pamcakes

Quote: Originally Posted by pepper55 Thanks for the post, and congrats on your wedding! Agree with the sentiments about Nancy, although I have to say she actually answered 2 emails of mine within 24 hours!! Knock on wood I get real "answers" soon - but maybe she's getting better... Can't wait to book my site visit so I'll feel better. Looking forward to seeing your pics! Ha, yes once replied to me quickly when our payment was due! I hope she is getting better. The only reason she didn't get an F is because she okayed our photographer. Anyhoo, I posted the link in the Mexico forum but just didn't include a review. Lynn Michelle Photography - A+++++ Lynn is a local Dallas photographer and a friend. She never ceases to amaze me with her attention to detail and her own unique twist on photography. Her work is pure art. She didn't miss a moment at our wedding and I can honestly say that I cried when I looked at our pictures. She also got them back to us within 2 weeks! Pam & Neil She put some highlights on her blog in several seperate posts: lynnmichelleblog.com

Quote: Originally Posted by Jenn3878 Congrats!! You looked beautiful!! Where did you find your BM dresses? They are beautiful!! LOVED your pictures!! You'll probably laugh (because I did) but I actually found them at a store called "Dress Barn" in Southlake (they are all over Texas). I looked everywhere, from Banana to Macy's but ended up loving those ones and they only cost $40! (My mom made the sashes)

Quote: Originally Posted by KLC77 Gorgeous pictures! Are those your aqua flip flops with the jewels on them? I love them. Where did you get them? Off to read your review... Thanks! They are actually dyeable shoes, from shoebuy.com. I brought in a swatch from my sash and they matched it. The shoes are by Colorful Creations "Tami".

You can see my review here. I love love love my wedding pictures. Lynn Michelle Photography did an amazing job. Everytime I look at these I relive our wedding. She really captured everything! Pam & Neil She just posted about 4 posts on her blog if you want to see the highlights: lynnmichelleblog.com ***Please do not take, save, redistribute these photos, they are for viewing purposes only***

We were married on Sunday, August 17, 2008 at noon. The wedding was beautiful, the resort is amazing, and we were so happy to have our wedding at Azul. The resort itself has been reviewed in much detail on tripadvisor so I will focus on the wedding related aspects of our trip. Resort - (A) The resort only has 94 rooms and they are split up into small buildings with only 2 levels. The resort never felt full or crowded and it was so nice to be able to see our 25 guests without going far. Our guests were very impressed with the resort and our wedding. The major negative of the resort is that while the food is fabulous (sushi, lobster, tenderloin galore) is often took over 2 hours for a simple meal. The smaller restaurants were better but the main restaurant (Blue) has the worst service. One evening several of us did not even get the food we ordered and after waiting hours they told us the kitchen was closed, very frustrating. On-line wedding coordinator - Nancy: (D) Nancy tooks weeks to respond to our e-mails. If we needed an answer quickly, we had to call her directly and it was still quite difficult to receive a complete answer. Once we arrived we realized how bad Nancy was. We found that she gave us quite a bit of inaccurante information (like that we had no control over our civil ceremony vows) or had completely failed to give us information (like that we could buy 3 bottles of wine to reserve a private event). She was pretty much useless. On-site wedding coordinator - Carolina: (A) Carolina was great, she was truly excited about our wedding and very helpful. We had a meeting the next morning after our arrival and she went over every single detail with much attention. She really wanted everything to be perfect. My only complaint would be that she never instructed me where to walk and I ended up going the wrong way. She also was snippy with me after the ceremony because we were still taking pictures 30 minutes after lunch was to be served. However, the judge was late and she also never instructed my guests that they could be seated so they remaind at the bar. Had she instructed them where to go, they could have started dinner without us. Flowers - Provided by resort: ( While the flowers were beautiful they were not as described and were missing one of the flowers listed. They also started drooping right after the ceremony Cake - Very pretty, moist, no complaints. We originally did not think we would be having a private reception. They are very expensive and we opted to help pay for our guests' vacation rather then a reception. However, Carolina gave us the option to buy 3 bottles of wine (about $170) so that we could have our reception in the Wave Lounge. This was a perfect option for us and I'm so glad we were able to do that as it made our wedding feel very special. I wish Nancy would have informed us of this option - I would have brought some sort of centerpiece for the tables had I known. They did do a lovely sea blue table runner with matching bows on chairs that made a huge difference. Salon - (D-) The "salon" at Azul is just a small hotel room. I needed to have the polish on my manicure changed. I wanted a french. The woman who did my nails was horrible. I'm not a picky person but I had to ask her to re-do 3 nails because they were that bad. The only reason she's not getting an F is because I couldn't have done better. One of my close friends is a photographer so she did our wedding photographs. The hotel did not charge us the $500 vendor fee that has been mentioned on this site. I contacted Nancy when all the drama was occuring and she cleared us. When we got to the hotel Carolina asked if we would be purchasing a photo package and we explained that our friend and wedding guest was taking photos. They never pushed the issue and it was not a problem. Notes about the civil ceremony - Nancy sent me an outline of what was supposedly the civil ceremony and told me that there were no other options. We were informed by Carolina that they cannot guarantee who shows up to perform your civil ceremony. They often do receive the same female judge (we got her) who speaks English. 5 minutes (maybe less) before the ceremony she arrives (or she's late). At that time the groom can see the ceremony and can choose what you say (option 1 was to just say I will, option 2 was to repeat vows) OR you can choose to say your own vows. I honestly can't remember everything she said but I do remember that it was lovely. I was SO nervous about not having any clue what I would be saying (Neil quietly mouthed "repeating" to me) but in the end it turned out okay. I'll post pictures when we get them. ~Pam

Thank you for the review, it was very helpful. I'm getting married at Azul on August 17, 2008. I was wondering about the ribbons on your chairs and the fabric on the "arch". Did you provide that or did the hotel? I didn't see it as an option and was also curious about the cost. Any insight you could provide would be great. Thanks in advance!

We had the choice of having a really awesome paid reception or paying for people's flights/rooms to our wedding - I'm pretty sure they appreciate us paying for all or part of their trip more!

This Modern Trousseau dress is my fav, $3250, ouch. Sorry, no PIP the website wouldn't let me take the pic but be sure to clcik on the gallery to see the back of the dress, love it! The White Dress By The Shore

Here's the answer for anyone else who orders from HOB: I don't know why but the 630# is useless. Call the 1-800 listed on the site and wait for a CS rep. They'll check the status of your order. Then hope you get a person who actually wants to help you. After a few calls I got the right person. Unfortunately my dress will either arrive or ship from their location on June 6 (she wasn't sure which), about 1 week after they claim but I should have just enough time to get it to my seamstress so she can find fabric to match the lace.

I ordered an immediate delivery dress from their site last week. I got an e-mail within 24 hours saying my order had been processed but did not have a shipping time. They give a 630 phone # to check the status of an order but everytime I call it goes to their "e-commerce department" and tells me to call the 630 # that I just called if I want to check the status of an order. Getting through to a CS agent seems impossible. Anyone had a similar experience? I'm getting worried since I need the top that I ordered so my seamstress can see the fabric and make a skirt for it.

Quote: Originally Posted by KirstenRN6 I actually contacted the photographer of this couple via email and the actual bride wrote me back stating that it is indeed a Monique Lhullier dress! I didn't expect such a direct response........how funny is that?? Anyway, this officially answers your question!! I love the dress too, but I think Monique Lhullier is a little (or maybe a lot) above my budget! Good luck! WOW, you are persistant! Thanks so much for finding out! I'd love to see a pic of it on ML's website but no luck, must be an older year. ML is definitely out of my budget. Good thing I found a dress designer whose going to put her own spin on it, should be more unique for me and less expensive, woohoooo.

Quote: Originally Posted by JHarwood2Be Has anyone confirmed this with their wedding coordinator yet? I checked yesterday and they hadn't changed it yet on the website. Thanks! I just checked after I posted and they have changed it! "Outside photographers and videographers are not allowed on property unless pre-approved by the hotel in advance. The hotels reserve the right to deny access to the property to any unauthorized photographer or videographer. Please contact your wedding coordinator for more information on approved vendors. Outside photographers and videographers approved by the hotel will incur a $500 photo fee per day. El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels and Azul Hotels, by Karisma abide by all Mexican governing laws which require foreign workers to obtain proper licensing and work certificates while in Mexico doing work for themselves or on behalf of others . We reserve the right to request proof of such license and/or work certificate." So really, they are still charging the $500 fee but no longer requiring the 3-night stay. Tammy - I thought they were going back to their original policy that if they are staying 3 nights there is $0 Fee? Maybe I misunderstood.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jacqueline That is such a pretty dress. Did you guys ever find out who it was by? Unfortunately, No. I did find some very similar ones from each of the designers suggested (thanks ladies). I'm ordering a lace top from Watters (6042B) and then having a local dress designer create the skirt and sash for me.

I'm getting married at Azul but since it's a Karisma Resort I bet these are very similar, this is what my wedding cord gave me: Ladies and gentlemen, according to the laws of this country we are gathered here to celebrate the civil marriage of: …………….. Seeing it is a very important act, I would kindly ask everybody to remain in silence. As witnesses of this important act, there are present here: ……….. Who will sign the marriage document. A great Mexican philosopher of the 19th century, Mr. Melchor Ocampo wrote in his legendary letter the following words: “Marriage†it says, is the only legal and moral way to found a family, to preserve mankind and avoid imperfections of the human being, who are only able to obtain the perfection of the human race through matrimony in a conjugal duality. Men and woman have the same rights, but it is important to observe their respective obligations. Both of you should have respect, fidelity, trust and assistance to one another and also tenderness and love much love. Do not fight with one another, use your heads and your hearts to correct something wrong. Both of you should be aware of the great responsibility of being parents, because you should provide your children with attention, good example to follow during the rest of their lives. Now I ask to your witnesses. Are ……………. and ……………. persons you know well? Are there any objections for them to be joined in legal marriage? (Now hold your hands, looking each other) …………… do you accept …………….. as your beloved and wedded wife, to love and honor her, stand by her side, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live? (now place her the ring) ………….. do you accept ………….. as your beloved and wedded husband, to love and honor him, stand by his side, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live? (now place him the ring) In the name of the law and the society and with the authority of Playa del Carmen, Municipality of Solidaridad, Quintana Roo Mexico, I pronounce you husband and wife “you may kiss the bride†Now I will give you this document and hope it will remain sealed forever as well as your compromise to find together always the eternal happiness that by love you have the right too. Always together psychically and spiritually joined.

We're getting married at Azul August 17th of this year. I'm looking forward to hear about everyone's experiences, I'll be sure to share ours once we get back!