bigboponthebeach

Thanks Maggie! For the compliment, as well as for the details regarding your announcements! ;-) Jessie, I'm sorry for the late reply. In the future, please feel free to PM because I've been really bad about getting on the pc when I get home from work late. I guess I'm still in "Honeymoon mode,"..... no telephones, tv, or pc's. ;-) Although some of the other girls answered most of your questions, I will share what I'm aware of. Please keep in mind though that regardless of my reply, your day as well as your visit at AS will be phenomenal!!! Don't get hung up on the small stuff, most of it will not matter on your special day. Honestly, the only reason I recall most of the things that I shared with you all is because I was conciously trying to remember things in preparation for sharing and a review. It was very bittersweet for me though, because I didn't want to deter any of your future brides from being excited or losing focus on the bigger picture....so please forgive me if I have caused you any doubt or uneasiness. :-) My replies are in orange..... I too booked with a GI consultant who works for DW.com, she's been great. Did you know they were going to upgrade your room? I currently have an ocean view suite in the Azul section, but I'd love to get the honeymoon suite with the big balcony. SInce I'm getting married on the skydeck, I need to be in building 3, otherwise I would've looked into getting a room in the premium section. We did not know that they were going to upgrade our room. It was a complete surprise to/for both of us. I too am with Murmel, where your room is located won't play any part and will have minimal affect on your ceremony location. The resort is not that large where walking to your room to freshen' up will be an issue for you. We married on the beach near the pier and I had to walk past two buildings and past Spoons and such to reach the walkway for our location. It was no issue at all. Additionally, they wanted us to go away privately for a few minutes before our ceremony so that they could introduce and announce us formally to our guests at the reception. We had our "grand entrance" but prior to that there was ample time for us to go up to his room and freshen up, take some shots, and for him to bustle my dress. Don't sweat whatever bldg they place you in, I have stayed at resorts that required golf carts to get from one in to the other and I honestly don't think Karisma has any resorts of that scale or size. *do you know if none of my guests are booked in premium (they aren't any yet), do we not get to use that pool? Are they strict? I just typed a really long reply here and it was deleted. :-( Anywho, bottom line, I am with Maggie on this one.... they aren't strict and if you want access to this area, just ensure that you have a room number to provide them with. As long as your guest are well behaved and considerate of other guests within their vacinity, the AS Staff want you and your guests to enjoy yourself, tip away, and hopefully return someday. *YOU ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE HAD ELIZABETH! She wasn't available for my date. You can 100% be assured you have gorgeous pics! Thank you. We loved her and found her to be one of the kindest and sweetest professionals we have ever worked with or hired. I am still singing her praises and have yet to see one photo. :-) I am convinced that her loving energy shows through in her work. *Speaking of vendors, did you have to pay for a day pass for them (I hope not, they're working!) - did you just buy them dinner? No day passes for the vendors. You do have to pay the vendor fee for them though. We bought everyone but our DJ and their crew dinner, which was suggested by the AS WC's. *Spekaing of dinner, what menu did you have? I'm leaning towards the pick and choose dinner (choice of 2 entrees, selected ahead of time). The timing of service concerned me. How many guests did you have? We're looking to be around 50-55. We had the pick and choose dinner and we chose fish and chicken for our guests. Some of our guests didn't reply so we chse for them and let them work it out with whomever they were seated near if they wanted to trade. We had 43 guests. I don't know why they were so late / slow to serve them, but it was odd. Nonetheless, everyone ate and in the end it was all fine. *Tell me about the alcohol selection. When I had my tour with Claudia, she told me grey goose was available. I since told all my guests in a bragging-manner. I have since found out that they may not in fact have it..and you said they don't have patron? What DO they have? We may need to pay our lomas driver a tip to stop at the local liquor store first! I was thinking of putting little bottles of booze in guests welcome bag too . We too bragged about the liquor and I will say that was one of our let downs. I didn't see Grey Goose and we asked directly for Patron and were told they did not serve it. They kept offering us, "Hornitos." We brought our own bottle of Patron, which we purchased at the airport after coming through customs and when we ran out, we caught a cab into Cancun and purchased more. They have the following liquor: RUM Bacardi Ron de Coco Kalani Appleton Appleton Special VODKA Absolut Absolut Citron Stolichnaya Smirnoff Skol Raspberry Skol Apple Skol Orange Skol Vanilla Wine of the House and Sparkling TEQUILA Cuervo Especial Centenario Reposado Jimador Jimador Reposado Don Nacho BEER Tecate Tecate Light Sol Dos Equis GIN Beefeaters BRANDYS Fundador Don Pedro Martel V.S. WHISKEY Jack Daniel Jim Beam Canadian Club Black Velvet Etiqueta Roja Etiqueta Negra J & B CREAMS AND LIQUOR Sambuca D´Amore Curacao Peach Liqueur Amaretto Mr. Boston Brogan´s Irish Cream Vermuth Martini Rojo Dry Martini Sweet Martin Orange Liqueur Apple Liqueur Watermelon Liqueur Kahlua Melon Liqueur Mr. Boston Coffe Liqueur Kamel Mint Liqueur Liqueur 43 Cherry Liqueur Kamel Includes blended drinks and wine of the house by glass *I am VERY particular about our ceremony script and I want to pre-request an officiant. Hearing that you did and then it didn't happen makes me want to ask a friend to marry us instead. Does anyone know if they're okay with that? They are fine with friend marrying you. I am not sure of what your friend's qualifications have to be, but I am sure if you discuss this with your WC, you can obtain the details. Another word of advice I will offer is if you want something, don't ask... just politely state that you would like that of you will be doing etc. and ask what needs to be done to make that happen or if they need anything from you to make that happen. For example, I would tell your WC, "Our friend John Doe will be performing our marriage ceremony rather than the officiant that comes with our package. Is there anything that you need from us other than his name and is there anything you need him to complete or sign in advance." Always poliltey tell them what you want or intend to do rather than ask. They will let you know if it is issue and you can go from there. Kindess goes a long way when dealing with them, as they are very laid back and easy going. *Grooms suite - did you pay for one night for him (it wasn't part of your package, right?) We did not pay for one night for him, it was part of our package. They asked us during our onsite meeting if we wanted this and since we did, they provided it. They gave him a Honeymoon Suite right above mine/ours, which I found odd considering they said they were booked. We didn't complain though, because he and his fellas enjoyed it. :-) *EDM - do you have a picture of the room you booked? We're still in the market. We thought we had our picture perfect room booked (at La Reve, a bungalow) and then they became booked with a wedding. BOOOOO (well for us, not for the wedding party), so bummed... Give me a few and I'll see what I can did up. *I can't wait to see your pictures and video!!!! I know they will be amazing. Me either, I am BEYOND anxious and check both of their sites daily in hopes of a sneak peek! :-) Congrats again on a great experience (overall) and thank you so much for your words of wisdom and advice! Your very welcome....... Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions from me and that way I will know to hop on here more frequently. 1. I agree with you and this caused me a little concern initially, but it all worked out fine. They told my Husband to wait by the Mojito Bar at 4:30 with all of our guests and they would take him and our guests down to the ceremony site. Our wedding was scheduled for 5:00pm and I thought we would need more "prep" time, but it all worked out fine and even though my walk down the aisle was my first time meeting the officiant and walking "the aisle," it all fell in place just fine and there really wasn't much that we needed to know. If you really feel like you will need a rehearsal, just do a mock one without the WC's when you arrive and your ceremony site is vacant. It's really no biggie, and if you feel there are details you need to tell the WC's, just call them from your room prior to your ceremony and ask them if you can come by there office and give them some qucik details. Don't sweat or stress this, it was not be an issue unless there is something unique or peticular you would like to occur, in which case you can share that with your WC. 2. I saw most of what I listed above, but keep in mind that it didn't bother us much. We came prepared with what we love, Patron, and all was fine. It was a few of guests who were not pleased and we did what we could to help them out and after that, we just enjoyed ourselves. This really won't be an issue either, just ask for double shots or request that they make your drink really strong. 3. I would not suggest that you travel with alcohol. I don't know how this will fare with customs not to mention if it will even make it give the possiblity of the glass breaking or your liquid spilling. There is a liquor store in the airport right near baggage claim. They sell all of the top shelf and premium liquor and if this is a big issue for you and your FI, you can always purchase it there and take it to AS as we did. When we ran out, we just went to Cancun and restocked. Honestly, we were only interested in Patron for all of our shots becasue it is the only one tequila that doesn't give me a hangover. 4. Sorry, I have no clue here..... This is odd. Did you ask why or did they tell you a reason? Do you have a TA? If you booked Doremixx already, you might consider getting your TA involved. Quote: Originally Posted by Maritza919 I booked him before they we're banned too. I just sent my wc an email because I had heard new brides can not book him. Wanted to make sure eveything was still on. Still have to pay the outside vendor fee. Just ensure that your WC includes his name on your detail sheet and all should be good. Quote: Originally Posted by tundeneha Just to give you a sneak peek at what you will see... Beautiful!!!!! Congrats!!! Love all of the colors, they really make your pictures pop! Congrats!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by KerryL613 Congrats on you wedding and thank you for posting a review! I can't wait to read it! Thank you! I hope you find it informative and helpful.... :-)

Great review! Just a suggestion.... if you copy, paste, and post it under the resort review tab, Brides to Be will get the most value from your review. You'll also get to outline your pro's and con's and rate AS accoring to the forum's star system. :-) Quote: Originally Posted by MaggieandJay This is My Thank you for coming Announcement Quote: Originally Posted by MaggieandJay This is my regular annoucements I sent to people who didn't come LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these Maggie! So clean, modern, and classy! And I love your color choice. :-) Which program or website did you use to create these, if you don't mind me asking??? Beautiful video!!!!!! The love was visibly obvious in your video and your reception looked like everyone had a BLAST! Very nice. BTW, your emotional moment made me tear up because it reminded me of my moment that I had in the Spa that hit me out of nowhere. :-) Such a gorgeous bride you were!!! Quote: Originally Posted by Meldrum05 Great review, lots of valuable information for sure You're wedding pictures are stunning, love your dress! Congrats Thank you! I too loved that dress more than I orginally thought I would. :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Colleen84 Thanks so much for the detailed review! I can't wait to arrive at AS tomorrow and hope everything goes as planned...but like you, I understand it may not and have prepared myself to look on the brighter side...even if it's raining ( like it says in the forecast) I'll be the crazy bride running around in it!! I can't wait to see your pictures! We almost went with Elizabeth Medina...she was wonderful to communicate with but unfortunately a little out of our budget...we are going with Caribe instead! Also, how did it go through custums at the Cancun airport? Just curious what they do about the favors and stuff...hopefully I'll get the green light though!!! Thanks! Sure, Colleen! I'm glad that it helped give you some insight and regardless of what I said, YOU WILL HAVE A FABULOUS TIME!!!!!!! (Regardless of weather as well!) :-) I too cannot wait to see our photos.... she said that it would take about 6 weeks from the date of our wedding, so I am sitting on pens and needles until we receive them. :-) I stalk her blog daily hoping they are posted. :-) As for customs, the woman who manned the button was somewhat rude and my now Husband was getting ready to try and talk her into sending us both over to the search area since we were traveling together and I was the only one out of the two of us that was flagged with the red light. I gave him a very stern look and said, "Honey, just hand me my BAG, please. Just MY bag." After I said that two or almost three times, he looked at me and I saw the light bulb pop on in his head. LOL! I know I probably shouldn't be saying this in the open public, but since we are not law breakers and would NEVER smuggle or transport ANYTHING illegal, there was no way that I wanted them to go through all of six bags which contained delicate, fragile, and neatly packed wedding decorations, favors, gifts, and OOT contents. He handed me MY bag, I walked over to the table and placed it on the table, and a male and a female searched my one bag. My Husband stood by and observed and after finding nothing of interest (which would have been the case for all six of the bags) they gave me the okay to leave the search area. It was painless once we got through the rude button lady. :-) I hope you got the just of what I was hinting to you should you run into my situation. :-) If not, PM me. Best of luck to you tomorrow and CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Ladies, I just wrote a REALLY long review of AS and posted it today! I hope you all will be so kind as to join the AS forum thread and write a review on your experience when you return to pay it forward to other future brides! :-) The AS thread on here is a LIFESAVER! I also hope you all have the weddings of your dreams!!!! P.S. When I pushed the button, it turned red. But, "I" only had one bag for them to search since my now Husband's color was green and he carried "his" five bags through. *wink wink*

Okay, ladies.... my review is up but I warn you, it is LONG!!! It might be in your best interest to just print it out and read it at your leisure. :-) I never imagined having that much to say, but once I got rolling, I kept saying to myself, "Might as well tell them this, might as well tell them that....." ;-) I apologize for the length and hope it helps. I also included a quasi - spolier alert essentially stating that I am a brutally honest person, so for those who'd prefer the "head in the clouds" approach, you might want to skim or avoid my review. There is nothing overtly negative that would deter one from booking AS nor being excited about their wedding at AS, I just covered every base with details of the good and not so great. I'd rather have a bride prepared and aware of possibilities than not. Again, I hope it helps! Here it is or click below my signature: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/azul-sensatori-hotel-by-karisma-all-inclusive/reviews/4728 Thank you! It's up and ready for your reading pleasure! :-) Thanks Murmel!!! It is Brides such as yourself that made our experince great! Thank you again for all of your help and advice and I am sorry to hear about your loss as well. :-( Hopefully I can gather up more pictures this week. Life kind of took over and they are in my email, on our shared site, on CD's and just EVERYWHERE! :-) I need to get organized now that we are home. And I too loved my dress! Funny storey, I never saw myself in lace and tried on all these beachy/flowy type of dresses. I reluctantly tried my dress on after not feeling the flowy type. By BF urged and begged me too and as soon as the Consultant zipped it up, I felt like a queen! The faces of my cousins and best friend when I came out the dressing room said it all! :-) I felt like a million bucks in it and it is so true what they say, when you know... you just know. Thanks again! Thanks so much! Everyone says that and he eats it up! He is actually eligible for retirement, believe it or not. He takes REALLY good care of himself, works out daily, and doesn't eat pork or fried foods. He believes in having a salad daily and walks each night after dinner. I hope to be like him when I grow up. :-) Some who saw our photos, thought he was my Husband! LOL Sorry, all he needs is a wig and we are twins. :-) I wrote about my DJ thoughts in my review. I really hate that something as trivial as a vendor takes on such a life, but Karisma has created that unecessary chaos. :-/ I will keep my fingers crossed for you! Who is your WC? PM me if you want to talk more about this....... Thank you, my BF found it online after I showed her an inspiration photo. We searched high and low in stores and online for it and could not find it anywhere. She ended up finding it on a site similar to Ebay and we actually handpainted our nautilus shell box holders to match the frame. It was tough making that want come true. :-)

Hi Girls!!!! We're back!!!! I'm sorry that it took me so long to check in, but after we returned from our Honeymoon...long story short we attended two funerals, a wake, a college graduation, and I had a birthday. Needless to say, we came back home and got slapped in the face by reality FAST. I am almost done with my review and I am amazed by how long it is! It made me realize that I actually thought more about our AS experience than I initially thought. :-) I have to brag a little and tell you all that not only did we have a wonderful time, but bryteeyedbride is the BEST bridal twin a gal could ever ask for! I feel so blessed to have met her, connected with all of your wonderful ladies, and to have been fortunate to celebrate our unions with such a warm human being. Our photographer told my Mom that never in her life had she witnessed two brides so geniunely kind and excited for one another on the same day. :-) She told my Mom, "Bride's don't usually want to share their day with anyone and I have NEVER seen anything as beautiful as their interactions!" When we returned home, my Mom shared this with me and it reassured me that this forum works and that all my late nights on here weren't in vain. I hope this brings a smile to all of your faces and gives you a glimmer of how wonderful this experience can and should be for you. Until I get my review done, below is a photo of my Dad walking me down the aisle and the other is of my new Husband, me, and my Dad. I haven't had the time to look at our shared site yet, due to the events I listed above as well as returning to work..... but I will post them as time permits. It was a beautiful day and I know you've read it before time and time again, but it is worth saying again.... DO NOT STRESS and ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF THIS PROCESS because it is gone before you know it! Honey, do not fret.... we hired Mannia and were not pleased. So you're not missing out on much there. He was also late....which mattered quite a tad. I am not sure of your music tastes, but they did not understand our crowd and our music tastes. I have written up a review of our DJ experience and hope to post it tomorrow. We saw Mannia during two receptions and they were rocking the receptions! If you can, go with them.....if Karisma has banned them, try your damndest to get your WC to tell you the names of the DJ's that they hire so that you can review them beforehand if possible.

Hi Ladies! I've been away for awhile busy wrapping up work stuff as well as wedding planning. Just wanted to let you know that our photog, Elizabeth Medina, just posted a new blog of an AS wedding she recently shot. Thought you all might enjoy a little AS inspiration. :-) It got me excited and ready to wed! :-) http://www.elizabethmedinaphotography.com/blog/2011/05/mayan-riviera-destination-wedding-photography-ashley-and-john-azul-sensatori/ Also, Congrats to our two AS forum brides currently enjoying the AS experience! Can't wait to hear all about it! I know I owe my wedding day twin an email, but aside from that, I hope you are all well! All the best!

Hi Girls! Whew, it took me about four hours to catch up tonight (this morning) because all of you have been so BUSY! :-) Glad to see you all progressing so well with your tasks! Quick question for you past brides - How much cash did you take with you to AS and was it ample? If not, how much to you suggest grand total for set up fees, tipping, misc, etc??? Thank you and I hope everyone has been well!

I know this question has been asked a thousand times and I apologize for re-asking it, but I cannot find it in the previous posts. Does anyone know the measurements needed for the ceremony gazebo sheers?????

Quote: Originally Posted by Mahalo79 Thanks for posting the photos by Caribe! Absolutely! Hope they helped!!! Sure! I LOVED those photos as well and their casual photos were just as good if not better than their wedding photos! ;-) I laughed out loud when you described your FIL's outfit! That is something I can see my 78 year old future FIL doing! LOL I love that you flowed with it and saw the beauty in moments shared rather than the details. :-) Nice reminder for us B2B's to keep in perspective. :-) Beautiful photos as well! You all make a beautiful family! Thanks for sharing and Congrats again!!!

Hello Ladies! I had a chance to catch up on all your posts and it sounds like everyone is doing well! Lessismore's great news made me feel even better about the occasional reservations that I have about Karisma and their practices and policies. Anyway, I am feeling really accomplished today because we mailed out our invitations this morning, purchased our flights this week, booked our Honeymoon resort, and I bought another wedding dress! My next tasks are now to narrow down our OOT bag purchases as well as a content list; order my real touch bouquet; decide on bringing table pieces or ordering from LOMAS; and order chair sashes. Maybe if I post my tasks here as other brides had in the past, I will feel compelled to be held accountable. With less than 90 days to go, it’s crunch time. J I was online goggling various wedding items and came across a few AS weddings I had not viewed before so I figured I’d share…. This AS wedding is simple yet beautiful and their “Day After†photos are intimate, romantic, and a tad bit sexy J: http://ambyrporterphotography.com/blog/?p=3483 And these two couples went with Caribe Photos for those of you that are considering them or have booked them. Thought it might give you some insight: http://weddingsbylegacytravel.blogspot.com/2010/10/angela-hawk-wedding-at-azul-sensatori.html http://weddingsbylegacytravel.blogspot.com/2010/07/meghand-jason-wedding-at-azul-sensatori.html

Quote: Originally Posted by 1106wedding We sent our invitations out on Thursday and people have already received them....this is so exciting!!! We did a combo of a STD/Invite (I wanted to save a few bucks and liked the idea of doing only ONE mass mailing, I'm so glad we did it this way) We had "minibooks" made with information and pictures on each page. The first page is the picture we would've used on a save the date had we done a separate one, the 2nd page has Wedding info, the third page has area/hotel info and the last page is perforated (DIY) so they can be ripped off and mailed in (return address and stamp on back side) Sorry for the pics, they're from my phone. Very cute and unique invites!!! I love the picture of the two of you jumping up in the air with sombreros because it is very festive and kind of alludes to the fun your guests will have at AS when they join you!

VERY PRETTY and I love your idea of using all shades of purple as your wedding color......... As soon as I read your "theme" a huge smile crossed my face. That sounds like a SUPER fun and festive way to celebrate you with your girls! I imagine the pictures will bring back memories for years to come. :-) Have a geat time!!! CONGRATULATIONS and WELCOME!!!! May is a wonderful month for a wedding! I'm SOOOOOO happy for you and beyond pleased to hear that everything worked out even better than you thought it would! It sounds like you truly had the wedding of your dreams and every wrong appeared to be made right by Karisma. I know you had a tough few days leading up to your big day, but it warms my heart to hear that in the end they treated you as a human being who had been disapointed rather than just another customer. Although it was tough for you initially, reading about your experience only further confirmed for me that no matter how little or how much I stress out about our wedding......in the end, things will be just as they were meant to be. CONGRATULATIONS on becoming a wife and a mother! Both roles are the most rewarding and fulfilling!!! Be blessed! WOW, that sounds exciting yet bittersweet!!! Enjoy Europe and even moreso, enjoy your *secret* Vegas trip! ;-)

Beautiful photos! Very soft and romantic........

Hi ladies! I just wanted to say hello and welcome all the Newbies. I haven't been on here lately because I have been out of town for work on travel status and do not like to access this site from my work laptop. I know I owe about three of you PM responses and I will get right to it this evening as soon as we get back from skating. I only had a chance to catch up today because it is a Holiday and I have the day off....but I did want to extend my well wishes to you all. :-) Take care and Happy Planning!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Less is more Ladies I need help!!!!!! the resort andmy TA just called me and said that AS overbooked and has to move my entire party to ABeach. This is with my wedding less than a week away we leave tuesday!!!. and I have no idea whats going on. where my wedding will be , where the reception will be, nothing. I had everything planned for over a year and they just call and move us!!! I am devistated .......shit can't even stop crying! So any ladies planning at AB if you could give me a crash course on things that will be gratelly appreciated. Locatins for reception , beach wedding, area for cocktail party...any and everything. I know I am later than ever but I just said a prayer for you in hopes that things went smoother and more beautiful than you ever expected!!! My heart goes out ot you, but deep down I know everything happens for a reason and that you had a WONDERFUL wedding day! xoxo We didn't want to nurse any hurt feelings so we just put in small font...."Together with their loving families....." and left it at that. I feel your pain but didn't want to offend anyone, so see above..... We are getting married on the same day. We asked our photogs advice (who is based in Mexico) and she suggested 5pm....so that is what we went with. By the way, nice signature.... ;-) Beautiful, you captured every locale in Mexico! Very nice pics!!! I feel your pain.....we spent more time over the past few months stressing and worrying about other people's financial situations. We finally had a talk two weeks ago and said to heck with everyone. We went out of our way to give people ample notice (we sent out our STD's a year in advance) and we booked with DW.com so that they could have no-interest payment plans to budget as needed. We cut our bridal party last week because one won't be able to travel due to a new pregnancy and the remaining 3 still aren't sure and keep stringing us along rather than just being honest about their situations. We told them they will be "honorary" bridal party members and we can't wait to have them as guests still. And we have become comfortable that as long as we are together and healthy, everyone who is meant to be there will be and all the rest willl have to own their situations and lack of planning. Don't take ownership for anyone else's irresponsibilty and do your best to just focus on you and your FI as hard as it may be at times. Chin up! :-) VERY cute! I am right there with you... lurking is about all I can do as of late. ;-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Mwise17 THANKS BIGBOP!!!! I do feel much better after the really nice messages of how late others are on things ( I guess misery really does love company!) Appreciated....many, MANY more questions to follow...I am going to look up the DJ you are using....any particular reasons why you chose him over some of the others the ladies are going with? Also, I forgot to mention to you that there is no reason for you to feel unorganized. We are all at different planning stages and we are all here to help each other. I too am REALLY undecided on alot of things re: our wedding, but I find that by coming here and reading up, I'm able to narrow down my desires versus things that don't catch my eye. These ladies are great, so lean on us if you need help! If it makes you feel better, I am 3 months away for our big date and haven't sent out invites yet. ;-) WELCOME! The DJ was actually my FI's project.....(and don't tell but I kinda hijacked it after he gathered all the options) LOL But basically he read the DJ reviews on this site and then he went to Youtube and watched clips of both Mannia and Doremixx. He also contacted them both via email and reviewed both song lists and he finally contacted them via phone. We watched the youtube clips together a few nights and we both vibed with Mannia more. He also felt alot better when he spoke with him on the phone because he got a lot of questions answered and felt that he was "friendlier." Lastly, when we told Mannia about the outside vendor fee, which I believe he was already familiar with, he negotiated with my FI and came down alot lowed than Doremixx was willing to. So that solidified it for us...... Quote: Originally Posted by Jessie We are doing a full welcome dinner using the beach bbq menu. We are getting married on Saturday - some of our guests are arriving on Thursday, some on Friday, so we'll do the welcome dinner on Friday night. I guess it depends on when all of your guests are arriving. Since ours aren't all arriving on the same day, it makes sense to do it the first evening that everyone would be there. I think it would be ok if you do it a day after you arrive....it gives everyone some time to settle in. How large of a group are you expecting? We are planning on having our "welcome party/rehearsal dinner" on Friday evening at Spoons. We will have a reception on Saturday evening as well following our wedding. We have not decided if we will have a cocktail party for all of our guests on Friday night and then only invite our close family to the rehearsal dinner or if we will invite everyone to the Spoons "rehearsal" dinner and then have a cocktail hour for them following the ceremony while we are taking our photos. ???? Still undecided on how to handle that. I also don't know if it worth having a cocktail party between the ceremony and reception.........I'm open to past brides help here.......... GREAT planning journal!!!! I was impressed overall but TRULY impressed by the fact that you made your own OOT bags!!!! You put Martha Stewart to shame! LOL Everything looked so organzied and well put together. I also loved your center piece idea and hope to snag that idea from you as well! CONGRATS again! Quote: Originally Posted by MaggieandJay Funny FI story today to share: My FI is kinda random when he decides he wants to talk about the wedding or make a decison about something for the wedding. Today I am working and an email pops up from him. Randomly today he decided he wants THIS wedding ring. http://ring-ninja.com/8mmbltiwisig.html So I check out the website. Look for online reviews and decide that it's a legit good website. The reviews are great. I call and ask them about their return policy and it's great. You can pay with Paypal which i like WAY better then giving credit card directly. So I order it. The funny thing is this ring is SO NOT something I would think he would pick out. He is a bit more shall we say plain. This ring is edgy. He said he asked several girls in the office and they all decided on this one. HA, Very random for a Thursday. NICE ring! Black is my favorite color and that ring immediately caught my eye. Very nice....

WOW Miriam, I am impressed by you making your own OOT bags!!!! Hats off to you!!!! Everythign looked fantastic and so fluid! Great job and CONGRATS!!!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by mmc1105 Thank you murmel I actually thought Zavaz Terrace was Zocalo Al Fresco... BigBop I haven't sent out invites either, and my wedding is before yours! I guess the saying about "misery loves company" is true in some ways! For some reason hearing that I am not alone with the tardy invites made me feel so much better! I have been feeling like a slacker regarding these dang invites and some days I ponder about why I am even sending them out to guests since it is so late. Everytime I read something that suggests it's okay to send them out 6 weeks before the big day, I have a silent confirmation that I don't suck that bad afterall. Thanks for sharing, I feel better already......

Quote: Originally Posted by murmel I think we were told at Zavas plaza the latest it could go was 11pm. But there were a few parties that went later...so not quite sure. Quote: Originally Posted by mmc1105 Hey ladies, I need some advice!!! I'm having some doubts about having my reception on the beach (Palapa Yoga). I guess I'm worried about sand fleas and that the beach is so narrow. I wonder of the space will feel crowded if we use the palapa as a dance floor, with the tables directly between it and the ocean. What do you guys think? Most reveiws and pics I've seen have the receptions at The Zavaz Plaza or Terrace. Zavaz Plaza is no longer available, so that leaves Zavaz Terrace for my reception. Uggh I feel so indecisive! What should I do? This is the Zavas Terrace area. It would likely be a nice spot for dinner reception for about 15-20 people. We did a cocktail party there. As for Yoga Palapa, I don't think it will feel crowded. They did some huge receptions down there, and the palapa as the dance floor seems to work great! Thanks so much, Murmel!!!!!

Quick Question for previous brides: What time does the reception have to end; 10pm or 11pm???

Quote: Originally Posted by murmel All of our guests! Also I have (hopefully) managed to post my resort review. Here's the link: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/azul-sensatori-hotel-by-karisma-all-inclusive/reviews#4221 If that does not work, it's under Resorts/Villas, Azul Sensatori. Great review, Murmel! Tahnks so much for sharing your thoughts and feedback with all of us B2B's! Your insight answered alot of nagging questions I had and helped me plot and plan a few more things. Quick question: What was the total cost of the Cocktail Party you held on the beach right next to your ceremony site? That's a great idea and I'm thinking about doing the same...Thanks! Also, I forgot to mention to you that there is no reason for you to feel unorganized. We are all at different planning stages and we are all here to help each other. I too am REALLY undecided on alot of things re: our wedding, but I find that by coming here and reading up, I'm able to narrow down my desires versus things that don't catch my eye. These ladies are great, so lean on us if you need help! If it makes you feel better, I am 3 months away for our big date and haven't sent out invites yet. ;-) WELCOME!

Quote: Originally Posted by murmel So our photographer has posted a few shots on his blog: http://www.taylorjacksonphoto.com/blog/destination-wedding-at-azul-sensatori/ I can't wait to see the rest, and the TTD session! Beautiful photos, Murmel! Thanks for sharing! Everything looked perfect and you were a beautiful bride!!! We chose the free package as well. When we priced everything out, there was nothing in the other packages that we needed or could not live without. It just made good fiscal sense to go with the free and add anything we might desire later........ We too read a BAD review about the resorts DJ very early on. We also priced out DJ's versus using theirs and even to hire our own with the vendor fee was cheaper than there $1,500. We hired DJ Mannia........... We have not, but I would NEVER recommend sending anyone photocopies of your credit cards or license. There is no reason for no one in a non-security/ law enforcement situation to be privy to your information like that. I know I sound very distrusting, but nothing about that sounds like a secure request....duplicates could be made of both and the rest is a fraudster's dream. :-(

Quote: Originally Posted by jazz04 was this per person ? Its weird the luxury is less than the regular jacuzzi suite Yes, this is per person.