meghan

Hey everyone, I have to say I am shocked to hear some of these reviews. My husband and I got married at Azul Sensatori last July, used The Wedding Holiday, and had the wedding of our dreams. Right from the beginning, my whole family found The Wedding Holiday very welcoming, warm, and inviting. We had no idea where we wanted to go, and they quickly narrowed places down for us based on our interests and concerns. They got us a very good quote, much better than other travel agents. They made save the date invites for us (free), and were extremely accommodating when we asked for changes to be made to suit us better. I was never under the impression that they are "wedding planners". My understanding is that they are travel agents who have much more knowledge on resorts that specialize in weddings than a regular TA, and are in contact with the wedding planners at the resorts, so they are able to give more and better advice than other TA's. We found that they were very quick to email us or return calls. We would often drop in unannounced, and they always made themselves readily available. We experienced a few bumps along the road, and if we didn't have the Wedding Holiday, I'm not sure they would have been resolved to our satisfaction. We had our wedding booked for July 2nd a year in advance. About 2.5 months before our wedding, our airline went bankrupt which meant we had to change our flight date, which meant we had to change our wedding date. This was very upsetting to me, and created problems for my guests who had planned their vacation around leaving on a certain day. Lorraine did everything she could to resolve this problem. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done about getting a flight on the day we wanted, however, The Wedding Holiday, out of their own pocket, refunded all of our 45 guests $300, moved my husband and I to first class, offered to order us brand new invitations (not save the dates) because I was upset that our invitations that we purchased had the old wedding date, and upgraded our suite at the hotel. We had an issue with the resort going back on a photographer policy as well. We had booked a photographer outside of their venue, and then they changed their policy saying the photographer had to be with their venue. I went to Lorraine with this problem and she was on the phone so fast with whoever was in charge at the resort demanding that we use the photographer we requested, and it ended up working out. It was much easier having The Wedding Holiday communicate with the resort on our behalf rather than us having to try and get a hold of them and deal with it. Once we got to the resort, it was amazing. Lorraine was in contact with me through email and phone to make sure everything was ok. The Wedding Holiday even surprised us with a cocktail party they ordered at the resort, which we were not expecting. I would definitely recommend using The Wedding Holiday. They have way more knowledge than any other regular TA. Please email me with any questions. [email protected]

The system charges your ipod while it is plugged in. We brought our portable charger just in case though. We also had our laptops so when we plugged it in it would charge. People can get away with nice shorts, and definitely jeans. The only thing they were strict about was wearing a bathing suit in the restaurants.

Day passes are around $75, however, if you have a private reception, there is no fee for the day pass (we were not informed about this until we actually got to the resort). If you have the dinner at the Spoon for your reception (which is no charge) then day passes do need to be purchased.

Hey, I got married in July, and you do not need to bring your own ipod docking station. Any ipod works with their system. We rented the sound equipment and hooked our ipod up. Sound was fantastic! The wedding coordinator even took care of our ipod for us (stopping it during speeches, taking requests, etc...). No complaints.

Hey everyone, I haven't been on here in sooo long! I just got my photos from Erik Rodriguez, and I love them. If anyone would like to see them, add me on facebook (meghan yao), and ask any questions as well. It's easier for me to answer questions on fb then scrolling through all these posts lol.

Hi amcferron, I would go with Zavaz Plaza because I think it is more private. We didn't see a single outsider during our reception. I also liked it because it is right by a pool and completely outdoors. Zocola Terrace is private, but there is a restaurant right indoors where everyone else at the resort can go to. There is for sure dancing room at Zocola Terrace, but I think the set up is way better at Zavaz Plaza, with the round dance floor.

Hey Beaz2be, I do not think spending the money on a cocktail party is worth it at all. We got married on the beach, and then had our reception at Zavaz Plaza. They had a little bar set up right there, so everyone was able to drinks while we had our photos done (we were not told that this would happen so it was a nice surprise!). When guests got to the resort, we gave them a program saying what time they needed to be at Zavaz Plaza for the reception. So, if people chose to go to their rooms or walk on the beach instead of going right to zavaz plaza, they knew what time to be back for. Everyone was there on time, and everyone got to have drinks at the location while we had our photos done. I would have been upset if I had paid for a cocktail reception knowing that all our guests were able to get drinks at our reception location anyway!

Quote: Originally Posted by beaz2be Question for all you AS brides who did a beach ceremony. What is the wooden aisle runner (that is provided with the pearl package) like? Is it easy to walk on/narrow wooden slats? I'm just thinking about the type of shoe I'll get. I don't want to wear full on stiletto heels, but am planning to get an ever-so-slight kitten heel or wedge. Tho' I'm generally quite comfortable in heels I am one of those people who always manages to get my heel caught in boardwalks etc. and am curious if I should avoid the small kitten heel altogether. (Already having visions of tripping down the aisle - not a comforting mental image). I had the wooden runner with aqua coloured fabric on top. I wore sandals, and had no problem walking. I think little heels would be fine. Quote: Originally Posted by amandamarieb Hi Ladies - I am sneaking on here at work again today so I have to keep it short. There is so much going on and I have so much to say about all of so I guess FI will just have to deal with me getting back on again tonight! I do have a couple of questions for you Meghan! I was looking at your photos on FB. Thye are just amazing. I noticed you had some small children attend. I will have 3 toddlers all between 1 and 2, one being my own little guy. I wanted to see if you or your guests used the oniste babysitting and if so, what your experience was. Anyone you really liked or could recommend? Also, how were the latterns hung up at the Zvaz plaza? I don't want to do latterns but was thinking of hanging little candle holders. Maybe something lke these: Wire and Glass 12" Juliet Hanging Candle Holder $6.99 each Do you think that would work? Thanks so much! No one used the babysitting, but the kids moms raved about the play areas for the kids. The service there is so wonderful, that I couldn't imagine the babysitting being anything less than wonderful. We did not have to do a single thing with the lanterns. We went there thinking we would have to put them together, but the coordinator did everything, without us even telling them how. I think they used fishing wire to hang the lanterns, but not 100% sure. I'm pretty sure they can figure out a way to hang the lanterns you like....they really do anything. Quote: Originally Posted by KittenHeart I know you B2B's don't want to stray from wedding talk but if you don't mind indulging me, what do you all do for work? I know what Amanda does but that's about it! I'm an elementary school teacher, but I'm not permanent yet, so I'm usually doing maternity covers, etc... I've been able to have my own class for the past 2 years, but I need to reapply for jobs each summer....which sucks and is really stressful.

Quote: Originally Posted by chong I read few page discussion on the BD book. I don't know about me. I am in Houston so sounds like I have a lot of options... You guys almost convinced me to do it. Lindz - I PM'ed you for the link!!! I am so excited to see it Meghan... You look gorgeous!!! I am sooo happy that you had a sunny weather on your wedding day. I was definitely doing the no more rain dance for you. I love the short video you have posted on the Facebook. I cannot wait till to see more pictures. Congrats! That is so awesome that your TA arranged a cocktail party for you guys. What a great surprise! I am jealous I also have Erick Rodriguez. I was wondering what you thought about him. I am very excited to work with him. How many hours did you have him? I would like to talk to you more about Erick. Did you do a TTD session? I am working on my OOT bag - so far I have beach towel (with embroidery) & hand sanitizer. Oh boy... I have a lot to do. For wedding favor - I bought maracas. I am planning to put a tag on saying "Instead of tapping on your glass, here is a system with Mexican Class. Stand and shake with all your might to see the groom kiss his bride tonight." Something I saw other brides did for their wedding and I thought it would be fun Chong Hey Chong, We absolutely LOVED Erik. My fiance and his bm are really into photography and they were super impressed with him. He made us feel really relaxed, and definitely knew what he was doing. We saw some pictures on his camera and were amazed with them. I don't have a single negative thing to say about him. We had him for only 3.5 hours, and I think 4.5 probably would have been perfect. I think I would have gotten him an hour before the ceremony...i only had him 20 minutes before. We did not do a TTD...to expensive for us.

Quote: Originally Posted by beaz2be Ok, last post in a row I promise. I am emailing my TA right now - I haven't received any news about new packages and I think I definitely will want to look at downgrading and then just picking and choosing add ons. Does anyone know if the additional/unlimited chairs is only for the silver package or does it apply to the lower packages/pearl package as well? This is very helpful. Thanks Meghan. Can I ask, did you do the paper lanterns totally DIY (ie. the whole LED lights/batteries taped together kind of thing) or did you use those LED tealights? I'm worried about how finicky or complicated it might be to do them DIY once we're down there. Advice?!? THe wedding coordinator set everything up for us when we got there. We got tea lights, but they were not strong enough. We couldn't even tell a light was on. I would get LED lights, however, it still looked nice with no light. The wedding coordinator put them all together and taped everything together. They charge a total of $50 for all setups, which I think is worth it.

Someone asked about paper lanterns, but I can't remember who it was. We brought 22 lanterns down and I think it was the perfect number. We got 8", 10" 14" and 16" (I think).

Amanda, 70 people will fit, although it may be a little tight. we had 50 people and I would say it was the perfect size for 50. 70 people on the dance floor altogether will be squishy, but I would guess that most of the time, some people will be sitting or doing other things other than dancing, so you probably won't have 70 on the floor altogether.

Quote: Originally Posted by thefuturemrslutz Random question: did you guys do wedding favors or just OOT bags? We did oot bags. we got everyone a travel mug and filled it up with stuff. Everyone got soft soap, chap stick, cookies with m&m written on it (matt and meghan) candied cashews, jelly beans, and hand sanitizer. Girls got a fabric beach bag with a fan, and guys got a cigar. Quote: Originally Posted by amandamarieb Hi Ladies - First off I should say that that there has beena lot of great back and forth happening here and looks like a lot of fun is going on. I have enjoyed seeing Lindz and BigBop's BD pics and Meghan, I loved looking at your wedding pics on facebook. Looks like you guys had a great time. You got married at AB, right? OK....so sorry to cut that short but I just recieved an email from my TA that my WC has been replaced. So not that I was the biggest fan of my AS WC (Tiffany) but now I am worried that everything that she's confirmed is going to get lost somewhere and I will have to spend hours digging through emails and such to catch my new WC or prove that I deals that I've been able to negotitate with Tiffany. Maybe I am freaking for no reason, but you ladies all know how it is. I am sure one of you will tell me not to worry and that's exactly why I came here first! So thanks in advance! I also wanted to see if anyone has worked with or is working with my new WC, Carolina and what your thoughts are about her. Please share if you don't mind. Thanks so much! We got married married at sensatori. Quote: Originally Posted by thefuturemrslutz I totally understand how you feel...I have lists for lists for lists!!!! I am going to try to knock out 99% of everything this weekend. That's so cute about your bridal showers...can't wait to see pics!!!!!!! SORRY for all the posts...I didn't think there were that many, so I didn't multiquote. 30 days til I get married!!!!!!!!!!!! soooo exciting!! I miss the anticipation!

Quote: Originally Posted by amybermuda I am still waiting from pictures from Claudia too - her contract says 4-6 weeks. I have my friends photos for now but an DYING for the professional ones. Then again, with all this AHR planning, I probably should only be doing that and not looking at my pictures for hours on end We used Erik Rodriguez, and his contract is the same ...4-6 weeks. He said it is high season right now, and has to use photoshop. We saw some on his camera and they looked amazing! It's gotta be six weeks by now for you, isn't it?

Thank you for all the wonderful compliments! We have to wait 6 weeks for our professional photos...it's making me crazy! Quote: Originally Posted by msmarmar123 Quick question for all of you....did you use a DW specialist to book your travel and group and wedding? I am currently using destinationweddings.com and have ZERO complaints with my TA..she always gets back to me..explains everything..etc.... BUT..I'm thinking it is possible she might be overcharging...my sister has a TA friend and tried pricing out the hotel for the same days and it was A LOOOOOT less. Did any of you switch TAs and is there any special etiquette for doing it? It comes down to price for me...and I don't want my sister's friend to do all this work for nothing...so if she can save me $$$ I would switch....Thanks I used the Wedding Holiday, like Nicole. No one could find better rates and they don't charge any additional fee to use them. They were so fantastic. They even surprised me by getting us a cocktail party. When we were in Mexico, the wedding coordinator told us that the Wedding holiday bought us a cocktail party...I don't think many other TAs would do that.