Westin Los Cabos brides post here! - Page 2

marip123 · 01-24-2008, 09:36 PM

Hi there,

I do have pictures to share, but I'm not sure how I post them?

We have also booked Bradley for as our photographer. I talked to AV about two set ups. ONe for the ceremony and one for the reception, and they gave me a decent quote. We were thinking of taking our speakers down there, but we still need a microphone, but only for the ceremony.

I asked about ordering bulk flowers, and we were quoted $6.00/per daisy. I thought that was kind of crazy. I was thinking about contacting the flower market or flower cart?

We decided not do go with the block because the timeshares were so much more affordable and they come with a kitchen, so we're paying the extra fees at the Westin and staying at the Club Regina.

We'll have a welcome/rehearsal dinner elsewhere. I'm going to go and find the thread for the Westin.

Yay! other Westin brides!
Steph

marip123 · 01-24-2008, 09:50 PM

Okay. I feel a bit lame, because this is the thread you posted on my other post. Anyway, I'll send you a message so I can send you som pictures.

marip123 · 01-24-2008, 10:08 PM

The AV quote PDF is exactly what they told me. We were actually thinking about buying this ION system and taking it down with us because it plays and IPOD and has a speaker, and it would be cheaper, but we'd have to carry it down there, so that's a huge downfall.

I'm definitely going to look into using someone elsewhere for flowers.

We asked about a mariachi band and they quoted us 1200.00 plus 10%. That was crazy.

Arrecifes is a beautiful spot., but we're only having about 35 people and it's way out of our budget.

We just chose our menu. We'll have sea bass and the orange flavored pork. I can't remember exactly the name of the pork.

I asked about what the corking fee is, and it was pretty outrageous, but it seems possible I can have my father (Spanish speaker) call down and negoitiate. If that doesn't work, we'll just have an open bar with no wine at the tables.

Great to finally converse with other Westin brides, and get an idea of what you all are doing. It really helps.

Stephanie

Doc2B&LosCabosBride2B · 01-26-2008, 06:48 PM

Hey Maura, so the website for the decor company we are using is:

Del Cabo ~Event Design~

The florist is:

Mazarte Floral

As far as guests, we are expecting around 75-85 people. I am praying the number doesn't go beyond that...my mom went a little nuts on the courtesy invites and save the dates.....Our RSVPs are rolling in so I should be able to have a more accurate count in about 3 weeks. On my invites I put the RSVP and room booking deadline 3 weeks before the deadline I have in my contract just to give me a little wiggle room so I would suggest doing that as well.

As far as other vendors, they are from Chicago......oh my gosh wait, so are you: Let's see, my save the dates and invitations came from a lady named Kim. Her company is Kustom Kreations......website isn't that great but her work is phenomenol....I went to her with my own ideas and together we perfected them and she brought them to life. Kustom Kreations - Custom Designed Invitations

My photographer is Robin Sloan...she has a destination wedding package......
www.riverbendphotostudio.com
She's coming along with her best friend whom is a professional photographer out of Michigan so I'm having two...they team up to do destination weddings.

This is fun, I'm so excited that there are other westin brides on here....now we can compare notes and make sure each other isn't getting screwed. However, my over all impression is that they go out of their way to make your day just the way you want it and make sure everything goes smoothly. I think that personal touch is why I chose them. I wanted to stay away from places that do weddings all the time and have multiple brides in one day. Plus the architecture is bananas.

Maura · 01-26-2008, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marip123

Hi there,
I do have pictures to share, but I'm not sure how I post them?

Steph, I will post selected photos from the album you sent me --don't worry none of you, just the ones of the Westin grounds

Quote:

Originally Posted by marip123

I asked about ordering bulk flowers, and we were quoted $6.00/per daisy. I thought that was kind of crazy. I was thinking about contacting the flower market or flower cart?

omg. $6 A DAISY? hell no. my FMIL has contacts in Mexico City that she's looking into to get our flowers cheaply in Cabo, as soon as I hear from her, I will let you know what she comes up with and I will pass along the info!

Quote:

Originally Posted by marip123

We decided not do go with the block because the timeshares were so much more affordable and they come with a kitchen, so we're paying the extra fees at the Westin and staying at the Club Regina.

we are only doing the room block because so many of our guests can't come for more than 3-4 days. we do have a number of guests who will stay a week, but not a TON. so it was worth it for us because we know that we will more than fill the minimum room block requirements. we do have some guests asking about timeshares, mostly our families -- can you pass along any info about how best to do those?

Maura · 01-26-2008, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marip123

We asked about a mariachi band and they quoted us 1200.00 plus 10%. That was crazy.

ok, contact mariachi internacional los cabos on your own -- they recently just quoted angela $150/hour!!! here is their contact info:
Mariachi Internacional de Los Cabos
mariachiloscabosi@hotmail.com

Here is their phone information:

Phone: (624) 173-3587 Fax: 173-3587
Cell: (624) 151-5529

also, check out angela's post about them, which also links to a review i found from an older westin bride who i contacted when i first joined here! Mariachi Band-

Quote:

Originally Posted by marip123

I asked about what the corking fee is, and it was pretty outrageous, but it seems possible I can have my father (Spanish speaker) call down and negoitiate. If that doesn't work, we'll just have an open bar with no wine at the tables.

you should DEFINITELY have your dad call and negotiate the corking fee. tell him to be firm.

marip123 · 01-27-2008, 01:04 AM

[quote=mauraw;241102]Steph, I will post selected photos from the album you sent me --don't worry none of you, just the ones of the Westin grounds

Perfect! thanks!

omg. $6 A DAISY? hell no. my FMIL has contacts in Mexico City that she's looking into to get our flowers cheaply in Cabo, as soon as I hear from her, I will let you know what she comes up with and I will pass along the info!

If you have information or help, that would be awesome! We actually went to Micheal's and Wal Mart today and picked up vases, candles, pebbles, and other crafty things and came up with some very cute centerpieces, so our flowers will be minimal. We just need to think the about the shipping.

I would still like to have some colorful daisies for bouquets and maybe for the cake table. Not sure yet. Maybe more flowers for the ceremony?

The best place I've found to rent timeshares are vrbo.com and redweek.com. You can become a guest member of redweek.com, and if you see a posting you are interested in, you can let me know because I joined or pay 10.00 for a year membership. you are in contact with people who are renting out their timeshares. Just look for Club Regina and Grand Regina. We never saw inside the Club Regina, but the Grand Regina we did tour and they were beautiful, but more expensive to rent than Club Regina.

Maura · 01-27-2008, 01:21 PM

Ok gals, I have amassed a lot of Westin photos from a number of girls and I have begun uploading them (mostly ones that didn't have people in them) to my Picasa account to make an all-Westin album to share with everyone.

Here is a link, so far there are about 100 photos in there! Feel free to ask me any questions if you can't identify where something is.: Picasa Web Albums - Maura - Westin Los Ca...

Maura · 01-27-2008, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marip123

omg. $6 A DAISY? hell no. my FMIL has contacts in Mexico City that she's looking into to get our flowers cheaply in Cabo, as soon as I hear from her, I will let you know what she comes up with and I will pass along the info!
If you have information or help, that would be awesome! We actually went to Micheal's and Wal Mart today and picked up vases, candles, pebbles, and other crafty things and came up with some very cute centerpieces, so our flowers will be minimal. We just need to think the about the shipping.

I would still like to have some colorful daisies for bouquets and maybe for the cake table. Not sure yet. Maybe more flowers for the ceremony?

Steph, have you considered doing something like Angel's Accents? She does fake flower arrangements but they look INCREDIBLY real, and are way cheaper than the $6 per daisy quote you got. The link is ANGEL'S ACCENTS - Divine Creations

Although I hear she is booked mostly through June except for very small orders, so you should contact her right away by phone and let her know like if you just want a brides bouquet and buttoniere its about $99 with the destination wedding package... you could probably also get single stem daisies from her for your cake table!

Quote:

Originally Posted by marip123

The best place I've found to rent timeshares are vrbo.com and redweek.com. You can become a guest member of redweek.com, and if you see a posting you are interested in, you can let me know because I joined or pay 10.00 for a year membership. you are in contact with people who are renting out their timeshares. Just look for Club Regina and Grand Regina. We never saw inside the Club Regina, but the Grand Regina we did tour and they were beautiful, but more expensive to rent than Club Regina.

awesome, i already have a guest membership on redweek but did not know about vrbo so i will def check that out too! my parents really wanna do the timeshare thing since theyre coming for a whole week and it would save them several hundred dollars. thanks for the tips!

Maura · 01-27-2008, 01:30 PM

Alyssa (Mrs.B2008 ) was so kind to have shared these tips with me about the Westin, so I thought I would post them here for you girls too.

Some small tips….

* The food is really good but pretty expensive, especially the ‘theme’ dinners and buffet breakfast.
* The spa is very nice and great for facial and massage but not for hair and nails – pretty disappointing.
* There are a couple of pools and there is a REALLY nice infinity pool over by timeshares, really pretty and not as crowded as the huge pool with the bar.
* The surf is pretty much super dangerous at the Westin – they have black flags up most days, they will tell you different but from everyone we spoke with you can not really swim in the water there – there are SO many rocks and the riptide is bad.
* The westin is much closer to san jose del cabo than cabo san lucas
* There is a big convenience store near san jose del cabo that you can buy all kinds of supplies and stuff!
* The big glass circle restaurant is awesome and has a great indoor / outdoor sitting area / bar – that is one of my FAVORITE spots there! There is also a sushi bar in that restaurant in the front, The sushi is ok at best and pretty $$$$$$.

As for the rooms, try to get as many rooms as possible in the center of the towers, the views are incredible, where the side rooms only have a partial view at best.

Also – for nails – make sure to leave A LOT of drying time – the heat is so intense – my nails took like 1 1⁄2 hours to dry – do it EARLY AM!