calyx6

My fiance brought me into Solomon Brothers in Atlanta to pick out the band I wanted for my engagement ring. (He'd already bought the stone and a plain band knowing he'd bring me in once I said "yes" to pick out what I really wanted.) They had a pretty large selection of bands and they have a website! Diamond Rings: engagement rings, wedding rings, wedding bands, diamond engagement rings, platinum engagement ring, diamond wedding band, engagement ring, rings engagement, wedding ring, jewelry stores . Except for GA, no taxes! -V-

The Chichen Itza ruins are definitely worth the trek out there. If you're afraid of heights, don't climb up the pyramid! The climb down is more challenging than the climb up. Bring plenty of sunscreen and your camera. I was there in 2002 and wouldn't mind going again. Don't know if they're still there, but when I went, there was a guy at the entrance that would put any date you want in a Mayan calendar format. I put in my order going in and it was ready by the time I left. -V- Pictures from when I was there: Sunday

Welcome! Don't fret! It may seem like there a gazillion choices but once you make a few key decisions, the task may not seem so daunting. First, do you want an AI or not? Will there be kids at the wedding? Some resorts are adults only. Will you want to impose a minimum stay on your guests? Some resorts have a 3 day minimum stay. Also, think about guests' expenses. Some resorts I looooved I thought would be way too expensive for them. If you want a beach wedding, will you want a swimmable beach for the guests? What really cut down on the choices for us was my fiance's distinct dislike of bracelets. Very few all-inclusives do not require their guests to wear those things througout their stay. Those that do will probably let the wedding party take them off for the ceremony but they will be in all the pictures of the trip otherwise (lovely tan lines too.) Hope that helps. -V-

Most airlines are very accomodating when it comes to weddings. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should anyone check their dress with their luggage. I don't even want to check any luggage these days! I just got back from picking up my dress in Paris and my luggage did not make the connection from the international terminal at Harstfield airport (Atlanta) to my domestic flight to San Jose during a 5 hours layover. Actually, all of the people in line at the luggage desk the evening I got in had had international connections at Harstfield. Apparently, there is no tracking system within the aiport for locating luggage. Luggage only gets scanned in at arrival, aka, when it gets offloaded from the airplane into an airport. The way they find your luggage is either 1: it gets scanned in at the wrong airport where it was mistakenly sent or 2: someone notices a certain bag was supposed to go to a certain destination and puts it on the next flight to that destination. Doesn't it make you feel better that the luggage system is so precise? I was pretty bummed that I may lose all of my purchases in Europe, but so happy that I had carried on my dress and shoes (rolled up in the largest carry-on size bag I could find.) UPS has a better tracking system but it is simply not worth the risk. Carry it on! Roll it up if you have to, but definitely keep it with you at all times, along with anything else you plan on wearing with it (shoes, accessories, lingerie, etc..). -V-

Finally got my dress! I ordered this back in October and just picked it up last week. I needed a tango friendly dress and a version of this dress was only the 2nd one I tried on! There is a version of it available without the lace overlay; and the model shown in the catalogs has a black lace overlay over the ivory lining. The crinoline comes off and both the front and the back bustle up for dancing. And yes, those are shorts underneath the skirt. There was the options of a mini skirt or a longer A-line skirt, but I needed the freedom of movement (plus I love saying that I'm getting married in shorts - it raises a few eyebrows.) If anyone else needs a somewhat less traditional dress, I found this at Cymbeline. -V- Sorry this picture isn't the clearest but this was the 2nd fitting in one day and we were in a hurry. I have better pictures of the dresses I did not buy!

If you're really set on having Nov. 1 as your wedding date, you might consider getting legally married here and then having a symbolic ceremony in mexico. We're having a close friend "ordained" to be our "minister" to officiate over our ceremony in Mx but will sign the papers somewhere here in the US. It saves us the headache of the paperwork (translations, birth certificates, etc..) and saves my fiance from having blood drawn in a foreign country - he's a little uptight about that. Another thing to consider is that both the Day of the Dead celebrations involve both Nov 1 & 2nd. -V-

Thanks for all the offers of help. I'm sure I'll take you up on them when it gets closer to November. We haven't figured out very many details yet; we just want to have fun with our friends and family. This is what we have/know thus far: 1. Our first dance will be a tango so a wooden or smooth floor is a must. 2. The wedding dress is getting picked up this month. 3. Need to do Save the Dates - so if anyone has a really nice high resolution photo of the resort please feel free to share. 4. We're doing the legalities here in the States before flying over so a friend of ours will be the "minister." That's it! -V-

Hi There, My name is Vi and I am planning a wedding Nov. 3, 07 at the Dreams Resort in Tulum, mx! -V-