JENGONDA9

Just returned from our trip last night and are loaded with pictures, ideas and tips...but unfortunately I have to catch up at work today since I returned to several hundred emails. I will try to do a good review tonight or tomorrow. We LOVED everything about our wedding and had such a good time that we wish we could do it all over again. Our friends are already asking if they can join us for our anniversaries! I know many of the other brides have said it in the past, but believe me it is totally worth it to get married this way!!! More later...

[email protected] Monica Trujillo is the owner and she is really helpful.

Wow, thanks Natasha. This is really helpful. I will start drinking water TODAY! I can't afford fireworks anymore, but where can you get sparklers down there? Based on consumption, I figured in 5 drinks at $6 each per person at our reception. This is in addition to 28 bottles of wine and 14 bottles of champagne. But you have a good point about people drinking by the pool all day. Do you think I overestimated? Mind you, we are mostly from Wisconsin which is a very heavy drinking state. Maybe I will save some $ here. The whole rental car/cab issue is exactly why we chose a resort right in Cabo. Ours is walking distance (sometimes a long walk) from everything. They only have to take a shuttle from the airport and that is it. Seriously, this can save your guests so much money. The one time we took a cab from downtown to Puerta Vieja (7 km) it was $20 each way for 2 people. We rented a car for ourselves but almost noone else did.

Hi Valerie- When I was down there for a wedding, we took a day trip up to Playa del Carmen to shop. From there, you can take the ferry to Cozumel which has some of the best snorkeling/scuba diving in the world. Or if you are like me and don't snorkel/scuba, the ferry would still be fun.

I would pay it and then ask her to keep it to herself. Just say that you are sure she can understand how those can add up and you would prefer if those who can afford it paid it themselves. I helped a couple people out with their rooms and asked this of them. This way, you really seem like the bigger person AND it is like a special favor just for them. Another thing I found helpful for a few people who were broke was to front them the money for flights/rooms and have them pay me back as they were able.

HI there! Welcome to the site. I am getting married 6 days before you in Cabo and am feeling the pressure too! Can't wait for a sunny vacation though, how about you?

You are so right about making a list! I made one when I hit 8 weeks because it seemed like I had so many little things to take care of yet - and I did, there were like 20 little things. I just looked at it yesterday and i had all but one of them done. I try to focus on one thing at a time and that seems to help with the stress.

I said "Yes, Yes, of course, definitely!!!" I think that was pretty clear

I have some friends who just went to a DW at this resort and had a really good time!! their only complaint was that it was about an hour from nuevo vallarta so there was no nightlife other than the resort. I gues a couple guests had plumbing troubles but not enough to make it unpleasant. and there were tons of activities to keep them busy during the day and the food was excellent.

Yay! Another January bride! Welcome!

That is part of what I like about the Ixchel quote - she told me what the vehicles and capacity are.

We are using DJ Gaston Montano and have him for 4 hours. I don't know how to reach him b/c my coordinator set this up. But we have his play lists and they look pretty comprehensive. I would be happy to share them if anyone is interested. Our coordinator assured us that he is really good. His price is $180 per hour.

Here's another one from cabo region. Dear Jennifer: It’s a pleasure to hear from you again, this is the best estimate I have for you: Friday January 12th 2007 50 Passengers. Pick up: Finisterra Resort, Downtown area. Cabo San Lucas. Drop off: Puerta Vieja Restaurant, CSL Highway. Service: Round trip. Pick up time: 5:00 pm Return: To confirm time, max. 3 hours and a half. 1 Bus Maximum capacity, 45 passengers. 1 Ford Excursion. Maximum capacity, 7 passengers. Total: $550.00 usd - $5.5 usd per person, each way. *Please let me know if this estimate works for you. The payment will be the day of the event, preferable cash. It will be my pleasure to assist you again. Have a wonderful day! Ena Aragón Cota Gerente General/General Manager

At Finisterra, we originally blocked 40 rooms for a $1000 deposit which will be applied toward our dinner/drinks. They allow rooms booked through online vendors to count toward the room block so many of our guests found much cheaper rates and reserved that way. I just have to catalog it myself and send it to our room block coordinator. We had an attrition clause as well so we ended up releasing half our rooms last month. Seriously, our contract was so complicated I am fortunate that my FI and his Dad are attorneys and sorted it out. But now we have 30 reserved so we didn't even have to release that many. Our hotel also gave us an upgrade to an ultra suite since we booked 20 rooms.

Natasha - Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing your photos! They are beautiful!

i attended a DW at this resort for my FI's cousin in April of 2005. i will post some pictures for you this evening. i don't want to freak you guys out, but we did not have the best experience with this place. the worst of it was that the minister never showed up so my future father in law had to wing it and perform the ceremony for them. this resort is enormous and they have about 5 or 6 different wedding sites from what I remember, which were all very pretty. we were at the southernmost site at the Tulum end of it. let me know if you want more info...

I am wondering if any of you could share the itinerry you provided for your guests so we can steal some of your ideas. We want the schedule to be really flexible but still let people know when we will be available to hang out and/or carouse over the weekend. Thanks in advance!

Our good friends got so used to saving their spare change for the wedding expenses that they decided to keep doing it afterward. Now they save all year and cash it in right before their anniversary. They use it to go out for a really extravagant dinner or get a night at a cool hotel. I think we are going to do this too!

hey girls - we are going pretty minimalistic. i didn't like the candle holders our hotel had so i bought 9 big silver ones that look kinda like disco balls but have half clear glass pieces. they are heavy but fortunately my mom's BF is flying them down for me in his plane so i don't have to carry them. then we are surrounding them with tea lights to create a good reflection and then scattering the tables with rose petals.

i would send them asap as well, except you might want to factor in the holiday mailstorm and in that case you might want to wait until right after xmas. we sent ours almost exactly six months in advance.

Hey ladies- I sent a request for quote to 7 different agencies and here is what I got back. One to Caboregion bounced back to me. Ixchel is definitely the least expensive with a deal of $8 pp roundtrip. Hi Jennifer, Thanks for your e-mail. We are a full service DMC and we can assist you not only with transportation but a lot more. Please find below the quote based on a per vehicle quote. 40 passenger motor-coach $610.00 for 4 hour minimum rental Every additional hour per coach is $150.00 You will require two of them for 50 people. Let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to hear from you! Adriana Contactincentives Los Cabos Private Round Trip Transfer Pricing (all prices quoted in USD) Private transfer to be provided for 50 people from hotel Finisterra to the Puerta Vieja Restaurant: We suggest 1 motor coach and 1 van: oVan (max 10 persons)$220 oMotor Coach(max 40 persons)$650 Terramar Coordination Staff$25.00 per hour per staff Inclusions: ·De luxe private transportation ·Coordination staff Not Included in above pricing but applicable: ·Terramar Gratuity 5 % Options: ·Water$ 3.00 each based on consumption ·Soda$ 3.00 each based on consumption ·Personalized Signage$ 10.00 per sign Deposit and Guarantee: ·Deposit required at booking. Guarantee required 72 hours prior arrival. Terramar Destination Management Dear Jennifer Thank you very much for your enquire. For one round trip dinner transfer from the Finisterra Htl. to Puerta Vieja Restaurant at Km 7 in Cabo San Lucas up to four hours it will be US$ 17.00 p/p We will use a Deluxe late model A/C 52 seats full size Motor coach (please see picture attached) Additional waiting hour it will be US$ 180.00 p/hour. Please let me know if you require any additional information or assistance. I will be more than happy to assist you. Antonio González Chavarin Bestours Los Cabos Tel (624)124-0151/53 Fax (624)124-0152 www. bestours.com.mx Dear Jennifer, Yes we can provide this type of service rate: $17.00 usd per person roundtrip, 1 motor coach and 1 small vehicle will be needed to transfer 50 participants. Any question or further information please do not hesitate to contact me at any time, it’s our pleasure to assist you. Best regards, Jacqueline Baleon Gray Line Los Cabos Hola Jennifer, Nice hearing from you. I sent you a proposal some weeks ago. I would like to assist you with transportation and I am glad to confirm a special price of $8.00 per person round trip (we suggest 10% tips). We use 2006 and 2007 vehicles, in order to accommodate 50 guests, we will assign: 2 2007 Hiace Toyota Van for 14 people each 1 2006 Sprinter Mercedes Benz for 17 people 1 2006 Suburban for up to 8 All are our drivers are bilingual and certified guides. In order to honor this prices for next year, please confirm no later than December 15th. Look forward to hearing from you. My regards, Monica Trujillo General Manager Ixchel Cabo A premier transportation company 624 14 26804 Dear Jennifer For this round trip transfer we can offer you for 50 people we can provide this transfer by 1 motor coach, the round trip cost $587.00 usd Thank you and hope to hear from you soon Silvia Galeana Agente de Ventas y Reservaciones / Sales & Reservations Agent [email protected] Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 43 Colonia Las Veredas, San José del Cabo, B.C.S; México C.P. 23400

I hate adding this up but here goes: Website/Invites: $400 Bride attire/alterations: $2100 Grooms Suit: $350 Rings: $1000 Bridesmaids Attire/Gifts: $1000 Groomsmen/Ushers: $1000 Flights: $880 Hotel: $1200 Rental Car: $300 Honeymoon: $1000 Welcome Dinner: $3500 Transport: $500 OOT Bags: $400 Floral/Arch: $800 Mariachi Band (2 hrs): $1050 DJ (4 hrs): $720 Legal Ceremony Fees: $420 Photographer (2hrs): $700 Add'l Photographer (6 hrs): Free Wedding Coordinator/Site Fee/Chairs: $1150 Champagne Toast/Appetizers: $600 Dinner for Reception: $2100 Wine for Reception: $720 Drinks for Reception: $1500 Invites to AHR: $300 AHR: $7500 So we are at about $31,200 for 70 pp in Cabo and an open house AHR of about 200 expected. Not including my ring cuz I don't know how much it was Eeks!

I wish I could add some good budget saving tips, but I have a horrible problem with instant gratification! Fortunately our parents are paying for a big chunk of our wedding, and I am just trying to pay-as-I-go for everything else. Leftover costs are going on a 12 month no interest credit card which we will pay off by next x-mas. We only have an 8 month engagement so there isn't much time to save!

Hey thanks Maria! I will have to try out your winner . We are looking for a place to take our family one night so maybe we will check that out. Do you think we need a reservation for 7 or 8?

Quote: Originally Posted by marfa75 WOW, this is harder than I thought!! I chose all the ceremony,dinner, dances music but the dance music is so hard. I don't know any new songs or who sings them. Does anyone have a list of current popular songs that arent too cheesy? we are working on our list over the next week so i will try to remember to post it for you. it has quite a bit of current stuff. if you are having a DJ, he should give you a list of all the songs he has and then you just bring CD's of anything else. when is your wedding?