A10CalGal

OK, so we got our pics from Bradley. I am so glad we chose him as our photog! There are so many wonderful pics, it was hard to choose just a few to share. Here you go:

I saw her in person! Very beautiful...but crazy crowd of people! OMG - I can't even imagine how you would be able to spend time with each & every one. None the less - Tasha was a gorgeous bride - and calm, cool & collected from what I could see PS - her flowers on the reception tables were AMAZING!! Loved them - it was fun to be able to check out the details post-nuptual with no stress involved. Drowned white roses - very sophisticated, yet simple. LOVED THEM!

I am going to go to Cabo Surf and try to watch her ceremony today! I'm so excited for her...I hope she's having a relaxing morning. CONGRATS TASHA!!!

Darn, I missed her before she left. I'm thinking of you Tasha! I wanted to try to leave a note at the Cabo Surf for you but things got too crazy on check out day. We will definitely cruise by on Saturday & try to find you in the gigantic crowd of people you will have Good luck, and please be relaxed & enjoy - I stressed enough for both of us.

Oh, you girls are so sweet! I just read this & I was like "why does everyone think I'm so organized?? and if I'm so organized, why was I so stressed?!" Thanks for all the well wishes & congrats. Just heard from Bradley & we can't meet with him till Saturday...pics will have to wait till then

Thanks girls. I needed to put this together now before permanent brain damage sets in from so much relaxing. Our honeymoon really officially starts today since we had the boys with us until this morning. The last of our guests are leaving tomorrow. I'll post Bradley's pics later this week. Be good!!!

Christa & Rafael’s Wedding Review Overview We arrived in Cabo on the Wednesday before our wedding and I am so glad we had a day to settle in before others started to arrive. Rafael and I got ourselves settled in our room, checked out the property, had our margaritas & just sat on our patio enjoying the view of all the surfing activity. Later that day we met with our photog, Bradley Fraser. He was so professional and friendly and helpful. We checked out the light & he took some test shots so we could figure out how we wanted our ceremony set up arranged – so helpful! Thursday morning I met with Armando from Cabo Surf to review the details of our wedding. He was willing to make anything happen that we wanted; he had all of the details we had previously decided on already taken care of. Our guests started arriving on Thursday, so activity started ramping up. I drove into downtown Cabo to go to my hair trial appointment at the Suzanne Morel Face & Body Care salon, more on that later. By the time I returned from the appointment, all of Rafael’s family had arrived and were sitting around the pool drinking margi’s (these were a theme for us!). We all needed to be downtown for our welcome dinner at Baja Cantina Beach at 7:00 pm. I arranged a shuttle for our group through Ixchel, and he arrived 30 minutes early & graciously waited for us. We picked up people at the surrounding condos & then went down town. Our welcome dinner was a fricking blast! I think every single one of us had a hangover the next day. Thank goodness we had a shuttle to take us home. After peeling myself out of bed Friday morning, I met with Maye Cortinas to review the details and show her how/where we wanted things set up. She is a very classy lady and left me with the feeling that she would make everything happen. She did bring an assistant with her that would be taking care of the day of coordination – her name escapes me right now, but she was absolutely lovely. Friday afternoon we had our ladies spa day on the lawn at the hotel. Suzanne Morel’s team arrived early to set up and provided us with an amazing day of pedi’s, mani’s and massages. My guests really enjoyed it – this is a must do if it’s in your budget. Friday evening is when things got really interesting. My maid of honor diagnosed me with an “official case of the jitters.” I totally did not see this coming. Everything had gone so perfectly already, every one of our guests was enjoying themselves, and I was a nervous wreck! It was so weird. I totally had an anxiety attack – shaky hands, shortness of breath, weak knees, crying. I seriously felt like I was going to die of a heart attack. It was crazy! All I can figure out is that I was so concerned about every body having a good time that my body had stored up all of this weird stressy energy & it had to get out. Rafael and I were supposed to spend the night apart, but I just couldn’t be alone. He stayed with me & took care of me. Saturday morning came quickly & I was still a complete mess. I tried everything I could think of to relax myself – yoga, swimming, walking, laying down. Nothing was working. Suzanne Morel’s staff arrived and the concierge, Manuel, totally took care of me. He had me pour out my coffee and had me drink some chamomile tea. My maid of honor arrived and they started doing her hair, which was beautiful. Then it was time for my hair. I think once that started I was able to stop focusing on being stressed. Hair and makeup was done by 2:00 pm, and then it was time to wait for the wedding. We had a glass of champagne and TRIED to relax while watching Maye and her staff set up the huppah and chairs on the beach….next thing I know, it is 3:00 and Bradley arrived for pre-wedding pics. He was great. He kept telling me to breathe, which I needed because I kept catching myself holding my breath. Yikes! We took some fun pics and then he headed off to get pics of the boys. Time for the ceremony! Jonathan, Rafael’s 12 year old son, came knocking on the door – he was ready to walk me down the aisle. Our ceremony was a complete surprise to me. We did not do a rehearsal. We each wanted to say our own vows and did not share them with each other in advance. Rafael said the most beautiful things to me in front of our family and friends – I cried and immediately forgot everything I was going to say! I managed to say something – I don’t quite remember what, I’ll have to see the video footage to remind myself. It was so cool to be able to look out of our small crowd of close friends and family and feel like they were all in this with me instead of just there looking at me. It was really special, completely non-traditional and I loved it! Immediately after the ceremony I had arranged for the whole group to do a shot of tequila. Even Bradley partook. After getting everybody settled for the cocktail hour, we headed to the beach for bride & groom pics. Can I say one more time that Bradley was wonderful? We were able to join our guests for the last half of the cocktail hour, which apparently everybody enjoyed. I think I took one bite of one thing…I really couldn’t eat for some reason. Then we moved on to the dinner table for our fantastic dinner of steak and lobster. The waiters were great and responsive. I don’t think my wine glass was empty once that night. By the time dinner started, out mariachi trio was done, so we switched over to the ipod music. That worked out really well for us. I can’t believe I was so up R’s butt about what music he was going to play – there was something for everyone & as I looked around the table during dinner I realized every body was having such a great time, dancing in their seats, singing out loud together. It was just super cool. Rafael says to mention that after the reception we all got in the hot tub, listened to rap music & cursed! Yes, we did. Richard, the 16 year old, put on “his” music…and we all got into it. Good times! Here's a few random shots from our camera, we get Bradley's pics tomorrow...KEEP READING - VENDOR DETAILS & REVIEWS ARE AFTER THE PICS!! Cabo Surf Hotel – A+ We will return to this awesome hotel again & again! Although I had seen a million photos & read great things about the Cabo Surf…I was still so relieved and thrilled when we arrived on the Wednesday before our wedding. It was absolutely EVERYTHING I wanted for our wedding – small, intimate, special and with a breathtaking view. The staff knew exactly who we were when we checked in. We were immediately offered a welcome margarita. The margi’s are perfect! We had room #20 above the restaurant. Although the room was a bit smaller than I expected, the view & proximity to the ocean more than made up for it. Our boys stayed in Ocean Room #5 and had a HUGE patio with a hammock. They loved it. Some of our other guests stayed in room #21 which has a balcony with a hot tub. The service was top notch. I really can’t say I was disappointed by any facet of our stay or our wedding at the Cabo Surf, except when we had to check out on Sunday L Maye Cortines – A I did not give Maye an A + because on the day we met initially I was caught off guard by the fact that she said she was not aware we were having our reception on the lawn. It seems like she had way too much information in way too small of a binder. Her binder actually exploded at one point and all of her papers fell out. She didn’t even know if I owed her money. Good thing I’m honest & handed over the $2100 I owed her. Once we moved past that initial misunderstanding, I felt really good about her. She did not freak out at all ( I did on the inside!), she just adjusted and assured me everything would be taken care of. She knew all of the key staff at the Cabo Surf and it appeared they respected her and were willing to work with her. In the end, everything went as planned without me knowing. She did a great job, as did her assistant. She gets an A because all went as planned perfectly and without me having to do a thing. Mariachi Trio – B I had to ask Rafael to grade them, because I honestly don’t remember much about their music! I do remember I wanted them to break into full mariachi music as we walked back down the aisle after the ceremony, but they did not. I do remember they played some fun music that R & I dance to. Overall, they provided nice background music & that is about all I can say about them. Suzanne Morel Skin & Hair Salon – A+ Suzanne is absolutely lovely, classy and on top of her stuff. I highly recommend her services. I went in for a hair & makeup trial on Thursday. Her salon is in the Pedregal community, which is interesting to get to if you don’t know where you are going. I had to ask a few people how to get there, but it all worked out. I called her when I arrived at the security gate, and she sent her concierge down to meet me & show me the way to the salon. My stylist was Deanna, and she is an absolute perfectionist. She definitely knows what she is doing. She did not speak English, but that was fine because I speak Spanish. However, even if you don’t speak Spanish, it doesn’t matter, because the concierge is there for translation. She did my hair first, and while it looked good, it lacked that “oomph” that a bride should have according to Suzanne. This is probably because I have such fine hair. Suzanne pulled out a hair piece to bulk up my do, and it totally worked. Makeup went perfect, no complaints at all. Before I left they did a re-do on my hair so that it wouldn’t look like the day of hair…Suzanne did this herself and did a really cute style that I will definitely recreate for myself. The spa day was perfect – without exception. The day of went perfect as well. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this vendor. USE THEM! They work magic. Bradley Frasier – A+ Bradley is amazing. He did a recon visit to the hotel the week before our wedding to see what the light would be like for our ceremony. He recommended we move our ceremony back an hour and I am so glad he did. I really think our pics would have been not as good if we stuck with a 5:00 start time. He is so calm and cool. I love his personality. I felt like we clicked immediately. He absolutely worked his ass off for us. I mean, he was running around, jumping on top of things to get shots. He was drenched in sweat. We get our pics from him on Thursday…. Floreria Pamela – A I originally was going to make my own bouquets and centerpieces. I decided to have the flower shop use the flowers I ordered to make two bouquets and then cut the rest of the flowers down to 8” stems for me. I used light pink roses, fuchsia gerbera daisies and pink gerbera daisies. Our coordinator arranged the centerpieces for us by filling low square vases with sand & water and inserting the stems into the sand. I think they looked great – especially for the price. We paid $245 for 9 bunches (3 of each kind) and the labor for making the bouquets & cutting the stems. They even delivered the flowers to the hotel in the morning. The flowers were beautiful and fresh. I wish I could have kept them all. Ixchel Transportation – A+ Perfect service: on time, courteous, helpful. Baja Cantina Beach Restaurant – A This is a brand new restaurant on the beach near The Office. It is gorgeous! There was even a jazz trio playing while we were there. The ambience was great. The drinks were strong, the food was good. We had a great time. I realize this review is ridiculously long, but I wanted to tell the story as well as review the vendors. Please feel free to ask any questions. I’m sure there is so much more info I have that I did not include, but I will stop now!

Ladies - what's done is done. My poor FI feels like a complete ass for forgetting about all of this, and of course feels inferior to me cuz I'm so SMART! Just kidding....anyway, we were able to get his ex wife to fill out the consent & get it notarized & faxed to us. That's the best we can do today,. So, my mother is armed with Richards passport & two signed and notarized affitdavits. They get there first tomorrow, god willing! Again, thanks for all of your help & support. I knew I could count on my BDW ladies to come thru with info & support. Jennette & Sarah, you girls are DA BOMB! Next time we chat, I will be OFFICIALLY MARRIED!!!!!!

I keep thinking about the dog whisperer "calm & assertive, calm & assertive"!

Quote: Originally Posted by AQHARIDER Everything I'm reading tells me it needs to be notarized. However, there are notaries everywhere- in places you wouldn't even think of. Where does the ex work? Could there be a notary at her workplace? And Rafael as well? Still looking for more info... Yeah, it def needs to be notarized. I just remembered there is a lady in HR at R's work that is a notary, I passed that info on to him.

Quote: Originally Posted by AQHARIDER OK Christa, hang in there- we'll help you... I'm frantically searching the internet too- what about this one? http://www.travel-masters.net/forms/...onsent%202.pdf Thanks Sarah. I've got the form, the prob is getting it signed & notarized & in hand in time for the flight tomorrow. As we speak, FI is awaiting a call back from his ex. At the very least, he needs to fill out the form & have it notarized & get her to do the same & fax it. We totally don't have time to get her original. Keep your fingers crossed for us! I swear, I just want to kill FI right now! How could he noth have thought of this & taken care of it?? I am so angry and sad and frustrated right now!! thanks for all the support & help ladies. How could I think things could be calm, cool & collected at this point? Oh yeah, cuz i'm organized & on top of MY STUFF!

Yeah, I saw the same stuff...of course HE DOESN'T BELIEVE ME!~!! I also just got of the phone with the US Dept of State...yup, they highly reccomend having that notarized consent. They say that the customs agent in Mexico may ask for it.... I'm pretty sure if by some amazing fete we get this done, nobody will want to see it...but if we don't they will. I am hovering somewhere between crying and vomitting right now.

Thanks Jennette! Yeah, that's kindof the thought process I was on. What's really frusterating is that the airline says no such document is required to board the plane...they don't make any mention of the document at all, even when asked explicitly. On the other hand, the US Dept of State website says the following: "notarized consent from parent(s) required for children under age 18 traveling alone, with one parent or in someone else's custody." So, my fiance thinks everthing is fine since the airline doesn't require this affidavit...the problem is MEXICO DOES!!!!!!

OK, so we leave tomorrow morning, Yay! My mom is flying with Rafael's 16 year old son on a different flight. It just occured to me that there is documentation necessary to allow him to travel abroad with a non-parent. Indeed, we must have an Affidavit of Parental Consent for Travel outside the US of a Minor Child. It must be signed by both parents in the presence of a notary. His mom lives in AZ, we live in California. Do we have any hope of getting this together?

Then don't! Just pick a time & place...and rock on. Food, drinks, friends & fam - that's all you need...I'm just sure of it!

Ann - you are so f-ing funny!! Be careful that you don't OD on special stuff for the welcome dinner...you don't want to overshadow your wedding & reception!!!

Yay Lenita! Everthing looks beautiful. You guys make such a gorgeous couple.

Toby...when we applied for our marriage license, along with it came a "souveneir marriage certificate" that can be filled out with the date, time, location, etc. It's for keepsake/display purposes only. Perhaps you will get one of those when you get your license??

Quote: Originally Posted by akh Christa, I am really uncomfortable with you posting pictures of me without my permission. Next time, please ask. wow, you made bail quick Ann!

That was a mug shot from Smokinggun.com - she was arrested this morning for DUI. I think I'll print this out as an inspiration for my stylist LOL

Also in downtown, there is Casa Rafael - it's around $90-ish/night, and not disgusting!

Definitely check out ..VRBO® is Vacation Rentals by Owner® Vacation Homes Rentals by Owner - it's a site for villas & condos for rent by owner. Several of my guests used it to find a condo to stay in.

Quote: Originally Posted by AQHARIDER I agree with Christa, Tammy- you definitely don't need something else to add to your stress! Skip it... Christa, I was doing the same thing with my Marachi Trio- they said they can do romantic music for the beginning of the ceremony, then I said for the recessional and cocktail hour I want loud Msxico party music! But then I got it into my head I needed more control over the situation (why must I continuously do this to myself?) and emailed them to ask if they had a song list. You're right though, they do this all the time- I should just trust them to play their own thing and stay out of it! Hehehe...I know the feeling. This is one thing I felt I could leave to the professionals! I think it's going to be really fun....eeeek!!! We plan to have the wedding party do a shot of tequila after we all get down the aisle for the recessional...I think that will make every thing OK