CanadianLindsey

I am heading to VIM next week for a wedding. Any info anyone wants me to check out or take pictures of? I know planning a wedding at a location you've never been to before can be difficult!! But it is worth it

Has anyone been to any of the Karisma resorts in Jamaica? I had my wedding at a Karisma resort in the Mayan and I was suggesting to a friend who is planning her wedding to try out Karisma. I saw on their website they have 2 resorts in Jamaica now. Azul Sensatori Jamaica looks perfect for her. I was looking for any reviews or brides from there. Also they have another called Seashore Bay Beach...anyone been there? Thanks for any info!

We just got invited to a friends wedding at the Valentin next January!! I am so excited to go after reading some of the posts on this thread! We were married at the El Dorado Royale and they sound like similar resorts in terms of service, food & fun

We had it a donkey coctail hour at the Health Bar. It was a great location for it. Originally our cocktail hour was to be at Gazebo 555 right after our ceremony because the donkey was my husbands "ride" up the aisle! By the weather was looking like rain, so we moved it into the covered Health Bar. Here's a pic, donkey is on the right:

I wanted to get some thoughts on what would be ok/appreciated to do for couples you know are going through fertility issues. I want to show my friend I am there for her without over stepping and they don't really make cards for this! Everyone showers new and to-be parents with gifts and cards, but what about those trying to become parents?

We had the dinner on the beach b/c it was free with our package. It was a nice setting but by far the worst food of our trip. Lobster cappuccino was our appetizer! Tasted just like it sounds!!! And the food was cold b/c the restaurant it had to come from was far away. We enjoyed ourselves and it was an experience, but I wouldn't have paid for it. Also we were given another free diner for 2 on beach and a free sky massage for 2 with our wedding package once we got to the resort, so don't pre buy anything...you may get freebies to give away. We gave ours to our parents!

Invited: 52 people in Feb RSVP'd: 29 people in April Actually came: 26 people in Dec We had one guest bring a friend/+1 and it was only b/c my cousin was traveling from half way around the world. Otherwise we didn't have or want any strangers at our wedding, just a personal choice. We had one couple pay the deposit, then drop out months before and one couple break up so the ex GF didn't come. We had no problem pairing up the 6 singles either to keep the costs down for them(double occ was cheaper). And like some other girls have said, you will prob be surprised who comes and who doesn't. Sometimes your "sure bets" bail and more "maybes" show up!! Lol!

My mom has cousins named LaDonna, LaVonda, LaWanda! Think their mom was La Drunka?! And then their brother was named Carlos! Lucky to be a boy

You may want to. I found it to be a tight schedule, and since DW are all about relaxing and enjoying the moment, I think it's better to start early and then hangout in an air conditioned room if you find your ahead of schedule. Also, an hour for hair, hour for makeup is just an estimate. My hair stylist/make up artist Rafa was wonderful and took her time to make me look amazing...but she did take her time LOL!

For those of you switching from Royale to Casistas side...be sure to arrange your room transfer ahead of time...unlike me and my hubby! We thought it would be a smooth transition from one room to the next, but it was a bit of a mess and we spend the first day of our honeymoon without a room and with all of our stuff on golf carts, being transported from one reception to the next and back! It's like 2 different hotels when it comes to checking in and checking out so be prepared to be "roomless" from 11 am to 3pm!! Unless maybe you can prearrange an early check in or late check out. Wish we would have

I had a noon appt for hair and makeup for my 3:00 ceremony and we had just enough time to get a golf cart back to my room, change and eat a quick snack of room service before the ceremony. Be prepared to wait for those golf carts!

We loved the El Dorado resort in the Mayan of Mexico! Highly recommend them for service, food, weddings and location. They have family resorts too called Azul (El Dorado's are adults only)

I flew Sunwing and I carried on my dress along with another bride on my flight. They didn't have a bin reserved for brides dresses and the other girl flipped out! Which was odd since she had a thin "destination" dress and I had a bigger traditional dress. We ended up just laying them flat in a large bin and other people had to put their carry on on top. The flight attendants refused to let her use "their" closet. My dress was fine when we arrived, so don't stress but don't expect special service! Sunwing is far from "great" service!!!

We chose ClaudiaPhoto and they were amazing! Our photographer was Citlalli Rico and her team www.citlallirico.com/ and I just cannot say enough good things about her! She spent 3 hours with us from just before ceremony until cocktail hour so we could save on cost. Our wedding photos from her are unique and magazine quality!

It rained on my wedding day and they wanted to move the ceremony inside, but luckily it stopped in time for our beach ceremony! The clouds made for amazing photos and no melting guests or wedding party! Also, everyone said rain on your wedding day is good luck

I saw some picture of bouquets on the lomas website I liked so I just told my WC the styles I liked along with my budget and colours. They ended up looking beautiful and I just got smaller versions in only orange for my BMs. I think it was $35 for BM and $100 for mine. I brought down the extra hemmed fabric from my gown and wrapped the stem of my bouquet with it for an extra personal touch. Look in my pictures/review and you can see the flowers.

Our guests ended up at the disco every night after everyone had their individual or group dinners, and always had a good time. They had kareoke, Michael Jackson impersonation night, tequila tasting, djs and live bands. Even the night of our wedding, once the reception got shut down at 11pm, we moved the party to the disco and I rocked my wedding dress too!!!

We rented one for $250...back then it was the only option. It came with a microphone for speeches and a staff member who manned it for us which was nice because they had my "dance" playlist going but then also hooked up their own ipod with some Mexican music for an impromptu congo line and tequila shots with the bar staff!! We only had 26 people but the bigger sound system made it feel more like a party(also our reception was at Tuccanes which is an outdoor venue so you need the sound louder).

We used 4 songs for our symbolic ceremony. Train-"Soul Sister" For the wedding party and groom to walk to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"(50 First Dates movie version) For me and my dad to walk to City and Colour-"The Girl" For when we signed the marriage papers HIM-"Right Here in My Arms" For when we and the wedding party all walked back after the ceremony. None of the songs played in their entirety, the resort staff just faded them out when needed.

My DW cost about $10K including our flight from Canada to Cancun & hotel for a week. We had 26 guests, ceremony, cocktail hour & private reception all at a 5 star Mayan Riviera resort with an amazing photographer. Since we are non traditional too, we cut out lots of costly things and splurged on what we wanted, like the 5 star resort! We cut out the cake & DJ, had a photographer from pre ceremony up until cocktail hour to save money(prices double if you have them stay through the dance). We also did a symbolic ceremony(legally married in Canada) to save hassle, costs and have the exact ceremony and wording we wanted. Keep in mind too you need minimal decor at most resorts, because they are outdoors and have beautiful scenery to start with. That can save you hundreds-thousands. We also skipped the boutonnieres for the GM since it's not our style anyways and re used the BM bouquets for centerpieces. It is a lot to consider...take your time and choose the right resort/location first and then you will know how much money you have to spend from there. Good luck!

No way, you are totally allowed to feel frustrated and like she's sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong. It really has nothing to do with her, or anyone else other than the 2 people getting married. We didn't tell anyone(except our 2 witnesses) about our legal ceremony until our guests started asking questions at the reception (we had my mom do the symbolic ceremony so people kept asking if it was legal). I wouldn't even tell people the date of our legal ceremony because to us, our wedding day in Mexico is our wedding day & the day we celebrate as our anniversary. Tell her it's just paperwork and you'd appreciate she save her excitement for your wedding day

Claudia photo is amazing! We had photographer Citllali Rico and she was wonderful to work with and does gorgeous work!

My set up and decor was super simple. The resort is so beautiful you don't need a bunch of stuff to fill it up like a regular hall or venue. We had gazebo sheers in our colours and the matching fabric runner with 2 $60 flower arrangement on the gazebo. Those 2 flower arrangements went to the reception for decor on the guestbook table and then the reception tables had a coloured fabric runner, 3 candles I brought from home(which didn't stay lit b/c of ocean breeze) and a vase each which we put the bridal bouquets in. That was all for decor for us besides the favors by each spot! And it was awesome! The resort had tiki torches with fire leading up the path to Tucannes where our reception was held(I never paid for or requested them!!)

Our appointment was at 10am the next day. When you check in they give you a gift basket with some bath stuff and a letter about your appointment.

We had the same idea! Symbolic ceremony saved us a huge paperwork headache and we got to write our own ceremony and have my mom "marry" us, which was extra special! Also, we stayed on Royale side for week 1 with our guests then switched to Casitas side for our week 2 honeymoon which was perfect. My only regret...not asking beforehand how the room switch would go, and then ending up wasting an entire day in Mexico waiting for the front desks from Casitas and Royale to figure it all out while sweating in a golf cart full of all of our stuff for 2 hours then getting the wrong room once we got to the Casitas(they tried putting us in a 2nd floor room while hubby was on crutches for a torn knee ligaments). Ugh, a mess, but totally worth it once we got settled into our suite with our own pool just steps from our bed, breakfast on our deck every morning and our bartender memorizing our drink order so we had fresh drinks at all times in our hands!!!! I miss EDR