was very unfinished looking when she was rushing me out. I immediately needed more hairspray as soon as I got back to my hotel. For $100 for a regular updo, I expected better service.
My mother did get an amazing cut and style there with Levi. I highly recommend him for a great affordable cut. If I lived in Miami, he would be my stylist!


Rehearsal Dinner
Monty's A+: Great food and amazing service for a wonderful price. Everyone loved the ambiance and food. One of the best choices we made.

Wedding Hotel Block
Indian Creek Hotel A- : I found them on Hotelplanner.com. They had great service and great rooms for the price, however they were so booked that they couldn't grant my then fiance late check-out on our wedding day. So he got kicked out of his hotel room 3 hours before he was scheduled to leave for our wedding. It was an oversight on our part, but I thought they might work with us. Staff at the hotel resturant were very high on drugs and had all their party friends hanging out there all day. Resturant was overpriced considering all this.



Guestbook
Blurb A-. Their software is relatively easy to use and upload to site. Prices are great for the quality. Great production and shipping time. My only complaint is that one of my books had black fingerprints and marring on it. Customer service was quick to answer and required me to take pics. They overnighted my new book in time. I will use them again for other albums.