Hi everyone,
I didn't post a lot on these boards, but thought I'd give you my two cents about my Las Vegas wedding experience.
Venue: Planet Hollywood
Grade: B+I loved this hotel from the start. My husband and I love movies so this was a natural fit. I also liked the flexibility they offered - we were allowed to use our own minister and guests were allowed to take pictures. During my initial search, I found many hotels to be very restrictive, especially in these areas. Ali and Erin, the wedding coordinators, were fabulous. Great communication and were on top of all of the details.
The reason I gave the hotel an B+ was entirely based on the value of the package. We got the "Somewhere in Time" package, which included 12 4x6 photos, DVD and photo book. We purchased additional pictures but I thought the prices were ridiculous. $10 for a 4x6. I was not impressed at all with the DVD. It had a cheesy opener and the sound and light were just not all that good. Lastly the photo book look likes something from the 1980s and we won't be using it.
Another note - getting an additional hour of the professional photographer costs $355. I would strongly recommend having a family member or friend with a good camera take the pictures. Then just buy a Corel Paint Shop for $50 and touch them up yourself.
Dinner: Casa di Amore
Grade: A+Casa di Amore is a fabulous Italian restaurant located off the strip. The food was out of this world and the atmosphere was reminiscent of old Vegas. The service was outstanding. The band went out of its way to acknowledge us and play a couple special songs. I am a huge John Lennon and Beatles fan, so they played Imagine and In My Life.
For $29 a head, we had a champagne toast, salad, bread, all you can drink soft drinks and coffee and a selection of five main dishes. The menu was customized for our wedding and guests were able to pick their main dish as opposed to having to select it ahead of time. We were also allowed to bring in our own dessert for free. We had cupcakes and they even put them out on a display.
All of our guests loved this restaurant. One thing to note - your table will be in the general restaurant area. There is no separate room. This did not interfere with our event and my sisters were even able to give a speech.
Transportation: VIP Ride
Grade: AWe had 30 guests and didn't want them to have to take a cab to get to the restaurant. VIP was very reasonable ($109 per hour). The bus arrived promptly and the driver was very friendly. The company calls/emails you the driver's name and cell phone number the day before.
Hair and makeup: Harmony MedinaGrade: AI found Harmony's name on the Las Vegas Knot board. I was so glad I did. During my inital search, I could only find salons in strip hotels that were outragously priced. Harmony's prices were very reasonable and she was easy to work with. She came to the hotel for a consulation. She is a great listener and was accommodating to any changes I wanted. I was really impressed with her work - I looked and felt like a movie star. Moreover, the makeup and hair lasted all day! She also airbrushed my tattoos. Check out her work:
http://harmonyartistry.weebly.com/. After dinner entertainment: Indigo Lounge at Bally'sGrade: BMy husband and I really wanted to find a place for our guests to go after dinner to hang out, drink and dance. I was shocked to find out how expensive some of these places were. For example, one place required bottle service. For every six guests, they were going to charge $300. Crazy. The best value was at the Indigo Lounge. There wasn't much information about it online, so I took a chance. For $18 pp, we got 1 hour of drinks (wine, beer and soda) and a roped off area in the lounge.
The Indigo Lounge has live music. There were two bands the night of our reception. They were both great. They played music from today and some typical music you might find at a wedding reception (YMCA). There was a small dance floor, but enough room for everyone to dance. Both bands acknowledged us and had us come out of the dance floor. They really made us feel special.
We anticipated that all our guests would come to the Lounge, but many did not. We still had to pay $30 per person. But after the hour was up, the manager told me that we could have drinks up to the total dollar amount we had paid ($558). This allowed our guests to drink all night. Big kudos for that.
The reason I gave this vendor a B was because the communication on the part of the venue coordinator was horrible. It took me literally two weeks worth of emails for what would have been a simple 15 minute phone conversation to get my questions answered and everything organized. I left two phone messages, but the coordinator would never call me back - only email. This was so frustrating. If you are going with this venue, make sure to start the process early.
All in all it was a great wedding and I'm so happy we did it in Vegas versus a big at home wedding. Best of luck in your planning.