Reviews
Mandalay Bay Wedding Coordinator: Alyssa B+
She responded quickly to emails but sometimes responded but did not answer the questions i posed when i emailed her. I would have to email again to clarify some information. Overall, the planning process was super easy and straightforward. She did get us the strip view Vista suite (amazing) i requested and pulled some strings so we could check into it by 9am.
Fit for a Bride: A+Debbie was the best! Called to let me know my dress was in, delivered it promptly when i asked her to and it was perfect. They even gave me a better hanger for it than I had sent with it! Just perfect, couldn't have asked for more. Use her! Just do it.
Spa Suite (Th night) B+
It was a great room. The sheets were itchy and we had a horrible view, but for 1 night we didn't care. We were in the room for a total of about 5 hours and it came with our package. By 9 am Friday morning we were checked into the Vista Suite and at the pool!
Vista Suite: AAMAZING! The view was a panoramic view of the strip from our living room, airport from the dining room and the pools from our bedroom. The lighting is odd, kind of a blueish greenish tint to the entire room due to the coating on the windows. it made some pictures look off-color. The bed was so comfy, the shower amazing and the room layout was perfect.
Wedding Chapel: B+
We were supposed to get a gift bag when we checked in but the front desk knew nothing about it. We had to go to the chapel Friday night and finally got a gift bag full of stuff we could have used Friday at the pool (snacks, sunscreen, drinks, magazines etc). My day of coordinator (not sure her name) was great. SOOOO helpful getting me water and whatever i needed. She explained everything very well without being smothering. Loved her.
Reverend Rolland: A
I requested him due to his laid-back humorous nature. It just fit with DH and I. He was great and people are still talking about how personal the ceremony felt. He provided a little humor but was very clear how important and huge life-step this is. he tied in some of our own words (from vows we wrote) It was so personal and intimate even though he had just met us. DH cried a bit during the ceremony (and he is NOT a crier) he was so moved by the Reverend. I would recommend him but realize that his style may not be for the more uber-traditional ceremony
Flowers: A
I had Cymbidium Orchids and they were perfect . Fresh, and smelled so good!! Loved the color, just what I asked for.
Cashman Photo: B+
Great photos but our photographer, while really nice, was a bit pushy. Our day-of coordinator said photos were allowed during the ceremony as long as people didn't get stand up. Our photographer tried telling me no photos allowed. I explained to her the coordinator approved it. She finally siad fine but no flashes. The pics were great, they tried pushing really hard for us to buy more but really, we have plenty to choose from family and friends. We bought a nice camera for the trip and the pics are GREAT that my sister took. So professional looking that I am happy with that. We didn't have another photographer, just went around with my sister and took a ton of pictures, I uploaded them this morning and they are perfect, i am glad we saved the money on a photographer, one of the best decisions we made. I know that does not work for everyone but we are thrilled!
Vista Suite Reception: A
We had a reception for 4 hours after the ceremony. Everyone loved the layout, we didn't decorate, no need to, just not our style. There was plenty of room for 25-35 people. We had the bar set up, food on the table and the cake/cupcakes on a sidetable by the door. It flowed very well. We kept all of the chairs but rearranged them for better conversational areas. Everyone loved how intimate but not crowded it was. Guests could talk without yelling and the party flowed so well. DOWN SIDE: no Ipod docking station, we had my sister bring hers to our room so no biggie
Masterpiece Cuisine: A-
Scott was GREAT, so informative and everything was as we had discussed. The food was piping hot and plentiful (really, we had tons left over)
Gourmet Mini Sliders: B+, guests enjoyed them, they were very tender
Terryaki Chicken Kabobs: B+, good, a little sweet for some people. some were very tender but others were a bit dry
Artichoke Dip A: funny because we didn't order this, they just brought it. it was the hit of the party though with the bread that went with it!
Cedar Plank Shrimp; A OMG, so so good. cooked perfectly and the mango sauce was sweet but not complimented the shrimp perfectly.
Carribbean spiked potatoes: A-, think stuffed twice baked taters with bacon and onions with ranch to dip them in. nuff said. some were a tad overcooked though.
Mezze platter: A- cheese was great, meat, and crackers were great to graze
Deep Dish Pizza Puffs: B+, many people loved these but i thought they were a bit doughy. Just my opinion
Our bartender: Masterpiece cuisine: A
he was GREAT, super cute, friendly, and had a great sense of humor. I loved him and couldn't have asked for more. We had 3 kinds of beer, 2 kinds of wine, pop and water. All of the guests loved him and it was a great time. We didn't have to worry about buying and lugging alcohol, just able to enjoy the weekend. Money well spent. Plus he left the extra beer/wine/pop/water and we finished off long after he had left.
Retro Bakery; A+
We had 7 different flavors of cupcakes and a 6 inch round cake. The cake was frosted with buttercream and was as smooth as fondant. All I can say is AMAZING!!!!! The most moist, delicous vanilla cake with perfect buttercream. a bit sweet, but so good. The best i have ever had, DH agreed and he LIVES for cake. We loved it so much we repacked our bags just to be able to put it in our bag and take home on the plane! I am eating it right now, still great!!My favorite cupcake flavors were; Hop Scotch and Chocolate Fountain. but they all were amazing.
DIY:
I made reception cards to hand out after the ceremony that we wrote our room number on and those worked so well. I used our wedding colors and printed them in color.
Guests loved them as they were fearful of not finding our room (forgetting our room number)I typed up a menu for dinner and the cupcakes letting guests know the food and flavors. they were appreciative of this as well. We bought some M&Ms and nuts to set around the room to snack on and that went over well.
I did my own hair and makeup and was more than thrilled with it. I use Bare Minerals (like usual) and look wonderful in the pictures, both professional and by my sister. I would be happy to answer questions, just let me know
She responded quickly to emails but sometimes responded but did not answer the questions i posed when i emailed her. I would have to email again to clarify some information. Overall, the planning process was super easy and straightforward. She did get us the strip view Vista suite (amazing) i requested and pulled some strings so we could check into it by 9am.
Fit for a Bride: A+Debbie was the best! Called to let me know my dress was in, delivered it promptly when i asked her to and it was perfect. They even gave me a better hanger for it than I had sent with it! Just perfect, couldn't have asked for more. Use her! Just do it.
Spa Suite (Th night) B+
It was a great room. The sheets were itchy and we had a horrible view, but for 1 night we didn't care. We were in the room for a total of about 5 hours and it came with our package. By 9 am Friday morning we were checked into the Vista Suite and at the pool!
Vista Suite: AAMAZING! The view was a panoramic view of the strip from our living room, airport from the dining room and the pools from our bedroom. The lighting is odd, kind of a blueish greenish tint to the entire room due to the coating on the windows. it made some pictures look off-color. The bed was so comfy, the shower amazing and the room layout was perfect.
Wedding Chapel: B+
We were supposed to get a gift bag when we checked in but the front desk knew nothing about it. We had to go to the chapel Friday night and finally got a gift bag full of stuff we could have used Friday at the pool (snacks, sunscreen, drinks, magazines etc). My day of coordinator (not sure her name) was great. SOOOO helpful getting me water and whatever i needed. She explained everything very well without being smothering. Loved her.
Reverend Rolland: A
I requested him due to his laid-back humorous nature. It just fit with DH and I. He was great and people are still talking about how personal the ceremony felt. He provided a little humor but was very clear how important and huge life-step this is. he tied in some of our own words (from vows we wrote) It was so personal and intimate even though he had just met us. DH cried a bit during the ceremony (and he is NOT a crier) he was so moved by the Reverend. I would recommend him but realize that his style may not be for the more uber-traditional ceremony
Flowers: A
I had Cymbidium Orchids and they were perfect . Fresh, and smelled so good!! Loved the color, just what I asked for.
Cashman Photo: B+
Great photos but our photographer, while really nice, was a bit pushy. Our day-of coordinator said photos were allowed during the ceremony as long as people didn't get stand up. Our photographer tried telling me no photos allowed. I explained to her the coordinator approved it. She finally siad fine but no flashes. The pics were great, they tried pushing really hard for us to buy more but really, we have plenty to choose from family and friends. We bought a nice camera for the trip and the pics are GREAT that my sister took. So professional looking that I am happy with that. We didn't have another photographer, just went around with my sister and took a ton of pictures, I uploaded them this morning and they are perfect, i am glad we saved the money on a photographer, one of the best decisions we made. I know that does not work for everyone but we are thrilled!
Vista Suite Reception: A
We had a reception for 4 hours after the ceremony. Everyone loved the layout, we didn't decorate, no need to, just not our style. There was plenty of room for 25-35 people. We had the bar set up, food on the table and the cake/cupcakes on a sidetable by the door. It flowed very well. We kept all of the chairs but rearranged them for better conversational areas. Everyone loved how intimate but not crowded it was. Guests could talk without yelling and the party flowed so well. DOWN SIDE: no Ipod docking station, we had my sister bring hers to our room so no biggie
Masterpiece Cuisine: A-
Scott was GREAT, so informative and everything was as we had discussed. The food was piping hot and plentiful (really, we had tons left over)
Gourmet Mini Sliders: B+, guests enjoyed them, they were very tender
Terryaki Chicken Kabobs: B+, good, a little sweet for some people. some were very tender but others were a bit dry
Artichoke Dip A: funny because we didn't order this, they just brought it. it was the hit of the party though with the bread that went with it!
Cedar Plank Shrimp; A OMG, so so good. cooked perfectly and the mango sauce was sweet but not complimented the shrimp perfectly.
Carribbean spiked potatoes: A-, think stuffed twice baked taters with bacon and onions with ranch to dip them in. nuff said. some were a tad overcooked though.
Mezze platter: A- cheese was great, meat, and crackers were great to graze
Deep Dish Pizza Puffs: B+, many people loved these but i thought they were a bit doughy. Just my opinion
Our bartender: Masterpiece cuisine: A
he was GREAT, super cute, friendly, and had a great sense of humor. I loved him and couldn't have asked for more. We had 3 kinds of beer, 2 kinds of wine, pop and water. All of the guests loved him and it was a great time. We didn't have to worry about buying and lugging alcohol, just able to enjoy the weekend. Money well spent. Plus he left the extra beer/wine/pop/water and we finished off long after he had left.
Retro Bakery; A+
We had 7 different flavors of cupcakes and a 6 inch round cake. The cake was frosted with buttercream and was as smooth as fondant. All I can say is AMAZING!!!!! The most moist, delicous vanilla cake with perfect buttercream. a bit sweet, but so good. The best i have ever had, DH agreed and he LIVES for cake. We loved it so much we repacked our bags just to be able to put it in our bag and take home on the plane! I am eating it right now, still great!!My favorite cupcake flavors were; Hop Scotch and Chocolate Fountain. but they all were amazing.
DIY:
I made reception cards to hand out after the ceremony that we wrote our room number on and those worked so well. I used our wedding colors and printed them in color.
Guests loved them as they were fearful of not finding our room (forgetting our room number)I typed up a menu for dinner and the cupcakes letting guests know the food and flavors. they were appreciative of this as well. We bought some M&Ms and nuts to set around the room to snack on and that went over well.
I did my own hair and makeup and was more than thrilled with it. I use Bare Minerals (like usual) and look wonderful in the pictures, both professional and by my sister. I would be happy to answer questions, just let me know