MarieSam

wonderful ideas ~ I love all these little touches, it adds so much to the atmosphere!!!

Congrats gals

Your wedding looked amazing, everything was set up so beautifully and looked so elegant! And you looked absolutely stunning, can't wait to see more!!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Gr8ful Does anyone have any other suggestions as to places I must check out? I think we will probably do drive bys, and go into places that look interesting. I'm going by my original list and the people who actually responded to me. I have read on The Knot to limit the # of potential sites to three at most, so I think I should be set. I hope I am not missing anything critical! You seem to have a great list going, from what I've seen and heard all those places are amazingly beautiful and you will have no problem choosing the perfect spot! If you're not looking from something too fancy, and searching for a more laidback, authentic but really beautiful venue, I would also check out the small town of Akumal ~ which is locoated in between Puerto Adventuras and Tulum. There are some great ceremony and reception venues in that town and are very reasonably priced. The town itself is so easy to fall inlove with and the accommodations there are first class but seem to be less expensive ~ here's a link to a post on my venue in Akumal. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t31355 With the money we are saving because it's a non-resort/non-AI wedding, we are spending 2 weeks in the area! The first will be at a Villa rental that houses 30 people during our first week in Akumal, and the second using our timeshares! Riviera Maya Hotels, Resorts, Rentals: Mexican Caribbean Vacation is another website that offers some great ideas for wedding venues and accommodations. Good luck

I've done tons of research on BD photography in the LA/Orange county areas, and found the above-mentioned photogs to be highly recommended as well. Also found Beth Cocuzzi, whose work looks beautiful. She specializes in BD photography both Maxim and pin-up styles. And she's a makeup artist so her girls seem to always look flawless. Here's her website: Boudoir and Pinup Photographer Beth Cocuzzi

Quote: Originally Posted by MsSunshine Hi, do you know how much he charges for a shuttle to Playa Del Carmen and Tulum area? I didn't see a price on his site. Thanks Hi Sunshine ~ I would suggest sending him an email, and let him know I sent you! His wife usually handles the business correspondence/emails. I think the price will depend on how many people are in the shuttle, but again he's a great person and his rates are extremely fair His speciality is catering to big groups, so if you've got a group event or need group travel, he's def your guy!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by poohshek Hi MarieSam, thanks for the feedback! Your web site is awesome! Are you renting a villa for your wedding? Aww thank you Poohshek, our website is still a work in progress ~ but right now I'm being lazy, hehehe Our families are actually renting a villa (more like a compound) property that will house 31 of us for the first week ~ the Casa Romero compound on Yal Ku Lagoon in Akumal. But it's solely so we can be together and it will also be the site of our Welcome Dinner/Fiesta! Weddingwise, we are having our ceremony and reception at Akumal's CEA Center ~ here's my post with all the info http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t31355

I would HIGHLY recommend Sauce Vacations. We met the owner - Ismael Sauceda - of this company during our trip to Cancun in 2006, and he catered to our group of 20+ for the entire week. He brought us to secluded beaches, amazing restaurants and was so reasonably priced. He has since become a close family friend and is the nicest man you'll ever meet ~ he can also get great discounts at the local excursions such as Xel Ha and Xcaret! He will be providing tours and transportation during our entire group of 100+ guests during our wedding next year, with first class vans and buses. Tell him MarieSam sent you!!! Travel and Tours Experts ¡¡

Your invites are gorgeous!!! And I am lovin your monogram ~

These are awesome, the setting is so picturesque!!! Sarah you are one beautiful mommie-to-be Congrats again on the coming addition

These are hot ~ your FI is gonna LOVE these, you look stunning!!!

Turtle Bay Cafe is awesome ~ they are actually catering my entire wedding and making the cake/cupcakes also!! Jen, the owner, made me a batch of tres leches cupcakes before I jumped back on a plane going home in June and they were DELISH!!!!! They are a great company to use!!!

I think most BDW members use Photobucket! Here's the link with instructions on how to post pics ~ hope this helps!!! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t16832

These turned out great ~ good job!!!

What a special gift, she'll love no doubt! It looks great ~ you did a fantastic job

Awesome tip for brides looking for those fans! I bought my raffia fans from OTC in July and they were only $7.99 a dozen then, but I see that since then they've raised their prices, which totally sucks! Must be cuz they've gotten so popular

Those are fantastic! I love the fans too

Celina, CONGRATS girl!!!!!! Your pictures are beautiful, you and your daughter looked gorgeous and I LOVE her dress and LOVE even more that she cried I think my little one will probably do the same, lol. Looks like your day was blessed with plenty of joy and happiness ~ congrats once again Mrs.

Regardless of the number ~ be it 2 or 200 in attendance ~ this is a wonderful celebration of your union! And if your family loves music and loves to dance then even better, why not get a DJ? It's a party girl, sounds like you will have a fabulous time no matter what

First off both are gorgeous, but I am leaning toward Dress #1 ~ I am a sucker for intricate detailing and the top of that dress is ridiculously fabulous, and to me provides more of a vintage feel! I absolutely LOVE it!!!!

So beautiful, the trolley ride photos are priceless and is a wonderful moment that will stay with you whenever you look back on that day!!! You looked gorgeous by the way ~ congrats!!!

Your dress is fabulous Jaime, and thanks for leaving all of us "pix whores" so pleasantly satisfied, hehehe ! You're gonna make one beautiful bride ~ congrats on finding "the one"

AWWW, ok how much do I wish I lived in Chicago or at least a reasonable driving distance away? This is an amazing deal!!!!!

After looking over tons of photo blogs and driving my FI crazy and blind by spamming him with million of photos and links ~ we happily chose to go with a So Cal photographer we adore, Stephanie Williams (she's a BDW member but doesn't post much) ~ Stephanie Williams Photography Blog wedding and portrait photography blog Through the kind referral of another fellow BDW photog (thank you Kristi Klemens!!!), we were lucky enough to secure Stephanie's services for a fabulous deal based on costs of travel and accommodations. She and her husband will be doing our engagement photos in So Cal, documenting our Welcome Fiesta in Akumal, covering 8 hours on our wedding day, and doing a TTD session with us!!! Tommy and I are thrilled and blessed to be working with this amazingly talented couple As for our video, we hired the super talented Paul Schrank of Playa Weddings. Playa Weddings - Video and Photography in Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya Another BDW member, who has done some amazing work for some brides on here!!! This was truly the most difficult task in the planning process. Mainly because I became addicted to looking at photographer/videographer's websites and was determined to find artists whose work we loved for the best deal possible. *Sigh of relief* I'm so glad to have this done! Now onto the hunt for my wedding dress!!

great site, thanks!