yamille

Good for you! They are so pretty. I am so impressed by all the DIY stuff.

I love that you posted this becuase just yetserday I put on a bra that was basically ruined and I think it's becuase my darling FI did not seperate it from the laundry when he dropped it off at the cleaners. Clearly they dried it and the wire hook was all warped. Usually i do like most and wash in cold and hang to dry. Christa - I am impressed! I hate hand washing stuff. I feel like it never really gets clean. But I think it's cause I'm a little lazy.

I just received an email from Elisa informing me that she will no longer be with the Paradisus! Her replacement is a man I believe by the name of Orfanel. She assured me in her email that Perla has been given very thorough details on all our weddings. I am super bummed. I'm sure verything will go well but I guess I felt "safe" knowing that we sat with her specifically for 3 hours going through things. Plus I thought she had a great demeanor and energy.

Hello there, I stayed at the Avalon Reef club for only 2 nights and did not take any pics of the place- sorry. My thoughts are as follows... Cons: -It seemed a little run down and there was a stinky smell in the main lobby- so bad that the elevators and surrounded areas smelled of major air freshner. - Although ther is an AI option we did not do that we wanted to explore Isla mujeres which is lovely. We did have breakfast one day but I really don't enjoy buffets that much and can say the food did not look too appetizing. - While it is on north beach which is gorgeous there is very little of it left on Avalon reef itself. We walked across the bridge and enjoyed the beach from that side- there are also chair rentals and bars etc. - The room was basic and small. Nothing special- that could be a pro or con. Pros: - very affordable - friendly staff - clean room - great parking if you rent a golf cart (which is how many get around the island) Sorry I didn't take any pics. PM if you have any more questions.

Paradisus Riviera Cancun also does Private reception/dinner. If you go to their website there are packages that you could look at in the "romance" section. The WC's there are good about getting back responding. Also- I second what can't wait said and suggest you call if it's a rush because even when it's fast in Mexico you could still wait 2 or 3 days. good luck!

blue! fun, cute and stylish!

Here's a screenshot of my STD magnet. Those are our feet in the sand the day after he proposed in the Bahamas. I'm excited and I wanted to share. The website isn't done yet. I need to finish that this week. http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...avethedate.jpg My image URL isn't working so that it appears in my post. But it directs you with the link. I'm not super tech savvy...

Riviera- We sampled the green salad that has goat cheese, cucumbers, spinach/romaine mix and a tangy vinagrette dressing as well as the tres leches cake. As far as entrees we tried the Baked fish (comes with veg/roasted potato) and the pork medallions in an orange sauce which I was sacred of but Fi really wanted it- and it was good! And a beef dish that was not the rib eye but the other which I can't remember the name of. It was on the less expensive menu. I think the rib eye is $90pp I don't have my notes in front of me but i think our per head on the dinner is approx $80. This is including the 10% tax and 15% gratuity. I haven't gotten the itemized estimate yet she said she would email me one. I also can't remember exactly what we are having for cocktail hour but we chose mainly from the Mexican menu except i swapped out some cheese thing for crudites and dip. I want to say it's $20 pp. I think you will be happy with the Paradisus. I was thinking that FI would hate it and that I would have to start over again and we were both relieved. Have a blast!

Hi ladies, I wrote my paradisus review on a seperate thread in accomodations RM. It's kind of long. We chose a great resort! My mind is finally at ease....

Hey Ladies I am back from my Paradisus site visit and I am thrilled! Everything was better than I had hoped for. We are officially booked and sat with wonderful Elisa for hours deciding on things which is kind of weird because my wedding is next May but at the same time I am really happy to have several things out of the way since I am so busy with school and internship. So here are my thoughts... It's a short 25 minute ride from the airport. We were in a shuttle and were the 2nd couple dropped of which I loved because I was so excited to arrive. Upon arrival we were greeted by incredibly friendly staff with cool towels and check in was a breeze. Overall the staff EVERYWHERE in the resort was on point. The bellboy carted us over to our room which was on the edge of the property and VERY quiet. When he checked us in he made sure to check that eveything worked and looked good which it did and even called and told the front desk that we were missing a beer. Ten minutes later we had someone who brought us a few and apologized profusely. We wouldn't have even noticed but it was a nice touch. The staff seemed genuinly happy to help (which is refreshing coming from NYC the land of eye rolling). The grounds are very well maintained and there are people pruning and cleaning at every turn. The main pool is huge and clean. There was always generally a quiet spot even though there were a fair amount of kids. Although it was mostly some really loud texans that were making the most noise. I think they were there as a group and I wondered if it was a wedding. They were having a good time. We did not stay in royal service but when I went to the gym I saw that it was very very quiet and well maintained with mostly bali beds set up. The gym is small but adequate. It has 3 treadmills, 6 precor step machines, 4 bicycles- 2 are recumbent and some nautilus machines and free weights. Everything you need really. They have tv's in there as well. I was really impressed by the food which was a huge relief. I am not a buffet person. I just don't like them so I was nervous but we ate there twice and thought it was well above average. I have had some bad AI experiences. I try to keep it healthy when I can and I appreciate that on all their menus the paradisus has a "natural" symbol. These are the foods that are grilled, poached, lite sauce etc. This will go over well with my guests as well I think. My FI thought the food was phenomenal! We ate at Sumire- the japanese restuarant and loved it. I was skeptical of japanese in mexico but it was my favorite actually. The grilled mahi mahi was awesome. Really romantic with the tables outside by the pond and the moon and candle light. It was warm but you still get a nice ocean breeze. We also ate at the mexican restaurant- tequila grill which had some bad reviews on here- i think but I actually really liked it. FI had the stuffed poblano and could not stop talking about it. I can't remember what I ate (!) but can tell you that I ate it all. There were some tequila shots involved. The snack bar was great for lunch because it's on the terrace which has a beautiful view of the beach. The food is very easy and american friendly- it's quesadillas, guac, ceviche(yum), salad, burger, chicken fingers and stuff like that. The beach is great. I love it because it is not crowded at all. There was hardly anyone ever there! Many, Many palapas and as far as the seaweed- it wasn't too bad. They do rake it before weddings. The only annoying thing was that the beach bar closed at 4 i think. We got 2 drinks and then when FI went back for a second round the guy said that he was closed. That was disappointing especially because FI gave him $5 for the last round. He couldn't rememeber if it was the same guy or not. If that's the worst I'm ok with it. The drinks in general were good. I didn't wait too long at most of the bars and tipping doesn't hurt. I have bartended and that's just how it works. (excep that beach bar guy) The white wine was surprisingly good too! As far as activities- our schedule was limited becuase we went to isla mujeres for a few days so we were only there 2 nights but there were paddleboats and stuff. The water looked a little rough to me for that though. We did play volleyball and there was a bingo game at the pool that we did not partake in. The activity team seemed chill though. WIth some past experiences I feel like they are trying to pull you out of your lounge chair to play and I hate that. We spied two smaller weddings while we were there. One was 8 people and the other 15. We are planning for 50 so it will be a bit different but both receptions were held on the terrace which was nice to see. Our concern was for the heat and it's hot but really not a problem. I sweat alot and there was enough of an ocean breeze that it was not a problem. As far as the WC- Elisa and Perla they are wonderful. It seems like they are genuinely proud of their work and while we were talking there were several interruptions but she was a great multitasker handling any hiccup for that eves wedding in stride. I even overheard her giving the florist a hard time for bringing her lilies that hadn't bloomed enough. She inspected everything it seemed before it went on the tables and did it like a pro. They were communicating throughout our time with walkie talkies. They can basically do anything that you want for a price and once we saw the place and the service we realized that you really do get what you pay for. I felt fine about the room rates and whicle certain wedding amenities were high.... we are going for what we want. We arranged a tasting for the next day of the entrees we were debating and salad and it was delicious! Elisa sat with us taking notes and asking if we wanted to change anything which was great. Fi thought the veggies on some were too salty and she agreed. She was tasting with us and taking notes for the chef as well. She apologized for the meat being overcooked. We also sampled the tres leches cake which was yums. That will be our wedding cake. *nobody approached us about a timeshare (i don't even know if they have that - but I hate it from past experiences) *We weren't hounded by the tour people This was way too long. I sort of feel like I may have been babbling but these are my immediate thoughts on this place since I just got home last night. I hope that it helps all you soon to be PRC brides! I have to figure out how to do pics and I will upload a few.. I took video and only a few pics but I will post what I have seperately.

There is someone on here who raved about Ajua weddings. She was really happy. I had some contact with them but we decided to do an AI. She was very responsive though and thorough and we even had a phone chat after emails. Try searching " non resort wedding" or something like that and you may find this members post. She raved.

That sounds like a great plan. Welcome to the forum. You will find lots of answers here!

yay love! Congrats!

They are lovely. Your soon to be husband will love them I'm sure!

LeShay- I know I already said it but Congrats! You and your new hubby look great and you did an amazing job planning. It all paid off. I am thrilled that the Paradisus has lived up to the expectation. I'm sure your guests had a wonderful time. Nice job!

I will echo what all these others already said- they look amazing. Good for you! I am planning on doing these as well but I haven't started yet. i just finished my STD. Did you only mail the MIB to people that had not declined, Or everybody?

Leshay- Wow rteally great stuff. I love the idea of having a little awards night for your guests. That's really fun. I'm sure people enjoyed it.

So it' sofficial I booked my date with Paradisus. I am so thrilled. May 23rd 2009. We are heading down there next week but FI and I just decided that we needed to secure the date becuase we both got paranoid about losing that weekend and figured that we were really just leaning towards no other resort. I spoke with Perla today and will be staying there as well next week. Yay. Just thought I would share. Choosing a destination has seriously been grueling for us! Well me mainly because FI doesn't do much research. I on the other hand am crazy reading EVRYONE'S reviews etc. So now onto the fun stuff! STD'S

I agree with Brittbrown that there are a few ways to make the intimate/smaller group reception still fun and a party. The one long table idea is wonderful as well as either a trio or guitarist or something like that as opposed to a DJ. Also you could program your ipod for certain music that you know would suit everyones taste. Maybe a section with billie holiday or whatever your grandparents are into and then a 70'd disco section for your parents... I guess I am thinking that may encourage evryone to have a little dance and reminisce about their own wedding day. Whenever Donna Summer comes on my mom always reminds me that when she firts met my dad that was the first concert they went to. Honestly, I would love to have a small wedding but I couldn't because my friends are a really integral part of our lives. Also, I am not sure that we are doing an AHR like most. So as of now it will probably be around40ppl. Good luck!

Congrats! You look gorgeous. Looking forward to the rest of the review.

off topic for a sec but LC Rachel- your hair looks awesome! ** back to the book.. I think that while the author did develop the characters well they were never actually fully developed which leaves a lot of room for the reader to create an inner life about who they are reading. Does that make sense? I knew that the book was coming to an end but I felt unsatisfied with the ending. I tried asking myself what ending I really would have enjoyed and I couldn't figure it out. Did anyone else feel this way?

Excellent detailed review. I think all future Grand Princess brides will be pleased with your detailed review. You looked gorgeous and it seems like despite the hurdles you had a blast. Congrats and best wishes!

Riviera- Thanks! I have really done no research on the music. This actually makes me feel better. Futuremrsjones- I agree that you get what you pay for. This is the reason that we have narrowed it down to well basically the paradisus. We haven't put our deposit down because FI really wants to see it so that will happen next week I guess. All the research that I did on the other resorts left me wanting something "else". The paradisus is able to give me everything that I want. Yes it's more expensive but it's definately worth it. In the end- you pay for quality. Did you go visit before or will this be your first trip? I have had email correspondence with Elisa but I hear that Perla is amazing. I am guessing that they work as a team? Wow that'sreally cool that you will be there for Michelle's wedding. It's amazing that I feel connected to you ladies and want to the best for you all just from this forum. What a nice surprise!

I completely agree with Becks about David not really truly LOVING Norah. I mean I think that he was really more obsessed with her. There was surely love there but not mutual respect and deep love. I also think that this has something to do with the fact that he was able to keep such an important thing a secret from her. I know that he wanted to protect her but I think that keeping Phoebe a secret was crazy.

Wow that is pretty immature behavior. I suspect that she is really hurting about something in her life. Maybe it's that you are getting married and are younger than her, or her loser boyfriend, or that she is having financial problems. Or any other thing that life may throw your way. The bottom line is that no matter what as a friend she should be supporting you- especially in this happy time in your life. I'm so sorry that you are going through this. It must be really painful to lose your best friend for no real reason. You were generous to offer to pay for her and I am glad that this happened before it was too late and she ruined your wedding day. Sending you happy vibes....