MarieSam

Geralyn it truly looks like you had a wonderful time, and you looked fabulous as a bride!!! And WOW your suite looks like it was amazing How did your FI like your BD pics by the way? I'm sure he was beyond excited

sorry to hear about your thumb accident, but WOW you looked beautiful!!! Congrats on being a Mrs

Quote: Originally Posted by nicole2010 I am planning our wedding in Mexico and I recently found out that the meal options are around $85/person. I am planning on having around 50+ ppl attending. At that price the wedding budget is continuing to rise and get out of control. To avoid a supper, I am thinking of having a sunset wedding and than a cocktail party on the beach. Can anyone help me think of some more economical options or, am I going to look cheap by not having a supper Please help me out!!!!! Where are you getting married? Are you doing this through a resort?

tutu :balllet

very stylish and original! Etsy has the best stuff

eggs : chicken

They are beautiful Miranda, super sexy!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Leia78 It looked like you had so much love surrounding you guys. You looked so beautiful on your wedding day. Love your photos! Thank you so much girl ~ I am such a fan of your photos too Your slideshows have always been a favorite of mine! Quote: Originally Posted by BlakleyBrideToBe WOW!! Great Pictures!! I love them!! Quote: Originally Posted by starlitk Words cannot even describe how great these pictures are! You were stunning and happy - fantastic! Quote: Originally Posted by Gr8ful Congrats MarieSam! You looked absolutely stunning and so happy! You and your hubby make a beautiful couple -- congratulations! Can't wait to see more! Thank you girls!! Wedding photos are such a wonderful keepsake ~ can't stress it enough Quote: Originally Posted by Joss Those are gorgeous wedding photos. It looks like everyone had a blast. I was considering the Mayan blessing ceremony, so it was great to see a bit of what it was like. Did it live up to your expectations? Joss, having the Mayan ceremony is one decision were are SO SO SO happy we made. It was more special than I could have ever imagined, and the pics just don't do the experience justice. I'll be honest, when our WC approached us about the Mayan Ceremony we were very hesitant mostly because well, it sounded a little "weird" at first. But since we couldn't have a Catholic ceremony on the beach, having something spiritual was very important to us. Our WC told us it was a very moving experience and very unique -- and it certainly was! I will be posting a full review and my video in the coming weeks If you have anymore questions feel free to PM me! Quote: Originally Posted by cdnvb9 WHAT THE SHIT, how did I not see these pictures until now?! OMG MarieSam you looked incredible and your pics are fantastic! love love love it all! Thank your girl! hahah your first remarks made me laugh ~ you are too sweet

Lots of wonderful birthday wishes Des!!!!! Hope today is great start to a string of exciting days ahead in Mexico

fat : my gut (*hahaha these past couple post make me chuckle*)

Ok well I am a major cake fein so a cake was a MUST for me But I didn't want just a traditional layered cake and went with a small cake for cutting purposes and pics atop a tier of cupcakes. This allowed us to have our tres leches cake, then cupcakes in different flavors -- chocolate with white buttercream frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, white with chocolate buttercream frosting, and tres leches with white buttercream frosting. So basically we had a variety for everyone to enjoy! Now along with that we also had chocolate covered strawberries (white and milk chocolate), mexican wedding cookies, along with choco chip, white choco macadamian, and oatmeal cookies -- so it was a spread of desserts that allowed for everyone to have a choice. You can certainly do a variety of desserts or just pick the one you LOVE -- do what you want, if you dont care for cake, don't feel like you have to do it. Brownies would be so much fun! And if your family is pressing for a cake how about just a small one for pictures?

ice cream: straight to your ass

I think my BD photographer from So Cal is doing a BD marathon up in the bay area -- you should email her and ask, she was great and also does makeup and hair!!! Her full package with 3 outfits, 2 makeup/hair changes, and 25 digital images plus option to purchase more for $13/each was $450!! I did this and then made my own book and FI LOVED it Here's her site: Boudoir Photography by Beth

very pretty can't wait to see your dress fittingpics!

looks like a fun bag *sorry that comment was meant to be in your post with your OOT bags Lisa, lol, I had both windows opened looking at your stuff! here's what I meant to say ... these postcards are super cute what a great idea!!!

I can totally empathize with you -- when I first began looking at photographers I thought spending anything more than $1,000 was outrageous. However, my through photography research I quickly realized that along with the range of styles and talent out there comes a range of prices. You can find services offered anywhere from $500 to $15,000 like others have said. But first and foremost I cannot stress this enough, LOVE the style and work of the person you hire. I am now about a month out from being married and aside from my wonderful marriage and the memories ingrained in my head, the pictures and the video is what you have left. Photography is so so important and honestly, I just came to realize this a couple days ago. I have been experiencing a bit of post-wedding depression and when I received some teaser shots from my photog, I cried instantly just looking at our wonderful images. At that very moment, I realized that a good photographer is one who can bring you back to your special day in a flash -- revive your senses, thoughts, feelings, and just bring you back to the experience as a whole. The few teasers I received are like gold to me now and I can't wait to see the rest. I will say that the initial photographer I was eyeing wanted to charge us $5,500 to fly them into Mexico and shoot our welcome dinner, wedding day and TTD session. I was so determined to have a good photographer I almost saved up every last dime and wanted to live poor for a year to do so, lol. But luckily we were referred to a wonderful photographer her in So Cal who agreed to do our wedding (Welcome Dinner, Wedding, TTD, Engagement Shoot) for costs of travel and accommodations = about $2,000. BUT I must emphasize that she already had wedding experience under her belt and was just looking to expand her DW portfolio, most importantly I LOVED her work and saw that she was constantly posting new weddings and engagement sessions on her blog -- atleast 2 to 4 weddings a month along with 4 to 6 engagement sessions plus some commericial work. THIS WAS THE ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS I MADE DURING THE WEDDING PLANNING PROCESS. And no, she wasn't there learning on my dime nor was she there to just vacation with her husband who was her second shooter. This couple worked their asses off for all our festivities and even went beyond the hours in the contract. They decided to extend their time in the area by 4 days at their own costs to make it a vacation, which also helped us because we then did our TTD session several days after getting married -- this gave us time to rest! And while our photographers did NOT know the area because it was there first time there, they spent hours scouting locations while also sightseeing and were so excited to explore places for our shoots. They brought a refreshing excitement to everything and we loved that* So bottom line is, there are many options out there for quality photography. Don't compromise, instead go with someone whose work you love and feel confident will be able to capture your wedding the way you want. There are + and - to hiring local photographers in your DW area or bringing one down with you. Do what's best for your situation, go with your gut feelings and DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! So important!! Hope that helps

family : rock

these are wonderful, congrats you looked beautiful!!!

simple and elegant, it looks beautiful on you!

Meghan, well...I don't know if you're still feeling the same way. I just noticed this post was from early June and your wedding day is just around the corner YAY BUT I hope these feelings of sadness are not as bad now and you are now looking forward to your nuptials. Your post echoed so much of what I was going through during the last couple months of our wedding. Initially we were expecting more than 100 people, but little by little, the excuses came flying at us -- money, drug cartels, swine flu, school schedule, can't get vacay time, etc. There were some no's that didn't really bother me, but then there were those that bugged me for days, weeks, months. Up until a couple days before the wedding I still had hope one of my best friends, who was also a bridesmaid who had a dress, would be there. She never showed up and actually never even told me she wasn't coming. I guess I held out hope she would pop up to surprise me -- but it didn't happen. In the days leading up to the wedding I started to realize how grateful I was for those who actually made the trip. On the day of the wedding, actually during the ceremony, I looked at all those faces smiling and so happy to be there and it filled my heart with so much love. I didn't even waste one thought on those missing. There is something about your wedding day that will fill all the holes, once you see your FI waiting at the end of the aisle and the eager smiles of those around you it's like forget about the "have-nots". TRUST ME!!! Don't let those missing damper your day, I know its hard to accept right now, but I PROMISE YOU -- come showtime, you will be so excited and happy it won't even cross your mind Your day will be fabulous no matter who is there or not!

Quote: Originally Posted by Soon To Be Mrs. Gomez Wow! Those are stunning! I can't blame you for crying. They truly capture the moments that are so important. I love them and I can't wait to see more. Thanks Michelle! by the way, I LOVE your siggy pic, your dress is so pretty! Quote: Originally Posted by liznsergio Awwwwww MarieSam it's great to finally see your wedding pics....I've been following your threads for a few months and I am so happy for you! You seem like a genuine person that has a huge heart! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! ...uhhhmmmm and I DON'T know how you kept your make up from not running when your daughter sang for you guys!!!!!! Well your pictures are stunning and you looked amazing!!!! Congrats to you and your hubby!!!! Aww thanks Liz, I hope I can help brides-to-be on here just as other members have helped me. This forum is like gold during the planning process and I am so glad to be a part of it As for my daughter's song, I was just so proud of her. She had everyone on their feet and sang the hell outta that song! She's my rockstar and I truly cannot wait to see the video* Quote: Originally Posted by Mrs. Martin You look amazing and all your pics are soooo beautiful!!!!!!! I can see why you adored your aisle, it's perfect and it doesn't look like anyone else's I have seen. And BTW- I love your dress, I have always loved dresses with just the one shoulder strap. Congrats on a beautiful wedding! I LOVED my dress too! I really wanted something unique, plus it was so comfy and the corset is a Godsend for all those jiggles you can't get rid of, lol But good Lord, my legs were so sweaty under that dress!! It did feel good to finally take it off at the end of the day though Quote: Originally Posted by Amarillis MarieSam.... OMG those photos are absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats!!!!! I don't know how you'll ever pick a favourite!` Your telling me Amy I dont know what I'm gonna do since these are just the teasers ~ but I am excited to see the rest!!! Quote: Originally Posted by melette MarieSam! Your pictures are so beautiful!! I've been patiently waiting for your photo posts! thanks for sharing! Melette you are too sweet Can't wait to see the pics of your dress, if your scared to post because FI might see it, then PM a pic to me because I'm dying to see it!!!

We had a Mexican fiesta themed Welcome Dinner in Mexico. Our table decor included a string of fake red and green jalapeno peppers and we actually used some real stuff too -- bellpeppers, onions, avocado -- to add with it. It gives it a very festive feel and of course is all usable after the fact. But def. add maracas, sombreros, pinata to the mix. Have you decided on food? We had a taco man making fresh tacos, fajitas, quesadillas on a grill, it was fabulous!! And of course don't forget the margaritas

How exciting ~ make sure to share pics with us!!!! Can't wait to see

beautiful choices!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by roo66 No wonder you have cried buckets,your ceremony looked wonderful,passionate,and truly meaningful.You make a very good looking couple.Im guessing you keep hitting the back button to watch them all over again.I loved the ceremony decor with the palm leaves very organic.Was this something you asked for or was it part of the resort set up? Thank you so much ~ we totally have been looking at them over and over again. It's so much fun to relive the moment As for the ceremony decor -- my coordinator (Jenn Smith of Turtle Bay Cafe Marry Me Akumal, "Planning Akumal's most Celebrated weddings" is the Akumal;and Riviera Maya Wedding Planner ServiceAkumal, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Sian Kaan; and the Costa Maya) had pictures of a past ceremony that had this and I LOVED it!!! So she suggested using it and we went from there. It was so unique to others I've seen, so we ran with it! And actually I am one of the few brides to have had a non-resort wedding in the Riviera Maya -- prolly the best decision I made because everything was totally private and catered to our taste. Plus no time crunch -- I was 80 minutes late for the ceremony, lol Quote: Originally Posted by poohshek BTW, what happened to the Cole Hann Ceci Air Rose Sling wedding shoes? So glad someone asked!!! I actually am planning to write up a post on this topic along with my review. But in a nutshell, for $400+ shoes they were NOT comfortable at all! For shoes that price, I expected total comfort and they just didn't do that. So while they were absolutely beautiful, I decided to save about $400 and go with these red ones instead off piperlime.com ~ plus I really wanted a pop of color to add some sparkle to my very "ivory" look to tie into my bouquet Quote: Originally Posted by Carlitarenee You look stunning! I love your last pic with you walking towards each other... how cool is that!?! yep one of the many brilliant and creative shots by our photographers ~ we love it!!!! my aunt says it is as if our spirits were becoming one, so totally parallel to our marriage/wedding