Help ! Venetian vs. Caesar's Palace

cmtrewin

Hello!!

My fiancé and I are planning a destination wedding to Las Vegas in September 2014. We have never been to Las Vegas so it has been hard to decide which resort to go with! We would like an outdoor ceremony (yes we know it will be hot!) and we will have 5 bridesmaids/5 groomsmen and approx. 15 guests in attendance.

I have pretty much narrowed it down to the following:

1. The Venetian (Courtyard Romance package)

2. Caesar's Palace (Caesar package in the Juno Garden)

Any input would be greatly appreciated (brides with personal experience with either of these locations would be so helpful!). Thanks in advance!

vegasgroom

I like caesars better for a few reasons:

• As central strip as it gets so closer to more things in walking distance.
• They still allow outside photographers (for a fee) to shoot in their chapels whether indoor or out, and have no policies against third party photographers elsewhere.  In contrast, Venetian is not only Cashman-only for their chapel but technically they forbid commercial photography on the entire property, that just usually isn't enforced but it's a dark cloud looming over you on wedding day making you wonder if security will suddenly ask your photographer to leave.  If you're not familiar with Cashman and why you would ideally have a third party photographer, let me know and I can go into that more.
• Caesars has lots of reception options both on-site and in the attached Forum Shoppes mall.  I like their mall better than Venetian's too; it has a better mix of low to high end shops, Venetian is more high end.
  
• I like Caesars' pools better.

Venetian's base rooms are a bit nicer (but also pricier) but I think they're about the same once you get to the mid to high range.  The Cashman crap is the real deal breaker for me; in fact that was the reason we didn't get married at the Venetian, although had I found the venue we ended up with beforehand, we would have gone with it anyway so it was just luck that it happened that way anyway.

cmtrewin

Great advice! I didn't realize the Venetian has such a sticky photograpy policy....that will definitely influence our decision!  

SD210

I would agree with everything that Vegasgroom said regarding what I like to call "The Cashman Factor" and outside photography.  Honestly, The Cashman Factor is why we turned down Wynn (which has an amazing outdoor chapel, but strict photography rules).  Also, I would add that I recently stayed in the Palace Tower at Caesars in April and I thought the room was really nice!  The marble bathroom was huge and the bed was super comfortable.  I'd love to stay there again sometime.  It's a huge hotel, but it is in a great location.

 

J9lawrence

I agree with Vegasgroom as well!  Photography was a big one for me and that is why I went with Caesars.  I didn't even bother looking into chapels that didn't allow outside photographers.  I also felt that there was a bit more of a range in prices of hotels that surrounded Caesars, giving my guests the option to stay close to us but at a more economical price point.  I have stayed there before and had a great time. 

Their chapel has been good to work with (a little slow in response time sometimes but I also ask a lot of questions).  Their catering department has been awesome to work with too.  Really flexible and quick to respond.  We are getting married in the Juno Garden with the Cleopatra package and than having our reception at the Jupiter Pool.  I did have to pay an additional $300 to have an outside photographer.  If you are bringing your own, it might be a better deal to go with a smaller package and than just upgrade what you would like instead of paying extra for photography that you won't be using.  Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

cmtrewin

Thanks for everyone's input; I have been in contact with Valerie from Caesar's Palace and I just sent in the information sheet to confirm our date!! We will be getting married Sept. 6, 2014 in the Juno Garden.

Are you having the outside photographer in addition to the Caesar's Palace photographer or did you simply replace the Caesar's Palace photographer all together? I am tempted to just stick with the Caesar's Palace photographer for the ceremony and then hire another photographer for afterward.... what is everyone else's thoughts on photography (outside photographer vs. resort photographer?) Would I still get a DVD of the wedding if I replaced the Caesar's Palace photographer ?

I am totally new to all of this, so excuse my questions if they seem "dumb" haha

J9lawrence

The only dumb questions are the ones not asked!

I am not going to have the Caesars photographer at all.  The way I understood it, is that you either use their photographer or yours, not both (but I could be wrong).  They use Imagine photography and you can check out their blog if you Google them.  They do have some great photos on there, they just are not my style. 

spoon1984

I viewed the Juno gardens today, it looks lovely!

vegasgroom

It's quite popular to just go with Imagine for the ceremony and then third party afterward.  The question comes down to costs of prints/digitals versus what it would cost you for the outside vendor fee ($300) plus what your photographer would charge to cover that time.  It can go either way from an economics perspective.

mcgaff77

I just got married at Caesars on June 22.  I just used Imagine for the ceremony.  My package included 20 photos and the DVD, which they provided.  I am in the process of trying to choose which photos I want to get from them.  I also hired Todd from Bentley & Wilson.  It worked out nicely.  He came to my room for the getting ready photos.  Then he walked all the way to the chapel with me snapping photos.  Then he met us right after Imagine was done and started up again.  My experience with Imagine was much better than I expected.  I haven't gotten the pictures back from Todd yet, but I can't wait!

jennyjuice09

I decided on Juno gardens after watching couples youtube videos.  I am also using Caesars photog just for the ceremony and then hired Bently and Wilson to accompany us on our double decker bus tour.