Hey ladies – Although there were a few glitches throughout the day I had an amazing time and would TOTALLY do it again! I hope these reviews help you guys still in the planning phases! I did get so many compliments from our guests on it was the most elegant and fun weddings they have EVER been to!! YAY! PS. I’m a tough critic. I’m scoring from worst to best.
Transportation for Guests – (Motor coach) Moveo (F---)***
This company was soo horrible! They arrived almost 45 minutes AFTER they were supposed to show up!! They delayed my whole wedding 30 minutes which wouldn’t be a huge deal except everything is on a time limit. So I paid for 30 minutes of usage without actually using it! I have sent various e-mails and called without any response on trying even remedy the situation. (As I am writing this review, they are sending my file to management for review) *** Pending a response from the company. I may give them a C if they handle themselves properly.
Make-up and Hair – Karla Lola (C----)
I would rate her an F but most is just personality based. Long story short, I sent Karla Lola an e-mail asking if she would be willing to lower her price for my girls a little and keep my rate the same. Well obviously that was like telling her she is the most disgusting person in the world. She was extremely rude about it and was extremely offended and reminded me I signed a contract multiple times.
Although I got a weird impression from it everyone said not to worry and she wouldn’t ruin her reputation based on someone asking for a price break. Ok so it was dropped and I acted as if nothing.
Well she showed up 40 minutes late and I never mentioned anything to her. She needed to do 4 people including myself. She took about 2 hours to do my sister and had less than 2.5 hours to complete me, my mom and the other bridesmaid. Unknown to me, she criticized me to my sister and mom. So when I asked if she felt she had sufficient time, she got offended again. She rushed through my mom and again made nasty comments about me. She also rushed through me and finally admitted she didn’t have time to finish the last bridesmaid so Starlit stepped in and helped Karla out.
My hair fell after about 40 minutes and the lashes also fell out before the end of the night.
She is an extremely rude person who only caused tension in the room. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! WORST VENDOR I HIRED (including MOVEO because she was purposely horrible).
Invites and Paper Items -- DeeMBee Designs (B)
Really sweet lady and unbeatable prices. She was very flexible since I preferred to design my own invites. She sent me a few options which gave me an idea. I changed the font the formatting, the wording almost everything… LoL I was picky! She was patient and accommodating. My only concern was you need to be on top of her with the items you ordered and make sure ALL the spelling and grammar is correct.
Cake --- Elegant Tempations (B)
DELICIOUS CAKE! There were a few speedbumps on communication but still amazing job!
Church – Gesu Catholic Church (B+)
In my opinion one of the most gorgeous churches in Miami. I can’t really review it any more since it is a Catholic Church there isn’t a lot you can do here.
Dress and Accessories -- Brides of Florida (B+)
Great staff, great selections and great prices. Two things – they never called me to get my fittings done or to tell me my dress was in. And they put the boning in the wrong place so I seriously couldn’t sit (im not even joking, the boning didn’t allow me to sit).
Ceremony Soloist – Cristy Arias (A)
Beautiful voice and very sweet lady. She helped me select the music for the ceremony so that was a breeze!! She has a few YouTube videos so you can hear her. Gorgeous voice really.
Ceremony Organist – Sarah Philips (A)
Probably one of the few people in Miami who know how to play the organ at Gesu Catholic Church. Cristy and Sarah work together often so the music selection was so easy.
Favors -- Color Me Photo (A)
This had a huge line the WHOLE time! Non-stop action. I’m just pending the DVD of all the photos.
Chivari Chairs, Rentals and Linens – Hitched (A)
OMG! Our chairs were freaking awesome! Best prices around. Patient, funny and awesome staff. I’ve already connected them with my DOC/Florist so they work together in the future.
Video --- Evolving Media (pending video) (A)
Great work! Pending video so I don’t have a lot to put here yet.
Transportation – (Antique Limo) Meilan (A+++)
This company got there SUPER early!! No joke he was waiting on me over 40 minutes before the time he was supposed to get there. The driver kept my dad entertained the whole time. He was super sweet, super caring and made sure my dress was ok. They gave us a toast after and everything. The car had air conditioning and it was impeccable.
Lighting and Music --- DJ UBI (A+++)
He kept the crowd going the whole time! The lighting was impressive! He made sure my husband and I were enjoying ourselves. Also probably the most competitively priced DJ’s out there! PS. I got tons of compliments on how great he was.
From here on out I don’t know who was better.
Make-up and Hair – Starlit Designs (A++++++++)
Amazing girl! Leslibeth. I cannot write enough to actually explain how amazing this girl is. Talented, and has the best personality. Kept people calm and laughing. My girls looked soo amazing. They also stayed (for a minimal fee) for after photos and after the ceremony. She also unexpectedly brought an additional hair person. They arrived early and finished early. They ended up doing my friend’s hair who wasn’t planning on doing her hair. She ended up doing 4 girls hair and make-up, 2 just hair and 1 just make-up. I jokingly called them my Glam Squad. Even though I didn’t hire her for me (which I regret) she bought me a lipstick to touch-up.
Florist/DOC – VIVIAN COLLS (A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++)
Best decision ever!! Her and her team were on top of everything. If anything went wrong, I never knew about it. Everything was absolutely gorgeous. I never would have imagined it at amazing as it looks. They came in regularly to make sure everything was great. I don’t know if her and her team REALLY know how amazing they were. An added plus, they probably left Grove Isle at around 2:30 am … and they were back at Grove Isle for another wedding by 9 am. She was phenomenal!
Venue – Grove Isle Hotel and Spa (A++++++++++++++++++++++)
They went above and beyond for us! Christian is right there with you every step. He truly makes you feel like you are the only wedding and the only bride they have. He responds to your questions within a day (unless he was out of the office). Our air conditioner sucked and it was soooo sooo hot in the room … Vivian and her team came to the rescue with fans. Which didn’t work, but short of moving the whole room to the refrigerator there was nothing else that could be done in such a short timeframe. Grove Isle compensated me one night, left the bar open and extra 30 minutes and offered my guest wine service (which was not part of my package!!). The view and the room are unbeatable. Christian and his team made this such an amazing stress free experience.
Photographers -- Tracey Ann Jarret (pending photos) (A++++++++++++)
WOW! Husband and wife team and they came with an extra shooter which was a huge surprise, they arrived to the second and kept everyone so happy! The group was amazing. I’m dying to see the photos since they were so sneaky. They also stayed extra time!!! I was so impressed with them. My family kept saying how great these photographers were. Also, they had other surprises in store for us which I want to share but I don’t want to ruin it for other brides. They were soo soo great.
Extras all amazing: Cake Topper – Firefighter and Bride Gingerbabies on Etsy
Monogrammed Handkerchiefs – Elegant Monograms
Custom Cut Letters – Simply Saw Dust
Garter – Unveil Mee
Hair piece – Lolas Jewerly
