KittenHeart

Quote: Originally Posted by thefuturemrslutz Hey ladies...here are a TON of pictures of the Sky Wedding option... azsskywedd BananAlbum Good call Lindz! My brain must be fried because I have seen both of those and HALF my guests booked with the Berwick Travel...

Super cute Amy!! I have programs (not really programs) with the same concept, ribbon through them to hang from the back of chairs. Katie - I think if you had as much as I have to bring you'd be packing last month like I was, LOL! I was busy, busy, busy from 9am - 10pm. Whew... what a day. I packed 5 suitcases, noted down what was inside each, weighed each, calculated how much it would be and lined them up against my wall. Too any of you ladies bringing a ton of stuff or bringing OOT bags that you will give to your guests once they arrive, I suggest packing all OOT stuff in certain bags and ONLY stuff you need wedding day in others so that friends can help you bring them. I then made a master list (Word doc) with what's in what bag, how heavy it is and who will be bringing it, that way I can keep track and I'm not constantly searching for stuff. Also, I have a few of the wedding party that will be packing light, meaning one bag between them and their husband/fiance and so I can give them a bag and not be charged for it since you get one free. Just thought I'd share my packing info with you girls, I really think I'm the only one bringing this much stuff in this thread but hey, you never know!

Happy Birthday Mel!!!

Katie, so glad you got everything worked out!!! I've been doing ok, working my little bum off all day long, got 5 bags packed today with a list of everything that's in it and who's taking it. I did 8 loads of laundry too! Not only do I have a long work week but I have 4 hours of OT to do this week on top of it, ugh!

So cute!!! The spandex was totally appropriate Thanks for sharing pictures, I can't believe you're going from snow to beautiful sunny Mexico!

Quote: Originally Posted by Afrommert I did not do a cocktail hour either. We send out pre-travel brochures to all our guest a month before departure letting them know our wedding day time line, and we just sent them to mojoito bar for an hour while we did pictures. We called it cocktail hour and they were the only ones in the bar at that time so it was basically the same thing and it was FREE. Kinda looked like this: WEDDING DAY Amy & Kenny 02.13.10 5pm sunset ceremony / Right side of beach 6pm cocktail hour mojoito bar/connected to building A 7pm Private reception / Zocalo Gazebo I did see 2 cocktail hours during my stay, and in my opinion it was cold near the beach and guest were anxious to get off the sand. They looked nice though, the staff does a great job of making these nice.Im sure there are other locations for this as well. They put high top tables up and white linen and have a tiki bar set up right there for you. Bathrooms are not far, but they are not on the beach. In my case, we didnt have the money to pay for it and wanted to take full advantage of all inclusive so we just sent them to a meeting place and it worked out wonderfully. Also, the breeze bar was open during those hours as well to send guest. Uh oh, I have a cocktail hour on the beach, I don't want people to be cold

Quote: Originally Posted by taylorwd Katie- I absolutely LOVE your pictures, both hair and back of your dress. You're going to be so beautiful!!! The volcano affected our families in Mexico, actually. DH's sister lives in England. She left Mexico on Monday and was supposed to fly to Heathrow on Tuesday. The bummer for her is that she's in the military and had to report for duty Wednesday morning. I think they all finally got out Thursday but she had to use some personal days. Crista- CONGRATULATIONS on the baby date!!!! YAY! AmyKH- Your hair looks stunning!!! It's so you, LOL and I've never even met you...but I just know Ooooh, a new car for your FI! That's exciting! I remember when DH and I made our first real purchase together. It was very surreal. AmyB- Holy cow you're paying more than $400 a night for AB? I remember you saying that you were getting rack rates, and the day we checked out of the resort the rack rate was $520/night for the deluxe rooms, but I just hoped all along for you that since you booked so long ago the rack rates were lower. To answer some AB questions: For setup fees, we were charged $40 by the onsite team. Absolutely ridiculous given the minimal setup required (We only had 4 tables and each table had a picture frame, a few sets of maracas, and sprinkles of confetti and rose petals). They also had to set out our sand ceremony setup and transfer the hanging corsages from the ceremony site to the Terrace. Seriously, $40 for that? We happily paid it b/c the onsite team was so awesome, but it was a ripoff for sure. Dress pressing: For those of you who remember this discussion a few weeks ago, Tiffany was just plain wrong. I confirmed with her 3 times that the price for pressing was $13.83 when in fact it was $50 for my dress (and $40 for DH's suit, if that helps anyone). Thank you for the hair compliments!! It's funny how you get to know someone without having ever meeting them so I know exactly what you mean Yes, the first big purchase! Made our upcoming marriage feel really, real! Hahaha, does that even make sense?

Quote: Originally Posted by taylorwd Hiya ladies!!!!!!!!!! I'm back and we had the MOST AMAZING time!!!! AB could not have been more perfect for our wedding. I can't wait til I get my pictures and can share with you. Oddly enough, being a bride I didn't carry around my camera that day so I'm at the mercy of our families and my photog, LOL. Unfortunately, it rained and rained and rained our first 3 days there. Not just sprinkles or mist but full on side-blowing rain. We had to cancel the sailing trip (no worries for all you gals that have booked with Paradise Catamarans...full refund with no problems) and ended up renting vans to take our guests into town for dinner instead. They were getting a bit stir-crazy with the rain. BUT, somebody was looking out for us because we went to bed the night before the wedding to pouring rain and woke up to blue skies on wedding day!!!!!! The clouds rolled in around ceremony time but the first drop didn't fall until the final blessing. Perfect timing if you're going to have rain on your wedding day! I'll write a full review later with all the details but I just wanted to pop in and say that the whole experience at AB could not have been any better. Superb everything: food, staff, beaches, onsite team. Absolutely perfect! Now I've got a lot of catching up to do!!! Welcome back Wendy!!! Wow I can't believe it rained the whole time and cleared up on your wedding day!!! How perfect is that?! I wonder why it's raining so much down there, is there a storm going on? Being 2 weeks away this makes my stomach turn...

Quote: Originally Posted by rkf1046 OK, so I am a little unsure of myself now...I had a conversation with a co-worker about why would I register for gifts if I am not inviting everyone to the wedding. We are having about 25-30 people hopefully and I am inviting few work friends and not much of the our extended families. I am curious if everyone else registered. I of course don't expect that everyone will get us gifts especially those who are coming but I also know that people who aren't coming or understand the logistics of a destination wedding may want to buy us a gift. What has everyone else done? I don't see the big deal if you don't want to buy a gift than don't. The conversation just made me start second guessing our decision...I am pretty sure I read some postings about this before, but of course I can't find them. Well ultimately it doesn't matter what anyone thinks or wants except you and FI! If you don't want to register, just let people know you're not registered. I personally was indifferent and so I registered and put the info up on my website and didn't mention it in my save the dates or invites at all. I recently started getting a bunch of people asking where I'm registered and I let them know. If people want to buy me a gift that's fine but I don't expect anything since I'm doing a DW. It was also nice to register because I had a lingerie party and wanted people who were uncomfortable getting me lingerie have the option to buy me something off my registry. Luckily for me I ended up getting stuff of my registry with lingerie INSIDE of it... like pyrex tupperware with thongs put in them, cracked me up! Quote: Originally Posted by chong Hi. My name is Chong. My fiance Darryl and I are getting marry at Azul Sensatori on October 10, 2010!!! I need some help planning the wedding. I have no idea where to start setup, music, photographer, reception, welcoming bags... there is just too much. anyone would like to share some pointers? greatly appreciate it/ Welcome & congrats Chong! We all tend to give the same advice and as daunting and time consuming as it may seem it's the best advice and what most of the rest of us did when we first joined the thread. Start from the beginning and just read through the thread, that will really help. Also, searching planning threads and reviews for AS, those are the best. Good luck! Quote: Originally Posted by linzappa Hi - I looked through this thread and didn't see any reviews of the Azuls. If some exist, could someone direct me to them? If not, could someone post something? The smaller of the two Azuls appeals to me more I think. Thanks y'all! Happy planning ps. I had a nightmare last night I couldnt' go to my own wedding as I didn't have a dress and I hadn't written my vows or speeches! I literally woke up in a cold sweat. Hi welcome! The reviews of Azul Sensatori & Azul Beach are in their own threads and they do exist, just use the search function at the top of the page Yeah, I had dreams like that A LOT for awhile, totally normal! Quote: Originally Posted by ~Nicole~ Hey ladies! I've been MIA so I have no clue what's going on in the thread, but I hope everyone's planning is going great! And there's probably some noobs that need to be added to the list, so if you have your wedding date just PM and I'll add it! Have a great weekend everyone! Hey girl! Miss you here, hope you're well!

Quote: Originally Posted by dstinationdrmr Hey, I think we're doing our wedding and reception at the same locations. Aren't you doing the Sky Wedding? I just added it to my detail sheet last week. It took a long time to decide if that's what we wanted to do (considering the extra $ involved) but I just really love it. Do you have pics of the Terrace that you can send me? Cecile, my coordinator sent me some but I just can't really get a good idea of the setting. Oh fun! Yeah, I too have the SkyDeck which I really only have one picture of! I wish I had more but I'm just kinda going with my gut at this point

JT - Hope you're feeling better! Karen - You got cards for people already? So sweet! I know I'll most likely end up caving if he pushes me, I just love being able to buy clothes with my last name on it Amanda - how exciting for your dress! Show us pictures when you get it!

Oh no! I'm really sorry to hear that! I organized a group pashmina order as well and it was shipped fast and dead on and I had a great experience with them. Hopefully you can get it resolved =/

Holly this is fabulous! Thank you!

Have any past brides done seating arrangements? I am trying to figure this out and if we just end up doing all the details with the onsite coordinators this would make my life a lot easier... it's hard to seat people in an area you've never seen before!

Quote: Originally Posted by cjb0arder13 OMG that's the cutest thing I've ever heard!!! I picture Eeyore, looking all sad in his little stall in Mexico, not getting to go party with the guests... I have never seen my FI so excited as when I mentioned we could do a donkey cocktail hour. I swear, he perked right up. I have a feeling we'll be doing the donkey cocktail hour no matter what... I know it's going to be so much! He's such a cute donkey too, I figure why not give him some love

Quote: Originally Posted by dirtymartini Don't they serve the food off of a tray on his back? I don't know if I heard that or am making it up in my head... :-D I am so sorry, I didn't mean this to sound like I was judging, I just would feel really guilty because I'm a sap! LOL!!! OMG, that would be terrible!!!!! They DEFINITELY do not do that. The passed canapes are passed by waiters on trays. The donkey is for pictures

Quote: Originally Posted by autjo Amy I heart your dress pic! Thank you!

Hahaha, the donkey doesn't serve you! It's there for pictures, besides, in Mexico I didn't want them to beat the poor donkey for not earning his keep (my dramatization in my head)

Quote: Originally Posted by amandamarieb Yeah I thought about that too. But about half of my guests love good food and there are quote afew (basically my entire side of the family) that's picky and won't try new things. That's why I think we are going with the Italian Family Style. There are a few appetizer options and side dishes and then they can choose from salmon. shrimp, chicken or beef for the main course. I think I am going to "fancy it up" for the cocktail recpetion so I can have the best of both worlds. I am so glad that they are letting me pull canapes from each of the different menus and create my own. I also wanted to have the donkey but then my co-worker started getting into the logistics of that. (I won't go into the points he brought up bc I don't want to deter you) but either way I am anxious to hear how that goes for you. OMG, can you believe you are just over 2 weeks out? After 2 years of planning muct feel like a relief! Wow, that's awesome they are letting you mix and match! I don't have anyone really picky going with food so it's perfect for us. As for the Donkey Cocktail hour, it's funny because FI and I were put off by the Donkey at first and asked our WC to not have the donkey there because we thought it was tacky. She replied mentioning the donkey by his name saying he wouldn't be there and I don't know why but I got teary-eyed and told FI that he has a name and we were taking away his job! We decided it's 30 minutes with him on the beach during cocktail hour, we don't have any snooty guests and I know everyone would really get a kick out of him so we let it go. Just so you know, everyone has their own opinions about how your wedding should or shouldn't be and I had to learn the hard way not to listen to anyone but what FI & I decided, you'll never please everyone

Autumn! That's awesome!! Congrats on your weight loss and getting heathy

Thanks girls, that's a relief! I wish I could hypenate my last name, I really would be open to that but they are too similar to hypenate even though people started tacking on his name to mine as of late.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lady_Di Thanks, ladies! I haven't thought of who is walking with. Ahh!! You don't have to get mothers something but that would be a nice gesture. Like a card or something I could give to them at breakfast? Do you think that's good enough? I'd go broke trying to gift them all something.

Awww, sad part #2 about my last name thing... I just realized that a lot of people call me just by my last name, I don't want to loose that

Happy Friday ladies, 9 days until we leave! So, last night, I changed a few of my song choices with my MOH sitting outside with a glass of wine, totally relaxed and her husband aka groomsmen asks me "so who am I walking with?" and my heart seized a little... I hadn't thought of this, I hope I'm the only one here who forgot this but I wanted to mention it just in case! I started getting more questions about how do they walk into the reception and what do they do, I don't even know how to organize a rehersal since it will be a private dinner on the outside portion of a restaurant that will be in use the rest of the time. Also just realized my Sunday farewell brunch is on Mother's Day... *sigh* so now I'm thinking I need to get cards or do something for all the mom's coming. Any suggestions?

AmyMarie - On no! Could they tone it maybe? I know that can be changed without frying your hair, just use a really good hairstylist, I think you have time! Welcome BTW