TammyWright

gosh, there are so many great places.. give me an idea of an area you would like to be...you are on east coast, right?

welcome to the forum...what a PITA to be snowed in...we have family in colorado let us know how we can help! ps. jackie our moderator of the RM forum is super knowledgeable with resorts...

Quote: Originally Posted by Nrvsbride When you guys chose your location did you just call and speak to someone and set your date or did you do a site visit first? Also, I hear all these people say that you can save so much money if you have a destination wedding. Is this true, of did you girls find that it came to about the same if you would have had it in your hometowns? for me it was so much cheaper...we were looking at $30-40k but we did it for $14k just wondering but if you are in NY why don't you get married in riviera maya? there are so many beautiful resorts and it would be cheaper for you to fly...unless most of your guests are closer to cabo

i think dreams can do a pretty large reception and ceremony...like 120 people. we had 60 and we didn't even use 1/2 the space we were in.

Quote: Originally Posted by Nrvsbride Thank you guys all so much for being so welcoming. I can't believe you guys are all planning weddings and still have time to help others! And to those brides who are already married, how nice of you to still help future brides out. I am pretty flexible with everying (cost, travel, etc.) The only thing I did want to figure out is when is the most cost-effective time to travel to Cabo. I know certain seasons cost more. I want to make it as affordable for my guests as possible. I have friends who honeymooned in Cabo and they ranted and raved about Sunset Da Mona Lisa, so I was thinking of having the reception there. And Dreams seems like a nice place to have the guests stay. All help and advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks! glenda, welcome... i am a dreams bride and it is a fantastic place to get married...why would you not want to have your wedding/reception at dreams? it will save you a ton of $$...they have beautiful spots to get married.

welcome andrea! we have quite a few moon palace brides on here. Lenita (andreslove) is getting married there in a few months. please let us know how we can help!

ok, let's just open them as we get them!!! running to my present...

hmm...i love grilled artichokes.

FANTASTIC!! i love all your special touches.

ok, rebecca and natasha have shamed me into doing this.. please keep in mind my wedding was over 6 months ago. Change: DJ: had more control of the DJ situation. Been firmer on what type of music i wanted played BEFORE the reception. DJ Antares did great after we had to tell him a few times what we wanted played but i should have been clearer with what i wanted before (ie. this is what we want played, nothing else!). I was alot better about this at my AHR. Photos: i wish, wish, wish i had Juan for an extra hour before the wedding. He tried to convince me but i didn't want to pay the extra $$. Big mistake. Getting ready: do not lay out the day of your wedding...even if it is not to get sun but just hang with friends. i burned my nose and could not wear foundation because it no longer matched my face Decorations: cabo is so beautiful, minimal decorations are needed BUT i wish i did luminaries around the reception area. Family: I wanted an easy going wedding so i was not strict with my family on when they had to be at my room for pics etc. In hindsight i should have given them a clear schedule of what i expected of them for the day of. Steve too with his family....he didn't take any pre-wedding pics with his parents Be in the moment: I know everyone says this, but i wish i were more present during the day. it went by so quickly. I wish i just took a breath and pulled myself together enough to enjoy all the nuances of the day. Changed dress for reception: i was looking for a shorter dress for the reception so i could boogie...didnt find one in time Do Again: AI: I would definitely do an AI. It was so amazing to just meet at breakfast and see all our friends and family there. or hang by the pool with our friends and oder whatever we wanted from pool side service. or have our poker tournaments all night and order room service at 2am and have them deliver 10 orders or cheesecakes, 5 orders of french fries, tacos, etc. Dreams: I like to stay at nice places. i have to admit i am a little bit of a snob about this. My sisters are worse. BUT everyone loved staying at dreams~ the snobbiest of the group to the anti-society/consumerism/materilistic guests. They all had such a great time and loved staying at the resort. It was the perfect hotel for our guests with kids especially. The resort also really goes out of its way for groups. They let us set up such fun events (welcome dinner/casino night). The activities coordinator was super nice and friendly. They had our group go up and do funny skits as the dinner show. it really was a blast! Welcome Dinner: It was so much fun and everyone got to meet everyone else. It wasn't originally in our budget but i cut out the fireworks and had a welcome dinner instead...lucky us, there was a fireworks show right next door and all our guests thought it was for them. I did the Mexican/caribbean BBQ and it was soooo good. OOT bags: these were a PITA to put together and alot of work but SO WORTH IT! it was so fun to come down for breakfast and see 30 people wearing our logo on t-shirts...or go to the pool and know exactly where the group was haging because there were 20 of your canvas bags on the chairs. Everyone really appreciated having beach/pool bags. a MUST! Juan Carlos: he is such an amazing photographer. His work is consistently breathtaking. He has raised his prices but i think he is worth it. Did you see Rebecca's pics! My Orchids: I loved them!! i look at pics and am so amazed by them. they were gorgeous. I am so glad i spent the extra $40. Mariachis: These guys were so cute. They played traditional procession songs but also fun songs for the cocktail hour...people were dancing to them and really loved them. well, i am sure i forgot a bunch of stuff...if i remeber i will add them...other than these small details, i loved my wedding...the week was so wonderful.

Quote: Originally Posted by aatw Hello everyone I'm a Soldier stationed in Germany originally from Colorado, I met my fiance here she is from Belarouse but has been studying here in Germany for the last 4 years. I already know of the Visa process and all the forms I need to fill out, but my question is how do I make the marriage legal? If anyone here has been thru something similiar I would love to hear about your experience. Thanks everyone for reading my post and for your time. hey there, congrats on you engagement. i have not been through something similiar BUT 2 close friends married gals and made it legal...they did it here in the states at the local courthouse. also, there are many resources to help you here in the states. let me ask a few people if they can give me some insight...friend is an immigration lawyer and my uncle works with immigrants trying to get legal status.

I second this winery...i go with my sisters for lunch every year. it is stunning and they just finished a big remodel so they are all set for weddings. if anyone wants to do a day here, let me know Quote: Originally Posted by NABUMBAH Viansa is just stunning. We stopped by there on our last Napa/Sonoma trip and while the wines were not my favorite, the winery itself is spectacular. Viansa Winery in Sonoma - Cal-Italian wines, Gourmet Olive Oil, Monthly Wine Clubs & Wine Gift Baskets from the Sebastiani family And a friend of mine who is a WC said that it was a great venue to work with. here is a knottie bio with more pics of the winery Cookie Test

welcome tot he forum daria!! let us know how we can help!

Quote: Originally Posted by NATASHA Yeah - well, didn't one of his friends sleep on the beach! yup! i am not kidding...i thought he was joking until i was walking down the beach and saw his tent filled with canned food...

Quote: Originally Posted by NATASHA OH - and since you're a planner (me too) - here are a few tips: After you select and secure the dates: 1) Get a judge or officiant - they book up, who knew? You're going to want a good time (1 1/2 hours before sunset to maximize your light for pictures). If you draw the short end of the stick and can't find someone to officiate (unless you're bringing your own) you could get stuck! 2) Get your photographer reserved. These guys book up! I went through 8 choices before I found one that was available because I waited until 5 months before the wedding. They can book 12 months in advance (don't panic, that was a "can.") 3) Send an evite to your big list of guests and explain that their discounted room rate is only available until ___ date. We got the majority of our guests to book and commit by June for our November wedding. Our room block (we were on the hook) had its first cancellation fee in July. I was SWEATING bullets because we had 4 rooms that it looked like we would be on the hook for. Fortunately, we had 5 more rooms needed (so we were one over what we estimated), but WHEW! Knowing your number of guests makes all the difference on your budget. Our guests also said they appreciated the somewhat forceful heads up (my husband called everyone who didn't respond, even if they were a maybe we were fine, we just wanted to know) as it helped them plan their vacations that year. great tips natasha...especially about photog and rooms...we also did the hard press on getting people to reserve the rooms...we were ok with folks not going BUT if they were going to go, reserve a room...my friends were good about this...his friends, not so good

1. i said i wasnt going to spend a fortune on my dress...that didnt happen 2. i said i didnt care so much about pics and wouldnt obsess on them...well i love my pics and show to everyone who comes over 3. i told myself i would let go of how my family acted and not be so controlling and a bridezilla and not let their antics bug me, but it didnt happen 4. i wouldnt care if certain people couldnt make it, but it did bother me and in the long run i think hurt our relationship.

Quote: Originally Posted by andreslove Welcome to the board Glenda! We've all felt the way you feel and at times still feel overwhelmed. This board really helps though. There are plenty of Cabo brides to assist you. Let us know how we can help. lenita, love the sig pic!

well alot of the resorts you are looking at will either have an on-site coordinator or a list of preferred coordinators/vendors...so you may want to narrow down your choices on where you want to be (hawaii or mexico), then pick a few resorts and go from there. if you include a WC now it might confuse you....

it is sooo hard to ick a location because there are so many great places to get married...hawaii, mexico, caribbean, italy, france, fiji. the list goes on and on. have you visited mexico before? there is also a four seasons in punta mita (near Puerto vallarta)

sherri, that is so exciting...i want an update!!

ed, if you want an oct/nov wedding you have some time to pick the perfect spot for you guys!

the winners of the lotteries have been: Sarah (aqharider) Jackie (Ryjaxs19) TammyM YAY!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by JOELLEN Tammy, Can you give me more points please? I can't download docs. thanks, sure angela!

Quote: Originally Posted by jilly76 I would think if you get a cd with your pictures that you could easily create your own slideshow, I'm just not sure of what program you use to do it. a few of the gals are doing their own slideshow...karla and karlav...it is fairly easy and fun to do.

ok, a suggestion and i want feedback. a few of us are travelling for x-mas and some gifts were sent out late... should we push back the opening of gifts until like tuesday or is this a bad idea...? i just don't want those that did not get theirs yet to feel left out...can you post if you have received your gift or not... i received mine