jrprice24

Thank you! Well the toast is immediately after the wedding. The wedding hut is located at the back of the aisle that you walk down. We did the wedding, then the toast, then we went off to do pictures and everyone else went to the bar and started celebrating while waiting for us, then we all went to dinner at 6:30. I'm not sure if you can go back to the wedding hut after dinner b/c it will be dark by that time, that would be a question for Paola. I think you would do your first dance at the disco. We actually just hung out at the bar all evening. I figured everyone would be raring to go but we were actually all really tired and most of us were in bed by 11, lame I know! A few people changed clothes and then everyone hung out and played card games all evening. Nothing fancy but we had such a small group that it worked really well and we have the AHR to get wild and crazy. I was very worried about what we were going to do after the wedding and after dinner but it all worked out. Good Luck! Let me know if you have more questions. Quote: Originally Posted by Bride-chill-a Mrs. Rohwedder, Congratulations! I'm so happy everything worked out so well! You've gotten me excited for my wedding! It's a relief to hear that everything went great! What did you do/where did you go for your reception? We are trying to establish what to do afterwards. So far we are aiming for dinner then going to the wedding hut to do our toasts and first dances, then head off to the disco after that. Any input you have on that would be great!

One other thing. We had scheduled our wedding for 4:30 but luckily Paola mentioned that it is almost dark by that time. We decided to switch our ceremony to 4 and we almost could have moved it up to 3:30. Just something to think about. Paola has pics to show of the different ceremony times and the lighting, but it will also depend on what time of year your wedding is. This was something that I hadn't even thought about.

Alright ladies. We are back from Sandos and we had the most wonderful wedding. It was more than what I could have ever expected. Here is our website with our wedding pics: Message I will try to give you a run down of all of the important information, sorry because it gets a bit lengthy. I tried to answer some of the unanswered questions and took specific pictures to help others plannings. First I would like to start by saying how much this website helped my planning and helped to answer so many of my questions. Thank you to everyone who helped inspire our wedding and those who helped answer questions. - Have no fear Paola did a WONDERFUL job as our wedding coordinator. I, as many others, was frustrated at times because she didn't respond very quickly. She had all of my information on a program when we arrived. I did take a copy of my answers but didn't end up using them. -We used the photographers from the resort, Davide and another guy who I never got his name but he was older than the other 3 guys and had gray hair. I highly recommend them. I was nervous about the photos but I am so pleased with how they turned out. Davide knew the angles that would allow for the best pictures and exactly where to go on the property to get the best photos. They were very pleasant and accommodating to our wishes for pictures. ***** We ended up with a photo package for a fraction of what other photographers would have cost. One option that isn't included in the photo package info is that you can buy the entire CD. We got our entire 267 photos for $650. By purchasing the 10 photos for $150 then we purchased the entire CD for $500- although this price is going up to $800, but still for all of the pictures, it would be worth it. - Another catch that I don't understand is that if you have under 20 people attending then you can choose from the A La Carte restaurants BUT if you have more than 15 each person has the exact same menu(same appetizer, same main course, etc) We opted to eat at the Italian restaurant and it was perfect. It was nice because we were in a corner so we were segregated from the rest of the people so it still felt more personal. We choose the white cake with strawberries and it was SO good! The hard white outside was white chocolate and the strawberries were a nice touch. We had lots of compliments on how beautiful the cake was and how good it tasted. -We used the Symbolic ceremony. We were able to get a free wedding because she ADDS the TOTAL number of rooms when deciding on the price. We had a total of 35 rooms which evened out to be sufficient to the requirement. I think for the Caribbean you would need some where around 140 rooms to get the free package. -I ended up making my own boutonnieres(which were way easy) and then ordering our bouquets. The bouquets turned out beautifully! I am so pleased that I decided to go with ordering them. I told Paola what I was thinking, didn't have a picture or anything, and she was able to create them. At first I had opted not to have the flowers down the isle but I am very happy we ended up having them. For the entire row it cost $20 for all of those flowers. I was able to pick the flower and the color when we walked our tour because they are actually picked flowers from around the resort. -Paola offered to upgrade us to nicer rooms but the catch is that the nicer rooms are far from the beach and a majority of the resorts happenings. We spent a majority of our time at the the main bar, La Bombla, and that actually kind of turned into our meeting spot because we always knew that someone would be there pretty much any time of the day -I cannot say enough great things about the resort, the staff, and most of all the people involved in our wedding. All of the food was very good, all of the staff was nice, and our wedding was a dream. Our family and friends were all impressed and had a great time. Please, please, please feel free to ask me any questions that you have and take a look at our website. Congrats to you all and happy planning. Now on to the AHR

Does the hotel have wi-fi? There are a couple people thinking about bringing their computers if the resort has Wi-Fi. Yes we do have Wi-fi in the main lobby and at the meeting point, It is 5 usd per hour. The Iowa game is played on FOX. Does the resort have satellite connection? Or do you know if FOX TV is available. I have a lot of people concerned about watching this game. We have ESPN International, We do have FOX channel; but, not all the games are broadcast all over the world. The programming might be different in Mexico. Could you clarify for me- are dinners casual dress? Meaning shorts are ok but no jeans? I would like to make sure that everyone attending is aware of the regulations. Dinners in the a la carte restaurant require dress code: long pants closed shoes. It could be jeans. The buffet restaurants is casual, they can wear Bermudas or nice short pants. Do you know if there is any cell phone reception at the resort or in the surrounding area? We do have cell-phone reception, you can check first with your phone company if they can activate the international roaming. Some of the companies do not work in Mexico, please check with them if it will work. Also, we are undecided on the restaurant. We have 19 which means that we could go to the a la carte but everyone has to have the same meal, which we do not think is fair to our guests. Right now we are leaning toward the Italian buffet.

I have been MIA for a while. I got to the point where everything was pretty much done that could be, but now we are down to 9 days until we leave and 11 until the wedding. I can't believe it is coming so close. I will say that Paola has been great these least couple of weeks. She has actually been returning emails in a day or so. She has answered every question without a problem. I asked a few extra questions so I will post those here soon. It was nice to read over all of the posts again because it helped answer some of these last questions. My alert message isn't working so if you have any specific questions that I don't respond to, PM me and hopefully I'll get back to you. Let me know there is anything you need me to ask about or look for when we go!

Quote: Originally Posted by aimee&ted i just placed an order with this vendor. he's been GREAT to work with so far. Thanks for sharing Sorry I didn't check this earlier!! I just noticed that you were requesting a color clarification. The teal cup is on the left and the blue is on the right. I am glad you are having good luck with Nick at this point. I can't wait to see your cups too. Good Luck!!

Quote: Originally Posted by bahiabride2010 Wow beautiful job...how many people are you inviting...will you deliver them by hand? Just curious! Thank you! These were hand delivered to our family and close friends to announce our engagement and also as an invite for them to come to Mexico with us. We only had to make 15 or so. It was a great way to announce our engagement b/c we were able to watch their faces as they were reading the letter

Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMrsRell Those ROCK!!! We are also an "R"... okay, tell me how you did them!!! Actually, they look pretty self explanatory, but, fill me in on what kind of paper and where you got it. Do you know how much they cost to do? I just noticed that you are a future Iowa bride also!! Congrats! I ordered all of the paper from Close to My Heart. I have a friend who sells it from Des Moines. Here are more pictures that can help explain the process invites pictures by jrprice24 - Photobucket Here is another website that provides instructions http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga...00&ppuser=2081 Instead of scoring my edges I actually cut my 12"x12" sheet in half and then cut it again so that I had 4- 6"x6" squares. Than I cut 1 square diagonally and these pieces will be the crosses that will make the pocket. Decorate the triangles with whatever paper you'd like. I used brown cardstock for the entire invite but you could also use different colors for each triangle if you wanted. When gluing, make sure you glue on the correct side of each triangle. Then add colorful paper in whatever color you want to make the triangles different or you could keep them the same if you'd like. I added the ribbon and decorated the squares according to how I wanted them. I don't remember the actual cost but I did have to go back to Hobby Lobby 3 different times b/c I went through the glide tape like it was candy. I was able to buy 1 package of brown cardstock and then I had 2 packages of the colored to assure that I would have enough b/c there were only a few sheets in each color pack. Hope this helps! If you have more questions, let me know. Happy Planning!

I finally completed our invites for everyone going to Mexico and I am SO happy with how they turned out. I made all of these from scratch with brainstorming help from some of my fellow card making friends. I didn't make any invite like another but trust me, they took forever! I am very happy I was able to make them for all of the guests who were invited to Mexico. It made making them more enjoyable and I think it provided more meaning to the invites. If anyone wants instructions or if you have any questions, just let me know. Hope you like them!! Here are some examples of the different styles A majority of the equipment The invite without the insert The inserts were created and printed on my computer. Then I added a stamp to the corner in green

I have a pair and I have had them over a year. I am a nurse so I am always on my feet whether it be walking or standing. I LOVE mine. I'm not sure if I've really seen results for my buns or thighs but it helped my sore knees and ankles. They are really weird to wear when you first get them but you'll soon get use to them . Good luck!

Quote: Originally Posted by Bride-chill-a If it's a Symbolic Ceremony, it's not legal so you don't have to worry about any of that 'being there 3 business days in advance" business. I'm assuming you would be making it legal at home, non? that's the nice thing about a symbolic ceremony! Thanks! I was thinking that was true but started getting concerned when I hadn't even thought of the issue. Yes, we are getting married here. The reason behind the symbolic ceremony is to save money. I think we are getting married down there first and not telling anyone and then coming back up here and doing it legally.

Does anyone know if the witnesses have to be there 4 days prior to the wedding if it is a symbolic ceremony? I'm hoping not b/c we won't even be there in that length of time. I'm starting to get worried. I have an email out to Paola and I haven't heard back yet. Thanks in advance.

Thanks everyone!! This is my first purchase with our names and dates on it so it make it even more exciting. The one on the left is the teal and the one on the right is the blue. I'm not sure about there being a minimum order. I purchased the 50 cups on ebay but once I went to the store I noticed that there are other amounts too like 100 or 150. You'd have to contact Nick to see what he would say. SuzieQ- I am pretty excited

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my OOT bag cups and they finally arrived today. I wanted to pass on that I bought these on an ebay site and Nick was wonderful to work with because he wanted to make sure that our monogram was exactly like I wanted it. He took the time and we made multiple emails back and forth trying to get everything correct. He included a final draft before the cups were made and everything! I HIGHLY recommend the ebay seller cupman19: eBay Seller: cupman19: Specialty Services, Home Garden items on eBay.com The site has lots to offer from cups and koozies to megaphones and frisbees. We ordered the ones called 16oz Stadium Cups Plastic Personalized, Beer The price was reasonable at $50 for 50 cups plus shipping and handling. Just thought I would share!! Here is the final product in translucent green, translucent blue, and translucent teal. The blue and teal are very similar in color so I"m not sure if I would choose those colors again because they are very similar. Oh well, I like them anyway.

Wow! Jillian you have a ton of information and it looks like you answered all of Pinz's questions. I actually hadn't seen the photographers site yet so that was nice to see. We are using the resort photographer. I really want a CD to take home so that we can do a slide show at our AHR so we will be upgrading from the photos offered in our package. I'm still deciding on packages b/c I'm not sure if I really want everything that is in the Caribbean but I do want more than the symbolic. I need to sit down and figure out which is going to be more cost affective(it's been a while since I looked at the packages so I think I said that right). Happy planning!!

Quote: Originally Posted by jilligirl Yeah our plans have changed we are now getting married the 16th at 4:30!! She has been very helpful and sometimes gets back to me the same day. Congrats on having your day and time picked out jrprice, are you guys having a private reception or anything? Thanks! No we decided against the private reception b/c of the extra cost. We are planning on eating at one of the restaurants and then going to the disco at the resort or going into town to a bar. We are going to wait until we get there to see what the bar at the resort is like. How much is it to reserve the disco? I never thought of that idea but that sounds nice. It is probably in my quotes somewhere but I can't find it right now. Thanks!

Thanks everyone! They were fun and easy to make- cheap too

Quote: Originally Posted by jilligirl We tentatively have our wedding booked for 3:30 on January 18th. Paola has been pretty good at getting back to us but my travel agent contacted her first so maybe thats why. Is anyone else getting married January 2010? I think we arrive on the 13th. We are getting married January 7, 2010 at 4:30. I agree that Paola has been great to work with and she has been very willing to answer all of my questions.

I thought I would share our STDs(my fiance is reading this over my shoulder and is questioning that sentence ). We came up with this idea from the Message in a Bottle STDs but we added our own ideas too. The message was created by Matt and then we printed them on the computer. After creating and printing them we burnt the edges to add a little extra to the invite. These were all hand delivered right after we got engaged so everyone was surprised with the message- it was a great way to announce our engagement. Here is a picture of the invite before the burning. Willow and Kyzer are our dogs. All of the equipment. Sand and shells from Michael's. Landshark and Corona bottle from our consumption . Matt works for a beer distributor so this seemed perfect The finished product with the name tags on each bottle

I agree! I was toying with the idea of doing both until I read this site. Great idea to use just parasols- it'll save money, look great, and still give them something to hold on to during the ceremony. Thanks for the help!

This dress is still available. It would be great for a TTD if nothing else.

You did such a great job and you have so many great ideas!! I'm looking into using your idea for the parasols, but... OT doesn't have them listed any more!?!!?!??

Quote: Originally Posted by Abbie lizz, you TOTALLY have to get him a couple backups from silver depot, we just got dougs in the mail today. here's pics, the quality is just as nice as the $150 ones we were looking at at the same place we got my e-ring, Engagement Rings - Diamonds - Wedding Rings - Fine Jewelry at The Shane Company - Shane Co. total for 8 rings including shipping was less than $50!! anyways, here's the silver depot ones! (all 4 are titanium, and each was less than $6.00) all 4 on dougs hairy finger all 4 on my pretty hand, for a different angle his favorite, black, probably for more of a dressy look, or just not everyday, anyways everyday ring pics of the 2 with my set i'm so excited! Hey Abbie- Wondering if you could tell me the numbers of his rings. I like them all but they don't look like any that I'm seeing on the site. Thanks! Jessica

Quote: Originally Posted by nmoreau We are going to do the symbolic ceremony and then get married once we get back. Our resort hasn't asked for any kind of proof or anything on the symbolic marriage. We are actually debating coming back home thru Vegas and having a private just the 2 of us legal ceremony at a chapel there.... just to make the legal part more fun! I was trying to locate a minister down there to make the ceremony more personal and she actually recommend that I don't get legally married in Mexico as she has seen it to be very hard for brides to obtain additional certified copies of their marriage for various reasons. So that is something to think about down the road too..... We are also getting married at Sandos. I talked with Paola and the resort does not require us to have a certificate for the wedding. Either way we do it I think the Mexico ceremony will be the one that feels real. I just had such a bad reaction from the people being in the wedding that I don't want want their opinions and thoughts to change about the wedding. Although, we are considering doing it before we go b/c then we can have the '09 tax break Does anyone know- is there really much of a tax break? We are getting married Jan 7th so we could do either year. Just wondering

Quote: Originally Posted by SDbeachgirl We are also considering a symbolic ceremony to avoid any extra hassles and blood tests. I'm just concerned that it won't seem as special if we are already married. Is everyong going to "celebrate" the legal ceremony? I almost don't want to make a big deal of it at all, this way it won't feel real until we are on the beach saying our vows. Does anyone else feel this way? I have the same concern. We have decided to make it legal at home after our symblic wedding so that it will feel "real" to us and our guests in Mexico. We are also doing our best not to tell anyone that we are having a legal marriage back here b/c I got a negative reaction when I first mentioned it to someone. Plus, I don't want our guests to have a skewed view on the wedding if they knew it wasn't real. We decide against the legal ceremony mostly b/c of the cost but I am nervous about the blood test and I have heard horror stories about how long it takes to get your legal certificate from Mexico.