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!!

that's a great map!! Thanks!! where do you get your maps?!

There is one makeup line I discovered at a Bridal Show called Vasanti... I LOVE it...they have a cream eye shadow duo compact called Desert Glow which is my favourite. This cream colour duo is great for eyes, cheeks, lips and brows. Desert Glow gives a glossy finish on the eyes and cheeks, and a sheer metallic luster on the lips. Great on any skintone. Mix and match- both shades are safe to use anywhere on the face and body. Shades: Bronzy/metallic brown and coppery pink that gives iridescent sheen to cheeks. I wore this when I was in Jamaica... and it gives a really nice dewey glow - great for DWs or vacations!! Vasanti Cosmetics Inc.

Here is some additional information for Mazatlan I just collected from my friend there. Her friend's daughter (a local) is getting married this month at El Cid Marina Beach Hotel. You take a short ferry to the reception site (it is a round building glass all around where you can watch the sunset, you are able to walk out onto a patio i believe). For 150 guests, price is about $10-15k depending on the menu and bar service you select. This price includes decorations, cake, everything... excluding music - but in Mazatlan, you can rent a DJ for about $600 for the night, or even better, get a live 10 piece band. For those of you looking to have a Catholic ceremony - there is a priest in Mazatlan that I think does many DW weddings. His name Father Young - he is Irish, speaks English (and Spanish_ and will marry anyone as long as you are there at least 3 days prior to ceremony, I believe the cost is a donation you give. He is a school chaplin, does a lot of volunteer work... Otherwise, if you get married by other priests, you may have to go through a "marriage preparation course" similar to what they require here in many churches in Northa America. Another possible wedding location is Faro Mazatlan... Hotel en Mazatlan - Mazatlan hotel- Mazatlan Hoteles My friend has been to a wedding there... very beautiful and private... on a cliffside I believe, over the ocean. That's it for now!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Stray I don't know why it is authorized, I assume because there is enough demand for it. I wouldn't be surprised if other hotels do the same. If you want more information about the Catholic ceremonies at the Marriott in Cancun, or want to see a photo of their wedding gazebo, go to Find A Resort - StrayWeddings.com Wow!!! That is EXACTLY what I've been looking for!! Does anyone have a map of where this hotel is located in relation to other resorts? particularly AI? Has anyone been married here at the Marriott and had the Catholic ceremony? We're actually researching Mayan Riveiera at the moment as it is cheaper and more accessible for our many guests... any other places offer something like this also?? Thanks!!

Hi Tammy - would u mind forwarding me the wedding packages for Grand Palladium also? We are now also looking at Mayan Riviera... thanks!

Hi Taryn - Thanks! what a great tip!! I will definitely look into it, esp for the privacy issue. I checked out their site...it's not AI, am I correct? Does that $59/ person/night include food or just accomodations? One of the key things we want to not have to worry about is airfare and food for our guests... just seems easier to have it taken care of in one shot.

Quote: Originally Posted by TAMMYM The sheraton Church is really pretty, can probably hold (I'd guess) at least 80 people, but I didn't really check into it. There are a few places ocean front to have your dinner there. The good thing about all this is you don't have to stay at that resort if you don't want to. If you want to do an AI resort just transport your guests there. I fell in love with the Sheraton the second I stepped foot on their grounds. Does anyone know whether if you use the church/chapel on the Sheraton Hacienda, if the WC is able to secure a Catholic priest? It's one thing to have ceremony in the church, but another thing to have it officiated by a Catholic priest with the "powers vested in him"

I'll take a look at Villa del Arco! My fiance really like Dreams himself - was concerned about what you had said about probably having some difficulty booking a lot of rooms as they are almost always to capacity. When I call selloff, i'll compare prices between resorts!

Quote: Originally Posted by host selloffvacations does not do group rates if i remember correctly. i remember someone trying to get them to. also, 150 guests is ALOT (75 rooms), you will really need to get that room block in place pretty quickly ESPECIALLY if you plan it at dreams since they only have about 330 rooms total and book to capcity about 98% of the year... just saw you are not getting married until april 2008...i thought 2007 and alsmost had a heart attack. ps. it will be very difficult to get 1 week package under $1500 for an AI in cabo. even if you use sell off. they have a very limited amount of rooms at the sale price. but you can try. I just returned from the Bridal Show here in Toronto and selloffvacations was there. Normally, AI pkgs are around $1500-1600 for Riu Palace in CSL. They said I can call their "groups" agent and they will arrange directly with the resort to book off a block of rooms for a discounted price, even for groups as big as 150... Woohoo!!! I feel so much better now!! I'm going to call them tomorrow ... Fingers crossed!! i did find group rates out of toronto for about $1700CAD including air, room, transfers and taxes. I think that my ideal plan would be to have all my guests stay at the Riu, and do the church ceremony at the Sheraton Hacienda - does anyone know what the distance is between these two resorts? How hard would it be to transport guests over?

Awesome Julie - thanks for the referral. We will give her a call!! Out of curiosity, I see you're having in Costa Rica or Panama - have you decided yet? How many guests are you expecting? Thanks! Darlene