lilysd

Anyone getting/ got married in akumal?

Happy New year! I am finally sitting down but still on cloud 9 from my beautiful and picture perfect, las caletas wedding in 11/09. When I look back on this past year, the planning, site seeing, the actual event and vacation afterwards, it was more special than my husband and I ever imagined! We had our guests stay at Dreams hotel near downtown which was fabulous. The staff are so pleasant, helpful and service oriented, the grounds were immaculately kept up every day, the food was wonderful with great variety, the beach was clean, the water warm and clear and overall vibe of the place was RELAXING. My guests and family who had never been to mexico absolutely loved it and wanted to stay longer! Some of my guests also stayed at the westin which was nice however did not have an authentic mexican feel which we love and also at the melia which was very nice too. Dreams was great b/c it was so close to town and the flea markets. The guests that did leave the hotel (many actually loved to stay and just hang out on the beach) loved the proximity of site seeing and restaurant opportunities. I loved that we did not have to wear wrist bands and they greet you at the lobby saying 'welcome home!' and it really did feel like a little home away from home...some of my friends were figuring out how much it would cost to live an 'all inclusive lifestyle' all year round! We tipped $1-2 dollars per person every meal which I think is generous--the staff works very long hours 14 hours + and make up to about $25 per day from what we researched. Plus, with tipping, the service is always extra special, they really make you feel muy especial and the interactions made our vacation memorable . We had our rehearsal dinner on the beach at dreams--the staff was very nice, the tables and the bon fire was very nice and we had an ipod hookup with microphone. I was nervous b/c the wedding coordinator had changed from the initial one I had met and the prices had changed which were higher. She was very difficult to get a hold of however prior to me flying in she agreed to honor our original price that was set in 6/08. What was dissapointing was that we had to choose from a prefixed menu and EVERYONE had to have the same app/entree/ dessert. No exceptions. I had made an extra trip to see Diana to make sure that the sauce was on the side prior to the dinner (alot of the sauces at Dreams are rich and salty- we learned that getting it on the side was much tastier!) however the sauce was still on the food and the service was rushed. The same waiters who work all day in the restaurants also provide the service for the weddings/ rehearsal dinners. We had rented the beach from 7-10 pm, they are very strict about this and at 9:45 they SHUT OFF the ipod without letting us fade it out--and they were going to charge us an insane amount of money PER PERSON who was not staying at the hotel PER HOUR--I think it was like $50 per person per hour. They made all the guests leave their ID's at security and overall for a nice evening it was a really cheesy exit/ ending to it. We were glad that it was not our actual wedding dinner. I do want to emphasize however how much we love dreams hotel and think overall their hotel is wonderful--I think that they may be overloaded with weddings and need better management in this area and atleast have 2 rather than one coordinator. Now, Las Caletas...! WOW! I researched this place on line and spoke with someone in Canada who had raved about their experience. Our wedding was like a dream--it was better than we had ever imagined or hoped for. All the important things to us were right on--the decor was simple but elegant and airy, everything looked SO beautiful... the vibe was chill/ loving and easy, the food was festive/ fresh and delicious, the staff was fun/ friendly but not intrusive, the boat ride back was a party in it's own! KELLEY--She is such an AMAZING wedding coordinator. She was so easy to work with , fun, accomodating, efficient and just such the bomb diggity. I really commend her for being as good as she is for how many weddings she does in a row regulary. My husband and I have done alot of catering over the years for weddings/ special events and understand how hard it is to have energy to make everything flow and work for each event. She really made us feel like we were such a priority and did everything for us. And, is such a sweetheart and genuine person. If it wasn't for her personality, organization, artistic skill and confidence, I don't know if I would've done a destination wedding at all. Furthermore, for as organized as I am--I was frazzled when it came down to getting myself dressed and together on THE DAY! The casita was a big hit with my girls, we had a nice lunch, massage and swim. Fernando did a great job on my hair--it didn't move all night and I have curly hair that frizzes! My guests flipped out about las caletas--we suprised them at the rehearsal dinner and they all thought we were getting married at Dreams! Many stated that it was the BEST wedding that they had ever been to and that it was really a WEDDING EXPERIENCE! What I loved about the whole thing was that Kelley did pretty much everything for me, I just had to be specific about what I wanted and NOT sweat the little things--when it really comes down to it, when you are at such a beautiful place like las caletas- do seating cards/ flowers/ candle details really matter?? To us--atmosphere, vibe, food, fun, excitement and feelings of LOVE were the most important to us and Kelley made it all true for us... Our wedding photographer was BETH LLOYD--she was AWESOME- the photos that she took were INCREDIBLE. I love her style of contemporary-documentary style as well as the portraits. She took some beautiful pictures of my girls and I at the casita which I recommend b/c the casita is so beautiful and this will also save more daylight time for your photos on the beach. She was so easy to work with , she made us feel comfortable (neither my husband nor I are photogenic nor comfortable in front of the camera), she really got natural looking photos which really captured the true essence of us/ our guests which really makes us FEEL the feeling we had at our wedding whenever we look at the photos! What more could we ask for?? The video- turned out great. Definately recommend a video to document this day, to see everyone in motion, hear their voices--it goes by so fast and it's a special time to have everyone you love in one place and for one day--everything is fine and feeling good... This forum was so helpful to prepare for our wedding and hope this helps you as well!

Hello! Does anyone know how long sunset will last for (to take pictures) in november? The sunset time should be around 5:20...with the ceremony being around that time, how is there time for pictures?? Any prior november brides with any suggestions??

you looked so gorgeous! i love your earrings, where did you get them?? Congratulations!!

Hello ladies! Does anyone know where to get the rhinestone starfish for the bridal boquet that was shown in Ann's slideshow? I asked kelley however she said that this was passed down from brides on the forum--anyone know who has it or where I could purchase one??

Hello, ladies! I'm going to PV in 2 weeks for site view of las caletas as well as details for wedding. I guess there are photographers that are available through adventure weddings or I can get my own photographer. Do you have any opinions and photo samples from the photographer from adventure weddings?? thanks!

hi, rachel- I love your photos from your las caletas wedding! Who was your photographer??

I love your dress and the brides maid dresses! Where did the girls get the bridesmaid dresses??

Thank you ladies for all th info! If it does rain at las caletas--does it look like there is an option for the dance floor and enough cover on the catamaran?

hello! I am hopefully to be a new las caletas puerto vallarta bride in 11/08. I haven't signed a contract yet and had some questions for anyone out there who might know some more information! What happens if it rains?? do you think kids could handle the boat ride out there (young 6ms-5 yrs). Then contract does not seem to mention anything about weather/ services are not rendered... thanks and looking forward to reading more!