bigboponthebeach

Love your creativity and DIY!

Love your colors and attention to detail! Thanks for sharing!!!

Loved how you included your children in your ceremony!!!

Very nice!!!

Good to know, thanks!

I love your colors and your dedication to all things DIY. Impressive!

Quote: Originally Posted by TLGnhci I don't have my actual flowers yet, but should be receiving final pics soon. I will share with you when I do, so you can see if you'd be interested in her. She is modagefloral on etsy. A lot of her work has feathers, but my bouquet does not. She has sent me pics of the actual flowers being used and they look like they're good quality, and she has great reviews. I'm hoping they turn out beautiful!! Thanks for the info, I'd love to see pics of your flowers once they arrive and to hear about your experience. Thanks again for sharing! Chong, I'll take your starfish. I'll PM you right now..............

Beautiful dress, Chong! You were a beautiful bride!!!

Does anyone have a reliable Real Touch vendor they can recommend; Etsy or otherwise?

Quote: Originally Posted by Tammy Host Did you know that Karisma resorts is now an "industry Insiders" here on BDW?...go to their page and subscribe to get the latest news from Karisma we are also going to see if we can get a wedding coordinator or representative help answer some questions. Thanks for this update!!! Quote: Originally Posted by 1106wedding I've been trying to get a clear answer on this outside vendor thing (esp regarding photographers) for awhile...My TA (GI specialist) can't answer it...the policy sounds strict but I keep seeing that people find ways around it. Elizabeth Medina shot a wedding there in May, yet she can't tell me how that happened!? Maybe she was booked before the policy? Are you clear on it? The photographer CAN be from Mexico but not the Cancun area? Hmmm...photography is one of my main priorities and this policy might be the one reason I choose NOT to book Azul Sensatori or Azul Beach (I have a $200 deposit holding a date). Flying a photographer (a GOOD one) seems expensive. And then they tack on a $500 outside vendor fee?! We have Elizabeth Medina booked for our May 2011 wedding. If you are seriously interested in her, PM. We received an option that beats the $500 / 3 day requirement and once we priced that out, it was cheaper to hire her than to fly the other US photogs that we loved in to Mexico.

Quote: Originally Posted by beaz2be Anyone care to share again what they're doing DJ-wise? I've heard that both DJ Doremixx and DJ Mania (both recommended on this forum and I think Kittenheart used Mania if I remember) are SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than the AS DJ. Even with the $500 outside vendor fee?!?!  I'm still debating DJ stuff. I would do the IPOD myself but FI feels that a DJ might be better (music is important for him). We also have a friend who may be coming who's a DJ but I don't think I really want to ask him to work at our wedding....  Looking for opinions. We have reserved Dj Mannia. That was one of my FI's To-Do's and he was able to negotiate his rate down after discussing the vendor fee. If you want specifics, PM me.  We hired Elizabeth Medina....she is pretty pricey and beyond alot of couple's budgets but I fell in love with her work, so it was the natural choice. She has a thread on this forum that showcases her work.  Sounds like you really lucked up with DW.com. Go you!!! I wish that my DW.com TA experience was only this glowing. That is wonderful news....  Quote: Originally Posted by *lyndsey* ooo how exciting! how is your planning coming along? whos your WC? mine is angie and she's really good so far. she replies no later than the next day!x  What day in May are you getting married, Lyndsey??? We too are getting married in May and our WC is Maria Faye. She always responds within 24 hours and is very nice.  Del Sol is banned from Karisma resorts and have been for some time. Del Sol will not even entertain booking a wedding at a Karisma resort. Â

Quote: Originally Posted by herbie76 Hi Ladies, I have just had my date confirmed for our wedding at Sensatori resort, it is 2nd August 2011 at 3pm. Soooooo excited Welcome and Congrats! This forum has provided more intel for me than any other Karisma affiliated site could. Best of luck with planning! Â

I can totally relate, which is why I have been MIA here. All of the decisions, vendor options, Karisma/Lomas WC drama, TA issues and pricing, and ALL just became overwhelming combined. I too took the time to reflect and make a firm decision that positive energy was going to be my ally. We all experience the valleys and peaks throughout this process....it's natural. Be kind to yourself and know that you aren't alone. *Hugs* Quote: Originally Posted by JaimeCF2BR I'm getting there too...so anxious for the downloads!! Â It you want to be able to open things sooner, go over and welcome some Newbies and also post in the threads that you view that you enjoy, which also helps you bookmark threads that you might want to re-visit again. For example, I looked through ALOT of planning threads to gather ideas of what I'd like to see on our day. I also posted compliments regarding the things I liked and this helped me obtain more point posts while also "researching" ideas. Just a thought to allow you the chance to open things sooner..... I was unable to open this file from both of our pc's. :-( Â weclome bags.docx

First....Thank you for taking all of those photos, Jaime! You were very detailed and thorough with the beach options and I appreciate you for it! Â No, you are not alone. I have not tried on ONE dress nor entered a bridal store. I cannot bring myself to do so until I loose some weight. Vain and risky, I know.....but, you are ahead of me if you have even tried on one dress. :-) Â

Your invitations are really nice Maggie and Jay! I like the classic antique feel they have. Â Daniepps........reading your story made me mad for you. I am really sorry that you had to go through that I pray that there is some resolution for you. Not to stir the pot, but today I was on the DW.com site and just happened to see their shiny happy BBB A+ rating logo on the side. I clicked on it and there seems to be similar complaints to those you have expressed. Apparently they have had issues in the past with promising things, not fulfilling contracts, and/or failing to issue refunds. I don't want to turn this into Debbie Downer page on DW.com because I believe there is a thread on this forum just to review DW.com, but I do hope you submit a complaint to the BBB if your issue is not resolved. Again, I am very sorry to hear you are going through this. I can only imagine anticipating a refund that was promised to me, only to be denied in the end. I'm sending good vibes and mojo your way in hopes of them seeing the error of their ways.

Quote: Originally Posted by mshannon2b Here is the link to my wedding photos if anyone wanted to see the whole album. Some are the Pro ones by Caribe photo and some are just snaps by friends and family. xx  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56583&id=1457402869&l=6edf49f00e Love your dress! You were a beautiful bride and your party truly looked happy and as if they had the time of their lives! Thanks for sharing!  Thanks Wendy. Maybe some things in her life have changed. I'd actually be good with having half of her if she would just communicate with us that things have changed and her time is limited, family needs her, etc.etc. We just feel like now that she has our (and our guests) cash, the level of service has decreased. If and when I get a response from her via email, my FI and I actually laugh in amazement that she remembered us. The little things.....  Two questions for you....1) Did you also book your honeymoon through her? 2) Did you feel like your level of service changed at all? You can PM me if you prefer....I guess it is slightly distasteful to discuss her in public for all to see. :-/ I'm just curious because we are 9 months out and I just want to know what to expect from her rather than having high expectations and being disapointed by the outcome/actions. Thanks so much...... Â

Quote: Originally Posted by TLGnhci Ugh, are any of you using Destinationweddings.com? I feel like I was given wrong information regarding rates. I already had to fight to get my rates to where I was quoted. Now, FI and I were gonna get the premium swim up suite (was told it was $760.00 more for the both of us) ~ Yeah right, just got the rates and they are like $1000.00 more per person! How am I supposed to figure out a budget plan when everything I'm told changes!!! Soo frustrated right now, and really not able to enjoy planning this wedding. See below..... Quote: Originally Posted by msmarmar123 That sucks that you're given wrong information...I am using destinationweddings.com and I LOVE our TA....Do you have the email or anything written where she told you the original price (the $760)...send that back to her and show her. If it's big enough concern for you, ask to speak to a supervisor/manager...that's a big difference in price. Â See below.......... Â Quote: Originally Posted by TLGnhci Msmarmar, what kind of experience have you had? I know you say you love yours. I'm just wondering what the difference is between yours and mine. Can you give me some examples of how yours has helped you so far? I'd greatly appreciate it. Â See below.......... Â Â Hi Ladies.....I too have been around however haven't had much to say and am kind of in a lull as far as wedding planning. Anyway, I thought I would chime in regarding the DW.com TA deal because I too am using them. We are on our second DW.com TA and so far I'm not really impressed. Our first TA is a long story, but I will say that she was rude, harsh, and very pushy. She didn't have much patience with us and was very pushy when we wanted to look at and consider non-Karisma resorts. When we were finally conquered by her persistance, she then became very pushy about the group agreement and did not want to decrease our room contract from 15 to 10 rooms as we requested. That was the final straw and we finally decided to request a reassignment. Â We were reassigned to Wendy's TA per our request. I actually scoured this forum for good reviews of DW.com TA's and came up with a list of four solid names. We emailed those names over to the DW.com Supervisor and as luck would ahve it we were reassigned to Wendy's TA. In the beginning, it was love at first chat. Now that we signed our room agreement and the majority of our guests ahve booked and begun the payment plan, we rarely ever hear from her. It normally takes her 2-5 days to respiond to my emails and when I do email her with questions, she normally only answers one or two at max of my questions and seems to overlook or just not care to repsond to the entirety of my email. In a nutshell, I guess the best way to sum it up is that we feel like now that she has got our money, she no longer really cares about us. It frightens me because I feel like if there are bumps in the road down the line or en route to AS, she might not be as reliable as I once pegged her to be. But after two DW.com TA's, I just don't have the patience to give another TA a try. I'm going to just chop this up as a shotty experience but I will not put my seal of approval on that company if I should come across other B2B's considering them. Â With all that negative said, I will offer this on the positive side. Once our rates were quoted to us via phone and email, they were solid. They have never fluctuated and unless someone got over on us or pulled a bait and switch on any of our guests, we have been pleased with being charged exactly what we were quoted. In addition, another pro of signing on with DW.com was/is the 20% off things as well as the room upgrade, no-interest payment plan for our guests, and the free cocktail party, spa session, or photog credit. Those in itself have passified me long enough to not complain again. :-/ Â I'm sorry for being so long winded, but I would have to concur with the others here......save ALL emails and take your rate quotes to the top of the food chain and fight for you, your FI, and your guests. We had a little discrepancy with the whole room upgrade thing intially and having the email saved wherein it was guaranteed to us sealed the deal. Â Best of luck, don't give up, and if push comes to shove.....take things to the DW.com Supervisor listed on your site info. Â All the best! Â

Geez, those are huge! I apologize and hope I don't get in trouble. I don't know how to make them any smaller, so I apologize in advance for taking up so much space.........

Hi Ladies - I'm not sure how many of you were interested in lanterns but my FI and I recently went to Chinatown in San Francisco and stumbled upon a store that sold lanterns of all shapes and sizes at really low prices. I had never seen the star shaped lanterns (not that I have been doing much online wedding prep lately) and think I might be leaning in that direction. Mostly, I was impressed with their variety and prices. I will try to post some photos below and if you are interested, please let me know. We go there frequently and will surely go within the next month or so if anyone who is not marrying immediately is interested. I tried to take pics of the prices so you Ladies could get an idea of the value. Â

Quote: Originally Posted by daniepps And if anyone has any questions feel free to ask away! You can ask on this forum or PM me. Â Thank you Daniepps! Great review!!!! Very candid, thorough, and honest. Thank you again!!! Â

Hi Ladies....I've been MIA focusing on non-wedding stuff. I hope you are all well. Everyone's photos look great and I can't say enough how helpful it is when you former brides come back and share your insight. It is worth it's weight in gold! Â Anywho, I just wanted to say this without saying it and starting any chaos. Regarding the photographers.....should you select a Mexico based photographer (obviously not Del Sol) who requires an overnight stay but does not require the full 3 nights that they are asking us to pay, NICELY request that Karisma allow them to stay less than 3 nights. It can be done....if you don't get my drift, PM me. Please don't take what I just shared and run angrily to Karisma or your TA. I'm trying to share with you all without ruining it for myself and my FI. I hope you understand where I am coming from. Take care, Ladies.

Wonderful find! Thanks for sharing!

Quote: Originally Posted by dstinationdrmr Hi Ladies! Â Hope you all had a great weekend! I was wondering if any of you had suggestions for gifts for our parents. I want them to be somewhat sentimental and I am having a really hard time coming up with ideas. FI has been zero help in this area. His mom mentioned to ME that she needed a new address book (she's very computer illiterate) and that's the only idea he keeps giving me ! So let me know what you brides are doing/have done. Thanks!! Meredith...check out Etsy and see what they have as far as personalized address books. They have a wide array of nice ones there that you can have personalized in every way imaginable. I am 100% positive that all of my gifts to the parents, BM's, and GM's will come from that site.

Meredith, you've already received so many wonderful suggestions but I would second the ladies motions to do a really nice dinner for those close to you that didn't make it to RM. I think it would be really intimate and you all could experience ambiance at a nice restaurant that maybe quite a few of you have wanted to check out. Possibly you could do something like small plates and rent out the room of that nice restaurant you mentioned from like 2pm - 6pm and that way people wouldn't be expecting a full meal. I don't know how you feel about that but it is just a suggestion. My family might not go for it and would want to eat ( ;-) ), but I've attended something done tastefully and in a classy manner that was similar. Just don't stress yourself out, whatever you do!!! And Amanda, I have not even began dress shopping yet, but that price for alterations seems awfully high! I hope you can find something alot cheaper!

Congratulations Dani and thanks for sharing your pictures with us. You looked beautiful! Also, I think I might have my dates mixed up, but Congrats to Lindz!