Vendor Reviews – I have been wanting to do this for so long and haven’t had a chance to do so. My wedding is April 10th, 2010 but here are my reviews so far. I will post more once I work with them more often as the date nears:

Holiday Inn/Ramada Key Largo – Awesome awesome coordinator. Best coordinator I have met thus far. I began working with Michelle when we first got engaged and we thought we wanted to get married at the Keys. I pretty much went all the way through and was about to place a hold on the venue. The place is pretty small but it’s a cute group of 3 hotels with a tiki hut, conference room, huge pool, bar-side and waterfall. Cute, very low-key place. The only problem for me was the ‘beach’ area. This is not Holiday Inn’s fault. This is the way the Florida Keys are – just marinas and  man-made beaches, no real beachy/sandy area. This means that the sand is patty and rocky and the area is primarily built for boats and diving. I wanted a bit more pizazz for the backdrop to our ceremony. The ceremony area would just look raggedy. I wanted low-key but it was too low-key. I HIGHLY recommend Michelle – she is an absolute life saver and she will work with anyone’s budget. Insane!  The rooms are actually renovated and area nice.  Although I think this venue is more for a regular party, than a wedding.

Marriott Key Largo – Beautiful place. Stunning at night. Ballroom, lobby, rooms, everything! In my experience, Cathy was difficult to work with. In order to coordinate a time with her was impossible. Most brides that get married at the Keys are destination brides and she should be more accommodating. I think she may be a lot nicer once she knows you booked with her…rather than having a bride waste so much of her time with preliminary questions. That’s just the vibe I received from her. Beautiful site, though. I would have my wedding there in a heartbeat but it was way out of my budget and since it’s a popular venue, Cathy was not willing to negotiate unless I was willing to have the wedding on a Fri or Sun (even in this economy). Oh, I forgot to mention… the views from the ballroom into the water are spectacular. There are tiki bars next to the venue for guests.

The Links Restaurant, Key Biscayne – Aundrina is amazing to work with. Such a nice lady/willing to work with your budget. This is a little gem on the Key Biscayne golf course. It’s a really pretty clubhouse. The prices are great and the Executive chef sounded like she was giving me the world in food for the price. She negotiated so far down, but I just did not get the feeling that this was “the one.” I wanted beachy and this is definitely a golf course feel. It’s green all around outside. The inside has warm décor, very updated, huge dancing area. The area for the reception is actually a lunch restaurant. They close the restaurant at 5pm and you can have your reception until about 11pm

Miami Rowing Club, Key Biscayne – I loved this place. It’s a beach house right on the water with a pool, cute reception area. The building has structure and character. I almost booked this venue with Fetes & Events (glad I didn’t).  You can bring an outside caterer and the Rowing Club’s site fee is very low. You still get a view of the Downtown Miami skyline (similar to Rusty Pelican but a bit further). The only problem I have with this venue is that it looks like a junk yard on the outside. The winding road to the parking lot is sort of junky. It doesn’t have that stunning curb appeal that most venues had. I had to X that one off the list because it didn’t give me that “it” feeling.  

South Beach Marriott – This is my baby! My venue. Six months of hard work to find it. I never thought we’d end up on South Beach! Come on. I grew up going to clubs on south beach. I did NOT expect us to get married on my home beach  : )  But we are! No regrets. What a classy, beachy, warm, sexy venue. I love it! If you haven’t visited the hotel, go!  Everything is in one place. The ceremony on the beach (the hotel is beach front on Ocean Drive, right beside Nikki Beach). Prime 112 celebrity steakhouse is across the street!  The beach is right there, two Olympic sized pools, a beautiful HUGE terrace with an outdoor and indoor bar. We will have our ceremony on their terrace, and we’ll have the cocktail hour to the side of that. The reception ballroom is beautiful and large. The hotel lobby is extremely modern, the décor is modern. I’m not complaining about one thing (as of yet). The coordinator lady was awesome to work with- very responsive and great communication. I can't even believe they went as low as they did to accommodate my budget. There is only one wedding per day at this hotel as they only have one reception ballroom. They also gave me a 10-room courtesy hold for my out of town guests that want to stay at the hotel. The valet parking has a hefty price tag at $34 per night for overnight guests. The parking for the event only is $15. I think I should have negotiated that down more- that was my fault. I still may have some time to do so. All around great so far- only complaint is the expensive valet parking- although your guests can park anywhere in the area and I'm sure it's cheaper. I'll mention that I booked this venue based on pictures alone and my sisters' suggestions. They went to see this venue for me and they loved it (I could not keep flying into town). They sent me a thorough spread of photos and I booked it the next day.

Villa Spiaggia- this is another gorgeous mansion. This is another one that I almost book- I had my credit card and signed contract in my hand. It's an amazing mansion on the Pine Tree residential area of south beach. This venue is another one that my sisters went to go see for me. They took photos in addition to the beautiful ones online and I would have been sold. This mansion has a beautiful pool area, waterfront, modern indoor decoration, totally blow you away exterior, the whole 9. The only problem is that this venue is good for something like 50 people. With 50 people, you can have your ceremony outdoors and even have your reception as indoor/outdoor. With 75-85 guests like me, it was going to be tight. I couldn't do it. Oh! I forgot to mention the most important part. The Spiaggia company gave me the best deal! They came down and were so willing to wok within my budget (although I am quote the persistent haggler). I have to be - I'm on a budget. So I highly recommend this place if you're looking for high luxury on a budget. You cab bring in your own inexpensive caterer and you're all set.

Key Largo Grande- stunning!! If I could afford it, i'd be there! It's beautiful. Take a visit there one day. The view is great, the food is awesome and the coordinator is very expensive. It's such a clean modern hotel. I had dinner there with my girls and we were so so impressed. It's definitely worth it if you can afford it.

Side bar **I am familiar with almost all Miami and Florida Keys venues. Almost every single. I did intensive research on almost everywhere besides banquet halls. I could not decide. Let me know if there us something not mentioned here that you'd like to know about.**

Flowers by Luenzo - I have to post this review so far because honestly, I am not pleased. My flower budget is not at the top of my list but I'm still paying good money. As a destination bride, it's very hard to work with old school vendors who choose not to email often. Teresa and I had been chatting for a few weeks and we've been emailing back and forth regarding my ideas. I was open to hers as well. We weren't really getting anywhere concrete, so I decided it would work out once fiancé and I were in town and can talk flowers in person. First, Teresa was not in town when we arrived to the meeting (we met with her daughters). They were a bit preachy and wanted me to keep an open mind to what there ideas are. So I have! I said to myself, they're florists so they will probably give me better ideas that I can bring. At the time of the meeting, they drew something out on paper that I sort of grew to like. They showed me ideas of other weddings, which I did not like! Meanwhile, I had spent the last 4-5 weeks emailing them photos of what I wanted. Why did they completely disregard that? I'm really not sure! So we left the meeting thinking, ok, we'll let them come up with what they drew up. Fiancé and I were okay with that. 2 weeks after the meeting and I don't have a single idea emailed to me. I'm a destination bride and I think it's important to communicate with me since I can't be available in person. I'm not happy so far. Will keep you posted.