Reception Advise - Groom UK Help :-)

LEEMJONES

Hi everyone, newbie here.

Im Lee (Groom to be) and I was wondering if you fine people would be able to offer a little advise on our wedding reception in Las Vegas.

First a little about 'why' Im here......

We live in the U.K and first visited Las Vegas 5 years ago , it instantly became our favourite holiday destination. We've been twice more with friends , the last time we visited I decided I would 'pop the question'.
So , late one evening I went down on one knee in a quiet area overlooking the Bellagio fountains. Obvisouly she said Yes !!
We then wanted no other place that Las Vegas to get wed, as the Bellagio was the place we were engaged we thought that we would get married there too.

So.....theres where we are now upto. We are booked in (deposit paid) to be married at the Terrazza Di Sogno at the Bellagio in September 2012.
We actually booked it eight months ago , this was so that our guest would be given enough time to save up etc as its such a distance away.

The Terrazza can hold 34 guests , we didnt think for a minute that 34 of our friends and family (small family)  would travel from the UK but we sent save the date cards out asking people to give us a preliminary 'yes or no' anyway.
To our suprise all 34 replied yes and they are all still set on coming.

I now need to find somewhere that we can hold our reception/meal for 36 people on a Friday night at about 7-30pm. (evening wedding @ 6-30pm)
Ive budgeted for around $100-$150 per head , is that achieveable?

If people could adivse on any venues/restaurants that could cater for a medium sized group of 36 that that would be great.
Ideally it would be private , I'd quite like to still be able to have speeches etc.
A view of the strip would be ideal if possible , I really want this to be a day for everyone wont forget. People are spending alot of money to come on our big day so I would like it to be as perfect as possible.

Ive also contemplated the idea of hiring our a penthouse / large suite and dining in there. Not sure if thats a great idea though.

Any susggestions would be very much appreciated.

Thanks
Lee

Natrasha

Congrats on your engagement! You've come to the right place. You practically have your pick of anything with the size of your group and the money you're willing to spend.

For in-suite, the Vista Suite at Mandalay Bay and the Apex suite at Planet Hollywood would work well for you.

Border Grill at Mandalay Bay has reception packages and private dining rooms.

Other suggestions: Olives at Bellagio, Koi at Planet Hollywood, Mon Ami Gabi at Paris.

Good luck!

mwkoby

Congrats and welcome to the board! Ditto to Natrasha's post. Depending on why you want to so for the evening, an in-suite would allow you to stay in the suite and have dinner, cocktails, dance, etc. Some of the restaurants have time limits on their groups. That would be fine if you want to hit the strip or something after dinner. A lot of the people on this board have used Masterpiece Cuisine for their in-suite catering and have had really good reviews. Good luck with planning!

wiwicaty

Hi there, welcome to the board!

We're having an in-suite at the Wynn, check out my bio for more info. A very popular pick around here is the restaurant Maggiano's, located inside the fashion show mall. If you're considering an in-suite I'd check out the Cosmopolitan, a brand new hotel; I've read pretty awesome reviews about it and their nightclu/lounge The Chandelier look stunning. HTH!

LEEMJONES

Many many thanks guys , I had a quick look at the cosmopolitan and the Apex suit and WOW what a view , exactly what I would have hoped for.

Its still quite some way away yet but the in suite idea is appealing to me more and more.

I could book the suite for 2 or 3 nights , Gemma and her bridal party could stay there before the wedding and then the second  night (our wedding) could accommodate the reception/party and then we could retreat back to it in the early hours.

We will both need to think about it quite hard , an in suite reception is not something we really do over in the UK.....actually I cant say Ive ever heard of one.

Part of me wants to do the 'traditional' sit down meal , Im sure everyone expects that to be the case too , Im sure it would be great if we did go down that route.

However, another part of me is now thinking to do something totally different i.e the in suite dining. Something like the APEX suite with 34 guests , a bit of food & music overlooking Vegas in all its glory just seems to ....well.....fit with the personality of Gemma & I. We'll be both be 31 in September 2012 so most of the guest will be of a similar age.

At the minute I just think it would be more of an 'experience' for EVERYONE rather than a meal in a restaurant that lets face it , could be anywhere at that moment.

This could will be the 1st time in Vegas for most of our party and could be the last time for other , what better way to see it!! 

Thanks again guys , Im sure I will be on here again.

You don't realise how many websites I've visited and emails / phone calls Ive made over the past year looking for info and ideas. How I never stumbled on this knowledge gold mine is beyond me.

Take care

Lee

nickikav

Congrats!

Im a UK bride also getting married at The Terrazza Do Sogno!
FYI, My WC is Sara and she said even though it says you can only have up to 34 guests you can actually have up to 50.
We have also booked the Cosmopolitan, we have booked The Mont Royal room which has a view over looking City Center, this is a banquet room and perfect for our wedding party of approx 43 guests with room for a dance floor.
If you would like to send me any of the info I have just PM me with your email address and I'll be happy to send it over.
Happy planning and congrats again!

vegasgroom

For the number of people and budget, if you want a view, you could do Mix Restaurant at Mandalay.

wiwicaty

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_reception-advise-groom-uk?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:bdb03f37-3ad0-4fae-927d-b4d2749b7f8aPost:0cd00259-795c-48a0-b619-810b5706c3ae">Re: Reception Advise - Groom UK Help :-)</a>:
[QUOTE]Many many thanks guys , I had a quick look at the cosmopolitan and the Apex suit and WOW what a view , exactly what I would have hoped for. Its still quite some way away yet but the in suite idea is appealing to me more and more. I could book the suite for 2 or 3 nights , Gemma and her bridal party could stay there before the wedding and then the second  night (our wedding) could accommodate the reception/party and then we could retreat back to it in the early hours. We will both need to think about it quite hard , <strong>an in suite reception is not something we really do over in the UK</strong>.....actually I cant say Ive ever heard of one. Part of me wants to do the 'traditional' sit down meal , Im sure everyone expects that to be the case too , Im sure it would be great if we did go down that route. However, another part of me is now thinking to do something totally different i.e the in suite dining. Something like the APEX suite with 34 guests , a bit of food & music overlooking Vegas in all its glory just seems to ....well.....fit with the personality of Gemma & I. We'll be both be 31 in September 2012 so most of the guest will be of a similar age. At the minute I just think it<strong> would be more of an 'experience' for EVERYONE rather than a meal in a restaurant that lets face it</strong> ,<strong> could be anywhere at that moment. This could will be the 1st time in Vegas for most of our party and could be the last time for other , what better way to see it!! </strong> Thanks again guys , Im sure I will be on here again. You don't realise how many websites I've visited and emails / phone calls Ive made over the past year looking for info and ideas. How I never stumbled on this knowledge gold mine is beyond me. Take care Lee
Posted by LEEMJONES[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>Lee, my FI and I are from Rome (living in NY now) and had never heard about half of the things that I discovered were possible when getting married in Las Vegas, including having an in-suite reception. It sure is going to blow us and our guests away! Honestly, how else can you enjoy a lavish $1K per night suite overlooking the Strip? I think it's way unique.</div>

LEEMJONES

We have been looking at various suites over the weekend (she's getting excited!) just incase we go down the in suite idea. 

Gemma has said that the 'view' is really important so we have been looking at the following suites.

PH - Apex & Panorama

Quite a few sites said the Panaroma suite was long but narrow and would possibly be a little too tight for 40 or so people - we ruled this out.

The Apex suite - this seemed to be a great , big enough for everyone and with a great view of the fountains etc, however it appears the PH do not allow this to be booked by average joe i.e me.

The PH site shows the suite but it never shows up as available......am I right in thinking this is no longer an option?

Cosmopolitan - wrap around suite

View was fantastic but just looks too small from the pics, shame as it would have been ideal for the smokers in the group etc.

Bellagio - various

The only suite that looked large enough (not too big) is the Exec hosp suite.

We have been offered this by our WC but I cant find any information about it. If it has a view of the fountains then this may be a contender.

I can see the catering being $$$$$$$  though

MB - media / Vista

Both looked great , more than big enough. The only thing we are not sure about is the view? Cant really find any pics that show the view, especially at night.

All in all we are no further along ;-) but its opened our eyes to what's available.