amberc

@RandL2015 I hear you about having stuff all over the place... I'm excited to have the space back again haha Ya I like the idea of doing a group excursion too! We gave the guests an option if they wanted to come with us on a Pirate Booze Cruise which I think will be really fun. We didn't have it in our budget to pay for everyone which sucks so we just asked people if it was something they wanted to do. Most people wanted to do the excursion so I did a group booking for everyone to make it a bit easier on them. But... I really like your idea about organizing some sort activity at the resort! I might have to steal that!

Wow! @@RandL2015 Sounds like you are super organized and have everything together! I feel like I should start packing stuff up now too! My family is throwing us a joint wedding shower this weekend! We are down to 41 days until our wedding and 37 days until we leave for Mexico! Things are coming up so fast now that we are getting so much closer, but I haven't felt the stress yet... I feel like its coming though! List of things that I still need to do: - Finish program fans - print welcome letter - choose parent dance song - book group excursion - get marriage licence - pick up dress from alterations - bridesmaid's and groomsmen's gifts - print out MC schedule/script - finalize contract with resort - make final payment - finish writing vows and thank you speech - put together a wedding binder with all info to bring to the resort - start packing stuff! Of course my wedding coordinator at the resort is on holidays until next week so its going to probably get crazy then... she still has to send me the finalized contract, final payment information, etc. Can't wait until all of the contract stuff is out of the way though, then I can cross all that big stuff off the list.

We are just going to use Spotify. We have upgraded to the premium version or whatever it is called so that the songs actually download to your device so you don't have to worry about wifi. There is also an option to fade between songs which works really well and you can move the songs around within the playlist so they are in the order that you want. It was really easy to put the playlists together too and didn't take much time at all. Hopefully it works well for the actual wedding! :S

I'm having my wedding at Now Amber/Secrets in Puerto Vallarta this November. Their wedding packages include 25 guests (including bride & groom) and then of course you can add more guests for an extra cost per person. The resort is new (opened in 2012 I think) and from what I remember is very wheel chair accessible (elevators to every room, restaurant, and to the pool). They have different options for where you want to have your ceremony (beach, poolside, gazebo, lobby) as well as you are able to choose different locations for your cocktail hour and reception. They have indoor and outdoor options (some outdoor options better for smaller groups). I am having only about 20 people at my wedding and we are having the ceremony on the beach and the cocktail hour and reception on a private outdoor terrace on the resort. There are options for renting a mariachi band, DJ, or just microphone and speakers for dancing, and they also have a club on the resort which opens at 10pm which is really fun! We are planning on having our after party and the majority of our dancing at the club after our reception. That way we can avoid the expensive cost of the DJ. Now Amber/Secrets is a 5 start resort and is more on the expensive side, but totally worth it! We did our group booking in Jan/Feb of this year and were able to get a really good deal (about $1550-$1650 for double occupancy room for seven nights with direct flights). The prices increased almost $1000 throughout the year and are now actually sold out! So the group booking early really worked out for us (this was through Westjet and departing from BC Canada). We had visited this resort previously to being engaged, and once we got engaged, I knew that is where we had to have our wedding! The resort is amazing! Anyways, I hope that gives you an idea about the resort, but like Perianjay said, its always helpful to talk to a travel agent as well because they know other options in the area and can maybe compare different resorts for you.

These look awesome! Thanks for the templates and all the info! I love the bags you used too!

Those are awesome, thanks so much! @@jsparrow10 Did you make program fans?

I just got these sandals from JustFab for $20!

@@Wafflesmom Thanks for the Welcome! Ya we have been to Puerto Vallarta twice now. The first time we stayed close to the Malecon which was really nice, and the second time we stayed at Now Amber Resort and we fell in love! It also feels less stressful planning the wedding from so far away after already visiting the resort! I definitely feel more confident about my decisions of locations for the ceremony & reception and I know what to expect in terms of food (which is excellent). I definitely want to visit the other side of Mexico as well, but Puerto Vallarta is so much more affordable living on the West Coast.... perhaps one day!

Hi! I'm a BC bride too! Just joined the site looking for tips. Getting married on November 17, 2015 at Now Amber Resort in Puerto Vallarta Mexico! Puerto Vallarta is a really great place for BC people to go to because of the direct flights!