Reviews (Finally!) - VERY Long and PIP

Hi Girls!

Hope you’re all doing great!

Sorry I was MIA right before the wedding but it was so crazy I didn't even get a chance to log onto a computer for more than 5 minutes.

Finally here are my reviews, and although very late, I hope they help one of you! I included picts below of some details as well. I also want to thank everyone on this board for being such a great source of help and support throughout this entire process. It was such a blessing to find this board! xo

 
Dress: Daisy Tarsi on Miracle Mile

Grade: A-

I walked into Daisy Tarsi without an appointment and immediately felt welcomed by everyone who worked there. They were the only shop I went to where I didn't feel like they were pushy or judgmental. The second dress I tried on there ended up being the one. The service I received there each time I called or went in was great and I always felt comfortable there. All my bridesmaids and both my mom and mother-in-law bought their dresses there and they were gorgeous and affordable compared to everything else we looked at. The only reason they get an A- is because they gave my mom a lot of trouble with her alterations and the bridesmaids dresses took extremely long to arrive. Other than that I would definitely recommend DT to any bride who wants an easy, fun shopping experience with no pressure and a great selection of gowns for all budgets.

Tuxes: Miami Tux

Grade: A+

John from Miami Tux was very helpful and patient with all our changes we made. My husband changed his mind about a few things and they were very easy to work with. The prices we received were the best in Miami. All the tuxes were complete and looked great on the day.

Makeup: Makeup By Marz

Grade: A+++++

I hired Marz as soon as I had a wedding date before having a trial and I am so happy I did! She is truly THE best in the business and is so sweet and easy going. She did a fantastic job on myself, my girls and my mom. For my trial (engagement pictures) and on teh wedding day I gave her 0 direction and told her to do whatever she wanted. I absolutely LOVED my makeup and it lasted all night through the dancing and sweat! My mom and bridesmaids all looked PERFECT and so glamorous! She worked very quickly which was great since I was a bit rushed. She was so calming and really made me enjoy the getting-ready process. We were laughing the entire time. Her assistant Renata was also amazing and did a great job with the girls and my mom. I would highly recommend her without a doubt. What you see in her pictures is exactly the quality you get every time! SHE IS THE BEST! Love her!

Hair: Karla Lola

Grade: B-

Let me start by saying that I was VERY indecisive when it came to hair since I have so much of it and never wear it up. I decided to do an updo since my dress looked better that way, however. I ended up having 3 trials with her since I didn’t love any of the updos or was worried about them holding up. She was very patient and flexible with me about this and I trusted that on the day of it would work out. On the day of I loved my hair and it was as close to what I imagined as I think was possible. The only problems I had were the following…Karla ended up having another wedding before mine that day that was pushed up so she arrived later than planned and as a result I was late to the first look. The next thing was that she really only worked on my hair and one of my bridesmaids, not even my mom; her assistant did most of the work, which ended up being fine since she was great and all the girls looked beautiful. My hair DID look gorgeous and it was EXACTLY what I wanted. I was so happy after she did it and getting my make up done the only problem is that it did not last. My hair fell out 10 minutes into the first look as we were taking pictures and video. I had to call frantically to have her come to me and fix it. After my ceremony, another piece of my hair fell out and since we didn’t have any pins I had to take all pictures like that and had to wait until we got to the reception to fix it. Finally, my hair really didn’t last the whole night and I had to keep going to the bathroom with friends to put more pins in and spray since there were fly-aways everywhere. At each trial she assured my mom and I that on the wedding day it would be more polished and look much more perfect since she wasn’t using as much product for the trials. I gave her a B- because she was very accommodating with all my changes, but all in all the “perfect” hair style she promised I would see on the real day did not last more than an hour.

Photographer: Fernandez Photography (Rick and Myleen Fernandez)

Grade: A+++++ (pending pictures)

There aren’t enough words to describe how happy I am to have hired FP. From our first meeting, to our engagement shoot to the wedding day, they have been AMAZING! Rick is so sweet and attentive and I never once worried about my choice. He really made us feel comfortable and we were able to be ourselves which is so important to me. We became friends very easily and that made a world of a difference on the wedding day, since I just felt like they were hanging out and making sure everything went smoothly.  On the wedding day they were so great and worked around us without interrupting everything. They stayed almost until the party was over and were so easy going the entire time. Their work is incredible, we absolutely love our e-pics and the few teasers we have seen. I have no doubt our wedding pictures will exceed my expectations.

Videographer: Free Mind Studios (Guillermo Muniz and Hector Gil)

Grade: A+++++

We were lucky enough to win their contest a year ago and I was so excited because all of their work is incredible and speaks for itself. These guys are so great to work with, very professional and you really don’t feel like you are being filmed, just like you have great friends around you. Hector and Guillermo were with us for so long that day so they really captured every minute. They were also great to have around and keep us laughing and stress-free.  The level of work and dedication these guys showed that night was not that of someone who is working for free, instead they went that extra mile the entire night and really put their hearts into capturing each moment. I am so grateful to have won their contest and to have had them there shooting our special day. At the reception, they played a 4-minute Same Day Edit video that Guillermo edited that night, and I was absolutely speechless. We both cried and laughed and everyone enjoyed it so much. That short video meant so much to me, it was so much more than I could have imagined. Everytime I watch it I cry again. I can’t wait to see the final video!

Venue: The Cocoplum Women's Club

Grade: A++++

I am so happy I chose this venue! It was so beautiful that night and the service we received from beginning to end was top notch. They catered to our every need that night, which was so nice. Rosie Hayden, the event coordinator, was truly one of my angels throughout the planning process. She answered so many questions, always with a smile, and was so patient with my changes, requests and anything I needed. She has great ideas and is an expert when it comes to weddings. The package included catering, service, linens, tables, chairs, part of the florist package, DJ and your choice of photography or videography. I did not use their photographer or videographer but I did use everything else and I have no complaints. The food was delicious, the linens were gorgeous and everyone kept complimenting us on how beautiful it all looked that night.

DJ and UpLighting: JP Music and Lighting

Grade: A+++++

DJ JP is such a great person and professional! His DJ service was part of the venue package and I had never heard about him from other brides, but I was SO impressed with the music that night! We gave him a song list and he definitely got our style and we danced the entire night. He was great with my friend’s requests and kept the party going. He was very flexible with the uplighting, since we were on a budget. He helped me get what I want for a very reasonable price. I showed him a picture of the colors I wanted and he totally made it happen. The uplighting made such a difference in the room and courtyard, it was breathtaking and even more gorgeous than I imagined it would be.

Day-of-Coordination and Invitations: Mia Bella Events & Design (Vicky Martinez)

Grade: A+++++

Where do I begin?! I hired Vicky for day-of-coordination but ended up using her to design, print and assemble my invitations. My invitations were so gorgeous and everyone has complimented me on them! She understood my vision and style from the minute I explained it to her. She made that come to life in her design. Vicky truly went above and beyond during my planning process and acted like much more than a day-of-coordinator. She answered millions of my questions, gave me great advice whenever I had a concern about something wedding-related and was there as a friend supporting me the whole way. The week of she organized everything, went over all my details and confirmed with ALL my vendors. She was great at our rehearsal, making sure everything would go off without a hitch. On the day of she was truly my eyes and ears. She COMPLETELY understood and saw my vision and dream and when I walked through the doors to see my reception room, I almost fainted at how gorgeous and beyond perfect everything looked. She made my dream wedding come true not only by making sure the decor was what I envisioned, but also by coordinating everything that night so that it went smoothly. Her assistant Michelle was also GREAT the whole night, making sure I didn't have to worry about anything and that all was going as planned, which it did.  I had the perfect wedding and enjoyed every minute thanks to Vicky and Michelle. Everyone asked who my planner was because there were really no hiccups. My mom, myself and family were 100% worry-free knowing that she was running the show that day and that is priceless. I would absolutely recommend Mia Bella Events & Designs to ANY BRIDE who wants to have a stress-free and more than perfect wedding. She does anything from planning, to stationary, to unique services like my incredible dessert bar but most important is how she treats her clients - like friends. I am SO happy I hired Vicky, it was by far the best money we could have spent!

Florist: Marta Villa Floral Design

Grade: A+++++

Marta was also a vendor that was part of the Cocoplum package. The package only included roses so I upgraded to what I wanted but the price was still SUPER reasonable. I got everything I wanted under my budget which was not a lot. From the beginning, all my meetings with her were long because we would just talk about everything wedding-related. She is another vendor who went outside of her job description to be a friend. She gave me so much advice and helped me a lot throughout the planning process. I showed her pictures of exactly what I wanted and she completely got my vision. I am VERY PICKY and never thought I would find a florist who got my vision right but when I saw first my bouquet, then the church arrangements and finally the reception room set up, my jaw dropped more each time. She went above and beyond in every sense. She added arrangements at the church that were not in my contract, she filled the courtyard fountain with hydrengeas (also a surprise) and created a magical ambiance with the centerpieces in the room. Each table looked JUST like the pictures I gave her; I was so happy!! She even stayed at the church until I got there to say hi and thank goodness she did because she helped fix my dress’ sash right before I walked down the aisle (my mom was too nervous to do it :P). I would definitely recommend her.

Photobooth: Photobooth for Good

Grade: A+++

This was such a hit at the wedding! Everyone loved it and took so many pictures! I booked through a Groupon deal so the price was great and the service was even better! They added my logo to the top of the strips, which came out so nice! They were very professional, on time and very nice with everyone. The actual photobooth is very big so it makes it easy for large groups to go in at once. They brought lots of props and really added to the party. I received the CD with all the pictures taken that night while I was on my honeymoon and they posted them on Facebook very quickly as well.. I would definitely recommend this company.

Getting ready and night of hotel: Mayfair Hotel

Grade: C

The reason I’m giving the hotel a C is because of the service and the quality of our stay. The suite was beautiful and perfect for us to all get ready in. I booked my suite for 2 nights (Fri and Sat) and my husband’s just for Fri night to get ready in – he was supposed to check out at 5. I only slept 2 hours the night before the wedding, however, due to all the noise coming from the loading zone under our room and just street noise all night. I complained in the morning and they offered me a cabana the next day and that we could switch to the room my husband was getting ready in for the wedding night; I made sure to confirm that since we were switching they would not make either room clear out at 5 since we needed to stay in the room I was in until at least 6. The manager said yes that was fine and no one would be asked to leave early. Sure enough, at 4 I get a call that my husband was asked to leave his room and they were forced to go to the lobby to wait. At this point I called and they simply told me I had misunderstood – which I had certainly not. But I couldn’t do anything about it and just decided to not let it get me upset. We ended up having to stay in the noisy room on our wedding night (thank God I was so tired it didn’t bother us that night). I still think that was not acceptable. The other problem I had was we asked to borrow a chair for hair and makeup and they gave me a really hard time before saying yes. Overall, the hotel is very pretty and the rooms are nice but the service is definitely not there. The only outstanding thing there is the spa which I loved. Definitely not a place for a bride to get a good night’s rest the night before her wedding.

Printing (Menu Cards): Minuteman Press

Grade: A+++++

They are great! The price is the cheapest I found, and believe me I searched, and the service is excellent! They printed and cut my menu cards in a day which saved my life! They even color corrected my design so that it would show up well on the pearl cardstock. The menus came out so nice and I would definitely recommend them!!

Etsy Sellers:

Monogram Digital Logo Design: DigitalBunnysDesigns

Grade: A+

I described my colors and showed her two designs I liked and the next day I had 4 proofs that were perfect! I couldn’t decide so she ended up letting me have 2! Very sweet and she nailed the design on the first try. I loved our monogram and used it for our menu cards and seating cards.

 Drink Stirrers: dillpicklepicnic

Grade: A+

I ordered these very last minute but she sent them on time and they were adorable! She custom made them – half to say Cheers! and half to say M+R…they were a hit and added a great touch to the cocktail hour. The price was so reasonable that I had to order them!

Cake topper: MilanCreations

Grade: A+

We searched everywhere for a monogram cake topper that did not have rhinestones and it was not easy, they were either too small or looked cheap. Our cake topper was gorgeous with a mirror finish and the perfect size. Loved it!

Earrings: AllureByU

Grade: A+

Garter Set: nanarosedesigns

Loved my earrings and they were a great price.

Grade: B

Beautiful garter set but they took forever to ship and arrived the day before the wedding.