Scouting Trip Reviews Part 4: Flamingo & The Linq (Garden Chapel & Silver Sky Chapel Tour)

xoeden

We were able to book very early (March) with Iliana for our scouting trip. Iliana was great in replying to e-mails and asking questions in advance that I kind of regret booking the scouting trip so far in advance, and not following up with her before the appointment. Originally we asked for a scouting tour for Garden Chapel at the Flamingo and Silver Sky at the Linq (the Quad / Imperial Palace), but then I added on a suite tour, and then... well, we forgot.

We took a wrong turn and ended up being 5 minutes late to our appointment with Iliana, which didn't matter because she was late, too. The Garden Chapel is very run down and feels like it's stuck in the 90s. 

One thing I never realized before getting to the Garden Chapel is that all of their ceremony locations are all right around the wedding chapel. All of the grass is like green astroturf, and the waterfalls are incredibly loud. The gazebo looks just like you see in the photos, but it's plastic flowers around the arch. I was really disappointed, because the Flamingo isn't a steal of a deal, but an example of you get what you pay for. I didn't even bother taking photos.

We then headed back inside the chapel and went with another girl over to the Linq to visit the Silver Sky Chapel. It's in a weird location on the 4th floor; you go up behind a bar by the 3535 bar in this weird little unmarked elevator and follow some weird hallways to find the chapel itself. There's no marking whatsoever, and you're going to want a map for your guests.

The chapel is the same as the photos. It looks like it hasn't aged at all since the remodel in 2010 (back in its Imperial Palace days). No damage to the carpets (other than what you normally see) or to the seats. They did update the mural to include both the High Roller and the new name (the Linq).

They provide you a song list in the package that you can choose from. Your song not there? $25 a song. Replace all 7 songs? It's $75 (definitely a better deal).

hmgiffor

So what did you end up choosing? I'm so curious  

irishvegas

Thank you for the pictures of the Chapel! I'm getting married there May 30th and i have never seen the pictures of those plants at the top of the stage like that before anywhere online! They look good though, Phew! 

xoeden

The chapel is gorgeous, @irishvegas! It looks like the big things replace those weird silver things with the white ball flowers they used to have. Much more upscale looking. I was seriously considering Silver Sky as my #1 choice before we started looking at in-suite. 

My biggest concern was that it was going to be run down and beaten up, since it's gone through so many hotel changes. I visited Imperial Palace and stayed at the Quad during the transition, and it was an absolute gongshow. Everything was pretty much destroyed on the casino floor and in the rooms, so I was so nervous that the chapel would be beaten up and nasty, but it's actually in great condition. Definitely just like what you see in the photos; the mood lighting is gorgeous!

xoeden

@hmgiffor We're thinking that in-suite is still the way to go, and are weighing the odds of Mirage, MGM Grand Terrace & MGM Grand SkyLofts. 

The Cosmo felt so small and cramped with all of the furniture, I couldn't imagine hosting anything there. (I was hoping we could have found some way to get married at the Linq and then reception it up at the Cosmo...)

So, now we're inquiring to SkyLofts as to some of their limitations, especially with outside catering. The husband-to-be is loving the idea of a butler door and guest list and how exclusive it felt, whereas it's giving me the feeling of a Mexico wedding and lots of extra costs. 

I loved the idea of the MGM Terrace, but he thought it was a little awkward. Or we may just skip it all and go with the hospitality suite at Mirage because it's fun, there's a pool table, and it's big enough to host.

So, pretty much we're nowhere closer to deciding a venue than we were two weeks ago, but at least we got a vacation out of it.

Futuremrshauger

@ xoeden I was very much hoping to be able to scout Flamingo before out Oct 16th wedding, but it just isn't gonna happen and we have already paid the deposit. Breaks my heart a little, but very much appreciate the honesty. We arent having the arch. We are just having the Gazebo, bringing our own aisle runner, and since I have a brooch bouquet and my girls have wristlets instead of a bouquet Jazim allowed us to use the flowers with the package as pedals down the aisle runner. I knew the chairs were plastic. If anything hopefull some good photos with Bently and Wilson and guest won't be too critical during a 10-15 min ceremony.

xoeden

@futuremrshauger No one would be able to tell that the gazebo is covered in plastic flowers unless you were up close and personal to it. I wouldn't have noticed it if Iliana didn't mention that you can apparently change out the flower to match your wedding colors, which then made it the only thing I noticed.

What you see in all of the photos online is very literal to what you get. The gazebo is hidden behind the garden chapel itself (around a path to the right), and they put a small sign up that says 'private wedding in process,' but you'd have to be pretty darn snoopy to wander that far in to their gardens anyway to find it.

The gazebo is not nearly as loud as either of the waterfalls locations. I understand now why they provide a microphone; we could barely hear each other talk (the big long waterfall is literally right in front of the chapel and to the left).

With an aisle runner and some petals, it'd look lovely. Unless you've got a bunch of snooty luxury types, no one's going to mind, because it is pretty, like what you see in the photos, but it's not enough for us to consider bringing in multiple locations. 

I was honestly hoping that I'd be blown away and amazed by it all and want to book right then and there since I've always thought I'd have a garden wedding, but after seeing it, it was a clear 'nope.' It's very Flamingo Hotel & Casino; the gazebo feels like the rest of their gardens, so if you've wandered through that, you know what you're getting yourself in to.