Day of Coordinator A+
Jennifer Johnson
http://www.jenniferjevents.com/
Where do I begin?After meeting with DOCs, Dario and I knew right away that Jenn was the one after our initial meeting. I feel that I didn't even take full advantage of all her abilities because I kept so much to myself. Prior to the day of the wedding we had another meeting to discuss timeline, hand over all contracts, room layout, etc. During that meeting she offered some of her own supplies to use. For example, she added her own cylinders during the cocktail hour and in some areas of the reception room. She also let me use her frames for the table names. She requested sample linens for the sign-in, escort cards, and groom's cake table. Not to mention she included uplighting in the room and cocktail for free. There were endless emails going back and forth from when I booked her and she was always so nice in her responses and prompt. There were times when I'd send 3 emails in a row saying that there was a correction to the previous one! She had established such great communication with my vendors, especially with the venue! While doing the final walkthrough at the venue she saw everything I had explained clearly and after that moment I felt that I could do nothing and still have a beautiful wedding. The day of the rehearsal I went to pick up a pay check from my summer job and it wasn't there. I had to go to the corporate office the day of the wedding to pick it up. I was so upset. When I arrived at the rehearsal Jenn was there with her husband to handle everything. She overheard me telling someone the situation and she offered to go pick it up and deposit it for me at the bank! What a relief. Day of the wedding she texted me a few times to check up on me. I asked her to get a few things I forgot and she did. She had 3 other people with her for my wedding. I couldn't believe she had so many there. Maria was with me at the hotel. Gave me water, handled bags and anything else I needed. Jennifer was at the church when I arrived. Took charge and had everything under control there. At the venue Mark was in charge of my dress and stuff. The whole team did so well! I didn't have to worry about a thing! She also took care of purchasing supplies or the groom's cake and assembled it herself. Everything ran on time, which is weird for me because with latin families we're always running late! The guests all commented on how well she did things. At the end of the night the catering company refused to put the tables and chairs away. Jenn and her husband stayed longer to put it all away and clean up some things left behind. While I was on my honeymoon she brought all my supplies to the house nicely packaged. In regards to her fee. I was looking to spend $500 on a DOC she is more expensive than that. I believe her standard price is around $900 for DOC. My wedding was in the off season and I was able to negotiate with her. I will not put the exact amount I got her service for, but it was reasonable for everything I was getting. Highly recommend her!
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Photography A
Brad's Creative Images
http://bciphoto.com/
Brad is located in St. Lucie County, but drove all they way to Boca to meet with me. At our meeting he had completed albums of 5 brides and he also brought a proof box of a wedding he just did. He captures the moments with great lighting and angles. We met with Brad to take our engagement pics and I couldn't have been happier. He captured who we are and had a blast! He is extremely prompt at emails and communication. I hired him because I think he captures the moments perfectly. I never really 'posed' a little at the beginning and at the church. However, I wish so badly it didn't rain so that we could've taken pictures along the river and by the park. Those shots would've been posed and would've been great, but what can you do. He arrived early and was always there with a smile. I never really had him in my face which is great because I was too busy dancing. There was an issue because my brother was taking photographs as well. He was suppose to act like a 2nd photographer and not get in the way. Well he was in the way and looked like the main photog and it became a little problem. No A+ because the portraits at the church I felt were rushed and there's a pic with Dario's mom with her eyes closed and one with my nephew is looking at his flower. He said he is going to fix the eyes closed and we're checking on the one with my nephew. I really enjoyed working with him and would recommend him. The cost was $4,800 (I know!! ouch!! - the one vendor I truly didn't budget for.) that included our engagement session, all our pics on high res cd, 3 enlargements, thank you cards, a leather bound coffee table book, and more.
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Little Flower Catholic Church, Hollywood A+
Little Flower Catholic Church
http://www.littleflowerhwd.org/
This is the Hollywood Little Flower. Our ceremony was held in the chapel. The church was extremely flexible to deal with. I did not have to go through too many rules. I didn't do anything extra. No mantilla, arras, unity candle, etc. I didn't have an aisle runner either. I didn't have to work too much with them because a friend of the family that is a priest flew down to celebrate the mass. There was no fee or recommended donation. $400
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Reception A+
Josephine S. Leiser Opera Center
http://www.leisercenter.org
Originally when I booked the Opera Center I worked with Patsy. They had tables and chairs. You had to work with outside caterers. There was a preferred vendor list for caterering. To use an outside caterer you had to pay an additional $700. Parking was valet only and they charged $7 per car + tax. I wish I would've tried to negotiate, but I just accepted it. Patsy was great to work with and always very nice on the phone. Now there is someone else in charge, Mike. I didn't communicate with him too much because Jennifer had already taken over. He agreed to clear out the cocktail room, which they had said no to before. They agreed to open the venue earlier than the original time. They also allowed for Hitched to pick up chairs the following Monday. The valet did a great job. It was pouring rain when we got there and they had humongous umbrellas and walked everyone safely. Unfortunately, I learned that they no longer had a preferred vendor list and do not charge that additional $700. When we tried to get the price dropped they wouldn't and I really couldn't say anything because it is in our contract. Total rental fee $2,760
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Catering B
Amelia & Carmen Catering
http://ameliaandcarmencatering.com/
I booked the company after they did my friend's wedding. I wanted the food to be good, but I wasn't looking for a meal people wouldn't forget, because I know that comes with a price tag. I dealt with Richard on the phone and face to face. Each time he was very pleasant. At the first meeting before the contract I got the $30 pp for chicken, basic linens, and open bar. When I went back and negotiated I had the same price, but they upgraded to filet mignon, glassware for the bar (was plastic before), and champagne. When I went to give Richard the final head count I asked about chargers and he included them for free. I was also going to use Damask linens for free but Dario didn't like them. The extras I got were well priced; cocktail tables and portable bar. The day of the wedding they showed up on time and had set up all under control. The bartenders did great. They didn't run out of liquor and everyone was very happy with their drinks. The food was better than I expected! They do not cook on site and picked out the appetizers and entree carefully to ensure the food would taste the best. Waiters did an excellent job and were very professional. They get a B for 2 reasons. 1) The linens did not go all the way down to the floor. The tables are extra large and they were slightly above. Luckily you couldn't really tell. 2) They refused to put back the tables and chairs. Jenn had to do it all. The price was $30 pp, service fee is 12% and no taxes if you pay cash.
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Chivari Chair Rental A+
Hitched Event Rentals
http://www.hitchedeventrentals.com/
Chivaris was a last minute decision. I'm so glad I made it and think that the whole look was so much cleaner and classier. Luis was super great to talk to on the phone. I originally got the price for $4 a chair and a $75 delivery. Well after Michi posted about the special, which btw she specifically said not to mention her name, I called him up. Since I booked so close to when he did the special he gave it to me for $3.50 a chair! Delivery was prompt and so was pick up. Jenn said there were no problems at all! Total cost about $470
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Cake A+
Mayu's Cakes
http://www.mayuscakes.com/
When I met Maria and saw "MY Cake" I fell in love. She is unique. I don't like flowers or very feminine looking cakes. I prefer clean, simple, and chic. The original plan was to spend about $250 - $300 and just get a cake at Publix, because we thought they would do a good job and we really didn't care about the cake. After meeting Maria at a wedding show I had to schedule a meeting. She has a warehouse where she bakes and decorates. We met at her home. Extremely detailed and organized. After the meeting Dario and I were like there's no question we need to book. She was one of my favorite vendors to work with. Unfortunately, I didn't have a piece beyond the cake cutting, but everyone loved it! $700 ($6.50 per person, based on 100; $50 delivery.... $250 security deposit for cake stand, which you get back when you return it)
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Flowers A+
Gil Sosa
This is now the third florist we've hired. LOL. First it was a family friend of Dario's and we kept getting the runaround. Then I had Al's Florist. I cancelled them less than a month away, because when I gave Jenn the contracts I was concerned about the wording. It turns out I had a right because the quote I thought I got for all 3 bridesmaid bouquets turns out was for just one! Well when I met with them they said they can make the bouquets smaller and I just got a bad vibe. So, I figured I'd loose the $50 deposit and went with Gil. I didn't have any of the communication issues other had because I booked so close to the wedding. He arrived on time the day of and had everything perfect. The flowers were more beautiful than I imagined! When I walked in the room and saw everything it looked unreal. He also included a flower on each charger for free! It was a surprise to me! He's a great guy and would recommend him in a heartbeat. Price was $880 (Bouquets - Bridal, Tossing, 3 BM; Boutonnieres - Groom, 2 RB, 2 Dads, 3 groomsmen; Coursages - 2 Moms, 2 Grandmas; 11 centerpieces, sweetheart table)
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Ceremony Music A
Master Musicians
http://www.mastermusiciansinc.com/
I was going to use Music for Anything because they were cheaper, but based on their lack of communication and other reviews I chose to switch. Julie from Master Musicians was easy to communicate with. I tried to set up a meeting to discuss music, but she said it wasn't necessary. We hired a cellist and once I finally got all the music settle it was about a week and a half before the wedding. She responded with an email saying some songs couldn't be played on a cello. So I replied with what should we do. I didn't like her email response, it was like well you just sent it what do you want me to do. In an effort to not burn any bridges she came through and performed the violin at the ceremony. I didn't like the email, but the fact that she canceled the cellist so late and filled in got her the A. She also arrived 15 min. early. $250 for an hour and a half
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DJ A+
Ubi's Music Productions
http://www.ubismusic.com/
Thank you Knotties. Ubi is the best. He is a pleasure to work with and is very professional. It actually turns out that my sister had used Ubi for her wedding! LOL. He definitely lives up to his reputation. He had the dance floor jamming the entire time. We didn't give him a playlist, besides the intro and stuff. I wanted him to just feel the crowd. I asked for my little booty remix, but the people loved it so much we stretched it a little longer. It may be a little ghetto, but I loved it. My poor dress suffered; I did hydraulics!! During the day we changed the BP introduction song to "I got a feeling" and there were no problems. The next day Dario's family was saying how good he was because he played something for everybody. Oh and he stayed off the mic! I can't take cheese and people talking to hear themselves. He let the music do the talking. Total for 4 hours $675.
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The Dress B-
The Bride's Choice Bridal Salon
http://www.abrideschoice.com/
Amazing salon. Stacy is great to work with. I purchased one of their designs. It was everything I wanted. I've also purchased a custom mantilla veil. The salon got a B instead of an A, because the mantilla did not come in how I had ordered it. A mantilla has lace around the trim right? Well it just had a border. They did fix it with no problems. I had no problems or issues with them other than that and do recommend their store. I decided however to take my dress somewhere else for alterations, because of the reviews on their alterations department. When I asked them to look at it for the alterations, they shrugged and looked vaguely and said, "I don't know maybe $300." With the reviews and their rough estimate, which you know would be more, I went elsewhere. Gown - $1,400, Veil - $375
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Alterations A+ quality/B for always waiting
Reina 954-785-6222
I decided to finally go see Reina, because the reviews were just phenomenal! She is sooo cute! She is did a lot of work to my dress. She's lifted up the top and sleeves, took in around the bust and waist, gave me room around the hips, bustle, and hem. Also, my comb for the mantilla needed to be fixed and she did no problems. I went to Reina 4 times. 1) to determine all the alterations, 2) adjustments with nothing sewed down, 3) everything sewed down and bustle, 4) final pick up. Reina's work is phenomenal! The bridal salon tried to scare me b/c of all the lace in my dress, but I'm so glad I went to her! I did give her a B- because every time I went I had to wait for my dress about 20 min. But please don't let that deter you!! She was always very cooperative and helpful throughout the entire process and so worth it! Work was $200.
The day before the wedding my sister finally convinces my mom to try on her dress. It turns out that it needed to be hemmed, let out at the waist and fixed at the top. So annoying that my mom waited until the last minute to get this all done! Well she went to Reina and the dress was ready the day of the wedding. It fit perfectly!
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Hair A, Make up A+
Jorge Pena
786-306-5463
I had a trial with Jorge for my epics and loved him. The day of he came late because he got lost, but he called me to explain. As soon as he walked in he opened up his cases and chair and got straight to work. He has such a great personality and does incredible work. All my girls had completely different looks and we all looked fab. I think they looked too good; j/k. Oh and let me just say that my girls kept bothering him to add more here and there. LOL, they overdid it. My mom was so scared about makeup and didn't want any! Luck ily she did it and was surprisingly happy with her look. He finished with time to spare! Bride- $150 ($50 due at trial, balance day of); BP $50; $60 if you get lashes.
Alcira
305-205-3579
I was going to have Gus do my hair, but he doesn't travel to you unless you do it at the salon and I did not want to travel the day of. The day of the wedding Alcira came earlier than she was suppose to and got straight to work. She did FABULOUS! Each girl had a completely different look and got exactly what they wanted! It showed her versatility. My hair looked exactly as it did for the trial. If you look at my pictures however you will notice that my hair was coming out. This was not because of Alcira. My hair kept getting caught on my dress! Also, people don't know how to hug! Oh gosh everyone kept pulling on it and touching it. =( Alcira did not get an A+ because there was an issue with the pricing. She told my girls $75; well she told me because of the number of girls it would be $60. She didn't get an attitude and after like 2 comments she agreed to leave it. Because of the way she handled it, I decided to still give her an A. I highly recommend her! If you go to her - $60, If she goes to you - $75, BM - $45 style, $60 updo. *Five or more BM you get a discount.
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Tuxedo - A+ service/C+ execution
The Tux Shop
http://www.thetuxshopfl.com/
Dario and the BP ordered their tuxes from the same shop. Their customer service is excellent. They were always incredibly pleasant and easy to talk to. When I called to pick up the tuxes earlier, to ensure there weren't any problems, they had no issue. Dario's tux was the only one that didn't have a problem! Some ties were stained, shirts were too big, shirts were too tight, etc. Even though there were problems with all of them. They completely took care of it with no issue what so ever! They really pulled through and the problems were resolved. Tuxes were $140 ($10 extra for the shirt with the wing tipped collar), RB I think were around $90.
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Limousine A+
Coastal Limousine
http://www.coastalcar.com/
Wow! On time, right, clean limo, and incredible service. Our driver was sooooo nice! I had a great experience everyone there was very nice. I got a standard, black 8-10 passenger stretched limo for 3 hours. $250 including tax and tip.
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Rings A+
Jared's
Pembroke Pines location.Dario purchased my engagement ring from there and charmed the woman at the counter. Always happens when he has "older" woman helping him. =) He had such a positive experience that we went back for our wedding bands. She showed us many options and even showed us more economical rings. I love our rings! They match perfectly. We also got our engraving done there and had absolutely no problems! Mine - $750; His - $550 ... Engraving - $17ea
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Rehearsal Dinner A+
Scruby's BBQ
http://www.scrubys.com/
I have used Scruby's for catering at school. The price cannot be beat and the food was excellent! Everything came perfect to order and everyone was happy. There wasn't much left at the end, if anything! $4.49/pp (1/4 chicken, baked beans, potato salad, bread and butter), $25 for a gallon of garden salad, $25 delivery, + tax.
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Honeymoon A+
Central Holidays
http://www.centralholidays.com/
I don't know if you all believe in the secret, but 3 years ago (prior to the engagement), I told Dario I wanted to go to Europe and we should just set a date. He blurted out, fine! July 19, 2009!! Our wedding date was originally July 11th and we had to switch it to the 18th because of family. So, we ended up in Europe on that date! Freaky! After ensuring our dae with the church and venue we booked our honeymoon! I didn't want the expenses we would spend to hinder the honeymoon. I'm so glad we did and I strongly recommend anyone that loves traveling to do the same. I didn't use a travel agent, because after meeting with so many I learned that I could find better prices on my own. I used Central Holidays to book a land & sea package. It was 2 days in Athens at a 5 star hotel, 6 day cruise (Istanbul, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Rhodes, Crete), and a 2.5 day stay in Santorini at a 4 star hotel. The package was $4,000 for both, not including airfare. Dario's family one roundtrip tickets to Amsterdam and offered them to us for $500 each! So that is how we were able to go to Amsterdam. We were there for 2 days prior to Athens. Our honeymoon was the most amazing experience! It was a trip of a lifetime. We pinched ourselves the entire time, because we couldn't believe we were actually there! Prices: land & cruise with Central Holidays - $4,000; Amsterdam flight - $500; Hotel in Amsterdam - $450; Flight to Ams. - Athens, then Santorini-Athens, Athens-Ams. $1,500.
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Shoes
Endless - A+
http://www.endless.com/
After buying a pair of shoes on the trash to treasure board that didn't fit, I went online on the hunt. I love my shoes and it was super easy to shop through their site. I had free overnight shipping and they arrived beautifuly! Tip - check size comments; some shoes run too small. $90
Topper
Cake Topper Cake - A+
http://www.caketoppers.com/
I loved these monograms. Others I had seen were to flimsy and cheapy looking. I went with the solid brushed metal design. It came in right away and its beautiful! $67
Invitations
Envelopeme.com - A+
http://www.envelopeme.com/
I purchased the z-card, large envelope, RSVP envelope, and cardstock. The quality is great. Everything arrived faster than anticipated. The colors were also pretty true to form. $200 (70 - large and small envelopes, 70 wicked 5x7 cardstock, 70 z cards, and other cardstock)
Melissa Virguez Designs - A+
Melissa is my personal friend and was asked to design my invites on very short notice. She listened to every request and designed the invites beautifully. I'm extremely happy with how they came out. She rocks.
"Pillows"
StuffedAnimals.com - A+
http://www.stuffedanimals.com/
Purchased our monkey here as our ring pillow. It came right away and I was very happy with it. $10
Angie's Kids Zone - A-
http://www.angieskidszone.com/
Purchased our penguin here for my nephew's ring pillow. Was a little disappointed with the size but it works. $10
Centerpiece Items
Glass Cylinders and Stand
Costco. $20 each
River Rocks
Lowes $7 a ba (one bag filled about 2 sets of centerpieces).
Luggage
Paper-Source - B
http://www.paper-source.com/
I loved the suitcase and they came in fairly quickly. They get a B though just because I feel the pictures are deciving to the actual product. They are not super sturdy. $50
Photosharing Card
Vista Print - A
http://www.vistaprint.com/
I ordered 250 business cards. The cards were free. I paid extra for color (don't think I needed it, but wanted to make sure they were right and shipping. The quality is great for the price and it came super fast. $15
Shower Gifts
Umbrellas - A
http://www.horchow.com/
Michi gave me the best idea for a shower gift. Each hostess will receive a personalized monogramed umbrella. The umbrellas were on back order, but they were sent right when they said they'd be ready and they arrived much sooner than I expected. $20 ea
Guestbook
Blurb - A+
http://www.blurb.com/
Our guestbook was ordered 12 days before the wedding! I was so scared it wasn't going to get here on time. I paid extra for overnight shipping. The book came out better than expected. Would have liked the paper to have come out a little more glossy, but the quality was is excellent. Also, when using their program, the pages seem like there's more white space then there actually is. $35 + shipping (paid extra for hardcover, wrap around picture, and stronger paper)
Favors
Partywise Favors - B+
http://www.pricewisefavors.com/
I ordered 110 metal luggage tags. They came in nicely. Shipping took forever though. $1.18 ea
Gifts
Ring Bearers
Rumors.com - A+
http://www.rumors.com/
I purchased two car piggy banks for our ring bearers and had it personalized with their name. They are excellent quality and arrived as expected.
Parents
Molly and Mom - Communication A+/Delivery C
http://www.etsy.com/
I ordered personalized handkerchiefs for each of our parents. Communication has been great. However, it has taken much longer to receive them then it was initially suppose to take. ~ $15 ea
Groomsmen
Lillian Vernon - A+
http://www.lillianvernon.com/
Ordered the personalized wallets for the groomsmen. The quality is great and the shipping is accurate. $15 ea
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
EliStar's Reviews 06.09.07
Venue
Parrot Jungle Island - A+++++++++++++++++++
I cannot say enough nice things about Parrot Jungle. Everyone on their staff is consistently attentive, the room was perfect, the drinks and food were superb, and they did everything I asked of them and more. My catering manager was Mercy Acosta, and she was just an absolute joy. Every time I called to ask a question, she patiently answered and explained any necessary details, and every time I called to make sure we were on the same page, she always was. They took care of all the materials for my signature drinks, they accommodated all of my requests, and they made sure my room looked beautiful. When I couldn’t get in touch with one of my vendors, Mercy personally called and sorted out details for me. If you are looking for a place that is reasonably priced at a beautiful location with wonderful service, I highly recommend Parrot Jungle Island.
Granada Presbyterian Church - B+
The church itself is beautiful and all of the staff is incredibly nice, but a bit irresponsible. Every time I called to check up on things, they had usually completely forgotten our last conversation, but the reason I gave them a high score is because they always did their best to catch up and make amends. I was also a bit upset about not being informed that my wedding coordinator at the church had been switched the week of the wedding, but fortunately I KNEW the coordinator that they replaced her with and she was very sweet and detailed. Also, they started the prelude music super late and messed up the processional music, which kinda peeved me, but it was not that big of a deal. Out pastor, Pastor Phil Binnie, is one of the nicest men I have ever met. He conducted our pre-marital courses, which were VERY helpful and I think My DH and I both gained a lot from them.
Richard Miller Photography, Maja Miller - A++++++++++++++++++++++ (If I could fill up a whole page with pluses, I would. )
I will preface this review with a very important fact - We have not received our wedding photos yet. But I am grading Maja on her absolutely wonderful demeanor and of course on the amazing engagement pictures she took of us. She was so easy to get along with and is so incredibly professional. DH and I had a BLAST with her and her staff, who were all cracking jokes and they made us feel completely comfortable. When Maja arrived at the hotel and started my bridal shoot, she whispered to me “ I can tell this is going to be one of the weddings where we take over a thousand pictures - there are just so many wonderful things to photograph!” And boy did she hold up to her side of the bargain. The woman did not stop shooting for one second!! She kept showing us the pictures while she was taking them, and my mouth dropped every time. I am so incredibly excited to see them.
Update - I got my wedding photos back and I am THRILLED. I knew they would be beautiful but she surpassed my expectations. I stand by my grade!
Live Band
Continental Brass - C
I was very disappointed with my band. They kept taking long breaks in between songs, they never appeared like they had it together, and both Jesus (the band leader) AND his son (the assistant band leader) disappeared ten minutes into the reception. Their DJ, DJ Billy kept mixing up songs, and the singing was not that great. I have been to several weddings where they’ve played and they were MUCH better, so I was definitely let down. Don’t get me wrong, there were people on the dance floor and everyone had a great time, but I can’t whole-heartedly recommend them.
Polynesian Show - A+
Marcee Rodriguez
What a blast! I think that the Hawaiian show was the highlight of the party - it was so much fun! Marcee put on such a great show, and the fire dancer just WOWed everyone! What was great is that they brought everyone up to learn how to hula, and the hunky fire dancer individually brought up some older ladies and taught them how to dance which was HILARIOUS. I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in my life. I HIGHLY recommend them, you will NOT regret hiring them!
Petunia Flowers - A++++++++++++++++++++++++
Eduardo did a fantastic job on my flowers. I almost cried when I saw my bouquet and the reception room. The centerpieces were beautiful, the bouquets and boutonnieres were perfect, and even though he called to tell me that most of the ranunculus we had planned on using had died, he saved 8 of them for my bouquet and threw in a box of peonies for my centerpieces. On top of being extremely meticulous about my flowers, Eduardo is one of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I loved him the moment I met him, and knew I HAD to have him as my florist no matter what!! HIGHLY recommend!!!
Meilan Limousine - A+
They were responsible, on time, and the car was perfect. The AC was great, the car was beautiful. The driver was very polite and sweet, and personally made sure that no one saw me before the ceremony. He even told Anthony that he’d married “the prettiest of them all” in Spanish though, so I had to translate. LOL, it kind of lost the magic, but oh well! Highly recommend.
AB Cover Designers - D+/C
I am very upset with AB Covers. Every time I tried to get a hold of Ana I was put on hold and told she’d call me back. My mother and I must have called 20 times and we never got one single call back. The day before the wedding I had no idea whether I was going to get draping behind my sweetheart table. If my DOC and Mercy hadn’t called her to hound her about the draping, I WOULDN’T have gotten draping, although I had been personally reminding her about it at every one of the three meetings I had with Ana. What’s worse is that she had no recollection of me ever wanting draping behind the sweetheart table. On top of that mess, I paid almost $800 for draping, which included draping the entire air wall which separates the ball rooms. When I got to my reception, the HUGE air wall, which is maybe 300 feet long was not draped. Instead, they had draped behind the band, which was maybe a quarter of the size. I did not pay $800 for draping behind the band. Needless to say, I will be getting in contact with them about that. The only reason they did not get an F- is because the draping behind my SW table was gorgeous and everything else was perfect and in place. So, I only recommend them if you are willing to go through hell and back to get beautiful linens, and even then, still risk them fugging up what you want. Revision - When I got back from my HM, my mom told me that she had called Ana to complain about what happened and that she had apologized profusely and refunded a portion of the draping cost. I upgraded her to a C for her behavior AFTER the fact, but I stand by my D+ for prior to the wedding.
Invitations
Smashing Cards - A++++
I emailed Ashley from Smashing Cards the same day I came across their webpage. OMG. My invites were to die for. I got SO many compliments on them, I even had friends and family calling me and asking me to send another for their albums and scrapbooks.. It really was incredible. Cake, Favors, take home pastry boxes - A+++++++ times infiniti
Delicioso Bakery A++++++
My dad made my wedding cake. I almost cried when I saw it. Although the table they put it on was a little crooked, the cake was so beautiful that it took my breath away. It was EXACTLY what I wanted, I could tell my dad had broken his back to get it just perfect. It was six layers and DELISH. Thank you Daddy!! Oh and he also made my cookie favors, which unfortunately must have melted a bit during the transportation process, but they were still pretty!
Biltmore Hotel A+
Bridal prep, night of the wedding hotel, and day after brunch
WOW, is all I can say. We got the HM suite which was sooooooo awesome!! Anthony almost died when he saw our room and ginormous balcony. The bed and pillows were like cotton covered marshmallows. The service was impeccable and the hotel is gorgeous. We took many pictures around the hotel, and I can’t wait to see how they come out. Highly Recommend.
Seamstress for Bridesmaids gown - Sylvia - F-------
She made my life a living hell two weeks before my wedding date. Thank GOD I told her my wedding date was two weeks before the actual date, or some of my BMS would have gotten their dresses on the actual day of the wedding. The dresses were gorgeous, but I seriously think any seamstress could have made the dresses I picked out with the material I also picked out and went to BFE to buy just as nice or better. Several of my BMs had to get their dresses altered because they had problems with they way they fit. She was so incredibly rude to me and my BMs that I felt bad about even asking them to come for their final fittings. She dumped my FG dresses on another seamstress the “week of the wedding” who tried to charge me more than double than the price I had agreed on with Sylvia. Seriously, this was where Bridezilla Eli came out. If you’re going to have your dresses made FIND a RESPONSIBLE seamstress!!!
Rosa Fabrics - Material for BM dresses A
When I went to Ultra Fabrics on Bird Road they were selling the same green material I chose for my BM dresses for almost $8 a yard. I got it for $3 a yard at Rosa Fabrics and it was JUST AS NICE!!! Although it is in a kind of scary neighborhood if you go at the wrong time of day (My mom and I literally saw a lady getting mugged on our first trip there - although her posse chased down the mugger and beat him down with their own purses) it is still worth it to get such a great price on material. The service is great and HAGGLE with them. They will lower their price, especially if you are buying a lot.
My dress
Bridal City- A+
The women there were an absolute joy. They were so nice and helpful, every time I came they just gushed over me and went out of their way to make sure I felt comfortable in my dress. Although Anthony broke my bustle as we were walking into the reception, I kind of knew that was going to happen and just danced the night away holding my dress. I hear they are closing their location, but if they ever open up somewhere else, I highly recommend them.
Hair
Tania Fiandor - A+
Tania has been doing my hair since I was 13 years old. She is no longer just my regular hair stylist, but a very close friend of my family. She did FOUR trials to make sure my hair came out the way I wanted it. Although my waves did eventually fall out towards the end of the night, my hair was beautiful and she really did a wonderful job throughout the wh0ole process. I was very happy with her.
Makeup
Anna Noriega A+
She did a GREAT job on my makeup, JUST what I wanted!! It looked soo natural and pretty, and she was so nice and easy to get a long with. She also was willing to work with me until I was satisfied which was very important to me.
Gms and Anthony’s tuxes
Ace Tuxedos - B+
They were wonderful and the tuxedos were perfect and gorgeous, but they lost Anthony’s measurements and we didn’t find out until two days before the wedding. We had to rush over there to make sure they had the tux he had ordered in his size, which thankfully, they did. Other than that, the service was great and I recommend them.
Day of coordinator
Carmen Becerra - A++++
I hired Carmen two weeks before my wedding Day. Thank GOD I did. She was wonderful, professional, and knew I was a control freak so she cleared EVERYTHING with me first. I could not be more happy with her service. Alessandra recommended her to me after she had rented a seating chart from her. I needed an easel for the large engagement picture I had ordered, and so I met Carmen and hired her on the spot. She took EVERYTHING to Parrot Jungle for me and set up everything just the way I wanted. My candy buffet was soooo cute!! Carmen had made sure it came out like I had set it up in my brain, and she did a perfect job. I HIGHLY recommend her
Parrot Jungle Island - A+++++++++++++++++++
I cannot say enough nice things about Parrot Jungle. Everyone on their staff is consistently attentive, the room was perfect, the drinks and food were superb, and they did everything I asked of them and more. My catering manager was Mercy Acosta, and she was just an absolute joy. Every time I called to ask a question, she patiently answered and explained any necessary details, and every time I called to make sure we were on the same page, she always was. They took care of all the materials for my signature drinks, they accommodated all of my requests, and they made sure my room looked beautiful. When I couldn’t get in touch with one of my vendors, Mercy personally called and sorted out details for me. If you are looking for a place that is reasonably priced at a beautiful location with wonderful service, I highly recommend Parrot Jungle Island.
Granada Presbyterian Church - B+
The church itself is beautiful and all of the staff is incredibly nice, but a bit irresponsible. Every time I called to check up on things, they had usually completely forgotten our last conversation, but the reason I gave them a high score is because they always did their best to catch up and make amends. I was also a bit upset about not being informed that my wedding coordinator at the church had been switched the week of the wedding, but fortunately I KNEW the coordinator that they replaced her with and she was very sweet and detailed. Also, they started the prelude music super late and messed up the processional music, which kinda peeved me, but it was not that big of a deal. Out pastor, Pastor Phil Binnie, is one of the nicest men I have ever met. He conducted our pre-marital courses, which were VERY helpful and I think My DH and I both gained a lot from them.
Richard Miller Photography, Maja Miller - A++++++++++++++++++++++ (If I could fill up a whole page with pluses, I would. )
I will preface this review with a very important fact - We have not received our wedding photos yet. But I am grading Maja on her absolutely wonderful demeanor and of course on the amazing engagement pictures she took of us. She was so easy to get along with and is so incredibly professional. DH and I had a BLAST with her and her staff, who were all cracking jokes and they made us feel completely comfortable. When Maja arrived at the hotel and started my bridal shoot, she whispered to me “ I can tell this is going to be one of the weddings where we take over a thousand pictures - there are just so many wonderful things to photograph!” And boy did she hold up to her side of the bargain. The woman did not stop shooting for one second!! She kept showing us the pictures while she was taking them, and my mouth dropped every time. I am so incredibly excited to see them.
Update - I got my wedding photos back and I am THRILLED. I knew they would be beautiful but she surpassed my expectations. I stand by my grade!
Live Band
Continental Brass - C
I was very disappointed with my band. They kept taking long breaks in between songs, they never appeared like they had it together, and both Jesus (the band leader) AND his son (the assistant band leader) disappeared ten minutes into the reception. Their DJ, DJ Billy kept mixing up songs, and the singing was not that great. I have been to several weddings where they’ve played and they were MUCH better, so I was definitely let down. Don’t get me wrong, there were people on the dance floor and everyone had a great time, but I can’t whole-heartedly recommend them.
Polynesian Show - A+
Marcee Rodriguez
What a blast! I think that the Hawaiian show was the highlight of the party - it was so much fun! Marcee put on such a great show, and the fire dancer just WOWed everyone! What was great is that they brought everyone up to learn how to hula, and the hunky fire dancer individually brought up some older ladies and taught them how to dance which was HILARIOUS. I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in my life. I HIGHLY recommend them, you will NOT regret hiring them!
Petunia Flowers - A++++++++++++++++++++++++
Eduardo did a fantastic job on my flowers. I almost cried when I saw my bouquet and the reception room. The centerpieces were beautiful, the bouquets and boutonnieres were perfect, and even though he called to tell me that most of the ranunculus we had planned on using had died, he saved 8 of them for my bouquet and threw in a box of peonies for my centerpieces. On top of being extremely meticulous about my flowers, Eduardo is one of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I loved him the moment I met him, and knew I HAD to have him as my florist no matter what!! HIGHLY recommend!!!
Meilan Limousine - A+
They were responsible, on time, and the car was perfect. The AC was great, the car was beautiful. The driver was very polite and sweet, and personally made sure that no one saw me before the ceremony. He even told Anthony that he’d married “the prettiest of them all” in Spanish though, so I had to translate. LOL, it kind of lost the magic, but oh well! Highly recommend.
AB Cover Designers - D+/C
I am very upset with AB Covers. Every time I tried to get a hold of Ana I was put on hold and told she’d call me back. My mother and I must have called 20 times and we never got one single call back. The day before the wedding I had no idea whether I was going to get draping behind my sweetheart table. If my DOC and Mercy hadn’t called her to hound her about the draping, I WOULDN’T have gotten draping, although I had been personally reminding her about it at every one of the three meetings I had with Ana. What’s worse is that she had no recollection of me ever wanting draping behind the sweetheart table. On top of that mess, I paid almost $800 for draping, which included draping the entire air wall which separates the ball rooms. When I got to my reception, the HUGE air wall, which is maybe 300 feet long was not draped. Instead, they had draped behind the band, which was maybe a quarter of the size. I did not pay $800 for draping behind the band. Needless to say, I will be getting in contact with them about that. The only reason they did not get an F- is because the draping behind my SW table was gorgeous and everything else was perfect and in place. So, I only recommend them if you are willing to go through hell and back to get beautiful linens, and even then, still risk them fugging up what you want. Revision - When I got back from my HM, my mom told me that she had called Ana to complain about what happened and that she had apologized profusely and refunded a portion of the draping cost. I upgraded her to a C for her behavior AFTER the fact, but I stand by my D+ for prior to the wedding.
Invitations
Smashing Cards - A++++
I emailed Ashley from Smashing Cards the same day I came across their webpage. OMG. My invites were to die for. I got SO many compliments on them, I even had friends and family calling me and asking me to send another for their albums and scrapbooks.. It really was incredible. Cake, Favors, take home pastry boxes - A+++++++ times infiniti
Delicioso Bakery A++++++
My dad made my wedding cake. I almost cried when I saw it. Although the table they put it on was a little crooked, the cake was so beautiful that it took my breath away. It was EXACTLY what I wanted, I could tell my dad had broken his back to get it just perfect. It was six layers and DELISH. Thank you Daddy!! Oh and he also made my cookie favors, which unfortunately must have melted a bit during the transportation process, but they were still pretty!
Biltmore Hotel A+
Bridal prep, night of the wedding hotel, and day after brunch
WOW, is all I can say. We got the HM suite which was sooooooo awesome!! Anthony almost died when he saw our room and ginormous balcony. The bed and pillows were like cotton covered marshmallows. The service was impeccable and the hotel is gorgeous. We took many pictures around the hotel, and I can’t wait to see how they come out. Highly Recommend.
Seamstress for Bridesmaids gown - Sylvia - F-------
She made my life a living hell two weeks before my wedding date. Thank GOD I told her my wedding date was two weeks before the actual date, or some of my BMS would have gotten their dresses on the actual day of the wedding. The dresses were gorgeous, but I seriously think any seamstress could have made the dresses I picked out with the material I also picked out and went to BFE to buy just as nice or better. Several of my BMs had to get their dresses altered because they had problems with they way they fit. She was so incredibly rude to me and my BMs that I felt bad about even asking them to come for their final fittings. She dumped my FG dresses on another seamstress the “week of the wedding” who tried to charge me more than double than the price I had agreed on with Sylvia. Seriously, this was where Bridezilla Eli came out. If you’re going to have your dresses made FIND a RESPONSIBLE seamstress!!!
Rosa Fabrics - Material for BM dresses A
When I went to Ultra Fabrics on Bird Road they were selling the same green material I chose for my BM dresses for almost $8 a yard. I got it for $3 a yard at Rosa Fabrics and it was JUST AS NICE!!! Although it is in a kind of scary neighborhood if you go at the wrong time of day (My mom and I literally saw a lady getting mugged on our first trip there - although her posse chased down the mugger and beat him down with their own purses) it is still worth it to get such a great price on material. The service is great and HAGGLE with them. They will lower their price, especially if you are buying a lot.
My dress
Bridal City- A+
The women there were an absolute joy. They were so nice and helpful, every time I came they just gushed over me and went out of their way to make sure I felt comfortable in my dress. Although Anthony broke my bustle as we were walking into the reception, I kind of knew that was going to happen and just danced the night away holding my dress. I hear they are closing their location, but if they ever open up somewhere else, I highly recommend them.
Hair
Tania Fiandor - A+
Tania has been doing my hair since I was 13 years old. She is no longer just my regular hair stylist, but a very close friend of my family. She did FOUR trials to make sure my hair came out the way I wanted it. Although my waves did eventually fall out towards the end of the night, my hair was beautiful and she really did a wonderful job throughout the wh0ole process. I was very happy with her.
Makeup
Anna Noriega A+
She did a GREAT job on my makeup, JUST what I wanted!! It looked soo natural and pretty, and she was so nice and easy to get a long with. She also was willing to work with me until I was satisfied which was very important to me.
Gms and Anthony’s tuxes
Ace Tuxedos - B+
They were wonderful and the tuxedos were perfect and gorgeous, but they lost Anthony’s measurements and we didn’t find out until two days before the wedding. We had to rush over there to make sure they had the tux he had ordered in his size, which thankfully, they did. Other than that, the service was great and I recommend them.
Day of coordinator
Carmen Becerra - A++++
I hired Carmen two weeks before my wedding Day. Thank GOD I did. She was wonderful, professional, and knew I was a control freak so she cleared EVERYTHING with me first. I could not be more happy with her service. Alessandra recommended her to me after she had rented a seating chart from her. I needed an easel for the large engagement picture I had ordered, and so I met Carmen and hired her on the spot. She took EVERYTHING to Parrot Jungle for me and set up everything just the way I wanted. My candy buffet was soooo cute!! Carmen had made sure it came out like I had set it up in my brain, and she did a perfect job. I HIGHLY recommend her
GatorNicole's Reviews 02.21.09
Officiant - page for info - A+
He made the ceremony perfect. He knew the right thing to say and everyone loved him. He got to know DH and I and everything he said came from the heart. We wouldn't have wanted anyone else to have married us! (it was a Jewish ceremony)
Deering Estate (ceremony on lawn)- A/B-
A - The place is beautiful!! ; We had a huge flock of white birds pass over right before the ceremony began, there were manatees in the water behind us, the weather and lighting was also perfect!
B- - There was trash everywhere on the lawn. My DH was picking up trash when we were having the rehearsal the day before. Then when we had some family setting up our chuppah/arbor the day of, they were picking up trash as well. (Everything from plastic eating utensils, straws, cigarettes, etc). When I was walking down the lawn (on my way to getting married), I was avoiding trash. There also were boats docked near the water they said they would have moved, after persisting over two days an several times, they finally moved them. Security guards wandered aimlessly talking on their cell phones.
I still recommend Deering Estate. The place was beautiful. Despite the hiccups on the road, I would still get married there.
Photographer - Lux Images - A++
Andy and Oscar were there to capture our day. Amazing doesn't begin to describe them. They were our favorite vendor to work with since day one. DH who was apprehensive about taking photos now wants to do photo sessions with them in the future. We cannot recommend them enough!! EVERYONE who has seen the photos they put on their blog love them! (Also, Andy noticed the waiters at the reception taking our cake away before we cut it, thanks to him, DH and I were able to have our cake cutting!)
Videographer - George Y. - A
George and his son were great. They were there but we barely noticed them. They were waiting for us at the ceremony and stayed the entire reception. They worked great alongside the photographers and were reasonably priced. They also shoot in HD! I can't wait to see the final product! We are supposed to have the video in just 2 weeks! UPDATE: Video looks great!
Makeup - M./Bobbi Brown - A
Bobbi Brown in Miami
M. has worked there a while and done lots of weddings. She did me, my mom and grandmother. She basically gave me a free trial the day before the wedding and gave my mom a quick one when she went in. Typically you have to spend 50-60 dollars to get the makeover. We bought a TON of stuff from her on Saturday. She is SUPER nice. Extremely patient. I got TONS of compliments too. The makeup lasted all night! I definitely recommend her!
Crowne Plaza (reception) - B+
The event manager/coordinator was very easy to work with. However the guy who was in charge of the event didn't seem to care. When I initially met him the week before he seemed to be in a rush and annoyed with the meeting (IMO). I had forgotten about vendor meals and told the main event manager I wanted to feed four people. Soon the other guy who was overseeing everything that night came up to me and told me I had one meal left and he already fed another vendor who I did not want fed and never told them to feed. Then I was getting a hard time on them cooking something for them! There was also some miscommunication and they forgot to ask/I forgot to give, a credit card for them to charge the rest of the payment on and I didn't feel it was appropriate to be telling me this at the reception that I'm supposed to be enjoying. My MOH took care of everything, but they are lucky I had my wallet on me! Then my MOH told them we would be cutting the cake in 15 minutes and I have my photographer coming up to me and telling me they took the cake away! I had to run and find someone and explain to them not to cut the cake because DH and I hadn't cut it yet. That was a huge mistake that was avoided thanks because of Andy and my MOH who had also noticed. Most people said the food was good. I guess I wasn't a fan.
When everything was setup it looked beautiful, but I don't know how much that was my people or them. I would still have another event there. Gigi was fabulous to work with.
Cake - Edible Creations - A
Lily was great to work with. We sampled a few cakes and liked hers the best. We had vanilla rum (I have a piece to try in my fridge) and red velvet. We got the vanilla rum and red velvet. The cake didn't look exactly like the picture that we were expecting (there were supposed to be more swirls and not many of the "c's" and the top half was supposed to look like the bottom and be half blank, the ribbon, then the bottom half swirls... BUT it was still very pretty, very yummy, and a great price! I highly recommend Lily!
Millenium Limo - B
Everything was great in the beginning. Our driver was patient and nice. He didn't need a lot of directions as far as where to go/how to get to our places. I was unhappy when we told him that we were going to use him for additional hours so he'd be able to drive us to our hotel at the end of the evening, he told us he had another party to transport. This was annoying because when I signed the contract I said I was going to be using the limo for extra hours and now the driver was telling us when we had to leave our reception by and we suddenly left ourselves trying to find a ride to our hotel that night.
Flowers - J. Morgan Flowers - D (photo's on ProjectWedding.com)
Based on my experience, I did not enjoy working with this vendor and do not recommend them.
The reception was simple. I paid over $ 45 each centerpiece. Assorted colors of 'stock' were placed into our vases. (The $ 45 were for only for the flowers -- the centerpieces and candle holders were provided by me)
The bouts were simple. I paid over $ 40 for four single flower boutonnieres with green floral tape around the stem and a pin stuck through them.
I paid over $ 60 for three usherette corsages, each with three roses in them. One of them began falling apart before it was put on.
Below is a photo of the bouquet that I wanted and had discussed with Jacqueline from J Morgan Flowers (as well as emailed to her). However, I wanted the reverse of colors (more light pink with touches of off white, with a few added mini calla lilies that are the pale pink to off white color).
Below are photos of my bouquet. Their were no pale pink roses (which were stated in my contract), the calla lilies were hot pink and the roses looked yellow. I paid over $ 200 for my bouquet.
It was about the size (in width) of a roll of paper towels. Also, it was supposed to be tied in all satin (again, as stated in the contract), instead it was tied in satin and organza (and the organza was fraying).
I paid over $ 100 for petals to be in the aisle-way. The contract states a "heavy sprinkle." Below is a photo of the aisle-way with the petals I received.
I paid over $ 80 for the two bridesmaid bouquets you see below.
--- see my photos in my profile ---
Rings - Rogers Findings and Castings (Seybold Building) - A+
Lucy is great. The quality was amazing. Turnaround time was super fast. Prices were great too! DH and I love our rings! Mine was custom made and DH's was found at another store and they managed to get it. They also did a great job engraving our rings and dipping my e-ring. I DEFINITELY recommend them!
Dress - Pearl's Place - A
Everyone who answers the phone is VERY nice. There were a few very minor hiccups along the way which is why they are getting an A over the A+. After I left my deposit, I never received a copy of my receipt. After a short phone call, another one was sent out very quickly. I was told I should have my dress by Nov. 22nd, when I called them that day, they said it wasn't expected in until mid December. The dress showed up the second week of December. It was still packaged by the designer, Pearls Place seemed to be just a pit-stop in the shipping. Overall, I got my dress exactly the way I wanted (no ordering glitches) and saved some money.
Dress Alterations - Alterations by Reina - A
The dress came out beautiful and everyone loved it. She does quality work in a short amount of time. She is reasonably priced. I would definitely make a long drive to reach her!
Groom/Groomsmen - Mr. Tux (Kendall) - B-/C+
We went in there and called several times to make sure they had the groom's tux jacket pockets sewn in like they suggested when we picked the tux. Everytime we went in or called they kept "making a note." Of course, the day the tux was picked up the pockets weren't done and they didn't want to change them. After DH persisted, he got them to fix them. Also, my brothers tux was missing a button. They took it away from him and said they would fix it and ultimately shoved it back into a garment bag and wouldn't let him open it up in the store. The missing button made his tie crooked all night.
Veil - Occansey Designs/Obridal.com - A+
Great quality, fast service. I definitely recommend custom ordering your veil!
Rumor Has It Party Rentals - A+
Best prices, great furniture. Everyone was very nice to deal with. They setup everything how I wanted and did a great job. They also were prompt in picking everything up and even picked up our arbor/arch to temporarily store in their warehouse! I would definitely recommend them.
DJ Ubi - A-/B+
We had AJ for our ceremony and Lionel for our reception. Both did a great job and exactly what we wanted. We left a few parts of our song list blank, Lionel chose some good songs to fill in. They both were on time, easy to work with, and very nice. My only complaint is Lionel disappeared some for parts of the reception, leaving my brother and one of the photogs to figure out how to lower the volume because people couldn't talk during dinner. He disappeared periodically, but was there when the main dancing was going on. Otherwise, everything was good.
Hair - Gina - A
The hair looked great and lasted all night! Gina is sweet and patient and will do exactly what you want.
Invitation Design - Michelle Vega (page for info)/ Bella Michi/DIY - A+
Michelle designed the most gorgeous invites and put up with all the little revisions and tweaks. I give myself a B cause it took me longer than I had planned to get them assembled and mailed out.
He made the ceremony perfect. He knew the right thing to say and everyone loved him. He got to know DH and I and everything he said came from the heart. We wouldn't have wanted anyone else to have married us! (it was a Jewish ceremony)
Deering Estate (ceremony on lawn)- A/B-
A - The place is beautiful!! ; We had a huge flock of white birds pass over right before the ceremony began, there were manatees in the water behind us, the weather and lighting was also perfect!
B- - There was trash everywhere on the lawn. My DH was picking up trash when we were having the rehearsal the day before. Then when we had some family setting up our chuppah/arbor the day of, they were picking up trash as well. (Everything from plastic eating utensils, straws, cigarettes, etc). When I was walking down the lawn (on my way to getting married), I was avoiding trash. There also were boats docked near the water they said they would have moved, after persisting over two days an several times, they finally moved them. Security guards wandered aimlessly talking on their cell phones.
I still recommend Deering Estate. The place was beautiful. Despite the hiccups on the road, I would still get married there.
Photographer - Lux Images - A++
Andy and Oscar were there to capture our day. Amazing doesn't begin to describe them. They were our favorite vendor to work with since day one. DH who was apprehensive about taking photos now wants to do photo sessions with them in the future. We cannot recommend them enough!! EVERYONE who has seen the photos they put on their blog love them! (Also, Andy noticed the waiters at the reception taking our cake away before we cut it, thanks to him, DH and I were able to have our cake cutting!)
Videographer - George Y. - A
George and his son were great. They were there but we barely noticed them. They were waiting for us at the ceremony and stayed the entire reception. They worked great alongside the photographers and were reasonably priced. They also shoot in HD! I can't wait to see the final product! We are supposed to have the video in just 2 weeks! UPDATE: Video looks great!
Makeup - M./Bobbi Brown - A
Bobbi Brown in Miami
M. has worked there a while and done lots of weddings. She did me, my mom and grandmother. She basically gave me a free trial the day before the wedding and gave my mom a quick one when she went in. Typically you have to spend 50-60 dollars to get the makeover. We bought a TON of stuff from her on Saturday. She is SUPER nice. Extremely patient. I got TONS of compliments too. The makeup lasted all night! I definitely recommend her!
Crowne Plaza (reception) - B+
The event manager/coordinator was very easy to work with. However the guy who was in charge of the event didn't seem to care. When I initially met him the week before he seemed to be in a rush and annoyed with the meeting (IMO). I had forgotten about vendor meals and told the main event manager I wanted to feed four people. Soon the other guy who was overseeing everything that night came up to me and told me I had one meal left and he already fed another vendor who I did not want fed and never told them to feed. Then I was getting a hard time on them cooking something for them! There was also some miscommunication and they forgot to ask/I forgot to give, a credit card for them to charge the rest of the payment on and I didn't feel it was appropriate to be telling me this at the reception that I'm supposed to be enjoying. My MOH took care of everything, but they are lucky I had my wallet on me! Then my MOH told them we would be cutting the cake in 15 minutes and I have my photographer coming up to me and telling me they took the cake away! I had to run and find someone and explain to them not to cut the cake because DH and I hadn't cut it yet. That was a huge mistake that was avoided thanks because of Andy and my MOH who had also noticed. Most people said the food was good. I guess I wasn't a fan.
When everything was setup it looked beautiful, but I don't know how much that was my people or them. I would still have another event there. Gigi was fabulous to work with.
Cake - Edible Creations - A
Lily was great to work with. We sampled a few cakes and liked hers the best. We had vanilla rum (I have a piece to try in my fridge) and red velvet. We got the vanilla rum and red velvet. The cake didn't look exactly like the picture that we were expecting (there were supposed to be more swirls and not many of the "c's" and the top half was supposed to look like the bottom and be half blank, the ribbon, then the bottom half swirls... BUT it was still very pretty, very yummy, and a great price! I highly recommend Lily!
Millenium Limo - B
Everything was great in the beginning. Our driver was patient and nice. He didn't need a lot of directions as far as where to go/how to get to our places. I was unhappy when we told him that we were going to use him for additional hours so he'd be able to drive us to our hotel at the end of the evening, he told us he had another party to transport. This was annoying because when I signed the contract I said I was going to be using the limo for extra hours and now the driver was telling us when we had to leave our reception by and we suddenly left ourselves trying to find a ride to our hotel that night.
Flowers - J. Morgan Flowers - D (photo's on ProjectWedding.com)
Based on my experience, I did not enjoy working with this vendor and do not recommend them.
The reception was simple. I paid over $ 45 each centerpiece. Assorted colors of 'stock' were placed into our vases. (The $ 45 were for only for the flowers -- the centerpieces and candle holders were provided by me)
The bouts were simple. I paid over $ 40 for four single flower boutonnieres with green floral tape around the stem and a pin stuck through them.
I paid over $ 60 for three usherette corsages, each with three roses in them. One of them began falling apart before it was put on.
Below is a photo of the bouquet that I wanted and had discussed with Jacqueline from J Morgan Flowers (as well as emailed to her). However, I wanted the reverse of colors (more light pink with touches of off white, with a few added mini calla lilies that are the pale pink to off white color).
Below are photos of my bouquet. Their were no pale pink roses (which were stated in my contract), the calla lilies were hot pink and the roses looked yellow. I paid over $ 200 for my bouquet.
It was about the size (in width) of a roll of paper towels. Also, it was supposed to be tied in all satin (again, as stated in the contract), instead it was tied in satin and organza (and the organza was fraying).
I paid over $ 100 for petals to be in the aisle-way. The contract states a "heavy sprinkle." Below is a photo of the aisle-way with the petals I received.
I paid over $ 80 for the two bridesmaid bouquets you see below.
--- see my photos in my profile ---
Rings - Rogers Findings and Castings (Seybold Building) - A+
Lucy is great. The quality was amazing. Turnaround time was super fast. Prices were great too! DH and I love our rings! Mine was custom made and DH's was found at another store and they managed to get it. They also did a great job engraving our rings and dipping my e-ring. I DEFINITELY recommend them!
Dress - Pearl's Place - A
Everyone who answers the phone is VERY nice. There were a few very minor hiccups along the way which is why they are getting an A over the A+. After I left my deposit, I never received a copy of my receipt. After a short phone call, another one was sent out very quickly. I was told I should have my dress by Nov. 22nd, when I called them that day, they said it wasn't expected in until mid December. The dress showed up the second week of December. It was still packaged by the designer, Pearls Place seemed to be just a pit-stop in the shipping. Overall, I got my dress exactly the way I wanted (no ordering glitches) and saved some money.
Dress Alterations - Alterations by Reina - A
The dress came out beautiful and everyone loved it. She does quality work in a short amount of time. She is reasonably priced. I would definitely make a long drive to reach her!
Groom/Groomsmen - Mr. Tux (Kendall) - B-/C+
We went in there and called several times to make sure they had the groom's tux jacket pockets sewn in like they suggested when we picked the tux. Everytime we went in or called they kept "making a note." Of course, the day the tux was picked up the pockets weren't done and they didn't want to change them. After DH persisted, he got them to fix them. Also, my brothers tux was missing a button. They took it away from him and said they would fix it and ultimately shoved it back into a garment bag and wouldn't let him open it up in the store. The missing button made his tie crooked all night.
Veil - Occansey Designs/Obridal.com - A+
Great quality, fast service. I definitely recommend custom ordering your veil!
Rumor Has It Party Rentals - A+
Best prices, great furniture. Everyone was very nice to deal with. They setup everything how I wanted and did a great job. They also were prompt in picking everything up and even picked up our arbor/arch to temporarily store in their warehouse! I would definitely recommend them.
DJ Ubi - A-/B+
We had AJ for our ceremony and Lionel for our reception. Both did a great job and exactly what we wanted. We left a few parts of our song list blank, Lionel chose some good songs to fill in. They both were on time, easy to work with, and very nice. My only complaint is Lionel disappeared some for parts of the reception, leaving my brother and one of the photogs to figure out how to lower the volume because people couldn't talk during dinner. He disappeared periodically, but was there when the main dancing was going on. Otherwise, everything was good.
Hair - Gina - A
The hair looked great and lasted all night! Gina is sweet and patient and will do exactly what you want.
Invitation Design - Michelle Vega (page for info)/ Bella Michi/DIY - A+
Michelle designed the most gorgeous invites and put up with all the little revisions and tweaks. I give myself a B cause it took me longer than I had planned to get them assembled and mailed out.
Lafemmelor's Reviews 06.27.09
Church: St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Miami Beach
I went this this church because it was the easiest to book and the required steps were quite simple and short-- show up to the orientation, pay a deposit for my day $450, provide ONLY the baptismal certificates, attend the Engaged Encounter (total waste of time & $100), turn in marriage license, and attend the rehearsal. One thing that I didn't like is the fact that I cannot bring my own musicians, I would've loved to have a string ensemble but they said "no" and that I had to go w/ their music director who charges $300. I don't get to hear him until my actual wedding day. I'm trying to negotiate this music fee at the moment. The infamous Father Alberto was to have performed the wedding ceremony but there was a scandal and so I was assigned another priest, and it was no biggie to me.
Unfortunately, right next to the church a massive parking garage was under construction and the City of Miami Beach had construction on Lenox (the road in front of the church's main entrance).
Wedding Day Review: Walking to the church with the construction was a little tricky because of my dress and shoes, but I was ok and my guests parked in the back parking lot of the church and easily found their way without having to step on any construction debris.
The church's wedding coordinator, Adriana, was very organized and professional in getting us organized in walking down the aisle and reviewing our cues for the ceremony. The music director, Ivan Diaz, performed beautifully at the ceremony. Our priest, Father Julio Alvarez, performed a lovely and relatively quick ceremony with a thoughtful homily.
We were given 15 minutes for pictures and went a bit over so were warned by the coordinator who gave us an extra 5.
Overall Grade: A
Reception Site: Doral Park Country Club
I booked this venue waaaaay in advance and got a pretty good deal w/ a buffet dinner and 5 hour open bar package and I didn't have to pay a rental fee, which is something I'd have to pay with other venues. However, for cocktail hour guests would have to walk by the dining area w/ tables and see the setup because there is no wall.
One drawback (at the time) was that I had to find my own florist, dj, cake, lighting and any other thing as they didn't provide this. Looking back, I'm glad that it turned out this way as I was able to find vendors to my liking and avoided the 20% service fee that's tacked on the regular rate and taxes. I hear that now they do upgraded packages w/ the vendors.
I changed my wedding date w/ Doral Park a few times and when I finally booked a date w/ the church I asked DP to please change it and resend the contract. The catering manager did not charge me the $250 fee that the contract stated if I changed the date. She did however take over a week to get back to me w/ the papers after I had already booked the date w/ the church and was stressing over this.
With my selected package, basic linens and chair covers were offered but I didn't like them. Last year I upgraded the chairs but was charged a whooping $7 for each (and I needed 100)! Two months before my big day I began to do some research and got a fantastic deal w/ Hitched, who happened to be the very same vendor Doral Park was going to use. The assistant at Doral Park, Jessica, was very helpful and quick w/ communication via email/phone, but when I wanted to get the chairs removed from my catering agreement she didn't want to accommodate me. Luckily, her boss, Ana, said it was ok and took it off. Another thing I ended up upgrading was the glassware because it seriously looked cheesy like it came from the Dollar Store or something.
Finally, when I went to the last meeting prior to the wedding I was told that there would be another wedding reception at the venue after being told a year ago that they don't double-book events at Doral Park. I brought this up but Ana insisted that it was in another room and earlier than my event. If I hadn't had Letty Gobel, my day-of-coordinator, I would've been terribly nervous about leaving my items for decor and not knowing if someone from the other party would've taken something and it being a mess.
Wedding Day Review: As I hired a day-of-coordinator, I did not have direct contact with the venue regarding the arrival of the hired vendors and logistics, but was told they went back and forth with the timing. However, when I arrived to the reception site with my husband, we were kindly greeted by the catering manager and assistant (Ana and Jessica), we were immediately asked what we wanted to do/go and provided with a plate of our selected hors d'oeuvres, which were a treat! Throughout the night the two ladies were present and seemed to have things under control with their staff. Again, I had a DOC so I know she did many things as well.
On the food: All my guests raved about the five station buffet, and I had sampled a few items from it and it was scrumptious! In addition,the presentation of each station was very elegant and at the carving station there were three chefs all dressed up adding to the poshness of the event. I hired a second bartender and it seemed to help with the traffic of guests ordering drinks, and had no problem there. The waiting staff was very courteous.
All in all, the night was a success! :-D
Overall Grade: B+
Photography: Luis Manuel Photography http://www.luismanuel.com/index.php
Just like my reception venue, I booked this vendor a year in advance and was not aware of too many other photographers.
Michelle, Luis' wife, has been very professional in contacting me and providing all the information requested. They offer about 4 types of packages that include a matted album, a CD w/ images, unlimited shots of the event, 5 hour coverage, and a few portraits starting at $1750.
At my last meeting, we discussed what group photos would be taken and I said how I wanted detail shots of the reception as well. We also reviewed the types albums they provide. Michelle does most/all of the album designing.
Wedding Day Review: Luis showed up to the church on time and came in to the limo to take pics of my father and I in various angles. He followed the instructions given to him by the church's coordinator and priest and when the ceremony was over we were given only 15 minutes to take the posed shots at the altar. During this time a few of my family members were taking digital pictures as Luis was trying to take his, I could see he was annoyed by that as some of the flashing would interrupt his shots so he would joke w/ my family to stop. Some of them took this the wrong way, but I totally understood where he was coming from as a pro. Outside the church the sun was already setting and there was construction on the roadway to the church's entrance so Luis made sure we did not have any pictures in that direction, the lighting was great and he took some fantastic pics of my hubby and I at the church's doors and showed us right away!
At the reception Luis immediately got to photographing the reception, but some of the guests started to sit at the tables instead of being outside during the cocktail hour. He took photos of all the moments (cake cutting, garter toss, bouquet, etc)
I have yet to see his photos, but am hoping they look fantastic.
Overall Grade: A, Pending album review
Dress and veil: Leggenda's Bridal in Coral Gables
Mon Cheri in satin ivory w/ sweetheart neckline, mermaid cut.
($90 f/ alterations on dress, which included hemming and bustle.)
I tried various other bridal shops but they were either out of my budget OR didn't have a mermaid cut dress that wasn't made of lace. When I went to Leggenda's I actually tried on an oyster colored dress, which ended up being the one I bought but in ivory. So I never saw the actual dress and color until 7 months later! When I saw it on the hanger I was initially horrified and felt that it was a cheap looking dress, but when I put it on and the lady turned off the lights to show the "glowing effect of the dress" then I was totally loving my dress! I ordered my dress in August '08 and received it in April '09. Also, three days before my wedding I took it in for ironing and it was returned within an hour.
Overall Grade: A
Groom's Tux: Hugo Boss (Aventura Mall)
My fiance checked out the Men's Warehouse tuxes but didn't like the fabrics and already wears HB suits, so I told him to just buy one. Susana Rodriguez, the assistant manager, is very down to earth and helpful in finding the right suit for your guy. Alterations were also used and completed promptly. The final product made my husband look very dapper!
Overall Grade: A+
Bridesmaids (BM) & Jr. BM Dresses: Daisy Tarsi in Coral Gables; Lazaro & Jim Helm;
I had my mind set on getting a metallic blue and found a lovely style from the said vendor. I was considering of buying the dresses online but but wasn't comfortable buying something that might/might not be the real thing and didn't know of anyone who had. From my research only two local places in Miami carried the Lazaro & Him Helm so I went to the closest. At the store, the sales lady said that the alterations were overpriced there and recommended I go elsewhere and I ended up using my neighbor who I later found out makes wedding gowns and all sorts of alterations! With the purchase of 5 dresses I was given a 10% discount, although still pricey I ordered the dresses in late January (paid more than half the amount for the deposit) and received them at the end of May.
I called in between the waiting period to confirm arrival time and to make sure everything was going well. I received a call that the dresses were ready and picked them up promptly. When I asked about ironing the dresses as they were wrinkled the owner said to bring them the week of the wedding. So Just like my dress, I took the BM dresses for ironing but was told that they wouldn't be ready until two days later (a day before the wedding) and made the appointment. I was also informed that the fabric (silk taffeta) was very delicate and could not get wet as it would be permanently ruined. I said there should be a label or something informing the customer of this, so I asked the owner, why aren't there tags informing of the delicate nature of the fabric and she answered, "oh the Vera Wang dresses have them, but they're too big and we cut them off." WTF!
So in June when I arrived at the store carrying 5 dresses I find that the store was closed and I was getting upset. It took about five minutes for someone to arrive and open the store and then asked me if I had purchased the dresses (hello, the dresses were still in the bags provided by Daisy Tarsi that even had the name all over!) so I had to play it cool and dropped off the dresses and came back within an hour to get in writing that I had left those dresses there. I asked if I they would be ready at least by the end day and was told by the owner to call and see. I said "I'm getting married in two days and have a million things to do, can you please call me to let me know when I can pick up the dresses," the owner said to her employee to "write it down in the calendar."
Did I ever get a call from them? No. For two days I continuously called to follow-up on the status. The customer service there seriously lacks, starting with the owner who doesn't seem to care about the customer once she's got your money. However, when I picked up the dresses and inspected them, just as they did when I dropped them off I was helped by another employee to take the dresses to my car, which surprised me considering how I was treated the days before.
So basically I just want to inform you that Daisy Tarsi is overpriced and sucks when it comes to customer service!
Overall Grade: C
Groomsmen & Father's Tuxes: MW Tux (Aventura & Dadeland Malls)
At the Aventura store the young lady who worked there helped the groomsmen with the sizing and styles. The same could be said at the Dadeland store where the young man called me to review the styles of vests for my dad online.
I was not impressed with the quality of the ties and shirts and you would have to buy the handkerchiefs that would go in the outer pocket of the jacket and they didn't even match the ties in color. The actual tuxedos are okay and have adjusting buckles for varying waist widths. One of my uncles had a lot of trouble with it that it was loose and he had to carry the pants from the pockets! lol
When I went to pick up my dad's tuxedo I unzipped the bag and saw the shirt, vest, and tie had fallen from the hanger and requested it be ironed, which was promptly done.
Also, tuxes must be returned the next day or you're charged $20 for each day it's late.
Overall Grade: B
Florist: Gil Sosa
I choose him because his work is top-notch and his prices are not ;) At my first meeting with him he was really funny and showed my sister and I tons of pictures around my color scheme and suggested I change my centerpieces (see above color inspiration picture) as they wouldn't go well with the venue. I was hesitant at first because I felt that he was pushing what I think to be his signature centerpiece, but after seeing the demo at my venue I completely agree w/ his point of view. He isn't the best w/ communication, especially if you're event is months in advance but he was prompt w/ sending out a detailed list and pricing of the floral arrangements and bouquets discussed. He also informed me of when he received payment. Also, he was on time at the trial, something he prides himself in.
His son's wedding was actually a week before mine and he was kind enough to invite me and his other clients to view the reception decor a day before, which was absolutely breathtaking and stunning.
The week of my wedding Gil called to follow-up and review the contract detail by detail.
Wedding Day Review: When I arrived at the church (30 minutes early and a mass was going on) I contacted Gil via phone and asked about my bouquet and bridal party flowers, he said his staff was waiting for the mass to end to setup the altar pieces and provide us w/ the flowers. They absolutely delivered and the bouquet looked fantastic and was really heavy! The ribbon was done beautifully as was that of my bridal party's bouquets. The boutonnieres were also superb. The altar arrangements looks awesome, but the church placed those BEHIND the altar table and not on its sides :-(
At the reception, the centerpieces were so elegant and looked wicked with vase containing the blue water and long orchid stem. The sweetheart table looked just like the original floral arrangement I showed Gil at our first meeting but in ivory and included orchids too! The cake table was just as beautiful with a variety of orchids surrounding the cake. Finally, behind the sweetheart table there's a fireplace mantle that Gil decorated just beautifully.
Gil actually made the centerpiece arrangements on-site and was so generous with the flowers he put on display that made the reception look posh :) He truly delivered and used more flowers than what I paid for, which I am truly grateful. I would highly recommend Gil and use him again if I have a major event and require floral arrangements.
Overall Grade: A+
DJ/Lighting: Ubi's DJ & Lighting
I only met with him for this service and felt that he was very informative and even provided insight on my venue as far as service and food quality too! I had read from other brides that he isn't always the DJ at the wedding and asked him about this, which he said that depending on the music selection was how he determined who would be assigned for the night. Also, I booked him for uplighting and later emailed him about recommendations for colors.
He said that two weeks before the wedding to submit the playlist on his website and he'd contact me.
In searching for tracks for the reception, my fiance and I compiled a list of songs (Artist/Song Title) from a variety of genres and kept our guests in mind for the dancing portion, so we did our research using iTunes and Beatport.com.
Two weeks before the wedding, I submitted my playlist online and called him to make sure all was well. He said that I was the first bride to submit an entire playlist for a wedding and that I had to remove several tracks and limit it to 30, which I did and apologized for sending too many if that was the case. (My fiance and I are really into music, so much that he's a DJ and I use to have my own college radio show.) Anyhow, I promptly edited my list and let Ubi know. When we spoke again, I said it must be a good thing that I had given him a specific playlist but then he said "it's good for you, but not for us because it's more work." I thought to myself, but that's why I'm paying you for this! So I told him that for every song that I listed, I found it on iTunes or Beatport.com and it would be easy to locate. He seemed to take offense and said that he and his Djs don't use iPods for Djing and I was like ok, just letting you know WHERE you can find the songs. Ubi said he would be able to get the requested tracks and that it wouldn't be a problem.
Wedding Day Music Review: Ubi was not my DJ, rather it was Luis. I was not informed until I contacted my DOC. When I arrived at the reception, Luis was elegantly dressed in a tux and greeted us as a true professional. He briefly spoke w/ my husband about song selections and had the cocktail hour music (lounge/ambient) playing inside (songs that we had selected).
Dinner music (Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, etc.) was played just as requested and guests were enjoying the vibe.
Luis mentioned how some of the first dance songs were too long and if we didn't mind him editing them, so we were really happy he asked us and we said sure. When it came time for the bridal party entrance songs and first dances, Luis' MC skills were impressive and very professional, not too loud/obnoxious.
When it came time for the dancing portion of the night, Luis started off with the songs I listed but then started to play songs that wasn't on our list and I wasn't going to let it bother me, but I noticed that it was clearing the dancefloor. Since a few people were dancing, I didn't say anything to him and just made my rounds and greeted my guests with my husband. Luckily, 30 minutes later or so it was time for the fun part of the night: bouquet toss, garter removal, cake cutting, etc. So those requested songs were played and got the crowd roaring.
But, just like Luis did earlier he played other songs that were not on the list and slowly my guests started to leave. I'm not completely blaming Luis for emptying the dancefloor because it was getting late and some guests had to go, but I was disappointed that it wasn't more of a party atmosphere in which Ubi is supposedly known for maintaining at weddings.
At one point one family member said, "your DJ is playing too much of the same thing, do you mind if I tell him to change it up and play some Spanish songs," and I quickly said, "yeah, go for it!" So as requested, Luis played the Spanish dancing songs that were on our list and people started to get up and dance and get into the party vibe, but there weren't as many people at the reception by this time.
Wedding Day Uplighting Review: As soon as I entered the reception room, I was floored by how awesome the place looked with the requested blue uplighting.
Overall Grade: B (DJ), A (Uplighting)
DOC: Letty Gobel, LMG Events
While doubtful of giving a complete stranger access to my contracts and such, I used a variety of vendors and felt the need to hire a day-of-coordinator (DOC).
I went with recommendations from The Knot's SoFla board and met w/ Letty. My fiance and I immediately liked her and felt she was perfect for the job, so far she has definitely gone above and beyond.
She even looked for a sugar-free groom's cake and printed my menus (they were slightly problematic).
We met about 3 times and I gave her the personal items for display at the reception. By hiring her, I felt more relaxed and calm days prior to my wedding day.
Wedding Day Review: Letty and I went back and forth via text messages and she came by my house as I was getting ready to wish me luck. She stayed at Doral Park to receive all the vendor products/services and coordinated the logistics. She worked with her assistant and both did a lovely job in keeping my fiance and I on track with the timeline of events, receiving the gifts, and staying after the night was over to collect my belongings. Everything was exactly as I requested it to be placed. She also helped me get my dress bustled. If there were any real problems that night, I never heard about and truly enjoyed the night. This is a service that I felt was a true investment.
I asked her to help me find a vendor for bouquet preservation and the next day she immediately contacted me about it, in the end I didn't do it and she took it to my sister. She also took my cake stand back to Edda's while I went on my honeymoon.
Overall Grade: A+
Transportation: Padrino's Limousine Service, 2 white limos.
The location is east of the airport and in a warehouse district. There's a variety of vehicles in their fleet. If you want a classic car, they have them but not as many as Meilan. Since I'm not getting a vintage vehicle, it was not an issue and my fiance and I selected an SUV and limo. The prices include tip and the invoice was immediately emailed to me. More to come after the wedding and actual service.
(I went to Meilan first but when I arrived and even called in advance we looked at the beautiful vehicles at the garage and waited for someone to come and meet us as I told the lady that we were there and she pretty much ordered me to go through the office. I found it a bit confusing as to where to locate the office. When my fiance and I got inside the lady was busy on the phone and took about 5 minutes. When she opened the schedule, very old school notebook, she said that she had booked the last limo the day before and asked if we wanted a Rolls Royce, which was not in my budget so we proceeded to the next vendor.)
Wedding Day Review: The drivers for both cars called about 40 minutes before the arrival time to confirm addresses and arrived 10 minutes later. Both gentelmen were dressed in suits and assisted us. The drive was smooth and we also arrived to the church early and this gave me the chance to soak in the day and enjoy the fun I was having with my bridal party and take pics on my digital camera. I also got to see all my guests enter the church without them seeing me, so it was a really great experience.
After the ceremony, the driver waited for my husband and I to take our photos w/ the photographer and drove us to the reception. On the way, he drove at a comfortable speed that gave my husband and I to talk about getting ready and ceremony.
Overall Grade: A+
Make-up: George
An old friend recommended George who use to work for MAC and is now self-employed and tag-teams w/ Gus. I had my first and only trial w/ him at his apartment, he is great for conversation and makes the time fly. I went w/ fake lashes and gave him a few pictures of what I was looking for. I don't usually wear a lot of makeup so I felt that it was too heavy and some of the eye shadow was too pink for my liking. He said that w/ all the photography and wear that the color wasn't too much and would be fine. I took a digital picture and he was completely right about it. I did request to change the lipgloss color to something more natural and coral as my eyes were dramatic w/ pinks and gold and eyeliner. I don't have pics of the trial as my MacBook's hard drive died a few weeks ago and I LOST my wedding files and stuff :(
Wedding Day Review: George arrived to my house 5 minutes before scheduled (I was still at the salon w/ Gus!) and started to work on my family members. He was very professional and asked where he could set up and worked on over 6 people in my living room. He actually worked in the dark because the lighting was too yellow for him, but it seemed to have worked for him!
He asked me how I wanted my sister's makeup and I showed him a picture and did a fantastic job.
When it was my turn he dicussed the colors we used at the trial and I told him how I wanted to change the long fake eyelashes to something shorter (I spoke with him a few days before so he could bring them) and showed him another picture, so he proceeded to work on me (it took about 45 minutes but felt like 10). Everyone was really impressed and it was the best I've ever looked! He is very focused on his work and is more of an artist than a "makeup guy" he knows his colors and does wonders.
He offerred to help me put on my dress and veil and it was fun! Never did I imagine my makeup artist to be the one dressing me on my wedding day!
Overall Grade: A+
Hair: Gus @ D&L Hair Studio
I also had my hair done w/ Gus who's roomate is George and the trial hair was too high for my liking and felt too messy for the amount of money that I paid. Gus said that because it was only a trial he would make it look more polished on my wedding day. I will be going to the salon he works at, which happens to be owned by "Dee" the winner of Bravo's Sheer Genius and it's a fantastic place w/ a great vibe. The only drawback to the salon is that it's in Sunset and you have to pay for parking and when it comes to tipping you have to bring spare cash or pay w/ your debit card and request cash back, and it's a pricey place.
Wedding Day Review: I went to the salon and showed Gus the Emily Blunt picture of how I wanted my hair for the wedding. He promptly started to blowry my curly hair and chat away. The salon was surprisingly slow that day, which was to my advantage, and his co-workers offered to help him so I basically had a glam squad working on my hair. Gus used a curling iron and bobby pins to achieve the hair-do and loads of hairspray. I was at the salon for a full hour, but had a blast. I also brought my hair jewelry (see pics above) and he placed them on the right, back side of my hair and it looked quite lovely.
When I got home and bent over t o get something on the floor, one of my hair jewels was loose and a bobby pin fell out. I had George help me with this but it was stubborn and kept on falling most of the night so in some pictures I have a loose curl at the back of my head.
Overall Grade: A
Linens and Table Number Holders: Leyani Linens
I'm paying $20 f/ each table linen (10) plus a delivery and pickup fee.
At a bridal show I saw the linen and absolutely wanted those for my wedding and as my fiance and I are going w/ a fleur-de-lis motif we are getting table number holders in gold as well. When I called to borrow a sample of my selected linen for a table mock-up at the venue, the ladies at Leyani could not find the linen in the warehouse. I waited over 15 minutes with the cleaning staff and they told me that the linen wasn't even in stock. I was then given the one linen they had with the samples and nervous about them having the 10 linens
Wedding Day Review: All the correct linens were on the tables as ordered as well as the table numbre holders.
Overall Grade: A-
Glassware: A Party 4 Less, I had to order your basic water goblet and fluted champagne glasses as my venue has these hideous glasses that look like they're from the dollar store--no joke! I received a prompt email with the quote for the glasses and everything went smoothly.
Wedding Day Review: As far as I know, all the glasses ordered arrived and all the tables looked great!
Overall Grade: A
Chiavari Chairs: Hitched Events,
Fantastic deal @ $4 p/ chair compared to my venue $7 p/chair + 20% service fee
Luis is very quick with emails/calls/text messages. He called the week of the wedding to follow-up and then contacted my DOC for the logisitics.
Wedding Day Review: 100 Chairs were ordered and they sent 4 extra and made the room look elegant. At the end of the night (1:30 a.m.) his staff was waiting outside with the truck for pickup as my venue requested.
Overall Grade: A
Invitations: Encore (purchased online from An Occasion to Celebrate stationary store based in California)
Overall Grade: A
Guestbook: DIY from Blurb
The software is slightly complicated and the book was smaller than expected. Paper quality is nicer than Shutterfly's albums.
Overall Grade: B
Paper Menu: Paper & More (website)
A+ speedy delivery, ordered and received items in 2-3 days f/ reg. ground shipping, fantastic paper quality on champagne metallic card stock 5x7 (100 sheets) this will not work with regular laser printers and is more of a backing!
Overall Grade: B
Paper Ceremony Program: Paper & More (website) see above but champagne regular paper 8 1/2 x 11 (100 sheets)
I ended up using this paper as well for the menus (THANKS Letty!)
Overall Grade: A
I went this this church because it was the easiest to book and the required steps were quite simple and short-- show up to the orientation, pay a deposit for my day $450, provide ONLY the baptismal certificates, attend the Engaged Encounter (total waste of time & $100), turn in marriage license, and attend the rehearsal. One thing that I didn't like is the fact that I cannot bring my own musicians, I would've loved to have a string ensemble but they said "no" and that I had to go w/ their music director who charges $300. I don't get to hear him until my actual wedding day. I'm trying to negotiate this music fee at the moment. The infamous Father Alberto was to have performed the wedding ceremony but there was a scandal and so I was assigned another priest, and it was no biggie to me.
Unfortunately, right next to the church a massive parking garage was under construction and the City of Miami Beach had construction on Lenox (the road in front of the church's main entrance).
Wedding Day Review: Walking to the church with the construction was a little tricky because of my dress and shoes, but I was ok and my guests parked in the back parking lot of the church and easily found their way without having to step on any construction debris.
The church's wedding coordinator, Adriana, was very organized and professional in getting us organized in walking down the aisle and reviewing our cues for the ceremony. The music director, Ivan Diaz, performed beautifully at the ceremony. Our priest, Father Julio Alvarez, performed a lovely and relatively quick ceremony with a thoughtful homily.
We were given 15 minutes for pictures and went a bit over so were warned by the coordinator who gave us an extra 5.
Overall Grade: A
Reception Site: Doral Park Country Club
I booked this venue waaaaay in advance and got a pretty good deal w/ a buffet dinner and 5 hour open bar package and I didn't have to pay a rental fee, which is something I'd have to pay with other venues. However, for cocktail hour guests would have to walk by the dining area w/ tables and see the setup because there is no wall.
One drawback (at the time) was that I had to find my own florist, dj, cake, lighting and any other thing as they didn't provide this. Looking back, I'm glad that it turned out this way as I was able to find vendors to my liking and avoided the 20% service fee that's tacked on the regular rate and taxes. I hear that now they do upgraded packages w/ the vendors.
I changed my wedding date w/ Doral Park a few times and when I finally booked a date w/ the church I asked DP to please change it and resend the contract. The catering manager did not charge me the $250 fee that the contract stated if I changed the date. She did however take over a week to get back to me w/ the papers after I had already booked the date w/ the church and was stressing over this.
With my selected package, basic linens and chair covers were offered but I didn't like them. Last year I upgraded the chairs but was charged a whooping $7 for each (and I needed 100)! Two months before my big day I began to do some research and got a fantastic deal w/ Hitched, who happened to be the very same vendor Doral Park was going to use. The assistant at Doral Park, Jessica, was very helpful and quick w/ communication via email/phone, but when I wanted to get the chairs removed from my catering agreement she didn't want to accommodate me. Luckily, her boss, Ana, said it was ok and took it off. Another thing I ended up upgrading was the glassware because it seriously looked cheesy like it came from the Dollar Store or something.
Finally, when I went to the last meeting prior to the wedding I was told that there would be another wedding reception at the venue after being told a year ago that they don't double-book events at Doral Park. I brought this up but Ana insisted that it was in another room and earlier than my event. If I hadn't had Letty Gobel, my day-of-coordinator, I would've been terribly nervous about leaving my items for decor and not knowing if someone from the other party would've taken something and it being a mess.
Wedding Day Review: As I hired a day-of-coordinator, I did not have direct contact with the venue regarding the arrival of the hired vendors and logistics, but was told they went back and forth with the timing. However, when I arrived to the reception site with my husband, we were kindly greeted by the catering manager and assistant (Ana and Jessica), we were immediately asked what we wanted to do/go and provided with a plate of our selected hors d'oeuvres, which were a treat! Throughout the night the two ladies were present and seemed to have things under control with their staff. Again, I had a DOC so I know she did many things as well.
On the food: All my guests raved about the five station buffet, and I had sampled a few items from it and it was scrumptious! In addition,the presentation of each station was very elegant and at the carving station there were three chefs all dressed up adding to the poshness of the event. I hired a second bartender and it seemed to help with the traffic of guests ordering drinks, and had no problem there. The waiting staff was very courteous.
All in all, the night was a success! :-D
Overall Grade: B+
Photography: Luis Manuel Photography http://www.luismanuel.com/index.php
Just like my reception venue, I booked this vendor a year in advance and was not aware of too many other photographers.
Michelle, Luis' wife, has been very professional in contacting me and providing all the information requested. They offer about 4 types of packages that include a matted album, a CD w/ images, unlimited shots of the event, 5 hour coverage, and a few portraits starting at $1750.
At my last meeting, we discussed what group photos would be taken and I said how I wanted detail shots of the reception as well. We also reviewed the types albums they provide. Michelle does most/all of the album designing.
Wedding Day Review: Luis showed up to the church on time and came in to the limo to take pics of my father and I in various angles. He followed the instructions given to him by the church's coordinator and priest and when the ceremony was over we were given only 15 minutes to take the posed shots at the altar. During this time a few of my family members were taking digital pictures as Luis was trying to take his, I could see he was annoyed by that as some of the flashing would interrupt his shots so he would joke w/ my family to stop. Some of them took this the wrong way, but I totally understood where he was coming from as a pro. Outside the church the sun was already setting and there was construction on the roadway to the church's entrance so Luis made sure we did not have any pictures in that direction, the lighting was great and he took some fantastic pics of my hubby and I at the church's doors and showed us right away!
At the reception Luis immediately got to photographing the reception, but some of the guests started to sit at the tables instead of being outside during the cocktail hour. He took photos of all the moments (cake cutting, garter toss, bouquet, etc)
I have yet to see his photos, but am hoping they look fantastic.
Overall Grade: A, Pending album review
Dress and veil: Leggenda's Bridal in Coral Gables
Mon Cheri in satin ivory w/ sweetheart neckline, mermaid cut.
($90 f/ alterations on dress, which included hemming and bustle.)
I tried various other bridal shops but they were either out of my budget OR didn't have a mermaid cut dress that wasn't made of lace. When I went to Leggenda's I actually tried on an oyster colored dress, which ended up being the one I bought but in ivory. So I never saw the actual dress and color until 7 months later! When I saw it on the hanger I was initially horrified and felt that it was a cheap looking dress, but when I put it on and the lady turned off the lights to show the "glowing effect of the dress" then I was totally loving my dress! I ordered my dress in August '08 and received it in April '09. Also, three days before my wedding I took it in for ironing and it was returned within an hour.
Overall Grade: A
Groom's Tux: Hugo Boss (Aventura Mall)
My fiance checked out the Men's Warehouse tuxes but didn't like the fabrics and already wears HB suits, so I told him to just buy one. Susana Rodriguez, the assistant manager, is very down to earth and helpful in finding the right suit for your guy. Alterations were also used and completed promptly. The final product made my husband look very dapper!
Overall Grade: A+
Bridesmaids (BM) & Jr. BM Dresses: Daisy Tarsi in Coral Gables; Lazaro & Jim Helm;
I had my mind set on getting a metallic blue and found a lovely style from the said vendor. I was considering of buying the dresses online but but wasn't comfortable buying something that might/might not be the real thing and didn't know of anyone who had. From my research only two local places in Miami carried the Lazaro & Him Helm so I went to the closest. At the store, the sales lady said that the alterations were overpriced there and recommended I go elsewhere and I ended up using my neighbor who I later found out makes wedding gowns and all sorts of alterations! With the purchase of 5 dresses I was given a 10% discount, although still pricey I ordered the dresses in late January (paid more than half the amount for the deposit) and received them at the end of May.
I called in between the waiting period to confirm arrival time and to make sure everything was going well. I received a call that the dresses were ready and picked them up promptly. When I asked about ironing the dresses as they were wrinkled the owner said to bring them the week of the wedding. So Just like my dress, I took the BM dresses for ironing but was told that they wouldn't be ready until two days later (a day before the wedding) and made the appointment. I was also informed that the fabric (silk taffeta) was very delicate and could not get wet as it would be permanently ruined. I said there should be a label or something informing the customer of this, so I asked the owner, why aren't there tags informing of the delicate nature of the fabric and she answered, "oh the Vera Wang dresses have them, but they're too big and we cut them off." WTF!
So in June when I arrived at the store carrying 5 dresses I find that the store was closed and I was getting upset. It took about five minutes for someone to arrive and open the store and then asked me if I had purchased the dresses (hello, the dresses were still in the bags provided by Daisy Tarsi that even had the name all over!) so I had to play it cool and dropped off the dresses and came back within an hour to get in writing that I had left those dresses there. I asked if I they would be ready at least by the end day and was told by the owner to call and see. I said "I'm getting married in two days and have a million things to do, can you please call me to let me know when I can pick up the dresses," the owner said to her employee to "write it down in the calendar."
Did I ever get a call from them? No. For two days I continuously called to follow-up on the status. The customer service there seriously lacks, starting with the owner who doesn't seem to care about the customer once she's got your money. However, when I picked up the dresses and inspected them, just as they did when I dropped them off I was helped by another employee to take the dresses to my car, which surprised me considering how I was treated the days before.
So basically I just want to inform you that Daisy Tarsi is overpriced and sucks when it comes to customer service!
Overall Grade: C
Groomsmen & Father's Tuxes: MW Tux (Aventura & Dadeland Malls)
At the Aventura store the young lady who worked there helped the groomsmen with the sizing and styles. The same could be said at the Dadeland store where the young man called me to review the styles of vests for my dad online.
I was not impressed with the quality of the ties and shirts and you would have to buy the handkerchiefs that would go in the outer pocket of the jacket and they didn't even match the ties in color. The actual tuxedos are okay and have adjusting buckles for varying waist widths. One of my uncles had a lot of trouble with it that it was loose and he had to carry the pants from the pockets! lol
When I went to pick up my dad's tuxedo I unzipped the bag and saw the shirt, vest, and tie had fallen from the hanger and requested it be ironed, which was promptly done.
Also, tuxes must be returned the next day or you're charged $20 for each day it's late.
Overall Grade: B
Florist: Gil Sosa
I choose him because his work is top-notch and his prices are not ;) At my first meeting with him he was really funny and showed my sister and I tons of pictures around my color scheme and suggested I change my centerpieces (see above color inspiration picture) as they wouldn't go well with the venue. I was hesitant at first because I felt that he was pushing what I think to be his signature centerpiece, but after seeing the demo at my venue I completely agree w/ his point of view. He isn't the best w/ communication, especially if you're event is months in advance but he was prompt w/ sending out a detailed list and pricing of the floral arrangements and bouquets discussed. He also informed me of when he received payment. Also, he was on time at the trial, something he prides himself in.
His son's wedding was actually a week before mine and he was kind enough to invite me and his other clients to view the reception decor a day before, which was absolutely breathtaking and stunning.
The week of my wedding Gil called to follow-up and review the contract detail by detail.
Wedding Day Review: When I arrived at the church (30 minutes early and a mass was going on) I contacted Gil via phone and asked about my bouquet and bridal party flowers, he said his staff was waiting for the mass to end to setup the altar pieces and provide us w/ the flowers. They absolutely delivered and the bouquet looked fantastic and was really heavy! The ribbon was done beautifully as was that of my bridal party's bouquets. The boutonnieres were also superb. The altar arrangements looks awesome, but the church placed those BEHIND the altar table and not on its sides :-(
At the reception, the centerpieces were so elegant and looked wicked with vase containing the blue water and long orchid stem. The sweetheart table looked just like the original floral arrangement I showed Gil at our first meeting but in ivory and included orchids too! The cake table was just as beautiful with a variety of orchids surrounding the cake. Finally, behind the sweetheart table there's a fireplace mantle that Gil decorated just beautifully.
Gil actually made the centerpiece arrangements on-site and was so generous with the flowers he put on display that made the reception look posh :) He truly delivered and used more flowers than what I paid for, which I am truly grateful. I would highly recommend Gil and use him again if I have a major event and require floral arrangements.
Overall Grade: A+
DJ/Lighting: Ubi's DJ & Lighting
I only met with him for this service and felt that he was very informative and even provided insight on my venue as far as service and food quality too! I had read from other brides that he isn't always the DJ at the wedding and asked him about this, which he said that depending on the music selection was how he determined who would be assigned for the night. Also, I booked him for uplighting and later emailed him about recommendations for colors.
He said that two weeks before the wedding to submit the playlist on his website and he'd contact me.
In searching for tracks for the reception, my fiance and I compiled a list of songs (Artist/Song Title) from a variety of genres and kept our guests in mind for the dancing portion, so we did our research using iTunes and Beatport.com.
Two weeks before the wedding, I submitted my playlist online and called him to make sure all was well. He said that I was the first bride to submit an entire playlist for a wedding and that I had to remove several tracks and limit it to 30, which I did and apologized for sending too many if that was the case. (My fiance and I are really into music, so much that he's a DJ and I use to have my own college radio show.) Anyhow, I promptly edited my list and let Ubi know. When we spoke again, I said it must be a good thing that I had given him a specific playlist but then he said "it's good for you, but not for us because it's more work." I thought to myself, but that's why I'm paying you for this! So I told him that for every song that I listed, I found it on iTunes or Beatport.com and it would be easy to locate. He seemed to take offense and said that he and his Djs don't use iPods for Djing and I was like ok, just letting you know WHERE you can find the songs. Ubi said he would be able to get the requested tracks and that it wouldn't be a problem.
Wedding Day Music Review: Ubi was not my DJ, rather it was Luis. I was not informed until I contacted my DOC. When I arrived at the reception, Luis was elegantly dressed in a tux and greeted us as a true professional. He briefly spoke w/ my husband about song selections and had the cocktail hour music (lounge/ambient) playing inside (songs that we had selected).
Dinner music (Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, etc.) was played just as requested and guests were enjoying the vibe.
Luis mentioned how some of the first dance songs were too long and if we didn't mind him editing them, so we were really happy he asked us and we said sure. When it came time for the bridal party entrance songs and first dances, Luis' MC skills were impressive and very professional, not too loud/obnoxious.
When it came time for the dancing portion of the night, Luis started off with the songs I listed but then started to play songs that wasn't on our list and I wasn't going to let it bother me, but I noticed that it was clearing the dancefloor. Since a few people were dancing, I didn't say anything to him and just made my rounds and greeted my guests with my husband. Luckily, 30 minutes later or so it was time for the fun part of the night: bouquet toss, garter removal, cake cutting, etc. So those requested songs were played and got the crowd roaring.
But, just like Luis did earlier he played other songs that were not on the list and slowly my guests started to leave. I'm not completely blaming Luis for emptying the dancefloor because it was getting late and some guests had to go, but I was disappointed that it wasn't more of a party atmosphere in which Ubi is supposedly known for maintaining at weddings.
At one point one family member said, "your DJ is playing too much of the same thing, do you mind if I tell him to change it up and play some Spanish songs," and I quickly said, "yeah, go for it!" So as requested, Luis played the Spanish dancing songs that were on our list and people started to get up and dance and get into the party vibe, but there weren't as many people at the reception by this time.
Wedding Day Uplighting Review: As soon as I entered the reception room, I was floored by how awesome the place looked with the requested blue uplighting.
Overall Grade: B (DJ), A (Uplighting)
DOC: Letty Gobel, LMG Events
While doubtful of giving a complete stranger access to my contracts and such, I used a variety of vendors and felt the need to hire a day-of-coordinator (DOC).
I went with recommendations from The Knot's SoFla board and met w/ Letty. My fiance and I immediately liked her and felt she was perfect for the job, so far she has definitely gone above and beyond.
She even looked for a sugar-free groom's cake and printed my menus (they were slightly problematic).
We met about 3 times and I gave her the personal items for display at the reception. By hiring her, I felt more relaxed and calm days prior to my wedding day.
Wedding Day Review: Letty and I went back and forth via text messages and she came by my house as I was getting ready to wish me luck. She stayed at Doral Park to receive all the vendor products/services and coordinated the logistics. She worked with her assistant and both did a lovely job in keeping my fiance and I on track with the timeline of events, receiving the gifts, and staying after the night was over to collect my belongings. Everything was exactly as I requested it to be placed. She also helped me get my dress bustled. If there were any real problems that night, I never heard about and truly enjoyed the night. This is a service that I felt was a true investment.
I asked her to help me find a vendor for bouquet preservation and the next day she immediately contacted me about it, in the end I didn't do it and she took it to my sister. She also took my cake stand back to Edda's while I went on my honeymoon.
Overall Grade: A+
Transportation: Padrino's Limousine Service, 2 white limos.
The location is east of the airport and in a warehouse district. There's a variety of vehicles in their fleet. If you want a classic car, they have them but not as many as Meilan. Since I'm not getting a vintage vehicle, it was not an issue and my fiance and I selected an SUV and limo. The prices include tip and the invoice was immediately emailed to me. More to come after the wedding and actual service.
(I went to Meilan first but when I arrived and even called in advance we looked at the beautiful vehicles at the garage and waited for someone to come and meet us as I told the lady that we were there and she pretty much ordered me to go through the office. I found it a bit confusing as to where to locate the office. When my fiance and I got inside the lady was busy on the phone and took about 5 minutes. When she opened the schedule, very old school notebook, she said that she had booked the last limo the day before and asked if we wanted a Rolls Royce, which was not in my budget so we proceeded to the next vendor.)
Wedding Day Review: The drivers for both cars called about 40 minutes before the arrival time to confirm addresses and arrived 10 minutes later. Both gentelmen were dressed in suits and assisted us. The drive was smooth and we also arrived to the church early and this gave me the chance to soak in the day and enjoy the fun I was having with my bridal party and take pics on my digital camera. I also got to see all my guests enter the church without them seeing me, so it was a really great experience.
After the ceremony, the driver waited for my husband and I to take our photos w/ the photographer and drove us to the reception. On the way, he drove at a comfortable speed that gave my husband and I to talk about getting ready and ceremony.
Overall Grade: A+
Make-up: George
An old friend recommended George who use to work for MAC and is now self-employed and tag-teams w/ Gus. I had my first and only trial w/ him at his apartment, he is great for conversation and makes the time fly. I went w/ fake lashes and gave him a few pictures of what I was looking for. I don't usually wear a lot of makeup so I felt that it was too heavy and some of the eye shadow was too pink for my liking. He said that w/ all the photography and wear that the color wasn't too much and would be fine. I took a digital picture and he was completely right about it. I did request to change the lipgloss color to something more natural and coral as my eyes were dramatic w/ pinks and gold and eyeliner. I don't have pics of the trial as my MacBook's hard drive died a few weeks ago and I LOST my wedding files and stuff :(
Wedding Day Review: George arrived to my house 5 minutes before scheduled (I was still at the salon w/ Gus!) and started to work on my family members. He was very professional and asked where he could set up and worked on over 6 people in my living room. He actually worked in the dark because the lighting was too yellow for him, but it seemed to have worked for him!
He asked me how I wanted my sister's makeup and I showed him a picture and did a fantastic job.
When it was my turn he dicussed the colors we used at the trial and I told him how I wanted to change the long fake eyelashes to something shorter (I spoke with him a few days before so he could bring them) and showed him another picture, so he proceeded to work on me (it took about 45 minutes but felt like 10). Everyone was really impressed and it was the best I've ever looked! He is very focused on his work and is more of an artist than a "makeup guy" he knows his colors and does wonders.
He offerred to help me put on my dress and veil and it was fun! Never did I imagine my makeup artist to be the one dressing me on my wedding day!
Overall Grade: A+
Hair: Gus @ D&L Hair Studio
I also had my hair done w/ Gus who's roomate is George and the trial hair was too high for my liking and felt too messy for the amount of money that I paid. Gus said that because it was only a trial he would make it look more polished on my wedding day. I will be going to the salon he works at, which happens to be owned by "Dee" the winner of Bravo's Sheer Genius and it's a fantastic place w/ a great vibe. The only drawback to the salon is that it's in Sunset and you have to pay for parking and when it comes to tipping you have to bring spare cash or pay w/ your debit card and request cash back, and it's a pricey place.
Wedding Day Review: I went to the salon and showed Gus the Emily Blunt picture of how I wanted my hair for the wedding. He promptly started to blowry my curly hair and chat away. The salon was surprisingly slow that day, which was to my advantage, and his co-workers offered to help him so I basically had a glam squad working on my hair. Gus used a curling iron and bobby pins to achieve the hair-do and loads of hairspray. I was at the salon for a full hour, but had a blast. I also brought my hair jewelry (see pics above) and he placed them on the right, back side of my hair and it looked quite lovely.
When I got home and bent over t o get something on the floor, one of my hair jewels was loose and a bobby pin fell out. I had George help me with this but it was stubborn and kept on falling most of the night so in some pictures I have a loose curl at the back of my head.
Overall Grade: A
Linens and Table Number Holders: Leyani Linens
I'm paying $20 f/ each table linen (10) plus a delivery and pickup fee.
At a bridal show I saw the linen and absolutely wanted those for my wedding and as my fiance and I are going w/ a fleur-de-lis motif we are getting table number holders in gold as well. When I called to borrow a sample of my selected linen for a table mock-up at the venue, the ladies at Leyani could not find the linen in the warehouse. I waited over 15 minutes with the cleaning staff and they told me that the linen wasn't even in stock. I was then given the one linen they had with the samples and nervous about them having the 10 linens
Wedding Day Review: All the correct linens were on the tables as ordered as well as the table numbre holders.
Overall Grade: A-
Glassware: A Party 4 Less, I had to order your basic water goblet and fluted champagne glasses as my venue has these hideous glasses that look like they're from the dollar store--no joke! I received a prompt email with the quote for the glasses and everything went smoothly.
Wedding Day Review: As far as I know, all the glasses ordered arrived and all the tables looked great!
Overall Grade: A
Chiavari Chairs: Hitched Events,
Fantastic deal @ $4 p/ chair compared to my venue $7 p/chair + 20% service fee
Luis is very quick with emails/calls/text messages. He called the week of the wedding to follow-up and then contacted my DOC for the logisitics.
Wedding Day Review: 100 Chairs were ordered and they sent 4 extra and made the room look elegant. At the end of the night (1:30 a.m.) his staff was waiting outside with the truck for pickup as my venue requested.
Overall Grade: A
Invitations: Encore (purchased online from An Occasion to Celebrate stationary store based in California)
Overall Grade: A
Guestbook: DIY from Blurb
The software is slightly complicated and the book was smaller than expected. Paper quality is nicer than Shutterfly's albums.
Overall Grade: B
Paper Menu: Paper & More (website)
A+ speedy delivery, ordered and received items in 2-3 days f/ reg. ground shipping, fantastic paper quality on champagne metallic card stock 5x7 (100 sheets) this will not work with regular laser printers and is more of a backing!
Overall Grade: B
Paper Ceremony Program: Paper & More (website) see above but champagne regular paper 8 1/2 x 11 (100 sheets)
I ended up using this paper as well for the menus (THANKS Letty!)
Overall Grade: A
Citytoshore09 Reviews 04.04.09
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. :)
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. :)
Futureb's Reviews 06.07.08
Ceremony Location - Plymouth Congregatioal
WOW..the church has been great to work with! everytime I had a question they would call me the same day and always treat me nice. Gerry and Susan are great..Rehearsal and Day of ran super smooth! The Bride's room is nice and comfy too.
Officiant - David Menendez
I was iffy on doing the ceremony bilingual, but the Pastor was wonderful. He made everything flow and smooth. Never a stutter nor long pauses. The ceremony was beautiful and to the point. Everyone was able to understand him. I highly recommend him. Our meeting with him also went great, he made us feel very comfortable.
Reception Location - The Hotel
WOW...I knew my guests would like the hotel but they were beyond wowed! I am still hearing how wonderful it was. The hotel is a boutique property in the heart of South Beach, kind of hidden. The staff, the F&B Director and the food were A++++++. The staff was always accommodating with the food for everyone and the drinks too. The hotel is full of color and unique items that makes for gorgeous pics. We were a chaotic and loud group but they handled the entire party extremely well. ALl my guests felt very welcome there.
Caterers - WISH Restaurant
Everyone loved the food!. it was Surf and turf, filet mignon and lobster tail with asparagus and herbed mashed potatoes. Delicious and very accommodating, temperatures of the steaks were taken for each guest. Wine was served during dinner. The signature drink was the Mango Mojito served during the cocktail hour..they were perfect and refreshing! Food and drinks were delicious!
Cake Creator - Couture Cakes, formerly known as Cakeabilities
I had a few cake tastings before I chose this vendor. I went with Gladys (my BM, GLADYS0410) and we had a great tasting...better than the others I went to and she had delicious flavors. She was also pretty affordable so we booked her on the spot. Communication with her has been great via email of phone. I had her do a few sketches for me and she was always great to work with. I was so excited to see the finished produce and our two mini cakes, I had told her she can design those as she wanted. When we saw the cakes in the pool area, we loved them! the colors, the style, the setup. The only piece of cake I had was when we cut it for the pics..and it was little so I didn't concentrate on the flavor, I didn't worry on having a piece becuase I was going to take the minis home for after the HM. When I came back from the HM I had a few ppl tell me the cake was dry. The flavor was good..but it was not as moist as it was at my tasting. It's disappointing because I looooove cake and the tasting was delicious. I don't know what happened because the cake was not outside long. I did get my mini cakes after my HM and I tried them myself. They are delicious but maybe a bit dry for my taste. I think the minis were maybe more moist than the 3 tier cake but not as moist as the tasting. I still recommend this vendor because everything else was great (look of the cake, comm, etc) but I would make it a point to let her know maybe about my experience and make sure it is moist.
Florist - Nevot Flower Designs
I had heard he was a bit "flaky", but he was the MOST affordable florist I met and he knows what he is talking about. I met with him and booked him right away. I didn't know what I wanted for the bridal bouquet and the BMs but he helped me decide and I loooved the end product. Everytime I met with him or called him he was always available. He delivered on time and the bouquets and cocktail centerpieces were perfect. I didnt' get dinner table CPs with him because the hotel provided that. Nevot provided me with hot pink peonies in square vases for the cocktail hour...and i loved them! All the bouquets were fresh and beautifully bright! no complaints
Photographer - Trevor Goldsmith
I can't say enough of him. We truly love his work and his style. He has been awesome to work with and always has a great attitude. he loves what he does and it shows. At both the Epics and the Wedding day he was very punctual and goes to work right away...he is a Professional and has a great eye! My friends loved him! He has a great candid/classic style that we couldn't resist. The pics he posted on his blog are gorgeous!
Videographer - Utopia
Working with them has been great up to now. The videographers introduced themselves to us the day of the wedding, they were very professional and subtle. they left until the very end, I can't wait to see the video. From what I have seen I feel I'll be very happy though.
Disc Jockey - Sounds by Alex
It was April and I still had no DJ. I went to my coworkers wedding and we loved Alex. Luckily he was still available and he was the most affordable too. Loved him and he is definitely a sweetheart to work with. Everyone was on the dance floor...all night..never a "dead" moment.
Musicians - Mariachi Internacional
This was my dad's gift to us. They were very punctual and sang for 30 min. This was more for my dad..but we all had a great time listening to them. My dad's complaint..they should have been louder, but I did tell them they couldn't be too loud...Miami Beach has a noise ordinance law...so it wasn't really their fault.
Transportation - Miami Beach Rent a Car
They were great...very easy..I went and picked up the car and they picked it up from the hotel the day after the wedding. We rented a white Chrysler 300 for 100.00!
Invitations - Jackie's Graphics
She did my invitations and programs! Everyone raved about them. She is very nice..easy to work with, gives you lots of options and she works pretty fast. I recommend her in an instant! Prices are great and she really works with your budget!
Tuxedos - The Tux Shop
I found them through a friend. Johnny the owner is a sweetheart and so easy to work with! My out of town GM had no issues at all. We sent him the measurements via email and he had everything ready the week before the wedding. Soo many options to try on at the store. He also picked the tuxes at the hotel the day after, Free of charge!
My Dress - Brides of Florida
My dress got there on time..and the alterations (free) were done right. Macky is very enthusiastic and loves what she does. I can't say I had any issues with her or my dress. I ordered it in Oct and recieved it in April. Maggie Sotero..i loved my dress!
Bridesmaid Dresses - Sira D'Pion Couture
I wanted the BP to have their own dress style so we decided to have them made so we found her at a Bridal Show. She is very nice..and had great samples at her boutique so we all agreed and booked her. She did my BM dress for my best friends wedding March 2008 and even though they dresses came out ok..they were not what I pictured. Gladys who also walked the wedding was VERY unhappy with her dress and my aunt who is a seamstress thought the dresses were all badly made. At this point the deposit and fabric for my wedding was already given and it was too late to change so we hoped my wedding would be better. At the fitting the girls told me that Sira was much more detailed and involved in their dresses so we thought there would be no drama. Well in the end one of my BMs dress was terribly made, the underlining was all bunched up under the dress, the zipper was too long so it created a bump on her butt. My aunt fixed it as best she could but that should NOT have even been an issue for the amount she charge and she even puts SIRA COUTURE as a tag! Your work needs to represent you so I do not recommend her for making dresses. Apparently she has other ladies who work for her..so your dress might end up being great or just very badly made.
Hair Stylist - Alcira
Alcira has been GREAT! At my trial she was very patient and helpful. She did my hair for my bridal shower and day of wedding. I loved them all. She is very sweet and you can ask her a million questions and does not get annoyed. Very punctual and professional. She did my entire BP and my mother...there were no complaints!
Makeup Artist - Jenesse
She had done my makeup at two previous weddings I walked. I really liked her so decided to book her for my wedding. Very punctual and she even went in her wheelchair. She had an accident a few months ago. Very sweet...fun and friendly. Again..my BP loved her and there were no complaints!
Honeymoon Destination - MEXICO!
We stayed at Secrets Capri in Riviera Maya...wow..we were treated like VIPs all throughout! It's just for adults....we had a fantastic time! the food..the scenery, drinks..staff..everything was A+++ I definitely recommend it. They had champagne, petals, fruit for us, we had an oceanview and 24 hour room service! It rained 2 days, but that did NOT ruin our vacation.
Other Vendor - Bayleys Boxes
Boxes were adorable and arrived on time. We also ordered the blooms the go on top..super cute. We used them with 2 mini cupcakes inside...they fit perfectly. We got the large trinket boxes.
Other Vendor - Delicioso Bakery
Eli has been wonderful! I ordered cupcakes for my bday, bachelorette and minis for wedding favors. Always on time and great tasting. The minis were delicious and super cute....she also packaged them up for me!
Other Vendor - Shortys - Doral Area
WE wanted something very casual and laidback. They were very easy to work with..they have this room where we sat..all to ourselves no extra charge. There is no minimum per person..so you order what you want...we ordered 3 of their family meals for 18 of us...soo much food...I had to take chicken home! They also let us decorate..i took tablecloths and confetti (mexican theme). We had a great time!
WOW..the church has been great to work with! everytime I had a question they would call me the same day and always treat me nice. Gerry and Susan are great..Rehearsal and Day of ran super smooth! The Bride's room is nice and comfy too.
Officiant - David Menendez
I was iffy on doing the ceremony bilingual, but the Pastor was wonderful. He made everything flow and smooth. Never a stutter nor long pauses. The ceremony was beautiful and to the point. Everyone was able to understand him. I highly recommend him. Our meeting with him also went great, he made us feel very comfortable.
Reception Location - The Hotel
WOW...I knew my guests would like the hotel but they were beyond wowed! I am still hearing how wonderful it was. The hotel is a boutique property in the heart of South Beach, kind of hidden. The staff, the F&B Director and the food were A++++++. The staff was always accommodating with the food for everyone and the drinks too. The hotel is full of color and unique items that makes for gorgeous pics. We were a chaotic and loud group but they handled the entire party extremely well. ALl my guests felt very welcome there.
Caterers - WISH Restaurant
Everyone loved the food!. it was Surf and turf, filet mignon and lobster tail with asparagus and herbed mashed potatoes. Delicious and very accommodating, temperatures of the steaks were taken for each guest. Wine was served during dinner. The signature drink was the Mango Mojito served during the cocktail hour..they were perfect and refreshing! Food and drinks were delicious!
Cake Creator - Couture Cakes, formerly known as Cakeabilities
I had a few cake tastings before I chose this vendor. I went with Gladys (my BM, GLADYS0410) and we had a great tasting...better than the others I went to and she had delicious flavors. She was also pretty affordable so we booked her on the spot. Communication with her has been great via email of phone. I had her do a few sketches for me and she was always great to work with. I was so excited to see the finished produce and our two mini cakes, I had told her she can design those as she wanted. When we saw the cakes in the pool area, we loved them! the colors, the style, the setup. The only piece of cake I had was when we cut it for the pics..and it was little so I didn't concentrate on the flavor, I didn't worry on having a piece becuase I was going to take the minis home for after the HM. When I came back from the HM I had a few ppl tell me the cake was dry. The flavor was good..but it was not as moist as it was at my tasting. It's disappointing because I looooove cake and the tasting was delicious. I don't know what happened because the cake was not outside long. I did get my mini cakes after my HM and I tried them myself. They are delicious but maybe a bit dry for my taste. I think the minis were maybe more moist than the 3 tier cake but not as moist as the tasting. I still recommend this vendor because everything else was great (look of the cake, comm, etc) but I would make it a point to let her know maybe about my experience and make sure it is moist.
Florist - Nevot Flower Designs
I had heard he was a bit "flaky", but he was the MOST affordable florist I met and he knows what he is talking about. I met with him and booked him right away. I didn't know what I wanted for the bridal bouquet and the BMs but he helped me decide and I loooved the end product. Everytime I met with him or called him he was always available. He delivered on time and the bouquets and cocktail centerpieces were perfect. I didnt' get dinner table CPs with him because the hotel provided that. Nevot provided me with hot pink peonies in square vases for the cocktail hour...and i loved them! All the bouquets were fresh and beautifully bright! no complaints
Photographer - Trevor Goldsmith
I can't say enough of him. We truly love his work and his style. He has been awesome to work with and always has a great attitude. he loves what he does and it shows. At both the Epics and the Wedding day he was very punctual and goes to work right away...he is a Professional and has a great eye! My friends loved him! He has a great candid/classic style that we couldn't resist. The pics he posted on his blog are gorgeous!
Videographer - Utopia
Working with them has been great up to now. The videographers introduced themselves to us the day of the wedding, they were very professional and subtle. they left until the very end, I can't wait to see the video. From what I have seen I feel I'll be very happy though.
Disc Jockey - Sounds by Alex
It was April and I still had no DJ. I went to my coworkers wedding and we loved Alex. Luckily he was still available and he was the most affordable too. Loved him and he is definitely a sweetheart to work with. Everyone was on the dance floor...all night..never a "dead" moment.
Musicians - Mariachi Internacional
This was my dad's gift to us. They were very punctual and sang for 30 min. This was more for my dad..but we all had a great time listening to them. My dad's complaint..they should have been louder, but I did tell them they couldn't be too loud...Miami Beach has a noise ordinance law...so it wasn't really their fault.
Transportation - Miami Beach Rent a Car
They were great...very easy..I went and picked up the car and they picked it up from the hotel the day after the wedding. We rented a white Chrysler 300 for 100.00!
Invitations - Jackie's Graphics
She did my invitations and programs! Everyone raved about them. She is very nice..easy to work with, gives you lots of options and she works pretty fast. I recommend her in an instant! Prices are great and she really works with your budget!
Tuxedos - The Tux Shop
I found them through a friend. Johnny the owner is a sweetheart and so easy to work with! My out of town GM had no issues at all. We sent him the measurements via email and he had everything ready the week before the wedding. Soo many options to try on at the store. He also picked the tuxes at the hotel the day after, Free of charge!
My Dress - Brides of Florida
My dress got there on time..and the alterations (free) were done right. Macky is very enthusiastic and loves what she does. I can't say I had any issues with her or my dress. I ordered it in Oct and recieved it in April. Maggie Sotero..i loved my dress!
Bridesmaid Dresses - Sira D'Pion Couture
I wanted the BP to have their own dress style so we decided to have them made so we found her at a Bridal Show. She is very nice..and had great samples at her boutique so we all agreed and booked her. She did my BM dress for my best friends wedding March 2008 and even though they dresses came out ok..they were not what I pictured. Gladys who also walked the wedding was VERY unhappy with her dress and my aunt who is a seamstress thought the dresses were all badly made. At this point the deposit and fabric for my wedding was already given and it was too late to change so we hoped my wedding would be better. At the fitting the girls told me that Sira was much more detailed and involved in their dresses so we thought there would be no drama. Well in the end one of my BMs dress was terribly made, the underlining was all bunched up under the dress, the zipper was too long so it created a bump on her butt. My aunt fixed it as best she could but that should NOT have even been an issue for the amount she charge and she even puts SIRA COUTURE as a tag! Your work needs to represent you so I do not recommend her for making dresses. Apparently she has other ladies who work for her..so your dress might end up being great or just very badly made.
Hair Stylist - Alcira
Alcira has been GREAT! At my trial she was very patient and helpful. She did my hair for my bridal shower and day of wedding. I loved them all. She is very sweet and you can ask her a million questions and does not get annoyed. Very punctual and professional. She did my entire BP and my mother...there were no complaints!
Makeup Artist - Jenesse
She had done my makeup at two previous weddings I walked. I really liked her so decided to book her for my wedding. Very punctual and she even went in her wheelchair. She had an accident a few months ago. Very sweet...fun and friendly. Again..my BP loved her and there were no complaints!
Honeymoon Destination - MEXICO!
We stayed at Secrets Capri in Riviera Maya...wow..we were treated like VIPs all throughout! It's just for adults....we had a fantastic time! the food..the scenery, drinks..staff..everything was A+++ I definitely recommend it. They had champagne, petals, fruit for us, we had an oceanview and 24 hour room service! It rained 2 days, but that did NOT ruin our vacation.
Other Vendor - Bayleys Boxes
Boxes were adorable and arrived on time. We also ordered the blooms the go on top..super cute. We used them with 2 mini cupcakes inside...they fit perfectly. We got the large trinket boxes.
Other Vendor - Delicioso Bakery
Eli has been wonderful! I ordered cupcakes for my bday, bachelorette and minis for wedding favors. Always on time and great tasting. The minis were delicious and super cute....she also packaged them up for me!
Other Vendor - Shortys - Doral Area
WE wanted something very casual and laidback. They were very easy to work with..they have this room where we sat..all to ourselves no extra charge. There is no minimum per person..so you order what you want...we ordered 3 of their family meals for 18 of us...soo much food...I had to take chicken home! They also let us decorate..i took tablecloths and confetti (mexican theme). We had a great time!
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