EM-Vallarta...has anyone used them?

jayhawkbride · 02-28-2008, 10:58 AM

Hi all! My WC at my hotel says she works with EM-Vallarta. I'm wondering if anyone has used them before? They would be setting up my reception, but I'm wondering whether or not to use them for my ceremony, which won't be at the hotel. Any info would be great!

guerita · 02-29-2008, 11:59 AM

I don't want to "black list" anyone here, but I decided against using EM-Vallarta and went with Prisar Vallarta instead. Let me explain why...I was in touch with EM-V, and they seemed really nice. I liked the pictures of the previous weddings they had done, and I was sure they would do a fabulous job planning my wedding. When they sent me a couple examples of invoices from previous weddings, however, that's when I became hesitant about hiring them. Several items on the invoice were grossly overpriced (my fiance is from Mexico, so he KNOWS how much things should cost in Mexico!), and I had a feeling they were trying to take advantage of American couples who didn't know any better. They were also pretty inflexible when it came to my requests. For example, I asked about doing a buffet for the dinner, and they told me it was too hard to estimate how much food was needed, so we couldn't do that. We also asked if we could buy our own alcohol (because the price they quoted on the invoice was so outrageous), and they said we couldn't do that either. Basically, it seemed like they were just trying to make things easier for them without much concern about what we, their client, actually wanted. When I confronted them about the inflated prices and their inflexibility in an e-mail, they never responded...that was several weeks ago.

I've heard nothing but good things about Prisar Vallarta, however, and my experience with them so far has been wonderful. One thing that's great about them is that they'll show you the actual receipt for the items they've purchased for the wedding, rather than putting it all on an invoice, where you don't know if they've jacked it up so they can take a little cut. I asked EM-V if they could do this in that e-mail, and like I said, I never heard from them again. As far as I'm concerned, I pretty much interpret that as an admission that they do, in fact, inflate the prices so that they can take a cut.
Like I said, I'm sure they do a fabulous job planning beautiful weddings, but for me, I'd rather the piece of mind knowing that I'm not being taken advantage of. Hope that helps.

Lammy2609 · 02-29-2008, 05:18 PM

Hi there!

I met with Zac at EM-Vallarta and was left with a similar impression. His cost per head was close to $200. Keep in mind that this does not include venue cost, ceremony costs, or transportation. They definitely mark up the price of food and alcohol, which was why we decided against them in the end. (Pacifico does not cost $40 a case in the US, much less in Mexico) Zac was very nice though, and I am sure they would do an amazing job.

We decided to go with Michael and Eva at Vallarta Weddings, and so far everything has been great. One of the first ways they suggested we could cut costs would be to purchase our own alcholol, something that was not possible with EM.

Zac did recommend Villa Premiere to us as well. The hotel is beautiful and we loved Evelina, however our villa is south of downtown, so we are having our guests stay at hotels over that way.

Good luck! Let me know who you decide to go with.

Duchess · 03-11-2008, 03:07 PM

Yeah, I am kind of having some questions about them too. Carolyn has emailed me and stated that the reason they are so expensive is because other companies have hidden costs, so they think they are right in line. I am looking at Las Caletas, and it looks like it could be twice as much to use EM Vallarta. Is that true, does anyone know if Las Caletas has hidden costs?

Thanks!

LC_Rachel · 03-11-2008, 03:15 PM

Hidden costs at Las Caletas? Not really. The wedding coordinator is included in the package you purchase. Everything is pretty up front. Have you checked out their website: adventureweddingspv.com? They have a little area where you can enter in all the things you would want at your wedding and it tells you the total cost.
This was the easiest wedding ever!! to plan.

Duchess · 03-11-2008, 03:23 PM

The ease is one of the things I already love about LC, without even seeing it yet! The other thing I love is that it all seemed to be really up front. The person from Em Vallarta just put a thought in my head which made me nervous. I cant imagine what would be hidden, since it was all on the invoice!

LC_Rachel · 03-11-2008, 03:37 PM

I can PM my contract to you if you would like. It's VERY basic. Plus I didn't have a lot of extras.

Duchess · 03-11-2008, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LC_Rachel

I can PM my contract to you if you would like.

If you don't mind...that would be wonderful. I am sure I am going to do this at LC, but I want to do the site visit before I actually put down money. I will be there 3/20-3/26, so I should probably get on that.

You have got to be SOOO excited! Mine is 9 months away and I already out of my mind!

Thanks!

K&Rwedding · 03-16-2008, 02:02 PM

I am really considering using EM-Vallarta. Carolyn has been so helpful, and I haven't even signed a contract with her yet. They have helped me find villas, sent me invoices of actual weddings so I can see all costs (down to the price of candles and hourly waiting staff), and they handle all travel for your wedding guests, which includes getting group discount rates at local hotels and even on airlines, which will save my guest about 20-25% of what they would have paid booking themselves or using an agent.

BUT I would love to hear from someone who has actually used them. I know they specialize in doing customized weddings. Meaning what ever you want you can have. You make your wedding yours from the location/decor/entertainment/creating your own special drink. This really appeals to me. AGAIN BUT if anyone has already used them and has feedback I would really appreciate it.

I would even love to see somone else invoice so I can compare. I will post all details on variances for all to see.

With that being said I have heard nothing but great things about Dazzling Details and need to make a decision on who I will go with my May.
Thanks

manzanita99 · 03-18-2008, 05:27 PM

similar response as above, i got a high quote from them and was told they couldn't work in my price range ($10K) for 60 guests. Other planners told me it was absolutely no prob and i could have a great wedding at that price. The main deal breaker is that EM wanted a huge deposit (half of entire contract) upfront. Most other planners only asked for a $1200 deposit.

I ended up using Dazzling Details and they are fantastic so far, wedding is in less than 2 weeks and they are extremely organized and on top of every detail