beachgirl@heart

We chose to do the civil ceremony not only b/c of the blood work requirements, but because of the required arrival time for us and our witnesses. It was a bit much, for us, to impose arrival times and length of stay on our friends. We are all on tight budgets these days. Additionally, I have read that the translation and filing of the marriage cert./license stateside can sometimes be a pain (depending on the state) and can be costly. So, instead of paying for translation services and the $250 for bloodwork, we did a legal ceremony here for $60 and it was on the beach which was beautiful. We decided on a Tuesday and did it that Saturday It's really just personal preference - just make sure you are aware of all the requirements well in advance though - if you are missing any documentation (state or otherwise) or a T is not crossed, you can't get married. Many people do legal ceremonies - it's an individual choice and you have to decide what's going to work best for you.

Quote: Originally Posted by mich&adam Hi Beachgirl - So your planning on having your reception in the "open" foyer area? When I emailed Veronica last week, she also told me that you cannot pick your location until one month prior and if it's open and available, we can do that, but she can't guarantee that yet I then emailed her back asking how is that determined since we booked our wedding first for Wed. April 28, 2010, i would think it's first come first serve, but i'm still waiting for an answer back from her, so while i'm planning on the foyer area, i'm keeping my fingers crossed we get it ? We too are getting married here in NJ, we are planning on doing it about a month before we leave but only telling our witness, our families think this is it, so we wouldn't want to spoil it for them. I bought the Initial cake topper at AC Moore, with a 40% off coupon, it was only $8.00 and i wanted to add bling to it, but my fiance likes the cursive shiny silver look about it, so that was simple. They have a lot online as well, with the swarkoski crystals, but they were pricey for my budget, $150ish. Did you decide on having the spa do your hair and makeup yet? I saw another post from you with concerns..?? I would like to and my hair is medium length so i will probably do some sort of loose updo with the veil and possibly tiara, especially since my fiance loves the tiara, so i guess i am wearing it, Lol. We are actually planning to have our reception in the courtyard, with the fountain in the middle. It's part of the Agave restaurant. Hopefully, the weather will agree with us. If not, we'll improvise. I'm not worried about it. I emailed her my preference for this reception location and she said she'd note this and other preferences in our file. I mentioned that I wanted to be sure we got this location, hence the early request. She said it wasn't a problem. She didn't say anything about not confirming this until a month before - just that we don't have to make choices until then re: menu, flowers, etc. I am planning to have my hair and makeup done, especially since it's part of the package. I may consult with them ahead of time, first, to make sure I get what I want. Veronica said appts for the spa definitely need to be booked in advance, as they do get busy and fill up. We'll probably do this a month or so before. We did the legal thing on Aug 1 and only a few people (family) were present as our witnesses. We, too, are keeping it quiet for now.

Michelle, We are planning to have our reception in the open courtyard, outside Agave (that's one of the closed restaurants on Friday, other than the Lobster place). I am planning to do battery operated votives, too. The "real" ones just don't have much burn life to them. After talking about it, I think we may use the bridesmaid bouquets at centerpieces OR do votive centerpieces. I found a website that shows some interesting variations for this sort of thing (some are tacky but there are some nice, elegant options). Surroundings - Floating Candle Centerpieces and Floating Candles for Weddings, Corporate Events, Banquets and Parties. is the website if you are interested. I don't have my shoes or that stuff yet. I do have my veil though. I wasn't going to do one, but I tried it on and that was it. I've been shopping online for a while, looking for shoes, I'm very indecisive but I have plenty of time to figure that out. As for your tiara, you could always post it on ebay or one of the other threads on this forum to try to sell it. I'm sure someone would snatch it up - just an option if you're having second thoughts about it. Also, re: the cake topper, we also want to do our initial - with a little bling and/or color. Did you get yours online? I've found several websites, but haven't settled on one yet. My mom already got us a knife/server that she's having engraved for us. Nice touch. Are you doing the legal or civil ceremony? We already got legally married here (on the beach- I live on the NC coast, that was an easy decision). We didn't want to deal with the Mexico requirements, including arrival times.

Quote: Originally Posted by mich&adam Just wondering - I emailed Veronica last week and she said if you have the welcome dinner in one of the open restaurants it's free, BUT if you have it in the closed restaturant of the evening, it is $18per person....?? Michelle We were told it was $12/pp. It's our understanding, and I think there are earlier posts about this, that Agave is a restaurant that will accommodate a "party" seating. But, if you want a private party/welcome dinner, you do have to pay for it.

Quote: Originally Posted by mich&adam Hi BeachGirl! I am actually getting married at Excellence 2 days prior to you, April 28, 2010. So one small advantage you may have is seeing my wedding on the 28th. I plan on doing the same set up as you, with the cocktail hour times, etc. We are getting married at 5pp, cocktail hour from 6-7, reception from 7-10 and for ever wants, the bars and even club at the hotel is still open, so we can really all still hang out, just not at the actual reception. Did you decide on the Trio or Miarachi band? That is one thing i still haven't decided on. Also, what are your colors? I am doing teal(turqoise) and brown and will have 20 chair bows, 6 paper teal lanterns, candles etc. ARe you going with the hotel flowers and photographer? We are, we are using Juan, his work seems good enough for me and really just having us getting married on the beach with close friends and family, is exactly what we want Did you get your dress yet? Are you having bridesmaids, big wedding? We are having 20-25 guests, including us! Michelle Hi Michelle! That's awesome! We are arriving on the 27th, so we may have to take a sneak peak We are going with the Trio - our reasoning is that there will be mariachi throughout the resort and restaurants so we wanted something a little different for the cocktail hour. You can't go wrong with steel drums in a beach setting Our colors are latte and soft pink; my bridesmaids will be in latte (dress of their choosing) and I'll probably have them carry pink flowers as the accent color. As for flowers, we are going to use whatever comes with the (gold) package but are probably going to check into local vendors to see if we can get a better deal on centerpieces. $100/per centerpiece just seems like a lot. A good friend of mine (and bridesmaid) is an event planner/designer and she recommended we at least look into it b/c flowers on the islands, in the caribbean tend to be reasonable if not cheap. As for the photog, we are using what the hotel provides, probably for the reception, but we've also hired an external photog (Sascha Gluck) for most of the pics and a TTD session the following day. His pricing is very reasonable and his work is very nice. Veronica did mention that they have votives for reception decoration. I'm also going to get some lotus flower votive holders to place around the reception and in the fountain. I found a good website to order from and it's not that bad ($ wise). We're not going overboard, just trying to add a few extra touches to keep it simple yet elegant. I ordered my dress in June and it was scheduled to ship this past Tuesday, so I should have it by the end of the month. SOOOOO excited! I was going to do a reception dress, too, but decided not too - I only get to wear this dress once so I'm going to keep it on for as long as I can and enjoy the moment We have 4 groomsmen and 5 bridesmaids. Our invitation list is much longer than those who will actually attend, but we are anticipating 30-40 guests. A few people have already booked! We are having an AHR for those who can't come to Mexico and we're thinking of doing a Mexican theme for that (my fiance loves Mexican food - lol). We are working with a local travel agent, and just sent out our save the date magnets with guest information cards. I have a great website for those, too. We are registered, and have our invitations picked out. I just ordered my fiance's wedding band. We have our reservations and flights reserved, too. We're in pretty good shape, I think ~Jennifer

Quote: Originally Posted by Mystic I've been stressing out about this as well! What I have read from past brides was that hair and make up at the spa wasn't good, but those brides got married there 2 years ago. Can someone remind me how much per person it costs over the 20 people included in the package? also, how much it costs to extend the reception for an extra hour (to 4 hrs instead of the 3 hrs)? I know I have that info in my documents from ERC but can't find it for the life of me! I recently received a response from Veronica regarding the extension of our reception. She said Dinner usually takes about an hour, which leaves 2 hours for the rest of the reception. To extend, it's $12/pp. That, of course, is in addition to the $45/pp over 20 that you'd already be paying for the cocktail hour and reception (dinner). Our wedding is at 5pm, so we're going to start the cocktail hour at 6pm (to give our guests time to return to their rooms and us time for pictures). We really want to be at the cocktail hour to see everyone and to enjoy the Caribbean trio. Dinner will start at 7, and from there I think we will just use the allotted 3 hours, instead of paying extra, and transition to another area afterwards if we want to keep the party going On an additional note, she (Veronica) mentioned that there are iPod docs in the rooms if you choose to use an iPod for your music. We are going with this option, but will probably bring our own Bose dock for better sound output. I'm also planning to have a playlist for when the guests are arriving to the ceremony (about 20 min. worth). Just thought I'd share

ShannonLeigh~ I'm thinking of using the chinese lanterns, too; and they're easy to pack. I've seen some pics with these lanterns on the tables, as part of the decoration. I am going to do lotus lanterns - they can sit on a flat surface or float on water. So, if we have the Agave courtyard, they would be really pretty in the fountain and scattered around. I think I may still go with battery powered tea lights for longevity to not have to worry about keeping them lit. We are also looking into launching sky lanterns at the reception, too, if the conditions are right. Thanks for sharing that info about the centerpieces. I was planning to use whatever flowers we have for the ceremony as well, but thought that would be additional decoration for what was provided. Now, I really will have to come up with something. I lived in NoVA for 13 years before moving to NC. Most recently Reston and I worked in Arlington.

Hi ShannonLeigh! I'm interested in that space, too. I saw somewhere else that that was the case - Agave closed on Fridays. I emailed Veronica almost 3 weeks ago to confirm what space could be used, so it's nice to know that the outdoor space is available (which is what I inquired about). I have pics of the area (courtyard with the fountain and restaurant) but haven't had any luck finding ones of a reception that's taken place there. Oh well. She usually responds in a few days, but it's been a few weeks this time. I am also curious as to the set-up that's offered in the foyer - I've only seen banquet style, 1 long table, and I'm not fond of that. I'd prefer to have 5-6 rounds. We are anticipating roughly 30-40 guests. It's very nice of you to offer to leave your decor. I just might take you up on it! We are planning to use whatever centerpieces are included with the package for decoration and I was planning to add a few extras - like table runners, tealights. I'll probably get the battery powered tealights - they're cheap and you don't have to light them. Have you heard anything about having your hair and make-up done there? Just curious if there's anyone in particular that does a better job, etc. We tried to get April 24th but it was booked. How long are you guys staying at the resort? And, where in the DC area are you? I am from Northern VA (moved to NC in Feb of this year). Thanks for the reply and kind offer!

Quote: Originally Posted by endlesslove We're going to be shipping ours to Mexico. We just got the ok from our resort. Hello! I'm getting married at ERC, too, and I'm considering doing this since they won't allow fireworks ("green" rules). Where are you ordering yours from? The only site I've found that seems reasonable/legit is WishLantern.com: Bring Wedding Events to life and light up the sky.

Quote: Originally Posted by staceysbride Any idea when this started Veronica has never mentioned this to me and we've been in contact here and there. My wedding will be considerably smaller and I told her DH and I wanted the beach and she had no issues with it.... *wonders if she should be worried* I don't know when it started but this is the response I got from her (with my question) on June 13, 2009: What are the options for a private reception, what is the time allotment (how late can it run), and when do we schedule that? We'd like the cocktail hour and reception to follow closely behind the ceremony, which is scheduled for 5pm. Is it possible to have the cocktail hr and reception on the beach? Or do you have designated areas where you hold these events? You chave 1 hour of cocktail and 3 hours of dinner, if you want for an additional cost you could have extra hour. Generally the receptions are held in the foyer or any restaurant that is close that night. In order to have the dinner on the Beach must be at least 50 people in the party. Not sure if this helps...

Quote: Originally Posted by mmb Has anyone used the hotel photographer, Juan Carols? His website looks okay, but I was curious how satisfied other brides have been with his work. How specific do I need to be with the type and style of pictures I want? If you have any pictures, please share. I tried searching his name, but only find information on the other Juan Carlos Tapia photographer. All the best, Maggi We hired Sascha Gluck, Wedding Photographer Sascha Gluck for Cancun and the Riviera Maya, Mexico for our April 2010 wedding at ERC, and are doing a TTD session with him the following day in Puerto Morelos. His pricing is reasonable, moreso than others, and we like his work. Good luck and Congratulations!

Hi ShannonLeigh! I am getting married at ERC on April 30, 2010, not too far behind you I just emailed Veronica today asking for more information regarding other reception areas, too. She previously mentioned the beach was only an option if you have a minimum of 50 guests. I, too, have seen pics in the lobby/foyer area but only with the banquet set-up which I'm not crazy about. The restaurant option may be a nice alternative and offer more set-up options. As for photographers, my Mom is in contact with Sascha Gluck at Wedding Photographer Sascha Gluck for Cancun and the Riviera Maya, Mexico. His pricing is much better than some of the others we've looked into (which have been starting at around $5000). If you book him for a 2010 wedding before September 2009, he'll honor the 2009 pricing. I think we're leaning towards using his services. I, too, am considering other decorations for the reception but I want to travel light in that arena so I 'm waiting to hear back from Veronica about other decorations they may have available on-site (i.e. white lights, tea lights). I have a lot of other information that she's communicated as well - I've asked a lot of questions (so far) so that we can start planning accordingly. Of course, some of it will depend on the number of guests. Good Luck with everything!!!

Hi ShannonLeigh! I am getting married at ERC on April 30, 2010, not too far behind you I just emailed Veronica today asking for more information regarding other reception areas, too. She previously mentioned the beach was only an option if you have a minimum of 50 guests. I, too, have seen pics in the lobby/foyer area but only with the banquet set-up which I'm not crazy about. The restaurant option may be a nice alternative and offer more set-up options. As for photographers, my Mom is in contact with Sascha Gluck at Wedding Photographer Sascha Gluck for Cancun and the Riviera Maya, Mexico. His pricing is much better than some of the others we've looked into (which have been starting at around $5000). If you book him for a 2010 wedding before September 2009, he'll honor the 2009 pricing. I think we're leaning towards using his services. I, too, am considering other decorations for the reception but I want to travel light in that arena so I 'm waiting to hear back from Veronica about other decorations they may have available on-site (i.e. white lights, tea lights). I have a lot of other information that she's communicated as well - I've asked a lot of questions (so far) so that we can start planning accordingly. Of course, some of it will depend on the number of guests. Good Luck with everything!!!

Thank you for all the feedback! Everyone is so helpful

Specifically, I am interested in the photographer that comes with the package. Are they good? Is it worth the money to hire someone else? Thanks in advance. ~ Maggi Here is the link that Veronica (the wedding coordinator) sent for the photographer they use... www.juanphotos.com Good luck!

So here's the situation. We are setting up a website with all the information about the Mexico ceremony (Excellence Riviera Cancun, April 30, 2010). Our intent is to send out a save the date, with a separate note directing guests to our website for information on travel, accommodations, etc as well as to RSVP there. We're thinking this is a good approach because: 1. all of our guests are web savvy 2. it's convenient 3. it's "Green" (saves on paper) 4. it seems redundant to send a formal invitation several months later with the same information Is it tacky to do it this way? My mom wanted to send invitations but when I told her of our idea, she said we could just send out announcements after the wedding. That said, if we proceed in this fashion, would it be acceptable to send announcements with the AHR information? And, how much notice should we give for the AHR b/c that will require a trip and hotel reservations for people as well? There are also some people to whom we probably will not extend an invitation to the wedding but would like to see stateside when we return. We don't have a clue as to when or where that will take place and probably won't until just before the wedding. (It's announced on the website as TBD, but stay tuned...) Any thoughts or feedback on this is very much welcomed....

Hi! I'm Jennifer and just got engaged about 3 weeks ago. We are getting married April 2010, just have to pick the location Tough decision, so many to choose from and places are booking. Trying not to stress.... We have been looking in Mexico, the Riviera Maya area, but are refocusing our research on the Islands - St. Lucia, Antigua, specifically Sandals resorts (we want all-inclusive). We are leaning towards getting married here (in NC) to avoid dealing with legal requirements elsewhere, and anticipating about 40 guests (give or take). Any feedback, advice, etc would be welcomed. Thanks!