AfricanVenus

This was an issue that came up in my planning. Our hotel allows outside vendors, but you had to pay a 10% business displacement fee. I fought it and didn't have to pay one red cent for my outside vendors and I had 2 photogs and videogs each, lol. I wanted an outside catering company, but the hotel wouldn't budge on that one. I gave in when my husband pointed out that they're a 5 star hotel and probably know how to cook well. I agreed and everything was cool. My answer to the poll was "Maybe, please elaborate", because from a legal perspective, I understand why they have such a policy in place. However, to out and out not allow any vendors is problematic for me. A hotel's idea of great photography may not be mine, lol.

From what I've found, http://www.prophotonut.com/2009/01/30/cherish-the-dress-whats-it-all-about/, it's equivalent to a day-after bridal photoshoot. It's the UK's response to America's TTD. You don't trash the dress, you just put it on again and go to nice locations.

Your dress is gorgeous! One of the best definitely. Great choice!

Wish I had read this prior to my wedding, lol. However, a lot of the advice is about the planning process which I had encountered already, so it was definitely familiar. My top tips: 1) People will disappoint you. They'll be vocal or silent in their actions, but expect it. 2) Be wary of those planning their own weddings very close to yours. 3) Don't chase people. If they wanna come, they'll come (i.e., make the efforts, book, etc). 4) Don't get caught up in inviting people you don't want there just to meet room blocks or make your wedding look bigger. 5) Thoroughly research every vendor (see my post http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/newestpost/71017) 6) Don't be afraid to negotiate, bargain, haggle, etc. It's your day and just accepting anything will only make you unhappy. 7) Don't choose a venue just because a million other weddings have taken place there. While you value reliability, your wedding can appear cookie-cutter. 8) It's ok to hire U.S. and Canadian photogs who're just starting out. They'll give you great deals on packages and travel b/c they want the experience and exposure. 9) Think outside the box to make ends meet. You don't have to spend a lot to look like your wedding cost a lot. 10) You may have to pay for people to attend. Use your discretion on this. I wouldn't change having a DW for the world. I had a great time planning (despite the hiccups) and I truly thank God for how He came thru for my big day. A lot of what was written on here is true and should probably be made a sticky for all future B2Bs. I've said it before. I think we take for granted the sacrifices it takes to have these kinds of weddings. Not to sound melodramatic, but DWs aren't for the easily broken. They take work. We might think, "Oh, wedding in paradise. How fun!", but DWs come w/ their own unique stresses that can really cause hurt. However, use the knocks to your advantage by creating intimacy b/t you and your future spouse. My prayers go out to all the future DW B2Bs. Make your wedding truly your memory!

I did mine in my actual wedding dress. It was heavy to begin with, but with water and sand, it was darn near impossible to move anymore! I enjoyed the experience and wouldn't trade it, but I would consider getting a lighter dress. Simply for the reason that the dress becomes to heavy that it saps your energy and can take the fun out of it. If you're keen on doing the TTD in your actual dress, then limit it to just water, like a pool b/c adding sand is messy and heavy. I can't wait to get my photos!

Casa Velas is an adults only boutique resort. I just got married this past weekend at their sister property, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit in Nuevo. Beautiful place! I'm sure CV is just as spectacular.

I thought my DH and I could sit on the ends, but the hotel informed us we couldn't so we're sitting in the middle.

Wow, my post so did not appear, lol. Here it is again: Old Hollywood style

I'm going for an Old Hollywood style, but as another bride said, on a chocolate bride

I'm doing two tables made into one long banquet style table. It won't be hard to be social if you arrange the seats according to who knows each other. I'm not doing a seating chart b/c it's unnecessary. I'm just doing place cards on the glasses. Shouldn't take people long to find their seat, lol. Plus it saves you money!

Actually, when people bailed, we had to pay a penalty (1 night's stay). We ended up filling all the rooms, but we paid for some of them (i.e. photographer). It was written in our contract that we'd pay a penalty if we didn't fill the block. We decided if we weren't able to fill and we'd have to pay anyway, might as well put our photog in the room. The hotel would give us complimentary things if we filled the block. When we weren't able to do so, they said we could keep all the complimentary stuff if we paid the penalty. So, it really depends on the hotel.

Welcome! Are you specifically looking at Bucerias? You can do a search and see what other brides have said. All the best and feel free to PM me if you have questions.

We're wedding at Grand Velas Nuevo Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit. When negotiating my contract, I did it without a TA as my hotel doesn't work with them. The price they quoted me was great, so I ran with it. Their per person rates normally start at $600+. We got ours for $250. Intially, I was quoted $375, but I was going to have my wedding in March 2012. When I changed to June 2011, their low season, that made a big difference. Here are my answers: 1. How long prior to your wedding date did you sign your contract with the resort? --> I signed about 7 months before. I had been talking to them from about 9 months prior to the wedding date. 2. At the time of signing your contract, did you reserve a block of rooms? --> Yes we did, as it was required. We blocked 10 rooms. They intially asked for 15 (which I think is standard), but I knew we were having a small wedding party, so I talked them down to 10. We had to pay 25% of the block upfront once signed. 3. How many rooms do you typically block and if you need more, is the resort accommodating to adding more to your block? --> Resorts are always more accommodating when it comes to adding. Not so much when you may have to reduce the block. I would block only what you think you can meet. If they're asking for 15, but you'd rather start lower, then tell them. In my case, at least 2 people had to be in a room to keep our rate, so I knew that 20-25 people were coming, so I wanted to start with 10. If a guest roomed alone, that meant it was $375/person. So you gotta do the math and go with what you know you can fill. I still ended up paying for rooms as only 16 can go, but what're you gonna do? People are people... 4. How much money did you have to put down per room? --> We blocked 10 rooms at $250/person per night, so we had to pay $2500 at signing and another $2500 maybe a month later, which was half the room block total. Once people started booking, our deposit was moved into our Master Account to pay for our wedding. 5. If a lower rate was offered later in the year after you had already blocked the rooms at a certain price, did your contracts have clauses that required the hotel to offer you the discounted price even for those rooms that had been reserved at the higher price? --> Nope. I've spoken with a bride who was marrying at the same place in June 2012 and they never gave her as low a rate as they gave me. I think it had to do with their packages changing. Anyone marrying there now must have at least 25 people. That wasn't the case with mine. If so, how are you notified of that lower price or do you need to be vigilant and frequently checking the hotel's prices for any drop in rates? --> Couldn't say. I would be vigilant b/c I'm Type A like that, lol. I don't know if the hotel would notify you. Maybe negotiate it into your contract. 6. What time of year do you get the best rates for January - March in Mexico? That is high season for travel so I am wondering when you would luck out the most with lower prices. --> If you want lower rates in Mexico, then you'd have to travel during low season period. High season rates may come with some concessions, but I highly doubt it. I chose low season b/c the date was more meaningful and it was cheaper. They know June is there rainy season and they'll have low occupancy, so they're willing to stretch a little more. Hope everything I've said helps. You wrote back in April so this is probably not very useful to you in June. Anyways, all the best!

These are plastic?! I woulda sworn they were glass! Nice job!

I so hear you on this and to one degree or another, all of us have encountered this. Example #1: Everyone was notified in December about our wedding in June. Our first choice for best man bailed on us for the first 3-4 months of planning and went globetrotting everywhere and said nothing to us. He then decides to have his wedding in the same month as ours, which is fine. Then he pretended that he could come and kept reassuring us, so FI bought his outfit. Then he kept yarning about waiting for his wife to go and checking her schedule. In the end, we had to call him to find out they weren't coming! Example #2: Or our officiant who was so "honored" to be asked, eventually did the whole "Why Mexico?" rants to the point where he doesn't return calls or texts to at least say, "Hey, I tried but can't go." I've come to realize, if people want to go, they will make the effort. Especially if you give them enough warning. I know people are hard-up and things happen while they save (lose a job, medical emergency, etc), but they should have something saved and they should be upfront with you about coming or not. While it sucks that people are backing out, you'd rather know now than later when you get to your wedding and see a bunch of empty chairs. Honestly, people will not show up like it's a local wedding rather than just say they can't come, won't come, or had no intention to come. You do the wedding YOU want. I too am jealous of weddings that have like 50 people, but I realized that I wouldn't want any negative people/vibes at my big day. I don't want people there just to meet a room block or to make it look like it was a decent size. I want the people who love us and support us on this major milestone in our lives. You learn that nothing is perfect. While one bride has 100 people, she might have a stain on her dress and freak out all night. Another bride has only 10 people when 80 said they were coming, she lost some money, but she has the time of her life. Either way, you accept the nonsense that comes your way and push past it. I've often thought about canceling and just doing a court marriage or a simple religious ceremony. But I knew my 40 yr old or 50 yr old self would have felt cheated. If it's your decision to cancel b/c you feel it's right, then cool. However, don't cancel b/c things aren't going the way you thought. I think what a lot of us take for granted planning these weddings is that there are sacrifices: not having a lot of people, missing family members, etc. It hurts like the dickens, but YOU have to decide what will make you and your FI happy. All the best in your planning!

Thanks! The color is off, but not much to do about it now, lol. It's really neat looking and I know it must have taken her ages to complete!

I really dig it. It's unique and totally eye-catching!

I ordered a version from an an Etsy seller, Erin Nicole Boutique. She makes the dresses herself, and fits them to size. I'm getting the dresses around June 18 and can show you what they look like around then. I've seen wedding photos where brides use these dresses, and they photograph beautifully. Maybe they don't look so great in person for some versions, but they photograph well I think which is important too. My dressmaker would do it in matte jersey or shiny, which was really just the reverse side. I chose shiny because they look better on camera.

What's your password?

Etsy of course, but any women's clothing shop will do. I think many brides today are ok with their maids wearing clothing that can be worn again and don't scream "brides maid dress". It doesn't have to be designer. You could pick your favorite shop and just give your girls free reign to get whatever color or style, etc. It's your day!

My bouquet comes with my wedding package via the hotel, but I'm going to give it to my MOH instead (white roses w/ turquoise orchids). I got my centerpiece florals (peonies) from Angel's Accents (VERY life-like!). I ordered the stems since I needed only a few and I was too late to book her anyways. For my bouquet, I wanted to save some money and ordered a composite rose bouquet made of paper by Maria Noble of St. Jude's Creations. She's on Etsy and has her own website/blog. She's also done work for some movies. My bouquet can be found here: http://stjudescreations.blogspot.com/2011/05/glamelia-wedding-bouquet.html

I agree with the other ladies. I don't know if you're a prayerful person, but pray first and ask God that He prepare you for the convo in terms of your attitude and tone, that you come with a spirit of reconciliation. Then, make the effort to calmly and tactfully express that you'd love her to be there, and ask what has gotten her so upset. Have an honest discourse and get to the bottom of it, because it'll only reemerge at an inconvenient time (i.e. your wedding!). So just hash it out and ask her if she'd still like to represent you. Praying for you cuz it's not fun to fight so harshly with a love one...

I'm like Mllek1986. I'm getting married elsewhere, not Caletas, but we've all been thru the invitation-number issue. I think it's important to remember that you should invite as many as possible, because less than half of that will come usually. Even some of the folks who RSVP yes will drop off towards the end. I didn't do STDs because I felt like there wasn't enough time (9 mos timeline) and they're a waste of money, lol. Here was my timeline: September 2010: Engaged October 2010: Looked for venues December 2010: Booked venue and sent out invitations to RSVP by Dec. 31, 2010 January-May 2011: Invited more people as we had little response. Lost some, gained some. June 2011: Wedding on 25th, and not all guests have booked! lol I sent out 30 invitations (mostly to couples so about 60 people total). Only 17 are coming to the wedding. I learned that people will not RSVP on time, act like they forgot they had 6 mos notice, etc. So just be cognizant that the numbers may very well be low. People are losing their jobs, behind on bills, preoccupied, etc.

I don't care either way, but my sister/MOH is throwing one for me. I think it's a way for people who can't come to feel like they're involved, and it's cool by me. The only thing I wanted was a toaster oven, but my mom freaks out when I ask, lol. I don't need anything really but the toaster oven. Unfortunately, I may get a lot of lingerie, and I don't care too much about that. Oh well, lol. I'll make the most of the day!

I meant for Ohaske's, lol. Hit reply instead of quote!