cait713

Bumping! It's been a couple months, and I'm hoping there are some new brides who may be interested in this stuff-PM me if you are!

Nikki- Our reception was about 4 hours. Ceremony 5-5:30, Cocktail hour 5:45-6:45, Dinner/Reception 7-11. After we left the reception, we went to the plaza for more dancing with the dj there. I should tell you that a few weeks before the wedding, Ariadna emailed me that we could stay at the reception until 11 (I had to know how long to make my playlist on my ipod). When we got there, she told us we could stay only until 10. We checked with the restaurant manager when we got to the reception, and he said it was fine if we stay until 11. The servers stayed the whole time, and we were sure to tip them well for staying late with us. Timing is super flexible there-it's not so tightly scheduled like it would be here in the US and Canada. It was super relaxed! Hope this helped-let me know if I can answer any more questions for you: cait713 @ aol.com.

Last attempt at trying to sell this stuff-open to offers!

  Sure thing!  This is my inspiration picture I sent the Valentin:   Here is the best picture I could find of my bouquet (with my maid of honor's too):  The Valentin did a great job-the flowers looked exactly like the pictures I had sent, very simple and elegant.

Hi Ladies!  I still have a bunch of stuff I'd love to get rid of! The following are still available:  wedding dress longline bra lantern lights fishing line cake topper turquoise confetti turquoise pocket bags lanyards letterheads solid favor boxes striped favor boxes ceremony programs thank you cards  I'm open to offers-please PM me!

Hi Ladies!  Our photographer, Sascha Gluck, posted some of our pictures yesterday! Here's a link if you'd like to check them out  http://cancunphotosblog.com/

Hey tinkertoy-I've posted a few pictures of my reception at the Lobster Pot in my review, but I'll post them here too      It's basically a private little terrace that's attached to the Lobster Pot restaurant. I'd say it's not as formal as the terrace of the Mexican restaurant (I've seen pictures of receptions there-it's beautiful), but we weren't going for that. I guess it's all about the vibe you want. Good luck!

Hi Rikki- Â I bought the plain fans from Oriental Trading and then my mom and I "sewed" the turquoise ribbon around the outside. It turned out to be very time consuming, but I loved how they came out! Â

Yay-I'm so happy you got everything and you're happy with it! Congrats and best of luck with your wedding! Â

You won't regret your choice-the Valentin is amazing! I'd definitely recommend the Once in a Lifetime package-it was definitely worth the extra money. The big things that are included in the Once in a Lifetime that aren't in the others are the DVD of the ceremony, couple's dinner on the beach, massages and body wraps (amazing!), and the Mexican trio. We're so glad we chose this package! Â The only thing that they charged extra for at the ceremony was the hupa-it was around $400, which we thought was ridiculous, but paid it anyways. Aside from our upgrade, this was the only thing we actually paid extra for-everything else was included in the package. We did bring almost all of the decorations though, chair sashes, ceremony fans, sand ceremony stuff, everything for the reception...it was a lot. Â The emerald room is beautiful. I've never been in a golden suite, but I'm sure it's just as lovely. We like the emerald because it has this view: Â Â and it has this jacuzzi: Â Â I visited a swim up room, and just a regular junior deluxe room, and they were both beautiful. I have more pictures of the emerald room if you'd like to see! Â Best of luck planning your wedding-let me know if I can help you answer any more questions! Â Â

I'm so glad they fit and you like them! I got my DIY craftiness on for my wedding-so fun!

Yes-they are still available! Please PM me your email address and zip code and I will find out shipping for you.

There are a lot of items that are still available-I'd love to get them out of my house Please PM if interested!

Got the lantern lights at either Michaels or AC Moore. They were pricey, but worth it-the lanterns looked beautiful!

Go with the Once in a Lifetime! The extras are SO worth it! The mariachi, massages and body wraps, definitely worth the extra money! We upgraded ourselves to the Emerald Suite, which was an extra $90 per night. We had the same room last year when we got engaged, and thought it would be kind of anti-climactic to get one of the lesser expensive rooms. All the rooms are gorgeous, though. My in-laws had a swim up suite, and it was beautiful. Next time, we'd just go with a regular room.

22 Turquoise Ceremony Programs Bought $18, Asking $8 These came out fantastic-one of my DIY projects I was happiest with. I used Photoshop to design them, and printing was very simple. They come with polka dot ribbons to attach. My ceremony on the fan: Inside: 40 Turquoise Thank You Cards Bought $14, Asking $12 Brand new, never opened. I had bought two of these boxes, and used one of them for my shower Thank Yous. I'll be doing picture Thank You cards for my wedding. Really good quality, nicely textured paper. That's about it! Please PM me with your email address if interested. Prices do not include shipping, so I'd have to figure that out once I get your zip code. Thanks!

29 Turquoise Pocket Bags Bought $29, Asking $20 These were left over from a box of 50 that we ordered. They're pretty neato-the bag folds up and snaps into a smaller bag for easy travel. We put these into the OOT bags. 15 Aloe Bottles: SOLD Bought $15, Asking $10 More left overs. Came in very useful for guests who "forgot" to put sunblock on 8 Bug Wipes: SOLD Bought $4, Asking $2 Also came in handy. 11 Lanyards Bought $5, Asking $4 Leftovers. Colors are red, yellow, brown, and purple. Attached these to keycard holders-everyone used them! 85 Beach Themed Papers Bought $12, Asking $8 We used these for our Welcome Letter that we included in the OOT bags. My completed letter: 29 Solid Turquoise Favor Boxes Bought $14, Asking $8 Came in a box of 50, and we used 21. My mom put these together, and she said they're super easy, but a bit time consuming. We filled them with Ghiradelli chocolates 17 Striped Turquoise Thank You Boxes Bought $14, Asking 4 Also came in a box of 50, only 17 left. My mom used these at my shower-they were super cute. The original box it's in is a little squished, but the boxes are not damaged.

39 Lanterns: ALL LANTERNS ARE SOLD Bought $70, Asking $50 Ok, I have a lot of these: 39 total. I'd like to sell them all together, but will separate if need be. Turquoise 4 Large-16" 10 Medium-12" Solid White 4 Large-16" 6 Small-8" White Eyelet 5 Medium-12" 10 Small/Medium-9.5" 20 Lantern Lights Bought $24, Asking $10 These are twist on/twist off little lights that can easily hang from the lanterns. The lit lanterns were beautiful hanging from the ceiling at our reception. I've lost 4 lights, but still have 20. The box says they last up to 8 hours-we only used them for about 4. I tested them all, and they're all fine as of today. Fishing Line Bought $3, Asking $2 Used this to hang the lanterns from the ceiling. There's still a LOT left 48 Satin Turquoise Chair Ribbons: SOLD Bought $40, Asking $35 I have 48. All are in excellent condition. The girl I bought them from tried to iron them, and a few have tiny water stains. They're not noticeable though. Cake Topper Bought $28, Asking $20 Ceramic ocean-themed heart. Loved this on our cake! Used, but in perfect condition. Turquoise Flower Confetti Bought $6, Asking $3 The container is opened, but I only took 22 out (to glue 1 on each place card)

It's time to clean this stuff out of my house! I'm sad to part with a lot of it, but I hope it will all have a second life in other brides' weddings Wedding Dress Bought $1,200, Asking $500 OBO WToo (made by Watters) Francesca size 6, but altered to probably a size 4. I ordered the dress almost a year before the wedding, lost weight and had it taken in and hemmed. My measurements are 33-24-37 (I wear a dress size 4). I am 5'2", wore sandals with 1.75" heel, and the dress fit like a glove. LOVE this dress, it is absolutely beautiful-I wish I had an opportunity to wear it again! Here is the dress on the model: WTOO BRIDES | Bridal Gown Collection | Style Francesca | Ivory radiant taffeta strapless gown with beaded lace at sculpted neckline and side draped body. Chapel train. And here is the dress on me: The bottom hem is a little dirty on the bottom, but other than that, it is in great condition. I have plenty of detail pictures-please PM me with your email and I'll send them! Shoes: SOLD Bought $15, Asking $5 I made these guys myself I bought the flip flops at Old Navy, and all the embellishments from craft stores. They took a long time to make, but I loved them! They are a teensy bit dirty from my feet (wore during 30 minute ceremony only), but it's difficult to see. Veil: SOLD Bought $25, Asking $15 I found this veil on Etsy-it is a fingertip angle-cut ivory veil. It's very simple, which is exactly what I wanted. Longline Bra Bought $55, Asking $40 Dominique Longline Bra size 32C in Nude. Bought this from Amazon: Amazon.com: Dominique Longline Smooth Strapless Bra: Clothing I bought this to wear with my dress, but when I tried it on with it, the back wasn't low enough. I would have returned it to Amazon, but had already taken the tags off. It's never been worn except to try on once. Comes with removable straps. Hair Flower: SOLD Bought $29, Asking $20 I found this on Etsy as well. Beautiful real-touch flower wound onto a hair comb.

Quote: Originally Posted by Brandeemdavis I'm also getting married at Valentin in January 2011 and you have totally put me at ease!! Thank you so much for the detailed posting.... I'm getting more and more excited as the days slowly pass by. Is there anything you would suggest or do differently?? Congratulations!!!! I'd only do a few things differently-I probably wouldn't have paid for the upgraded room. It was as beautiful as last year, but really not totally worth the extra money-all the rooms at the Valentin are beautiful. Also, if you're doing a legal ceremony, the judge they use is really nice, but didn't speak loud enough or hold the mic close enough. If I had known this, I would have asked her before the wedding to speak up so all the guests could hear. I probably wouldn't have ordered the two layer cake. We only made a dent in the first layer, and really didn't need the second layer for only 22 people. I wouldn't change anything else-the locations of all the events, the menus, etc. Everything turned out wonderful! Best of luck!

Janet-we did the steak and shrimp for our reception dinner. I don't eat either, but everyone said that they were both excellent, specifically the steak. Apparently, it was "like buttah" About the photographer fee: we had to pay $190 total ($95 per person for a guest pass-the photographer and his assistant). It is better to do this than the vendor fee, which is $200, and your photographers won't be able to eat/drink. I asked to have this fee waived, but Ariadna wouldn't budge.

Quote: Originally Posted by *tinkertoy* Cait, thanks so much! I've been looking forward to your review! Everything looked amazing!! Did you bring down the table decorations or were those that were provided? I'm sure I'll be staking you with many more questions as they come up, hope you don't mind! Yes, we brought everything. We had two full suitcases of just wedding stuff, with all the glass bubblewrapped. It was definitely a process, but worth it. I didn't like the Valentin's options for centerpieces, not to mention that they were very expensive. It was a bonus that the Valentin's dinner plates happen to match my colors No worries about the questions-I'm more than happy to help if I can!

Thanks, ladies! Roo-I made the starfish place cards. Wrapped big plastic starfish with wire and seaglass, and printed out the names and glued the little paper starfish on. It was time consuming, and I probably wouldn't have done it if I had many more guests

Also-posted my review! Hope it's helpful in your planning-please let me know if I can answer any questions for you!

The Valentin has recently switched owners, and the new one comes from Spain and has made a lot of cut backs. The extra charge for the lobster is one. We noticed some little things-no more mints on the pillow before bed, no more chips in the fridge. No floaties in the pool. Sadly, they do make a difference. There is still plenty of beer-you definitely won't want for that. They have coolers with water at the beach, but I think you have to get the beer at the bar, which is right next to the coolers. No big deal. About the floaties-if you want one, bring your own! The gift store charges like $17 for a floatie you could buy for $3 at Target.