Starfishie

Bride2B2014, have you emailed Lupita yet about any of this? She can give you the most accurate information firsthand. I do know that dinner in one of the restaurants is definitely a less expensive option that a beach dinner. Dinner in the Brazilian restaurant for all 25 of us was free when I got married.

Bride2B2014, have you emailed Lupita yet about any of this? She can give you the most accurate information firsthand. I do know that dinner in one of the restaurants is definitely a less expensive option that a beach dinner. Dinner in the Brazilian restaurant for all 25 of us was free when I got married.

Congrats, nanilu! Can't wait to see your review (and maybe some pics?)! We also got married at 4:00 pm. We did our toasts in the gazebo, then took pictures. Most of our guests mingled/watched/took pics themselves while we did that, then we all just headed toward dinner. There wasn't much of a gap for us, really, although due to mobility issues some of us (DH, me, his family) had to wait for a shuttle. We stayed at the gazebo and had drinks while we waited. It's amazing how quickly the time between the ceremony and dinner went! And we had dinner at the Brazilian restaurant, which is further from the beach than some of the others.

Sorry, we didn't do a sand ceremony. We kept it super simple with just the vows and paperwork signing. I know you can add a sand ceremony because Lupita offered it when we met with her, but I don't have any details.

The Mariachi band was great! It was an expensive option, but really added to the atmosphere. They started playing right before the processional started (played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as I walked down the aisle) and stayed through the toasts back at the wedding hut/gazebo. We paid for 45 minutes, but when they got close to the end one of our friends tipped them and requested one more song. We did not use an iPod at all.

They brought the flower arrangement from our ceremony to our table, but I don't recall any other decorations. It was just nicely set with white tablecloths. We brought personalized wine glasses with us. They're pretty accommodating if you have special requests.

I am back and married!  I just wanted to quickly let you all know about the photographer situation out there.  I know people have had questions about the flowers and salon options as well.  We used the resort photographer, and he got some beautiful shots.  It was pretty affordable, with packages starting at $500.  We ended up getting more pictures, so we upgraded to a package that ran $800.  They don't touch up the photos very much, so there are a couple of shots in which --gasp-- blemishes are visible on my face. Also a couple of almost-perfect shots that have beachgoers visible in the background.  I have friends who are proficient with Photoshop so it shouldn't be an issue.  I had my hair done at the salon, and Martha did a fabulous job on that.  Expect to pay about $100 if you do this.  To me it was worth it to be onsite.  The flowers were gorgeous.  When I first saw my bouquet, I started to cry a little because it was my first "OMG I'm a Bride" moment.  Lupita was phenomenal.  I cannot say enough wonderful things about her.  She was on top of everything, so organized and professional. 

We'll be getting married in less than a month and using the resort photographer. That might be a little long for you to wait, but I'll happily report back when we return!

This is the updated pricing list for flowers:
Boutonnières, since 18 USD each
Children boutonnière  since 12USD
Bridal bouquet: since 67 USD
Bouquet for Bride's maid  since 48 USD each
Corsage  since 28 USD each
Flowers arrangements for the table  since 50 USD
Archway  since 250USD
Gazebo with tull = since 250USD **no flowers included.
Flowers for cake since 35USD

Flower for the hair 10usd
Bags of petals 17USD (big)
Flower medallion since 57usd

Prices subject to change

(Lupita just emailed me this updated list -- not too many changes!)

I got a brief list with 2012 flower prices. It was $48 for bridesmaid bouquets and $67 for the bridal bouquet. I'll be emailing Lupita soon for updated 2013 prices soon (my date is 2/2/13!).