salsa_bride

Quote: Originally Posted by pdcbride09 Elizabeth, We were told that you cannot have a catholic ceremony outside of the church in Mexico that they require it to be inside the actual church. Do you have any more information on this? Thanks! Hi PDCBride - Please feel free to PM me and I can give you any details you want regarding arranging the outdoor Catholic ceremony. It really was the key reason why we chose the Marriott. We were very happy with how it all turned out - the priest that did the ceremony (he was American that spoke English which was great) actually called us in Canada two weeks before we left to talk to us and get to know us and discuss details of the ceremony. There is paperwork that needs to get done before you leave, but isn't really a big deal. Let me know how I can help. Darlene

Elizabeth did an incredible job on our wedding - we NEVER get tired of looking at the pictures!! (Although, I wasn't crazy about how the cake looked)... but it was a perfect day. Thanks again Elizabeth!! Darlene

Lisa (Chiquita) - November 5, 2008 Lindsay (seaprincess) - January 28, 2009 Chantal (Chantal85) - January 30, 2009 Kate (kleslie5) - February 6, 2009 Ana (Ana) - April 1, 2009 Michelle (shellb) - April 24, 2009 Shannon (Shay2679) - May 7, 2009 Sorcha (townie princess) - June 12, 2009 Heather (*Heather*) - October 22, 2009 Darlene (salsa_bride) MAy 7, 2008

Hi Shauna - I"ve been away from the forum for a while... but we got married at the JW Marriott in Cancun - they have an outdoor gazebo with a breathtaking view of the ocean that is authorized to hold Catholic ceremonies. This is the KEY reason whey we chose the location. The priest we had was American and spoke English. I will try and post up some pics soon. Feel free to PM me with specific questions.

Ours was "Fallen" by Lauren Wood (remember the song from Pretty Woman?) it's slightly faster than most "first dance" songs, but it was us.

Hi Sol - I'm curious to know how much Katia charged for hair and makeup. She was referred to me by my photographer, but when I asked for pricing, she quoted me $500 for both hair and makeup!! That doesn't even include trial!!

Hi Kristina!! Wow, I read your post and I could have written the same question. We are getting married at the JW Marriott in May-08, but we'll be staying at the Gran Caribe for the week... my plan originally was to hope and pray that the JW marriott spa would be able to do a great job.. now realizing that this is not very good planning! I'm also very worried about the language barrier, and also, not having the opportunity to have a trial run... and even if I do get to do a trial , run it doesn't give me a lot of time or options if I don't like it! A friend suggested something that might be a good idea... go to a MAC counter at the mall (or any makeup place) and have them teach me to do my own makeup. So at least it will be a backup plan... but I guess that's one thing that i don't want to have to worry about that day. So, I am also open to suggestions!!!

Yup, we're still over a month away from our RSVP due date (Sept 30) and we already have 65 confirmed - we're estimating maybe close to 85 in total (we only budgeted for 60 - eek!!) We're having the ceremony at the JW Marriott, and they have said that they can handle much more than that (we're all staying at the Gran Caribe Real for the week though). We're just PRAYING that Hurricane Dean doesn't tear down our gazebo or leave a lot of damage to either resort!

Hi Anny!!! I'm so excited that you've posted your pics!! I'm getting married there May 7, 2008 and want to learn from everything you went through!! We are also dealing with Frank. I noticed that you had a bus to transport your guests to the reception... well, we will need a bus to transport anywhere from 60 -80 guests (to be confirmed as RSVPs are coming in!) from the Gran Caribe Real (where we will all be staying for the week) to the JW Marriott for the wedding and reception!! Who did you arrange the bus through? Do you know if the Marriott or the Gran Caribe would offer something similar? Can you tell me how much that cost? What a beautiful wedding and it makes me excited to see how all the pictures turned out!! Our colours will be turquoise, cream and chocolate brown and our flowers will be mango colour!! Thanks for your help and CONGRATULATIONS!

I think you may have forgotten to attach the doc or add the link. Thanks!

Hello!!! We are getting married there 9 days before you on May 7, 2008!! We are also in the midst of all the planning with the hotel... however, it's been somewhat frustrating, as the communication from their end hasn't been very clear. We signed our contract with them back in February or March, and we've really tried to get all the details worked out in the contract so that there aren't any "surprise" costs. We were originally assigned to a wedding coordinator named Irlanda (after we dealt with Josefina with the contract). She went on vacation and have been dealing with someone named Frank. My key advice is don't make any assumptions - for example, we had to remind them several times to ensure that we could book two rooms the night before the wedding (one for myself and one for the groom) at the Marriott. Apparently they were already COMPLETELY booked that week. Every email we get we always have to clarify or correct what they were communicating. Anyways, feel free to PM me if you want more info - maybe you can share how your experience has been.! Darlene

Quote: Originally Posted by anacgarcia Thanx Edyta!!! I can't wait either in fact I'm thinking about it all the time.. decoration, flowers etc etc... Anny - Thanks sooo much for the pics... my fiance and I have booked at the JW Marriott as well for May 7, 2008. It's been a couple months since I've posted here, but now that we know where we will have the ceremony and reception (and yes, I fell in love with the gazebo and the idea of a catholic wedding outdoors!!) we are now trying to focus on the details. We are very nervous about how the decorations and all the other details (bouquet, etc) will be and we are hoping that it will meet all our expectations. I am nervous about getting my hair and make up done at the marriott spa. I saw that you will be using another vendor for this - does he speak english? Do you know if the spa does good hair and make up work? I will definitely continue to follow your plans and learn from your experience. I also cannot wait until your wedding pics are up!!!

Hi Alice - the JW Marriott provide an on-site wedding coordinator for you as part of your wedding package fees. When I was looking at having our wedding in Mazatlan, I looked into finding a local wedding coordinator and although the prices were quite reasonable (much cheaper than going thorugh the hotels), there were often problems with speaking English - difficult when your needs really need to be understood/communicated.

Hi from_nyc (sorry, I couldn't find your name!) My fiance and I have been research-hopping around Mexico looking for a great place for our wedding - we too don't want a wedding at an all-inclusive (although that is where we and our guests will stay during the week) We have tried to search out nice locations for a private, classy wedding ceremony and reception. We are 90% decided now on the JW Marriott in Cancun. The primary reason we chose it was because of the private gazebo overlooking the ocean that is authorized to hold Catholic ceremonies (done by a bishop)... but also, they have various options for reception (garden, terrace, ballroom, beach). The greatest thing has been their amazing responsiveness to our inquiries and emails. They encourage us to customize to fit our budget - and they sound like real experts when it comes to wedding planning. They have a huge menu selection... the only thing that is very steep is the alcohol. We are actually considering bringing in our own alcohol (which they let you do) and just pay the uncorking fees. If you are interested in more information, PM me and I can send you all the documents they have forwarded to me for wedding celebrations.

I'm also looking at Dreams in Mayan... anymore info on this? am I right to assume that all the Dreams resorts are AI? Thanks!!