acw271011

Hi! Congrats and welcome! I will have to say that yours is the first request I've seen for a "waterfall wedding" - what is it exactly? I realize you're in Ireland, but have you reached out to a travel agent yet? They would be the best ones to help with locations because they'll look at your budget, the budget for your guests and your must haves and don't wants. The owners of this site are destination wedding specialists and even though you aren't in the US they may be able to help with ideas or suggestions and still might be able to help with bookings since your pricing will likely be in US funds. You could also look through the resort reviews here on the site - just key in Hawaii in the search bar up top and see what you get. There are tons of threads here and there may be something that will help you out. Good luck!

Thank you ladies. You're all so sweet! @@Meandhim we fly next Sunday the 18th! 11 days to go!! Woohoo! I can't wait now. I haven't seen my son in a year so I'm going to be scouring the airport for him since his flight from Vancouver lands right after ours. Hopefully we'll get to talk in customs line or something lol He's next door at one of the Iberostar resorts, not right with us which I'm really upset about but they waited too long and our resort is now sold out. Doug says he's really not in for paying for passes back and forth for the whole week and I agree but still.... We're off to Vancouver next month for 5 days so we'll get another visit with him then but on vacation, it would have been really nice to have all of us together in the same spot.

We fly in on the 18th, do our anniversary on the 20th then fly home on the 25th. You're still coming in on the 24th, right? I really hope we can put something together! We also don't fly until 5 on the 25th so not sure what time they haul us out of there to head for the airport but I would thing there would be a bit of time on Sunday before we have to leave. Well you wanted pics, I managed to get 2. But they are so god awful..... I definitely should NOT have had that last glass of wine on Friday night with the GTA ladies. I actually got on the bus to go home (no trains at that time of night) and called Doug and asked him to meet me since I was in absolutely no shape to drive. And saturday morning was..... ugh. Trying to get out of bed to go for my dress fitting was painful. I think I've had 2 hangovers in my life and I'm pretty sure that's what this was so that makes 3. Not fun. I just wanted to do my dress fitting and get back home and go back to bed for a nap! The dress is almost a perfect fit. It gaps too much in the front so it's being taken in by about half an inch to close it up and then about 8 inches off the bottom as it's really long, and this was wearing my shoes! They are also going to add lace all around the bottom of the dress and down the back seam right below where the corset ties end so it will give it a bit of sparkle. Plus they're making small straps for the top that are narrow at the bottom, widen, then go down the back in a "V" and get narrow again. I really would like something over my shoulders. I also found out I don't need a bra with the dress as it already has cups sewn into it. Mind you.... you wouldn't know it in one of the pics. It's actually just the way the light caught the sparkle across the top. The veil matches closely enough and is the right length and with the little sparkle on it sets things off quite nicely. I'm pretty happy with it all. Except for the hangover....... Sorry this will be short. I've had 2 job interviews already this week and now one has already asked me back for a second one Thursday or Friday so it would be nice to have something new locked down before we leave for Mexico and being able to walk away from the idiot I work for now. But I'm trying to make up time I've lost so gotta get on the go tomorrow.

@ I agree totally. Tonight was so much fun! I really enjoyed seeing everyone again and definitely looking forward to meeting up again! Fingers crossed the date works out!!

@@calgarybride2015 Wow - wouldn't that be cool to open a wedding card in 5 years!! @ - how on earth do people justify what they do sometimes? I know that there are people that get married only for gifts. I've heard about it. But to go back the day after and hint directly like that? Yowsers. Talk about bad manners.... The friends that are going with us to Mexico - their daughter got married last August. i know i mentioned the wedding here. Anyway, she actually made a comment about her bridesmaids not giving enough money. And this is about the girls who had laid out for their dresses, shoes, etc and still gave a gift. But according to the bride it wasn't enough "to cover the cost of their plate". We were supposed to go, and i know I upset my friend by not going, but we bowed out for several reasons. We did RSVP that we were going but let them know more than 2 weeks in advance that we had to change plans. Because of that we actually upped the amount that we gave them in their wedding card. This girl is high maintenance let me tell you. She got most of her wedding for free. Her mom is a hairdresser and has been my friend since this girl was 13 (now 29) so a ton of people offered to do things for her for her wedding - the cake, the flowers, her aunt is a photographer so her photos were free, her other aunt paid for her dress. She didn't allow singles to bring a date so my sister backed out too because she didn't want to be alone for the night. With everything they were given, and not having much to pay for, they made out like bandits from their wedding but even a year later it still sounds like none of it was good enough for this girl. Sad that some people view a wedding as a fundraiser instead of a wedding!

I'm actually a Jamaica bride but we are renewing our vows at a private beach club and styaing at the Valentin Imperial, which is an adults only 5* resort, so that may not fit your bill. There are so many beautiful places in Mexico - the Riviera Maya and the west coast as well in the Cabo san Lucas area. This is why a travel agent will be very important to you and as @@calgarybride2015 said, will help you wade through all of the information and work with what you want and what's important to you.

Oh no!! That totally sucks! Really hope you feel better soon and that you have an awesome trip to Mexico!! You will be missed tonight! Take care! Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

Yay! I'll scoot over then if someone else is going to be there. How long can you stay? What time is Mark picking you up? Hopefully for a little while! Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

Yay Mrs! You're back!!! Can't wait to hear all about it tonight! Hope you have a couple of pictures!! Looking forward to tonight! i work right across the street from the restaurant so I will likely be over there between 5 and 5:30. If anyone gets there first, the room is on the right hand side as soon as you walk in from the inside of the building. It's got glass around it. I think it's in my name - Ann - so they should be able to set you up. See everyone tonight!!

Actually the jeweller said last night that it's because we picked a cathedral setting and it's higher than usual. But i wanted it to sit above my wedding band. We looked at a couple and they were so low that when I tried them they completely covered up my wedding band. i told him I wanted something high enough to complement my band since that's what my e-ring was. In all honesty I think they just put it too high. It has beautiful scroll work underneath the halo and I did say that if there was a way to see it, it would be nice and I think they were so fixated on that they didn't look at the whole thing together. We had to explain 3 times what I wanted and I really didn't think it was that complicated. But it's done now. I think it's just a matter of getting used to it. I'm sort of anxious to see if I can tolerate wearing all of the rings together all the time lol. What I would like to be able to do is, if I'm doing something and don't want to risk banging the new ring with my band, is take it off and just wear the thin band from Mexico by itself. I couldn't do that with my wedding band originally because it's an embraceable. It needed something dropped down into the middle to make the whole thing together.

Actually we've upgraded to the 6 hour. We'll have him up to 8pm doing pictures but he's staying for dinner with us as well so that's why the end time is a but ambiguous. We'll get done when we're done then we'll sit down and eat, plus he also has to travel to the off site from the resort which is close to 30 minutes so that has to be included too. And that gives us a TTD which I'm not even sure Doug will go for!! Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

@@Kaitlyncrossley Congrats on choosing your resort! That's half the battle I think, and something all of the brides here struggle with. There are just so many to choose from. NOW Sapphire is definitely a beautiful resort and one that seems to quite popular with the brides. Having said that, there are several threads on everything to do with the resort and a resort review that are absolutely worth reading. And that's something you'll find you do a lot of here - ready, but it will help you tremendously! I can almost guarantee that any questions you have, have been asked by several other brides and answered so spend some time reading through the site. I've added a couple of threads below for you to take a look at but just type into the search bar at the top for other things and odds are something will pop up. Good luck! http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/62152-now-sapphire-weddings-formerly-paradisus-riviera/ http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/reviews/r/4898-now-sapphire-riviera-cancun/ http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/reviews/r/4965-now-sapphire-riviera-cancun/

Thanks ladies. I love the ring truthfully. It was such a surprise that Doug did it! We definitely had to get my e-ring fixed one way or another and I had mentioned wanting to get it reset but I really didn't believe he would go for a whole new setting. if you look at my wedding band with the new ring I was hoping that the sides would sit together better. If you look, the new ring is hanging over the side, and I'm afraid it's going to irritate my fingers. It does feel a bit odd but I haven't had my wedding band on for 3 weeks so it might just be that. I'll see how it goes. @@Wafflesmom yeah the schedule was a struggle simply because we're off site from the resort. Initially Valentin wanted $435 to have Samuel onsite then $105 for each of the Styling Trio people. It's for a grand total of 2 hours!! That's what I couldn't get my head around. If we were onsite at the resort, that's totally different. I would pay whatever fees were needed since we would be using all of the resorts resources. But we're not. So we were looking at a half hour each way into PDC and that would be times 3 - in for hair/makeup and back to get dressed, then back in again to Grand Coral. Grand Coral doesn't have a dressing place which would have been perfect! Thankfully Joyce talked to the resort and they're allowing us to have them in for day passes instead of the outside vendor fee, which saves both time and money. Big relief! @cagarybride2015 I know! Thanks. I wish there was a way we could get you in on the night out too!! @perianjay Looking forward to tonight too!! It will be nice to see everyone again! Ooops @@Wafflesmom Sorry I forgot to add our schedule. Just ignore the references to "bride" and "groom". I tried using our first names and everyone got all confused. In Mexico a renewal is just as if it's a wedding so I've given up trying to separate it out. Go with the flow!!! 10:45 Styling Trio arrives at Valentin Imperial 11:00 to 12:00 Guest hair and makeup with Styling Trio 12:00 to 1:00 Guest hair and makeup with Styling Trio 1:00 to 2:30 Bride hair and makeup 2:15 Samuel and assistant arrive at Valentin to start getting ready photos with last few minutes of bride hair & makeup 2:15 to 3:15 Getting ready photos 3:15 to 3:45 First look 4:00 Doug and guests depart Valentin to Grand Coral 4:30 Depart Valentin Imperial with Son to Grand Coral 5:00 to 5:15 Renewal Ceremony 5:30 to 6:00 Photos with friends and family 6:00 Guests depart to Casa del Agua 6:00 to 7:00 Bride & Groom photos and travel to Casa del Agua 7:00 -> Final photos - cake cutting Drinks and Dinner

I can't believe they actually had the nerve to send it! I mean really? "How to lose friends in 5 seconds" It happens. People don't show. We had it at our AHR. Restaurants always build in for no shows and I really don't think 2 plates would have affected their pricing. To me that's someone worried only about the money they're spending and not about what the wedding means. And absolutely very, very tacky!

@@lululuvs2travel Congrats and welcome! This is a great place for tips and ideas on planning your DW! The ladies are great for passing on their experiences. You have quite a list of resorts, and all are popular with the brides here. You'll definitely get different opinions on them. However the decision will be based on a few factors, namely what your budget is, what your price point is for your guests, how many guests you think might attend, family oriented or adults, your must haves and don't wants. Do you have a travel agent yet? A travel agent will help you with your resort decision and will deal with your guests arrangements and inquiries that will leave you free to deal with your wedding plans. I see you're in Toronto. I know there are a couple of agents that the ladies here recommend for Canadian packages. If you just ask I know they'll pass along names. Good luck and happy planning!

Well Michael Hill finally came through and I picked my ring up tonight. At last!! I'm not totally 100% happy with it but at this point it is what it is. With the money that was spent it should have been handled better and I'm disappointed after them being recommended so highly. I love the ring though. I had hoped it would fit better with my wedding ring but the end result is still really pretty, and when I add the two small rings I think the overall effect is nice. Sorry for the lousy pictures. This is the new ring with my wedding ring. And here it is with the two small rings that will be taken to Mexico. I also had the menus, door hangers and oh sh!t kit toppers printed today and they turned out really great! Another thing off the list. Ladies night tomorrow night and dress fitting on Saturday!! Finally nailed down our photo schedule too! Thank goodness! Struggling with that but we upgraded the photo package which gives us an extra hour and a TTD, and upgraded the video package too which also gives us a bit of extra time. I don't want any stress with this. I want the day to be easy, relaxed and fun. I came too close to not being here to be able to do this so the fun part is important.

good lord no. that will be done this weekend! lol Seriously though it would have been great. I'm going to lose so many of my brides by February Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

I work at university and Richmond! and we don't fly until the 18th...... Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

@LyndseyRose Congrats and welcome to the site. This place will definitely help you out with tips and suggestions and the ladies here are totally awesome for helping out! Having said that, you'll get all kinds of suggestions on resorts but it depends completely on what you want - what country you want to go to, your budget, your price point for your guests, adults only or family oriented. There are a myriad of things that will affect your choice. You don't say if you're in the US or Canada - we have loads of brides here from both - but it will determine how your package is structured. Here in Canada, our airfare, hotel and transfers are one package. In the US most times it's the hotel package and travelers find their own airfare. Having said that a travel agent is my biggest recommendation. They will become your new best friend and will free up your time and deal with all of your guests arrangements and inquiries so that you can concentrate on your wedding planning! If you're in the US, the owners of this site - Wright Travel - are destination wedding specialists and can be contacted through this site. If you're in Canada, there are a couple of agents that the ladies have dealt with that seem to be very well liked and they would be happy to recommend if you ask. Good luck and happy planning!

I used Deal Rack but it's US. You're in Toronto - you know it's super easy to get a US shipping address so it saves a lot. I got mine for $3.60 each and they're a pretty good size. I'll post a link later tonight. I found a place right in Lewiston NY so just over the Queenston Bridge that you can use as a US address. With the issues with my daughter in law now being a royal little (insert nasty word) and asking us to not send things there anymore, I had to find a way to send things to the US but be easy to pick them up. I know the exchange rate totally sucks, but sometimes when you look at the cost of things here and how much shipping is, you're still ahead of the game by buying in the US. It just depends what it is.

@vancouverpetunia OMG - really????? So why can't we do something with whoever can get there??? What dates? Oh shoot..... please don't say it's when I'm in Mexico.....

if you look beside your post button there should be something that says additional options. of you click there a larger screen will open up. you should see something that will allow you to upload photos. once you upload click add to post.nir will give you a photo address. if you want to see how it looks click preview post. once you're happy with how the message looks hut your reply or post message button (whichever it is) and your post should dhow with the dress photos. good luck Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

@lululuvs2travel Congrats and welcome to BDW! Grand Sunset Princess / Grand Sunset Riviera are popular locations with brides to be here. I would highly recommend that you take some time to read through the thread here to see what past brides have said about their experience. I'm sure some of the ladies will jump in with tips and suggestions. Have you contacted a travel agent yet? Definitely strongly recommended. They will help out wit guest inquiries while you deal with your wedding plans and will assist with what you want and what you don't want as well as help with a price point for you guests. Good luck and happy planning!

@RivieraBride15 We're renewing our vows in Mexico on October 20th. We will be at the Valentin Imperial Maya for the week, renewing our vows at the Grand Coral Beach Club, then having dinner at a restaurant in Playa del Carmen. We've been through a lot since we got married 4 years ago and have had 2 wedding anniversaries in the hospital - last year and our first in 2012 - so this year is very special.

@! Woohoo!! I can't wait to see them!!!!!!