JD Hall Wedding

Finally got pics share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYtGLRm4cuGTl4 don't have the slideshow from anel yet but i can't wait to see it

SharonMydung- We did do the excursion and it was wonderful!!! I know you can book excursion right at the resort thru Amstar, but it is cheaper to purchase beforehand online before you go. We had a total of 3 tables and one sweatheart table, which we had 2 tables with 6 people and 1 table with 8, I didn't want anyones back to us and it worked out great. I'm not sure if anyone can play with the sound system, but I highly recommend just having a cd ready with a print out stating what track number to play when!!! I completely wrote our own script and we wrote our own vows we had no readings, the minister, linda did a wonderful job. LindsayMichelle, we did use Edgar with AVI and they were great!!! Highly recommend!!!

My Extremley Long Review!!! Hello All, I'm finally a Mrs.!!! First off I want to say that the resort is absolutely beautiful and amazing. The staff are the most pleasant individuals I have ever met. I felt like a princess the whole 11 days I was there. I know you have heard it before and I know how frustrating it is to not get responses back when your trying to organize things, but the WC and all the wedding staff know what they are doing and you will be well taken care of from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave!!! FLIGHTS We went through Frontier Airlines, which everything was fabulous. Directv on the flight (which was great for my 4 year old) and it included 2 checked bags each. My mother-in-law and my dad let me use one of their bags each and my son we also used his other checked bag so in total I had 12 checked bags plus carry-ons...and believe me I used them all because I brought everything with me (centerpeices, oot, flowers, menu cards etc etc). I put my wedding dress plus my welcome dinner dress in my garment bag and that was my carry-on and frontier was amazing they stored it very nicely and also gave me and my husband a complimentrary cocktail. They seem to change flight schedule alot because on the way there it was changed 1/2hr early which is no big deal...but on the way home they changed to 3 1/2 hrs early....so imagine that mad dash when we found out at 10am that our flight was leaving in an hr and half...YIKES!!! But it's a good story...and only forgot my phone charger and eyeliner!!!! No biggie though, I'm home safe!!! LOL ARRIVAL/ROOM So upon arrival, as soon as I stepped out of the van it was "Hola Miss Cummings and Mr Hall please come with us to your private preferred check-in" when we got to preferred club we were greeted with champagne and they gave us quick tour of preferred club and we were so hungry we grabbed a couple sushi rolls while we checked in. We had room 2501, Honeymoon Suite, it was absolutely stunning...it was 5th floor oceanfront...and it is was PERFECT!!! The space is more then enough for brides and bridesmaids to get ready in. I was hoping for a "free" upgrade when we arrived but I'm glad we didn't because Master Suite is on the bottom floor and you totally loose they ocean view. RESTAURANTS/BARS/ETC The resort always has something going on every night, from Fiesta Nites (which includes buffett dinner around pool plus music/show) casino nites, they had a wrestling match, comedians. There is always bands/singers in the lobby every night. All the food is amazing from pool side to the fine dining. They are strict about attire so if you are planning going to Bourdeaux or Portofino they do require the guys to wear collard shirts and closed toe shoes....Bourdeaux was my absolute favorite....the food was amazing. I was going to have my welcome dinner at Bourdeaux but after arriving and touring the restaurants I knew it would not work for a large group unless you pay for wine in the wine cellar ($600) so we changed it to El Patio, which was PERFECT...I meet with the manager earlier in the day slipped her $40 and she reserved a whole area for our guests. We all meet up at the lobby bar at 6pm and went up to dinner at 7pm. We ordered off the regular menu and it was perfect. The food was sooooo good. So I am really glad I saved Bourdeaux for a special intimate night with me and the hubby because it is very romantic. Portofino and Himitisu are good too but they do remind me of restaurants in the states. The World Cafe is great, I did go every morning for breakfast and we hit it up one time for lunch and it is really good for a buffett. Desires lounge is small but we had a lot of fun, I was in good company!!! Things are what you make of them!!! The swing bar Barracudda is probably my favorite, they always had great music playing and I just love the swings as your seat and it was perfect right by the beach, great for day drinking!!! My suggestion is to make sure you bring enough singles for tip money. Now to important stuff: WEDDING PRE-WEDDING We arrived Wed 4/27, all day Thurs 4/28 we met with the different vendors, first it was Lisabeth our WC, she is soooo great!!! We brought her all our wedding stuff we brought with, I had a detailed guideline sheet printed out for her and we went over everything and left her knowing everything was going to be getting taken care of. Her asst Jorge was great too!!! After that we meet Linda the minister and she is great, English Speaking and clear!!! She said that the ceremony script was wonderful. Then we meet with Edgar and DJ Polo with Visual Sound and they were great had my info sheet and playlist and said that there was no issues with the songs we choose. DJ Polo knows what he's doing and spoke English clearly and never messed up names our anything. Then me and the hubby squeezed in our couples massage and lunch in between everything...which the spa is so relaxing and I love that you can just hang around there afterwards/beforehand for how ever long you want. We didn't get to stay too long because we had to meet back with Lisabeth to do Rehearsal. Then after rehearsal we took the family/friends up to our room so they can check it out. Then we all got ready and we went and had our welcome dinner at El Patio. On Friday, the younger crowd went on an excursion Jungle Maya Excursion through playdelcarmendiscounts.com and it was GREAT!! Zip line 3 different time, snorkel cenote, parpell into cave and get to swim around, mountain bike thru jungle, took 4x4 jeep to mayan ranch and had a mayan family feed us lunch and teach us how to take a true Tequila Shot!!! The food was great and the people were better. And all day excursion for only $89 it was well worth it. When we got home we were so exhausted but got dressed and went out to dinner to Sea Side Grill, it was just OK....wasn't my fav but it was alright. DAY OF WEDDING 4/30/11 Me and all the females of our party, the bridesmaid, moms, bff's, cousins, aunts etc took over the spa starting noon. I had mani, pedi, make up and hair done and it was well worth it. It was so enjoyable having all my girls with me getting ready down in the spa. They do an amazing job down there. Everyone got something done and everyone turned out so beautiful! I finally got out of the spa around 2pm and I was starving to I went up to my room and ordered some room service and relaxed for about 10 minutes until all the girls starting showing up. We had Anel as our photographer and she is AMAZING!!!! I highly recommend her!!! She came to the room about 2:30 and did all the pre-photos (shoes, dress, flowers, me giving gifts to girls, etc etc) then she went to down and did the boys getting dressed in there room. Then she came back up around 3:30 and got me getting my dress on, my dad showing up to room, champage toast, garter etc...then it was GAME ON!!! CEREMONY We had our ceremony at the Gazebo at 4pm and everything was perfect the way I wanted it set-up. The only thing was the photo I wanted on ceremony table kept blowing over so they just had to lay it down on the table....but all good!!!! FYI, the Technician SUCKS!!! He didn't know how to work my iphone....so suggestion....give him a CD....I think he knows play and stop!!! My husband had to keep going over there and showing him how to operate it and get the music started and everything. It was so random that during the ceremony music would start playing when it shouldn't have, but it was all good. Nothing that happened would let me stress out that day....everything to me was beautiful....I was no bridezilla!!! But other then that, everything was beautiful, my husband was soooo handsome and Linda was great. The tech did get it right for the procession and played it correctly. COCKTAIL HOUR Afterwards we did group photos on the staircase in front of hotel lobby. and again ANEL was FABULOUS!!! She did all your basic photos, then we did some by ourselves, while lisabeth guided everyone to the cocktail hr. I had our cocktail hour start 1/2 hr later 5:30 so that we can do lots of group photos and so that me and hubby didn't miss the whole cocktail hour. It worked out perfectly because we went to cocktail hr grabbed a drink and took off and did more photos by the ocean, and when we got back to cocktail hr the mirachi band was still playing and we got to enjoy some of the food/drinks/music!!! RECEPTION We had our reception on the Pool Terrace 6:30....it was perfect. My shoes would allow the beach or wood deck!!!! It was amazing. DJ Polo introduced everyone perfectly and said there names correctly and all the music and lighting was perfect. We had a sweatheart table the with highback chairs and it was beautiful. The staff was amazing, the food was great and the flow of the wedding was perfect!!! DJ Polo played the right songs at the right time. My cake table was great and the cake was beautiful, we went with just the standard 2 tier cake all white. It was just right, since nobody ate the cake anyways. We had a tequila tasting and they decorated the table beautifully. All the little arts-and-crafts projects that i did and brought with looked so amazing. Reception ended about 10pm and we just kept the party going and some of us went to Desires and had some drinks...all and all I could say PERFECTION!!! POST WEDDING Sunday 5/1/11 We did Breakfast with the Honeymooners at World Cafe from 9-11. Me and the Hubby got down there about 8:45 and let them know what was going on and they blocked off some tables for us and had popped open several bottles of champagne and brought over a cute breakfast cake all fancy and it said "Happy Honeymoon" it was a cute touch. And then after that everyone was free to do what ever so me and the bridesmaids went to spa and relaxed and had facials, while the hubby and groomsmen went scuba diving. We made all the rest of the family schedule to leave by monday so that me and hubby can enjoy our honeymoon and it worked out perfectly. The grandparents took our son home with them and we enjoyed ourselves at the beach, infinity pool, spa, volleyball etc etc. Believe there is something always to do!!! They even have free shuttles to Cancun on Mon Wed & Fri...it's a guided tour to shopping malls and lunch at Senor Frogs. We got the ultimate package and included was the candlelit dinner on the beach!!!! OMG, let me tell you...how romantic. We had our own little hut with candles/torches and our own private waiter. We just listend to the beach and talked....it was amazing!!! I know this is long and once I have some pics/slideshow I will post let me know if you have any questions.

That is great to hear!!! Do you remember her name so that I can request her?

OH BOY, we leave in 4 weeks!! HELP!!! The officiant, I've heard the english is so broken and it's hard to understand him. I've spent 4 hours creating our beautiful ceremony script and I would feel very sad if my guests don't understand what he is saying and they laugh the whole time at his broken english. Is this what you ladies are hearing too? OOT Bags - Each guest will receive one!!! Beach Tote Bag (personalized with their name) Beach Towel (aqua blue for guys/ fuchsia pink for girls--our wedding colors) Waterproof Camera 2 travel size bug repellent lotions 1 each travel size advil/pepto Itinerary Pamphlet

OK for those of you with the $100 per person in resort spending. What does that include? Can anyone give me the breakdown?

We are doing the same thing, but we are renting a "VERY" nice house and calling it a "Cocktail Reception" Hope that helps. We are hoping that the house we rent will have some type of Screening Room where we can play a constant video of pics of the wedding and our honeymoon and everything.

Hey Girls, we leave in 7 weeks!!!! YEAH!!! I had my first phone conference with Lisabeth my WC and she was great...really put me in a very relaxed mood. I feel she will be there for everything. I know everyone is worried about DJ & Audio Tech, so I have come to the conclusion that I am just gonna make sure I bring my music very prepared so they can't mess it up. @Medina; is there anyway you can email me the price list for Gonzalo Nunez; [email protected] Also, does anyone know if there is a shuttle service that the hotel provides (free or not free) to play del carmen? So that my guests can go into town if they wanted to go shopping or something? And, for my newlyweds...how did the bridal suite work out...I have my appt for 11am (my wedding starts at 4) and all of my girls want to also get there hair and nails done too...is there gonna be enough room for all of us (were talking 13 females) are some of them better off just going to the regular salon or do you think it will be enough time and room? I just really wanted to be around my friends and family while I get ready.

OK I know it's been posted before, so sorry in advance, but what size overlay's do I get for the reception tables (I got the round tables) and what size for the cake table and cocktail tables. And I also did tell Lisabeth that I needed a long square table for other items for the cocktail party. Please help, we leave in 7 weeks today!!! OH BOY!!! Thanks girls for all your reviews!!! They have really helped.

Can you please give me DJ Julian Molina's contact information. If this is the case I would love to go thru them; [email protected] Thanks

I am using maracas. i found them online for a really good price. And my soon to be cousin in law is a great caligrapher and she is going to put our names and date on them and we are going to use them for the ceremony. instead of rice/bubbles we are going to attach a tag that says something along the lines of "Give a shake at the kiss" or something!!!! Does anyone know of any good sayings i can put on the tag???? Â

OK, since we all know by now...everything is going to be done very last minute and some things might not even be able to get done until we get there. EX. reception areas, menu for reception, welcome/rehearsal dinner etc etc...does anyone know if they have a media room where I can print out things for the wedding..Ex. menu, itinerary etc????

 Tara & Andy - 2/10/11 Dawn & Jimmy - 4/30/11 Lauren & Brian 5/25/2011 Â

Congrads Sammy2882, we are both April brides. Mine is April 30th. We will be arriving April 27th. What colors are you using? Mine is Fuschia and aqua blue. Â

I have my date set for 4/30/11 and I did have to put down $1000 to my TA directly (because she doesn't want my credit card information being held up on a busy desk in mexico) so I give my $1000 to my TA and Dreams already has my TA's company information and they just hold it under my TA info that is on file already. First $500 held my date (which has been confirmed from Ana by email between me and her) and the other $500 toward my room and also was able to hold 20 rooms. So when I get there I will pay the balance of the wedding portion by travelers check and credit card, and we have to pay the balance of the room directly to our TA by 60 days before first group arrival. So my suggestion is email your WC directly and have her confirm your date and reception locations. Â

Yes we purchased the Ultimate Package and our wedding is 4/30/11 Â

Also, Alison loved the brides maids dresses where did you get them? Â

OMgosh Alison I'm soooo sorry for all the questions but I wanted to ask you while it's fresh!!! LOL What did you do for your welcome dinner? I can't open your photos attachment because i'm still a noob, do you think you can email to [email protected] Also, do they have any tiki torches they can set up as well? Where did you have your cocktail hour? Â

Also, I got the ultimate package, did you? It states that it comes with a mexican trio band for an hour, did you use that also, and if you did when and how was it organized? Â

I'm not sure why I can't have a dj, I emailed my TA to see if she can find out why. Do the spot lights change color or move? Love the idea about waiting for the cocktail hour, I am also wanting my guests to get involved with some of the pics so that schedule might work out. Â

Thanks a bunch tammy I'm all registered!!! Â

Very cute, how much did they cost? Â

Do you have your photographers contact info? And he is part of the ultimate package correct? Â

Very beautiful pics....do you have a ceremony script your willing to share, please... [email protected] Â

Alison, So what did your guests do while you were getting your photos done, before the cocktail hour? We are also having our reception on the deck in front of the infinity pool but I was told that I can't have a dj. So we have to settle for the sound system, which I'm fine with...but what other lighting would they have since the sound system tech probably doesn't bring any. Â