amybermuda

Quote: Originally Posted by jazz04 Does anyone know what type of dinner is included in the packages for reception? Also, I could not find the additional cost for chairs. For the dinner included in the wedding package, I used that for my "welcome dinner". When I met with the wedding coordinator, they gave me the menu the chef was going to serve. You might have some leeway in changing it, but we were happy as is. It was a salad, choice of 2 different soups, choice of chicken or fish, and choice of 2 desserts. In any event, I do not think you will know the menu until you get to Mexico. If you use that meal for your reception, know it is not a private event and I am not sure the extent they can decorate for you. There will also not be an area of rmusic & speeches designated. Of course if you have a small group, you can always do speeches at the table - and Azul will give you a private area of the dining room - you just dont get the entire thing.

Oh yeah I agree - I am not doing the 3 week start. I never did it before and still lost the 10 pound sin 2 months. So I could not start yesterday, I actually kind of forgot until the afternoon. Today it is on though! I am going to do low carb for the next 2 days and just do one less Low fat/High GI day. Besides myself & Lisa, anyone else starting out?? You can always make 4th of July your cheat day! That's what I intend on doing!!

Hi Lisa! Bump bump! I stopped following but would not mind starting again on Saturday (cheat day of course). Give it a go with you??

Quote: Originally Posted by bigboponthebeach Anywho, thank you for sharing this email! I have put it in my guest coorespondence file for a few months down the line. So out of curiosity, did you enjoy the cenote, zipline, ruins day or the catamaran trip more with your guests? I don't think we will be able to afford both for our guests, but I'd like to do one with them for the memories. Let me know what you suggest please. Oh thanks!! I was very laid back in planning and did not do a lot of talking to my friends and family about our wedding so everyone was very surprised in Mexico ho much stuff I had planned and how together the wedding was. I kind of liked it like that!! Zip lining was awesome but they only do it in groups of 12 so we had to split into 2 groups. It also ran waaaaaayyy over and we were gone from 9am-6pm. Which would be fine if you weren't staying at an all inclusive resort!... I think the catamaran was better b/c everyone could go - all young & old - so the group was more cohesive. Buuuuutttt if I was watching my $$ spent but also wanted to do something for my guests I would totally recommend the vans into Cancun or Playa del Carmen. If you need 2 vans - so 24 people or less - it is like $220 for both round trip. I used 3 vans into Cancun and it was $336. I tipped the drivers $20 each too. But those group outings are so easy - you can do the nighttime clubbing or a daytime trip. Maybe find a place to all have lunch - do some shopping - maybe even a free museum or art gallery - then back to the hotel. Its very affordable and being driven in an air conditioned van with nice drivers made my guests feel very special!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by bigboponthebeach Thanks for this info, Amy! How did you work out the rsvp options for this with your guests? Did you wait until you were there in Mexico and ask them interested/tell them they were invited or did you get the word out to them about this itenerary plan early? So they way the Catamaran works is that you put 25% down on your estimated # of people going. The day of you can confirm numbers and pay the balance based on how many came in cash. My in laws did not want to keep $2k in cash on them, so I had to confirm #s the week before via email with all of my guests. Here is the invite email I sent to everyone and then I followed up the week before to confirm everyone still wanted to go: Can you believe our wedding date is only 2 months away!?! We need to get numbers finalized for some of the activities we are planning for the week of fun in the sun in Mexico. 1) Wednesday May 26th - Ziplining, Snorkeling in cenote, and touring the Tulum Ruins Cenotes are natural freshwater pools with underground caves and caverns, formed because of the porous limestone ground that makes up the Yucatan. Cenotes are found in only a few locations on earth. Combine Snorkeling in Cenotes and Zip Lining above the jungle canopy with the history of Mayan Ruins. This is a unique experience you will never forget. (you can always just "watch" one of these events if you want to do the other 2) Approx 6 hours round trip 2) Thursday May 27th - Cancun Clubbing Trip - in 2 private transfer vans, we leave the hotel at 8pm and start with a posh tequila bar on the Cancun strip. From there we will go to all the classics and crazies: Carlos & Charleys, Daddy Rock, Coco Bongo, etc! There will be an early bird shuttle pick up back to the hotel at 12am and a late night partying pick up at 2am! Note: each way is 30 mins drive. 3) Friday May 28th - "Rehearsal Dinner" Mexico style - Catamaran with reef snorkeling All ages will be able to enjoy this relaxing boat ride, hosted by the groom's parents, xxx. We will be picked up at 2pm and will enjoy the 46ft catamaran "Paso Doble" for 4 hours: open bar and snacks included! Please let me know what activities you are up for! Don't worry, last minute changes will probably be OK if you chicken out And don't forget our website for updates and other stuff. And for those arriving Monday or Tuesday - we still have our Welcome Dinner Tuesday night the 25th followed by the Wedding Texas Hold Em Tournament.

Quote: Originally Posted by bigboponthebeach Your flowers are beautiful and I absolutely LOVE your BM's colors!!! Those long and flowy dresses really caught my eye! Beautiful! Thank you! I always go with different stuff and so I wanted my BMs to wear all different colors and styles.

Quote: Originally Posted by daniepps This sounds like fun. I sent out my pre-wedding brochure and let everybody know that we may do this. Did you use Paradise Catamarans? And how far in advance did you have to make the deposit? Yup, we used Paradise Catamarans. We booked 3 months in advance b/c we did a Friday night and it was Memorial Day weekend - so did not want to leave it to chance. I highly recommend. We did open bar and the food option and everything was very high quality. I think it was about $2500 for 40 people including transport, alcohol, and food. It was 6 hours total - an hour each down and back and 4 hours on the boat.

My recommendation is to make up a list of must haves. You should have 4-5 things you really want - like close to a major airport, cost, allows kids, has a chapel or private wedding setting, has an adult only sections, is AI, etc . Then find 2 good travel agents and have them give you recommendations on places to stay and price out 3, 4, and 7 nights at the hotels. I found the resort first, and while I LOVED the Azul Beach, I wish I would have kept my eyes open to other places, especially if they would have been cheaper for my guests - or had gotten me better deals on my wedding package. Good luck!

Quote: Originally Posted by KittenHeart Oh I'm so excited for you!!! The best advice I got the week before my wedding was during the ceremony to listen, listen to every word the minister speaks, just pay attention and be there in that moment. As for the reception, it will be over before you know it so take a moment every hour if you can and take it all in and don't let your husband out of site for too long. A minute can turn into an hour and one of my good friends let this happen and she doesn't have a single picture of her and her husband at the reception since she was dancing and he was talking to his boys all night. Amy, I listened to this advice you gave me and it was priceless. I told FI the night before and we both decided to stay near each other. There might have been 10 minutes max when we were apart and then we'd find the other saying "where is my wife" or "where is my husband" - it was really nice staying so close. Thank you for that advice, if I did not tell you before!

Quote: Originally Posted by taylorwd YSadly, I have bad news about the catamaran. We had to cancel it because of rain. It POURED rain from Wednesday when we arrived until Saturday morning (wedding day). We were super bummed about having to cancel it. The company was awesome and had my refund in my account by Monday morning. We ended up taking everyone into PM for dinner since a few people that had been there all week were a bit stir crazy from the rain. AmyB took her guests on the catamaran for snorkeling. AmyB, any surprises? The catamaran was amazing. We went for 4 hours. They picked us up in a huge bus and drove us the 50-60 mins to Puerto Adventuras. The boat was new and gorgeous and the staff were super fun. We drank beers and rum punches and did the best snorkeling I have ever done. It was a bit scary at times b/c we were like less than a foot away from the coral. My in laws sponsored the trip and told Mark it was for a wedding. Let me tell you - they were great! They had flowers on the boat, and did a little special thing (I am not going to tell in case other brides are doing the cat and they should be surprised too!) for the bride & groom. It was fabulous. My in laws were super happy that it turned out so well and my parents were impressed so it was all good. Quote: Originally Posted by meghan Yep! 9 days! Can't wait to share my pictures! I can sleep because I am soo exhausted getting ready. I am in the process of finishing up report cards and clearing out my classroom by Friday, which is when we leave! Well, technically Saturday at 3:00 am we have to leave for the airport. Yay Meghan!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just pack everything you can think of and you can organize and do last minute things in mexico - while eating breakfast from room service on your terrace and basking in the sun. Oh you are going to have such a great time! Dont forget to print every email you have in your wedding file and all of your inspiration pics - hair, make up, flowers, table set up, etc. Go over every little detail you want them to do. They folded my napkins weird and I wish I had told them I wanted my napkins folded into a rectangle and placed on the plates. So, if you have something set in your mind, no matter how small, tell them. They will do everything you tell them to do. And have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi girls, I am waiting to do my final wedding review until I get my pro pics back, but wanted to post my flower pictures for everyone. I googled a lot of flowers and also used the sticky note link regarding what flowers were in season in Mexico. I was very happy with the flowers; they were a superb quality and for the cost, I thought a great deal! Bridal bouquet: Orange & Pink lilies & roses - $50 additional (b/c size was 16" diameter) Bridesmaids Bouquets - $50 for each - yellow, purple, orange & pink lilies and daises (they added tons of yellow roses too which were pretty) Centerpieces - $50 each Inspiration Picture given was: Aisle decor - Tall glass vases of Gladiolas - $43 each - moved from canopy to in front of the DJ table Groom boutonniere - $25 - option was shown to us from Lomas in their binder at our pre wedding meeting. Sorry I dont have a close up of his flower really - but he loved it and thought it was worth $25. Imagine a guy saying that!! hehe it was cute. Hope this helps! I think they did a great job of recreating what I sent them.

Quote: Originally Posted by bigboponthebeach I would LOVE to try on dresses but I'm being really vain right now and don't want to try them on until I lose some weight. I was giving myself until August to drop the initial pounds for a proper fitting. Do you think this is a bad idea? I've decided to do real touch flowers, but I really want orange tulips and have not been able to find tulips PERIOD online. Has anyone seen any? I've decided our colors will be burnt orange, khaki brown, and white. I'm going for the whole burnt orange, starfish, and raffia theme. I LOVE raffia for some strange reason! LOL Ooooohhhhh I love your theme idea. It sounds lovely. I love tulips too. Something about them give you that excited feeling that spring is here and the weather is going to get better. Your colors sounds great too!!! I tried on dresses before I lost a lot of weight and you know what -- trying the dresses on made me much happier where I was with my weight -- I saw that I looked good in the dresses even though I wanted to lose 15-20 pounds. That confidence took the pressure off to lose weight and it made losing weight easier for me. Does that make sense? It all depends how you feel, but you don't want to put off looking at dresses too long in case, like Amy said, it could take over 6 months to get your dress made - thats before the time needed for fittings etc. And its nice to have the dress for a bit so you have time to match shoes, veil, etc. I'm just excited to see your theme!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by taylorwd Just to throw in some brevity here: one of DHs good friends from way back (more like a sister to him) just called yesterday to say she won't be coming to our AHR--because she's not comfortable in a bathing suit!!! Okay, now hear me out. I know a lot of us women have body image issues (though she has no reason to, she's maybe a size 6 and tall), but the reason this makes me at the stupidity of the situation is because of how mad she was that she wasn't "chosen" to go to Mexico. She actually hung up the phone on DH when she found out she couldn't come to the wedding. To a wedding in Mexico. At a resort. On the beach. Where bathing suits are pretty much mandatory. I love this story Wendy. It shows how people complain to complain and put their 2 cents in where it is not needed or expected or appropriate.

Quote: Originally Posted by bigboponthebeach "Those rooms are too small' to "Why isn't flight included in the rate" to "Kinda selfish to make everyone fly just to see you marry." Quote: Originally Posted by beaz2be I totally feel you on this one. Lucky for us in a way, my fiance's family and mine live on opposite sides of the continent - so no matter what 1/2 the wedding has to get on a plane. This way it's "more fair" for everyone. hahaha Oh I hate that stage of planning!!!! I really really hated it!!!! But you get through it, so while you have to hear it (everyone has guests that say the rudest things - realziing it or not), know that it will soon be over. I was a tad on the ruder side to people ---- I said "Mark & I always wanted a small wedding and so having it in Mexico will allow us to have one. Otherwise if it was in Maryland everyone would come!" So, basically an IN YOUR FACE. hehehe I would suggest you get a good group of supporters - friends and family who are super excited and support the destination wedding - and lean on them. Have them act as a buffer towards the nasty family members and friends so you don't get the brunt of it. Keep them close to you throughout the process so they will keep you excited and remind you that you did make the right decision. As the wedding gets closer, I know myself & others also felt like people were not excited to go - they started worrying about leaving their kids for a week or traveling with the kids or leaving their work or going to Mexico or whatever else - and then we were bummed that it didn't seem like people were excited. Make sure you have 3 people you can call and and they will always say "I can't freaking wait for Mexico!!!!" They will be invaluable throughout this process w/ you!!! Quote: Originally Posted by amandamarieb are you worried about the oil crisis? First of all, besides our catamaran trip, I think I was in the ocean once the week in Mexico. So, worst case you stay in the pools. If that's the worst case, then no biggie at all! Secondly, the Gulf Stream does not flow down into Mexico. I suppose currents could change, but I am pretty sure its more likely to hit Cape Cod than it would Mexico & South America. My best response to that would be "Anything could happen, and yes I am concerned about it, but I cannot do anything about it. I don't want to focus on things I have no control over because the wedding stress levels would be out of control. So I am thinking positive thoughts and at worst case, we don't swim in the ocean and instead enjoy the pool bars all day!!" Remind people that their comments are making you stressed! I did that even when they did not and eventually most people lol - I love that guy too

Quote: Originally Posted by ROBINBOOSE Has anyone had a wedding here recently? if so how was it and with all the add on's was it expensive Robin, Depends if you want to have a private event or not and how many people are coming. I think compared to other 5* resorts in the area its reasonable. Even with a private function, for say 50 people, you can keep it under $10k. Quote: Originally Posted by michelle14 Not sure if we are booking with Azul yet but it is in my top 2 choices! What can you tell me? Welcome! What do you want to know - resort specific or wedding specific? Whats your other choice?

Quote: Originally Posted by dstinationdrmr Thanks to all of you who complimented our centerpeces. We do plan on putting flowers in them FYI, but my sister says she likes the white box better. I'm torn and my mom wants whatever I want. So, for those of you who looked at them, which one do you like better the bronze or the white? I may use both, but if more people like the white I may just incorporate more of them. Meredith, If it was my wedding, I would do both. How many tables and centerpieces will you have? It seems like you'll have at least 5 dinner tables plus maybe a few extra on the DJ table, name card table, etc - so alternating colors might be cool. Always go with what you like!!!

Login | Facebook this is the link for the Azul Beach page!

Quote: Originally Posted by jazz04 Does anyone have a wedding page that you have created that I could look at. I know there are free sites but need some suggestions. Quote: Originally Posted by cjb0arder13 ALL right all my fellow Azul Beach brides!!! I just got off the phone with my travel agent. The reason there are no rooms available is because AB just pulled them all. Apparently, this has to do with the construction they're planning for 2011. I know Wendy (taylorwd) mentioned this earlier in the thread...apparently, it's going to be a bigger deal than we all thought. My TA has inquiries out to all his contacts at AB to find out how intrusive the construction will be, but he thinks this will have a major affect on bookings. We have 10 rooms reserved, but may need as many as 15, and he thinks it might be hard to get the extra 5. So...I'm not panicking. I'm not panicking. I figure if I say it enough, it'll be true. I should know something by Monday or Tuesday...if it's going to be a huge hassle to get rooms, or there's going to be massive construction going on around the time of the wedding, I'm going to book elsewhere. Which breaks my heart, because I'm in love with Azul Beach. But...I also don't want to wake up to drills and hammers every day. Quote: Originally Posted by cjb0arder13 Super sketchy! Yeah, my TA said he talked to one of their sales guys, and there will definitely be construction. The sales guy didn't know how intrusive it would be, but that's the reason no rooms are available. The positive to this is...at least I'm finding out more than 6 months before the wedding! Wow you have a good TA that she did all that for you!!! My TA had a contact at Karisma - here is her info: Céline Pitiot Regional Sales Executive El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels and Azul Hotels Tel: 011 52 998 872 84 50 twitter.com/Kidga [email protected] I would also suggest you tell your Karisma Miami coordinators for the details on this construction. Oh girls, I bet they wont have even started construction by the time you get married anyways! I know how "island time" works.... Thinking good thoughts for you all

Quote: Originally Posted by gingerlover36 Hey ladies...don't have much time to talk...I wrote a super long post yesterday but then I got signed out and lost it. Basically it was a complaining email so I sort of glad I didn't post. But I am dealing with a bit of a situation right now. My TA called FI yesterday and told him that the hotel (Azul Beach) is sold out the week of our wedding. I still have atleast 15 guests who have not booked. 2 of them are my aunt and cousin (the only extended family I have coming). I am so angry at them, the resort for not alerting my TA when the hotel was close to capacity and my TA for not finding out it was filling up as she promised she would. I was fighting back tears at work yesterday (right before a meeting - super) b/c I am so emotional over my family - majority isn't coming and the ones i thought i could count on couldn't put a $100 deposit down. I just feel so let down by family/hotel/TA. Long story short my FI completely lost it on TA (who has been on vacation/out of country twice since signing contract) which he brought up and questioned if the hotel told her but she was out of town. She supposedly has been in talks with the owner of the hotel to see if we can get 3 rooms...no clue as to where they are pulling them from or if they can even get them. I also just wrote a very "stern" email to my WC who hasn't responded to an email from me in over 2 1/2 weeks letting her know how disappointed I am. I don't want to be a crazy bride but I just feel that we should have known the hotel was filling up if they promised they would tell us! Grrr...ok sorry to start the day off on a sour note. WAAAAAA (said like snookie from jersey shore) Meghan - The SAME thing happened to me at my wedding. Is your TA working with a Tour Operator? Let me tell you - the Karisma resorts reservation systems are STUPID AS F***!!! They do not know how many rooms are taken. They sell blocks to Tour Operators and keep some for their own reservations so while it looks like they are fully booked, there are rooms empty. My Step Mother who speaks Spanish fluently had an hour conversation with a representative of the resort's owners (they own Karisma & Desire - 7 resorts total) and told them how stupid this whole situation was. I even found a bride on this Forum that released 10 rooms at Azul beach that week (moved to AS b/c of the resort being too small) and they STILL told me they were in an over sold position and I could not have those 4 rooms. We got to the hotel and it was EMPTY!!! Ok, not empty - but maybe 70% capacity. I don't know what to tell you but I can tell you what I did and you can try this stuff. 1st of all - I called all of the other Tour Operators - FunJet, Travel Impressions, and the hotel reservations directly. Your TA might have other ones she can call too. They were showing all sold out. Even the Villa was booked. NO ONE was in the Villa the week we were there! 2nd - The hotel was booked the Friday & Saturday nights. So, all of my guests who booked too late (4 rooms of guests) - got split reservations. For example, they booked Azul Beach Monday to Friday, Azul Sensatori Friday - Sunday, and Azul Beach Sunday - Monday. I know it seems ridiculous but I wanted them with us as much as possible. 3rd - we got to the hotel and after meeting with the concierge, front desk, and the American Express/Travel Impressions representative, they were able to confirm the rooms were available for the guests to stay at AB. Then they had to transfer the reservations. This was all very touch and go. They have to do a lot of phone calls and dumb crap, but it got done in the end. I know that is not ideal, but in the end it all worked out. I am sure it will for you too. If you want me to call you to talk more about what happened and what we did, PM me your phone number. I feel for you babe!

Great colors. What a beautiful wedding!

Quote: Originally Posted by meghan What is everyone getting their maid of honours or bridesmaids for gifts? I got them jewelry: cuff braceletts and earrings handmade for each of them to match their dresses, spa waffle weave towel wraps from Smarty Pants Boutique, orange leather luggage tags, and personalized compact mirrors. I think I am also going to get my sister who was my matron of honor a piece of nice jewelry as a thank you. Some of my bridesmaids did a lot more than others, but I felt bad if I didnt give them all the same thing. Quote: Originally Posted by mmc1105 Hey ladies! I went to a Brides Against Breast Cancer event on Friday and ended up buying a dress! It was the first on I tried on, and my wedding is a year away. I loved the way the dress fit, but wasn't crazy about the neckline. The ladies told me that the top could be altered, but now I am having second thoughts!!! D'oh! I bought a dress last July that everyone told me was the best one I tried on. I had second thoughts over Xmas and ordered another one and thats when I bought the dress I wore. I know they say to bring people to help you decide but I am better deciding by myself. Did you break the bank? There are nice knock off sites on this forum if you want to buy a less expensive gown and want to change from the one you just bought.

Quote: Originally Posted by taylorwd 5. Order banner - DONE We already have it and it looks sooooo good! Way better than on the website! Just Married Custom Banner - ShindigZ 1st of all - good job with all of your delegations! 2nd of all - I love the banner! I might get one for my AHR too. So cute! Good luck with your new baker! Quote: Originally Posted by gingerlover36 Haha, when I originally created I didn't realize that would be my name that everyone sees from some reason. But yeah Im in love with a ginger...my real name is Meghan by the way ;-) HAHA Well nice to meet you Meghan!

Quote: Originally Posted by KittenHeart We planned on having 2 couples go with us, then my mom and brother wanted to come so DH invited his parents and sister and brother-in-law and then it expanded and I have 30+ people coming now... how crazy is that? Oh wow. I dont think I could handle 30 people in Vegas. I can barely control myself! Just shows you how much all these people love you Amy! Quote: Originally Posted by beaz2be We're coming from all over and different prices for different locations but from Vancouver our price is $1540pp for 7 days (Wed. to Wed), 2 people to a room. We were originally looking at different dates and the price was WAY higher. But of course, we're booking through a Canadian company who arranges the price with AS (not directly with the resort) so not sure if that's any help for you. Why would you get banned? I hope she's not. I think thats a great price. $3100 for 2 people including airfare! Wow. I know you can get banned for asking people to email you attachment b/c you dont have enough points to download them. There is a whole rules section in the introduction section of the forum. Usually you get banned for 1 or 2 weeks for most things. I think they can do an ultimate ban to - but you'd probably have to spam or push sales on to people to get the lifetime ban. Quote: Originally Posted by amcferron Hi ladies!! So, I had my mind set on Azul Sensatori and was getting ready to book it, but then started looking at Dreams Riviera Cancun. Imagine that..... second guessing where to have my wedding!!! Has anyone been to both resorts and have any comments Helllooo! I second guessed even after I booked at Azul. I think its natural to second guess - especially if you have an issue with your WCs or prices go down at the other resort, etc! What was your list of "needs" and "wants" in a resort? That might help you choose. I have not gone to a Dreams before, but love to research online! I would consider the reception and ceremony locations between the 2 places plus the extras you want and total cost if your budget if tight.

Quote: Originally Posted by thefuturemrslutz We are staying at Le Blanc from Wednesday to Wednesday, then flying to Cancun that Wednesday morning. So, we are kind of treating it like a mini honeymoon/legal wedding. Ryan is planning everything except the actual wedding. We are such foodies, so he is getting us reservations at all these fab restaurants. The wedding will be Friday. We will go out to dinner, have the limo (or pink cadi) pick us up, and take us to the wedding chapel. hahaha Then we will go out afterwards. My brother and his gf are going, and maybe 1 other couple. I am still debating on which "theme" I want to do, but it is going to be HYSTERICAL!!! Dueling Elvis's, Blue Hawaii, Pink Cadillac, etc are all SO funny. I really cannot wait!!! WOW you are totally AWESOME. Themes sounds great. And your E-pics are so amazing Lindz!!!!!!