LaLa1116

Ladies, A little apprehensive about airbursh makeup. I don't usually wear a lot of makeup and don't want to look too "unlike myself." Does it have that heavy, caked-on feeling? Does it look natural? I don't want to spend a lot of money on something I'm not totally happy with or end up redoing myself. Anyone get a trial in town before the wedding? Think a trial would ease my mind about it. Thoughts or pics would be very helpful. Thanks, everyone!

I'm not wearing any myself but I've read that some brides have worn those platform sandals...you could probably get away with a wedge, too. Check out this forum : http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/18087/show-off-your-shoes/2720

Welcome home, Mrs! Never considered high tide...or heard it mentioned on here before--I will definitely be checking the tide table now, haha. Glad to hear your husband is ok and that everything turned out beautifully...cannot wait to see your pics!

Just as Happy Bride said, it is a $1000 deposit by credit card (sometimes a little more depending on fees added by your bank). I also contacted them through the website but in case you haven't heard anything yet, Blanca is one of the wonderful wedding coordinators at Vallarta Adventures...her email is [email protected]. I'm sure she'd be happy to help. Good luck!

Branya- You're pictures are beautiful! Thanks for sharing! ** QUICK TIP ** I was working on our Ipod playlist and found this extremely helpful link in one of the forums...it's about an Ipod app called My Wedding DJ...it's $1.99 and allows you to stop/start songs where you please and even fade songs out. Thought some of you might find this extremely helpful for your ceremony playlist. Check it out.

Heather, This is also a concern of mine. It's one of the few traditions I would like to keep, but I want to make sure we have time to get enough pictures as well. Blanca mentioned something about starting the ceremony a little earlier for winter weddings. What time did your ceremony begin?

Of course! We boarded at Puerto Vallarta. Just emailed you more pictures to your gmail account. Happy New Year!

Hi Ladies! Posted a review of our site visit with some pics! http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/83765/las-caletas-site-visit-11-11-12. If you would like more pictures, just PM me. Have a good weekend! -- Lauren

Hi Ladies! My wedding isn't until next November, but we had our site visit last month and I wanted to share some info & pics with all of my planning brides-to-be. ENJOY! I was emailing back and forth with our wedding coordinator, Blanca for a few weeks before we left for PV. She has been sooo helpful and responds to emails very promptly! (Meeting her in person was even better! She is so sweet. Girls, we are so lucky to have her on our side helping us plan from afar.) We took a cab to the marina the morning of (there was some confusion at the gate about marina fees - I explained to the best of my ability with the language barrier that our wedding coordinator would arrive shortly and take care of everything.) Blanca arrived minutes later and everything was resolved. The marina is expansive and beautiful. There are small shops near the entrance to grab towels, drinks, sunscreen, etc. I took some Drammine-DEFINITELY recommend this if you get sea sick, because it was VERY rough at times. They provide it on the boat, but it may be too late by then. I plan on giving packets to my guests in their welcome bags (make sure to get non drowsy or you will have a few very sleepy guests. Never a good thing at a wedding ). The entertainment staff on the boat was AMAZING. So much fun! There is open bar on the boat with waitstaff service. The boat ride is scenic and beautiful & pulling up to Las Caletas is indescribable. When you arrive, you are warmly greeted by the staff who remain attentive the entire day. We followed Blanca for a quick tour and then sat down (with cold beers in hand) to discuss details. A lot of brides on here have said how easy going they were when it came to the details...I wish I could say I'm that kind of bride. For all of you that are obsessed with the details like me, rest easy. Every request I had but thought I might have to give up with a destination wedding, was answered with YES, Of course we can do that! Blanca made everything seem so easy. I have every confidence that she will take care of everything exactly the way I have planned. After talking for about 15-20 minutes, she took us up to see the bridal casita. It is so cute. There is a Jacuzzi and hammock in the back and a bed, sofa, private bathroom and vanity area inside. I will say that it is smaller than it looks in pictures. Not a big deal, but something to think about if you have a lot of bridesmaids. The casita is located on the top of a hill near the spa, which my fiancé and I also enjoyed. We booked hour long massages, TOTALLY worth the $50. I paid over $100 at Dreams for a massage the day before but enjoyed the Las Caletas massage more. Definitely recommend it for you and your girls the day of! Bridal Casita We then explored the beach a little before lunch. Las Caletas is a jungle with a lot of cool little romantic spots that I'm sure would make for great photo ops if you are doing a "first look" photo shoot. There is a small bridge and a vine covered tunnel...its spectacular really. It a shame that our guests won't have access to those spots during the wedding. They will be confined to a beach and dining area reserved for weddings, but you can explore with your girls during the day if you get the chance. NOTE: The bathrooms are on a hill also--only lit by candle light, they will get dark quickly. This is a good thing when you consider the fact that ALL toilet paper must be disposed of in the trash can and not flushed. (Just a quick FYI ). The food and service were excellent. Many choices at the buffet, very attentive and friendly service. Beer & drink options are limited but we didn't mind. Once I found a cold jug of Horchata, I was a happy girl. I forgot to grab tip money from our bag and John was still eating, so I ran back to the beach to grab some cash. Everyone must have been eating at the same time, because when I arrived at the beach, I was the only one. I immediately grabbed my Ipod and walked down the "aisle" to time out the ceremony music. Ladies, I cannot begin to describe the feeling of walking on that beach to your music. It was magical. After lunch, we sat on the beach to soak up some sun and enthusiastically talk about the wedding. The beach is a lot smaller than I imagined but I think that just makes your wedding feel more intimate & special. The water is clear and warm. The décor is rustic & natural. Seeing Las Caletas and meeting Blanca made everything seem so real. I can't wait to go back. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I've attached some pictures to give you a better idea of what Las Caletas looks like! I know how much we destination brides rely on pictures. I have a document with more pictures of Las Caletas. If you are interested in seeing it, just PM me. dining area-- short wall on the right is the buffet area with the bar next to it pic to show you how the dining area sits right about the beach overlooking the bay this is the small cliff/ledge overlooking the beach at on the way to the dining area entrance...escort card table will go here. sorry this picture is flipped...this is one of the bathrooms guests will use...they are each small "huts" Those hanging candles & candles on the sink are the only light.

Love the pics & review! You looked gorgeous! Thanks so much for posting!

Kim, Welcome back! So glad it was wonderful! Can't wait to see pics and read your review!

I emailed back and forth with Pierre a few times to set up the time and place etc, but didn't go as far as sending ideas or pics. When we were there though, I shared a few ideas with Eva and she was so sweet and open to suggestions. I will share some photos as soon as I get them!

ps. For those girls using Eva & Pierre from PhotoShoots Vallarta or those of you still looking for a photographer, they are a dream to work with. They are so friendly & professional. We had our engagement shoot done in downtown Vallarta and on a small beach close to our hotel. We had so much fun working with them and we're looking so forward to seeing the pictures next week. Girls, you will love them!

Hi girls! We're back from our site visit! Las Caletas is even better in person, Blanca is a dream to work with & the boat ride over (seeing Las Caletas for the first time) is unforgettable. I will post a full review & pictures soon, but just wanted to send a quick reply to let you know how wonderful every aspect of Puerto Vallarta was. Want to also say that every request I asked Blanca about was answered quickly with, "Of course we can do that." So anything you are worried that you might have to give up because you are getting married in a foreign country (mine included sparklers and succulents), don't be. The wedding coordinators & staff are wonderful and so accommodating. They will do everything in their power to make your dreams for the perfect wedding day come true. I will say that Las Caletas, especially the area that is designated for your wedding, is smaller than we imagined or pictures might suggest. But don't get me wrong, it is spectacular and I think it's size only makes it more personal, intimate and romantic. My fiancé and I got hour long massages at the spa after our meeting with Blanca. They were relaxing and well worth the price ($50). The food was delicious and the service was very efficient and friendly. For those of you going back and forth about a DJ vs. iPod( I know we were), Blanca also told us that a member of the entertainment staff (which was hilarious & so fun on the boat ride over) would act as MC for the evening if we chose to use our iPod. That was enough for us, as our only concern was who would announce the important segments of the evening. Those are just a few notes off the top of my head for now...feel free to ask any questions.

Wow, great info! We're definitely going to look into doing this as well!

This is one of my questions when we sit down with Blanca next week. We were also originally quoted at $12 and now were told it's $14...I remember reading (waaaay back) in the forum that there are very few companies that are allowed into the marina. I don't see how this is possible though or I'm hoping that things have changed. When I get more details from Blanca, I will report back. What tour company did you get the quote from? I will ask her specifically about that one if you'd like.

Thanks and happy to help! I LOVE planning and have been having a blast planning our wedding...trying to get a lot done before our site visit next week so when we sit down with Blanca, we have a good and clear idea of what we want. As far as kids, we're in the same boat as Weliaslo. My niece (our flower girl) is 2 and my nephew (our ring bearer) is 4. They are the only 2 kids coming. I know that Dreams has a babysitting service and I'm sure other resorts (especially ones that gear towards weddings) do the same. We are adding in the extra hour at the end of the wedding and I'm sure the kids will be sleepy, but my sister and brother in law are very laid back and will probably just let them cuddle up on a lounge chair. Hope this helps.

We're staying at Dreams with our guests. We needed an all-inclusive as we have a lot of drinkers . I like & trust the Dreams name, so we booked 20 rooms there. The day after the wedding, we're leaving Dreams for our Honeymoon at Garza Blanca. We were immediately taken by Garza Blanca's Honeymoon Suite (but EVERY room in the resort is oceanfront. From the reviews we've read, the beach is stunning with pure white sand and the restaurants are amazing.) It also has the option to be all-inclusive. The only things we're not thrilled about is that it's not adults-only and there is no swim up bar, but it is a very high end place that gears towards couples, so don't think kids will be too much of a problem. After seeing the pictures, there was no where else we could imagine staying. Here's their website. http://www.garzablancaresort.com/ We first looked into Secrets because we stayed at Secrets in Puerto Morelos last year and loved the level of service, the grounds & the quality of food. The Secrets in Puerto Vallarta is brand new and beautiful. All inclusive, adults only and with 5+ restaurants, I'm sure your husband will have no problems finding vegetarian options. Secrets is beach front and close by. Here is their website. http://www.secretsresorts.com/vallartabay/index.asp

November is supposed to be beautiful in PV. 80's during the day and 70's at night...there is usually only "1 day" of rain. October is still part of the rainy season, but by mid October, it starts to clear and by November it should be perfect! When I asked the previous WC Annie about it, she said November is her favorite month of the year in PV. Check out this site for more info: http://www.puertovallartatours.net/weather.htm