abbie32

I just got married in Mexico a month ago and our entrance was "Now That We Found Love" by Heavy D and the Boyz. It was so much fun!

Sposa - Yes, we are very lucky to have had our wedding in such an amazing place and I'm excited for everyone on here waiting for their turn. Sposa & Linzi - So sorry to hear about your fathers. That is very sad but nice to hear that you have an amazing family that is so supportive and loving and want to be with you on one of the best days of your life. Saucyfriend - I bought the starfish necklaces at a kiosk at the mall for $20. They were so pretty I bought one for myself too. My BM's loved them and we wore them all week. Julie2011 & Crystalz - I bought my fabric at Fabricville. The blue was the exact same color and material of my BM's dresses, so I ended up going with chiffon. It worked out great. Cdlillad - We got our waterproof labels from a local company that my husband uses a lot for his job. We bought them for the mugs and the money/card holders. It was under $200 for 150 labels. We did pay extra to have some pics taken at the reception. DFranklin - you can purchase paper photos or pics on DVD. We didn't get any paper photos. We have all of our high quality photos on DVD and you can get them printed anywhere. I do recommend getting the slide show. It was so professionally done. I LOVE IT! He put all the songs from our ceremony on the slideshow and the pictures are in random order and it's awesome. I've watched it like 4 times already! haha The flower and centerpiece catalogue is pretty outdated. I just sent pics of a bouquet I wanted and it was prettier than the picture I gave her. I did the same thing for my cake. I had to bring down starfish and shells to decorate the cake though. I thought they would have that kind of stuff but they don't. Check with your wedding coordinator what you need to bring down based on your pictures and requests. Don't assume they have it. They have cloth napkins and white plates for the poolside dinner. I think I remember someone asking that. You miss so many posts when you're not around for a while. haha

SPOSA....you looked gorgeous! My family actually saw you before you walked up the aisle. At dinner that night, they were all talking about this beautiful bride they saw getting married at the gazebo with "pink flowers on her dress". They LOVED your dress and how unique it was. Wish I would have seen you. CONGRATS!!!

I just want to say that I didn't know the first thing about planning a destination wedding and this forum was the best find EVER!! A HUGE thank you to all the girls on here who share their ideas, reviews, pics, and excitement. I can't believe I'm now the one writing a review on here. I did a quick review but I thought I would add some more specific information to answer some questions you might have (especially for those brides in the early stages of planning) RESORT - First of all, you will not be sorry you chose this resort. It is gorgeous and there is so much to do!! My hubby and I were there for a week with our family and friends and than we stayed another week to honeymoon. We stayed at the Tulum hotel. You can visit each hotel and hang out for the day in their pools and lay on the beach, try the different buffets and lobby bars, do some shopping at the Hacienda, or take advantage of the 1 hr freebies like bike riding, snorkelling, and taking out a catamaran. We had 65 guests join us for our wedding with no complaints and most said they would return again. The buffets were really good but the a la carte restaurants were amazing! Our favorites were Mikado (Coba), Dolce Vita (Akumal), Don Pablo (Tulum), Le Gourment (Coba), and our guests said the Arlequin was really good too. Our entire group was upgraded to Club Diamond which was great! There is a pool for CD guests only so we pretty much had the pool to ourselves everyday and the bartender was awesome! We kept him very busy with our mugs. haha Wedding Coordinator (Akumal) - As I said before Eugenia was amazing! We arrived on a Sunday and met with Eugenia and Arrecife Studios the following morning. I was a little worried about not having a rehearsal but she assured me she would tell us what to do and everything would be great and she was right! She had all the pictures I had emailed her of how I wanted the arch decorated, my flowers, and wedding cake and they were more amazing than I ever thought they could be. I brought down material for the arch, japanese LED lanterns for the reception, sea shells to decorate the cake, a starfish and wooden "I DO" to decorate the cake table, and a cake topper (which my hubby forget to bring over..oh well). You just give her everything and she takes care of it all. :-) SPA - You already know my hair experience wasn't the best but they did do a great job with my make-up and all my BM's looked beautiful. Ceremony - We got married at the Akumal hammocks beach location at 4pm. They picked our guests up at 3pm in the Tulum lobby to take them to our wedding site at Akumal beach. My BM's, my parents, and I went with the photographers. The drive over was fun and exciting and the breeze felt great! haha I brought 10 metres each of my two wedding colors (aqua/turquoise and lime) and paid extra for 3 large bouquets to hold up the material and decorate the arch, flower petals for the sand aisle (hehe), and the BM's bouquets and boutinneres. I brought 30 minutes worth of music to play while people were being seated and waiting. My BM walked down the aisle to "Somewhere over the Rainbow" by Israel K. and my parents walked me down to "God Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. We danced down the aisle to "Say Hey I Love You" by MIchael Franti, Our guests were dancing as we went down the aisle. It was awesome! The minister was also fantastic. He spoke English very well and was so sincere with his words like he knew us. It was a beautiful ceremony. We brought the wording for our sand ceremony and blessing of the hands. Dinner/Reception - While we were getting our pictures taken our guests just had a few drinks at the lobby and snack bar until the Whitesands Poolside bar was set up for our dinner and reception from 6-11pm with DJ Bob. Our photographers took my hubby and I to the Hacienda to get pics taken before the dinner. It was definitey a tight squeeze for time but well worth it! We were introduced as Mr and Mrs Jones to "Now That We Found Love" by Heavy D and the Boyz and danced a few seconds before going into our first dance "From LA to Rome" by Chester See. Than it was time to eat,,,,we had the BBQ buffet and the food was delicious!! We had soft music playing in the background during the dinner and the mic was open for speeches. DJ Bob messed up my father/daughter dance which totally pissed me off but we just laughed it off. We wanted to get the reception started by dancing to ":Footloose" and than he started playing a slow song in the middle of it and than that was it. I thought "OK maybe he will go back to Footloose but he didn't. Anyway, I grabbed the mic and told everyone to join my Dad and I on the dance floor. He played Footloose again and my dad and I started it off dancing in the middle of a huge circle, It was a blast!! I danced all night!! If you are debating on whether or not to have a poolside reception I would highly recommend it. It is worth every penny! You are going to be at the lobby bar and disco on other nights, This is your wedding so if you have some extra money spend it on a reception, SO MUCH FUN!! Photography/Videographer - My best piece of advice would be to budget more for pictures. We definitely went over our budget for pictures. We were going to do a TTD session but I couldn't handle anymore pictures after the wedding and we already had our Hacidena pictures which were different and unique. We LOVE our DVD slideshow, It is so professionaly done and includes all the songs from our ceremony. As I said before, the video is a great keepsake but I would be happy with just the DVD slideshow. Copy and paste this link below to see our pictures. You can view the slideshow and press the arrow to speed it up. haha You will see how our ceremony location was decorated and get a sense of how the dinner and reception is set up: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AZNGjdi1cs3IQ&emid=shareprintviewer&linkid=link5&cid=EM_sharview Hope this information helps you in planning your special day. It was such an amazing experience. I can't even describe how overwhelming it was walking down the aisle. It was so beautiful!! I am so happy I had a destination wedding! :-) Mrs. Tara Jones :-)

Hey girls, I just got back on Sunday from my dream wedding and honeymoon!! The resort is wonderful, the staff is great, and you can totally relax because the wedding coordinators are pros. There was literally at least 2 weddings every day at each hotel on the resort, so they know what they're doing probably better than we do. I actually ran into Nikki from here after our pictures on our way to our poolside dinner. haha I don't think I can post any pictures because I don't have enough posts but I will be putting my wedding pics into a Shutterfly account this weekend so I can share the link. I got married at the Akumal Hammocks beach location and it was breathtaking!! I actually cried as I came around the corner and saw all my friends and family down there waiting for me and how beautiful everything was. We actually paid extra to get some pictures done at the Hacienda. If you have money in your budget get these done. They are my favorite! Arrecife Studios is very professional. I hate getting my picture taken so it was a little intense for me all day but I was so happy with our pics. Our photographer was Diego and he did an amazing job!! We had a poolside dinner and reception because we had 65 guests. It was worth every penny! The food was great and the reception was so much fun!! There is lots of room to dance and all of my bridesmaids and the groomsmen jumped in the pool at the end of the night. Good times! We also had a video taken which is a great memory but if you're wanting something like Cancun Wedding Video it's not the same. He does add some nice touches, for example, he asked me and my hubby while we were getting ready how we felt about getting married that day and what we liked most about each other and put it in our video which was a nice surprise because neither one of us knew the camera was on. It was more like we were having a conversation and it was sitting on his shoulder. haha He probably does that so you don't seem too nervous or freeze up in front of the camera. Initially, we were thinking about doing OOT bags but we just had too many people. The one thing I would recommend the most is to bring insulated mugs for your guests. These were a HUGE hit!! Every single person used their mugs all week. Even if they didn't drink they put water or fruity slushy drinks in them. We had waterproof labels made that said "Mexico 2011" with our monogram and their name on them. I would recommend putting their name on it because when you go up to the pool bar with 5 mugs its much easier to know who had what and not get your mugs mixed up. We also had waterproof money/key card holders that they used all week as well. My only complaint was my experience at the spa! As the bride, I expected to get the best person but I seriously ended up with someone who really didn't have a clue what she was doing. My hair was falling out as she was doing it, I wanted big curls and she was doing tight curls and she would tease my hair and instead of smoothing it out would pin it. Ugh....it was bad! Anyway, to make a long story short I finally ended up crying it was that bad and one of my BM flipped out and made her fix it. I was hoping someone else would just take over but instead they just showed her how to fix it. My hair was falling out because she was using bobby pins that had a large opening on the top. As I was leaving the spa two bobby pins fell out and I just started laughing. It was either cry more or laugh! haha I went back to my room and my BM put as many bobby pins in as they could and sprayed it so it would hold up. It was ok in the end but not what I wanted. That being said, other girls at the spa did an amazing job on my BM's hair. I just got the worst one. She did my cousin's hair as well and it was falling out 2 minutes later. I feel bad complaining about her but it was not the best way to start off my day. I was a wreck! I wish I could back and do it all again (minus the spa haha) because it was so much fun and truly my dream wedding! I'm excited for you girls that are leaving soon. You will not be disappointed! If you have Eugenia she is absolutely amazing and super sweet! I loved her! Keep in mind that she gets like 100 emails a day and is rarely in her office because there is 2-3 weddings a day. Honestly, I don't know how she keeps everything straight. I know how stressful it can be if you don't get a response but she will have a copy of all your emails and just asks you to confirm everything. She is very organzied and seems to remember everything you said. She is the best!! She even arranged to have the waiters serve drinks in my wedding colors at the dinner and had champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in our room when we got home. Also, my flowers were absolutely gorgeous!! Everything was just perfect! Feel free to PM if you have any questions. I'll try to get my pictures ready this weekend so I can post the link. I have pics of the ceremony site, dinner, and reception. Mrs. Jones (I LOVE being married! haha)

Hey, We are getting legally married here before we go and having a symbolic ceremony on the beach as well. You still sign some papers during the ceremony so your guests would never know the difference. We already have our marriage license and we're actually going today to finish the process of getting legally married. We found an awesome lady to work with who knows that to us our wedding day is April 6th in Mexico. Originally, I didn't really want to do this because I was afraid it would take away from our wedding in Mexico but I can honestly it doesn't at all. It will only take us 10-15 minutes today to finish our paperwork to be legally married. You don't exchange rings or anything, so it truly is just paperwork. You have to be there for 4 days before you can get legally married in Mexico which was another reason we decided to get legally married before we go. We arrive on a Sunday so we wouldn't be able to get married until Friday and than some of our guest would be leaving the next day and Sun. Now we are getting married on Wednesday and than still have 3 full days afterwards to relax and have a good time with our guests. For the newbies, we are having a poolside dinner and reception and hired DJ Bob (best price!). We have 65 guests coming with us. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I'll help you in anyway I can. :-) Tara

Nikki - I just asked Eugenia the same question. We have 67 people including us, so she said she would have 7 tables with 10 ppl per table. I can't believe how close it is!! I just sent out my pretravel brochures and luggage tags this am. I LOVE vistaprint! haha Are you doing a ceremony program? I feel like I'm running out of time so I'm going to keep it as simple as possible. haha I'm picking up my wedding dress on Friday. I'm getting excited! Only 26 days and I'll be on my way to Mexico and in only 29 days I'll be Mrs. Jones! Can't wait!!

I also agree. It was definitely less time consuming and easier to navigate before. Eveything else is GREAT, just miss the way it used to be for the wedding reviews. It's not a complaint. It's an individual preference and opinion.

Hi, we've been looking all over for these. We need about 70. Where did you get them ??

I never thought about the glare! I already recruited some of my friends to take pictures during the cocktail hour of our wedding. We bought a sheet of white board from Home Depot and framed it. Maybe I'll get our photographer to take pics for us during the reception. I want to have a digital copy of the pictures so I can send the link to shutterfly photo book for our famiy and friends that couldn't go. What is everyone else using?? I LOVE this idea and don't want to change it. I just have to figure out how it will work. I might have to go outside during the day and night and try it out myself. haha

baileybride2be - your shoes are gorgeous!! I bought blingy flip flops for the wedding and I'm just going to wear them all night. They are really comfortable and I will be dancing all night! haha I still feel like I need some heels with my dress but it will be better to NOT wipe out on the beach. haha Yes, I'm getting married at 4pm and I'm bringing fabric down too. My colors are aqua and lime. I was going to bring fabric in both colors to add a splash of color. I was going to go with colored chair sashes as well but I actually like the white and I will get some flower petals. Thanks Trish for sharing your pics!! Your ceremony decoration is exactly what I want so you have been very helpful to me. :-) Did anyone use japanese lanterns? If yes, how many? One bride on here told me she brought around 24 lanterns (small and large size), so I bought 20 med-lrg size ones. Eugenia said the japanese lanterns were a great idea and to bring down around 80!! haha I'm not bringing down 80 LED japanese lanterns. It would cost me a small fortune to have 80 of them. I don't want to bring too much stuff down with me. :-( PS - I bought my earrings today to match my wedding dress and they are gorgeous! Now, I just need a bracelet. I'm not wearing a necklace.

My FI ordered his suit from Studio Suits. It far exceeded my expectations. We both LOVE it! He kept looking at himself in the mirror and thought he looked good. It was too funny! He looks great in it. It is a heavier linen fabric so I don't think it would wrinkle much at all. It looks great and he's going to order pants for his GM as well.

Wow...I've missed so much in only a few days! haha Waybuloo...I wouldn't stress too much. You are supposed to get married at the hotel you are staying at but I'm staying at Tulum and getting married at the Akumal hammock location because we couldn't book an all-inclusive pkg with the Akumal hotel and it wasn't even included in the hotel brochure at the travel agency. They understood that it was out of my control and approved the change, so it will work out. :-) Baileybride2b - I was thinking about doing a sand ceremony. I think the concept is a really nice idea but I'm clueless with this stuff. LIke, where can I buy the sand and the vase or picture frame? haha I didn't see any at Michaels so not sure where else to look. I consider my dress to be formal and beachy. haha I actually bought a dress and lost my deposit after seeing my current dress. It was exactly what I was looking for but couldn't find anywhere. I ended up buying the sample and it fit perfectly. It was meant to be! hehe I find Eugenia is excellent to work with and usually very quick to get back to me. I have been the one not getting back to her the last few weeks, so I can't answer how she has been recently. Normally, she responds within 2 days. Julie2011 - I'm bringing down fabric after seeing Trish's wedding pics a long time ago. haha The splash of color looks amazing. I'm going to get 10-12 yards in both of my wedding colors. Trish, I think you said the fabric was satin,right? Has anyone else used a different fabric? I've been asking for a video sample for months and have even sent videos that I like to give them an idea of the quality that I would hope to have. I received an email from them last week and they said they are hoping to have one to me within the next few weeks. I will send it to you as soon as I get anything (hopefully i get it!) Melmed - I emailed my WC about centerpieces, so I'll see what she says. I don't want to take too much down with me. I have 6 bridesmaids so I guess I could just put a bouquet on each table. haha As for ceremony songs, I was told that I needed about 30 min of songs while guests are being seated and 1 song each for the bridal party, me, signing the papers, and once we are married. I'm not impressed that my song for after the ceremony is now featured in the new Beverly Hills Chihuahua movie! LMAO Seriously.....i picked it first! haha (Michael Franti - Say Hey I Love You...so fun and upbeat! We love to dance and be silly!) I guess I will just try my luck in Playa del Carmen and recruit some people to come with me to get the maracas. I need 63! haha I will be packing and getting ready to go exactly 2 months from today!! OMG....crazy!!

So, are most people doing the lean program? Is anyone on here doing the classic program? I started doing the lean program for like 2 weeks and I liked it but my FI wanted to do the classic program. We always exercise together so I decided to do that one with him. I have a hard time losing weight because of my thyroid and well getting older (haha) but I lost 5 lbs, 3% body fat, and 2 inches off my waist in 2 weeks doing the classic program. I'm definitely seeing definition in my legs and arms and I believe that you will be able to see some resemblance of abs by the end of it I hope. haha Has anyone else tried the classic and lean, even for a short period of time and found better results with the classic program? I will do a 6K and 8K run twice a week to add some more cardio in there. I can not do a chin-up to save my life but I did manage to complete the entire set of mason twists without stopping despite multiple curse words. hahaha

Yes, I ran 8K and planning on doing Kenpo X tomorrow. I'm running and doing P90X. :-) So far, I'm feeling pretty good.