amandamarieb

I got my hair down at the spa and loved it. Even though I think I was quoted $80 from my Miami WC they only charged me $50 onsite and it was well worth it. I didn't do a hair trial and I knew what I wanted but my girl was great and let me talk her through it as we were going. If I didn't like it I am sure she would have taken the time to fix it/do it over again. The salon staff was really wonderful.

Hi Ladies - Sorry I have been MIA. I've been back for almost a week and have been thrown back into the thick of it at work. I will post a review eventually and am happy to answer some questions for you as well. Actually, I have peaked on here a couple of times but have been hesitant about posting my experience as I have a mixed review. I am trying to get somethings settled with Karisma and once I do I'll let you know how it all turned out. I hope I am not freaking anyone out...I am just type A and I had a brand new on site WC who was less than organized so I was very stressed. There were some mistakes but overall the wedding was beautiful and I will remember the day fondly. In the meantime I can tell you the resort is beautiful we had perfect weather the whole week I was there, my bridal party looked lovely the food at the reception was great and I think the pics are going to be great. I haven't gotten a teaser from my photog yet but when I do I will post some. Hope all is well with you all. Amanda

Thanks ladies! I leave tonight!!! I am so excited and sooo freaking out. Still some packing left to do and I am at work today until 5, yes call me crazy. So far, 6 bags. Hope we can manage that and the suit and the dress and our little monster too!

Ladies, of course I have been MIA....that's because I leave in 4 days!!!! So much left to do but I feel like I finally have a handle on it. I am leaving work shortly and going to pick up my dress. Finally. These alterations have been one disaster after another but hopefully it will be done today so I cross the biggest to-do off the list. Wish me luck.

Not sure if someone already answered this but it is the lowest number of nights in the lowest level room. Basically you add up what that would be and deduct from your room cost, meaning that you don't have to stay in the lowest level room you just have that amount given back as a refund after the your stay. That part stinks too...the fact that it is a refund and not a true disocunt but hey it is something. I think we will get about $950 back when it is all said and done. We are staying for a week in the luxury swim up suite (we got a free upgrade too) for about $1200 total after our discount. I think that's a pretty great price.

We have 27 people coming to our wedding. What time is your ceremony? We definitely wanted to have the sit down dinner. Even though it's more money than we wanted to pay for (we are doing the $39 per person family style dinner), this is something we didn't want to skip on. I heard that many people changed their clothes and hang out at the pool all night. We didn't want to go out too far since we do want to go back to our room at some point and enjoy the moments together  We are also having the rehearsal dinner night before the wedding to have a chance to introduce everyone. Not everyone knows everyone...  You got plenty of time to think about what you want to do!!!  FYI - This is my preliminary schedule:  1pm: start to get ready (hair, makeup, etc) 4pm: private pictures (we decided to meet each other before the ceremony to take some pictures) 5:30pm: ceremony 6:00pm: open bar (we decided to have the bar open first and start the dinner around 7pm) 7:00pm: first dance & cake cutting (we only have the photographers for 5 hrs so decided to cut the cake in the beginning so we can have pictures of it) 7:30pm: dinner    Chong! We are so close! I am so worked up/excited/stressd that I can barley do anything. How are you holding up? Are you all squared away? I'm not yet but getting close. Still waiting on the date of my onsite meeting with the WC team. Do you have yours.  What day do you get in? We should def say hello! I would love to meet you and see all of your wedding planning in action, well sort of...won't happen in action because I'll be getting married too.  Hey, out of curiousity, which of the wedding packages are you doing?  Ah...ok that's all for now. Back to work then home to stuff seating cards in the place card holders and start packing. I think we are going to have like 6 suitcases. AHHH! Â

Congrats on the new place. Where did you move to? I'd love to grab coffee once I am back...I am in the home stretch. Things are finally coming together but now I am so worried about the weather. Fingers crossed.

20 days ladies....20 days! AHHH!!!

Ladies who have visited. Did you make any trips into town? I want to but something local, perhaps some local candies or treats, to add to the OOT bags. Just wondering if you have any suggestions. Â Thanks! Amanda

Hi ladies - Â happy almos weddings! I never post on this particular thread but thought I would check it out. A lot of the girls on my usual thread (Azul Sensatori) have either gotten married or are so many months behind me, they don't seem to have any answers to my questions. The exception, of course, is Chong who is getting married at the same resort on the same day! Â So, for those brides getting married in Mexico. Is anyone freaking out about the weather? Not that I needed to add another thing to my "worry list" but I've just done it. I looked up the current weather there and seems to have been raining on T-storms for days and days now with days and days of more rain predicted. Ugghh. I am so worried. Gonna try and let it go but was just wondering if anyone could say something that would help me let it go. Â Also, for those getting married in the beginning/middle of October, what's left on your to-do list? Â THANKS! And happy wedding planning. Â Amanda

Well of course...that's just what I paid the resort. With travel, hotel stay, dress, suit. alterations, and the list goes on, I am at about 16k. Just 1k over bidget but still proud to have done it for that wth 65 people. Happy to send my detail sheet if your interested. Â Â

Thanks so much! I am going to forward your reponse on! Yay! Â

For the ladies who have been to the resort already. There's no need to worry about food saftey right? I have a couple of guests freaking out and I really thought it wouldnt be a problem as I hadnt heard anything. I am just bringing my 14 month old and there will be two other toddlers so that's the addes concern. Â For those who have guests with small kids, do you know what they did about food? Do you know if they prvided microwaves in the rooms? Â Thanks!

I'm gettig marriedin 26 days and I just sent my payment in this morning. I tried to send sooner but WC couldnt get answers from Lomas about things and I wasn't paying until everything was finalized, questions were answered and my detail sheet updated. Â I am so thrilled. For 64 guests and a sky deck wedding with coktail recetpion, reception and DJ I am only at $8,000. Ladies, keep pushing, you can negotiate anything, even the chivarly chairs.

You know what I am going to do? Just let is slide now and ask for the drink when I am there. I bet it works out. Only problem is I won't have menus made up for the signature cocktail but it's not the end of the world. I am sure the bartenders can tell guests what it is. Especially if we come up with a cute name for it. Â And my WC is Carolina too....so I bet you'll run into the same problem. But hopefully not!

Have any past brides shipped anything to the resort? I have 70 OOT bags that I just don't think I can bring. On top of everything we need for the week, all of the baby's stuff and my dress I just can't imagine carrying it all. I wish I had someone to bring them for me but that doesn't work out. FI's MOm suggested DHL. Thoughts?

Wow. I wish this was the case for me. I am having my wedding on the sky deck and so guests get a welcome drink.(They told me only champagne which is fine.) Then we are having the free cocktail party and the listing denotes "signature cocktail" but every time I send a recipe to my WC she goes to Loams for a quote. very time its been $3 or $4 per drink. When I askd her what would be included (thinking the drinks I chose are too exotic) she tells me only champagne. Now I know that wasn't the case with Amy K but I know they make up their rules as they go along. It's just frustratig because I am having my menus designed and printed as we speak. I have so much to do that I have settled on champagne...but I would love to have a real alcohol drink at the cocktail recepetion because now it's only wine, beer and soft drinks. Â

Also ladies...my latest project is getting all of my printing done. I am working with a wonderful vednor on estsy hwo is custom designing programs, table numbers, seat cards, menus, guest book signs, signature menu signes, you name it. She's great to work with and is giving me a wonderful price. I am happy to recommend her once she's finished my projects. Â As you know I am going for an "antique'd romance" theme with antique picture frames and hummingbirds. Attached is the dinner menu she designed for me. It will be printed on ivory shimmer cardstock. I am so excited.

Thanks. Here's the photo of the bags. Like I said I had them custom printed with our initails, Riviera Maya and our wedding date. I am sad that the handles don't match the rest of the bags but for the price, customization and overall quality, I am pretty darn happy. Â Â Â Ahh! This does make me feel better. Thanks so much. Chong, PM me so we can talk about pier shots. Â weclome bags.docx

Ok ladies so I have been MIA again. 32 days and I have SOO Much to do. BUT I wanted to let you know that I received my OOT bags today and they are great. Well they are good but for the price, they are AMAZING. I got 75 custom printed lareg jute beach bags with a front flap and a closure for $208 with shipping! I used a site that I haven't heard others mention so I thought I would share the info in case any of you are looking...DiscountFavors.com. Let me know if you have any questions about the bags or the service. Eventually I'll get it together and post my planning thread so for those of you with some time left, you'll get to see the results. Â Chong, darling we need to chat! What time is your cermony? Cocktail reception? Reception? And the locations? I just want to be sure we aren't stepping on each other's toes. For example I def want to take pictures on the pier before my reception (and before the sun goes down) but if you are getting married at the beach location right next to the pier I don't want to shoot photos while your ceremony is going on. I want all eyes on you! No distractions! Maybe we can chat about this and figure it out? Also, I am having a 70 person cocktail reception by the pool which (looking at the map) is close to the yoga platform. Maybe Jamie can chime in here and let us know how close. I am sure we'll work it all out but just better to have these convos now rather than later. Â Amy, not sure if I thanked you for this but if not THANK you. This is so helpful!

Ladies who have used Lomas' DJ... besides the songs you wanted them to play or specifics like first dance and cutting the cake, did you make a list of others that you wanted played? Did you give them a "do not play" list? How did that all work out? Did you think the DJ could feel out the crowd and change the music accordingly? Thanks! Â PS Sorry for being MIA just down to the wire now and have been using my time trying to finish up some projects. I've been lurking here just not posting. Â Thanks.

Damn Mexicana!!! Now I need to find new flights and nothing exists that not atleast $@%0 more or 15 hours long. WTH am I going to do? I thought about extending the trip (on the early side...we have to get back the same day we already had planned) but the price doesn't drop and then we have to pay for rooms! Uggh. I'll get through it I know but so not what I wanted 6 weeks out.

We LOVE Alicia! I think we are going to enter the recpetion to Alicia's "No One"...you know the part when the best pics up? Upbeat, fun and romantic. Perfect! I think you made a great choice. Also, thanks so much for the suggestions about music. I would not have thought about music for after. So helpful. Did you have the pre wedding music, processional, recessional and milling/photo music on separate CDs? Or was the onsite WC on it? Could I put it all on one CD and make a list of what should be played when? Also, I am getting married on the Sky Deck, do you think that will make a difference for photos after? Â Stevie is AMAZING! Thanks for the encouragement. We will probably go that route. Although last night I found an instrumental version of the Beatles song we were going to play for when the birdal party enters. I might walk in to that. Also love the Princess Bride love story song but FI thinks people will think that is cheese. I know a lot of people love that movie but wasnt one of my fav growing up so I suppose I dont have the same association he does. I guess we'll skip it. Â Wow, that's great. Can I ask what you did? Do you have pics? Â Congrats on the dress! Can we see some pics? Â Ok, now you are making m feel bad. You are so on top of it! Why do I have so much left to do? LOL. Â Good call! Thanks for the advice. I also did another thing that needed to be done! Scheduled my legall ceremony. We live in LA but are going to a court house in wine country when we get back. Staying at a bed and breakfast there for a couple of days. Should be nice! Â We might have the same song! Can I ask how you timed it out? Did you do the whole song? If I do it, I think I will cut it some. Â That's great! Thanks so much for posting! Â

Really? Thanks! I am sure you have more done than you know. But you and I have the opposite problem... I am soooo busy at work but I cannot focus on it. Anything but work and wedding seams like a reasonable distraction. That is until I finally get in trouble. Â What do you have left to do? Â

Married ladies...what did you walk down the aisle to? Tradition "here comes the bride music" or something else? I am struggling with this big time. I think I know what we are doing for the wedding party's entrance, The Beatles' "In my life". Thought about making my entrance to a cut version of Stevie Wonder's "You and I" but not sure if that would be cheesy....or worse, too long! Nothing worse than stalling down the aisle to make sure the lyrics time out. Then as we exit the sky deck, I think we might do Stevie's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered". It's such an upbeat happy song, we love Stevie and it suits the occasion...but I am hesitant...too many lyrics? What did you do? Thanks!