Vendors & Reviews
Coordination
Event Coordinator: Jennifer J. Events, South Florida
Venues
Hotel: The Westin Colonnade, Coral Gables
Church: St. Patrick Catholic Church, Miami Beach
Photo & Video
Photographer: Alain Martinez, South Florida
Cinematographer: Ray Roman Films, South Florida
Live Feed Videographer, Clear Vision Pictures
Photo Location, Engagement, Olympian Theater at the Gusman Center
Photo/Video Location, Post-Wedding, Biltmore Hotel
Photo Location, Rock the Dress Session, Vizcaya
Photobooth, Partybooths
Decor & Rentals
Florist: Daniel Events, South Florida
Mandap, Kisna Weddings, Florida
Linens, The Linen Factory, South Florida
Linens, Gable Linens
Rentals, Hitched Rentals
Lighting & AV
Lighting, Phillip Bregman
AV: PSAV, Nationwide
REVIEW: This is Westin Colonnade's in-house team, and we worked specifically with Jose Otero. Aside from the usual A/V needs, they also provided two LCD screens hung from the second level. These screens made our event. They allowed those guests who didn't have the best view to watch a live feed of what was going on, from speeches, to performances, to dances. They displayed all our photo slideshows beautifully, and allowed our DJ to have fun with music videos and images. All in all, everything audiovisual went off without a hitch. Jose was easy to work with and willing to negotiate, and we were very happy with PSAV!
WOULD I WORK WITH PSAV AGAIN/REFER TO OTHERS? 100%
WOULD I WORK WITH PSAV AGAIN/REFER TO OTHERS? 100%
Fashion & Beauty
Wedding Gown: Chic Parisien, Coral Gables
Tuxes, Mr. Tux
Attire Alterations, Alterations by Reina
Makeup Artist/Stylist, South Beach Makeup Studio by Amy Palma, South Florida
REVIEW: I have a bit of a LONG mixed review for Amy. I absolutely love her and thought she did a beautiful job, but there were a few issues here and there. I had three trials with Amy before the wedding day. The first trial, she did two eye makeup looks, both of which I loved. Britney did my hair, which I also really liked, especially from the front(see photos under "Pretty"). Unfortunately the curls straightened out and my bangs were flopping straight into my face after only a couple hours. See hot mess below.
Above Photo Credit: Jeff Kolodny
I mentioned this to Amy, and sent her photos, and she suggested I come in again, and that she would personally do my hair gratis. I agreed, and we eventually set up another appointment for a second trial. This was the same day as my engagement pics.
So the good stuff: She was very patient and gracious in letting my mom, aunt, and I use one of their rooms to change into my outfit. As usual, very sweet, outgoing, and funny. I liked the final look, makeup-wise, a lot. I liked the back of the hair and the sides of the hair.
The not so good stuff: I told her Dhru wasn't a fan of dramatic makeup, so I wanted something simple for the eyes, maybe similar to last time. She ended up doing a little bit more dramatic look with grays. My aunt and mom said it was too much, and I agreed. So she said no problem and changed it right away. She forgot the chart she created for me last time at home, so she was guessing on all the colors, especially the lip color, which was perfect last time. She forgot to do my eyebrows. Last time I told her it didn't look good if they weren't set into place and filled out/defined a bit. She forgot this time, and so did I.
She forgot that the hair part of my trial was not only supposed to be free(I had to remind her when we were paying at the end), but also that she was supposed to do it. She had the same girl, Britney, do my hair. I was too bewildered with all the other craziness of the day, and started second-guessing myself as to whether she had said that. When I got home, I checked my email, and she had said that she would do it herself.
The plus of Britney doing it was that I'm sure we saved some time. Plus she really is very sweet, and had a lot of patience with us. I had gotten convinced by my mom to try these brown extensions in my hair, to give some highlight. So Britney took the time to curl them and place them in my hair. I ended up hating them, and she pulled them out, and said it was important for me to be happy.
So last time, my hair was flopping in my face, falling out, and straightened out in a couple hours. This time, the front was too curly for the pics in my opinion. The curls were too tight, and I wanted them looser. I was hoping we could achieve some kind of happy medium for the wedding day.
So the good stuff: She was very patient and gracious in letting my mom, aunt, and I use one of their rooms to change into my outfit. As usual, very sweet, outgoing, and funny. I liked the final look, makeup-wise, a lot. I liked the back of the hair and the sides of the hair.
The not so good stuff: I told her Dhru wasn't a fan of dramatic makeup, so I wanted something simple for the eyes, maybe similar to last time. She ended up doing a little bit more dramatic look with grays. My aunt and mom said it was too much, and I agreed. So she said no problem and changed it right away. She forgot the chart she created for me last time at home, so she was guessing on all the colors, especially the lip color, which was perfect last time. She forgot to do my eyebrows. Last time I told her it didn't look good if they weren't set into place and filled out/defined a bit. She forgot this time, and so did I.
She forgot that the hair part of my trial was not only supposed to be free(I had to remind her when we were paying at the end), but also that she was supposed to do it. She had the same girl, Britney, do my hair. I was too bewildered with all the other craziness of the day, and started second-guessing myself as to whether she had said that. When I got home, I checked my email, and she had said that she would do it herself.
The plus of Britney doing it was that I'm sure we saved some time. Plus she really is very sweet, and had a lot of patience with us. I had gotten convinced by my mom to try these brown extensions in my hair, to give some highlight. So Britney took the time to curl them and place them in my hair. I ended up hating them, and she pulled them out, and said it was important for me to be happy.
So last time, my hair was flopping in my face, falling out, and straightened out in a couple hours. This time, the front was too curly for the pics in my opinion. The curls were too tight, and I wanted them looser. I was hoping we could achieve some kind of happy medium for the wedding day.
We came in one final time for my mom's makeup trial, and for an up-do hair trial for me for the Hindu ceremony. Amy did my hair this time, and I was happy with the up-do. She also did my mom's makeup. My mom really just wanted a natural, simple look, because she doesn't wear much makeup to begin with. This was her final look, gold and brown on the eyes and reddish-brown lips. Super simple.
THE BIG DAY: I'll preface this by saying the day was crazy. An early start time due to two ceremonies, 10 bridesmaids requiring hair and makeup, etc etc. Amy showed up on time and started on my mom and me. When she finished my makeup for the Hindu ceremony, and showed me the look, it looked great, but unfortunately wasn't what we agreed on(it was the look we liked but decided against). I still looked great though, and so just called her to the side a bit later and asked if we can just make sure to do the agreed upon look for the Catholic ceremony. She apologized right away, and insisted on quickly "fixing" it so it was what we agreed on. I appreciated that, since I had told her it was fine. I loved my makeup, and my hair looked great! See photos under "Pretty".
My mom's eye makeup turned out too dramatic for our taste. She had also decided last minute that she wanted her hair styled a bit. This was a mistake on her part, because she wasn't happy with the final look. Poor mom, felt bad that she wasn't happy. :(
My mom's eye makeup turned out too dramatic for our taste. She had also decided last minute that she wanted her hair styled a bit. This was a mistake on her part, because she wasn't happy with the final look. Poor mom, felt bad that she wasn't happy. :(
My mom had gotten me this pretty headpiece at the last minute, and so my hairstyle had to be altered slightly the day of(no more pouf) for the Catholic wedding. While it wasn't the style I originally wanted, I thought it came out pretty and that Amy worked with the headpiece and veil well. I also liked most of the makeup. She forgot about my eyebrows again, and so stray hairs kept falling out of place and driving my bridesmaids and mom crazy...oh wells. I was very happy with my look.
With regards to bridesmaids, I thought I had prepped Amy well enough, bringing in pics of the girls and skin and hair types, bringing in inspiration looks for makeup, etc. I thought everyone's hair was styled without issue, but the makeup definitely stressed me out a bit. Depending on which artist was working on them, each girl had a different look, from hot pink, to smoky, to pinkish gold. Amy finally stopped everyone, and we went over again what we agreed upon so that every artist could do a similar look catered to each girl's skin tone. Ultimately I thought everyone looked beautiful. My one remaining gripe was that Amy had agreed to do fake lashes on all the girls who wanted them. But the day of, only my Matron of Honor got them. One of my bridesmaids even asked, and she was told she didn't need them(which is nonsense, because she has tiny lashes!) I brought it up to Amy, and she said no problem whoever wants lashes can get them, but still hardly anyone got them. It made me wonder whether they even had them or not.
Regardless everyone looked really beautiful when all was said and done. The hairstyle didn't hold up on a few of the girls, but otherwise it was all good. See pics under "Pretty".
Britney stayed until right before the reception, to do final touchups on me and my mom. She curled my hair again, and made my makeup a little bit more fun. She worked on my mom's hair a bit more, which I really appreciate, and got it to look really great. We were really happy with our reception looks.
Regardless everyone looked really beautiful when all was said and done. The hairstyle didn't hold up on a few of the girls, but otherwise it was all good. See pics under "Pretty".
Britney stayed until right before the reception, to do final touchups on me and my mom. She curled my hair again, and made my makeup a little bit more fun. She worked on my mom's hair a bit more, which I really appreciate, and got it to look really great. We were really happy with our reception looks.
WOULD I WORK WITH AMY AGAIN/REFER TO OTHERS? Yes, definitely. My sister-in-law and family friend both used Amy/Britney on my recommendation. Despite the fact that she often forgot what was agreed on/discussed, when it came down to it I was always confident that I would look and feel beautiful when she was done. She is the best with foundation and concealing and mixing your perfect color...this is always the area that doesn't come right for me. I look gray, or my dark undereye circles aren't covered well. But Amy is the best at this, in my opinion. She also has a great, unfiltered energy that you can't help but love. I would 100% use her again for makeup, and Britney for hair and touchups. I would just organize better and be more clear as to what I'm wanting.
Makeup Artist/Stylist, Anna Noriega
REVIEW: Anna Noriega provided makeup services and simple hairstyling for my three Junior Bridesmaids. She came through for us at the last minute, as we were still looking for a makeup artist for them close to the event. She was professional, on-time, and really nice. She did a great job on the girls.
WOULD I WORK WITH ANNA AGAIN/REFER TO OTHERS? Since I didn't use her personally, and I already love Amy and Karla, I probably wouldn't. But I would recommend her for others for the job she did on my teenage cousins.
WOULD I WORK WITH ANNA AGAIN/REFER TO OTHERS? Since I didn't use her personally, and I already love Amy and Karla, I probably wouldn't. But I would recommend her for others for the job she did on my teenage cousins.
Makeup Artist/Stylist, Karla Lola
REVIEW: Of all the vendors I worked with for wedding-related events, Karla was one of the nicest. She was recommended by Alain Martinez for my Rock the Dress session when an allergy attack forced me to reschedule and we needed someone last minute. Negotiations weren't needed because her pricing was really fair. She arrived early to set up, and was so professional and sweet throughout. She took her time and made sure I was happy with what she was doing along the way. Despite my allergy-ridden puffy eyes, she made me look and feel beautiful. After she finished, she helped my mom get me into my gown and veil. I loved that no one had to rush her because she was paying attention to the time and when I needed to leave. My only regret is not having her come onsite for the photo session, as it was really hot and I felt so sweaty. Despite that, you can't tell AT ALL in the photos...the makeup stayed put, even with light blotting. My veil fell out when we got there, so if I had to do it over again, I would ask her to secure it better.
WOULD I WORK WITH KARLA AGAIN/REFER TO OTHERS? Yes, absolutely. I already did recommend her to a knot friend who was considering her among others for a photo session.
WOULD I WORK WITH KARLA AGAIN/REFER TO OTHERS? Yes, absolutely. I already did recommend her to a knot friend who was considering her among others for a photo session.
Mehndi/Henna, Anarkali Salon
Catering & Cake
Cake, Ana Paz Cakes, South Florida
Outside Catering, Udipi Restaurant
Cake Topper, Crafty Eddy, Nationwide
Monograms, Pink Design Events, Nationwide
DJ, Dudha Productions- DJ Firoz, Florida
Invitations, Parekh Cards, Bombay, India
Calligrapher, Calligraphy by Alison
Wedding Website, Wedding Window, Nationwide
Transportation
Baron Courier
Gator Trax
Downtown Horse & Carriage
Alpine Limo
Pre-Wedding: A + Aside from comparing their services with others and
Padrino Limo
Pre-Wedding: A+ We needed a shuttle company at the last minute for a brunch we were throwing at our house on Sunday, because more hotel guests were coming than expected. The service was for back and forth trips between our Coral Gables Hotel and our family home in Broward County. They were available at the last minute, and the process for booking was smooth.
Wedding Weekend: A ++ The driver was awesome. Gratuity was included, so we didn't have to worry about remembering that. The driver stopped by the airport to drop people off in between our home and the hotel. The shuttle bus was comfortable, the driver courteous. I highly recommend!
Wedding Weekend: A ++ The driver was awesome. Gratuity was included, so we didn't have to worry about remembering that. The driver stopped by the airport to drop people off in between our home and the hotel. The shuttle bus was comfortable, the driver courteous. I highly recommend!
Gifts & Favors
Registry, Bloomingdales
