TA Lindsay

In Summary… The entire experience still feels like a dream to me, it was just too perfect to be a reality! Everyone back here at home has been blown away at how beautiful everything was, and they are all wishing they would have come along with us! It was the most amazing, breathtaking experience of my life, and if we could do it all over again tomorrow, we would, absolutely, without a doubt. The entire day feels just like a dream. You honestly feel like you are the only people on the beach with the jungle backdrop and ocean foreground. It is amazing. We never know another soul was there, yet, they had the Rhythms of Night tour/show there. We never noticed the boats come in that evening, nor them leaving. We didn’t hear anything from the show either. It was amazing. It is weird to think that two days after our wedding, there was another wedding and yet another one the day after that. It was like it was our very own private tropical hideaway. We returned to Las Caletas on our last night in Puerto Vallarta, on the Rhythms of the Night Tour. We walked down to the beach where our ceremony was held, looked up at the full moon and just remembered the evening two weeks earlier. Las Caletas will be a place where, God willing, we will return every year that we possibly can on our anniversary. It truly holds a special place in our hearts. This was the trip and wedding that you only see in the movies. If anyone is considering a destination wedding, I would tell them to DO IT!!!! (of course, I don’t have to tell you ladies that!) Never in a million years could I have asked for anything more beautiful or perfect. Eddie already wants to reserve Caletas for February 14th, 2012 for a renewal of vows on our 5th anniversary….LOL, he’s so cute! Anyway, I may have missed some things, or left out some details that you were wanting to know, so please just ask, I will answer as much as I possibly can! Lindsay PS: Sorry about all the posts, thought it would be a bit easier to read!

Photographer Roberto Aceves was our photographer, and he is such a nice man!!! We had such a blast working with him, and he got a lot of really good photos! We were very impressed! Our budget only allowed for the smallest package offered through Vallarta Adventures – which was supposed to be 25 prints and 100 negatives on CD, but Roberto ended up giving us 75 prints and 356 on CD – at no extra charge!!!! We gave him one of our chocolate bar favours and we ended up tipping him $500 pesos when he dropped off our pictures. He was very touched when we gave him a tip, he was almost in tears. He was so great to work with! He is going to be publishing our pictures and story in a local English newspaper in Puerto Vallarta. He said it would probably be in the paper in about another week or so. Once it is in, he is going to mail us a few copies!! We were excited about that! Food While we were having pictures done, appetizers and cocktails were served to our guests. I can’t say how good or bad the appetizers were, because we never got the chance to try them, we were too busy getting photos done! I think a few people were really enjoying them, however, from what I heard from my brother. Dinner was great!!! The food was so good! I had several people say to me after the wedding that it was one of the best meals they had while in PV. There was steak, chicken, fish, pasta, salads, guacamole, potatoes, vegetables, and so much more I can’t remember right now! Dinner is buffet-style, but Nicole did say that if we wanted, she would get her staff to serve Ed and I… we just chose to go through the buffet line, because it wasn’t a big deal to us, and I can be picky! The desserts were pretty good too, I never had any dessert (see: Cake) but I have had the desserts at Las Caletas before, and in general, they are good. Bartenders/Wait Staff Everyone was so great, very friendly and helpful. Cake OMG!!!! This was THE best cake I have ever had in my entire life I think!!!! (even when it was smashed up my nose!) We had the white cake, decorated with the fresh flowers, and honestly, it was soooo delicious! We had a ton of it left, which Nicole put into containers for us to take home, BUT, unfortunately, my cousin was carrying them by the lid of the container, and not the bottom part, and they both went splat onto the ground after we got off the boat. I almost cried, it was so good, but I figured we didn’t need the extra calories anyway….’sigh. I’m glad I had a piece of it before we left! We weren’t going to get a cake originally, but then we decided that a wedding wouldn’t be a wedding without a cake!!!!! Dance We brought our Ipod loaded with songs for our dance, as we decided against hiring the DJ. There just weren’t that many dancers in our group, so we didn’t feel the need to have a DJ. We had a wide variety of songs, plus the cruise director ended up playing a bunch of music from his CD’s, so we were fine. Everything went well and people spent most of the time socializing and taking it all in. I didn’t want the evening to end, it seems as though we were just having our first dance, and then it was time to go home! I can’t believe how fast it goes by! I wish we would have considered extending our time there, by at least 1 more hour, it would have been nice to have at least a little more time at Caletas. I would recommend it, because it is too late once you are already there! Fire Dancers The fire dancers were well worth the money. The show was soooo cool! Everyone thought my dress was going to go up in flames, but it was fine, no problems! I really enjoyed the show, and wish they could have performed even longer! It definitely gave that last “WOW†moment, I think our guests were blown away by it! We even managed to get a video of the entire fire dancers show! It was cool! Nicole All I can say is wow, that girl is organized!!! I wish I had her job, it would be so awesome. She was so great and so helpful with everything throughout the entire planning process. She did an amazing job, and there is no way that we could ever thank her enough for making all of our dreams come true. Everything was absolutely beautiful and perfect, everyone had an amazing time, and they will be talking about our wedding for years to come and it is all because of all the hard work she did planning and organizing everything for our special day.

Ceremony We all walked down together, left our shoes at a bench half way down the hill and walked the rest of the way barefoot. The ceremony site was absolutely breathtaking. It is exactly how it looked in the pictures. It was just so weird to see it there, in real life, with all of our guests waiting for me to walk down the aisle. At the top of the last set of stairs to go down to the beach, Nicole straightened my train, and off we went. They had some little glass candleholders down each step on the way down and my train caught the first couple and they smashed, it was kind of funny, on the video, my grand entrance is accompanied with smashing glass! All I could focus on was Eddie, I just held onto my dad’s arm and looked at Ed and did my best not to cry, he looked so handsome and was just beaming, I’ll never forget watching him watch me walk down the aisle. It was such a beautiful moment. Our ceremony was fairly short, but was beautiful and there were a lot of criers (I did my best not to bawl through the whole thing, and did pretty darn good!) (We are a sappy bunch) We had the sand ceremony, complete with the sand getting stuck in the makeshift funnel-leaf and me dumping the sand all over the table!! We also had the hand blessing, which I think is just beautiful as well. It was just a lovely ceremony. It was really windy on the beach that day, so the wind kept catching in the mike, so it was kind of difficult for the guests to hear, but I think it was ok, for the most part. Our officiant was Lucie Aubert. (It was supposed to have been Tamara Bradley, but she was very ill the day of, and Lucy had to fill in for her, and she did a great job for having to do it at the last minute! Oh yes, I wanted to make a special mention about our palm archway, as some folks were commenting on how it was such a cool idea…we didn’t ask for the arch or order it or pay anything extra for it, it is just part of the basic package…some folks do the bamboo chuppa etc, but we just wanted beach, so the palm arch was a bonus!!!!!

Ok, here's the last parts of my review: Thanks for all your comments everyone! I'm glad you enjoy the pics! Group Boat Ride Because our hotel was 1 hour away from Nuevo Vallarta, where everyone would need to catch the boat, Nicole was able to arrange for a bus to pick up our group at our hotel, and bring everyone to the Vallarta Adventures office. The bus was on time, and everything went well with that. The boat was a little late returning to Nuevo Vallarta from Puerto Vallarta, so they were late leaving for Caletas. I’m not sure if it was because it was rough, or why, but the group ended up being about ½ an hour late, maybe not that much late. The boat ride was good, a little rough and a little wet for some folks (don’t sit at the front of the boat!) but everyone made out ok. The crew on the boat was great, Eddie got to drive the boat (only for a couple of minutes to take a picture though!) and the service was great! Once the group arrived at Las Caletas, the guys had to make a mad dash for the area where they were to get changed, and the photographer ran up the hill to take some pictures of the girls and I up at the suite. The next thing I knew, my dad came back up to the suite to walk us all down the hill to the beach for the ceremony!!!

Ann, we thought the fire dancers were worth it, mainly because we don't have a lot of dancers in our group, so it was nice to have something to break up the evening a bit. We did our first dance, then the father-daughter dance, and then we had the fire dancers come in and do their show (about a 20 minute show) and then we had more music and dancing and socializing after that. It was just right for us. We also didn't have any other entertainment (mariachi or trio or even a dj) so this just added that extra special touch! I will get my Hubby to try to post the video we have of the fire dancers on the net somewhere so you can get an idea of what the show is like! I will post a link once he gets it on there! Lindsay

Early Departure to Caletas The morning of the wedding started out really early for us. Our hotel was a 1 hour drive away from the Vallarta Adventures offices (and there is a 1 hour time difference), so we had to leave our hotel at 5:45am to get to Vallarta Adventures by 9:00am. We made it there with no troubles, and went and got our boarding passes for the trip to Caletas. The 7 of us boarded the boat in Nuevo Vallarta, shortly after 9 and we were off to Puerto Vallarta to pick up more passengers. With us, we had my dress, the bridesmaid’s dresses, the grooms and groomsmen’s clothes, and my parents clothes for the wedding. They have a closet on board the boat where you can store your dresses so they don’t get wet (or blow away!) I told the girls that they would be able to shower and get ready at Caletas once we arrived, so we all just rolled out of bed into our swimsuits and stayed that way all day! No one bothered with hair or anything really. Everyone on the boat: The boat ride is 1 hour long, and during the day the boat crew puts on a little show for you and they have coffee, juice and water and fruit and pastries on board. Once we arrived at Las Caletas, Nicole took us all directly up to the bridal suite again so we could store our stuff. It is very safe up there and we left our bags up there all day with no problems. Once we got up to the suite the girls were blown away. They couldn’t believe how beautiful and what a perfect atmosphere for the bridal party to get ready in. The Jacuzzi was finished and ready for us to use! My MOH and my dad and I went down to the bar to get some drinks and a fruit plate for everyone, while my other bridesmaid ironed the guy’s clothes. My mom and my aunt hung out up at the suite relaxing. I should also mention that there is a small fridge up in the suite which is stocked with bottled water, so that was a nice touch as well. The Bridal Suite: Bathroom Sink: Bed: Sitting Area: Jacuzzi! The Dual Shower: Shortly after we arrived at the suite, Nicole came up with our flowers. They were absolutely breathtaking! I had no idea what they would look like, all I said was that I wanted tropical flowers, so when they came up, I had no idea what to expect…they did a great job! Flowers: My Bouquet: Bridesmaid Bouquets: Centrepiece: Mother's Corsages: We all stayed up in the bridal suite, tucked away, enjoying the breeze and the sounds of the jungle, until it was time to head down for lunch. Lunch was delicious and included chicken, ribs, salads, pasta, paella, and a huge assortment of desserts. After lunch we wandered down the beach and watched the sea lion playing in the ocean, then headed over to where the ceremony would be so that my mom and aunt could see where it would be set up. After that, we headed back up to the suite and filled the Jacuzzi and the four of us sat in there relaxing for about an hour. (We actually started filling the Jacuzzi before lunch, then it ran out of hot water, so we shut it off and then finished filling it up after lunch. Talk about being in a dream! We were all sitting in/around the Jacuzzi and all these butterflies were flying around all over the place, it was absolutely beautiful! It was so perfect! After the Jacuzzi, we took turns showering and then my aunt did my hair, each of the girls did their own hair and makeup, and they looked great! I did my own makeup as well. There are lots of plugins by the mirrors, so you can bring your blow dryer, curling iron, etc, it should be no problem. Soon it was time to get into my dress! Once we were all dressed, we took a few pics around the suite and the Jacuzzi and we had the champagne that was left for us up in the bridal suite….then we had nothing to do, but watch and wait for the boat to arrive. Ok, that's all for tonight, I will post the rest of the review tomorrow!!! Nite ladies! Lindsay

Ok, here is my review! Sorry it has taken me so long to write it, I have been trying to remember all of the details, I didn’t want to miss anything! I think I’m going to break it up into sections and post each section bit by bit….with some pics! Site Inspection Eddie and I went for our site inspection on Monday, February 12th. We really didn’t have to “inspect†much of anything, as we pretty much knew what would go on and where things would take place, as we have been to Caletas before, but it was nice to have a free trip out to Caletas to relax and enjoy a beautiful hot day!!! It was also nice to meet Nicole (finally!) and go over things and finalize all the little details for the day. Upon our arrival at Las Caletas, Nicole took us directly up to the Bridal Suite to show us where we would be getting ready. It is beautiful!!! (more to come on that later!). After that, we walked down the path that the bridesmaids and I would be taking to get down to the ceremony. Make sure you bring comfy sandals or FLAT shoes, not heels, as there are a lot of stairs and it is tricky to walk down, especially in your dress! Nicole showed us the area where the guys would be getting ready for the ceremony (which is right above the restaurant where you have dinner) and then she showed us where the ceremony would be and where everything would be set up. After that, we sat down in the bar/restaurant area and went over the last minute details and gave her all of our “stuff†that she would be setting up for us on the day of the wedding. We chose our seating plan at that time, and I explained how I wanted the favours at each place, and gave her our guest book/signature mat, etc. She gave us a final timeline of the day and asked if we had any other special last minute requests and then that was it. Our meeting with her took all of 45 minutes! After that, we were free to explore Las Caletas, look for photo locations, enjoy the beach, snorkel, kayak, etc. Lunch was included and we had a beautiful table right on the ocean. After lunch there wasn’t much time left, and the bell rings for everyone to head back to the boat for the ride home to PV….it was a beautiful, calm day on the ocean and we both really enjoyed the day. It was nice to get away from everyone (in top secret!) to finalize everything! The restaurant area where your dinner will take place:

Quote: Originally Posted by akh Not silly - I want one too! That's a good question - I am going to ask my WC. I want something to say where we had our ceremony, since that will be the date we celebrate as our wedding date. Ann, you do get a marriage certificate for your Las Caletas wedding! It says you were married on such and such date, but then at the bottom in small print, it says something about not legally binding, etc... Lindsay

Wow, Lenita, your pictures are absolutely stunning!!! Congrats and welcome back!!!! Lindsay

Hi Marla; Ali did a fabulous job of answering your questions!. We did not hire the videographer, but we did have someone from our group taping everything that went on, including the bus ride, boat ride, ceremony, dinner, dances, fire dancers, etc. We got some really good video!!! We bought a video camera last summer specifically for our wedding! As for the washrooms, they have washrooms close by the reception site, and I did have to go once, so my husband came up with me and lifted up all the parts of my skirt so I could hold on to them, and I managed just fine! Nicole said it is pitch black up at the bridal suite after dark, so they don't want anyone going up there, so we did the same thing as Ali's group did, left all our bags packed up and on the couch in the suite, and her staff brought them down for us later on, it was just fine! Hope that helps! Lindsay

We couldn't decide between the sand ceremony and the Hand Blessing, so we did both!!!!! I will post a copy of our entire ceremony, so you can see how the whole thing fit together. Thanks for the comments on my dress, I love that dress so much! I didn't think I wanted a train either, until I tried it on, then it didn't matter if it would get dirty or anything, it was the perfect dress! It did get a bit dirty from the sand, etc...I have to have it dry cleaned before our reception at home in June, but it's not as dirty as I thought it would be!!! It didn't really matter to me if it got dirty or not, I really will only wear it once (ok, twice), it was the dress of my dreams, and I wanted pictures of us in the ocean, in the sand, etc.! Here is the copy of our ceremony: Lindsay & Eddie - Ceremony.doc

Hi Marla, No, we didn't take any pics before the ceremony, just after the ceremony. The sun set about 7pm on February 14th, so if your wedding is in March, I imagine the sun won't set until maybe almost 8 - depending when in March your wedding is! We have tons more pics that were taken before the sun went down, so we did manage to get a lot of nice ones in the day light, and the boat was even late arriving before the ceremony, and we still got them all! I'm currently working on my review of everything and will post it soon with lots more pics!!!!! Lindsay

Quote: Originally Posted by MarlaB What's the sand thingy The sand ceremony is similar to the unity candle, but uses different colors of sand instead. Here is the wording from our sand ceremony: "Sand Ceremony Lindsay and Edward, may your love always be as constant as the never-ending waves, flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea. Just as there will never be a morning without the ocean's flow, may there never be a day without your love for each other. As you hold your sand the separate containers of sand represent your lives to this moment; individual and unique. The strength of your marriage depends on each of you as individuals, but more importantly on how you will work together and support each other. Build your marriage on each of your strengths, coming together to complement each other. As you now combine your sand together, your lives also join together as one. You may now blend the sand together symbolizing the uniting of the bride and groom into one. The life that each of you have experienced until now, individually, will hereafter be inseparably united, for the two shall become one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be." Officiant - pours sand as foundation of marriage [Officiant picks up blue sand and gives it to groom] This represents you, Ed: all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be. [Ed pours some sand into vase] [Officiant picks up white sand and gives it to bride] This represents you, Lindsay: all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be. [Lindsay pours some sand into vase] Lindsay & Ed - pour sand together to symbolize your lives coming together and your future [Officiant holds up her vase - sand from the beach we're on] Today on this sand you have committed to share the rest of your lives with each other. You have sealed your promises in the presence of witnesses, family and friends. You are no longer two but one, never to be separated from each other. [Officiant pours rest of sand into vase]" Hope this helps! Lindsay

Ok, bear with me, this isn't my review YET, but I am copying this into a post so that all the Caletas girls can read it to get a better understanding of how the day went etc. This is from an email that my mom wrote to her friend in Toronto about the day of the wedding etc. Thought someone might want to read it! Sorry it's so long! "Lindsay and Ed definately had the fairy tale wedding of their dreams! It was like something you would see in a travel brochure! It was more beautiful than you could ever imagine! The days leading up to wedding day were hectic and filled with questions and anticipation from the other guests. Only Glenn, Sheri, Lindsay & Ed, and Ed’s parents knew the details. On Tuesday February 13th the Bridesmaids, Sharon & Bill, Ryan, and Auntie Ruby (Hairdresser for the bride) had lunch together and then gathered on the beach to discuss what would be taking place the next day. Seven of us would be picked up by a cab (Glenn, Sheri, Lindsay, Ciara, Kim, Kiley & Ruby) at 5:30 am on February 14th. We would be arriving at the wedding location (which still was not divulged) around 10:30 am and get to spend the day there relaxing, getting ready and just enjoying the day. The other guests would arrive later in the day. Tuesday at 7:30 a meeting was called with the remaining wedding guests - everyone met in the lobby area where Lindsay and Ed handed out a "Message in a bottle" to each room. These were little glass heart shaped corked bottles which were in a pink organza draw string bag that also had cinnamon & conversations hearts in. Inside the glass bottles were tiny sea shells and sand, plus a scroll rolled up and tied with twine. The message read "Please be dressed ready to attend the wedding and meet in the lobby at 1:15 pm on Wednesday February 14th. A bus will arrive to pick you up at 1:30 and you will be given further information at that time. The wedding is being held off-sight, and you will not be returning to the resort until sometime after midnight, so please make sure you have everything you need for the wedding and the day. (medications, a light sweater or jacket, cameras, beach footwear, etc)." That was all anyone was told. They were all so mad, and just dying of curiosity! It was pretty funny to see all of their questioning faces. (my friend Lori Taylor stood up and said “That’s all you’re telling us, I am not even part of the family and it is driving me crazy!†Is was pretty funny!) It was so much fun keeping all of this a secret from everyone. Later that evening, Sharon, Bill, & Ryan were made privy to the location of the wedding as each had a job to do after the 7 of us were gone. We felt very funny sneaking away from the hotel at 5:30 am in the dark while everyone slept and were none the wiser! It was neat! Bill's job was to work the video camera for the wedding. We just told Ryan the details because he was a little “bent out of shape†about not being confided in. He never even told Ciara he knew about it before she did! Sharon was given a letter from Lindsay and Ed, to read to everyone when they got on the bus and at that time they would then know where they were going. This is the letter. (She couldn't make it through without tears however – I guess she had to stop a few times). "Welcome to “Our Wedding Celebration†Finally the plans we have kept a secret for more than a year can be shared. (well, some of them!) Mom & Dad first happened upon the location we are taking you, on their 25th Anniversary and couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful & magical it was. So in 2005 on our trip to Puerto Vallarta, Eddie and I just had to see it for ourselves. We visited the location on two different occasions, once during the day and again for sunset and the evening. We were hooked. It is perhaps the most serene, beautiful, breathtaking place on earth! When we got engaged and wedding plans were being discussed, and since a trip to PV was already in the works, we knew that somehow, someway we had to make this our “Dream Wedding†destination. With the help of a few people, the resourcefulness of the internet, much planning and the kind generosity of Ed’s parents, we are able share our dream with all of you! We are so grateful that so many of our family and friends believed in us and gave us your support by coming along to “share our dayâ€. You begin the journey on this bus, which will take you to Nuevo Vallarta marina. There, an employee of Vallarta Adventures will direct you on board a catamaran. You will enjoy an open bar during the ride to our destination. (HINT – The Rum punch is to die for!!!!!) But please pace yourselves, as there will be cocktails upon your arrival, the wedding ceremony and a long evening to follow, none of which you will want to miss! For anyone anxious or nauseous on the water, Auntie Sharon has been given a supply of gravol to distribute if you need it. (just don’t fall asleep and miss the boat!) So please be our guests, sit back, enjoy the scenery and sights along the way – breath in the tropical/ocean air and help us make our Dream Come True – at long last! “Let your life be measured not by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away!†We hope for you as well, this may be one of them! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for joining us! Love Lindsay and Eddie (soon to be the new Mr. & Mrs. Ed Gatzke) " Turned out that Bill got very sick in the night, (fever, sore throat and cough) and while I was showering at 4:30 am, Sharon came knocking on our door to say she didn’t think that she and Bill were going to be able to make the wedding, and what should she do about the video camera and the letter she was supposed to read? So I said for her to give the video camera to one of the other fellows and perhaps Melissa would read the letter. Turned out Bill’s fever broke later in the morning, so he was o.k. to stay back by himself and Sharon was able to come. It was sad that Uncie Bill had to miss is, but these things can’t be helped! (by the time we got back at 1:30 am he was feeling better Lindsay went to their room to show him her wedding dress and flowers, etc.) When we crept away at 5:30 am, Glenn’s Auntie Ruby snuck out of her adjoining room with Shirley & Della, and left a note under their door saying she had gone with us and would see them later. I guess Glenn’s mom was just livid because she was not “in the know†and now Ruby was not there to do her hair for her before the wedding! It was actually pretty funny! Even people around the resort we spoke with later, said Shirley was just fuming! They all told her to suck it up and get over it! Anyway the wedding was held at Las Caletas, and Lindsay’s wedding planner was hired through Vallarata Adventures. Her name was Nicole and she did an absolutely fabulous job! We got to spend the day at the bridal suite overlooking the beach and ocean. Nicole did all the running around and wouldn’t let any of us lift a finger. She was on the go the entire day. It was a beautiful relaxing day for us. We had an excellent buffet lunch, open bar, champagne in the suite. It had walls and walls of big floor length mirrors, a big bathroom with two showers, a big closet to hang clothes in, and large sectional couch and even a king size bed and a small fridge. Out back was a Jacuzzi that had just been installed two days prior, so Lindsay and the girls were the first ones to be able to enjoy it. The area is a jungle, accessible only by the ocean and the only electricity is by the bar for the sound system and up in the bridal suite. The rest of the island is lit by torches and candles. During the day the jungle sounds are just deafening. Ciara was hoping they would put the parrots to bed before the wedding, as they were quite disruptive! At night – all was quiet! The winds picked up during the afternoon, and by the time the other guests were to be leaving the marina the ocean was quite rough. The catamaran was late picking them up in Nuevo, and it was an anxious time watching out on the ocean from our bird’s eye view, waiting for them to all arrive. They were about ½ hr late, so things were rushed, and couldn’t follow the plan due to the diminishing light. The photographer was getting a little anxious to get some pictures taken before daylight was gone! (understandably). So the guests were led down the beach – had a quick moment to run to the washroom – a couple of them were not feeling too well due to the roughness of the ocean, and some of them were slightly damp from the spray! Then they were asked to be seated so the ceremony could begin! (The original plan was to have them arrive, sign the guest book, pick up a little thing of bubbles that Lindsay had put verses on and decorated, and have time for a cocktail and appetizers, but that just couldn’t happen! It was unfortunate, but not a big deal!) The wedding took place on the beach, straw mats formed a walkway from a massive rock stairway above the beach, to where the chairs were placed. They all had white chair covers on them. At the front was a table with the ring shell pillow on and the containers for their sand ceremony, as well as a beautiful bouquet of tropical flowers. Behind the table was an archway made of two palm fronds! It was breathtaking – like something out of a picture book. The photos don’t even do it justice, you just had to be there! Then it was time to begin. Ed’s brother came down the stairs, then Ed, (Eddie wore a white Traditional Mexican wedding shirt and a pair of white cotton pants – all were in bare feet) and then Ryan escorted me down the staircase. Then came Kiley, Ciara and lastly Kim. The girls looked so pretty in their brightly colored dresses with their tropical bouquets. Ciara did a fabulous job on the dresses and they all looked so cute! Then while all eyes were on the stairway, I had my camera focused on Eddie – I wanted to capture the look on his face when he saw Linds in her wedding dress for the first tme. He had tears, but truly a look of peace, love & happiness on his face! Lindsay was just glowing, and Glenn was in tears as well! It was a hard day for dear old dad! (and ma!!) Being not just the “partial†mom, I have to say, I have never seen Lindsay look more beautiful. She looked so happy and relaxed and was just “radiatingâ€. Truly the glowing bride! Both of them looked so happy and all during the ceremony – you could tell that this was definitely genuine love – you could just tell by the glances passing between them, it was like there was only the two of them there on the beach with the officiant and nothing else mattered. It was really beautiful. One little faux pas, which I saw about to happen even before it did, was, they had candles in glass holders on both sides of the staircase coming down to the beach, and they were lit after dark, but I knew the train of her dress was going to knock them. I should have moved them before, but everything happened so quickly that I didn’t have a chance. So when she and Glenn started down the stairs, her train caught the first holder and it smashed down the stairs. I think she broke two of them, but someone came to her aid and moved them and cleaned up the glass (all in bare feet) so it wasn’t too big of a disaster! The ceremony was fairly short, followed by their sand ceremony (similar to a unity candle, but with different colored sand) and then they walked back down the “aisle†to Smashmouth’s “I’m a beliver†(from Shrek). It was too cute! The photographer captured such a cute picture of them at this point! Then there were millions of pictures and the drinks and appetizers were brought out. A buffet supper was served, cutting of the cake (which they proceeded to smash all over each other’s faces – Lindsay started it – we have proof on the video camera), then some toasts and everyone was asked to head back down on the beach. The wedding set up had all been cleared away and a big bonfire lit and a dance floor set up with candles all around the outside of it. Their first dance was “From this moment†and then Lindsay and Glenn danced to “Butterfly kissesâ€. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place after that song! A few people danced and then Lindsay and Ed had one more surprise for everyone. They had hired the Las Caletas Fire dancers and they put on about a 15 minute show. They had Lindsay and Ed stand off to the front of the dance floor and several times during their show, they took the firesticks and twirled them around and on either side of them, kind of ceremonious-like. Mom was afraid they were going to catch Lindsay’s dress on fire! Lindsay said it was warm, but they weren’t that close. I think they knew what they were doing! Then a few more dances and sadly it was time to head back to the boat. The wind had let up a little, but the ocean was still very rough. They recommended everyone take gravol or Dramamine prior to boarding. Kim and Jason’s friend Frank didn’t do to well. Ciara wasn’t feeling too well either, and the rest of us were a little “nervous†as it was very rough, but we made it back to dry land safe and sound. The remaining wedding cake however was not so fortunate. Jason was carrying it, and holding it by the top of the plastic container and when he got off the boat onto the pier, the bottom fell off the container and the cake splatted all over the pier. He felt so terrible, and was afraid he had upset Lindsay. She really didn’t think much about it but the next day we had to make amends, as Jason and Brenda were feeling so badly! Glenn and Lindsay and I all went and talked to them and said it really wasn’t that big a deal. It was just cake (good cake and cost Lindsay & Ed $100, but still – why get upset!!!) Unfortunately they (Brenda & Jason) fretted about it all night! Stuff happens, no sense in getting upset over it! Geeze guys, don’t sweat the small stuff! Once off the boat we still had an hour bus ride back to Guayabitos. It was a quiet ride, I think most people dozed off. It was a beautiful day, went by in a blurr, but the memory of it will live in all of us forever! I still get choked up and teary thinking about it! One comment I heard from someone was “this is one wedding I will never ever forget!†" Lindsay

Quote: Originally Posted by Caletas_bridetobe The biggest thing to me is the privacy. Because we are choosing the intimate ceremony and its almost like having strangers attend your wedding and competing over the noise of the Rythyms of the Night show. So I am struggling with that. Just wanted to mention, that even though you are having an intimate wedding while the Rythms of the Night show is going on, it does not mean that you will be competing with the noise from the Rhythms of the Night...even the Deluxe package weddings still have visitors on Rhythms of the Night tour, and they still do the show. We never heard a single thing the night of our wedding, and the show is LOUD! We never knew anyone else was there. My understanding from reading about previous weddings that were held there that were intimate packages, was that your dinner area would be private, but for example, the buffet line may be shared with other guests that are on the Rhythms of the Night tour, but your ceremony and dinner area would most definitely be private, and if you have your ceremony on the beach with the ocean, you won't hear a thing from the Rhythms of the Night show! Lindsay

We had the hand blessing as part of our ceremony...this is the text of it: " Hand Blessing Lindsay and Edward, can you please face each other, hold each others hand, and see how important these hands are to the both of you. These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch." I think it is really beautiful, and added a nice touch to our ceremony. We also did the sand ceremony. Lindsay

Ann, the bridal suite is fabulous!!! I have pics on my camera or maybe they are on my dad's camera, but it is beautiful! I will post pics as soon as I get a chance, we have so many! We went over early, on the 9am boat, and we went directly up to the bridal suite, then we all just kind of hung around up there relaxing, we ironed the GM shirts and shorts and Ed's pants and shirt, then we went down for lunch. After lunch we explored a little bit, and walked down the beach and I showed the girls where the ceremony would be taking place and did a run through of what was going to happen. After that we went back up to the suite and all sat in the jacuzzi for about an hour, then we showered and it was time to do hair and makeup! Before we knew it we were all dressed and waiting for the boat/photographer to arrive! The day flew by, I definitely recommend going early, as the boat was late arriving with everyone and they really had to rush so that we could have our ceremony before sunset. (more on that in my review later) The day was perfect, it went by far too fast, and we wish we could do it all over again! I will work on my review a bit more in the next couple of days and post it hopefully later this week!!!! I have so many things to talk about, I don't want to miss anything! THe girl in the last pic with us is Nicole - she is great! I can't believe how organized she is, she did an awesome job (more on that later too!) Anyway, time to hit the hay - I don't want to go back to work tomorrow!!!! It's going to be rough after 3 weeks away!!!!!! Nite ladies! Lindsay

Ok, here goes, hopefully these will work.... These are just a couple of quick pics..I am working on getting them on to a website so you can just go to see them all, but here are a few teaser's for now! Wow those are huge! How do I resize them Lindsay

The heat at Las Caletas isn't too bad, or at least we didn't find it to be too bad by the time the ceremony was to start. The humidity depends on what time of year you are getting married. If you are having your wedding in the rainy season (May-November) the humidity will be very very high. I was in PV in September one year and we could hardly stand the humidity. There isn't a salon at Caletas, I believe if you hire the hair stylist they travel to Caletas and will do your hair in the bridal suite. I have short hair and my aunt is a retired hair dresser, so we brought her with us to Caletas earlier in the day and she curled my hair for me. My bridesmaids all wore their hair down and they didn't say it was too hot or anything...it was quite windy the day of our wedding though, so that may have helped. I think if you wore your hair half up half down, it would be ok heat-wise, you shouldn't get too hot! No, there isn't any air conditioning at Caletas, there is barely electricity, I think they use generators or something, and Nicole said they only just got electricity into the bridal suite about 8 months ago. At night the entire place is lit by torches and candles, there is no electrical lighting at all! Anyway, that's all for now, talk to you ladies soon! Lindsay

Hey ladies! Oops hit send too soon. Well we got home today and I'm sleepy but thought I'd reply to a few of your questions right away. Our boat ride over in the morning was very nice and calm, not too rough. Apparantly the ride over for all of our guests was a little bit rougher. We had one guest with us that gets motion sickness very easily and he had his drugs with him and he was fine the whole way. The trip home was a different story. The boat ride was extremely rough and one person (a BM) got sick. I don't think she took gravol in time for it to take effect, but she was sick for the ride home. It was rough, but the crew on the boat did the best they could to make everyone comfortable. They do offer dremamine on the boat free of charge, and are very helpful if you do get sick. The boat ride home was the only bad thing about the entire day (and it wasn't even that bad for most of us!) other than that it was perfect!!! We had the fire dancers and it was AMAZING...a really cool show, everyone was freaking out thinking my dress was going to go up in flames, but it was fine and they were great, very entertaining. We had someone do a video of the fire dancers and hopefully I can figure out how we might be able to post it somewhere on the net and you can all see it. Our photographer was great. We had Roberto Aceves, and he did an awesome job. We are really happy with the pictures. We got the smallest package which was supposed to be only 25 prints and 100 negatives on CD, but he ended up giving us 75 prints and 356 negatives!!! So, needless to say, I have a million photos to go through with all of our guests pics as well. I will try to get them up on a website this week so you can all have a look! If any one has any questions, feel free to ask...I will try to answer them as best as I can.... The day went by so fast, I can't believe it. It felt like we just arrived and then it was time to go home already! We did not have a DJ or mariachi band or any type of music, we brought our IPOD and that worked quite well for what we needed it for. They have a staff memeber (your cruise director) that will play the music for you for the ceremony and reception. He ended up playing mostly off his collection of CD's for the night, which was fine with us, the music wasn't that important to us, we didn't have too many dancers in our group, everyone was mostly socializing. I am kind of glad that we didn't have a mariachi band. They had one come to the fiesta night at the hotel we were staying at and boy are they loud!!!! Everyone left right away when they started playing. The mariachi would be ok for the ceremony and maybe the cocktail hour, but I don't think I'd want it during dinner, you wouldn't really be able to socialize much. I don't think it would have been worth the money, for us anyway. Of course, that is just my opinion! During dinner the cruise director/dj played nice dinner music, and it was great. WE ended up tipping him at the end of the night, since we didn't pay for a dj, and he ended up being our dj! Oh yeah, the bridal suite is so amazing and beautiful!!!! We got to be the first ones to use the jacuzzi out back!!! They finished it on Monday and we used it Wednesday!!!! My three BM's and I all sat in it for an hour or so after lunch and just relaxed. It was great! Hmm that's all I can think of for now, I will work on more of a review, or, better yet, if you have any questions, just ask and I'll answer them as best as I can! Lindsay

Hi ladies!!! Well I´m a Mrs!!!!! Our day was absolutely perfect and everything was AMAZING!!! Just checking my email quickly...we are here for 2 more weeks so I won´t be able to post pics until we are home but just wanted to let you know our day couldn´t have been more perfect!!!! Talk to you all soon! Lindsay

Marisa; Who did your ceremony?? Tamara is doing ours for us...did you end up giving a tip or anything to her? I still don't know what to do - thought I'd ask! We leave tomorrow night for PV!! I'm SO excited! We meet with Nicole on Monday morning bright and early for our site inspection! yay! Lindsay

Haha - Ann, we posted at the same time! You beat me to it though!!!!

As a Las Caletas bride myself - I say GO FOR IT!!!!!! I am SO happy that we chose Las Caletas, and the WC, Nicole (who also posts on here sometimes) is just awesome to work with - she has been wonderful throughout our entire planning process!!!! There will be a Las Caletas bride home this weekend sometime - Marfa75 is her username I think (Marisa) and she will have some new pics for us...then it's my turn! We leave next Friday, get married on Valentine's day, then we are home March 3rd - so I'll post pics then!!!! If you have any questions about Caletas or anything, feel free to ask, there is tons of help and info, and there are quite a few Caletas brides on here! Lindsay

We leave Feb 9th - so I still have 7 days of work left...ugh, it's killing me, I have so much I could be doing at home, and I definitely can't concentrate on work! (But I have so much work to do at work too!!) Next week is going to be a write off for sure!!!! Lindsay