Nevada-Las Vegas

MARRIED (omg)!!! 9.26.15 Reviews, Part 1 (Mandalay Bay, Cashman, Vista Suite, Todd Wilson, Harmony)

First off, a HUUUUGE thank you to this board for guiding us through the long-distance Vegas wedding planning process. It was an invaluable resource and really helped make our wedding weekend the wonderful success it was!

I will try to give back by giving as detailed of reviews as I can for all of you planning a Vegas wedding!

Mandalay Bay (general) - A

We overall had an excellent experience at Mandalay Bay, from check-in to check-out. Our Vista Suite was ready at noon on the day we checked in, and the lady at the front desk could not have been nicer or more helpful. When she learned that I had made breakfast reservations at Veranda for my bridesmaids, she even immediately called the restaurant to get us an outdoor table with a view. MB is simply a lovely resort with a gorgeous property.

THE Wedding Chapel at Mandalay Bay - B+

Our ceremony went beautifully as planned in the Silver Chapel. I was a little nervous because the wedding coordinator we had been working with since March was promoted to a different department two weeks before our wedding, so we never met our day-of coordinator until right before the wedding. The day prior, my then-fiance and I set up a meeting with yet another coordinator to go over our ceremony details, and I am so glad we did. Between both coordinators, they nailed it.

This is a bit nit-picky, but the coordinators could have stood to be a bit "warmer" especially considering the emotional occasion. There was a kind of business-like chilliness that I experienced with all three that we dealt with, but I guess they were nice enough and got things done. 

We had Reverand Adam, and he was great. Very friendly, personable guy who conducted a quick (but not rushed) and still lovely, meaningful ceremony.

Cashman - B+

Like I've heard from many brides, it stinks that you are forced to use Cashman for chapel photography, and they are not the most economical. Putting that aside, we had a very good experience with their photographer. She was super sweet and took some great photos. She did not give us any problems when we told her that we only wanted a handful of photos after the ceremony because we had hired Todd Wilson who was waiting outside. (I will note that Todd did come in the dressing rooms and take some shots, which was really nice.)

We went to our appointment the next day to view her photos with the intention that we would not purchase anything beyond the 20 photos included in our wedding package (including 6--5x7s). We did give in a little because the pictures were so nice, and I now had more of a desire to document our ceremony and have some larger prints too. For about $400, we got all 87 4x6 prints, 2 8x10s, and 2 10x13s. The CD with the rights was about $900, but we elected not to purchase it.

Vista Suite - A

This suite is phenomenal! I see why it is so popular. We were in 31-235, which is a handicap accessible suite. Besides having bars in the master bath tub/shower, this made no difference. The view was of the airport, mountains, and The Strip. It was gorgeous, in great shape, and the perfect size for the 47 of us, plus our vendors. We utilized all of the furniture already in the suite and rented three high top cocktail tables and 10 folding chairs. It worked perfectly! Our guests were all super impressed with the suite and the view.

It did get a little warm during the reception even though we had the A/C turned down to 60; however, it was not a big deal. The only other complaint about the suite was that the iPod dock in the living area did not work perfectly. Once we turned it up to a certain volume, it was not very cooperative, so we kept it mostly as background music, which was fine.

The caterers (Masterpiece) set up their food prep/staging area in the sitting area of the bedroom, which is pretty large. They put all of the food on the large dining room table and set up the chef bar along the windows in the center area of the suite. There is a counter built into the wall near the entry, which was the perfect size and location for our guest book. Also in the foyer (which is sizable), is a long credenza, which was ideal for our cake table. We used the credenza under the living room TV for our favors and also put a basket there for cards. The "basket" actually is an oblong bowl decoration, which was on the table behind the couch. Worked perfectly! There was one small refrigerator behind the bar, which we could fit a couple bottles of champagne in, but not too much else.

Todd Wilson - A

Todd from Bentley & Wilson was our photographer and absolutely lovely to work with. Like everyone says, he is super friendly and laid back. He knows the property well and directed us to great photo spots, and he was also receptive to any ideas we had. We enjoyed chatting with him as we walked around the property, and he had a great attitude! His associate had been shooting an event at MB that night too, so she showed up to our reception at the beginning and took photos with him for the rest of the night, so we got a ton of extra shots.

He also stayed about 45 minutes later than he was contracted for (we had him for 5 hours--wish we had done a bit more) without asking. When I told him I appreciated it, and that he could go if he wanted, he told me to make sure we got pictures with everyone we wanted first. He seemed like he was genuinely was enjoying himself--so awesome! I can't wait to see the pictures!!!

The only complaint I have is that I was hoping for a few more creative suggestions for fun/silly pictures than what we got, but I am by no means unhappy with the photos taken. Todd is great--hire him! :)

Harmony Tapia - A+

How I wish I could have brought Harmony home with me to do my hair and makeup everyday! lol. She is absolutely wonderful! I have never felt more beautiful, and she made my mom look about 15 years younger. I woke up with a monster pimple on my wedding day (worst bridal nightmare, right?), and she made it look like nothing at all. I wore a birdcage veil and wanted to incorporate a special bridal comb, which I had so much trouble placing at home. She put it in place effortlessly and made it work better than what I had imagined.

I did a trial with her two days prior to the wedding, showed her a photo of what I had in mind, and she reproduced it, but even better. My husband was absolutely stunned by how I looked, which is exactly how it should be, right?! I am happy I did a trial though because it gave me a lot of confidence in how I would look on my wedding day. Harmony is the kindest woman, so easy to talk to, and is an absolute magician. I cannot recommend her enough.

 

 

Re: MARRIED (omg)!!! 9.26.15 Reviews, Part 1 (Mandalay Bay, Cashman, Vista Suite, Todd Wilson, Harmony)

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