Jamie's (Duchess) Las Caletas Wedding Review

Martinizer Dry Cleaners in Plaza Marina Commerical, near the airport: A+

Great! Since I wasn’t staying at a resort or getting married at a resort, I desperately needed my dress steamed. We took it over to this dry cleaner, and they did it in 24 hours. I was a little scared because they didn’t speak English very well, but they obviously understood what I was asking because the dress was done in one day and done perfectly. So if you are thinking about getting your dress steamed at home, that’s probably smart. But if you thinking it might need a touch up, this place was really good. Also, for my dress, veil, crinolen(sp?) and 2 king size duvets (my parents have a condo there) it was about $23 USD. Nicole from LC recommended them to me.

Getting Married at LC on a Sunday: A+++++++++++++

This was the best decision and I would highly recommend. On Sunday’s they don’t do day tours or Rythms of the Night tours, so we had the entire area to ourselves the whole day. Also, the bridal party could get there whenever we wanted, instead of taking the big boat with the day tours. We took a zodiac over which was a lot of fun. Also, we had people catch the boat at 3:30 instead of 4:30, so you can dictate when you want the wedding to start. Since DH didn’t want to see each other before the wedding, this was nice so that we had sunlight left for pictures.

Las Caletas and Nicole and Vallarta Adventures. A+++++++++++++

I actually struggle with what to say about this, because it was so great and so beautiful and memorable. People are still talking about it. I am a list person so I will list the things I love, as well as a few things to just make sure you are aware of:

1- Nicole was amazing. She was helpful and calming, and even told my BMs that they had to use calmer voices because I was getting nuts right before the wedding. During the site visit she also told my mom “well lets hear what the bride wants†which was AWESOME. She is a real pro, and quite possibly a genius.

2- Allain – we had requested him as our MC. He did a great job with everything, his personality is adorable, and he insisted that my grandmother dance with him, which was sweet. He also took the time to thank me for specifically selecting him. I am sure he MC’s all the time since I think they switch off doing cruise director roles, but he made it seem like I gave him a great privilege and got him out of grunt work by getting to MC. Again, I am sure he does it all the time, but it made me happy that he was enthusiastic to do the job. So important for the MC, and plus we didn’t hire a DJ we just had him run the ipod, and it was every bit as good as a DJ.

3- Smores – we initially weren’t going to have cake, we were going to have smores. We ended up doing both. They did a beautiful set up and had everything there to make it happen, and it was $1.50 pp.

4- Cake – I ended up getting a cake, and I sent pictures, and they did a darn good job mirroring what I wanted. I got 3 tiers with seashells. Taste wise, it was what I expected, good not great, but it was very pretty and worth it since it wasn’t that expensive thru LC.

5 – Chuppa – This is a Jewish traditions but they use this for most LC weddings. It is just a canopy, which adds a really beautiful alter. The choices are chuppa or chuppa with flowers. What I picked was a chuppa with organza and abalone beads, and it was so pretty. And it saved a lot of $$ from using flowers. I will post pictures of this.

The only think I would be mindful of is that if you have a processional that includes other family besides the bridal party, let your WC know that you want the music for them too. I guess my mom and grandmother and DH and his father didn’t have music as they were walking down the aisle.

Also, we wanted our parents to stand up with us, and they really didn’t know where to stand. They got in all our pictures which was kind of weird. It is partially their fault since they should have known better, but since you don’t get a rehearsal at LC, its probably not a bad idea to go thru those details.

Vincent Vandenburgh Photography: B-

Vincent and Ulises were an absolute pleasure to work with. I was nervous and they were around a lot, but had good senses of humor and seem to capture the moments very well. Their ideas might have looked weird at the time, but ended up looking cool in pictures. My only problem was that I don’t know that their price is very good for what you get. The minimum package is about $1400 I believe, and they take pictures for 5 hours, and then you get to pick 100. While 100 photos is a lot, they don’t let you look thru all the proofs, and people can’t order pictures outside of the 100 you pick. For $350 you can have all the pictures, but that is only the ones they color correct. So he took at least 1000 pictures, and I only got to see 200, 26 of which I had to ask to see, because they weren’t in the 178 pictures that they selected for me to choose from. I ended up picking 4 out of the extra 26 photos in place of the ones I initially selected from the 178. I think it is more common that all photos are available, and if relatives want to pick a few they can. So in summary, I got to see 200 out of at least 1000. From those 200, I had to pick 100 that I would own. The rest of my guests can only buy prints of those 100, so if I didn’t pick a photo for one of my 100 choices, no one can have access to it. I don’t know what a typical photographer charges, but I know that to upgrade to 200 photos brought their price to about $2200, and the same situation applies. For around that price, it seems you could get a photog who uses the more conventional approach of here are all 2000 pictures and people can order what they want from a link.

Fernando – the in house Hairstylist. A

He did a good job. I brought in pictures and he did a pretty good job doing what I wanted. I will say I did not get exactly what I wanted makeup wise, but I also didn’t tell him anything, just let him go for it. He did a great blow out, and they style stayed in all day. For $220, it was a good deal. Because they have to travel to LC, most that I checked with charged even more than that.

All in all, if you are on the fence about Las Caletas, it was the most amazing experience of my life. I can not recommend this place enough! It is remote, lots of nature, incredible beach, and so peaceful to get married there.

If anyone wants more detail, just let me know. I might do a play by play review of the day, but to be honest, it was exactly as expected based on previous play by play reviews that I have read on this board. I will post photos when I get them.

Congrats sounds like you had a great wedding!

Congratulations LC sounds great. Nicole sounds sweet. She kept everyone in check. And i just love the smores idea.

Sounds fabulous, congratulations! I echo your comments on Nicole, she was my WC and everything flowed really well because she rocks. Las Caletas is an amazing place to get married

Hi Jamie

Everything looked fantastic. I was wondering for your cuppa did you get the beads through LC or did you by them and bring them to PV?

Every time I read a review on LC I get more and more excited. I can't wait for my bid day. Thanks for the smores idea. I will have to inquire.

Every time I read a review on LC I get more and more excited. I can't wait for my bid day. Thanks for the smores idea. I will have to inquire.

Sounds like a great wedding!!

Jamie thank you so much for the review! I was wondering if you took picture before or after the ceremony. Did you feel that you had enough time & light to take pictures afterward? I can't wait to see pictures!