A wedding
week in Vegas
Trip
Report and Reviews
A bit late
in posting but finally getting back to reality, this post is a combination of
how we spent our wedding week in Vegas along with our reviews! Hope it is of use to someone, as I found this
board invaluable when planning our wedding....
Background:
Travelling from Scotland to get married in Vegas with 8 guests July 25th 2015, wedding 7/30/15
Transport:
Presidential Limos
Bachelorette:
Thunder down Under and 9 Fine IrishMen
HMup: Hairz
Melinda – Dallas and Shiloh
Wedding:
Bellagio Terrazza di Sogno
Photo:
Cashman
Wedding
Meal: STK @Cosmo
After Party:
Private tables at ghostbar
Saturday:
Your
flight has been cancelled.....and your hotel is on fire!
So we didn’t
get off to the best start when British Airways cancelled our connecting flight
in the UK....as there is only one flight a day out of Heathrow to Vegas with BA
we were really stressing that we would miss the flight altogether, in the end
it was fine and we flew out and landed in Vegas on the evening of 25th
July...we arrived in the US around 8pm, getting through customs was fine, only
to be told that our hotel (the Cosmopolitan)had been on fire! We honestly
thought the guy was joking with us, but the pool area had been on fire earlier
that day....it was all fine by the time we arrived.....we had prebooked a
transfer with Presidential Limos, the first of 3 different booking we had
during our week in Vegas, the transfer was great, prompt and polite service and
we shortly arrived at the Cosmo. Presidential
Limos would get an A+ review. We checked
in, we had booked a terrace one bedroom with fountain view and honestly nothing
can beat that view even after you have been awake and travelling for around 20
hours! Check in was fast and we were
soon refreshed and headed out to meet our friends who had also arrived that
day. We went to the first of our daily
visits to the Lucky Cat which I highly recommend to anyone who visits the
Cosmo. We went to NYNY for some drinks
and a wee bit of gambling then called it a night around 2am. Cosmo rooms...A+++!
Sunday:
Bottomless Mimosas and another limo ride!
So on Sunday
we had made plans to go to the Wicked Spoon for the breakfast/brunch
buffet. On a Sunday they offer
bottomless mimosas and bloody Marys....Wicked Spoon is AMAZING!!! Food is
awesome, huge variety and they kept the drinks coming...when we were finishing
off they even came over with another few drinks each in a “to – go” cup....this
is one thing I LOVE about Vegas! Wicked Spoon, also an A++! We then
wondered through the Cosmopolitan, NYNY, Flamingo, The Linq and headed towards
the Bellagio. We had a limo booked as
part of our wedding package to go to the courthouse to collect our marriage
licence. There was a slight hold up in
getting our limo but they made a quick call to the chapels and then we were off
to the courthouse. This was a quick and
easy process....or so we thought at the time.....more on this later! We then went back to the Bellagio to go to
see the chapel (which was our back up plan) and also see the Terrazza di Sogno where we were getting married. We met our wedding coordinator, and picked up
our wedding gift bag and vouchers which were included in our package. I would give the Bellagio an A for their
wedding package, although we had a few issues, they were not really the fault
of the Bellagio, and they did their best to help us with them. (more on this later!) Sunday night we headed
to city center and the Aria....ended up in Todd English for food....kinda
average pub grub, huge portions which I was getting used to again, the guys
enjoyed the beers, including trying to down one in 30 seconds! Back to the Cosmo for some more slots and a
few drinks.....and another visit to Lucky Cat!
Overall I was pretty lucky on this trip, probably won a few hundred
dollars, and my bridesmaids had a few big wins....enough for a couple of
Michael Kors bags anyway!
Monday: Hair,
Make Up and Happy Hours!
So today I
had my HMup trial...after looking at loads of reviews I booked
Hairzmelinda...they were easy to book and the two ladies arrived early for our
10am appointment. I am so glad I had a
trial as I didn’t immediately love my hair or make up...Dallas(hair) and Shiloh (make up)were fab; very
entertaining and professional....my bridesmaids had not arrived at this point
and I appreciated their help, advice and patience when I asked them to change
things....I loved my hair and make up on the day, I went for airbrush make up
which still looked amazing after an outdoor wedding at 4pm in 30 degree heat! My hair is very soft and fine but it stayed
up...still partly up 24 hours after the wedding...! Would recommend Hairz Melinda for hair and
make up but also would advise a trial if possible...would also give then an A rating...my trial lasted a couple of
hours, groom and friends were away shopping and we had arranged to meet at
Blondies in Planet Hollywood for Happy Hour.
This is a happy hour that last several hours, with a one off price for
unlimited wells/beers....we stayed for a few hours then the girls ditched the
guys to go to Rock of Ages in the Venetian....back to Cosmo to get ready, quick
drink in Vesper then limo to Venetian for our free pre show cocktail...then
another cocktail...then maybe another??!
Fab show combined with great happy hours and cocktails meant we were all
a little merry when we jumped in a cab to NYNY to go to 9 Fine Irish Men....fab
night in there, so many good memories, from this time and a prior visit when my
friends had their wedding after party there, we all love that bar, groom and friends caught up with us by this
point and we ended the night sometime in the morning heading back to Cosmo
where we found SECRET PIZZA!!! Honestly it is the best pizza, just what was
needed after hours and hours of happy hours!
Tuesday –
Bellagio Buffet and a lot of walking....
Recovery
mode was initiated today....coffee and carbs to banish the hangovers! Walked to Mandalay Bay, Luxor, NYNY and Excalibur...ended
up sitting in the sunshine in Pinks at Planet Hollywood with a bucket of beer
and some hot dogs...it was super super hot and I was starting to worry about
how I would cope in my wedding dress!
Fairly quiet day but we did end up at the Bellagio Buffet around 7pm as
we had a voucher which was part of our wedding package....really disappointed
with the Buffet at Bellagio, felt the rooms were like a canteen or something,
plastic soda glasses etc and the food was not nearly as good as Wicked Spoon...back
to Cosmo for some gambling and a few drinks at the Chandelier Bar with the
bridesmaids and last guests who had arrived.
Wednesday
Wedding rehearsal and a bit of THUNDER!!!
So on Wednesday
the pre wedding nerves began to kick in a little...we had our wedding rehearsal
organised for 11am, rounded up the bridal party and headed over to the
Bellagio. We were getting married on the Terrazza di Sogno overlooking the lake
and the fountains, I had read some reviews which said it was looking shabby,
but I found it to be fine...there is no seating for guests at all but plenty of
room on the balcony overlooking the terrace.
I was worried about walking down the stairs and was glad of a chance to
practise this bit! Our wedding
coordinator Aracelli was lovely and very helpful. Our rehearsal lasted around 20 minutes and
then it was onto the shops with the bridesmaids! I had to get perfume for the wedding day and
settled on Armani Si, which we bought in Armani in the Bellagio, we went to the
shops at Caesars, stopping for some lunch and cocktails at the Cheesecake
Factory. I knew that the bridesmaids had
organised a night out that night, so we went back to Cosmo to get ready. They turned up at my room about 5pm with a
veil and sash, some shots and tickets for Thunder down Under in Excalibur....I
really wasn’t sure what to expect but we headed towards Excalibur via NYNY where
more than a few drinks were consumed before the show! Memorable mention to the Dick in Dick’s Last
Resort in Excalibur who provided drinks before the show...we also had a drink
in Coyote Ugly in NYNY, but I think it was very expensive and no atmosphere,
could be because we were quite early though.
The show itself was fab, very entertaining, I really didn’t want to get
up on stage, and although we had front row seats and were very dressed up, I
never felt pressured into taking part...the guys were HOT! I think it lasted til about 11pm, when I
began to realise that I was getting married the next day!!...groom wanted to
see me before midnight, so the girls met up with the guys in Nine Fine Irishmen
in NYNY, really really love this bar!
The band were fab, and we ended up doing some Scottish dancing with the
locals, groom and his best man headed off about 11.55pm and I stayed out with
the bridesmaid til about 2am when I dragged them back to the Cosmo to try and
get some sleep!
Wedding day to be posted soon
CCVegasbride!