AfricanVenus

Muchas gracias! She did an amazing job Hope you experience the same!

Thanks!

I searched as best as I could to make sure I wasn't repeating my post, but I didn't see anything. I just wanted to share my TTD pics with the community, esp. to my Chocolate Brides out there who might be afraid to get their hair wet, lol. The links are below: http://www.ebony.com/photos/style/black-wedding-style-bride-goes-underwater http://www.vimeo.com/26791034 (Wedding clip vid) http://www.shariann-kofi.auroragphotography.com/ (photog's gallery) Here are some teasers: Enjoy ladies!

BeesBride, My apologies for my late response. I hope my answer is still somewhat relevant! In total, we held 10 rooms.

2012mrstobe, I still have my email notifications set so I can respond to this thread. The photographer I used, Aurora Gutierrez, was someone I found while researching. My venue came with a photographer as part of my package, so I had 3 photogs that day (2 photogs and 1 assistant). Aurora divides her time I think between Southern California (Studio Eternity) and Mexico (AuroraGPhotography). I believe her headquarters, if you will, is Mexico. She lived 4 hrs from our venue, so I paid her toll fare since she drove. She was so wonderful and extremely personable. A really lovely person, as well as professional. I didn't take any service providers with me. I think Mexico is full of local talent. If you search hard enough, you can find anyone within your price range. Where are you planning to wed?

Thank you so much for the kind words! The TTD was so much fun. I wash my weaves all the time, so getting it wet was no problem for me. The sand came out very easily. Hoping all the best for your big day

Thank you so much. Your photo looks great also!

$15,000??!!? Like real currency, CAD or US? Wow, lol. I'd be laughing in their faces too. No offense to those who worked with them, but I don't think La Luna gets the point of destination weddings. They're supposed to be cheaper. That's more than the cost of most DWs in their entirety. I came across a few togs with outrageous prices myself. Some people just believe their own hype. While I believe in quality, I don't believe in overspending to get it. Even with a recession, that amount is ridiculous, lol.

@LonaJ: Thank you very much! I didn't feel l was at my absolute best on my day, but I'm glad you enjoyed the photos, lol. My dress was made by Pronovias of Barcelona, Spain. They are one of my favorite design houses, so I had to get one! The original one I wanted was called Enebro, but they discontinued it. I was heartbroken, but I this was 2nd on my list anyway, so it all worked out. I named my dress Lupe, lol. All the best to you in your wedding planning. Feel free to contact me if you need any advice, help, etc.

Thanks!

My wedding was during the hot season for my location, so plan accordingly! My hair was a virgin Indian weave and it seized up like you wouldn't believe! I like my weaves to be on the silky side, but decided for my wedding to go with a weave more in line with my hair's natural texture. It looked TOO real if you can understand me, lol. The weave became big, puffy, and frizzy in that kind of humid Mexican heat. My own hair does that so it was super annoying to pay money to deal with my own type of hair, lol. It was very hard to style as a result. The hotel hairdressser did what she could, but my hair had almost zero movement. I thought it was the type of weave. However, I went to Jamaica in November 2011 for my sister's wedding and used my traditional weave. Jamaica isn't as humid as Mexico, but the weave can still feel limp and lifeless in such conditions. I wet set my hair and the curls came out much better than the pure virgin Indian, but it was hot. If anyone chooses weaves, aim for the store bought versions, rather than the absolutely virgin hair. I don't think they hold up well in heat, but the treated ones do. Just a consideration if you're going that route... For those wondering what my hair looked like on my wedding day, here's a link: http://www.shariann-kofi.auroragphotography.com/

Photography was a MAJOR deal, but I didn't want to break the bank over it. We hired a local photographer, Aurora Gutierrez, and a Canadian videographer, UrbanVid (of Urban Weddings). Local does not equal no quality. She's got 5 years in the business, comes highly recommended, and still works out of Southern California, where she's originally from. We got a sweet deal with Aurora: A 30-pg coffee table album for us (12x12), 2 parent albums (6x6), a 12x16 photo, 8x11, 5x7, and several wallet sized photos. We also got a CD slideshow set to music and a website for our guests. Additionally, she was there all day (contractually 8 hrs, but she stayed longer), surprised me with a second shooter I didn't have to pay for, and shot a TTD session the next day. All of this for $1650! And her stuff isn't just so-so. I thought we got a lot of bang for our buck. We only had to pay $50 in travel fees as she was from a further part of the state we were getting married in and needed to pay tolls. As for our video, the guys gave me a sweet deal after I helped them catch an intellectual property thief. They charged me a 1/3 of their normal rate, because they wanted to add to their portfolio a destination wedding. Their work is amazing! Initially, we only contracted for one videographer with the usual: travel fees and accomodations. He helped me find a cheaper ticket than I would have found and I found him a nice hotel that was cheap and close to our hotel. That came up to $1500. At our wedding, he surprised me with a second shooter (I was already familiar with his work as he works for the company so I wasn't worried). The reason he added a second shooter was because he wanted to make the video as great as it could possibly be. That touched me and was such a mark of professionalism. So, that part of our budget was high, but we thought it was an even split and we don't regret our decision. The product of both vendors was amazing. I think B2Bs can get what they're looking for if they're willing to shop around and think outside the box. Some vendors will give you great deals. We were blessed to be able to get so much for what we thought was a little. Don't just settle for anything and you won't be disappointed.

You don't have to necessarily trash it. You can make your own rules. Ride horseback, pose by ruins, stroll thru a town, play in a park, pose in an ice cream shop, etc. TTD can be anything really. It's just your dress in an unconventional location.

I was just trying to get a more rounded view of the problem. I obviously don't know your family dynamics. However, just because someone was raised by their grandparents doesn't mean their parents are out of the picture or don't matter. It appears your parents matter, as you want them involved in your wedding. If advice was what you were seeking, may I suggest you just privately sit down with them and explain your feelings? You want them to be apart of the day as much as possible, but it's a little sad for you that they seem to be distant? I'm not trying to impose or make assumptions. If the point of your vent was just to ask people if they're going thru something similar in terms of feeling the way you do without any understanding of why your parents may be acting this way, then there's nothing for me to say and I apologize if I offended you.