Hi Everyone,

 

We had our wedding at Las Caletas on November 21, 2012.  It was absolutely beautiful!!!  We had 51 guests join us and we stayed the week at the Barcelo in Puerto Vallarta.  I would recommend the Barcelo to anyone looking for a resort, it  is located in a great spot and perfect for families and single adults.  The rooms are the best I have ever stayed in and the grounds are lush and well maintained.  Everyone in our group had an awesome vacation.  The only negative would be the far distance from the Marina.  It was about a 35-40 minute bus ride for the wedding guests.  

 

Pre-Wedding Communication: 

I have nothing negative to say about the pre-wedding communication with the wedding planners at Las Caletas.  I started the planning process with Kelley and then was switched to Dennise after Kelley left and I never had any problems.  All my emails were returned relatively quickly and if there was ever a time where they would be unable to get back to me promptly they would let me know ahead of time.  Dennise answered all my questions and went out of her way to accommodate any extra requests.  I was originally planning to have our wedding at the Barcelo but had such a hard time communicating with their wedding planner we decided to check out Las Caletas and I am so glad we did.  Dennise also met with us at our hotel two days prior to the wedding to go over the final details and had an itinerary prepared for us (we decided not to do a pre-wedding visit to Las Caletas).  You can feel safe knowing they will handle everything on your wedding day and it will look even better than you have been imagining!

 

Bridal Suite:

Spending the day at Las Caletas with my mom, cousin and three bridesmaids was amazing.  I thought the bridal suite was perfect.  You have your own private showers, plenty of towels and even robes.  There is a fridge full of cold bottles of water and champagne and orange juice waiting for you when you arrive.  Other then taking a quick dip in the ocean we spent the entire day up in the suite and it couldn't have been more relaxing.  We had our own server bring us a delicious lunch and a tray of beers.  You will love your time here.  It also provides a great backdrop for some awesome pictures.  Just remember to bring your own shampoo/conditioner and if you use the jacuzzi be careful when you turn on the jets as it filled the water with ants when we did this so we had to refill it and use it without the jets, but it was a great way to cool down.  We also brought a small Ipod dock so we had music while we got ready.

 

 

 

 

 

All of the remaining photos were taken by MACMEX Photography: http://www.macmexphotography.com

 

 

 

Hair and Makeup:

We had hair and makeup organized through Dennise and used Joel's Salon.  I found the pricing expensive but he did an amazing job on everyone.  He was very quick and professional.  I brought an inspiration picture but my bridesmaids and mom did not and they were all really happy with the job he did.  For a stress free day I highly recommend organizing everything through Las Caletas.  They do a really great job and you don't have to worry about anything.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-Ceremony:

We decided to do some photos before the ceremony so we could get some daylight shots.  The groom, groomsmen and our photographer came over early at 2:30pm.  They arrived on a small boat with the minister, Chuy, leaving from La Boca.  Unfortunately, the boys experience prior to the ceremony was not that great.  When they arrived their wedding clothes were taken by a staff member and they were told to wait in the dinner area for further instruction on where to get ready (we did not do a site visit prior so they didn't have this information).  They waited for an hour or so (they did have beer to ease the wait lol) but no one came back so they eventually found the minister who took them up to the spa, which is right beside the bridal suite.  At this point they still didn't know where their clothing was and when they got to the spa they were still doing massages with the day guests from the cruise and were told to keep quite while they stood outside the door waiting for direction.  I didn't know any of this was going on and assumed they were in their own area, which I have seen in other people's photos.  Eventually, they received their clothing but by this time they were already supposed to be dressed and ready to meet us for photos so they had to quickly get dressed in a makeshift area, where we could see them from the bridal suite so we didn't really get to have a first glance moment.  However, we did have time to do some photos before the guests arrived but I felt bad for the boys because our time was so relaxing and they didn't get to have the same experience, they were all sweaty and disorganized.  During this time Dennise was doing all the decorating down at the reception site so I don't blame her but they should have someone there to direct the groomsmen and provide a space for them to get ready in comfort.        

 

Photography:

We used Dan from MACMEX Photography located in Puerto Vallarta.  He was great and very professional.  He met with us at our hotel prior to the wedding day to go over all the details and then went over early with the groom and groomsmen on the day of the wedding.  I was really happy with our choice of photographer and despite the darkness he got some great shots throughout the night.  If you are getting married in the winter I strongly recommend doing some photos before the ceremony as they were my favorite and the island can't be truly captured in the dark.  If you are looking for a photographer  I recommend Dan at MACMEX: http://www.macmexphotography.com

 

 

 

 

Ceremony:

The ceremony was everything I hoped it would be and more.  Walking down the aisle and seeing everyone there in such a beautiful setting couldn't have been more perfect.  The minister, Chuy was great and the ceremony went very smoothly.  We decided not to do our own vows and just changed the example provided to fit us.  We also did a sand ceremony, which I loved.  We went with really simple ceremony decor and I was so happy with the way it looked.  I loved the palms and flowers lining the aisle mat because they gave so much color to the space.  My husband, Brodie, said there was some confusion before the ceremony regarding where they should stand and how to put on the boutonnieres etc.. before going down the aisle and Dennise was with us so I guess there was no one down at the beach guiding them but everything worked out.  During the ceremony we had one rouge wave come out of no where and get the bottom of my dress and the feet of the guest on the ocean side, which provided a laugh (none of the other waves even came close to the space so it was a surprise!).  Also, watch out for the candles at the top of the stairs you come down to get to the aisle.  It was so narrow at the top for me and my dad that the bottom of my dress went right over the lit candles and I thought for a second I was going to go up in flames.  This also happened to me entering the dinner area and the dance floor because there are candles below the entrance and if you have a long dress it is very hard to get over them (we ended up moving some of them).

 

 

 

 

 

Guest loved the hand fans. 

 

 

 

 

Cocktail Hour:

This part of the wedding went by so fast for me.  It was dark right after the ceremony...really, really dark.  I knew the sun would be setting at this time but I did not realize how dark it would actually be out there.  We did a group shot right after the ceremony and then most of the guests hung out around the bar, while we did some family photos on the beach.  The staff was handing out appetizers to the guests but I didn't get a chance to try any.  I am so happy we did photos prior to the ceremony because you can't capture the beauty of the location after wards during this time of year.  The photos below will give you an idea of how dark it was and our photographer had three large flashes set up to capture these shots.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reception:

The dinner was amazing.  The decor was perfect and the food was the best we had the entire trip.  Dennise did an awesome job with the decorations and I was so happy with the way everything turned out.  I really like a rustic look so we decided to not put seat covers on the wood chairs because they were so cool looking but we did use white tablecloths with wooden table runners.  The wooden table runners with the candles and blue stones I brought looked perfect.  I also brought blue and white paper lanterns, which looked great hung over the dinner area.  This part of the night was so perfect and everyone loved the food and deserts.  If you are having an MC or people using written speeches make sure to bring a flashlight because it is pretty dark and my MC was having a lot of difficulty reading what he had prepared.  We decided not to do a cake and I don't think anyone noticed.  We did have pre-made smores on a table by the bonfire, which were delicious.  The dance floor surrounded by candles and torches is like something out of a movie so so beautiful.  All the guests had the time of their lives dancing.  My only regret is not getting the extra hour because it went by so fast.  I actually thought it was too rushed and would recommend adding extra time.  We did not do a cake cutting, bouquet toss, garter toss or fire dancers and I'm glad we didn't because I don't think there would have been any time to dance if we included these things.

Cigar Bar and Glow Sticks

 

 

Seating Cards

 

 

Dinner tables

 

Sweet Heart Table

 

 

 

DJ:

I highly recommend getting the DJ.  I didn't want to ask one of our guest to be in charge of the music so we decided to get the DJ last minute and I'm really glad we did.  We gave him a list of songs for each part of the day and he did a great job including them and reading the crowd.  Everyone danced the entire time, it was so much fun :)

 

Transportation: 

We did have some issues with the transportation throughout the day.  Myself and the girls who arrived early didn't have much trouble but our boat did leave the Marina late and have some mechanical problems.  We were also on board with a tour group from a Disney Cruise Ship, which included lots of small children and several of them were throwing up all over the deck (I know this can't be avoided but I felt so bad for them).  We didn't get sick but it was a pretty rough ride.  

The remaining wedding guests said the bus ride to the marina was good (this was arranged through Dennise) but their boat was also late to leave the Marina, which they didn't seem to mind because there is a place to sit and get drinks but this meant they arrived to Las Caletas 30 minutes late.  I didn't even realize this till I was told by my parents later but I guess once they arrived they had to be immediately seated and didn't get that allotted time to explore and get a drink etc.. that they are scheduled to have prior to the ceremony.  This is the only time they get to see everything in the day light so it is too bad they missed out on this but nobody noticed except my parents who had the itinerary.  A few of the guests also got sick on board, including our flower girl (this can't be avoided but be prepared for the possibility of a rocky ride).  The boat ride back was also very rough making it impossible to dance or really even walk on board.  I was a little disappointed because they advertise it as a continuation of the reception but the boat was small and lacked room to dance and was so rocky it wasn't safe.  Everyone enjoyed themselves though but just to keep in mind it is very hard to dance on board if the water is rough and the boats are not really equipped with a dance floor.  Knowing this now I would have definitely opted for the extra hour.  Also, there were not enough seats on the bus ride home so a few guests had to share and sit on the floor at the back of the bus.  

 

Other then the minor issues with transportation and the lack of area for the boys to get ready the day was perfect and these things really didn't matter in the end (most of this I was oblivious to).  I had the best time and all the guests raved about the wedding.  Forget all the little things that might go wrong and you will have the best day of your lives.  I would not trade anything.  I loved my wedding and I loved Las Caletas!!!!! 

 

If you have any questions I will be happy to help.  Good luck to all the future brides :)