KARALANE

Sorry Here you go; NWT J Crew Emma silk size 8 ivory wedding dress gown - (eBay item 230171329994 end time Sep-19-07 20:41:23 PDT) J Crew Vivian wedding dress gown size 6 petite evening - (eBay item 230171327370 end time Sep-19-07 20:29:37 PDT) I also have a pink Lindsay J Crew dress size 8 I will be listing soon. Just like this one (except bright pink) with a matching sash; Lyndsey Dress - Weddings & Parties - Women - JCrew.com

I know a few of you contacted me awhile ago about my 1st wedding dress for sale. I finally listed it on eBay (for a steal) along with some J Crew dresses. Thanks NEW Allure bridal wedding dress gown size 10 #8411 - (eBay item 230171321301 end time Sep-19-07 20:04:27 PDT)

Thanks Ladies You're so sweet! Chrisnessa- How was your experience getting your personal items into Mexico?***** It went fine, we packed extra suitcases (and a backpacking backpack). My sister helped and brought some stuff too. It sounds like you are bringing slighty more than we did- so I would think you would need another suitcase or 2- but should be fine. Did you find you had some purchasing power in Mexico to get some of the things you gave your guests?******* We did everything here in the US, I didn't want to deal with it in Mexico and looking back I am glad I made that decision. Once again thank ALL of you for your help. Its been great reading and especially seeing the pictures. I even cried. hahahaha in happiness that I am doing this soon.******* Best of luck to you! ) It will be great.

We used an IPod and rented the sound equipment from the resort for $25/hour. We had a play list which was simple to use. For the first dance, my brother in law introduced us with the mic (he is a DJ- it worked great

Sorry Foxy for the delay in response.........I have been MIA all summer. What are you interested in? I sold a lot, but still have the dresses left.

Kelly- Pete picked out the shirts, they were from Old Navy $15! (Pants/Suit Target) It actually really complimented the girls dresses which are Raylia. The flower girls dress was $25 at Target, we found some steals.

Jamie- Yes we have an 11 year old black and tan tweenie. His is my baby- love your weiners name!

Thanks everyone Nini- those starfish were going to be our cake toppers until I found the weiner dog cake toppers. We used little drink umbrellas for our name cards. Amy- Our photog was Kathryn Elsesser; Kathryn Elsesser Photography Very resonable and she actually is putting a portfolio together of our wedding because the staff at Las Caletas (sp?) is interested in using her. (She went there during her stay in Mexico).

Finally, I got them back. They are in my knot bio; Bio Thanks again for your help in the planning process!

We were there May 27- June 3 and no rain at all. We were told by locals that it starts mid-late June.

Raeka- We used our FF miles and brought in a photog from Oregon; Kathryn Elsesser Photography as we didn't care for the Riu photog and they were very pricey. Here is my sknottie bio with non-pro pics; Bio Pro pics to follow in a couple weeks

Yeah- it was hard to find cons! Still waiting on pro pics I'll post when I get them.

We stayed at the Riu Vallarta May 27-June 3rd for our destination wedding. We had a wonderful time and wedding. Pros -Resort: beautiful! Grounds well kept, lobby was so pretty. Nicest resort I have ever been to. -Room: we were upgraded to the Deluxe Suite which was large with a jacuzzi tub, walk in closet, living room and large balcony. The bed was hard, but nothing that kept us from sleeping. -Pools/Beach: great, warm, swim-up bar was fun. The Beach was nice, very windy! -Staff: Very friendly and helpful. -Disco: Fun, smelly and smoky -Spa: Very nice. I visited it often! -Shows: Didn't really watch them, they looked a little corny. We always sat outside every evening and saw bits and pieces of the the shows. Cons -Drinks were VERY weak. -The rooms get a moldy smell and items are damp.........that being said we were next to the ocean, so we weren't surprised! -Making reservations every morning for dinner was a pain, especially for 32 people. -The food was just OK. I enjoyed breakfast the most, at lunch you have to think outside the box. I would take a roll, cut it in half, get some chicken or fish, and make mini sandwiches. Dinner was OK......nothing special, nothing horrible. -24 Snack Bar: Ugghhh......they should just do away with it. Wedding Great! Andrea did a wonderful job. The ceremony was so windy I was almost blown away!, Everything was set up as we asked. We ate at the Flamingo Steakhouse for the reception and then had a private party at Bar Mezcal, all great. The only downside was the following; Flowers: the bridesmaids bouquets were tiny and looked nothing like the photos we were shown. Cake: Ick.... But, oh well, all little things in the grand scheme of life! Dinner: Dacquiri Dick’s in Puerto Vallarta: such good food, great service. On the beach it was a nice view. Karen’s Place in Bucerias: our favorite place. Great food, wonderful service. Karen was so nice and provided us with champagne when we left. The beach was beautiful and the restaurant was very private (we almost had the whole place to our self). When you pull up, you may think twice…..you walk through some condos off a side street. Excursions: Santa Maria: For the price it was fine. The snorkeling was a joke……..â€there is the fish!†They threw food for fish to come around us. If you have been snorkeling in Hawaii, you will laugh at this. The trip was about 2 hours too long. We had a great time though! Scott’s Tours………left our guys group hanging when the captain of the boat was hospitalized. We would have been very understanding of the situation, however, Scott never alerted us of this and the group sat and waited and waited………..Unprofessional in my opinion. We had a bachelor/ette bar hopping bus tour scheduled with Scott, but after the no-show and no-call for the private boating excursion, my friend cancelled this tour. (we did the party at the Riu and had an awesome time!) We had such a wonderful time, we grew closer with our family and friends and have so many wonderful memories! We could not have had a better time!!

Hi- What are you guys doing as far as ratio for fast to slow songs during the reception? Thanks

Hi, On our scouting trip Vallarta Palace was our first choice. We did not choose it because they would not allow outside photogs (and that was not OK with me!). Here is our review on PV; Puerto Vallarta Scouting Trip Hotel Riu Vallarta (Nuevo Vallarta): We showed our selves around this hotel and it was beautiful. The hotel opened 1 week ago and has lovely grounds and open air lounge and eateries. There are 2 pools and a nice beach with private chairs and umbrellas. There seemed to be a lot of space and people weren’t jam-packed into the pool area. After viewing this property we headed over to the other Riu to meet the wedding coordinator. Both Riu’s had Mexican influence in their décor and architecture. Riu Jalisco (Nuevo Vallarta): This hotel is right next to Hotel Riu Vallarta and it 4 years old. It was a beautiful property as well. It has a gazebo for weddings that is a replica of the church in downtown Puerto Vallarta. We met with the wedding coordinator, Tina; at this hotel (she does both hotels). Best of all there is no additional charge for the reception! Tina offered us a cocktail and we were shown the entire property and she explained all the options for the wedding. The only downside of this hotel was the “musty†smell in the hotel room we viewed. I have allergies so I am very sensitive, but it was bothersome. The feel at both Riu’s was relaxed and fun. There is a movie theater and disco, kid’s club, gym. Etc. I left there with a good feeling. Vallarta Palace (Nuevo Vallarta): From the Riu’s we went to Vallarta Palace Resort about 5 minutes south. Palace was beautiful as well, but in a different way. It was very modern and had clean lines. There wasn’t much Mexican influence in my opinion. The wedding coordinator there was very nice as well. The grounds and hotel are very well maintained. The rooms are beautiful and modern. There is a wedding gazebo and they offer beach weddings as well. The spa was lovely and the pedicure stations faced the ocean with a beautiful view. The palace also has a ballroom indoors. The beach was beautiful. Golden Crown Paradise Resort: (Puerto Vallarta): When we pulled up to this resort we were unimpressed, the streets out front were dirty and there was construction going on. The place looked nice enough, however it was much crowed and there were vendors on the beach, walking up to people lying out in the sun. Once we sat down with the wedding coordinator, we discovered that the resort was adults only, the sister hotel next door (Crown Paradise Club) was all ages. We left there and were heading to the other hotel we both decided; this area wasn’t the place for us. Dreams: (Puerto Vallarta): This was a HORRIBLE experience. We had a confirmation from the wedding coordinator to do a site inspection on our own since the she was busy that day. We took at taxi across town and when we got to the gate we were told to leave by security!!! I spoke with the concierge and he would not let us in. I explained the situation and that the wedding coordinator approved a site inspection and he still told us to leave. We were so disrespected and disappointed in Dreams. We wasted almost $30 getting there to be treated like scum. I have sent a complaint to the hotel and wedding coordinator and she responded saying she was “sorry†this happened to us and she will speak to security. Unfortunately it is too little, too late. Melia: (Puerto Vallarta): Nice place, older (14 years). The wedding coordinator here was very nice as well. He showed us around the hotel and grounds looked nice. There was a very pretty terrace area for weddings and receptions and a garden area as well. The beach was disappointing; it was a small strip of sand compared to what we had seen. The pool area was very crowded as well. The room was nice; a little tattered on close inspection. Overall a nice resort and there was 3 weddings going on that weekend.