AnnCam2011

We left music up to our friends. It was a nice way for them to be involved with the wedding plans and gave us one less thing to think/ worry about. My sister in law mixed the cocktail hour/dinner music and a friend mixed dance music. Everything was on iPod and back up with a burned CD copy. The only thing I wish I would have mentioned to my friend about dance music, to mix in a few slow songs in the middle of all the fast paced high energy music. We needed to take a break! If she also would have mixed in more classic songs for the parents, that also would have been nice. Things to consider!

MMack - Our wedding was wonderful - you won't have any regrets booking with the Ren. We ventured up by the highrise area a few nights and walked around that area during the day and were so glad we didnt book up there. Also walked by/saw a few other hotels I had looked into and was SO GLAD we chose the Renaissance. The Ren is more laid back/ private - the highrise area seemed like obnoxious-spring-break - nice place to check out but wouldnt want to spend any more time up there than we needed to. Ren is so private and you can't beat that island. GREAT PLACE. We can't wait to go back. Service for the wedding was fantastic - Juney was outstanding and available when I called with questions/changes/etc. and waitstaff was constantly asking what else they could do for us during the reception. Food was yummy and didnt have anything to worry about. It really was a special day and wouldnt have changed a thing (well, maybe a few small things!). I really feel lucky that I did have a perfect wedding - how many people can say that nothing went wrong on their wedding day? I can! Right down to the good luck 2 minute sprinkle in the AM and an absolutely perfect sunset post-wedding. I booked my initial hair appt at Maggy's which is in the marketplace mall (2 min walk from the Ocean Suites). They had my appt down wrong so I ended up booking 2 days before the wedding with Gladys at the hotel spa. She did a great job and my up do was able to withstand the Aruba breeze and crawling thru/around/on all sorts of crazy stuff our photographer made us do (PS cant wait for the prof pictures!). Go to her for your hair - you won't be disappointed. We got married last Monday which as it turns out was Aruba's "Carnival Monday" meaning everything was closed. That is their National day of rest since Sunday was Carnival (another whole experience there!). The hotel spa was able to accommodate me no problems and I expressed my gratitude to them for being open! We booked our room at the Marina hotel (5 min walk from the Ocean suite just across the road) and were kindly upgraded to an ocean front room at the Ocean Suites upon check in. I say "ocean front" since our room faced the ocean - I could have thrown something into the water, we were that close. A lot of the suites are "ocean view" and that is a little convoluted, more like "pool view" or "ocean and parking lot view". We spent 9 nights in an awesome room and were feeling really lucky they upgraded us as well as they did. Made our vacation more special. And you can't beat that island - did I say that already? I have recommendations for you on places to eat as well. Food everywhere we went was awesome. No rehearsal dinner - my hubby's (heehee) parent's hosted cocktail hour by the pool on Sunday. Happy hour 4:30 - 6pm (2 for 1's!). They brought some little snacks and ordered apps from the bar. It was low key but perfect for us. Good way for all our friends to meet each other and meet our families as well. No welcome bags, rather we are going to do "thank you" gifts here soon. Our dear friend and photographer tooks picts of each couple on the beach at sunset post-wedding and we are going to order copies to send out with a nice frame. Thought that would have more meaning for them than some bag of candy and a water bottle. Our friends will have a nice memory from their vacation they can enjoy for a lot longer than candy or a bag. Oh my gosh, what else? Everything was just fantastic and seems like a dream it is already over. We have been together for 12 years and for so long this seemed like it was out of reach. Now it is over and done and couldnt be happier we waited. Had we gotten engaged 7-8 years ago, this would have never taken place as it has. LOVED IT. Can we do it again??

Great ideas, everyone! I did finally call her back and just said that I think it would be best if she found something else. Told her since I've been waiting for 12 years to marry her son, I should be the only one who gets to wear white that day. Surprisingly, she took it rather well and agreed with me. She knew the answer before she asked, but asked anyway so if I had said it was fine, she could tell people "the bride said it was OK" if anyone had questioned her choice. Put the faux pas back on me

So I get a phone call last night from my soon to be mother in law. She wanted to know if I was OK if she wears a white linen dress to our wedding in 2 weeks. ACK *sputter* what?! A white dress, really? First of all, why would you even ask when you know my answer will probably be no? Secondly, if I tell her no, she will be completely put off and I will be the b!tch. Thirdly, how do I tell her no when she gets put off by something so easily? She wants me to be up front with her, but whenever she asks for an "opinion" (from anyone at all), & she already knows what the answer will be, and doesn't like it and doesn't want to hear it. Anyone else run into this? Have times changed and is it OK for a guest (particularly, the Mother of the Groom, for Heaven's sake) to wear white to a destination wedding? I don't want her to wear white - it's my day (sorry, but it is) to wear white. I want her to come up with the right choice on her own, but if I tell her no, I am the bad guy. Help!

I think the solid color is key. Might need to suggest he choose something without a loud print

Having a hard time with this as well. My mom bought my dad a tropical print shirt which I am horrified to see. My fiance is wearing a tan suit, no tie. My dad thinks if he wears the shirt my mom got him, he will "look like a dork". Should I have him wear tan pants and white shirt? Does he need a jacket?

I was in contact with a salon but havent set up my appt yet. Still need to figure out the timing of the day yet. I am going to get a manicure here at home before I head down. Decided to go with the new "shellac" nail color which is supposed to last 14 days and will skip a pedi and just do my own toes. Trying not to get too stressed out - it's only one day, some things will go wrong, and it's only 30 people (all of whom love us, so they will be supportive, no matter what!).

Getting down to the wire and I havent really done anything (other than get my dress/veil) to prepare for the wedding. I am working on some stuff this weekend - making some votive candle holders, finding vases for centerpieces and might buy some chair sashes. Other than that, I am sort of putting all my faith into the coordinator at the hotel! Getting rings this weekend, my fiance needs to pick up his suit. MIL working on welcome bags. What else needs to be done? Hmm...

I am getting married at the Renaissance in 7 WEEKS from today *giddy* I contacted a stylist who was recommended to me from the Ren wedding coordinator, but still need to book the appt. We are bringing our own photographer and are skipping the videographer. We have a group of 30 coming along and am pretty excited to get out of the miserable COLD and SNOW!

Oooh I loved Costa Verde - and wouldn't hesitate going back there either! The resort was lovely, service outstanding, pools were nice and quiet, condos were perfect. We drove ourselves from San Jose to Quepos area and it took a while. The roads arent that great (not that bad) but there was one part of our journey that took us across a small 1 lane bridge that was basically 2x4's. A little freaky. It was worth the adventure, and perhaps the bridge is fixed now! The beach was a little ways down the road from the hotel, so if you want a "beach day" I would recommend driving down and paying the few bucks to park. We walked it one day, while the walk there wasn't that bad, the walk back UP hill was tiring and HOT - plus we didnt pack any water like fools and were so tired when we got back. The Manuel Antonio nature preserve was a great place to explore one day and we had fun hiking around and checking out the beaches there. We did a canopy tour one afternoon that the resort helped set us up on. Some tours only had 5 platforms and the one we went on had maybe 20? I'll look to see if I can find the name of the tour company. Hmm, what else? Went deep sea fishing one day - didnt catch any fish but came across a huge pod of dolphins which was amazing. We found some awesome restaurants when we were there as well. The restaurant that they used part of an old plane was good (think it's on the Costa Verde website). The whole inside of the plane was a bar/dancefloor. Very cool. Also ate at a great place called Chelsea's (?) We were there in March and had great weather. Not sure how it is in July but March it was plenty hot and sticky. Not sure if that will change your mind on location at all but something to consider. You may also want to see when the rainy season begins since, afterall, most of Costa Rica is in a rainforest It is a perfect chill spot though. We drank a lot of beers, played a lot of cards and had a great time!

What part of Costa Rica is it? We were in Manuel Antonio/Quepos about 8 years ago - WONDERFUL vacation! Stayed at the Costa Verde hotel and had an amazing time. We looked into CR for the wedding but decided it would be a little too much of an "adventure" vacation for some (considering what we went thru to get to our hotel from the airport in San Juan). I am a little jealous you are headed there for your wedding We choose Aruba this upcoming March, and have about 25 people booked so far!

30 more minutes : home with my fiance!

Hi Marisa - I am getting married on March 7 at the Renaissance Resort. Can't wait! Now that the snow in flying in MN I am even more excited about the trip than a few months ago. You are correct, this thread has been REALLY quiet lately, which I think is strange. Are people not going to Aruba?! Happy planning! Ann

Location found! Date set! Renaissance Aruba Resort - March 7 - yippee!!

Mmack - Yes! We will have some children at the wedding, ages 6 and 2 for sure, could be more kids but I am not sure yet. Can't wait to spend the week with my soon-to-be niece and nephew! I have been with my fiance for 11 years, so a DW was the way to go. Got the 2nd batch of invites in the mail today - who would have guesses it is Veteran's Day (thus, no mail!). We have 60 invites out to 120+ people and are hoping for a max of 40. It could get out of hand, but so far the important ones are booked (us, siblings, parents, closest friends). I am finally sleeping at night! Hopefully we are able to get some comp nights for the number of rooms we will have! We haven't done anything about photographer - is it strange not to have one? My brother in law has a great digital camera and it pretty talented taking candids of his kids. Maybe will just get some good ones of us and the reception after. I am about as easy going as they come with this wedding stuff. I see some things and think "really? people do this?" HA! How are your plans going???

The Renaissance has an all inclusive option as well as the "European plan" (not all inclusive). This is one reason we chose this spot. My finace didn't want all inclusive, but I thought it would be nice to have if guests would be more comfortable with having it. It's nice that each guest can choose what they want to do and isn't forcing something on those who may not prefer it. We just got our confirmation of our date from the Renaissance, and invites go out on Monday!

Renaissance wedding = BOOKED!

I sent in my deposit last week for the Renaissance for a March 2011 wedding - still waiting to get confirmation before we go ahead and book our flights and send invites. I would like to connect with other Ren brides, however it seems the Aruba Chat Thread is SUPER quiet these days! If you're out there, let me know!! Best, Ann

I just saw on Oriental Trading Company online they carry star fish in a variety of sizes for pretty cheap. Might be purchasing some as table decorations!

Did you pick your location? We are planning on the Renaissance for our wedding - just need to get the deposit sent in but are waiting to hear back from the WC on one more number. Eee!

Sam2011 - how did your visit go? We are super-close to booking the Renaissance for next March. Just need one more number then we can send in our deposit.

A great time: dinner out with the girls

Hi Jenn! I did hear back from the Ren. I was caught in a communication-love-triangle with the Ren and my TA which was not making anything any easier. I ended up calling there 3 weeks ago to be sure the date we wanted was still open, then emailed my info. Didnt hear back for 2 weeks, then I called this Monday. I talked to Juney the WC directly and resent the email. He said they had been having IT issues, but he was able to provide me with an estimate about a half hour later. I realize now I need to buy a calling card the next time I call down there, since on TMobile it was about $10 for 5 min call! We just have to figure out a few more details and I am hoping to send in our deposit no later than next Monday. I am so anxious/excited/nervous to be taking this step. It's been kind of like an out-of-body experience for me since I have been waiting for this for so long. My fiance and I have been together for 11 years and just got engaged at the end of May. Crazy that in about 5 months we will (finally!) be married! Whew. My friend is a wedding photographer and has traveled all over the world - Germany, Peru, Italy, all over the US. He did a wedding at the Ren in '05 and said it is absolutely the best place for a DW. After hearing this from a very dear friend who has all this experience, we made our decision to go with the Ren. Good luck with planning. Stay in touch - it would be nice to have another Ren bride to talk to - bounce ideas off of and compare notes! I try to check in here at least once a day, so I should be around. :-) Best, AC

I believe it is by PL. I tried on a few other dresses that were pretty, but didnt really feel like a wedding dress. Even though we are getting married on a beach, I still wanted something that felt like a true wedding dress.

My dress: (ps I love how flighty the model looks!) My dress is ivory. I really liked the top with just a little beading, and that it laces up the back. It has a small train, which I am going to have (and wear) bustled. I want to find a simple veil - I assume ivory would be best??