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Hello, So I am getting married in 4 months and am looking for a photographer in puerto vallarta ? Any recommendations? I am getting married in Las Caletas in January and I can use Adventures Wedding photographer, but I have read a couple bad reviews so I am slightly worried. Just looking to see if there are any other options out there that are reasonably priced? I like more artistic photos ect.
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Hello fellow brides! I am getting married at Dreams Los Cabos on May 15, 2015 and in the process of selecting my vendors. Any recommendations on a photographer or videographer? We have the utlimate package and was wondering if any of you have used Pixan photography. I am not finding many review as of yet.. Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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Hello, My fiancee and I are currently planning our Italian wedding from Canadian soil. We have a found a great venue in Petritoli, Fermo, Le Marche. We are bringing 50 of our closest friends and family across the pond with us to celebrate. Everyone is covering their own accommodation costs in the castle we have rented. Now we are trying to sort out logistics of the wedding day without hiring a wedding planner. Does anyone have any leads on a photographer that would work within a €750 budget on a wedding in Italy? We are also trying to find a classical guitarist for the ceremony €150 max. Is this even possible? Any tips would be very much appreciated! cheers! Rebecca
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Part 1: Some Sweet Wedding Cake Inspiration
MarieSamSanchezPhoto posted a article in Decor & Details
I don't know what it is about the Wedding Cake, but it's one of my favorite details to photograph on the Wedding Day. And well, frankly, cake is just awesome in general Wedding cakes come in all shapes, sizes and designs -- from simple to intricate, to colorful and beautifully simple. Wedding cakes are simply pieces of art with a whole lot of deliciousness to boot! And for many couples, the wedding cake design is a crucial part of the Wedding planning process. Here are some Wedding cake photos (taken by yours truly of MarieSam Sanchez Photography) to give you a sweet little slice of inspiration! (Check back for Part 2 coming soon!) - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world.-
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Our past photographer at Decordova Photography will be covering my friends wedding in Jamaica this October, and is offering his packages at a discount to other couples having a wedding in Jamaica on October 16 or October 17. I don't think it matters which resort as she is already bringing him down. You can arrange those details with him. That package is around $1100 total in Canadian dollars. Hope someone makes use of the savings. You can message him on his website www.decordova.ca. or info@decordova.ca. Please reference my name Emma or my friend Nikki. Love Emma
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Wedding rings symbolize a never-ending commitment shared between a couple, but these days, rings not only represent this unbroken bond, they also provide for some pretty epic photos on the Wedding Day. Here are a few ring photos (taken by yours truly) to give you a little "ringspiration" (this is Part 3, make sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2) ... - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world.
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Hi, Just came across a new site www.myweddingstory.co and I'm wondering if anyone has used it yet. I'm looking for a place to share my videos, pics, audio, etc. from my wedding. I've already created a "How We Met" storyline with cute quiz questions, etc. Now I'm trying to decide if it's worth the money to use it for my other ideas. Thoughts? Thanks!
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Hi I am currently trying to source other options for photographer and videographer for my Wedding in October. I was looking to get this from the same company as Moon Palace charge an $800 outside vendor fee. I have spoken to the hotels preferred vendor and have been quoted $4400 for 5hours of photo (around 350-400 photos on a USB stick) and 4 hours video (a 45minute DVD and a 4-5min hightlight DVD). I am not sure if this is reasonable or overpriced, any thoughts?
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Wedding rings symbolize a never-ending commitment shared between a couple, but these days, rings not only represent this unbroken bond, they also provide for some pretty epic photos on the Wedding Day. Here are a few ring photos (taken by yours truly) to give you a little "ringspiration" (this is Part 2, make sure to check out Part 1, and stay tuned for Part 3) ... - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world.
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Has anyone hired Car & Mel Photography in the Puerto Vallarta area? They are my top choice so far for my wedding on March 4th 2015 in Nuevo Vallarta but I'd love to hear some first hand reviews or see some of their work from real brides. Thanks! http://www.carandmel.com/#!/index
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Hello! i wanted to give a review to whoever wants to read one because i found these extremely helpful when I was planning my wedding at the Grand Sunset Princess. Sorry for typos/disorganization of thoughts because I'm typing super fast We had our wedding at the grand sunset princess on June 7th, 2014. My husband and i stayed there for 2 weeks, our guests stayed anywhere from 5 to 9 days. We booked with apple vacations through all inclusive vacations and resorts in denver, colorado. Most of our guests came from denver, although some came from different states, and even my grandma came from India! We had 45 guests total. When we all got to the resort we were pretty blown away. My husband and I were so excited right away. The grounds are so well taken care of and beautiful. The resort is massive and looks like a big palace. The lobby is open on all sides so you can see outside and feel the fresh humid air...It's awesome and so pretty. All of our rooms were fairly close depending on what room category each of our guests were in. Although the resort is huge, it was not hard to find people or get a hold of people for the most part. It was so fun to be able to walk along the walkway from the lobby to the beach and see people I know here and there from our wedding party. It was like being in a little town with all of your friends and family. All of our guests told me how amazing they thought the resort was. The staff was so nice and so attentive and helpful. The food was great and our fridges were stocked with water, beer, and soft drinks each day and our room was cleaned very well. All of the rooms were great. We saw the swim up, regular, and platinum rooms and they all were pretty spacious and nice and clean. The pools were so much fun, and so was the beach! We all loved it. I started planning my wedding last August 2013 and Guillermo was my wedding planner. He was/is AMAZING. I loved him. Let me just tell you first of all I was not very happy with him taking a week or even two sometimes to respond to my emails, but then again I did email him very often with different questions and requests. When I got to the resort he was standing there waiting for me to check in. He was so nice and welcoming. He took us to the wedding coordinator office and brought out a book or binder with everything I asked for and started asking last minute questions. After that I felt so good about everything! He knew my style exactly and I totally trusted him and felt less stressed right away. He was soooo good and I would highly, highly recommend him! The wedding day was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING to say the least! We had our ceremony at the Sunset Gazebo and the reception was at the Chill Out Beach Club. I highly, highly, recommend this combination because the sunset gazebo is basically part of the chill out beach club. I know it seems pricy to have the private chill out club reception but it is SO WORTH IT! I can't stress that enough. The ceremony was beautiful and it was set up exactly how I wanted it. Now for the reception, it was private in the chill out beach club restaurant. The dinner was amazing, we chose the caribbean buffet. the drinks were amazing. the staff was so, so attentive and filled our drinks as soon as they were empty. everything went so smoothly and i was so pleased. The tables were decorated beautifully. I used our bridesmaids bouquets for centerpieces and they were placed in a cylinder vase with sand at the bottom and floating candles around. We also used the flowers from the ceremony as centerpieces for the head table. For 45 people, we had our head table with me and my husband, our bridal party, and then 5 round tables in front of us. Guillermo was so great, he added little candles and floating flowers in vases with water for centerpieces without telling me and I loved them! He knew exactly what I wanted. It was so pretty outside at the chill out beach club and having a private dinner with all your guests in that outdoor restaurant on the beach during sunset is truly amazing. After dinner, we cut the cake and had dessert and then went to the dance floor- we opted for the light up dance floor in the sand on the beach. The DJ played great music and my husband and I and our guests danced ALL night (even Guillermo came and danced with us )! We also opted for an extra hour, so we did 6pm-11pm and it was really worth it too. The staff brought us out drinks like crazy. They would bring out trays of tequila shots and our friends and family like to have a good time so....we drank a lot of tequila! It was so much fun! As for hair and make-up, I chose The Styling Trio. i researched this forever because I am so picky about my hair and make up. My hair gets really frizzy and poofy in humidity and I don't like to wear a lot of make up in humidity either. They did an AMAZING job. Adrian did my makeup and Angie did my hair. I will attach a link to our photos below. I saw in the forums that people feel like the styling trio is a little expensive, but believe me, just like about the chill out party-the styling trio is soooo worth it!! I chose Dean Sanderson as the photographer. You have to pay an extra $200 to the resort for an external photographer. I am so glad I chose him! he was so, so good. I also researched this forever....because i knew i would look at my wedding photos forever and be showing them to all of our friends back home that could not make it. So many people commented on how great the photos were. He does a great job of capturing the details and the moment. I love every single photo he took! He got photos of things I didn't even realize...loved it!!!! I highly recommend him. Super easy to work with and you barely knew he was there. I don't think I've ever looked so good in a picture in my life! Haha As you can see...i was so incredibly pleased with our wedding, the resort, and the vendors we used. They were all SO amazing! I am very picky about things and every single thing was exactly how i imagined it, or even better. Here is a link to our facebook album of our wedding. Even if you don't have FB, you should be able to view it. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202993341609483.1073741825.1082610060&type=1&l=27b713ac30 Feel free to ask me any questions! I am happy to answer anything! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202993341609483.1073741825.1082610060&type=1&l=27b713ac30
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Wedding rings symbolize a never-ending commitment shared between a couple, but these days, rings not only represent this unbroken bond, they also provide for some pretty epic photos on the Wedding Day. Here are a few ring photos (taken by yours truly) to give you a little "ringspiration" (this is just Part 1, stay tuned for Part 2) ... - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world.
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Can't decide when to have your wedding photographer begin shooting on the Wedding Day? Here are four reasons why your photographer should start shooting during the "Getting Ready" portion of your Big Day. -- Document the Details: If you're like most brides, you've spent tons of time carefully picking out the little details that will make your wedding look picture perfect. The bouquet, the shoes, the hair/makeup look, the veil, the jewelry, the garter, even the undergarments under that perfect dress. When you have your photographer present during the 'Getting Ready' portion of your Wedding Day, he/she will be able to capture all the beautiful details that make you a vision to behold. Collect all your details and give your photographer enough time to photograph these things one by one. -- Capture the Excitement and Anticipation: There is honestly nothing like the electricity in the air when the bride and groom are getting ready on their Wedding Day. Emotions range from excitement, nervousness, anticipation and tons of emotion. And because you're so "in the moment," you often forget the little things that happen in between the rush of getting ready -- like the tears, the laughter and the incredibly touching moments that make the day so special. Having your photographer there to capture it all is a great way to relive and remember all the emotions. Some of my favorite moments as a photographer take place during this time of day because feelings are running so high. After all, it is truly your last few moments thinking as a singular person -- after the Wedding Day mostly everything becomes "we." -- See What Your Sweetheart Was Up To: It's pretty fun to be able to see what your soon-to-be-spouse was up to on the Wedding Day. Yes, you could very easily call them up or send a barrage of text messages back and forth. But there's nothing quite like seeing your sweetheart's Wedding Day shenanigans in photos! -- Remember Your Wedding Day Story as a Whole: If there's any advice I give to my brides when it comes to the Wedding Day, it's to enjoy every moment on your Big Day because it will go by in a blink. All those months and hours of wedding prep culminate into one day. And trust me when I say, that day will pass faster than you want it to. With adrenaline and excitement running so high, the events of the day will fly by and before you know it, the celebration of your life is over. I cannot emphasize enough how much you will love having photos that capture the highlights of your day from beginning to end. It's a complete look at your Wedding Day story, and I promise you, you will cherish those photos for a long time! - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, my husband and I have been wedding photographer/small business owners of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world.
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DISCLAIMER: This is way too long and overly detailed, so Godspeed if you plan on reading it all! It started out as my wedding review of the Now Jade, but turned into me unpacking and reliving the best day of my life. We stayed at the Now Jade Riviera Maya from Sunday, June 14 - Sunday, June 21 with 55 guests (57 including us). Our wedding was on Wednesday, June 17 on the pergola. We had our cocktail hour at the mix bar, and our reception at Castaways. My husband and I then went to the Hard Rock Rivera Maya for four days, until Thursday, June 25. Pictures by Photos in Cancun: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155723382210293.1073741847.508850292&type=1&l=d36589a522 (Keep in mind that none of these have been edited yet) Trash the Dress: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155723733905293.1073741848.508850292&type=1&l=0de529af7e Slide Show (a nice highlight of all the best parts of the day): https://animoto.com/play/VKP4n1xcGe3c4E1RCq11lA?autostart=1 Sunday, June 14: Check In: When we arrived Sunday, the Riviera Maya was at the tail end of a big tropical storm from the week before and it was raining, so the lobby was pretty crowded when we got there. We had a total of 55 guests (plus the two of us) and almost everyone came on the same flight and took a big bus to the resort, which made it even more crowded. It made me feel a little stressy, so I was VERY thankful when they whisked us, my parents, and one other couple from our group to the preferred lounge to check in, which was a breeze. I can’t speak for how check in went for everyone else, but I didn’t hear any complaints. We were a little early and all had to wait a little while for our rooms, but everyone walked around and got a bite to eat, so it was no big deal. Cocktail Hour: I requested to have an area blocked off for our cocktail hour in the evening but that didn’t end up happening, which really didn’t matter since it had stopped raining by then, and everyone just congregated in one area. We had servers bringing us drinks all evening, which was nice, and some people bellied up to the bar. I handed out our welcome bags and everyone was so surprised! (As destination wedding brides, I think we all think that people expect to have a welcome bag, but they really don’t and think it’s so awesome when they get them!) I included tumblers, aloe, SPF chapstick, playing cards, a key card holder, bubble bath, emergency kits (made for me by the wonderful Stacey, who I met on this site!), and the itinerary for the week. I don’t know how many people used most of the stuff, but the tumblers and the key card holders were a big hit, based on how many people I saw with them around the resort. A lot of people aren’t sure if they should get wrist coils or lanyards, and based on how I saw everyone using them, I would recommend wrist coils. Monday, June 15: Wedding Coordinator Meeting: I got an email from Pilar several weeks before saying that my wedding coordinator would be Carla, but it turned out that Pilar herself was our actual wedding coordinator. I’m not sure if they just switched things around for scheduling purposes, or if someone asked Pilar to take care of us personally. (Long story short, my dad produces a local entertainment TV show in Cleveland, and they often take viewer trips to different destinations where people get to go on vacation with the hosts and they do an hour long episode all about the resort. They did one at the Now Jade a year or two ago, so they always try to schmooze us a little when we’re there, so ANYWAY, I think that could be why we ended up with Pilar). We brought all our decorations with us and showed her what we had for each part of the wedding, went over the bridal party order and who would be walking with who, reviewed the script a little, talked about chair bows and the table setup, yadda yadda yadda. It was very easy and made me feel a lot better, since I was worried that I was underprepared - she asked questions, I answered them, and everything was settled. Piece of cake. Tuesday, June 16: Rehearsal: As I mentioned, there had been a huge tropical storm the week before our wedding. Other than when we arrived on Sunday, the weather was gorgeous for us the entire trip - not a drop of rain! There was, however, a TON of seaweed on the beach from the storm. I’ve been to the Now Jade several times and the beach has always been lovely, but it was literally covered in 6 inches of seawood all the way down the coast. They had begun to clean it that day, but I was still a little nervous since we were supposed to have our ceremony on the beach. We had our rehearsal there anyway, with our whole bridal party, ring bearers and flower girls, and parents. She walked everyone through how to walk and where to stand and all that jazz. Being there made me a little nervous about the location, though - beside the seaweed, the beach location was RIGHT in front of the adults only pool. I was worried there would be some drunk idiot watching our wedding from the bar screaming stuff at us or something. Definitely not a lot of privacy. Later, my parents went to see Pilar to pay the bill for the wedding (God bless ‘em), and they told me she asked if I wanted to move our ceremony somewhere else. Ours was at 5, and she said that even though there was a wedding at 4 at the pergola, we could stil have ours there, as long as we didn’t mind if it possibly started at 5:15-ish. Me and my FI talked about it and decided that was the best choice. We were a little sad we wouldn’t have our toes in the sand, but I felt a huge weight off my shoulders as soon as we officially made the switch, since I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about the seaweed or the spectators. And even though we had already had our rehearsal on the beach, everything went perfectly smoothly at the new location. Rehearsal dinner: I had planned to just have everyone meet in the buffet for an informal rehearsal dinner at 8 pm, but at our planning meeting, Pilar asked me if I wanted to move it up to 7 pm and have it in the ballroom off the lobby, where they were having a Mexican buffet. I said sure, and we passed the info along to everyone. It turned out to be amazing! There were all these lovely round tables set up with linens and centerpieces, an amazing and huge buffet, and the BEST mariachi band I’d ever heard serenading each table! Even though she reserved us six tables right up front, there was hardly anyone else in the room. I think people thought that I had planned that special for our rehearsal, and I didn’t correct them! It turned out to be such a blast. I know they do that every week (not sure if it’s always on a Tuesday like it was for us), but I’d recommend finding out when that is and having your whole group go - it’s great! Wednesday, June 17 (The Big Day!) I woke up feeling surprisingly relaxed and calm, and all by myself - my FI had slept in a different room, of course! One of my bridesmaids brought me coffee and we sat on the balcony for a while, and then all the bridesmaids and our moms (most of whom were there, my mom is best friends with all my best friend’s moms!) went to breakfast at the French restaurant on the terrace. It was relaxing and lovely. We had on our cute little matching tank tops, and my friend made us all “butt veils,” which were hilarious. At one point I saw my FI from behind, but he was far away and didn’t see me. That was the only almost run-in all day! After that, my friend’s mom did yoga in the pool with some of the girls while me and my sisters-in-law watched from our terrace, which was right over the adults pool. Hair and Makeup: Okay, this is the only part of my entire experience that I can’t rave about. They brought me into the ‘bridal suite’ (which was just a little room) with my sister-in-law, while my other friend got her hair done in the outer room. The two stylists were talking to each other incessantly, to the point where I could barely get a word in edgewise to either her or my sis-in-law. It wasn’t an overly pleasant experience. Three out of my five my bridesmaids got their hair done, by two different stylists between the three of them, and they all looked GORGEOUS. Their hair was absolutely fabulous. I had a different stylist than either of them, and my hair was just okay. I didn’t feel like it looked very similar to the picture I showed her. Looking back at pictures, though, it photographed well, and accomplished my main goal, which was to have it securely up and away from my face so it wouldn’t be blowing around in the wind, so I can’t complain too much. I would HIGHLY recommend that all brides getting married outside near the beach have their hair up. I literally couldn’t imagine 1) how hot it would have been and 2) how much time I would have spent pushing it back off my face from the wind if I had worn it down. All my bridesmaids said the same thing. While long loose hair is pretty, it’s just not practical in the sea breeze! Then there was my makeup - the same stylist who did my hair took me over to get my makeup done. It was just kind of a table in the middle of the room with random makeup bags and cases all over the place. It didn’t look very professional. I showed her a picture of Kim Kardashian’s wedding makeup and told her that’s what I wanted, and showed her all the professional makeup I brought from home (if you’re getting your makeup done there, I’d highly recommend bringing your own). She looked a little overwhelmed, and I was nervous to say the least because, not to be mean, but her own makeup didn’t look so hot - her own heavy black eyeliner around her whole eye in extremely jagged lines was stressing me out a bit. She went to work, and again, the whole time was conversing with the other stylist, who was just hovering around, but this time it was clear that the other stylist was instructing my stylist what to do every step of the way. I could hear them talking about colors a lot and she kept gesturing and pointing to show her what to do, and telling her what colors to use. Honestly, it seemed like she had never done anyone’s makeup before in her life, and the other girl seemed to know what she was talking about. I almost stopped and asked if she could do my makeup instead at several points because I was starting to get very nervous! She actually did take over at the end to put on my false eyelashes, and then seemed to correct and fix a few things when she was done. The end result was...not good. They only used some of my makeup, and what they used of their own was very coppery and brassy, not at all what I wanted. I went back up to my room, where all my bridesmaids were waiting, and was like “Guys, this looks awful, we need to fix this.” In true bridesmaids fashion they all started gushing about how beautiful I looked, but I told them this wasn’t the day to lie to make me feel better! Then I got “Welllllll…...maybe we need to take off some of this brown eyeliner….” and then we went to work. Basically I just went over their makeup with my own, and it turned out fine. All in all, that was the biggest “crisis” of the day, and it wasn’t a big deal, so I can’t complain! To summarize, I think most of the stylists do a great job with hair at the Now Jade. Makeup...I can’t really be sure. If anyone can think of a polite way to request NOT to have someone, I would try to avoid Gina for hair and makeup. Flowers: I LOVED my bouquet and my bridesmaids’ bouquets. I know nothing about flowers and wasn’t really picky about the type, so I just sent Pilar a picture of the colors I wanted, and they turned out perfectly! The Ceremony: The ceremony started around 5:15 instead of 5, as Pilar said it might. The setup was so incredibly lovely. I loved the rose petals in our colors along the aisle! The only decorations were our chair bows (which I just rented from there - I know they’re too expensive, but I just didn’t feel like dragging them down with me), the aisle flower petals, the flowers on the table at the front, and a seashell garland I brought from home. They also added some lanterns along the aisle that I didn’t rent, so that was either from the ceremony that happened right before ours, or maybe they just always use them to hold the aisle runner down. I was worried about not having enough ceremony decorations before we left, but I loved the simplicity of it, and with the gorgeous pergola and the ocean in the background, there’s really no need for a bunch of other decorations to make it look wonderful. Both of my parents ended up walking me down the aisle (although the aisle was actually very small, not even really big enough for two people, so I kind of had to walk ahead). I was planning on having just my dad walk me down the traditional way (we’re extremely close and I’m a total daddy’s girl), but my mom told me just a few minutes before we were to head to the lobby, he asked her if she’d walk with us since they raised me together and did such a good job...and then started crying and had to walk away! I think he was just too emotional to do it all by himself! My mom wanted to make sure I was okay with it and said she wouldn’t mind at all if I wanted it to just be my dad, but of course I didn’t mind, and I’m really glad we did it that way and that they gave me away together. We had the violinist as our musician. I honestly never even laid eyes on her, but she sounded lovely! Our officiant was adorable, although honestly, I’m pretty sure he had never read our script before right then. We realized we had made the first part waaaaay too long - he read it extremely slowly, and with his thick accent, some of it was hard to understand, but even though it dragged on a little long at first, I really didn’t mind. It gave me some time to calm my nerves, gaze at my almost-husband (who was GLOWING, so cute!), and look out at all our friends and family. Plus, it’s just a quirky little part of getting married in Mexico. We read our vows from small Moleskine notebooks in our colors (pink for me, orange for him) which was a semi last minute decision for me, but I think it ended up looking nice. We each wrote our own vows, and while I thought mine were okay, my husband’s completely blew everyone away. There was truly not a dry eye in the house, especially my own. He told me later that he had only finished them the night before...typical! Cocktail Hour: Right after the ceremony we went down to the beach bar and everyone got their glass of champagne as they walked down the stairs (they even had shirley temples ready for the kids). I got to hug everyone as they walked by, which was really nice. I saw the food off to the side and the signature drinks floating around, but after that we went off to the garden area to take pictures. The beach was still overly seaweedy for the pictures to look pretty so all of our family and bridal party shots were in the grass, but that’s okay. Photography - Photos in Cancun: This is the part that I couldn’t wait to tell everyone about. I hired Photos in Cancun for our photographers. They’re a husband and wife team who live in Cancun - Lorena is from Mexico, and Dereck is from Canada. I picked them because a) they were by far the most reasonably priced I had seen during my research they had wonderful reviews about how fun and easy they are to work with and c) they give you EVERY SINGLE PICTURE on a USB right at the end of the night! How can you pass that up? They came up to the room around 3:30 as we were getting ready. Immediately I noticed that there were three photographers instead of just two. Dereck introduced himself, and informed me that he had accidentally been punched in the eye by his poodle (true story!), and showed me his eye, which was very red. He said they had brought along a third photographer who they work with all the time, just in case he had to give his eye a break, to make sure they wouldn’t miss anything, at no charge at all to me. I was impressed right off that bat! Despite his eye injury, he was taking pictures every time I looked at him, so I basically just got a third bonus photographer! They were taking pictures constantly in our room, and we have a ton of adorable candids. Throughout the entire ceremony, they were so discreet that I didn’t even notice them, but they captured so many amazing pictures. They even took a picture of virtually every person in the audience, which I thought was a really nice touch. Taking pictures with everyone during cocktail hour took a really long time since we had such a big group, and my mom was pretty insistent on getting a ton of family pictures since there were so many of us there. It turned out we only had 10 minutes left for bride and groom pictures, which kind of bummed me out, but I thought we still got some nice ones so I tried not to worry about it too much. I had a 7 hour photography package, so they were scheduled to stay for some of the reception but not all of it. I was rushing at one point to find my husband to take some pictures of him taking off my garter (which we did off to the side) before they left, and Dereck stopped me and said “Don’t worry, we’re in no hurry to leave, take your time.” I’m not sure exactly what time they left or how long they were there, but I’d say it was definitely longer than 7 hours! Again, I barely noticed them the whole time they were there, but they captured EVERY moment. The candid reception pictures are some of my favorites. As they were leaving, Dereck told me that they felt bad that we didn’t get to take many couples pictures (even though it wasn’t their fault at all), and asked if they could pick us up later in the week to take more pictures! WHAT?! I couldn’t believe it. We communicated a little over the next week, and they ended up driving all the way out to our honeymoon resort, the Hard Rock Riviera Maya, the following Monday. They live in Cancun, which is about 30 minutes from the Now Jade, and the Hard Rock is about 40 minutes even further than that, so they drove at least an hour to come get us. Then they drove us all the way back to a beach in Puerto Morelos (30-40 minutes) to take pictures there, then drove us into Playa del Carmen to that beach, and took some pictures in the shopping area in Playa. They got some amazing and beautiful shots, and worked SO hard - it is very clear how passionate they are about what they do. You can see 1000 (out of the 2500 pictures they took!) here. Keep in mind that these haven't been edited yet (and they don't even need it, they look amazing!) We get to pick 180 pictures for them to edit. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155723382210293.1073741847.508850292&type=1&l=d36589a522 (Keep in mind that none of these have been edited yet) Here's a slideshow they made for me too that highlights the best parts of the day, if you don't feel like slogging through 1000 pictures!: https://animoto.com/play/VKP4n1xcGe3c4E1RCq11lA?autostart=1 They took pictures of us for over 3 hours, and then bought US a beer after! Are you kidding??! They worked for free for us for hours, and then bought US a drink! I still can’t get over it. As we were walking back to the car, they were just expressing how much they love what they do, and how the most important thing for them is making sure that their client’s have the best experience possible, and that it’s not just about a set number of hours or buying a set number of prints. Dereck also explained why they give you ALL you photos at the end of the night - “There might be a picture of you and Uncle Bob that’s a little out of focus so I delete it, but maybe you haven’t seen him in 10 years and that would be an invaluable memory for you. Why should we decide what pictures are worth keeping?” Their attitude towards their work is truly inspiring. At the end of the night when they drove us back to our hotel, my husband tried to give them an envelope that had an $100 tip that I had brought with me (although honestly at that point after all they had done, I was embarrassed that I hadn’t included more), but they even tried to refuse that! They just kept saying that it was their pleasure and how much they enjoyed spending time with us. But we insisted, and they gave us huge hugs goodbye, and told us to call them next time we were in Mexico to have dinner with them. I could go on and on for days about how amazing Dereck and Lorena were. They were one of the very best parts not just about our wedding day, but our entire vacation. If you have yet to hire a photographer, stop looking right now and hire them. I promise you won’t be disappointed. The Reception at Castaways: If any of you have seen some of my posts during the last year of planning, you might remember that I was constantly worried that I wasn’t going to have enough decorations. I was an extremely low-maintenance bride (or maybe just lazy). I am not a DIY person AT ALL, and just don’t have an eye for those Pinterest-perfect itty bitty details. Being on BDW and seeing all the adorable decoration projects everyone was doing always kind of stressed me out and I always felt that I should be doing more, but it just wasn’t my thing. Here’s what I brought with me: -Pink and orange chinese lanterns -Seashell placecard holders and place cards -Menus -Water beads and underwater LED lights (we rented vases and used the bridesmaids bouquets as our centerpieces) -Seashell garland (from the ceremony but they moved it to the reception) -Best Day Ever cake topper -Card box -Table numbers -Guest book -Mr. and Mrs. glitter block letters We rented orange table runners from the resort, and they also included the lanterns from the ceremony, which I didn’t pay for. Even though I didn’t bring a ton of stuff, everything was perfect and beautiful. The setup was totally perfect. In retrospect, I’m so GLAD I didn’t waste a ton of time and money on elaborate decorations. I barely even noticed half the stuff I did bring! I feel like a ton of decorations might be necessary to spruce up a big plain reception hall at an at-home wedding, but the open-air restaurant was so beautiful and awesome on it’s own with the ocean in the background that all the natural beauty was plenty of decoration in and of itself. So that’s another big piece of my advice for future brides - don’t stress out about the little stuff. Everyone is having too much fun to notice, and it will look beautiful no matter what! Our bridal party danced into the reception and it was awesome. My husband and I entered to cold fireworks, courtesy of Disco Movil, and were dancing, fist pumping, and twirling around. Everyone went nuts. It was epic! Our first dance immediately followed, which I wasn’t expecting, but I ended up liking it that way. Our bridal party all stood off to the side which I really liked, too. Then came the father daughter/mother son dances. The mother-son dance was hilarious - they danced to “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive” and were just being goofy with it, and by the end they were all just conducting the whole room as we sang along. It was so precious. Then came dinner, which was delicious, and served SUPER fast - I was very impressed by all our waiters. We had salad, lobster bisque, and guests could choose between beef and salmon, and chocolate souffle as the dessert. I would recommend any of it. They got all the kids’ meals right, and even met my request to give my sister-in-law just a plain chicken breast with a side (she has Celiacs and is gluten free), and she said even that was delicious. After that we did speeches. My husband cousin and best man went first and gave a very warm and heartfelt speech. But THEN, my two best friends went up front to give their speech and made me come up with him. They grabbed the mic from the DJ and handed him and iPod and pulled out their scripts. They started with a speech full of funny and embarrassing stories (we’ve been friends since first grade, so there are a lot of them), and then the music to Copacabana started to play….they had written an ENTIRE song about us that they sang and danced to! The chorus went “At the Now Jade Riviera Maya, the hottest spot on the playa…” everyone was dying laughing. Then “Hot Hot Hot” started playing, which we had a dance routine to from cheerleading in 8th grade (!), that somehow I managed to remember most of, and we all danced together to it in front of everyone. It was incredible. I have the best friends ever! The rest of the night we just partied the night away. We extended our reception by an hour, and even though it’s expensive (especialy for 57 people), I’m SO glad we did - three hours would have been way too short, and we were having way too much fun to leave at 10 pm! Most people were on the dance floor the WHOLE time just having a great time while the drinks flowed (and flowed and flowed) from the bar. I was having too much fun to even bother holding a drink - I had a glass of wine at dinner, and a lass of champagne for the toast, and that was it! I think I was definitely the most sober one in the room, and I’m so glad I did it that way. I can get tipsy any night, but I only get married once, so I’m glad I can remember every moment! I LOVED having our reception at Castaways. The only ‘bad’ thing I can say is that it was very, very hot - but even so, everyone loved feeling like they were outside, even with the heat, and it just gave it such a fun, tropical atmosphere. I peeked at a reception at the bamboo room the next day, and while it was nice, I liked the vibe of ours so much better (plus it wouldn’t have been nearly big enough for the size of our group). So, if you’re worried about heat, don’t do Castaways, but if you don’t mind the heat and want to be outside, I’d definitely recommend it! Our wedding day was truly one for the books. Obviously I hoped an expected that it would be fun and special, but it exceeded my expectations a million times over. Everyone had SO much fun that we still can’t stop talking about it. Everyone said it was by far the best wedding they had ever been to, and all my friends had made up their minds by the end of the night to have a destination wedding. Everything went perfect and I wouldn’t change one single moment. Trash the Dress: We used the hour of photography that came with the Divine package for a trash the dress session on Friday. I brought another dress (clearance at David’s Bridal) with me for that. Our photographer, Alejandro, was wonderful, and the pictures turned out great. An hour DEFINITELY wouldn’t have been enough for the day of, and the pictures weren’t quite as high quality as Photos in Cancun, so I’m glad I hired outside for our actual wedding pictures, but the hour of photography is great for a trash the dress! (Pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155723733905293.1073741848.508850292&type=1&l=0de529af7e ) The Weather: My next big piece of advice - do not even bother checking the weather the week before you leave. The week before they had the big tropical storm, and EVERY DAY had a 90% chance of rain. I was totally freaking out. Turns out, we didn’t see a single drop of rain the whole time we were there, other than our arrival day, which no one really cared about anyway since we were busy getting settled. The weather on our wedding day could not have been more perfect. In a tropical location like that, the weather can change so quickly that the forecast is pretty much pointless, so don’t stress about your weather! The Vacation: Our whole group had an absolute BLAST at the Now Jade and are already talking about going back next year. Even though we came with a huge group of people from different parts of our lives who didn’t know each other, everyone was great friends by the end! It was hilarious to walk by and see see my husband’s great aunt having dinner with my best friend’s mom. Everyone sort of hung out at the same spot at the pool, started up our own pool volleyball games, rubbed sunscreen on each other’s backs - it was so heartwarming to have so many people we love so much all in the same place having so much fun. Even besides the wedding part, the vacation itself will always be one of my most precious memories. I know there are some bad reviews on Trip Advisor, and I have NO clue what any of them are talking about - I love that resort! It especially blows my mind when I read people saying bad things about the food - I think that’s the best part! All the restaurants are amazing, ESPECIALLY the Italian. I think the resort is the perfect size, too - not too big, not too small. It’s also great for kids - the four we had with us LOVED the kids club and all the activities, and went jumping on the big trampoline thing every day. The drinks are great, food is great, entertainment is great, service is great, rooms are great, pools are great, everything is great! When I read the bad reviews, I think people are just expecting something different….are there nicer hotels in the Riviera Maya? Yes...but they also cost 3x as much as the Now Jade! If you and your guests want a total luxury experience and money is no object for anyone, sure, you could go somewhere a little more upscale, but I think the Now Jade is a great price and a great value for a large group. When we first started planning, we expected to only have 30 guests, but when everyone saw how reasonable the price was, which included airfair, our number literally doubled! All in all, don’t pay attention to the bad reviews - the resort is great. The Honeymoon: After seeing everyone off to the airport the following Sunday (which was so sad - I just wanted everyone to stay with us!), we headed off to the Hard Rock Rivera Maya. I don’t think that resort would be for everyone, but we absolutely loved it. There’s music playing constantly, live bands by the pool, and fun entertainment all the time. It’s definitely more of a party resort, so if that’s your thing (and it’s definitely ours) it’s great, but if you want something more quiet and relaxing, this place probably won’t be your first pick. The great thing about the resort is that you get a ton of resort credit, based on how long you stay, that you can use for a bunch of stuff, including the spa and excursions. You still have to pay 20%, so it’s almost like an 80% off coupon, but it’s still a great deal. We had $750 of resort credit, that we used for three massages (I got two in on our last day since we had so much left over), two deluxe pedicures, and hair styling at the salon (for my second photo shoot). So all in all, we paid $150 dollars for all of that. You can’t beat that! The food was great too, and we loved looking at all the memorabilia. We stayed there for 4 nights, so we were in Mexico for 12 days. I’m so glad we took the time to stay longer - it was nice to have some time to ourselves to unwind from the wedding. At Home Reception: We had an at home reception on Sunday, June 28 - only three days after we got back. Crazy, I know, but we didn’t want to drag the whole thing out forever. It ended up being great. It was a casual, graduation party-type vibe, that lasted from 2-6, with chicken and brats (I’m Polish!) and cookout food, a live band (but no one really danced), with everyone just talking and mingling. Many people who came to Mexico were there, but not all of them, but it was a nice way to celebrate with the people who couldn’t go to Mexico. *** IN CONCLUSION, I had the best wedding ever. Way better than I ever expected. I would give anything to do it all again!
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Jhankarlo and his team absolutely blew away our expectations for our wedding photographer. His communication was excellent, always responding to our emails and phone calls. His English was perfect as well, which was a blessing for all of the planning we had to do before making our way down to Mexico. We had 8 hours of coverage with Jhankarlo for our reception and ceremony, which was the perfect length of time for us and our guests. Jhankarlo is incredibly creative, and that certainly comes through in his photos - they are just the BEST! We also did a trash the dress shoot at a nearby cenote 2 days after the wedding - it was so much fun! Jhankarlo and his team had such great attitudes and were always there to help us find the right light and pose. The photos he took that day are absolutely incredible and we will cherish them for the rest of our lives. What an incredible gift! Before finding Jhankarlo, I had contacted over 10 photographers in the Riviera Maya. Not a single other photographer came close to the skill and value that Jhankarlo and his team offer. We could not be happier in our choice of wedding photographer. Thank you SO much, Jhankarlo, for everything you have done for us!
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Hi Ladies - I don't have a planning thread (drat) so I am posting a new topic and hoping I can get your thoughts on what you'd do. We leave for Jamaica for our wedding in 8 days and our wedding is in 12! Of course we booked our photographer last July and at the time I saw other brides say that she takes a long time to return pictures (like 12 weeks), and I figured I was okay with that if her style was what I liked the best. But ever since I've seen bride after bride after bride complain about how the photographer is completely unresponsive despite any attempts to contact her via email, Facebook or phone. She just does not respond at all. And many brides are waiting 5-6 months to get any of their pictures back, well beyond the maximum 12 weeks it states in the contract. They aren't even getting "sneak peak" photos to use for thank you cards before that. In fact, a bride on this forum today who got married in January hasn't heard a thing from the photographer! Now, every bride also says they love their photos and how they are worth the wait, and that they liked her on their wedding day, but I am MAJORLY regretting my decision to hire her I emailed her on May 8th to touch base and ask her about our timeline and what to expect on our wedding day. I haven't heard back. According to our contract, our final payment was due to her yesterday (2 weeks before our wedding) but I haven't heard from her. Another bride with a wedding a few days before mine DID (finally) hear from her, so I know she is alive! My fiancé tried calling her today and left a voicemail. I just don't think not contacting your client - or responding to their friendly email - in the month before their wedding is acceptable and I don't want to send her our $2,000 payment on a hope and a prayer. If she doesn't deliver my photos by the 12 weeks, she has my money so what am I going to do about it? This doesn't seem to be an issue with any other Jamaican photographers, and this issue is abundant and consistent among brides who have used her, so I just really regret giving her my money. She has a $720 deposit from us already. Hopefully my fiancé can get ahold of her and talk about our concerns (he is more assertive than I am) and if he isn't getting a bad feeling maybe ask for our deposit back? It seems unlikely she would return it. We may be able to find another photographer available at the last minute (or use the so-so resort photog), but then we'd be out the $720. I just picture her showing up on my wedding day and already having a negative feeling about her and it just stinks. Everyone says your rapport with your photographer is important and she is going to be hanging around us all day! I really do not want to send her the money and hope for the best...any other thoughts? Am I making too big of a deal out of this and I should just trust that it will be fine?
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Hi all I just wanted to share some of my favorite engagement pictures from the talented and awesome Juan of Del Sol Photography. We had our engagement photo shoot back in October in Playa Del Carmen but i've only just had a chance to really sit down and post them. We loved how the pics came out so much that we also booked them for our wedding. My fiance and I just love their work and knew they were worth the splurge. If you can fit them into your budget I highly recommend them.
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While the modern tradition of a Bride and Groom sharing a First Look before their ceremony continues to grow, it seems First Looks aren't just for the couple anymore. These days, the Bride sharing a special reveal moment with her parents is becoming just as popular. Once the bride has completed her finishing touches -- dress, shoes, jewelry and one final sweep of the hair and makeup, she then takes a special moment to meet her parents for the first time dressed as a bride. These photos are often filled with tons of emotion from the parents, after all, it signifies the starting point of giving their baby girl away. So if you plan to do a Parents' First Look, here are a few important things to keep in mind to make sure things go off without a hitch: Make sure you leave enough time in your Wedding Day preparations to do a First Look with your parents. Give yourself at least 15 minutes, because if tears are shed, you'll want time to do touch-ups. Pick a location that will give you privacy for this special moment. To save time, consider the room where you are getting ready for the day so you don't have to worry about traveling anywhere. Make sure you give your photographer a head's up that you'd like to do a Parents' First Look. Your photographer will appreciate being able to plan for this moment ahead of time to ensure he/she is standing in the best location with the best light for the big reveal. Parents' First Looks aren't just limited to the Bride. They can be done with the Groom and his parents as well. Mom and Dad would love to see their son before he walks down the aisle, it may also be a good time for Mom to pin the boutonnière on her son as well. Just remember all the pointers above! Did you do a Parents' First Look? What was your experience like? - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world.
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Vallarta.photo is a wedding photographer concept by Evgenia Kostiaeva, one of the best wedding photographers in Mexico. Evgenia is a Destination Wedding Photographer with experience in Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit, Sayulita, San Pancho, Cancun, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Guanajuato and Russia. Her photography style is minimalist, beautiful, simple, elegant and fresh. Her Wedding Photos transmits love and happiness. We provide services in Puerto Vallarta and all Riviera Nayarit. Our packages starts at 600 USD. Please visit our website here: http://vallarta.photo
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We're at 11 months until our wedding and figure that it's time to have our engagement photos done. I love photos and so I'd really love to have engagement photos taken. Plus, we wanted to have pictures of us with our two-year old puppy and have a picture of the three of us displayed at our cake table. That way, our puppy can be a part of our wedding. So I've contacted a few local photographers and have received a few quotes ranging from $300-600 for two hours, all edited digital files on a disk. I've asked a few of my friends what the average price is for engagement sessions so I at least have a base price to compare the quotes to but most had their session included in their overall wedding photography package. I figure that the best to ask would be my fellow destination brides. So ladies, what did you pay for your engagement session and what was included?
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As a wedding photographer, it is without a doubt one of the questions I get most asked by my brides and grooms when it comes to their engagement photos, "What should we wear and bring to our engagement session?" Here are a few tips I share with my couples when it comes to prepping for their engagement photos: HAIR + MAKEUP: Get your make-up and hair professionally done. A clean finished look can really "complete" your photos, which should be a treasured keepsake for years to come! But make sure your hair and makeup are styled in a way that you feel comfortable. Don't do something extravagant and so completely "not you" -- any worry you carry will show in your images. If there's anything I am a strong proponent of when it comes to makeup, it is making sure you wear lashes. Lashes can make such a huge difference in making your eyes pop in the photographs. But because most women aren't prone to wearing fake lashes daily, it's good to have a "trial run" if possible to ensure you are comfortable wearing them and most importantly, to make sure you aren't allergic to the lash glue. Also, if you'd like to showcase your fabulous engagement ring in any of the photos, having clean or manicured nails is important. CLOTHING: You don’t have to settle for the matching jeans and tops look, instead wear something that reflects your personalities and style but again, make sure you are comfortable. Bringing 2 or 3 outfits usually gives you a good mix for a session last about two to three hours. Some quick tips … Think about layering your clothing – this will give you different looks in a single outfit. Wear outfits that are complimentary in style, color and level of dressiness, but not too matchy. Most couples bring two outfits to change into – one dressy look, one casual look. Remember that busy patterns go out of style quickly and your background will usually have enough textures and patterns to fill your photograph. Wear shoes you love. For the ladies, colorful shoes always make photos pop and of course a great pair of heels always compliment a cute dress! But if you plan to wear heels, make sure you are comfortable wearing them because you may need to move to different locations OR bring an extra pair of comfy shoes just for walking, like flip-flops or sneakers. Bring and wear accessories!!! Dressing up is always fun and accessories can really make a difference – whether it be jewelry, different shoes, hats, scarves, or flowers for your hair. Accessories can add that special little touch to your photographs. STYLED SHOOTS + PROPS: Styled shoots are awesome, so if you have a theme you’d like to streamline throughout your session, do it to your heart’s content! To help portray the style or theme you’ve chosen, bring props, backdrops, décor, etc. If you serenade your sweetheart with a guitar every night, incorporate it in a few shots. Or if you consider yourselves a bit quirky, romantic or fun, you could bring a bunch of balloons, cupcakes, a picnic baskets, your own cameras, a suitcase, books, a kite, a bouquet of flowers, a bicycle built for two - the sky’s the limit! It's always a wonderful addition when people infuse their personalities into the session. IN A NUTSHELL … Just love each other and have fun! This session is all about capturing your love -- so relax, smile, laugh and enjoy this special time with your sweetheart. - - -About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. I am the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife Wedding & Portrait Photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world.
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Hello everyone, WOW this looks like an amazing forum, I’m excited to finally join and look forward to sharing as much information as I can to help new wedding couples realize their dream destination wedding in Mexico. As a Destination Wedding Photographer specializing in México I have spent over 6 years continually traveling throughout this beautiful nation to shoot weddings, marketing assignments, consulted with hoteliers,resort wedding coordinators and thousands of wedding professionals. I have also been part of countless resort FAM trips, worked with partners such as AMResorts, Hard Rock Hotels, Colin Cowie, Karisma to shoot their wedding collection's marketing material. In 2013 Love Mexico Wed invited me to be a guest speaker at the “Love Mexico” Expo in Riviera Maya, New York and Dallas. As well as “Congreso de Bodas” Along the way I have made many friends and become acquainted with over 4000 Mexican Wedding professionals. So whatever question you may have, myself or one the the Pixan sales team will be happy to assist you. Big Hug,
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Hi Cabo Brides, I am wondering if you can give me insight on the photographers at the Riu Palace. Our wedding is in September 2015 and I am wondering what you thought about the local photographers. I have talked to a lot of brides who have mentioned their photos are priceless to them and to make sure to find a good photographer for the day. Did you use the photographer that's located at the Riu? Or did you use an outside vendor? Did you get what you were looking for in the images, if you did use the Riu photographers? Any suggestions would be greatly appropriated.
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As women we’ve all envisioned it … the dress perfectly embracing the curves of your body, every strand of hair in its rightful place, and lest I forget, you’re donning a flawless face. Ahhhh yes, the makeup is so perfect, you’ve got Kim Kardashian frantically searching for a touch-up. And with all your fabulousness, your first step down the wedding aisle is greeted with harmonious awe-filled sighs of admiration from your circle of family and friends. But even better? Your gaze meets your soon-to-be-husband's eyes for the first time and you can literally see his breath being taken away — you are simply a vision to behold. And, he even sheds a tear, because yes, you are the most beautiful bride in the world!! For the longest time, that’s how I imagined it would be on our Wedding Day. Time would stop as we saw each other for the first time at the aisle, and dozens of snapshots would be taken to capture that moment. But this isn’t what happened. It was actually better than I dreamed. We decided to see each other for the first time — in private — about 90 minutes before the ceremony. And … It. Was. Beautiful. (Yes, sometimes things carry so much meaning, each word warrants its own sentence!) Never in a million years would I have thought to see my husband-to-be prior to the ceremony, because like I said, I’ve always envisioned that “gazing into each others eyes with everyone in awe,” moment. But then we sat down with our photographer and she asked if we wanted to see each other before the ceremony for a ‘first look’ session. I think I blurted out “NO” before she even finished the sentence. In fact, I think I said it so abruptly I’m sure she thought she accidentally asked me if I wanted to take family formals in the public restroom, LOL. But weeks later, my mind started to shift after seeing so many incredibly gorgeous “First Look” photos and reading countless photography blogs and articles about the benefits of seeing each other beforehand. Fast forward almost seven years later to today ... my husband and I have been shooting weddings as a husband & wife photography team for about 5 years now, and while we have some couples who like to stick to the tradition of not seeing each other until the ceremony, we also have plenty of clients who opt for a First Look session -- and frankly, we love it! Here are some of the advantages in breaking the “see you at the aisle” tradition and opting for a First Look instead: This is a private and special moment shared between just the two of you. Weddings can often be chaotic, filled with guests who want to greet you, endless “come on, let’s take a picture together” moments, and a timeline that seems to fly faster than you can say “I Do.” Most of the time, a couple never has a moment alone, so the First Look sometimes ends up being the only time you and your sweetheart will share something that is completely private and all your own without any extra eyes watching (except for your photographers of course!). And because of this, this special moment carved out before the Ceremony often makes it the most precious sliver of time during the entire Wedding Day. There’s more time for romantic photos of the couple! Time blocked out for a First Look allows us super giddy photographers to be more creative with location, poses, etc. By doing a First Look we can choose the perfect location for you to meet and situate ourselves to capture the moment your eyes connect. And yes, be prepared for tears! Sometimes this moment can be so powerful it will draw out all sorts of emotions … awe, utter joy, excitement, and an overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude … for each other, for love, for this special day After the First Look, we can then set aside about 30 to 45 minutes to do romantic photos where we’re not racing for time or light, but simply focusing on capturing beautiful images in the most incredible settings! Family members as well as the Bride and Groom can enjoy the cocktail hour together. Because you're opting to take care of a bulk of the romantic portraits and possibly even family and bridal party photos before the ceremony, there's now more time for everyone to party together AFTER the ceremony! *WOOT WOOT* There is no sense of rushing while doing pictures after the ceremony. If you can take care of family and bridal party photos before the ceremony, you can focus solely on taking a few more romantic portraits after the ceremony, allowing you to capitalize on the golden hour if your ceremony takes place a couple hours before sunset — when the light is deliciously fabulous and super flattering, giving that special glow to each image! Make-up and hair look “fresher” in images shot before the ceremony, especially during summer weddings when you’re dealing with heat. Brides you will be beautiful throughout the day, but there’s no better time to catch your look at its freshest than right after you’ve gotten primped and pampered. Doing a First Look allows your photographer to capture you at your best. And if you shed a few tears when you see each other for the first time, no worries, you can always get some touch ups before the ceremony! It helps the nervousness and anticipation of the day subside. If you are feeling a little anxious during the day's preparations, seeing your sweetheart helps put aside some of those wedding jitters before the ceremony. Who better than to calm your nerves than the one you love? And now, let me add my own two cents to the list … First Looks create some of the most amazing wedding pictures I’ve ever seen!!! And I’m not just talking just regular amazing, I mean goosebumps all over your body amazing! The private moment you get to share with the one you love is like the first flower he bought you that is now dried and pressed between the pages of a thick book — it makes your heart flutter every time you see it and brings a smile to your face that no one will ever truly understand. I have no regrets at all seeing my husband before the ceremony. In fact, I would not have done it any other way. Seeing each other for the first time alone was more special than I could have ever imagined because it was a moment all our own that we shared with no one else, just us (and our amazing photographers with our daughter peeking nearby!!) And guess what? When you see your sweetheart down the wedding aisle, it's still just as special. It's an entirely different feeling of excitement because you also see your family and friends surrounding you -- so instead of one instance of seeing each other for the first time, you actually get two and both are equally wonderful. You get the best of both worlds! Whatever it is you decide, do what your heart tells you, make sure it fits with your timeline and make that moment your own. Soak in his gaze and let your heart flutter, because it is a fragment of time that you’ll always remember. So make it special! MarieSam Sanchez Photography is a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world.
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