clgriffi7

Congrats on being a wife! I can't wait to hear more details on that tropical storm you mentioned in the starfish thread. I hope you still had a wonderful wedding in spite of the weather.

Since you are a Dreams Cancun bride - I can only imagine how bad tropical storm force winds could be out there on the point! I am so glad your husband was able to find the little guy, but I am even happier that he was able to bring you two closer together after all of the planning stress. I hope you have some great pictures of your starfish, because he will be a part of your wedding memories even when you two are old and gray.

Can any of the past brides tell me about signing the paperwork for the ceremony? My wedding will be symbolic only, but I think we still have to sign a certificate of some sort. When does this happen? Thanks - Courtney

That seems ridiculous! I can see the same departure city restriction (though that should have been made clear up front), but it shouldn't matter what room category you booked. As long as the "free" is for the lowest category, then that category and higher should all count. Are any of these restrictions spelled out in the contract you signed with the travel agent?

Hopefully a past bride can let you know exactly how many songs you need for the ceremony, but here are my thoughts based on what all brides are posting in different music threads (so not resort specific): have ~5 songs played while guests are being seated (so that will cover ~15 minutes before the ceremony gets started) have 1 song for the entrance of mothers, bridemaids, flower girl (etc.) - I only have 1 bridemaid so 1 song will be enough for me have 1 song for the bride's entrance (this song will likely not play through entirely) have 1 song for the recessional Past brides: does that sound about right? ammorris17 - There are a few different threads on what brides have selected for their songs. Quote: Originally Posted by ammorris17 Hi girls! I'm getting so anxious. My wedding is in 2 weeks and Claudia won't respond to my emails! Basically I need help with ceremony music. I am totally clueless and would love any input from past brides. Thank you!

Thanks for your comments on my engagement pictures. My fiance and I are not photogenic people, so when we saw our engagement pictures we knew we wanted to bring this guy with us to Cancun. I feel like photography is the single most important aspect of a wedding, because 20 years down the road that is what you are going to have to remember the day by. I have gotten so much out of the planning threads and wedding reviews from this thread, that you can be sure I will be putting up very detailed ones when it is my turn. In fact, I have been composing my planning thread in Word as I go along so it isn't as much effort right before the wedding. The main thing about planning your wedding at most any of the resorts, and it is true for Dreams, is that the coordinators have a lot of brides to work with. So don't expect a quick response from them until your wedding is just a few months out. The frustration you feel now will turn to appreciation when they focus on you and your wedding when it is your turn. Also, I know that Dreams recently changed their photographer, but most (if not all) of the brides on this forum reserved their wedding long enough ago that they are still contracted to get the old photographer (Juan Navarro). So you might want to check out the work of the new photographer and see if the quality and style are what you want for your wedding.

Welcome mishelae - First of all I want to direct you to the Dreams Cancun thread where we discuss all things related to the resort: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/2782/dreams-cancun-questions-for-those-married-here For DIY projects, as that is not resort specific, there will be individual threads on all of the different projects you can do. If you know what you want to do, then you can search for that topic. However, if you need ideas of what is possible, then you will want to check out past brides' planning threads. To find them, go under the FORUMS tab at the top of the page and follow the path below. In these threads brides show everything they bought/made/planned to make their trip/wedding day special. BDW General › Share your Wedding & Engagement Stories! › Wedding Planning Journal Best of luck and I hope to see you on the Dreams Cancun thread (I will be getting married there on November 5, 2011 and I have selected the Dreams Ultimate package). Courtney

Thanks for the support. My FMIL is really a nice lady and I think she was quite surprised when my fiance told her I was upset about this. I have ordered a traditional Chinese wedding dress to wear for our legal wedding and our At Home Party (which will be too casual to wear my big white dress). My FMIL knows I have this dress and if she asks to see it I am going to have to tell her that I would rather not show it to her because I am worried she will crticize the dress and I am unwilling to change it at this point. I really don't want to be mean or rude to her because she is such a nice person, but I want to make sure she understands that I am a strong woman whose opinions are just a strong and, in this instance, actually more important as hers. I guess I see this as an opportunity to set some boundaries and expectations for our future relationship.

My fiance and I have the same deal - pay for 5 double-occupancy room and get the 6th free. We are using the first free room for our photographer that we are flying in the from the US. If we get a second room free (it looks iffy at this point), we will likely keep the money to help us pay for the extra per person costs above our package (20 ppl). I don't think it is wrong to keep the money for yourself if it helps you provide a better wedding for those same guests!

Okay - so I need to vent. My fiance (who was born in the US but his parents were born in Taiwan) and I ordered 200 koozies for the OOT bags and AHR favors with our names and wedding date on one side and then the other side has the Chinese character for "double happiness" which is the traditional symbol for wedding celebrations. We got the koozies in our wedding color, navy blue koozie with white imprint. My fiance and I think they look great and are very happy with them. When my FMIL saw them she had a fit. Apparently in the Chinese culture when the character is light on a dark background it is bad luck. How was I supposed to know that?! She wants us to throw away the koozies and buy new ones in the traditional Chinese wedding colors of red and gold - none of which are our wedding colors. In order to keep the peace, my fiance is thinking of trashing the old koozies and buying new ones in which we replace the Chinese character with "to have and to hold and to keep your drink cold". I am now pissed off as I don't think a superstition should cause us to waste money and order something that we don't like as much. However, I will let my fiance decide as it is his mother. BUT I told him that we are not showing his mother anything else prior to the wedding. Not my dress, not the programs, not anything....as I don't want to giver her the chance to complain about anything and try to get us to change things. I had planned a few surprises for my fiance that would further incorporate his culture, but now I don't think I want to bother. There seem to be a lot of rules (like lucky and unlucky numbers, colors, symbols, etc.) which no one will share so I just don't feel like it is worth the criticism to even try. Thanks for reading - I needed to share. Courtney

I haven't started buying too much for OOT bags, but I have been trying to scope out what I want and where I can get the items. So when I have that final head count I just have to order online or stop by a store - no stress because you already have a plan. Not quite the same shopping "fix" but at least I feel like I am being productive.

You look great in that dress - I definitely think you should keep it over getting an A-line. Even from the distance/angle in this picture, you can tell that this dress flatters your figure by showing off your curves - and you would lose a lot of that in an A-line dress. Just my opinion, but I think you should keep this style of dress!!!

I sent my invitations out at the start of May, so 6 months in advance but it hasn't helped. The few guests that we are expecting are still taking their sweet time booking. However, I am not too worried....as long as our families get their acts together then we will have the most important people there. At this point it looks like we will have 20-25 guests. We were initially expecting more (especially with the size of his extended family), but we have come to realize that fewer people means we can spend more on the ones that do come and make it a better experience for them. I have been in contact with an excursion company (based out of Tulum, Mexico) to do a tour from our hotel in Cancun to the ruins in Tulum, snorkeling in a lagoon, and then snorkeling in a cenote. The price is $85 plus the cost of lunch at a beach restaurant - so ~$100/pp. There is no way we could have considered paying for an excursion like that for everyone if we were having a bigger turnout. In case anyone is interested, here is the link for the excursion company (they have gotten fantastic reviews on trip advisor): http://www.edventuretours.com.mx/

Thanks! I am having to force myself to keep it a surprise for my fiance. Whenver I get something cool for the wedding I end up showing him because he is my best friend and I share everything with him. I have already ruined 2 surprises that way: a hanger for the dress that says "Mrs Chang" and a garter that has the our rival universities on it. The only thing keeping this one a secret is that it has a replica of my dress and that is one thing he can't see until the wedding.

Sorry kloos5 - I somehow managed to miss your post! 02Nov crystalz Grand Bahia Principe Akumal 04Nov kelnces Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun 05Nov jenniketchup TBD 05Nov clgriffi7 Dreams Cancun 05Nov alysam4785 Beach Palace 05Nov kloos5 Aventura Spa Palace 10Nov carribe258 Dreams Tulum 10Nov jen83rn Now Jade Riviera 10Nov JBean Valentin Imperial Maya 11Nov angi111111 El Dorado Royale 11Nov karielk TBD 11Nov CaitlinBlane2011 IB Tucan 11Nov Vanessa C Gran Caribe 11Nov nadennec Gran Caribe 11Nov Pucca Coral Baja 11Nov AshleyNicole84 Kool Beach Club 11Nov mrsgreene2011 Iberostar Rose Hall Suites 11Nov rpage06 Excellence Riviera Cancun 11Nov danitha Playacar Palace 11Nov Mich1111 Dreams Los Cabos 12Nov jlarruda Majestic Elegance 12Nov hollybee Cabo Surf Hotel 12Nov 82turtles Now Sapphire 17Nov JoanneIreland Barcelo Maya Palace 18Nov Bacchetta2Be Iberostar Grand Rose Hall 18Nov SarahBen2011 Dreams PV 18Nov sxcT Aventura Palace 19Nov dfranklin Gran Bahia Principe Akumal 21Nov future mrs k Grand Sirenis 24Nov JLMS Sandos Playacar 30Nov MJlovesJvN Gran Bahia Principe Akumal

Most of us are now under 5 months until our weddings! Seems like it is finally starting to get close... 02Nov crystalz Grand Bahia Principe Akumal 04Nov kelnces Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun 05Nov jenniketchup TBD 05Nov clgriffi7 Dreams Cancun 05Nov alysam4785 Beach Palace 10Nov carribe258 Dreams Tulum 10Nov jen83rn Now Jade Riviera 10Nov JBean Valentin Imperial Maya 11Nov angi111111 El Dorado Royale 11Nov karielk TBD 11Nov CaitlinBlane2011 IB Tucan 11Nov Vanessa C Gran Caribe 11Nov nadennec Gran Caribe 11Nov Pucca Coral Baja 11Nov AshleyNicole84 Kool Beach Club 11Nov mrsgreene2011 Iberostar Rose Hall Suites 11Nov rpage06 Excellence Riviera Cancun 11Nov danitha Playacar Palace 11Nov Mich1111 Dreams Los Cabos 12Nov jlarruda Majestic Elegance 12Nov hollybee Cabo Surf Hotel 12Nov 82turtles Now Sapphire 17Nov JoanneIreland Barcelo Maya Palace 18Nov Bacchetta2Be Iberostar Grand Rose Hall 18Nov SarahBen2011 Dreams PV 18Nov sxcT Aventura Palace 19Nov dfranklin Gran Bahia Principe Akumal 21Nov future mrs k Grand Sirenis 24Nov JLMS Sandos Playacar 30Nov MJlovesJvN Gran Bahia Principe Akumal

02Nov crystalz Grand Bahia Principe Akumal 04Nov kelnces Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun 05Nov jenniketchup TBD 05Nov clgriffi7 Dreams Cancun 05Nov alysam4785 Beach Palace 10Nov carribe258 Dreams Tulum 10Nov jen83rn Now Jade Riviera 11Nov angi111111 El Dorado Royale 11Nov karielk TBD 11Nov CaitlinBlane2011 IB Tucan 11Nov Vanessa C Gran Caribe 11Nov nadennec Gran Caribe 11Nov Pucca Coral Baja 11Nov AshleyNicole84 Kool Beach Club 11Nov mrsgreene2011 Iberostar Rose Hall Suites 11Nov rpage06 Excellence Riviera Cancun 11Nov danitha Playacar Palace 11Nov Mich1111 Dreams Los Cabos 12Nov jlarruda Majestic Elegance 12Nov hollybee Cabo Surf Hotel 12Nov 82turtles Now Sapphire 17Nov JoanneIreland Barcelo Maya Palace 18Nov Bacchetta2Be Iberostar Grand Rose Hall 18Nov SarahBen2011 Dreams PV 18Nov sxcT Aventura Palace 19Nov dfranklin Gran Bahia Principe Akumal 21Nov future mrs k Grand Sirenis 24Nov JLMS Sandos Playacar 30Nov MJlovesJvN Gran Bahia Principe Akumal

Thanks ladies - that makes me feel better. I understand the petals will likely blow away, but that may make for an even better picture :-) Now I just have to figure out what sort of "basket" I want for the flowers that will survive the flight. What do you think about an aluminum pail (small one since the flower girl will be either 2 or 3 years old) with ribbon bows in our wedding colors where the handle meets the pail? And if possible trying to tie on a couple of small starfish.... Quote: Originally Posted by mich1011 i purchased the bags of petals from the wedding department and the wedding coordinator actually threw them down(pouring water on them too)..so that they would stay better..right before we walked and the guests were helping throw some in too. Because some of them do get blown away by the wind. But nonetheless, it was still very pretty i dont think the resort will have any problem as long as they are real flowers.

Your pictures are wonderful!!!! The ones of just you and your husband on the rocks and by the boat are just perfect. I hope you have plenty of space at home to print them out and display them....

Hi ladies - I just wanted to get Janine's Blue Starfish back on the radar. Right now the little guy is in Cancun at Dreams with Peterpadpixiedust. The rest of the list of ladies is below. I am the last on the list after which time the blue guy will have served his 1-year tour of duty and will be heading back to his owner. Can the rest of the ladies on the list just check in here on the thread to make sure we are all still active and are planning on participating? THANKS! JanineA Nov. 13th 2010 (Nov 10-Nov 15 -Turks&Caicos) MrsJ2011 Jan. 2nd 2011 (Dec 31-Jan 8 - Jamaica) Cookiemunchkin Feb 19th 2011 (Feb 16 - 23 Riviera Maya, Mexico) Katelynn May 3rd 2011 (Apr 30-May 7 - Jamaica) SouthernSweetie June11th 2011 (Moon Palace, Cancun) Peterpanpixiedust June 18th, 2011 (Jun 14-Jun 29 - Cancun) Sorod1 July 30th 2011 (July 28 - Aug 11 - Jamaica) AishaB Aug. 21st 2011 (Aug19 - Aug22 - Cape May) Diamondgirl Oct. 8th 2011 (Oct 4 - Oct 10 Cancun, 10-16 Cabo) Clgriffi7 Nov. 5th 2011 (Nov 2 - Nov 10 - Cancun)

Here is the link for the item on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/personalizd-Custom-wedding-Cake-Topper-figurine-gift-/170489624914?_trksid=p3286.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D3%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D9098263052822027342 Before you will be able to buy the item, you will need to set up an ebay account by going to this link and hitting the register button: https://signin.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SignIn The seller will send you an invoice via Paypal to pay for the item (I think these days you might not even have to sign up for a Paypal account to use that system to pay by credit card). You will be notified of the invoice via email. The steps I took to order: 1. I put together the pictures that I wanted to artist to use to generate the cake topper. It was tough for me because it wasa surprise for my fiance so I had to send a lot of separate pictures. 2. I emailed the artist (using the email address in the ebay listing) to ask if he could make a good figurine using those pictures. I also asked how I would go about paying the extra $10 for the dog via ebay. He wrote back and said the pictures were fine and that once I had bought the item on ebay (but that I should not pay right away) he would send me an invoice for the proper amount. 3. While he was making the figurine he would send me pictures to make sure I liked things: the bodies/clothes, the faces, the faces w/ hair. Hope that helps! If you want to see how closely he matches faces, check out my fiance and I in our engagement pictures (link in the signature of this message).

Question for you ladies: did any of you have flower girls? I think I remember a bride saying that the resort either won't allow or doesn't recommend dropping flower petals because of the wind. What other options are there? My fiance has 2 nieces (that will be ages 2 and 3 when we get married) that we need to incorporate into the wedding. I had planned on having one be the ring bearer (there are no boys in the family) and the other the flower girl. And I had planned on letting the two of them (or their parents) choose who has which job. We have bought a stuffed animal that looks a bit like our dog that we will use for the rings (on a collar around the dog's neck), but if we don't do the traditional basket with flower petals for the flower girl then I am at a loss. Any ideas would be appreciated.

So excited for you! I hope your day is perfect....

Congratulations!!! We would love to see any pictures and hear any detail you are willing to share!

Here is mine (it is a surprise for my fiance because he is bummed the dog can't travel with us to Mexico). I ordered from ebay seller saller_micky2008 and paid a total of $149 (incl. S/H). So it was pricey, but I certainly plan on displaying it after the wedding, maybe next to our sand ceremony frame. I sent the manufacturer pictures of myself, my fiance, the dog, my dress, his outfit, my hair flower, my desired bouquet, and my hair inspiration pic. I hope he loves it....