Yanell

I've been meaning to do this for months (but have been super swamped)! If anyone is looking for a great photographer who is easy to work with please visit my photographers website! He's not your typical photographer (which I loved)! I searched for months for a photographer, came across his site and booked him!! He also did our engagement pics, which was also a great way to get to know him and to help me feel a little more at ease in front of the camera. Couldn't have been happier!!! My only regret, is not having booked him for all of our events (ie. bridal shower, day of rehearsal dinner). http://www.stevestantonphotography.c...ex2.php#/home/ http://www.goonlocation.com/index2.php

Now that my wedding is done and over, I've started pricing this. And I've been getting anywhere from 2-3 months starting at $200-$300. After a few phone calls (I was floored), I walked into a cleaner and the lady explained to me that the time and cost was for dry cleaning and preserving the gown. Makes a little more sense I suppose.

I wore mine again.... without dry cleaning it first!! Even after jumping in the pool with it the day after our wedding, still haven't dry cleaned it and it's still in the box from my AHR. Hmmm, I wonder if its ok...

I am definitely a Mishka groupie!!! It was a last minute decision, but we are soooo glad we ordered!! They were such a hit!!! Everyone loved them!!! An absolute must! Here's a couple of pics of ours, we kept it pretty simple:

miss di, Congrats on finding a photographer! This is a huge step in the planning process, or at least it was for us. We ended up using Promovision and we were happy with the results. We both work in production and know how much it costs to hire quality videographers. I think overall, we were happy with the results. The price couldn't be beat and the turn around is fantastic. I think we got our DVD's (and all original format) in about 2 weeks. Best of luck! Yanell

Thank you all sooo much for your kind words!! I would've replied earlier...but I couldn't find my post. I'm still not sure how to find it again To answer some questions, yes...I think it was a Maggie Sottero! Geez, you think I'd know! I tried on a million dresses! When I started my search I had a completely different idea of a wedding dress and ended up on the extreme end... big puffy dress!! In regards to the flowers....they were mostly white roses and some pink...I think!

I apologize for the delay, still a little under the weather... We celebrated our wedding May 23, 2009 in Careyes, Mexico at the El Careyes Resort and San Mateo Catholic Church. We had a small wedding with approximately 40 guests. Pre Wedding: Westin in Puerto Vallarta - B+ We were pleasantly surprised! This hotel has a lot of character, I can see why many brides choose this location for their weddings. It lends itself for some amazing photos. When we were in P.V. the hotel was fairly empty and unfortunately many of the pools were closed. But the grounds were ample and the rooms were clean, the beach was nice and it's close to downtown. The only downside (I just hate this in general) they charged for internet and gym usage. Costco & Sams Club - A We stopped at these stores for snacks and alcohol. Prices were competitive and we found everything we needed! Superior Tours Vallarta - A We had all of our guests picked up from the P.V. airport and transported to Careyes (since its a 2.5 hour drive) it was important to have a spacious, comfortable bus with a restroom. Our guests seemed to have a good time on the bus! And Astrid and Azael are fantastic and very accommodating! index Blu the Salon - A++ This little salon is located in the Zona Romantica, which is worth a trip in itself. I originally went to this salon for my hair trial and loved it!!! Unfortunately I was unable to have the team come out to Careyes, but I would've booked them in a heart beat! I did however stop by for an amazing mani & pedi!!! Highly, highly recommend!!! www.blusalonpv.com Playa Rosa - A+ We had our Welcome/Beach Party at the property next door. It was about a 3-4 min beach walk and it was amazing!!! We had a trio and bond fire and both were well worth the cost! El Careyes Resort - A+ Although the location is difficult to get to, it is well worth the trip! We had the resort practically to ourselves. The resort itself has 52 rooms and sits on a private beach. I am big on privacy and this place was perfect! Although the rates are a little steep for the tired/rustic rooms the location makes up for it! And our wedding coordinator from the resort was amazing!!! I'll admit it was very stressful planning a destination wedding! Not being in control and approving every detail was very difficult for me. And even the day of, I saw many things that were wrong! For starters the flowers were not what I expected, at all! The dinner presentation was very different then what we had for our tasting! BUT, I can't believe I'm saying this.... you let it all go!!! I was having such a great time, I didn't care! My guests had no idea all these things were wrong! And they all seemed to enjoy themselves! We had little problems here and there, forgot the readings for the church, the music wouldn't play, we were running about an hour behind on everything. BUT again, at the end it all worked out! Many of my family and friends stepped up and helped to keep things going! Everyone's involvement ended up making the experience all the more special! We really didn't have any vendors to deal with since most was coordinated through the resort. The florist unfortunately ended up being the biggest disappointment. We did not have a DJ either, we chose IPOD and this worked out PERFECT for us! My husband did a great job creating our playlist. El Careyes Beach Resort, Official Website. Steve Stanton Photography - A++ I can't say enough about our photographer and that's that I haven't seen all of my pictures yet. I am basing this mostly on our engagement pics and a few wedding pics he has shared with us! He was great and easy to work with and I would highly recommend! http://stevestantonphotography.com Mishka Designs - A++ I've already said this, but the maracas Mishka made were amazing!!! It was completely last minute, but they were a great addition. We ended up using them as escort cards. My guests had a blast shaking them during our dinner (for kisses) and they were used out on the dance floor a lot!!! They were sooo much fun!!! Highly, highly recommend! Promo Vision Puerto Vallarta - TBD We hired Ray as our videographer and so far, we can say he showed up, was punctual and was pleasant...we are still waiting for material from him. As soon as we see something I will comment. Dreams Villamagna in Nuevo Vallarta - B- (Husband says C-) The upside: the hotel is nice, new and clean. Downside: when we were there it was very slow. However the service at the restaurants was VERY inconsistent. The first night we were there we waited 30 min just to get menus!!!! Then when they eventually did take our order it was all wrong, extra food we did not order came out and the things we did order never did!!! The service was really bad! Same for breakfast! There was one morning were we got excellent service....just wish it would've been a little more consistent. First time at an all inclusive and the food...as bad as they say! Again, because they were so slow they only seemed to have ONE waitress on all day by the beach and pool! It was unbelievable!!! I think this was my major gripe with the hotel! It still seems to be a work in progress!! BUT, like I said it was physically a nice hotel! Everything is white (which I love) and there seemed to be lots and lots of weddings there! My advice to all future brides...don't obsesses about the little things (I know its hard not to), but somehow (I hated when people would say this) it all really does work out in the end! And as long as you and your husband are having a good time, your guests will follow!! There is nothing your guests want more than to see you enjoying your wedding!! Enjoy the planning process and breath, take it all in and remember forever!! Best wishes to all future P.V. Brides!!! Yanell Some professional pics:

Started new thread for full review

I apologize for the delay!!! Unfortunately I've been a little under the weather. But I promise I will post a review in the next few days! For those of you who have asked, the pictures I do have posted and will post shortly are all taken by my guests, they are not professional pictures. But just in case, our fabulous photographer was Steve Stanton here is his blog: steve stanton photography

Hello Ladies, Just got back from PV!!!! It will be a few days before I can post full reviews and pics! But I had to jump on to post a few things! 1) We had NO problems with anything swine related!!! 2) We stayed at Dreams Villa Magna for two days. It was ok... 3) We also stayed at The Westin in Puerto Vallarta, actually liked this property better than Dreams! 4) We also stayed at El Careyes Resort - hands down the best resort!!!! 5) We chose to have hand made maracas last minute and Mishka did a fantastic job!!! My guests loved them, they were so much fun!!! I highly recommend!!!! If you have any specific questions/concerns let me know and I'll include it in the overall review! Sneak Peek - Random gusts pics...not professional

Just curios as to how everyone is handling this news... I had my guests email me and tell me that they heard hotels in Puerto Vallarta were closing, along with all schools. Anyone experience any problems yet

Great info, thanks for posting. Just wondering if anyone has been to La Bodeguita del Medio, Vallarta According to one of the links, its a good place for food, drinks and cigars.

It's a really small church called San Mateo, its about 15 min from Careyes. They are very strict. Thank you all for your suggestions!!!

I was just informed by my WC that the church where we will be married does not allow bare shoulders! My dress is strapless and so are my bridesmaids. I know its not a huge deal, but not an ideal situations since now we have to purhcase additional accessoires or have something made. Does anyone have any creative suggestions? Or what is everyone else doing?

Hello Everyone, I was wondering if anyone else was doing this? We are having a tequila tasting table and wanted to have personalized shot glasses made in Puerto Vallarta. Can anyone recommend a vendor? I really don't want to travel with 50 shot glasses. Thanks, Yanell