gkashmira

Okay well a lot has changed sine my "we're not spendimg more than 10K days..." namely our guest list (parent's fault) and all the extra we WERE (operative word here) going to cut (again parent's fault) so... I really only want about 50 people there but it looks like it's going to be a lot closer to 75 or (heaven help me!) 100... estimates below are for 75 Flight: $800 Hotel Rooms: $960 Flowers: $800 Music: $1400 (hoping to for less!) Reception Food: $4220 Drinks: $4000 Cake: $750 (hopefully less if I can bring in cupcakes!) Invites: $500 Decorations: $200 Coordinator Fee: $600 Photography & Video: $1500 So that's $15,730 but I have a feeling after it's all said and done it'll be more like 20K... I can't remember everything in the budget right now... yikes! Especially since there's no dress/gifts table decorations... etc. etc. in there! Is anyone else feeling a little sick right now (Liza, I know you are!)

I love Casa Natalia and we did stay there on our sight visit. However I don't think 100 or more people could really fit in their comfortably. It's a good space for about 50 people or up to 75 but it'll be tight with more. BUT go talk with Nathalie (the owner) maybe they'll set up tables going down into the pool area (it's sort of a terraced space). Don't rule it out because it could be really gorgeous with the tables spread out - just make sure they'd be willing to do that for you. And the food IS really great!

MariaElena, That sound so delicious! Are you doing the plated dinner or a buffet? I need to look at my menus again! Listening to the description of your cake is making me rethink my cupcake idea! ...maybe I'm just hungry because it's lunch time but I think it's your delicious food! The church in San Jose is gorgeous by the way. We peaked in at a mass when we were there and it's really a beautiful little church! What are you doing for decorations, etc?

Well we haven't done the tasting yet - probably won't do that until early 2007. We just went there and did a marathon scouting trip where we looked at (what seemed like) every hotel on the corridor and San Jose. You might as well ask Emeline for a complimentary nights stay of you guys decide to go check it out ahead of time. I know I haven't heard much from Maye either. But I guess the wedding is still 9 months away so maybe I don't need to do EVERYTHING right now. I think we were thinking about the Caribbean BBQ buffet menu maybe changed a little to have less meat and vegetrian food (we have a lot of vegetarians on our list). Also we decided that we'd be better off with a consumption bar sinced their prices for open bar was so crazy high. People would need to be drinking like 4 drinks an hour all night long to equal what they wanted for open bar. TableDiagram_MariaElena Murillo_Oct06_v04.doc Hilton_TablesWithYellowLinens.pdf MariaElenaMurilloCenterpieces.pdf

I'm getting married there 13 days before you (June 16, 2007). We're going to have the ceremony on the beach in front o fthe big rocks. Then I think cocktail hourt (no appetizers) maybe at the Sun Fut hut and dinner outside on the Whale Watching Terrace... I think. All the different locations have sort of run together in my mind! I haven't found a DJ yet though either. Are you working with an outside coordinator and Emeline or just Emeline? I'm going to be working with Maye but to be honest she hasn't done anything for my wedding yet. Have you done a sight visit yet? It is so beautiful! I love the way they're redecoratig the rooms!

I remember that there use to be thread for Hilton brides to discuss but I haven't seen one in awhile (maybe all those people already got married). So who else is getting married at the Hilton and when? What has your experience been with Emeline so far? Where are you going ot have ther reception (which area?). Any recommendations for getting the most out of the hotel?

I had Emeline add in that she would give us a free two night stay prior to the wedding so we can do the tasting, etc. We are also doing the legal paperwork in the US so I dont' know about the requirements - sorry! Lastly while she didn't write it in the contract i also had her agree to include chair bows, candles and candles in bags for the ceremony and reception. I think she quoted $100 to add tiki torches...

We didnt' stay at the Sheraton on our sight visit but we did chck it out and I think it is one of the best hotels we saw (and we saw a lot!). I loved it and it was our second choice right behind the Hilton. In fact it's actually nicer than the Hilton but also a little bit more expensive. There's a gazebo for weddings or you can also get married on the beach. They are redo-i9ng all the rooms and the new rooms are GORGEOUS. However when they go to show you the rooms make sure they show you the suite that they upgrade you too and not the presdential suite - obviously the presidential is a lot nicer but it's not what you'll be getting. I think all the rooms in the entire place have ocean views or partial ocean views. It's really lovely - you will enjoy your stay there!

So here's the review that I put up on the old forum. I figured some of the new members may not know how to get back over there, so here it is again... 1) Hilton - I loved it. They are redo-ing all their rooms by december and we saw the new "standard" and suites and they are GORGEOUS! Also I liked that they had a beach where people could swim if they wanted to. The prices are very high for the rooms ($350 -450/ night after taxes and gratuities) and also very high for the drinks. The food is pricey but there are some reasonable options. I also liked that they had a lot of activities that guests could do right from the hotel. To get the "free" ceremony and reception we were told that we would need to book 10 rooms for 3 nights or 15 for 2. We did get them to agree to 10 rooms for 2 nights since most of our guests are close-by in LA and may only come down for a quick visit. (Note: they also agreed to include chair bows, candles on the tables and candles in paper bags for the ceremony/reception. This is not standard so you need to ask). 2) Sheraton - Also loved it. It was very similar to the Hilton in that they are redoing their rooms and they are gorgeous. However at the Sheraton you cannot swim at the beach and they also don't have activities for guests that leave right from the resort (like the Hilton) but I think it's a little bit more luxurious and a little more private feeling. The infinity pools are beautiful but as always their open bar plans are super expensive. 3) Casa Natalia - This place has the most delicious food I can remember eating... maybe ever. We stayed here and the rooms are really fantastic - they each have a private patio where they serve you a multi-course breakfast each morning. Everything was really perfect. I don't have even one bad thing to say about it. It's not on the beach but they have deal with Casa del Mar to use their beachclub if you want. BUT the food and drinks for a wedding are pretty expensive (the food might be worth it - but expensive none the less). They treated us to a fantastic dinner that we assumed we were paying for and they said it was on the house. The one problem though is to get married on the beach you need to pay a sight fee somewhere else and also transportation to get all your guests back to the hotel for the reception and needless to say this is an extra cost. The largest wedding they've ever had was 85 people but I don't think more than 50 or so would fit well. The owner Nathalie is lovely and very personable. In order to hold the wedding there with no limits you can actually block the whole hotel (14 of 16 rooms) and they'll upgrade the bride/groom to a suite (one of 2 suites with private outdoor jacuzzis). This place is perfect for someone who is havign a small intimate wedding where the food and drinks are the main focus. It's also beautifully and artfully decorated. It's part of the "Small Elegant Hotels of the World" and highly rated just about everywhere. If we don't have our wedding here which we may not be able to afford we are definitely going t have our rehearsal dinner because the food is fantastic (have I said that yet?). Yup, the food is REALLY good! 3) Cabo Surf Hotel - It wasn't right for us just because it's a little smaller than what we envisioned. It's pretty expensive and since we don't surf it didn't make much sense for us. We ate there on Friday night and the food was pretty good. I had the seafood ravioli appetizer which I would recommend. The margaritas were nice and tasty too! Plus they have good prices for their open bar - which is refreshing. We didn't see the rooms but the beach was small but pretty. I think you can swim here but I'm not sure. 4) Melia San Lucas - a cool hotel that would be fun too stay at but isn't right for our wedding (we have a lot of family and family friends coming). The sort of club atmoshpere didn't feel like a good match with OUR families. But I LOVED the beds outside beside the pool and beach. Plus it has a swimmable beach and seems like a fun place to hang out - definitely would be a place to go for a night out on the town! This is a gorgeous hotel - plus it's really close to San Lucas which can be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. It's a little tricky to find but is actually easy to reach once you figure out what road you're suppose to turn on. 5) Melia Cabo Real - Sort of the opposite of the Melia San Lucas actually - felt like we were at a country club with a lot of older guests. I think the clientele is very golf oriented (which we are not) so the atmosphere was a little subdued and the crowd was a little older. But this is another AI and though I don't know the rates it could definitely be a nice place for a wedding - especially if you are golfers! We didn't meet with anyone - just sort of wandered in and wandered around. Sadly, it does not have the great beds next to the pool/ beach that the Melia San Lucas had. 6) Westin -very BIG and very modern. My fiance thought it was cool but I didn't really like it. I think it's also pretty expensive. 7) Marquis Los Cabos - the lobby is fantastically gorgeous but we turned around after we saw the room prices because they were too high for us. I imagine this would be a gorgeous place for a wedding! Dreams - we liked it plus the prices for a wedding are just so reasonable that you have to consider how much you're saving! 9) Presidente Intercontinental- Actually a little bit nicer than Dreams and is also an AI. It's at the very opposite end of San Jose del Cabo (as far away from San Lucas as you can get) so it wouldn't be good for people who want to be near the action (or even a quick drive away from it). We did see an event being set-up and it looked nice. There are two pools both which were lovely - we did not get to see a room. It seems liek a very family friendly place (but not over-run with kids or anything) (Can you believe we did this all in two days?!?) 10) Royal Solaris - I did not like it at all! It was sort of dirty and was really for families with small children. The pool was being worked on so it was empty and it's possible it may have made a different impression if it was full. I would not recommend it at all. 11) Casa del Mar - Very pretty but also very expensive. It was certainly lovely but it wasn't right for us. But we did see natasha there for her tasting which was fun! She said the food was amazing 13) Marbella en la Playa - the rooms aren't very nice but they are pretty inexpensive and large. The food is very reasonbly priced as is their open bar. the downstairs area near the pool could be really beautiful at night with a lot of lights and candles. It would be a cute place for a lower budget wedding. But there are a ton of stairs and no access for handicapped or injured guests so that is something to consider. I think they're also trying to buy property next door so depending on whether they are successful there could be construction going on sometime in the future. It is a cute hotel though. We would happily stay there though I don't think it's right for our wedding. If anyone needs contact info just send me a PM and I'll email it to you! Sorry this is so long but I hope it's helpful!

Tasha, Those are SO CUTE!!!! I love the airline ticket idea!

Janet that sounds like a great idea! I haven't decided on colors yet but I was thinking green too!

Here's the front of mine. I did them at Vistaprint with a picture I l=took at my friend's wedding in the Bahamas! It's not one of their pics but if anyone wants to use it let me know and I'll email it to you so you can customize it yourself.

Thanks guys! I ended up sort of doing a portion fo the same picture on the back with a little bit of extra info. It looks really cute! I don't want to post it though because it has addresses on it... but if anyone needs help in the future let me know I I can send you my template!

Ok, that's really big! Sorry! I'm not sure how to make it come in smaller

What did you guys put on the back side of your STD? Did you print them like postcards so they can just be mailed without envelopes? I uploaded this pic (let';s see if I can figure out how to post it here) for ther fron tthru VistaPrint but now they're asking for the back to be uploaded...

Quote: Originally Posted by NABUMBAH no, I have not. I figure it's pretty hard to screw up cupcakes. I have seen her site - she seems to do a pretty good job. I agree - plus just for reasons of competition you have to assume she should be pretty good! I mean she is basically competing with all the major reosrts etc. I'm defintely going to email her - seeing those cupcakes makes me even more deterined to go this way! Plus it just seems a lot more FUN!

These are so great! Did you see the little indivdual wedding cupcakes? Very cute! Have you tasted anything of hers yet? http://www.freewebs.com/dessertdiva2...alpastries.htm

Jenetta, I love your sight! It's really beautiful - the intro is so pretty!

WOW! That is A LOT! I wonder if October is a busy time of year with them... it's about twice the amount I was told. I heard Damiana was good too so I'm sure you'll have a great RD! There regular menu is expensive but not crazy-ridiculous. Defintiely go and enjoy some delicious food!

Maria, they are steps away from the church so it could be a good option for your rehearsal dinner. If you have a lot of people than the prices are around what Liza said but depending on what time of year you'll be there (high season vs. low) the prices could fluctuate. If you're not havign a ton of people (i.e. lke a rehearsal dinner with 10 people or something) than you could even just have everyone order off the menu because while they're not cheap by any means the prices are pretty reasonable. margaritas are only $5! (not bad for a fancy hotel!)

Ylan, will they let you bring cupcakes in from the outside?

Quote: Originally Posted by NABUMBAH I think we're doing cupcakes, as well as petit fours, and mini cheesecakes. Jennifer Hatton quoted me $3 each for the cupcakes, and $4 each for the cheesecakes. $3 a cupcake seems very reasonable! If you have a chance could you send me her contact info? You can post it here, send me a private message or send it to my username at hotmail dot com. That would be wonderful!

I went to a wedding last year which had a really simple but lovely arrangement for their centerpeices (I wish I had a picture). We're not going to do it because we'll have too many repeat guests (we already stole a lot of their ideas!) but I think it would be really easy to do and not super expensive: Glass vase (any shape and size can work) with a single (but large or jumbo) calla lily in it. BUT the thing that was cool was that they didn't just have the flower sitting in the vase it was actually trimmed to just an inch of so stem and then the whole flower was submerged under the water. It looked SO beautiful - especially with candles around it. I sure it would work for a lot of different types of flowers. I have no idea how the flower didn't float to the top though. Maybe because it was a calla since it was filled with water it easily stayed in place. Or maybe flowers dont' realy float once they're submerged... Anyway this could be a good and not super expensive option someone could do with a lot of different types (and colors) of flowers. The websites below show and the closest thing I can find on the internet. But honestly, the ones I saw looked a million times better! I think the last one looks awesome (it's the same idea but taken to the next level) http://www.petalsedge.com/portfolio/...umuratable.jpg http://www.petalsedge.com/portfolio/...tecocktail.jpg http://www.petalsedge.com/portfolio/...s/vroombar.jpg

Quote: Originally Posted by SPRKLZ224 Kashmira, I LOVE the cupcake idea! And arranging them on a stand like that with flowers will be beautiful and should surely suffice your dad. Further to the above suggestion, I've had cakes from Costco before and they're sooo good and VERY reasonably priced! So that may definately be something to consider! has anyone been to the Costco in Cabo to see if they have cupcakes... I wonder if they do. I'm sure they would be reasonably priced and it sounds like they would be pretty delicious too!

Quote: Originally Posted by LALA Isn't it funny how when a wedding happens people get all weirdly traditional? Like your dad and cake - you don't even know if he eats it but he's gotta have it there. I'm surprised by my family - my mom has never looked at her guest book from her wedding but if I don't have one at mine it might be the end of her world. Back to the real topic of cupcakes - to keep costs down you might just have them all frosted in one plain color then accent the stand with fresh flowers. You could also plunk a strawberry on each one. Lala, I like your idea of just decorating with a few flowers and maybe a strawberry! I was also thinking that maybe I could have them just frost half in one color (white?) and half in another (TBD?). Plop some flowers around them and wah-la! Instant cake! I know, it is really weird how traditional people become. I think a lot of it is "what would people think!?!" though, which is so annoying. Nobody seems to ever even eat the cake at wedding I've been to in the past... oh well... if the man wants cake then cake he shall have (possibly little cakes in cups though!)