lisaprweddingplanner

Hi, And congratulations! You have picked an exceptional hotel! The views are amazing, the private beach is gorgeous with a restaurant, bar and tons of water sports. There is always some activity going on if you like to mingle and be social. My only negative comment are the pricey ok restaurants. You can venture out of the hotel take a right and follow that rode to a wide variety of restaurants that serve good food and reasonable prices... my fav was "la estacion" The station... a couple from ny opened this restaurant and have the best bbq pork around. As for the weather PERFECT time of year... breezy not to hot or humid. Have a wonderful wedding and may your lives be filled with years of health, joy and true happiness. Lisa Rodriguez Puerto Rico Wedding Planner

Ok, I will disclose something about myself and my previous career that I have not mentioned... before becoming a wedding planner I was a NYC Professional Makeup Artist for over 25 years. I know, I know how lucky can a girl get, two fun and exciting careers in one lifetime, I must say it was... I traveled, met supermodels, celebrities (ok I'll name-drop just once Trudy Styler, Sting's wife I had the pleasure of going to their outrageous apartment and doing her makeup for the Grammys. Sting was not there but I swear I could smell him:) and I had the pleasure of attending numerous NYC Fashion shows. But after 25 years, marriage and a baby I was ready to slow down and start researching another career that had always attracted me, Wedding Planning. As you can imagine, as a makeup artist I was also surrounded by brides for many of those years and I always found myself admiring the Wedding Planners. They were just so cool, calm and collected. They brought such peace over the brides and managed to make their day seem effortless. And in the end... they would have the brides in tears thanking them for all their hard work and dedication... no one ever thanked the make-up artist in their wedding toast, although they should But seriously, I did admire them and when I was ready to make the change I went full force and never looked back. I must say it's been a great ride and now I feel the same joy and excitement I felt when I started out (so young and bright eyed) as a pro-makeup artist. I must say I am a very lucky lady to have been able to fulfill two career dreams in one lifetime! Now onto the real reason I disclosed my secret... take my advise brides I have seen the good the bad and the ugly when it comes to makeup and you sure don't want to be the latter of the three on one of the most important days of your life! You will be photographed on your wedding day more than any other day of your life. Make sure you look picture perfect with the right eye makeup. Make numerous appointments with makeup artists. The companies I would recommend are M.A.C. (I was on their first team of makeup artist) I still LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM! My makeup case is still overpowered by M.A.C. Next, Bobbi Brown (love her natural palettes so easy to work with) and last but certainly not least Trish McEvoy (her brushes are the absolute best nothing like them. Spend the money on them I have had mine for over 13 years and they are like new). Also, don't feel pressured to buy everything, as a courtesy buy a lipgloss we can never have to many of those. And live with what they did for the day. If by the end of the day you still love it, it did not cake up and you feel like yourself only prettier, go back and pickup the essentials or ask that artist if they do free-lance work and would they be available for your wedding day. To sum things up, research your wedding day makeup as much as you research everything else. It is a very important part of your day and read my eye makeup do's and don'ts list below to ensure that your bridal makeup will end up looking flawless. DO Think seriously about hiring a makeup artist; everyday makeup is different from your wedding day needs. Take time to try a few different makeup artists and choose one who understands your personal tastes. Use eye drops if your eyes look red or tired on the day of (but stick with a brand you've used before to avoid unwelcome surprises). Get as much sleep as possible the night before the big day. Apply a light concealer to banish dark circles under your eyes. Use matte eye shadows (they won't reflect light or look too shiny). Use an off-white matte shadow along your brow bone if you have light skin, or peach if you have dark skin, to illuminate your eyes even more. Blend well, especially at the corners of your eyes, since cameras pick up visible makeup lines. Define your brows with a pencil or powder that matches your hair color. Wear at least two layers of waterproof mascara. Use an eyelash curler before and after applying your first coat of mascara. Prevent makeup meltdowns by using a smudge-proof or waterproof mascara. (If you really don't like its look or feel, use one coat of regular mascara overlaid with a light coat of waterproof mascara.) Buy a new mascara for your wedding day, but test it a few days before the wedding if it's a new brand. DON'T Wear too much eye makeup: You'll look like a drag queen. Change your eye color with colored lenses (unless you always wear them). Try to be too trendy (that glitzy silver shadow may look silly ten years from now). Use an under-eye concealer that's too light for your skin tone (you'll look like a raccoon). Experiment with eye products you haven't tried before. Wear dark shadows like charcoal or dark brown (you'll look like you've been punched). Wear frosted, shiny, sparkly shadow (It creases easily and will reflect camera flashes). Forget about your eyebrows. Tweeze your brows at the last minute on your wedding morning. Wear false eyelashes if they're not 100% comfortable and you're not 200% confident they won't fall off. Two final tips: DO have a fabulous wedding. DON'T forget how gorgeous you are.

Thanks! Ashrose

Hi Samantha, Congratulations! As for El Con, I stayed there recently (work related And we had a wonderful time. The grounds are really beautiful and the water taxi and private beach are a unique experience. It is one of the best hotels in my opinion on the island. My only gripe was the food expense... but there are lots of small out of the way restaurants right when you exit the hotel take a right and drive along that road... one in particular was La Estacion (The Station) GREAT GREAT FOOD! But if you dont venture out of the hotel you get stuff with stiff prices and OK food... so venture I say. As for the weather it should be perfect... not to hot and BREEZY!!! No lip gloss while exchanging your vows... matte lipstick Again congratulations and may your impending matrimony be filled with years of health, joy and much happiness. Lisa

I'm lucky, because I get to surf around on the Internet looking at cool stuff to share with my brides -- as in, handy-dandy info for hot, travel-centric brides like you. Here's a little round-up of some helpful bridal-beauty sites I recently came across. For suggestions on wedding hair, check out Redken's site it is chock full of information on the newest hairstyles and color trends as well as where to find the nearest Redken stylist. It's a fun website to navigate around for wedding day hair ideas. For face, check out Bobbi Brown's Bridal Beauty page, with tips for how to achieve a radiant look on your big day. If you don't find the advice you're looking for (like how to mask your wicked sunburn), you can chat live with a makeup artist. Also stop by MAC's Meet the Brides page to find inspiration. MAC created six looks, from beachy to big-city glam, and shows you the techniques and products you'll need to re-create the effect for yourself. Enjoy! Your wedding planner, Lisa

MTV’s award-winning documentary series, “True Life” is looking for couples planning to elope for a “True Life: I’m Eloping” documentary. Is the cost of a traditional wedding leading you to contemplate eloping? Is your situation forcing you to be secretive about your plans for marriage? Are you racing away from home, even crossing state lines to tie the knot? Whatever your reasons for wanting to wed quickly, MTV wants to hear your story. If you are between the ages of 18 and 28 and are thinking about eloping before October 2008, check out the MTV website at mtvn.com with all of the details. Please be sure to include your name, location, phone number and a photo.

In 2005, according to CNNMoney.com, the average cost of a wedding rose to $26,327, almost a 70% increase in cost over the past 15 years. Destination wedding couples, in which the entire party travels to a special location for the celebration, spend an average of 41% less on their receptions. While there are not official statistics on the average cost of an elopement, elopement packages including a hotel for a week, the officiant, photographer and album, ceremony site, cake, and musical selection tend to range between $2,000 to $5,000. This represents 10 - 20% of the cost of a traditional wedding. That's a savings of over $20,000.00 that can go towards something like let me think... a House! Good advise from Your wedding planner, Lisa

Imagine spending a day in a fine jewelry studio learning to make your own wedding rings. San Francisco Wedding Rings & New York Wedding Rings offer professional jewelry workshops that allow you to make meaningful custom wedding rings with your own hands while you enjoy the fun experience of being a goldsmith for a day. Create your own wedding rings in eco-gold, platinum, palladium, or mokume gane. Join these professionals in their studios in San Francisco and NYC as they help you capture the romance and satisfaction of making your own wedding rings. Making jewelry is exciting and you will be delighted with the quality of your handmade wedding rings. Experience the romance of creating your own wedding rings under the personal guidance of an experienced jewelry maker. Each class is tailored to the individual design of your pair of rings. This is a brief class outline of how to make traditional gold bands. Alloy gold. This step is great if you love to play with fire. Whack it on the anvil. You will enjoy gold's amazing malleability. The rolling mill stretches the gold into ring stock. Solder is melted into the joint to form a solid ring. If you like shine, polishing is the most rewarding step! Get married! Visit them online at San Francisco Wedding Ring and in NYC... New York Wedding Ring Happy Wedding Band Making!

How far would you go to look your best on your wedding day? In Fitness Magazines exclusive survey, 1,000 brides tell all... Only 14% of brides-to-be say that they are currently at their IDEAL WEIGHT. 1 in 5 woman would postpone her nuptials if she wasn't at her goal weight by her wedding date. Body part we love... 46% of brides want a wedding dress to show off their cleavage. Body part we fear... 80% want a gown that conceals their belly. Got... Back Fat? 32% of woman polled want "back camouflage" on their wedding day, while... 17% of woman want to show it off. More than TWICE AS MANY WOMAN as men want to lose weight for their wedding (83% vs. 34%) It's not all about the big day 88% think it's important to maintain their weight loss after the wedding. He loves your body exactly as it is 63% of brides-to-be say their fiance wouldn't change a thing. But do you love his not so much. Only 47% of engaged woman say the same thing about their man. 29% of woman will be thinking about sucking it in during their wedding photos, but 62% will be focused on how great they look. 17% of woman considered their friends' weight when selecting a bridal party, only 5% say they actually encouraged their maids to shed pounds pre-ceremony. Top two tricks for losing weight 43% of you double your workout time while 41% go on a strict diet. You're looking to lose... a lot 33% of brides-to-be want to shed 30 or more pounds for the big day. While he's looking to lose... a lot less 11% of grooms-to-be want to do the same. What is most important on your wedding day? That you feel... calm & relaxed 79% or thin & beautiful 21%. Interesting to see the many ways brides-to-be are trying to achieve body nirvana on their wedding day. Note: I must say no matter what size or shape every bride I have planned for has always looked BEAUTIFUL! Your wedding planner, Lisa

Wedding planning for a destination wedding doesn't have to be hard. And hiring a professional wedding planner makes it a whole lot easier. I have many partnerships with hotels and resorts that offer me complete wedding packages that include nearly everything except for you the bride and groom. But, if you decide to attempt to plan the wedding yourself, here is a wedding checklist to get you started - and when you start to feel a bit overwhelmed just get on your computer and shoot me an e-mail [email protected] and I will take it from there... Buy a date book or wedding checklist planning calender to help keep organized. Mark it with the dates that you want to have certain tasks accomplished by. If you're inviting many guests to your wedding destination, be sure to send out a "Save the Date" announcement several months in advanced. This will give your guests plenty of time to make travel arrangements. Look into group travel arrangements as soon as possible. Carefully consider the language in your invitations when planning a destination wedding. As mentioned above, sending a "Save the Date" announcement should be the first step. But, since many people may not be able to attend a wedding in an exotic location, a wedding announcement, with a follow-up reception once you return home, for unlikely attendees may do the trick. Just be careful not to offend anyone either way. If you're planning on getting married outside of the U.S., make sure you research and understand the local laws and regulations. This includes things such as: will the marriage be recognized in the U.S. (in PR YES!), what documentation do you need to bring with you(Birth Certificate & Passport), are blood tests required (syphilis, clamydia & gonorrhea), what license fees does the country impose ($20)? Check with the local Visitor's Bureau for help finding facilities, ministers, photographers, bakery, wedding planners, etc. Make sure you get detailed contracts from anyone that you work with concerning your wedding (photographers, planners, wedding chapels, etc.). And be sure to confirm everything well ahead of time. Consider putting together a loose agenda for you guests for the days before and after your wedding that they may be in town. You'll also want to send them hotel, travel and even tourist information well ahead of time. Since a wedding far from home may limit your guest list, make sure your guests know that you won't be upset if some can't make it. Always make group hotel reservations and/or air booking when possible. Your guests will appreciate it! Make these reservations well in advance (ASAP). Consider how you will get your dress and other wedding "supplies" to your destination. Consider shipping them well ahead of time to avoid having to check them at the airport. Since your destination wedding may be small with a limited amount of guests. Plan a reception after you return home for everyone else to attend. Consider having a friend or relative who wasn't able to attend the actual wedding plan the reception with you. Make sure separate invitations are sent for the event. On the other hand, you can contact me and I will do it all for you Your wedding planner, Lisa

I remember shopping for my wedding accessories and the hardest decision was "what jewelry should I wear?" I looked everywhere for the perfect look including Bloomingdales, Nordstroms, Lord & Taylor and even Zales. But I needed something elegant, classic and not overwhelming. I was having a beach ceremony and wanted the jewelry to reflect the laid back feel with an elegant touch. What attracted me the most were diamond studs, about 2 carats or so. But unfortunately, I did not own a pair or on my tight budget could I splurge and buy myself a pair either. So I settled on CZ's which looked great! Fast forward to the year 2008 and whaalaa... some genius realized that if I bride could get her hands on real diamond pieces for her wedding day (like celebrities do for most events) and then return them after they would have a thriving business... and so Adorn Brides was created! It is similar to the website Bag, Borrow or Steal. Where you rent designer handbags, sunglasses etc. at a weekly rate and return them when you are either tired of the look or see something else you have been salivating over . Back to Adorn Brides, they have a huge selection of earrings, necklaces and bracelets in every style, shape and carat size you can imagine. The way it works is for a fee you can rent the jewelry of your dreams for a day and return it within a specific time frame. Some pieces are valued in the thousands... how fun to be able to wear a $15,000 necklace... especially on your wedding day. Take a look at the site and have fun deciding "should I wear the $12,000 earring studs or the $25,000 diamond chandeliers!" And the best part is no one needs to know how, when or where you got them... SHHHH, I'll keep your diamond secret! Adorn Brides and just for the heck of it... Bag, Borrow or Steal Happy borrowing! Your wedding planner, Lisa

I often have brides contact me who have an abundant budget for their wedding day... money is no object! But just because you can afford it, does that mean you have to spend it? Sometimes you can go less and no one will be the wiser for it but you... Here are some tips that will save you lots and lots of $$$... You’ve always turned to J.Crew for everyday classics, so it’s no surprise that their gorgeous wedding collection offers the same easygoing sophistication. Take the Isla embossed beach gown, for example. Designed in pure cotton, this beautiful gown drapes elegantly, is lightweight and flatters practically any figure. This is a perfect (not to mention affordable) gown for a ceremony in the sand and on sale for $99. For your beach wedding, create an inexpensive centerpiece that will bring an inviting glow to the table. Blumen Design arranges tea lights or votives in large glass cubes and then layers pale-colored sea glass, shells and sand between the candles. The textures of the sand and the sea glass beautifully complement the warmth and light of the candles. Check their website out for inspiration. Mountain Cow has hundreds of ingenious ideas for inexpensive save-the-dates and invitations. You can purchase software, fonts and paper to customize your own stationery affordably. There are many different styles that are perfect for a beach-themed event — my favorite is the green-and-blue sand dollar. Checkerboard has a large variety of "beach" theme invitations at reasonable prices. The invitations are handsome yet relaxed. Details like a ribbon sweeping across the paper and tucking neatly between the layers give it a "luxe" detail at an affordable price. They offer many blue-and-chocolate palettes which is a nice change from the usual pastel-colored beach theme and on a personal note my favorite. You can always find the cutest things from Sundance, and for an inexpensive beach-themed accessory, look no further than their Website. They have a good-luck sea horse necklace, handcrafted in sterling silver and then dipped in gold, it is simply adorable. Legend has it that good luck will abound when the silk thread from which the talisman hangs finally wears away. This necklace adds subtle beach charm to your big day, and is perfect as a gift your lucky bridesmaids will love to wear. Check out Bliss Weddings Market for tons of great wedding favors, wrappings and gifts like these little pretties. Palm-size starfish soaps are lightly scented and finely textured. Your guests will even love the packaging — a crisp white box with sheer organza ribbon and a starfish gift tag. It's almost too perfect to open. When you think of a beach-inspired cake, seashells and fancy pearl detail surely come to mind. The ladies at Frosted Art created this cake with just those features. This three-tiered masterpiece is adorned with white-chocolate. This Cotton Cady Claudine tank dress is a crisp cotton with a fitted bodice and and full skirt. It would compliment just about any body type or shape comes in gorgeous bright yellow, green or chocolate brown. The full A-line skirt drapes beautifully to the knee. The dress is available only through J.Crew.com Keep friends and family hydrated and happy with bottles of water that are customized with labels from MyWeddingLables.com. Personalize a message or include a photo, and then choose from dozens of patterns, fonts and colors to create sentimental and practical refreshments your guests will love. When it gets a little cool out, we know you don't mind borrowing a cute guy’s tuxedo jacket, but with her Chilly Jilly wrap, designer Jill Boehler may have made that tradition a thing of the past. For any beach wedding, you’ll want this must-have cover-up once an offshore breeze joins the party. Made from a silky fabric, it offers the perfect amount of warmth, folds down to purse size and yet somehow never wrinkles. Check out her site you can buy one for yourself and give it as a gift to your bridesmaids. Now don't you feel great that you saved so much money! And furthermore now you can afford a wedding planner Good saving advise from Your wedding planner, Lisa

hello everyone, just wanted to update and say thanks for all of your comments and referrals. I have had a lot of traffic on my site due to the forum! Big Thanks!

thanks for the tips... i am new to this and i am finding it a bit overwhelming although its very informative and i have already had many hits on my site! thank you! lisa

Hi Coritza, I noticed you logged onto my blog and filled out an contact me form but I had a problem opening it. If you would like some info email me directly at [email protected]. Happy Wedding Planning! Lisa