Jessica&Adam

So ladies, I just discovered this workout last night on ExerciseTV. If you have digital cable, you probably also get Exercise On Demand (for me its channel 990). Anyway, they have a ton of awesome work outs, including Jillian Michael's 30 day shred! I haven't tried it yet, b/c I don't own hand weights, but I watched part of the first one last night, and even that looks like a great workout! And the best part is that its totally free to watch it on ExerciseTV!

Quote: Originally Posted by Opice34 Hey guys! Everything was FANTASTIC!!!! Review is posted here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t32648 Chicago - how was the site visit?? Opice, I am here literally on the edge of my seat b/c I can't wait to see all your pics. How did your flowers turn out? Which florist did you go with, the ones the Hilton usually uses?? Congratulations, and I'm so happy to hear that everything went perfectly for you!!! *MWAH!*

Wonderful review, thank you SOOO much, Opice! It's so awesome to hear that everything went so smoothly! From the one picture, I can tell...you look stunning!! I cannot wait to see EM's photos of your wedding. Congrats again, I'm so happy for you and your hubby!

Kim- Congratulations on your beautiful wedding, I am so glad to hear that everything went so well! You are such a radiant bride and your pictures are awesome!! Thank you so much for the tips on the makeup trials, b/c I was originally planning on going through the Hilton on that but now I will try to find out more info on MAC - was it expensive to use them Opice - I am so excited for you and can't wait to hear all about how your wedding went when you get back! Did you ever get those problems/weird charges in your contact worked out??

We have used Best Day as well every time we have gone to Cancun and I LOVE them! I assume that they go to Playa as well. They also book tours/dinners/events/excursions for people that use their shuttles, for free! Their customer service is top notch...we are definitely using them for our wedding and are encouraging all of our guests to do the same. They only charge you a very small price for the shuttle, and then help you and do so much more for you! For more info on them, visit their website Mexico Hotels, Mexico Travel Destination Guide, Mexico Vacations.

Hi! I am also planning on doing a hanging flower curtain for my huppah. I bought faux white lillies (they didn't have any orchids...but I like the look of the lillies anyway) by the stem from Walmart, and also transparent fishing line and fishing line weights. I haven't made the hanging curtain yet...but when I do...I will cut/pop off each individual lilly from the stem. Take the finishing line and wire it through the middle of each flower (the middle part pops off and you can just stick it right back in). I'm making mine about 8 feet tall...and each line will be about 1 ft apart from the next. I think I'm going to space the actual flowers about 6 inches to a foot apart from the one above/below it. Anyway...we got fishing line weights to add to the bottom (once they are completed) so that it rests in the sand and they won't blow all over the place in the wind. To transport them, we are getting pieces of cardboard, and wrapping each line around it. Hope that helps!

Kelley, You are very welcome! If I had my ideal choice of any month to get married in, I would choose April. However, this wasn't an option for me and the next best choice was May. I asked Fernanda the same question, b/c I was worried too and she said May and April are the most popular months to get married there, and that the weather is great. Hurricane season doesn't start until June...and even then its really not bad at all. I'd say anytime between December through May and you'll be fine - the weather is perfect! I've been in Mid December and in late April, and the weather was the same both times - mid 80s and sunny! When I was first trying to narrow it down, I did site visits at Westin, Casa Magna Marriott, JW Marriott, and the Hyatt Caribe Resort. I was also considering Fiesta Americana Condesa, because I stayed there -but decided against it after my stay. In the end, it was a no-brainer for me - Hilton (IMO) was the best. Westin was my number two choice, and Casa Magna number 3. I didn't like JW Marriott very much at all, and the Hyatt Caribe just wasn't what I was looking for in a wedding location (even though I work for Hyatt hotels, haha). I wrote a review about all the hotels somewhere on the forum. Hilton by far has the best beach (with Westin coming in second b/c their beach is very big and nice as well), and that is really the most important thing to me since thats where we will be spending most of our time, and that is also where the ceremony will be! Also what really helped make the decision for me was how great Fernanda is. Yes, she takes a while to respond to emails, but trust me its b/c she is INSANELY busy planning people's weddings and dealing with other prospective clients. But when we met her on our site visit, she was awesome - so organized and helpful. I felt more comfortable with my wedding in her hands than in any of the other wedding planners, by far! And you are right - Hilton Cancun always has great reviews - way more than the others...check out TripAdvisor and you will see! I've heard nothing but great things - and its nice to have someone on here thats actually been married there (indypitty), and she said it was awesome, and her pictures look like it sure was!

I'm desperately looking for an affordable BD photog in San Antonio (or Austin) too if anyone knows of someone! Thanks ladies!!

I want to do BD pics too, but have been unsuccesful in finding a photog in San Antonio that does this! If anyone knows of any BD photogs in Austin or San Antonio area, please include that too! I live in SA and Dallas is quite a ways away, but I could def go to Austin if necessary! Thanks ladies!

Jen - if you give me your email address, I can send you the info. Kelley - to answer your question about photographers: Photography is very very important to us, so I did a LOT of research before deciding. Here was my original preferences: 1. Sol Tomargo 2. Elizabeth Medina 3. Claudia Rodriguez We decided against Sol Tomargo because they were out of our budget. I tried to book Elizabeth Medina, but she was not available on our wedding date. It turned out being for the best though, because she would have been a little too expensive anyway. Now I am getting more bang for my buck. My third choice was Claudia Rodriguez, who I hate to say it was my "third choice" because I feel like she is just as talented as the others. Unfortunately though she was ALSO booked for my wedding. Mind you I was doing all this at least 11 months out - so try to book your photo as early as you can because they go fast in Cancun! So anyway since Claudia was booked, I decided to go with one of her associate photographers, Citalli Rico. I am SO happy with my choice - her work is absolutely AMAZING, and the price is better than anyone else. I feel like I'm getting SUCH a good deal! I've also read nothing but great reviews of Citalli (and all of the above mentioned photographers) on this site, so I am very confident in my decision.

Welcome kelvu and chicago girl! I am going to attach the Hilton Wedding Brochure I have...the wedding package prices aren't listed - but I believe the cheaper one (lily) is about $1600 and the Orchid package is about $2000, if I remember correctly. I am getting legally married at home first so I don't need a lot of things in those packages. So if you want just a base package with ceremony site, set up and chairs and hoopah, minister, and a few other things, she will charge $1000, which I think is fair. I am also attaching the Hilton Banquet Menu. You basically create your own food package, which is nice b/c you can mix and match whatever you want to create your perfect reception meal. You can also just ask Fernanda how much things cost. For example, I want a chips/queso/salsa/beans/quacamole spread for our cocktail hour, plus flavored margaritas for our Cocktail Hour. This is not necessarily on the banquet menu so I asked her about it and she gave me a breakdown of the prices for this and the cost. Hope this helps! Hilton Brochure.pdf Hilton Banquets and Catering Menu.pdf

I sent these out about 1.5 months ago, but am just now getting around to posting them. I took lots of ideas from other Boarding Pass STDs on this website (THANK YOU!!) and meshed them all together to make my own. Since I don't have the time or the skill to actually MAKE them though, I had my cousin finish them (along with finishing touches on the design of them), since she owns a small card/invitation business on the side. She is located out of Michigan and her company name is Bella Creations (Welcome to Bella Creations Online! - Home Page). She did a GREAT job! The sleeve is aqua blue, and there are 3 BPs in there. There is also a newsletter in the back behind the BPs with more detailed wedding info on it. Hope you like them!! And now for the newsletter:

So I am SOOO excited - a few days ago we finalized plans for our honeymoon in Antigua!! We will be staying at the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort there, which is renowned as "The World's Most Romantic Resort". We booked the MonteCarlo Honeymoon Oceanview Suite (which is in the new mediterranian village), and I could not be more excited! This is the website: Antigua Wedding & Honeymoon Vacation - Sandals Grande Antigua Resort. We will be flying home to San Antonio from Cancun 2 days after our wedding, then flying to Antigua the next day (May 27) and will be staying 6 nights, departing June 2. This resort has also gotten awesome reviews on TripAdvisor, a lot better reviews than some of the other Sandals resorts and other random resorts I had looked at. Sandals Antigua is a little more than we had originally budget for, and the flights to get there take all day from the US (we're talking 5:30 AM to 10 PM arrival), but I know it will be SO worth it! At first we couldn't decide where we wanted to HM after our Cancun wedding, but we knew we wanted an AI (our resort in Cancun is non-AI), and adults/couples only. We also wanted somewhere semi-excluded from tourist traps, and the beach/ocean quality was our top priority since all we want to do is lounge around the beach and enjoy the beautiful scenery. For a while we thought Antigua was going to be out of the question due to horrendously long and expensive flights, but it was always our number one choice. Anyway...TA Jennifer from this forum, who works for Sand and Sun Vacations is who I owe all my happiness to! I asked her for help and she helped me narrow it down to Sandals Jamaica Whitehouse or Sandals Royal Bahamian, or Sandals Antigua. We seriously went back and forth for WEEKS AND WEEKS as she quickly responded to every single one of my emails, looked up countless flights for me, etc. The flights there were a HUGE pain to book b/c you have to book each different flight seperately or something like that, and I would have been SO confused and lost if it hadn't been for her helping me! And I really could never have decided on a place without her - there are just too many beautiful places on this earth that I want to see! So anyway, she is a Sandals and St. Lucia specialist so if you are considering using a Sandals resort, I would definitely contact Jennifer because she will be honest with you about the resorts, and she really knows her stuff. PLUS, I only had to pay for flights plus a $200 deposit upfront (which is less than the $400 deposit you pay if you go directly through Sandals). TA Jennifer is so professional and kind, I just can't say enough great things about her! I'm so excited to go on my dream Honeymoon...I wish it was here already!!

I honestly think that $850 is a GREAT price for TTD, for the quality you will get. I have booked Citalli for my wedding and TTD, and I just know the photos will turn out GREAT! Also...you'll get out of it what you put into it. If you are super-into the TTD, you are going to get better pics. After you do some shopping around (I also considered Elizabeth Medina and del Sol photography, which were my top choices but too expensive for our budget unfortunately) I think you will find that this is one of the lowest quotes you will get for a TTD - and Citali is incredibly talented. That is just my opinion though!

Quote: Originally Posted by Opice34 Welcome LadyN! Jessica - love your dress! Yes, it is right around the corner and I have so much to do! Quick question - I'm working out the bill right now and I remember during my site visit that they said our guests would receive 2 free bottles of water in their room per day. Does anyone else remember that? Now they are telling me that the water is part of the mini-bar and our guests will be charged. The water was one of the reasons we chose the Hilton because it just seemed like a nice perk for our guests! Did anyone else think they would get free water? Also - I was also under the impression that the cost for Petra (the minister) was included, and now they are telling me that there is an extra cost for her. Did anyone experience this? Jessica, did you think there was an additional charge for Petra? So frustrating! Opice, I've never heard of the whole free water thing, but then again I didn't get to see any rooms on my site visit I was also, however, under the impression that Petra is included in the package prices. I know that a long time ago when I asked via email I was told that she was. I also know that when Courtney got married a few months ago (Indypitty) that she was not charged extra for this. ARG I can not seem to figure out what to do about my ceremony music...any suggestions? I want it to be live but beyond that I have NO idea what to do (the ceremony will be on the beach)

Hello! Has anyone heard of and or used a steel drummer or a steel drum band for their ceremony or cocktail hour? I would love to look into using a steel drummer for ours, but can't find much info on this out there. Also, if you have pricing info that would help too!! Thank you!!

My guests are paying $145/night an a NON-AI resort. I'm guessing they will stay anywhere from 3-5 days. Flights to Cancun are SUPER expensive now (it didn't always used to be like that), averaging around $600 RT per person. SO, if my guests stay for 5 nights, it will be around $1925 per couple. I feel guilty now that I actually calculated that out! BUT...this is why we are only expecting 30 people..a lof of my friends right out of college, and family members too, unfortunately won't be able to afford it. But all the important ppl will be there so it is all good!

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan this isn't backlash at all. but, I did the digging & found a really nice hotel that was cheap. then i hired the TA just to do the bookings. she was cheaper than what I could get online. sometimes the price matched, but it was never higher. the best part was that guests only had to put down a deposit. for me, that was the best part of having a TA. I live in NC & we thought about having it at a beach here. but, by the time you figure in flights, rental cars, hotels, meals etc. it probably would have cost about as much per person. It definitly would have been a lot more for us. our guests kept commenting on what a great value the trip was. it was also a great value for us. the wedding (ceremony, champagne, decor, officiant, music, mic..really everything we needed for the wedding) was only $340. Then we had dinner in a hotel restaurant together. the actually wedding day was super cheap. I would not have been able to pull off something like that in the states for that price. I'd check with the people who you would not want to have your wedding without & see if the price works for them. we knew our parents & siblings could make it. others couldn't because they didn't have the vacation time or budget, but we were fine with that. we wanted a small group anyway. OMG after reading this I kind of feel like I got screwed! Our guests are paying about $145 per night, and this is not all-inclusive. I thought it was a good rate but after reading I'm not so sure anymore. And my site is way more expensive too! Its $1000 not including any flowers or decorations (that is just to use the site and officiant I think)...def does not include bubbly! Sounds like you ladies got a hell of a deal - i'm so jealous!

I agree with going Non-AI for your guests. That is what we chose to do, because this way we are not forcing our guests to spend X amount of dollars - they choose how much they will eat and drink and can budget accordingly. Plus, we have a ton of activities/meals planned that involve most of our guests, so a lot of their meals are already going to be paid for (by us). I believe that in the end, those who truly matter will be there. Besides, its your day, and its their loss if they miss out on it. You should do what is right for you and your FI. Just something to think about!

Courtney, Hey! So a few questions...(I'm PMing you these too, just in case you don't check this for a while) What did the "Mexican Trio" consist of? Did Hilton have special vendor meals so you didn't have to pay full price for them to eat? Where did you have your cocktail hour? What is the standard alter/huppah/chupa they use for the ceremony? Did you have to pay extra for this?? What did you use to line your "aisle" on the beach - anything? Sorry for all the questions but there's still so much I need to figure out! Thanks sooo much!

We got my platinum engagement ring from Jared's as well, and I really want to get my wedding band from there too since I take it in to get cleaned for free there, and I want to have my ring and band saudered together. I feel the same way - Jared's only has a few platinum bands, and none of them interested me, especially for the price! I have decided to go with a white gold band, as they have a much larger selection of those, for a *much* better price. And it matches perfectly...no one will know the difference except you. That is just MHO.

Hello! I am in desperate need of some advice. For our wedding on the beach in Cancun, I can't figure out what to do for the ceremony music. Since its on the beach, should I do recorded music (which I'm not too excited about), or live music? I would like to do live music if possible, but then there is the problem with the wind on the beach and the sound of the crashing waves drowning out the instruments. And I also have no idea what kind of instruments I would even like. What is everyone else doing who is having a wedding on the beach? I'm thinking either a guitarist, steel drums, harpist, trumpets, a trio of some sort, etc. Would these even be loud enough so our guests could hear? Not quite sure yet what I want the songs to be, but I know I want to walk down the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon in D. Does anyone have any musician suggestions in Cancun or the RM area? I've tried searching the forum and unfortunately haven't come up with much for the Cancun/RM area. Any suggestions would be *greatly* appreciated!!

Quote: Originally Posted by bridetobe22 Hi- I was just in communication with Ajua Weddings about the guitarist and she sent me this song list that he usually plays during weddings. Thought you might like to see it. Also, she said if you want a particular song not listed that he can learn it. Katy Thanks for the info! Is your wedding on the beach? I'm trying to figure out what the heck to do for my ceremony music, but since its on the beach its a little tricky trying to figure out what would sound best! What songs are you having him play for the recessional, processional, etc?

I would advise researching this forum, and then consulting a TA. There are sooo many great reviews and resources on here that you will feel like you've already seen the resorts in person after looking around on here for a while. Then if needed, consult a TA. I would send STDs 10-12 months out, then your formal invites about 3 months out. After you sign the contract with the resort (which will likely take time), start working on getting your vendors lined up (if you are allowed to have outside vendors) like florist, photographer, dj/band, etc. Just remember to be patient, as this is all such a lengthy process!

Hey ladies! Its been a while! Opice, how are you holding up? Your wedding is just around the corner, woohoo!! LadyN, did you ever find pricing? I've been searching but all I seem to have is 2008 and I bet they have upped the prices since. Let me know...I will keep searching for my stuff! So whats new? Who's doing what as far as planning goes? Just wanted to touch base and say hello!