christamh

Depending on the weather I would say the Lobster house would be my choice because of it's location. Being outside and by the water has to be a big bonus.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. I think you should get information directly from the vendor, but after 2 unanswered emails I thought I would ask someone who had experience with him. I apologize if I misquoted you, but I asked you if you paid his expenses and your answer was that you "worked something out" and that I should "find another bride to split the cost" so I took that as there ARE travel expenses involved which was what I was asking, and what I felt I should have been told by Daniel before he sent it to me in a contract. If there are not travel fees involved, then why put it in the contract? Should I have just ignored that clause and hoped for the best? I'm also not saying he doesn't have the right to cancel. Of course, no contract no gig. I'm saying that I thought it was handled very very badly. I'm sorry, but where I come from, if someone verbally agrees to do your wedding and takes the time to send you a contract, that means something. This forum is to highlight our experiences good or bad with vendors. Im so happy that you had a great experience with him, he's a great photographer. But this is what happened to me, and I can only tell how I felt afterward. I wish him the best, I have hired someone else that I am equally happy with and life goes on.

Wow, I just went through all of those pictures and while no bride wants it to rain on her big day, I have to admit that it gives the photos a lot of character. Certainly a memorable wedding, Kudos to everyone for keeping their spirits up, and to you too Matt for being able to tell their story in such a happy way. Those pics are awesome

Which photographer did you end up going with at La Luna? I considered them as well, as they do great work and are really affordable.

Wow thanks Erin..that's super helpful!

 I have also booked them for 2011. I have to say that so far I have never had to wait more than 2 days to get a response. Melissa has been really helpful throughout my booking process.

Hello Ladies, Â Im getting married in March at Excellence Playa Mujeres. Â Â Jennifer- We are using Matt from Del Sol http://delsolphotography.com/blog/ I know they are a bit on the higher end of prices but at the end of the day all you will have left are your photos and they are among the best in the world. They were also able to work with me to find a package I can afford which I really appreciated. I called the office to ask a small question the other day and ended up spending quite a bit of time on the phone with Matt who really made me feel like I made the right choice. Â No matter who you choose, good luck

Hi Daniel, Â I do not want to have a disagreement with you on a public forum. However, you created a contract which you sent to me to sign, thus basically accepting the job to be my wedding photographer. The only reason I did not sign the contract is that I wanted you to clarify in writing whether or not I needed to pay your travel expenses which I think is a perfectly reasonable request, as it clearly stated in the contract that I would have to pay your expenses. If this was something that needed to be negotiated beforehand, don't you think it is something you could have possibly mentioned at any point along the way to avoid confusion? Wedding budgets are tight and to assume that a bride knows she is going to be responsible for flights/rooms etc...is unreasonable. You then came back to say that the fees were included, however you sent me a contract which stated the opposite. To decide to back out and book a vacation after I asked for the contract to be amended is unprofessional in my opinion as I had been speaking with you for several months regarding my wedding. Â I think you could have handled the entire situation a lot better. Put yourself in my shoes. I spent months looking for a photographer and after much deliberation I finally settled on you. You accepted the booking and sent me a contract with several points that needed to be amended. I simply asked for those changes to be made and you write back telling me...oh sorry..can't do your wedding now. Â

Daisy- I was referring to the "Romantic cocktail cruise for bride and groom" which comes with the package. I am also interested in possibly hosting some sort of boat trip for my guests the day after the wedding. Let me know if you find out anything interesting. Â Supersonic- Your photos look amazing. I have also hired Del Sol for my wedding, except I will be using Matt. I can't wait!! I will ask if I can sneak over to the villa as well for some shots. Â Can I ask what you guys used for ceremony music? We are also thinking of skipping the gazebo and doing it on the beach. I didnt see any speakers or anything in your setup.

Are you talking about the one that comes with the Gold Package? All I know about it is that it needs to be booked at least 2 days in advance and can be booked before you arrive.

 Haha, this is kind of funny as I was leaning towards this too. I guess this song must be to beach weddings what Cannon in D is to church weddings. I also tried listening to a few more of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's songs but nothing has jumped out at me. I'd also be interested in knowing if anyone else has found something equally sweet beach-y.

Hi everyone, Â Did you other brides who have used him pay travel expenses from Texas? Daniel has photos that look amazing so I wanted to book him. I had been emailing with him for 6 months and he ALWAYS answered me within a day which I really appreciated. However, when it came time to sign the contract I noticed that it said that we had to pay his travel expenses if the wedding was outside the Texas Rio Grande Valley area. This was a surprise to me as I had the impression he was based in the Riviera Maya area, and there is no mention of that anywhere in his pricing. Either way, this wasn't the end of the world so I wrote him an email back asking him to clarify that and another small point regarding the amount of time to order an album as he had written two different time frames in the contract. Â I waited 10 days and received no response, so I sent him another email asking if he had received my first one. No response. He had added me as a facebook friend immediately after I made the first inquiry into his work. I could see on there that he was alive, well, and looking at the internet daily, so I decided to message him there. He then wrote me back saying that his sent emails were getting lost in cyberspace. Okay, whatever maybe that's true...but I had to ask him for the 4th time to please clarify his travel expense situation. By this time I had already emailed the author of this thread to ask her. She told me that because he had another wedding that weekend she split the cost of travel with the other bride. So at least I had my answer. Or did I? After the 4th email he wrote be back saying that travel expenses were included in the cost of the package. Â I then wrote him back to suggest that he change the contract to say this as it was very confusing. He wrote be back to say thank you for the suggestions and that he decided to take a family vacation during my wedding and recommended 3 other photographers who shoot in a similar style. Â I am really disappointed with the way he handled this situation. I did my best to remain positive and polite, I just wanted a direct answer and I wanted to have it in writing. I have the entire exchange should anyone else want to see it, but after 6 months of communication with him, for him to suddenly decide that he should take a vacation on my date...well I felt the whole thing was unprofessional and that he lacked regard for my wedding. Luckily, I found another great photographer who was still available on my approaching wedding date, but this could have potentially been devastating. Â Everyone else here seems happy, and I am sure he is great to work with. I just think any future brides should have everything clarified from the start so this doesn't happen to you.

Hello everyone, Â I have been following this thread for a while but I am ready to jump in now. My fiance and I did a site visit a couple weeks ago and we loved it. We have booked our wedding for March 5, 2011. Here we go....

Hi Angela, Â I am getting married at EPM March 5th, 2011...looks like I'll be going right before you

I went to see Ceiba last week and I think your review is spot on. Initially I thought it would be the best choice for me, but I was a little disappointed by the food and the rain contingency plan. The hotel itself is lovely though and just as presented on their website. I was given a tour by Diana and Pilar, who I was told would be planning my wedding, so the 2nd slot there seems to be rotating. I haven't ruled it out yet, but I feel like if the food wasn't great during the tasting, how will it be when they are making it for a large group with less care?

Quote: Originally Posted by Riri09 Vincent at Zasil INTRO Zasil Studio I Advertizing, Documentry & Wedding Photographer I Riviera Maya Our wedding isn't until next May, but we did get to meet with him and he is a very cool guy. His prices are reasonable and his style is more of the photo journalism style - less posed stuff. I have been in touch with Vincent, and I have been really impressed by how proactive he is. After I emailed them he called me in Switzerland to have a talk about what I was looking for, and he has offered to drive up to meet me when I do a site visit of my hotel in May. Im just curious what prices you were that were "reasonable"? His quote to me was in the same category as Del Sol and Elizabeth Medina. I dont want to take anything away from him as his work appears to be just as good, I was just curious, especially as there isnt much to be found about him on this forum.

I am also going there in May for a site visit. When do you plan to get married Tracy?

I am doing a site visit in May, and planning on marrying there next spring. I was originally going to do it there in November but we had to push it back. I have been dealing with Diana there and so far so good.

I think the new contact here is Diana Patricia Martinez Aranda

Yeah, that's what's making this so difficult. They all have great reviews on Trip Advisor. This is what I am concluding from my research.. please chime in if you know more EPM: -newer and nicer, awesome suites. -more choices on the premises as far as food and entertainment -pools everywhere and great beach beds -their wedding coordinator has actually written me back haha. Ceiba: -choice of AI or not on premises which allows more of my guests to stay in the same place depending on their budget. -nicer beach with snorkeling and a beautiful pier. -better food -the wedding reception pictures I have seen from here seem to look nicer. -located closer to civilization but still far enough away. Other brides...is choosing the venue the worst part? I can't wait to pin one down

Hello, I am still in the early stages and I think I have narrowed it down to these 3 resorts. I know there is quite a bit of information available on the last two, but much of it seems to be a bit out of date. I would appreciate any thoughts on these 3 resorts, and am open to any suggestions to anywhere I may be overlooking. I like the fact that the Excellence and the La Amada are next to each other to give my guests the option of AI or not, and I also like the Ceiba because it gives you that option on site.