Hotel & ceremony - Mandarin Oriental – A+
We had our wedding in The Edge, the private room inside the
Mandarin Bar. The room was the reason we booked, the view is spectacular. It
was really bright on the day so we had the blinds down for the ceremony then
they immediately raised them for photos. Rev William MacFarland III was our officiant
and he was lovely, he really put us both at ease and made the ceremony quick
and simple like we asked for. I had a beautiful huge bouquet, corsages for 4
female guests and buttonholes for my groom and 3 male guests. I started my
planning process with Angela the wedding planner but she left the company after
Christmas and so we had Ashley on the day, she was great, nothing was too much
trouble and I was glad to meet her the day before and she was there for me all
day on the wedding day. We used Mandarin’s recommended photographer (though
they allow anyone) Ron Dillon. He was fantastic, I can’t wait to see the photos
because he got every shot I asked for and he knew exactly how to pose us to get
some good shots. There’s a reason the hotel is number 1 on Trip Advisor, it is
pure luxury. We had a corner suite and had champagne and strawberries and a
hand written note from the manager waiting for us when we checked in. My only
negative about the hotel is we had trouble finding it in the car (Brits driving
in the US for the first time was stressful!) It’s also valet parking only and
$20 per night so we parked at Aria. Worth noting we stayed at Platinum for 3
nights before going to Mandarin and I would not hesitate to recommend it, the
suite was HUGE! Again we had trouble finding the entrance and it’s another valet
parking only but the size of the suite for the cost is great.
Hair & Make Up – Glamsquad – A
I had airbrush make up, false lashes and my hair in an up
do. Couldn’t have been happier. I’ve never had my make up done before so when
James was doing my eyes I kept flinching and pulling away. I couldn’t feel the
airbrush make up at all it was so light but gave great coverage and lasted all
day. The lashes stayed on and looked natural but glamourous at the same time.
Loved my hair too, she must have used a thousand pins, it took me half an hour
to get it down at the end of the day.
Transportation – Eddie Powers (Elvis) & his pink
Corvette – B
As a surprise I booked Eddie to drive me and my new husband
to our reception venue in his pink Corvette. We love 50s so we wanted photos
with the car! He was waiting for us out front when we got there and got us
loads of photos BUT to be brutally honest we weren’t very keen on Eddie as
Elvis. He looked great and it was a laugh but for us he was too over the top
and cheesy. It was very cringe!
Reception venue – Cosmopolitan Wraparound Terrace Suite – A+
I LOVED the suite. It’s absolutely beautiful – in the flesh
it’s 10x better than photos. AND THE VIEW!! WOW! We were on the 51st
floor in the east tower overlooking the fountains. It could not have been more
perfect. My Mum did a great job decorating and moving chairs about so there was
room for the photobooth and later dancing! I wanted flowers to decorate but we
only had time to go to Walmart the day before and all their flowers were
wilting and ugly. We did however get stocked up on booze and didn’t have any
trouble getting it up to the suite. Cosmo also made our wedding cake, exactly
how I asked. It was beautiful and delicious, but a lot went to waste.
Catering – Masterpiece Cuisine – A+
Firstly, my main worry was them getting into the suite, as I
know it’s discussed on here a lot. They were booked for heavy apps and a chef/bartender
to serve 5-7pm. They arrived at 2pm to set up, and didn’t have any problems getting
in at all. Christopher was our chef and he was wonderful. I was worried that
with only 9 guests it would be strange having staff but he was so discreet and
yet there whenever he was needed. The food was DELICIOUS. I wish I’d eaten
more. We had the sliders – chicken, beef & pulled pork, the shrimp display,
ceasar teaser, asparagus & prosciutto and the mozzarella skewers.
Everything was amazing.
Photobooth – Taylored Photo Memories – A
I was lucky enough to win the photobooth in a competition.
McKenzi is really nice, she set up the photobooth in front of one of the Cosmo
suites curtains and it looked great! They provide loads of fun props and it was
a hit. The photo strips are gorgeous, the design she made for us was lovely.
The only reason it’s an A and not an A+ is because when she arrived she asked
me when the party was starting and the rest of the guests were arriving. I was
a bit insulted by that! But I have absolutely nothing to complain about, the
photobooth was a great addition to our day, and it’s so nice to have some
instant photos!
Sorry this is so long! I really enjoyed reading long reviews when I was planning. My final tip for brides to be is to CHILL OUT. I was SO stressed the day before that I lost my temper with my son and new husband and wish I had to relaxed. I was also really nervous before the ceremony and felt like I was going to be sick, I could barely pay attention to what the Reverend was saying during the ceremony, it is a complete blur. I'm going to try get some photos up for you all asap too!