kimdelc

Great review and I am so happy that everything turned out wonderful for you! You look amazing in your photos!

 

I used a lot of the same vendors and I totally agree: DJ Mannia, Elizabeth, AND we didn't hold anything formal at Hacienda Sisal but we had dinner there with about 20 of our friends and everyone loved it! The food was great!

 

I know you will absolutely love your photos! Elizabeth is just insanely amazing.

 

I did change my dress for the reception and I will say it was a good idea. Also, my husband complained that I took too much time between the ceremony and the reception to get ready but I had to have my hair done all over again because the humidity absolutely destroyed it! It was still disheveled by the end of the night but it looked great for most of the reception. So I would definitely recommend that as well.

 

Congrats again Opice and I can't wait to see more pics!

 

- Kim

Hi Elizabeth! I didn't realize you were on BDW either! Sorry I mistyped the link but I am so happy you caught that so that everyone can see more samples of how amazing your work is. Thank you so much again for everything and see you next weekend!

 

Nipa, we did not have any vegetarian options for our reception. We had chicken, beef and a fish option. If fish is an option for you (for some vegetarians who eat fish occasionally like me) then the salmon was great. The spinach pouchettes and the mini quesadillas we served at the cocktail hour were great according to our guests but we didn't get to taste them. They did run out so that was a good sign! And all the veggies at the reception were tasty. The caesar salad first course was good too.

 

There is a restaurant on the property called the Mitachi Grill which has a vegetarian menu that is amazing. You may want to ask Fernanda if she can work with those chefs to create some vegetarian options for your reception.

 

Opice, we flew in our stylist from the states so I am not sure about the stylists at the hotel. I would suggest just doing a trial run and taking in a picture so they know exactly what you would like.

 

And thanks for the congrats! Opice you are so close! I am sure that your wedding will be beautiful and I can't wait to see your beautiful pics.

 

- Kim

Oh and I forgot! The one not so great thing was the makeup artists at the Hilton. I had a consultation a few days before my wedding (which I HIGHLY suggest) and a trial run which went terrible. I was so unhappy with the outcome I wanted to cry. Fortunately one of my bridesmaids was online and found out that there is a MAC location in Cancun minutes from the hotel. My wedding planner (from LA) went to the location and met two MAC makeup artists (Laila and Norma) who did an amazing job! They came to the hotel room the morning of the wedding and did makeup for my mom and mom-in-law, 3 bridesmaids and me! They were fabulous and definitely knew what they were doing. I would HIGHLY recommend them. Here is the number to the MAC store:

 

MAC Cancun: 8831912

 

And make sure you ask for Laila and Norma.

 

Hope some of this will help you all! Please feel free to ask me anything.

 

- Kim

OK ladies so I am finally back...kind of! It has been a whirlwind since our wedding on August 31, 2008! I won't bore you with the details, but lets just say we have been in/to 4 weddings including our own in the past 2 months and are on our way BACK to Cancun next week for the 5th! At least on this one we can relax!

 

Here is a brief review:

- The food was GREAT! We had 120 guests who all raved about the food. Even the cake was good!

- The DJ was fab! We used DJ Mannia and he never missed a beat, outside during the ceremony or inside during the reception.

- Los Barones (the Mariachi trio) was good from what we heard. We weren't able to stay for the entire cocktail hour because we were taking pictures but we did get to enjoy them for a few minutes.

- Elizabeth Medina was the best! She was well worth the money, which we were skeptical about spending at first. Our original photographer backed out on us and since we were so close to our date we went with Elizabeth since she was available and just decided to eat the extra cost that we had not budgeted for. SHE WAS AMAZING! And she is very nice to work with and just a great person. Check out her blog, we are on there somewhat towards the middle now since she has posted more since ours. We are the only wedding she has ever done at the Hilton.

- The flowers were nice, but they were a little on the peachy side when they were supposed to be pink. Although you really can't tell in the pictures too much thanks to EM! But overall Planner1 Events did a great job as well. Especially considering it rained and their crew had to move all 120 chairs inside and then back outside all in time for the ceremony to begin!

 

Feel free to check out the wedding slideshow that Elizabeth put together for us:

 

www.elzabethmedina.com/kimreggie

 

Good luck and happy planning to you all! I'll be as helpful as I can ;o)

 

- Kim

Good luck!

We got that clause taken out of the contract. You are doing the right thing. Just don't back down. We had to go back and forth a few times for them to agree to it. Let them know that you tried everything that they suggested but it just isn't possible.

 

- Kim

We put a Travel Information page on our wedding website that had 3 sections: Flight Info, Accommodation Info and Transportation Info.

Flight Info - we listed the major cities that most people would be travelling from and the major airlines that fly direct from that city to Cancun. We also listed the time zone change from that particular city.

Accommodation Info - We listed soms details and the pricing of the rooms at the Hilton, and provided a link to our personal Hilton website so that they can book their rooms. We also listed the phone # and the event code in case they would like to call. Oh yes, and we stated the deadline to book a room.

Transportation info - We described the Gray Line airport shuttle and the local bus that takes people up and down the strip.

- Kim

The quote that we got from the DJ that the Hilton recommended was a little over $2500. DJ Mannia was less than half of that. Needless to say, we went with DJ Mannia.

 

- Kim

IndyPitty,

 

Wow you are only 3 weeks away! Congrats and I'm so sorryto hear Fernanda has not been responding faster. Don't stress though, I know it will be beautiful. I hate to say it, but just keep emailing her and let her know how frantic you are getting because it takes her so long to respond and you are so close to your wedding date. Hopefully that will get her to answer back sooner. Good luck!

 

- Kim

The payment schedule depends upon your individual contract, which most likely depends on your anticipated amount of guests, venues you are using, etc. We are also on the incremented payment plan. There is no way for you to figure out how much each deposit will be on your own unless you already know exactly how many guests are attending and exactly what meal they are eating. Also, it depends on how you are handling your bar tab. We are expecting a lot of guests, but our second deposit (the one after the initial $1000) is based on the # of guests who booked their rooms and an estimate of how many of each meal we will require. I know this is confusing, but Fernanda will send you a breakdown of how they came to the deposit amount when the time comes.

 

I hope this explanation helps, let me know if you have any other questions or you need me to clarify further.

 

- Kim

Jessica&Adam,

 

To avoid a penalty we started our room black small, and added in increments of 10 when the block got near full. So far it has worked out pretty well, but you have to keep an eye on the room block via the website online to monitor it so you know when to request more rooms. Otherwise, if it fills up your guests will not get your negotiated rate and there is now way for you to know that unless they tell you personally.

 

- Kim

We are going to use a DJ. Fernanda recommended one to us but he was VERY pricey. So I started searching on this site and found another guy. Here is his website and email:

 

MANNIA - Audio, Video e Iluminación Profesional

[email protected]

 

We are in the process of signing the contract with him. He has had great reviews on BDW and has been very quick answering all of our questions and sending over the contract.

 

- Kim

I know it can be really frustrating. Some weeks Fernanda is great and responds right away! And sometimes it takes her a decade to get back to you. The only way we were able to relieve ourselves of that frustration was to get a calling card and call her when it was taking her longer to respond than normal. And in some cases like you said, she responds partially and doesn't answer all the questions. I would suggest getting a calling card and just call her when you get frustrated. Trust me, we have been there.

 

- Kim

Yes, Fernanda can take a LONG time to respond. But like we all know she does have A LOT on her plate. We have had the most success with using a calling card to call her when we really need something.

 

- Kim

My fiance and I LOVE Puerto Madero. The restaurant is pretty large so you would probably be able to have a rehearsal dinner there as well. Plus they have outside deck seating that overlooks the water. Here is the website:

 

Puerto Madero Cancún

Kimdelc,

you mentioned you had run into some issues that your WP was able to take care of for you. Would you mind sharing what the problems were, so the rest of us can try to avoid similar ones?

 

QUOTE]

 

OK let me make my disclaimer first...We were very perturbed and frustrated about the issues we were having. BUT after talking to friends of ours who happen to be getting married in Cancun at a totally different resort, they are having the same issues so apparently its not just the Hilton. With that being said, PLEASE don't let this deter you from having your wedding at the Hilton. Fernanda has been able to resolve most issues and we are confident that our wedding will be amazing!

 

The following are issues that we have had so far:

- Fernanda IS hard to get in contact with via email. Our WP calls her on a regular basis. (Yay for calling cards!)

 

- The original contract required us to be fully responsible for any incidences that may happen with our guests AND required us to get some kind of Mexican insurance for the event. After several emails and negotiations back and forth, we finally got them to strike that out of the contract.

Moral of the story...READ the contract in its entirety!

 

- Several of our guests had issues reserving the rooms online or on the phone because of the way the Hilton blocks off the rooms. If your guests want to arrive before or stay after your event date, the rate should be honored. However, that wasn't happening for our guests. If the guests book the room at a rate that is NOT your group rate, they have to pay the rate they were charged and they cannot refund the difference. Fernanda has been able to grant upgrades and credits wherever possible, but it was a struggle trying to figure out what the problem was. Also, someone at the resort was supposed to notify us when the room black was near full so we could add more rooms but that never happened. We keep our eye on it ourselves (you can check the quantity available online) and we have asked them to send a list of guests names who have booked rooms every 2 weeks.

Moral of the story - Keep an eye on your guest list. ANd notify your guests to contact someone in the US (i.e. you, your WP, etc.) if they have issues booking their room. ALSO make sure your guests know that if the rate is "unavailable" via the website or on the phone...DO NOT BOOK IT! Notify Fernanda so she can correct it BEFORE hand. It is a lot easier that way.

 

Sorrt for the long version of the story but that last item was very traumatic. It has been going smoothly ever since we started getting the updates every two weeks though.

 

- Kim

indypitty - if Fernanda send you pics of the cakes will you please post them?

 

Thanks - Kim

indypitty - we are debating on whether to use the resort or outsource a baker for the cake. We really want cupcakes and the quote from the resort was way too high. We are trying to find a baker that may be able to accomodate our needs.

 

Jessica&Adam - thank you so much for posting the pics of your tasting! We actually picked the exact same menu! Can't wait ti hear your review!

 

- Kim

Thanks for the great tips!

OK I typed that incorrectly, we are getting married on the Miramar Garden, the grassy lawn that overlooks the ocean. We were considering the terrace at one point but our guest list got a little too large for that.

 

I'm not even sure if Los Barones is the same group that plays at the happy hour! Fernanda recommended them to us so we are just hiring them based on her recommendation.

 

We got a price quote from a DJ that included equipment for the outdoor ceremony and indoor reception that totaled about $5000! We reviewed the list and eliminated some unnecessary items that he took the liberty of adding to the list even though we did not request them (i.e. fog machine, extra lighting) and the quote was still about $2500. SO...we are searching for another DJ via this website. I'll keep you posted on what we find. Please do the same!

 

We did choose our menu, and a good thing to know is that you can substitute side items that you do not like. And if you have children attending, they do have a list of children's items to choose from also.

 

I'm not sure if you have a wedding planner but ours has been great in communicating with Fernanda and the vendors to get quotes, contract revisions, etc. We currently live in Georgia, but she is in LA. If you don't have a planner yet no matter where you live, you may consider her...especially since she is already dealing with the Hilton and is familiar with resolving a lot of issues that we have come across. Her info is:

 

Candice S.

Simply Something Blu

[email protected]

 

Good luck with your visit next month! And let's definitely keep in touch with what we find as wew go along the way

Hi! I am a newbie to this site and my fiance and I are getting married at the Hilton Cancun too! This was definitely a great idea!

 

1. When is your wedding and # of guests? - August 31, 2008; approx 130 guests

2. Ceremony location? - Miramar Terrace

3. Cocktail hour location (if you're having one)? - Mexican Patio

4. Reception location? - Miramar Ballroom

5. What vendors are you using (minister, photog, florists, dj/live band, etc) Minister - Petra Maurus

Photog - not sure yet, maybe flying one in from LA

Florists - not sure yet

DJ - not sure yet

Live Band - Los Barones Mexican Trio

 

We are using the happy hour Friday night in the lobby bar as our "Meet and Greet" just to get all the guests to mix and mingle before the wedding. We are having some trouble finding a reasonably priced DJ right now. I'm hoping this site will help us fill in some of the unknowns!

 

6. Any additional fun info about your wedding, pics, etc!

Hi everyone! Here is my info:

 

Name - Kim

Wedding Date - August 31, 2008

Wedding Location - Hilton Cancun

 

I am very excited to learn about this website! My fiance and I found out about it from another Cancun bride that we know (thanks Debbie!). I know this site will be very helpful to us and hopefully we can share some information to help other couples too.

 

Congrats to all of you and happy posting!

 

- Kim