murmel

Welcome! I don't know how the hotel would react to the DJ being there only for 1 day. Have any of the brides tried this tactic yet? We brought our own photographer, but he stayed for the week with us. I have been to the Markets and the party supply store, as well as the Wal-Mart. You can plan to do the glass vases/cylinders, but their stocks are always changing. So if you are envisioning large cylinders, but there are only square vases, could that still work? Or there might only be 3 of each type of vase? Could you have different vases on different tables? As long as you are flexible in your ideas and willing to change, it should work out fine. We did a very simple glass vases filled with limes and water as our centerpiece. (this is a photo of the vase in our room, and we bought 8 vases for $12US at the Party store)

That must be SO frustrating! What does the dress look like? Is there anyway to try and find something similar or a style that compliments the other dress that you could find locally? Or perhaps if you post a photo of the other dress we can all look for you to see if we find something that we could make sure you have within 2 weeks? Perhaps try local ads of bridesmaids selling dresses (Kijiji, Craigslist?). As for the company who you ordered the dress from....that is horrible customer service! You ordered with plenty of time, 6 months to get a bridesmaid dress seems unreasonable.

Hi Jade, I am not sure where you could find the acrylic bead backdrop, perhaps try etsy? Or if you're crafty, perhaps you can make your own? I would think it should not be too complicated, if you can find the correct materials. As for fireworks- the resort does not offer, nor are you allowed to have fireworks. Also a lot of brides have asked about the floating lanterns, and they also are NOT allowed due to fire concerns.

I see Tammy has already replied to you, but check out the amazing Bride Dress Rehearsal deal below in my signature! Great way to check out the beautiful resort and enjoy some sunshine! Unfortunately it is $800 for EACH outside vendor you use. Or you can have the vendor stay for 3 nights or more (depending on your room rate this might help).

Have a wonderful trip both of you! You'll have an amazing time and hopefully find everything for your dream wedding!

Wow! Fantastic job to you and your Mom! Your guest will love these. Here's a link to my travel brochure: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/65791/pre-travel-brochure-for-mayan-riveria-cancun-using-word-photos-now-added-on-page-2 Lots of useful info you can use! I did this using Word, so it's easy to copy or change to your needs.

This might now be a new practice from Karisma. Up to now it was always done on site, by the local WC, depending on the amount of decor and time needed. But it seems like some girls have lately gotten it added to their spreadsheets. So I wish I could offer a clear answer, but I cannot confirm it one way or the other. In the meantime, $5pp can add up to a lot. (my own personal wedding we paid $120 to have lanterns hung, centrepieces, name tags, menu cards, napkin wraps done on 8 tables for 63 guests....so a lot less than $5pp) I know they still set the maximum at $250.

Yes, make sure to use a GI certified travel agent to get wonderful perks for your wedding! And if you have not booked your wedding date yet, take a look at their special promotion right now called the Bridal Dress rehersal. Details and the link are in my signature below! Best wishes with your planning!

No converters required. And we have stayed on both sides of the resort, and never had an issue getting beach towels, or replacing them during the day if you wanted a fresh one! We personally choose to tip the staff. But it's a personal choice. We brought down a box of blank Thank you cards, and then placed the tip inside, so it was not so obvious. As for the set up fee. It really depends on your WC and how much decoration there is to set up. If you only have centerpieces you might find it to be quite a reasonable price.

With the pearl package, you have your choice of location (so beach for sure), chairs (uncovered, white, wooden, folding chairs), wooden aisle runner and a sound system with microphone are ALL INCLUDED. You provide them with an Ipod with your music choices and they will play them at the correct time. So it's very helpful if you organize it in playlists (example: Guests arriving, Groomsmen arrival, Bridal party, signing of registery, bridal party exit)

There are so many bars at EDR, that meeting at a smaller one out of the way will feel like a private cocktail party anyway! Just let your guests know when and where. And if you have a guest list larger than 20, I would try to give the WC a heads up so they can plan for bartenders. As for OOT bags, we met our guests as they arrived at the hotel (we got married at Azul Sensatori), but it worked out great, plus the guests thought it was a really nice personal touch to be greeted as they arrived. I am so sorry to hear about all your stress! Just concentrate on you, your FI, and your family. The wedding is for you and your FI, and having guests is a bonus. But at the end of the day, it's your day. Don't let others ruin it. Just tell those friends that complain- "we didn't want to have a big affair here locally. We would love to have you there, but no pressure, we understand if you can't make it." Hopefully they are smart enough to then keep their mouths shut. In the meantime, know that all destination brides go through similar stress, and we are all here to lend support! Take a deep breath, enjoy the time with your son, and then get going with the planning again. Always fun! Although sometimes when it's super windy (which it is down there), it's tricky to have the bubbles blown or stay where you want them. Love the hand-fastening ceremonies. But you may find that because it's unknown by the minister down there, it might be a bit tricky to do right. As for the sand shifting. Just bring some foam chunks down with you that you can stuff into the top of the vase. That way the sand will be wedged in place and will not shift. As well, if you take it in your carry on, you can keep it upright. It really depends on the outfit your groom is wearing. My husband wore a linen suit, with bright pink Converse sneakers. His groomsmen wore shorts and short sleeve dress shirts, some ended up bare foot, and others with sandels. But I have also seen more traditional weddings where the men wear dress shoes. You'll likely get a bit of sand in there, but I don't think it will be a big deal. And after the ceremony, they can always dump what little sand there might be out. Using a TA is helpful in a lot of regards. They will work at getting you and your guests a good room rate, as well as airfare. Plus if you have someone doing the work for you, you won't have guests bugging you. Also if you find a GI travel agent, you often get special bonuses at the Karisma resorts. I can recommend Wright Travel agency, see below for a direct link. (bonuses could include room upgrade, free cocktail party, etc.) As for budget planning, it can be daunting, but they are lots of options for every budget in mind. I know when I had started planning I could only find the huge wedding packages that were thousands of dollars. But as you do more research you will find lots of simple options to keep the price down. We personally ended up with a basic package and then added on small details. http://www.weddingsbylomastravel.com/planning/ This is the planning page from Lomas, take some down at look at the options and I am sure you will find the makings of a perfect wedding (and price)! There are no set rules for when and how you send out STD or invites. Personally I sent out our STD about a year in advance. Then we sent out invites about 6 months in advance with the travel info, TA contact, website, etc. I wanted to make sure if people wanted to come they had time to save up and plan. Once people had confirmed last payment and I actually knew who was coming we sent a little pre-travel package (luggage tags and what to expect in Mexico brochure, kids travel booklet for the plane) about a month before the wedding. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/65791/pre-travel-brochure-for-mayan-riveria-cancun-using-word-photos-now-added-on-page-2 (link to the travel brochure) http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/69844/kids-airplane-activity-booklet-template-included (kids airplane booklet) Karisma resorts have no problems with brides bringing their own decor. Just be aware there is a set-up fee which is determined by the onsite WC. This price could be $5/pp, but usually will be under $250. It really depends on how much extra decor they have to set up and how many guests. Keep in mind this a price that is negotiated locally, and is to be paid in cash.

I think some of the other ladies have answered already, but if you do a Google search there are lots of options. We personally used Vistaprint to make STD magnets. You can try any of the printing houses, even Staples locally. Or try etsy for a more personal touch. You can also visit a local Michael's craft store, they have packages where you can print them at home yourself. Good luck! Hello ladies!!! I feel like I've been MIA for awhile here :s 30 days to go for me, and panic has started to set it. I'm done all the major things, but now fretting over the small details that I know don't really matter but which I'd like to see done, haha. Anyone experience their WC trying to force the final payment without everything being finalized? I'm slightly irritated because I was the one that brought up the topic after I realized the 45 day rule had passed, but I have still a few details to sort, so I don't want to pay until everything is really set. Anyone else not reaching their weight loss goals? Slightly depressed about it, but I guess I'll have to be happy as is I did not pay until I was satisfied that everything was correct on my detail sheet. If I remember correctly I think I ended up paying about 25 days before. ** Also make sure that you print out and take with you the finalized detail sheet. When we had arrived at AS to meet with our WC, they did not have the most up to date sheet! As for the weight....we all have goals, and usually with all the stress and life going on it doesn't necessarily work out. I know I had a goal, and although I worked hard for it, never did get to the final goal. But my dress fit, I felt good, and at the end of the day I was having fun, and not worried about it! You are correct that Zocalo is a little dark, but it is a beautiful spot to host your wedding reception. Just wanted to also give you a heads up, the ceiling is very high at Zocalo, so I am not sure they can hang the lanterns from the ceiling I don't want you to be disappointed.... Perhaps another bride can confirm this. There are some star lanterns hanging there, so perhaps they can hang them under those??? Super cute! Love this idea.

Welcome to the forum! Can't wait to hear the details of your trip. Have fun!

The flowers are beautiful, so no worries there. As for uneven numbed, we had 5 groomsmen, and 3 bridesmaids. They stood up front with us, and i think it looked fine. I have photos posted under my profile if you want to look. Plus remember it's your wedding! Do what makes you happy.

You can view the recent photos on the right side.

We did a bout and corsage for my husband's father and mother. But I think it's a personal choice if you want to do it or not. I think my MIL wore hers on the dress. This is a photo of the bouts. (we got married at Sensatori, but it's the same flower supplier.)

Welcome to the forum! Can't wait to hear more about your wedding planning

I personally don't remember any mosquitoes down there. It's always windy which keeps them away, and the resort also sprays. You may find sand fleas at the beach, but i don't even remember those being an issue. (But that would be what your friend is talking about spraying your legs. Those sand fleas stay knee down.lol)

Fantastic! You are going to love it

What is considered ADULT? 18? 21? It's Mexico- so I would guess 16 LOL. It's just so that it looks a little more classy (and not to have kids running underfoot). How funny is it that I didn't even think to print off everyone's name and just ask them their room numbers, lol. Do you think my onsite WC would run about 15 copies once I have it all filled in? That seems like a GREAT idea. I would print off your guest list at home, and perhaps make copies for your guests. Then just get your WC to print you off a master list (hopefully it will have the correct rooms). Then you can fill in a blank beside your guest name on the lists you have preprinted. (otherwise you might be waiting for quite a while to get 'copies') Also you can hand blank lists to your guests and have them fill in the room numbers they need (ie. your friends will only really want your other friends numbers, while your family will want other family members numbers) Speaking of tips....should you/how much should you tip your onsite WC? I don't really have any "extra" setting up for them to do.. It is a personal decision. Tipping is not required, but always a thoughtful thing to do. I would personally suggest about $10-20 for each WC (that deals with you). We had 2 specific WC assigned to us. I took some blank 'Thank you' cards and simply slipped the tip in there and delivered it to them a day after the wedding. As for the ipod dock, I think that will work out great! Enjoy

Shannon- just place everything you don't want to forget in one place. Then packing is super easy. Here is my packing list that my husband and I use for down south, hope it helps! And you may not need everything on that list (such as the power adapter! not required for Mexico) PACKING LIST south.doc

A few little things which might be odd, but are useful: 1) a small sewing kit (with white/ivory thread) 2) a few safety pins 3) nail polish remover (you can buy pads which are sealed, so no chance of bottles leaking) 4) hair bobby pins 5) blank Thank you cards (these came in so useful! A few guests did some special and unexpected things for us, and a thank you note was awesome to have. It was also useful to be able to thank the WC, and give them a tip discreetly- should you choose to do so.) And don't be nervous! All you really need- your dress, shoes, FI clothes and your rings! Just know you have planned for your special day, and the WC and staff are going to make it your perfect day And if you're still stressed, let me know and I can send you a full packing list! These look great! And your guests are going to love them

Let's see what I can answer: 1) Are you doing an OOT bag or a welcome note? If you are you could include something like "we'll be at the Mojito bar for drinks before dinner on Wednesday and Thursday night 6-7pm, hope to see you all there" (example). As for where the best spot is: the Mojito bar is really central and in the main lobby. Also another great spot is the adult bar (so only useful if your guests are all adults), which is located at the back side of the adult pool. They also have live music in the evenings before dinner (about 5:30 to 7:30pm). 2) You can ask to have a list of your guests rooms, however they will likely change multiple times, so this may not be exact. (they may also not due it due to privacy issues, so you should ask your WC specifically for that list- NOT the front desk) If you can, have a list of your guests and ask them as you see them for their room numbers. (ie. carry this list in your purse/beach bag for the first day or two). Once you have the rooms confirmed you could get them to photocopy a few to give to your bridal party. We had included a welcome book in our OOT bags with a list of all our guests, with a blank space for the room number. The guests who knew each other, than just filled out the rooms numbers they wanted, I had a master list of all our guests. (to see the welcome book, look at my planning thread:http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/69198/murmels-planning-journal-pic-and-template-heavy) 3) The Mojito bar has a live band/music every evening after dinner and the show (so about 10pm). If you pick a well known/popular song, it's very likely that the band will know it and would be able to play it for you. Usually the lead is also very helpful (especially if you give them a small tip) and will announce it's your wedding and first dance. I have seen this happen multiple times. So be prepared with a couple of song options and you should have no problems. There is usually a DJ every evening in the 'teen club/dance bar' later in the night (about 11pm). It's always empty in there, but if you went with your entire wedding party, you could essentially take it over! The other option, if you are taking a Ipod dock with you is to simply have everyone follow you to a location (on the beach, quiet area under the gazebo, etc.) and play your first dance with everyone surrounding you. There are lots of spots where you could plug in the dock if required, or if it's just one song, if it's battery powered it could be anywhere! Hope that helps!