tynee

Cakes! I did forget. Cakes: http://www.bobsbunz.com/ Bob's Bunz, Gloria and Bob are OUTSTANDING. We had a tower of personal mini key lime bunt cakes. They also provided an amazing key lime cheesecake for the grooms cake (bride insisted on this, I relented). And a small topper cake for us to cut. Bob worked some magic into those pastries, and Gloria was one of those happy people you never forget. They also provided key lime cookies for the hotel favors. Don't pass them up.

We just got married in Islamorada, loved it. All of our vendors were recommended locally and were awesome. Here's a list of those we used, great group of people: Day-of-Coordinator: http://www.blue-water-weddings.com/ Julia with Blue Water Weddings was worth her weight in gold. She listed her service as a day-of-coordinator, but she worked for many days, relentlessly bringing up, covering, and taking care of every little detail, many of which we had not even considered. We didn't even know how much we needed her until the day came, and she handled all the craziness like a pro, never breaking a sweat. Best wedding idea ever. Unending patience. Caterer: http://www.alittletasteofthekeys.com/ Cheryl with A little Taste of the Keys was awesome. Very efficient, flexible, and customized her menu to fit us. Great price too. She catered the rehearsal dinner and reception, delicious fresh food, some of it made on site. Stellar job. She has a preferred bartender too she can recommend. He was the life of the party. I believe his name was Richmond? Flowers: http://www.floralfantasyweddings.com/ Floral Fantasy is a very cozy shop, seemed to be a mom and daughter business, but they nailed it. Very good value, perfect arrangements, and all we showed them was a few photos of what we liked and they ran with it and offered great suggestions. the flowers are still alive days later. Surprising value as well. Photographer: http://www.bobcareweddings.com/ Bob Care had a two photographer team, plus the videographer. He was very easy to deal with, open to new suggestions and unique ideas, had valuable recommendations on schedule, and from what he showed us during the night, a great knack for catching the "feel" of the event. His team was unobtrusive, and typically melted into the background. Very excited for the results. DJ: http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/russ-ginsberg-djmchost-plantation/de6a1b2ea0311cee.html Russ Ginsberg was another lucky find. Effortless to work with, very organized, excellent value, and knew how to play the right music at the right time. We were worried since we'd never seen him perform and handle a crowd, but he brought great energy to the night. Steel Drummer: http://21stcenturysteelband.com/home.htm Michael Kernahan delivered a two-man team, hassle free, very island-like feel, and just rolled with any request or schedule change we had. Both our families loved this touch. And the value was unbeatable. Cigar Roller: Magic City Cigars Waldo, brought another man, Oswald I believe. Can't list the website, but not hard to find. Very authentic, very nice, our guests loved this touch. Perfect for cocktail hour. Highly recommended. Ok, that's all I can think of for now. I'm probably leaving others off, and I apologize. Hopefully this will help anyone with planning needs or recommendations. Good luck all. -Happy Groom

We are looking at doing the exact same thing, possibly Islamorada. Funny thing is I had already requested info about the property inanna stayed at before seeing these posts. Our biggest problem is finding a beach house that can handle an outdoor party the size we want (100). I really hope we can figure it out. A big headache we've found at the resorts is they want to charge an exorbitant amount for bar service and liquor costs. And you have to buy all your liquor through only them, and no cash bar, etc etc. I just get tired of all the rules that force you to pay up. Inanna, I sent you a pm, hope you get it. Thanks!