Cancun Wedding... NEED ADVISE ASAP!

[Jencakes21]

I just recently put a deposit down at the Dreams Resort in Cancun Mexico and I was hoping anyone could give me advice on ways to save money. The cost of things is adding up so fast. The wedding will take place at the Gazebo for about 20-30 people. Still not sure where to have the reception. Is it necessary to have a sound system or DJ for such a small group? I wanted to have mariachi's for about 2 hours but the resort is claiming it's $1,100 for 45 minutes!!!!! ARE THEY INSANE? That's more than what the cost is in Los Angeles. My colors are teal and fuchsia and I was thinking of not having any bridesmaids just a flower girl (mu 4 year old daughter) to keep things simple. Everyone has raved about Fernando for make-up and hair, he's expensive so I'm considering using Norma instead... any suggestions? There's a million other things I could ask so if anyone can help I would really appreciate it! Me and my fiance are a young couple and were just starting off so all of this is really new to us.

 

Thanks!

[mandjphoto]

Congratulations on getting married in Mexico. Yes, mariachi bands can be terribly expensive. A DJ that would set up a sound system and play your iTunes mix will be cheaper. While you are working out your budget for your wedding, we think you should put photography at the top of your list.

 

We are biased, since we are photographers. But, here is a great blog post from a wedding vendor in the U.S. who is NOT a photographer.

 

http://southalleden.com/2011/02/why-you-should-never-skimp-on-wedding-photography/

 

Good luck with your planning.

 

Michael

[dreamweddings]

Originally Posted by Jencakes21 

 

I just recently put a deposit down at the Dreams Resort in Cancun Mexico and I was hoping anyone could give me advice on ways to save money. The cost of things is adding up so fast. The wedding will take place at the Gazebo for about 20-30 people. Still not sure where to have the reception. Is it necessary to have a sound system or DJ for such a small group? I wanted to have mariachi's for about 2 hours but the resort is claiming it's $1,100 for 45 minutes!!!!! ARE THEY INSANE? That's more than what the cost is in Los Angeles. My colors are teal and fuchsia and I was thinking of not having any bridesmaids just a flower girl (mu 4 year old daughter) to keep things simple. Everyone has raved about Fernando for make-up and hair, he's expensive so I'm considering using Norma instead... any suggestions? There's a million other things I could ask so if anyone can help I would really appreciate it! Me and my fiance are a young couple and were just starting off so all of this is really new to us.

 

Thanks!

Hello Jencakes21,

 

My advice to you is to go with a DJ and have him play mariachi type of music the 1st hour, then follow with your favorite play list for the rest of the evening. It is so worth it, once all your guests have had dinner all they would want to do is PARTY!!

 

Hope this was helful

Happy Planning!

[jordanb]

That seems high for mariachis - I am getting married at the Royal in PDC and it's only $550 for a mariachi trio for 45 minutes, which is still expensive but way better than at yours!

 

The biggest place I'd recommend saving $ is with flowers if your resort is like mine. Their flowers are more than double what I found at a reputable shop in town, which also delivers for free, and if I meet them right out front of the resort, I avoid the outside vendor fee. Also, I skipped floral centerpieces and am doing lanterns as it gets dark in Mexico so early in January (when I am getting married), so no one would see them anyway, and am doing starfish boutonnieres instead of flowers which will die quickly in the heat. I also did DIY starfish and raffia chair/aisle decor instead of flowers, but you can buy them on etsy for cheap too. I imagine I have saved more than $2000 by using an outside florist for bouquets and aisle petals, and by skipping flowers elsewhere. Besides, in paradise, you don't need them so much - the decor is built in for you!

 

You can also save on your invitations by skipping all the inserts/gazillion envelopes, etc. I got mine on Etsy, LOVED them, and they were about $175 for 75 plus extra envelopes all in. The RSVP was a postcard that was perforated from the invite, so it eliminated an insert and an RSVP envelope. I have seen so many that are $4+ an invite with everything. I think for a destination wedding, you can so get a way from some of the formalities that can drive up the price, and at the same time, achieve a fun vibe!

 

Finally, if you're not super religious and just doing a symbolic ceremony, you can look into having a friend certified to do your ceremony. I have read that is it's someone in your party, you usually don't have to pay an outside vendor fee, and at my resort, that would equal $600 in savings on an officient.

 

Hope that helps a little - good luck!

[Jessica4LUXE]

Hi Jencakes21,

 

There are many ways to stay within budget for your wedding! Here are some suggestions to consider.

 

1) Bring some decor elements from home. Printed material, fabrics, ribbon for your bouquet and cake etc.

2) Ask your wedding coordinator what flowers are local and in season. There are many beautiful fuchsia tropical flowers in Mexico.  

3) Consider having a semi-private cocktail party. Have your on-site coordinator recommend a bar that is close to your ceremony site, where your guests can have drinks before the reception.

4) Rent a sound system for all events and create a playlist for the ceremony, cocktail party and reception. It is more work for you, but will be much more cost effective then live music or a DJ.

 

All the best!

[nybride]

Hey Jen!
I think we have all asked the same questions! It gets stressful, but gets easier!! (Maybe once it's over ?

 

What we found was: think about what you care about most -- then spend money on that first... and the items lowest down on the list should be done DIY or low-cost.

 

For example, we did a pdf for our invitations, seating cards, programs, etc -- we barely spent money on the stationery for the wedding.

We did however put a little extra money into our chuppah because it was the thing we thought would really set the tone for our whole ceremony. Everyone says, ask for local flowers - do not have a set flower in mind - like a peony - which are very expensive and need to be imported!!

 

We used a photographer who was AWESOME and nowhere near as expensive as others. www.sianphoto.com -- he was amazing! In no way did he cut corner and he just happened to be less expensive than others. 

 

If you are thinking of giving gifts or welcome bags, think about using cheaptotes.com and giving them an image to screenprint. It's a personalized, unique gift that will totally keep costs down!

 

The mariachis are totally fun, but they are slightly expensive! 

We got a great guitarist for about $400 for the ceremony - Javier Rojas [email protected]

I found almost all the makeup artists were quite expensive, so we flew someone from home, which ended up being the same exact price.

 

A DJ will certainly keep your costs down as compared to a band. But of course, that is totally based on what you prefer most.

 

If you need more ideas - just drop a note!
 

[Jencakes21]

Hello ladies! My apologies for the late response, I'm still new to this :0 Thank you thank you thank you for all your helpful tips. I will definitely bring my own, chair sashes, table cloths and other stuff for decorations. I've also heard of a lot of brides using silk or real touch flowers in lieu of the flowers the resort offers. I know I can use an outside local florist, but honestly I really don't want to deal with the hassle and I would die if something went wrong (like my flowers never showing up). My only concern is.. hmm fake flowers??? But at least I know they would last forever... any thoughts?

 

Checked more into the Mariachi band at the Dreams Resort.  It's $450 for a trio (3 people) for 45 mintues.$1,100.00 for a mariachi group (5 or more people) for 45 minutes. Still VERY high in my opinion! I could definitely get a cheap mariachi band in LA that sounds incredible for much less, but oh well I just have to suck it up since mariachi's is something that's very important to me having at my wedding.

 

I also reserved Fernando Fuentes for my make-up and hair... has anyone else booked him or heard of his work? I've been on this site for weeks and previous brides seem to rave about him.

[Jencakes21]

Do you have any info on the person you bought your invites from on etsy? I'd like to check them out?

[Moments That Matter]

Congrats Jencakes21! + welcome to this forum community I totally agree with Michael about the importance of a professional photographer to capture all your pricless wedding "moments that matter" and can never be replicated ! You will be very happy for the rest of your life - that you spent the extra money it takes to have an amazing photo record of you wedding day to cherish forever.

I'm not saying you need to hire me, there are numerous excellent professional wedding photographers in our area who can produce the wonderful results that will bring you joy every time you look at them!

 

Here's our webpage answer about why it's not a good idea to hire "Uncle Joe" to save money on a wedding photographer......http://momentsthatmatterphotography.com/faqs.html

 

Wishing you all the best with your planning process and achieving your budget, and have the Most Wonderful Wedding Ever! here in our gorgeous Mayan Riviera - CHeers

 

 

[Jencakes21]

Thank you Moments that Matter. Do you have any photography packages with pricing available that you could send me? I still haven't chosen a photographer and I wasn't impressed with the one the resort is providing. If you could email it to me I would greatly appreciate it! [email protected]