Queenie77

Sounds wonderful! Good luck with your planning!

Welcome and good luck!

We are doing both the legal and symbolic ceremony in Mexico. We thought about going to the courthouse in the States to avoid a lot of red tape, but we felt bad asking our loved ones to spend all the time and money going to Mexico to see a renewal of vows ceremony because we didn't want to hassle ourselves with a few tests and some paperwork. We have to be there 4 business days in advance, so we hope to get it out of the way shortly after we arrive. Our plan is actually to get pre-screened at home so we don't have any unpleasant surprises. We have no reason to believe that either one of us is carrying any creepy crawlies, since we've both been tested before. However, we would rather spend an extra $50 or so to get a quick blood screen back home to be 110% certain first. That way, there's no way we'd be in Mexico with all our friends and family there... and then have to explain to them why we can't get legally married. I can't imagine how mortifying that would be! Here's what our resort said about the testing on their FAQ page: Q. Is there an out of pocket fee we must pay for the Free Wedding Package? A. There is a mandatory blood test that must be taken at the resort. The cost is approximately $50.00 per person. Translation fees apply to bride or groom for required documents. Q. Can I translate documents prior to our arrival to the resort? A. No. All translations must be done at the resort. Additional fees apply. Q. I was divorced less than one year ago. Can I have my civil ceremony at the Resort? A. Yes. However, a mandatory pregnancy test must be taken. If positive the ceremony will not be performed. No Exceptions. Q. What diseases do you test for? A. HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and all STD's are tested. Q. Can I have a doctor perform the blood test in my country and take the results to the resort? A. No. Blood tests must be taken at the resort. Q. Will I be able to perform the wedding ceremony if one of the tests came positive? A. No, under the Mexican Constitution couples that test positive cannot get civilly married in Mexico.

Welcome! You'll be able to move quickly with all the help you'll find on this forum. Good luck!

Welcome! You'll find lots of info on here. Make sure to look under the etiquette section for some ideas on how to break the news to your guests. Good luck!

I'm a PV bride too - this site has been amazing! Enjoy getting to know everyone, and welcome!

You'll love this site! Welcome, and happy planning!

Welcome, and good luck with planning!

Congrats and good luck! (This site is sooo addicting.) WELCOME!

Thanks so much! I really like the postcard idea too! ;-)

We are trying to figure out the best plan of attack for our invitations. Our wedding is in Nuevo Vallarta on May 16th next year. We originally planned to do STDs, but now as we have more information about booking with our travel agent and resort, we are thinking that it makes little sense to do a STD without the booking info. Not everyone we are inviting is computer savvy, so we have always planned to mail booking and resort info for those who won't be using our website for info. So now my question is, should we just go ahead and do an actual invitation with all the booking info and a letter enclosed? It seems early, but it would be a waste of postage to send out a STD without additional info that people need... and an STD with the booking info feels much more like an invite than a simple STD. We are doing boarding pass invites/STDs - we don't want to do a formal standard invitation. So, we are thinking about doing invites now with all the info needed to book the trip, and then a follow-up letter after the holidays reminding people that those who plan to go need to book their rooms soon, with an AHR-STD enclosed with that letter. We are inviting everyone to both the ceremony in Mexico (because people we thought wouldn't go, now want to go... so why not ask everyone) and also the AHR... so we are talking about 250+ invites. I don't want to keep bleeding money over unnecessary postage. With this approach, we are already looking at 3 mailings for all those people: 1) Invites for the ceremony; 2) Reminder letter for the ceremony + AHR STDs, and 3) AHR Invites. One issue is that we don't have the AHR date set, and won't for several more weeks. We could do the AHR invite with the reminder letter instead of an STD, but since the AHR won't be until June/July and the reminders go out in January, it seems too far out for an invite. Sorry if this sounds confusing, but I don't know how else to word it. Just wanted to get other people's thoughts on the proper way to handle it and I would happily welcome suggestions on how to condense it more efficiently. Thanks in advance!

We started letting people know verbally right away that we were planning a DW. That way, we started getting an idea of who wasn't horrified by the concept and might actually come... and evrybody got an immediate heads up that they should start setting aside money. We were engaged at the end of July and we are getting married in May (10 months apart.) BUT it took me a month to research resorts, locations, airfare, etc. So that brought us down to 9 months. With contracts, confirmations and the slower pace set by resorts, I still don't have my STDs out... and we are now at about 8 months out. However, most people who planned on going in the first place already know the location, and our engagement announcement in the paper indicated it would be a DW. They are waiting for the booking details, but many of them still won't book a room just yet. So, we have found that those who have the intention of going are already saving money to do so, and seem to have no issue with the fact that they will have to put down a deposit by the end of January, and pay for their room in full by the end of March. We have also noticed that those who make the most money complain about things more than those who will have to pinch pennies to get there! Lol. You can't please everyone. Just do the best you can to work with a timeframe that works for the two of you and your "must-have" guests. After we worked around other weddings, school graduations, high school proms, hurricane season, spring break, holidays and weekends not already booked by the resort... we only had a couple of choices anyways. Anyone who pouted about it got a firm explanation about how we tried to accommodate everyone else's needs and put ourselves last when choosing our date - which seemed to quiet their complaining. I wish you the best of luck. It's not an easy process, but you have a support system right here at your fingertips when you need to vent. Good luck!

Hi and welcome! I lurked at first too, but there was so much juicy information, I had to sign up! Good luck!

Hey there - welcome! Have fun planning, and try not to get overwhelmed. This is a great resource site - lots of wonderful ideas!

Welcome Shannon! This has been the greatest resource I've found for DWs! Happy planning ;-)

Hi Anita! We are having a wedding in PV next May. Message me if you have questions!

Welcome! All three locations sound wonderful!!!

I am really struggling with the Miami office too. My assigned WC never ever answers her phone. Voice mails go unanswered. She left for a week without an out-of-office notice the week my reservation contract was due. It's been two weeks now, and still no written confirmation... just an email saying she got my paperwork, and a contract would be on the way. This was even after I left her an email and a voice mail that I had some very basic questions. I don't know how much more patient I can be. I am considering dropping Palace Resorts all together. I can't properly budget, do STDs or anything until I get some basic info from the resort. My friend says to ask for a new WC - does anyone have any name referrals?

Thanks for the scoop. It's hard to plan for a wedding when you have to wait a week to get a response that's necessary to move forward. I am still waiting on written confirmation for our date, which I was told would arrive this week. In order to get the perks (free cocktail receptions, free private receptions, nights free during our stay,) we have to book directly through the resort's group sales department. Booking online through the regular site, booking through another travel site or through a travel agent - the rooms don't count against our group rate quota. So I will need the group rate booking link that only they can provide to give to people who want to go ahead and book their trip. I am reconsidering using Palace Resorts at all. I know many people use them - especially Moon Palace - so I am wondering if I got stuck with a WC who's not very effective. The whole waiting game is really stripping away the excitement and momentum of planning for what should be the most exciting event ever!

I think there are several indoor and outdoor options. I do remember something my WC said about any number of guests over 25 (I think,) and you are forced to do a "private reception," rather than the reception in the restaurant. I would love to offer more info, but I am still struggling to get responses from my WC on some very basic questions. I am building our website, which I want to put on our STD cards... but I can't add much about the resort, or even the group-rate booking link, because I have no idea when I'll get the link, or even the group booking contract. Anyone else having Miami office response issues? What is a reasonable amount of time to expect a response? Should I ask for a new WC?

I'm so relieved to hear of others getting married there too! The person I've been working with so far is Natalie. She's very nice, but just a little too hard to reach at times. I'm trying to just roll with it, and I think it'll all work out just fine. I just had an appointment with my stylist, who spends time each year in Puerto Vallarta. He's never stayed at the resort, (they prefer smaller, more intimate places to stay,) but he said the resort is very pretty and it sits on a non-crowded stretch of beach. He also said it's only a short trip into town, if you want to experience more of the local flavor. He's supposed to share all the local places to visit, with some off-property shopping and restaurant suggestions. I'll share them with everyone once I have them. He also told me all about the "Love Bridge" that Richard Burton built for Elizabeth Taylor in Puerto Vallarta, and that we should go see it if time permits. Sounds fun!

We are getting married there next May. I have had a few issues communicating with the main office in Miami that handles all the Palace Resort weddings... our WC in the Miami office seems to be out of the office a lot, and there's never a message on her voice mail indicating the time period she'll be unavailable. This has made getting some questions answered difficult, and caused a minor panic this week on my end, when she was gone the same time our date-commitment wedding contract was due. No one could find the documents I had faxed, and it took talking to three different people to get the issue resolved. I have been told our date is still held, though our WC is out of the office for a week and can't confirm that in writing until she returns. I'll hold off on flipping my wig until I can talk to my original WC and get some kind of confirmation in writing next week. This seems to be an issue with the Miami office, and has nothing to do with Vallarta Palace itself... I think this issue would have been the same no matter which Palace Resort we'd selected. Why did we choose Vallarta Palace over the others? From what I can tell, the Vallarta Palace resort gets better reviews on other travel sites, (like Trip Advisor and Expedia,) and AAA gives it a higher diamond ranking than it does Moon Palace and some of the other Palce Resorts. Trip Advisor has it ranked as the #2 resort in the Nuevo Vallarta area, and I have had friends who have traveled there say it is a beautiful resort with a lovely beach. We also went with Vallarta Palace because there was more availabilty earlier in 2009, with many Saturday evening options still available. We also liked the fact that it rarely gets impacted by hurricanes, though they do have a "rainy season" from June to November. We looked at the fact that many of the gulf-side resorts must rebuild their beaches due to hurricane erosion. I was also worried that if the gulf side of Mexico got hit by a hurricane this season, we may have some remodeling and damage issues lingering in May of 2009 for our ceremony. I spent a lot of time reviewing various options in Cancun, Cozumel, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Florida. This seemed to be an affordable option for an AI that has received consistent reviews. There's actually a beach there, which is not always the case at many of the gulf-side resorts. They can also accommodate larger wedding parties, so if we end up with more than 40 guests, we would still be able to have the ceremony on the beach. I hope this helps. I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have, if you want to send me a private message. I'm just getting started on the planning, and as soon as my WC gets back from vacation, I really hope to get the ball rolling. Good luck on your selection process!

Hi everyone! I'm Kelly, of "Russ & Kelly." I've been lurking around this forum for a few days while starting my research for our upcoming wedding, and it's been a huge help so far. I decided to sign up as a forum member so I could add to the discussions if I discover anything new, helpful or interesting. We are thinking about having our ceremony in Mexico in late 2009, but we're only in the early stages of comparing possible locations. I look forward to getting to know some of you better!