brittbrodin

Exactly, Rachel...the bride definitely is the priority! But I'm glad to hear it won't be totally overcrowded. You used Elizabeth Lloyd for your photography, right? Did you have some ideas of shots that you gave her beforehand, especially with such a big bridal party? Or did she just do her thing? I just want to make sure that wedding party and family shots are not overlooked. Thanks! Trisha - I believe Christina used Fernando for their hair, so you might want to check out her pictures. She was really happy with how it turned out and she looked beautiful!

Destination wedding or not, not everything is going to go exactly the way you plan it so I think you need to keep an open mind and learn to go with the flow. From what I've heard though, Kelley and Nicole make sure that everything does go pretty much exactly as you plan it, so it gives me a piece of mind knowing that the wedding details will be taken care of (which is the most important thing anyway!!). The hotel is just another piece and if you have a great attitude going in you'll be just fine! And yes, nothing a margarita can't cure!! We never did the donkey derby, but I'm definitely curious to find out what that is!!

Quote: Originally Posted by halef1 Ugh...I'm really sorry to hear you didn't like Villa del Palmar -- a large group of my wedding guests (including myself) are staying at Villa Del Palmar. Tammy, the wedding TA from this site, had recommended it as a more budget friendly option. So i guess we'll see. I'm not going to worry too much. Alejandra from the hotel was very responsive with me compared to other hotels...and said that we can do Donkey Derby ( - hehe - I had to look it up) with our guests on Saturday. I'm picturing Brian racing his friends on donkeys...don't know. We'll see! We asked our friends whether they would want to be at an AI since we're doing the LC thing with dinner away from the hotel. They all agreed that they didn't want to do the AI thing - so we're doing a BIG welcome dinner at Daiquiri Dicks on Saturday night and then LC on Sunday. More expensive for us but cheaper for them in the end. So I'm not too worried about the hotel. As long as people can sleep well and aren't horrified by the hotel...I'm hoping they'll walk away thinking: the wedding was amazing - what a great trip - lots of fun. So we'll see!!!! :-)- Heather -Heather Hi Heather - I certainly don't want to deter anyone away from Villa Del PalMar. It's clean, they have a nice pool and some nice restaurants. The restaurant by the pool has great margaritas. I think the main reason why I was so disappointed is that we chose the AI option and it's definitely not a hotel that provides the best AI package. We also were placed in a room facing the highway and it had two double beds. We tried to upgrade but they wouldn't let us. Since you guys didn't pick the AI option I think you'll enjoy it more. Plus, how much time are you going to really be spending at the hotel anyway? It will give you more opportunites to explore the city.

Thanks Hilary! I think I'm going to bring over all of my 7 bridesmaids as well as my mom, so that makes 9. I'm having Fernando come to do my hair, so great tip on the mirrors. Can't wait to read the rest of your review!

The pictures are amazing!! It makes me really excited!!

I'm not familiar with Michell Turner, but I've booked Elizabeth Lloyd for our wedding in March at Las Caletas, PV. She has an assistant that spends time with the guys before the wedding while she is working with you. So far, she has been great at corresponding with me! I'm not sure how long it actually takes to get your pictures, but I can definitley ask her. Hope that helps!

Yeah - There are two Villa Del PalMar's (one in Nuevo Vallarta and one closer to downtown). When we got to the airport they brought us to the one in Nuevo Vallarta - it's absolutely gorgeous. Then we realized we were at the wrong hotel. We got to the one closer to downtown and were a bit disappointed. My FI was like, "Sorry you had to see the gold and I could only provide you with the bronze!!" It could be a selling point for you Andi, to get your guests to stay in Nuevo Vallarta. It's honestly not that bad, just not what I had hoped for! But you're right...it's definitely more budget friendly though. We are actually recommending it for families with kids that want to save some $$.

That is awesome Andi!! You are going to love LC! I'm so jealous. We did a site visit with Kelley back in July and it was absolutely gorgeous. We went out with the day tour and she just deducted the amount that we paid from our wedding package. As far as places to stay - we stayed downtown at Villa Del PalMar. I wouldn't recommend it (the atmosphere isn't that great and think lots of little kids - don't get me wrong, I love kids but not the type of setting we were looking for) Anyway, have fun and I can't wait to hear about it when you get back!!!

Check out Barcelona Tapas. The view/atmosphere is amazing! It's four stories and you can rent out the entire 4th floor. We are in the process of reserving the 4th floor for our rehearsal dinner.

That's a great idea Andi! I also can totally relate to the whole, "Yes babe, if it makes you happy!!" I want him to be as excited as I get when I read ideas on here!! At least I have this forum where girls can relate!!!

Hey Lindsey - I'm doing the custom Maracas and putting one in the OOT bags w/ our names, date and location. The other one I'm thinking of using as place cards w/ their names on it.

Thanks Holley! I wanted to have fresh flowers, but was worried they'd wither. I guess I'm only really concerned that they make it through the pictures though. I'll have to let Kelley know so she can bring out orchids. Thanks!!

Welcome to the forum Katie! Congrats on your engagement!!

Hey Andi - I talked to Kelley about the Maracas too and all you have to do is give her a design and colors and she'll make it happen! I think it's a great alternative to place cards.

Congrats Holley and great review!! I'm glad to hear that LC was everything that you expected and more. The pictures are also gorgeous. Can I ask where you got the flower for your hair? I've been debating on whether to use a real or fake one. Thanks!!

Great Review Holley! It makes me want to get married at LC tomorrow!! Congrats!

Hey Trisha! You definitely won't regret it! Don't worry about your guest list being too big either. They say you can expect like 1/2 of the people you invite to actually come to the wedding. Plus, you can inform them in the invites that you will be having a reception locally sometime after you return. Good Luck with all the planning!!

Thanks Stephany! It's good to know that it won't be overcrowded. All my bridesmaids are really close and I wouldn't describe them as the most modest types, so I think sharing the shower won't be a problem!!

I totally agree w/ Andi!! Go with what you originally planned and don't let anything get in your way...Your family will fall in love with the idea eventually and even more so once they actually see LC. It's gorgeous!!

Hey Kari! Welcome to the forum and Congrats!!! I live in Chicago too and our family is spread out everywhere, so everyone would've had to travel anyway so we thought, "Why not do it in Mexico!" We are getting married just a few days after you and still have a lot of planning to do! I think the best time to do it is when you're under a little pressure so knowing it's only 4 months away has made me start crossing things off my list! Good Luck!!

Welcome and Congrats!!! You'll love LC!

Thanks Jenn & Kathy!! That definitely helps. I can understand the fee too, especially if it includes everything for the entire day. I heard that they are super strict w/ visitors so I just wanted to make sure that everything was included and that they were treated like guests of the resort for the day. We have a lot of guests that are staying at other resorts, but will definitley come and hang out for the day! ~Brit

Thanks for the great review Hilary!! We are having our reception/ceremony at Las Caletas in March. I noticed that you had 6 bridesmaids. Did all of them go over with you early that day and get ready in the bridal suite? I have seven bridesmaids and I was wondering if it would get too crowded w/ everyone there. I really want to bring everyone though. Thanks!! Brit

Does anyone know how much a daily pass is for visitors of Dreams, PV? We are staying there with some of our guests, but have a lot of guests that aren't. Also, would they still have to pay for food and drinks or is it's included in the daily fee? Thanks!!!

We hired our own photographer - Elizabeth Lloyd. She is based out of PV so she has done a lot of weddings at Las Caletas. You can check out some of the weddings she's done at LC and some of her other work on her website - ELIZABETH LLOYD - Photographer. If you ask Kelley, she can also send you some other local photographers. We are hiring the videographer through LC. Hope that helps!