My fiancee and I just got back from a scouting trip in Vegas and we met with several different vendors. Since this is just a first impressions sort of thing, I won't be assigning any actual ratings until the wedding. Happy to answer more questions if anyone has any or share pictures.
MGM Terrace Suite Balcony Tour (via Mari)
Thanks to
@xoeden for all her help in getting in contact with Mari. I originally thought I had to call the day of but I was actually able to set up a time to tour the suites - on a Friday surprisingly. It was great to see the suite, even though it was a South-facing one (the North-facing one is supposed to be better). Also, it was really hot, so I'm worried about having an outdoor ceremony, but hopefully in October it will be better. I'm pretty set on this suite for the wedding venue, so I didn't tour any other properties since I didn't want to be swayed. There will definitely be some limitations with regards to catering, but I think we can make it work.
We were very under-prepared for our tour. I forgot my tape measure, and I tried to procure an older ipod to test out the connection (no ipod lightning connections) but couldn't do it in time... so I'll probably just have to wait the night before to test out the sound. I did take some informal measurements with a piece of paper, so if anyone is interested (or in pictures), let me know. Also, our suite did not have a tub. I was pretty sure they all did have tubs. Can anyone confirm?
Rabbi Hecht
We met him at the Golden Gate where we first started staying (and ugh - would not recommend this hotel). He got good reviews and I was especially interested since he has a lot of experience marrying interfaith couples. This guy is definitely a trip. He spent a good hour just telling us the stories of his wild life. This will be an interesting Jewish wedding. We didn't talk much about the actual details of the wedding, but I guess we will as it gets closer?
B with a Twist (Catering)
I don't see much talk about them on here. We did a tasting with them because we were considering this food since it was pretty unique, although it was more sit down-y. We were gonna taste their butternut squash lasagna and coconut curry chicken. Originally I was quoted a price of $25/pp and then at the last minute it was changed to $50/pp since it was a "full tasting" (whatever that means). I was able to talk the guy back down to $25/pp if we just did entrees, but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. The food itself was good, but ultimately I don't think it's right for our suite venue.
Harmony (Make-up Trial)
My trial with Harmony was originally supposed to be on Saturday since that's the only day she was available. Thankfully, a spot opened up Sunday and we were able to do it then, which worked even better because we had moved to the Aria. I had spoken with her beforehand and explained I didn't want a lot of makeup. I was undecided about doing airbrush or not, and she did half foundation and half airbrush on each side. I thought it would be obvious but you honestly could not tell, so I'm thinking of going with airbrush. Still getting used to the whole "make-up" thing, but Harmony was really sweet and fun to talk to. She is having issues with e-mail though, so I suggest texting or calling her, as sometimes my e-mails would get lost in the shuffle.
Faithfully Yours (DOC)
I've heard mixed things about Faith but I met with her at the Forum Shops food court. She talked with us for over an hour and seemed very knowledgeable about weddings and how they worked. She also offered to prep some snack trays for us during the ceremony, which will help a lot. She also gave us some suggestions about the actual ceremony - like taking a limo during our actual strip tour instead of driving ourselves. I felt comfortable working with her and I'm sure it will give me some piece of mind during the strip tour when we will be gone. A couple days later at the Border Grill brunch, we ran into her again - funny enough. Also, Faith was not a fan of Masterpiece.. so this will be interesting
Masterpiece (Catering - no tasting)
I really wanted to do a tasting with them, but I didn't want to pay the $150. Unfortunately, there was no budging and we ended up just meeting with Chris at the Henderson location to discuss the menu. We've done so many changes to the menu but I think we've finally settled on what we're gonna serve (two of which are custom creations) - Corned beef sliders (with challah), chicken lettuce wraps, asparagus-wrapped prosciutto, and crab-stuffed mushrooms. We have to be conscious of space on the table at the MGM since we don't have a lot of room to work with. We also decided to go with a bartender, even though he won't bring his own table. We'll actually just have him set up at the counter near the front of the suite and run around and take drink orders.
Sephora (Make-Up Trial)
I toyed with the idea of going to Sephora the day of my wedding and just getting my make-up there, but yeah.. forget it. Both of the Sephoras close to the MGM are a pain to get to (Planet Hollywood and Ceasars). There is NO good place to park. And I went to the Planet Hollywood one for a trial and had to wait 30 minutes. I felt like the service there wasn't so good. Plus, there's no way to guarantee the lady you get. I'll just have Harmony come and call it a day so I won't have to worry about traffic.
Nothing Bundt Cakes (Cake Tasting)
We were pretty set on this place before but we decided to do a cake tasting anyway. I opted not to do cake tastings anywhere else because I really don't want to pay a lot for a cake, especially since I'm getting a cake topper. Their cakes are great as long as you don't care too much about aesthetics. We are planning to do one 10" round of Pumpkin Spice and then 36 bundtinis (cupcake size) of 4 other flavors. With delivery it's under $100. Can't beat that (my topper almost costs that much). The only dilemma is that the Pumpkin Spice is a seasonal flavor that won't be ready until October (my wedding is Oct 5). So we will have to taste it and hope for the best. If we don't like it, we can change it out for another flavor. Not a huge deal, just wish there was a way to taste the pumpkin spice beforehand.
Whole Foods (Platter)
I stopped by Whole Foods to look at their platter options. It sounded like a great idea, but then I realized they make their platters the day of.. so that won't work. The guy was able to show me the size difference of small vs. large. However, I think since we are using Faith she will be able to just do the vegetables the day of and save us the hassle.