Editor’s note: this testimonial post is special. It’s written by our newest destination wedding specialist here at Weddings By Oceans, Ashley. We would like to take this opportunity to also congratulate her on becoming a Beachside Bride on October 27th, 2009! We’ve asked our new Cyber Maid of Honour to share her destination wedding experience with us on the blog.
This story begins with the engagement between Ashley Stevenson and Martin Ascencio Graciano. Fast-forward to October 22-29, 2009, at the Melia Resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
When we announced our engagement, everyone knew that a trip to Mexico was in the cards for our wedding. Martin, my husband, is from Puerto Vallarta and having lived there myself, it is like a second home to me. We felt that the best place to start our new life together was where it all began.
With the destination picked out the next step for us was choosing the right hotel. This, for us, was one of the harder choices we had to make. Not only did we have our wants and needs to think of, but also those of our 46 guests that were going to be joining us for some fun in the sun.
Our group ranged in ages from 5 to 76 so we wanted somewhere that was going to be great for everyone. We decided on the Melia Resort because of its location and the amenities that the hotel offered. It’s a spacious resort that has a little bit of something for everyone including 3 large restaurants, 3 bars, a huge pool, nightly entertainment and comfortable accommodations.
During the early stages of our planning, we were in touch with Devorah, the hotel’s wedding coordinator, to decide on the best options for our special day. Devorah was great. She responded in a timely manner, she never told me no without having a reason for it, and if it happened that my requests could not be completely met, she always offered other options.
Although Devorah tried to accommodate our wedding wishes, due to budgets and a mix of hotel guests and local guests (approximately 100 people over our guests staying at the hotel) we unfortunately had to change our plans and get married off-site.
We still chose to host our group at the Melia and although we weren’t doing our wedding at the hotel, the hotel was still very involved with Martin and I before our group arrived. We wanted to host a “Welcome to Mexico” dinner for our group at the hotel on the Friday after our arrival. Devorah helped us in organizing this event and it was the perfect opportunity for us to say thank you to our family and friends who were joining us at the resort.
Although we had to change around our original plans, our wedding was everything we dreamed it would be and then some. It showed us that even though it wasn’t what we had originally wanted, it was how our wedding day was supposed to be.
The week in Mexico was one of the best holidays we have ever had. It was great to spend time with family and friends on vacations, something that most of us had never done. We had a jam-packed week of dolphin swims, pirate ships, Mariachi, and of course, the wedding!
Related posts: