starchild

Well I've never stayed there but from reviews I've read people seem to be pretty happy with the hotel itself. I also have to say that the beaches really are inferior in that area. Not as bad as they come, but not really appealing either which stinks when you are on a tropical vacation. Maybe have a TA check into how much the price increases if you go AI. If it is within a few hundred dollars difference to move to Dreams or an AI further south I would go for it if at all possible. Between now and your wedding people can hopefully save the extra few hundred. You may not end up spending that much time at the hotel but your guests will, and a nice beach is highly appreciated. I had some guests who elected to stay at the Sheraton which is further south than FA and they didn't want to swim in the water there. They were bummed but stuck to the pools...at least FA does seem to have great pools if that's where everyone ends up.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Gravy 1 small to medium sized pumpkin 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg 1/2 cup ricotta or mascarpone cheese (optional) 1 stick unsalted butter 6 fresh sage leaves extra virgen olive oil salt & coarse ground black pepper ravioli dough Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds. (*you can save the seeds to roast as a snack*) Drizzle each half with evoo and season with salt and pepper. Bake seasoned side up at 350 for 45min to 1 hour or until the surface of the pumpkin has almost carmelized. Scoop out the cooked pumpkin and use a potato masher or food processor to smooth it out. Add toasted pine nuts and salt and pepper to taste. *here you can add the ricotta or mascarpone if you please* Place a heaping spoonful of filling in the center of your dough, then use eggwash or water to seal your ravioli. Place in salted and olive oiled water that has come to a rolling boil and cook until they float. Gravy: Melt the stick of butter completely. As it bubbles and just before it browns remove from heat. Add sage that has just been torn into pieces and the nutmeg. Stir it up, pour over ravioli, and there you have it. You can top the dish with pecorino-romano cheese for contrast or leave it as is. If you need a dough recipe let me know )

That does sound like a fun date activity! Gosh my family is Italian and we have oodles of ravioli recipes. One of my favorites is pumpkin...mmm and good for fall too. I used wonton wrappers once in a pinch to make pancetta and mustard green raviolis...they worked alright. Although if my family knew that I used those I'd never hear the end of it! They aren't ideal but they totally pass if you can't use fresh dough. Let me get the specific recipe from my mama, I eyeball everything but that won't help if it's your first time. Be right back )

Maria I love yours! So fun ) For us, inexpensive date night is the beach. We bring blankets and goodies or eat beach food (garlic & clam pizza by the slice...yum-o). The sunsets out here are gorgeous and you can stay on most beaches until 9pm. If we go to the beach at Santa Monica we ride a ride or two which isn't a lot of $$ either. There's another beach where you can have bonfires, all free stuff except for parking and food. In the daytime we go to a lake in the middle of the city that we stumbled upon one day. You can rent pedal boats for like $8 and cruise around. Then we buy lunch in the park - grilled hot dogs wrapped in bacon and corn on the cob Mexican style....mmm Boats and lunch come to like $20. Now that's a cheap date We also have a favorite park where we hike to the top with wine and munchies then watch the sunset over L.A. I guess ours mostly involve sunsets...lol. There is always Hollywood Video & Thai night which is inexpensive fun at home. And board game night...we love Scrabble & Clue. If we're feeling saucy we walk around our neighborhood....a stroll down Hollywood Blvd. is free and very entertaining...lol

Quote: Originally Posted by SarahL Here's another question... My bonus mom (step... but so much lovelier than stepmother implies) is concerned about people bringing their small kids to the wedding. I don't really want to tell people NOT to bring kids, but she is worried that with the water, the fire, and the jungle... well, kids will have to be watched constantly and it won't be an easy situation for parents. Those of you who've already gotten married at LC - did you have kids at your weddings? Were there any problems? I'm leaning toward sending the invitations including the kids, and then sending emails to my friends with kids separately... something like, "I'd love for you to bring your kids if you want to, but I just want to make sure that you're aware of what the situation will be," and then explain about the water, fire, jungle, and can't leave early because of the boat, etc.etc.etc. What do you think we should do? Sarah We had 2 kids, like ages 3 and 5 I'm pretty sure..lol They were fine. I even made them their own OOT bag with beach toys they could use to dig in the sand but they didn't use them - they were too busy dancing around on the dancefloor! When they weren't their parents had them at their side at all times. I know their parents would have had more fun without them (not having to babysit) but they still had a good time and were able to enjoy the night. I think it depends on the behavior of the kids and control of the parents. If nobody is watching them they could potentially sneak off but the staff is everywhere so they wouldn't be lost for long. That sounds terrible...lol...but if there are kids you know may be terrors or the type to find mischief I would personally talk to their parents and put it like you did above. Because once they are there, there is no turning back until everyone leaves.

Definitely go now and then take your diving trip when all is well. Like Christine and Kash said, I am also willing to help in any way I can. And don't stress over the small stuff if it is too much to handle right now. Most people don't even know what OOT bags are so if they don't get one they won't miss it. Let us know what we can do from afar )

I would say the Marriott based on how much my brother loved it when he stayed there. Oh, and the restaurant owner who set up my WD said the Marriott is the nicest all around hotel in PV(location, service, food, quality of rooms, etc.) I didn't stay there though.

Welcome to the forum ) I just saw this but I already posted a reply to yours in the LC thread. Let me know how I can help, our LC wedding was dreamy!

Welcome Rachelle! I married there in June, you'll love everything about it. Make sure to check out our thread for tons of information!

Drea I LOVE them!!! I think they are the most fun and natural TTD pics I've seen. There are some hot ones but they aren't all serious, it shows your personalities and I think they are fabulous I love the ones of you pushing and pulling each other in the water...too funny!

I like C, they really pop! But if you want something more subdued I like A.

Hi Sarah! Nice to have you here. I was married at LC in June and had a blast. You remind me of myself, I'm soooo low maintainance and did my own hair and makeup too. It was fine and is the last thing you should stress over. My hair tends to frizz & act up but I brought anti-humidity products and they worked great and saved me a few hundred dollars. Everyone in our wedding party was barefoot - all the men too. On the way down from the bridal casita there were large ants but not so many that we couldn't step around them. And after when taking pictures, there was a point where we were climbing over rocks to get a good shot and shoes would have helped, but we did it without them and it was fine. I think you almost have to be barefoot at a place like LC. It stinks that you are allergic to flowers but no worries, they will still make things look fabulous for you. I know Nicole has beige, black, and yellow table runners for sure. There are more colors but I forget what they were...I bet someone here can help with that info. We stayed at Dreams and opted out of a room block because our guests' budgets were so varied (some thought Dreams was too expensive and some thought it was not fancy enough). My brother stayed at the Marriott but he wasn't dealing with a room block so he didn't have those problems. He loved the resort by the way. Sadly, we didn't spend a lot of time hanging out at the hotel anyway because there was so much going on, so in the end for us it didn't matter that all the guests weren't there. Actually, I think we preferred it. There were only about 8 of us at Dreams and it was nice to have a small group to hang with the times we were able to, and not the whole family trying to talk at once...lol. I hope I answered all of your questions. Let me know if you want pics of specific things or need more info ) ~Jamy

Very pretty, I love the one of Marty exposed...hehehe

Yep they have cute stuff and are reasonably priced. I had these made a few months ago for our wedding. The ladies loved them and I wear mine a lot too...good quality as well.

I went to a Belizean wedding last summer where the bridal party included something like 14 people. There were bm's, junior bm's, and 2 of what they called "mini brides". They did not have veils but they had tiny wedding-like dresses. They walked down the aisle after the parents and junior bridesmaids but before the bridesmaids. In this case the mini brides were nieces and the junior bm's were cousins. There was no difference in their roles, other than the order of procession, and after that they all sat down in the front row. Only the adult bm's stood up. I don't know if it's Belizean tradition or if they made it up, but I saw it firsthand and it was really cute. They got a lot of oohs and awws but not as many as the bride...nobody will see it as a competition. It's your call and your one guaranteed day to have things your way so if you aren't with it don't do it, but if you don't mind then go for it )

I'm thinking of cheating on my stylist...lol She is fabulous, does amazing work and is totally sweet. The salon is gorgeous, the staff very accomodating. But she comes at a sinfully high price and I can't justify it on a regular basis. Everyone thinks I'm batty for paying what she charges but she really is amazing. I used to be a natural instincts kind of girl but she changed me! Now I'm scared to pick a new place at random. I'll still go to her maybe 2x a year but I would like someone to fill in the gaps, even just for trims. Does anyone recommend any moderately priced salons where I can get a decent cut and/or color?

Great info Merryme!!

Welcome back! I'm glad everything went well for you guys, love the pics!

That is awesome Christine!!! I love CM and used them too, they do great work!

TO YOU BOTH!!

Very cool and unique. If I was a guest receiving that would make me really excited!

Yikes! Here's hoping it loses momentum before it hits land. Another reminder that travel during hurricane season is a gamble...do we have any weddings there in the near future?

Welcome to the forum! Scour the Jamaica section there is tons of info on the ROR and several ROR brides. I honeymooned at the ROR, you'll love it! Happy planning )

Besides the wedding/reception, OOT bags, and welcome dinner we didn't do anything. If you can, then I say go for it. For us, all of our guests came and left at different times. Some of them were only in Mexico for 3 days so we didn't want to monopolize their time. Plus, their interests were so varied that it would have been difficult for us. Our welcome dinner cost a lot so that was it for the extras...and our guests were surprised that we did that so that was a treat in itself for them. The beach is free and you could always organize a meet-up there with snacks or a bonfire or something inexpensive.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your engagement! I honeymooned at the ROR and there are several ROR brides here. Here's my review: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...ew-w-pics.html