lbberger

you need to check with your airline about bringing the dogs back from mexico...there might be a quarantine ...this might be more stressful for the dogs than being in a kennel or getting a pet sitter. you should look at renting a house or apartment for your guests with dogs... good luck

it was windy...i had initially wanted to wear my hair down, but because of the wind i wore it half up. i didn't wear a veil, so i don't know how that would have been in the wind. we had pashminas available for whoever was cold. it wasn't way too windy, but it was definately noticeable...this was in march, so maybe it's better more into the summer. good luck!

hi! they dressed very professional, i think they were all in back and white...nothing flashy, but nice. the lead singer wore a long black dress. you can see their song list on their website, listed in my earlier review. i also had a list of songs that wasn't on their list that i wanted played and they knew a lot of the songs. they really made the night, and i was surprised that they were so good.

i'm glad my review is helpful! the band did play cd's during their break and they did a great job mc'ing the party...cutting of th cake, toasts, et. i got lots of comments on how great they were. they have a good website too so check it out. i would definately do them over a dj if it s in your budget. they have a huge songlist! i met with the main guy a few days before the wedding to go over the specifics. good luck!

hi! i don't have the contact info for la europea, but your wedding coordinator should. i is a huge liquor sore with discount prices so most peple in cancun know about it i think. ask some other vendors if your wedding coordinator doesn't know.

there is also a costco really close to the walmart

hi! i made my receipts on the computer. just make up a company...i had everything from that one company and totally reduced the prices. keep the receipts on you, not in the bag. i had things separated so that there were "$300" in each person's bag, and i had a receipt for each bag. they put my bags through the scanner, but did not go through them because i had receipts. really they are just concerned about bringing in items that you will resell. the customs there is a system where you press a button, green light you are good...red light you get checked. i was questioned before i even pushed the button. could have been because we had so much luggage. you can also have some friends and family bring some stuff for you. they were really nice though, i wouldn't be too worried, just have receipts in case. i am not sure about the amount being $300...i read that someone on this website that someone had posted. good luck!

hi! i am planning on posting something about my bridesmaid dresses...they were beautiful and pefect for a beach wedding! jcrew has these embossed beach dresses that come in lots of colors (i used a hot pink) and in 3 different styles-halter, strapless and another one...they are so cute! i let my bridesmaids pick which one looked best on them. they were $98, some are on sale now. the girls loved them and wil wear them again. they looked great in the pictures and fit all the body types. here is a link to the jcrew dresses: J.Crew > women's > shop by category > dresses good luck!

at least 4 of my wedding guests got pulled over in the hotel zone. apparently the cops pull over who ever they want. they say they are going to take your driver's license and you have to go to the police station to pay fine and get your license back...this is a total scam!! all of the people pulled over knew, because we warned them, that you put separate money in your wallet, $25-50 and you offer the cop the cash and say you don't have time to go to the station, can you just pay the fine now. don't keep all your money in your wallet or they will take it. just have the amount you are willing to part with in your wallet. i have never experienced it so bad, i heard other tourists talking about it at the airport as well. maybe because it was around spring break the cops just want to make lots of $$. bummer because it doesn't make you feel very welcome there. best idea is to not rent a car, just take taxis and the local bus. my brother got pulled over for talking on his phone, another car for not wearing seat belts, and several other cars for 'speeding'...there are several speed traps where the cops are standing on the side of the road pulling people over. just thought i would share our experience...

My wedding at the marriott casa magna in march was awesome! I wanted to offer my experience in the hopes it might help some upcoming cancun brides. We had 120 guests. If you contact any of these vendors, please tell them that Lauren recommended them, that they did my march 8 wedding. Marriott casa magna: It was a beautiful hotel…the guests were very happy with our choice (comfy beds, soft towels, et). We got married at the gazebo then moved to an outdoor area for cocktails and dinner, then moved again into an indoor ballroom for deserts and dancing. The food and service were great! The hotel distributed our gift bags as people arrived at no charge. We had 2 other brunches at the hotel and were really pleased with both. The event coordinator who arranges the wedding dates, the wedding contract, and guest rates is josefina luna: [email protected] Our wedding coordinator was frank, he was awesome! [email protected] Early arrival dinner: There is a great restaurant across from the Marriott called the shrimp bucket…it is really good food at a reasonable price (and you can walk from the Marriott). The have all you can eat seafood and beer Thursday nights for $25 a person (there are other options for non seafood people). Our guests LOVED this dinner! We had the whole patio to ourselves and it was a blast. Great place to recommend to your guests and could be fun for a rehearsal dinner. We had about 80 that night. The contact there is: Jordy Mora Brandt [email protected] Rehearsal dinner: Our rehearsal dinner was at the hacienda sisal restaurant. It was in their larger room, buffet style food. It was perfect. The room was gorgeous and the food was great. I don’t have their info but I am sure you can find it online. The wedding: Alcohol: we chose to bring in our alcohol and it was so cheap!! There is a company that will come in and take you order, deliver the alcohol, then take back what you don’t use…it was perfect! The company was called La Europea liquor. The hotel just charged a corkage fee for each bottle served. You can also get alcohol at Costco and return. Flowers: our flowers were done by Vanessa. She was great! She was really good at emails back and forth and sending pictures. She really got what I wanted and I was really happy with the flowers. Her prices were good too. Here is her contact info: Vanessa Jaimes Diseño Floral Contemporáneo Contemporary Floral Design Phone: + 52 998 1123662 Nextel: 62*13*55369 Web: Cancun Floral Design, Flower Arranging / Diseño Floral en Cancun, Arreglos Florales Music: During dinner we had a trumpet player, Torang. He was great and I got lots of comments about him from our guests. He played really nice dinner jazz and blues (he can play whatever you want)…really talented. To book him you have to go through another woman…here is her contact info: Susana Cardenas Producciones CadArri Entertainment BODAS Y CONVENCIONES - VIDEOS - WEDDINGS & CONVENTIONS [email protected] Dance Band: We used kiko y carlos as our dance band and I couldn’t have been more happy with our decision. They were awesome!!!! Better than most wedding bands I have ever heard! They are really nice to deal with, and it is clear they love what they do. They speak perfect English and know how to entertain and get the party going. My parent’s friends and my friends loved them. My husband wanted a dj so I was nervous how the band would go, but he was so happy we went with the band. They know all the great dance songs, and even knew the hora (a jewish song). Here is their contact info: KIko Flores [email protected] kikocarlosband.com Fire dancers: These fire dancers were awesome!!!! So talented and fun to watch! They were a nice surprise for our guests and totally made the night! Here is their contact info: The name of the fire dancers are TODOS UNO, main contact ALBERTO CARDENA, email address, [email protected] Other tips: **Be sure to have receipts if you are bringing in a bunch of stuff for the wedding. We brought in all the gift bag stuff and we were questioned at customs. They wanted receipts. You can only bring in $300 worth of merchandise so I had made a lot of fake receipts. They looked at the receipts, but they didn’t really care so long as I had receipts. **as you leave the airport there are coupon books, they are sealed in a clear covering. They have great coupons for lots of restaurants including all of the restaurants at the Marriott. I opened my luggage and threw 70 books to add to my gift bag. **Costco in cancun has great stuff for gift bags **I am going to post something about our experience with the traffic police..read it! **please mention that i recommended them if you contact any of these vendors, i think it is important for them to know that we are connected and a job well done will create more business for them. Please let me know if you have any other questions or want pictures… Enjoy! ~lauren

hi! i know that you can buy alcohol at costco and return it if it is not opened...but you cannot return wine that has been cooled (white wine) because the label comes off when wet. this way if you buy too much it is not a problem. they have pretty much the same selection as the states for wine and alcohol choices. we are going to bring in wine and having an open bar for mixed drinks. check and see about the mixers (coke, soda, et.) because you can bring these in too.

hi! has anyone used kiko and carlos band? i am looking for a good dance band for my wedding and would love any suggestions! thanks!!

i know that the marriotts in cancun do not charge a fee ~good luck!

hi! the jw marriott and the casa magna marriot share a gorgeous wedding gazebo. the event planners are the same too. the gazebo is in between the hotels and the hotels are connected inside by a walkway. both hotels have other locations for wedding and parties too. let me know if you have any more questions.... lauren

here is a list of activites in cancun that i posted on our website. i thought it might be helpful to someone and same some time researching. Scuba DIving: Aquaword aquaworld.com Scuba Cancun scubacancun.com Fishing: Aquaworld $420 for 4 hrs private aquaworld.com.mx World wide sport fishing charters fishingcharterscancun.com Tour the Historic Mayan Ruins of Tulum, Chichen Itza, or Coba Visit the Eco Water Parks: X Caret: xcaret.com Xel Ha xel-ha.com Swimming with Dolphins: Interactive Aquarium Bienvenido Welcome Dolphin Disovery Swim with dolphins - Dolphin Swim Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Riviera Maya, Vallarta, Caribbean Islands & Hawaii. Dolphinaris www.doplphinaris.com Snorkeling, jungle tours, wave runners, and other water activities: Aquaworld Aquaworld Cancun, Cozumel, Riviera Maya, Cancun Diving, Cancun Scuba Diving, Cancun Fishing, Cancun Fishing Charters, Jungle tour, Sky rider, Paradise Snorkel, Subsee Explorer, Isla Mujeres, Waverunners, Instructor development course, IDC Horseback Riding: Loma Bonita Rancho Loma Bonita Andalucia Hacienda Andalucia Golf: Cancun Golf Club at Pok-ta-Pok Cancún Golf Club at Pok-Ta-Pok Hilton Golf - Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort Fairmont Mayakoba in the Riviera Maya Cancun Golf Vacations: Golf Courses in Cancun, Mexico good luck! *lauren

hi! my fiance and i went to cancun for a few days for our site visit and i feel like now i need to go on vacation!! it was so much work and we only got an hour on the beach...but we found our hotel! initially i wanted a resort on the riviera maya, but they were all all-inclusive which doesn't work for me or they were super expensive, so we decided to try out cancun and i loved it! they just built a new terminal at the airport and it is gorgeous. the rates around cancun are really reasonable. it is easy to get around the hotel zone for our guests and there is so much to do in cancun. we toured 7 different hotels, went to the costco (yes!), walmart, and market 28 (huge flea market down town), went to aquaworld for activity ideas and checked out some restaurants for a rehearsal dinner. here is the summary of our hotel experience: westin: far away from everything (at the end of the hotel zone), really nice beach, typical mexican style rooms, event planner there is not a wc so you have to bring in someone else, nice wedding areas and nice lagoon area for wedding gran melia: we loved! huge property with incredible pool, glass pyramids on top of the hotel so when it is hot...it gets really hot inside, the rooms were the biggest we saw and had great decor, the spa was the nicest i have seen (maybe ever), the wc there was great and they had beautiful places for a wedding and were very willing to negotiate. hotel is next to fiesta americana and marriott...great location with 7 eleven and a few restaurants within walking distance but not near the club zone. me: owned by same company as gran melia, very modern and beautiful, neat artwork around lobby, loud music playing by pool hyatt caribe: beautiful! all the rooms face the ocean, the most expensive hotel we looked at, great wedding areas, not a big lobby, neat restaurants and bar, very helpful wc hyatt regency: much more modern and sleek, near clubs, no beach but awesome view intercontinental presidente: best beach we looked at (huge) and best rates, the beach had the calmest waters because it is on another size of the hotel zone where the road turns, older hotel but great job remodeling, nice basic rooms, cool lobby our choice.........marriott casa magna!! i fell in love with this hotel and their wedding gazebo, more american than some of the other hotels, cozy rooms with comfy beds, soft sheets and towels, water you can drink, beautiful locations for weddings and parties, great event sales and wedding planning team, great location and connected to the jw marriott, we saw several weddings there during our visit and they were beautiful (except it rained!) if you go on a site visit, a few tips: ~things look different on the website...check out Reviews of vacations, hotels, resorts, vacation and travel packages - TripAdvisor to see guests pics of hotels and reviews...although i didn't agree with some of the reviews ~2 hotels gave us free rooms for our site visit ~ask if they have an onsite wedding coordinator ~ask about charge for delivering gift baskets ~ask to see rooms ~ask if there is a wedding going on while you are in cancun ~ask if there is a byob option...several of the places offer a corkage fee instead of an open bar per person and with costco and another huge liquor store this might be a good deal for you, depending on if you have big drinkers (some of the stores let you return unopened and not cooled alcohol) ~most of the tours took us 2 hours to tour and discuss details, quicker ones took 30 min. let me know if you have any questions about our trip or hotel details. i hope this helps! ~lauren

hi...i did not go to the moon palace. i am going to post details of my visit tonight.

hi! i just got back from my site visit and toured both marriott hotels and decided on the casa magna for my wedding. i have lots of pics if you are interested. they are both beautiful hotels and they are connected to each other although you cannot go to the other hotels pools, just restaurants. they are in a great location in the hotel zone. they share a wedding gazebo that is awesome!!! a very private space that is well maintained. the event and wedding coordinators are the same and work both hotels and are great. we stayed at the casa magna and the rooms are so comfortable! the only soft sheets and towels of all the hotels we checked out...and the bed is comfy! the rooms are smaller than some hotels. they filter and treat the water so you can drink from the tap. the jw pool is incredible! the casa magna is nice and has volley ball and a swim up bar. the jw is a lot more expensive than the casa magna. we saw 3 weddings while we were there and they were beautiful! although it rained for all of them!!! but, the back ups were in place and coordinators were great. also, they just built a new terminal at the airport and it is gorgeous. i looked at 7 hotels during my stay. please let me know if you have any more specific questions. when is your wedding and how many guests are you planning on? are you working with josefina? if so, you can tell her that i highly recommended her and the hotel. we met with her several times during our visit and she was great. ~lauren b.

i had a similar dilemna and ended up going for a regular hotel. i originally wanted to get married at a resort in the riviera maya, but soon found out that most were all inclusives and pretty expensive (especially since my guests aren't big drinkers) and the other boutique like hotels were really expensive. knowing that we were going to have a reahearsal dinner, wedding reception and 2 brunches, i felt like it made a lot more sense for us to host our guests, especially since they are paying so much already to get there and for lodging. i also really want people to explore cancun, go diving and on tours and not feel attached to the hotel for the included food, although some people will want to sit at the beach with their maragrata all day. i just got back from my site visit and we have ended up picking a hotel in cancun, and i am so excited...for me it is perfect! and the rates are a lot better in cancun. but, it is a personal decision and you really can't go wrong...either way your guests are going to have a blast! remember to ask how much day passes are for your guests that stay at other hotels! good luck! ~lauren

hi! i just got back from my site visit in cancun and loved the hyatt caribe! you will have a beautiful wedding! let me know if you have any questions or want to see my pics. the wc there seemed great. ~lauren

hi! we are so excited to be going to cancun wed to tour hotels and hopefully pick one. i am so excited to finally have this part taken care of! we are visiting the westin, the intercontinental presidente, the marriott casa magna, the gran melia and the hyatt regency. are we missing anything? any important details i should be sure to ask? any advice or suggestions for our visit would be great... thanks! ~lauren

this info is AWESOME! thanks so much melissa! ~lauren

i just saw you are getting married in cancun too..and soon...how exciting!!! are you having a rehearsal dinner at the hotel or in town? are you providing transportation from the airport? did you check out any other hotels? where are you getting your hair and makeup done? i would love to hear the details. thanks!

great thoughts...thanks! you are right about the AI, i just think i prefer a regular hotel. i will def. check out the fiesta americana. thanks!

hi! i am planning a march 8 wedding in cancun or the riviera maya and need some help and suggestions. my FI and i are planning a visit next week to look at hotels. we don't want all inclusive and are looking for 20+ rooms at $180-200 a night. we originally were thinking about the riviera maya, but it seems the resorts there are really expensive and are all all inclusive which i don't want because i want a rehearsal dinner at a local restaurant and i don't want people paying for their own food at the wedding reception (and we want to host a brunch as well). there are hundreds of hotels in cancun, it is so hard to choose. and the trip advisor has good and bad reviews on all of them. we are looking at the westin, the omni, the fiesta americana condesa, the hyatt, and the intercontinental presidente to name a few. are we missing any that we should check out? should we get a wedding coordinator or just trust the hotel wedding coordinators? does anyone have restaurant suggestions for a rehearsal dinner? can anyone recomment a good hair and make up artist? i appreciate your help! thanks *lauren