LoLoJabs

@@emilywhite We had similar issues and were given a new coordinator very close to our wedding date without a lot of notification.... BUT everything turned out absolutely perfect and just the way we wanted it. It's so hard to just hang in there and be patient but looking back, I wish I would have just relaxed a little more. A lot of details fell into place during the last few months. The first thing for us was location and general thoughts like- we want a private reception vs the "free dinner" and instead we wanted to use our free dinner as our welcome dinner. Things like menus, decor, flowers and dj all came much later in our planning process. You will not regret having a destination wedding!!

@@Nikhea we used the Mega DJ and everyone loved him! We gave him a spreadsheet of music we wanted him to play and he also took requests from our guests. I think we paid $1000 so if you can find someone that is less expensive it may be worth it ☺️ We flew our photographer down so it made sense financially to just use what lomas offered for other things.

@@HilaryRobin we just handed out our bags at the welcome dinner

@starum228 we just used the mega DJ as well. We picked all the music ahead of time and he also took requests from our guests. Everyone thought he was great! Glad we didn't spend additional money on a MC

Hi Hilary, I don't remember the Fuentes gazebo specifically but choose gazebo 55 because our destination wedding specialist had recommended it. I think the beach there was the least obstructed and it is at the very end of the resort so it felt more private. We used our free reception as a welcome party/dinner at Cocotal and it was soooo wonderful! The staff was awesome, food was amazing and we basically had the place to ourselves (or at least it felt like it)! My original coordinator was Marisol but she left the company about a month and a half before our wedding and we ended up with Carolina. She was friendly and everything worked out the way I had wanted it to, but communication was slow and I did end up making our final payment less than 24 hours before we left for Mexico because she was so slow. Not sure if this was due to the switch or if that's just the way she works.... Regardless, everything turned out perfect and in the end, I wished I wouldn't have stressed about anything.

Hi Kim! I picked my wedding dress based on what I liked regardless of the location. When I went shopping I mentioned that I was getting married on the beach....as I tried things on we discussed how they'd feel in a warmer climate. It was warm in my dress but I was pretty comfortable. There was a breeze most days and I think that helped a lot! Regarding actually nailing down details for our wedding, a lot of it happened a few months out from the actual dates. The two main things we got locked in early on we're the ceremony and reception location. Our reception location ended up being changed last minute due to repairs, though. We kept things pretty simple in regards to decor. Basic draping of fabric on our gazebo, free white chairs and a chandelier for I think $450 total. Then, for our reception we just went with the pure glamour tables that were fully decorated ($1,000 for 4) added vases to each table for our bouquets ($60 total) and floating candles to the pool ($250). I know a lot of others have brought their own decorations down but I am so glad we didn't go through the hassle of having to haul anything. It was so easy to just show up and have it done. Since we had about 30 guests, we were able to have a free cocktail hour. We chose to do ours immediately following our ceremony on the beach (@ gazebo 55). It lasted about two hours and worked out really well for giving the guests something to do while we took more photos. It also helped bump our reception time to 7 so that we could have our DJ (you pay for 4 hours) go until 11. Not sure who you are planning through but I used Brittany through destinationweddings.com and we were able to get a $2015 credit towards our wedding expenses, a credit back to us for every so many rooms booked, free hair and makeup (including the trial) for myself and a guest, the option of a free catamaran cruise with our guests, etc. Definitely worth looking into if you aren't already working with someone!

Thank you! ☺️

We went with the grilled beef tenderloin or surf and turf option the night of our rehearsal/welcome dinner and the beef was my favorite meal the entire trip there. It was amazing!! For our wedding we went with the braised beef in burgundy sauce. Also delicious! Everything was wonderful when we were at the resort. I wouldn't stress too much over food options, especially if you are doing a private party and paying for it! Also, our wedding photos are officially up on our photographers blog! Right below our wedding day on the blog is also our sunrise session and welcome dinner! Check them out here: http://sharayaphoto.com/2016/01/28/el-dorado-royale-and-casitas-wedding-in-mexico/

We flew our photographer down and paid for her to stay for 3 nights to avoid the outside fee. After receiving our credit for having booked so many rooms it was basically no additional cost to us outside of her flight (approx $500). We haven't received our actual wedding photos yet but we did a "sunrise session" the day before our wedding and she also captured our welcome dinner and they're posted on her blog here: http://sharayaphoto.com/blog/ I'd suggest going with someone you truly trust for your photos. You won't be disappointed.

We had no issues getting through customs either. We had one extra suitcase with welcome bag stuff (well over $500). I did have all receipts ready if need be, but got the green light and was in and out of the airport rather quickly. We also didn't claim anything on our forms. Hope this helps!

Hi Kim, I'm getting married December 11th and we are brining a photographer with us. As long as she stays 3 nights or more she is considered a "guest" and the fee does not apply. Hope this helps! Lori

Just chiming in! We too have lost Marisol and have yet to hear from our new coordinator, Carolina. Our wedding is December 11th and I sent my last email to Marisol on October 15th. Heard from someone last Wednesday saying Carolina would contact us that evening but still haven't heard anything. SO incredibly frustrating and we too would like to know if there will be anything in terms of compensation for the service.

Can anyone assist with the measurements for Gazeebo 55? Or thoughts on how long sheers would need to be if we were bringing our own fabric?

I would love to bring my own lighting for Tucanes as well. Has anyone brought their own string lights?

Love everyone's photos with Sarani but for those concerned about the price tag, consider bringing someone with you to shoot your wedding! We found someone amazing in the states that we are going to fly down, use our "free rooms" for and we are only spending about $4500 with the flight. She is going to shoot our welcome party (or whatever we have the night before the wedding), 10 hours on the wedding day and a trash the dress the following day! http://sharayaphoto.com