KD79

Hi there! I am just back from an amazing 10 days at the Barcelo Maya Palace where I was married to the man of my dreams on May 12, 2011! I wanted to write a review about William Sanchez, a wedding photographer in the area. This will be part 1 and when I receive my pictures I will post part 2! My husband and I tried to plan a stress free, low key, and affordable wedding! Even though I am not fussy, we really weren't impressed with the photography company located at the resort we were staying at, and we started to feel photography stress William came recommended to us by another well-known photographer in the area, and as soon as we met him, our stress was quickly alleviated! I contacted William through his blog http://www.williamsanchezblog.com/ and he responded to me very quickly by email. [email protected] He provided me with examples of his work and information about his services in a timely and clear manner. We decided to go with William and received a very clear contract. His rates were very fair (especially compared to what was being offered at our hotel) and we paid half immediately and the other half closer to the wedding date (before we arrived). Both were done through Paypal and there were no problems or concerns in this regard at all. The hotel had some stipulations about outside photographers, but this was not William's fault. He drove from a few hours away, so we rented him a room for one night at the same resort near by, and there was no problems with him accessing our hotel on our wedding day. My husband was still a little nervous about the whole thing. But once we met William in person this too faded away. He is so kind and his love for photography is so evident. I hardly noticed him when we were getting ready. He wasn't pushy or asking me to do this or that. Yet I would see him standing up high or crouching down low to get a shot of something natural happening in the moment. My husband and his guys commented that they liked him too and could not believe his energy! He was running ahead of them, sliding, hiding in bushes, and doing everything he could to get the perfect picture. We could not have been more pleased. William and his assistant were asked to join us for our wedding dinner and they fit right in with our family and friends. They all really liked him and could not believe how hard he worked! The next day, my husband and I met with him again to do a trash the dress session. We ran all over the resorts trying to capture unique pictures and great light until the sun finally went down! We felt very comfortable and even my husband found it so fun! William Sanchez Photography was such a pleasant surprise and part of our wedding, I could not wait to share or recommend him to future couples. We have a bit of a wait for our pictures (standard is 2 months afterward) but I understand why. If William puts as much effort in to the finished product as he does the process, I know we wont be disappointed. He showed us a few shots on his camera that looked so great already! Stay tuned for part 2 & good luck! Kari

Hi there! I am just back from an amazing 10 days at the Barcelo Maya Palace where I was married to the man of my dreams on May 12, 2011! I wanted to write a review about William Sanchez, a wedding photographer in the area. This will be part 1 and when I receive my pictures I will post part 2! My husband and I tried to plan a stress free, low key, and affordable wedding! Even though I am not fussy, we really weren't impressed with the photography company located at the resort we were staying at, and we started to feel photography stress William came recommended to us by another well-known photographer in the area, and as soon as we met him, our stress was quickly alleviated! I contacted William through his blog http://www.williamsanchezblog.com/ and he responded to me very quickly by email. [email protected] He provided me with examples of his work and information about his services in a timely and clear manner. We decided to go with William and received a very clear contract. His rates were very fair (especially compared to what was being offered at our hotel) and we paid half immediately and the other half closer to the wedding date (before we arrived). Both were done through Paypal and there were no problems or concerns in this regard at all. The hotel had some stipulations about outside photographers, but this was not William's fault. He drove from a few hours away, so we rented him a room for one night at the same resort near by, and there was no problems with him accessing our hotel on our wedding day. My husband was still a little nervous about the whole thing. But once we met William in person this too faded away. He is so kind and his love for photography is so evident. I hardly noticed him when we were getting ready. He wasn't pushy or asking me to do this or that. Yet I would see him standing up high or crouching down low to get a shot of something natural happening in the moment. My husband and his guys commented that they liked him too and could not believe his energy! He was running ahead of them, sliding, hiding in bushes, and doing everything he could to get the perfect picture. We could not have been more pleased. William and his assistant were asked to join us for our wedding dinner and they fit right in with our family and friends. They all really liked him and could not believe how hard he worked! The next day, my husband and I met with him again to do a trash the dress session. We ran all over the resorts trying to capture unique pictures and great light until the sun finally went down! We felt very comfortable and even my husband found it so fun! William Sanchez Photography was such a pleasant surprise and part of our wedding, I could not wait to share or recommend him to future couples. We have a bit of a wait for our pictures (standard is 2 months afterward) but I understand why. If William puts as much effort in to the finished product as he does the process, I know we wont be disappointed. He showed us a few shots on his camera that looked so great already! Stay tuned for part 2 & good luck! K&D

Thank you for your reply

cjb0arder13 you mentioned that you only had to book your photographer for one night...how did you manage this? Right now I am looking at $500.00 for two nights and the room will likely be empty the second night. Thank you, K

They told me Xhail had a baby (congrats) and wouldn't be back until March or so.

I am getting married May 12th, 2011. I am trying to keep things simple but just couldn't go with hotel's photography I am going with William Sanchez. I have to pay for two nights (approx. $500 U.S.) for him to stay at the hotel. The $300 fee wasn't an option because he has to travel. I am pretty frustrated the hotel makes brides do this. Here is the information I got re currency from my travel agent: The Mexican Government passed a new law which goes into effect in Mexico beginning September 14, 2010. With this new law, the use of American Dollars (CASH) to make purchases in Mexico will not be as free as it has been in the past. Many repeat guests to Mexico who have become accustomed to freely using American Dollars (CASH) in Mexico will notice the difference. Other payment methods such as credit cards of all types and all issuing banks, Travelers Checks, Mexican pesos and non-American foreign currencies (such as Euros or Canadian Dollars) are not affected in any way by this new law. The most noticeable differences to Apple Vacations’ customers will be: • Hotels and Exchange Booths will only be able to change a maximum of $1,500 USD CASH per person per month into Mexican Pesos. Previously there was no limit. • Businesses (including Amstar DMC in Mexico) will only be able to accept a maximum of $100 USD CASH per transaction - but the number of transactions per customer is not restricted. • Certain businesses may not be able to, or may choose not to accept American Dollars for any purchase at all (this may include shops, etc). If a customer wants to purchase an excursion (for example) that costs $139 US dollars per person, he/she will only be able to pay $100 of this amount in USD CASH and the remainder will need to be in another form of payment (credit card, Mexican pesos, etc). Vacationers should never carry large amounts of American dollars with them to Mexico, but instead they should consider either using a Credit Card, taking or locally withdrawing Mexican Pesos, or use Travelers Check’s (of any currency). AD5726 Cheers, K

Hello, I am getting married on May 12, 2011 at the palace. We have approximately 30 people and chose the Mint Breeze package. We've been trying to keep things simple but I just couldn't go with the new photo company at the resort. It seemed very expensive for the product you get. We tried to work with them and didn't get very far. I am going with William Sanchez instead. He was recommended by Ivan Luckie and has been great to deal with. I have to spend approx. $500.00 for a two night stay for him (barcelo policy) as he has to travel quite a distance so the $300.00 fee wasn't an option. He wont even use the spare room the 2nd night. Has anyone managed to get around this with the hotel? I am not splurging on any make-up artists or extras as we are having a fairly large after-the-fact party when we return that I must be financially concious of. I have not pre-booked any spa services or wedding day hair etc. and hope its all ok that I do that all when I get there. Apparently my wedding coordinator just had a baby. I wasn't notified she was off but Claudia has been covering. I have enjoyed reading everything on this blog it is so helpful thank you. I do have some information on currency I got from my travel agent I will try to post here if I can figure it out.