Las Caletas Brides ~ Post HERE! (THREAD CLOSED)

Past Las Caletas brides, did you have a bridal purse? If so, where did you put it during the reception? I'm debating whether I need one or not. I'm assuming Nicole takes your stuff down from the bridal suite. Where does she put it? Do you have access to it? Or do I need to have purse? But then I don't want to walk down the ailse carrying it, nor do I want my MOH to do that I could go without but would rather be able to touch up my makeup if need be.

i did have one. not sure how it got from the bridal casita down to the reception - but i am sure nicole/kelley took care of it, that's how the rest of my stuff made it!

then the rest of the evening it was either sitting on my table, or in a pile with the rest of my stuff. i never appointed anyone to it - but it was there!

I wrote about this here somewhere but basically we had an older guest with bad knees. She took her time to and from the boat but she was fine. Once you're there you're set, you don't need to do much walking up and down. There are stairs up from the ceremony site to dinner, and back down for the reception, but it's not a race and there aren't 500 stairs. There are also stairs to the bathrooms, but she wasn't using the bathroom every 30 minutes so her trips were limited.

This is a lady who needs help getting out of chairs in normal life and we wanted her there, but we wanted our LC wedding more so we just did it. She had help available if she needed it from our guests and the LC staff, who were awesome and brought a comfortable chair to the beach for her and everything. It isn't an issue.


I did have a purse but just a regular one, nothing I bought special for the occasion. I didn't even think about what I would do with it, I just brought it because I always carry a purse. Nicole will tell you to have everything packed and ready to go before you go down for the wedding and that the staff will bring it down at some point so it can be put on the return boat.

Just before the ceremony a BM asked me for my perfume and lipgloss and she kept it on her, and was great about coming to me like every 1/2 hour to see if I needed a refresher of either. I wouldn't have thought to ask anyone but she was a lifesaver because she kept me smelling good and my lips moist without me having to look for anything all night.

Thanks everyone for the stair information and especially for being willing to recap it! I know that a lot of this information is probably posted earlier in this thread but I can't figure out how to search within a thread. I've tried running searches like "Las Caletas + stairs" but it just turns up this thread as an answer for me and there are lots of pages I still have to go through. I think my co-workers are getting suspicious of this page being on my computer too often! :-) I am so grateful that it's all available though!

 

I don't know why I was under the impression that there were so many more stairs than people are describing? And that the stairs were really steep? Maybe I'm only thinking of the photos leading up and down from the bridal casita?

 

Jamy, thank you for your description of your guest. That sounds exactly like mine and so I feel much better. I am the worst for second guessing and "what ifs" so I am thinking of all these worst case scenarios now in advance and trying to troubleshoot them.

 

At a certain point I know I need to let go and just decide this is the wedding I want and the rest I will just have to say "if I want it to happen I will make it happen" one way or the other. That's going to be my new mantra from now on!

I'm not sure how to search within the thread either and there are so many pages to sort through that sometimes it is easier to ask a question, no worries. I will say that the stairs to/from the casita are more steep than the others, but I think even then it could be pulled off with assistance if it had to be.

 

I like your mantra, try to stick with that when you start to freak out. It happens/has happened to the best of us...just breathe and think of your hubby-to-be )

to search within a thread ...

 

1) open the thread

2) at the top of this thread there is a link "Search this Thread"

3) from there it works like the regular search!

Here's the purse I just got online. Not the best quality but will definitely work to hold the little important things for one day

 

White Satin Clutch Purse

Hi everyone!

 

We are back, and EVERYTHING WAS COMPLETELY AMAZING!!! Honestly, we have both agreed that it was the best day of our entire lives so far. It was like a dream… one that ended too fast!

 

Roberto and I arrived in PV on Saturday, Feb. 16 and had a couple of days to relax. We stayed at the Marriott, and for those of you who have read about my Marriott drama, let me just say that once we arrived everything went perfectly. They had our suite for us (amazing), Rosario the event coordinator sent us a lovely fruit basket on Sunday, and the welcome party Thursday went off without a hitch. I still wish that there hadn’t been so much drama before our arrival, but everything went really well… thank goodness!

 

Saturday night we had dinner at Barcelona Tapas… YUM! Sunday we walked on the beach, relaxed by the pool, and had dinner at a cute place called “Mi Querencia†which was good. Great tortilla soup! On Monday we ran around town… breakfast at Las Palomas – VERY good… went to the Mercado Rio Cuale (craft market) and found some great jars for our water ceremony, amongst other things. Made a trip to Walmart for some things for our favor bags, worked on making the favor bags, etc. We also stopped at the maritime terminal to but the tax tickets for our guests to go into the marina without having to pay or stand in line.

 

BTW – Our favor bags came out VERY cute. We bought beach bags on Amazon (Harrington contrast tote – white with black handles) and printed little tags with our guests’ names on them to tie on. Inside we put bottled water with personalized labels, some snacks, a CD with music from the wedding and reception, a pocket-sized “Spanish for Dummies†book for the non-Spanish speakers, beach toys for families with kids, and a packet of information about the weekend’s events. I also included a list of all of the guests, how we know them, and which hotels they were staying in so that people could get in touch as needed. Each bag also included a little zip-loc bag with their marina tax tickets and some generic non-drowsy Dramamine. If you want to buy it in Mexico get “Vontrol†– nondrowsy generic version, inexpensive, and relatively low dosage… can be used by anyone over the age of two, and no one who took it had any problems as far as we know. Take it one hour before the boat for best results.

 

Tuesday morning we had our meeting with Nicole!!! We had decided not to do a site visit. She brought the box that we had shipped in advance with our guest book, programs, table names, “Just Married†flip flops, beach bags, etc. etc. We gave her the place cards and the pictures of our parents (we each had a special empty chair on our side of the aisle – one for his late father, one for my late mother). Also the CD’s for the DJ to use during the ceremony, dinner, first dance, etc. She went over the itinerary for the day and answered all of our questions. Now… I cannot say this enough… Nicole is MAGNIFICENT. Every detail was attended to, every question was answered, every concern addressed… several times she answered the question that I was about to ask before I even had a chance to ask it. Give that girl BIG TIPS!!! (And Kelley too!!! I just didn’t meet her until the big day!) She is TRULY my fairy godmother. YAY NICOLE!!!!

 

Just an FYI for those who were wondering about the walk for older guests… my 88-year-old Grandmother came, and she just had open heart surgery in October. Nicole said that they had two “extreme wheelchairs†and staff to push them if needed. Roberto offered to race Grandma. Haha. Anyway, my cousin told me that she walked almost the entire way anyway. I was worried after seeing the map of Las Caletas online, but it isn’t as big as I thought it would be which was good. The real “up and down†walking was up to the bridal suite and back… but even that wasn’t bad, although I wouldn’t ask Grandma to do it. The walk for guests is not too hilly.

 

Sorry I am so scattered but there is just SO much to tell you all!!!

 

Okay, so then on Tuesday afternoon my parents arrived and we hung out with them the rest of the day. Wednesday morning my bonus mom (Barb) and I had the manicure and pedicure of a LIFETIME at the Ohtli Spa at the Marriott. They were awesome. Roberto and my Dad went out for breakfast. Spent the afternoon by the pool/beach and welcoming more friends and family as they arrived. A group of ten of us went to dinner Wednesday night at La Palapa – ate right on the beach. Pricey but YUMMY. The lunar eclipse that night was very cool to watch. Thursday morning I went to breakfast at the hotel with my dad, followed by more pool and beach time. BTW – I wore 50 SPF sunscreen all week and still got a great tan. In FEBRUARY. Load up on that sunscreen, ladies! You don’t want to burn!

 

Just an idea that I had, and I’m glad I did… I wrote letters to my Dad and Barb, and gave them to them during our “alone time.†Barb got hers when we went to the spa, Dad got his when we had breakfast. I highly recommend doing this. We got all of our tears out and so there was nothing but smiles on wedding day.

 

Thursday night we had our rehearsal on the beach at the hotel, and then our welcome party. Rosario came out to check and make sure that everything was going smoothly, and it was. We had about 55 people at the wedding and most came to the welcome party. It was great to give everyone a chance to mingle… it made the wedding night more fun because people knew each other. My only complaint about the welcome party – so minor, but still – was the décor. They put out these wooden cacti and saddles and some other “Mexican†stuff that I thought was pretty cheesy, but I guess it was festive. I wouldn’t have chosen it myself but in the moment I didn’t really care. It was just fun to see everyone. I made an announcement to thank everyone for being there and also to remind them to please be on time for the boat.

 

After the party, I went back to the room and packed for Friday, and went to bed around 12:30. I was worried I might not be able to sleep that night, but I slept like a log!!! The whole week I was waking up super early… I would get up to go to the bathroom and as soon as I realized I was in Puerto Vallarta and it was wedding week, I was wide awake and there was no going back to sleep! Thursday night I crashed and woke up about 5 minutes before my Friday morning wake-up call was scheduled.

 

SO… THE GOOD STUFF!!!

 

Friday morning, I woke up around 7:25 and took a shower and got ready to go. I wore my swimsuit and capri pants on the boat, with a long-sleeve shirt tied around my waist in case I got cold (although I didn’t really need it). I met “my girls†in the lobby… I went over with Barb, my sister Molly, my cousin Sarah, my sister-in-law Heidi, and three friends – Sofia, April, and Becky. Eight of us in total. We met in the lobby and took taxis to the marina terminal. Once we went in, Kelley saw me coming with my wedding dress and ran right over. She was so sweet… LOVE her! She skipped us right to the front of the line and got us all set up on the upper deck of the catamaran. We also got to meet her “honey†– Roger. Super cute together. We chatted all the way over… she also helped us make our massage appointments. The boat ride over in the morning was really calm – I thought the water was great and the boat was surprisingly smooth. We arrived at Las Caletas and it was absolutely BREATHTAKING. SO green… and the water was SO clear and blue and lovely!

 

Kelley showed us where to go and a bunch of cute guys came and carried all of our stuff up to the Bridal Suite. We walked up there (maybe 5 minutes – largely uphill but not a terrible hike) and got settled in. It was GREAT. When you walk in there is a couch area to your right, and the bed with the beautiful net is just past that toward the back of the room. On your left there is a little desk, the bathroom (double shower, sink, closet, toilet) and past the bathroom there is an area to get ready. Full length mirror, counter space with more mirrors. There are not a lot of electrical outlets, so Nicole had told us to pack light on the hair appliances. For the eight of us, we brought two hair dryers (one with a diffuser, one without), two curling irons with different sized barrels, and one flat iron. There was an iron there at the suite. I brought a steamer and I really intended to leave it there as a little giftie for future brides, but somehow it ended up back in my suitcase!!! (Sorry girls!) In the back of the suite there was a little outdoor area with a hammock, and some stairs leading up to a jacuzzi. We had four girls in the jacuzzi at a time with no problem. They also had champagne and fruit waiting for us in the suite, which was lovely.

 

At 10:30, Barb and Molly went for massages, Becky and April and Sofia headed to the beach, and I went with Heidi and Sarah to take a yoga class. It was just steps away from the bridal suite and it was SO relaxing. No crazy impossible poses or anything. Just focusing on breathing and relaxing. VERY nice. At 11:30 Heidi and Sarah and I went for our massages (GREAT!!!), while Barb and Molly joined the other girls at the beach. At noon, we went to the beach while Becky and April got massages. Down at the beach, there were lots of people swimming and kayaking, and they even brought over a boat with a sea lion that was swimming with people which was fun to watch. At 1:00 we had lunch… there was a yummy buffet. Try the paella!!!! WOO HOO!!!! They had a little bit of everything and it was great. For dessert I had a bit of chocolate cake… I even poured some Kahlua on it. YUM. We all sat around the table and talked about how we found our wedding dresses.

 

After lunch Kelley took us over to the beach to talk about the set-up for the wedding. I decided to have the aisle in an “L†shape, so the chairs were facing the water more. I also asked for the pink and blue table runners. There wasn’t much to review, so it didn’t take long and then we were on our way back up to the suite. We started up the jacuzzi and Heidi gave me a fun little addition to my pedicure – she painted “I do!†on my big toenails, but the o’s were little rhinestones. Super cute. Nicole arrived and checked in with us, and went down to set everything up on the beach. One by one, we all went to take showers and get ready. The spa showers were also available, which helped accommodate our group so people didn’t have to shower together in the double shower. We’re close but not THAT close. Haha. I felt really relaxed and happy the whole day… never rushed or anything. I did my own makeup, and Heidi did my hair. She was also our photographer – I’m telling you, I have a great sister in law!!! I definitely recommend bringing some kind of little nightie or something comfortable and cool to wear while you get ready. It wasn’t hot in the bridal suite, but when you get the hairdryer going for a while it could easily get that way! We were really very comfortable though. I was a little worried about getting all sweaty while I did my hair, but that didn’t happen at all.

 

I finished putting on my makeup and getting my hair done, and I put on the earrings that Roberto gave me for the wedding day… they match my ring (pear-shaped sapphires surrounded by diamonds). Barb let me wear the diamond necklace that she wore when she married my Dad, which was really special. I put on my dress at about 5:00 and we took a bunch of pictures.

 

The boat was a little bit late arriving… maybe 15 minutes? I was worried that it was because the best man was late or something, but it was actually because they saw a group of four humpback whales on the way over! They were breaching (jumping up out of the water and splashing down) and flipping their tails. Roberto got one GREAT photo that I’ll share with you all… I’ll be anxious to see what the videographer caught! Yippee! When the boat arrived, Roberto and his brother went to the guy’s suite (above the dinner area) to get ready, while my Dad came up to see me. We talked a bit and took a few photos. Everything around that time is a bit of a blur… it was just so beautiful out and the water looked amazing, and I could faintly hear people’s voices as they headed down to the ceremony site. Soon it was time to walk down… poor Nicole couldn’t find me because I went the wrong way! Wait for her… she’ll come to get you when it’s time.

 

I had my “Just Married†flip flops, which I wore down the steps until I got to the point where the guys get ready… I kicked them off there and went down in my bare feet. (Nicole put our flip-flops under the table for us at dinner so that we would have them later.) As I came down the stairs and saw the look on Roberto’s face, and how beautiful everything looked… it just took my breath away. The ceremony was absolutely incredible. My dear family friend Jane was the minister and she did a lovely job. We worked very hard to make it a true expression of us… we wrote our own vows, chose readings, etc. Everything was bilingual – Jane took Spanish classes for the last year, and said everything in both languages, I said my vows to Roberto in Spanish, and he said his to me in English, and two of our friends did the readings – one in English and the other in Spanish. We did a water ceremony instead of sand… an idea I had partly because my mother’s ashes were scattered at sea after she died, and it felt like a way of including her. If anyone would like a copy of our ceremony, I’d be happy to share it. Just send me a message.

 

I notice now (in the photos) that the videographers were really RIGHT in the action… but during the ceremony I didn’t even notice them! After the ceremony there wasn’t a lot of time to take pictures – the light was fading… but the pictures we got came out beautifully! Then it was time to go up for dinner. Dinner was delicious… seriously, YUMM-O. Our brothers made toasts, then my Dad, and then we said a few words. We decided that the dessert buffet sounded GREAT so instead of having a cake we asked Nicole if they could put out a special brownie for us, which we cut ceremonially. We surprised EVERYONE with the fire dancers (SO cool!) and then had our first dance (“De Repente†by Soraya – also available in English as “Suddenlyâ€). Then I danced with my Dad (“I Hope You Dance†by Ronan Keating) and we could see fireworks off in the distance. Later everyone danced and partied and had a great time.

 

One funny moment – a few months ago at my brother’s wedding, it was INSANELY hot and all of the bridesmaids jumped into the lake in their dresses. In the middle of the evening, my brother (the “mantron of honorâ€) came up and handed me his cell phone, wallet, and hotel key, and jumped in the ocean! The videographer caught it all – I can’t wait to see that. The photos are a little dark but it was SO funny. He warmed up by the bonfire afterward but was a little chilly on the boat ride home!

 

Just about the time that we were feeling exhausted but exhilarated, we stepped over by the water to just take it all in, and watch everyone having a great time… the full moon and the stars so clear in the sky and the candles everywhere… they announced that it would be time to load the boat in ten minutes. We didn’t pay for extra time, but to me it felt like it was just right. Some of the older guests and people with kids were just winding down, and I’d rather have it end a little too early than a little too late… although I wish it could have gone on forever! Still, it was time… we loaded the boat and headed back to Vallarta. On the way back, the night was cool but not cold (I had a shawl that was enough to keep me warm)… and we saw another humpback whale! Incredible. We had a little receiving line as we got off the boat, and taxis were waiting to take everyone back to their hotels.

 

Saturday we slept in and ordered room service breakfast… we finally emerged at the pool around 1:00. After spending the afternoon in the sun, we went out with some family and friends downtown that night. Sunday we had a bit of beach time, but had to leave around 1:00 for the airport to return home. And Monday… WONDERFUL timing… we got the keys to our NEW HOUSE!!! YIPPEE!!!! What a wedding gift.

 

Everyone raved about the wedding… many said it was the best wedding they’d ever been to! I agree… I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It was utterly amazing. As I said before, Nicole and Kelley are extraordinary and deserve BIG TIPS and LOTS OF LOVE! Nicole and Kelley… if you are reading this, thank you again for everything. It was the experience of a lifetime and I wouldn’t change a thing. You made it the day of our dreams. Thank you. Also, thanks to Ann and Jamie and all of the girls here on the forum because you really helped make the experience a great one – I got answers to all my questions and felt so comfortable, largely because of you.

 

I will post links to the full picture galleries soon so you can see ALL the photos… but for now, there are a few for you ladies to see on our wedding website. I’ll also work on finding a way to post the DVD once we have it.

 

Lots of love to everyone!!!

Sarah

Ok i've searched this thread to no avail. I see the question has been asked a few times, but no answers.

 

is there a steamer in the bridal suite? My dress is incredibly wrinkly and I doubt it would be of any help to have the bridal shop steam it before I leave.

No, well I didn't see one anyway. Maybe they can arrange to bring one or your hotel can do it? My dress wasn't super wrinkly but did have some wrinkles that came out from hanging the dress in the humidity, it's like a natural steamer...lol