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If anyone needs points, let me know. I just donated half of the points I had and I have another 10K left. Just remember to pass it on when it is your turn! I remember I really needed points desperately when I was starting and couldn't get them fast enough! Good luck to all of you. Enjoy every minute of it because it all goes by so fast. I can't believe it has been 1 1/2 years for me!

Ladies, I have over 20,000 pts that I don't need anymore. If anyone needs some or all of them, let me know. I have no idea how to transfer them, so you'll need to figure that out and let me know how to do it. Have fun with your wedding planning! I enjoyed it so much! Can't believe it's been almost 1 1/2 years now... Time flies! Now I have a 4-month old beautiful baby girl. Best of luck, Alex

It was through Go Iberostar Vacations. Best deal out there at the time! Kellie Davis Go Iberostar Vacations 866-464-2376 Go Iberostar Vacations | It's Time To Go Iberostar

Quote: Originally Posted by TinaM2b Great Review! If you are still checking, I have one question. How much stuff did you take with you and how did you go about getting it all through customs? My husband and I had 2 suitcases worth of "stuff", 2 suitcases with our clothes, 1 carry-on suitcase, and one garment bag. There was a lot of wrapping that took up a considerable amount of space. I also had other things (like maracas and personalized mugs) that were really bulky. Of all my trips down to Mexico (5+ times), my bags have never been inspected. I guess I have been lucky... I don't think you'll have a problem with customs unless you are bringing in something that they regulate (i.e. alcohol). The issue will be with the airlines (excess baggage weight or too many checked in pieces of luggage).

Quote: Originally Posted by DWandMJ Congratulations! Reading your venue makes me soooo excited to go! Quick questions: Did you bring the freeze dried petals down with you? If so, any trouble at customs? Yes, I used freeze dried petals (those are the only ones allowed). I didn't have any problems with customs, but my bags were not opened... so I was not questioned about them. I would suggest they are packed in a way that it is not the first thing they see if they happen to check your bag.

If anyone needs points to download any of the items I posted, let me know. I have a bunch of points that I have no need for anymore. Send me a PM.

I was just browsing through some posts and I remembered I didn't share anything about transportation in my review. Most of my guests used the shuttle service that is offered my the company that services the Moon Palace. It is $23/person (round trip). (Palace Resorts). No one had any problems finding the shuttle or with timing. The resort has a special cab rate from the Moon Palace to the airport of $20 (up to 4 people). The catch is that the special rate only applies from the resort to the airport. The rate from the airport to the Moon Palace can range anywhere from $40-60. That is ridiculously expensive considering the trip from the airport to the resort is about 10 minutes. You can also arrange for a private van through the groups coordinator. The van can seat up to 10 people and it will only cost $53 each way. If this is of interest, please contact Gabriel Silva Alvarez ( [email protected] ). He can make those arrangements for you.

Quote: Originally Posted by Shires My wedding date is getting closer and I'm trying to decide if it would look foolish to use the carriage when there are no wedding guests. I'm using the resort photographer and videographer (my parents have made me promise!) and an add on package with pictures and video includes the carriage ride. Any opinions? This is your day to be a princess. Every princess needs a carriage. You'll see the beautiful pictures later of you arriving in the carriage and you will be so happy you did it!!

I would love to share my boarding pass invitation, but I don't have it on this computer. I will have to look for it in my computer at home. In the meantime, these are some sites that may help you with this project. Everyone absolutely loved the invites!! They are so original and cute. My one recommendation is to invest in all the necessary tools (unless you are only making 5-10) because having the right tools available made a huge difference (i.e. corner cutter, paper cutter, perforator, thick paper, etc.). http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t9694 DIY: Boarding Pass Invitation / Save The Date review at Kaboodle Aylee bits Project 2: Boarding pass invitations Aylee bits DIY: Boarding Pass Invitation / Save The Date I bought white heavy stock paper from Office Depot (110 lbs). The heavier, the better. I also bought turquoise and fuschia envelopes (for the outer envelope and the reply card envelope). I alternated the colors, so if the reply envelope was turquoise, then the outer envelope would be fuschia. I wanted lots of color! I found the envelopes in a specialty paper store. Make sure you perforate your boarding pass the correct size to fit the reply card in the reply envelope. This will all make a lot more sense when you begin your project. I had 3 sheets. The first one had the actual invite, the second had additional information (i.e. group reservation link, wedding attire, wedding web site link, etc.) and the last sheet was the actual reply card. They are supposed to tear the reply card along the perforations (which would leave just the center piece to put inside the envelope). Good luck! If you need any help send me a PM. A direct email is the best way to reach me. When I find my boarding pass, I will post it.

Quote: Originally Posted by Sapphire723 Was the Iberostar Grand better than Moon Palace? Would you have rather have had your wedding there? If so, was it price that was the main factor? The Iberostar was one of the resorts we looked at as well for the wedding, but not the Grand side. It was the Maya side (I think). Although I did see one wedding at the Grand side when we were there for our honeymoon, it was a very, very small group. I do not know the cost of a wedding on the Grand side, but I would assume it is very expensive (since the Grand is pricey) and I am not sure exactly where on the Grand they would be able to have a reception for you. They probably do not have a private reception area like the Moon. It might be at one of their restaurants. We ended up not going with the Iberostar Maya (or one of other divisions of the Iberostar there) because the reception options were not that great. You either had to have your reception at one of the restaurants or in this tiny, dark room far from the beach. Also the ceremony locations were very public in my opinion. They didn't have the gazebos like the Moon. If you want a beach wedding, there is a very distinct possibility that there could still be beach goers in the area when you are getting married. It is not secluded at all. The other ceremony site options are not very private. For as many weddings the Moon holds, I have to say that I only ran into 1 other wedding (and that was when my carriage went my another bride's carriage). It did help that I was there during low season (for the hotel and for weddings). I would highly recommend looking into low season times for this reason alone. Just as an FYI, there are 5 levels (I think) at the Iberostar at Playa Paraiso. The Grand is the highest level there and it is adults only.

Quote: Originally Posted by evtalbot Thanks so much for the great review! It sounds like you had an amazing wedding and you looked so pretty! My wedding date is 11-12-09 so it is right around the same time next yr. I really appreciated your honest opinion about the photographers at the resort. That is one of the things I am most nervous about! I have a couple questions: -Which wedding package did you choose? (or did you add everything a la carte) -How was your minister? Could you understand him? -During the time you were there, was the weather overall sunny or lots of rain? Congrats on your marriage, I bet you wish you were still there! Evelyn I went with the package that costs $1200 (I think it is the deluxe). The photographer was supposed to be with us for 3 hours, but I felt that he was there much longer than 3 hours. We didn't have a problem understanding the minister. He happen to do the whole ceremony in both English and Spanish at my request since I had family there that did not speak English (only Spanish). It turned out beautiful. I would highly recommend doing a sand ceremony. Everyone that it was very nice. I bought the heart shaped vase that you can get on all the wedding sites and bought pink and blue sand (and had Mexican sand be the base). Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast a couple of days we were there. Not enough to keep people away from the pool. We had mostly sunny days. It got kind of chilly in the evenings though, so I would suggest women have a shawl or light sweater if they get cold.

Quote: Originally Posted by SunnyBride Thank you so much for posting all this info and getting back to our questions! It's really helpful. I'm also getting married at the Tucan gazebo, and plan to use their CD player instead of live music. The walkway is really long, which will be nice, but I'm wondering if you can even hear the music from the end of the walkway? I'm assuming that the CD player is up in the gazebo, so I know the guests should all be able to hear the music fine, but I'd like to also hear it when we're 'walking down the aisle'. Did you have any trouble with that? I think for the actual ceremony, the CD is the only option. I had to pick 5 songs and burn them on a CD. I changed the order a bit from what they recommended. My songs coincided with the following 5 activities: 1) processional (bridesmaids/groomsmen), 2) bridal entrance, 3) sand ceremony, 4) cutting of the cake, 5) recessional. Since we were in Mexico, I really wanted mariachis... so I had them come in at the beginning of my reception (not during the cocktail hour). As far as hearing the music, you are on the aisle/walkway for such a short amount of time (even shorter in the other gazebos) and there is so much going through your mind that I am not sure how loud the music was. I vaguely remembering hearing something, but I can't really say how loud it was. I really don't think it is a big deal because everything happens so fast... Inside the gazebo, the volume was not an issue.

Quote: Originally Posted by nibsmom I've been wondering how many people the horse and carriage carries too...my parents aren't coming so I was thinking of walking down the aisle with all 4 of my ladies! Or maybe I'll just do FH and I...I dunno. I've heard the mosquitos are bad, no matter what time of year it is...although I would imagine the hotter it is, the worse they get. That seems to be a general rule for mosquitos I think...but I might be wrong. I was planning on putting insect repellent in my OOT bags. I remember when I went to a wedding in Jamaica, FH and I were the only two who brought it and ended up sharing with everyone. I have no idea about wind though...that would be good to know! I don't remember the mosquitoes were pretty bad 3 weeks ago despite us having temperatures of about 80-85 F. I can't remember them being such an issue back in May during my site visit, but I don't think I spend too much time out after the sun set. They are not an issue during daylight. That is why I told me guests during the reception that the reception was originally scheduled outdoors, they were relieved they were not outside. As far as the horse and carriage, it only will transport the bride and one additional person. I tried to convince them to allow be to ride with my mom and dad, but that didn't work. The way it worked out for me was that Nancy (WC) came to my room about 20 minutes before the ceremony. The horse and carriage was waiting for me outside my room. My father and myself got on the carriage and Nancy drive my bridemaids to the gazebo in a golf cart. The groom and groomsmen were already at gazebo with the rest of the guests. Once the bridesmaid got to the gazebo, Nancy lined up the bridesmaids and grooms men down the walk way. When I arrived with my dad, the processional started. I was basically standing behind the bridesmaids and groomsmen. When they got to the gazebo, they played the bridal entrance song and my dad and I walked in. That is why the Tucan gazebo is so great. The walkway is really long which makes everyone's entrance so much more dramatic. The photographer will also have a long walkway to work with. And as far as wind. It is always very windy around the Riviera Maya. My veil was flying all over the place in some instances, so I had to tuck a piece of it in my dress during some pictures.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mrs D To Be! ooh waw i love your dress - its gorgeous! Can I be really nosey and ask a wee question?! You say you rented furniture from Deco Cancun - what price range are we talking to hire from them? I've had a look on their website, and had a look at the attachment you included, as well as someone else, and I do like their set up - like the hanging lanterns and the beanbag like seating arrangements...but we aren't really willing to pay a fortune for it to get done...do you know what their prices start at? Thank yoooou! Well, the living room sets are about $150 each (depending on the number of pieces). Each "living room" should seat between 8-10 people. The large lantern structures are about $180, but there are smaller ones as well. They might also charge you a set up fee anywhere from $80-150. Just remember to negotiate with them!! Give them a budget and tell them what you want and they will meet you half way... I felt that I got a very good deal and since this is low season AND the economy has gone to hell, they really wanted to do business with me.

Here are a few pictures from the Moon photographer and some that my friends took of the maracas, starfish, and mugs... Pictures.ppt