For our wedding held May 29, 2010 at the Don Cesar Resort:
Vendor Reviews
Ceremony, Reception, Catering : The Don Cesar A++
We got engaged at the Don on New Year’s 2007 and knew it would be a great place to have our wedding. Basically, we knew it would cost more up front, but to have the ceremony, reception ballroom, catering, and literally every detail about organization taken care of without us having to direct or make decisions for every second of the day was worth it. We would easily spend our money two times over again, because the Don really did not let us down. Our coordinator was Quinn, who took over after Lisa left last year. Quinn was super helpful and always responded to my emails promptly. I was definitely a low-key bride and she recognized that and did so much behind the scenes that I probably don’t even realize. On our wedding day, we had not a single worry. Everything went smoothly—we didn’t have to worry about set-up or tear-down, the food was blissfully amazing, Quinn efficiently ran the ceremony, and we honestly had the best day of our lives. It is a little spoiling to be able to call the operator and get any service or delivery asap at the Don, but again, that’s what you pay for. I’d recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. Of course, the food was unbelievable—we had a three course meal plus dessert and everyone was raving about. I cannot say enough good things about the place!
Photography: Lori Schaneville, Schaneville Photography A+
Lori and her husband work as a stealth photography team, getting the shots without being seen. They were so nice to work with, and the best part was that once we booked them for the day, they were “ours,” meaning they don’t charge by the hour (which I think is ridiculous and a total gimmick for more cash by photographers). They arrived around 2:30p and stayed until 12:30a! They were total troopers, putting up with our ridiculous dancing and craziness. I can’t give my final word until I see the photos, but I’m sure they’re going to be great. Highly recommended!
DJ: RJ Vida A+
RJ was great to work with. He was cool, calm, collected, and didn’t freak out when I sent him the entire wedding music worksheet the only day before. Unfortunately (and this is probably my fault), he got the wrong music for me to walk down the aisle—who knew there are two love themes on the Love Actually soundtrack?!? But other than that, he was fabulous. My friends were quoted as saying “I think your DJ is trying to kill us with all this amazing music, I hope he plays a bad song so we can at least sit down!” But he never did, and we kept dancing. He did great mixes and transitions, and everything went so smoothly. Such a pro!
Hair and Makeup: Michele Renee A
Besides some scheduling snafus, I was extremely happy with the makeup. One of Michele’s newer assistants told me two days before the wedding that since three stylists were coming, we could start an hour and a half later than planned. Great, I thought. The day of the wedding, Michele calls me at our previously scheduled time and is wondering where we all are. It seems her new assistant was completely wrong about the number coming and the time, and should never have changed anything in the first place. Thankfully it wasn’t a busy day, and we were staying at houses just a few blocks away so we were able to get over to the Don Cesar shortly afterwards. Everyone’s hair and makeup looked fabulous, and I only sweated mine off by the end of the night because of the crazy dancing. Hopefully she’ll be able to get a better administrative staff and pull things together, because I’d imagine if I wasn’t so relaxed about things that day that it could have been a real bridezilla disaster!
Officiant: Tom Greene A+
Rev Greene, as promised, was wonderful. We had only met with him once before booking, but felt very comfortable with him. We modified his template ceremony quite a bit, taking out words and phrases here and there, and he was well-organized and handled all of them. I knew the ceremony would go off without a hitch with him at the helm, and it did.
Florist: Dana Dineen A++
Loved, loved, loved my flowers. Dana was her traditional scatterbrained self throughout the whole process, but was very responsive over email (I think this is a better way to communicate with her since papers get lost but email is forever) and even though we didn’t request petals and some other random flowers, she had excesses of them and brought them anyways. The courtyard and the reception hall were just laden with flowers, and boy did we get above and beyond our money’s worth! We were so touched by her generosity, despite not having some of the flowers in our contract she still brought them. Very happy with her artistic talent and willingness to have me come to her studio and “create” a few months before the wedding. We knew exactly what we were getting!
Cake: Publix A+
Vanilla with Bavarian Cream and Raspberry filling. Enough said.
Ceiling Lanterns, Chargers, Ceremony Chair Ties, Ceremony Blockade Trees: Event Design LLC A++
Amber Patricio runs this company and is amazing! We ordered a ceiling lantern design, and she and her staff created a beautiful hanging display of about 20 different sized ivory lanterns strung from the ceiling. It looked straight out of a knot picture! Her prices were extremely reasonable, and we never heard a peep from her staff about any issues—in fact we never even saw them the day of, they were so efficient!
Wedding Dress: CC’s Boutique A+
I worked with Monica, who picked out my dress for me after seeing my style choices. I never would have chosen it for myself in the sea of dresses out there, but I’m so glad she did. I knew right away, and although it was a little above my price range, I had to have it. CC’s was prompt in ordering, called me when it was in, and I didn’t have any issues like some reviewers (and their moms, who sound like borderline bridezillas) reported previously.
Alterations: Daisy A+
Of course Daisy is great! She worked with my silk organza dress like a master, making four bustles in total and pressing it even though it probably took hours. Can’t beat her prices either!
Wedding Week Accommodations: Birds of Paradise LLC, Pass A Grille A
We found this place on vacationrentals.com, and although it was a little pricey, we couldn’t resist renting the three house complex complete with a pool, two Jacuzzis, grand piano, multiple docks, and nine bedrooms to host our wedding party. We also had our rehearsal/welcome dinner there, and it easily held 60+ people for entertaining. This place is in Pass a Grille just a few blocks from the Don, and we stayed there the entire week prior. The rooms were lovely, everyone had their own bedroom, we had our own private dock and essentially private section of beach across the street. It wasn’t cheap, but it was totally worth it. Recommended for any big parties or big family vacations!
Besides the ceremony music issue, it was pretty much a perfect day. I can’t complain about a single one of my vendors. Everyone was spectacular, and I know I’m a lucky girl to have had everything go so smoothly!