miagirl

kchat-- My new hubby and I just got back from our Cabo wedding which was held at the Hilton. For what its worth...and I know you need to hear this right now...with all the trouble we went through with the Hilton, the location was so gorgeous and the event so wonderful, I sort of forgot about how bad they pissed me off the past few months. As stressed out as you are right now, everything will come together. If you are having trouble communicating with Jaira and can fit it in your budget...you might consider hiring a wedding planner to help you. I hired Maye Cortinas the month before my wedding and she and her assistant Karen were my saving grace. Lastly, before you make a final decision on your officiant, you may want to set up a phone call with Marco just to discuss his ceremony...he played a HUGE role in making my wedding so wonderful, even though the ceremony was only 25 mins or so. If a memorable ceremony is important to you...he is the best. If you have any Hilton-related questions, don't hesitate to hit me up . Good luck, Mia P.S. Complete review of vendors coming shortly...

Hi Vinni, $1500 is insane. Granted, you'd definitely get a nice set up with the canopy and all (I HOPE!)...but I am paying a 10th of that to have 30 lanterns hung for me. Unfortunately, I have no clue where they'll be set up yet...but I will send you pics as soon as I get back from my wedding/honeymoon in a few weeks. When's your wedding?

Thanks so much for all the great ideas....Del Cabo Design's website is AWESOME...I wish I'd known about them earlier. Since I originally posted this thread, I hired a wedding planner (Maye) and she is handling the lanterns. I won't get the whole canopy thing....but that's fine by me...it was definitely a huge expense. Thanks again!

Hi there! As an update to my previous post, I ended up doing two things... #1. I hired my own WC...I went with all the recommendations for Maye Cortinas and she has helped me regain my sanity! #2. I gave Jaira yet another chance to respond to an email....when she didnt I sent a note to the Hilton's Director of Events (Daniela) voicing my displeasure. I received a quick response from Daniela and things have been going MUCH better this week....thank goodness!!! Take care, Mia Quote: Originally Posted by augustbride Hi Ya'all, I am having a similar issue with Jaira. While my wedding is a couple months out -- it takes her forever to respond to anything. I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions on how the outside WC works with Jaira and the Hilton on the planning and day of. Thanks!

Hi there! As an update to my previous post, I ended up doing two things... #1. I hired my own WC...I went with all the recommendations for Maye Cortinas and she has helped me regain my sanity! #2. I gave Jaira yet another chance to respond to an email....when she didnt I sent a note to the Hilton's Director of Events voicing my displeasure. I received a quick response and things have been going MUCH better this week....thank goodness!!! Take care, Mia Quote: Originally Posted by augustbride Hi Ya'all, I am having a similar issue with Jaira. While my wedding is a couple months out -- it takes her forever to respond to anything. I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions on how the outside WC works with Jaira and the Hilton on the planning and day of. Thanks!

OMG...i feel your pain, Jen! hopefully they were just thinking the flambe would burn all the alcohol out...but yeah, they definitely should have suggested a completely alcohol-free option.

Thank you for the responses, ladies! I am going to just email Carolina for help...and am trying to see if i can fit Maye into my budget for the month...we'll see!

Hi Ladies-- Well, of course it happened...again. First, i booked with the Hilton b/c Emeline was so professional, responsive, and fluent in English....two weeks after I booked, she wrote to say she was leaving the Hilton, so I get assigned to WC Mara. A few weeks ago, I receive an email saying Mara has left town for personal reasons, and that I will be working with Jaira. I am assured by the Event Director that this will be a smooth transition. Well now that I am about 30 days out from the wedding...it is taking Jaira days to get back to me (and a call from my father who is fluent in spanish) and I still have a huge list of pending items and a guest list of 50. It doesn't help that there is a language barrier either. Should I just hire my own WC at this point? What cost do you guys think is reasonable for a month of coordination service? Here is what I still need to do: --get the Hilton to give me my menu pricing already (my menu has been set for over a month) --find a transportation company for the rehearsal dinner --find an event decorator to create a canopy with Chinese lanterns for the reception --find linen that I like...not really feeling what the Hilton has available. Let me know what you think! Thanks a million, Mia

Hi Kendra! I'm getting married at the Hilton and did my site visit in Dec. Not sure if the rates go up during high season, but the cabs ran all the time and it cost about $20-25 for four people to get to Cabo San Lucas (one way). Its slightly less expensive to get to San Jose Del Cabo ($1, but its a much nicer/quieter area, in my opinion. Hope that helps!

Hi Ladies! I cannot believe i am down to less than 40 days now..... One of the things I am working on right now is trying to find an event decorator who can help construct a canopy with chinese lanterns for my outdoor wedding at the Hilton. I've attached a pic so you guys can get a better idea of what I'm talking about. I just touched base with my florist to see if she can assist...(btw...Adriana Frias at the Flower Cart is GREAT to work with)...but I realize this doesn't really fall in her "lane". Any recommendations on a company or person that can do this? Thanks! Mia Whale watching3.pdf

Hi Puja-- Sorry for the delayed response...I work overseas and never get much of a chance to sign on or check email....and I have a wedding in 45 days....ahhhh! Not sure what i was thinking when I set the date. Anyway, I agree with you on the RIDICULOUS pricing...I have used this forum to locate my own vendors and am only using the Hilton's contacts for the minister and DJ because I was so impressed with both...so in the end, they are worth it. I will touch base with you via email to give you more specific information...but I TOTALLY feel your pain. Which wedding planner are you working with? Talk to you soon, Mia

Hi Ladies! Hope everyone is well. Its been about a month since I did my site visit at the Hilton Los Cabos and I'm less than two months out from the wedding....everything is going by so quickly and I am definitely stressing out! Not sure about the other Hilton brides...but I'm beginning to feel as though the hotel only cares about money and is discouraging the use of outside vendors...even though it will save me tons of money. The "we're not responsible for outside vendors" line is getting old...I get that los cabos is expensive...but $4K for flowers for a wedding of 30 guests...that seems crazy! I guess this is why people hire wedding planners! Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now....does anyone have any recommendations /contact info for a good trio? I'm looking for a group that is professional and classy. Appreciate your help! Mia

Thanks for the info, Addison....really appreciate it!

Thanks again for the info, Rhea!

I'll send you what I received in September. It is dated 2008 wedding menu. Hope this helps!

Thanks for your input...I think that is what we are going to end up having to do to make the parents happy .

Will do!

Another thing I have been wondering about....has anyone who has gotten or will be getting married on the beach had a Catholic deacon perform the ceremony. I know priest won't perform full catholic ceremonies on the beach. Neither my FI or I are really religious, but we are starting to feel the pressure of how much this means to our parents (both are Catholic). Not sure if there is anyone local to use or if people just bring their own deacon from their parish Any help or ideas on how to handle this would be really appreciated! Thanks in advance! Mia

Hi Ladies!! Well, the time has come for my site visit...my fiance, my parents and I will all be heading to Cabo (Hilton) from Friday thru Wednesday. I have been doing my best to make as many appointments as possible, but I would appreciate any last minute tips/advice anyone has. I'm still looking for a guitarist/trio for the ceremony/cocktail hour. Also, if there is anything I can do to help anyone out while i'm there, please let me know. Take care, Mia

Hi Rhea! Thanks so much for the recommendation...what kind of music does Paco play? Thank you! Mia

Hi Ladies!! Well, the time has come for my site visit...my fiance, my parents and I will all be heading to Cabo (Hilton) from Friday thru Wednesday. I have been doing my best to make as many appointments as possible, but I would appreciate any last minute tips/advice anyone has. Also, if there is anything I can do to help anyone out while i'm there, please let me know. Take care, Mia

Hey there! Thanks so much for the info...very helpful....but I am sort of freaking out b/c you listed the group rate as $195 and my group rate for March 2008 is $295 at the Hilton! Can you please confirm whether the info is correct? Thanks so much!

Hi ladies! I can't tell you how excited I am to have found this forum. I am planning a March 15, 2008 wedding at the Hilton in Los Cabos, Mexico and just started planning....ahhhhh! Thankfully, I found this forum and have already gotten so much valuable information. I look forward to hearing your stories and helping you out in anyway that I can. Take care! Mia Fairfax, VA