***VENDOR REVIEWS***
VENUE: LeMeridien Cancun Resort and Spa A+++ Overall, this hotel was a dream to work with. You can read my full review here.
WEDDING COORDINATOR: Clara Zamora A+ Clara is great. This is her first year as a wedding coordinator, yet, I felt that she was perfect for our wedding. Prompt with responses, perpetually patient and extremely helpful, I could completely relax during both the planning process and the day of. She was present at our rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception from beginning to end, making sure that everything was running smoothly. The only thing that was forgotten was the string of paper lanterns that was to be hung above the reception table. However, this must've just gotten lost in the bustle. Fortunately, we did not get charged for it at all and even without, the reception area was beautiful. Clara also added all kinds of little touches and extras... such as petals on the aisle, floral arrangements on our chairs, a table stacked with towels for our guests to wipe their feet, gorgeous blue candle vases for our reception, etc, etc. I would highly recommend Clara for any LeMeridien wedding! If you would like to contact her, her email is czamora@meridiencancun.com.mx.
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Dave and Quin Cheung, DQ STUDIOS, Calgary A++++++++++++ Beyond decisions that we made for the venue, dress or even the location, hiring Dave and Quin for our photography needs was hands down the best wedding-related decision that we could have made. These two are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G-L-Y talented and their work just blows us away into smithereens. With their big, loving and vivacious personalities, they made DH and I feel like long, lost buddies and helped us feel at complete ease in front of the camera. It was also pretty amazing how seamlessly they fit in with our guests--weeks after the wedding, our guests were still commenting on how fabulous they were. They are a couple madly in love (and for good reason) in what they do and especially with each other :). Certainly, they were our biggest wedding splurge and we were a bit nervous at first, but after viewing all of our pics and tearing up a bajillion times over them, I can confidently say that they are worth every penny and more.
DRESS: Alvina Valenta, Style 9612, A: I altered much of the dress from its original form. The front neckline was originally oval shaped and extremely high. I had that taken down to go straight across my chest, instead. Additionally, I had all the bows, flowers and ribbon embellisments removed from the back. I wore the dress without the detachable train. I also had a blue sash made for extra that I wore for the reception. The silk is a raw form of French silk that happens to hold up exceptionally well in travel. Although the altered dress looked nothing like its original form, in the end, I was quite pleased with the results.
BRIDAL SALON: Wedding Atelier, NYC, B-: Overall, it was a solid experience. I did find my dress there, after all. The sales person, Mona, however, was friendly enough but definitely on the pushier side. The first ten dresses or so that she brought out were anything but what I had described. I sensed that maybe she is strongly encouraged/pushed to try on certain dresses before going on to what I'm really interested in. In any case, I found my dress and told her that I would think about it and come back the next day. Instead, she *accidentally* charged it on our card that day. It was really annoying. But I suppose it all worked out in the end because I ended up going with the dress after all. My seamstress was Valerie. Valerie's work is great and she was a delight to work and converse with. The overall atmosphere of the boutique is small, intimate and simplistic.
HAIR FLOWER: Late Bloomer Boutique, A+++: Prompt delivery, great price and the product is as realistic looking and feeling as a flower can probably get. I highly recommend.
VEIL: Occansey Designs, A+++: My veil was a standard cut, standard "poof" 96 inch chapel length veil with no added embelishments on a plastic comb. I ordered the product online and it was in my mailbox less than four days later. And at a mere $36 or so, a total steal. The veil itself was absolutely gorgeous and made for some dramatic photos. Great product!
GROOM SUIT: Banana Republic, A+: A classic, easy, BR suit that is relatively affordable and served our purpose for a beach wedding well. BR also does free alterations so that was nice.HONEYMOON: Le Blanc Cancun Resort and Spa, B: We stayed in Cancun for four days after our families left for a "mini-moon" at Le Blanc. A high-end and swanky all-inclusive, we had a memorable time. However, there were a few issues. You may view our full review here.