We had my daughter's quinceañera here in January, and overall it was a beautiful event, but the…read moreplanning process was very different from what I expected.
Our first meeting went great. We toured the venue, the coordinator was very nice, and she provided several photographer options. After that, we started making our monthly payments nearly two years before the event.
Unfortunately, after that initial meeting, communication was almost nonexistent. No one reached out to guide us through the planning process. During the last three months before the event, I became increasingly concerned and called several times. Each time, I was told that the DJ, limo company, decorator, MC, and other vendors would contact me before the event. One week before the quinceañera, I still hadn't heard from anyone. I ended up going to the venue in person, where they gave me the vendors' phone numbers, and I had to contact everyone myself. I thought part of the benefit of booking through the venue was having assistance from a planner or manager coordinating these details.
The venue itself was absolutely stunning. We had 160 guests, and they managed to accommodate everyone comfortably. However, I was repeatedly told that 160 guests was too many, even though the venue advertises a higher capacity. As a Mexican family, 160 guests was already a very limited guest list for us.
The biggest issue occurred when the power went out for approximately one hour during the reception. Thankfully it happened after the ceremony, but it was still very stressful. The venue did not have an emergency generator, so we were essentially sitting in the dark waiting for power to return. They offered to extend the event by one hour, but I did not feel that fully compensated for losing an hour of such an important celebration. Since our event was in January, I can only imagine how difficult this could be during Florida's rainy season. Cell phone service was also very poor at the venue, and the Wi-Fi was not working.
Our MC, Lidia, was wonderful. She was kind, organized, helped with the program, and delivered a beautiful ceremony.
The limo was beautiful as well. However, we learned that my 3-year-old daughter could not ride because the limo company did not allow car seats. While I understand the policy, it was disappointing because we had planned for our immediate family to ride together, and she had to travel separately with my sister.
Our DJ, Jose, was not very pleasant to work with. He often seemed annoyed when we requested songs. The most disappointing moment was during the father-daughter dance. We had specifically requested the "My Boy" girl version, but he played the wrong version. It was such an important moment, and I was very upset.
The decorations were beautiful, but communication was again an issue. The decorator responded to my initial message but did not respond to any of my follow-up questions.
For photography, we selected Varaderos. Similar to the other vendors, they did not proactively contact us. Six months after the event, I am still waiting for my video. I was told that my album is ready, but the video is still not completed.
Our bartender was amazing! We did have to take our own tequila because they don't provide, so we did offer shots.
Despite these issues, we made the best of everything, and my daughter's quinceañera turned out to be a beautiful and memorable night. The venue is gorgeous, and several vendors did a wonderful job. However, communication, coordination, and contingency planning need significant improvement.
