murmel

Rachael- first of all congratulations on your wedding! It sounds like it was a beautiful and emotional event. Cannot wait to see some photos. Best wishes to you, Joe and your boys!

2ndtimesacharm- I personally would go with a coral and ivory color flower mix and then bring down turquoise ribbon to wrap the bouquet. You won't get overwhelmed with color and the hint of coral in the bouquet will stand out in the photos. MishMash- we had lanterns and just packed them flat in the bottom of a suitcase. We had lots of OOT bag stuff as well, so that took lots of room. My advice, if you have good friends see if you can spread the weight a little. If not, call your airline in advance and try to get a good rate for extra weight. Shipping is not suggested because of customs and the hotel losing your package ( they will not take responsibility). I didn't really have any cute welcome poems, but a sincere welcome and thanks for attending/making the trip was what we did for our OOT bags. I think I have the welcome booklet in my planning journal if you want to look.

I would suggest paying only for your confirmed guests, and if these other guests do come you can always pay after. We ended up with 3 extra guests that decided last minute (ie. within the week) that they would attend. Since we had already paid our balance, we were just asked to pay the extra when we got to the resort. Good luck! We were just at the Royale in February, and I wasn't worried at all. Quite a few times I left our camera out in the room, or watches/jewelery and it was never touched. You should of course be careful, but I have been travelling to the Karimsa resorts for 3 years now, and have never had an issue! We have taken our Ipod dock with us many times, with no problems. Just to make you understand how seriously they take the issue, my MIL had hidden her safe key under the mattress. When the maid was making the bed she came across the key and immediately called security. Then a security guard waited at the room until management found my MIL to confirm nothing had been taken from the safe or room. They then told her not to hide the key under the mattress LOL! The safe is the same size through out the resort. I always wear my engagement ring (and now wedding band). I would only be concerned if your ring is loose and it could slide off. A few guys I know have lost their wedding bands because they were loose. If you're worried about losing it while you are swimming then I would lock it in the room safe. You can also always take it to the front desk and have them lock it into the main safe in the office, if you're really worried! Personally I would not leave it in a box in my beach bag unattended.

So excited for you! Good luck with the last minute prep and packing. Really sorry to hear that a few people have cancelled out last minute. Talk to you WC and inform them that people have cancelled. You might be able to get a partial refund-or maybe get some extras instead? (more flowers, longer cocktail hour?) As for tipping, my husband and I travel to AI's quite regularly. Even though the staff gets paid, you're right, tips go a long way for them. Usually we tip our maid a buck or two, and don't forget to leave a dollar or two in the fridge-it's a different person who stocks your beer, water, soda! We take lots of singles with us. On the first day we find a spot we like (pool/beach/etc) then we find out if the waiter/bartender will be there for a few days. If they say yes, we usually will tip them $20. This always results in great service,and then me not having to worry about carrying around soggy $1 bills LOL. Then we usually tip a little more at the end of the week (another $10). As for lunch and dinner, usually we bring a few bucks to leave at the table. I think if you want to be generous and tip, I would plan for about $10-15 a day. That will cover everyone you come across.

I know there is one that wanders around the resort. But I can't really remember what night. We saw them at Zocolo (Mexican restaurant). If your wedding happens to be that day...you might get lucky, but I would not plan on it.

I was down in January and took pictures of most of the gazebo and reception sites. Click on my user name and look at my photo albums. One is marked El Dorado, you should find what you're looking for there.

Yes, there is an iron in the room and a small ironing board (the type that sits on a table) We had a hard time figuring out music too. Although we ended up sitting down for an hour to decide on ceremony music (what he walked down the aisle, what I walked down the aisle, signing the papers, walking out) and our first dance. The first dance was tricky...since we really didn't have a "song". Here's my list: (maybe that will help) Grooms entrance- Feeling Good, by MUSE (there are also versions by Sinatra, Micheal Buble) Brides entrance- Wild Horses, The Sundays Register signing- Juliet, by Royal Wood Bridal party exit- Sleepy Maggie, by Ashley MacIsaac (we're both from the east coast of Canada....) First Dance- The Best is Yet to Come, by Micheal Buble

Such a cute idea! Have a wonderful Day Kerry 872! Enjoy every moment

We did not have a DJ. My husbands family is really musical, so althought we wanted to dance for a while, we knew once that was over, we would be moving to a different area and having a guitar sing-a-long. (which was a blast) We stationed ourselves in the large hut where the ice cream machine is (bottom of the main staircase from the lobby). Then the waiters would come down every 15 minutes take drink orders from the Mojoito lounge, head up get the drinks and bring them back to us. As for music: we had prepped playlists on our Ipod. We have a dinner 1, dinner 2, dancing 1, dancing 2, first dance, etc. We rented the amp system ($250 I think), which included speakers, and a mic (we had a lot of speeches and I wanted to make sure everyone could hear.). The resort had a staff member running the amp system. He would set the Ipod to playlist dinner (example) and then when our MC or other guests went up to speak, the staff member faded the music. Once the speech was over he faded the music back on. It was great (and unexpected). And if anyone is wondering, the resort offers the amp system for your ceremony NO CHARGE. So you can have music on an Ipod to play for your ceremony and a mic, so that all your guests hear your nuptials. Hope that helps.

The house wine is fine, actually quite good. And I think most of our guests appreciated being able to drink whatever they wanted (beer, wine, rum/coke, etc), not just the wine on the table. As for a party after: The Mojito lounge has live music every night, and it's a lot of fun. The adult pool bar has live music early in the evening (til 9pm I think) and then they are open til about 11pm The Cantina Zocolo is open til about midnight and has a stunning view of the ocean. There is usually some background music, but that's it. The Teen club, changes to a dance lounge after 10pm with a DJ. Can be lots of fun...or sometime empty, depends on the crowds. Rooftop Lounge???- never heard of it, and I've been there 4 times now. (if you are referring to the Sky Lounge, that's only open for wedding ceremonies, and drinking is NOT allowed up there)

Don't worry to much about the extra guests in terms of the food, drink and set up. The WC were awesome with dealing with that (I had 3 extra guests tell me within the last week). As for the name cards, favours....do the best you can (even if it's just a piece of white card stock with their name on it). Don't let this get you down! One week away- so exciting! As for your bridesmaid and transport. I would suggest she tries to arrange transportation ahead of time, especially if she has a baby and gear in tow. I have been using Lomas transfer for 3 years now, and can say they are fantastic. Always polite, punctual and prices are good. http://www.lomas-travel.com/transfers/ You can even see the prices of Hotel-hotel. Usually it would be about $180-200 roundtrip depending on which hotel she is staying at (with the distance you suggested). My guess the same distance with a cab would likely be $140-160. Best wishes!

Finally got around to voting! Such a cute video. Hope you win!

Love the piñata! If I had known that was available I would have done that too! It looks like everything went beautifully and the colours worked so well together. You did a lot of work, and it was a huge success. Thanks for sharing

First off, so sorry to hear about your sisters It is always really disappointing when things don't work out as we expect them too. And it's too bad that they don't want to try and make the effort to be there to support you. I was so grateful to find all the ladies on here, who are supportive and we have all gone through similiar situations. As for the weather in October: we have been there once mid October and once end of October. (not at EDR specifically, but along the Mayan coast) Both times there was always the threat of hurrincanes and we even watched one pass by on the horizen. For the most part it's warm and breezy, comfortable in the evenings (you might want a light shawl for your shoulders). There are frequent rain showers, but usually they don't last long (15 minutes). I think if I remember correctly we likely had 3 quick showers in the daytime, and 2 nights that rain fell (over the week). You'll have a great time!

Indoor reception options: 1) Spoon- they section off an area within the restaurant with curtains. (maximum I think was about 60 people) 2) There are 2 ballrooms located in the main lobby building. Both are very plain hotel ballrooms. The one towards the front does have a lovely balcony where your guests can step out for fresh air (or a smoke) (both would handle up to a 100 guests or more) 3) Zoloco Terrace is a covered area- it is not actually indoors. It faces the ocean and they have very large blinds(?) which get lowered when it's super windy to help block the wind. Maximum is about 35-40 people. 4) the Italian restaurant has a small private function room. But I think the maximum is 12 people. That's all the spots I am aware of. Hope that helps.

Indoor reception options: 1) Spoon- they section off an area within the restaurant with curtains. (maximum I think was about 60 people) 2) There are 2 ballrooms located in the main lobby building. Both are very plain hotel ballrooms. The one towards the front does have a lovely balcony where your guests can step out for fresh air (or a smoke) (both would handle up to a 100 guests or more) 3) Zoloco Terrace is a covered area- it is not actually indoors. It faces the ocean and they have very large blinds(?) which get lowered when it's super windy to help block the wind. Maximum is about 35-40 people. 4) the Italian restaurant has a small private function room. But I think the maximum is 12 people. That's all the spots I am aware of. Hope that helps.

How many guests are you expecting? The Terrace is beautiful (and would have been my #1 choice-but we had too many guests). If I remember correctly the maximum was 35-40 people.

For anyone looking for Starfish sandals, Avon has some in their new catalogue as well. I think they were about $30.

Cute video Melissa! I think it's always windy there LOL Love the purple color.

All the drinks at the bars were served in plastic cups, or glass in the restaurants. There are beer cans in your room. Didn't see any bottles anywhere. Congratulations on your wedding! It looks like you had a beautiful day

Hangover kit/OOT bag stuff that we had: Advil, Immodium, Emergen-C, bandaids, alcohol wipes, hair elastics for the women, nail file, safety pins, chapstick. We also made custom pens with our wedding logo on them! People loved these and they were super simple and cheap! Here's the link: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/64001/my-diy-personalized-pens At first I didn't have conditioner in the room, just called the conceige and it was there shortly after.

Sorry to hear about your room booking issues! I know- we had the same problems...sigh. Anyway, a few thoughts about the OOT bag items. I would not bother with the aloe, sunscreen or conditioner (we were there in January and there was conditioner in the room-and if I needed more I just called the concierge). I think the personal cards are cute, but it might be really expensive. I would spend the money on the hangover kit and a nice bag (one that people might use again) and go from there. Only other thing I would add, is a welcome letter/ booklet with info about your wedding, etc.

You should be fine for your ceremony. There always seems to be a breeze, and I would guess your guests are planning on a hot Mexican day, so they likely will not be in full length gowns or suits. As for the reception site issue, I am sorry they are giving you such a hard time. I agree with you that the Chapel Terrace area, although it is nice, you would have a lot of noise from the entertainment. Here are the two photos I took of around the Ballroom area. Not sure how they would set up a dinner area there??? Maybe she is not describing the locations correctly? (I have posted other photos on my profile as well, not sure if you might find another spot to use...) http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/gallery/album/view/id/104294#page=0&sort=display_order This is a view of the ballroom. The gazebo is located towards the right side.