Featured Caletas Couple

The couple: Luke and Trisha Selden
The date: November 3, 2009

Every so often we love to feature a couple who was recently married at Las Caletas so they can tell you about their special day in their own words. This month we are featuring Luke and Trisha.

We asked Trisha a few questions, including the proposal……..

Trisha: We were on vacation in San Antonio for a long weekend get-away.
Luke surprised me with a ring on the Riverwalk while taking a stroll after a nice dinner.   After I said yes, we went out to celebrate.  When we got back to the hotel, Luke had arranged for the room to be decorated with flowers, champagne and candles.  The whole night surprised me because I never thought he would propose while on vacation.  He is such a nervous traveler that I never suspected he would try to get a ring through security!!

How did you discover Las Caletas and what made you chose it for your destination wedding?

I first stumbled upon Adventure Weddings and Las Caletas when thumbing through a destination wedding magazine.  I started doing more detailed research on the location and loved the intimacy and charm.  By looking at photos from other weddings at Las Caletas, it was clear that the staff could put together a memorable event.  We decided to pay a deposit to hold our wedding day after I spoke with other brides who confirmed that their experience had been magical.  Finally, our site visit in February sealed the deal.  When we arrived, the location absolutely took my breath away.

Who was your event coordinator?

KELLEY, who was amazing from day one.  I plan events for a living and I will admit that I was skeptical about planning the logistics from another country.  However, this ended up being very easy.  I was able to email back and forth with Kelley almost weekly to work on various details throughout the year.  She was able to take my vision (made up of photos I had sent to her) and run with it.

Was planning your destination wedding at Las Caletas stress-free?
YES! First and foremost there was great communication.  I hired many other vendors outside of Adventure Weddings for our wedding week, and most often the response rate was unpredictable.  Kelley always kept me up-to-date on the logistics on her end.  Even if she didn’t have an answer for me on the day she promised, she would let me know that it was in the works.  This was very helpful.

Was there any requirements out of the ordinary you had to have to make your wedding day complete?
I think Kelley would tell you that we had quite a few requests that were out of the ordinary.  Our centerpieces and aisle arrangements required special pricing from the florist and Kelley had to nearly buy Puerto Vallarta out of key limes to make everything work.  Additionally, we brought our own wine for a toast during our slideshow, and it took her entire staff to get the wine poured and distributed quickly.  Additionally, the order of our ceremony was different than the norm.  However, I was able to set-up a conference call with Kelley two weeks before the big day to talk through our time-line and the logistics of how everything would flow.  It all happened perfectly.

What was the highlight of your wedding?

The entire day was magical.  Three things stand out the most though.  First, I had never seen the ceremony or dinner set-up prior to the wedding starting.  I had been hidden in the bridal casita all day.  When I finally reached the bottom of all of the stairs and started to walk down the aisle, I could not believe how beautiful the settings was.  Kelley and her staff had exceeded my expectations by about 10 times.  Everything from the chair ties, aisle arrangements, angle of the chuppah with the water; it was all breath taking.  Wow, wow, wow.

Secondly, we LOVED the fire dancers.  Our guests were already blown away with the beauty of Las Caletas and the fire dancers completed the event.

Last, but certainly not least, was Kelley.  I worried about nothing all day because she was there.  Throughout the day, she would keep me updated on the timing of the next event.  She was able to brief me on where the guests were, when the first dance would be played, etc.  Instead of wondering what was going to happen next, I knew well ahead of time and she took care of organizing everything.  The last thing you want to worry about on your wedding day is the logistics.  I was able stand back and take in every moment.

How did you spend your time on Las Caletas before your event?

My 6 bridesmaids and my mom came out to Las Caletas with me in the morning.  We had time to get settled in the bridal casita and then spent a few hours down by the beach.  There were virtually no tourists that day, so we had the beach to ourselves.  We had lunch about 1 p.m. and then started with hair and makeup.  Our photos started about 3:00 before the wedding ceremony which was at 5:45.

What was your guest’s reaction to your celebration?

Although I wasn’t on the boat ride over with the guests, our hostess told us that our guests were speechless as the boat approached the ceremony site.  I always wanted something memorable, and the natural beauty of Las Caletas was the perfect location.  2 months later, people are still talking about how beautiful it was.

Would you come back 25 years from now to Las Caletas and do it all over again?
Do I have to wait 25 years?  Absolutely!
Any tips or pointers for future brides coming to Las Caletas for their destination wedding?

If at all possible, do a site visit a few months prior to your wedding date.  It is very helpful to see the lay of the land since the area is so unique.  The earlier you can submit photos and requests to Kelley, the more quickly she can piece together your vision.  There were no last minute surprises because we had talked through the logistics of our day in advance.

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