Our wedding went off FANTASTICALLY, stress-free, and without a hiccup!  I want to first thank everyone on this board for their reviews and advice that helped us make this wedding possible!  The wealth of information made it so much easier to plan from Florida.

First, let me preface by saying H and I are FAR from traditional and were on a tight budget.  We wanted to throw a fantastic party for our 25 guests, so we planned and saved our money for a year, used coupons, Groupons, Skymiles, etc., YOU NAME it - and we came in well UNDER budget.  IT CAN BE DONE!  Just plan and pay for the REALISTIC wedding you can afford.  Also, do not turn your friends down when they offer to help!  I did my own make-up, but had a friend offer to do my hair and another offer to make my veil.  We still splurged on the stuff that mattered to us and had fun.  (Follow your dreams…BEEFCAKE!)

Now on to the reviews.

Monte Carlo:  A

We used this resort as the “family headquarters”.  H and I have always loved this hotel, so it was a no-brainer to stay here.  It had a GREAT rate for the time we were there and the location is awesome for casino hopping up-and-down The Strip.  Highly recommended!  Pro Tip:  Try the margarita specials and Lettuce Wrap Fajitas at Diablo’s.  Good times.

Revolution Lounge @ The Mirage:  A

Most of our guests flew in the day before the wedding and some caught shows that night, so we decided to have a Meet & Greet after the shows and this was a great success.  Fun story:  One of the dancers got angry when my sister took a picture of us while the dancer happened to be in the background (kinda unavoidable in that setting).  She thought we were filming her and screamed for the bouncer to take care of it.  Riiiiight.  So the bouncer runs over to my sister, says, “She’ll get over it” and simply makes her erase the BAD blurry picture of the 3 she happened to snap.  Occupational hazard.  HA! 

Mandalay Bay THEwedding Chapel:  A+++

Fantastic!  Beyond expectations.  Our coordinator was Jamie and she was great with everything from the moment we met her during our planning visit last March.  We went with the Simple Love package in the Silver Chapel and it was perfect for what we wanted and needed.  Rudy officiated and he was great and our guests raved about him!  The flowers were simple and perfect for what we wanted.  However, I did DIY some bouquet jewelry and added it to the bouquet and boutonniere right before the ceremony.  And we forgot to take our bottle of champagne – OH WELL!

Cashman Photography:  A+++

I know what you are thinking – crazy grade, right?  Bear, are you on crack?  We honestly did not have high expectations after reading some not too favorable reviews on this site.  However, WOW.  Our photographer was Michael P. and he was excellent and understood the look and style we wanted.  We took the normal family posed after ceremony shots to appease the in-laws, but then he took a few group shots of all of the wedding guests on a staircase on the way to Eye Candy bar in the middle of the casino for the additional hour we purchased.  There we had a cocktail-type hour and treated guests to a champagne toast and cocktails before dinner.  There are some great candid shots of our guests at Eye Candy – we love them!  While our guests enjoyed their drinks, Michael took H and me around the MB grounds for some fun shots.  My favorite is the one he took at the entrance to the Foundation Room.  PERFECT!  As for the price, we saved for the CD and we were able to make a package deal for less than budgeted – and no, it was NOT cheap.  However, it was important to us to have the CD so it was worth it to us.  All-in-all a great experience.   I have a few on Fb and I’ll post a few to the LV Knotties Fb page. 

Nine Fine Irishmen @ New York New York:  A++++++++++++++++++ (to infinity and beyond)

H and I are LONG TIME fans of this place.  Every time we go to Vegas we end up here.  We looked at having dinner at other places, but none could beat the great deal and vibe 9 Fine offered.  They went ABOVE AND BEYOND our expectations.  I simply cannot say enough about the food, service, and facility.  They gave us the 2^nd floor mezzanine which included the balcony that overlooks The Strip.  This was perfect!  The service was simply amazing.  Appetizers were waiting on the guests when they got there and the food was amazing.  They even did an awesome display of our cupcakes (see review below).  Best thing:  Every time a server passed me as I was mingling and I was sans drink, another drink appeared seemingly out of nowhere.  Awesome.  My kind of joint!  Guests are still messaging us about how great the food was, too.

Pick Your Poison Cupcake Shots: OMG A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OMG

H and I are not cake people, but tiny cupcakes with alcohol?  We ARE those people.  I contacted Taryn about creating a custom flavor for H as he loves him some Captain Morgan (they only list a Sailor Jerry flavor, and well, that just was not going to cut it).  She said NO PROBLEM and so I ordered Captain Morgan and Coke shots along with Irish Crème shots.  Communication was great and they delivered without a hitch.  Oh boy.  Delicious and amazing does not even begin to describe these things.  You could smell the alcohol on them and the tiny straws are just too cute.  Absolutely the best cupcakes ever.  Period.  Guests loved them and they were the perfect size after the huge dinner.  Highly recommend Pick Your Poison!

Voo Doo Lounge @ The Rio:  A

I’m omitting all the +++s because I’m annoying myself at this point. This was a great venue for the after-party and the view is spectacular.  We paid no cover and partied into the wee hours.  An absolute blast.

Assorted other bars on The Strip: ??  (Grading unavailable as details of the rest of the night are blurry)

I hope this helps future Vegas Knotties!  PAY IT FORWARD!

*SportsBear was not paid to endorse these vendors nor type in 3rd person.  They were actually this great, I swear!