Isolaede

Oh, and thank you all again for such a warm welcome. : )

Dear Susanandmo: We did our rehearsal / welcome dinner at Pipi’s. We wanted nice, laid back Mexican food. Nothing fancy since we were doing an elegant surf and turf dinner for the wedding itself. We were also wanted to keep the costs down, since my father-in-law was paying. So, after MUCH debate we chose Pipi’s and couldn’t have been more thrilled with the place. For everyone to eat a fajita dinner + one GIANT margarita (the size of your head) was about $17 a plate (which was MUCH cheaper than the other places we’d considered – El Arrayan and El Dorado – I couldn’t get Fajita Republic to call me back). The restaurant isn’t much to look at, but the margaritas were the best we had in PV (and we tried a bunch), and the guacamole (served before every meal) was to DIE for. They also did this neat ceremony thing completely unasked for where they came out singing and smeared whip cream on us, and had us lick it off one another. LOL ok, so that sounds dirty, but it was actually a really sweet and fun ceremony. The only catch? They don’t take reservations. However, during our wedding time (September 27 ish) they weren’t very busy with tourists, so they told us to show up about 30 minutes early and they’d find tables for us. My amazing wedding coordinator also called them the day of the wedding, and reminded them that we were coming, so we had a sort of “soft reservation.†They had two giant tables waiting for us in the back when we arrived. My best advice to any brides looking to book for your welcome dinners – let your coordinator handle it. I really tried to do it on my own, but so many of the restaurants there don’t have strong English speaking staff, and they don’t know how to “work the system†to get you the good deals or special service. Kindest regards, Jessica

Don’t worry, WindyCityGirl, you aren't too late, but do book soon. I think I booked around this time last year for my September wedding, and I know a few of the dates I was considering were taken by the big wedding coordinators. My best advice for researching a coordinator is talking to them. I set up interviews with each of the ones I was interested and assessed how easier I thought they would be to work with and how compatible we were personality wise. I think part of the confusion with Vallarta Weddings is there may be several coordinating companies with that name. I went with Eva and Michael from Vallarta Weddings (Vallarta weddings). They are a husband and wife pair, and the only ones that work at that company. But I do seem to remember there were some other coordinators with similar company names. I LOVED Eva and Michael, and they are sort of the underdogs of PV Wedding coordination as they are not as well known, so you’ll have an easier time booking with them. You can check out my review here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t35353 And a review from another bride that used them here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t26500 I think you really can’t go wrong with this coordinator, but definitely send an email or set up a phone interview so you can get your own feel of them. Best of luck!! Jessica

You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for the warm welcome. WindyCityGirl: I ended up putting my guests up at the Sheraton Buganvilias, but I wasn't 100% happy with the hotel. The food and service were great there - it felt like a hotel here in the states. And location was perfect - within walking distance of down town. But the rooms seemed a bit dark and small. Fortunately my guests didn't seem to notice - they loved it there. I think I had just hoped to give my guests more of a Tropical vacation resort kind of experience at a hotel, and that's deffinitely not the vibe I got off of the Sheraton. I wish I could point you in a good direction for hotels. In truth, if I were to do it again, I think I'd arange to put some of my guests in a neighboring villa, if their budgets allowed. I'm so happy to hear you are considering Vallarta Weddings for your coordination - you will not be disapointed. I actaully wrote up a review of my experience with them here, if you are interested: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t35353 What venue are you using for your ceremony and reception? Best wishes, Jessica

Hi everyone: Thank you so much for the warm welcome, and all of your kind words!! : ) Tcuviki, I'm so happy you are giving Eva and Michael a try. Keep me posted, and best wishes on your upcoming wedding. I know you'll LOVE your wedding experience down in PV. Kindest regards, Jessica

Hello everyone: I’ve been lurking here quite some time, but haven’t posted until now. I had such an amazing wedding experience in PV, and I just wanted to send out a little love for my fantastic wedding coordinators - Eva and Michael from Vallarta Weddings (Vallarta weddings). I know how scary it can be trusting the fate of your wedding to strangers –so I figure sharing my experiences might help you make a decision on coordination. I owe every bit of my wedding success to these two. For a few pictures from the wedding, check out my photographer’s blog: Apertura Photography Blog Jessica + Jerry: The Slideshow! When I first started looking for coordinators in PV, I sent e-mails to all of the “big shops†– Dazzling Details, Eventful moments, etc. However, what impressed me about Eva and Michael initially was their response to my query. Every coordinator asks you to describe what you are envisioning for your wedding – Eva and Michael took that description and responded with a ton of pictures asking me if this is what I was thinking of. And the pictures were spot on with my vision! That sold me, and I booked with them right then. Their prices were FAR more reasonable then any of the other coordinators I’d considered which was a huge bonus as well. Review of the Coordination Process Since I couldn’t make it down to PV to do a taste test, I asked them to recommend a caterer that could pull off a good surf and turf dinner, and a baker that could pull off a delicious cake. They suggested Andres Ramos for our Caterer, and Pasteleria Charme for our baker. Throughout the coordination process, I sent Eva and Michael a ton of pictures trying to express how I “saw†the decorations. I was very specific in how I wanted things (I even went so far as to diagram where I wanted things in the house and Photoshop a few pictures of the villa with my decoration ideas – what can I say – I’m a geek). Eva did her research and responded in detail with what she could pull off and couldn’t. Of all the things I’d envisioned, she was able to find all but one of the elements I wanted. She sent me price sheets for everything, and worked with me on spots I thought seemed too expensive. For example: The florist had quoted a high price for some of the fabrics I’d requested, so Eva went to the store, bought all the fabric, and had a local seamstress hem it. Through the entire process, Eva and Michael were so supportive and kind. I always had the sense that they wanted my wedding to be just as perfect as I wanted it to be. Results Now we all know it can be a little scary trusting people we’ve never met in person with the coordination of one of the biggest events of our lives, and I won’t lie and say I didn’t have my worried moments. I worried the food wouldn’t be good, or the cake would have that annoying plastic tasting frosting, or the decorations wouldn’t look like I’d envisioned. But, I have to say, Eva and Michael managed to not just meet but exceed my expectations in every single way. Wedding Day Coordination: Eva and Michael arrived several hours before the wedding and coordinated the vendors so quietly and efficiently I hardly knew they were there. It was breath taking the way they transformed the villa. For those of you that have seen China Blanca – it’s beautiful to begin with, but Eva and Michael transformed it into something almost magical. They literally spent 12 hours working between the preparation, the wedding, and the take down, and they were consistently positive and delightful the whole time. The Catering: Andres Ramos’ Surf and Turf was to die for. The steak literally melted in the mouth – the only place I’ve had steak that good was Ruth Kris. And the shrimp.. whow! Purerto Vallarta has delicious seafood in general, but those tasty giant garlic butter shrimp were just delicious. The cake: Eva and Michael had recommended what they called a “cheesecake†from the bakery, and it was truthfully the most delicious wedding cake I’ve ever had. Picture a cheesecake, mixed with normal cake – super moist and delicious. We had the Coffee-Kalua flavor on the bottom, and a cheesecake-raspberry on the top. Literally everyone raved about the cake. DJing: Jerry and I hadn’t hired a DJ – we were planning on just plugging in an IPOD and going to town for our dancing. But as it turns out, Michael has an amazing DJ setup, and he managed our IPods all night, doing a fantastic job with our music. The decorations: Truthfully if there’s one area you might expect disappointment, it’s decorations. Even though, I’d sent Eva and Michael tons of pictures, I expected their artistic interpretation of my vision to be different. After all – they aren’t mind readers. Well… actually… I think Eva and Michael are part mind reader, part magician. They literally took everything I’d envisioned, made it better, then made it a reality. It was pure magic how they transformed the villa. I literally felt like I’d walked into a dream, when I walked downstairs and saw all the work they’d done. Conclusion I can’t say enough good things about Eva and Michael. They are friendly, professional, hard working, and humble. If any of you wonderful people are looking for a wedding coordinator in PV – I highly recommend this couple. : ) Kindest regards, Jessica

Hi everyone: My name is Jessica, and I was recently married in BEAUTIFUL Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on September 27, 2008. Our venue was Casa China Blanca – which is so much lovlier than any of the pictures, and our coordinators were Eva and Michael from Vallarta weddings (they were miracle workers). This forum was a huge help in my search for information in the foreign world of PV, but I was never able to actually post the first time around. My attempt at registering got messed up some how. But I’m here and hoping to contribute and give a bit of help here, in payment for all that this forum gave me. Kindest regards, Jessica