So a week or two after your wedding passes, you will really have time to sit back and remember and take it all in.
FIRST, before I get into all my feelings, loves and disappointments I want to say THANK YOU TO ILIANY EVENTS. I think you were given a tremendous task with a very specific, detail oriented Bride. I think you also may not have been used to Briza’s set up and limited time for cocktail hour for room flip. By the way GREAT job on the room flip on a whole, however now this is where I am really going to break down lots of things that were supposed to happen that did not.
I suspect that this was NOT Iliany’s fault at all. We had exchanged many emails, I had reminded her that she worked for me NOT Briza. She ensured me that ALL the decorations which my Husband and I picked and spend lots of money on would all be used in the room. I then also explained more than once that this was a business investment for me as I was going to use the images for promotion of Unconventional Bridal. I strongly feel in my gut that the Event planner at Briza did not allow or talked her out of executing TEN tables, all of which told a story from The Twilight Zone that were very, very important to me and my Husband’s story. I feel the event planner at Briza wanted to make things easier for himself and his staff BUT that they did not listen to what we the couple wanted.
There were so many details left out and whether there were 10 guests or 200 guests, If I the Bride tell you to execute things to my liking that is how it should have gone. I think my wedding planner was not as strong and forceful of a personality as the event planner at Briza and I think he overpowered her and didn’t listen to my dream in the end.
I agreed to allowing the changes to be made last minute BUT here is why, I was already extremely stressed, trying to get dressed and at that point I didn’t want to argue it. I was very disappointed that our ten tables were not done AS I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD BE NO MATTER WHAT. One of the last conversations I had that week with my planner was that everything I wanted used would be used.
Then also all of those vases, ( the hand blewn cylinder ones, the custom backdrop, all things I wanted to use for my business ) I could not because during our wedding reception someone, somehow took our wedding gift envelopes. We asked the staff at Briza a few times to look for it, I even asked if there was a camera system so someone could see what happened. The money was never found. I was planning on using most of that money to come and get my items back from Briza and move them into a storage facility in Miami since I come to Miami about 2 times a year. These were our memories and our investment. Briza would not hold the items long enough for my planner to come and retreive most of them for me. I unfortunately had to leave, my 20 year old son is going through some personal things so the entire week had been crazy.
All of my decor being used as promised did not happen. ( Again, I think my planner allowed Briza’s planner to take over and to not listen to what I the Bride had told my planner I wanted)
WAS IT A BEAUTIFUL WEDDING? Absolutely.
DID THE STAFF OF BRIZA, waiters and bartenders do a great job ABSOLUTELY ( except the one bald bartender who was rude to my DJ and to my 25 yr old daughter to the point where my daughter was pretty pissed)
I want to say thank you to Iliany , I really believe you had good intentions and got steamrolled.
I also appreciate all the women, mothers, Grandmothers who worked the event who would probably have rather been home for Mother’s Day.
I want to say thank you to the Chef on one hand who did a great job in executing my pasta dishes based off my recipes. Those were the ones at the table with the little table signs that said “Recipes by Sauces Best” I wish I would have been shown where that table was. I saw in in photos after.
Now, I will say this the food was good, especially the cocktail hour food. BUT the food presentation and way it was prepared was VERY different than what I was presented at the Champagne Food Tasting. The Salmon was originally supposed to have a honey mustard based glazed with ground up back cooked on top. The presentation was different at the wedding. The Trofi pasta was missing a lot of the mushrooms and it was originally a penne pasta not macaroni and it was definitely missing the pesto. I have photos from the food tasting and you can see the differences. I HAD TO CHANGE ( all except for immediate family) to a buffet menu, but that is no reason for the food to be made differently than what we had at the tasting. My daughter even noticed it and I definitely noticed it when I was given my plate of Trofi pasta. AGAIN THE FOOD IS DELICIOUS. but the Salmon and Trofi pasta were not as we expected.
The shrimp on the Gazpaucho was way smaller also than at the food tasting.
I LOVED THE VISUAL EFFECT OF BRIZA, I LOVED THAT THEY MADE IT FUN, I LOVED THAT THEY INCLUDED MY PASTAS.
I LOVED THAT THEY PUT UP WITH ALL MY CRAZY AT TIMES…
I just wished they had of listened and followed the direct wishes I gave to MY planner not theirs and that the food had of been closer to what we expected in forms of what we expected based off the original food tasting.
OVERALL It was an 8 out of 10 and I must admit I would have loved a 10 out of 10 and use of all my items and being able to get my items back.
I truly have a feeling my planner tried her best and was overpowered opinion wise and that this is why everything I discussed and was promised did not happen.
My advice to everyone involved would be the Bride and Groom and their wants are more important than how easy or complicated it makes the team working the events job.
Sincerly
The Stayhons.
#brizaonthebay
#ilianyevents
#miamibeachweddings
#miamiweddings
#biscaynebay
BY the way, we have a crap ton of professional images some of which we will be updating the site with when our real lives and work schedules permit! Thanks for those of you who came and celebrated with us and those who listened and tried to do their best to execute my vision.