I'm a bit late with reviews from my 10-22-11 wedding! The last couple weeks have been hectic. I'm leaving a narrative rather than grades. I'm bad with assigning qualitative rather than quantitative grades
Here goes:
Planet Hollywood Hotel: We got to our hotel on Friday after a long drive and just wanted into our hotel room. They didn't have our room ready, even though we arrived an hour after check-in. They said they could get us a room with a fantastic view of the Bellagio fountains instead of waiting for our Hip room. We said fine. We ended up in an older room with dated decor. It did have a great view, though. It was clean, but not what we really wanted and not what was included in our wedding package. However, we really only slept in it so it was no biggie. Plus, the bathtub was a huge soaking tub which was very relaxing after the late nights we had!
Spice Market Buffet: We ate here for our pre-wedding day family dinner. Everyone in my family raved about the food and the number of choices. The food was delicious and the desserts amazing. It was pricey, but they have military discounts so we saved 10%. Every little bit helped!
Planet Hollywood Westgate Towers: We didn't stay here, but our friends did. We'd stay at Westgate Towers if we went back. We pre-partied several nights in our friends' room. They had an OK view, but the suite had a GREAT layout and there was plenty of room for all of us. Plus, we had a bar area to mix drinks, a fridge to keep the liquor, and a dishwasher to wash our cups. Their suite was very modern in decoration and the boys could watch their baseball games while the girls chatted.
New York, New York: We ventured everywhere for my bachelorette party. I know when we were at New York, New York for an extended time so that's all I can report on. We sat at a little bar that was just off the casino and had margaritas and chips and salsa. It was all delicious! This was probably my favorite spot. We were able to just sit, chat, and drink. After walking EVERYWHERE, my feet were killing me. Yes, I messed up and wore heels! After a few drinks, we went to Coyote Ugly. It wasn't my thing. It was just SO crowded with a ton of creepy old men.
Planet Hollywood Wedding Chapel: The chapel was the perfect size. They handled everything so I didn't have to worry about anything! My husband said they messed up the music and played the wrong song for me to walk into. He had put together a special "wedding soundtrack" and specified which songs to play for which part of the wedding. He even typed it out for them. I didn't notice, but he did. I felt bad because the song he chose was extra special to him. Otherwise, our ceremony was perfect. Pastor Nate very well balanced the ceremony with scripture. He really seemed to love doing what he did. I LOVED the glass art on the wall behind us. Our guests raved about how personal our ceremony was - while keeping it short and sweet!
Cashman Photography: We figured we'd be fine with the pictures we got from Cashman since really we aren't huge photography people. I regret not hiring someone else to supplement! Our Cashman photographer did all of the traditional shots from what seemed like the 90s. I should have spoken up and said "this isn't our thing" but didn't. I wasn't impressed with the prints. They were printed on cheap paper and were no better than what my grandmother can take. In fact, she would have done a better job. To buy additional prints was also way overpriced. It was $95 for an 11x14 - but we got an additional 10 4X6 prints. My husband wanted the picture so we got it. It was actually 3 pictures printed on 1 sheet - similar to a collage but not really.
Pampas: I think my favorite part was the lunch we had after the wedding! I love Rodizio-style restaurants. We paid a little extra to have a private room. Their room that holds up to 20 is tight. It's worth upgrading to a bigger room. We all sat at one big table shaped like a T. My husband and I sat at the T part so we could talk to all of our guests. We only had 16 people, though, so I think it was easy to sit this way. Pampas had great choices on their hot and cold bar. All of our guests loaded their plates before the meat even came. We did the "meat only" option rather than "meat and fish". Neither my husband or I can handle the smell of fish. The meat only option had beef, chicken and pork all cooked different ways. I'm not usually a chicken eater, but their chicken was delicious! The beef was perfectly cooked. It was all-you-can-eat for meat and the hot and cold bars. The waiters came around with spits of meat and carved off portions. If you wanted something again, you just had to ask. They also had roasted pineapple - delicious! For dessert we had tiramisu. We had a choice between that and cheesecake. The tiramisu seemed lighter after such a heavy meal. I think we paid $34 per person, which included unlimited food, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverages. It also included tax and tip. I thought this was VERY resonable.
Koi: Friends of ours purchased bottle service at Koi for an after-party on our wedding night. Koi was very laid-back and we were all able to sit in a comfortable booth and chat. It was very sweet of them and we had a great time!
Mandalay Bay Pool: I LOVED their pool area! Our friends were staying at Mandalay Bay so we spent the day with them and another couple by the pool sipping coctails. It was a great, relaxing day!
Freemont Street: The night after the wedding, we visisted Freemont Street with another couple. We had a great time! There was a street performer/artist who painted beautiful paintings with spray paint. It was awesome to watch and we walked away with a perfect piece to hang in our living room. We also ate an extremely inexpensive dinner on Freemont Street and enjoyed some mango beer.
La Salsa: If your're looking for a yummy, cheap breakfast - go here! They even had morning specials on Bailey's and coffee and Bloody Mary's. For four of us to eat breakfast with three of us enjoying a morning cocktail was only around $35 TOTAL. I thought this was pretty inexpensive.
I hope what I've said is helpful to other brides and grooms. I highly recommend Pampas! I think if you take anything away from my reviews, you take this away. If you want to just eat there for dinner with your other-half, do. You can also catch people handing out buy one-get one coupons for Pampas. I wish that would work on a reception dinner, but it won't