SouthernSweetie

I think you could totally get your FI to buy in to a DW by showing him some photos of other DWs. There are several photography vendors on this forum who have websites with amazing pics from DWs that they've shot. You could also offer a "compromise" of having a DW and an at home recepton (AHR). Many on this forum have chosen this route. I agree with the others that the DW is much more affordable and not quite as stressful. As for the decision about the location, get a good travel agent (mine is awesome, by the way). I told her what my "need to haves" and "nice to haves" were and she supplied me with a list of resorts and websites within a week that met our criteria. Send me a private message (PM) if you'd like her info. Once you nail that down, work on your Save-the-Dates to give your guests time to save up. Congratulations and good luck!

Great list, Finleys7. Thanks everyone for the ideas. Keep 'em coming.

Thanks for the post. I've heard of the wraps, but I didn't even think to try one for my wedding. Good idea!

Cool idea. 'Can't wait to see the pics!

Great idea!

I'm SO glad that it worked out for you. My FI works for Continental, I was planning to get him all over it for you but I kept reading and saw that your problem was solved. Yaaayyy!!! Did you get any resolve about the passport? Don't forget that the father will also have to sign a notarized letter stating that he is aware and in agreement with his daughter being taken out of the country. It doesn't matter who she is leaving/traveling with - EVEN IF IT'S HER BIOLOGICAL MOTHER. If any child is leaving the U.S. and not accompanied by BOTH parents, the absent parent(s) have to furnish a letter granting permission for the child to leave. Many people don't know this safeguard is now in place to keep people - parents included - from fleeing the country with a child. While you have the lazy dad's attention, don't forget this important piece of documentation otherwise the child will get turned around at the airport. Congrats!

My TA was able to include everything (bonuses) that MP offers on their website even though my group contract is through the travel agency. I'm with Chelle - it's strange that they can offer you the events and not the free nights... Have you tried posting on the MP 2008 or 2009 Brides' thread? If the member is subscribed, your post will populate to their personal email boxes even if they no longer sign in to the forum.

I have 3 girls - ages 21, 19, and 5 at the time we get married. He has 2 boys - ages 8 and 14 by then. My older girls, along with my sister (MOH) and his sister are the BMs. The older son is a GM. The younger 2: flower girl and ring bearer. I had a son who passed away 2 years ago at age 11. His sand vial will be in front of a picture of him at or near the alter; his sisters or my parents will pour on his behalf. We are doing a sand ceremony for blended families. We are also including the children's names on our wedding invitation. You can find wording appropriate for your situation on the internet by typing "wedding invitation wording blended families" in the search box. PM me if you'd like the exact wording we chose. Good luck!

Girl, these are smokin'!

Fabulous idea! Very classy and more economical than bags. The boxes are cheaper, shipping to the location will be cheaper, and I won't have to spend so much money trying to fill them up. I was very concerned about what to put in the bags to make them look full. This solves a lot of issues. Thanks for sharing! I love the way you dressed the boxes up, by the way. Patourn: I plan to have one box/bag per couple and may double up on a few items. Of course, each single person will have their own box/bag.

Xanadu77: PM me and I can send you all that I have gathered about the venues. It isn't much, but I will email Janina Mendoza to request them. She is my Miami WC.

Looking at the woes that could come with the Catholic wedding at MP, is it an option to have a civil wedding before you get there (or even a private "ceremony" that your parish priest could perform before you left)? That way, there are no worries about the legalities of the MP Catholic ceremony.

I'm in for the new season! I've lost 15 so far, with another 45 to go. The accountability will definitely have me ready for bridal gown shopping by summer's end.

Yaaayyyy!!!! When I changed it on my profile page, it updated the ticker on all of my postings. So cool!

Obviously, that's not it. =(

Here goes!

Love it! Now you have to post the how to, where to find, and how much! LOL!!!

Luchdiamond: you can go with the complimentary package and then add things that you want a la carte. Read the review by CutieRosie. It's very detailed. She did the complimentary package and had a huppa on the beach in addition to lots of other things. She also posted some great pics. Jodimichelle: my FI works for Continental. The summer airfare price wars usually start in May. Also try www.airfarewatchdog.com; this is a cool site that will send you email alerts with airfares. You can chose how often you want to receive them and you specify if you'd like alerts from a certain city, to a certain city, or city-to-city. Additionally, let your guest who don't use this site know that the best time to shop plane tickets is Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

Hey! I just noticed that you're getting married at MP too. Have you joined the Moon Palace 2010 Brides thread yet?

My daughter actually designed mine (see right under my name). She is very gifted artistically. If you have something particular in mind, she could create something unique for you.

Be sure to read the reviews about MP to get great tips. You get to it by going to the homepage; under "Share Your Wedding/Engagement Story," click "Wedding Reviews." From there, click "Search this forum" and type in Moon Palace in the drop box. You will get tons of info and see pics of weddings brides on this forum posted. They date back to at least 2007. I actually printed most of them and highlighted the ideas that I wanted to "borrow." Congrats and Happy Planning!

Hopefully, this will be an open and shut case. Even before this, my guests were expressing concern about travel to Mexico and my wedding isn't even until next year!

I would also suggest that you check any forums posted by Moon Palace Brides from 2007-2009, since they've already been to and experienced the resort. The MP 2010 forum is great, by the way, and the brides are very active on this site. I'm learning alot from their dialogue. Many of them have wedding dates later in the year, so I don't know how helpful they could be on this particular issue. I've always heard that stomach illnesses were a risk for travel to Mexico in general. I'm not so sure that it's the resort in particular.

This site is priceless but be warned - it's addictive! Congrats and Happy Planning!

My Save the Dates went out last week and the polls that I put on our wedding website are a hit!