MarieSam

CONTINUED ... Beach views walking to the Cannon site Walkway toward the CEA center from the ceremony sites Beach area in front of CEA Center ~ they light the area up with tiki torches and white lights so your wedding guests can wander around outside Approaching the CEA Center – from the exterior you can see it looks old and simple – some describe it as “ghetto” lol, I can see that. Front of the CEA Center The oh so important bartenders!! Open air shuttered windows in front of Center, lined with candles Wait there's still a lot more ....

*** Sorry this post is so long ~ but I wanted to cover everything and hope it helps!! Tons of PICS are below. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!!! * * * I wanted to share my current plans in hopes that it might provide a great alternative for brides seeking a non-resort venue (if you’re looking for an upscale or ritzy place this would not apply), or excellent caterer/bakery or wedding coordinator in the Riviera Maya area … First off both FI and I don’t do all-inclusives, mainly because we spend most of our time out exploring and don’t spend a lot of time at “home” when on vacation so our food option would go to waste. Also because all of our families own timeshares so we normally stay in units with kitchens and enjoy cooking for ourselves. But finding a location that wasn’t all-inclusive was a bit difficult in the Cancun/Riviera Maya area, leading us to the idea of finding a place that could cater and host our wedding celebration. In searching for a caterer, I was bit overwhelmed by the prices. Our families are serious “foodies” and we definitely wanted a buffet style dinner that was laid back and open. But I was getting quotes that ranged from $75 to $110 per person, excluding drinks. Then I happened upon Turtle Bay Café in Akumal, a town that our families visited and fell in love with during our vacation in 2006. COORDINATOR/CATERER: After several emails and photographs received from TBC’s owner, Jennifer Smith, she proposed that we have our reception in the Centro Ecologico Center in Akumal’s main bay. We visited Akumal in June to ensure it would suit our needs – the day of our visit, we were lucky enough to catch a wedding reception at the CEA center, and saw Jen in action ~ she was great! After spending roughly 10 hours with Jen over 3 meetings, we knew this was the place we wanted to have our special day. She was incredibly sweet, helpful and her prices were fair all around, she does not add extra fees to gain a commission. Best of all, the food they had was DELISH!!! FI, myself and my daughter ate at their restaurant 4 times, including our free food tasting where Jen encouraged us to try exactly what we wanted on our buffet menu. We stuffed ourselves, and the last day we were there, she sent us to the airport with a dozen of tres leches cupcakes ~ so yummy! Our pic with Jen – sorry I look like crap, we just finished up about 5 hours of snorkeling before this pic. When Jen was showing us accommodation options in the area, we happened upon a couple who had just gotten married at the CEA center a week before ~ they had nothing but great things to say! FOOD, DRINKS, CAKE: I would highly recommend Turtle Bay for any catering needs, their menu offers a variety of choices from local food, specialty dishes, traditional “american” dishes, and excellent seafood choices. They also have a bakery so they make desserts and cakes for all occasions. And they use BUTTERCREAM frosting YAY – I was told most bakeries in the area use whipped frosting. We’re having them make a small cake for us, for cutting purposes for pictures, and then having cupcakes in a variety of flavors for our guests. I haven’t been quoted yet on the cake but Jen mentioned $4/slice and then cupcakes are $3/each. If you want details on our buffet menu – 3 passed appetizers during cocktail hour, 3 stationary appetizers, 2 salads, 3 side dishes, freshly baked breads, five main entrees (pasta w/grilled veggies, fish, chicken, beef, shrimp) -- please PM me. I will say that it is costing us about $44/per person, including taxes and service charge (waiter service). We’ve also chose to bring our own alcohol (from Costco/Sam’s Club) and hire 3 bartenders ($75 each) and pay for ice/glassware ($5 a person). This saves us tons of money and all our guests can drink the night away! CEA CENTER: As for the CEA Center, I will preface this by saying that it is an old rustic location (open air shutters facing the beach, no a/c, has ceiling fans). It is normally used to host and promote ecological programs for protection of marine life, specifically turtles. If you’re seeking an upscale venue, this is not the place. If you want something private – can hold up to 150 people with a dance area -- and so beautiful when decorated and lit with candles, this is definitely something to look into. The cost to use the facility is a $500 donation toward the CEA Center programs, and it’s tax deductible – I LOVE that my money is going toward a good cause. There are of course regular charges for chairs, tables, linens, décor, etc. But all fees are within reason. CEREMONY SITE OPTIONS: Charlie and Maria (local Shamans) will be presiding over our Mayan/Cosmic ceremony on a small private beach area in front of Las Casitas Villas (we rented a unit to have full access to this area of the beach). The CEA Center is about 50-foot walk from here, so a really close for all our guests. Another alternative is having the ceremony at Akumal’s Cannon point, there is a fee to use this area. But it is equally as beautiful (there are pics below)! If you decide to inquire with Jen ~ please let her know I (MarieSam) sent you!!! Her contact info is on their website Page Title Hope this gives some of you non-resort brides another option!! And now onto the pictures, including ceremony site, reception area, reception decor, and TONS more …… Las Casitas Beach Ceremony Site: A panoramic view of the ceremony site and surroundings. Akumal’s Cannon Site – another great area to have a ceremony More to come in next post ....

For the brides located in So Cal, just wanted to give you a heads up if you're looking for a Monique Lhuillier dress! Got the following emailed to me yesterday: Monique Lhuillier Sample Sale!! ONE DAY ONLY Sunday, November 9th, 2008 10 am to 5 pm 1201 S. Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90015 Bridal & Ready to Wear from 40% to 90% off Merchandise is "as is" and all sales are final No alterations provided No appointments are taken First Come First Serve

Wow, those are great!

Beautiful pics Leia, your dress was gorgeous ~ I LOVE that both your parents walked you down the isle, I am planning on doing the same And I see your dad wore a Barong, that is awesome!! My Dad was thinking about wearing one too, so we'll see. Can't wait to see more! CONGRATS once again

HELP!! I'm ordering my hair flower (a large white Gardenia flower) and need to decide what kind of backing I want: pin back, bobby pin, ponytail, snap clip, hairpin, French barrette, or alligator clip ........ Good lord, I didn't know there were so many choices. Which one is best? For the ceremony I am either wearing my hair completely up in a loose bun or half up/half down. Then during the reception it will all be down in loose curls, but still using the flower.

Stick to your guns, this is YOUR wedding celebration! Mom's is truly being selfish and losing sight of the fact that this is her son's special day not hers. I would call her bluff, depending on their relationship with each other, I don't see her missing her son's wedding solely because the wedding locale doesn't suit her preference. At the end of the day, it is about the two of you and the love you share. This is one day you are both allowed and expected to be selfish, so make your vision of the perfect wedding become your reality. Bottom line, do what makes you happy ~

I think making your own DIY boarding passes is great, IF you have the time and patience, like all the other brides have said. IF you're like me, you will stress over getting it perfect ~ and honestly, because I'm so freaking anal, even to this day I look at my passes and think there are things I should have done differently. But I'm also borderline Bridezilla crazy, lol. You will however, feel so great when they're done because it is a labor of love and so rewarding to hear how much your guests loved them. Be prepared to do several "test passes" and when it comes down to it, just hit the freaking print button and be happy with it, lol. You will always be your toughest critic. Also implement the help of bridesmaids, friends or family to help you cut out the passes, this is probably the biggest pain the ass because there's just no easy way around it. I say go for it ~ there is no better custom made product that the one you've made with your own two hands and creative mind Here's a link to my DIY thread, hopefully this will help give you some ideas or a starting point ~ http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t30531 Good luck!! Quote: Originally Posted by laybar Do u really save that much $ by dIY? how much r we talking bout? I think I saved tons of money ~ I received quotes for passes between $3.00 to $4.50 each. I ended up making about 100 3-page passes on my own, with a cover letter, metallic text paper and envelopes, and Vista print postcards and spent about $140 on mine (excluding postage) and many of the extra products and tools will be used for other DIY wedding projects. So I figure, at the minimum, I saved at least $160 with investments made toward other projects.

Oooh, I LOVE Philosophy's Supernatural product! It gives you great coverage, more so than even Bare Minerals in my opinion, and definitely does provide that glowly look. However, I HATE the sponge applicator it comes with. They've made it to where the powder's container is connected to this sponge, so the product transfers onto this makeup pad and you apply directly from there. To me it sucks, because the powder doesn't go on your face when you use their sponge. Case in point, when I had a Sephore sales clerk do a color test on me, she opened the container completely and used a kabuki brush. I def. advise just using a brush instead ~ other than that, Supernatural is GREAT and it also comes with SPF protection!!! And I bought mine at Sephora, check there or order online!

Wow, congrats to you both!!! I absolutely LOVE your slideshow and how nicely it was all put together. Those are some of the most amazing photos I've seen on here in a long time. Your photogs did a phenomenal job of capturing the love you two share ~ it looks like you had a beautiful wedding day and an awesome TTD session. You must be thrilled!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Sparkles8300 one more thing...how did you fit the RSVP post card in the metallic envelope? It looks like it would be to wide? Also, (sorry to ask a million questions) what size envelope did you order? Eeek! I totally forgot to add a note regarding the postcard size, thanks so much for bringing that to light! The envelopes I used were the No. 10 Policy size, which I believe is 4-1/8 x 9-1/2". So YES the standard sized postcard through Vista Print is a slightly big heightwise, that in mind, I had the card designed with the graphics and text pushed up toward to the top to give me room to cut off a sliver from the bottom for it to fit it in the envelope. That's where my handy dandy paper cutter came in to use once again, cutting the postcards down was super easy. And like I said, you need cut just a tiny bit in order for it to slide into the envelope. For it to fit smoothly, I stuck the postcard into the STD letter. Hope that helps!!! And never feel like you're asking to many questions, that's what this forum is all about

Hi Brit! Congrats on next year's wedding plans After tons of research on videographers in the Riviera Maya area, I actually booked Paul Schrank about a month ago for my wedding next June. He's a very well-liked and widely used videographer for many BDW brides, and is actually a BDW member. I've heard nothing but good reviews on his work and videography style. If you do a search using his name with the BDW search tool, you'll find several threads on brides who have used him in the past! Hope this helps!

Leia you looked gorgeous ~ I LOVE your hair and makeup!! Can't wait to see the rest of your pics and hear all about your wedding, it sounds and looks like you had a fabulous time. Congrats

Welcome to the forum ~ you should definitely look through the Cancun/Riviera Maya section. There are tons of suggestions on these types of vendors from other brides! You can also implement the search option by using keywords (photographer, flowers, etc.) But start off in the Cancun/Riviera Maya section and I'm sure you'll find tons of great options!!

WOW those are simply fabulous ~ Congrats

Quote: Originally Posted by Maura just to be clear, it doesnt matter whether she virtually killed the avatar or not - the crime she's being accused of is hacking. hacking is a crime. granted, this is stupid, but she still committed a crime. Very true she did hack and that is def. a crime....but the fact that she went there because she was so mad, and then he was so distraught about it he reported her to police. i just can't wrap my head around this for some reason...it absolutely baffles me.

Welcome to the forum! I am actually getting married at a non AI location in Akumal, a small but beautiful town on the Riviera Maya. It's a private venue and really lovely! I am planning on posting all my wedding details later today ~ if you don't see the thread, PM me!!

I don't know what to make of this story...is it ridiculous? funny? or sad that this woman and man actually reacted this way? I'm definitely left thinking Online divorcee jailed after killing virtual hubby By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press TOKYO: A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday. The woman, who is jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his identification and password to log onto popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in mid-May, a police official in northern Sapporo said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy. "I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations. The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said. She has not yet been formally charged, but if convicted could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to $5,000. Players in "Maple Story" raise and manipulate digital images called "avatars" that represent themselves, while engaging in relationships, social activities and fighting against monsters and other obstacles. The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married, and killed the character. The man complained to police when he discovered that his beloved online avatar was dead.

I can see a bit of a difference, the website sample seems a little richer in color, but it could also be a factor of which direction the threads were facing in the picture ~ yanno especially since it's velour type material? Nevertheless, I don't think it's really that much off and the gals are right, they turned out great and look awesome with your bags! Your guests I'm sure would be thrilled to receive something so nice and customized. And if their customer service did take responsibility, what is the alternative? Would you plan on getting towels in a different color instead?

Thanks gals, I was so clueless. Maura, I shoulda known the journalist/editor extraordinaire would know!! Thank you again

Oooh I did notice that happens with Scriptina, so then how do you close up the space?? Sorry I'm not very savvy when it comes to things like that

You look gorgeous, and I love that pic when you're reading your vows You look so overwhelmed with happiness! These are really great non-pro pics by the way ~ congrats!!!!

OMG I love this thread because it is right on with how I feel. I've got a bunch of "we're so excited for your wedding, it's going to be so much fun to vacation with you guys" um ok...THEN SEND THE FREAKING REPLY CARD!!! How hard is it? I've already self addressed the damn thing, I put a freaking stamp on it and all you gotta do is fill it out and put in the mailbox. The thing seriously needs to come with a note that says if you do not send this by the requested date it will self-destruct in your face.

Ooooohh those are fabulous! Great choice But yes the price tag hits you right in the gut....hmmm but wow those are a yummy pair of shoes!!!

those are freaking hilarious!! Wow, wish I had this list before, I coulda used a couple of these zingers on someone I once dated in the past, lol.