Nevada-Las Vegas

REVIEWS for In-Suite Reception Mandalay Bay Vista Suite

mistiqnunumistiqnunu member
Name Dropper First Comment 5 Love Its First Anniversary
edited April 2014 in Nevada-Las Vegas
Being a DIY wedding and bride, I know I really appreciated all the reviews about using the Vista Suite at Mandalay Bay for my reception. Here is my review of my experience and my vendors. I had about 80 people in the suite. At first it was very hot, because of all the food warmers, but it cooled down quite fast. Mandalay Bay Vista Suite A It was a beautiful suite, we moved furniture around for a dance floor and sitting area and the view couldn’t be beat. The bar is very large and can fit two bartenders. There is also a sink and lots of storage for bar items. They even have an extra small refrigerator if you need it. I didn’t have the stocked fridge emptied, but I didn’t have a problem with that either. Security didn’t bother us at all. My guests didn’t have a hard time getting up to the room. We had microphones and music and dancing, with not one complaint. With the Vista suite you are at the end of the hallway, so it was easy for people to go out into the stairwell if they needed some air (or to smoke). I elected to not rent tables and chairs (see rsvps review below) and I am so glad I didn’t. There would be absolutely no room if you are planning on having more than 50. Plus my reception was a cocktail party type reception, so only the older folk really sat....and me when I was exhausted.... CLEANUP: If you leave the room a disaster, MB will charge you a $250 cleaning fee. I wasn’t going to pay that. So I filled up about 20 trash bags of trash and called housekeeping. They sent up some men, and they took it all!!! I moved all the furniture back.....and I did leave $40 for the maid, who smiled and told me she would take care of the rest!!! Masterpiece Cuisine A+ Food was amazing! The Stuffed mushroom, which I didn’t get, were said to be the best thing ever. I ordered for 70 and had sooooooooooooooooooooooo much food left over. I felt so bad it all went to waste. We had the meatballs, bbq pulled pork sandwiches, shanghai lettuce wraps (so good), beef Angus burgers (no one ate those) and fruit and a veggie display. This place provided all the table wear too, which was great. They set everything up, and almost everything fit on the main table in the suite. They improvised and moved tables around to make it all fit. I was leery because MB states you cannot use outside vendors, but they had no problem at all! We did run out of silverware but I had some extra so we were ok. Something to think about as people come back for 2nds and 3rds.... Retro Bakery A+ Red Velvet cake was amazing. My guests couldn’t stop eating it. I got a 6/8/10 inch 3 layered and there was sooooooooo much left over. The fondant frosting wasn’t too thick, and it was just delicious. Luxor Wedding Chapel A+ They were great. We didn’t have a rehearsal at all, but things went smoothly. They provided music and did allow us to say our own vows. Though our package came with a bouquet and boutonnière, my 5 bridesmaids and I brought our own bouquets and the boys their own Boutonnières. They said that no outside flowers could be used, but they didn’t hassle us at all. I did have a couple people who were late, and they were not allowed into the ceremony, so make sure the guests are made aware that they cannot be late. We had the Sapphire Package. As soon as the ceremony was completed we received a copy of our video right then and there. Cashman pro Photography A I am giving them an A but I really didn’t deal with them much. I had my own photographer, and the chapel was very strict about him taking photos. After the ceremony, we took some shots; I was emailed a link to take a look at the photos, and am getting 18 prints as part of my package. I didn’t purchase any photos. They do offer session for the bride and groom in their studio for more photos but we elected to skip that. Our photographer was very sweet and nice. KK’s Photography- Keith Kaplan A++++++++++ Keith was amazing. During all the mayhem, he was able to get gorgeous shots. He took our bridal party to some awesome locations where we were able to catch some beautiful shots. I am not a photo person, and I loved all of my photos. He was able to hide things I was self conscious about also. He gave us instructions on how to pose, it was great. The groom and the groomsmen got some awesome shots too. He kept making me a plate so I would have some food in my belly. Overall, he wants to make you happy and he definitely made my day. He is way more inexpensive then others in the area. By the time I got back from my honeymoon, my cd’s with all my photos were already in. In 4 different colors.......colored, B&W, Old Fashioned, Sepia...... Absolute Beverage (Bartender) A Super affordable, easy to deal with and did a wonderful job. I provided all the alcohol myself. Our bartender was working his butt off and I felt bad for him, because it was non stop!!! He was very pleasant and everyone was pleased. The prices were unbeatable. $30 an hour. I should have had two. He even brought his own ice chest so he wouldn’t run out of ice... www.DIYuplighting.com: A These were awesome. I rented 6 at 19.99 each. Easy to set up and it added a lot to the room. I could have gotten a few more, for more lighting, but it was still fine. Everyone commented on how fabulous the room was. They ship you the lights a couple days before the event, and then you just put them back in the box, slap the prepaid label (they provide) on the box. I even had MB ship it out for me. Culinary Pros (2 servers) A I hired two servers ($30 an hour) for 4 hours. These ladies were amazing. They made sure the food table was always stocked, they cleaned up after people, and they walked around the suite all night and picked up trash. They went above and beyond. When the trash started piling up, they even called Mandalay Bay housekeeping and had them come and pick up all the trash throughout the night. They helped with the cutting of the cake and also assisted the bartender at times. RSVP Party Rentals: B I was going to rent tables and some chairs, but the price for delivery was more than the chairs and tables so I elected not to. Overall the pricing was good, except the delivery charge of $180. Harmony Medina (Hair & Makeup) C- I am pretty laid back and I don’t usually fuss about things, but hair and makeup was a horrible experience for me and my girls. I put a deposit down through Harmony Medina’s website for a total of 6 hair and makeup’s about 6 months before the date. About 5 days prior to the wedding, I received a message from Harmony asking how final payment would be made as she wanted to get that payment in order for her makeup artist who would be coming. I explained to her that I thought I was getting her as my makeup artist. Apparently not. She assured me that Nikki Segal would be fabulous and would most likely be bringing an assistant for hair. She didn’t come with an assistant and we were behind. Two of the bridesmaid’s hair fell apart within the hour and had to be redone. Unfortunately for one of my bridesmaid, there was no time for fixing. My hair was a disaster and I was so bummed. 6 out of 6 of us were not happy. I will say that our makeup did look great in all of our photos but Nikki didn’t want to do things the way the girls wanted it. She kept pushing purple shadow because our colors were purple. Ultimately, I love my photos and pictures and wedding, but this caused lots of stress on us all. Most of the girls applied more makeup to make it the way they wanted. A few extra things.... 1) ICE: We got all the ice from the ice machine at MB. I was so terrified of the ice situation. IT was my main stress but I stressed about nothing. We iced the night before. Woke up in the morning, dumped the water and iced again. By the time the reception took place that evening at 6pm, the beers and drinks were still cold. The bartender just added more ice. Be sure to bring at least one ice chest to transport the ice from machine to room. 2) TRASHBAGS: Don’t forget them. I actually didn’t bring any and MB gave us some. 3) ALCOHOL: NO one drank hardly any of the wine. I bought 6 red bottles and 6 white and came home with all but 1 bottle. I would stick to the vodka, tequila and beer. We also had a whiskey bar. We placed all beer in the master bedroom tub, and the bartender would just replenish when he needed. 4) VENDORS: I called all my vendors the evening before. It took 20 minutes. I called them all to verify time, and gave them the suite number. I had no issues with delivery with any of my vendors. I designated one family member who rushed to the suite after the ceremony and let them all in the suite. My reception started at 6pm, delivery for all vendors and staff was 5:30pm. I hope this helps! I am happy to answer any questions anyone may have! Things I would do differently... 1-take a photo with key people. Looking back at my photos I realized I didn't get photos with very important people. 2-have plenty of water. I only bought two cases, could have used 4 3-I ran out of cups. I had about 200. People throw away their cups and get a new one each time, so need LOTS of cups. 4- EAT!!!
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Re: REVIEWS for In-Suite Reception Mandalay Bay Vista Suite

  • Sorry Ladies, I cannot break down the review for some reason. Formatting on the knot.com I guess......So its all in one big paragraph. I will post photos later if requested....
  • Congratulations! I would love to see your photos, I'm using Keith as well in 12 days!
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  • Cant wait to see a pic of that suite with 80 people in it! Congrats!
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  • There was approximately 70-80 people, but of course it dwindled down some after a while....
  • this makes me nervous for Harmony! I have her booked for four of us!
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  • I would definitely ask her who your artist will be.  I loved her work on her website.  I was expecting her.....
  • I've tried messaging her a few times regarding different stuff and have a hard time getting thru to her
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  • Wow, you look amazing!  Love your flowers and your cake is awesome too.  Congratulations!  (and thanks for all your reviews and tips!)
    We had our dream wedding in Las Vegas - 11.29.2014
  • mistiqnunumistiqnunu member
    Name Dropper First Comment 5 Love Its First Anniversary
    edited April 2014
    Wow, you look amazing!  Love your flowers and your cake is awesome too.  Congratulations!  (and thanks for all your reviews and tips!)

  • Thanks so much, I hope this info was helpful!
  • I'm not using any of your vendors but if I was, I'd be wanting to hug you right now! What a great post, full of details and useful information.
    Sorry your hair and makeup wasn't up to scratch but it sounds like everyone had a fantastic time, congratulations!
  • i love all your pictures, sounds like a really wonderful wedding!  congratulations!!!!
    We had our dream wedding at Mirage on May 3, 2014! 
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  • kazzykazzy member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper
    80 people in a Vista! That's a serious party. Looked amazing! 

    // Little Vegas Wedding blog - click for modern Vegas wedding inspiration, ideas and venues! //
    // Springs Preserve + Border Grill bride, May 2010 //

  • mistiqnunu I love the pictures! I have been worried about photography more than anything else and you have reassured me!  You look so happy.
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  • Here are some additional photos taken by Keith Kaplan. The theme of the night was "selfies" and "Photo bombs" and he got many of those too! lol
  • So the first photo is of me and my girls. As you can see my hair looked exactly how it looks every day. My sister in law on the very right did her own hair and makeup..... and my bridemaid on the very left, asked for a braid. Got a braid, and then it fell out an hour later. So that is how the makeup artist fixed her hair. =( she was not happy. I love them all and think they all look amazing.
  • Thanks for the tip on the DIY uplighting!  Hadn't heard of them.  Just booked my reservation for them to use in our suite.  So much fun!   I've got Phillips Hue lights at home (they're wifi and you can change colors but I couldn't figure out how to DIY lights at a hotel and you've solved that problem!)   Your photos are awesome!  And I love your cake too. 
    We had our dream wedding in Las Vegas - 11.29.2014
  • Yes...thanks for diy uplighting tip. Such a good idea!
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  • YES, I loved diyuplighting.com SO easy to do. They also have a similar company where you can also rent digital cameras. Some place one on each table at the reception and have the guests be the photographers. I elected to have a photographer instead....
  • i'm so sorry about the hair:(
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  • I would definitely ask her who your artist will be.  I loved her work on her website.  I was expecting her.....

    after reading this I got worried so I emailed her to make sure, she promised she would be the one coming for my appointment, hope she's right!
    Thanks for the heads up! Sorry it didn't turn out the way you had expected. Love all of your pictures, everyone looked great! :) congratulations.

    Wedding Countdown Ticker Visit LasVegas.Weddings.com
  • I would definitely ask her who your artist will be.  I loved her work on her website.  I was expecting her.....

    after reading this I got worried so I emailed her to make sure, she promised she would be the one coming for my appointment, hope she's right!
    Thanks for the heads up! Sorry it didn't turn out the way you had expected. Love all of your pictures, everyone looked great! :) congratulations.


    Harmony looks like a wonderful artists. I'm sure you will be just fabulous!!! :)
  • Thanks for the review! I'm getting married at the Luxor chapel I am also using Harmony so I am very appreciative for the info!
  • Luxor chapel was very nice! They are in the main building and my room was in the west tower, so allow yourself some time to get down there. It took us about 10 minutes....
  • I was thinking of having 50-75 people in a vista suite. You had 80 and it wasn't too crowded? Thanks for the vendor reviews. Very helpful.
  • It was definitely crowded, but we also utilized the space in the bedroom (the bedroom has a sitting area).  Seating was for about 25 people.  If people weren't standing they were dancing, and even though it was a little crowded, it didn't seem impossible. People were able to eat and have a great time.


  • im so happy about this post! i booked keith and harmony as well! i love your pictures. you look great!
  • 80 would be pretty tight for the Vista, but it's doable. We had 45 people, including our photographer and bartender, and it felt just right.

    If anyone's planning on doing this, I recommend using http://rsvpparty.com/ for chairs and maybe some high boy tables (so people can set food and drinks down). We paid about $75 for chairs, tables, and uplighting, and that included delivery, set-up, and removal.

    It was totally worth it. I didn't want people to have to stand in their heels all night, and we had some older guests.
  • j3nnmack3y!  and @wrigleyville WOW great deal at RSVP rentals.  They were going to charge me $330 for 3 high boys and 15 chairs!!! This is why I did not use them.  Maybe they have raised their prices......
  • SweetestabooSweetestaboo member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited June 2014
    Very helpful post! I'm still comparing the price of renting the Vista Suite at MB and bringing in seperate vendors or doing my in-suite at The Orleans Stardust Suite and letting them handle everything...
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