uhleesa

Originally Posted by Kristine624 

hi everyone!

 

my fiance and i are getting married at la amada on may 20th, 2011.  i am SO excited to meet other people on this forum who are getting married at this hotel! with it being so new, it seems there are not many la amada brides-to-be out there.  and...i live in nyc, too!  my fiance and i bought a condo in astoria two years ago, and before this, we lived on the UES. 

 

we went for our site visit in august and fell in love with the hotel.  ileana was not there, so we met with nayeli (the other wedding coordinator).  we had a tasting and everything was just amazing.  i do agree, the lack of attention from ileana is challenging - she is so difficult to get in touch with!  she also said that we do not need to worry about the details at this point, but we are less than 7 months out at this point, so i am making her start these conversations now.  i get too nervous not having these things planned!  at this point, we have established group rates with our travel agent, and people are starting to book  

 

we are having a welcome dinner the wednesday night beforehand (i am thinking a beach bbq, if they will do it) and then we want to have our rehearsal dinner on thursdsay.  our wedding will be on friday night and we are going to do brunch after on saturday.  we anticipate about 70 people will be in attendance at our wedding.

 

it sounds like you guys have gone with vendors outside of the hotel - they told us that we could not do this.  how did you get away with it?  would love to know!  it was a bit of a fight to get an "outside" photographer.  so, i'm curious to know who all of you are working with, and want to confirm that la amada agreed to that.

 

also, have any of you met with the makeup/hair artists?  i met them in august during the site visit, but didn't have anything done.  i would love to know if they are good.  we did use the spa, and it's AMAZING.

 

again, glad to know there are more la amada brides to be here!

 

 

 

Hey Kristine, welcome!

  It's def nice to know of others who are planning a wedding at La Amada. My fiance and I are planning our visit in December and are hoping to get a lot of the planning out of the way while we're there. You mentioned that you visited in August. How was the weather? Our wedding is going to be next August and I'm just a little anxious about the weather. It's going to be so hot! I'm hoping that there will be some palm trees on the beach so when we have the ceremony on the beach it won't be so hot!

As for Ileana, yes, she is slow to respond sometimes, but I have found that she always answers my questions thoroughly. I didnt really have a problem with the photographer since the hotel doesn't even have a package with a photographer.

I'm also a little concerned about the hair/makeup. I'm an Asian girl, so I hope whoever they have there knows how to work with my skin, eyes and hair. Plus, it's going to be hot, so I'm hoping they have something heat resistant. I heard that airbrushing does the trick, but not sure if that's true or even if they have that.

Hope this helps!

Hey TilliePiper,

  I think I'm going to check with Ileana about the set up fee then. It's strange that she would quote us differently. I also don't really like the options for flowers. They're okay, but just not that special. How much are the tables and centerpieces going to be through Gabi at Tropical Wedding Experts? I have heard of them, but I thought it would be out of our budget. If you could give me some more info on how they work and how much it costs to hire them, that'd be great!

We were going to do the welcome dinner too...but, not sure about that either since it is really expensive!! I feel like we should provide food for the people who arrive the night before and it would be nice to eat together, but a welcome dinner is going to cost us the same as dinner at the wedding reception. =/ I wish there was a way we could get the price lowered or eat somewhere else. If you go elsewhere, are you just going to have everyone take cabs into downtown Cancun?

Hey there! I'm also planning a wedding at La Amada for August 2011. I'm so excited! My fiance and I are planning on visiting in December to check out the place, but we've been doing some planning already.

As for alcohol, I contacted Ileana about that before. She told us that we'd be able to bring our own alcohol, but we would be charged an uncorking fee which is by the hour and is $4 per person. Maybe you can check with her to see if you can do the same.

Is anyone else being charged $18 for the wedding reception set-up? This includes the table and chair set ups and the flower arrangements, but I just feel like this is a bit pricey...thoughts?

Hi everyone!

  How many of you are having a reception dinner back home for guests who can't attend the destination wedding?

The reason I ask is because I was out to dinner with my fiance and his co-workers. One woman implied that it would be simply rude to not have a celebratory dinner for guests who can't attend, like co-workers, colleagues, friends, etc. Would it be bad manners not to have one? I am considering having a dinner for my mom's side of the family when we get back because most won't be able to attend. However, part of the reason we wanted to do destination was because we wanted a private ceremony and reception with the people in our lives who actually truly care about us.

So, what do you ladies think? Reception dinner back home or not? Polite or impolite?

Hey foxytv,

   That dress is gorgeous and such a good deal too! Who's the designer?

For great mix and match dresses, I've been checking out JCrew.com so far. Their dresses on clearance have a lot of color variety and different styles with similar fabrics. I'm thinking of choosing a few styles and letting my bridesmaids select their dress. That way there is some coordination in the dress styles and they get to wear a dress that they like. I'm thinking of paying for their dresses, so this would also be a more affordable option since standard bridesmaids dresses can be $200. Hope this is helpful to one of you gal's!

~uhleesa

I'm also debating between white lanterns or light pink and purple lanterns! All I have down is the idea right now, but I'm planning on taking the DIY route!

Originally Posted by A_J_Mitchell 

I just ordered a photobook from mypublisher.com. I have 38 guests coming so what I did was create a page for every person/couple coming with pictures of them/us on it. I'll then have them sign their own picture page...The book ended up costing around $34 +shipping.
Here's a link to the book if anyone wants to check it out!
Let's see if this link works:

MyPublisher | Create Photo Books, Cards and Calendars with free MyPublisher Software!

I love this idea! I'm thinking of doing the same thing!

Originally Posted by woktor 

 

These are the 3 resorts I liked best so far as well (that seem in our guests' price range). However, Ceiba doesn't have the dates we want (early Dec 2010) and EPM is adult only (2 or 3 of our guests may bring their kids and make a vaca out of it). We're going to do a site visit at La Amada April 3rd. Hoping to find a few more venues to see that weekend too.

 

But yes, I agree...choosing the venue is so much harder than I thought! After our site visits, I'll post what we found. Good luck!

How was your site visit to La Amada woktor?

I am in the process of deciding on a location as well. We were originally going to have it at EPM, but because it's on the expensive side, I'm starting to think that La Amada may be a better option. Still waiting to hear from La Amada's WC!

Thanks so much Liz!

  I'm glad to hear that you loved the hotel. I also really love the modern chic decor and the menu seems to be fantastic. Who is the WC at La Amada? I'm still waiting for a reply back to see if our wedding date next August is available.

I was checking out photos from a wedding there and I'm pretty much sold!  : http://sakuraphotography.com/blog/weddings/la-amada-resort-mexico-wedding-sarah-and-jake/

Do you know who your photographer will be? I've been considering del Sol and Elizabeth Medina, but I also fell in love with the very modern, fun and fresh photos taken by Sakura. Only problem is that they are based in Vancouver, so it would be quite expensive to fly them in. I just love their style and I think they would really be able to capture the style and feel of La Amada.

If you have any info about the weddings at La Amada, can you send it to me? I haven't heard from the WC at all yet. My e-mail is: [email protected]

Thanks!!

Hi Ladies!

   I am so excited to be planning our wedding, but the hardest part has been picking the right location. I originally wanted to hold our wedding at EPM, but changed my mind since an AI would be too expensive for our guests. Now I'm considering Le Reve, La Amada or the JW Marriott. The Marriott seems quite expensive, but I know that they are experienced in throwing weddings.

There is less info about weddings at La Amada or Le Reve. Do you ladies have any input or info on these hotels? They both look gorgeous, but I'm hesitant because they are much smaller than a large hotel like the Marriott with possibly less experience.

What do you ladies think?

Thanks so much for all your help so far! =)

Is anyone planning on having their reception on the event terrace? Yamina told me that we could have our reception there or at Barcelona Restaurant. The pictures she sent me don't really give a good sense of what either looks like, so if anyone has visited already your feedback would be appreciated! =)

Hey Ladies,

I'm planning on getting married next August 2011, but I'm starting to wonder if August is a good month to get married. From what I've been reading online, June through August are the hottest months of the year. Do you think it will be unbearably hot for my guests? Or too hot to enjoy excursions on our honeymoon after?

Our only other option would be to get married sometime in October, but I have family and friends who are in school and it would be inconvenient for them to take time off.

Anyways, it'd be nice to hear what you ladies are planning on doing, as well as your thoughts on the heat and weather around Cancun. Are you planning on having an indoor or outdoor ceremony/reception?

Hey Ladies,

After looking at lots of photos, I haven't come across many destination wedding brides with lace dresses. So if you are planning on wearing a lace dress on your wedding day, please feel free to share!

I saw this gown online and have yet to try it on, but I really love it.

Allure : Style 8770 From AllureBridals.com I'm just not so sure if it's going to be appropriate for a beachy wedding. We're planning on getting married at the gazebo, but it's still going to be at a resort next to the beach. Anywho, let's see those dresses! And feel free to share your thoughts on wearing a lace dress!

Hey aeluzu,

I'm still debating whether to put together OOT bags. I read on some other threads that it can be a hassle to bring things like beach towels down since they take up a lot of room. If I do decide to make OOT bags, I'll probably put sun screen, aloe, cortisone(for bug bites), bug spray, Advil and the like. I'm not sure yet if I want to do OOT bags AND guest favors or just one of the two. It does take Yamina some time to get back to me, but I guess that's just the way things are in Mexico...ppl seem to be more laid back than in the States. Hope this helps! Good luck getting your desired date!

Hi Ladies,

Thanks so much for all your help so far!

I contacted Yamina and she told me that the Saturday we wanted is available! I'm very very excited! However, in her e-mail she said that the confirmation/booking number was required for her to hold the date for me. We are planning to have our wedding next August 2011, so I'm a little concerned because the prices for rooms next year are listed as full price. Does anyone have any good advice on how to get around this? (This year's August prices are 35% off the regular room rates, so I was hoping to get the same deals next year for me and my guests). How did you book your rooms in advance and for your guests?

do you ladies know if Yamina or another WC is going to be present to direct the wedding and/or MC? Or are you just going to designate someone from your wedding party to MC the wedding?

Thanks for the info! I'm waiting to hear back to see if the date is available...crossing my fingers!

Hey ladies,

I'm new to the forum. I've read all your posts and it's been really helpful. The date I wanted at EPM for a Saturday in August 2011 is already booked and I was wondering if it was possible to hold a non-legal ceremony on a Sunday. Does anyone know if EPM allows weddings on Sundays? I just don't want to have a Friday wedding and have my guests take off 2 days to come. Many are in grad school and it would be nearly impossible to do that. Thanks!