Vendor Reviews - Auguri's Married Bio

Vendor Reviews - Still making some adjustments...

We were so fortunate to have some really great vendors on our wedding day. I almost hate to call them vendors because at the end of the day, I felt like some of these incredible people were our friends. We really didn't have any "bad" vendors, but some stood out way above the rest. I was extremely happy with the entire experience and am not sure I would have changed anything.

Ceremony - The Venetian Wedding Chapel - A+

The Venetian was an amazing place to get married and our coordinator, Sage, was incredible. Sage was prompt with email replies and made sure that all the arrangements were in place prior to us arriving in Vegas. We wanted to use our own music for the Bridal and Bridal Party entrance and for the recessional, and she was great about making sure that everything worked perfectly. She made sure the bridal party and our parents were ready to go during the ceremony and everything was right on time and wonderful. Sage also arranged for my bouquet through the Venetian Floral department and I was so happy when I finally saw it. It was exactly what I wanted and the flowers were gorgeous. My bouquet was made of white calla lilies and green cymbidium orchids and they were so healthy and beautiful. Even days later the bouquet was still intact and the flowers still vibrant and gorgeous.

I would definitely recommend the Venetian to any bride looking for a really special place to get married. The picture shows the curtains drawn and covering the double doors out to the garden. Behind the double doors is the garden, which offers a ton of natural light in to the chapel. Everything about the Venetian was amazing and I am so happy about my choice to get married there.

Reception - Maggiano's Little Italy - A+++

We used all three of the large banquet rooms, plus the patio for our reception and it was perfect for all our tables plus a dance floor. Our guests loved having the bar right there and having a patio was great for all of the smokers. We had nine tables total, including a Sweetheart table and I loved that we had so much space and our guest tables weren't crammed together.

We met with Cassy a few days before the wedding to go over some final details and she was so helpful in making sure that everything was perfect for us. She worked with the florist, the bakery and the linen company and handled all of the deliveries and details so we didn’t even have to think about it. We took our box of favors, escort cards, table numbers, guest book and votive candles to her the day prior and everything was exactly as we had pictured it. Cassy even used our monogram from our website to create individual menus that were placed at each setting. Normally, there is just one menu per table, but this little personal touch was so thoughtful and absolutely wonderful.

Our guests could not stop talking about the incredible food that we had on our menu. We ordered from the Special Occasions Menu and upgraded with the Martini Bar, which was amazing. Not only was the food delicious, but there was so much of it. Nobody went hungry at our reception, and because it was served family style, everyone was able to taste all of the dishes. Unfortunately, DH and I were so busy talking to guests that we only got to taste a little bit of each dish; but the food we tasted was incredible. We missed out on the desserts (Tiramisu and Warm Apple Crostada), but everyone raved about them. Our banquet captain, Lannette, was wonderful and met up with us as soon as we were waiting by the back elevastor to do our entrance. She was great about boxing up the leftovers for our families to take back to the hotels/condos, and she even boxed up some cake and cookies for DH and me to eat later.

Ceremony Photography - The Venetian/Cashman Photography - A-

Laszlo was our photographer and he did a great job during the ceremony and for the 30 minutes we had with him in the Venetian gardens. He took some great shots of our families and the bridal party, but the majority of the shots were posed, which isn’t really my style. I didn’t expect much from Cashman, but the pictures turned out better than I expected and we decided to purchase the digital negatives and the rights to the photos. This was mainly because they were the only shots we had of the Bridal Party and we had planned to purchase them specifically for that reason. Overall, the photos were not bad, but I am still glad that we decided to have an additional photographer for the rest of the wedding day.

Photography - Todd Wilson, Bentley & Wilson Photography - A++++

As other Knotties have said, Todd was absolutely wonderful on our wedding day. We booked him for 8 hours and he stayed a little bit longer to get some last minute shots. He wasn’t allowed in for the ceremony but he waited close by and got some shots of our families and guests while DH and I were still with the Venetian photographer. Todd was a great guy, very personable and really easy to work with. He was everywhere with his camera and captured some amazing shots. I am so happy with our pictures and cannot say enough great things about him. He was such a great value and is one of those vendors that you definitely get more than what you pay for. We received about 1200-1400 photos (some are touched up) and they are gorgeous.

Hair & Make Up - Lori White - A+++++

I cannot even describe how beautiful Lori made me feel; she is a true artist and an amazing woman to work with. I received so many compliments on my hair and make up and am still receiving compliments from the photos. She was my first choice for H&M and I am so glad that I booked her.

Lori came to my room to do a trial and I was amazed by how great I looked. I was so excited for the wedding day because I was so confident in what she had done with me for the trial. For the wedding day, she brought her assistant, Lori (Rochelle), to help out with my four bridesmaids and two flower girls. They did such a great job on all the girls and they looked amazingly beautiful. Lori tweaked what she had done with during my trial and stepped it up a notch. I thought that the trial was incredible, and then I saw myself for the actual wedding day and was floored. I felt so beautiful and confident it was wonderful.

A couple days later, Lori did my hair and make up for my TTD shoot and once again she amazed me. We decided to do something a little bit different and had my hair down for the TTD. I was so happy with my hair that it almost made me wish that I had worn it down for the wedding. The hair style was perfect for the TTD at the Boneyard and it held up all day and through the night.

All three times that Lori did my hair and make-up, it lasted for hours and still looked great. Lori was so fun to work with and she is a truly gifted artist. I highly recommend her and am so happy with my choice to have her be a part of my day.

Ceremony Flowers - Rosey Posey Floral Design - A+

Michelle's prices could not be beat and she was great at offering suggestions to get the exact look we wanted. She did my bouquets (BM and FG only), bouts (GM and Fathers) and corsages (Moms). The flowers looked gorgeous and held up through the night. We used white calla lilies, green and white cymbidium orchids and some greenery and they were perfect with our color scheme. I had originally wanted just the white callas and green orchids, but the stems that came in had less orchids than usual so she was able to make it work with the white cyms and it turned out so nice! The green looked gorgeous with the navy BM dresses and the flowers were gorgeous. Michelle was so wonderful to work with and she is willing to work within any brides budget to help them create the perfect wedding. I would definitely recommend Michelle to other Brides, she is a sweetheart and here prices are amazing.

Reception Flowers - The Palette - A+

The Palette is one of Maggiano's preferred vendors and Pam comes highly recommended by several Knotties. She was great to work with and our centerpieces looked amazing. We received several compliments on our centerpieces and they looked absolutely beautiful. Our centerpieces needed to be small enough to not get in the way during our family style dinner, but still look beautiful. We had green orchids in cylinders with floating candles on the guest tables and a larger centerpice for the Sweetheart table. All of these looked incredible and fit so well with the decor of the room. I would definitely recommend Pam to other Brides and having the flowers go towards our Maggiano's room minimum was wonderful. The flowers were the perfect touch to make our reception extra special and exactly what I wanted.

Cake - Creations Bakery - A+

My cake was amazing! It was exactly as I had imagined, but better. Susie did an incredible job of capturing our vision and making it a reality. We received so many compliments on the cake design and it's originality. Not only did it look amazing but it was so delicious (at least the small piece that I had). Our guests tell us that the cake tasted amazing and was really moist. I just wish we had gotten more of it.

We found pictues of various cakes that we liked and sent them to Susie to work with. She sent us a drawing of her concept and we picked the flavors. The result was so much better than we expected. I loved everything about our cake and would definitely recommend Susie and Creations Bakery to anyone. They are one of Maggiano's preferred vendors so that was an added bonus.

Linens - RSVP Party Rentals - A

They are one of Maggiano’s preferred vendors so the balance went towards our room minimum. Also, because it was easier for Cassy (Maggiano’s Banquet Manager) to deal with them, I really didn’t have any contact with them so I can’t vouch for their customer service. We were, however, very happy with the linens that we received and they were perfect for our color scheme. They didn’t have navy blue linens, so we went with the Royal Blue Dazzle linens which were a really dark blue (I would almost say they were navy). We also had the lime green napkins and underskirts for the Sweetheart and Guest Book Table, which looked really nice together. The dark blue linens looked great with the green orchid centerpieces and the overall setting was exactly what we wanted.

Trash the Dress Photography - Chelsea Nicole - A+++++

I am such a fan of Chelsea’s work and was determined to work with her, so I convinced DH to do a Trash the Dress at the Neon Boneyard. Chelsea is one of those people that you absolutely love to be around and is so passionate about her work. She is such an incredible talent and a true artist. She was so enthusiastic and she almost seemed more excited than DH and I during the shoot. We had such great time with her and Jayse that the time just flew by. Apparently, she and Jayse are exploring a type of artistic video/”motion photography” that they may offer to couples in the future. So we were one of the lucky test couples that had the pleasure of having Jayse take some video footage during the shoot. Both Chelsea and Jayse have an amazing eye for colors, texture and lighting, and the Boneyard was the perfect place for a great Vegas style shoot. Chelsea goes out of her way during the shoot and laid down in ants, dirt and broken glass on more than one occasion in order to capture the perfect shot. DH and I had such a great time with her and Jayse that we hung out talking with them for about an hour after the shoot. They are really amazing people and it was an absolute pleasure to work with them and get to know them. Check out Chelsea's Blog (www.chelseanicoleblog.com, under Angela + Brandon Trash the Dress) for our photos.

Update: We are so happy with our pictures and love how they turned out. Some of our favorite pictures from our wedding are the ones that Chelsea took. She is amazing and we are so happy we decided to do the TTD. My wedding would not have been complete without these pictures and having Chelsea do the shoot for us.

DJ - All Night Long DJs - B

I gave our DJ, Joe, a B mainly because he wasn’t anything special or someone I would really recommend for others to use. He was good, but nothing spectacular. He played to the crowd that was on the dance floor, but didn’t really do much to get the rest of the guests out on the dance floor. As the MC, I didn’t think that he was that great at moving the reception along and letting the guests know what was going on. Our first dance was right after our entrance and I think that he forgot to play the entrance music and instead started to play that during our first dance. DH and I stood there waiting for our first dance music when Black Eyed Peas came on (not our first dance song). Joe quickly changed it and it wasn’t really a big deal, but it was slightly awkward. I also thought the speaker system was a little quiet and it was difficult to hear from our table in the center of the room during the BM's toast. Joe kept the music going and most of our guests really liked him, but compared to some of our other vendors, he just wasn’t at the same level. He wasn’t bad, but not one of the vendors I would rave about.

Tuxedo Junction - A-

Since all of our GMs were from out of town, Tuxedo Junction was the perfect place to rent tuxes due to their online measurement submission and onsite tailors. We were able to pick out tuxes and submit measurements prior to arriving in Vegas. Once we got there, DH and I went to the store to have him try his tux on and see if we liked the style and colors. We made some last minute adjustments to our vests and ties and it worked out perfectly. They were able to make the last minute change with no issues. One of our GMs had lost a lot of weight and they had no problems switching out sizes and making adjustments. DH said the only issue was that he felt a little rushed the day they went to pick up the tuxes. One salesperson was going through the inventory of items with him while another salesperson was trying to get him to sign the bill and deposit information. Maybe they were busy that day or something, but DH was a little annoyed that the salesperson was distracting him with her "if you loose this you'll get charge $$ for it" speech, during the inventory of the actual items. Other than that one incident, they were great and I thought the tuxes look fabulous!

Transport for Photo Strip Tour - Lucky Limousine - A

We rented a sedan to take us and our photographer on a photo tour of the Strip. Our driver was very nice and was ready to go as soon as we walked out the door of the Venetian. We had great communication with the company to book and excellent service from the driver. I thought their prices were great and their cars were very clean. Great service.

Dress Steaming - Fit for a Bride by Debi - A+

Debi was great to work with and it was so convenient to be able to send my dress to her and not have to worry about taking it on the plane. I notified her when I sent my dress and she contacted me as soon as she received it. When we arrived in Vegas we went to see her the next day so she could do my bustle for me. After trying the dress on again, I decided to rent crinoline through her as well. She was so helpful and a great lady to work with. It was completely stress free and she was amazing. I would definitely recommend shipping your dress to Brides who are travelling long distances. Debi took great care of my dress and it was perfect when I got it back.

Accommodations - Treasure Island - A

We stayed at TI for the 9 days we were in Vegas and we loved the rooms. The rooms looked newly renovated and were very clean. The staff was helpful and the location was perfect for going between the Venetian and Maggiano's. We would definitely stay at TI again and definitely recommend it to others.

Wedding Night Accommodations - The Venetian Hotel Resort Casino - A

The rooms at the Venetian were huge and perfect for getting ready on our wedding day. All of my BMs got ready and had hair and make up done in our suite so the space was definitely nice. The rooms were not as updated as TI, but they were still beautiful and we were very happy during our stay. We only stayed for two nights at the Venetian, but it was definitely worth it for the convenience of being close to the chapels.

Airbrush Tanning - Tanning Vegas - A-

DH and I both had airbrush tans done through Tanning Vegas. Shannon did our tan and did an amazing job. She was very fun and great to work with. I didn't want anything too dark and Shannon did a great job of making it look very natural. Both DH and I were very happy with the tans and they gave us the perfect color. I was "glowing white" before the tan and I felt that she gave me just enough color to look good and not "overdone". In fact, unless someone had seen me the day prior, they really couldn't tell that we had gotten it done. It was the perfect color to look natural. They will definitely go darker, but we just wanted to get rid of the white pasty look.

The only issue was a change out with Shannon and her sister, who was called away at the last minute. Because of the change out, the equipment that was at the shop wasn't working and Shannon had to run back to her place to get new airbrush guns. This caused about an hour delay and DH and I did some shopping close by to pass the time. It wasn't a big deal because we had some errands to run, but for those that may be in a hurry, this could cause problems. Shannon gave us a deal on the tans because of the delay and everything worked out great. Overall, I would definitely recommend them.

Invitations - Sproullie Designs - A-

Sarah from Sproullie Designs worked with us to design and create our boarding pass invitations. She was very pregnant and working a full time job (plus doing invites) during the first part of the process, so correspondence was a little slow. Since we were around 10 months out there wasn't any real rush or reason to panic. Shortly after she had her baby she was back to work and correspondence was very quick. She had some great ideas and suggestions for colors and designs. We absolutely loved the final invites and received several compliments on how great our invites looked. Our guests absolutely loved them. Overall we were very pleased with Sarah and loved the final product. These invites were the perfect touch for our destination wedding.

Bridal Salon - Becker's Bridal - Fowler, MI - A+

Because of a pricing mistake I saved about $150 on my dress. Even without the mistake, Becker's was had the best prices for dresses that I found. I checked the prices on several of the dresses I had been looking at and they beat other shops every time. Mona was great to work with and was so excited about my dress. She made the experience very exciting and I had a great time. She was so sweet and I received my dress exactly on time with no issues. They are a great shop with an incredible selection of dresses and sizes.

Kahunaville

We didn't really plan any type of any after-party because we weren't sure what everyone would feel like after such a long day. But we decided to head to Kahunaville in TI after the reception and were able to get a big table next to the bar and had a great time drinking and dancing. It was the perfect type of bar for our laid back friends and we all had a great time. The service was good, the cover band was a lot of fun and it was a great way to end the night.

Mystere' - Cirque du Soleil Show - A-

Great show with some amazing artists and acrobats! There wasn't really a story line and the end was sort of anti-climactic, but the dance and acrobats were incredible. We got a great deal on tickets and my parents and FI really had a great time. I'm not sure I would go see it again, but I enjoyed it.

KA' - Cirque Du Soleil Show - A

We went to see KA with DH's parents and we had such a great time at this show. The storyline was wonderful and the stage and performers were amazing. We got another great deal on tickets and had some really great seats. I would definetly recommend this show to others.