jfwolfe72

THanks very much!

I'm not interested in the whole bar/stripper thing, either, but I am interested in doing something that we did for a friend of mine who got married. We went to one of those "Extreme Fitness" pole-dancing classes and it was a blast! Not to mention, my muscles ached for three days afterwards! None of us were serious about it, we all looked rather silly, but it definitely was in the spirit of the bachelorette party, but without the drunken debauchery! Dont' get me wrong, I used to love that, too, but now I'm too old for it!

This thread brings up a good point. Are we supposed to hand address wedding invitations? I hope not b/c my handwriting is awful and I don't want to have to ask anyone else to address them! :-O But if I have to do my own, thanks for the tip on the smaller pen!

For those of you on a very strict budget and are looking for very, very simple invitations, I could get 40 of these sets for $40.95 (includes S&H). The set includes the invitation with matching envelope, matching reception card, and response card with envelope. Do you like these or are they too simple? Colored Palm Tree Wedding Invitation Set - (item 120054593126 end time Aug-14-07 21:14:51 PDT)

For those of you having an AHR.....how much should I expect to pay for a DJ and have any of you had any luck w/ negotiating their prices? So far, I've been getting quotes from $650 - $1000 - just wondering if that's standard or I'm finding reasonably priced DJs!

Quote: Originally Posted by kitesurf_bride We also had to pay a $100 deposit and were told that it would go toward our other expenses, like flowers, etc. We are doing the Mexican Donkey party also! I did find out that if you hire the hotel photographer, listed as $500... that is only for 1 hour! That is not very long and his work is not very good. Has anyone else used them and can we see any pics I have heard not good things about the hotel photographer. HOWEVER, if you decide to go with an outside photographer, EDR will charge you $500 or you must pay for a 2 night stay for the photographer.

Yes, we also had to pay the $100 deposit, but (and I could be wrong here), but I believe that will be credited towards our stay?

I must say that I posed a lot of general planning/cost questions to Monica between last night and today and she most definitely has been stepping up. she's been responsive, friendly, and very informative. My mind can be changed if there's something to back it up! Now I'm feeling much better about things!

There seems to be high turn-over rate for the wedding coordinators there. First there was Faith (who I had heard was pretty good), then Monica and now Valeria. Hopefully they're all good. Regarding the package, we're just going to get the "Free" Sweet Wedding Package that includes the honeymoon package since we'll be staying in a casita and having guests book at least 5 other rooms. Regarding the receptions, we're going to have a Wecome Reception the night before our wedding - we chose to have the Mexican Cocktail Party (complete with the donkey wearing the sombrero). We are also opting to have the free dinner at El Cocotal, but may move the party to another location for the dark chocolate fondue and wedding cake party so we can have our dancing during that less expensive private event (my understanding is that costs $14/person + $288 for the cake). Hopefully there will be some other options.

Yes, that most definitely does help a little to hear positive things! And every little bit helps! We would prefer to have a private event, but we're already going to have a private event Welcome Dinner (the one with the donkey wearing the sombrero). I've had a few emails with Monica and so far, she has been pleasant and responsive. However, we had our wedding booked (including telling her where we'd like to have the ceremony and what kind of private event we'd like to have) since January and she just asked me today about our location and private event - if we'd like to pick those yet! Yikes! But I do think that if I stay in contact with her and document everything, things should go just fine. Thanks!

Hi Lauren - Welcome and congrats! I'll be getting married at EDR in April of next year!

Welcome! I'll be getting married in April at the El Dorado Royale, an adult-only all-inclusive. While I can't tell you yet how it went, I can shed some light on why I chose it and how planning is going.

Hi all - Has anyone had or been to EDR's "free wedding reception" at El Cocotal (or Las Fuentes)? I'm a bit concerned about how that will all go and what to expect. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! I've also heard that some brides had some issues with Lomas Travel and the wedding coordination, in general. Most importantly, I have heard snippets of being charged for things that were supposed to have been included.... Again, any feedback on this is welcomed!

Hello there! Congratulations and Welcome! I'm getting married at EDR in April 2008. Please let me know if you have any questions....hopefully I can help! Jennifer

Quote: Originally Posted by jfwolfe72 Where did you get your canvas bags and were they expensive? Canvas = Straw.

Quote: Originally Posted by anacgarcia I'm using straw bags too.. I love how cute they look Where did you get your canvas bags and were they expensive?

I'm also getting married at EDR next April and I've just learned of this crazy fee. I heard from another forum that three brides recently got married at EDR and had some complaints about Lomas Travel/Karisma, but I don't know what they are yet. I'll keep checking the forum to see if/when their issues were posted and will post them here.

Thanks for sharing! You made such a beautiful bride and looked so happy! The photographs are also awesome - I can't believe that's your photog's first DW!

Welcome! You will LOVE this site - it has been a life and money-saver! I origianlly wanted to have a DW in Costa Rica, but it's a bit too far (and expensive) for our guests. So, we're just going to look forward to having our honeymoon there about a year after the wedding! :-) Let us know what questions you have - you will get tons of answers!

Heidi, This is so very helpful! Thank you so much!

Both are good suggestions!

I remember reading a post about this somewhere, but I can't find it now....does anyone have any language that I can use for our save the date letter about using a travel agent? I seem to recall ideas about something like, "While you're welcome to use your own travel agent, we suggest ours because . . . " Thanks! Jennifer

Maria! You are so helpful!! Thank you! Quote: Originally Posted by MikkiStreak I've had quite a few people looking for the document and after thinking about it, I'm not too worried about people messing up the website because I can always edit whatever I need to. So here's the info on how to get the DIY monogram instructions. Here's the website: Frank and Maria - Our Wedding Journey Click on "DIY Brides" and the password is: ourwedding The instructions on the page will tell you how to download the Powerpoint. I also included some basic designs that are quick and easy to make your own, as well as starting from scratch. There's some other stuff on the page also that you can download, if you want (budget spreadsheets, resort comparisons, etc...). I plan on adding more as time goes on, including instructions on making some STD's and then eventually, invites, flowers, decor ideas, etc... So feel free to check back and download whatever you can use. If you have any questions or issues, let me know! Maria

Quote: Originally Posted by sheaa We are bringing our photographer.. but they happen to be friends on the guest list who are attending anyways! This way they will be there the entire time, and we will be able to do the TTD photos too. I guess it is ok if you bring your own as long as they stay at the resort.... I am envious of you having your own photographer!! :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by JaimeLynne Wait, what?? Is this at the Tucan?? Nope - the one i'm talking about is El Dorado Royale. I'm not sure what the Tucan's policy is.