I cant believe it's over already~ it went by as fast as everyone says it does. But I was so very lucky that the weather held out and everything went smoothly! I'm so happy there were no major issues and no bad moments at all. I did get sick a few times near the end and missed a lot of the dancing and drunkedness which I really regret because I didnt get to take many photos in the photobooth~ actually I hardly took any at all~ but all in all I cant complain. The day was as amazing as I dreamed it would be. I know how helpful reviews were to me when I was choosing vendors so here we go....
Venue: Villa Woodbine Coconut Grove A++++++++++=
Ok~ I cant say enough about Villa Woodbine and the staff there. Although I didnt eat a single mouthful of food the entire evening all my guests said the food was delicous!! It looked amazing at least! This place is full service~ really wonderful people who only want the best for your party. I was able to get there at about 11:45 a.m. they have a bedroom and bathroom (bridal suite) to get ready in where I set up a brunch for my girls and we all had a nice time there getting ready, it's great because they cater to you every minute. I also loved being there when my vendors came or delivered! The Valet parkers, Bartenders, servers etc were all amazing. One of the servers had to save the day with a safety pin to fix my Groom's jacket literally as we were lined up to walk down the aisle! There are simply no words to describe how beautiful the Villa is~ its like getting married in a dream garden! The director herself was there to coordinate my ceremony and she did an amazing job~ I only wish I had video of the ceremony because it was just beautiful~ I cry just thinking about it. The Villa can get pricey if you do a sit down or buffet but if you have the money its worth every penny and more. I had a cocktail reception with passed trays and two food stations set up as a buffet, it might as well have been a buffett for the spread they gave us! And I paid just under $100.00 per person.
Officiant - Rev. Michael Calderine A+++++++++
Amazing! He was so well spoken and what he said!!! Everyone cried, including DH! I mostly kept it together. He was great to work with and really put an effort in. We asked him to have the ceremony feel religous and be personal as well and he hit the nail right on the head! I really really recommend him~
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Hair/MUA - Lutz Karpf - A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If there was a better grade then an A I would give it to him. He is an amazing artist! besides being a great guy and a lot of fun. He is a calming and relaxing presence when you really need it. I loved what he did with my hair and my make up~ I have never felt more beautiful. Book him girls~
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Florist - Ever After Floral Design B-
I worked with Helen from Ever After and I really liked how organized and professional she was. After all was said and done the experience was rather inpersonal and the end result was beautiful but not exactly what I expected. The CP's were lovely and very close to the trial EXCEPT I had two sizes (three large, ten smaller) in the smaller CP's she substituted the orchids with cheap flowers and I wasnt really happy with it. Also the escort table arrangement was half the size i wanted. Most importantly all my hydrangeas were a light purple instead of a dark purple. Now I didnt give her a worse grade because the truth is I paid $1,500.00 for a whole weddings worth of flowers and everything looked great. Only I knew about the issues. She also decorated my cake and it looked amazing! I'm sure a larger budget would have served me better in this area!
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Cake ~ We Take The Cake - A+
I know some people have had customer relations issues with WTTC~ My experience was very positive with the weddings directer there. My cake was beautiful and tasted amazing. All my guests said it was the best wedding cake they ever had!
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Ceremony/cocktail hour Musicians: String Trio Alvaro - A
I will have to get more info on these guys for you all. they were recommended by my Brother in law who is a classical musician. They did a great job and played exactly the kind of cocktail music I asked for. They were a bit pricey for what I would expect to pay for an hour and a half of music but they were no more expensive than Music Masters.
DJ~ Liquid DJ - B-/C
I hate to give a bad review and I will say this. Shannon is the coolest guy I ever worked with. I loved this vendor from day one. But Danny, our DJ showed up late and completely missed the interlude he was supposed to play while the string musicians moved from the ceremony site outside to inside the villa for cocktails. There was no music playing at all for a few minutes and we had discussed his playing some classical music through the speakers during that time. Also he was setting up during our cocktail hour and asking DH questions. He didnt play soo many of the songs we wanted him to play. He did a great job of making announcements and MCing the garter/bouquet toss and that stuff. All in all we were dissapointed.
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Photobooth~ Shutterbox - A+
Awesome! only wish we could have put it closer to the dance floor. The way we had to set it up it was almost outside by the front door. Still the guest book they make is awesome!! (the one we got has an attendant who takes one copy of the photos and pastes it into a guest book that the people sign)
Photography~ Joseph Casal - (pending)
I'm not giving Joseph a preliminary grade because I'm just not sure what I would give him. He was there on time but I was late getting ready so we missed out on some of the shots I wanted before the ceremony. Most importantly the "first look" shot I wanted~ but its not really his fault. The guests were arriving through that door and we just didnt have the time. I also wish I could have afforded a second shooter since I had no video. I feel like there are so many pictures I would like to have taken that we didnt take. But he said he had over 900 photographs by the end of the night so who knows. I hardly felt his presence and he never got in the way. He showed me some of the photos in his camera right before the ceremony and they looked amazing. But near the end of the night my DH and I saw him "hanging" out a lot with someone I think he invited to my wedding. it may have been his wife and she didnt look like she was eating or drinking but we had to ask him to come take a photo of DH dancing with his sister. I'll post as soon as I know.
Now here is some advice~ EAT SOMETHING!! Although I felt calm all day I didnt eat at all. i did drink cheap champagne and that was a bad idea. I got sick by the end of the night. I cant tell you how much i wish I would have just had a sandwich before!! And relax that day~ all your planning is over and there isnt anything you can do about much even if it goes wrong so go with the flow and let it happen. I was in a fog during the whole thing~ all I saw was him.