KateNCabo

And here are a few more of my favorite pics that Manuel Burgoin took. Thanks ladies! Best of luck to all of you!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by krebsler Kate, do you mind me asking how much your cake was from Sweet Dreams? Do you have any photos of the cake? We are deciding if we should get a cake, cupcakes or nothing. Any advice, tips, info would be great! Thanks for your review! Of course, price completely varies depending on what cake you want to do, but I think mine (see picture below) was around $8 per person. Here are some pics of the reception. Used lots of candles which turned out beautifully in the outside setting:

Quote: Originally Posted by angelk7164 Thank you so much for that review. I'm still debating between Sheraton, Dreams and Hilton so your insight is incredibly valuable. I just want to be done with picking a location already Hi there! I had originally planned on using Dreams, but when I met with them (after waiting for them to show up for 2 hours past our scheduled appointment), there were alot of hidden charges they tried to sneak by me. In the end, it was going to cost close to $100 per guest for the reception (isn't it supposed to be "all inclusive"). And then our guests are expected to pay $300+ per person per night on top of that. That being said, I just thought that must be a good value since I had nothing to compare it to. Anyway, they don't have a chapel, so Maye showed me a few around town and that's how I found out about the Sheraton (for their chapel) and the resort grounds/quality of service/seclusion were a million times better than Dreams. You could tell Dreams was old, and they used paint... lots and LOTS of paint... to give the appearance of being "new"... it was not a place you would spend anywhere near the kind of money they charge in the US. Whereas the Sheraton was very high-quality--the same level as the higher-end hotels in the US. And in the end, the price per person was less than $100 (and we had an open bar!), not to mention half the price for our guests to stay there. Before the Dreams brides get mad at me, I was completely planning on having my wedding at Dreams, even after the site visit, until I saw the Sheraton and realized that Dreams was much more expensive than other venues of equal or higher quality. Plus, Dreams was about 50 feet from the main highway in Cabo, whereas Sheraton had a mile of beautifully landscaped grounds between the resort and the highway. It's just my opinion. I know that Dreams is still the #1 choice down there and a ton of brides had a wonderful experience there. They are experts at weddings too, so that is always a plus. But I must say I was so happy I went down there and got to see all my options. Hopefully my blunt honesty helps some of you... :-)

The chapel was so gorgeous! I just figured out how to post pics, so here are pics of the chapel and the décor we used. Here are pics of the Sheraton property:

Quote: Originally Posted by dinogomez.com Dearest Forum Members, It's with great surprise that I found today some not very pleasant news for me from one of our fellow forum members: Kate. I had the great opportunity to cover her wedding last November and today I realise from her review that she wasn't entirely happy with her video for some reason, I've contacted her and her WC to find out what was the reason and see if we can workout a solution together. What we do here is art and as such it is a matter of perspective, unfortunately our line of work once in a blue moon presents us with a situation like this where our reputation, quality and professionalism is put to the test, I can assure all future and present brides that I personally, along with the hundreds of already satisfied brides, families, friends, companies and WCs as witnesses that it's been and will be my sole intention every minute, every wedding, every tiny or huge job to do just one thing: give my very best, always get an AAA++++++++ and a : ) from you!!! I strive for excellence in life and work and I expect my art to live up to it. Best to all, d!no Hi all, I apologize for not clarifying my rating for Dino and I just now realized that part was missing from my post (must have accidentally deleted it). To give him or anyone for that matter any kind of rating without explanation is unfair to them and you. That being said, please see the reasons for my rating at the link below. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...4-2#post781872 My apologies for not realizing this sooner.

Quote: Originally Posted by farrahla Hi. I actually am having Dino do my wedding photography in PV. The pictures on his website are gorgeous, and his videos look great too. He also gets back to you fast and will talk to me about what I want, etc. Why did you have a so, so experience? Thanks. Please see my explanation for Dino's rating: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...4-2#post781872

***IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT MY ABOVE REVIEW*** I just realized that me review of the videographer, Dino, was not complete. I guess you loose the ability to edit posts after they've been posted for 1 hour. That being said, I hope to clarify the rating for Dino as I'm sure that it does not reflect his work in general, but just the experience I had. In the end, Dino's did a nice job with the video, but there were three matters that influenced the lower rating for me. The first is that it took almost 2 months to receive the video. There was a good excuse for why it was late, but no one let me or Maye know that it would be delayed until after it was sent to me. Which was a bummer because there were family members that couldn't attend that I promised to share the video with at Christmas. The second reason is that the intro to the video (menu screen) had a completely different couple featured (names and imagery). He must have forgotten to do that part, however I’m sure he would have fixed it if I had asked him to. The third reason is that he didn’t talk to any of our guests on camera, which was a key element I told him I wanted when we initially met. He said he would bring a list of questions to ask guests that would help them if they didn’t know what to say, but there was none of that in the video. In the end, I felt like I didn’t get my money’s worth. However, Maye stands by him completely and has worked with him several times where I have only worked with him once. A “C†rating may look harsh, but it is considered “averageâ€. Because of the 3 reasons above, that’s the level of service I feel I received. Looking back, the best advice I can give you is to meet with him, or any other key vendor the week of your wedding to recap what you’re looking to get from the video/photography/etc. Had I done this with Dino, I’m sure the third issue would have never happened.

Hi all, This site was so helpful during my wedding planning, so I wanted to make sure I returned the favor by sharing my experiences with the different vendors I worked with. But I have to tell you, that my wedding surpassed anything I ever dreamed of. I actually couldn't believe how amazing it turned out. All of my guests are still raving about how it was the best wedding they've been to (the fact that it was in Cabo probably had alot to do with that) WELCOME EVENT & DINNER: Various locations; dinner at Mi Casa Mi Casa Rating: B- Me and my now husband had an idea to have an "Amazing Race" type challenge as a welcome event where the guests were split up to be guys against girls. We did this so they were forced to get to know other guests and not just the person they came with. The MOH led the guys and the BM led the girls. They raced all over Cabo, doing tasks that engaged them in the culture (history of tequila with tasting, guacamole-making class, find a buried treasure, etc.) with the goal of finding me and my fiance at Mi Casa (welcome dinner location). Maye set up and managed the whole event and it went off without a hitch. Mi Casa was a fun atmosphere, but the food was not worth the price. And when the bill came, they tried to tell us they didn't receive the 50% deposit we sent them 3 months earlier. If you have a group here, bring your payment record. WEDDING SITE AND ACCOMIDATIONS: Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar sheratonloscabos.com Rating: A Beautiful resort, great value and service. We got married in the chapel on the resort which was so gorgeous that we used very little décor (just chivalry chairs, candles and minimal flowers. In the planning stages I got a little frustrated because I would have to email my on-site coordinator each question I had 2-3 times before I would get a response, but when we arrived, they always made themselves available and treated us like VIPs. We loved the place so much we hope to buy a timeshare there and visit each year on our anniversary. We had the reception on the DeCortez restaurant terrace and it was truly magical. Again, we needed very little as far as décor because the venue itself was gorgeous. The food was fantastic! Hands down the best dinner we’ve ever had at a wedding. PHOTOGRAPHER: Manuel Burgoin www.weddingsinloscabos.com Rating: A+++++ I work in advertising, so I have high expectations for photographers. I definitely wanted an photographer that had a unique, artistic eye that inspired his shots, and the only one I found in Cabo that I felt had this was Manuel. Yes, he is pricey, but sooooooo worth it. Looking back, this was the best money we spent. He captured the most beautiful moments in such a magical way. A couple of our friends are even considering flying him up to the states to do their weddings after they saw the photographs. FLORIST: Fleur de Liz Rating: C+ I’m not sure what exactly happened with the flowers because my mother went to great lengths to keep my day as free from stress as possible, but apparently they brought a bunch of flowers that hadn’t bloomed, causing a last minute change of floral décor, which was the only thing I saw and it was beautiful. I wasn’t thrilled with my bouquet either. It wilted 1 hour after arrival, was smaller than the MOH bouquet and was 3 times as much ($200). CAKE: Sweet Dreams Cakes Rating: A+ The cake was breath taking and so delicious! I wish I could have preserved the top so we could eat more of it! My main concern was finding a vendor that had a steady hand since my cake had a lot of detail work. They did such an amazing job and it wasn’t that pricy either. VIDEOGRAPHER: Dino Gomez Rating: C I just realized that me review of the videographer, Dino, was not complete. I guess you loose the ability to edit posts after they've been posted for 1 hour. That being said, I hope to clarify the rating for Dino as I'm sure that it does not reflect his work in general, but just the experience I had. In the end, Dino's did a nice job with the video, but there were three matters that influenced the lower rating for me. The first is that it took almost 2 months to receive the video. There was a good excuse for why it was late, but no one let me or Maye know that it would be delayed until after it was sent to me. Which was a bummer because there were family members that couldn't attend that I promised to share the video with at Christmas. The second reason is that the intro to the video (menu screen) had a completely different couple featured (names and imagery). He must have forgotten to do that part, however I’m sure he would have fixed it if I had asked him to. The third reason is that he didn’t talk to any of our guests on camera, which was a key element I told him I wanted when we initially met. He said he would bring a list of questions to ask guests that would help them if they didn’t know what to say, but there was none of that in the video. In the end, I felt like I didn’t get my money’s worth. However, Maye stands by him completely and has worked with him several times where I have only worked with him once. A “C” rating may look harsh, but it is considered “average”. Because of the 3 reasons above, that’s the level of service I feel I received. Looking back, the best advice I can give you is to meet with him, or any other key vendor the week of your wedding to recap what you’re looking to get from the video/photography/etc. Had I done this with Dino, I’m sure the third issue would have never happened. TRANSPORTATION: Cora(?) Rating: F Horrible, horrible service. This was one of Maye’s vendors so we thought they would be buttoned up. They were late picking up 75% of the guests from the airport (sometimes over an hour late), and when they were on time, they were chatting with their transportation buddies at the airport and didn’t even hold up the sign with my parties name on it so they could be identified. A lot of guests ended up taking cabs instead. They forgot to pick up my great grandmother who ended up sitting on a bench at the airport for 3 hours until my mom finally drove to the airport to see if she could find her. HAIR/MAKE-UP: Suzanne Morel Cabo SPA - Suzanne Morel Face and Body Care Rating: A+ She is really expensive, but worth every penny. Honestly, her staff is so talented and did an amazing job with my hair and makeup. My husband asked that they don’t make me look like a clown (he likes the natural look). She did an amazing job achieving the balance of looking natural in real life and in the photographs. I’ve never seen my husband cry, but he teared up when he first saw me and couldn’t stop telling my how gorgeous I looked. That's about it. Hopefully this helps you in your planning. In short, the wedding was magical. I highly recommend Cabo to anyone considering a destination wedding.

I was thinking of using Baja Weddings but they don't take credit cards for the deposit. Is it just me, or is it really odd that a legitimate overseas business wouldn't take credit cards? I just feel like I have no recourse if something were to happen if I wire money or pay with a check. Any advice?

Does anyone know if there are any classic string quartets (3 violins and 1 cello) available for hire in the Cabo area? All I can find are mexican string duets/trios/quartets which use different musical instruments than the classic string quartet. Thanks for your help!

Quote: Originally Posted by KarlaV Welcome! Just remember..that most of the Villas have noise ordinances. That is one of the reasons I opted not to have my wedding there. Have you been working with Cabo Villas? They should be able to provide you with catering and entertainment services.......Weddings in Cabo San Lucas, Baja Mexico - Complete Luxury Vacations Thanks, that helps! I think I'm going to look into the Villa Grande and a couple others. But then again, haaving it at Dreams seems like a good option as well.

Hi all, I haven't been able to find any information about quality tux rental options for the groom and his men. Can anyone offer any suggestions? Also, is there a reliable place I can get my dress steamed? I know that resorts offer this service, but we might go the villa route. Thanks! Kate

Very helpful! Thanks for sharing!

Wow! These pictures look way better than what they posted on their website! Thanks for sharing!

thank you! this info was so helpful!