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Ana and Jerome were AMAZING! I just used them on my 1/18/15 wedding and they were perfect. I actually had a hard time finding wedding photography I liked. I felt like a lot of the Cabo photographers had a very different style than what I was going for. A lot of the photographers I looked at had very dark, dramatic photos (not bad photography, just not what I was going for). I really wanted my photographs to turn out light, bright, and fun (which was the vibe I was going for through my whole wedding). I really liked Amy Abbott, but she was unavailable.... I was feeling very discouraged but then I came across Ana and Jerome and I loved their gallery. The photos were so beautiful and I loved their style - both in terms of the setup and positioning of the bride/groom/etc but also the editing. They were just as great in person! They were responsive to emails throughout the process and once they arrived at the wedding, everyone really loved them. They speak fluent English so they knew how to tell everyone what to do and where to go, and they struck a perfect balance between blending into the background, but also inserting themselves when necessary to tell us what looks best and to position us best for shots (for instance, Ana kept reminding me not to slouch, which I appreciated ). We have already received some photos and they are stunning! The lighting, the frames, and the editing is all done so well. I would highly recommend working with them! Not only do they capture beautiful moments and edit the pictures beautifully, but they are just a really nice, enjoyable, fun couple that was a pleasure to work with personally. If anyone would like a reference on them, I would be happy to speak with you offline! Ashley

Hello Cabo Brides: I was married in Cabo San Lucas on 1/18/15 and wanted to write a review of how amazing and wonderful our planner, Yarai (Memories Events and Planning) was! I interviewed many planners over Skype and even did reference checks on the planners I liked (I am a bit of a Type-A neurotic personality), and Yarai sounded the best by far. My fiancé, mom, and I then scheduled a trip down to Cabo to check out venues, and Yarai met us at our hotel and spent all day driving us around to 5 different venues. It was so wonderful to have someone who knew all the in's and outs and was able to seamlessly guide us through our options. She also clearly had a great relationship with all of the event planners at each of the locations. Throughout the rest of the process, she was truly amazing. She was responsive to emails at all hours of the day and night, would facetime with me pretty regularly, and set me up with all the right vendors (DJ, flowers, Hair/makeup, transportation, hotel, photo booth, cake, venue, etc.). She even worked with my mother in law to plan the entire rehearsal dinner and would facetime with her. Her style is very calm and laid back, but she is not afraid to voice her opinion when needed, which I really appreciated. She is also just a pleasant person to be around. She also went well above and beyond just the planning of the wedding! Yarai set up so many events for us and our 85 guests, including: Rehearsal walk through Friday at our hotel (Villa La Estancia) Rehearsal dinner at Hacienda Cocina Friday (Beautiful venue, highly recommended!) A table at Cabo Wabo Friday night Tables at Nowhere Bar Saturday night (as a side note, Sammy Hagar actually made a surprise appearance, which was really cool) The entire wedding Sunday at Cabo Del Sol (AMAZING location and food!) Brunch Monday at Villa La Estancia (also a fantastic hotel - close enough to town but still very classy, high end, and relaxing! you can also get great deals if you book through VRBO or private owners). Message me if you would like some contacts here. Yarai not only planned every event, but she personally came to everything and was on point - she did not pass us off to her staff. She even came over and spent a few hours with us in our hotel room Wednesday night (after we landed), and the next day, drove me to my 3 hour trial hair and makeup appointment and waited with me! Honestly, she was like a second mother to me (and my mom!) and we had a completely stress-free weekend. If there are any brides that are considering using Yarai, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and I can tell you all about my experiences! She really is the best and I already miss working with her!!! -Ashley

Hello Cabo Brides: I was married in Cabo San Lucas on 1/18/15 and wanted to write a review of how amazing and wonderful our planner, Yarai (Memories Events and Planning) was! I interviewed many planners over Skype and even did reference checks on the planners I liked (I am a bit of a Type-A neurotic personality), and Yarai sounded the best by far. My fiancé, mom, and I then scheduled a trip down to Cabo to check out venues, and Yarai met us at our hotel and spent all day driving us around to 5 different venues. It was so wonderful to have someone who knew all the in's and outs and was able to seamlessly guide us through our options. She also clearly had a great relationship with all of the event planners at each of the locations. Throughout the rest of the process, she was truly amazing. She was responsive to emails at all hours of the day and night, would facetime with me pretty regularly, and set me up with all the right vendors (DJ, flowers, Hair/makeup, transportation, hotel, photo booth, cake, venue, etc.). She even worked with my mother in law to plan the entire rehearsal dinner and would facetime with her. Her style is very calm and laid back, but she is not afraid to voice her opinion when needed, which I really appreciated. She is also just a pleasant person to be around. She also went well above and beyond just the planning of the wedding! Yarai set up so many events for us and our 85 guests, including: Rehearsal walk through Friday at our hotel (Villa La Estancia) Rehearsal dinner at Hacienda Cocina Friday (Beautiful venue, highly recommended!) A table at Cabo Wabo Friday night Tables at Nowhere Bar Saturday night (as a side note, Sammy Hagar actually made a surprise appearance, which was really cool) The entire wedding Sunday at Cabo Del Sol (AMAZING location and food!) Brunch Monday at Villa La Estancia (also a fantastic hotel - close enough to town but still very classy, high end, and relaxing! you can also get great deals if you book through VRBO or private owners). Message me if you would like some contacts here. Yarai not only planned every event, but she personally came to everything and was on point - she did not pass us off to her staff. She even came over and spent a few hours with us in our hotel room Wednesday night (after we landed), and the next day, drove me to my 3 hour trial hair and makeup appointment and waited with me! Honestly, she was like a second mother to me (and my mom!) and we had a completely stress-free weekend. If there are any brides that are considering using Yarai, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and I can tell you all about my experiences! She really is the best and I already miss working with her!!! -Ashley

Hello Brides! I created this blog so that I could share my love story with you, and also to help every single one of you that's getting married in the same hotel or at the beach or anything similar to mine. I'll start introducing myself. My name is Andrea and I'm 25 years old, I'll be getting married on May 1st 2015 in the Riviera Maya at Azul Fives Hotel. My fiancé's name is Jerry, also 25 years old, and we've been together for 7 and a half years now. We are from Monterrey, Mexico. We first met at a friend's party, he was a little bit wasted I'll admit, but anyways we spend all night talking and talking. The next time I saw him was at another friend's party where he asked me for my MSN messenger ID. Since then, we spend every single day talking and becoming really good friends. 9 months later I became his girlfriend. We are such best friends, we've always been 100% authentic, so we really love each other with every single flaw and every single virtue. We love spending time together and thank god, we love each other's friends also, so that makes everything easier. At the time I was finishing High School and he was starting College. We went to my prom together, I went to his , 3 years later I went to Madrid Spain for 6 months and he went and visited me for 2 weeks. Best trip ever. We celebrate each month since we've been together, every 11th day. So, at our 7th anniversary, I couldn't finish his gift (a "100 happy days" book) so I told him I rather celebrate this anniversary one month later, so that I would have time to finish my present. And that was the deal. Anyways we went to dinner and for the first time, we talked about marriage. He told me he couldn't wait any longer, he was just so worried for the money we needed and we talked everything through. We didn't said a date or a year or anything like that, just that we were now prepared to take that next step. One month later, when we were supposed to give out our presents, he took me to this restaurant in Parque Fundidora, we had dinner and when we were ready to go, he told me we should take some pictures in the gorgeous view we had up there. So we started our way to the balcony and I saw a table with 2 rose bouquets, and he told me "I think we're interrupting" so we had to make it quick. After like 3 seconds I told him "or is this for me?", he laughed and that was my "anniversary present". There was a projection in the wall and a video started, it was made by small videos of our friends congratulating us for the 7 years as a couple, and then a slideshow of pictures of him and I since we started our relationship. I'm such a cry baby that at that time, I realized I've been crying for the whole video. When the pictures ended, he appeared in the video talking to me, telling me he was so grateful for this years and for me being patient about getting married, etc. And then he started talking to me in person (by the time my mascara was so messed up by all the tears) I was sitting down and he was standing up, telling me that our time to be married was coming, and that we should be patient and wait for that moment, and then he said "or why wait any longer?" got on his knees and asked me to marry him!!!!! Of course, I bursted into tears and didn't even said yes! I was so overwhelmed and didn't expect it at all. We both are very crafty and always make detailed presents to each other, that I just never knew this was coming. THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. We toasted with champagne and send a selfie to our family and friends to tell them the big news. March 11 2014. The next day we went to dinner with both our families, and talked about where, when and how we were going to have the wedding. I've always wanted a beach wedding so the obvious option was Cancun, the prettiest beach. 2 months later we went on a trip to Cancun, one of my best friends got married and moved there, so everything was so much easier. It is a 2 hour trip, and we stayed there for 3 days. We decided on the date because we wanted a NO LABOR DAY and May 1st is Labor Day in Mexico. So it was perfect. We were choosing between JW Marriot in Cancun or Azul Fives Hotel in the Riviera. But we decided on Azul Fives because it was All-Inclusive and that was a better place for our guests to stay. First things first, I looked for the music, the photographer and the wedding planner. Everything was easier because for the music, a friend of mine got married in Cancun and recommended a Dj called Rickalvin, so I booked him first. I preferred a DJ because my fiancé loves hip hop and electronic music, and I am more into Pop - Top Hits, so we really wanted to hear the actual song than a group that maybe won't speak english that well. The wedding planner was also an easy choice because a friend of ours works as a planner in Playa del Carmen with a company called ANHEXO. They also rent furniture, decoration and sell flower arrangements. For the photographer, that was the tough part. I'm SO not a professional photographer, but I had a class or two and I really appreciate when things are focused, with the proper light, centered, and many other little details that not everyone cares about. But they are my wedding photos, the only memory I'll have of that day forever with me. So searching in the website www.bodas.com.mx I found several photographers but they were not my style. On that website I found a link to Fearless Photographers, were I found the ones I booked Shenko Photography. They matched all of our criteria and I well a little bit out of the budget, but finally what we wanted. I'll be posting here everything I find about the suppliers, and details of the Hotel also; because I know many of you don't have the opportunity to visit Cancun before the wedding. Hope it's helpful!

Any 2014 or 2015 Excellence Punta Cana brides out there? I'm in the process of booking 1/12/15 and wondering if there are any other brides out there planning with me. I'd especially love it if past brides could come back and tell us how their wedding/reception/honeymoon/DR trip was.

I am getting married at Dreams April 29 2015. Looking for other brides who have either gotten married there or will be married there. So many questions...

I hope I am allowed here as I am the mother.... Still deciding between a few resorts, but our heart is on RPRM. We will have well over 40 and would probably have a private reception anyway. Questions, Where on property do they set up private receptions? How much per person for food and alcohol? DJ cost? I have sent request to resort as well, just looking for a price list. Thank you, jwjw

So my parents are paying for our at home reception as they were the ones who wanted to have it. My husband and I paid for Mexico and did all of that, so they are taking it on as they want to have one to invite their friends, show us off (their words, not mine) However, they wanted to have it April 18th (We got married November 11th of this year) as it's after Easter so hardcore old school Ukrainians don't get upset and so that the roads are better. I honestly think that it's too long after the fact and that it looks bad to have it 5 months after and I am feeling pretty crappy about it and what people will think.. Has anyone else had there's this long after? What was the feedback? I have already put my foot down and told them I am not wearing my dress again as it's too long after and that we aren't having a head table or speeches or the dances again. So we have kind of compromised a bit. Thoughts???

Hello All!! I'm super excited to announce that I finally selected my destination!! Finest Resort in Playa Mujeres is my resort of choice. I'm super nervous since it will be opening in Feb 2015 and I'll hopefully be getting married there in July 2015. The great thing about this resort is that it's apart of the Excellence Group which I've heard nothing but great things. Now for all the fun and overwhelming things that come next! I don't even know where to get started. Does anybody have any insight they can share as far as photographers, cinematographers, etc?! XO, Sandy http://www.finestresorts.com/

Need Advice on how to salvage our Destination Wedding booked at the Now Larimar and Secrets RB May 6, 2015 We are having some serious issues with our current Travel Agent who has us booked through Transat Holidays. In April of this year we contacted a TA to help us find our perfect Destination for a wedding in April or May. We asked for a group rate with a budget between $1500 - $1800 max, to the DR or Jamaica, and hopefully with a Karisma or AM Resort. We had just come from a 2 week vacation at the Generations Maya Riviera and absolutely loved the concept, however our number one priority, was an amazing beach to have a romantic wedding. We had been told the AM Resorts are equally as incredible, so we requested rates from both brands. Our TA responded by telling us there was nothing left to Dominican Republic and Jamaica would put us well over $2500. She did provide rates to the Hard Rock Cancun and it was her strong opinion that the rate at HRH Cancun was an unbelievable deal for the infamous Hard Rock Hotel. Her enthusiasm regarding the incentives was none other than highly recommending what an amazing deal it is. Additionally, she advised this deal would not be available for very long, nothing else will match it, flights accommodating a group will book up quickly leaving nothing to choose from, and the earlier we book, the better the rates. The $1800 credit per guest, the credit for 1 person’s trip for every 10 rooms booked (to a max of 3), and the wedding packages supported the added value and we reluctantly accepted the rate of $2200. We secured the booking with a deposit and began planning. We had 66 guests book and give a $150 deposit while some also upgraded air and room. Our guests agreed to terms of final payment in February 2015. We also had 6 people (2 groomsmen) find a package online to the HRH Cancun for the same dates at a lower rate, flying from their hometown, not a gateway, and our TA insisted she could not offer that rate. L My fiancé and I went for a site visit to the Hard Rock Cancun in September and knew immediately it was not where we wanted to have our wedding. While it is not a venue for us, it definitely caters to a certain market wanting more of a party and public atmosphere, and with less than 30 guests. Our vision was a private romantic beach wedding ceremony with a reception and dance outdoors, while our guests also getting a relaxing resort vacation. Sadly, this was not the case as a 10pm curfew on anything outdoors (beach, terrace, or rooftop) meant we would need to move indoors to a banquet room, and the property is more of a hotel than a resort. The costs to set up 2 locations to have a wedding past 10 pm did not fit in our budget. There were several other reasons why we were not 100% sold on the HRH Cancun for a wedding or for our guests, however I must add that the WC Glendi and hotel staff were amazing. The service is top notch! The $1800 credit is an enticing incentive; however it wasn’t of great value to us once we were not happy with the hotel. I love the Hard Rock brand and my stays at Hard Rock Panama and Hard Rock Las Vegas were amazing, but as a “play hard” vacation, not my wedding. So now onto our real issue…. While at a Wedding Trade Show in Edmonton, I ran into a few brides who informed me they are going to a Karisma or an AM Resort in April/May 2015 for rates well within our initial budget! I was very upset and knew I needed to react by doing my own due diligence. I contacted a TA that was referred to me by a trusted friend, as he specializes in Destination Weddings. His knowledge and service far exceeded my expectations while also answering my prayers that it was, and still is, possible to have our special day in the DR at the Now Larimar/Secrets RB at a reasonable rate. He also indicated that the rate at the Now Larimar should be lower than the Hard Rock Cancun and our booking of 30+rooms would be of value and embraced by the AM Resorts brand. We contacted our current agent to request a transfer of venues and to get rates for the Now Larimar in May 2015. We also asked if our guest’s deposits could be transferred. Transat agreed to transfer the deposits to the Now Larimar/Secrets RB and Hard Rock Hotel Cancun accepted a cancellation. To add to our frustration we then received rates that were not in our budget, yet again, and higher than the HRH Cancun. We received rates for Land only and Air/Land package from Calgary and Edmonton. In order for our guests to have a lower price than the HRH Cancun, they are limited to the entry level Deluxe room, but only if paid by December 22, 2014. This is 3 months earlier than our previous booking terms to Cancun and has caused grief with some of our guests. We also have had a few of our guests tell us it is better for them to book online with another airline as it is at least $500 cheaper. Sadly we may be losing guests if we are not able to secure a rate that is in line with our budget and competitive. We have asked for our TA to release the file; however she is not willing to do so without us forfeiting all the guests’ deposits totaling $9600 stating that Transat will not transfer the deposits from one agent to another, and declaring deadlines imposed by Transat to make decisions within 48 hours. We spoke with Transat and another TA who confirm that the deposits definitely can be transferred but need the consent of the booking agent. We also have been informed that in many cases Transat will refund deposits 6-7 months out from booking, if the TA provides valid reasons why, and Transat has no reason to impose unrealistic deadlines threatening to lose deposit money other than at final payment dates = typically 90 days from booking. I am having so much difficulty absorbing and processing exactly why our TA is not working with us to ensure we have our wedding and with 66+ guests? I am heartbroken, stressed, and yes angry now. I do not feel that a rate of $2452.25 per adult and $1726.25 for children aged 2, 6, & 8 in the entry level room for 1 week in May and in the Dominican is even close to our budget? Am I crazy? I ask very kindly for anyone booked at the Now Larimar for a group or wedding in April or May 2015 please personally message me to confirm they are also paying this rate. I am doing my absolute best to keep my fiancé from losing it any more than he already is, although I have agreed to his decision to seek further advise form our lawyer should we lose any deposit money or the file not be released. My nerves are shot as my relationship with the TA went from extremely positive, ecstatic, and appreciative to confused, frustrated, and disappointed. Not exactly how I expected this exciting time to turn out. Desperately seeking advice….