Heeeyyyyyy! We just got back yesterday from our honeymoon cruise on Royal Caribbean and it was wonderful! We left from Port Canaveral and stopped in Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Conzumel. The weather was great and I think I gained about 5 lbs because the food was sooo good! I highly recommend Royal Carribean if anyone is considering a cruise. Now..on to the reviews.
ATTIRE
Sacino's - A+
Sacino's did a wonderful job with the destination suits I picked out. They were perfect for our outdoor wedding. Their staff was very professional and accomodating.
NetBride - A++It took me so long to figure out how I was going to handle the BM dress thing because all of my BMs were in different states so we couldn't go into a bridal salon and choose a dress. Also, cost was a big issue because my BMs were already having to fly down to Florida, pay for a hotel room, etc. So I found Netbride on one of the Knot boards. The Dessy dresses I picked out normally cost $200-250 but Netbride had them for $120-$130. The only thing is you have to call them to make sure they have the dress you need. I even asked why their prices were so low and the lady said that they have low overhead (it's only like 8 people in an office) and they work directly with the designers. My girls received their dresses in about 3 months and had no problems. I highly recommend them!
Jon's Bridal - A+
I found my Allure Bridal dress at Jon's Bridal for a very reasonable price. I liked that I was able to take my dress home that day, instead of waiting months and months. And they give you a $100 gift certificate that you can use towards a veil, undergarments, tiara, etc. I had a great experience there with my mom, and highly recommend them.
Daisy Penerada - A+
Daisy was wonderful! She took in my dress at the top, put in a beautiful French bustle, and steamed my dress for $117! She was excellent and very professional.
Zappos and Coloriffics - A+
I bought my shoes from Zappos and my BMs got their shoes from Coloriffics. Great prices and fast delivery!
Jewelry - dutchpearl from etsy - A+I bough pearl earrings and necklaces for my BMs and a pearl necklace for myself. Great quality and prices!
DAY OF REHEARSAL
Groom's Cake - Cakes by Ron - B+
Maurice plays the Saxophone so we ordered him a Saxophone groom's cake from Cakes by Ron. The flavor was chocalate cake with a mocha cream filling, which Maurice loved. The only reason they get a B+ is because there was supposed to be a fleur du lis beside the saxophone and there wasn't one.
Rehearsal Lunch - Mattison's Riverside - A+++The reason we did a lunch instead of a dinner was twofold: one to keep the cost down (Sarasota is so freaking expensive and a dinner for 16 people would have been outrageous, and two my bachelorette party was Friday night. We booked the Aquarium room which was perfect for our small group. We put together a slideshow and need to use their screen and projector. Well it would have cost $180 to rent both! So Maurice was able to bring a projector from work so we would only need the screen. Our projector didn't fit Mattison's outlets, and we had to use theirs anyway. BUT they didn't charge us! The food and service was great and they are actually right on the water, so after lunch we went outside and took some pictures. Highly recommended.
Bachelorette Party
Ceviche Restaurant (Sarasota) - A+++Delicious authentic Spanish food! They have a few locations up here too, in St. Pete and Tampa, which Maurice and I will be sure to try out. The champagne sangria was a hit!
Ivory Lounge (Sarasota) - A+++
Very chic club in Sarasota. Great drinks and music. My girls and I had a blast!!
WEDDING DAY:Paper - Moncher Designs (etsy) - A+++Monica was awesome! She designed my invites, programs and menus. Everything fit with my color scheme. Her prices were great and I had no problems at all. HIghly recommended.
DOC - Unique Event Design - Staci Mandikas - A++++++I am so glad that I hired Staci! She helped me out in so many ways with planning. Staci was very prompt in returning emails and phone calls, and we actually had two meetings instead of one. She recommended several of my vendors who were excellent. Towards the end of planning when I was getting overwhelmed she stepped in and handled everything. I didn't have to lift a finger on my wedding day. The day went so smoothly because of her and her team. If you are considering getting a coordinate, I highly recommend Staci!!
Powel Crosley Estate - A++++++
I absolutely loved my venue!! Maurice and I spent soo long looking for a beautiful scenic venue in Tampa that was reasonably priced and that we would be the ONLY wedding that day. We could not find one that we liked, so branched out to Orlando and Sarasota. Once I saw the Crosley I was ready to book it immediately. I am so glad that we did. We got the whole place for 12hrs (10am-10pm) and you can bring your own caterer. They provided the bar service, and it is based on consumption. They even let you bring your own soda and water! That saved us a lot of money. Our coordinator Richard was so funny and great to work with! We decided to do beer, wine and soda with one signature drink. Richard literally came up with a signature drink off the top of his head, called it "Caribbean Sunset" since we were going to the Caribbean for our HM, and guess what? It matched the coral BM dresses! And it was delicious also! Everyone I worked with at the Crosley were nice and professional, and I would definitley recommend this venue.
Too be continued...
I hate to do this, but I have a huge migraine, so I will post the rest of the reviews later tonight or tomorrow. Ugh.
(off to take some Ibuprofen)