Nevada-Las Vegas

Mandalay Bay wedding & in-suite reception REVIEW

​Wedding on Tuesday October 14, 2014
Ceremony in “THEwedding chapel B+ - $1,200.00
I got the “chapel only package” for $750.00 which included minister, pianist and dressing room before the ceremony. I did not get any photography because my cousin came who is a photographer and she took pictures before and after the ceremony. They do not allow professional cameras and photography equipment in the chapel but family is more than welcome to take pictures with regular cameras and phones. I was ok with that, because family/friends took pretty good pictures of the ceremony. They will tell your guests to turn off their phones before the ceremony but nobody did. They were able to take pictures with no problems. I also did not get a video of the ceremony but a couple people took a video with their phones during my walk down the aisle and our vows, which was perfect!
I had Reverend Rudy for my ceremony. I actually requested the other minister but he was not available that day. Everything worked out because I actually really liked Reverend Rudy. He was funny and he even took pictures of me and my sister before the ceremony without us even asking.
The ceremony was short, maybe around 10 minutes tops. However, all of my guests said it was a very nice ceremony and it seemed like the mister knew us personally. The only thing that I didn't like was that they told us what to do literally right before walking down the aisle. I thought they could’ve prepared us a little more. Other than that, everything was great.

My bouquet was kind of basic but that's what I picked. I found a few pictures of bouquets on Pinterest, sent them to my wedding coordinator and they priced them out for me. I thought they were really expensive. The cost of my flowers was $175.00 and it was $150.00 for my sisters. Keep that in mind that the more people you have stand-up in the wedding, the more you have to pay for flowers. I just had my sister and my husband’s best friend stand-up, which turned out just fine.
I used a CD that I burned for the ceremony and they did a great job playing it and knowing where to come in, and fade out, etc. Also, while people were being seated, I had a couple of songs play, at no additional cost. I think you have to pay $60.00 if you want the pianist to play before the ceremony. For those of you that want a pianist to play, they will give you a list of music that they can play, otherwise if you want a different song you have to pay extra.

I did not do any decorations in the chapel. I honestly don't think you need the extra decor, because the chapel is pretty enough. Plus, I went outside after the ceremony and they still had decorations left from the previous wedding and the rose petals looked terrible and the aisle runner looked cheap. I have also watched MANY videos on ceremonies there and I've seen a lot of people slip on the rose petals.
Overall, I definitely recommend this wedding chapel especially after researching all of the chapels in Las Vegas. To me, this chapel was the prettiest and can be affordable depending on what you need.

“Vista Suite” reception- 35 guests: $1,200.00 for 2 nights – $600.00 per night
I booked the Vista Suite for 2 nights. I definitely recommend getting the suite the day before the wedding because you will be rushing to get everything done right before/after ceremony. We set up everything pretty much the night before. I bought beer, a couple bottles of wine and a lot of hard liquor and mixers. I spent about $500 but I had a ton of beer left over. Everyone was drinking the leftover beer through our entire trip though, so it didn't totally go to waste. My advice is not to worry so much about what to get because people will drink whatever you have. Also, I would recommend going somewhere AWAY from the strip for alcohol, because they jack up the prices on the strip.
I put all of the beer and water in the bathtub and used the ice machines down the hall. We used a box with a bag in it to get all of the ice but we had to make a couple of trips. My husband’s best man was the bartender. I was actually planning on having everyone make their own drinks but he wanted to be the bartender so that came together nicely. We placed a huge bowl on top of the bar and put ice and beer in there for people to grab, while his friend made the cocktails for people. We were able to just grab the beer from the tub and restock throughout the night.
The Vista Suite is very nice. My mom was extremely worried before the wedding, thinking that there was not enough seating. I explained to her that it is a cocktail reception, so most people would be standing anyways. That's exactly what happened. The older people got to sit down and the younger people were mainly by the bar.
I didn't really decorate the suite. I did make a Shutterfly guest book and a sign, (which they have a perfect spot for, when you first enter the room.) For wedding favors, I had glasses made with our name on it. Our guests used these glasses at the reception and got to take them home.
We did get a noise complaint… My guests were getting louder as more drinks started flowing. Security came about 2-3 times at the end of the night. We ended up going down to “Eye Candy Lounge” which we were planning on doing anyways. I had all of the younger people come down to dance with me and security left us alone.
My father in law complained about security ruining our wedding day (even though they didn't) and we got a whole night FREE! So that saved us $600.
It pays to ask for any upgrades for anyone staying at Mandalay Bay. For example, my husband’s Dad booked a basic room online. When he checked in, he told them he was “with the wedding party” and they gave him an amazing suite for nothing.

“Masterpiece Cuisine” $1200.00 / A+++++
I had Masterpiece Cuisine cater the reception. I ordered for 30 people but had about 35 guests. We had soooooo much food leftover!
I ordered heavy appetizers:
- Chicken strips
- Spinach & artichoke dip
- Meatballs
- ½ pan of 5-cheese Mac n cheese
- ½ pan of lobster Mac n cheese < The BEST
- Fruit tray
- Quesadillas
- Pulled pork sliders
- Mini cupcakes. Assorted flavors with cupcake tower
- Chocolate chip and sugar cookies
The food was amazing! Everyone talked about it for days. I just hated throwing so much food away.

“Eye-Candy Lounge” (A)
We went to Eye-Candy lounge after it started getting too loud in the suite. This was a great idea because everybody had fun dancing. It's located right in the center of the casino in Mandalay Bay, with no cover to get in. It's a small dance floor and it got packed after a while, even on a Tuesday, but it was so much fun that even the older people were dancing!

“Fit For Bride” $140.00 / A+++
I called Fit For Bride a few hours before our ceremony to steam my dress. The steamer that I bought was spitting out brown stuff that would've ruined my dress. They were able to come last minute and they were extremely nice. I even took a picture with them because they honestly saved my wedding day!

Re: Mandalay Bay wedding &amp; in-suite reception REVIEW

  • Great review with extremely helpful, practical advice. Congrats!
    Happiness is an inside job
  • Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your experiences.
  • wow, noise complaint with 30-35!?
  • Congratulations!! Thank you for such detailed reviews! :)
  • Yeah I didn't think we were that loud. The loudest it got was when we had our first dance. The music didn't even get that loud because when your turned up the volume too much it would start skipping. Not sure if it was my phone or the iPod dock.
  • Very good reviews!! Congrats!
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  • Congrats!  Sounds like a great time
  • Congratulations!!! I am going to keep Fit for a Bride in the back of my head because I will need a steamer as well!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
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  • Congrats to you and thanks for the terrific reviews! I'm also getting married at THEwedding chapel and have had a hard time finding other MB brides on the board to discuss their plans and experiences with, so I am very glad to hear your well detailed reviews. It's great for me to hear you were so pleased with the ceremony and space.

    Your wedding and reception sound amazing - hope you had an awesome time!
  • No problem, and if you have any questions you can email me at rldoby@live.com
  • I'm glad you noticed the brown stuff from the steamer before using it on your dress!

    We had 43 people in the suite, and it really was comfortable. I can't imagine having much more than 50, though. Some people get 60 in there, but I think it would feel too cramped. It could be because we rented extra chairs and a couple of cocktail tables, though.

    The MB chapel is pretty. I like that it has such a modern look to it while looking elegant at the same time. It was on our list for a while. :)
  • Thanks OP!
  • @Reneedoby‌ ~ did you have a DJ or any dancing going on inside your suite?
  • @Reneedoby‌ the catering company you used how did you get the food in to the suite? Is that through the hotel? I'm looking into doing this but I'm hesitant because I don't want to get caught with food and have to pay for it through the hotel.
  • We did not have a DJ. We just made a playlist on Spotify and used the iPod dock in the room. We had our first dance and after that, people started dancing, but that's when it started getting loud and when security came up. We then went downstairs to Eyecandy Lounge to dance.
  • Such a great review...thank you! Thinking of doing a similar thing in the Media Suite at Mandalay Bay - so I want to ask, how did your caterer deliver? Were they able to just walk through the lobby with no issues and come to your suite?
  • great review we're doing something similar in march 2015 do u have any pics of the vista suite and or how u set it up
  • CONGRATS!!!!
    Anniversary
  • What an amazing idea, I love it! Did you have to pay outside vendor fees or anything like that for the in-suite catering, or did you just not tell them?
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