Pucca

Actually more money doesn't necessarily equate with better quality. Just because I didn't "splurge" on photography did not mean that I got lower quality photos. Almost two years later we still love our photos and can't wait to go back and use the same photographer for an anniversary shoot. I just don't believe that you have to pay what everyone pays because that's the standard. Sometimes the photographers take advantage of the fact that brides from abroad are willing to overpay because that's the "norm". Of course if you pay a lot you'd better get your money's worth so the photos had better be incredible. But I believe in supporting the "little guy" so to speak who has just as great an eye but isn't overcharging for his art because he doesn't need to. But of course, if you believe you need to splurge then go ahead. But we shouldn't think that a person who doesn't splurge doesn't value good photography. That's highly presumptuous. At the end of the day it's really an individual decision according to everyone's budget and philosophy. And there will always be people who splurge and people who don't.

Here's our frames for our vintage travel themed wedding with places in the world that have a special meaning to us. Click on the link below for details on how I put them together and where everything is from! http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/86109/diy-table-number-alternative

Those are just darling!

I'm wondering if anyone's fiance/husband wore a black suit or tux in Mexico. Was it too hot? 

We got married in November at 4:30 pm. Hubby wore a black suit with faint grey pinstripes. I thought he might be hot but he wanted to wear it and actually kept his suit jacket on until the dancing. I don't remember it being that hot. So I guess it all depends on when you're getting married and the time of day.

I just read through a bunch of these comments . . . am I the only one with a groom who won't let me know what he is wearing? All I know is that it will be a suit. Scary!

My husband was like this. But then realistically he realized that he couldn't keep it a total secret because he needed me to help shop for his clothes since he was busy with work. Plus my mom bought his suit. But I let him keep his tie choice a secret although I had some idea. Haha. But he resented the fact that he couldn't keep everything a secret when my dress was a secret. Haha.

Originally Posted by westwoodian 

 

Hello all,

 

I'll say something right away just to get it out of the way - I am the groom.

 

The reason I finally decided to sign up for this forum after having spent a few good hours reading through your posts, is that while we are almost done booking our vendors with a lot of help from all of you guys, I am stuck at booking a photographer.

 

First off, we were originally going to have our wedding in Los Angeles (where we live) but had a change of heart and decided to go for the destination wedding in Cabo. In my head, that also meant that all the vendors in Cabo would obviously be cheaper than LA..... wrong. But I am slowly getting over that. It's a one-time thing so I guess that we have to accept what we would otherwise call grossly overpriced services.

 

So, photographers... I went through about 30 of them, and picked a few from which I requested quotes. Most of them were way out of our budget (and I believe that we have a very reasonable budget to say the least at $3,000 --- used to be 2,000-2,500), and one of them was just at the peak of our budget. I don't want to mention a name but the reason we are still hesitant on booking that photographer is that we get a feeling that they are very full of themselves and may not actually let us take all the types of photos we would like. Also, it's very very hard to get in touch with that particular person which makes us worry.

 

I have been assigned the task of booking a photographer, and right when I was about to give up and hire a person that we are not 100% comfortable with, I checked back on this forum and searched a little more... Long story short, I found 4 more new photographers that had been hired by brides here at some point or another and I already contacted 2 of them and waiting to see what they say. That is why I started this thread. May this serve as a stepping stone for those who need some help figuring out their options.

 

It's easy to find the few photographers that have good websites, and you can also stumble upon a list or two with a lot of photographers... but those lists are outdated in my experience and it's hard to navigate through them. One of them is here - loscabosguide .com/photographers.htm

 

I kindly ask all of you who have either worked with a photographer in Cabo in the past, or those that have done their research and booked a photographer for their special day to tell the rest of us about it. To anyone that has searched in this forum, it's obvious that there are about 5 photographers that cover more than 70% of weddings in Cabo... and that's fine.. people are happy with them so by all means.. but I feel that there is a lot of hidden photography talent out there that just doesn't know how to market themselves effectively and be seen!! That's why I hope that you can help us and everybody else who is planning or will be planning a Cabo wedding in the future by listing some of those less popular but talented photographers.

 

Or just feel free to make any comments or share your advice!

 

Thank you in advance!

 

I have posted about our photographer somewhere before but I forget which thread. I have also shared about him on my planning thread, but I will share my experience again through this thread as I just came upon it today. We love our photos and we can't say enough good things about our photographer. Although it has been almost a year and a half since our special day, my husband and I still like to look at our photos. We chose to use Gonzalo from Art' n Colors Photography & Video rather than go with the popular photographers that appear on this forum for similar reasons as quoted above. We did our fair share of contacting photographers but were never satisfied with any responses. And my husband and I also preferred to look for vendors who were more local, less "big name" and less everyone-else-is-using-them. Gonzalo's prices were in line with our budget and he was just fabulous to work with. Whenever I get a chance to recommend him I do, like now. I keep up with his wedding pictures and other photography on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ArtNColors) and as usual love his work. So I'd encourage people to check him out.

Originally Posted by Gyqueiroz 

 

Pucca, 

 

Lovely pictures!

 

Im getting married at Melia, but doing it at a restaurant sounds really easy going!

 

Do you have the prices for the mama Mia restaurant?

 

How does it work to set up the wedding on the beach?

 

I loved your wedding congrats

 

Thank you so much! It was definitely easy going doing it through Mama Mia!

 

I am going to check to see if I still have anything from Mama Mia and I will PM you. It was a buffet so the prices depended upon what you wanted to be served. They also ordered the cake for us from a bakery that we had originally tried to contact on our own, so you can imagine we were quite thrilled.

 

Basically the wedding took place on the public portion of the beach. Mama Mia is on a resort/timeshare property so the reception is held on the part of the beach that belongs to the property. We just requested the chuppah from the florist, and then the wedding coordinator from the restaurant set up the chairs, according to what we asked. Then the florist communicated with the wedding coordinator, and everything was arranged. The wedding coordinator from Mama Mia was absolutely wonderful to work with. So I don't think I was stressed at all the day of the wedding, even after a few little hiccups which was to be expected.

Originally Posted by kags06 

 

Hello, I am planning a wedding in cabo for 2014. Can anyone give me advice, costs, locations etc.  

 

We want a ceremony and reception on the beach or the reception at least overlooking th beach.  any pros and cons would be great. Thanks.

 

Also any recommendations.  We do have a budget of $5000 total if thats even possible. 

 

Thank you!

Kim and Oscar

 

Congratulations!

 

I think it's totally possible to get married for that budget depending upon what sort of wedding you want and how many guests you are having. I got married in Los Cabos almost a year and a half ago, closer to the San Jose del Cabo area but on the beach. I cannot think of any cons for having both ceremony and reception on the beach. We didn't have much wind and the weather was absolutely perfect in November. The pros? I can't even list them. My husband and I still talk about how we loved our wedding.

 

My reception was on the beach as well, set up outside a restaurant that catered the food and helped with the set-up of everything (the restaurant was called Mama Mia). Their wedding coordinator was really great and easy to work with. Everything was reasonably priced and our budget was not that much more than yours. We had 25 guests and I kept my set-up pretty simple. Our photographer was absolutely fabulous to work with as was our florist. Our photographer was Gonzalo from ArtnColors and we had our flowers done through Floreria Rayen. I highly recommend both. Here is the link to some pictures. I can send you more set-up pictures if you want.  Just PM me. I also have a planning thread if you want to check that out as well.

 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/77209/puccas-wedding-and-ttd-photos

 

Congratulations again! Good luck and happy planning!

Anyone dancing to Spanish ballad? My first dance will be to my favorite group Camila...Todo Cambio! I'm going to be an emotional wreck that day! LOL

I like that song! So we thought we were going to dance to something slow, or something Beatles, but we ended choosing a Spanish song -- El Amor by Tito El Bambino. It was perfect.

Come Away With Me by Norah Jones is starting to grow on me....or an instrumental piano version of Bruno Mars Just The Way You Are by Piano Tribute Kings.  Still deciding....

Come Away With Me is a beautiful song. I never thought of it despite liking Norah Jones. Will have to make a note for my friend's wedding. Thanks!

Hello everyone! I agree with Taryn - hard to believe it has been a year; time does fly. We are currently not at home thanks to Hurricane Sandy. We have had no power for almost a week now so we have been spending our days at family and friends' homes. But we have to return tomorrow since we need to go and vote on Tuesday. Hopefully we will have electricity back by then. But on a more positive note, we leave for our anniversary trip to Puerto Rico this Thursday. It'll be great to be somewhere not cold for a few days! :-) Happy anniversary everyone!! Hope all is well.

Originally Posted by Futurepapesh 

 

Hello Brides!

 

We are getting married 2/13/13 -we have chosen the beach for both the ceremony and dinner/reception.  Are there any brides out there doing the same?  Anyone have pictures of a beach dinner or reception set-up?  Also - looking for any ideas for decor?.. We are having Coral & Turquoise for our colors.  Thanks!

 

Congratulations! 

 

I got married on the beach in Los Cabos, Mexico, and had the dinner set up a few steps away, also on the beach but within the property of a restaurant that was on the beach. 

 

Here's my planning thread:

 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/76794/puccas-post-wedding-planning-thread-with-pics

 

And here's a link to some of my photos so you can see how it all came together:

 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/77209/puccas-wedding-and-ttd-photos

 

Our reception set-up seems minimal but it looked beautiful in the evening because of all the candles and lighting we had, which is what I wanted more than any flowers and such. It might not look as fancy as some other weddings but it turned out to be just perfect for us. 

 

Let me know if you have any questions. 

 

Good luck and happy planning! 

Originally Posted by kfarkas26 

 

OK Ladies-

I am having a HUGE problem choosing a dress and i thought I would ask for your input... I am between two dresses both Maggie Sottero...

The first is the Vanessa- I love it , it looks good on me and it is SOO SOO comfortable ( i feel like I'm in sweatpants in it... i love it) but I have worn SOO many dresses in that same style/shape so everyone who sees it on me is like "its so you" and yes it is "So me" BUT I dont want it to look like everyother dress I've ever worn.... which may be where my problem is... 

The other one is the Marion,- To me it feels more bridal, I feel like a real bride, I think it also looks just good as the vanessa but its just not as comfortable... but it isn't something I would typically wear... 

 

So my question- Is it more important to feel comfortable OR to feel bridal?! Should I go with a shape that I tend to gravitate towards for other occasions because it looks good on me and works OR should I go with something that is out of my comfort zone but makes me feel more like a bride?! Either way i havent had that "THIS IS MY DRESS" moment and now I'm thinking I never will... Time is ticking down for me and I Really can't choose... Hopefully you guys can help... I'm so torn I'm considering asking my fiancee but I want him to be surprised...

 

 

Both dresses are beautiful. I'm one of those brides that wanted to be beautiful but also wanted to be comfortable. Comfort was very important to me because I would be wearing the dress for at least 6 hours. If you're really uncomfortable in the second dress I'd say don't get it. I tried on a beautiful dress that was absolutely gorgeous but in the end I knew I would be so tired from being uncomfortable that I wouldn't have thoroughly enjoyed my own wedding despite making me feel like a bride and all; and that was not an option for me! So I looked for something more comfortable and found the "this is it" dress. You can have them alter the first dress into a sweetheart neckline which I think would make it more beautiful and hence a little bit more "different" than what you usually wear. Plus if you're wearing a veil it will make the look different than usual. Having said that, if you're not too thrilled about either of those choices, I'd say keep looking. Maggie Sottero has so many more dresses that have some similarities but might give you that "I love it" feeling. If you keep coming back to either of the two above, then get the dress that keeps popping up in your head. 

 

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Melissa14 

 

Cabo Bride!!  I am having my wedding at Dreams on 7/27/13. Still looking for a DJ and a photographer. HELP!!!

 

We had Gonzalo from ArtnColors as our photographer. He's awesome to work with, reasonably priced, and we loved his captures of our wedding and TTD. I would highly recommend him. 

Originally Posted by CourtandMatt 

 

I did find another bridal salon.   That one place was just so rude and was like "our dresses are too heavy for a beach wedding."  The only dress they said I could really wear was a dress similar to the one I commented on.  It was BEAUTIFUL but I just had such a bad time at that salon. 

 

In other words, my point was that that dress is beautiful and a great beach wedding dress (the salon showed me photos of other DW brides wearing that dress or a similar one and everyone looked beautiful).

 

 I can't believe that people would be so flat out rude! The bride should be the judge of what is too heavy and what is not. Thank goodness you found a better bridal salon! Happy planning!

Originally Posted by CourtandMatt 

 

 

What a great beach dress!  I tried on something similar at this one salon that was like "you can't buy any of our dresses because you are having a beach weddding."  It was a great beach dress but I just can't rock it.  Too bad because it is beautiful!

 

Really?? What do they mean by that? I hope you found another bridal salon. 

Amelia is so cute! What lovely photos!! Congratulations again and enjoy your precious angel!

 

We were thinking about going back to where we got married but we decided to put that off and explore somewhere new. So we're going to Puerto Rico and going around the entire island - as much as we can anyway. I can't wait!!

 

Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!

Originally Posted by JoanneIreland 

Congratulations Taryn on your stunning new home, it looks amazing!! If I lived there I wouldn't care either how long my commute was! Yourself and David must be thrilled. Wishing you many many happy years in your new home.

 

Oh sooooo happy for all you ladies who are doing anniversary trips, that is fabulous! Are you all going back to where you got married or somewhere else?

Courtney yourself and Paul are doing a mediterranean cruise aren't you?

You all need to post details!

 

Below are a couple of pics from Amelia's newborn photo shoot when she was one week old :

 

 

 

Originally Posted by JoanneIreland 

 

HAPPY 9 MONTH ANNIVERSARY GIRLS!!!!!!

Hope everyone is well.

 

Just wanted to let you know that our little angel Amelia was born last week!!!!! She is so beautiful and the happiest baby ever. Myself & Mike are exhausted but over the moon and feel so blessed! Wish you could all meet her, u would fall in love in an instant!!

 

xx

 

Congratulations!! What a lovely 9-month anniversary gift!! Would love to see some pictures! She must be so precious!

 

I can't believe 9 months have already gone by. We are doing well and looking forward to our one-year anniversary trip. 

 

Hope everyone else is well! 

Originally Posted by Samantha Dolan 

 

You did both legal and symbolic? I don't want our ceremony to be in Spanish. So I was considering doing the legal the day before at a courthouse in Mexico and then a symbolic the day of at Dreams. Suggestions?

 

Yes, I did both legal and symbolic because we didn't want to run around trying to get things legalized in Mexico. But we also weren't doing our wedding at an all-inclusive resort and already had arranged for my pastor to fly in to marry us, so to spare us any complications of trying to legalize the Cabo wedding we decided to do a civil ceremony at home. But if you're going to have your wedding in Mexico be legal, you might ask your coordinator at Dreams how to pull that off; they should be able to tell you what you need to bring and all the requirements. Plus your ceremony at Dreams doesn't have to be in Spanish in order to make it legal. So check with your wedding coordinator. Good luck! 

Our anniversary date is the day we got married in Cabo, and that's the day we'll always remember. Our civil ceremony was 5 minutes long and for us just a formality. 

 

 

Originally Posted by Susannah 

Hi ladies, Just wondering, for all you that married before you had your symbolic ceremony, what day do you celebrate your anniversary???

My fiance & I are thinking of going to Mexico to get married on a beach, our dream!! but to avoid additional costs of blood tests & translations etc, we have been thinking of having a civil wedding at home here in Ireland first.

 

So, anniversary, the beautiful day on the beach with the special ceremony or in an office??

 

Thanks in advance,

Susannah

Originally Posted by Lysswedding 

 

very nice pics

Thank you very much!!  

I see how you might want to legalize your marriage after your ceremony in Mexico. However, we did it prior to going because we wanted to be legally married for our trip abroad in the event something happened. Not only that but we didn't want to come back and have to deal with the paperwork; it was better for us to get it out of the way prior to heading to Mexico. Also, it felt weird to us if we came back from all the wedding stuff and had to go and legalize it like the wedding in Mexico didn't really count. We wrote our own vows for the wedding in Mexico while the legal ceremony was a five-minute deal where we just repeated after the judge; so the legal ceremony didn't really feel like the real thing anyway because there was no bouquet, no wedding dress, no audience (just two witnesses), no personal vows, and no music. And it truly didn't lessen the significance of the actual wedding in Mexico which will be forever remembered as one of the best days of my life. Some people do the legal ceremony as close as they can to the real wedding but we did ours a month in advance. But whatever you decide, it is a personal decision and you should choose what is appropriate for you and your situation.

Originally Posted by aviongirl 

 

Blissloscabos, it's been a while since anyone posted here.  I am also looking for a reasonably priced welcome/rehearsal dinner.  I am hoping for under $50 per person for food and drink.  I am definitely not looking for anything fancy, although an ocean view would be nice.

 

I would most appreciate any ideas you have.  Thanks!

 

If you've got a small party and you're close to San Jose del Cabo, we went to La Panga just off of the square in the center of town. We went during lunch time though and prix fixe was under $30 (we didn't have an official welcome/rehearsal dinner; had welcome happy hour instead). The food was great and the restaurant was really pretty with a local vibe. If you're closer to Cabo San Lucas, sorry I can't help you there! Maybe you can do a search for some other discussions for restaurants on this forum. I think there are several threads that discuss places to eat. Good luck!

Beautiful!!

 

Originally Posted by CandyApple13 

this is my dress... I cannot wait for it to come in and try it on again (just a few weeks!)

 

 

Originally Posted by Lizrmt 

 

Beautiful pics!

 

Thank you very much!!

Originally Posted by shes2013 

 

Great choices ladies. I think we are leaning towards the IZ - somewhere over the rainbow as well. I just love the vibe of it. Our song is Plain White t's 1,2,3,4 but i'm just not sure if that has the beachy feel i'm looking for, but would love to incorparate it somewhere just don't know where!

 

I love the Plain White T's 1,2,3,4. We had a beach wedding and we used it for the groom's procession. Maybe you can use it there. Or use it during the guest seating. 

 

Originally Posted by Peach 

 

Well there goes my plan. 

I kind of thought "Marry Me" by Train was kind of overused... but now I just watched this. 

Ladies, this is my brother on guitar... now I am thinking I might have to walk down the aisle to my little brother just playing this on an acoustic guitar. 

Or maybe while people are being seated?

Anyway, I love it, just the guitar....

 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150839234291319

 

If your brother can play it on the guitar I think it would be beautiful for your procession. Here's another version with just violin and I think it's beautiful: 

 

 

 

Originally Posted by Mariposaazul 

 

Brides:

 

I need your savy advice. I want to walk to a thousand years by christina perry. My only perogative is wether I should do it to the actual song of the piano version. Can you please cast your vote. I think the lyrics are going to be distracting but they are also so powerful. Let me know what you think.

 

Original Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtOvBOTyX00

 

Piano version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgaTQ5-XfMM

 

 

thanks in advance.

 

So this is tough. I love both versions. However, I will have to vote for the actual song. Of course, if you use instrumentals throughout the ceremony then you should use the piano version; but if you're using songs with lyrics for everything, I prefer the actual song. And personally I don't think the lyrics are going to be distracting. I don't even remember hearing the song after the cue for me to begin my procession; all I remember is holding on to my parents so I wouldn't trip and fall while being so happy to see the man that I love waiting for me. So, even though I chose my song (It is You I Have Loved - Dana Glover) for the lyrics, I didn't hear them on the day. 

Originally Posted by Kristin Ri 

 

Everything looks great! Love your rings!

 

Thank you very much!! 

 

Originally Posted by Arch713 

 

Congratulations Pucca! What a fun inspiration for a wedding! For someone who is just starting planning - I Loved all of the color that was your inspiration!

 

Thank you so much!! Congratulations on your engagement and starting the planning process!! Good luck and happy planning!! And feel free to ask me any questions you might have. I'd be happy to help if I can.