The Platinum-AWow! We had our meet and greet dinner at my husband's aunt's suite the night before the wedding. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was great! They do only offer valet parking, but the weather was perfect and it was so close to my hotel that a lot of our friends just decided to walk it. We had a two bedroom suite with a huge wrap around balcony with an amazing view of The Strip. We easily fit 40 people in there with plenty of room to spare. There was a wedding going on that Saturday night and we definitely creeped on it, lol. It looked gorgeous! I ran into some bridesmaids in the elevator and they were all talking about how pretty the wedding by the pool had been. I know I didn't do my wedding there, but it is beautiful.The decor is very modern and swanky, and there isn't any gaming in the resort. The hotel is so quiet you could've heard a pin drop in it, but we didn't get any noise complaints. We made our own taco bar, so I can't review any catering they may offer, but for the price and the view it is definitely something other brides might want to check out.
The Palette-A+What can I say about Pam that hasn't been said before? Her flowers were absolutely stunning! I had sent her countless emails trying to figure out exactly what I wanted in the centerpieces and she nailed it! I'd brought in lots of decor for the reception and sent her a mock up of how I wanted the centerpieces set up. She made it look better than I could've ever imagined. Her flowers were a great price for what I got and I was able to add them to my room minimum at Maggiano's. Use her and you will not be disappointed!
Imagine Studios (Chapel Photography at Paris)-A-/B+I really had no expectations for the chapel photography. because I hadn't heard many good things about them. Much to my surprise, the pictures really weren't bad! Though I'd been told last summer that my photographer could take pictures in the chapel as long as he was seated and didn't use a flash, on the day of my wedding they kicked him out. I didn't get worked up about it though because I had a feeling that would happen. We just bought what was included in our package, but we were able to view our pictures the next day and picked out some beauties from the chapel. We spent a half an hour after the ceremony taking pictures in the studio, but those honestly looked like bad glamor shots, lol! They offered to take $100 off the price of the disc with all the rights to reprint (would have been $495) if we let them use our pictures on their website, but we knew we were getting a disc from our photographer and passed. Our wedding video was included in our package and I got to take it home the next day. It was beautiful! It does have a copyright, so I'm trying to figure out how to youtube it for my family that didn't attend. However, if it's not included in your package I would highly recommend purchasing it. It all goes by so fast and it's so nice to be able to see it again.
Makeup in the 702-A+
These girls are more expensive than any of the other HMU I contacted, but they are worth every penny. To say that a bunch of old sorority girls are picky about their hair and makeup is the understatement of the year. Not only did I not have one girl complain about anything about her look, they were all happy with it! I had HMU done for 5 bridesmaids, my mom and for me. Deb did our hair and Kiera did our makeup. Both ladies are pros at what they do and deserve all the praise in the world. My look held up all night long and through the next morning. HMU was extremely important to me and I would spend double what I did to have them do it all again.
Chapelle du Paradise at Paris Hotel-A+
I have no idea why this chapel isn't reviewed more often because I had an amazing experience there! I know it's not everyone's style, but I love, love, love the opulent decor. When you walk up to the chapel you will be standing underneath the largest, most beautiful chandeliers you'll ever see and stand on shiny white marble floors. It's decorated with gorgeous gilded mirrors which went perfectly with my soft pink and pale gold color scheme. The chapel itself is gorgeous! The fresco on the ceiling is jaw dropping and the decor is large while still being welcoming. No one could stop talking about it. They've recently updated their floral arrangements, which (in my opinion) completely updated the look of the chapel. They were red and kind of dusty before, but now they are brand new, HUGE, and ivory with crystals hanging. I wasn't able to customize the chapel other than bringing in my own unity candle, but it fit my theme so perfectly that I didn't need to.
You can pay a fee for outside floral, but it wasn't worth it to me. Don't feel like you're stuck with the floral options on your worksheet. You can send in a picture of anything you want and they will make it for you. I sent my coordinator, Elisabeth, a picture of the bouquet I wanted and it came out exactly how I wanted it! I used pink roses and white hydrangeas (which often wilt in the heat), but mine looked amazing from start to finish! I only bought the medium size, but my flowers were so full that it must have measured 12 inches in diameter. The large would've been way too big for me. They even threw in jewels for free. I bought 3 rose presentations for my girls, single rose corsages for our mothers, and single rose boutonnieres for the guys and looked great and all held up all night long.
The ceremony itself was gorgeous. Ours lasted about 20 minutes, which surprised me because I'd heard that most Vegas ceremonies were less than 10. Paris let us customize our ceremony too. I was able to add in vows to my
new son and a watch exchange with him. I brought in my own music and
everything went off without a hitch. Sandra Dee and Heather were my
coordinators on the day of the wedding and both were very helpful and
kind.
Our pastor (who's name I can't remember!) gave a beautiful invocation and blessing during the service. Before the ceremony, he met with both my husband and I to find out about us. He incorporated our story and personalities into our ceremony, mixed the right amount of humor and sentimentality, and did it all with a great smile on his face. Probably the best part of the wedding came later though. For months, any time someone found out that we were getting married in Vegas we would quickly state that we weren't getting married by Elvis or anything. Did we get the laugh of a lifetime when our wonderful pastor showed up at Maggiano's later that night while we were lining up for our grand entrance. Dressed head to toe in his Elvis gear, he told us that he moonlights as an impersonator and was entertaining the party next door! So after all of that, I still ended up getting married by Secret Elvis!
Party Bus from Party Tours/Elite Transportation-AIf you haven't considered a party bus before this, DO SO NOW! This was hands down everyone's favorite part of our wedding. We rented the bus for 2 hours and took it up to the Vegas Sign and back to the Bellagio before being dropped off at Maggiano's. When we finally got to Maggiano's no one wanted to get off. Now, I should warn you that we are party people. We like to have a good time and this is definitely the ride for you if you are too. We didn't have a host, but we didn't need one. We brought our own alcohol, but the bar was already filled with ice when we got on. It was a little hot, but I think that might've been because my dress was huge and I never stopped dancing. There were lights, poles (which are optional), TVs, and a fantastic sound system. You cannot have food on the bus, but no one cared. We rocked that bus up and down the strip and I would book it again in a heartbeat.
The only snafu we ran into was when we first got on the bus. The driver didn't have record of our payment, but I pulled it up on my phone and fixed it within 5 minutes. He said that this was the 3rd time that week that this had happened and was going to talk to management. If you go with them, call ahead and make sure the driver knows you've paid.
Bell Trans-ANo issues here! We had one 24 passenger shuttle pick everyone up from the reception and drop them back at Paris, but they did two trips for us in one hour. We paid in cash the day of and they were right on time.
All Night Long Entertainment-A
Our DJ was Jeremy (who I think it one of the owners) and he was good. He did everything that we asked and took all our requests. Our dance floor was always full, the toasts went smoothly, and he even gave my very intoxicated father-in-law the mic so we could all take turns screaming (I won't dare call that singing) Don't Stop Believing. We'd requested that it be the last song, but he played it a little early. That was fine though because I got to enjoy one of my favorite songs before I passed out from overheating at the end of the night (word to the wise, drink lots of water if you're wearing a big dress). These guys are the best and I wouldn't hesitate to book them again.
I also used All Night Long for our uplighting. I know it's an extra expense, but it really did make the room look fabulous. I had the DiCarlo and Calabria rooms rented and used 8 amber uplights. 8 worked out very well for the size of the space. I'll send pictures if you'd like to see it, but I think 6 wouldn't have been enough. 10 wouldn't have been bad either, but 8 looked amazing. If you want them, get them. You'll love them! We put the uplighting and DJ towards our room minimum.
Freed's Bakery-A+Amazing! I did a tasting last summer and couldn't stop eating. The hardest part was choosing two flavors, but I finally decided on the red velvet with cream cheese filling and the carrot cake with cream cheese filling. It was delicious! But what amazed me the most was how perfectly they matched my vision. I found a design on Pinterest, emailed it to Janie, but didn't expect it to look exactly like the photo I sent. When I got to the reception and saw it, I was floored! It was EXACTLY like the picture I'd sent. I couldn't believe that anything could taste and look so good, but it did. 5 days later I'm still eating the left overs. I think I might cry when I finish them off for good.
Maggiano's-A++++++++++Have your reception here. I don't know any other way to say it. There is a reason they are the most popular spot on The Strip and it's because they do everything right. And when I say everything right, I mean EVERYTHING. From start to finish they accommodated every ridiculous whim I had. From making special entree's for my picky father and grandfather (at no extra charge), to checking with all of our vegetarians to ensure that they were aware of the ingredients in every dish and offering to make anything on the menu for them if it didn't meet their dietary restrictions, to the stellar service, you could not ask for a better or more beautiful venue. The dark wood, beautiful balcony and gorgeous light fixtures are lovely on their own, but when they added in the decor I brought I was floored. I'm a little neurotic and brought instructions with pictures of how I wanted everything set up (I had a lot of decor) when I met with Sabrina on Friday. She was super happy about that and when I walked in on Sunday it looked even better than I'd dreamed it could. No one could shut up about it.
The food was to die for. The hubby and had a sweetheart table and they brought us so much food that I didn't know what to do with all of it. They boxed up the leftovers and gave them to us, which we ate on our minimoon the next night with another couple. We still couldn't finish the leftovers that night and brought some home with us to CO. Here's the menu we had:
Milano Package w/Super Premium Bar Upgrade
Spinach Artichoke al Forno
Zucchini FritteStuffed Mushrooms
Maggiano's Salad
Lemon and Herb Salmon
Chicken Marsala
Chicken and Spinach Manicotti
Six Cheese CannelloniSpaghetti and Meatballs (for my dad)
Apple Crostada
TiramisuWedding Cake
Everyone loved everything (and I mean everything), but I bolded the ones that were the absolute favorites. Also, if you can do a tasting ahead of time at your local Maggiano's, do it! Sabrina set the whole thing up for me AND sent me a gift card to cover the cost. What can I say? BOOK THEM! Just book early because they fill up fast and now I know why. I booked in May of last year, but inquired in February of 2012 and almost lost my date because I waited until May.
Tyler Freear Photography-
A++++++++++++++++++++++++
I want to get I 
Tyler T-Shirts made. Tyler was my photographer, but ended up being my wedding coordinator as well. He was hands down the most amazing part of my wedding. All night long he managed to get me to exactly where I needed to be so I could have the most beautiful pictures and memories of my wedding. This was not an easy task since I tend to be a bit of a crazy party girl and get even worse around my friends. Tyler knew exactly what to do make me look beautiful and made sure to get all of the ridiculous photos we requested. Want to know how I know my shots were beautiful? Because all night long he kept showing me previews of photos he was particularly proud of. I feel like I robbed Tyler blind for the amount of $ I paid him considering how much work he did. I'm mildly obessed with my sorority mascot (along with all of my sorority sisters) and he knew that, so he kept sneaking pandas into shots just to make me laugh! I didn't even have to ask him to do that. He just knew, which made everyone fall in love with him. But it wasn't all laughs (though there were a lot). He knew exactly when to be serious and was always where I needed him to be even if I didn't know that I needed him to be there. There are so many vendors you can use for photography, but no one will care about your day as much as he does. When I booked him in June of last year, Tyler spent 2 hours planning out my whole day with me and my mother. Who does that in Vegas? Tyler does! And it went off perfectly. The timing was excellent and the photos are beautiful. He even took a great photo of me with his iphone and posted in on his personal facebook page. You couldn't ask for a better photographer and his value is excellent. Now that he's moved to Colorado I plan to use him for every formal picture I ever need.
I think that's everything! If I can just give all you Vegas brides one word of advice, it's to enjoy your big day as much as possible because it will be done and over with before you know it. You'll have meltdowns (I had 2 just on the trip), you'll get stressed about the money, you'll worry about every detail, but I promise that it will be perfect. And after all of the work, you know what I remember the most? The doors of the chapel opening and watching my husband cry while I mouthed "I love you" to him. You can't put a price on that moment and I hope you all get yours!