LauraR597

Brennas, What a great idea about the bottle openers. I may add that to our survival bags! I see your date is April 28. We are the 29th so we will be there at the same time! ~Laura

I would be careful giving candles and matches in your OOT bags. I had the same thought and then a friend pointed out to me that some hotels have rules about candles in the rooms. Just a though.

We got our suits at Men's Warehouse more than 50% off because they were last years style. They are just a typical oatmeal colored linen. They look really nice. We are also doing OOT bags, but we decided instead of spending our bulk of money on personalized bags, we are going to use paper bags with a personalized logo and put a nice set of personalized flip-flops in them (with a multitude of other small inexpensive things). That way our guests won't have a lot to take home with them. I also managed to write a poem for a "survival kit" which is going to be the theme of our bags. I think we are going to use the sound system they provide. They also said they have the typical wedding songs to play on it. I'm not so worried about music for the ceremony because who needs music when you have the calming sound of the ocean?!!

I think there are a ton of weddings the 2nd and 3rd weeks of April. I know when we were trying to set a date 10 months in advance that there were no Saturdays in April left.

Welcome, Monica! I visited the resort in June. You will love it! I am working with Illeana and when I asked she said the largest wedding they had hosted was about 90 people, so you may set a new record. As far as figuring out your details like food, venue, etc., they will not confirm it until the month before. Maybe since your wedding is so big they will make an exception. I wanted to confirm a place where I can have a DJ at the resort before I booked a DJ and they would not let me do it. So here's hoping that we will get to have our wedding at a DJ friendly venue since we went ahead and booked! For pictures, I suggest reading some of the older posts. They have some links to photographers and some of them are at EPM. Happy planning! ~Laura

I have no idea what specific items are good. However, my dad and stepmom visited this resort a few years ago and said all of the food was fantastic. I'm sure whatever you choose will be delicious.

Hey ladies! I clarified with Illeana that Victor Herrera and his associates are allowed to come to the resort. So glad I could help you find someone wonderful for a reasonable price. I can't wait to see everyone's photos! ~Laura

Hi, LC! The reason I chose to go ahead with the $500 photographer fee is because it is cheaper to do that than pay the full package price to get all the pictures. Also, I have tried to contact the in house photographer with no response. We decided we would rather cut back and have fabulous photos. We are using Adrian Herrera of Victor Herrara. His photos online look amazing and we are getting a great deal for 8 hours and all the photos. I am interested in your DJ information. Have you talked to Gustavo or Illeana about a fee for having a DJ? I have not inquired about that at all with them. ~Laura

It seems as if they have had some photographer issues. I've also read on here that EPM will not make contracts. So beware they may not honor something they told you in an earlier message. Make sure you have all the correspondence you have had with them. Does anyone know how expensive the DJ is? MsBliss, have you set your date yet?

We are getting married Sunday, April 29 at 5pm. We originally tried for the weekend of the 14th, but at the time she could only do the 15th which is the 2 year anniversary of my being diagnosed with cancer. We decided we didn't want to combine such happiness with such badness!

I just put a deposit down with with Adrian Herrera of Victor Herrera Studio for my wedding next April. I am getting 8 hours, all the digital pics for a VERY reasonable price. His pics online are great and he has won some awards. They have been really easy to work with and are very quick to respond when I have questions. The downside to using the outside photographer is that it is a $500 fee to let them come to the resort. However, we are saving lots of money by bringing him in to get what we want. VIP looks very over priced. Hope this helps! What day in April are you trying to book?

Thanks so much for the recommendation. Your pics are amazing. I am going to consider him.

Brennas, So excited to meet a bride that will be there the same time we will. Hopefully we can help each other navigate through all this planning!!

Hey ladies! I am getting married at EPM on April 29, 2012. I've noticed on the last few pages of this thread there has been a lot of discussion on photography. Who does EPM use and who is the best? Is anyone using outside photography?