kimrae99

Welcome to the forum!! You will find it so helpful : ) Happy planning!

Welcome to the forum!! Back in my planning stages, I was having a difficult time deciding between Mexico and Jamaica as well. LOL. We ultimately chose Mexico because we fell in love with the Iberostar properties in Riviera Maya. But Jamaica would be great as well. I wish that I would have found this forum before deciding, it has been a life saver. Read the threads and you'll find the place that's perfect for you. Happy planning!

Welcome to the forum! You have definitely come to the right place! You will find this place so helpful in your planning. Best of luck to you!

Welcome to the forum! You'll find so much great info on here for finding the perfect place for your wedding. Happy planning!

Thanks for everyone's help on this thread! I'll keep posting and participating so I can move up to junior member : )

Great job!! Thanks for sharing!!!

Welcome to the forum! I went to Kauai a couple of years ago and it was breathtakingly beautiful. Perfect place for your wedding! Happy planning!

Welcome!! We are getting married at the Iberostar Maya in Riviera Maya in June and cannot be more excited. This forum has been so extremely helpful in our planning. Check out everything it has to offer and you'll be able to make an informed decision. Best of luck to you!

Welcome to the forum!! You will find so many helpful tips and ideas on here. Best of luck to you!

Welcome!! You will find this forum so extremely helpful in your planning. Best of luck to you!

Welcome! You have come to the right place for planning your DW. This forum is so extremely helpful. Happy Planning!!

Thanks everyone! These are very helpful.

Welcome! You will find this forum extremely helpful in your planning. Great to have you!

I just watched the press conference on CNN. They did NOT advise people to stay away from Mexico. They also noted that the US Secretary of State website has not addressed the issue in a Travel Alert. Hopefully it does not become more serious.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryan's girl This was the most confusing and frustrating part of the entire process of getting married in Mexico. We were told (time and time again) that we needed to order the long version of our birth certificates, have them translated into Spanish, and notarized and authenticated to have a legal ceremony at the Lindo. I had a friend that was getting married at the Del Mar a month before our wedding and she didn't need to get any of that stuff for her legal wedding. They just kept telling me that the different resorts within the Iberostar complex had different requirements. Whatever. So we went ahead, ordered our long version birth certificates, had an official translator to translate them into Spanish, had a lawyer notarize them before sending them off to the Foreign Affairs and the Mexican Consulate with a $200 money order to have them legalized and authenticated. When we hadn't received our documents a week before we were leaving we contacted foreign affairs to find out why they hadn't come. As it turns out, Foreign Affairs LOST our documents (original birth certs, translated copies, letter from laywer...everything). So needless to say, we were pretty much screwed for getting all of the stuff in time and at this point had wasted almost $500 in the process. With other stuff to worry about, FI and I both decided that we weren't going to stress about it, that we were going to go have the wedding of our dreams even if it meant having a blessing ceremony and getting legally married when we got home (having a legal ceremony was very important to me). After all of that, it turns out that those documents are no longer needed. All that was required of us for a legal wedding were our birth certificates. So I guess to answer your question (and I must apologize for the long rant...can you tell that I am a little bitter?), you DO NOT need to have a Spanish translation or an apostille. Ryan's Girl - I am just now catching up on the forum and just read your post. Thank you so much!!!! I cannot tell you what a help this is. I can't believe everything you had to go through (and are still going through trying to get your docs back!) If it helps, know that you have kept other brides from going through the same thing for nothing. You have been a huge help.

Quote: Originally Posted by briscoecrown Kimrae99 - we're on the same page! I was up late last night searching the threads about the civil/legal ceremony and was slowly getting frustrated. I already obtained the Apostille and was about to start the translation process. I intend to email the WC today to get the scoop. We can compare responses. Paraisobeachbride - Thanks for your feedback. I find it so strange that both resorts would have different requirements considering they're located on the same property -- go figure! Thanks briscoecrown! It's so nice to have some support on other brides going through the same thing. I emailed the WC and I will let you know what she says. Paraisobeachbride - As always, thanks for your help! You have been great.

Sorry about that Ryan's Girl! Meant to put you instead of Jwalkowiak in my "welcome back" message below. I need to go to bed...

Jwalkowiak and LindoBride2009 - Welcome back!! I can't wait to read your reviews. I have a question for either of you or ParaisoBeachBride2009. My FI and I are having the civil / legal ceremony and are wanting confirmation of the legal documents that are required. Intially, the WC said they need a Spanish translation of birth certificates with an Apostille, but now she says they no longer need an Apostille. Could you please help me with whether or not any Spanish translations are required? I apologize if this has been discussed previously. I couldn't find it : ) Plus the rules have apparently changed recently. Thank you!

Quote: Originally Posted by briscoecrown Ryansgirl -- Best of luck and most importantly, ENJOY!!! Hey Kimrae99 -- Looks like we'll just miss each other. I'll be leaving Mexico on 6/10. My planning is coming along. I have spurts. One week I'm in full wedding mode, the next I don't want to be bothered. This weekend I'm tying ribbons on raffia fans. Hopefully, I can stay focused long enough to finish up. I started filling out the wedding details with the little information I had and quickly got annoyed! LOL There are just so many things I'm still undecided about. So, needless to say, I have a lot of blanks!! I couldn't even fill out something as simple as the number of guests because I still have stragglers telling us that they're coming (BUT, haven't booked anything!). Go figure! The WC told me I should submit it a month before the wedding. So you know what that means......... She'll get it on May 5th at 11:59pm! HA!! We are arriving on 6/8 so maybe we'll run into each other! I can't believe you're already tying ribbons on the fans. I still need to get mine! So much to do. Sounds like you're coming along great though! I know what you mean about the stragglers. We have people that are still undecided, so now I'm trying to estimate our guests which makes planning even more fun! LOL I'm glad to know I have until May 15th to get the wedding details sheet submitted!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by briscoecrown Hey Carla!!! I can't believe your wedding is almost here. Time really flew by!! Are you all set... packed & ready to go? Did you decide on your reception location? Are you going with the lounge set-up? I know, I know... lots of questions. Briscoecrown - I just noticed that you are getting married at the Maya just 10 days before me! I hope your planning is going well. I am trying to fill out the wedding details questionnaire and there's so many decisions!

I just saw the slide show and the pics are gorgeous!!! It makes me so much more excited for our wedding in June And I love the gazebo!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!

I agree with notifying guests about the travel alert. I posted a notice on our wedding website discussing the alert and requesting that guests read the Department of State alert before looking to other sources so that they are properly informed.

Thanks everyone for your posts on this. I have been looking into this issue recently because I have some guests that are a little concerned (but no one that has cancelled their trip). However, I have not found anything that has caused me to worry. I think as long as you use common sense and keep yourself out of dangerous situations, like you would anywhere in the US, you should be fine. Mexico depends heavily on tourism and they are going to do whatever possible to keep tourists safe.

Welcome Julie! You will love this site. Our wedding is in Riviera Maya as well, at the Iberostar Paraiso Maya on June 15, 2009. There are several threads dedicated to Barcelo Maya Palace brides. Let me know if you're having trouble locating them and I can try and post a link. Happy planning!

Welcome Jaimie! Yes, this website is great. You will LOVE it. Happy planning!