TammyWright

Quote: Originally Posted by JANET1111 oops tammy, can you move my comment over too? thanks! i already moved it as a new thread.

jonathan, I will move these posts and start it as another thread. ...just kidding about the pirate smilie...i look for reasons to use them. i also answered below Quote: Originally Posted by jthrasherphoto.com First, I don't want to or mean to hijack this thread so if I need to start a new thread to continue this discussion, please let me know Tammy. I guess what surprises me is the number of people who have posted budgets for photographer in the $600-$2000 range. In my experience as a wedding photographer most of the couples I meet, are looking to spend at least twice that for photography and those are for regular weddings. Couples I meet who are looking for DW weddings are looking to spend even more in my experience. Most couples in my area where I live spend at least $2000 on their photographer, and I'm not in a very large market. Typically more is spent on photography for DW weddings. i think it is pretty common that most couples having a DW do to save $$...they will spend less on flowers, musicians, AND photogs...they have had that luxury because alot of the local talent is pretty good. I completely understand that. So, are the prices budgeted total prices or just per hour? Or, are most of you flying your photographer down only to shoot 2-3 hours? If so, why? In my experience most brides want the PJ style and want 8-12 hours of coverage to completely capture their day. I would think that would be more the case with DW weddings because the couple has put so much time and money into finding the perfect place, it would be a shame if the photographer couldn't fully capture the entire day or weekend because he was only hired for a few hours. when people do 2-3 hours, they are usually using photogs locally who have a low min. i think i know the case you are speaking of and in that situation the bride had a relative who was a fantastic professional photog that offered his services as a gift to her....initially brides wanted to keep their budget as low as possible and this usually meant trimming 1-2 hours off their photog time. if you read throughout the forum, i try to tell brides to keep that extra hour or have a 6 hour min. again, don't mean to hijack this thread or cause a big debate, just curious as to how couples here are planning their DW weddings. Thanks Jonathan

wow, sarah must be giving you girls a break to catch up with her... the recent winners have been. Daily: kristina (sprklz) tammym christa (a10calgal) kristina (sprklz) tammym kristina (sprklz) kristina (sprklz) Weekly: christa (a10calgal)

Quote: Originally Posted by salsa_bride Wow, such quick responses!! Glenda, a list of any vendors is a great start for me since I have nothing yet! I am planning to fly down to Mazatlan this Spring sometime to start the bookings and planning... so the more info I have to go down with, the better!! It will be a full week of meeting planners, vendors, etc.!! I'm curious to know what seasonal flowers will be available in April/May in mazatlan. hi darlene, here some seasonal flower info: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t819

welcome to the forum Darlene...although you are the first mazatlan bride, we have a ton of mexico brides that are here to help!

let's see if i can answer from my experience Quote: Originally Posted by jthrasherphoto.com hey everyone. I'm a vendor and this is an interesting thread for me to read. as a photographer so I'm particularly interested in what brides are budgeting for photographers for their destination weddings. the photog i used does do alot of weddings at my resort but was not actually referred by them...Dreams does not force you to use their vendors unlike alot of other resorts. Are most of you using photographers that are provided by or are preferred vendors of the venue you are getting married? It seems that many of your budgets for photography is unusually low for destination weddings, which is why I was curious. i don't think people budgetted low for their photography but you have to realize alot ofthe local talent does not charge US prices. $300-500 per hour is sort of a standard rate for DW photogs. Just a reminder that your photographs (along with your new spouse) is the only thing you are going to have to take with you from you wedding that wil last a lifetime. Flowers die, food is eaten, drinks are drank, but your photos will last forever. Keep that in mind when you are budgeting for your photography. this is very true...i try to remind brides not to skimp on their photo budget Regards, Jonathan

hi amy, its tammy...there are a few dj's that are members of the forum... natasha used dj ricardo and both liked him and karla used dj mijares and liked him. let me find their info.

Quote: Originally Posted by mexico15 What else is everyone putting in their OOT bags? I was going to do personalized tequila shooters...since it is Mexico We have tropical cameras, beach theme wine charms...not sure what else. Any ideas? I like that koozie! I will be looking into those as well. Thanks! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t672

Quote: Originally Posted by jilly76 I've heard so many good things about EDR, do you know anything about the swim up casitas? thats what we want to get. We weren't planning to stay in mexico for the honeymoon, but because we have some other travel plans happening over the summer as well, we thought this may be a way to cut costs a bit on the honeymoon (not so much airfare expense), but still go somewhere really nice. And it will give us more time to explore mexico while we're there. Is anyone else going to EDR or have been there? i just booked a good friend in a swim up casitas for february...also julie (jjwilla) is doing a site visit there in january... the swim ups are fun but even the regular casitas look awesome!

i think if it is unanimous, we don't need to vote!

Quote: Originally Posted by jilly76 I was looking into St. Lucia for my honeymoon. I also looked into Antigua for my wedding before deciding on mexico. I think they are both great choices! I think we decided over the weekend that we're just going to stay in mexico for our honeymoon, but move over the the El Dorado Royale. EDR is great

Quote: Originally Posted by Darlsay we sent out our STD's exactly 1 year before the date of Sept. 1st, 07. We were able to tour the ERC and going to Occidental Aruba for a site inspection Jan. 25th. When we return, we'll send out a reminder including destination, travel agent info., passport info. etc. Out of about 40 couples, we already have about 20 that are committed. My HTB sais it's our day don't worry about others. I wish I new how to set up a web-site, That sounds like a great idea. website info here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t679

welcome to the forum...our other dreams PV bride left yestarday and won't be back until tuesday...but she is very helpful!

this was hard...i really like 1 & 2 but loved the orange color...so elegant!

Quote: Originally Posted by mexico15 Well, I wanted to know if there was a CD player provided for music during the first portion of the ceremony. they usually can do this but have to set up a speaker system...they most likely will charge you for this I also wanted to know about the decoration options, I have seen just those bamboo sticks with ivory swag, but wanted to know of other ideas/options that could be used. And how do I choose my bouquet? Can I tell her exactly what I want in them...or when it comes with the package, do you just get a few options to choice from? they have pics of bouquets that come with the package BUT if you want to do something special, send them a pic of what you want and they should tell you how much it will be extra We weren't sure about the time for our wedding either until now, but she didn't seem to worry about that before, so is there a possibility of her doing another wedding instead of ours? i think PV only does 1 wedding a day I guess does she just set it up and leave or does she stay and make sure everything is in place and working out? if it is a bigger wedding she will pobably be there the whole time I also keep hearing people talk about doing their reception at one of the restaurants...but I am wondering if it wouldn't be easier/cheaper to just all go to the restaurant and do dinner ourselves...it is all-inclusive, why should we pay to eat there when we already did? What are you doing? you are not really paying for food but set up and extra servers for your private event.

ann (akh) the moderator of PV forum is having her welcome dinner at dreams... and I am a dreams bride. what questions are you trying to get from the coordinator? she is out on vacation until jan. 2.

FAQ from the coordiantor at Riu: Quote: FREQUENT QUESTIONS •What documents are required? If the Bride and Groom have never been married before, they just need: Copies of the passports, Copies of birth certificates (no legalised, non translated) The tourist visa provided upon entry to Mexico. Although passports are not required for US citizens for entry into Mexico, they are mandatory for weddings. The foreign marriages are not legally recognised, therefore the legal documents required are the same, except if there have been a name change (only applies for women). If the name on the passport and birth certificate is different, the Bride should bring the birth certificate translated into Spanish with the apostille Stamp above mentioned. Documents must be presented to the wedding coordinator upon arrival. Special cases such as adoptions or names changes, please contact the wedding coordinator on site Blood Test is required for marriages in Mexico. The onsite wedding coordinator arranges the doctor appointment at the hotel room. If the bride and groom are positive on a mortal or final disease they will not be able to be legally married in Mexico. For Religious wedding no especial documentation is required. •What are the differences between Legal ( Civil ) and Religious Ceremony? The Legal Ceremony is performed by a Judge (JP ) in Spanish and translated into English. This ceremony is legally recognised. The new couple will receive a copy of the marriage licence and the original will be send within 5 o 6 months. (please notice that the Mexican Government can take longer to send this document ). You should translate it into English and go to your city Hall to legalise the marriage. For legal ceremonies the bride and groom and 4 witnesses need to be on destination 3 full business days prior to the wedding. The hotel can provide witnesses if needed A Non-denominational Christian Father performs the Religious ceremony. Please notice that Catholic weddings can not be performed outside of a Church. The wedding is performed in English. This ceremony is not legally recognise, the bride and Groom will receive a symbolic marriage certificate. The Couple should be on destination at least 2 full business days prior the wedding. Please notice that for Religious or Legal weddings arrival days and Sundays are not considered business days. •Are there different wedding locations? The wedding ceremony has to be perform in the hotel that you are staying at the following spots: Riu Yucatan, Tequila and Playacar: Beach and garden RIU Palace Mexico: Beach, gazebo and chapel (it is very small, up 25 pax) Riu Palace Riviera Maya: Gazebo with ocean view. Please be advised that the weddings are more private on the garden areas. When the wedding is perform on the beach this event attract the other clients that are sun bathing on the area. •How many weddings are done per day? Depending on the wedding group size, we do only perform one or two weddings per hotel per day. The weddings are performed only from Monday to Saturday. •How long does the ceremony take? The weddings last 20 or 30 minutes. •Which hotel the wedding will be at and, is there a charge for the reception dinner? In order to perform the wedding at a Riu Hotel, the 80% of the clients have to stay at the same hotel the wedding is going to be at. For example if the wedding is going to be at Riu Palace Mexico, the 80% of your guests need to stay there, the other 20% could stay in other Hotels and assist to your wedding paying the following fees: If you are having the wedding at the Riu Palace Mexico, Clients staying at other Riu Hotels have to pay around 45USD extra per person for the reception dinner. If you are having the wedding at any other Riu Hotel, Clients staying at other Riu Hotels don’t have to pay. If clients are staying at other chain hotel the cost for the reception dinner is around 65USD per person for Riu Palace and 45USD per person for the other Riu’s properties. •Is there a rehearsal? All the details are discuss during the interview. Rehearsal dinners are subject to availability. The Rehearsal dinners are arranged upon arrival as a group dinner directly with the Hotel Maitre. •Can I have a private reception dinner ? The reception dinner can be private if the group is at least 50 people. (available only at the Riu Playacar 2nd siting 8:30 pm or Riu Palace Mexico and Riu Palace Riviera Maya ). Be advice that we don’t have restaurants to rent for a private dinner if you are a small wedding group. Or you are staying at the other Riu Properties. •What kind of room will I be upgrade to? The room upgrade is to the next level of booked room, but the upgrade is subject to availability and we can not guarantee. You could arrange it upon arrival directly with the front desk of your Hotel. •Do you offer free weddings or discounts depending on the number of rooms booked? The wedding is a separate service from room reservation and for the moment we do not offer discounts or free weddings.

FREQUENT QUESTIONS •What documents are required? If the Bride and Groom have never been married before, they just need: Copies of the passports, Copies of birth certificates (no legalised, non translated) The tourist visa provided upon entry to Mexico. Although passports are not required for US citizens for entry into Mexico, they are mandatory for weddings. The foreign marriages are not legally recognised, therefore the legal documents required are the same, except if there have been a name change (only applies for women). If the name on the passport and birth certificate is different, the Bride should bring the birth certificate translated into Spanish with the apostille Stamp above mentioned. Documents must be presented to the wedding coordinator upon arrival. Special cases such as adoptions or names changes, please contact the wedding coordinator on site Blood Test is required for marriages in Mexico. The onsite wedding coordinator arranges the doctor appointment at the hotel room. If the bride and groom are positive on a mortal or final disease they will not be able to be legally married in Mexico. For Religious wedding no especial documentation is required. •What are the differences between Legal ( Civil ) and Religious Ceremony? The Legal Ceremony is performed by a Judge (JP ) in Spanish and translated into English. This ceremony is legally recognised. The new couple will receive a copy of the marriage licence and the original will be send within 5 o 6 months. (please notice that the Mexican Government can take longer to send this document ). You should translate it into English and go to your city Hall to legalise the marriage. For legal ceremonies the bride and groom and 4 witnesses need to be on destination 3 full business days prior to the wedding. The hotel can provide witnesses if needed A Non-denominational Christian Father performs the Religious ceremony. Please notice that Catholic weddings can not be performed outside of a Church. The wedding is performed in English. This ceremony is not legally recognise, the bride and Groom will receive a symbolic marriage certificate. The Couple should be on destination at least 2 full business days prior the wedding. Please notice that for Religious or Legal weddings arrival days and Sundays are not considered business days. •Are there different wedding locations? The wedding ceremony has to be perform in the hotel that you are staying at the following spots: Riu Yucatan, Tequila and Playacar: Beach and garden RIU Palace Mexico: Beach, gazebo and chapel (it is very small, up 25 pax) Riu Palace Riviera Maya: Gazebo with ocean view. Please be advised that the weddings are more private on the garden areas. When the wedding is perform on the beach this event attract the other clients that are sun bathing on the area. •How many weddings are done per day? Depending on the wedding group size, we do only perform one or two weddings per hotel per day. The weddings are performed only from Monday to Saturday. •How long does the ceremony take? The weddings last 20 or 30 minutes. •Which hotel the wedding will be at and, is there a charge for the reception dinner? In order to perform the wedding at a Riu Hotel, the 80% of the clients have to stay at the same hotel the wedding is going to be at. For example if the wedding is going to be at Riu Palace Mexico, the 80% of your guests need to stay there, the other 20% could stay in other Hotels and assist to your wedding paying the following fees: If you are having the wedding at the Riu Palace Mexico, Clients staying at other Riu Hotels have to pay around 45USD extra per person for the reception dinner. If you are having the wedding at any other Riu Hotel, Clients staying at other Riu Hotels don’t have to pay. If clients are staying at other chain hotel the cost for the reception dinner is around 65USD per person for Riu Palace and 45USD per person for the other Riu’s properties. •Is there a rehearsal? All the details are discuss during the interview. Rehearsal dinners are subject to availability. The Rehearsal dinners are arranged upon arrival as a group dinner directly with the Hotel Maitre. •Can I have a private reception dinner ? The reception dinner can be private if the group is at least 50 people. (available only at the Riu Playacar 2nd siting 8:30 pm or Riu Palace Mexico and Riu Palace Riviera Maya ). Be advice that we don’t have restaurants to rent for a private dinner if you are a small wedding group. Or you are staying at the other Riu Properties. •What kind of room will I be upgrade to? The room upgrade is to the next level of booked room, but the upgrade is subject to availability and we can not guarantee. You could arrange it upon arrival directly with the front desk of your Hotel. •Do you offer free weddings or discounts depending on the number of rooms booked? The wedding is a separate service from room reservation and for the moment we do not offer discounts or free weddings.

ann, great post! some of those would be so perfect for a DW!

Quote: Originally Posted by HydneW Hi Glenda, This is exactly what my thought process was last week too! Stay at Dreams for the AI and have ceremony/reception at Sunset da Mona Lisa. It looks sooo beautiful from the pictures. I haven't finished reading the rest of this string of postings, but I believe we probably need to think less nyc and more DW. --Wendy wendy, one of our brides (karla) had her reception at Sunset da Mona Lisa and there was alot of construction going on and it was a pain to go to the beach to take pics (they had to get in a 4 wheel drive truck)...just FYI. here is a quote from her review: Quote: When I arrived the day of the wedding, I could still hear one construction worker hammering away. Tim later told me that he was so angry that construction was still going on, that he complained to Georgina. Georgina told him that it was not something that neither she nor the restaurant could control… even thought we had been told otherwise the day before. The construction beside the restaurant is visible from the terraces. It did not distract enough away from the beautiful views, but I still wished that they could have left the rolling green hills alone. I believe it is going to be a parking lot in the future, which unfortunately will be a big eye sore. I really think this restaurant truly shines during sunset and in the evening hours. The day of the wedding the place looked amazing. I walked into the salon and it had been transformed from storage room, to an elegant reception area. The views from the salon were spectacular. The entire restaurant is lit up with candles and these amazing light fixtures hanging from the palapa. We used 3 terraces for the wedding ceremony which ended up being a really nice setup. The wedding party was in a small terrace and the rest of the guests were divided into 2 other terraces with the Mexican Trio in the middle in a part of the terrace that jutted out a bit. The wait staff was great and one of the managers Luis has a great handle on the entire restaurant. We were greeted with margaritas and beer upon us walking out of the ceremony. The wait staff was already walking down to the terraces with drinks to start the cocktail hour. Due to the construction and the hurricanes the path to the beach from the restaurant is not accessible. The beach is only accessible if you go through the construction area with a 4 wheel drive vehicle. We had to pile the whole wedding party into 2 vehicles to go take pictures down there. The presentation and the taste of the food were amazing. I had the steak and it was so tender. The mashed potatoes were a very small serving, but so good! I asked around regarding all the dishes and everybody said they loved it. I took pictures of most of the dishes, so check the pictures folders.

Quote: Originally Posted by gunde Does anyone know what the differences are between Dreams Cancun and Dreams Cabos (I heard Dreams Tulum had no night life so I ruled that one out). I'm looking for something contemporary but where you can shake your butt till 3am well, to start with they are on opposite sides of mexico...cabo is on the pacific side while dreams cancun is on the caribbean side... i am working with a bride at dreams cancun and she just did her site visit. also jilly is a dreams cancun bride.

Quote: Originally Posted by gunde I'm pretty new the forum as well. I'm alos tring to go the the Cancun area. I was told to look at the Occidental Xcaret, Grand Palladium and Moon Palace. I was thinking about Moon Palace since my Dad said it was great. I still don't have an idea on what they cost. What were the prices you were quoted (if you don't mind me asking). I'm working with a lady on destinationweddings.com and she still hasn't told me any prices! I'm starting to get a little worried. I'm thinking about getting married Oct-Nov 2007. Thanks why hasn't she told you any prices? prices for rooms or wedding costs? i own a travel ageny that specializes in destination weddings. let me know if i can help you in any way.

bump for noobs

i know this is short notice, but please nominate who you think should get MotM award for December, and why! once we get the nominations in, the top 5 will be voted on. Good Luck everyone, you all deserve it!

i have to say, i was pretty impressed with natalie and her guest-control. they were calling and emaling right away to book their room...there were times i had 3 of her guests calling at once.