Allhallowsbride08's Reviews 10.31.08

Let me start off by saying that I was a pretty laid back bride. I had my lists of everything that needed to get done and my budget ready. I had a list of questions ready prior to each meeting and read every contract carefully. I probably only had to contact each vendor once throughout the planning process and again at the end to confirm everything for the big day. We had a very small bridal party with just a maid of honor and a best man. We wanted the reception to be just a fun dinner party and did not include most of the traditional wedding activities, i.e. no bouquet toss, no garter removal and no conga line.
My wedding day was everything I could have hoped for and more. I think there were probably a couple of things that did not go exactly as I had planned but who cares. My guests, DH, and I had a blast and I have fantastic pictures and video of the day.

Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church - Ceremony/Officiant/Organist
There was no doubt that this was the church I would get married at. I received all my sacraments there and went to the school. The assistant at the rectory was great to work with. She was very clear about all the requirements and followed up with me to make sure I had all my paperwork in order. Father Lopez was the officiant and I also brought in a former teacher of the school to co-officiate. Both were wonderful to work with and very laid back. I had a full mass which they held in Spanglish. I love the look of this church as well. It has a very long aisle which is something I really wanted. The aisle is also carpeted which is great because I did not want to hear the sound of heals while I walked down the aisle. Note for people with large bridal parties/families: you only get 15 minutes after the ceremony to take formal portraits. You need to be organized and let everyone know that they have to stay in the church for the pictures. I gave my photographers a list of the portraits I wanted. I included people's name so they would pay attention when their name was called out loud. Overall my experience was great and I recommend this church.

Doubletree Grand Hotel Biscayne Bay - Reception
When I started planning my wedding I had already been to 2 weddings at this location. I was pretty much set on this hotel because it had everything I was looking for. I did go to several different hotels in the downtown, grove, and airport area but none had what I was looking for. I knew that I was going to have a small guest list and that I would have small centerpieces so I did not want the room to look empty. I was basically looking for something that was not too big and had a great view. The Doubletree was perfect; the view at night is fantastic. The ceilings in the ballroom are not as high as say the Rusty Pelican (another location with a great view). I also liked that the reception area was right next to the ballroom making it easy to transition my guest from cocktail hour to reception. The DJ was also able to pump music into the balcony during the cocktail hour. Another plus was that the balcony was accessible during the reception so I knew I would not lose my friends that needed to get fresh air during the party. I also wanted the reception to be at a hotel. I have a very crazy worklife and really liked the convenience of having a lot of things taken care of with just one vendor. I did not want to worry about hiring caterers or renting chairs and linens. I also got ready at the hotel and stayed there the night of the wedding.
The planning process was very smooth. Adriana was extremely helpful throughout the whole planning process. The night of the wedding, she was there along with an assistant. When we arrived at the hotel, they took us into a separate room for us to wait for everyone to come in from cocktail hour. They gave us a platter of the appetizers and drinks while we waited. They were always making sure that DH and I had everything we needed throughout the duration of the reception. My guest all said the service and food was great as well. They never ran low on food during cocktail hour. We had one of the chicken entrees and it was great. Most people expect dry chicken at a wedding but the food was fresh, warm and juicy. The week of the wedding I had some guests let me know that they would not be able to attend. Adriana was very helpful in helping reallocate the funds to upgrade some of my food and beverage options. Overall my experience was great and I recommend this location.
We had a great experience and I recommend this hotel.


Divine Delicacies - Cake
Out of all the bakeries that were included in my package this was by far our favorite. They do not have many upgrades included in their basic hotel package, but they make up for it in the flavor of the cake. The most important this for me was to not have a cake that was overly sweet. The cake was awesome!!! It was a marble cake with vanilla filling and buttercream frosting. I also used Divine Delicacies for the Groom's Cake. That cake was chocolate with chocolate filling. It had a buttercream frosting with the Oakland Raiders shield made out of fondant. Everyone raved about both cakes. I highly recommend them.


Ambrosio Photography - Photography
By far my favorite vendor! Craig and Stacey Ambrosio are the sweetest people I have ever met. Both of them are professional photographers and are unbelievable talented. They have a photojournalism style. Their pictures are very natural and look great without touchup. They shot our wedding day as well as our engagement pictures. I decided with a little over a month left to go that I wanted engagement pictures and that I wanted to use those pictures for a guest sign in book. I selected the images I wanted for the book but because we were cutting close on time I did not see the layout before it went into processing. I trusted their artistic abilities to just run with it. It turned out beautifully and everyone was raving about it.
The day of the wedding Stacey was with me from the moment I started getting ready at the hotel. Craig was with DH and the bestman while they got ready. They arranged a private meeting for me and DH before the ceremony. They took us to a park next to the hotel to take pictures and then over to the Venetian Causeway to get shots with the Miami skyline in the background.
I had printed proofs as part of my package, but I was able to first see them online. I fell in love with them and upgraded to receive my printed proofs all in 4X6. For the album I opted for a coffee table style from Graphistudios. It has a black leather cover with our names and wedding date embossed on the cover. I do not remember what type of paper I used, but I remember that it was a cross between glossy and matte paper. I think that the paper we used made the colors stand out even more.
I am planning on doing a post wedding/trash the dress shoot. DH and I are also planning and doing a first anniversary shoot with them. I highly recommend these guys with my eyes closed! No joke, their work is flawless.


Artistry Wedding Films - Videography
Videography was a completely last minute decision. I hired them the week before the wedding. Luckily I had done my research many months before and there were only 2 vendors I really liked. Artistry came highly recommended by a friend of mine. Alan is very professional and always responded to my emails. There were two shooters but I barely noticed them there. They were very unobtrusive but still captured all the moments that I wanted on video.
The final product is fantastic. It is perfectly edited to a mix of songs we selected and Alan suggested. The camara work is great and very steady. It is more than just a video, it is a little movie. I would say it is the video equivalent of photojournalism. Overall I had a great experience with this vendor and I highly recommend them.

Party Players - DJ
I did not do any shopping around for the DJ. I was looking for two things, reliability and experience. I had hired the Party Players several years ago for another event so I new they had the experience I was looking for. Since I knew I would hire them I just told my mom to please call and get the contract for me. That day one of the co-owners happen to take the call, DJ Andy. My mom had a great feeling about him and wanted him to be our DJ. He was very polite, professional and honest. He told my mom that since we were having a small g I wanted a fun party atmosphere. I wanted my guest to have fun from the moment they walked through the doors. We hired them to start playing music during cocktail hour all the way through the end of the reception at 2 AM. We requested DJ Andy, one of the co-owners, and that's who we got for the wedding. He did an amazing job. I had submitted my play list but most importantly I wanted him to read the crowd and work with that. That is exactly what he did. He took my friend's requests as well. Everyone had a great time and we danced the entire night. You can't go wrong with the party players. I highly recommend them.


Vivian Colls - Flowers
Wonderful lady! She came highly recommenced by a friend of mine. I actually first met with a couple of the highly recommened florists from the knot, but I came out of those meetings disappointed. It seems like they took a look at my modest budget and did not really care to do business with me. They did not offer much creative input either. All they were offering was the same design done in most of their weddings. In fact I told them of them the one thing my DH did not want and this person responded that I should not listen to him. I found this to be extremely unprofessional. Vivian on the other hand treated me like I was her one and only client. She looked at my magazine clippings, listened to what we like and even asked DH if there was anything in particular that he wanted. She was the one and only florist willing to meet with me on the weekend. She hand delivered the final proposal to my house bringing along with her the vases she thought would work. I loved loved loved my vases. I wanted something elegant and simple and that is what she gave me. My one and only must have request was to have a bouquet with mini black callas. I have seen mini black callas bloom in different shades from deep burgandy to deep purple. I wanted the deep purples. She assured me that she will do what it takes to get those to me even if she has soak them a few days before. This happens to be common practice if you need to achieve a particular shade. I bring this up because she is the only one that gave me this option. Another florist said sorry I can't promise anything and don't believe anything another florist tells you. So on my wedding day I had my bouquet of dark purple callas! I also hired Vivian to set up the guest sign in table and the favors. She even came back to the hotel after the reception was over to clear out the flowers. Fantastic and sweet lady. I highly recommend her.

Bellisima Bridal (in Coral Gables) - Wedding Dress
I purchased a Cassablanca dress from them. I am in love with my dress! The service was good. Although I did not use them for alterations, I recommend them due to the variety of styles that I saw in the store.

Occansey Designs (obridal.com) - Veil
This was the best decision I made. I wanted the most simple one tiered layer. For some reason simple means expensive. I could not deal with a $300 price tag for a veil so I too my chances and ordered from an online vendor. They were very helpful in helping me figure out which dimensions would work best for what I was wanted. It was great quality, great service, and great prices. I highly recommend them.

Rey's Cleaners (in Coral Gables) - Alterations and dress preservation
I was not really happy with the seamstress they had at the bridal store so I decided to take the dress somewhere else. Reina (a knottie favorite) was just too far from me that I would end up spending money on gas just to save money on alterations. One day while I was bridal shoe shopping I stopped at a bridal store in the grove. I asked them if they knew of a place for me to take my dress for alterations and they told me that they usually send their bridesmaids to Rey's Cleaners. So I was off to Rey's Cleaners. By the time I had gone to get the dress altered I had lost a good amount of weight so the bodice had to be fixed up a bit. The seamstress did a great job and the dress was delivered on time as promised. I also plan on taking my dress there to get cleaned and preserved. They don't use chemicals to preserve the dress, the preservation comes from the fabric it is wrapped in and the type of packaging. I highly recommend them.

DSW.com - Shoes
I ordered my shoes from DSW.com I had already tried on a pair of shoes from the same brand but in a different style at the store so I knew what size I needed to order. They fit perfectly and were comfy. They were gorgeous and matched the sash on my dress perfectly.

Symphony Jewelers - Bridal Jewelry
I discovered this boutique a few years ago. I love love love their selection. The pieces they carry are very unique. The only thing I purchased new for the wedding were my earings and the wedding band they custom made for me. My bracelet, my other ring (my something blue) and my necklace were purchased there a few years ago. I highly recommend them. They are really great people and I love their service.

Genesis - Hair comb
It was probably two weeks before the wedding and I still didn't have a comb for my hair. My plan was to remove the veil for th reception and just have a nice comb decorating my hair. I had almost given up because everything at the bridal stores were too pricey. Then one day a knottie mentions that she got her comb from a kiosk at the mall. I was curious so I went over to international mall to find this place. When I found it I could not believe that I hadn't thought about them before. They had a great selection of combs at reasonable prices. I wanted something simple and elegant. I bought 2 combs from them. The price can't be beat and the girl is really nice too! I highly recommend them.

Daisy Tarsi - Maid of Honor Dress
I did not care too much for the service there. However if you are looking for certain designers that only they may carry on the mile, you have to go there. My maid of honor picked her own gown and purchased it there. She was not interested in shopping around for a cheaper place. They also did not have the alterations done at the time they promised. They kept messing up as well. The dress was finally delivered on Oct. 30th. For service I don't recommend them, but for selection I do.

Manny's Formal Wear - Tuxes
Great service! DH, the bestman and our brothers got their tuxes there. I highly recommend them.

Syms - Dads' tuxes
Both our dads felt they needed to purchases tuxes. Syms has great prices and a good selection. Both were happy with their purchases.

Nordstrom - MOB dress, MIL dress, and SILs dresses
What can I say I love this store. The service is exceptional. Many people think that it is a very expensive store but you'd be surprise how many deals you can find if you just look. They are much more affordable than a bridal store. Alterations were also done at the store. Very clean work and delivered on the date promised. I highly recommend them.

Meilan - Bridal Car
This is a family run business. They are very professional and honest business people. The driver was super duper nice. He arrived on time. The car was beautiful, clean, and well air conditioned antique silver Bently. I highly recommend them!

Madeleine - Makeup
I have said it a bunch of times, I highly recommend this girl!!!! She is amazing at what she does. The makeup stayed on all night, I did not look or feel cakey, I felt fantastic! Madeleine also did the makeup for my e-pics

Zorayda - Hair
She did a great job on my hair. My hair was looking thinned out but I did not want to use extensions. She managed to make it look like I had a lot more hair than I really do. My hair has never ever stayed put from an updo or any type of styling, but my hair did not fall the entire night, yet it felt so soft! I was so amazed. I highly recommend her as well.

Palomilla Grill - Rehearsal Dinner
The rehearsal dinner was held at the Palomilla Grill, cuban restaurant. The service was great and the food was yummy! Can't beat the price.

We DIY'd the invitations, the place cards, the card box and the favors. We bought the supplies at Michaels, Office Max, Party City, Papermart.com, Walmart, and Jo-Ann's. I'd like to give DH an A++++ on this. He put all of this stuff together.

Tracy Ahrendt Photography - Bridal Shower photographer
Hiring a professional photographer for the bridal shower was the best decision I made. She understood that I wanted to capture all the moments of my party without having to stop to pose at every moment. She also had a little portrait session for DH and I. Tracey was an absolute pleasure to work with. The pictures were amazing and captured all the fun moments of the day. I highly recommend her.

Diana Carvajal Event Planner
We hired Diana to cater the meal for my bridal shower. I had a mashed potato martini bar. The food was a hit. It was set up buffet style, and we purchased large plastic martini glasses at party city to serve the food. There was shrimp, shredded chicken, and ground beef, mashed potato and mashed malanga. Additional toppings were also served. It was a small party for 25 people so we only needed one server. She stayed until it was time to serve the cake. She cut the cake (not provided by them) and served to the guests. I highly recommend Diana.