Caesar’s Palace, Venus Gardens A- : Loved it! Despite the heat (expected), everyone said it was beautiful. Pool area noise was not bad at all, then again my ceremony was at 11:30am, before everyone gets rowdy and the party gets hoppin’. J The officiant was great and open to work with me on the vows. Pictures & DVD came out better than expected, I’m very pleased! My wedding suite (2 nights in package) was awesome! My WC was Ashley- a more positive and friendly attitude during the wedding planning process (emails) would definitely serve her better. That’s the only reason I gave the venue an A-.
Canaletto’s (in Grand Canal Shoppes of Venetian) A+: We had our lunch reception at 2pm and chose the menu that gave my guests an option of pasta, salmon, chicken, or a NY strip all with veggies and potatos. NO room minimum or deposit required, just had to agree to a “set” menu and give them a guest count 72 hrs in advance. The events coordinator Kelly is a little hard to get through to sometimes, but just keep pushin and she’ll eventually respond. If anything, call a manager and they will help. I only say that because the service was GREAT… the food came out promptly… and they even served my cake and decorated/undecorated for me without fuss, so I wouldn’t want you to shy away from here just because you don’t get an email response immediately. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Lori White, hair and make-up A: I priced many other highly talked about artists on here… Glam Squad, Harmony, you name it. Lori charged exactly what they did (if not less), AND she includes a free trial and fake lashes if you want them. The day I got to LV she came to my hotel and spent 2 hours (I have a ton of hair) meticulously creating my wedding look. She is very friendly and did a BEAUTIFUL JOB! The morning of, her and her assistant showed up to do my MOH and mother’s hair and makeup, along with mine. It came out AMAZING!!!!!!!! My make-up stayed on ALL day/night and I even slept in my hair…woke up the next morning with the bobby pins still in place! J The only reason it is not an A+ is because I’m a stickler for punctuality. She showed up on time, however the day of we finished 75 minutes AFTER originally anticipated (we had discussed and agreed that 9:30 am would be my finish time if we started at 7:30). Maybe it was miscommunication, however I only had 15 minutes to put on my dress, etc., and get down to the gardens, which was very stressful! Don’t let that overshadow the fact that the makeup and hair was AMAZING, and the prices were reasonable. Plus I was still on time to the garden since she helped lace up my gown. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Rose Shack LV (floral arrangement) A+: All I needed was one giant pink arrangement for my bridal table and some flowers for the cake. These ladies were friendly and professional and created an arrangement exactly like my inspiration photos. The prices were very reasonable compared to the expensive florists I had contacted. Delivery price was low as well. Another HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
The Gourmet Cake Factory (TGCF) A+: Another great vendor! I worked with Dominique Garel to create the perfect cake! I sent him a picture of a cake I liked off of TK, and he recreated it with my color scheme to a ‘t”! I’m no gourmet cake connoisseur, but I love food in general and know a yummy cake when I taste it. J The marble cake was moist, there were 4 layers on each tier, and between each layer was Raspberry Mousse, Chocolate Ganache, then Rasp. Mousse again, with buttercream frosting. De-lish!! He was pleasant and simple to work with and has a very fun French accent (think “butt-uh-clream”). Prices are very reasonable. One of the main things that made me choose him though was the fact that each tier is 4 - 4 1/4 “ high vs. other vendors who charge the same price for 3” or less.
Travis Allen A+: Can’t say anything that probably hasn’t already been said. He surprised my guests with an opening song, then played a song for our first dance, father daughter, then actually closed with a 4th song! And he stayed a little while to take tons of pics. He’s very sweet- don’t hesitate to hire him, he’s sure to please!
Wilson & Bentley Photography A: Reserved the 4 hr pkg. Todd arrived promptly to my hotel suite and immediately started taking photos. He patiently waited through the ceremony and as soon as we were done he started snapping away again! We took pics around Caesars then at Venetian. He’s very nice and his experience shows. I won’t get the pics for 3 weeks but I’m sure they will be amazing! He only gets an A because I think an A+ is premature.. but I’m confident A+ is what they will be. J
I & A Bridal A-: Located 5 minutes off strip down Flamingo Rd. Tanya was great; she dressed my dad in less than 30 minutes and the tux was ready to go within an hour of us arriving. For a nominal fee, they will drop it off and pick it up from your hotel. Great selection, I would have felt comfortable dressing my groom there even though we had never seen the selection! The only reason I give it an A- is it was just as pricey as Men’s Wearhouse (I was expecting a lower price) but I’m pretty sure that’s because we were a walk in. I think if we would have called ahead at least 2 weeks in advance w/measurements it may have brought down the price.
Men’s Wearhouse C-: Lousy experience here in Dallas, then when we went to pick it up from the one on Twain Ave. in LV, it was too big for my groom. They eventually found a size that fit him, but the whole Men’s Wearhouse chain irks me. They receive a C- because groom looked amazing, otherwise it’s an F across the board for this place.
Marriage Bureau A+: Registered online and brought in my confirmation number as other Knotties had recommended.. and the whole process took 10 minutes! We went in at 10am on a Thursday and there was no line for the internet registrations. All others who didn’t register ahead of time were certainly waiting in line though, while I was in and out, and on with my day. J