evonut

WOW! This is the best slide show I've seen in a while. Great work, Elizabeth! Annie, you are a natural beauty--it really shows in the pictures. Love the horse and the beach shots.

Stunning slideshow! What a unique and colorful wedding. Thanks for sharing.

Laura, those are amazing pics. Kudos to your photographer.

Quote: Originally Posted by AlmostMrsForbes Quick question for all of you experienced TTD girls ... how did you talk your FI into it/keep him somewhat serious? I love the pics, but I can only imagine what my FI will say/do! :-) I just dragged him in the water, ha ha ha.

Hello, RPRM brides, I've just posted my wedding review from there. You might find it useful in your planning.

I've always wondered what a wedding of two photographers with guests of photographers would be like, lol. Awesome video! Sol looks stunning in her dress. Thanks for sharing.

I know how you feel regarding family attendance. I had two destination weddings--one in Las Vegas for the legal wedding (no family attended) and one in RIU Palace Riviera Maya for the symbolic wedding (all my immediate family except for Dad attended). I can honestly say that the second wedding in RIU was more 'legit' even though it was symbolic because my family was there. As for the money issue, I wished hubby and I just went to the courthouse in Las Vegas instead and saved all that money toward the RIU wedding (or downpayment on a new home). But alas, what's done is done. I just recently posted the RIU wedding review--hopefully, it will calm your nerves. Have faith it will turn out! All the best.

I just posted my wedding review (heavy pics) on RIU Palace Riviera Maya. Pop in there and have a look!

Quote: Originally Posted by David and Laura I wore my dress to the TTD. Mine was a silk tafetta. The texture of the dress is a little different now, but all in all it survived the sand and saltwater fine from what I can see. I haven't taken it to be cleaned yet. My best friend's parents own a dry cleaning chain and they said the salt water prob. ruined it. I guess we will see. I went into the water with the idea that if it did ruin the dress, I was ok with it. Most people only wear their dress one day; I wore it two in a row. I figured I already got 2 x what most people get out of it. My mom had the hardest time with the pictures b/c she and my step-dad paid for the dress. If plan on saving your dress forever and keeping it in great condition, get a second dress for the shoot. Ooh, I love this picture!--very flirty and sexy. I had a TTD with Elizabeth Medina and I don't know if my dress survived...cuz I dumped it in the garbage before I changed into my reception dress later, lol. I think wedding dresses are best preserved in photos.

PART III OF III: The Wedding Gazebo: B+ It was a perfect ceremony venue!..almost, lol. It was surrounded by the beach and sunbathers. During the ceremony, we had a bigger audience then we intended to have and a few sunbathers were snapping pictures and video-taping our wedding. We were warned beforehand by the posters of bestdestinationwedding so we weren't surprised. :-) The great thing about the gazebo is it's already breathtaking beautiful as it is and any more decorating than what I have done would've taken away from it. RIU Palace arranged for the minister, who was excellent, although his his english was heavily accented with spanish (not unexpected). What was a pleasant surprise was RIU arranged for mics and sound system (a detail that did not cross my mind). It came very handy so guests can hear the minister and us exchanging vows. Because the gazebo was small and tight, photography would be challenging. Elizabeth solved the problem by arranging the ceremony to be performed with the couple facing the guests while the minister's back was to audience. It was a great idea because she was able to capture our expressions in the photos. Entertainment: Mariachi Band at the Ceremony, Trio Band at the Reception, iPod for the remainder: A+ After reading some opinions of brides here questioning the value of having bands, I went with my gut and hired them anyway. They were FANTASTIC! The live singing, dancing and music delighted the guests and added intimacy & festivity to the events. At one point, I caught lovers in an act in the corner of my eyes--one of the female wedding staff smooching the lead singer of the Mariachi Band. It was very cute, lol. In addition, we brought our own iPod stereo (excellent decision!), laptop and audio-visual equipment (for our 'Memory Lane' slideshow). We had a little bit of scare when the electrical outlet that we requested at the restaurant did not work with our equipment. The wedding staff found someone last minute to fix the problem, which delayed the start of the reception by 20 minutes. The wedding staff was amazing. Our family and friends gave warm-hearted speeches (we didn't need mics at all. The sound carried well.) and yes, for our small wedding party of 18 guests, we had a dance. It was priceless and memorable! Reception Dinner, Chilis Restaurant, RIU Palace Riviera Maya: B+ My maid-of-honor, sisters and brothers, and the wedding staff were charged with decorating and setting up the reception. Most of the decorations (i.e table coverings, picture frames, glass vases, candles) were brought from home (just a note: due to the baggage weight and size restrictions, I had the stuff divided into many suitcases and spread evenly among my family members to bring). The reception was held at Chilis, an open-aired restaurant (no walls), but after it was obvious that it was going to rain, the wedding staff pulled the screens down, enclosing the Mezzanine section. According to the wedding package, we could only have the restaurant area for 1.5 hours, not enough time to have a decent reception. We were able to extend the venue by another 1.5 hrs for an additional $300. We had a small team of servers serving the entrees. Salad and dessert was buffet. The food was great! The wedding cake was a joke, lol, but I didn't care at that point. I was elated by how well the wedding day went...and was even pleasantly surprised that the cake was delicious. Total Mayan Riviera Wedding Cost (18 guests), $12,278: A+ The total cost includes: RIU Royal Wedding Package: $1330 [we didn't use the free spa service (not too crazy about getting caked in mud), complimentary champagne (we don't drink) or breakfast in bed (why have breakfast in bed when they have an excellent breakfast buffet at their main restaurant?)] Flowers: $330 Mariachi Band, 1 hr: $430 Trio Band, 1 hr: $330 Decorations & Misc: $981 Accommodation & flight: $2406 Favors: $319 Guests trip to Chichen Itza: $406 Bridal & Groom Attire (includes wedding rings): $1400 Bridal Party Gifts: $300 Photography & Assoc costs: $3729 Stationary & wedsite: $219 Higher price per guest, but overall much less expensive than the traditional wedding. I'm absolutely thrilled. I just checked the RIU Wedding website and noticed that they increased their wedding package prices and add-ons for 2008. The Mariachi Band went up to $559, Trio Band to $430, flowers almost doubled, and the Royal package up to $1465. We decided not to do the Out-of-Town bags as is the custom of destination wedding, and splurged on the favors instead. Guests got truffles, macadamian nuts, Mexican candies and treats nicely bundled and decorated with seashells (picture below). Also, we opted to bring our decorations, audio-visual and sound system from home instead of getting them at Playa Del Carmen--it saved us alot of time, cost, and uncertainty of availability. CONCLUSION If I wasn't the bride (thus, biased), I would have to say this is the best wedding I have ever been to. I was amazed and relieved that despite the lack of rehearsal, the events pulled together for the most part seamlessly. Alot of it was due to upfront planning, communication and consulting with all the parties (RIU wedding staff, bridal party, family). For the guests, it was the most intimate, genuine, entertaining, good quality wedding they've ever been to. It was hard on me during the planning stages, when I realized many of our closest friends and family couldn't make it. After the wedding, the bonds of love strengthened and the appreciation grew for those who did come. That's the beauty of destination weddings--and I am a big fan of it. After our wedding, we sent out e-announcements to announce our marriage. If you would like to see more pictures (and slideshows), visit evonne-forrest.com.

PART II of III: Photographer, Elizabeth Medina: A+ Photography is an area I don't scrimp on. We wanted Sol Tomargo but she wasn't available on our wedding date, so we went with another great photographer, Elizabeth Medina. I was a little apprehensive at first, because usually at this price, we expected to get two professional photographers. The weather was also all over the map--sunny in the morning, overcast in the afternoon, cloudy late afternoon, rain in the evening. I was praying the pictures would turn out...and they did! We were thrilled with her work! All the pictures posted on this thread (except for the flip-flops) are from Elizabeth. Here's some of our favorite money shots (below)--worth every penny!

After a hectic Destination Wedding #2, Christmas and New Year's, I finally have some quiet time to sit down and write my review. My new husband and I were wedded on August 31st, 2007. We had two weddings--one simple legal wedding in Las Vegas (read my Las Vegas Review) and one formal symbolic wedding in the Mayan Riviera on November 22, 2007. This is my review for the Mayan Riviera Wedding at RIU Palace Riviera Maya in Playa Del Carmen. Since I'm limited 10 images per post, my review will be broken down to 3 parts. PART I of 3: Hotel Accommodation: RIU Palace Riviera Maya, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico: A Beautiful place! We were put off initially by the pungent moldy smell but we knew this is common in any place in the tropics. After while, our nose adjusted so we didn't notice it as much. Service was EXCELLENT from the front desk, the wedding staff, bell service, waiters, housekeepers. We handed out tips like confetti, because they deserved it! One of the best places we stayed at. Wedding Attire: B+ I bought my dress on e-Bay from some Shanghai factory, China for $75. With custom tax, exchange, and shipping/handling, the total price came to around $150. I like this dress for its simplicity and elegance. Not the best quality chiffon fabric or sewing job though (but nothing a good photographer can't fix). I had my mom alter it from a generous, tall size 6 to fit my 5'4 110 lbs frame. Other than that, I was very happy with it. I also bought my flip-flops online for $43, including shipping and handling. I needed the height because hubby is 6'3. I also bought a second dress (picture above) for the reception at David's Bridal in Seattle for $140. Wore the same necklace I wore in my Las Vegas Wedding, which I bought for $25 dollars! Make-up and hair: I did it myself. :-) Unfortunately, at the end of the wedding day, it succumbed to the humidity and frizzed out. Flowers: A+ I was disappointed with the limited selection of flowers being offered by RIU Palace. However, when they came, I was thrilled with the quality of it. Price-wise, it was fantastic compared to what I paid at Las Vegas. In Vegas, I paid $320 for the bride bouquet, maid-of-honor bouquet, groom and best-man boutonierre. For a similar amount at RIU Palace, I got all the above PLUS two large flower stands by the wedding gazebo, two more boutonierres for our mothers, and table centres for the reception.

I just got back from my DW at RIU Palace Riviera Maya and here's the total damage: Royal Wedding Package1330 Add flowers for the cake25 Add Mariachi for one hour430 Add Trio Band for one hour330 Add Extra cake20 Add Bridesmaid & Groomsmen Flowers52 Mezzanine Rental Extra 1.5 hours300 Flowers332 Chair Bows28 Extra two guests130 Mexico Trip - Flight and Hotel2406 Mexico Favors319 Chichen Itza ($55 Grayline Tours)406 Bridal Attire919 Bridesmaid Attire & Gifts223 Groom Attire155 Groomsmen Attire & Gifts75 Photographer (includes accommodation)3729 Photographer Las Vegas883 Videographer200 Slideshow Screen Rental48 Decorations, external flowers, seashells, frames, easels, mirrors557 Invitations & Wedding Blog89 Stationery130 Hubby's Vancouver Trip1407 Chinese Banquet2767 Engagement Ring5700 Wedding Ring250 Total 23,057 This is for 17 guests. We went all out to make sure they had a good time, and they did. Nicest, intimate, beautiful wedding I've ever been to...my own, lol.

The Bota Fogo restaurant is pretty formal and can fit 100 people. The RPRM also has the Dan Manolo (I think that's what it's called) main restaurant which is bigger. They only offered me Chillis or Bota Fogo...other restaurants are off limits. You can always ask. You could contact Edith or Cynthia at email: [email protected] to inquire, but they might take forever to respond to you if you haven't booked your destination wedding with them. You can also call them: Edith Domínguez RIU Hotels and Resorts Weddings Manager Playa del Carmen Tel +52 984 877 42 00 ext 811 As for the photographer, yes, it's the only way they will allow outside photographers is if they are guests.

Quote: Originally Posted by Michelle&Steve wow.. thanks for all the informations.. it was really helpful.. i hope you have an amazing wedding!!! and i would like to hear all about it when you get back! a few questions/concerns I have: i love the gazebo setting for the ceremony.. however, im not sure about the actual reception.. i have close to 100 people, and wanted something more formal.. do you, or anyone actually know if the RPRM has something like this? or is it really casual in one of their restaurants.. ?? and is it more like just dinner, or can I actually have an entire party there? i like the riu but i dont know if i need to find a different hotel with more of a hall available? I saw people with other photographers there? is the only way of getting them them in by getting them a room overnight? i wanted an outside photographer because i wasnt sure if the resort one was any good? any info? The Bota Fogo restaurant is pretty formal and can fit 100 people. The RPRM also has the Dan Manolo (I think that's what it's called) main restaurant which is bigger. They only offered me Chillis or Bota Fogo...other restaurants are off limits. You can always ask. You could contact Edith or Cynthia at email: [email protected] to inquire, but they might take forever to respond to you if you haven't booked your destination wedding with them. You can also call them: Edith Domínguez RIU Hotels and Resorts Weddings Manager Playa del Carmen Tel +52 984 877 42 00 ext 811 As for the photographer, yes, it's the only way they will allow outside photographers is if they are guests.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jenn08 Wow, 2.5 weeks! You must be soooo excited!!! If you have time: I'm wondering if you're having any type of private reception and what the costs are if so? I'm trying to budget for my wedding and I'm really not sure of my options! Otherwise: Have a beautiful wedding day! Congrats! Thanks! :-) I'm such a procastinator--that's why the destination wedding thing works for me. I don't have to do much, lol. I haven't even got my theme colors selected, bridesmaid dresses, favors, speeches done yet. re: reception, depends on how many guests you have. If you have more than 50, you can have a private reception at Bota Fogo, the Brazilian restaurant at the second sitting, which is at 9:30 pm (I think). Otherwise, you can have a semi-private reception for guests less than 50 at Bota Fogo or Chillis, a Mexcican restaurant. Here the wedding coordinator's first email to me: Thank you for considering RIU Hotels & Resorts for your Wedding!! To finalise your wedding details before your arrival please be so kind to provide us with the following information: 1. We need a list with your guests names, arrival days and Hotel where they have their room reservations. 2. Which restaurant do you prefer Bota Fogo or Chillis? Chillis, an open air restaurant, close to the beach area, tropical and informal, It have private areas for groups of 10 and 25 guests. (I have attached the menu) Bota Fogo, a/c restaurant, formal, Brazilian rodizo, classic atmosphere, It could be private for groups of 50 guests in the 2nd sitting. (I have attached the menu) 3: Cake : (Royal and Caprice WP) flavour: chocolate or vanilla Filling: vanilla, chocolate, peach, strawberry How big do you want the cake? 4. Which wedding spot do you prefer? For Riu Palace Riviera Maya the options are: Gazebo: From 2 to 100 guests, not private, extra charge for the chairs. Kiosk: From 2 to 30 guests, elegant, secluded, not extra charge for chairs, good for high heels. Beach: >From 2 to 60 guests not secluded, not private, not for disable guests, extra charge for the chairs. The included decoration consists of white artificial flowers. Fresh Flowers are available at an additional cost. You may take your decision once you meet your on-site weddings coordinator. I have attached the photo packages (in FAQ document), please let us know which package is your preferred one. You will have the opportunity to see previous photos taken at our weddings during our meeting when you arrive. If there is something you would like to add but have not seen in any of our provided information please let us know and we will be happy to work with you to get it. (Welcome bags, wedding favors, wedding excursions and much more in order to make out of your wedding, the most spectacular day in your life.) you could ask for providers information. Please fill in the info request form and return them via email with all of the above information. We will meet with you on November 20th at 10:15am, in Riu Palace Riviera Maya at the lobby area, you could ask to your front desk for us. It's very important that you show up at your appointment on time to finalise all details for the wedding. If you don't show up your wedding will be automatically cancel. Thank you for your kind comprehension and do not hesitate to contact us if you shall require further assistance. warm regards, Cinthya Patron We chose to go with Chillis, booked 17 people for the Mezzanine (outdoor covered), which sits up to 30 people. You can only have it for 1.5 hours--if you want another 1.5 hour, it's an additional $300 usd. :-( They will let you bring ipod and speakers. They don't have speakers, AV equipment available for you to rent. You're not allowed to use external providers (i.e. florist, photographers, caterers, etc). However, I'm covering a night's accommodation for Elizabeth Medina and her assistant, so they are 'guests' and can photograph. Also, I noticed they've hiked the prices of additionals/extras significantly from last year (i.e. flowers, musicians, DJs, etc). I'm lucky they still honor the prices that was published when we booked last year. For example, the Mariachi band was $430 usd per hour...now it's $530! The bridesmaid's bouquet was $25--now it's $50! I can say that their prices are now aligned with what you would expect to pay in a classy hotel in the US. Hope that helps. Let me know if you need anything else.

I'm getting married there in 2.5 weeks! Aside from the the online confirmation, they don't contact you via email until 2.5 months before your wedding date. All the coordination/questions gets done through email, and the rest gets done (i.e. flowers) when you get there.

Very tastefully done!

After a couple of weeks' wait, they're finally in! 100 pics from Studio ATG, all taken at the Neon Boneyard in Las Vegas. I LOVE them! Here are just a few of my favorite pics: The photographers Trish & Jared were a blast to work with. We were so impressed with their work that we wanted to fly them in to do our Mexican Riviera wedding in November. But no go. :-(

Quote: Originally Posted by Adamsgrrl OH my gosh! I just went on your photog's website, clicked "Engagement" and the first 2 pictures were of you guys! Did you get your pics in yet?? BTW ~ they looked hot! Thanks for telling me--I didn't even know, lol. I just got our engagement pictures online preview this morning and I am SO IMPRESSED! How they made us look so good in the 3:00pm in hottest temperature of the day (41 degress celcius/114 degress farenheit--we were sweating and dabbing ourselves off with a towel every two minutes) is beyond me. I'll post more pictures when I get the actual CD next week. I'm going to see if I could get them to do our Mexico wedding.

View from our suite at the Signature at MGM Grand Me at the balcony with a different view of the Strip Hubby and I at Hugo's Cellar Restaurant I absolutely adore this profile shot of my new hubby Us in the limo Us at the MGM Signature Lobby Hubby posing as Malcom X's "thinking" pose Pretty cool shots of the slot machines. I'm just glad this part of the wedding planning is over. Hubby and I had a BLAST in Vegas and we look forward to returning again. Destination Wedding #2 Mayan Riviera November 2007 planning will start soon.

(Picture of me in seedy casino in Greek Isles Hotel) My fiance (now husband) and I are wedded on August 31st, 2007. We have two weddings--one simple legal wedding in Las Vegas and one formal symbolic wedding in the Mayan Riviera in November. As most of our budget is allocated to the wedding in Mexico, we didn't want to spend as much for the legal wedding in Las Vegas. Here's my review (it's a LONG one!) and grades: Wedding Attire, Bryan's Bride, Burnaby, BC: A I bought my dress off the rack for $300. Simple and elegant, and inexpensive, considering that the average wedding dress is $800. The staff was helpful, although compliments flowed on every dress I tried on, heh heh heh. Those salespeople are slick. To save on the $200 alterations, my mom took out a day to hem it short for me. She did a beautiful job. The salesperson put on me a stunning necklace to model with the dresses. The price tag: $150. I shopped around for similar necklaces from various of stores and found that they cost anywhere from $100 - $500. Then I went to Phoenix, Arizona on vacation in June and found a costume necklace in a little non-descript boutique for...are you ready for this?--$25 dollars! It photographs beautifully. Maid-of-Honour's dress from BCBG Maxaria, Seattle Premium Outlet, Seattle, WA, cost $75, discounted from $200. I love the shimmer of her dress. Make-up and hair: I did it myself. The picture of me above--I'm in the photographers' car waiting for them to set up the engagement shoot. Las Vegas Bouquet Flowers: A The flowers were expensive but absolutely stunning. The cost came to $320 for the bride bouquet, maid-of-honor bouquet, groom and best-man boutenierre. According to the wedding statistics, the average bridal bouquet is $150. There is some solace that mine came in under the average. They delivered it to our hotel at the stated time. My only concern was by the time it got to the ceremony, some of the trailing flowers and leaves were falling off the bouquet. The bouquets were heavy. Hotel Accommodation: Signature at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV: A++ Not to be confused with MGM Grand, these three stately towers are located behind the MGM Grand, one block off the Las Vegas Strip. This is unrefutably the BEST hotel for the value that we stayed in. This hotel was recently voted #1 on the TripAdvisor Popularity Index and for good reason! I especially liked the fact that it is smoke-free and casino-free. When the front desk found out we were newlyweds, they put us in the best junior suite available. Our balcony on the 26th floor boasted a spectacular view of the strip. The suite had an amazing large bathroom, his and her sinks, a large jacuzzi tub, and a walk-in shower. There's a mini-bar and the kitchenette which carries high-end kitchen equipment and stainless steel utensils. Hubby and I drove out to a grocery store, bought some food and made breakfast during our 5-day 4-night stay. More importantly, I was impressed with the excellent service at the Front Desk, Concierge, Housekeeping and Bell/Valet. Hubby needed his suit to be pressed and ready by noon the next day--they got it done by 2:00 am (we were still up, lol)! When our photographers didn't show up at our tower at the stated time to pick us up for our engagement shoot, the Bell guys called around the three towers' lobbies to track them down. Hubby also forgot his phone charger and the hotel lent him one to use free-of-charge. Thank You MGM Signature for making our stay enjoyable! Engagement Photo Session, ATG Studio, Las Vegas, NV: A+ These two young photographers (husband and wife team, she's 37 and he's 32) were fun to work with, and their professionalism shined through when they picked us up at our hotel, drove us to the Boneyard (graveyard of old Vegas neon signs), let us stay in their air conditioned car while they pulled out and assembled their lighting and camera gear. The attendant supervising the Boneyard went out and bought us water, to which we are very thankful in the 41 degree Celsius/ 110 degree Farenheit heat. After the session, they dropped us back at the hotel in time for us to get dressed and go to our wedding ceremony in the evening. Click here to see our engagement pictures. The Princess Chapel: B I chose the chapel because of the (perception of) beauty of it over the others online and having read the reviews, knew it was located in a seedy hotel. Indeed, the chapel physically did not disappoint. Princess Chapel's Arial Package: D The package included the chapel fee, the wedding coordinator, traditional wedding music, brides rose bouquet, groom's boutenierre, 12 4X5's color photos, 2 5X7's, 2 8X10s, video recording of the entire ceremony, and wedding licese scroll, all for $299. Limo is a-la-carte at $100 extra. Mandatory suggested for minister: $60 and $50 for limo ($50!! That's way too generous, I think.) I had already ordered my own flowers from the Las Vegas Bouquet florist for a different chapel we had booked in, but cancelled it when I found out the Princess Chapel included real flowers. Then upon further discussion with the wedding coordinator, I found out the flower bouquet was three roses (or something insignificant like that) so I asked the wedding coordinator if I could bring my own flowers. She said yes and that there would be no surcharge. I promptly reordered the original flowers that I had cancelled earlier ($320 for bride bouquet, maid of honor bouquet, groom and best man boutenierre). When we arrived at the chapel with my flowers in tow, I was told there would be a $45 surcharge for using my own flowers! I got upset, called the coordinator on it but she did not budge. So I said, "Fine, how about I not use mine and just use yours, since I've already paid of it as part of the package?" She said no, because I already brought my flowers in and pressed for authorization to charge on my visa. I relented because I didn't want to hold up the wedding ceremony and signed the receipt...but was I ever fuming. Strike ONE. Princess Chapel, The Wedding Coordinator: D The mastermind behind it all, this woman was rude and pushy. She reminded me of the well-dressed agressive touts in Bangkok selling sex. Same attitude, different product. Hubby was discouraged to tip the limo driver and minister directly, which sounds a little suspicious to me. Also, one of the guests reportedly saw her yelling at the limo driver. Princess Chapel, The Minister: A+ The minister was FANTASTIC! His speech, perfected by practice, was smoothly delivered in a good pace, good voice and with good humor. He was not distracted by the series of my cell phone rings (oops, forgot to turn it off) which rang to the tune of U2's 'Stuck in the Moment' and Michael Buble's 'Tenderness' every two minutes throughout the ceremony. The DVD video captured the cell phone tunes and my facial expressions of surpise and laughter. Guests who recognized the cell tunes knew it was mine while others thought it was the chapel's faulty sound system. Princess Chapel, The Photographer: C- Unfortunately, guests are not allowed to take pictures inside the chapel. The above pictures were taken from the photographer. The photographer is alright--just a guy with a fancy camera. He already had canned poses lined up for us, most of them very cheesy. He appeared at the beginning with the bride and maid-of-honor in the dark tacky tiny bride's room and snapped pictures throughout the ceremony and after. I felt rushed by him. By the end of the session, I knew over half of the shots were going to be crappy--and I was right. If you think the chapel pictures you see here are pretty good, that's because I did some color, bright/contrast, cropping corrections with Photoshop. We were put in the viewing room to watch the slide presentation of 195 pictures, set to cheesy love songs that will make people vomit. Despite of it, we enjoyed the presentation, cringed at several bad shots of us and various guests, and laughed. Then one of the staff emerged from the control room and discussed prices in front of everyone. It was an awkward moment, so we ushered the guests outside. Strike TWO. I was already fuming over the flower surcharges, so I was not open at all to hear her sales pitch. It was something like $17.50 per additional pictures, $400-600 for the DVD picture slides. Just to give you an idea how much a rip-off this photography is, we came back earlier in the day from an engagement shoot with ATG Studio. We paid $700 which included one hour session and TWO professional photographers whose work was showcased in magazines like the National Geographic and other commercial advertisement. They brought in their own power lighting equipment and cameras with telephoto lenses. After the session, they required about a week's time to go over the images to ensure it's ready to be presented to their clients. Compare that to the chapel's photographer with a camera with wimpy lenses, who wanted similar price, little work, little time and expertise. Strike THREE. We told the staff we'll stick by the package and take our 12 pictures. Then we went through all 195 pictures on the DVD screen to pick our 12. Incredible, with all the technology we have before us, they couldn't zoom into the pictures and they couldn't move to the next picture quick enough. I kept pressing them to hurry up, because I didn't want to keep the guests waiting. While they burn our 12 images on CD (BTW...where are the PRINTS we were promised in our package?), the staff approached us with an envelop "the Photographer's Tips" with the printed suggested tip of $60 or more. Hubby and I looked at each other and he suggested $20. A couple minutes passed and I countered with $10. A few more minutes and more fuming later, it became zero. Hubby cheered. They can take their tip out of the $45 flower surcharge, which is nothing but a cash grab. Once we gathered our stuff, CD and DVD video, we left the viewing room. while hubby went off to gather the guests, the staff ran after me, "Excuse me, excuse me! I think you forgot the photographer's tip!" (Is this bad taste or what?) I turned around, looked at her calmly and said, "No, I didn't forget. I do not like the photographer's service, the quality nor the product". "Oh", she replied as her face fell. As for the DVD Video, I didn't expect much and didn't get much either. The cheese factor was very high. Our objective was to get legally wedded in an elegant setting without costing an arm and a leg. Did we meet our objective with Princess Chapel? YES...but only because, aside from falling for the $45 flower surcharge, we did not buy into the more expensive wedding packages and the rip-off photography. If we could do it all over again with Princess Chapel, would we? NO. Reception, Hugo's Cellar, Las Vegas, NV: A+ Voted #3 on TripAdvisor, this restaurant service and food is excellent! The ladies recieved a rose upon entry (except me, the bride--they gave me FIVE roses!) They customized our menus so our guests can choose from a variety of entrees. Each dinner meal consist of bread, bottled water, a hearty salad (salad cart where guest can choose different items to have in their salad), a lemon sorbet on a cone to refresh the palate, an entre of the guest's choice, finished with chocolate dipped fruits with white chocolate mousse. Hubby ordered the salmon, and when he ate through half of it, it seemingly grew bigger. He didn't finish it because he was so full. While the guests enjoyed chocolate dipped fruits, the restaurant surprised us with a chocolate mousse paramid dessert with "Congratulations" in chocolate syrup on the house. One negative, which the restaurant did rectify. A group of mid-30s-40s women on the next table were cackling like witches around a cauldron every two minutes or so. Their laughter drowned out our conversation in our private room and carried throughout the restaurant. Other patrons must have complained because 10 mins later, the manager went to their table and said something to them and their wait staff. Apparently it worked, because their laughter toned down a bit. I brought my five roses back to the hotel and with some fallen callas from my bouquet, made a little bouquet to put by my night stand. Here's the picture of it below: We'll be certain to drop by to eat there again on our anniversary. :-) CONCLUSION The overall experience of planning this wedding was easy and pleasant due to the small bridal and wedding party (7 guests). The most surprising and memorable moment for me was the statement of vow. My fiance and I didn't expect me to shed a tear but I did. My voice cracked and I shed several tears...and the cheesy DVD video capture it. :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Julesr I remember the ladies on this forum helped you pick which dress to wear for vegas and which to wear for Mexico. You made the right choice. Congratulations and I can't wait to hear all about it. Ha ha, I remember! You gals had alot of influence in my decision. :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by foxytv You, your dress, shoes and bouquet are absolutely beautiful. You look STUNNING in your dress!!! Are you wearing the dress, etc for both the legal and symbolic ceremonies? Nope, have another DW dress for the Mexico Wedding. Once the Las Vegas Wedding is over, I'll be back posting pics for the next wedding, lol.

Quote: Originally Posted by JessicaLovesBrian Wow. Two DW's!? That's awesome! Wait.. you live in Canada? Are you a US citizen or something? I gues I'm trying to figure out why you'd do a legal ceremony in the states if you're from Canada. Just curious! Anyway, have fuuuun. Your dress looks great on you. I'm Canadian and FH is American. Crazy huh? Thanks for the compliments on the dress. It looked much better after alterations.