Hilton Brides!

[HopingforDW]

Hey everyone!

 

First, just wanted to say thanks to everyone on this thread that took the time to share their budget info with me! All of your advice was incredibly helpful and I think we are closer to where we need to be in terms of starting our budget!

 

Second, to Jessica, I currently live in Lawrence but am from a small town in Northwest Kansas. My FI and I met at KSU and we count Manhattan as our second home!!

 

Third, I might as well let you all know that my FI and I have, for the most part, decided on our destination and it isn't Mexico. While we absolutely love it there we had to follow our hearts and our original plans so...we are getting married in Amsterdam!!!! I'm sure I will be the absolute only person on this forum getting married there. I am super excited and my Fiance is too!!! Long story short, his mother was Dutch and because she passed away when he was born, we get to see very little of her family. We wanted to get married in the Netherlands all along but logistically we just didn't see how we could make it work. However, we really sat down and evaluated what was important to us and we knew what our hearts were telling us. Needless to say, his family over here (in the Netherlands, sorry but we are currently over here in Europe visiting them and so my language is all mixed up, lol) is overjoyed and all of our American family (minus my father) are also really looking forward to it!

 

Just wanted to share our story with everyone and also to say, after reading about so many people that are struggling with their decisions, to just follow your heart!!! We struggled and gave up on our original idea because we just felt like it was going to be an uphill battle all the way, and surprisingly that wasn't the case at all! Almost everyone (so far) has been really excited and understanding about our decision. We know we will face some difficulty but doesn't every bride and groom, no matter where they are getting married? We now know that we should have listened to ourselves from the beginning and we are committed to trying to see this through even if we come up against some severe obstacles (one being the fact that we can't legally marry here, yikes!). Sorry for the rant! Just really feeling the love right now, haha!

 

Finally, could anyone direct me to a place that I might post about weddings in Europe??!! I know they are less than popular because of the expense but if there are any specific users or threads you can point me to I would greatly appreciate it!

 

Thanks again to everyone for being so helpful! And I will be sure to try and remember to post here every once and awhile to give you all an update on how things progress for us!!!

 

Lacey

[Kelly&Mike]

Hello Ladies,

 

I just want to start off by saying how glad I am that Jessica pointed me to this site. I am having my wedding at the Hilton, still deciding between two dates, and you all have given such great advice that I feel so confident picking all my vendors now!! You have all done the research for me!

 

My mom past away 4 years ago from Breast Cancer and have been at a loss for how to plan such a big event and this site has put so many of fears to rest, I really can not thank you all enough!

 

Any more advise of Do's/Don't/Must Do's I would really appreciate!

 

Thanks again Ladies!

Kelly

[Jessica&Adam]

Welcome Kelly! I am so glad to see that you have joined the forum - WELCOME!!

 

Chicagogirl - Did you ever end up going on the site visit? How was it? Do you have pics??

 

Oh, and I thought I would post this link for anyone who hasn't already seen Opice's PRO pics from Elizabeth Medina...it looks like she had a BEAUTIFUL wedding!!

 

Elizabeth Medina Photography Blog Archive Shannon and Jeff’s Destination Wedding, The Hilton, Cancun, Mexico

 

Enjoy!!

[Opice34]

Also - here's the slideshow! I LOVE IT!!!

 

So excited for all of you!!

 

Shannon and Jeff

[Kelly&Mike]

Quick Question,

 

Did anyone have a legal wedding? I was about to book Petra and realized she is not able to perform a legal ceremony. My fiance and I would really like a legal ceremony in Mexico. I know you have to do blood work/paper work/etc.

 

If anyone was legally married in Mexico, do you have any recommendations of who to use?

 

Thanks,

[all4jj2]

Hi Ladies,

 

I'm new to the Hilton brides (previously a marriott bride) and I want to start off by thanking you for posting all of the helpful information on have a dw there.

 

Jessica, thanks so much for the site visit pictures that you posted. They're very helpful to us since our budget won't allow us to visit before the wedding.

 

To Kim & Shannon, Congratulations! You both looked absolutely gorgeous on your "big day"! Elizabeth captured the love and all of the emotions that you felt. Beautiful! Unfortunately, she unavailable for my big day....

 

Here's my info below and I look forward to sharing experiences with more of you as your big day arrives!

 

Felicia

 

1. When is your wedding and # of guests? 8/8/09, About 60

2. Ceremony location? The beach

3. Cocktail hour location (if you're having one)? Miramar Terrace

4. Reception location? Miramar Ballroom

5. What vendors are you using (minister, photog, florists, dj/live band, etc) I'm not sure yet

6. Any additional fun info about your wedding, pics, etc! I would like to have fire dancers at my welcome party. Does anyone know of a company in Cancun to hire some?

[R&V]

Hello to all4jj2 and to all of the other members!

 

First off, thank you all4jj2 for mentioning this site on your last post, it is truly fantastic! My relationship with Fernanda has been great. It is true that she takes a little while to respond to your emails but I only have three months left for the wedding and she responds in about a day or two, at the most. I really like her and I think she has been very helpful. I can help you with any questions. Just ask!

 

Jessica and Opice34 have been extremely helpful! Thank you so much and Congrats!

 

About my wedding:

 

1. When is your wedding and # of guests? 4/19/2009, About 30

2. Ceremony location? Miramar Garden

3. Cocktail hour location (if you're having one)? Miramar Terrace

4. Reception location? Miramar Ballroom

5. What vendors are you using (minister, photog, florists, dj/live band, etc) I don't know who my minister is, my photographer is Cecilia Dumas, I am using the Hilton for the flowers and I looked into Carlos from MANNIA entertainment and for about 4 hours for a DJ, it's $900 (which I thought was expensive) but does anyone know if that is a good price or have any other suggestions?

6. Any additional fun info about your wedding, pics, etc! We are having a 10 hour wedding... it's tradition but I'm scared it'll get a bit boring after a few hours!

 

Vanessa

[Opice34]

Hi all & R&V!! Congrats!!

 

Vanessa, I thought Mannia's price was very reasonable, especially for how great he was. Has the Hilton quoted you a price for their in-house DJ? I don't remember what it was, but I remember the Hilton's quote to be ridiculously expensive.

 

We had a 7 hour wedding, and there were still some people who could have kept dancing! I'm sure it will be great! Good luck!

[all4jj2]

I received a proposal from J&S today (the Hilton's in-house dj) and the price in the proposal is about $2200 which I think is outrageous!! Mannia charged $900 for 4 hours and $700 for a lighted dance floor. My former wedding planner negotiated a deal with Carlos to get 10% off for wedding planners. So, all in all, I think that Mannia is definitely a better deal even without the discount.

 

Hey, Vanessa and Opice, did you both use Planner1 events to do the flowers and decorations or did you use someone else?

[Jessica&Adam]

Yes, I think that DJ Mannia's deal is the best you will find. And he's gotten great reviews so you can rest assured that you will be getting a fabulous product for the money.

 

We are going through Euforia for flowers...Fernanda had sent me a few different vendors, including Planner1 at one point, and the most recent one she had put me in contact with was Euforia...which, so far, has been great to work with! I'm kind of nervous to see the finished product, but I am crossing my fingers that they will be beautiful!