hollyd

Love all the pics - Marvin really does gorgeous work!!! And he's so affordable - I'm glad to see people interested in hiring him in the future.

Just posted a bunch below - I hope you can see them. Let me know if you can't!

Close-up of a bridesmaid bouquet

He included the table runners and votive candles in the cost.

I asked for COLORFUL and he came through! The light teal ribbon around the stems ties in the bridesmaid dress colors

These are our centerpieces the day after the ceremony - we used them as decoration for a post-wedding beach fiesta.

I just got married at Mahekal a couple weeks ago and am so glad to see other people considering it. It sounds like the exact type of place you are looking for (did you like what you saw there?) I just loved how relaxed and low-key it was - I grew up going there with family and then my fiance and I stayed there last year (he proposed in Tulum) so it holds a lot of meaning for us. Our wedding was approximately 80 people. The service was fantastic for a group of that size and the wedding coordinator will really accommodate anything you need. Two out of three meals were included per day for guests, which is standard there. We actually held a post-wedding beach party/lunch the following day. My fiance and I had one of the cabanas right on the beach with a larger porch, so they put all the food out and they let us provide our own drinks (that is probably unheard of at the biggie resorts) AND the concierge went to Walmart himself to buy a volleyball net for us to use! You get a level of personalized service at Mahekal that is just phenomenal. They really get to know you and you almost feel like you're part of the Mahekal family when you plan an event there. Plus it just has that chilled out, relaxed vibe - which is exactly what suited our needs. We didn't need or want anything super flashy or blingy and our guests really, really enjoyed themselves and felt right at home there. That's my two cents - if you liked what you saw, definitely check with Ayahamint Aguirre, their wedding coordinator for info. Her email is aya@mahekalplaya.com. I think you won't be disappointed. Congrats and enjoy - as stressful as it was to plan a wedding in another country -I wouldn't change the experience for the world!! Holly

After my recent wedding in Playa, I just have to give kudos to our florist. I had to pay a $100 fee to the resort for hiring an outside vendor, but in the end we saved so much money that the $100 was no biggie. The name of the florist's company is Maya Diseno Floral and you can email the owner, Marvin, directly. He's extremely responsive and so accommodating. If there's something you want, I can assure you, he'll make it happen. I sent him pics of flowers from a wedding I found online and he recreated the centerpieces for HALF the price that the resort florist charged for the same exact thing. Every color that I wanted, he made sure to incorporate. I asked if could we tie in turquoise to match the teal of my bridesmaids dresses and he wrapped a beautiful, subtle teal shade ribbon around the stems of the bouquets, so it really tied everything together perfectly. And for 11 centerpieces, we paid $660USD vs. what would have been $1,320 with the internal resort florist. He also made a point of stopping by my room to make sure I was happy with everything and to give me a sneak peak at my bridal bouquet. LOVE HIM! Here's his site: http://mayadisenofloral.com.mx/ And here is Marvin's email address: marvin@mayadisenofloral.com.mx This guy is well worth a look if you want gorgeous tropical flowers without spending an arm and a leg. He threw in the table runners, votive candles, cake flowers and hair flowers for free too. I'm so glad I found his info somewhere on BDW and I thank whoever did that - so I wanted to be sure to spread the word further!! Happy to share photos if anyone wants to see his work.

Hi Playa/Mexico brides! I'm getting married May 28, 2011 (Mahekal Beach Resort) and would love to hear from other brides about their hair/make-up artists - and any recommendations (or warnings!) you may have. I'm sure most are priced similarly, but if anyone's really good and particularly economical, please send me their names! Because we have the photographer signed on to take some shots of the pre-wedding "getting ready" time - I'd really like the hair/make-up person to come to the resort and do everything on site for 5 of us - rather than going to the salon. Also, I'm thinking we'll go into town in the morning for some mani/pedis. If anyone has a nail salon they'd recommend centrally located in Playa, I would welcome those suggestions too. Thanks so much everyone!! Holly D.