Duchess

Quote: Originally Posted by KLC77 Amanda, I totally know what you mean when you say you felt torn between everyone. I had a meltdown before the wedding because I was so stressed about greeting everyone when they arrived and spending time with them while my FI was totally relaxed and doing his own thing. I cried! I was truly miserable for a day or so. It so hard to balance doing what you want (laying totally still in the sun with a margarita) versus doing what you think you should (waiting in the lobby- not in the sun- to greet your guests and making sure they are happy). I really struggled the whole time we were there with this. I totally agree. I didnt even get any color from the 24th when we got there to the 1st when we left for our minimoon. I was too busy worrying about everyone else and meeting up with people, we werent even in the sun very much! I didnt really relax until after the wedding. The problem with a destination wedding is that you also have a destination honeymoon!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by ErinB I am looking into a post-nuptial agreement because I own my own business and if our relationship were to disolve, I wouldn't want to have to sell to divide assets, that type of thing. Same here. I assume it is the same as a prenup, but I was so busy I just didnt do it. I really have to. I bought my house with all of my money before we met, and my parents have my sis and I as beneficiaries on some stuff. I just dont want the debate at any point. We always say I would never go after your money, but I suppose if 10 years down the line someone said to me, I've been cheating and I'm leaving you, who knows if I would be so kind!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by *Casey* I am a true True Beauty fan! FI and I get so excited about it every week!!! Chelsea is so gross!!! Totally agree. But the worst is that one guy, I dont know his name but he is the one who did kickboxing last week in the photo. So gross. I figure that the type of people that would go on this show arent going to be nice in general, so I kind of think CJ is a ringer. They need one person to win, and I think he is the only one with a heart. Quote: Originally Posted by sunsetbride1 Okay, here is mine and I have never, ever told anyone this .. it's a doozy. I worry that I will disappoint FI eventually. That I am cheating him out of something that he should have. I think the previous poster is right. If you were insanely desperate for his love, he might not have proposed. That only works if 2 people have the capacity for it long term, and most men dont. I am happy for you that you got to experience it once, but it isnt healthy and doesnt normally lead to a proposal, as I bet a lot of ladies can attest to!!! I was like that with DH and he was intense too, but his capacity to maintain it over time was lower than mine. We had some problems because of it at a few points. A long term best friend with reasonable passion is what I think makes the best marriage. I just dont think passion and intensity can go on forever. Infatuation is fun, but exhausting! You are a better person because of what you have been thru. I am sure that is why your fiance adores you.

Anyone check out the show True Beauty? I confess that I love watching people who think they are so great and hot get knocked down a few pegs.

Quote: Originally Posted by lindseyb Another question I have is about the hairstylist that they use that cost $220 I think that's alot but I am also thinking it might just be worth it. Did any of you girls use him? Would it be worth it? I was just married at LC. I did use Fernando and Hugo. I did price compare, $220 was much cheaper than when I checked with other stylists in the area. It is typically pretty high because they have to come out to LC. Doing dry runs with some others was also very expensive. Also, they do makeup which is included in the price. My BMs didnt use them, but it would have only been $80 for hair and makeup for them. I decided a few weeks before because I didnt really know what I was going to do with my hair and then when I tried my dress on a few weeks before the wedding, I didnt feel like a bride. I felt like me in a wedding dress. I was going to put my own flowers in and pull it partially back, but I couldnt get it firmly into a perfect style. So I decided to bite the bullet and do it. I brought 4 pictures of a friend of mine, and they did a decent job replicating. It is worth it IMO. One thing I mentioned on another thread. I was so busy and stressed that day, I just wanted to be done with hair and makeup, and I didnt take as active of a role as maybe I should have. They used a bronze eyeliner and a few swipes of mascara, whic did look nice. But, they would have no way to know that I use pretty intense black eyeliner and love big fat lashes! So this was very pretty and probably more in line with wedding makeup, but I look at pics now and wish I had put more mascara on. So while they are great, make sure you know your own habits and relax enough to take a minute to be sure you look like yourself. These guys dont know you, and dont have a chance to do a dry run. Hope that helps.

For the real wedding night, which was in Vegas several months ago, I went with the naughty stuff but in white lace. It was lacey undies and bra with white thigh highs which I totally felt like an a$$ in because that is so 80's. But DH loves white and see thru so he didnt think I looked like an a$$ at least. I wanted to do traditional but still naughty. And we have already been living together too. For the DW, I bought a silver leopard little number, but never got around to wearing it! So it will prob be a valentines surprise!

I remembered one more thing...hope I haven't hijaked this thread too much! I made my own wedding programs. First, I had downloaded a template for fans and bought a rotary cutter and glue roller, and tongue depressers, and it didn't really work. I am not really a big DIYer. Anyway, I had also bought 65 weight speckled cover paper, which was really cute. I ended up trashing the fan idea, and did a bi fold program. What I did was I folded the long way (I thought that would look more modern than the traditional hallmark card type fold) and I found cool templates that other girls used. I put my monogram on the outside with a Welcome to Las Caletas and the date. On the inside left fold I put the bridal party and parent ie Joe Blow Best Man, etc. Then on the inside right fold I put the ceremony, ie processional - canon in D, readings, etc. And then on the back I put an apache love poem that was used in our ceremony. It took some finagling with margins and stuff, but the end result was cute. I will post the templates etc. I hope this helps! program outside.ppt program.ppt

A couple of things that saved me money: 1- Vistaprint. Things are cheap and easy on this site. ALso, the prices change day by day, so if something is a little costly, wait a day or two. Also, google search vistaprint coupon codes, and you will get 50% off your order almost every time. I did my save the dates thru them, and one day they were free, so I only paid for the postage to have them send them to my uploaded mailing list. I just did a postcard, and it was FREE! Plus, I think a postcard is a really cute way to do a STD for a Destination Wedding. For 100 STD's was a total of like $20 sent out and everything. Also, I did a newsletter/FAQ to put in OOT bags. It was great and cheap! 2- Invites by Rexcraft.com. I used the seal and sends on their site. One had a seashell theme, and was much cheaper than a standard invite because there werent envelopes and inserts, etc. The only problem is that a lot of people send back a gift check in the return envelope if they cant make it, and you wont have a return envelope. It basically folds up, seals shut and then the address is on the outside. 3- We printed our own mailing labels on clear avery labels. We used one of the cursive fonts and matched the color to our invite font color. It saved time to print them, and was cheaper than having the addresses professionally printed on them. 4- Amazon.com has phrasebooks for $2. If you cant get them at target, try Amazon. 5- Check out artscow.com. Kind of like Kodakgallery.com, but cheaper. And when you place an order, you get a ton of free credits for TONS of cute stuff. I found a coupon code with them for 99 cent coasters, and had a bunch printed with our monogram. They do charge for shipping, even on free stuff, so be aware of that. Also, they ship from Hong Kong, so it can take a couple of days. 6- Veil. I wish I knew that veils dont have to cost so much. When you go to the bridal shop, you arent thinking about a veil, and then when you find a dress you like, they say "lets see it with a veil". You are all excited then and end up buying the veil for them for $100 or more, probably much more. A search of websites and ebay, and you can veils for under $10 bucks. Mine was very simple and was $175 at David's bridal. I do regret that. 6 - I bought all the crinolens and stuff, and then ended up wearing JCP version Spanx. The thought of the crinolens (which I hate because they are scratchy) in the sun and heat was awful. My dress had enough poof on its own, and those things are $$$$. JCP Spanx are like $40. 7- Old Navy has flip flops online for @2.50. We put them in OOT bags and everyone wore them all week. I got white ones. I also got pashminas at a gift show, but if you have a chinatown near you or markets like that, you can probably get them for around $5. Hope that helps! PS- I am doing folded thankyou cards to send out on vistaprint now. I am actually uploading a picture from the wedding to the card. 100 cards is $38 thanks to an online coupon code for 50% off!

Sorry, my edit showed as a duplicate.

I now use 20x Black Diamond or something like that. It has silicone and goes on reallly nicely. Before I was using something like bootcamp, and it died my fingers. It had 4 bronzers and the one I use now has 20, but the 4 were way more intense. I dont get it at all, but I do like the way this one makes my skin feel. The place I go for spray tan uses versaspa vs mystic tan. They say that is better, but I have never used mystic tan. The versa is really nice though.

We did have a registry because a lot of people didnt come to wedding and still wanted to send gifts. Also we had showers etc, so we had to register for that stuff. As far as letting people leave early, depending on how early, I think they can go back with the rythyms tour.

Martinizer Dry Cleaners in Plaza Marina Commerical, near the airport: A+ Great! Since I wasn’t staying at a resort or getting married at a resort, I desperately needed my dress steamed. We took it over to this dry cleaner, and they did it in 24 hours. I was a little scared because they didn’t speak English very well, but they obviously understood what I was asking because the dress was done in one day and done perfectly. So if you are thinking about getting your dress steamed at home, that’s probably smart. But if you thinking it might need a touch up, this place was really good. Also, for my dress, veil, crinolen(sp?) and 2 king size duvets (my parents have a condo there) it was about $23 USD. Nicole from LC recommended them to me. Getting Married at LC on a Sunday: A+++++++++++++ This was the best decision and I would highly recommend. On Sunday’s they don’t do day tours or Rythms of the Night tours, so we had the entire area to ourselves the whole day. Also, the bridal party could get there whenever we wanted, instead of taking the big boat with the day tours. We took a zodiac over which was a lot of fun. Also, we had people catch the boat at 3:30 instead of 4:30, so you can dictate when you want the wedding to start. Since DH didn’t want to see each other before the wedding, this was nice so that we had sunlight left for pictures. Las Caletas and Nicole and Vallarta Adventures. A+++++++++++++ I actually struggle with what to say about this, because it was so great and so beautiful and memorable. People are still talking about it. I am a list person so I will list the things I love, as well as a few things to just make sure you are aware of: 1- Nicole was amazing. She was helpful and calming, and even told my BMs that they had to use calmer voices because I was getting nuts right before the wedding. During the site visit she also told my mom “well lets hear what the bride wants†which was AWESOME. She is a real pro, and quite possibly a genius. 2- Allain – we had requested him as our MC. He did a great job with everything, his personality is adorable, and he insisted that my grandmother dance with him, which was sweet. He also took the time to thank me for specifically selecting him. I am sure he MC’s all the time since I think they switch off doing cruise director roles, but he made it seem like I gave him a great privilege and got him out of grunt work by getting to MC. Again, I am sure he does it all the time, but it made me happy that he was enthusiastic to do the job. So important for the MC, and plus we didn’t hire a DJ we just had him run the ipod, and it was every bit as good as a DJ. 3- Smores – we initially weren’t going to have cake, we were going to have smores. We ended up doing both. They did a beautiful set up and had everything there to make it happen, and it was $1.50 pp. 4- Cake – I ended up getting a cake, and I sent pictures, and they did a darn good job mirroring what I wanted. I got 3 tiers with seashells. Taste wise, it was what I expected, good not great, but it was very pretty and worth it since it wasn’t that expensive thru LC. 5 – Chuppa – This is a Jewish traditions but they use this for most LC weddings. It is just a canopy, which adds a really beautiful alter. The choices are chuppa or chuppa with flowers. What I picked was a chuppa with organza and abalone beads, and it was so pretty. And it saved a lot of $$ from using flowers. I will post pictures of this. The only think I would be mindful of is that if you have a processional that includes other family besides the bridal party, let your WC know that you want the music for them too. I guess my mom and grandmother and DH and his father didn’t have music as they were walking down the aisle. Also, we wanted our parents to stand up with us, and they really didn’t know where to stand. They got in all our pictures which was kind of weird. It is partially their fault since they should have known better, but since you don’t get a rehearsal at LC, its probably not a bad idea to go thru those details. Vincent Vandenburgh Photography: B- Vincent and Ulises were an absolute pleasure to work with. I was nervous and they were around a lot, but had good senses of humor and seem to capture the moments very well. Their ideas might have looked weird at the time, but ended up looking cool in pictures. My only problem was that I don’t know that their price is very good for what you get. The minimum package is about $1400 I believe, and they take pictures for 5 hours, and then you get to pick 100. While 100 photos is a lot, they don’t let you look thru all the proofs, and people can’t order pictures outside of the 100 you pick. For $350 you can have all the pictures, but that is only the ones they color correct. So he took at least 1000 pictures, and I only got to see 200, 26 of which I had to ask to see, because they weren’t in the 178 pictures that they selected for me to choose from. I ended up picking 4 out of the extra 26 photos in place of the ones I initially selected from the 178. I think it is more common that all photos are available, and if relatives want to pick a few they can. So in summary, I got to see 200 out of at least 1000. From those 200, I had to pick 100 that I would own. The rest of my guests can only buy prints of those 100, so if I didn’t pick a photo for one of my 100 choices, no one can have access to it. I don’t know what a typical photographer charges, but I know that to upgrade to 200 photos brought their price to about $2200, and the same situation applies. For around that price, it seems you could get a photog who uses the more conventional approach of here are all 2000 pictures and people can order what they want from a link. Fernando – the in house Hairstylist. A He did a good job. I brought in pictures and he did a pretty good job doing what I wanted. I will say I did not get exactly what I wanted makeup wise, but I also didn’t tell him anything, just let him go for it. He did a great blow out, and they style stayed in all day. For $220, it was a good deal. Because they have to travel to LC, most that I checked with charged even more than that. All in all, if you are on the fence about Las Caletas, it was the most amazing experience of my life. I can not recommend this place enough! It is remote, lots of nature, incredible beach, and so peaceful to get married there. If anyone wants more detail, just let me know. I might do a play by play review of the day, but to be honest, it was exactly as expected based on previous play by play reviews that I have read on this board. I will post photos when I get them.

Quote: Originally Posted by msjcastillo Good morning! I am having a tough time finding a wedding review on Las Caletas in December. Our date is set for 12/27/09 and I'm trying to figure out what the climate is like. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I just got married there on 12/28/2008, and it could not have been more perfect. I was there for 2 weeks and it didnt rain once. On my wedding day it was a tad overcast, and I asked Nicole if she thought it would rain and she said "may god strike me dead if it rains, it never rains in December". And it didnt. Also, the slight overcast I heard was helpful for pictures. Direct sun can make it more difficult to shoot. And it made it just a little less hot. It is supposed to be high 70's at that time, but it was about mid 80's during the day. And...you are choosing a Sunday which could not be a better choice. Sunday is the best day because there is no day tour or rythms of the night tour at all. You can go out whenever you want, start the wedding earlier, and be there all day and night with just you and your people. It was the best decision of my life. You are going to love it. LC is amazing. I am still working on my review, but everyone said it was literally the most memorable, romantic wedding they had ever been to! Happy Planning!

I put the time they needed to be at the marina. With my family, that was really important!!! They are always late and on their own schedule. I put right on the invite that the only boat to LC leaves promptly at 3:30, and all guests should be in the terminal by 3:15.

God people can be so crappy! I didnt get a lot of people angry at me, but I think having a DW made people who just couldnt go feel bad. My best friend got preggers on her honeymoon about 5 months after we had set the date and everything, so she was about 7 months pregnant for the wedding and couldnt go. I felt bad that she wouldnt be there but what could I do? I could tell that people were a little resentful in DHs family, but thankfully they didnt feel the need to tell us. I know this sounds cold, but I just dont care what they want. They all got their dream weddings, or at least had the opportunity to do what they wanted. I am 32 years old and G dammit I waited a long time for this dream to come true!!! And now that I had my awesome but small wedding, I wouldnt have changed it for the world. Be strong DW Brides! Its worth it!!!

I just had an >amazing< wedding at LC. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I didnt want to go the resort route because I knew people would stay all over (I have family with condos there, etc). LC was super easy to plan too, all I did was stress over the stuff I wanted to, like OOT bags and stuff. I also visited Le Kliff with a wedding planner, and didnt love it. FIrst of all, I thought that little astroturf irregularly shaped platform was weird. Second, they never responded to my email which means you or your wedding plannr will have to stay on top of them, at least that is my guess.YMMV. But most importantly, the area you have your wedding in is private to you because you are the lowest elevation in the restaurant, but everyone above can look down to the wedding, which I didnt like. Dont get me wrong, and I dont want to insult and LeKliff brides. Le Kliff is very pretty and I have heard they do a lovely wedding, but those factors were difficult for me personally to get over. The comments my LC wedding got were that it was the most beautiful, memorable wedding my guests had ever been to, so I am biased.

oh and what about spray tan. It can look orange if you overdo it, but a few days before the wedding a medium spray tan could be okay. And if you get a little color on your trip before the wedding from the sun, it will make it more natural. Just a suggestion. Hope it works out for you! White dresses look nice with a tan.

It could just be the tan itself. I just got back from wedding and got some great sun, and then my forehead broke out in prickly heat that looked like 30 zits! Ew. I think if you are brave you can try to go a few more times and see if your body gets used to it. It could just be heat rash. Oh, and anything with "sizzle" makes me breakout. As the tan place if your stuff has sizzle. It means when the skin gets hot and you get all red and stuff.

I love that people feel entitled to see you get married, when they dont feel that a couple should have the choice of paying $40K for a wedding. That is what my wedding at home would have cost. It was WAY more per head this way, but much less in total because of the reduced guest count. I would never personally spend that, it this was my dream. Some families get upset. My immediate family was thrilled and proud that I chose something that wasnt $40K. My mom said she did a good job teaching me the value of a dollar! DH family on the other hand, had some problems with it. They didnt say anything, but several couldnt make it. But you know what, I didnt want to get married in a VFW hall (no offense to those who do, but its not me) and I didnt want to cut corners, which I would have had to do, and I didnt want to spend big bucks. Oh, and I always dreamed of the wedding I got. So to quote a previous lady, *F* it.

Ladies - I would advise against shipping anything. I have heard that they are very careful about people bringing things into the country to sell. So if you have 40 little gifts or something, it can look like a customs violation. I have heard that stuff simply gets lost and then thats it. You never see it again or hear anything.

You can find these types of booklets on amazon too. I got mine for about $2 per book. The only thing is that once they came, we read thru them and they were originally copywritten in 1956 so they have phrases, like have you seen my top hat and overcoat? and I would like to send a telegram! So funny, but a cute gift nonetheless.

Quote: Originally Posted by lauren it's hard b/c a lot of ppl didn't send a gift if they didn't come and now we're going to theirs. Same here...I usually give between $100-$200, and the $200 is if I am standing up. So between all the shower gifts, throwing showers, Bach Parties, buying the dress, it is a fortune. Now, after having a DW, I cant believe how many gifts we didnt get, from close friends or family. I know I am off topic a bit with the last part of the rant. Sorry.

I dont know how long ago that was, but I believe the official traditional ettiquette rules dictate that you have a year. Hope that helps.

My dress got really filty at the bottom from being wet at the bottom and dragging on sand. I have heard that will come out tho. But if you want to jump all the way in, it may be worse. Or not, because some girls said that after the wedding the dress was filthy and the water scenes for their TTD powerwashed it.

I wore my hair half up, with an elbow length single tier veil over the clipped hair, with flowers above the veil barrette. It was great. It didnt blow much, at least that I notied but a little wind would look great, in fact I hope I had some wind action!!! Eventually I took it out because people were putting their arms around my shoulders for pics and it was pulling, but that would be at any wedding. Oh, and I was hot from dancing. Go for it!