sgbrown

Quote: Originally Posted by Blkatz we are down here now, and we are thinking about bagging it. All of our guests have canceled Oh my goodness Beth... I can't believe all of your guests have cancelled. SHOOT. That is so sad. I'm in a state of disbelief, but still determined to go on May 2nd. We've been receiving some 'doom and gloom' phone calls and emails today from some of our friends and I'm just waiting to hear from our guests that they would like to cancel. No one has yet... I think they're waiting to see if there are any new developments. Mike and I are committed to go no matter what! So far, Canada has NOT issued a travel advisory against travel to Mexico, unlike the US. As it stands, all 55 of my guests are still going. I've been thinking about you a lot. I hope you're OK.

Yes, I am in the same boat... I don't think anyone purchased cancellation insurance! I really, really hope that they don't close borders or restrict travel. This is my main concern. I'm also sad to think that some of our guests might cancel this week, but I'm trying to tell myself that it's their call and that I need to respect their concerns.

I am PRAYING that no travel bans are issued. I'm supposed to be leaving in 5 days... afterwards I'm supposed to take off to Europe for 3 weeks... I don't even know what I'll do if travel restrictions are imposed. I'm not stressed about contracting the flu... I'm just stressed that all of my hard work, planning and money is about to get swept down the drain. I know it's perfectly alright that my guests are freaking out, but it's so hard being the point of contact for all of my guests' concerns. I'm really starting to have a pity party for myself because I just can't help but feel how unfair this all is. I hope the situation starts improving soon...

We leave for the Mayan Riviera in 6 days. Come hell or high water, I am going! I'm concerned that some of my guests might drop out or worse yet, Canada will declare some sort of ban on Mexican travel. It's all out of my control so I'm just going to pray that this situation will somehow take a turn for the better. First, I booked my honeymoon tickets with Zoom airlines a week before it went out of business. I eventually got my money back. Second, my resort (Dreams Tulum) was suddenly closed down for two months by Mexican officials because of environmental infractions. Luckily, it reopened in December 2008. Third, a deadly flu epidemic strikes Mexico 1 week before I leave. With all of this bad luck before the wedding, I think my FH and I are destined to have a VERY happy marriage.

Hi guys, I read this online this morning and it made me feel a little better: "A Toronto infection control specialist said it's important to keep the outbreak in perspective. "This sounds like a pandemic — while it's not trivial — that is less severe. And less severe is something that we spent a lot of time planning for and a lot of time working on," Dr. Allison McGeer, director of infection control at Mount Sinai Hospital told CBC News. While the cases in Mexico sound like a large number, "in truth for influenza, that's a very small number," she added. "You need to remember that in Canada alone, which is not that much bigger than Mexico City actually in population terms, 4,000 people die of seasonal flu every year." I leave for my wedding in 6 days. I'm trying to stay calm and hopefully it rubs off on my 55 guests. So far, no one is canceling their trip and we have 6 kids coming with us. To put some perspective on this, the distance from Mexico City to Cancun is similar to the distance from Ottawa to Winnipeg (~1500 miles). It's pretty far. When Toronto was dealing with the SARS outbreak a few years ago, I wasn't worried and I lived only 5 hours away in Ottawa. I hope this helps a little.

We arrive the day of your wedding... on May 2nd. I'm feeling so stressed! I picked a fight with my FH this morning. I'm a bad person.

Hi girls, I haven't decided whether to pay for my wedding using my credit card. Ideally, I'd like to pay it in cash using my debit card. Has anyone else done this? In order for this to work though, I need the total bill to be less than $5000 because that's my bank's daily purchase allowance. A bit annoying but what can you do? I posted this thread on the Riviera Maya forum in case anyone has heard about the swine flu in Mexico City: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t41390 I've received 8 emails about it today from concerned family members - UGH. I'm trying to make everyone calm down. My anxiety level is high enough because we're leaving in 8 days... I find it almost funny (in a maniacal way) that this issue has arisen right before we leave. I hope Mexican health officials are able to figure out a solution soon and that it doesn't escalate into more deaths. DEEP BREATH... Serenity Now!

You're right - I'm sure it'll be fine. Perhaps I'll just go and get a flu shot to be safe. The media tends to take a sensational stance on these types of things. I read this article on CBC.ca (a Canadian news company) and it just has me fussing a little. Since the flu seems to be in Mexico City, I'm sure we'll be fine. WHO voices 'heightened concern' over 800 flu-like cases in Mexico

Hi ladies, For anyone who is getting married in the Maya Riviera, are any of your guests freaking out about the terrible flu that's going around? I'm getting emails and text messages from a lot of my guests and it's making me feel SO stressed out.

Ok, please don't kill me for asking this question... but I just need clarification ONE more time. We don't have a DJ, but rather I've put together a playlist on my ipod. Do I need to bring an ipod docking station with me or will the resort provide one for us to dock the ipod into? We are planning on renting the speaker system. Also, does the ipod docking station charge the ipod while the ipod is playing? (I ask because it would be so bad if the ipod ran out of batteries during out reception... haha!) Thanks for any information anyone can provide!

Quote: Originally Posted by Blkatz Wow! Everyone is getting back! I can not wait to read everyone's reviews. I leave in one week and I am getting a little nervous. Did you arrange with Filamone the TTD before you left? I really want to do this I just dont feel like paying extra $$$. We got the Ultimate package and we are using an outside vendor for both pictures and video. Eeeek Beth! It's finally here! We leave in less than 2 weeks. I cannot wait! I promise to write a long review when I get back. This forum helped me immensely and I really want to give back as much as I can. We're off to Europe for our honeymoon for the rest of May but I'll be sure to touch base in early June.

Rachel, your pictures are gorgeous (and so were you!). Congratulations and thank-you so much for sharing. Vincent did SUCH a great job. Ladies, your help please... I was so gung-ho on hiring the Mexican Trio for my wedding until Beth posted a message a little while ago about using "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the soundtrack for 50 First Dates. After hearing the song, I've totally changed my mind in favour of using it instead! However, now I'm struggling a bit with a song to use after the ceremony is completed. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would be so grateful to hear any ideas. My FH is laughing (and rolling his eyes a little) at my change of heart considering we leave in a little less than 4 weeks (YAYAYAY!!!). Any advice would be so helpful! Thanks!

Congratulations Jenny! Thank-you for sharing your story with us. It sounds like you were really pleased with everything and your pictures look great. I've been communicating with one of the "Daniel's" and he's been wonderful with me as well. I hope I get a chance to meet him when I'm there in 5 weeks (!!!).

Quote: Originally Posted by rachelannmartin It was definitely a little overwhelming. I was expecting the $150 for the ceremony speakers but $365 for the reception! I nearly fell off my chair. Personally, I think the $150 for the ceremony is a necessity...I've been to other beach weddings and was so disappointed that I couldn't hear the vows As for the reception, if you are having around 20 ppl I would totally suggest the iPod docking station. It was perfect for our dancing on the beach with 30 guests. Rachel, thank-you for the heads up about the price for speakers. I cannot believe they're charging $365! Ugh. I know that our wedding will be cheaper than an at-home wedding in Ottawa, but geez - sometimes all of the little things really add up. I don't think I had a complete idea how much this wedding was going to cost us when we first embarked on this journey. I think one of our major issues was that more people are coming than we ever thought would (56 and counting... we had 2 more people book last week... incredible). Anyway, we've given up worrying about it. At the end of the day, what's another $365?! Haha. Just add it to the bill!

Congratulations Rachel! Your review was excellent and really helpful. I'm so happy to hear you had such a great experience. You looked beautiful!

Lulu, I love your pics! Thank-you so much for sharing them with us. Oh, and by the way, I LOVE your shoes... so cute!

Update for anyone needing to communicate with DT about their room preferences - Karina Ramos has left DT's reservation department and has been replaced by Javier Suárez. He can be reached at the same email address: [email protected]

Excellent review! Thank-you so much for taking the time to write it. I will definitely take what you said about your ceremony to heart and ensure my FH and I prepare vows/special readings/opening remarks to try and personalize the legal ceremony as much as we can. Your pictures are really beautiful and your dinner reception on the beach by the massage hut has inspired me a lot. Our groups are very similar in size (we have 54 booked and counting and plan on having 7-8 tables) and I really don't want our reception in the ballroom. I think the beach location looked perfect. Thanks for sharing!

Quote: Originally Posted by Blkatz FYI LADIES!!!! So I just got a call from one of my best friends that the resort is totally booked!!! I just called my mother in law who is a travel agent and she confirmed this. I am shocked because I never thought it would fill up like this in the 1st week of May. Any suggestions Hey Beth, Holy! Thanks for passing along this news. At the very least, it makes me realize that chances of getting the Seaside Grill for our reception are slim! I think there must be some availability at the resort, depending on the dates you're looking for. I just went to selloffvacations.com and there are several rooms available starting on May 3rd for 7 nights (most of my guests are traveling May 2-9). So it appears as though it's the last week of April/first couple of days of May that are the issue. What are your travel days? I better tell my last minute stragglers to book! Most of our group has booked (we're at 54 confirmed now) but I know of at least 4 more people that have been waiting for last minute deals. If they wait much longer, they might not even get a room! Oh well, it's up to them.

Can anyone tell me if the microphone used at the wedding reception is wireless? Are there more than one microphones? Thanks!

Wow Rachel, thanks for the do-it-yourself project! I feel so inspired. Lately my energy has been put towards buying gifts for my bridesmaids (I have 6 all together). I've decided to make each of them a special OOT bag. To best explain what I'm trying to achieve I should probably mention that I don't have a colour scheme for my wedding. Rather, I was inspired by another destination wedding I attended to encourage my bridesmaids (and Mike's 6 groomsmen) to wear any solid colour they want. So far, 3 bridesmaids have bought their dresses (one a deep purple, one a raspberry pink, one a sapphire blue) and 3 groomsmen have bought their dress shirts (one a pale blue, one a pale green, and one a pale pink). Mike and I will, of course, be dressed in white! Ok, back to the OOT bags. So far, I've bought each of the girls a different coloured tote bag (Open Top Canvas Tote Bag from Lands' End) and a different coloured cover-up from Victoria's Secret (Victoria's Secret - Deep plunge cover-up tunic). I'm also going to purchase comfy satin sandals for the girls to wear during the reception that match their dress colour (Bridesmaid Flip Flops | Wedding Flip Flops in Bridesmaid Colors: The Dessy Group). I'm hoping to include some fun lip glosses, suntan lotions, and after-sun products. Lastly, if I can afford it, I was thinking of visiting Etsy.com to pick out a unique necklace/bracelet for each of the girls. I really hope they like them. It's been a lot of fun picking out everything. It's going to be very colourful!

Holy sh*t Beth! I just read your signature ticker and I can't believe your wedding is 2 months and 2 weeks away (which means MY wedding is ~ 2 months and 2 weeks away). I better get moving!

Quote: Originally Posted by Mixie23 I am so happy that someone else feels the same way! The forum is helpful, but sometimes it seems like the guide says one thing, the wedding coordinators say another thing, and the forum says a third thing. On top of all that we're having "issues" getting one of the coordinators to respond to an email with questions. I am beginning to think that when Dreams closed and the weddings were relocated to other hotels (with much higher prices for wedding services) they realized they were missing out and have now jacked everything up. I am really hoping that they honor the prices from when we booked our wedding almost a year ago....Sheesh.... I hear ya! I'm crossing all my fingers and toes that DT will honour their 2007/2008 wedding guide prices for me. I have an email from Lizet saying they will, but now that she's no longer at DT (I believe), I'm worried I'll run into some static. I COMPLETELY agree that paying $150 for renting the speaker system during the ceremony and then again at the reception is outrageous. I'm hoping to be married at the gazebo next to the Seaside Grill and have my reception at the Seaside Grill, so it boggles my mind that they can justify charging me $300 for simply moving the equipment over 20 paces.

Quick question - Can someone provide me with Daniel's email address at DT? I need to ask him something and I can't seem to find it. I tried doing a search with keyword "Daniel" and wow, he's mentioned a lot! Haha. It was kind of sad because I had to wade through all of our old posts when DT was closed (I guess we were all emailing Daniel a lot then). I'm so glad we're not going through that anymore! (* knock on wood *) Thanks a bunch!

Quote: Originally Posted by SunBride So after all the time we spent trying to figure out the type of batteries required, it doesn't matter, cause the docks cannot be removed from your room! Haha! Thanks for the clarification SunBride. We're going to hire the Mexican Trio for our ceremony and rent the speaker system (which will connect directly to my ipod) for the reception. Our group is at 53 (and counting) so I think we'll need to rent the speaker system for better sound quality. Thanks again! I owe you one (more like 1,000)!