murmel

What a cute video Lauren! And you both look beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

The resorts all do spray to reduce bugs...however there are always a few around. If your reception is on the beach in the evening, it's sand ticks that are usually biting. Mosquito repellent on the legs works great to reduce this. I got married there 4 years ago and could never get the camera to work then either I was always told it's only online while a wedding is taking place...so perhaps our timing has been off? Sorry to hear Denise is gone. She was lovely.But they have a great wedding team who are all wonderful at their jobs!

The beach is not stunning... there is some seaweed...but it is an ocean! That being said it is situated on an old coral reef, so it is quite shallow and rocky. But they have been trucking in nice white sand slowly to expand the beach. So it's quite a nice "beach", but the water is not great. I believe the resort makes up for it. The wedding staff on site is very professional and are great at their jobs...although the wedding coordinators you deal with ahead of time (in Miami) are very slow and it can be a bit frustrating. The food and service is outstanding. It is a fantastic size for a wedding, small enough that you can find everyone, large enough to find a place for private time. WE love it there and have returned mulitple times!

There are a few simple things to help reduce your budget. First thing, check the Official EDR thread: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/73076-official-el-dorado-royaleel-dorado-casitas-royale-thread/ I believe the lengths of sheers for the gazebo is listed there. The other option to reduce cost is just to do 2 sheers. If you look at most of the photos they have just two draped across the top, which the ends being attached to the corner pole. It is elegant, and classic. As for the chairs, for the ceremony...it's only 15 minutes...on a beautiful beach! People/guests will likely be looking at you and the ocean, not whether there are chair bows. They set the seats up with white wooden folding chairs. (again view the official thread for photos) Perhaps do a small piece of decor on the chairs right on the aisle if you want some visual interest. But personally I don't think you need to invest in covers/bows for the ceremony. For the chairs for your reception. If you are hosting a private event (ie. paying for dinner), please know that it is the same white wooden chairs, and they will have a simple white chair cover on them (this is included in the price). Hope that helps.

Could you do the basic ones for the majority of your guests. But do name place cards for the 6 guests who are fish and the kids.

SO...first of all the person you are coordinating with currently is NOT the on-site wedding coordinator, but rather a planner who works for Karisma resorts based in Miami. It is very common, although extremely frustrating, to have to wait mulitple days for a response. Especially when your wedding is still a few months away. They seem to respond more quickly as the wedding day approaches, or if you call them directly or do a web-chat. Each one of these planner is responsible for multiple weddings (anywhere from 15-40 weddings, depending on the season). So unfortunately your email is usually just being responsed to in order. Not sure if that helps. I don't know that switching planners will help Best thing I can suggest to get a faster reply is the phone call or the web chat. Sorry!

@jcook123- this link is to an album of photos from EDR. There is one photo of the garden gazebo about halfway through...looks like a concrete walk area around the gazebo. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/gallery/album/6708-el-dorado-royale-photos/

@kfracassi- Karisma and/or your TA will sometimes run promotions. However it will depend on the date of your wedding and often where you are coming from. Best thing I can suggest is have your TA look and see if you are eligible for any promotions. As for the OOT items, bringing the small individual packets should not be an issue. I would however keep a receipt for customs just in case and be sure to tell them they are gifts for your guests and not for resale (what they are really worried about). Good luck!

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/18414-azul-sensatori-brides-post-here/page-1852 Not sure why it disappeared...but I assume you mean this one.

@ atyson03- we rented the sound system for 4 hours. It worked really well for us. They had large speakers, a microphone and it connected to our iPod. (if they say it only connects to iPhone 4....you could always buy a Iphone4 to iPhone5 connector here and bring it with you) When we got married we had our cousin MC, but there was a staff member who sat and controlled the sound system for us. He turned on the music and then would fade it as someone came up to use the microphone. We had made playlists at home - dinner 1, dinner 2, dancing 1, dancing 2, etc. That way someone just had to select a playlist and hit play. We did bring down a compact sound system (similar to a Bose dock) and used that at our cocktail party. It was loud enough for that type of event. But I think for the dinner/dancing/speeches I was really glad we had the larger system and the microphone.

@ Janjin- a few questions to ask the photographer (or make sure it's in your contract) 1) do you own the rights to the photos? (or can you only have the photographer print your pictures...can be very pricey) Do you receive a CD with photos? Or just the photos? 2) how many hours are included? Does it include getting ready photos, dinner photos, etc.? 3) is it just the photographer or do they also have an assistant? (assistants can really help with quality photos- provide lightning or even take extra photos) It's not required, but nice to know. 4) before you hire an outside vendor....even though you are paying the $800 vendor fee- MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALLOWED ON SITE!!!!! (the photographers I wanted originally are banned from Karisma resorts) So check with your wedding coordinator to make sure it's on your Azul contract that you will have "photographer's name" on site for your wedding!!! 5) how long until you can expect the completed photos/photo albums/etc. How will you recieve them? Pick up in Mexico, courier to your home address, etc.? Hope that helps!

It's been a few years, but I think we arranged it once we arrived.

We used our rehearsal dinner as a brunch and held it at Zavas. Not sure if that was why we were allowed to hold it elsewhere (since it was not dinner??). @Jennypert- Could I please use the 2 photos of the ballroom in the official thread? It is one of the few photos I have seen of the ballroom decorated.

@ACJCWed- please check out the official thread: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/72018-official-azul-sensatori-thread/ There are lots of photos and info to help you with your decision. The ballroom is the standard hotel ballroom. With a little decor, it can be anything you want. As for the wind, yes, there is always some wind which comes off the ocean. Usually the higher you are, the stronger it feels.

@LaurenR- they have a private room in the Italian (but for some reason I think it might only be for about 15). Zavas is quite nice since you have a view to the ocean and the pools. The Tapas has a small patio for seating which would be beautiful and private...but again not sure how many they would seat there. Zocolo patio is always a favourite because of the setting and view to the ocean. In Canada- try Sears, although it might not be online. They usually have a dressy section in the kids department. Also International Clothiers...not sure if that is only in Ontario. Carter's kids usually have suspenders. You may just have to buy piece by piece from different locations to make his outfit. The fedora has me stumped too...good luck.

A large savings can be had if you just want to go to Tulum vs. A tour of Tulum. My guess is you could arrange a few large vans (cab style) and then pay the entrance fee at Tulum. It would mean you don't have a guide arranged, but at the site there are guides for hire...usually about $40 for a tour (and I don't think it matters how many guests are with you)

If you like parts of the "Memorable moments" package, you can pick and choose parts are reduced cost. However, I don't know what the prices are. You can ask the wedding coordinator. (For example, the centrepiece and the chair covers vs. all the decor) Check out the Official thread for some great information. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/73076-official-el-dorado-royaleel-dorado-casitas-royale-thread/

@ShannonLeAnn- Welcome to the forum! The area under the gazebo at Zavas Plaza is mosaic stone and concrete. Great dance area! Have you had a chance to read the Official thread yet? It has all the basics about the resort to help you get started. Here's the link: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/72018-official-azul-sensatori-thread/

@linaco80 Sigh....so sad to hear this. Hopefully it does little to affect your actual wedding. The idea behind this forum is for brides to help each other....not use information in such a manner that it might affect someone else in a negative manner. I agree with @kmk2016, if you know who this other bride might be, please let a moderator know. Whoever the other bride might be- I hope you realize what your actions might do and think before you act next time!

@KendraS- I have heard nothing but positive things about the hair and makeup at the spa. Most of the brides on the forum seem to be very pleased. (And from my understanding if you're not happy with what they are doing, they will fix it until you are happy!) * I have also added you to the Bridal Roll call!

Yes. I used the LED throwies. This forum has the instructions: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/31160-diy-led-lights-for-paper-lanterns/

@fargetswed- unfortunately I don't know the distance between the gazebo and the trees...but it's not that close. So I am not even sure that it would be an option. As for the length of lights required to wrap the poles. A 25ft light cord should be plenty (and for the bride who bought 18ft)...it will just perhaps mean the lights are wrapped a few times less around the pole. But it would still work. Not the best photos to see...but the trees are really not that close to the gazebo.

@CurlyKristen- here's a link to a page regarding customs in Mexico. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/4239-customs-in-mexico-declaring-wedding-stuff/page-13 You should also check how much luggage you are entitled to on your flight and if there is a discount to pay for extra luggage ahead of time (if you need an extra bag...or two).

It would be tricky to do a rehearsal dinner at LeChique. You can only make reservations once you arrive and like someone mentioned above 4 people /table.

ObeBride07- Welcome! Beach gazebo, you will need 2 sheers measuring 12m x 1.5m wide each. As for filling up Plaza Zavas, I would not worry about it. They will arrange it in such as way that you feel connected and yet fill up the space. I have seen set ups for 20-ish guests and 80-ish guests and they both look great. You will be charged a set-up fee for hanging the sheers and decorating. Do not discuss this with your Miami based Wedding coordinator. They do not have any knowledge or pricing for it. Once you get to the resort, the onsite coordinators will look at all the additional items you have for setup and come up with a price. Usually a good guess is about $5/ guest. But most times the average seems to be $150-200. The max I have heard is $250.