Jessica&Adam

While researching, I came across this great website that had some links to other helpful Aruba websites on it, that I thought I would share: Frommer's Aruba (Caribbean) For information about visiting Aruba, contact the Aruba Tourism Authority (tel. 800/TO-ARUBA; The Official Tourism Website of Aruba - Information for Travel, Hotels, and Reservations). You also can gather tons of information from other Internet sources. A couple of Aruba's greatest fans compile Aruba Bound! (Aruba Bound!), an impressive, noncommercial collection of hard facts, informed opinions, and numerous links. Visit Aruba (Visit Aruba - vacations in Aruba, Hotels, travel information, beaches, restaurants and more!) has commercial links, practical information, news items, and a snappy gossip column -- search for "Bati Bleki" -- with the up-to-date scoop on what's happening on the island. For a lively exchange of information and opinion, visit Aruba Bulletin Board (The Aruba Forums • Index page), where you can post questions to seasoned Aruba-vacation veterans and search for great timeshare rental deals. Once you're on the island, go to the Aruba Tourism Authority at L. G. Smith Blvd. 172, Oranjestad (tel. 297/582-3777), or pick up the free local magazines Destination Aruba, Island Temptations, Aruba Nights, Aruba Ta Hot!, Bon Bini, and Island Gourmet. Two English-language dailies -- Aruba Today and The News -- provide entertainment listings, as does K-Pasa, a weekly brochure. Read more: Planning a Trip in Aruba at Frommer's

Quote: Originally Posted by VA_Bride Based on what I saw when I was there this is definitely a concern. I think it will all work out, but there were a LOT of people on the beach right near the area watching the sun set. From what I have heard from others there will be a number of people watching the wedding, but they usually seem to be respectful and stay off to the side. One night there was a family throwing the football at the water's edge and it would have been very disruptive had a wedding been going on, but then again, I bet they wouldn't be doing it if there was a wedding going on. Long and short of it, there probably will be people who watch, but they will also most likely be polite and stay off to the side and out of your way. It would take a real jerk to knowingly bust into someones moment. I got married in Mexico, but it was still on the beach, and my experience was that passerby's will always move. Not to mention that even if there are people watching from the side - you will never notice. You and everyone around you will be so focused on your ceremony and mainly watching YOU that you will have absolutely no concept of anyone who might be around you. Ahh, ignorance is bliss. So I would say definitely don't stress about it. Also, you can always mention to your resort WC that if they see people around to find a subtle way to get them to move w/o disrupting the ceremony. Hope this helps!!

Thanks for all the suggestions guys - keep 'em coming! It seems like there's so much to do and we're only going to be there for 4 nights/3.5 days (in Aruba that is) - I hope we can squeeze everything in that we want to! Thus far I think we'll definitely do a jeep/ATV tour (though I can't decide between Tomcars and the ABC Tours), definitely a snorkel/sail tour, happy hour on the beach (TA Maureen - I know you had mentioned Moomba happy hour or something like that in another post - what is that?!), and dinner at my hotel's restaurants, and hopefully Passions, El Gaucho, Flying Fishbone, Smoky Joes, etc. Does anyone know if any of those restaurants are far from Palm Beach area? I'd prefer to stick w/ the restaurants that are closer to our resort since the farther it is the more expensive it will be to get there I'm guessing! Quote: Originally Posted by JAM2011 Hi Jessica, Sounds like a wonderful trip! Can I ask how you are traveling between Aruba and Curacao? We are planning our wedding for May 2011 in Aruba, and were considering trying to move over to Curacao for a few days at the end of our trip as a sort of separate honeymoon. We weren't able to find any flights between the islands... Any tips? Thanks, Jamie Hey Jamie, We weren't sure about the flights either and actually TA Maureen told me to use DAE (DAE - Book your flight to Aruba, Bogota, Bonaire, Caracas, Curacao, Santo Domingo, St. Maarten, Valencia - Dutch Antilles Express - Book your flight to Aruba, Bogota, Bonaire, Caracas, Curacao, Santo Domingo, St. Maarten, Valencia - Dutch Antilles Ex) so we booked our international flight from AUA to CUR through them. It was only $112 for the two of us and it's a 30 minute flight. I'm so excited!! Quote: Originally Posted by A_J_Mitchell Go horseback riding!! As for getting to your hotel, you could take any cab but there's one particular cab that I would recommend. You can email him to make arrangements for him to pick you up right at the airport. He will have a sign with your name on it right outside customs. He has gotten a ton of great reviews from the aruba.com forum. I have him picking us up in Aruba for July. his contact info is: Bully Taxi: [email protected] I emailed him to make arrangements and heard back within a day to confirm. Thanks for the advice! I remember reading something about Bully before too - I just emailed him and hopefully he'll be available to pick us up in Aruba!!

Thanks Maureen! What is the best way to get from the airport to Hyatt - are you taking a taxi or arranging for transportation before-hand?

Hello!! I'm so excited b/c for DH and I's 1-Year Anniversary on May 24 we will be going to Aruba for 4 nights then Curacao for 3 nights. We will be staying at Hyatt resorts during our trip. I was hoping to get some advice on what are some fun activities/things to do in both of these countries. I've sifted through the wedding threads for these places but didn't find too much info on what to actually do for fun while there. I'm open to any suggestions!!

Gorgeous back yard! My puppy would love it - I am SOOO jealous!! congrats!

Quote: Originally Posted by cvdelros Hello brides! I'm considering the Hilton and just finished my site visit. Everything was great except the food. I didn't get to schedule a food tasting in time since I contacted Fernanda so last minute prior to leaving for Cancun so instead we went to Mitachi Grill for dinner together to get a sense of the chef's flavors, style of cooking, etc. and my fiance and I were both very disappointed. Of the brides that have already had their weddings, how did your reception dinner turn out? Any recommendations of what to pick (or not pick) and any substitutions/special requests you made for your dinner that turned out well? Thanks in advance!! We had AMAZING food at our wedding reception at Mitcahi. We chose the "duet" of Salmon and Filet Mignon, and everyone said it was the best meal they had in Cancun. not gonna lie, it was absolutely delicious and I'm craving it right now! Maybe you just had a bad, fluke experience? I would honestly not worry about it because every meal I had at Hilton was to die for and I know our guests loved it too. I hope that reassures you a little bit! Just be wary of the cake (see my previous review in this thread - I didn't do a cake tasting and was not happy w/ the way it turned out) but besides that everything was perfect! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hilton Cancun!! Wish I was there right now

Thank you ladies! I can't believe it was 5 months ago....argh I miss Mexico! Quote: Originally Posted by sarah310 Jessica! beautiful pictures!! i love love love your wedding party attire -- where did you get the bridesmaid dresses and guy's shirts?? Thanks so much Sarah! Dresses were from David's Bridal and the Guy's shirts I believe were from Men's Wearhouse...they were SO cute...I loved the embroidery flowers on them, but they were still masculine. DH still wears his out and stuff! Again, thanks for all the compliments on the slideshow....I LOVE LOVE LOVE Citalli Rico, she is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by hat0112 I have narrowed down my choices! I am considering the Westin, Hyatt, Marriott, and Tamarijn. I think what would make this easier if I could decide if I want all inclusive or not. Both have there pro and cons. But Yeah! Only 4 now…… I would go w/ the Hyatt. I am going there in May for my 1-year anniversary w/ DH. I know a bunch of people who have honeymooned there and they all say its fabulous. And on tripadvisor its the #1 hotel on Palm Beach! Aruba Hotel Resorts -Hyatt Regency Resort & Casino- The Best Palm Beach Aruba Hotels

Hello ladies! I am back and married, and recently got my pro pic slideshow from Citalli of Claudia Rodriguez photography! I couldn't be happier with them and I'm so excited to share! We took TTD pics the day after the wedding and some of those photos are at the end of the slideshow. Enjoy: Jessica & Adam | May 24th 2009 | Hilton, Cancun Mexico

Thank you so much for all the congrats - it is nice to finally be married! We got our photos and everything back from Citalli! Here is the link to our pro pic wedding slideshow...the TTD pics are at the end. There are a ton more pics that aren't on the slideshow that are equally good or better. I can't say enough about what a good job Citalli did! Here is the link: Jessica & Adam | May 24th 2009 | Hilton, Cancun Mexico

Quote: Originally Posted by MegaShay We have good friends who live in the Grapevine area, and they love it there. I travel to DFW for work once or twice a month, it's got a great downtown bar/restaurant scene. I have heard Grapevine is really awesome too! We are looking at places this weekend and hopefully it will go well. So far I've heard that the good places to look are Grapevine, Addison, Uptown, and Las Colinas (in Irving). Haha, all of that means nothing to me now since I've never seen these places but hopefully I'll find my way around!

I don't live in KS anymore, but I was born and raised there! My family lives in Andover, a suburb of Wichita. I graduated from Andover Central High school, then I graduated from Kansas State a few years back and then moved to Texas! And the rest is history! ;-) I go home a lot though, even though I live far away, because all my friends keep getting married!

Hey ladies! So right before we left for our wedding we found out that we were being relocated to Dallas for my job...its actually a promotion, which is awesome, but I have never been to Dallas! I actually move at the end of the week and we're going to try to find a fun place to live. I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions or ideas of good places to live (or places to avoid) in the DFW area. I'll be working at the Grand Hyatt DFW Airport property if that helps. Also, what are the best places to go for nightlife, dining, etc. I know Dallas is huge...DH and I have never lived in a city so large so we are super nervous! And, of course, if anyone wants to hang out I'm more than game - no friends or family in Dallas unfortunately. Thanks ladies!!

Hello fellow Hilton brides! I just got back a few days ago from my honeymoon in Antigua so I thought I'd let you know that everything went AWESOME! The Hilton in Cancun did a BEYOND amazing job with our whole wedding weekend. I really can't describe it...it was picture perfect, and EVERYTHING was beyond my expectations. I was so nervous until the first day we arrived and I met with Fernanda, the DJ (DJ Mannia - Carlos), the florist (Andrea from Euforia Floral), the photographer (Citalli Rico from Claudia Rodriguez photography), and my musician (Minksy from Hear Steel Drums Play). Everything was perfect and taken care of already, so I had nothing to worry about. The only tiny problem - which none of us could control - we has was that it rained on our wedding! Fernanda kept me in the loop with any back up plans though and definitely kept me calm. It was just so annoying b/c it was bright and sunny all day until about 4 PM, then the clouds and thunder rolled in. It wasn't bad enough to move ceremony locations though, Thank God, so I still got to have my beach wedding I'd always dreamt of. Our cocktail hour was supposed to be on the pool deck, but it was moved inside to the Caribe foyer (which was still very very nice), and our reception is when it really started coming down (only for about 30 minutes, then it stopped), but luckily we had it in Mitachi restaurant so we were safe! Everything was so great that I hate to point out anything negative, b/c in the big scheme of things these are not big deals at all. However, its worth a mention. I'm pretty sure that my wedding cake was tres leches even though I asked for regular plain vanilla cake w/ buttercream frosting. The cake looked PERFECT though - exactly like the picture I had given Fernanda. It just wasn't the best tasting - I am not a tres leches fan. Also, the salad we served was not the one we ordered. Same dressing, just different salad. Overall, the food was phenomenal, as was the service. My parents said that our reception meal was the best meal they had in Cancun (entree was filet mignon and salmon). There was a slight mix up with the Welcome Bags. They were given to the bell boys to deliver, and over half of them were never delivered. This was a little upsetting at first (bell boys said they were not allowed to deliver to rooms that had "Do Not Disturb" signs up, but they were supposed to be given at check-in, when those signs should not have been up yet)...but we ended up giving them to Fernanda who set them out at the reception, and in the end almost everyone took one. We also had our Welcome Reception there, on the Caribe terrace. This was beautifully decorated, and the food and service and bar were all awesome. The rooms, pools, and beach were all fantastic. The beach to the left was very rocky, so we stayed to the right side where it was fine. There were some rocks in the water though, but I bet its like that all over Cancun now. We loved our Junior Suite...it was SO nice! I ran into Kelly, who got married there the day before me, and she said her wedding was also perfect. I spied on it from our balcony and it looked gorgeous. I'm SOOOOO glad I chose the Hilton to have my beach wedding at. I would not have changed a thing, if I got the chance to do it all over again. Well, maybe I would have done a cake tasting before hand. But that is it! Fernanda is such a saint, and I know she pretty much works around the clock. We did give her a $100 tip, but she deserved more. No one ever said the Hilton was cheap...so by the end both DH and I and our family was pretty broke! I am going to try to post a full review later. I won't get my pro pics back for 4-6 weeks, but of course I will post those as soon as I get them back from Citalli. She was such a sweetie, by the way. Good luck to the rest of you ladies and let me know if you have any questions!

Here is my script...it was AWESOME!!! I thought that I would only cry during the hands ceremony part...but I started crying when I was saying my vows. Make that I cried the whole way through them, and then I only cried at the very end of the hands ceremony poem. Nevertheless, it was great! 2009 May 24 Jessica and Adam Hilton 5 pm CCwB.doc

Hey ladies! I am back from my WONDERFUL wedding! Just wanted to let you know that I used Norma Zurama from the MAC in Ultrafemme in Cancun, (she was referred to me by my Hilton Wedding Coordinator), and she was AWESOME. I would definitely suggest using her. She gets an A plus in my book. She is nice, speaks English, uses only MAC products, and did an exceptional job. She's really good at responding quickly to emails too. Oh and she did a demo/trial for me for FREE! She charged me $70 for wedding day make-up. She has someone she uses for hair that previously worked at the Manforte salon, but I found out about that too late. Anyway, below is her contact info...good luck ladies! Norma Zurama Retail Manager M·A·C La Isla Cancún La Isla Shopping Village Boulevard Kukulkan Lote 18-10 Zona Hotelera. Tel.(99 8 83 19 12 Ext. 771 Cell.(99 2 14 70 22 [email protected] (For hair, I used Mary from the Hilton Spa). She was very nice, spoke very little English though, and although she didn't mess up my hair completely, I would probably not go to her again. I'm guessing I could find someone who would have done a job I liked better. My hair was pretty basic, half up with curls...and the curls were definitely flat by reception, but I think that was the winds fault, not Mary's.

I am back I am back I am back! (Not happy to be back, but what are you going to do. Just happy to be married to my love!) Just wanted to let you all know that Adam and I had the most AMAZING wedding in Cancun at the Hilton, and an unparalleled honeymoon at Sandals in Antigua. Can't complain after 2 weeks in pure paradise. No pro pics for 4-6 weeks, but will post review and pics once I get all that together. I hope all my other May brides had equally wonderful weddings. I'm so sad that its now over for all of us. What am I going to do now, ahhh!? Dreaming of the beach...

I'm back and I'm MARRIED!!! We had our perfect wedding on May 24 in Cancun...everything was absolutely wonderful! No trace of the H1N1 virus ANYWHERE. I had guests that even connected in Mexico City and they said it wasn't bad there either. Just wanted to let you ladies know, again, that there is nothing to worry about! It was also awesome because we had basically the pools and beach to ourselves, since it was so slow there. It was PERFECT!!

Quote: Originally Posted by stefnicole So, how are May brides today? It's rainy and gloomy here. That's probably why I'm not motivated to do anything at all. Today I am feeling ok. We got a chunk of our LONG to-do-list done this weekend, and still managed to have some relaxing time too! Now I just have to pray that everything I ordered online yesterday will come in by next Tuesday (Guest book, BD book, Sand Ceremony kit and Sand, etc.)! Went shopping for lots of wedding/honeymoon clothes this weekend so that was fun (FI wasn't happy with all the $$$$ I spent though, oops)! Still a lot to do. We are going to the courthouse to get our marriage license this Wednesday, then getting legally married on Saturday probably. Hair cut Saturday, waxing on next Tuesday, then leave next Wednesday! Only about a million things to do before then, yikes!

Holy CRAP I am the worst procrastinator ever! I think its mostly because we had a bunch of pending guest cancellations because of the ridiculous swine flu scare, so I just wasn't motivated until now to do anything...But now that we have decided we are going through with our original wedding plans (and so are most of our guests!), I'm ready to get back to work...2 weeks before my wedding ahhhhhh! So this is a list of things we still have to do: Figure out Wedding Day Timeline (hair, make up, etc) Buy sand ceremony stuff Welcome Letter and Itinerary Buy extra suitcase for wedding items Create Program Fans Finish guest book Menu cards Place settings/name cards for maracas Get FI new sandals, belt, and a rehearsal dinner outfit Get me a Welcome Reception/Partying afterwards outfit, and some HM outfits Buy Wedding party gifts and Parents Gifts Create DJ play-list Figure out our bridal party entrance Seating Chart & Table Numbers Make final payment to Hilton and florist Maybe do a slideshow for Rehearsal Dinner Send informational email out to family and wedding party Get marriage license and legally married Pack And I'm sure there's much more that I just can't think of at the moment. Oh and did I mention we leave for Cancun in 12 days!?

Hello ladies!! To answer your question, Opice, things have been so up and down and stressful, I have basically just been waiting and seeing what would happen next. Thank GOD things have turned around (at least a little, for now). Last week was the worst week ever - it was like a roller coaster ride! One moment I thought ok, this will all be fine, and the next I was crying at my desk b/c I'm so worried. I had about 11 guests in total that were considering cancelling (one was my MOH, the other a bridesmaid). It looks like only 3 of them actually did/will - none in my wedding party, thank goodness. I'm so thankful to have you girls to turn to in the unsure time...thanks for all the girls who posted from Mexico reassuring us that everything is fine there...that has really helped me through these past weeks. So, as it stands (and we have no Plan B or plans of changing), we are still going ahead with our wedding on May 24 at the beautiful Hilton Resort in Cancun. We leave on the 20th (two weeks away now!) and FI and I cannot wait!!!!! It is so nice to be able to go stress now about every other last minute wedding detail I haven't done yet (there are unfortunately a LOT of them), and not this stupid H1N1 Flu and freaking out about my guests. Yesterday I was feeling so confident I went ahead and made all my payments - snorkeling excursion, hotel, rehearsal dinner, shuttle to the hotel, etc. Things are certainly looking up! Stay strong girls, we will ALL get through this. I know its hard to tell in times like this, but I believe that everything does happen for a reason.

Hello! I have been stalking this thread, reading every day but not posting. Things have been so up and down and stressful, I have basically just been waiting and seeing what would happen next. Thank GOD things have turned around (at least a little, for now). Last week was the worst week ever - it was like a roller coaster ride! One moment I thought ok, this will all be fine, and the next I was crying at my desk b/c I'm so worried. I had about 11 guests in total that were considering cancelling (one was my MOH, the other a bridesmaid). It looks like only 3 of them actually did/will - none in my wedding party, thank goodness. I'm so thankful to have you girls to turn to in the unsure time...thanks for all the girls who posted from Mexico reassuring us that everything is fine there...that has really helped me through these past weeks. So, as it stands (and we have no Plan B or plans of changing), we are still going ahead with our wedding on May 24 in Cancun. We leave on the 20th (two weeks away now!) and FI and I cannot wait!!!!! It is so nice to be able to go stress now about every other last minute wedding detail I haven't done yet (there are unfortunately a LOT of them), and not this stupid H1N1 Flu and freaking out about my guests. Yesterday I was feeling so confident I went ahead and made all my payments - snorkeling excursion, hotel, rehearsal dinner, shuttle to the hotel, etc. Things are certainly looking up! Stay strong girls, we will ALL get through this. I know its hard to tell in times like this, but I believe that everything does happen for a reason.

OMG ladies I started crying today at lunch I am so upset and stressed about this. I've been following a live blog about the Swine Flu Epidemic on the Wall Street Journal's page at this link: Tracking the Swine Flu Outbreak: Monday - Health Blog - WSJ It updates about every hour or so you get the most current news and info. I definitely would suggest checking it out if you are worried like I am. Here is the most recent update: "2:20: Health Blog reports that the World Health Organization moved up a planned meeting to decide whether to hike the the global pandemic-alert level to Phase 4 or 5, up from the current Phase 3. The meeting had originally been scheduled for Tuesday but is instead taking place today." This is very scary, because if they do increase the alert level to Phase 4, that means there will likely be a ban on travel to Mexico. Everyone cross your fingers and say a prayer that this doesn't happen! Thank goodness we have each other to talk to about this scary issue! At this point none of my guests have contacted me about this, maybe because my wedding is still over 3 weeks away. However, I am going to go into hysterics if they place a Travel Advisory warning against going to Mexico. With the number of cases rising rapidly, its not looking good. Stay strong ladies!

How exciting, this is our first dance song too! We've gone through 2 sessions of personal dance classes, with a third tomorrow night, and we are doing a mixture of dances in it, but most of it is going to be a waltz. I love the waltz and with the slower tempo of this song, it just looks beautiful!! I'm SUPER nervous though b/c our choreographer also has us doing turns and even a lift...thats right, where FI LIFTS ME IN THE AIR AND does a full turn and a half...haha wish us luck! The thing is that this song is extremely long - 4 minutes!! So we are going to be cutting out about 45 seconds to a minute of it so it won't feel like it lasts forever. We still have about half of it left to learn so I will update y'all with what else we are doing as we go!