These are almost all Dallas-Fort Worth area Vendors as only our ceremony takes place in Las Vegas.
Venue
LaGrange, Dallas (Deep Ellum), Texas
www.lagrangedallas.com
In the spirit of full disclosure – I do know the owners, and after booking my reception there, began working there part-time and my band plays there sometimes – thus, I am very familiar with the venue and the staff.
We had full access to the bar from 3pm-closing time. The staff was amazing – and totally worked to ensure that everything was
set up exactly as I wanted. They had done a deep cleaning (and some minor repairs) the week before for a major event with a bunch of event planners (so I kind of got lucky time-wise – though I’m confident it still would’ve looked great otherwise – heck, I’m pretty
familiar with the place). Particularly Scott (the manager) was concerned with making sure EVERY detail was as I wanted it (unfortunately, the owners were out of town). My favorite bartenders (Dax & Asher) kept everyone happy and the cutest server (Ame) passed food and made sure everyone was good on beverages.
A friend of ours does home-brewing (and works in the beer brewing industry as a brew-assistant) and provided 2 ten gallon kegs of beer (one lager, one red) and a ten gallon keg of “champagne” (yes, you read that right – he kegged sparkling white wine). These were provided complimentary to our guests, as well as the option of Miller Lite draft (purchased) and red & white wines (donated).
Liquor and one of the bar’s specialties – liquored up shaved ice – were available for purchase.
There was an issue with the sound at the beginning of the night, and it resulted in us not being able to pipe the same music onto the patio that was playing indoors, but that fault lies primarily with the DJ. At the beginning of the night (when the issue was discovered) the venue manager called in a favor and had a sound tech from across the street come help and fix things (for at least sound indoors).
Grade: A+
www.lagrangedallas.com
In the spirit of full disclosure – I do know the owners, and after booking my reception there, began working there part-time and my band plays there sometimes – thus, I am very familiar with the venue and the staff.
We had full access to the bar from 3pm-closing time. The staff was amazing – and totally worked to ensure that everything was
set up exactly as I wanted. They had done a deep cleaning (and some minor repairs) the week before for a major event with a bunch of event planners (so I kind of got lucky time-wise – though I’m confident it still would’ve looked great otherwise – heck, I’m pretty
familiar with the place). Particularly Scott (the manager) was concerned with making sure EVERY detail was as I wanted it (unfortunately, the owners were out of town). My favorite bartenders (Dax & Asher) kept everyone happy and the cutest server (Ame) passed food and made sure everyone was good on beverages.
A friend of ours does home-brewing (and works in the beer brewing industry as a brew-assistant) and provided 2 ten gallon kegs of beer (one lager, one red) and a ten gallon keg of “champagne” (yes, you read that right – he kegged sparkling white wine). These were provided complimentary to our guests, as well as the option of Miller Lite draft (purchased) and red & white wines (donated).
Liquor and one of the bar’s specialties – liquored up shaved ice – were available for purchase.
There was an issue with the sound at the beginning of the night, and it resulted in us not being able to pipe the same music onto the patio that was playing indoors, but that fault lies primarily with the DJ. At the beginning of the night (when the issue was discovered) the venue manager called in a favor and had a sound tech from across the street come help and fix things (for at least sound indoors).
Grade: A+
Catering
As my reception venue (La Grange) also has a restaurant in-house, I will be using them for passed appetizers/ hors d'oeuvres. We will not be doing a sit-down meal - just finger foods/snacks as it is a "cocktail reception." Their chef, Chris, is very inspired, organized and seems to truly love his craft. After our tasting, we are very excited about our selections. They also do outside catering.
Chris (chef) and his staff really made a great spread – lots of compliments on the food. We had set out on the bar: candied bacon (on a stick – seriously), cherry tomato-mozzarella skewers (with balsamic dipping sauce), fresh fruit skewers, 3 varieties of baked brie and miscellaneous cheese cubes and grapes. All were displayed beautifully.Passed apps: stuffed jalapenos, stuffed mushrooms and roast beef crostinis . Per our request, they also provided a variety of turkey wraps for the wedding party and family to eat between photos and the reception start.
Grade: A+
Chris (chef) and his staff really made a great spread – lots of compliments on the food. We had set out on the bar: candied bacon (on a stick – seriously), cherry tomato-mozzarella skewers (with balsamic dipping sauce), fresh fruit skewers, 3 varieties of baked brie and miscellaneous cheese cubes and grapes. All were displayed beautifully.Passed apps: stuffed jalapenos, stuffed mushrooms and roast beef crostinis . Per our request, they also provided a variety of turkey wraps for the wedding party and family to eat between photos and the reception start.
Grade: A+
Alterations
Becky Fowler, Irving, Texas
972-986-8067
[email protected]
If you are on the Dallas-Fort Worth Knot board, you've probably heard how amazing (and affordable) she is... It's all true. A very sweet and knowledgable lady, who does fantastic work at a great cost (cash only). She was a joy to work with (my mom kept gushing about her after my initial appointment). My dress truly fit like a glove and she was able to troubleshoot the issue of my bustier showing by tacking it into my dress.
Grade: A+
972-986-8067
[email protected]
If you are on the Dallas-Fort Worth Knot board, you've probably heard how amazing (and affordable) she is... It's all true. A very sweet and knowledgable lady, who does fantastic work at a great cost (cash only). She was a joy to work with (my mom kept gushing about her after my initial appointment). My dress truly fit like a glove and she was able to troubleshoot the issue of my bustier showing by tacking it into my dress.
Grade: A+
Make-Up
Desi Chartier, MAC Nordstrom, North East Mall, Hurst
You'll probably have to contact her at work or hit me up for her direct contact info.
Desi has been a friend of mine for years, and has done my make-up for fun or for special occasions several times (and her make-up always looks killer). I'm so glad she's doing my make-up for my reception (and she noted all the colors used with the hopes that the MAC artist in Las Vegas will follow her template).
She came to my parent’s house to do make-up for myself, my sister (MOH) and my mother. She did arrive a few minutes late, but we still got everything done! We were all thrilled with the results. My mom had never had full make-up done by a pro, and seemed to really enjoy it (she looked fantastic – and has since said that she wants to go talk to Desi next time she needs to buy make-up). Desi had done make-up for both my sister and myself in the past (and did my trial as well as create a plan that I provided to the artist in Las Vegas) – thus we knew what to expect and were very happy. One of my other BMs came over early (from OOT) to ride with us and even though it wasn’t planned or paid for, Desi insisted on retouching her self-applied make-up (in full disclosure, they also are acquainted). We did run a minute late – but that’s mostly because we took our time chatting and munching on lunch.
Grade: A+
You'll probably have to contact her at work or hit me up for her direct contact info.
Desi has been a friend of mine for years, and has done my make-up for fun or for special occasions several times (and her make-up always looks killer). I'm so glad she's doing my make-up for my reception (and she noted all the colors used with the hopes that the MAC artist in Las Vegas will follow her template).
She came to my parent’s house to do make-up for myself, my sister (MOH) and my mother. She did arrive a few minutes late, but we still got everything done! We were all thrilled with the results. My mom had never had full make-up done by a pro, and seemed to really enjoy it (she looked fantastic – and has since said that she wants to go talk to Desi next time she needs to buy make-up). Desi had done make-up for both my sister and myself in the past (and did my trial as well as create a plan that I provided to the artist in Las Vegas) – thus we knew what to expect and were very happy. One of my other BMs came over early (from OOT) to ride with us and even though it wasn’t planned or paid for, Desi insisted on retouching her self-applied make-up (in full disclosure, they also are acquainted). We did run a minute late – but that’s mostly because we took our time chatting and munching on lunch.
Grade: A+
Photographer
David Wilson
http://davidwilsonphoto.com/
He isn't a typical "wedding photographer" - he approaches weddings as events and I found him very reasonable. Super nice guy, and he took some phenomenal photos of my band several years ago.
Well, since I don’t have my pictures back yet, it’s hard to say… BUT he was punctual and made a point to get pictures of everything I asked. Originally, I wanted to do some cool pictures out and around Deep Ellum – however a heat index of approximately 106
made that just sound miserable – so we did mostly indoor pictures with a couple on the patio and right outside the venue.
After taking wedding party pics, he left to change and eat, then came back in plenty of time to take family pictures and document the evening. He was in the loop on the time-line and seemed to always be around – so I think we’ll have the night well documented! I should get my pics next week.
Grade: Tentative A+
http://davidwilsonphoto.com/
He isn't a typical "wedding photographer" - he approaches weddings as events and I found him very reasonable. Super nice guy, and he took some phenomenal photos of my band several years ago.
Well, since I don’t have my pictures back yet, it’s hard to say… BUT he was punctual and made a point to get pictures of everything I asked. Originally, I wanted to do some cool pictures out and around Deep Ellum – however a heat index of approximately 106
made that just sound miserable – so we did mostly indoor pictures with a couple on the patio and right outside the venue.
After taking wedding party pics, he left to change and eat, then came back in plenty of time to take family pictures and document the evening. He was in the loop on the time-line and seemed to always be around – so I think we’ll have the night well documented! I should get my pics next week.
Grade: Tentative A+
Florist
Mid-Cities Florist
http://www.midcitiesfloralevents.com/
Super nice and very creative. I'll be getting the flowers for my Dallas reception from them, primarily for photos, plus 2 arrangements for venue decor.
The young lady who is the designer and planner is a joy to deal with (heck, she remembered us from my sister’s wedding 2 years ago). She has lots of cool ideas and likes to have“fun” with her work. They arrived on time (heck, slightly early!) and set up my beautiful arrangements. The floral design girl even thanked me for“letting her do something creative.” They were a mix of purple and white flowers (with some pops of pink) on TALL column vases at each end of the bar with spiraled silver wire integrated. The groomsmen’s boutonnieres were 3 white button mums tied with silver wire. DH’s boutonniere was an iris and a monkey tail tied with silver wire. For the MOH and BMs I did wristlets (as bouquets seemed pointless if it was mostly for photos and identification) – they were awesome with 2 white spider mums and a peacock feather (tinted pink). My bouquet ROCKED! It was a mix of the same purple and white flowers from the arrangements, plus irises - one half had monkey tails integrated and the other half had peacock feathers (tinted pink) in it. They would have gotten a “+” if the flowers lasted longer at home (looked beautiful for the whole reception).
Grade: A
http://www.midcitiesfloralevents.com/
Super nice and very creative. I'll be getting the flowers for my Dallas reception from them, primarily for photos, plus 2 arrangements for venue decor.
The young lady who is the designer and planner is a joy to deal with (heck, she remembered us from my sister’s wedding 2 years ago). She has lots of cool ideas and likes to have“fun” with her work. They arrived on time (heck, slightly early!) and set up my beautiful arrangements. The floral design girl even thanked me for“letting her do something creative.” They were a mix of purple and white flowers (with some pops of pink) on TALL column vases at each end of the bar with spiraled silver wire integrated. The groomsmen’s boutonnieres were 3 white button mums tied with silver wire. DH’s boutonniere was an iris and a monkey tail tied with silver wire. For the MOH and BMs I did wristlets (as bouquets seemed pointless if it was mostly for photos and identification) – they were awesome with 2 white spider mums and a peacock feather (tinted pink). My bouquet ROCKED! It was a mix of the same purple and white flowers from the arrangements, plus irises - one half had monkey tails integrated and the other half had peacock feathers (tinted pink) in it. They would have gotten a “+” if the flowers lasted longer at home (looked beautiful for the whole reception).
Grade: A
Cake
Texas Star Bakery
http://www.texasstarbakery.com/
CUPCAKES!
As we are serving finger foods at the reception, and I adore cupcakes, it only seemed to make sense that we do cupcakes for our wedding cake. We are going to rent the cupcake tree from Texas Star and get a 6" round cake for the top tier for us to cut. This also works to let us offer a variety of fun flavors to our guests!
I hate to give them anything less than a solid “A” but for a few reasons must: the damn cupcake tree I rented from them. The one
that was sent out with them was damaged, and wobbled all night (the bartender had to keep it from falling when we cut the top 6” cake for our cake-cutting). The folks that did the delivery told us to tell the staff when the tree was returned. We were refunded the rental fee ($35). On the plus side, as always, the cupcakes and cake were delicious and a HUGE hit and everything was set up on
time. Our 6” round on top was white cake, and we had 4 varieties of cupcakes: peanut butter & jelly (special order only now –white cake, strawberry filling and peanut butter icing), strawberry, orange (tastes like “creamsicle”) and chocolate.
(and yes, there are still LOTS left over)
Grade: A-
http://www.texasstarbakery.com/
CUPCAKES!
As we are serving finger foods at the reception, and I adore cupcakes, it only seemed to make sense that we do cupcakes for our wedding cake. We are going to rent the cupcake tree from Texas Star and get a 6" round cake for the top tier for us to cut. This also works to let us offer a variety of fun flavors to our guests!
I hate to give them anything less than a solid “A” but for a few reasons must: the damn cupcake tree I rented from them. The one
that was sent out with them was damaged, and wobbled all night (the bartender had to keep it from falling when we cut the top 6” cake for our cake-cutting). The folks that did the delivery told us to tell the staff when the tree was returned. We were refunded the rental fee ($35). On the plus side, as always, the cupcakes and cake were delicious and a HUGE hit and everything was set up on
time. Our 6” round on top was white cake, and we had 4 varieties of cupcakes: peanut butter & jelly (special order only now –white cake, strawberry filling and peanut butter icing), strawberry, orange (tastes like “creamsicle”) and chocolate.
(and yes, there are still LOTS left over)
Grade: A-
DJ
DJ Bad Holly
http://www.facebook.com/DJBadHolly
How she describes herself: "I specialize in fun dance parties playing anything and everything under the sun. As long as it's fun, ridiculous, silly, stupid, and you can dance to it, I'll play it.
Examples of bands/genres on my play list:
Queen, Toy Dolls, the Clash, Kenny Loggins, Throw Rag, Dead or Alive, Billy Ocean, T. Rex, Chixdiggit, the Queers, Pet Shop Boys, the Sweet, AC/DC, Guns n' Roses, the Specials, Los Straitjackets, Squirrel Nut Zippers, the Cramps, New York Dolls, etc.; 60's soul, Motown, and pop; 70's glam rock and rock & roll; strip club rock; 80's retro, new wave, hair metal, and pop; ska and reggae; garage; old school hip hop and rap; and the list goes on......"
My fiance and I are kind of "subcultural" folks, and musicians - so it only makes sense that we ensure that our DJ reflects our musical tastes well! Most of the big DJs that do weddings don't really have a lot of the music we like/listen to, so we sought out Holly (who also came highly recommended, and knows our venue).
Holly was a bit flakey (several rescheduled meetings, running late, missed communications) but in the end, we had everything nailed down to a “t” and were all set for the reception. She was supposed to arrive approximately 1 –1.5 hours before the reception (6 or 6:30pm). I spoke to her a little after this and she was unconcerned as “all she has to do at LaGrange is plug in” (she’d DJ-ed at the venue several times before) and would be there soon. Some family arrived around 7 (for photos) and some guests even started arriving early. Somewhere around 7:15 she runs in and drops a CD at the sound-booth (separate from the DJ booth) to start playing while she sets up (reception scheduled to start at 7:30p). She gets all set up and seems to be ready to go… but they can’t get the sound to work with her board (she used a different board than previously). At 8pm, she is supposed to introduce the wedding party and we are all cloistered in a hallway ready. I finally hear what is going on (they kind of kept me out of the loop so I wouldn’t worry – between a friend that was helping with the timeline and the venue manager) – and I was less than thrilled. They did get sound working about 10-15 minutes late. Luckily, she was prepared with that CD that was able to play during all this, but I was pretty annoyed because it all could have been avoided (or fixed before guests arrived) had she shown up at the expected time. The way it had to be set up (due to lack of time) prevented them from being able to pipe the same music outside. We started with a mix of old soul/doo-wop and outlaw country, then slowly built up into more current rock/covers/southern rock/classic rock then into dance-y fun stuff. Overall – I got compliments on the music and once the “party” started, she kept folks dancing and did the prescribed announcing – the only reason for her lower grade was her tardiness. She’s a very hyper and slightly “spazzy” eccentric chick – but nice and got the job done.
Grade: B-
http://www.facebook.com/DJBadHolly
How she describes herself: "I specialize in fun dance parties playing anything and everything under the sun. As long as it's fun, ridiculous, silly, stupid, and you can dance to it, I'll play it.
Examples of bands/genres on my play list:
Queen, Toy Dolls, the Clash, Kenny Loggins, Throw Rag, Dead or Alive, Billy Ocean, T. Rex, Chixdiggit, the Queers, Pet Shop Boys, the Sweet, AC/DC, Guns n' Roses, the Specials, Los Straitjackets, Squirrel Nut Zippers, the Cramps, New York Dolls, etc.; 60's soul, Motown, and pop; 70's glam rock and rock & roll; strip club rock; 80's retro, new wave, hair metal, and pop; ska and reggae; garage; old school hip hop and rap; and the list goes on......"
My fiance and I are kind of "subcultural" folks, and musicians - so it only makes sense that we ensure that our DJ reflects our musical tastes well! Most of the big DJs that do weddings don't really have a lot of the music we like/listen to, so we sought out Holly (who also came highly recommended, and knows our venue).
Holly was a bit flakey (several rescheduled meetings, running late, missed communications) but in the end, we had everything nailed down to a “t” and were all set for the reception. She was supposed to arrive approximately 1 –1.5 hours before the reception (6 or 6:30pm). I spoke to her a little after this and she was unconcerned as “all she has to do at LaGrange is plug in” (she’d DJ-ed at the venue several times before) and would be there soon. Some family arrived around 7 (for photos) and some guests even started arriving early. Somewhere around 7:15 she runs in and drops a CD at the sound-booth (separate from the DJ booth) to start playing while she sets up (reception scheduled to start at 7:30p). She gets all set up and seems to be ready to go… but they can’t get the sound to work with her board (she used a different board than previously). At 8pm, she is supposed to introduce the wedding party and we are all cloistered in a hallway ready. I finally hear what is going on (they kind of kept me out of the loop so I wouldn’t worry – between a friend that was helping with the timeline and the venue manager) – and I was less than thrilled. They did get sound working about 10-15 minutes late. Luckily, she was prepared with that CD that was able to play during all this, but I was pretty annoyed because it all could have been avoided (or fixed before guests arrived) had she shown up at the expected time. The way it had to be set up (due to lack of time) prevented them from being able to pipe the same music outside. We started with a mix of old soul/doo-wop and outlaw country, then slowly built up into more current rock/covers/southern rock/classic rock then into dance-y fun stuff. Overall – I got compliments on the music and once the “party” started, she kept folks dancing and did the prescribed announcing – the only reason for her lower grade was her tardiness. She’s a very hyper and slightly “spazzy” eccentric chick – but nice and got the job done.
Grade: B-
The Flamingo
(800)933-7993
I've already noted information related to this on my Ceremony page.
My original coordinator was Christine Casanova, however she has moved elsewhere in the company and my new coordinator is Iliana Gilbert.
HOTEL:
We were SUPER happy with the staff, the room (our package came with 2 nights in a King "Go" mini-suite, and we added one night) and the facility in general. The reason for the minus is that it took a while to get into our room (we arrived before the normal check-in time, but everyone else in our group that arrived that day got rooms almost right away), and the check-in/check-out process is a fiasco. There were huge lines for both and it was kind of a pain - they didn't have our payment confirmation (had been done through the chapel) at the front desk and had to make calls to ensure it was all taken care of. Note: you can check out via the television in your room, however we had some info to verify thus had to do it in person.
Grade: A-
CHAPEL:
I did have a coordinator change about 4 months ago, however, all the information seemed to flow just fine. In the midst of the change, the chapel manager assisted me. My one complaint about the change was that no one notified me of it until I contacted them with questions. The day before the ceremony, we dropped off our paperwork and got to look in the chapel (they also verified all
our details/information at that time). My assigned coordinator was off on the day of our ceremony, however, the manager was there and handled everything. She rocked! Very sweet, very organized, and made sure everything flowed wonderfully. Our ceremony was in the indoor Garden Chapel - and unfortuantely, while the AC was cranked, it got stuffy and warm during the ceremony (and my poor DH and the Best Man were sweating). The minister was also wonderful - great attitude, great message, great memory and just perfect (he was also accomodating, in filing our paperwork the next day, as I'm military and need to file my name change before I leave for training next month). The flowers were as requested and even DH commented that they were pretty.
-Coordinator: Iliana Gilbert
-Manager: Kris Labuda
-Minister: "Vegas" Vahan
Grade: A
I've already noted information related to this on my Ceremony page.
My original coordinator was Christine Casanova, however she has moved elsewhere in the company and my new coordinator is Iliana Gilbert.
HOTEL:
We were SUPER happy with the staff, the room (our package came with 2 nights in a King "Go" mini-suite, and we added one night) and the facility in general. The reason for the minus is that it took a while to get into our room (we arrived before the normal check-in time, but everyone else in our group that arrived that day got rooms almost right away), and the check-in/check-out process is a fiasco. There were huge lines for both and it was kind of a pain - they didn't have our payment confirmation (had been done through the chapel) at the front desk and had to make calls to ensure it was all taken care of. Note: you can check out via the television in your room, however we had some info to verify thus had to do it in person.
Grade: A-
CHAPEL:
I did have a coordinator change about 4 months ago, however, all the information seemed to flow just fine. In the midst of the change, the chapel manager assisted me. My one complaint about the change was that no one notified me of it until I contacted them with questions. The day before the ceremony, we dropped off our paperwork and got to look in the chapel (they also verified all
our details/information at that time). My assigned coordinator was off on the day of our ceremony, however, the manager was there and handled everything. She rocked! Very sweet, very organized, and made sure everything flowed wonderfully. Our ceremony was in the indoor Garden Chapel - and unfortuantely, while the AC was cranked, it got stuffy and warm during the ceremony (and my poor DH and the Best Man were sweating). The minister was also wonderful - great attitude, great message, great memory and just perfect (he was also accomodating, in filing our paperwork the next day, as I'm military and need to file my name change before I leave for training next month). The flowers were as requested and even DH commented that they were pretty.
-Coordinator: Iliana Gilbert
-Manager: Kris Labuda
-Minister: "Vegas" Vahan
Grade: A
Bus Tour of Las Vegas
Double Decker Bus Company of Las Vegas
http://www.doubledeckerbusoflasvegas.com/
I found them via a lot of reviews on The Knot - Nevada-Las Vegas board. I'm very excited about getting to see so many sights in Las Vegas in one evening and hope to get lots of fun photos!
Our guests had a blast on the bus! We had a great time seeing the Strip, taking pictures at the sign, and checking out Fremont Street (saw the light show). The TI Sirens show was LAME (wish we had skipped it). We almost had difficulty coordinating beverage pick-up the day before, but they arranged for a driver to meet my parents later on the day before the ride, so no problem with that (beer and sodas were cold and ready when they picked us up). It may seem silly (and some probably prefer this) but we were a little disappointed that there is no smoking permitted on the open top (I partially understand, but still seemed odd - lots of smokers - cigarette, pipe and cigar - in our posse).
Grade: A
http://www.doubledeckerbusoflasvegas.com/
I found them via a lot of reviews on The Knot - Nevada-Las Vegas board. I'm very excited about getting to see so many sights in Las Vegas in one evening and hope to get lots of fun photos!
Our guests had a blast on the bus! We had a great time seeing the Strip, taking pictures at the sign, and checking out Fremont Street (saw the light show). The TI Sirens show was LAME (wish we had skipped it). We almost had difficulty coordinating beverage pick-up the day before, but they arranged for a driver to meet my parents later on the day before the ride, so no problem with that (beer and sodas were cold and ready when they picked us up). It may seem silly (and some probably prefer this) but we were a little disappointed that there is no smoking permitted on the open top (I partially understand, but still seemed odd - lots of smokers - cigarette, pipe and cigar - in our posse).
Grade: A
Special Transportation in Las Vegas
Presidential Limousine
http://www.presidentiallimolv.com/Las-Vegas-Limo-Web-Specials.php
They have a great special to transport you from the airport to your hotel (with baggage assistance, a rose and champagne!) - plus their special provides pick-up from the hotel to the airport (for the flight home). We chose the stretch limo. I'm having them add a charge for 30 extra minutes so we can go straight to the marriage license office from the airport, then to the hotel (saves us a cab fare later, and lets us have fun with it). Plus, my fiance recentlly told me he has never been in a limo, so this will be extra cool!
I booked the "web special" (great rate for a little spluge to get transport to/from the airport/hotel). I had them add 30 min for our arrival trip, as we went straight to the courthouse from the airport then to the hotel. They had no problem accomodating this (we just had to pay the driver cash at drop off). The "arrival" ride included a bottle of sparkling wine and a rose, which was fun. Both drivers were nice, though the 1st one had more personality.
Grade: A
http://www.presidentiallimolv.com/Las-Vegas-Limo-Web-Specials.php
They have a great special to transport you from the airport to your hotel (with baggage assistance, a rose and champagne!) - plus their special provides pick-up from the hotel to the airport (for the flight home). We chose the stretch limo. I'm having them add a charge for 30 extra minutes so we can go straight to the marriage license office from the airport, then to the hotel (saves us a cab fare later, and lets us have fun with it). Plus, my fiance recentlly told me he has never been in a limo, so this will be extra cool!
I booked the "web special" (great rate for a little spluge to get transport to/from the airport/hotel). I had them add 30 min for our arrival trip, as we went straight to the courthouse from the airport then to the hotel. They had no problem accomodating this (we just had to pay the driver cash at drop off). The "arrival" ride included a bottle of sparkling wine and a rose, which was fun. Both drivers were nice, though the 1st one had more personality.
Grade: A
Make-Up
MAC at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
(702) 893-4800
They have two options:
-buy $50 of product and get your make-up done at the counter (possible interruptions from customers)
-pay $50 and get an uninterrupted make-up session in the studio (get a free mascara and $14 for false lashes)
We opted for the uninterrupted session for myself and my MOH, my BMs have not yet decided if they are going to do this (we have appts held either way though). Myself, MOH and one BM had our makeup done here. They can do 2 at a time. We each had different artists, and were all THRILLED with the results... Now for the reason for the lower grade: within a couple hours (still before ceremony) my MOH's eyes creased so bad that there was almost NO makeup on part of her lids (both eyes) - and mine got weird and basically melted off on the outside corner of one eye. Luckily, between us, we had similar colors in our own stashes and were able to touch-up ourselves. As we are all very familiar with the brand, we think this was due to them skipping on primer (and being in a much dryer climate than our skin is used to).
Grade: B
(702) 893-4800
They have two options:
-buy $50 of product and get your make-up done at the counter (possible interruptions from customers)
-pay $50 and get an uninterrupted make-up session in the studio (get a free mascara and $14 for false lashes)
We opted for the uninterrupted session for myself and my MOH, my BMs have not yet decided if they are going to do this (we have appts held either way though). Myself, MOH and one BM had our makeup done here. They can do 2 at a time. We each had different artists, and were all THRILLED with the results... Now for the reason for the lower grade: within a couple hours (still before ceremony) my MOH's eyes creased so bad that there was almost NO makeup on part of her lids (both eyes) - and mine got weird and basically melted off on the outside corner of one eye. Luckily, between us, we had similar colors in our own stashes and were able to touch-up ourselves. As we are all very familiar with the brand, we think this was due to them skipping on primer (and being in a much dryer climate than our skin is used to).
Grade: B
