PaulSchrank

Have Dreams Tulum arrange your transportation. They will have buses and vans running and will be happy to arrange it for you. Hopefully there's a package tour on your flight and they can put you on that bus, ask them.

I've lived here for four years and have always felt safe. This area has some of the highest tax revenues in all of Mexico because of the tourism and the money shows with really nice, secure highways linking all of the Riviera Maya. The state is able to pay for police presence and provide facilities for a Federal presence. On your way from the airport to Tulum you will pass through two police checkpoints and a federal checkpoint. They are there for the safety of the tourism business. Transportation to and from the airport is highly regulated. Providers have long term exclusive contracts to go in and out of the airport. You can be assured that only reputable providers are running the buses and vans and that the highway is well watched and protected by the authorities. I have never heard any stories about corrupt police on the highways. There is too much at stake for the economy of this area.

Here's a video we shot at the Princess. The ceremony was in the gazebo, we did photos on the beach right next to it and had the reception on the beach. The beach reception was very private because the beach is seperated from the buildings by mangroves. Really a nice setting, one of my favorites. We just needed day passes for me and my assistant to shoot there. Claudia Rodriquez was the photographer. Amanda & Greg Wedding Day Edit on Vimeo

We had the Irish priest who has really rushed in the past. He was great, really relaxed and well paced. I think he gave up on the fast stuff. So I've seen both the English speaking priests and I think their both great. Much better than most of the people I see at civil ceremonies on the beach. I think it's a great choice. We had a big group (I'm bad with crowd estimations) and they packed the small church. It was a tight place to work but I have to admit it was kind of exciting to have a standing room only crowd.

I'm shooting at the Capilla today. I'll make sure I get the name of the priest. I shot there a couple moinths ago and the mass was delivered in English and was good, well paced, a little dry. The priest who rushes I have not seen at the Capilla, he's usually at the other church. I'll post again after today's wedding.

We live near the Fives and I walk by it all the time on my way to the beach. I can confirm that everything is up and running except the spa building which is coming along pretty quickly. The beach club has been complete for a couple weeks now. Condo owners are there now enjoying the pool and the bars. I'd say they are definitely ready to have a wedding there today.

Yes, whatever you need. Please see the website for a complete pricelist.

You need to be careful with low cost videographers. A poorly made video that isn't compatible with the new HDTVs will be something you never watch again and really not worth any kind of money. The biggest issue is outdated equipment and poor audio. Modern HD cameras shoot at 1920x1080 pixels, standard definition cameras shoot at 640x480. They also shoot in the older square format and not widescreen, so the picture will either be zoomed to an even lower resolution or stretched so everything looks wider. Low resolution, bad camera work and poor audio (especially challenging on a windy beach) can make a video impossible to watch. As you may have guessed by now, I'm a videographer in the Riviera Maya. We shoot in HD and we now deliver in HD Blu-Ray. We use wireless mics and multiple audio sources for the best sound. We also use a second static camera during the ceremony for the best possible coverage. Our advertised price is $1200 for three hours of coverage, $1800 for five hours (our most popular package). We also do two hours of coverage for $900 but we don't advertise it on the site. For all of these we edit a 4 minute highlight clip which is perfect for your AHR. I also recommend Miguel Canterell at cancunweddingvideo.com with confidence. They are very professional and deliver a quality product. Be sure to request their HD packages. I've been here four years and I am always looking for someone else I can recommend but I haven't found anyone outside of Miguel. Either the quality is poor, the equipment is outdated, they're unreliable, or all of the above. I hate to be so harsh, but with wedding videos you often just throw your money away when you try to save a few hundred dollars. A well made video can be an awesome thing. A poorly made video can really bum you out.

We also used Victor Espinoza and his band at our wedding. We had them play at the cocktail hour and they ended up being THE PARTY of the night. The energy was really high after our ceremony and when people started dancing they picked up on the vibe and just rocked with a really original Latin dance sound. So much fun and the life of the party. Really, super professional and gracious as well.

We had our rehearsal dinner at Pummarola in Playa del Carmen. We had about 40 people. They served Italian food family style to two long tables. We also hired a trio for entertainment. We compared prices and this was a good value. Our coordinator Frederica at micasdemiralls.com arranged it. It was really great and people kept talking about it. Several guests went back to the restaraunt later in the week.

No, wait! You cannot plug a microphone into a line input. The line input has more power than the microphone and the microphone requires a pre-amplifier in order to work in a line or aux input like a docking station. The only kind of input that will work with a microphone is an input labled "mic" or "microphone". This will have the pre-amplifier built in. You can find this with a "karaoke" boombox, but normally there is no pre-amp, just a line in which will not work with a microphone.

The Tides is near Playa del Carmen, you can walk to town along the beach. About an hour, a nice walk. The beach there is rocky and a little challenging for swimming. A cab ride to town should be less than $10. Esencia is more secluded and has a better beach. I haven't been inside the Tides but I worked at a wedding at Esencia and was very impressed with the facilities. The beach at Esencia is good for walking and swimming and the area has many cenotes, I think you can even walk to some, I think... It's half way between Tulum and Playa del Carmen and a good 40 minutes by car in either direction. Cabs would be $25+ to either town.

Both Yasmin de la Mora and ourselves (PlayaWeddings) live in Xcalacoco, just up the street from Le Reve. It's a great spot on a great beach.

Here's a video we just shot there: Jennifer & Nate Wedding Day Edit on Vimeo We loved shooting there because there is a long stretch of untouched beach right next door to the ceremony site for photo taking. Tons of natural beauty.

I've been following the financial blogs and news sites. What I'm reading is that the dollar is heading for a fall and the Canadian dollar will rise. Canada not only has oil but minerals and precious metals. A currency that is backed by commodities is much stronger than currency backed by nothing but debt. I'm long the loonie. The recent rise in the dollar is a by-product of the credit crisis. As the market drops, positions need to be unwound and settled in dollars. With so much volatility there is a huge increase in market activity and dollars need to be purchased to settle these positions. The U.S. government is pumping the system with dollars to accommodate this but increasing the money supply like this always results in a devaluation of the currency.

I shot video for a photo shoot around the CEA Center and on that beach. You can see it here: Gerard Tomko Photo Shoot on Vimeo The first half is shot in Playa del Carmen and the second half, when the music changes, is at Akumal. It's full of great photo opportunities. This video was shot at the Canon House with a photo shoot on the same beach. Stefanie & Dave Wedding Day Edit on Vimeo

Quote: Originally Posted by adias.angel Hi Paul, Thank you so much for posting this! You said that the tourist season gets busy around Christmas, how close to Christmas? We are a looking at the Dec 11, 2010 and wondering if it will still be during the slower time. Thanks, Carla Yes it's still slow. High season officially starts on Dec. 18th. It's a really nice time of year, light crowds and perfect weather. Lower prices at hotels as well.

We have several videos from Riu Riviera Maya here: VENUE: RIU Resorts on Vimeo

I cried half way through my vows, but I made it through to the end.

I live here in Playa and have been doing weddings here for 4 years. I think the best month for a wedding is November. The rain slows down and it's still warm. The sea is still warm from the summer. The tourists don't arrive in earnest until Christmas so it's not so crowded. Our tourist season here starts in December and November is at the end of low season. People earn much less money during low season so everyone in the tourist business is eager to please and start earning money again. In January and February it gets very windy and it gets cool. When you get both it can be pretty cold. The high winds can make for very challenging conditions for beach weddings. You need some luck to avoid the winds. I've had great weddings during these months. Your best bet is to bring the reception indoors away from the wind. March and April are the highest part of the season. Lots of tourists and lots of weddings. The weather is great but you should plan ahead for these months. The more private you can make it, the better. We got married last year at the beginning of May. I like May, it's hot but the nights are really nice. May and June are very busy for weddings and these are at the end of everyone's seasons. Everyone is working a lot during these months. Since weddings happen late in the day and the night, the weather is really good for outdoor events. Probably the least chance of a rain-out. In July it gets too hot and we usually get away until September. September and October are really nice months here for us, but it rains a lot so it's not so nice for weddings. It's a great time to visit though. Everyone is psyched for the new season and we get some perfect days weather-wise. And there is no competition for space.

Here's a couple of wedding videos from Blue Bay Esmerelda VENUE: Blue Bay Gran Esmeralda on Vimeo

Quote: Originally Posted by DRod0214 Hey IS girls, i wanted to know from anyone that is doing theirs at tucan/quetzal or pariso is there is anything bad that has happened. If anyone has pictures of wedding, can you post them I would love to see them. We've shot several videos at Iberostar, it's one of the best AIs in the area. Here are some of the videos, they are all from Paraiso: VENUE: Iberostar Paraiso on Vimeo

Here are some wedding videos from the Royal: VENUE: The Royal Playa del Carmen on Vimeo

I've lived here for four years and I've explored up and down the coast. You can go to Tulum and go south on the beach road. You can gop very far south and the resorts on the coast become more and more remote. Not exactly authentic Mexican. If you want that, go to Merida, but it is not on the coast. Further south of Tulum, almost to Belize is Bacalar. This place is really amazing, it's an inland lake where the cenote water meet the sea waters. it's called the lagoon of seven colors because the different water types and mixes of, create distinct shades of blue in the lagoon. if you can get yourself a raft or small boat it would be much more fun. You can buy a two person raft to row in Playa del carmen at Wal-Mart or mega for about $50-$60. There are small hotels on the lagoon and the city of Bacalaar which is small but authentic. The trip from The RM will take you through Carillo Puerto which is a very authentic mexican town. You can also stop in Majuhual, which is a strange little town on the a beautiful coast. it was hit by a hurricane last year, so was Bacalaar so i don't know what they are like now. I imagine things are back to normal now. There is a town between cancun and Playa called Puerto Morelos. This is a tourist town but it's much smaller and has a different vibe. It's very easy to get to Tulum and Puerto Morelos from anywhere in the RM so they are a good place to start. Merida may be yopur best bet for authenticity, but I admit, I have not yet been there. It's about 5-8 hours from the RM. All of these places can be reached by buses or you can drive a rental car.

Here are some wedding videos from Kool Beach Club: PlayaWeddings' VENUE: Kool Beach Club album on Vimeo It's a great place for a reception. The only drawback is the unsightly construction behind it but that should be complete soon, at least by the end of the year.