Sweetpea_Mtl

The dress is SOLD!!! Thanks for your interest ladies!

If anyone from Montreal is looking for a really good DW TA I highly recommend Julie Thivierge at Wedding in the Tropics. She is in Rockland, ON, near Ottawa, but Julie is perfectly trilingual, has worked for years as a WC at DW Resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico, and ALL she does is destination weddings. Her experience and knowledge cannot compare to that of a simple TA!

We used her services for our January wedding at the Valentin Imperial Maya in Mexico with 23 guests, mostly from Montreal. She is very well organized and has a ton of great suggestions on what to do, what to chose and how to handle everything. She was super quick to respond to me and eventhough she hadn't coordinated any weddings at the VIM yet, she quickly established a good working relationship with the local WC and since she's fluent in Spanish (as well as French & English) it made everything so much easier.

http://weddinginthetropics.com/

If you have more Qs, don't hesitate to ask. :-))

I just got married at the VIM on Jan. 26 2011. It was absolutely fabulous!

SHIPPING: We decided to bring all our decorations with us in our luggage and using a couple of boxes. We were ready to pay for the extra baggage but found out at the airline registration counter (the day we left) that we could "share" our load of extra luggage and weight with any of our guests that were under weight and travelling in our group. How great is that! It didn't cost us a single penny for all of our extra stuff. This was with Nolitours leaving from Montreal. Shipping was insanely expensive and bringing it all with us on the flight ensured it would get to our destination in time.

We brought paper lanterns with led lights, raffia fans with colored ribbons, chandles, gifts, lei necklaces, flower centerpieces, etc. Everything (deco) was MUCH cheaper buying at home and bringing over ourselves thatn buying or renting in Mexico or at the VIM. We also advised all of our guests to keep room in their luggage for a surprise at the airport and greeted everyone with their OOT BAGS filled with gifts.

MUSIC: We also brought a BeatBox to play our iPod during the ceremony, at dinner and after for a fun night of dancing under the stars.

PHOTOGRAPHER: We hired Samuel Luna for photos on our wedding day and for a TTD session the following week. He and Cesar were absolutely wonderful to work with and their photos so far are stunning! We also used Blue Lense (the VIM photographer included in our Wedding Package) for a day of romantic shots all around the resort. We were trully impressed with Ashley's photos and how easily and quickly she could place us and direct us into these beautiful and fun shots all over the resort and beach.

Hope this helsp and if you have any other Qs, I'd be glad to share more of my experience at the VIM. :-D

Gorgeous satin wedding gown bought in January 2011

Model : Mikaella 1406

Size: 10 (adjustable back satin lace)

Alterations:

    -     Zipper replaced with satin lace back

    -     Added crinoline to emphasize the Mermaid look

    -     No alterations to length or waistline (I am 5’8â€)

Silhouette: Mermaid

Neckline: Strapless Sweetheart

Color: Natural Satin (Ivory)

Worn once & professionally dry cleaned

Asking Price: $900 CAD

Valued : $1,800 + CAD

Location : Near Montreal, QC, Canada

That's so helpful Allison, thanks so much for taking the time to get back to me!

Hi VIM Brides!

Just renewing with BDW as my wedding date approaches and the anxiety level gets higher...

I'm getting married on January 26th. Anyone else getting married that week?

I have a ton of questions. Here are a few:

- Speakers: What kind of iPod speakers are you bringing? I don't have any but would rather buy them and take them with me instead of paying for a DJ as we're a small group (20 guests) so I can't justify the expense.

- Dancing: I read there was dancing/DJ (?) at the Plaza. Can you make song requests? Until what time is it open? How is it?

- Confetti: is biodegradable confetti permitted or only bubbles? (Not a fan of bubbles)

- Any ideas for a group excursion?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hey congratulations! You must be getting anxious as the date approaches!

I'm also getting married at the VIM on January 26 2011 and still have lots to do/plan...

I wish you all the best!

This is so useful thank you!!! I will be checking back here soon for info to put on our wedding website for travellers.

That's a great list! REALLY useful.

I've added earplugs & lavender pillow mist to my list. Helps to sleep at night in a strange place... :-)

This is great info thanks!

So where do you find a list of "approved" translators?

And have any of you looked into the difference in cost between getting a mariage certificate in Qc before leaving + having a "renewal ceremony" in Mexico rather than doing it all in Mexico with the whole blood test (paid in cash) and all?

Hi everyone,

I'm so excited I just booked my wedding date at the VIM for Jan. 26 2011!!! WOUHOU!!!

I'll have to set aside a few hundred hours ;-) to read through all the threads and start planning all the details...

Anyone else getting married that week at the VIM? (Jan. 22-29)

And since it's already in 8 months, do you think I should send Save The Date cards or the invitations directly with all the details?

@Heidilynn28 - Nice to see a Montreal bride here! Which photographer are you thinking of hiring from home?

Congratulations on your wedding Viriginia!

I'm glad you brought the points about the photographer contract and how unflexible she was. I'm surprised and I would've done the same thing as you. That's unfortunate and not really good business etiquet on her part... I look forward to seeing your wedding photos!

Thanks for the great review!

I would also add to the list how many children or if children will be attending. Adults only AIs are more pricey. And a TA will tell you that for your budget you will not be able to get a true 5 star resort. (Just want to set your expectations, as I'm going through the same process this week).

As for retainer fee (?) I wasn't asked for one and I contacted 2 TAs and let them each know that I was looking at one other TA. Perhaps it's different in the US...

What a steal! That's a fabulous dress! I hope to find one like that myself!

How about a private photo shoot with your wedding photographer as souvenir!?!

That's a good question... I imagine you're giving out one bag per person and not per couple right? My FI seems to think that one per couple was enough (trying to save on luggage space not budget) but I find that looks cheap...

Nice! Thanks for sharing! I 'm sure your guests will love them!

I've just requested quotes from my TA for Valentin Imperial Maya for anytime between Jan & May 2011 in hopes of getting a great price sometime in that period (I was also told that end of April, early May has cheaper rates).

In reading your posts, I feel like this pricing roller coaster is like a bad game of poker!!!

The Gambler song by Kenny Rogers just popped into my mind ... "You gotta know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em, know when to walk away, know when to run (...)" lol

CRAZY!!!

Welcome Lisa! You must be relieved to have booked your DW location! Now the real fun begins and this forum offers a wealth on info. Happy planning!

Wow!!! Your hard work has definitely paid off! Your guests will be impressed I'm sure!

I just saw your STDs. You did a fantastic job! Thanks for sharing your tips on how you made them. Will certainly make good use of this!

Love your colors Brenna! Your invitaions looks so professional, classy with fun colors. Thanks for sharing!

Dislike (got tired of it!) :-S

Hockey

I LOVE Claudia Rodriguez' photos! I will be getting quotes from her for sure but I'm expecting it to be on the higher end of pricing given the great work she does...