Venue:Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale Airport: I have two different grades here.
I give an B to the Reception part of our venue. They dropped the ball on a few items that my hubby and I were a little upset about. 1. They made the official decsion at 3pm (cause it was spinkling) to stuff all of us in a small little room that was going to hold 125 people for cocktail at 5pm. Well at 5pm it was gorgeous outside and here we were all crammed in this small room. So I had to go all Bridezilla on some Hotel Manager cause this was unacceptable. And Natalie and Danielle yelled at me for cursing in my wedding dress.. But this was my #1 pet peeve about the cocktails from the start!! 2. It was only supposed to be Open bar for cocktails but it ended up being Open Bar all night... which turned into a little bit of an issue with a few guest but I guess wasnt soo bad. 3. The waitstaff didnt go around and ask the people at thier table to see what people were having or even refer to the list that I had all typed up about how many beef or fish at a certain table.So they just gave out food like it was free and then one table had to wait like 20 mins for thier food.
I give the actual Hotel and thier business a C. The catering and sales managers and that whole side of the Hotel was good. But the hotel side was not so great. We had an episode with the elevator where the door was still open and it started moving up and then the doors just slammed shut. It was very scary. Also I called about 10 mins after I left the hotel to tell them I had left my phone charger in the upstairs bathroom. So they "said that they had it and I could pick it up tomorrow" So when I go the next day, noone knows anything, Noone can find cleaning manager from the night before.. I'm not even sure they HAD a lost and found section. They werent very nice about it either and it took like 20 mins too long for a hotel that wasnt super busy on a monday morning at 11am!
Ceremony: St. Max Catholic Church, Pembroke Pines: Well Its my church and has been forever so It was Great! LOL. No it was good, the Deacon gave me just what I wanted and they didnt make me jump thru too many hoops.
Flowers: Field Of Flowers, Davie: WOW, WOW! I loved how my flowers came out. The trial didnt go so great and then the wedding people changed hands,So i made an appointment with Brittany and came with a bag of mints which was the inspiration with the pink, yellow, and green. I left that appointment unsure, but They were FANTASTIC!!!
Ceremony Flowers: Home Depot, Davie: Again my DH works here so It was great! Lol, But we picked up some really great peace lilies and some other plant to decorate the altar.
Dress: David's Bridal, Pines: They were really great. Make an appointment early on a Saturday, Noone else was there and really got the treatment there. They werent pushy at all.
Bridesmaids: Alfred Angelo, Sunrise: This store is a Hit or Miss. Sometimes is really good and other times you want to strangle the sales associate. Again I had the best luck when I made an appointment early in the morning cause as the day progresses they start giving the associate two or more clients at a time and thats when you want to strangle someone. We went it a dress not the separates cause it was more modern. I cant say anything about ordering them, cause two BM ordered from the Orlando one and the other from a Boutique in her city.
Limo: Avis Car Rental, Ft Lauderdale Airport: They gave us a great hooked up Chevy Tahoe, leather seats and everything. They get a good grade for the car:A++ My sister who rented the car in currently arguing with them cause she called to see if she could bring it in late, like a few hours. The guy on the other line said yes but failed to mention it was gonna cost $180.. So she is in the process of getting that figured out.
Nails: Tranquil Moments, Pines: Its a little pricey, I paid $38 for mani/Pedi combo. However they give you WINE or whatever you want to drink. I didnt get it but if you want they have that shellac stuff that keeps yours nails fabulous for 2 weeks!! Its great I had it done before.
Make-up: I had a friend Caroline Monge, who works for M.A.C. in the Pembroke Lakes Mall come to my house and she did my make-up and 2 other BM for $50 each. Thats what the cost would be if you went to Mac in the mall.
Hair for everyone and Makeup for MOB and SOB,
Again she was a personal friend, but she is graduating The Hollywood Institue Of Beauty soon. Sassy Shears, Stephanie Suce 954 670 6250, I also have her email address if you want. Just get intouch with me. She can come to you or go to her salon. I dont know how much her traveling fees are but she brought a makeup artist/ hairstylist and another hairstylist. So we have 3 people doing hair for 6 people.
Invitaions: I bought from micheals and did myself.
Favors: Beau-coup.com and Candywarehouse.com: Both great companies, candy arrived early and not melty. Seed favors, all came printed the correct way and no mistakes.
Acrylic Frames: I bought from another knottie, great shape.
Guestbook: theguestbookstore.com: Great Pages, got some super funny responses, Great if your looking for a not traditional guest book. I have a bunch left over, probably ordered more than I really needed.
Photgrapher: Laurel Serra: OH EMM GEEE! When I first saw the teasers, even from my phone, they were gorgeous. I love them sooo much! She is really so talented, a real up and coming Photographer. We didnt do any engagement photos, so we didnt know her personality but its a go go go with Laurel. Such a pleasure, will defintely keep her in mind for baby pictures and other things. When I get my photos Im sure I will super pleased!!
Dj: John Lindsay: He was a friend also, I wasnt worried as he is the Saturday Night and sometimes Sunday DJ at Round Up In Davie. He has been On radio like 10 or 15 years ago in the Northeast Area. Even with a little Technical Difficulties in the begining he really kept the dance floor packed!! Love Him