Just got back from our wonderful LV trip and the only way I can describe it was absolute perfection.
I'll write up more details later but I don't think I'll be grading any of them because they would all get A++++++++. I literally don't have a single negative thing to say or even an "it was great but it could have been better." It was all perfect!
Accomodations: 7 nights @ Hilton Grand Vacations Club @ Flamingo
So wonderful to have a full kitchen and lots of space to sprawl out in. And being located so close to The Strip and other locations but far enough away to relax and unwind. The staff was absolutely wonderful and were always asking how we were doing and if they could help.
Hair/Makeup: Lori White
I picked Lori because her price included the hair and makeup trials so I got to be all done up for the Welcome Party also. She was amazing and I loved my look! And even though we had an early start on Friday (5:30 am) I felt like everything was going to be perfect all day - and it was! Even though my hair doesn't hold curl normally!
Ceremony/floral: Flamingo Las Vegas, West Lawn
We had Rev. Bill who was an absolute dream. He was so sweet and eloquent and made us feel completely comfortable even though we met him just before the ceremony. He ran through the entire ceremony with each of us and I felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen. Which was great because I had not anticipated how nervous I would be...and I'm a nervous laugher which you will see on the video!
The staff at the chapel were great and always communicated well with me. I dropped off my bouquet charm earlier in the trip and they had it pinned beautifully. I did not expect to love my bouquet as much as I did. And I definately did not expect it to be as heavy as it was!
Cashman Photography:
Everyone always talks about not loving their Cashman photos so I had very low expectations for this but I was somewhat surprised how many of them I liked. We stayed with our package and added a couple of extras on but I did not feel like the $1500 was worth it to buy the whole lot. But our photographer was wonderful and put us both at ease and made sure we got back to our guests as quickly as possible without making us feel rushed.
Welcome Party: Dos Caminos @ The Palazzo
This was one of the best decisions we made! The food and drinks were excellent (we just had a minimum to meet and allowed everyone to order off the menu). We were worried ahead of time about potentially going over our minimum but in the end we barely made it! We dropped off our welcome bags early in the day as well as our napkins for the groom's cakes. The staff set it up beautifully and all the bags were lined up neatly and ready for us to distribute them.
Retro Bakery for Groom's Cakes:
I ordered Greg a groom's cake as a surprise and we actually had 2 cakes in order to feed everyone. The Dharma Initiative cake (we're both big LOST fans) was mint chocolate chip and was in the shape of the Swan Logo. I hate mint chocolate chip so I didn't eat it but everyone said it was great. The other cake was just the regular Milk & Cookies cake and it was wonderful!
Buffet Reception: Paradise Garden Buffet @ Flamingo
We were a little nervous about this just because we wouldn't be there with the group to sit down. We eat here every trip and service has been hit or miss. But not this time! Greg and his BM went down prior to the ceremony and confirmed with the manager that our group would be arriving and the final count. They were shown where the seating was and asked if that would be alright. Then our BM & MOH led the group after the ceremony and they were immediately sat and had no problems. I was so busy I didn't really get to eat but everyone said both the breakfast and lunch items were very fresh and quite tasty.
Evening Reception & Wedding Cake: Window's @ Bally's Las Vegas
Lisa Lynn was our coordinator and she was the most amazing person I had to work with. We met up with her on the Tuesday we arrived to drop off our toasting flutes and server set as well as a few other items. She walked through the entire night with us and then we went back up to the room to see it. I never had any doubts that it wouldn't be perfect.
Now the cake I was super worried about. Never having tasted their cake I was terrified it wouldn't be good - especially after having the Retro Bakery cakes. In fact my facial expression before Greg fed me the cake was pure terror haha. But I had nothing to worry about!!! It was DELICIOUS! We had two flavors and I made sure I ate both! The first was a white cake with buttercream and strawberrys and the second was a German Chocolate cake with typical German Chcolate carmel/mousse/coconut (but no nuts). And it was perfect! We gave them a few images of cakes we liked and how we wanted them changed and they made it happen!
The rest of the reception was an ice cream buffet (three flavors of the most delicious homemade ice cream and then a DIY topping buffet) and open bar. It was great!
DJ: Knight Sounds
We went with Knight Sounds because of their price and because they actually included a light kit rather than having to add it to the price. Keith was AMAZING and kept the party going and more importantly - kept us in the loop and I felt like he was just making happen what I wanted rather than just doing his own thing. I would HIGHLY recommend Keith as a DJ!
Table Decor/Centerpieces: Maya with Jewel of The Desert Productions
I loved all of the images online and how they were able to create a theme without being cheesy. I explained what I wanted and Maya made it happen! We had split our linen rental between Maya and Bally's (as Bally's includes linen rental in the room fee). The centerpieces were amazing and I counted...we got more than we paid for! They also made us a poster which served as our escort "card" and the table numbers as well (which were framed mini movie posters rather than numbers).
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We also hosted a scavenger hunt for our guests which was a HUGE hit! We thought we made it hard and nearly impossible but we clearly underestimated the competitiveness of our guests. It was a great way to help force the guests to see parts of the strip they otherwise may not have.
In non-wedding related observations.....
Gambling was bad! Machines were really tight but tables were barely better. I lost a lot but had a great time doing it!
"Service" was barely anywhere to be found. Cocktail servers were few and far between. Waiters had little to no interest in us regardless of where we were. We had one waitress literally roll her eyes and huff at us because she brought us our bill and we were still planning on drinking more. At the Eiffel Tower Restaurant (where we ate just the two of us before the evening reception - still in our wedding attire) we were all but ignored for almost 10 minutes until a manager came up to us to thank us for celebrating with them - we told him to find us a server!
Saw only one show Peepshow starring Holly Madison. If by "starring" they mean she's in all the scenes but does nothing other than stand, walk, and sit - haha. She may be the most uncoordinated person I've ever seen on stage but it was highly entertaining! I had very low expectations so it didn't take much to entertain me! Went with a group of 6 of us and we all felt we got our money's worth (both half off tickets at Tix4Tonight) but more than likely wouldn't see it again.
So there you have it! More to come and also pictures but I had a great time and I couldn't have planned it without all of you! Thank you so much!!!!!
Link to the webcast & photos:
https://webcasting.cashmanpro.com/fl/watcharchiveevent.cfm?eventID=116679
https://shop.cashmanpro.com/ login: ghemmannpassword: cfarris