can't wait!

They're great. And what's more, they are original!! Your BM's are gunna love them.

wow! that is so brave of you Ana, to do this. I'm telling my brothers they have to help pack some of the OOT bag items in with their stuff and they are already complaining! But you with a cake?!?! It's amazing! And having tasted this cake, I know it will be all worth it! Good luck with it!

Quote: Originally Posted by beyondsmitten You know Tammy this policy seems to be pretty common for most resorts, high end or not. Some either restrict outsiders or charge you a fee just to use them. You have to really weigh what you want and if the LOCATION is what matters to you more than PHOTOS then this is the place for you, if not keep searching until you find a place that meets your needs. I don't know what you hope to get out of a BOYCOTT? My location is beautiful, but provides a minimial level (virtually none) of communication before the wedding and charges $300 fees for EVERY outside vendor. I have to keep my fingers crossed that once I arrive things will go smoothly since I can't really talk to them beforehand AND I have to pay for my own uncle to officate my wedding, but that is the choice I made to have a lush, intimate property to myself and my guests for the weekend. I could have chosen something else but weighed my options. That is what you have to do too! Things you need to know. This isn't a TAMMY thing. It's a thing many of us have chosen to take a part in. And as you can read in the posts, many girls are glad to hear the news BEFORE they book their site. I know but a handful of resorts that charge to bring outside vendors in. MOST DON'T. My location is also beautiful and is extremely flexible and free of extra charges. I could bring the pope to officiate my ceremony and they wouldn't charge me a dime. Now getting him to agree is another thing. So please, before you go singling out Tammy, understand this is a forum to exchange information so that we are better prepared for our weddings.

You may want to do a search for rehearsal dinners. Many brides on here have their rehearsal dinners off site. With their help, maybe you could get ideas of which restaurants to look into.

Since you will travel outside the resort for your ceremony have you looked at having your reception outside the resort as well?!?!? I don't see any other way around you paying the $42pp at Dreams but maybe you can get a better deal at an outside restaurant. We are dealing with this issue b/c most brides chose AI yet we still have to pay for our guests dinner. In my case, I have to pay $50 per guest!

I think the time of year has A LOT to do with it. My guests are still in the process of booking their trip. My cousin and his wife booked yesterday and paid $150 pp per night. And can u believe some have said that is expensive!?!?!? Anyway, wish I had some other words of advice but I think I got the cheaper rate because our wedding is in November. Oh, if it's any consolation...our airfare is through the roof!!! Our trip is over the thanksgiving holiday so you can imagine how much $$$ it's costing!

Quote: Originally Posted by amy706 Question for anyone married at DT already- what does the 'standard' place setting look like? I'm curious about the linens, dishes, etc? Do they use a runner? I feel like I havent really seen that. If anyone can describe or post a pic, that would be AWESOME! I'm trying to determine what i need to make/bring. Obviously not dishes though:) THANK YOU! Good question Amy! I haven't seen any of these things either. I'm wondering if they have some sort of catalog where we can pick and choose similar to the flower one. Also, does anyone have any experience using the "live band" from the resort? I'd be interested in hiring a live band as opposed to a DJ but not sure if they are good.

Here's another reason to swing by Target on a regular basis. I have often found their $1 stuff 75% off! Yup, just a quarter. I liked the maracas and keep checking back to see if they are ever 75% off. I know, I'm cheap but I'd need to get at least 50!!

Ladies, it is what it is. And I fully support the idea of a boycott. I really wanted to have my wedding at a Karisma resort but decided against it after an on-site visit and being exposed to their ridiculous policies. I have several couples who are going to make a vacation out of our wedding and were looking to stay at another resort for two nights before joining the rest of our wedding party. I initially recommended EDR but after coming back from their resort I STRONGLY DISCOURAGED IT. My guests have now decided to just hang out at our hotel the entire time. Such a shame because all of the Karisma resorts are amazing. I just can't patronize a company with such little respect for their guests. Thanks for the boycott. It may not do much but I feel better about doing it.

Woo! Hoo! Bought my candles. FYI...half of them were gone so I didn't get the scents I wanted (i.e. cucumber melon). Still, a great purchase!!! Thanks for posting. U made this happen for me!

I would pick someone who is AMAZING for 4 hours! Honestly, ask yourself. How many pictures do you want?!!?!? Don't you think you could take pics with your own camera for the rest of the time? There is only so much room for the great pics on your mantle.

I can't log in?!?!? Am I too drunk to do it right?! ugh! Another bad day for destination wedding planning!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by BarefootBride Here it is sweetie, Its beautiful! Probably made of the finest materials. Consider something similar but it wont be made of the same materials. 6k is part of a down payment on a house, its also your honeymoon (a fabulous one at that), I can be a semester of your education or your future kids education,6k can feed a few hundred kids in Africa, 6k is 3 months of my rent damnit! lol Girl if you can afford it and none of the above crossed your mind just buy it. I knew there was a reason for me to vent to you ladies. I feel much better now. Yup. this is the dress. It doesn't look like much. I actually wouldn't have tried it on if it weren't for the saleslady who suggested it. But once the dress is on...it is FABULOUS!! It makes me look 10 lbs lighter. Sexy and romantic and absolutely perfect for the beach. But as I told the saleslady...it's the whole principle of the matter. I'm expecting a pretty decent tax refund and could pay for the dress with that money but really??!?! Almost 7k for a dress? I just couldn't. I wanted to. But I couldn't. Soooo, my quest to find a similar style begins tomorrow. I know there may not be one just like this one. I just hope there is one that brings me a smile. Thanks again for your support. I feel better about walking away from it already!!!

OK. You ladies probably can't help. But I am just sooo frustrated, devastated and just plain bummed out I have to vent. So I've waited over 3 months after my engagement to shop for a dress because I've been trying to lose weight. I finally made appointments for today, corraled my mom and sis and drove over to several dress shops. First store was a flop. When we got to the second one, I had several picked out to try on when the saleslady brings in one of the newer dresses. I thought, "OK, I 'll try it on, why not?". Well sure enough it was THE ONE!!! As soon as I slipped it on I knew. And when I walked out both my mom and my sis's jaws dropped. They loved it!! So of course I get so excited! I found my dress in one day!! It is perfect. Now all I have to do is find out how much. BAD IDEA. $6950. Yup. $6950. I began crying. I had no idea it was that much money. I wouldn't have tried it on! To make a long story short, the saleslady brought down the prices 1000 bucks but there is no way in hell I'm gunna pay that much! I actually thought about it. Called my fiance about it and he said it was up to me. But I just couldn't do it! So, I went from an extreme high to the pretty much lowest low. Awful!!! Just so disappointed. I tried attaching a pic but I have no clue how. And in my state of disappointment and self-loathing I don't have the heart to try. I can tell you it's a Melissa Sweet. I tried it on at Priscilla of Boston. The style is called "Tilda". $6950. wow.

Dontcha just love Michael's?! Heading there this afternoon!

Xcaret is beautiful and I hear it is a perfect place to have a wedding. So I checked it out and spoke with the WC. Fyi, it took me a while but I was finally to get some answers by calling and speaking directly to the WC. Well, for a 80 guest party we were looking at around 20k ! About as much as I would pay at home. Needless to say I quickly scratched this idea and found another place. But if you are interested I strongly suggest you call asap because they do book in advance. I called in January for a late November wedding and it was booked!

Glad to hear not only one vendor was great BUT ALL OF THEM! That really is unheard of. I just logged on to the bands website and am impressed. They have such a long list of music!! Can u tell me how much they are? We were planning on going with a DJ but this band is good.

Call me crazy but I wish I was in your shoes!! People will tell you this time and time again but here it goes again...HAVE FUN!!! It's your wedding day! Enjoy!!!

Wow! I can't begin to tell you how much you have put my mind at ease. I was so nervous about the service at DT since it had been a while since I had read a review. I love what you did with the gazebo. And thanks for all the little details (i.e. including email addresses for DT employees). I hope my wedding turns out as nice as yours! Thanks again! btw...where did you get your starfish? I loved how you put them behind the chairs.

Sunbride!!! Yeah! I was wondering when you'd be coming back?!?!? Can't wait to hear all about it! And thanks in advance for filling us in on all the details.

Love, Love, Love this idea! I think I can convince my Fiance to do it. He laughed when he saw it and said he can probably dance better during the rap version just by making fun of himself as opposed to a slow dance where he shows his two left feet! Wish me luck convincing him! I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS!

Quote: Originally Posted by niels408 The only time open was 1pm for us which i was super disappointed about, but luckily the 4pm slot opened up so I'm hoping thats enough sun time & then still enjoying the pretty sunset. From what my TA says usually the start time runs 30 min late, so we'll be more like 4:30om?? Cross fingers it works! Laura That's plenty of enough time. We are getting married at 4:30pm figuring the ceremony will take about 20-30 minutes. Take pictures from 5-6 and then start the reception right at 6. When I was there in January the sun set around 6pm so you should be fine!

I suck at attaching pics so I can't upload one of paintbrushes with just a simple ribbon tied around them. I love this idea! AND, the best thing is...my mom and I found generic paintbrushes at the dollar store! We are having our cocktail hour on the beach so we're putting about 30 brushes in a medium size basket as soon as you step off the sand.

Quote: Originally Posted by babycow Oops, I forgot to ask the question I've been meaning to for a while: Is there a place to exchage money at the Dreams Tulum or near it? I want to do some shopping in town, and would like to have some pesos on hand. Also, while we are on the subject of money, how do travelors cheques work? I've never used them, can someone enlighten me. I'm not sure if DT has a money exchange but if they do I can only imagine it will be at a higher rate. Remember, you can pay with dollars EVERYWHERE in the RM. Even the little boy selling gum on the street will take your dollars. But, if you still want some cold hard pesos in your wallet I would suggest exchanging money at the airport. The airport usually has a very competitive rate.

Leah, you are down to the wire!!! Wow! I would be freaking out! So sorry you've dealt with so much crap. I don't know what it is about the work culture/ethic down there?!?!? I am Mexican, born and raised there, and even I get sooo frustrated with the lack of professionalism!! What I can tell you is that in the end it ALWAYS works out! Go figure! After all the stressing and worrying things always work out perfectly. So hang in there! Let us know if we can help with anything. I wish I was as close as you are!