Where to begin! We were married at Las Caletas on June 16, 2016.  Several months before our trip I was already impressed with Vallarta Adventures, by way of our incredible wedding coordinator, Blanca Ramirez.  In reading all of the forums and reviews, I knew there were some brides who were concerned with planning a wedding via email, and thought there may be a language barrier.  Let me assure anyone reading this that when it comes to Blanca, and Adventure Weddings for that matter, you will not be disappointed!  Response time was always within 48 hours; even when I was emailing well before the 3-4 month before the wedding when the team formally engages with you to get everything final.  Language barrier? Not in my experience! Professionalism? Top notch.  Blanca set the tone very early on, and my expectations were pretty high.  I am a very detailed person, and we had a ton of things we were bringing with us on the trip, specifics around everything, and throughout the planning process I felt confident, listened to, and relaxed; thanks to Blanca!

Arriving in PVR was great, highly recommend the Hard Rock Vallarta to stay, and it is just 5 minutes from the Vallarta Adventures Nuevo office.  When I met Blanca for our site visit, I immediately gave her a hug! I felt like I knew her already and we were already great friends!  I usually don't get sick on boat rides, but I did for our site visit.  Nothing a little Dramamine didn't fix coming back; but certainly something to note.  (We made hangover kits for our guests in our welcome bags, and provided 2 tablets for each person just in case; check Amazon for a good deal)  The boat staff led by Isias (I do believe) were incredible and made sure I was comfortable.  The site visit was better than expected! Finally we were at Las Caletas and seeing those internet pages come to life! We opted to get massages while there, which I highly recommend! Magali was fantastic; I used her for another massage on my actual wedding day as well!  We went over all the wedding details with Blanca, met with Rafael our DJ, and gave Blanca all of our stuff we brought to Mexico to setup.  The entire time we were waited on hand and foot, and Blanca kept us on track so we didn't miss our massages!

Our actual wedding day was just absolutely amazing.  Now, I know that EVERYONE says that. But if you didn't get married at Las Caletas, then in my opinion, your wedding may be just a little less amazing than those of us who are now a part of an exclusive group who got married in this beautiful place, and had a staff such as ours.  I went over early with my girls and spent a relaxing day at the Bridal Casida where we had our own private concierge bringing us food, drinks, champagne, and basically anything we wanted.  Thanks again Rafael (not the same as the DJ)!  The casida is air conditioned, and it had freshly rained so we had fun checking out all of the crabs outside, and hanging out on the hammock.  We did a little bit of exploring, and then I surprised my gals with massages!  Highly recommend this, very relaxing way to prepare for the big day! And get the hour! you will not regret it!  I opted for the hair and makeup, even though my maid of honor is a makeup artist, and my other bestie is an unofficial makeup artist; very glad I did!  These ladies know what they are doing, and made me look flawless!

We had a little snafu with some afternoon rain, however Blanca and her team were prepared to move to the contingency plan.  Because of the rapport Blanca had built, the other reviews I read from other brides, and the trust Blanca and I had established, I deferred to her professional opinion and we moved the ceremony to be covered in the restaurant.  Let me tell you, IT WAS STILL AMAZING.  The staff moved everything over, and guests appreciated being indoors, even though VA was prepared with umbrellas for everyone after they got off the boat! (Another surprise!)  Another thing that was really impressive was the care and concern Blanca and her team took for my mother in law.  She recently started having mobility issues, and needed a wheelchair for the wedding.  Not only did Blanca arrange for a wheelchair and pillows at her dinner seat, but made sure that a few extra staff members were able to physically carry the wheelchair with my mother in law in it, to transport her to each location.  (It is a bit of a walk, so please let Blanca know in advance if you require wheelchair service; again, NO CHARGE.)

The ceremony was beautiful, and Jairo our officiant was so calming and added such a loving tone to the ceremony.  He was sure to use my edited ceremony script, and even got some laughs when calling our best man the wrong name! It was so magical, and we are so proud that Jairo was our officiant for this important moment; his energy was felt by us and our guests, and was just another thing to celebrate.  After the ceremony, the rain stopped and we moved back to the beach area for dinner and the big party!

Throughout all of this, our photographer Cristhell and our videographer Sandra were also by our side! We consulted with them earlier in the week, and they were making sure all of the moments were being captured from my husband's point of view on the boat, as well as mine in the bridal casida.  They were sure to keep track of those key moments and shots we wanted, and kept us on track to get our photos right after the ceremony!

Blanca was like clockwork; keeping us on track and attentive to our every need, before we even knew we needed it! Rafael was jamming, and his taste in music was so aligned to ours it felt so natural!  Everyone was having an incredible time, and he read the group, we cannot thank him enough!

The decor was immaculate, we opted for the Chinese lanterns in the reception area, SO many flowers, and the white curtains; please do yourself a favor and decorate the area! Yes the beach is beautiful and the mountains, but adding their decor options sets it off!  During cocktail hour we had the mariachi playing while our guests enjoyed drinks and freshly rolled cigars from the cigar roller demonstration; BIG hit. 

The food was GREAT. Everyone was stuffed and the bartender and wait staff were nothing short of amazing!  They were able to add alcohol that we wanted, and we opted for the upgrade as well.  They even got non alcoholic beer for a family member per my request in advance! That was awesome!

The reception was the best party i have ever been to. Dancing on the beach with the lights, great music, and great friends we had a blast!  Several staff members even came up to me and said this was one of the best parties/weddings, and they felt like a part of the party and not like they were working! WOW! That is awesome!  We had the fire dancers and drums come as a surprise to our guests, WOW! BRIDES DO THIS!! It is an experience everyone will love and you will not forget!  We also had the sparklers during our dances, and we ended the night with the sky lanterns, another MUST DO.  Rafael kept the dance party going all night; thanks again Rafael!  We appreciate you and love your ear for music!!!

Our boat ride back was another party in itself! We had a huge dance party, and we had glowsticks for everyone! Keep the party going!  Our group was pretty rowdy at this point, so we were very thankful that Blanca and her team made sure all of our stuff was there, everyone accounted for, and that we could continue to enjoy our night!

All in all, if you are reading this you are obviously interested in Las Caletas; follow your heart! Blanca will make sure everything is taken care of, and your plan will be executed flawlessly.  Our family and friends said this was the BEST wedding and EXPERIENCE they ever had; if you are looking for peace of mind, an amazing location, and an experience that is anything BUT cookie cutter, book with Vallarta Adventures for your wedding.  And book some of their excursions too! We did and we absolutely fell in love!  Can't wait to see our pictures and our videos; it goes by fast, and I am so glad we elected to get the top packages so we can savor this moment forever.  

Blanca - Thank you for your professionalism, your advice and suggestions, your patience and your hairpins! :)  Your team is incredible, and that is a testament to your leadership. You will forever be in our hearts, and you have a friend in me for life!  Wishing you many blessings and good fortune!