Sarah Do

Quote: Originally Posted by hoyt75 Hi Sarah, I would really love it if you could please send me some pics for your wedding. We're getting married at the Valentin on 4/3/10 and I'm having such a hard time trying to get any good informatin. If you could e-mail the pics that would be great, my email is [email protected]. Thanks! Jenna Hi Jenna, Our pictures are on our website at Tan and Sarah - The Knot: Wedding Web Page Builder Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by jayla Those pictures were beautiful--I am seriously all fluttery inside from them and can't wait until I'm on that beach getting married too! You looked wonderful, and I loved those starfish barrettes! Was your bouquet from the Valentin, because it was gorgeous! Fortunately, I am not a Type A person--but I am paranoid about money! I'm more worried of hidden fees or prices changing drastically without a contract. Like I want flower petals for the runner but don't think I can afford the Once In a Lifetime package. Ariadna told me there is a $550 fee for bringing your own flowers. Did you just bring those petals yourself? Ok, now I realize I do sound like a control freak--but trust me, I'm not, I just really want those petals! We only did the moonlight package. $8999usd. Included basic beach set up- no extra frills. I figured the beach was a pretty enough set up and I didn't need all of the flowers, etc. We were just as paranoid about money, which is also why we did it this way. The bouquet was from the resort. Ask ariadna to send you the booklet to pick it out. They have PLENTY to chose from that are included in your package, no reason to bring your own. The music being played at the beach was also included. Ariadna gave us rose petals on the beach as our "present" from her. When you get there and meet with her, tell her you really want petals and ask what she can do for you. She WILL work with you. Another way to save money is to just go out and eat with your family at the restaurant you want and eat off their menu. Getting individual reception meals is expensive. If you are unsure about what restaurant you like, ask her to send you the menus of the restaurants and you can pick with your FI. Also, there were no hidden fees at all. The package was $899 and we only paid $899. BUT, and this is a big but, we did not get a bunch of extras. We just didn't need them. Believe me ladies, when it comes down to it, all the extra crap you get means nothing. You will be so happy to be married to the one you love, the rest will seem like small potatoes.

Ladies, Please see the following link for photos and the like. Tan and Sarah - The Knot: Wedding Web Page Builder Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by jayla Wow! I am so glad to hear that everything went smoothly for you and it was exactly what you had dreamed of! We are getting married there in May and I am worried about the lack of a formal contract. Your review was very informative, and if you post pictures, I can't wait to see them! What kind of music system did you have set up for your ceremony? Jayla, Honestly, I have no clue what kind of system they had set up. That was the least of my worries. All I know is that we gave them our ipod with the wedding songs on a playlist and they played them accordingly. Other than that, you got me. As far as a formal contract goes,I wouldn't worry. Over all, they are very organized there. Ariadna is great at what she does and there is only one wedding on any given day. That way things don't get messed up. As a side not to anyone planning a destination wedding, if you are a super controlling type A personality, this is not a good choice for you as a wedding. I am really laid back and I went with the flow. Here is how I see it. It isnt "my" day. Its "our" day. And when you get down to it, its really only 15 minutes of "our" day. No need to get too worked up over stuff. The important part is the marriage itself. Not the wedding. Wow....I sound like an after school special. Anyway, let me know if you have any other questions.

Hello, I recently had my wedding at the Valentin Imperial Maya on November 21st. I was informed by the wedding planner Ariadna that she would be having a photographer come to the ceremony to take pictures. She told us that there was no commitment required and that if we wanted to buy pictures we could, but that we didn't have to. We were okay with that since overall we are super cheap with our money and don't like to feel pressured. When I arrived at the ceremony, the guys from Blue Lens were already there. The owner Dennis was already snapping away along with another photographer. I already had family there with cameras taking photos too since those were all we planned on having. Anyway, the photographers kept in the background during the ceremony and I didn't even notice that they were there. Kudos to them for that. After the ceremony, we took family photos and then tons of fun photos. My new husband and I had so much fun doing the TTD part of it. Afterward, they asked us if there was any other poses we wanted or if we wanted them at our reception. I was satisfied with what we did, so I told them "no" and let them leave. We met with Dennis a few days later to view our photos. I have to say, I was very very pleasantly surprised. The photos were amazing. They even had a DVD presentation made up for us as well that was so cute and set to perfect music. My husband and I were both a little sad we didn't have them stay longer to take more. As far as pricing goes, we ended up paying $500 for ALL of the digital copies. I can affirm that you will have a hard time finding anyone as talented as them for that kind of price. You can check out their website at Playa del Carmen Wedding Photographer in Riviera Maya | Bluelenscaribe I am not sure what they charge to book in advance, but they seem like they are very willing to come up with packages to fit everyone's budget. Please let me know if you have any questions at all either in this thread or you can PM me. I will email pics to anyone that would like me to. The file sizes are too large to send and I am not very technologically smart.

Hello, I recently had my wedding at Valentin Imperial Maya on November 21st. We stayed at the resort from November 19th-November 28th. We did NOT have a legal ceremony at the resort. We had a symbolic ceremony. It is the same thing except you don't have to go through all the legal pitfalls and hassles of making your ceremony legal in Mexico. Instead we had someone we new officiate a quickie informal ceremony in California (where we live) to handle the legality of our ceremony. Resort: I could go on and on about how fantastic the resort was, but this isn't necessarily the forum for that. Lets just say that the resort was fabulous and beautiful. Food was great and service was excellent. On a side note: I am aware that it is an all inclusive resort, but please people; bring money for tips! Most of the staff make only $6 a day. They get a special check on Tuesdays for included gratuity, but it isn't much. They appreciate even the smallest amount like a $1 at a meal. I noticed that Americans don't really tip. The Europeans and Canadians do, but Americans as a whole weren't leaving much of anything for these people who are essentially your servants. Anyway....enough of that. Check In: Check in went VERY poorly for us. We have 10 people including us checking in. The resort could find us on their computer systems and could see from our passports that we were who we said we were, but they were very rude to us like they didn't trust us. They kept saying that we needed vouchers to check in. Eventually, we figured out that vouchers mean our email confirmation. Now keep in mind, we had everyone's confirmation code, but that wasn't enough for them. We had to go to the business center and print out the emails just to be checked in. While we were doing that, they checked 6 of our guests in WITHOUT the emails. It was very unorganized all around. The main lady that was helping my Fi and I finally said "I cannot help you, you need to go somewhere else." My advice would be to come prepared for check in. Have emails printed out as confirmation codes are not enough. Wedding Planning: I am not a bridezilla so wedding planning was a cinch for me. Communication with Ariadna was always quick and efficient. We only did the simple moonlight ceremony for $899 usd. We sent in an $800 deposit and received a receipt of the deposit by email. I planned everything in advance like cake, flowers, location etc over emails alone and everything happened the way I wanted it as promised. When we arrived at the resort we met with Ariadna and went over everything again just to be sure. Our wedding was supposed to be at 5:00pm, but when we got there, we realized it was almost dusk/dark by then. We asked her if we could possibly move it up to 3:00 so that we could have sun and she said it was no problem. She was so amazing overall and really seems to care about making everything as perfect and hassle free as possible. Pre-wedding Stuff: Press service came and picked up our wedding attire the morning of the ceremony and we received it back quickly. When I arrived at my room to wait to be picked up, my bouquet was waiting for me. Ceremony: Our wedding was at the beach with a simple set up. We didnt ask for anything decadent or over the top the since the beach alone was beautiful enough. Ariadna was there to make sure that I walked where I was supposed to and didn't get lost. I was very nervous, but luckily there was a beach bar right on my way, so I took a shot of vodka on my way down. The music we picked out was playing right on cue and my lovely soon to be husband was waiting for me. The ceremony itself was beautiful and it turned out better than I could have imagined. The champagne toast afterword was perfect. Minister: The resort provides a minister Kiko Flores. I had never met him, but had communicate with him over email. My husband and I wrote our own vows and program for the ceremony which he allowed. The way he spoke really brought our words to life. Overall, he was great and a kind soul. Reception: We opted to save our money and have a reception at one of the restaurants. We were a small party so we didn't necessarily care about privacy. We asked to just have a normal dinner at the lobster pot with their typical menu. We didnt have to wait when the restaurant opened and were brought right to our table. We received fabulous service and all the champagne we could drink. Afterward, we had our cake brought out and cut it. It was actually kind of nice being in the normal restaurant with all of the resort guests because in a way it felt like they were celebrating with us too! We got the 3 milks cake. I liked it, but some of our guests didn't care for it as it is a little rich. If you have a larger crowd with more diverse takes, you might be better off getting vanilla or chocolate instead. After wedding: We received a nice champagne breakfast the next day. It was really more food than we could possibly eat, but it tasted great. We were supposed to receive a fruit basket and never did. We also never received any towel art the entire time we were there. It was funny to us because every day we were there, all of our guests got animals or swans or rose petals. We didn't particularly care that we didnt get these things, but it is important to point out that they were a part of the package and we didnt get them. Photography: Now this was a huge surprise to me. Ariadna told us that we would have photographers come to the wedding, but that they would only take photos. If we didn't like their work, we didn't have to buy it; and if we did like it, we could buy it. We brought family along with camera specifically so that they could get pictures and we wouldn't be buying, so all in all we were a little skeptical. The name of the company is Blue Lens and the owner Dennis was there with a partner. The photo shoot was super fun and since it was hot we ended up doing a TTD session. We just got to have fun and enjoy each other and the photographers did their thing. We met with Dennis later that week to see the pictures. We were happy with the photos our family took so we were only figuring on getting one or two pictures from Blue Lens. We know how expensive photographers are so we weren't holding our breath. Now, this is where I was surprised. The pictures were AMAZING. I figured that they wouldn't take as good of pictures because there was no guarantee of getting paid, but I was wrong. We ended up loving the photos they took of our ceremony and the TTD session after. They even made a DVD slide show that was so cute and set to the perfect music. Now for pricing. If it isn't obvious now, I should explain we are total cheapskates. And in comparison to all of the radically expensive photographers we looked at in Mexico, they were the best. We paid only $500 for ALL of the digital copies of our photos. We had a little over 600 photos all together. You cannot get a deal like that anywhere else with any of the other companies in that area. And we didn't have to pay some ridiculous fee to have a photographer show up and take pictures at our ceremony. Please ask Ariadna to book them for your ceremony. You will NOT be disappointed. Conclusion: Aside from a few minor glitches, the whole wedding and honeymoon was fabulous. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Please reply to this thread or PM me if you have any question about anything I may have missed. Have a great day and may your wedding be as fabulous as our was!!!!!!

Hello All, I will be posting my review of my wedding at VIM in a separate thread. It will be called "Valentin Imperial Maya Review by Sarah Do." A simple search for Valentin Maya will make it show up. Please look for it later today or tomorrow. And, as always, feel free to PM me with any questions.

Quote: Originally Posted by bochisgirl2010 hi everyone! Sarah Im down here in RM on site inspection visits...they were expecting here the hurricane IDA this morning but changed direction and wasnt even raining today...it was the last couple of days but not any more! I think tomorrow will be sunny and warm again!!! theres nothing to worry about!!! congrats!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! You have made me waaaaaaayyyyy less stressed! Have a great visit!

Quote: Originally Posted by cait713 Good luck Sarah! When my fiance and I stayed in Riviera Maya in June, the forecast was thunderstorms everyday for 4 days. We only actually saw rain once-and it was super quick, 30 minutes and then gone completely-the sun came back out, it was like it never happened! I'll cross my fingers for you! I'm sure your wedding will be lovely, no matter the weather As a side note-the fine print in the Valentin wedding packages say that they require a certain amount of business days in Mexico before the wedding-I think 4 or 5. If you're leaving the 19th and the wedding is the 21st, were you able to get around this rule? I've heard that some resorts are lenient on this... Hey Cait, Thanks for the well wishes. We are getting around the business day thing by only having a "symbolic ceremony" in Mexico. We are having a good friend ordained here in Cali and giving us a quickie legal ceremony here, then going to Mexico for a non-legal ceremony. We will consider the Mexico wedding our real wedding, but it will be legal in the states. We did it this way because I didn't like the idea of going and getting my blood drawn and having chest x-rays in Mexico plus having to go through all the legal hoops of then having it be legal in the states. Let me know if you need any more specific details regarding this process.

Just a comment. I am starting to get worried. Looking at the weather forecast, it looks like it is going to be all thunderstorms during our trip. We leave on the 19th and the wedding is on the 21st. EEK!

Quote: Originally Posted by t777a i will post a review when i get back, and if i cant post it in time i will email you (sarah) to make you know how things went before your wedding, but i will do my best to post as soon as i get back Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!! I will do the same for all the others when I get back too!!! Have a fabulous day!

t777a: Congrats on your upcoming wedding!!!! Can you please let me know how your trip and wedding was when you come back? I leave a couple of weeks after you. I am having a lot of luck dealing with Ariadna. She seems to be a very organized and responsive planner. Just want to make sure all went smoothly with you since I am next in line.

Quote: Originally Posted by jayla Does anyone know on average how much their guests will or have paid for their stay at the VIM? Hi Jayla, My guests are staying from November 19th-November 23rd (4 nights). For round trip airfare as well as the stay it was about $1400-$1600 for the guests. This is based on 2 people sharing a room. It ends up being about $700-$800 per person. Keep in mind it is MUCH cheaper to have people share rooms rather than having people travel single. Upon rigorous searches, we found that it was actually cheapest for us to book directly through the Valentin site vs. Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Beachdestinations.com, and cheapcarribean.com. Also, we had a flight cancel on us and the booking place was very courteous and switched us to a better flight with no hassle.

Does anyone know if it is cheaper to book activities in advance (horseback riding, ruins, etc) or through the resort itself? I am assuming that it is better to do it in advance, but perhaps book transportation once you are there.

Quote: Originally Posted by t777a or raining They can do a reception at any of their restaurants at the resort. Most of them are indoors.

Quote: Originally Posted by Dimenzi Is the price of the Once in a Lifetime and the Unforgettable packages the price on the website minus the US$899 (cost for moonlight package) if I qualify for the free package? From what I have been told by the WC, you do not get a "credit" for any other packages by meeting the room minimum. If you qualify for the free ceremony, all you get is the free ceremony. She did say that if you pay the $800 like we did for the deposit and you qualify for the free ceremony, then she will refund your money or apply it to extras. But that is ONLY when you are using the free ceremony (which is the equivalent to the Moonlight package). I hope that this helps!

Quote: Originally Posted by kake THANKS EVERYONE! Sarah Do, do you know where I can get pictures of the wedding reception sites? As a lot of you have mentioned on here, the wedding planners aren't too efficient when returning emails... Thanks again, I'm glad to hear there are lots of Riviera Maya/VIM brides here! Hope the 4th was a good one. K Kake: From what I can tell, the best way is to email Ariadna the wedding coordinator. She has actually been extremely helpful and quick when responding. I do not have many photos since I am having a very small ceremony. We are just going to go out to the Lobster Pot the evening of the ceremony. If you have dinner at one of the restaurants, it doesn't cost extra. You are restricted to their menu, but I do not consider that a bad thing since their food gets great reviews. Also, if you are having a larger reception, I hear that the Mexican restaurant has the best outdoor reception area.

Hoopchic, My ceremony is planned for November 21st this year and it is going to be small like yours. We figured that the most cost effective way was to pick a restaurant and have it there. As long as you eat the dinner there at the restaurant versus a special menu, it is free. And from what I can tell, they will put you in a private area of the restaurant. Also as far as planning is concerned, like Powers said, most of it is planned when you arrive. I have taken care of my flowers, cake, location, time, dinner and I am working with the pastor on the ceremony. Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great day!

congrats!!! I am getting married there on November 21st this year. Do a search for Valentin Maya....there is lots of great information in the "Valentin Imperial Maya Brides" thread. Also, the wedding planner Ariadna at the Valentin can answer your questions. Private receptions are an option at many locations in the resort. Happy planning!!!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by JLRJEN Mrs. Powers, I think i must be missing something. I didn't see the review you mentioned or the pictures. Could you send me the link? Thank you! Jenn Hi Jen, If you just do a search for Valentin Maya, her thread of the review is one of the results. That was the quickest way for me to find it. Let me know if you still cannot find it.

Quote: Originally Posted by olsontco Does anyone know if there is a child friendly resort close to the Valentine? I really want to have my wedding at the Valentine, but we might have two teenagers coming. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks so much! I also want to make a point that I was told by the WC at Valentin. There is no way under any circumstances, at all that children can come onto the resort. Not even for a wedding ceremony. This was also confirmed by reading a lot of other brides stories. Apparently they are unwilling to make any exceptions because if they did it once, they would have to do it all the time. So, unless they plan on just staying at another resort and not coming to the wedding, you may want to leave them home or possibly go to another resort. You may want to confirm with the WC that this hasn't changed, but they seemed pretty adamant about it. I hope this helps!!!

May 2009 Shannon & Chris - May 2, 2009 - Gran Porto Real Resort, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico Beth & Jay - May 2 2009 -Dreams Tulum, Mexico Muriel & Jovan - May 2, 2009 - Le Reve, Playa Xcalacoco, Mexico Jaymie & Ales - May 4, 2009 - Dreams Cancun, Mexico Donna & Jef (dursula) - May 6, 2009 - CuisinArt Resort & Spa, Anguilla Kristen & Mickey (kiki317) May 6, 2009- Dreams, Cancun, Mexico JACKIE & MARK(JAX_THE_BEACH_BRIDE) MAY 8, 2009- BLAU VARADERO, CUBA!!! Wendy & Ivan - May 9, 2009 - Azul Sensatori, Mexico Kelly & Chris - May 9, 2009 - Unknown, Riviera Maya, Mexico Shannon & Kenny (Shay2679) - May 07, 2009 - the Royal PDC, Mexico Kelly & Joe- May, 13, 2009 - Dreams Cancun, Mexico Nyssa & Joel - May 13, 2009 - Gran Bahia Principe Tulum, Mexico Miranda & Colin - May 14, 2009, Melia Cayo Guillermo, Cuba Mylee & Andrew - May 14, 2009, Iberostar Quetzal/ Tucan, Mexico Marie & Scott - May 15, 2009 - Dreams Cancun, Mexco Meagan & Jeff - May 15, 2009 Dreams Punta Cana, DR Stacey & Derek - May 15, 2009 Punta Cana, DR Maggie & Tim (IslamoradaBride) - May 16, 2009 Islamorada, Fla. Meagan & Matt (CDNgroom) - May 20, 2009 - Playa Del Carmen, MX K & R - May 22, 2009 - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Bianca & Chris - May 23, 2009 - Dreams Puerto Aventuras, Mexico Kristy & Chris (froggie1013) - May 23, 2009 - Villa Capri, St Lucia Tina & Nathan- May 23, 2009- Lucea, Jamaica Terry & Yamille - May 23, 2009 - Paradisus Riviera Cancun Jaime & Martin - May 24, 2009 - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Susana & MO - May 24, 2009 - Dreams Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico Carla & Mark - May 27, 2009 - Gran Caribe Real, Cancun, Mexico Lisa & Tom (mummergirl) - May 28, 2009 - Dreams Cancun, Mexico Melissa & Jason (missybee99)- May 28, 2009- Dreams Los Cabos, MX Jenny & Bryan (SoontobeMsKniss) - May 29, 2009 - Key West, Florida Erica & Brandon - May 30, 2009 June 2009 April & Michael - June 1, 2009 - Wailea, Maui, HI Monique and Derrick - June 5th 2009 - Riu Ocho Rios, Jamaica Hanna & Josh - June 5, 2009 - Grand Palladium Colonial Mayan Riviera, MX Pauline & Roger - June 6, 2009 - Grenadian by Rex Resorts, Grenada Amanda & Thomas - June 6, 2009 - Dreams Los Cabos, MX Carolyn & Michael- June 6, 2009- Gran Caribe Real Cancun, MX Crystal & Branko ~ June 10, 2009 ~ Grand Palladium, Riviera Maya, Mexico Julia & Dima ~ June 11, 2009 ~ Riu Ocho Rios, Jamaica Ashley & Dave - June 11, 2009 - Valentin Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico Sorcha & Shannon - June 12, 2009 - St. John's, NF, Canada Jen & Brian - June 12, 2009 - Azul Sensatori, Riviera Maya, Mexico April & Patrick - June 13, 2009 - EcoTulum, Tulum, Mexico Ginalyn & Jeff- June 18, 2009 - Dreams Puerto Aventuras, Mexico Roe & Seamus - June 22, 2009 - Bermuda MarieSam & Tommy (msam007562) -June 26, 2009- Las Casitas Beach & CEA Center, Akumal, MX July 2009 Aaron & Kristie - July 2, 2009 - Dreams Puerto Aventuras Kim & Eddy - July 3, 2009 _ Iberostar Del Mar abullard1-July 4 2009 Michelle & Chris-July, 8th, 2009 The Royal Playa Del Carmen Stephanie & Robert - July 10, 2009 - Honolulu, HI Geralyn & Steve - July 11, 2009 - RIU Montego Bay, Jamaica Rosemary & Miguel - July 11, 2009 - Dreams Cabo San Lucas, MX Kelly & Jonathan - July 13, 2009 - Dreams Cancun Resort Rachel & Scott - July 16, 2009 - Aventura Spa Palace, Riviera Maya, MX Brianne & Nathan (soccergurl3-July 16th 2009- Moon palace Resort,Cancun,MX Kathleen & Dan - July 17, 2009 - Beaches Boscobel Deanna & Bill (deefalvey) - July 24, 2009 - Dreams Cabo San Lucas, MX maryyy - July 28, 2009 - Melia las Dunas, Cuba August 2009 Branden & Shivani- August 6, 2009- Almond Morgan Bay, St. Lucia Jacilyn & Joe (Jacilynda) - August 8, 2009 - Hotel Akumal Caribe, MX Monique & Eric - August 15, 2009 - Dreams Los Cabos, MX Karen & Dan - August 15, 2009 Tiffiney & Ryan - August 15, 2009 - RIU Vallarta, MX Megan & Doug - August 15, 2009 - Miami, FL (Carnival Cruise) Michelle & Brent - August 19, 2008 - Wynn Las Vegas, NV Tiffany & George - August 22, 2009 - Dreams Los Cabos, MX Jenni & Tim - August 22, 2009 - Holden Beach, NC Elizabeth & Gabriel - August 31, 2009 - Carnival Ecstasy, Galveston, TX September 2009 Marijke & Rob - September 1 or 2, 2009 - Parga, Greece Dominica & Ernest - September 5, 2009 - Azul Fives, MX Erik & Zarina - September 9, 2009 - Las Veags, NV Benny & Shawn- September 9, 2009- Excellence Riviera Cancun, MX Amy & Clint - September 11, 2009 - Cancun, MX Lisa & Gary - September 17, 2009 - Maui, HI Dayla & Randell - September 19, 2009- Cancun/Riviera Maya, MX Vicki & David - September 26, 2009 - Buenaventura Puerto Vallarta, Mexico October 2009 Natasha & James - October 7,2009 --RIU Palace, Cabo San Lucas Heide & Paul - October 10, 2009 -- San Juan, Puerto Rico Amanda & Anton - October 11, 2009 -- Las Caletas, Mexico Ashley & Dustin - October 17, 2009 -- Dreams resort and spa cancun Danelle & Antonio - October 17, 2009 --Riu Palace Riviera Maya Angela & Jason - October 20, 2009 - Majestic Colonial, Punta Cana Heather & Matie - October 22, 2009 -- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Josie & Marko - October 24, 2009 -- Dreams Tulum Dana & Eddie - October 24, 2009 -- Moon Palace Cancun Jenny & Matthew - October 27, 2009 -- Melia Caribe Tropical, Punta Cana, DR Emily & Kevin - October 28, 2009 -- Melia Las Dunas, Cayo Santa Maria, Dustin and Ashley October 17, 2009 At Dreams Cancun November 2009 Melissa (SgtPepperette) and Grant - November 4, 2009 - Fort Myers Beach, FL Megan & Shay - November 7, 2009 - Westin Los Cabos Erin & Trent - November 9th, 2009 - Melia Caribe Tropical, Punta Cana, DR Jodey & Simon - November 12th 2009 - Dreams resort and spa Cancun Lisa & Doug - November 12, 2009 - Riu Palace Riviera Maya Carrie & Andy - November 13, 2009 - Beaches Negril Alicia & Rob - November 14, 2009 - Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Joanne & Mark - November 14, 2009 - Iberostar Grand, Mexico Mirna & Louis-November 15th 2008-Dreams Cancun Heidi & Patrick - November 16th 2009 - Sirenis La Salina, Varadero Leslie & Gerry - November 16th, 2009- Majestic Colonial, Punta Cana Valerie & Ryan - November 21, 2009 - Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa Sarah & Tan- November 21, 2009- Valentin Imperial Maya Mary & Paul - November 28th 2009 - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Jessica (Jess) & Paul - November 28th, 200 - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Josie & Jason - November 28th 2009- Playa Del Carmen, Mexico !! December 2009 Gina & Ryan - December 2, 2009 - Riu Palace Riviera Maya Leslie & Jay - December 5, 2009 - Moon Dance Cliffs Jamaica poohshek & spidey - December 11, 2009 - Riviera Maya Jen & Kenny - December 12, 2009 - Excellence Playa Mujeres Jillian & Tim (Adlergray)-December 18, 2009- Blue Tulum Rsort & Spa Patty & Jason - December 30, 2009 - Barcelo Riviera Maya Colonial Nadine & Jesse -December 30, 2009 - Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa Karla & Abraham - December 31, 2009 - Negril, Jamaica January 2010 Melissa & Kent- January 5, 2010- Playa Pesquero, Cuba Aimee & Theodore- January, 8, 2010 - Iberostar Tucan, Mexico Jessica & Matt(jrprice24)- January 8,2010- Sandos Playacar, PDC, Mexico Kerri & Elton (kpuckrin)- January 12th, 2010- BlueBeard's Beach, St. Thomas Nancy & Pat - January 13th, 2010 - Beaches Negril, Jamaica Melita (Melette) & Charlie - January 21, 2010 - Dreams Los Cabos, Mexico Catherine & Ian - January 22, 2010 - Playa Pesquero, Cuba Shannon & Lauchlan- January 27th, 2010- Puerto Vallarta Mexico February 2010 Melissa & Sean- February 10, 2010- St. Thomas USVI Linda & Ton- February 22, 2010- Costa Rica March 2010 Bev & Brian March 4th 2010 - Clubhouse Negril April 2010 Holly & Adam (Scubadiva) April 2nd, 2010 - Megans Bay Beach St Thomas USVI Michele & Jim (jerseykitten) April 10, 2010 - Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort & Spa - Montego Bay, Jamaica doblauvelt-April 16, 2010- Moon Palace, Cancun Sarah and Jed (sarah310) April 17, 2010 - Occidental Grand Xcaret, Mexico Stacey & Eric (La Romana Stacey) - April 22, 2010 - Dreams La Romana Veronica & Patrick (vgirl17) - April 24, 2010 - Moon Palace, Cancun MX Joanna & Chris (jerzygirl85) - April 24, 2010 Dreams Tulum, Mexico Christina & Gregory (GregsBride) - April 24, 2010 - Iberostar Rose Hall Suites, Montego Bay, Jamaica Erin & Jeremy (ebredhawk) - April 28, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana May 2010 Crystal & Dave (CrystalM) - May 1, 2010 - Magen's Bay, St. Thomas, USVI Dyan & Chris (dyanh) - May 7, 2010 Sandals Montego Bay, Jamaica Savannah & Billy (BillysBride) -May 8, 2010 Avalon Reef Club, Isla Mujeres, MX Victoria & Eric- May 11, 2010- Excellence Riviera Cancun Resort Heather & Andrew- May 14, 2010- Kauai, Hawaii Jessica & Matt (Future Mrs. Griffith) - May 14, 2010 - Dreams Resort PV Heather & George (dolfinluck)- May 15, 2010 - Dreams La Romana, DR Shannon & Robert (preciousmi811) -May 17, 2010 - RUI Palace Tropical Bay, Jamaica Amber & Mike (gokartmagic) - May 21, 2010 - Iberostar Grand, Montego Bay, Jamaica Belle & Jean-Claude - May 27,2010- St. Kitts, B.W.I. Samantha & Ralph- May 27,2010- Coco Reef Resort, Bermuda Craig & Fiona - May 28th, 2010 - Moon Palace June 2010 Jaymi and James (Jaymibaby) ~ June 1, 2010 Sandals Royal Caribbean, Montego Bay, Jamaica Stephanie and Michael (~Stephanie~)-June 11, 2010 The Royal Playa del Carmen Michelle & Arsen (michelle613)- June 12, 2010 Dreams Cancun Stephanie and Chris (sspiris) - June 19, 2010, Destination to be determined Lulu & Kirkton (lmuze) ~ June 19, 2006: Iberostar Rose Hall Beach, Jamaica Jessica & Bryson (Royal_lady10)-June 26, 2010 Dreams Tulum July 2010 Kaytee and CJ- July 3rd, 2010- Destination still TBD! Edy And Jaxon (mswhatever) - July 17, 2010 Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton resort & Spa Jamaica August 2010 Melissa and Robby (hunniebee724) ~ August 19, 2010 NYC, Carnival Cruise Lines October 2010 Lori & Oliver (gossip girl) - October 10, 2010 - Destination TBD! Chris & Crystal (Crystalballl) - October 20, 2010 - Playa Pesquero, Cuba December 2010 Chris & John (sunstarsmoon) - December 1, 2010 - Rui Ocho Rios, Jamaica Carla & Christoper (adias.angel) - December 11, 2010 - Riviera Maya

Hello ladies. As mentioned before, Ariadna has been very responsive to all of my emails. She mentioned that the beach setup includes chairs with covers and a table with covers. She said that flowers are not included in the beach set up and that they are extra cost. Did anyone pay extra for the flowers? The cake picture she sent is the really cute one with the starfish on it. She said that they come in chocolate, vanilla, and Mexican three milks. Could anyone recommend the best flavor?? She also sent me the two flower catalogs. If someone would like to look at these, please let me know and I can email them to you. soontobepowers (or should I say Mrs. Powers): did they set up the sound system on the beach and at the restaurant? I am planning on bringing my ipod to play during dinner or the ceremony with our little dock. Thanks for all the help girls!!!

WOW! Thank you so much for such a detailed review. It is such a relief to read actual details versus "it was nice" or "I didn't like it." I will make sure to update others with my experience because it makes a huge difference in planning. I agree with your judgment on Ariadna. She is very sweet and helpful and should definitely be the one in charge. Congrats on your wonderful ceremony!!!!!

So, I have just begun the quest to plan a wedding by November 21st,2009. I know that many people have had issues with getting in contact with whatever WC happens to be there at the time. I sent a few emails to Ariadna (the newest coordinator) and so far she has replied each one within 4-12 hours each time. A note to those considering the Valentin: the WC seemed more interested in beginning the planning process one I sent over the $800 deposit. We are doing the basic "Moonlight" package, but we think that we will end up being eligible for the "Complimentary" package. I was told by the WC that the $800 deposit will be used for "extras" and if we end up not having any extras, we will get refunded the full deposit. I have currently asked for options for cakes (though I am awfully fond of the starfish cake I have seen on here), beach set-ups, and flowers. When I get a reply, I will post as much as possible on here or email them to whomever wants them.