MDLady

Quote: Originally Posted by nadennec This is my problem also. My ceremony is scheduled for 4pm in November, and the sun sets at 5:07. Does that mean that the sun is completely down by 5, or it starts to set at 5? I want to have the sunset ceremony, but also want to make sure I get good pics. Not sure if I should move up the ceremony or not. If your ceremony is at 4pm, I'd definitely do pictures before the ceremony. The sun sets pretty quickly which leaves very little time for pictures after the ceremony. You don't want to be rushed and nervous when taking pictures because it will all show on your face!

The price is negotiable and would include shipping!

I bought little bottles of local Aruban rum and tied the name/table# to each bottle. It came out beautiful and made wonderful souvenirs. The factory also made a custom label for us with our names, wedding date, and location. Everyone loved it.

I used David's Bridal invitations - simple and they came out very nice. I used accent color Red since that was my wedding color. It looked very nice and pretty. I did DIY Ceremony Programs and Welcome Booklets which were honestly a pain and not worth the time/work to do. It looked nice but I regret not ordering them since it was so time consuming. Love Struck - Invitation | Invitations By David's Bridal

Our resort didn't have a photographer so we hired a local photographer. When doing my research, many of the photographers offered only hard copies of the photographs and would not give them on CD. Which means that guests or even us would have to pay to order more pictures. I did not want that at all and instead found a photographer who gave me 5 CDs worth of pictures from our wedding day and rehearsal. Now we can order whatever pictures we want and print them in any size we want for us and all of our guests without going through the photographer or worrying about copyright issues. If that's important to you, then make sure to ask that question.

This beautiful dress is perfect for a beach wedding. I bought it as a backup in case something happened to my other dress which luckily, it did not. This dress was never worn other than at fitting and still has tags on it. I had it hemmed which cost an additional $95 (I'm 5'5"). The website has a LOT of reviews for this dress including pictures from actual weddings which might help I would sell it for $200 or best offer. David's Bridal - Chiffon Empire Dress BR1007

I used a travel agent for my guests but she was not able to negotiate a lower rate than the hotel offered. That doesn't mean that you can't, I was just not able to do that. Regarding group rates for airfare, we were told that we could only do that if the flight arrival/departure/location was all the same for all of the guests in the "group". That was impossible to do for us so we had each person book their own trip. But perhaps someone else has better knowledge. FYI, I considered the Westin for my wedding (May 2010) and was given a $169/night price for the group. So the prices are going up slightly but you won't have to worry about that once you sign the contract for a specific price for your group rate. Good luck!

We included a note about our deceased grandparents. I do agree that it might be confusing if you list those who cannot attend.

We did our pictures before the wedding and although I preferred not to see my FI, it was more important for me to have lots of pictures before dark. So we took pictures before the ceremony and then a few between the ceremony and the reception. I did not want to be gone for 2 hours taking pictures while guests wait as well as worry about not having enough light.

Quote: Originally Posted by Girasole Di your pictures look amazing! Have any of you planned a small BBQ type reception for when you got home or planning to over the summer? My husband & I have been talking about it but haven't made plans yet & if we do it would be very informal but I think mainly just to have fun and get our friends and family together. We got married last weekend in Aruba and had quite a decent turnout but there were some of our friends who couldn't make it (2 are pregnant, 1 just had a baby, etc). We also just bought a house about a month ago so I'm hoping to a have a housewarming/wedding celebration/bbq in the next few weeks after we move in. I am too exhausted to organize yet another event unless it's in my own home LOL.

We just got back from our wedding at the Hyatt. The resort itself is amazingly beautiful. Our stay was wonderful and we would have been extremely happy if it wasn't for a few wedding day problems which really ruined my impression of the Hyatt. We were assured that it was the first time huge mistakes were made but when it's your wedding and your only wedding day, does it really matter? I've read many other reviews which were rave so maybe it was just a fluke (or bad luck as we were told by the mgmt which in reality were their mistakes and their vendors). It is definitely never too early to start doing research. The resorts have their own wedding planners and I doubt that they will let you bring your own unless your own will work with THEIR wedding planner. We hired Diane Keijzer as our photographer but we just got back so I really don't know how the pictures came out. She was extremely sweet and warm and helped a lot where the wedding planner dropped the ball which was a lot. Our ceremony was on Palm Beach right in front of the Hyatt. It was very nice but the only thing to beware of is that the sun sets on that side of the island so if your guests are facing the sea, they will have sun directly in their faces. We solved that problem by making the aisle/seats at a slight angle to the beach. It was still gorgeous with a sunset, just a little toasty and sunny at times Wow, I just realized that you are 2.5 years away!!!! You have plenty of time. I would suggest a visit if at all possible. It will greatly help you with not only meeting the planner at the resort, photographer, etc but also helping you visualize the space, check out the hotels as well as do some food tastings (which we didn't do since we didn't visit prior). I think that would probably be the biggest recommendation. Go check out a few places and get a feel for what you like and feel. Keep in mind though that this far ahead of the wedding, things may change. There might be a construction site next door in the next 2 years, or the current wedding planner may leave (which is what happened to us). Otherwise good luck. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Aruba is gorgeous and I miss it already!!!

BlondeLlamaTreww - that is an absolutely beautiful gesture. Very tasteful and loving. I'm sure it will make many people cry but also be such a nice tribute to your FI's Mom.. I can't imagine completely ignoring the issue so you are doing the right thing. We have a section in our Ceremony Brochure dedicated to our grandparents that have passed away. Since it's all of them for both of us, we didn't want to do anything for each one other than write out how much of a blessing they were in our lives and how we love and miss them. Just as a way to honor them. I am sure both of our parents will be touched since they don't know that we are including the grandparents in the brochure.

I bought a backup dress just in case smth happens but I was not planning on changing into it unless I absolutely have to. It is still a very pretty dress and I bought it on sale at David's Bridal for 150$ or something. If I don't wear it, I will just sell it afterwards since it's already hemmed but the tags are still on so it's obviously brand new. If your dress is very heavy and thick, then definitely get something more comfortable. My dress is not poofy or heavy at all (looks more like a red carpet gown than a princess dress) so I didn't have this problem to think of.. Good luck!

I have 1 MOH and 3 BMs who range in height from 5'0" to 5'9" and in size from 2-8. All different figures and tastes. I used David's Bridal to pick a color and each of them went and picked a dress that fit their style and body in that color. It worked out really well and nobody had to sacrifice their style or comfort for anyone else. I think that's the best compromise you could possibly work out.

If you are trying to save money, how about having only one AHR? Pittsburgh and DC are not THAT far away from each other. Although picking one over another would be extremely difficult I'd imagine. My fiance is from South America so we decided on the Caribbean instead of having 2 AHRs. Also, what if you do a wedding at an AI resort? Most AI resorts don't charge for the actual wedding since the food is included already and will only charge for flowers and other unique things. This way you can invite everyone who is expecting to go and then a much smaller amount will show up? Just a thought..

I have the VZ Storm 2 and didn't even think of bringing it. It's probably less expensive to use the hotel phone. Or buy one of those calling cards or disposable phones where you just buy minutes. I wonder if they have those in Aruba.

Quote: Originally Posted by TA Maureen Well you have heard it correctly. US Dollars are accepted pretty much everywhere on Aruba. The Aruba Florin is the official currency but I have never had the need to exchange my currency while in Aruba. Pretty much everywhere will accept USD's and also be able to give you change in USD's so there is no worry about getting the wrong change because of it being in florins. Most major credit cards are accepted everywhere as well. You will have to call your credit card company or bank to find out exactly what international fees they will charge. It is a good idea to call them before you leave anyways to let them know you will be using your card outside the country so they don't block the charges for security reasons. I leave this Saturday and cannot wait to be back on that island. I only wish I was able to stay longer!!! Thank you for confirming all this! We are leaving for Aruba next Tuesday so I gotta pack!!!! YAY!!! Enjoy your trip

Personally, I only invited the same people to both the engagement party and the wedding. I felt wierd inviting people to the engagement party and not to the wedding.. I knew a lot of them couldn't come to Aruba with us but I still sent them the invitation to know that they ARE invited, even if they can't go. So while I'm not a stickler for etiquette, I'd be a little miffed if I were invited to all the wedding activities for someone EXCEPT the wedding itself!

Luckily our resort includes a 19% tip for all staff so we don't have to worry about that, it's already done. I just wasn't sure what the custom was for other vendors. Thanks ladies

Quote: Originally Posted by finleys7 We tipped out to everyone. I had everything in envelopes, labeled so we could hand out at the end of the night. The florist was the only before wedding payment. I designated my father as the money holder/tipper but my husband ended up tipping =) The DJ, photographer, assistant, videographer, wedding coordinator, bartenders, cigar roller, waiters, trolley drivers...everyone got tipped =) If you don't mind me asking, what % did you use for the tip?

I didn't buy the girls' dresses which now I regret. So instead I bought them really nice necklaces and will pay for their hair/make up on the wedding day. But I should have paid for their dresses, just didn't think of it at the time..

I asked the resort planner and she said that if you are happy with the service, a 15% tip is typical but of course it's up to us if we would like to do so. I am usually an above-average tipper for regular services, whether it's at a restaurant or a taxi. But here, on a $2,000 package, 15% = $300 just for the tip!!! That's a little steep so maybe we will just do $150 or so instead.. I've never given a $300 tip in my life And here it would have to be multiple vendors!

That's very good that they tell you ahead of time what NOT to get! I can't imagine having a runny melting cake on your wedding day and wondering why nobody mentioned it!!! I read somewhere that fondant doesn't taste good. Does anyone agree/disagree? I have an option for butter cream but it tends to melt when it's the topping. I'm still waiting for the WC to respond on that.. Oh and I went with the brilliant idea of different layers (this why this forum ROCKS!!!!!): 1) Chocolate cake w/ strawberry filling 2) Vanilla cake w/ chocolate filling 3) Chocolate cake w/ strawberry filling It doesn't sound like it can taste bad.... At least I hope so

Do you need for them to be identical? My Mom bought a couple of dresses for my niece at Lord & Taylor off the rack and they were very pretty white dresses (my niece is 4). If you want identical and very bridal dresses, how about David's Bridal? They usually ship very fast, especially if you order online.

Wow, I'm sorry to say but your Dad sounds like he's 15 yo picking fights on Facebook!!!! I'm sure that he is doing this because he is upset but you have to know for a fact that he will not ruin your wedding day. I would have a very serious long talk with him and tell him that this behavior is making you really question how your wedding will occur when he is being so hostile and antagonistic. I cannot imagine any father choosing such behavior over his daughter's feelings, especially where a wedding is concerned. If he continues this behavior after you make it very clear how scared you are about this ruining your wedding day, I would seriously consider not inviting him. That would be extremely hard but it would be even worse to have a huge scene at the wedding and have it totally ruined. Just my $0.02.