Hi everyone,
This is really long, but I figured that you all deserve good reviews!
Our wedding slideshow is ready, to see photos of everything go to:http://emilyharris.myshowit.com/danielle_carlos_wed
To see all the photos: http://www.pictage.com/765395
I got married on Feb. 27th, (it’s taken me forever to do these reviews!) the day was perfect right until I had to leave the house when a downpour started. Thankfully we were way ahead of schedule so we used the time to get some extra photos in with my parents and grandmother.
A couple of suggestions for future brides, take your time, the earlier you start, the better, you don’t know what can go wrong so its better just to be on the safe side.
Get up in the morning and have breakfast with your mom, talk about those people that matter most to you, I had a beautiful conversation about my grandfather and how I knew that he was there with us.
The less people you have in the house, the better, if they don’t need to be there or get ready there, send them away, it will save your sanity.
Give your cell phone to your maid of honor, and forget about it, she will take care of any rude people calling you for directions.
Set up a time before the ceremony to take family portraits that you will not have time for if there is a mass or event right after your ceremony. I had my entire family meet me at my parents house, and my husbands family meet him at the hotel 45 minutes before they were supposed to leave in order for them to take some extra photos such as my husband and his cousins, his siblings and with his mom. This will save you some time.
Do put your foot down if family members start taking over the photographer at the church, I had to tell one of my two mother in laws that we had to move on from her family pictures because she didn’t think it was necessary to show up at the hotel for the pre-wedding pictures, so I had to cut her time short after the ceremony.
Take the time to take your husband/wife photos, even if the reception starts a little later and you tick someone off (see DJ review), its your time.
Take some time during the reception to stand on the corner of the dance floor and see your family and friends having fun. I laughed my butt off…
If you have flipflops for your guests, do NOT have the DJ announce it, I asked him not to, and he didn’t listen to me, and it was a free-for-all (the photos are hilarious), but it would have been better for people to find out on their own about them.
When you buy bulk candy, buy more than you think you need, the candy went in two seconds, I have never in my life seen something like it, and whatever you do, don’t use glass beads to hold suckers up, someone almost ate one!
Venue: Mayfair Hotel and Spa
Grade: A+++++++
Amazing! The reason I picked this hotel in the first place was its ambiance, it’s intimate, and just plain out beautiful. I initially worked with Ulla who then went on maternity, and then worked with Michelle Edwards. They were both incredible, I felt really comfortable with both of them and they were really, and I mean REALLY accommodating to my family’s every whim. I also booked them in the beginning of the recession so I was able to get a great deal!
Church: St. John Neumman Catholic Church
Grade: A+
Monsignor Navarro is amazing, my husband is in no way religious, but Monsignor is such a calming presence that my hubby felt at ease the entire process. The church itself is beautiful and very accommodating.
Soloist: Debbie Consuegra
Grade: A+
Debbie was my high school choir instructor at St. Brendan, and I could not have even contemplated having someone else sing at my wedding, she did an amazing job, and made me cry!
Dress: Jolie Bridal #5002 from www.bestbridalprices.com
Grade: A+++
I first tried on this dress at a store on Miracle Mile for $1,500. I then went online in search of it and found it on this website for $700 saving myself a nice little bundle! Best Bridal Prices was amazing, they delivered right on time, and the dress was perfect!
Bridesmaid Dress:
Grade: A+
I only had one bridesmaid, so we looked on bluefly.com and she got a designer dress that we both really liked for around $100
Veil: Legenda Bridal
Grade: A+
I loved my veil, and although it was a bit on the expensive side, I decided that since I had saved some much on the dress, I could spend the $250 on the veil. They spent ages finding the perfect veil to match my dress!
Shoes: Me Too
Grade: A+++
I bought a pair of shoes a while ago from this same brand, and I thought they were the most comfortable shoes on the planet, so I went online hunting for the same brand, I found them in DSW on sale… I danced in them all night and wore them to the after party til 3am, while everyone else was in flip flops. yippee!!!
Makeup: George Pena (formerly of George n Gus)
Grade: A+++++++
Contact info: (786) 306-5463
George was amazing, he called me early in the day saying that he was running early and if I minded if he showed up almost an hour ahead of time!!! He is a total professional, and knows what he is doing, my makeup was exactly what I wanted, soft and pink!
Hair: Gus (formerly of George n Gus)
Grade: F
When he and George stopped working together he told me that he would still be doing my hair without a problem. I called him to confirm a week before the wedding and he still said that everything was fine. He then called me two days before and told me that he might have a conflict with the new salon he was working at and could I go to the salon instead instead. I nearly had a heart attack, but thankfully my Godmother (who is a hairdresser in Panama) stepped in and did a wonderful job.
Stationery/STD/invitations: ME!
Grade: A
I gave myself an A and not an A+ because I took too long to make up my mind, but I was very happy with the outcome of everything!
Cardsandpockets.com
Grade: A+++
They were wonderful to work with, and even when I messed up on the delivery address, they reshipped everything to me without a problem. My only suggestion is to ask if every stock you are buying can be printed on at home. I bought some accent paper that was too thick for my printer, they accepted the return without a problem.
Day Of Coordinator: Glynnis Villoro
Grade: A+++
Glynnis was amazing, even when I called her at 4am after the reception freiking out because I couldn’t find my envelopes from people (my mom had taken them). Glynnis is a freelance coordinator recommended to my by one of my girlfriends. She was professional, and made sure that everything was done to my specifications. I was very clear in what I wanted and she pulled it off beautifully!
Photography: Emily Harris Photography
www.intimatebridalportraits.com
Grade: A++++++++++
Emily was amazing, and her fiancée Aaron was equally as professional. They both put up with so much from my crazy family members and I am eternally grateful for that! I was lucky enough to nab her when she only had a couple of weddings under her belt and had almost no one booked for the year. Now, she is booked almost every weekend, and her 2010 rates have increased, I am blessed to have gotten her early on… I cant recommend to everyone to sign on with someone that doesn’t have much experience, but since I am a magazine editor and photo editor I can pinpoint good photography when I see it, it can pay to put your faith in someone who is just starting out.
DJ: Jorge A – Vision DJs
Grade: C for Jorge, and A for Visions
I was really happy with Visions during the planning process, they are on the ball, and I love their online system.
Now, the low grade for Jorge comes from my parents. They had a surprise band come in during the hora loca, and they informed Jorge weeks in advanced. Apparently Jorge wasn’t too happy about it and about the fact that we were running late so he gave both my parents attitude before and after the reception when my dad went to give him his tip. My dad apparently got so ticked off that he ended up not giving him his tip.
I of course didn’t know anything about this until way after the fact, but all I know is that the dance floor was packed the entire night, and that’s why I am giving him a C and nothing lower.
Flowers: Roman Cusco
Grade: A+
Roman is amazing, he did such a beautiful job with my flowers, I loved them, he completed my vision of my lanterns, and even painted them for me. My only complaint is that he is a little old school for my taste, he doesn’t do email and I don’t know he owns a computer, and that I was not completely thrilled with my bouquet, I felt it looked a little too peachy and not pink enough, but color is in the eye of the beholder right?
Lanterns: Ebay seller CA786
Grade: A+
The lanterns were perfect centerpieces, they only had them in silver so I had them painted dark brown to match my décor, everyone wanted to take them home!
Chairs: Hitched Events
Grade: A+
No complaints from me! They delivered everything on time, and the chairs were the perfect color, just what I ordered.
Bulk Candy: www.bulkcandystore.com
Grade: A
Candy was perfect and was delivered on time. My only comment is that they do not open on weekends so if you have plans to go up there and pick up your candy, make sure you can take the time off work. And when you think you have enough candy, buy more…
Tuxes: Men’s warehouse
Grade: A
No problems, they were really nice and accommodating, specially for my out of town family members who had to go to locations by their homes.
Transportation: 1956 Red Mustang Mustang
Grade: A++++
This was my father completely getting his little girl what she wanted. I have always loved the 1956 mustang its my favorite car in the whole world. My dad belongs to a mustang club, so he found a member of the group that had the car and had him pick me up from the house and then take us to the reception. I am not one for limos, and so this was the perfect car for us!
Cake: Elegant Temptations
www.eleganttemptations.com
Grade: A++++++
The cake was amazing, we did a chocolate cake with Godiva chocolate liquor and buttercream as my husband doesn’t like the taste of fondant, it was moist and yummy! I had to send the top tier to my mom’s and hide it in the freezer because my husband was dying to eat it after the wedding.
Hora Loca:
We got a lot of our stuff from different people, the big hats we got from someone who had extras from their wedding, noise makers and beads came from Party City’s after mardi gras sale. My parents surprised us with a Panamanian Carnival band that came from Tampa for the night, it was amazing!
Masks
www.emardigrasbeads.com
Grade: A++++
These were a total hit! We ordered hats, masks, and tiaras from this site, they were by far the cheapest out there. The quality was really good, and I suggest picking special masks from the bride and groom as they are really good quality and are nice party reminders.
Honeymoon:
Three days in London, one in Paris and six in Barcelona
We spent ten days in Europe, I highly recommend London and Barcelona, they are gorgeous cities with lots to do and very friendly people. Paris, I have never been a fan of, but my hubby had never been there so we opted to do a stop over there.
We did have a couple of hiccups along the way, but nothing a couple of bottles of wine couldn’t fix.
Just a couple of suggestions, make sure that when you book hotel rooms, do let them know that you are on your honeymoon, most hotels will do their best to upgrade you.
If you can avoid trains, do so, we got stuck for two days traveling down to Barcelona from Paris because of bad road conditions, always expect the unexpected when it comes to the weather, who would have thought that it would snow in the South of France (they had not seen snow since the 1960s).
Also, watch what you eat and drink, I consider myself a really good traveler, and street vendor food is one that I would stay away from always, but… my husband thinks he can eat anything and everything, so we lost another day to upset stomachs.
