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