jhawkev

Quote: Originally Posted by Aneliese26 Your photos are gorgeous!! You looked like you had an amazing day!! Do you mind if I ask which photo package you went with? Thanks, xxx We went with the 5 hr. package from Claudia off of the Lomas website. I originally was going through Claudia, but at the last minute we had to go through the resort, because they were going to charge us the extra $500 even though they are approved for the resort. I would almost do a longer package though. Quote: Originally Posted by lolo Erika... Your pics are beautiful and you looked amazing!! I absolutley love your earrings! If you don't mind sharing, where did you find those? I am looking for that style. Congratulations!! Thanks! I looked everywhere for earrings!! I found these on Evesaddiction.com they had some great options, I wanted something vintage looking without spending a ton of money and gladly they weren't airlooms because they were stolen after our wedding at the Resort Quote: Originally Posted by Meesh Erika, Your pictures were beautiful. They did some really cool things with lighting. You guys looked like you had a great time! Where did you have your reception at? Thanks for sharing! I was there when they were doing construction on all the outdoor areas, so our reception was moved to Zocolo terrace. Quote: Originally Posted by 27 desses Thanks for sharing your pics Erica. That dress looked amazing on you! Did they have entertainment at all at the resort? If so what kind did they have and was it nightly? We never really went to the nightly entertainment, so I'm not quite sure. But I believe they had something at the Garden Terrace. And they usually had entertainment in the Mojito lounge.

We FINALLY received the link for our online slideshow to our pro pics, we used Erick from Claudia photo. Here's the link if anyone wants to check them out: http://claudiaphoto.com/slideshows/e...l/erika_jason/ And good luck Shannon, hope you have a great day!

Can't wait to hear about it and see your pics!

Congrats to the three brides that have just returned! I'm glad your experiences were so great. So I haven't been on much this week getting back into the crazy swing of things again. And realizing about Swine Flu, which I honestly didn't hear about the whole time we were down there. But also, after my last post, I started unpacking. We were in Mexico for two weeks and my parents were with us at the Sensatori for a week, so we sent some of our things home with them. And come to find out, my wedding jewelry was stolen, at the resort. I had given my mom the boxes to take back and they were empty, apparently. I have been trying to get a hold of someone from the resort, all of my emails have been ignored or unaswered. Does anyone have any good contact info?? I realize that theft happens at all resorts, but I am just really upset because of what it was that was taken and the sentimental value more than the actual value. We also had some guests that had money stolen from their room and the resort pretty much said too bad. So just make sure you keep anything of importance in your safe at all times, I made the mistake of not keeping it in there constantly, but that is no excuse for it to be stolen.

Quote: Originally Posted by moore.vj1 Hey Erika, Did you feel the Smore's Party was worth it? I know you mentioned that the tiki torches were blowing out...Did your guests enjoy themselves? Also, did you feel the Zocalo Terrace was well lit? Valerie Valerie SO sorry I'm just now posting. The S'mores bonfire was a blast, I highly recommend it. It was alot of fun. Quote: Originally Posted by jennik13 hi brides, just wanted to let you know that we canceled our azul sensatori wedding. i wanted to thank you for all your answers and support these past months and wish you the best of luck planning your wedding. we are keeping the same date and planning something in the keys - i will for sure post all my pictures after. point of advice...DO NOT STRESS OVER THE SMALL STUFF! if you start to stress, just think of all us brides that needed to cancel and smile. jenni Quote: Originally Posted by yoAzul Hi Jenny Im sorry We too are canceling our Azul Beach wedding next week. Is Karisma refunding you any of the money? They told us we can only rebook the rooms but no refunds. I feel bad for all our guests... Quote: Originally Posted by milejilo it's been so amazingly stressful for all of us... yael and jenni, i'm so sad you had to make that very difficult decision but whatever you do for your plan b just remember the reason why you are getting married, the love you and your fiance have for each other can never be taken from you, not even by the darn swine flu. the resort told us the same thing... no refunds, just re-booking. so we decided to re-schedule our wedding to December 4th..... thankfully our photographer and DJ had those dates available.... I am so sorry for you brides that have to cancel! My heart goes out to you.

Quote: Originally Posted by jennik13 i was told yesterday that my reception has been moved to the new plaza. attached is the picture that fabio sent me. i have 100 guests (14 tables and we need room for 100 people to dance). kinda freaking. erika - can you imagine a party of 100 in this area? i hope they move the gazebo. who changes a reception location with 3 weeks to go!? Hey Jenni, I would ask him to send pictures of the area as a whole, it's so hard to tell from this picture. I think you would be okay if the tables were all along the perimeter and the dance floor was in the center. Or maybe if you split it in half for tables and half for dance floor. Or after dinner moved some of the tables. I was told that the tables sat 8 guests per table for the free standing receptions. Make sure you do a seating chart before you get there, because our seating was a disaster. I'm just guessing, but I bet they leave the Gazebo standing so this spot can double for ceremony and reception site...the only problem with this new location is it is literally right next to some of the hotel rooms. With the old location, it was right in the middle and there were pools close by, but not any rooms, and it was elevated. As you can see from some of my pictures, there were people camped outside their rooms watching for the ceremony. Which didn't bother me, I just hope they aren't in any professional pictures! Everyone cheered and was really nice afterwards. During our ceremony there was a naked child pressing her privates against the glass of the room balcony through the whole thing. And all of our guests just laughed, we had no idea it was going on. Then later, I was walking back to our room quickly and she was dressed this time yelling down to me "HI Bride!".

Okay, Here are some photos I just uploaded from one of my bridesmaids. There are lots of random ones from the Reception. But in the background you can see the tables and chairs they have for Zocolo (they are wicker and square shaped/the tables are square), it's the ones they use for in the restaurant. You can see that some people were actually seated in the booths and some are freestanding. Also, you can see the area for dancing. And there's a separate bar area, which is nice, but it's shared with other guests, not private. You can also see they have wind guards they pull down, but our tealights and candles did not stay lit whatsoever. When you walk into the terrace area from outside: to your right is the bar, and to the left is where they will set up/move tables and chairs. The ones not being used are kind of shoved to the side in the back area where you can have your dance area and Ipod/DJ. If people are at the bar area, you can't hear any announcements or music very well. And in the photos from the ceremony, you can see on the side that the groom is standing the stone now extends out past the Gazebo covering. That is what they were working on before our wedding, then after, they were starting on the bridesmaid side (which I don't think you can see the difference in these photos). The only thing I can think of is this is maybe going to be the alternate location for receptions?? But it is definitely smaller than the original Plaza deck and I'm not sure if the Gazebo will stay there?? In the map that Tracy posted, they were not doing anything to the circled area when I was there last week. In the pictures of us at the beginning, that is the Plaza deck, they added the wall, and those huge columns. After my wedding they started to add benches and a huge roof on the top. I have some other pics I have to find that I took before we left the Resort. I also added some pics from the bonfire we had on Friday night, they did a really nice set up with chairs, bean bags, music, and a full bar. I have some more pictures to upload that I took of it as well. I also have pictures of how they set up the beach for the romantic private honeymoon dinner to upload from my camera. I've been having problems with my camera connection and our computer, it's a MacBook, and it's suddenly not compatible. And I'm not sure if brides from Azul Fives are still checking this board...but the last place we stayed on our honeymoon was right next to the Fives and it doesn't look promising. I spoke with some guests at the Sensatori that were moved from there and they said they heard that now it's not even opening They were given less than 6 weeks notice and they had a group of 50ish. I didn't see much construction going on when I was next to it. And the beach is miniscule, our hotel that is tiny had a larger beach..... Kodakgallery.com: Slideshow

Hi Ladies, We just came back today from Mexico and our wedding! I just wanted to do a quick post and will do a full review and add some pics later. The resort is beautiful and it is definitely getting better. However, we did have some snafu's but nothing too terribly horrible. I will say that I don't know what the purpose of the Miami office is because there is no communication between the two, messages not getting relayed properly or timely or at all. Gilberto from Lomas on-site is wonderful and does work very hard. And Jorga the head waiter for the resort is fabulous as well! The important thing is our wedding was great and all of our guests had a blast (we had about 36 guests). I was reserved and confirmed for the Plaza Deck and when I arrived it was under a construction overhaul. Needless to say, we did not have our reception there but at Zocolo terrace. And I don't know what the Miami coordinators were saying about you having to have a large party to have a private event there, because IMO if you had more than 50 guests it would be way too crowded. And I've briefly looked over some posts' from recently and I'm way behind, so sorry. But there was, as of last week, absolutely no construction going on for a "new plaza deck area". And I was told nothing of the sort while there. They are still "finishing" the hotel, but only minor details that I saw. In fact, when we arrived, they were "re-doing" the Garden Gazebo grounds where we had our ceremony, but did half of it before our ceremony, and then finished the rest after. I don't think they wanted to give me a heart attack by not having either of our locations available!! I will say that all of the food was great, the drinks strong, amazing pools, and the staff works so hard! The front desk and the management, I could do without and will probably be complaining about on my own. I think with any large event and so many guests, things are bound to happen. But you'all have nothing to worry about, everyone's day will be wonderful And one other major thing I know some of you beach ceremony/reception brides are worried about is the wind. I honestly thought it was very very windy (and I'm from the windiest state). And I don't want to upset anyone, I just thought you would like to know. We had an event on the beach Friday night before the wedding (from 7-10 pm) and it was impossible to keep the tiki torches lit. We asked several workers throughout our stay about the wind, and they said it is windy all year long. We were there for 8 days, and there was one evening that was tolerable and luckily I saw three beach weddings that day, so I was happy for those brides. I will try to post my full review hopefully by this weekend. I won't have our pro pics back for 4-6 weeks, but we had Erick from Claudia Photo and we loved him. He did some really cool things. Like I said before, you'all will be very happy with everything. I definitely learned from this experience that it's Mexico and you just have to be up for any surprises and roll with it and everything will work itself out.

I leave Wednesday for my wedding!

I can't believe I leave in 11 days!!! I have so many little things to do, has anyone else been having "wedding brain". I have to write everything down or it does not get done!

My wedding is two weeks from today!! Jharwood- have you finalized everything for your day yet? Did you decide on the reception site?

Quote: Originally Posted by lovingit JHAWKEV - Here is a link of the Wave Bar/Pool Gazebo.......ceremony spot, as the area is not the biggest. Very cute! Gazebo by Wave Pool/Bar picture by lovingitmore - Photobucket Thanks! That is where we are having our ceremony. I thought you mentioned it as an alternate reception area

Quote: Originally Posted by lovingit I am a newbie here and just returned from the Sensatori. I am not a bride, however, I attended at wedding and spent 7 days at the resort. Our wedding was on the beach at the north end (this is where all the beach weddings were located this particular week). Great set up and very very beautiful. The reception was on the terrace of Zoccolo and honestly, I am not sure why she picked this spot.....it is (was) super windy!!! And the restaurant is in the shape of a sphere, so from where I was sitting, I couldn't see the bride groom or about 30% of the other guests. The terrace out by the wave pool, is sooo cute! The week we were there, they added these large wood swings (4) that just make that a lovely and romantic spot. Yes, it is in the middle of the Adult/Premium/Luxury section, however so is every other spot for a service (other than the sky deck). Its not huge, but very intimate (i thought). The terrace out by the Zoccolo (the center of the resort) is very large. Actually, there was a wedding there that week and even though it was center stage...I think I only caught a glimpse of it for 1 minute, as we walked to dinner. And it's set apart from the actual walkways, so no one has to interfere with your day. Do you have any pictures of the Terrace by the wave pool? Were they using it for reception spots? Thank you Quote: Originally Posted by trayce2222 One of the past brides on here said they had the hazlenut flavored cake and said it was soooo good, very moist and that her guests loved it. Tiffany told me the same thing, but when I asked if we could have the hazelnut as an option, she said yes. Some of the other brides said their cake was still frozen and not that fresh (choc, vanilla). We decided to go with hazelnut primarily because that's not a flavor listed therefore not many people have chosen it, so hopefully they won't have it frozen and it will be freshly made....who knows....that's just my wierd way of thinking! lol Trayce-when you paid, did you finalize the flavor of your cake?

I'm doing my first fitting for my dress on Wednesday and I'm terrified that it's not going to fit!!! Everything is really starting to sink in, all in one day I had a call the my dress had arrived, my veil was shipped, some customized gifts were being shipped, and we're getting packages everyday with gifts or something I've ordered. I had my first shower last weekend and it was so fun

Quote: Originally Posted by Meesh Hi girls, Is anyone doing paper lanterns for their centerpieces at the reception? If so, what size and shape are you doing? Also, has anyone heard from Tiffany lately? In the past, she has been really good about emailing me back within 24 hours, but I emailed her at the beginning of the week, but still haven't heard back from her. I know that a lot of people have been experiencing this issue, but I hadn't until now. I was just curious if she has been in contact with people this week and if I should email her again. Also, has anyone actually paid in full yet. I have only heard of 1 person who has paid in full and has been confirmed for their reception site. I am concerned because my wedding is at 5pm and there is another wedding at 6pm. I just want to make sure that I get the reception location that I want. Thanks! I am doing paper laterns for the ceremony, and haven't decided yet where to put them for the reception. My mom bought different sizes of round ones from Hobby Lobby. I also just paid in full in the last couple of weeks and when I spoke with Tiffany, she told me that we were confirmed for our reception site. And I'm confused again. What's the Terrace everyone is now talking about. I thought the only reception sites outside were the beach, the Plaza deck, the Sky deck and outside Zocolo.....does anyone have pictures of the terrace?

Quote: Originally Posted by JHarwood2Be She said Zocallo is for groups with 50-70. I've been there and I'm thinking 70 people would be awfully tight. Thanks for the input girls, it's really helping! I am so confused, I would think the Plaza deck would be for the larger parties and vice versa. I was confirmed for the deck but would probably rather do Zocolo. I didn't realize that my party was too small for Zocolo....I guess I'll just wait til we get down there. Quote: Originally Posted by Meesh I too, was not told about the $12 meals because I was given the 2008 Event Banquet Forms. I found out about the $12 meals on this website and then got the information from Tiffany. I do have a question about the $12 meal. Tiffany told me that we were not able to mix and match the 2 menus. She said we had to have exactly what the $12 menu said but I hear that people are able to mix and match. Did someone get the okay from Tiffany about that? I might need to be emailing her, if so. There were certain things that I liked about both. Also, did we ever hear if you need to pay first before you are guaranteed the location of your reception. Has anyone been guaranteed their location yet? I have emailed Tiffany, but am waiting to hear back. We picked one of the set menus and did not mix and match. Although we do have vegetarians that they can substitute for and it's the same price, which I thought was weird. I just made my final payment and the Plaza deck was confirmed on the same day, it was "approved" through management.

I finally heard from Tiffany and am just waiting now for my final payment to go through. A great weight has been lifted!! And she confirmed us for the Plaza Deck. Quote: Originally Posted by meghan I have a question about bridesmaid dresses. Do the brides pay for them or bridesmaids? If some of you could let me know what you are doing that would be quite helpful! I'm not sure what the proper etiquette with this is. It just depends on what you want to do, I've been in weddings where they have paid and where I have paid. We are paying for their dresses, jewelry, etc. and 3 nights stay for our wedding party. Quote: Originally Posted by [email protected] I am in pacic mode!!!! I have 50 guest for my wedding....Most have booked! Unfortunatly the only ones that havent are my brother and sister and their families. They are the only one's bringing kids which is why we chose this resort over the El Dorado.... To make a long story even longer, they procrastinated and now the resort is BOOKED!!!! Are there any brides blocking rooms where the block might lift for MAY 7-12 OR 6-13 OR ANYTHING!!! HELP!!!! They are booked the 7-9th and our wedding is the 9th. Any help or room changes would be greatly appreciated. Also, Are any of your guests staying at other resorts and getting day passes? If so what does that consist of and do you have resort reccomendations that will take kids near by?? So sorry to hear that!! Keep us posted on what happens. We have a few family members that have decided to stay elsewhere and are getting the day passes to attend. My suggestions for resorts are the same as already posted.

Hey Ladies, Has anyone heard from Tiffany or Fabio since this past Friday?? My FINAL payment is due today and I have been calling and emailing since last Friday with no response..... And now whenever I call the number it just rings and rings with no answer at all. Thanks, Erika

Thank you so much for sharing your pictures and review Sounds like everything went great! Congratulations!

Quote: Originally Posted by Reese78 Ok ladies I have a question. Where are you having your Bridal Shower? I know...I know we are not suppose to plan this but I've been asked where I want to do this. Trying to consider convenience for everyone and not sure if a home will accomodate all the guest; may end up being 20 to 30 people. I've considered a favorite retaurant but they dont have a private room; we would just have a section of the restuarant. Is that OK? I'm so confused; does anyone have any suggestions? I'm having two showers, to cut the number of people so they can be at someone's house. A friend shower and a family shower. That way it's not too overwhelming. P.S. I've been bad at starting to peak at our registry! That's awesome, the post about already getting every china placesetting!!! None of my china has moved out of the store yet

Quote: Originally Posted by tsashamia Snapfish: Share:Registration Hope this link works, it's just some of the pictures some of my friends and family took. Sorry I have't had a chance to do a review or anything else. I'll try to get to it in the next day or two. What I will say is we had an amazing time and wouldn't have changed a thing...well, maybe the weather Happy Planning! Tsasha Awesome Tsasha! I just looked at all of your pictures, it looks like you'all had such a great time. Can't wait to hear all about it Congrats on being a newlywed!

Quote: Originally Posted by Solidshan83 Contact my GF at: [email protected] Shana Merl Thanks! Cute Thanks for posting!

Quote: Originally Posted by [email protected] Does anyone have pictures of what the Zocallo Alfresco Terrace looks like when decorated for a wedding reception. I am currently booked for the Plaza but I almost think the terrace would be a bit more intimate. I also thought the food might stay hot longer and I like that bathrooms would be close as well. I would love to see some pictures and hear what decisions you guys made on your receptions and why. I also have 50 guests so I'm not sure if they would let us do the terrace or not? Ideas? Pictures? I think your group is too big. I asked Tiffany for a pic and never received one because she said my group is too big and I have less than 40 guests. I think the Plaza or beach are the only options with a larger group, or inside

Eek! I just realized my first bridal shower is in 2 weeks!! I need to find something to wear for that and our legal ceremony on St. Patrick's day. And I am less than 2 weeks away from paying for everything at the Resort, I can't believe it's that close.

Quote: Originally Posted by heather0618 Has anyone asked if a guest/friend can officiate a symbolic ceremony? We're not doing an official ceremony and would prefer no religious undertones. We have two guests coming who officiate marraige ceremonies in the US and both are very close to us and it would be so special for one of them to do it. Since it won't be official, do you know if the resort allows it? I think they might allow it, we are having the symbolic and I asked if our minister could do a coin blessing. I was told that the minister would not but we could get a guest to do it. Quote: Originally Posted by pepper55 Congrats on getting everything settled! I got a different story from Tiffany - she didn't mention that we'd need to pay in full before we could be confirmed for anything. She did say that she wouldn't be able to request anything (venue of reception, food, etc) until 3 months from our date (wedding on 5/24). So, I've been patiently waiting... I think its crazy that we would have to pay in full before they will confirm where your ceremony or reception will be held! I'm trying not to get frustrated, but its kind of hard not to. Did Tiffany mention how soon after you'd receive confirmations? Would you mind PM'ing me your detail sheet/budget - I'm wondering how much the "details" will add up to. Thanks!! I think it's unfortunate how inconsistent they are, I don't think it's fair that they will let some brides pay ahead of time, but not others. (no offense meant to you Tryce by any means, I think it's great they let you get everything settled!). But when I tried to start getting my details settled, I was told I had to wait. And then they have been so slow getting any type of quote. Now I'm less than two weeks from having to pay a large sum and I still do not have all the info I need. And if I send more than one email a day (like if I forget to ask a question, or if she doesn't read the right email) There is still a 24 hour turnaround and sometimes she's not looking at the important one. So there is longer than 24 hour turnaround. Sorry, it's just very frustrating. Pepper, I am working on my confirmation sheet right now and it says the location of the ceremony and the private reception on it. PM me if you need to and I can email you a copy, if you would like to see it. I would be very persistent about what you need to get done. Because they are now definitely enforcing the 45 day rule. But at least it's not 45 business days. A word of advice, they ask for all your guests and their relationship to you, what type of room category, dates staying, and any special requests. So I would already have your TA prepare that. Because it's taking away from my "one" email a day. Quote: Originally Posted by beachbride2009 I just found out from Tiffany there is another wedding the same day as mine, and that it will depend on what our guest numbers are as to where we can have our events. I'm only concerned that the other bride will be wanting the same areas as I do! Has anyone run into this issue? I'm 9 months out but would like to have it set so I don't have to worry about it between now and then. I agree with you Pepper...if you pay you should know what you are paying for!!! I'm sorry! It definitely plays out to how many guest you each have. I would guess if you booked first, you should have first choice. I have barely over 30 guests booked right now and I was told my party was too big to have it at Zocolo terrace. Quote: Originally Posted by JHarwood2Be I feel so bad for the Azul Fives Brides. The news was released yesterday that the opening of Azul Fives has been post-poned for several months. I found the following statement on TripAdvisor. I definitely feel sorry for the brides too. Maybe they shouldn't have tried to construct them both at the same time.... at least the resort will be finished properly, hopefully they learned their lesson after the catastrophe with our resort. But you know now they are going to give the brides the option of coming to our resort or Azul Beach.