Maura

Hey Angela, KarlaV who got married at the Westin used them and this is what she wrote: Mariachi Internacional de Los Cabos: B The Westin was going to charge us $1,200 an hour for mariachi! For the price and professionalism, Mariachi Internacional was by far the best. They came and played at the rehearsal at the last minute. They were at the church ceremony and the reception. They really set the tone for all of the events. I just didn't think they played all that well. I've heard better. But to be honest, no one really cared. Everyone had a blast and danced the whole time. They were a little difficult to get ahold of during the plannig process. But, my father organized everything with them. Which took the pressure off of me! For the rehearsal, ceremony and reception cost $2000 (my dad payed so I'm estimating based on what they charge per hour) Here is her full review: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t5556 but $150/hour sounds amazing and i might have to check that out. do you have some contact info and a website you can pass along?

Quote: Originally Posted by Betsy LOL I have been sort of on weight watchers for awhile - I've had many "last meals" LOL! But the great thing w/ WW is if you have more points than your supposed to you can just work out more - I ate pizza hut on Sunday and I still lost 3 lbs!! omg betsy, you have no idea how happy i am after hearing that. hahaha i had dinner with my bdw twin tonight and we were both so good and had salad and one glass of wine! as soon as i get set up with my points hopefully i can stick to it. i lost 25 pounds last spring working out with a trainer twice a week, but it got too expensive to keep doing. now i only see him once a week, and i know i slack so much more because of that. hopefully the ww will help me, because i gained 10 pounds back when i moved in with my FI this summer.

have you decided on a location?

i just joined WW through my work today i am so excited to get started! my FI bought me a whopper from burger king as my "last meal" last night hahaha

im not familiar with the riu but i'm also a cabo bride!

For anyone wanting to see an audio/visual quote from the westin -- i got this from another westin bride and i edited the document to remove her personal info. but this quote was from last summer so keep that in mind! Westin AudioVisual.pdf

Quote: Originally Posted by marip123 Hi there, I've just found this forum last night, and have I'm so excited to be in touch with other brides getting married at the Westin. We are set for June 8, 08. Our planner at the Westin has been Lorena. We visited last year in May and fell in love with the architecture and all the colors! Right now, I have been under the impression we had to go through the hotel to hire all the vendors, but it seems that is not true. Are you going with outside flower vendors and such? Our wedding is 5 months away, and I'm highly confused, but know things will come together. Congratulations and glad to be here! Stephanie stephanie, can you share any photos from your visit in may? you do not have to go through the hotel for the vendors (except for the food i believe). we're using as many outside vendors as possible, because the ones suggested by the westin are expensive.

michelle i feel your pain. one of my grad school friends is insisting having a grad school girlfriends shower for me, and i really really dont want it because a) i hate showers, i dont have the time to have multiple showers and c) one of the other girls who got married last year didnt get a shower although we all chipped in for a nice gift. i told her with my work schedule i just cant swing two showers here in the states, so please respect that my aunt is throwing me a shower in june and trust that all my friends will be invited. i didnt want one shower, let alone 3, but im going to have to settle for having 2. hook your family and your FI's family up so they can throw you a family shower with whoever they want, and then do a sep. one with your friends if necessary. honestly, my first shower was not that bad (see my post called My Mexican Bridal Shower), and i am totally anti-bridal shower and hate attention on me.

actually, there's a dress shop in pilsen that offered to match the lowest price of another authorized dealer when i mentioned that another shop in NY was selling the dress for $420. and she offered to include alterations on the dress for that price too! i def dont wanna drive all the way out to oak lawn for alterations, but if she will beat the low price, include alterations AND get my dress in 6 weeks, i'll do it!

not sure that my answer will be a ton of help, but... in mexico they dont really do welcome or rehearsal dinners and entertainment for guests outside the actual wedding day (at least this is what all of my FI's relatives in mexico are telling me). we are getting married at the westin, which is not AI. my girlfriends are all flying in on weds or thurs morning the week of my wedding, and one of my mexican girlfriends is organizing a bachelorette outing with everyone who can go. its a pay for yourself type outing. we are also doing a meet-and-greet at one of the hotel bars the night before the wedding day with all our guests -- but that is a "we're going to be at x location at x'oclock, we hope youll stop by to say hi before the big day" -- i am planning to do a small dinner with my bridesmaids beforehand, which i'll gladly pay for. its all pretty different to me to do things this way, but its much simpler i think and im glad i dont have to worry about paying for extra stuff. we are thinking about organizing a deep sea fishing excursion for the guys because my FI really badly wants to do it, but that will be a pay for yourself thing too. my FI has a friend who had a DW in puerto escondido in november, and they didnt do any activities or anything to entertain people and everything went fine, nobody bitched about it. i think it's an american thing to think you have to bend over backwards if you ask people to come to your DW, because im finding that with all my mexican friends, they think doing that stuff is over the top and unnecessary. we realize a non-AI will be a bit more expensive, but our mexican guests wont really eat at the hotel much anyway, so we aren't too worried.

Quote: Originally Posted by Adamsgrrl How fun!! I'm in!! Sorry I totally missed this thread. I'll try to think of some places we could go.... hmmm. I know Shaw's does wine tasting evenings, don't know if they are any good though. hmmm. monika, a wine tasting sounds fun! i will start looking into that. i swear there's a wine bar type place over by you in the south loop that does wine tastings also but i cant remember what it's called... let me think about it...

do you have sisters or another friend you'd be comfortable telling that your bf backed out of planning your stagette?

Hey all if we're gonna talk about the Westin, let's do it on the thread that's for Westin brides in the Cabo forum -- just so that it's more easily searchable for future westin brides. And also for reference, my FMIL bitched (in Spanish) via phone that the extra fees are designed to screw americans and that we're mexican so she refused to pay the "american price" - as soon as she did, they lowered or nixed just about everything. Also, let me post on the Westin thread later today about the audio visual stuff - I may have a contact that can save you a decent amount rather than using the westin's people. Here is the link to the Westin thread I started: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t13267

just FYI, p. juvencio will not under any circumstances give his blessing for a catholic wedding on the beach. my FMIL talked to him a week ago and he said the only place to get a catholic wedding is inside the church, and they wont bless a beach wedding.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEL! ENJOY YOUR DAY!

My FI's best friend owns a wine and tequila import/export business and graciously offered to provide both for our wedding day. The Westin in Cabo charges a corkage fee, but if you fight them on it, they will either lower it or nix it completely. Basically my FMIL told our WC that we would take the whole wedding elsewhere if she didnt get rid of the corkage fee and some other BS fees, like charging me to bring my photographer... I feel like since we are already having all the wine and tequila provided, maybe we should go to the Costco in Cabo the day we get down there and buy the rest of our liquor there. The open bar price is expensive, and not really worth it IMHO, but FI's friends drink like fish at weddings, so we figure no matter what we do, we better have a lot of alcohol on hand. Obviously then you need to hire a person to serve the drinks, and I dont know how they do it at the Hilton, but I believe at the Westin, it's $90/hr per bartender -- but don't quote me 100% on that, I'd have to check the stuff the WC sent me.

hey gals, i will also organize an all-chicago get together for some time in feb. but rebecca was going to be in town tomorrow thru friday anyway, so she and i are meeting up for drinks since we're bdw twins. anybody got ideas about dates that would work in feb? i'd really love to have as many people come out as possible... we could do lunch or dinner on a saturday if that works for everybody?

tara my best friend lives in tucson and has a bunch of friends getting married around that area this year. i will shoot her a message and see if she can ask around!

Quote: Originally Posted by StephanieMN OH NO! Just so you know technically we are not Whores..we are sluts. Whores pay for stuff sluts get it for free. i am going to have to relay that definition to my FI! hahahaha Catherine, don't panic. Can you call somebody to come help you?

if i were your sister i woulda made that wench open up the boxes. i would be irate, but i am so impressed with how calm you are being! glad you got your other dress so at least you have peace of mind now. do you have any photos of you in the mori lee dress?

thanks lori! advice appreciated! its always good to know how pushy the people are going to be in advance so you're not shocked when you get there!

i ordered a sample today of one my FI liked - will report back when it arrives

Ever heard of Nas & Kelis? She wore a BRIGHT green dress by Matthew Williamson. It's YOUR day, so if it's green you want, it CAN be done! Who: hip-hop artists Nas and Kelis When: January 8, 2005 Where: Vows were spoken at Morningside Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. The Ceremony: The bride was escorted by her stepfather down the aisle of the Baptist church past 175 guests to stand beneath an arbor of white flowers and greenery in a ceremony which combined traditional vows with heartfelt words from the couple. The groom slipped a wedding band on his intended's finger which would accompany a cushion cut diamond engagement ring with two pink heart-shaped diamonds embracing the large center stone, while the bride presented her love with an unique platinum wedding ring featuring a movable band of yellow diamonds. The couple lit a unity candle before sealing their union with a kiss, and as the newly betrothed twosome began their first walk together as man and wife they paid homage to their African-American heritage by jumping the broom. The Dress: The bride was a verdant vision in a Matthew Williamson creation composed of varying degrees of green silk chiffon. A corset bodice with a sweetheart neckline was embellished with burnished gold threads fashioned into a floral design, which flowed into a ballgown skirt with the hemline shortened in the front to expose a pastel green layer of fabric underneath. The singer continued the nature-influenced motif with a headband of gold leaves atop her Titian tresses which fastened to a cathedral-length white veil. Completing the look, the performer carried a small bouquet of white blossoms and wore a diamond necklace, drop earrings and bracelets. The groom opted for Old Hollywood glamour, donning a three-piece ivory suit by Yves Saint Laurent, complete with white tails and a white top hat. The Reception: The newlyweds rode in style in a Rolls-Royce Phantom to a reception held inside a tent decorated in green with touches of pink and bronze. Members of hip-hop's hierarchy such as Ludacris and DMX enjoyed chocolate and champagne truffles by Dylan's Candy Bar before nibbling on a golden five-tiered wedding cake embellished with sugar roses. While the bride's sweet tooth was the inspiration behind the confectionary delicacies, the groom added his own culinary touch to the event with his favorite dish-- macaroni and cheese.

ok, update! i found a store in the pilsen neighborhood that carries the dress usually but just sold their sample recently. they have ordered a new one but it hasnt shipped yet and she isnt positive when it will arrive. so she said if i want to go try it on somewhere else to just see how it will fit, and i come back to her dress shop, she will not only MATCH the lowest price i can find from another authorized retailer, but she will INCLUDE the alterations in the price of my dress! so far the lowest price ive found from another authorized retailer is $420! woohoo! she said to order it in the ivory with ivory sash will take 6 to 8 weeks. i must have called at least 20 salons today after her trying to find somewhere that has one i can try on. eva's bridal out in oak lawn (yes i am seriously driving an hour away from where i live to go try it on) has a sample in stock and i made an appointment to try it on at 1 pm on Saturday, so by Saturday night i should be able to show you some pics!! woooo!

congratulations alyssa!!!