Simistar

At our wedding, we made people answer a Three's Company trivia question! Some b/g... The first time my husband and I met, he asked me some trivia questions about Three's Company (b/c my friends and I were heading to a bar called the Reagle Beagle, which if you've ever watched Three's Company, you know it's the name of the pub they all hang out at:-))... He asked me things like, how many roommates did Jack have over the course of the show? etc etc... Anywaaay, so we made up a short poem that we placed on the tables that basically said (in rhyme) that in order to see us kiss they had to answer a Three's Compnay Trivia question CORRECTLY, incuding things like singing the theme song...it was really fun! If they got it wrong they had to do a shot of tequila:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by AshleyBrendan BLUE LENS CARIBE PHOTOGRAPHY Please see my link below... I hope this helps you change your mind!! Awww... you two look so happy and like you're having such a good time! congrats:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Kits55 I Unfortunately we had some people who were NOT very respectful of our ceremony. We constantly had people edging ever closer and taking pictures like mad!! One lady even started taking pictures from all sides!! Are you serious?? What is WRONG with people??! We actually didn't have any problems with this... People were looking for sure, but no one came into our "area"... We did have LOTS of people the next day ask if we were the couple that got married, that they watched and thought it looked lovely, etc :-) Quote: Originally Posted by Kits55 If Cecilia doesn't move the chairs further away maybe some of your guests would be willing to move them away 30 minutes before the ceremony starts? I think Kits has the right idea...get some guests to move the chairs away 20-30 mins before the ceremony and stand guard so people don't move them back:-) Cecilia does try...but again, she's just one person and forgets things, so if this is important to you, appoint some friends to be "gatekeepers", lol:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by inspiredfyre Mandiland, about the fees to bring people in...I have read that you had to pay fees for that, as well as what Semistar is saying, but no, I didn't!! no one had to pay any fees, that was wonderful!! We alerted them ahead of time that she was coming in, so they could alert us, so I too feel bad Semistar kept getting the short end of the stick it seems!! You are the nicest bride, esp with your exp!! What it sounds like to me, is that they had originally implemented certain things, and then perhaps took it away afterwards, or perhaps I was just lucky! Who knows!! Cecilia is so great, I have yet to write a thread and post pics, but if you booked her, you'll love her!! Well, we went when the resort was pretty new-ish, so we knew not everything would go perfectly:-) On the upside, however, it sounds like maybe they are getting the hang of weddings and dealing with large groups:-) Now, as for vendor fees... we actually didn't end up paying any of these either! Mostly it was b/c they treated our vendors so poorly when they arrived... but maybe this is something Cecilia deems "discretionary"..? So, it would be interesting to hear from other past brides whether they had to pay the outside vendor fee or whether it was waived as well...? Maybe they just SAY you have to pay one to discourage brides from booking outside vendors?;-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan Rocktographers here are a bunch to look at I could look at those pictures all day! Thanks for posting! (You always seem to know where all the cool stuff is Morgan!)

Hi! Welcome to the forum! I'm a former Secrets Maroma bride... If you use the search function on the top right-hand corner, you should be able to find lots of info and pictures! To get you started, here are some threads you'll want to look at: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...a-beach-26707/ http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...-brides-32238/ http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...verview-34406/ Also, many past SMB brides have posted reviews of their weddings there... those are VERY helpful:-) I have my review linked at the bottom of my posts...just click on it and it will take you to the right place... Good luck -- and hope to see you on the other Secrets threads:-)

Just wanted to update you all... Our friend came over on the weekend and took some pics... (we did some of our rings on our hands and then also some artsy-fartsy ones:-) Given that our friend is not a pro photog, I'm not sure they'll turn out as well as some of the ones you guys posted:-) He's going to photoshop them a bit, but once he's done editing, I'll be sure to post them so you guys can see:-) Again, just wanted to say THANK YOU!!

Quote: Originally Posted by ~*petals*~ lol- album slackers unite!

The resort we got married at -- Secrets Maroma Beach -- has an amazing beach! Beautiful white, flour-like-texture sand...no rocks...and they clear away the seaweed every day....

Quote: Originally Posted by Mandiland It's so helpful to have people on here to chat with! Semistar, I hate you had so many bad eperiences because you looked so beautiful on your wedding day and everything like the tables, etc looked great too! Aww...you're too sweet:-) You know, despite the many small glitches, honestly, no one noticed but me/us...Our group was too busy eating and drinking...mostly drinking:-)...and then smoking cigars and dancing:-) The only person who still, to this day, mentions the cake, is my mother:-) Quote: Originally Posted by Mandiland Did anyone do group bookings? We aren't sure if that's something we want to do or not. Also, does anyone know if they have ivory table cloths for the reception tables? We didn't do a group booking...b/c we had so many people coming from all over AND b/c I didn't want to have to worry about x number of people booking by x date, our travel agent just recommended NOT doing a block of rooms or whatever (if that's what you meant?)... As for the table cloths...I'm pretty sure they only have white, not ivory...but maybe someone else knows for sure...? Quote: Originally Posted by Mandiland Did you have to pay the resort anything extra, fees etc, for Cecelia to do your wedding pictures? I wasn't sure what their policy is for outside vendors. SMB charges about $90USD/pp for an outside vendor fee... I say "about" b/c before we went Cecilia (the resort's WC) told me it was $100/pp...then when we got there it was $90/pp...so I'm guessing it's still "around" that amount:-) So, keep in mind, if Cecilia (the photographer) has an assistant, you will likely have to pay for TWO people...

Quote: Originally Posted by ~*petals*~ Oh I love it, Abbie!!! I've just started working on mine, almost 6 months after the wedding. Me too! (well, I'm closer to a year later:-) -- but good to know I'm not alone, lol:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Mandiland Semistar, I forgot to ask you what flavor of cake you had? We will have over 50 guests so we need a bigger cake; we are using the one offered with the package as the grooms cake. Quote: Originally Posted by inspiredfyre Regarding the cake, and I'm not sure if semistar liked hers, I had the tres leches cake, which had extremely thin layers, and was soaked in a sweet milk (very traditional mexican cake) and it was delicious! Yes, I agree with Semistar however, in the fact it was somewhat cheesey and plain looking, and the frosting, a fondant was kind of strange tasting, but the cake? Tasty!! First of all -- congrats Inspiredfyre! Sounds like you had an amazing time and everything went as planned! (Hopefully?:-)) We were actually only offered two choices of cake...chocolate or vanilla...I don't think they were offering the tres leches cake (which is weird, since isn't that a Mexican cake..? Again, though we got married there when the resort was still pretty new-ish...)... Anyway, we got the vanilla...and it was kind of gross... really mushy and not much flavour... But it didn't really matter -- b/c they never served it! Seriously! My mother got up and started cutting pieces for a few people...but no one else, us included, was ever brought a piece of cake! I'm thinking that by now, this kink in the service has been worked out:-) However, it does sound like they're still making the cakes look kind of cheesey:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by ~Nicole~ Here's mine. Good luck! beautiful! thank you so much! Quote: Originally Posted by Elizabeth Medina Here are a couple from my blog...ring photos can be fun to do when there is time and it is something that interests the bride and groom. When I do these I try to incorporate details that are evocative of something unique to that wedding. For yours that are going to be done later it occurs to me that you might use your dress fabric or some other element that you have kept from that day. W-O-W...those are absolutely stunning...and in the case of the last one, even a bit fun:-) Thank you so much for posting -- AND for the advice...I think that's a great idea... I actually sold my dress, but I think there are some other elements I can gather... like my sash and I was planning on buying a bouquet that's similar to the one I had in Mexico...so HOPEFULLY, it will work out;-) Again, thanks to everyone for taking the time to post! I really appreciate it... these pics will be VERY helpful:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Mandiland I am looking to book Cecelia for my pictures but had a thought about the resort photographer that is included in the package....do you think the resort photographer would do TTD pictures the next day instead of using his time at the wedding? The resort photographer is Juan Navarro... though you may not get him, but one of his associates... Maybe try googling him and just e-mailing him directly through his website to ask?

Hi Mandiland! Haha, no worries, I was just confused as to whether you had the right thread or not:-) I'l try to answer your questions below... 1. I see a few reviews that say it's very windy on the beach so the reception is by the pool or somewhere else...is this usually the case? I'm not sure about different times times of the year, but we got married in December (almost a YEAR ago! yikes, seems like not that long ago!)...and you bet it was windy on the beach at nights! Not EVERY night, but I'd say the majority... It was fine for our ceremony and even for most of our cocktail hour (both were on the beach), but towards the end of the cocktail hour it was really getting windy... I was REALLY glad we chose to have the reception poolside, as the trees etc kind of create a barrier and it's not nearly as windy...in fact, it wasn't really windy at all during our reception... Of course, maybe other brides who got married there different times of the year can chime in with their own experiences...? 2. Has anyone has the beach lounge furniture brought into the EDM by an outside vendor? I liked it on other reviews for various hotels but haven't seen any here yet. I did not have lounge furniture brought in... BUT, I'm not sure, but I think that Kits55 did! Of course, she lives in South Africa now, so she's not on here as much, but I'll e-mail her and ask her:-) There's also a long thread about this in the RM Vendors section of the forum where I think some girls have recommended different companies... Here's a link to that thread: Lounge Furniture in the RM 3. I know some brides have been annoyed with the wedding coordinator at the resort so I am curious if basically everything can be done in the days when you first get there? I know most brides on other posts say they stressed over emailing the coordinator and then everything was done when they got there. I'm not sure but I think Cecilia (SMB's wedding coordinator) now has an assistant...which hopefully means brides get faster replies to e-mails and better service/communication when down there... I think you will probably need to e-mail her about a certain things beforehand...basically whatever's REALLY important to you that you need to get settled...menu items, etc...I would just keep e-mailing her until you get an answer:-) Things like flowers etc can be picked out once you get there... Although, I will say that if a nice cake is important to you (it wasn't to us), then you should consider an outside vendor... our cake was kind of gross and kind of lame/cheesey looking:-) So you may want to sort that one beforehand IF it's important to you... 4. For those who have been there, we will have at least 50 people at our wedding. Where do you think the best place to have the reception is? If you want an outdoor reception, I think poolside (where we had ours) is the best option... you have it near the gazebo and the pool and it looks really beautiful at night! If the weather's bad, or you want indoors, you can maybe ask about using one of the two restaurants that are right beside the pool and kind of like open-air palapas...sorry, I can't remember their names! One's the seafood restaurant, and one's the steak restaurant... Or, they have a ballroom (though not sure why anyone would go to Mexico and have their reception in a ballroom:-)) inside or you could probably use the World Cafe...but I would think you'd only use those options if the weather was bad:-) Good luck:-)

Super nice! Love the layouts -- and you, of course, look gorgeous:-) (I tried to see the ring pic included in your album, but it was pretty small:-) So, still hoping to see the one you mentioned in my other thread :-)) Oh, I'm guessing your phtoographer did the layout...or did YOU do it...? If you did it -- double wow :-)

Wow -- ditto -- those are beautiful -- the colours are amazing!

Thanks SO much to all you lovely ladies for your posts -- and forthcoming posts!:-) I look forward to seeing the pics Quote: Originally Posted by future_mrs2010 Here is one of ours in rock candy from our candy buffet at our almost married reception: VERY cool! I would not have thought to put rings in candy! Quote: Originally Posted by Abbie ive got a couple but i need to get them on photobucket! ill try to add them in the next day or 2, hopefully its in time for what you need! oh! also i just thought of something. it might be kind of silly, but you could put on your dress and hubby his wedding clothes, and then even the tight shots will have you in the background. ill have to show you what i mean when i post one of the pics i have, but its our two hands together cupping our 3 rings, and its taken close up, but in the background you can see my dress and his shirt that we are wearing, because we are holding the rings at waist level, if that makes sense? I think I know what you mean...and it sounds like it would make for a GREAT shot...but alas, alack...I sold my wedding dress:-) Then again, maybe I have a long white-ish dress I can just hang in the background... Hmmm... I'd like to see that/those pics though!:-) And THANK YOU in advance:-) Quote: Originally Posted by mich999 Here is one of our wedding bands taken by Juan Carlos Tapia. Gorgeous! Such great ideas! Quote: Originally Posted by nathanielthompsonphoto its a palm tree haha-- thanks Nathaniel! I would not have guessed that...I thought rock for sure:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by classadiva Go to the "Show Me The Ring" forum at Diamond Prices: Diamond Jewelry Facts, Diamond Tools and Consumer Reports Forum and you will see more ring photos than you can stand complete with instructions on how to take these types of photos. Good luck. Thanks for the site! It looks like it'll take a little poking around to find the kind of pics I'm looking for, but a great resource:-) Also hoping more ladies post their pics here so I have them all in one place, lol:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by YaelM Here is the ring picture our photographer - Nathaniel Thompson who is on this forum took Wow -- that's fabulous! What is the ring on/in...? Is it a rock...? Whatever it is -- it's cool:-) Thank you for posting!

Hi Ladies, So, I have a big favor to ask -- and am hoping some of you can help:-) Any of you who read my pro photographer review know we kind of got short-changed on the picture end of things:-) That is, our photographer missed some very key moments and pictures...one of those being a picture of our rings. I have pretty much finished designing our wedding album (on Lumapix Fotofusion) -- but NOT having a picture of our rings is really bothering my husband! (It bothers me too, but I'm surprised at how much it bothers him!:-)) Sooooo, we are going to have a friend of ours who does photography as a hobby take pictures of our rings... We're hoping that with his lighting gear etc (he basically has a studio at his place) and with VERY tight, close shots, we can get a pic or two to include in the album (where it won't be noticeable they weren't taken in Mexico, lol:-) So, this is where the favor comes in... I want to show our friend what kind of pictures we want and need some examples to show him... I know I've seen GORGEOUS, kind of artsy shots of rings in flowers or bamboo or whatever... I googled "rings in flowers" -- but the images that came up were mostly pretty cheesey -- and I know beautiful (NOT chessey!) pictures of this exist! If any of you would mind posting any pics you have of your rings NOT on your hand, but displayed in another way, I would super appreciate it!! (or, you could e-mail them to me if you don't want them displayed for the world to see:-)) Thanks in advance! Of course, any photogs on this site are welcome to post/send pics too:-)

Aww...too bad the metallic is sold out :-( Though the ivory one is super cute too...I may have to dream up some excuse to buy one:-) (wish they'd had these when I was getting married, lol:-))

Quote: Originally Posted by Mandiland I am having a July 2010 wedding at EDM (just waiting on the date to come back as ok.) There are a few things I am thinking about if anyone has any feedback! 1. I see a few reviews that say it's very windy on the beach so the reception is by the pool or somewhere else...is this usually the case? 2. Has anyone has the beach lounge furniture brought into the EDM by an outside vendor? I liked it on other reviews for various hotels but haven't seen any here yet. 3. I know some brides have been annoyed with the wedding coordinator at the resort so I am curious if basically everything can be done in the days when you first get there? I know most brides on other posts say they stressed over emailing the coordinator and then everything was done when they got there. 4. For those who have been there, we will have at least 50 people at our wedding. Where do you think the best place to have the reception is? Thanks ladies!!! Ummm...I'm confused:-) Did you mean to write EDM...or did you mean SMB (Secrets Maroma Beach)? Maybe you posted in the wrong thread by accident...?

Quote: Originally Posted by mlynnea It looks like there are two different size structures on the beach...one is massive and heavy looking, and there is another one much smaller. Both are the same style of a rectangular pergola structure. Are there really two different structures? Thanks!!! Hey there! Okay, so the "smaller" wooden structure is the gazebo they set up on the beach for specially for weddings (when we got married there, it was not a permanent structure...something they put up just for weddings, though this may have changed since then...)... It is located closer to the water and away from the sun-bathing chairs and palapas on the beach... so it's more "private"... The other, bigger structure is actually the massage "hut"/gazebo... where they give massages on the beach. This one is closer to the resort than the water and right in the middle of all the sunbathing chairs and palapas. I went through our Mexico pictures and found some that show both: The above picture was taken from our room's balcony... The big structure in the foreground to the left is the massage hut...if you look past that towards the water on the right, you'll see the smaller wedding gazebo decorated with white tulle. This is a "ground-level" view... the bigger massge hut in the foreground, and just behind it, the wedding gazebo... Hope these pics are big enough to show this... let me know if you want them resized bigger:-) We got married using the wedding gazebo...it's just more private...you probably don't want sunbathers gaping in the background of your pictures:-) Hope this helps?:-)

Hi ladies, Just in case any of you are looking are looking for a cute clutch purse for the day of, I just saw these are on sale for $24.99 (down from $59.50) on the JCrew site...I think they also come in metallic silver and gold as well as the ivory... Hoepfully these links work: JCrew Ivory/White Clutch Purse JCrew Metallic Silver & Gold Clutch Purse Happy shopping:-)