My Wedding Review

[flo628]

Hello Brides,

 

I finally have a chance to review my wedding in April 2014! It's been a long journey, and I want to help out other brides as much as possible, so here it goes....

 

Here are some professional photos: https://plus.googleapis.com/105327139201478088186/posts/MBtt7kdttkR?pid=6013667542488420066&oid=105327139201478088186

 

WC: Illeana Reyes - A

 

First off, I loved Illeana immediately. She was very sweet and honest, and talked me down a lot when i was freaking out. Second, sh'es not super-responsive, but I think the longest she ever took to respond to me was 5 days, and that was when i had months left until the wedding. The month of my wedding they were immediate, and she was almost always available to talk on the phone. From start to finish she helped me with every detail and helped me stay in budget as much as possible. I'd use her again in a heartbeat.

 

Flowers: Sergio - Flowers and Events - A

http://www.flowersandeventsloscabos.com/

 

Sergio was affordable and had AMAZING flowers. I loved everything he did, and he matched all my photos perfectly (I especially loved my arch). Warning: he is super unresponsive, but Illeana told me to trust him, and that he would do his job, and he certainly delivered. The day before the wedding he sent his asst to my hotel to show me the flowers he was going to use so that i could see the color pinky peach he was using, so there wouldn't be any mistake. I would use him again in a heartbeat. I also recommended him to 2 other brides and they loved him as well.

 

Hair and Make-Up: Neysa Berman - C-

 

 and i asked for this 

 

 

I didn't like my hair and make-up. I regret hiring her and not speaking up more- It was partly my fault for not speaking up enough, but I know she knew i wasn't 100% happy with it, and didn't seem to care that much. She WAS nice and punctual and professional, though... I had the trial the day before my wedding for the rehearsal/welcome dinner, and a lot of people commented how dark my face looked, so i asked her when she started doing my make up for the wedding if she could lighten my foundation a couple of shades. Her response? "Oh, yeah i noticed that yesterday."  Ok, thanks for letting me go to my rehearsal and welcome dinner looking like that. Then she put my hair up, and it didn't look like the trial from the day before or any of the photos i gave her (see above). When i told her that, she said she couldn't really change it b/c then it would ruin the s-shape she had made in my twist in the back. Who the hell cares about the twist in the back? I look like I have a wig or helmet on, AND my eyes look smaller... Like I said, I should have been a bridezilla but she didn't make me feel comfortable saying anything....but I wish I had. Oh, on top of that, in some of my wedding photos my face is like 3 shades darker than my body, so my photographer had to do some photo-shopping, which brings me to my next point-

 

Photographer - Gilda Badillo - B+

 

I really liked Gilda, but I had to tell her my face was 3 times darker than my face in a lot of the photos. I mean, shouldn't she have seen that? Other than that, she was lovely and funny and energetic, and got everyone smiling. She even put up with my drunk friend who kept photo bombing all the pics. I'd hire her again, she gave me a great price and i wish i had booked her for more time.

 

Hotel - Casa Dorada Resort - A+++++

 

God, I love this resort. I wish i could call every single person that wants to get married in cabo and tell them to get married here. They have the best staff, made us and all my guests feel like VIP, and were accommodating to everything. The only thing i would change was the lighting in the room. We need more light when we get our hair and make up done! Those windows aren't enough! 

 

The food at CD was AMAZING and CHEAP! Almost all my guests stayed there, we fulfilled our room block with no problem and everyone loved the location- you can walk easily to downtown.

 

The WC, Jazmin, at CD is also great- sweet and awesome.

 

Welcome Dinner - Baja Cantina - C+

 

I wouldn't do it here if i had to do it again. They were VERY unresponsive, mixed everything up, the night of we had to stand around while they brought 2 more tables even though we told them for weeks our final count, they served the wrong margarita, they would give me one price one week, then weeks later said they gave me the wrong price, the payment site didn't work....i could go on. They did however make a special plate for my vegan friends, which was very sweet, but that doesn't really make up for all the headaches they caused. And the food was just ok...the food and drinks were very different when we had dinner there on other occasions, definitely not as good. I'd have CD whip something up for me if i had to do it again, like a bonfire or a taco station at the firepits, b/c they're cool like that.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck all of you trying to plan your wedding around the hurricane aftermath.

Edited October 2, 2014 by flo628

[Chrysta]

Looks like you had a beautiful wedding! Congratulations! Your dress and flowers were absolutely amazing!

 

How did the guest book turn out? Did you use the Fijifilm Instax camera? I want to do a DIY photo booth, and guest book but couldn't find any recent information on the camera, quality and look!

[flo628]

Thanks @@Chrysta! I did use that, this is what the film looks like:

 

http://www.dsstyles.com/product/fujifilm-fuji-instant-instax-mini-8-polaroid-camera-bundle-set---white?src=gb_us&currency=USD&gclid=CjwKEAjw77OhBRCJ7Onfp_HNtwYSJACZqHAW50KQZEDEEQmuq-2Ln_aLjLQ1y_OvQyVDCgDXepOqExoCteDw_wcB

 

I am actually selling my camera and extra film if you want to buy it? PM me if you do.

 

It's funny, we put the little corners in the book in advance, which was a big mistake b/c my husband did it all horizontally....and a lot of people too it vertically! i don't know if that's how the camera take it and it was more natural...but i ended up moving all the edges to make it look right a month ago, ahah...so mix and match it if you put on the edges before hand. Hope that helps!

Looks like you had a beautiful wedding! Congratulations! Your dress and flowers were absolutely amazing!

 

How did the guest book turn out? Did you use the Fijifilm Instax camera? I want to do a DIY photo booth, and guest book but couldn't find any recent information on the camera, quality and look!

[puravida2015]

Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures @@flo628!!!!  I wanted to do party poppers too but I thought they couldn't be sent via air (ground only). Did you purchase them once you got to your location?

[calgarybride2015]

Beautiful!!!!   Loved it all, and wow what a ceremony area! 

[MsVM]

Thank you so much for your review. I've just started planning my wedding in cabo and your review is so helpful on which vendor to go with

 

I don't particularly want to go with whoever the hotel suggests so these reviews are invaluable

[cassie06]

Gorgeous!!! @@flo628

 

I can't wait for my wedding there now!! I do have a question though, after looking at your pictures, where did you have your dinner? Was it still considered the terrace? Where you have your food set up is where I am wanting us to have dinner as well, and then where the ceremony is at, I want that to be my dance floor. Is that correct?

[flo628]

@@puravida2015 Thank you thank you! I bought them on oriental trading online and fedexed them to our hotel's location in San Diego, where their driver drove them over with their normal delivery....a lot of them did open though :/ so my WC and i put little tapes on them which worked fine. 

 

***They do say "made in china" on them which i heard is a no-no in Mexico, so i took sharpie , blacked it out and put my monogram labels over it!

 

Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures @@flo628!!!!  I wanted to do party poppers too but I thought they couldn't be sent via air (ground only). Did you purchase them once you got to your location?

@@cassie06 I DID have my dinner at the 12 Tribes Terrace area. That whole area is considered 12Tribes.  You can certainly have the dance floor in the open area, but depending on how many people you have, it might be too large. It was my original plan, but my WC said i had too few guests (48) and it would be hard to get the party started. The center area where we ended up having it was indeed perfect amount of space for the amount of people I had. We instead had ping pong and foozeball and polaroid center out there, and we did have a fire dancer (which was a surprise for me by the hubby ) with lounge chairs.

 

You are going to LOVE CD!!!! It's just so lovely there. We won't stay anywhere else now when we go to Cabo.

 

PS- Fire dancer was from Lunas de Fuego and they were a delight. Forgot about them in my review.

 

Gorgeous!!! @@flo628

I can't wait for my wedding there now!! I do have a question though, after looking at your pictures, where did you have your dinner? Was it still considered the terrace? Where you have your food set up is where I am wanting us to have dinner as well, and then where the ceremony is at, I want that to be my dance floor. Is that correct?

[puravida2015]

Thank you so much @@flo628! I'm going to have to look into this some more. But I don't think it'll be possible for me but I'll try.  Thanks for the tips. And congrats again!

[flo628]

@@puravida2015 You can always pack it with you... $50 bag fee is cheaper than shipping, and i think each person gets a free bag. On the way back we just but the small suitcase into the bigger empty one.

 

I don't see why poppers can't get shipped via air- it's just a spring, not like it's those sparklers.

 

Thank you so much @@flo628! I'm going to have to look into this some more. But I don't think it'll be possible for me but I'll try.  Thanks for the tips. And congrats again!

I forgot about my DJ and guitarist:

 

DJ Fradal - A-

The transitions could have been better but he played all the songs i wanted. Great price, fast responder.

 

Daryl Currie- A

Great price, he was very sweet. I didn't hear any of the songs he played, but all my guests enjoyed him.