SparkleSun

Usually a travel agent will match any price you can find yourself, and you get the added benefits of having someone helping you. If you are just booking one vacation then Expedia is the way to go. But in my opinion, when you are trying to coordinate with your guests it's definitely better for everyone to have a point person to deal with. Not to mention that you will definitely not get any of the group perks buy just having everyone book solo. Send an email to: [email protected] and just ask her what kind of rates she can get you. Then at least you will know.

We booked through a travel agent. We initially thought about taking a room block, but we weren't sure if we were going to fill 10 rooms and didn't want to get stuck with the extras. In the end, we had 13 rooms and I think we paid something like $10 more per night. Our travel agent also negotiated for us to get the group perks we wanted, and transportation was included, which I don't think is the case if you book directly through the hotel. I would 100% use a TA because all guests can book through her and we paid with a credit card. We used Laura Sangster at Caribbean journey and she was amazing. She helped with all the hiccups that arose, and there were several.

Holy cow your dress is amazing and you look like a superstar in it! When I was looking at photos of dresses my absolute favorite was a gown by Marchesa which was 100,000 UK Pounds and I never was able to find another one which did it any justice until I saw photos of yours! So jealous!!! It's too late for me, but I would still like to know who made it. Your taste is impeccable

I brought floating candles and they provided me with bowls and dyed water which actually looked very nice. I think she told me they would be $4 a bowl, but I don't remember seeing it on the bill. I also brought those little bags you fill with sand and put a candle in, but they didn't stay lit. Some of the bowl candles kept going out as well, but I thought it was still pretty. I'll post pics of them when I'm back at my computer and not on my iPad.

Here is their review page: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/blue-lens-caribe-wedding-photography

I think they are on a continuous loop. I know that Thursday is the Michael Jackson show which is often referred to as the best show. Friday is the Mexican party which is where I held my rehearsal dinner so I of course have pics if anyone wants them. Tuesday is Casino night/Magic Show, Wednesday is Manager night/Circus Show, Sunday is Live music and Las Vegas Show, Saturday is Romantic Dancing Soiree with a carribbean band, and I can't find the sheet from Monday. I guess being anal and keeping everything is starting to pay off lol.

I emailed him and he sent me the list of songs he could play. I asked him for a specific song which he said he would learn, but in the end I ended up using one of his originals which I heard on his website and fell in love with. My husband still plays that song once a day and gives me that *look* across the room haha. I may have the list somewhere in my email, but it's probably best to just contact him. [email protected]

I also attract every mosquito for a 50 mile radius and I didnt have a bite either. It's a seasonal thing. They also gave each table bug spray which I thought was cute.

No, the weather was perfect but this was also 2 months ago. That being said, if the sun is down I dont think "hot" will be a problem unless its August and even then it's probably okay.

Hi ladies, I just wanted to say that I finally got around to writing my reviews: EPM: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/excellence-playa-mujeres-resort-and-spa/reviews/4512 Del Sol: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/del-sol-photography/reviews/4511 Hope they are helpful

I recently had the good sense and good fortune to hire Matt and Juan from Del Sol to capture my day. I knew that after looking at so many other weddings they had shot, they they would do a good job, but I was blown away with what I received. It was definitely worth the wait! Like all nervous brides, I was monitoring the weather before I got to Mexico and I was totally bummed out that it was supposed to rain the entire time I was there. So when my wedding day actually arrived, I was happy that it was just really overcast and not actually wet, even though we brides chose a beach wedding in the hopes of having a sunny day. I didn't much think about it any more until I received my slideshow and saw my beautiful bright and cheerful photos. Snapshot taken by a guest: Photo taken by Del Sol: Please have a look at the rest of our slideshow. I can't believe the attention to detail and the emotions they managed to capture on film. Those two were moving at super human speeds moving the flash around to catch different styles of photos, and we even looked up at one point to see Matt running across the roof of the hotel! Thanks Matt and Juan for giving each wedding everything you've got. It's nice to not feel like you are just another bride in the assembly line and that each wedding is meaningful to you. The rest of our slideshow: http://delsolphotography.com/blog/content/galleries/?gal=411

They provide you with white linens and chair covers. If you have a look at the photos I brought the candles but Yamina provided the bowl they were in. I also brought those little bags you fill with sand and put a candle in, but it was too windy and they did not stay lit. I also made name card holders. Otherwise everything was given by the hotel besides the flowers of course.

I wrote Playa Mujeres, Mexico as well. The actual address is way to complicated: EXCELLENCE Playa Mujeres Prolongacion Bonampak, S/N, Punta Sam Lote Terrenos 001 MZ. 001 Sm. 003 Zona Continental de Isla Mujeres 77400 Quintana Roo, Mexico

Lauren, what time of year is your wedding? It's seems a very ambitious to have your reception during the hottest part of the day with people drinking and dancing in the sun. Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but even in the winter months, that sounds hot! Then again, you have the entire afternoon and evening to party with no stress! I also think the event terrace benefits a lot by being lit up beautifully at night. I have some shots of it during the day which I can send to you if you are interested. Perhaps you might consider taking your reception to one of the indoor restaurants? No, I didnt find the wind too much of a problem. As Matt pointed out in his post, I think the benefits to the beach far outweigh the disadvantages. Part of getting married outside is that nature is part of it and as long as there isn't a monsoon coming, you should be fine.

They should really let you edit your own posts There are some missing spaces in the answer above...sorry

Wow so much to respond to Sharon: Thanks! Yes, I contracted them for 5 hours but I think they ended up staying even longer, I was in too much of a whirlwind to even think about looking at my watch when they left. They stayed until they finished the job though. I am sure if you talk to them, they will be able to guide you on how much time you need. Matt? Matt: Wow! Thanks for taking the time to post those here. You really did a good job highlighting some points about EPM. I wholeheartedly agree about going with the beach vs. gazebo. We initially wanted to do the gazebo, but besides the difficulties shooting there, I wanted to be looking out over the ocean and it faces the opposite direction. Yes, it's a little windy on the beach, not too bad. Grandstreet: Yamina arranged the officiant. She asked if we preferred a male or female and we said we didn't care either way. That was all the information we provided, however, we did write our own wedding script for her to read as we are not too religious and the ones they offered us were. I sent you a PM of our wedding video so that you can hear her speaking. I thought she did a fine job and she added a lot of character to our wedding.

It's hard to give advice on somehting of this magnitude with just a little bit of information. Relationships are complicated and they for sure aren't easy. What I can say though is if you really love him, I don't think this is a deal breaker. Imagaine you had already gotten married, would you stick by him then? The economy is hard for everyone right now. There are 4 unemployed people for every 1 job opening in the US right now. I am sure he was embarassed that he was unable to pay his truck payments, which doesn't make it right, but one can kind of see where his mind was. Ask yourself, "would your life be better or worse without him in it?" If you want him, then try to be supportive as long as he is trying to do something with himself and not sitting around all day. If you can see that he is honestly putting forth the effort, then you can't really hold that against him. You are supposed to be a team working together, that is what marriage is all about. If you say you never had any big issues, then hold on to him in my opinion. It's hard to find someone you click with.

Oh, and the light up dance floor comes from him too which I would also recommend!

Thanks for the kind words, Del Sol has a way of capturing the feelings in such a way that it really comes across on film. We felt super fortunate to have so much love and support during our wedding from our friends and family, and feel lucky to have it captured. Yes, we took the DJ, which was totally worth it as well. You can see his set up in the corner along with the cold fireworks he brought with him in photo 174 of my slideshow. Besides the final song of the night, it was really just me and my 3 bridesmaids who were dancing, but we had great fun. Also he did a great job of setting the mood, playing more chill stuff while we were eating, then stepping it up for party time. Much nicer than plugging in your ipod and constantly having to fuss with it in my opinion. At EPM you are only allowed to have DJ Mannia, but I felt they did a fine job. They emailed us beforehand to ask what we wanted to hear and our do not plays and he did a great job filling in the blanks based on our tastes. We had our reception on the event terrace.

I am going to go into this in further detail when I write my full review next week. But I used Matt and Juan from Del Sol as my photographers. I really cant say enough about them, and everyone else I had contact with over there. Now that the dust has settled from our wedding, the only things I have left are my memories and my photos. They are absolutely worth the added investment, as your photos are not the place you want to compromise. From the initial contact until now they have been friendly, professional, and always quick to respond and the quality of the photos are second to none. The day of my wedding was slightly overcast and gloomy, yet when we received our pictures everything looked beautiful and sunny. In addition, the way they are able to capture the emotions is uncanny. It's not just me, have a look at what the other brides who have used them have said...everyone cant be wrong I'll post a link to my full review of them later, but for now, I would book them while you still have a chance! http://delsolphotography.com/blog/content/galleries/?gal=411

No worries, I know how neurotic I was before the wedding. Glad I can help while it is all still fairly fresh in my mind. Rest assured, Yamina is amazing and will make sure everything goes smoothly. When she met us she had color coded folders and printouts and my Swiss husband joked that she must also be Swiss because they are very orderly and organized.

Here is my thoughts on having a guitar player. The alternative would be to hook up an ipod over the speakers and I think that really changes the mood. Everyone commented to me how great they thought Javier was. He gave us a CD after and my husband loves hearing it because it takes him right back there. He is also super friendly and has a huge repetoire to choose from, and if he doesn't know it, he will learn it. I really can't say anything bad about the guy. I have no reason to push him, but I genuinely was impressed by everything about him. Yes, he isn't cheap, but nothing worth having is. And even though he is only at the ceremony for 45 minutes or so, he has to travel to the hotel, etc...and just having a live musician for me, was the difference between being a little tacky and being very romantic.

I The Mariachi band is definitely worth it in my opinion. It really livens up the cocktail hour and my guests loved it. Also the guitar player, Javier Rojas, is amazing and totally worth the money. He also plays for more like 45 minutes and he arrives early and plays while everyone is settling in.

I think all the upgraded bouquets are $80 extra, so that is what they charged me. Yes, I took the gold package and no, I did not get any unexpected charges. In fact, there were charges I expected that I did not get and there were a couple of times that Yamina told me I did not have to pay for something I expected to pay for. All-in-all I felt like I got very much for what I was charged.

Oh I just found this in my email: cake flavors: vanilla, vanilla filled with fruit (the fruit of your preference), vanilla filled with chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, cheesecake, carrot cake.