allisonmpls

CONGRATS and WELCOME!!!

Congratulations and welcome!!!

Great idea! Thanks for sharing!

Hello!! I'm a May 2010 bride too. :-) I just thought I would share our strategy for saving some $$$ on invites/STDs! We created a wedding website (through brides.com) with all of the details about the wedding, plus everyone will RSVP on the site too. (I had friends who did the same thing and said only a couple of relatives didn't have internet access, so they just called to RSVP and they updated it manually.) We were originally going to send out save the dates, but realized that they would say the same thing as the invitations (since the RSVPs are online, along with all of the details, there was no need to do the formal invitations with all of the enclosures). So, we decided to send the invites now, even though it's early. That way, people have even more time to plan and save some money if need be. (I'll post a picture when they're done - we went the DIY route too to save even more $!) So, basically we cut out the cost of save the dates, the cost of RSVP cards and postage, and the cost of multiple invitation pieces and expensive printing. Plus, we both are pretty environmentally conscious, so we were happy to be able to save a few trees in the process. (And some of the paper I am using for the invites is recycled.) YAY! Oh, and we went on godaddy.com and bought a personalized web address to use on brides.com so it would be easy for people to remember the site address.

Thanks so much for the review and all of the info... :-) Our wedding is set for May 15th at EDR, so I'm just in the beginning of the planning stages with Valeria. We booked the Casita as well in order to get the free wedding package. Now, I'm trying to decide which site I want to pick. I'm torn between #55 and the Presidential. One of my concerns that I emailed about today was if you can see the sand bags from either location. From your review it sounds like #55 is clear. I just don't know yet how many people will be coming, so I was concerned that #55 might be too big if we don't have a ton of people. Question about your welcome reception and the wedding dinner. Was the wedding dinner a private dinner? We're trying to decide what we want to do and might just go with the basic dinner that is included. Can you tell me more about the pricing of what you ended up doing? Thanks again!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Rhonda Hi Allison, You're right- I chose Gazebo 55. I liked it because it was a little more private than some of the other areas, but, also, we had a pretty large group, so it was one of the bigger areas too. I also liked the Fuentes gazebo which is the newer one...that one has a lot of greenery (overlooking the ocean)...it's also very nice. I definitely think the casita is worth it. The rooms are a lot more spacious than the junior suite. The only thing for me was that I didn't spend enough time there to really enjoy the privacy of the casita area. Plus, I think it's almost the same price if you book the casita with the free wedding package or if you book a different room + wedding package. So, I think you might as well get a bigger, nicer room. Let me know if you have other questions! Good Luck! Valeria is so sweet to work with. Thanks so much for your insights!! :-)

CONGRATULATIONS, Rhonda!!! You looked gorgeous. Can't wait to see all of your pictures. I'm getting married at EDR on 5/15/10. I can't wait! :-) Looks like you picked Gazebo 55? I need to email Valeria back with my selection. Did you check out the other options when you were on site? I think I'm leaning towards 55. Also, I'm trying to decide whether or not to do the casita suite... did you think it was worth it? I just can't decide. Thanks!! Allison

Quote: Originally Posted by EDRBride2009 We are going with the casita upgrade. I made a spreadsheet before hand (I know, too much time on my hands) comparing all the packages, and found that based on what I wanted, the costs were close to the same. We are getting married before we go, so the blood test, etc, we didn't need. Plus I knew that I wanted to upgrade the bouquet and a few other details. Besides, I figure the casitas are that little something extra, perfect for a special occasion! After a bit more investigation (not with a spreadsheet, but I bet my fiance will soon be creating one!), I see that you're definitely right. I think with the pricing we received, it will only be about $600 more for the casita suite. And we really should splurge a bit since it's our wedding and honeymoon! Thanks for your help!

I am on the fence about booking the casita suite and need some advice!! :-) If we book that, we get the basic wedding package for free (as you all know) and we were quoted $4,578.00 for the casita suite for 7 nights. If we book the basic jacuzzi suite and then just pay for the basic wedding package it's about $600 cheaper. Just wanted to see what everyone's thoughts are about upgrading to get the free wedding.

Thank you SO much for this review. So many great ideas! We're just starting to plan our wedding at EDR, so I can't thank you enough.

Kirsten, I absolutely LOVE your pictures. We just booked our wedding at EDR for next year... so we're just starting to plan... I can't wait!!!

I feel better now after reading your posts, so thank you! I've been back and forth on whether it made sense to do the legal wedding at the resort so that I wouldn't have to worry about which date to count, but I really don't want random people to be our witnesses. AND to ask our family to get there on Tuesday when the ceremony isn't til Saturday, is a LOT to ask, especially from a cost perspective. But I had never heard about people getting married before they go, until my TA said that was how most of her brides do it. What do you think about telling your family that you are doing it ahead of time? Or are you going to keep it a secret? I just really want the focus to be on our actual ceremony.

Can't wait to see more!! I'm securing our date at EDR right now!

Quote: Originally Posted by fudgie Congrats! You have come to the right place to start you planning Thank you!! I adore your pictures!!!!! :-)

Hello! My name is Allison, and I currently live in Minneapolis. My fiance and I have both been married before and are so excited to plan a destination wedding this time around. We are thinking that we will select a location in the Caribbean or Mexico for either late April or early May next year. We have family and friends all over the country, so we're leaning towards Mexico because we think it will be the most affordable overall for everyone to get to, as we'd like for everyone to be able to come. Plus, I think that an all-inclusive resort will be the best way to go. Looking for any thoughts or help that you can offer. We'd love to be close enough to the Mayan ruins to do pictures there as well. Looking forward to learning from everyone's wisdom and experience. Thanks! Allison :-)