Well ladies we had a wonderful time in Vegas. I could not have dreamed of a better day. Here's one of the Cashman pics I scanned. More to come.
Mandalay Bay- A+ We stayed the first night at The Hotel and the room was great although a little dark in décor for my taste. We moved to the Mandalay Bay on Friday. It took a while to get our suite, but it was well worth the wait. We were supposed to be in a vista suite and I requested a higher floor. The representative at check in said that she would have room available in a few hours and it would be on the 26th floor. She gave me the keys and said she would call me with the room number. I went to meet up with a few of my girls at the pool while I waited. Hubby went to hang with his mom for a few hours. I got the call with the room number and made the mad dash to our suite. When I opened the door, my jaw hit the floor. DH knocked on the door a few moments after I took a quick tour and I open the door and told him there was good news and bad news. Bad news was that the suite was not what we requested. The good news was that it was better. We had been upgraded to a media suite. The room was not at all broken up the way we thought when we originally selected our suite. DH planted himself in the media suite and didn’t leave until just before midnight. I shot some video of the suite and will post once DH uploads it from his phone. We used the media room for my taste of Philly spread and it was a huge hit.
Mandalay Bay Hospitality- A+ Totally worth it. We were so glad we chose the inclusive package for our wedding. They set up on time and beautifully. We had plenty of food. They used real china and silverware. A huge plus for me. The bartender was awesome. My guests were on a first name basis with him in no time. He had a great personality. Our package was for 2 hours and he slipped out relatively unnoticed and he left several bottles for us to enjoy later. Clean up was a breeze. We called room service and they sent someone right up. They literally rolled the table of food, plates, etc out the door in about 15 minutes. They even took the left over Maggiano’s food and boxed my cake and kept it refrigerated for me. My cake survived the journey to LA, but had to be tossed late Sunday night (We arrived home to find that our refrigerator had died L)
Maggiano’s Delivery- A+ We supplemented the MB Hospitality offerings with Maggiano’s. The food arrived hot and on-time. So glad we decided to add it. The order process was super simple and the set-up was really nice too.
The Chapel-A+ Everything went off without a hitch. The WCs run a tight ship and move like clockwork. At no time did we feel rushed. We both received excellent personalized attention. My flowers were gorgeous. They were more beautiful than I expected. I never saw my WC (Mischelle) but she did call the day of the wedding as that is when she learned about the room change. She wanted to check to see if I was satisfied with the change since it was not what we had originally selected.
Cashman Photography- B- The photographer and the sales person were really nice. Not pushy at all. But the quality of the photos was weak. Therefore the B grade. Most of the shots were unflattering. And the few that I really liked were the ones that the photog put special effects on (B&W, sepia tones, etc.). We upgraded 1 pic and got a total of 24 pictures. It was very easy for me to leave the CD behind.
Scheme Events- A+ I hired them for 3 hours of DOC services. Rissa was awesome. I spoke with her the day before the wedding and gave her my to do list. The plan was for me to follow-up with her later on Friday after we got our suite. I realized I hadn’t done that on Saturday morning and wrote a really long list of where I wanted specific things placed (cake, guestbook, etc.). After greeting her briefly, my MOH took over- gave her the list and went over it with her in detail. (I have the best sister friend in the world. She really knows how to take care of business. ) When we returned to the suite for the reception, all of our guests were there, DJ Godzilla had the crowd going, and Rissa had executed my vision beyond anything I imagined. The tea lights and food were set out beautifully. She stayed for a few moments after we arrived, but left by 8:30.
DJ Godzilla- A++ In one word. AMAZING! He did exactly what we wanted. He kept the party going and even had the older family members dancing. You know you are having a great party when your photographer starts dancing! I will share that in a moment. Calvin (Dj’s real name) asked me if I wanted lighting and I told him I didn’t need it if it was a hassle to bring the extra equipment. To my surprise, he had it going and it was a nice touch to the party. I can honestly say that the iPod would not have worked as the sound dock was in the media room and would not have provided the same vibe. Calvin is worth the money (only $200) and DH gave him a nice tip too.
Bella Brides- A The only reason I am not giving an A+ is because communication before hand was a little shoddy. But Michelle and Blanca were great upon arrival. Michelle arrived first and got right to work. She looked at the picture I gave her and recreated the style to perfection. Blanca arrived 15 minutes later and began testing make-up on me to find the perfect shade. She did an awesome job. I looked like a million bucks after they were done. My old Hollywood/jazz singer look was achieved to perfection.
D Tyler Photography- A++++++++++ Deacon and Sarah are off the charts fabulous! They arrived a little early and started shooting right away. They began with the detail shots of the jewelry, shoes, etc. After make-up and hair was done, they started doing some bridal pics with me and I must say that I tapped into my America’s Next Top Model. My girls loved them too! We were having such a good time, that we left the suite a little late for the chapel. After the Cashman photog left, we met up with Deacon again and took some great shots with DH and me alone. It was great. He made DH so comfortable (he hates taking pictures). When we returned to the suite he just snapped away. I barely noticed that they were there. As the evening went on and the line dancing began (electric slide, etc.) Deacon was clicking away while doing the dances with us. He was so much fun. It was like he was a part of the party. The few shots I saw were amazing. You can tell he is really creative after just a few moments. I cannot wait until I get my pics.
Fit for a Bride- A+ Deb is so sweet and so is her sister. Deb answered all of my questions about shipping the dress and called the moment it arrived. Her sister called the day of delivery to verify drop off location and time. I hadn’t gotten off the plane yet. Once I had my room, I called them with the details and maybe an hour later they were calling to tell me that it was at the bell desk. The customer service was top notch. My dress looked beautiful.
Men’s Warehouse- A+ DH ordered his tux in LA and my brother ordered his in Philly. They sent an e-mail a week before the wedding to notify us that the tuxes were in Vegas and ready for pick-up. We went to try them on and pick them up on Friday and DH pants were too short. They altered them right away and we were in and out in less than 30 minutes. We were the first ones there and I know at least 20 other men came in to try on tuxes for pick up in that time. They were fast and efficient.