Nevada-Las Vegas

Reviews 6/7/14

Excalibur (B) Good rates, $20 resort fee was annoying. Rooms were clean and spartan. Many of my guests were here, which made it really convenient.

LD Tours (A) I put out a bid to multiple bus companies, and this was the lowest bid. Almost the entire transaction was carried out via email, and responses were fast. We asked if we could switch to a smaller bus if our headcount was low, and they said yes. We wound up not switching, but it was good to have the option. The bus arrived on time, it was clean, and the driver was pleasant and professional.

Buca di Beppo (A) We decided last-minute to dine at Buca's before the bachelorette party. They seated our 10-person group within minutes, got everyone's drink orders correct, and were friendly and helpful. The food was great, and we had leftovers that went home with some of our local friends. Good price point, good atmosphere, incredibly convenient for Thunder From Down Under.

Thunder From Down Under (B) I'm conflicted about this, so I'll start easy and get complicated. The guys are well-built and good-looking. The host is funny and charming. No full frontal nudity. There is a significant amount of audience interaction. People are pulled on stage, the guys come out and dance on tables, flirt with audience members, etc.

I was pulled on stage for the first number. It was...interesting. I was sat on a chair (kinda old, small tears in the seat) and a guy danced around me. He put my hands on his body, etc. Honestly, it was funny and a little awkward. The Hubs is pretty fit, not bodybuilder fit but good enough for me, so this wasn't anything new or very titillating for me. The grinding was not interesting for me, the simulated fellatio was a turn-off. Then the dancer actually danced! Like tango-style footwork for five seconds, and I was finally impressed.

It was fun, but it's obviously a guy's concept of what they think women want. There's a lot of implied fellatio, rough grabbing, and machismo. And while some women like that, it wasn't my cup of tea. There was one segment with a more female-pleasure focus, which was really sweet and sexy all at the same time.

Polished Nails (B+) Booking a 5-person group would have required a contract with a $25/person/hour minimum, so we walked in instead. Magically, we were all able to get our services and end around the same time. Good grades for working us in a packed schedule. My mani-pedi was relaxing, but there was an upcharge for callus removal. The polish on my thumb got messed up, and the stylist fixed it, but it wound up chipping off 2 days later, after the wedding.

Motel 6 (A) Really? Yup! Rooms have just been renovated, with cute styling and neat touches. Small rooms at a great price and no resort fee! No hassle from management about the bus there for nearly an hour.

Retro Bakery (A) I love Retro. I have loved them since 2007. So there was no question where to get our cake. I emailed about a month in advance and got the details worked out. Note: They don't do overly-decorated cakes with marizpan figurines, etc., and will recommend another bakery if your ideas are out of their league. I called two weeks beforehand to officially place the order. The order was ready as requested on time, and they called to ensure that we were picking up that day. They offer delivery throughout the Vegas area as well. The cake was perfect, exactly as requested. I told the staff that it was a long drive, so they froze the goods for the trip. Everything survived the drive, we got rave reviews, and we only had about 6 cupcakes left.

If anyone is interested in the reviews for our Utah vendors (ceremony location, reception venue, photographers, musician), let me know in the comments!


Re: Reviews 6/7/14

  • Thanks for all the great reviews!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • Do you have any suggestions on Retro order? Thinking cupcakes.... Flavor or qty suggestions would be great. Could you post a few pics of your cake / cupcakes ? Thks
  • Can't believe you went on stage for Thunder!  I'm still not sure what to think of that show!  'Guy's concept of what girls want' perfectly stated!  ;)

    Sounds like you had a great time!  Congratulations!
    We had our dream wedding at Mirage on May 3, 2014! 
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  • @nyvegaslove They really specialize in cupcakes, they only do cakes by special order. As for quantity, it depends on how many people you're having. We had a single tier, which serves about 8-10 and 3 dozen cupcakes. We planned for 40 people, 29 showed and we had just a few left over. 
    That being said, Retro is for those with somewhat adventurous tastes. If you just want chocolate and/or vanilla, you're better off going with another bakery. Not because their vanilla and chocolate are bad (their Chocolate Fountain is pretty much the bomb), but because their other flavors are so amazing and unique. We were cleaned out of the Red Velvet and only had one Pucker Up (raspberry cake & lemon frosting) left. 
    If you're not sure if your guests are up for non-traditional flavors, they do mini-cupcakes as well. I thought about these myself - you can offer more options for about the same cost, and have more traditional flavors if the unique ones don't fly.
    I didn't take any pictures of the cake & cupcakes - the reception venue put all the cupcakes in the take-home boxes to display them (I didn't understand that either and was pretty ticked off about it). Hopefully the pros got a few of the cake cutting itself.
  • Congrats cirena! Thanks for the reviews!
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