SuzyQ76

Quote: Originally Posted by hoofbeats95 Suzy - for some reason I seem unable to PM. Though I don't really know where everything is on this site. My email address is the the same as my user name here. At yahoo. Got it? TIA! Ok I sent everything I have to you, just let me know that you got it all ok!

Quote: Originally Posted by hoofbeats95 Suzie - Do you have a link to the website for this resort? A website that has wedding info on it? I googled, but didn't really find any good wedding info. Thanks! pm me your email addy and I'll send you all the pkg price lists, pictures and everything extra you'll need!! Here's the link to the official Princess wedding section on the website, but I still have way more info than you can get on the website: Grand Riviera Princess hotel Mexico, Princess Hotels & Resorts, Promotions, Meetings, online reservation

SUCH a good idea, totally wish we would have known about that ( or thought about it, lol ) That seriously was our biggest frustration, because we never could get a hold of anyone and people were always waiting on us because we were soooo far, not that far but with an almost 2 year old and no stroller it felt like we were still in Canada! lol Really really really good idea!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover lol me too gotta get ride of the wedding crap in my appt!!! What?!?! good hair and good make?!?!? Your hair was beautiful!!!! Looked so prof, you did it yourself?!?!?!?! Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I loved your make up you goofy nut!! you looked stunning and glowing!!!!! You made such a beautiful bride!!! Haha, Thanks Tracy! A friend did my hair, but she also did all the bridesmaids first, so there was probably 30 mins left to do my hair and make up, so considering the time it turned out really well, but!!!!! and a big but, we forgot to spray it with ANY HAIRSPRAY - so as the day went on it just got bigger and BIGGER and fuzzy as ole hell - there was a mullet/rat tail down my back for the ceremony that I pinned up as soon as I realized, lol (I had a little too much champagne before the ceremony, so I didn't really realize before I walked down the aisle) I had wanted a low sophisticated simple chignon bun with a little height on the top, still "done" but not soooooooo "done" lol I'm a simple gal - instead I got a full out grad hair updo, and don't get me wrong, I'm so glad my friend offered to do my makeup and hair, but just wished it was a little more simple hair...now the make up - simplicity doesn't even begin to explain it. the only thing I was wearing was mascara. and maybe some lip gloss, but I'm a lip licker so that was gone in 10 mins. I wanted simple hair and dramatic eyes. That's all I asked for, my one Bridezilla moment, but we had no time and I was forgotten about, lol. I can laugh about it now, but I really don't like any of the pics only because I had a vision, and after waiting 8 years to be married this is the one thing I was looking forward to, pictures I might possibly look current in. Oh well, I hope no one thinks I'm complaining, because I am thankful, Just needed to vent a little I guess, lol. Ahhhhh, think I'll have another coffee!! Keep all the pics coming ladies! I LOVE THEM!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by hoyt75 You did a great job on your review suzy! You've def given me a bit of boost of motivation to write my own! Thanks hehe, well I knew if I didn't get it done - I WOULDN'T get it done!! I had to just take the time and do it so that I wouldn't have to think about it again!! Now I just need to start purging my house of wedding crap! lol TARA!!!!!!! Your pics are absolutely stunning, and you are GORGEOUS!!! I so wish I went with good make up and hair...lol Oh well maybe when we renew our vows...

I posted a not so short review on our resort - it has some pics too! Still trying to catch up on all the happenings here on our thread! Looks like it might take a while!! Hoping all are doing well as Married Ladies!! And as for trip advisor reviews - they had me scared sh!*less, but I'm so glad I didn't listen to MOST of it!! Complainers will find anything to complain about...but it's all in how you handle everything!! The link to my review, uh hm, novel, lol is in my siggy!

Quote: Originally Posted by Angie1017 Great review! Thank you so much Suzy for putting my concerns to rest. One question I just thought of, you had mentioned speeches; is there an area in the Thai Beach Club where speeches can be made (ie mics)? Also, is there an area for dancing/DJ? You and your hubby look so happy, best wishes always! Thanks Angie! We just made speeches at the tables, we had almost 40 people, and it was 4 round tables, so everyone just kind of spoke loudly. For the semi private dinner I don't think there would have been the option to have a mic or dj, and you definitely wouldn't have been able to dance at the semi private dinner, just for mere lack of space where we were. But ;o) If you do the Private Option, you would have the whole place to yourself, and I think you could then get a mic and do a dance, I think the DJ is a separate cost - you should ask Sasse, she did the full private option! (the full DJ is expensive but if you do your own song list on an Ipod you can just plug in the music and then maybe just rent the mic for speeches, or something like that. There would be much more space to spread out and really have a great time, with lots of places to dance either on the beach or on the restaurant deck. It is beautiful! Let me know what you decide!!! )

Hi Ladies here is my brief, or not so brief review!!! any other questions don't hesitate to pm me! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...7/#post1283438

Hi ladies!!! I did a quick, or not so quick review! lol any other questions don't hesitate to pm me! Here it is: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...7/#post1283438

Part TWO!! I ran out of room! lol so much for Brief!! and Finally I'll wrap this up with our reception dinner: The Thai Beach Club A+++++++++++++++++++ For all of you Brides to Be trying to decide what to do, you should probably look no more. Thai Beach is where it's at, and I think there are a few brides who would agree with me on this one. Don't get me wrong, the A la Cartes are fabulous too, and they do set you up very nicely and try to keep it a little private, but if you can even afford to go for the semi private dinner at the Thai then I suggest you do it! That's what we did and I'm sooooooo glad we did. $45 per person USD was worth every penny, and if I would have known how good it was, I probably would have went for the $100 per person for the private party. Mind you I would have had to come up with some last minute creative budgeting! lol So my semi "experienced" opinion would be if you are debating on the private beach reception versus the private Thai reception, pay the $15 more per person and you won't regret it. You will have an entire restaurant to yourself on the beach, with beautiful bathrooms, btw, they were stunning themselves! I'm not sure what bathrooms you use if you're on the beach. The Beach reception is beautiful as well, we had seen it set up a couple of times, but it is by the main pathway to the beach and right out in the open, also there were many times when we couldn't go to the beach because it was so windy, you were getting sand blasted. There is no shelter. At least the Thai Beach Club offers a little bit of shelter and beautiful bathrooms and expert service and a gorgeous back drop and the beach is there that you can take full advantage of. The food was amazing, the service was amazing, the table set up was amazing, I could go on and on and on and on. We did the semi private option, and from the pics you'll see we still had our own little area right on the beach and we didn't even know there was anyone else at the restaurant, but the private option would have been out of this world!!! To have the whole place to yourself for you and the group! well worth the $$'s! Also if you do the semi private option they usually give you from 6-8pm, but we were longer ( lots of speeches) and we didn't feel rushed at all! Entrance to the Thai Beach Club View from our tables, looking past the cake table Our Wedding cake A++++ another view from our tables and another view from our tables Table set up: Table: So all in all I hope some Brides2Be get a little use out of this review...I'll probably think of more as time passes, but this is a good start and covers some things that I was worried about in the beginning. We are pretty easy going, so it's very easy to say we had an absolutely fabulous trip!! I didn't want to stress about anything wedding related, and I didn't! I just let things happen as they may! Take reviews with a grain of salt, and if you go with ridiculous expectations be prepared to be let down, there is always something you can complain about. But if you plan on having the time of your life and are willing to take what comes and be prepared to change plans (ie, change of venue if it rains) then I believe that everyone should have a good time at this resort, and a beautiful wedding too!! There is literally something for everyone! Good Luck to all the Upcoming Brides at Grand Riviera/Sunset Princess, and if any of you have any questions don't hesitate to pm me! The newly weds

Hello Ladies and a few Gents, Here is my brief review of the Grand Riviera Princess Resort. We went the week of April 25 - May 2, 2010 and had an absolutely WONDERFUL TIME!!!!!!!!! All of my worries were put to rest the moment we arrived and checked in. I had obsessed for over a year about our decision and I just want to let you know that this resort does not disappoint. I don't have much to compare it with because neither of us have been on an all inclusive, but many from our group were; and they were all blown away not only by the "grand-ness" of the resort, but also by the service. Resort review: A+++ The pictures pro or not do not do this resort justice, it is beautiful, clean and constantly maintained. I think we figured there was probably a 2:1 ratio of staff to guests. It is a MASSIVE resort, Huge is an understatement. This is a mega resort and if you think you can get places quickly then think again!! Anyone with children under 4 bring a stroller - we did not! The trolley only runs about every 15-20 minutes and lots of times it's full. It took us a good 2 full days just to get our bearings on where we were going. It was full capacity (1400 ppl plus) the week we were there but it still wasn't a huge problem getting a lounger, sometimes there was a wait but there was always drinks close by. Being such a huge resort with 1400 needy guests to serve, there were some wait times for some things ie; we didn't get a crib right away, some people waited for luggage, it took housekeeping a while to clean up a broken glass in our room, our air con didn't work but Hubby liked it better - I did not! lol So if you take the amount of people they need to please on a daily basis, none of this really upset or affected us - it truly is it's own little city running inside the resort walls. There was not any theft problem we were aware about while we were there - and there were times valuables including cash and laptops were left out (not that I suggest you do this, tequila was a factor) We didn't use the safe for the most part, you can program it with your own code but there still must be a master code. Housekeeping and Bar stock people are always accompanied by 1 security staff member, with a checklist; I believe this is to ease guests concerns and to have a written document of what was replaced/cleaned/touched in each room. Service A+++ All the staff were extremely friendly and very accommodating. There was not really a difference in service if you tipped or not. We tipped at the A la Carte meals, not at the buffet. We tipped when our whole group was at one bar for a while, but really the service didn't change if we didn't. We tipped the bell boys and room service, then the Housekeeping when we left. One guest in the Platinum suites left a note and a tip for some more toothpaste - the tip was taken and no toothpaste...lol Even at the buffets the servers were constantly filling drinks, taking away plates and getting anything you needed, it was all very attentive. Food A+ The food was all amazing - keep in mind if you ate at the buffets every morning noon and night, yeah it could get a little boring but there is SOOOOOOOO much to choose from. Lot's of selection in everything, so there is no reason for anyone to complain that there is nothing or some same things, but people can always find something to complain about if that's their nature - it's just not ours. The A la Cartes were very good, most people seemed to enjoy Las Olas (seafood), La Valqueria (The Grill), Miso...well to tell you the truth I didn't really hear one complaint about any of the restaurants, although my Husband and I didn't get a chance to try out a lot of them...we have to plan another trip to GRP! Rooms A+++ First of all, we (my husband and I) were upgraded to a Platinum suite for free upon check in, as well the rest of our group that booked properly and quoted our wedding party were upgraded to a Deluxe Junior suite (only difference is that there is a jacuzzi in the bathroom instead of just a stand up shower) The rooms are very clean and well kept, and HUGE. The bathrooms are HUGE. My only upset is that because we were upgraded to the Platinum, there were many Platinum perks we didn't get to use because we met with the rest of the group most times. Only Platinum guests are allowed in the platinum areas (lobby, pool, bar, and rooms) If the concierge does see other wrist bands come in they will ask the other guests to leave. Also no one is allowed in your room, and only on the wedding day can some guests come in to get ready for a 2 hour max...well this is what they told us but we went way over that time limit. Also, we did learn how to sneak people in without having to go through where the concierge is...but they do keep a watchful eye - so be stealthy about it! lol They even charged room service to my room on my wedding day because they knew that Non-platinum guests were with me! Oh well! Also I should mention that if you are scared of critters, be aware - there is nothing that any resort can do; they can get into the rooms so try not to leave doors open if you have fears. We found 4 over the week and it wasn't an issue, just comes with tropical territory. The word is scarier than the actual bug - Roaches, there I wrote it. The Platinum suites are far from everything else, so allow time when planning on meeting people, lol, Platinums are at the ocean, and most of our other guests rooms were at the very opposite of the resort by the lobby. Give everyone maps in their OOT bags, and if you can find out rooms before hand and plot them out!!!!! this was our biggest hassle, never knowing where anyone was at any one time and not knowing anyone's room # for the first couple of days. Any older guests, please tell them to put their key card in the slot by the door, this will make the lights work - no one told a few of our guests this and they sat in the dark a little bit, lol. Lights won't work without your key card in the slot! View from our room: Wedding A+++++ SO like I have already mentioned a million times, everything had exceeded our expectations, even despite the little minor things that we never really let get to us. We wanted to have a good time and that's what we did! But!! the wedding was beyond what I could have imagined! Mind you, I'm an easy peasy Bride, didn't ask for anything special or crazy, but Patricia our wedding coordinator was absolutely amazing and tended to everything with precise detail. She would have made any of my requests come true, I just didn't really have any, they take care of everything for you! The wedding gazebo is beside loungers on the beach, and it is a common pathway you walk down, but it didn't really seem to be swarmed with other guests so maybe they cleared it for us. There were some people on the beach watching, I really didn't notice, may have been the 2 bottles of champagne! As soon as the ceremony was over there was a lovely beach waitress there to take our drink orders (so glad I didn't pay for the cocktail hour, although it was still nice; we seen it set up for another wedding) SO someone should have a tip for that!! Jacqueline was a server and she was amazing, she did 40 drink orders for us and kept coming around all while the pics were being taken! It was absolutely down pouring just before our ceremony, and they had refused to set up outside, it was just to wet, but last minute the skies cleared and they moved EVERYTHING back to the gazebo!!! It was amazing! all the staff were amazing! My Bouquet from the resort, LOVED!! Me and my Brother who walked me down the aisle with my Father in the bouquet frame and watching from above ) Me and My Girls! The BOYS!

Ok Ladies, I'm back to reality officially as Mrs. Araya!!! YAY!! We had an absolute amazing wonderful fantastic time and like a few that I have read here we want to go back right away - but will probably have to settle for our 1 year anniversary! I haven't had a chance to catch up on anything yet but just wanted to pop in and say HI to you all, now that April Brides are all finally Married Women!! Hoping all had a great time like we did - can't wait to hear all the stories and see all the pics!

Quote: Originally Posted by robbiemoe Hey Suzy I just did this for the mugs I bought on discountmugs and they were about $25 short on the final price (customs fees were about $50!)....good tool for a rough estimate though! Actually I didn't post the website, but I can tell you what I actually paid... my order was $111 USD including shipping for 32 blank mugs, ($24 of that was shipping) then at my door I paid $35 CAD to UPS, your brokerage charges all depend on how much your order is, and mine was pretty low so I didn't end up paying very much!

Quote: Originally Posted by pamphilia suzy - i LOVE the waterproof label idea!! i am so doing that now...thank you! Awe thanks, I would LOVE to take credit but it was NOT my idea!! lol I do apologize but I completely forget which B2B I stole it from - but it was someone on here, she got the window decals from VistaPrint and I totally stole the idea but found labels online! Saved me a bunch though! and I was able to personalize each one!!

CONGRATS Natasha!!!! Happy Sails to you, Happy Sails to You!!! Sending good weather and smooth seas your way!

Awe Jodi, so sorry to hear that the volcano affected your flights too! We have some guests who won't know until Fri if they are able to get out or not. Just be Thankful that you were able to reschedule everything, Cyprus will be STUNNING!!! Hope everything else goes wonderfully for you! Were most of your guests still able to attend?? Jenna!!!! Your pics are absolutely GORGEOUS! Mel, thanks for the thoughts on my arm, lol, it was a close call and could have been so so worse, so I can handle a huge scar pretty well! Not Long now Girls and we'll all be married Folk!!! well for those of us who have had their legal day we technically already are, lol...but the ceremony will solidify the deal!! EEEK!!! 3 more full days!! yay!!

Tracy! Glad to hear you're having some fun now that all the stress is over and done with!! Michele - your pics are awesome, can't wait to see the pro pics if your non-pro look that good! Kimmy!! your pics are awesome too!! Everyone looks absolutely so beautiful, just makes me excited for us to get there! Erin!! not long now, can you believe it! Hoyt - I couldn't get on to your pics site? maybe I'll try again!

Oh Michele!!! WELCOME BACK!!! So sorry you had to come back with a cold though, that always sucks! I'm struggling with one right now, actually the whole house has a cold, it's been a really really crappy week and we leave next Sun! I can't wait to see all of your pics, Mel is right, by the two you have posted they look like they are AWESOME!!!!!!!!! I can't believe everyone is already on their way back to reality!!! It seems to have flown by so so fast! On a side note, I severely burned my arm when I blocked my kid from running into the open oven...it'll make for great wedding pics! It's so absolutely gross, but thank God nothing happened to Martez!

HAPPY HAPPY WEDDING DAY MEGHAN!!!!!!!!!!!! can't wait to hear about your trips and to see the pics!!! I'll bet there will be some GM stories for sure!!!!! I didn't see any of Kimmy's pics?? are they posted somewhere I missed?? I NEED TO SEE them! Oh yeah! April is where it's at!!! Woo Hoo!!!!

Awe Kimmy, I'm so glad to hear that you had a wonderful time despite the glitches - and I'm sure there's more to that story from what I read in the tone of your writing! ;o) Good to hear that you met a bunch of friends too!! Sometimes the best friends come out of what you least expect! Can't wait to see all your pics, and read what you wrote on the Riu thread, looks like an interesting before bed read!! It's been pretty quiet on this thread lately, since most of the Chattiest Cathy's have already left for their DW's, but a few of us have been trying to keep it a float!!

Quote: Originally Posted by luv2sun Down to my final "to do" list for tomorrow since we leave Friday! One little project left and I'll be ready to head out the door with everything. Thankfully some family has offered to take a few things for us since we're flying Air Transat and the baggage allowance is very minimal, that reduced my stress to just a tiny fraction. The only thing that freaks me out is walking down the aisle - all those eyes on you! Hoping I can hold it together. Glad to hear that other hiccups everyone was having seem to be working out in their favor, looking forward to seeing all the pictures after (still have to research posting pics myself). Hope you're all enjoying your last minute preparations. I'm looking forward to my mani/pedi tomorrow but not so much the waxing! LOL Good luck with everything!!!! It'll all be wonderful especially with all eyes on you!!! Nice that you have some people taking things for you! We don't have anyone to take anything for us, but the good thing is we're flying Air Canada so we get a pretty generous baggage allowance. Can't wait to see your pics when you get back, have a wonderful time and a safe flight!!! Enjoy your mani and pedi...not so much the waxing, I can agree that won't be enjoyable, but man, I can't wait to get mine all done!!! lol )

Congrats Jodi!!!! that's really good to hear and a big concern off your back, now you can just relax, enjoy and GET PACKING!!!!! lol

Ok, sorry it took me sooooo long, but I was sooooooo far behind it wasn't even funny!! finally got some DIY projects done this weekend, Here are some pics of the finished mugs!!! I love them, and although I had not wanted to spend the money initially, I'm really glad Meghan changed my mind! lol so I used one of the 10% OFF sales emailed to me from discount mugs, my total order was $111 USD including the $25 for shipping to Canada, and the customs and brokerage charges came to $35 CDN and the shipping was extremely fast!! and I could track it the whole way. I ordered 32 blank mugs total. The keycard/tip holders are attached to the handle, had a little issue with the carabiners not being large enough to fit around the handle itself, but Meghan found the split rings and then everything worked! The dish wipes I got at Dollar Giant, and I cut them in half, because it would have been a waste to use a whole one for 2 mugs, and I just stuck them inside the mug with a little note to just add water.... The labels on the mugs are printed on truly waterproof polyester paper, and I printed them on my laser printer. I ordered the full sheets online, 5 full sheets for about $7, but then shipping to Canada was $9, so I ordered 2 packs of 5 to make the shipping a little more bearable, I think my total order came to $26. If anyone wants the link just let me know, I have tested them with scrubbing, staining (coffee) and water and they have surpassed all wonderfully! Have to be printed with a laser printer, but I think you can get labels for an inkjet too. Also by printing them myself I was able to personalize each mug with names....these are ours of course!

Tracy, HAPPY WEDDING DAY!! and sorry to hear about all the drama...just try not to focus on the negativity from others and concentrate on having a good time. They are all adults and are responsible for their own actions, you're not twisting their arms and you can't take responsibility for them. Don't let it ruin your week!!! Mel - Happy TRAVEL DAY!!! Taylor - Happy Travel day to you too!! on Wed!! lol

HAPPY & SAFE TRAVEL DAY MEGHAN!!!!!!!!! Jenna - can't wait to see the pics, and glad to hear you had such a wonderful time!! Mel - Say HELLO to Hali for me, lol!!! have a wonderful time!! and wishing safe travels to you too!! Erin - we're out in less than 2 weeks too...but we might have already had our legal day!!!! hehe Jodi - Good luck with everything and don't worry - the photog will work out, can't stress about it now so you might as well not get worked up about it! I CAN'T WAIT to see all the pics of everyone coming back!!!! I still have 10,000 things to do and only 12 days to complete them, looks like I'm going to revise my "to do" list yet again!! lol