acw271011

@tygrrlily I agree. It has been one of the worst winters I can remember in a long time! It's strange now to take the train every morning and not see any snow!!! I had pretty much decided on Gran Porto Real in Playa del Carmen. I love The Royal, which is the sister resort, but the price point is higher than where I want to be so GPR seemed a good alternative. But recently I've had a couple of comments about how very "un-private" the beach is at GPR so I started to rethink the decision. I don't mind a couple of people watching but I'm not up for a beach where the photographer is dodging guys in speedos for pics. I still love the look of the resort and the rooms, and their wedding packages just really seem to fit with what I want so I haven't completely taken it off the table. The other one that was suggested that I'm really researching is Grand Sunset Princess and I really like what i"m reading about it and the photos that I've found. The wedding packages aren't quite as versatile as GPR and their a little higher in price, but still seem to include what I want. So now I just have to wait and see. We're going to be a really small group - just 8 or 10 so we'll save money only because most packages include for up to 10 or 20 people. If I confirm Styling Trio I'm definitely going to do the trial. I want to know what I'm getting myself into plus be able to change details when the actual day arrives. I think it will be money well spent. The other place I looked at was MVP - they have a review here but I was told that their makeup style leans more towards what I want to stay away from. Styling Trio was recommended instead. I too like the photos that they have on their site. Very natural looking.

ladies - I promise you will get there! lol just today looking at your totals, a couple of you are already there! A little tip... find the forum for one of the resorts you're looking at and get a conversation going with some of the other brides on the forum. Then posts really start to add up! Good luck to all!!

Welcome to the site and congratulations! If there is anything this site is NOT short of, it's information! I know you will find tons of ideas and tips from past and current brides, and yes a few grooms too! Definitely have some fun with the site. Take some time to read some of the vendor and resort reviews even though you've already decided on the "where". It's nice to see positive reviews, and yes, even some of the negatives. You know then what to look out for. I haven't been there, but from things I've read Beach Palace is beautiful, and I attended the webinar held by Tammy for Moon Palace and Playacar Palace and Palace resorts really have something special! You sound like you're already well organized! Good luck and happy planning!

Styling Trio is who I'm looking at too! Brenda has been super responsive so far with emails, and like you, the fact that they do the airbrush is what sold me. Yes - it is expensive but she says the makeup has a 12 to 14 hour wear time so that's great and I think makes it worth it! And I will probably pick up the cost for my daughter in law too to have hers done. It's one of my boys that is "taking the walk" with me! lol But that was the one thing when we were married in Jamaica, the makeup did last but looking back now it was heavier than what I normally wear. Oh yeah - and I'm in Toronto too! Well, I work in Toronto but live west of the city. Lots of canadian brides on this site!

@@MrandMrsBonitto2016 - aww that's sweet! thank you! at this point I have to stay as confident as the doctor and keep believing that everything will go well! @@kmk2016 - I don't think you need to worry in the least about the "over 40..." lol I'm in the same boat but waaaaaay over 40! I'm in the over 50! lol And it was second time around for us too. I have to say, there is something so much more special this time compared to the first. We're so much older, know what we want and just seem to have different expectations. I have a hard time believing that at my age I have truly found the love of my life! We haven't had an anniversary celebration yet though. Our first anniversary was spent in the hospital and we almost didn't have a second, but our second I was in a new job and couldn't get time off, then this year for our third I'll be coming out of the hospital again. Besides the fact that I'm still here, that's the other reason I want our anniversary to be super special and do the vow renewal. Something to make it really memorable! lol I know your wedding will be absolutely wonderful!! And the "over 40".... don't even think about it!! I keep getting told you're only as old as you feel, and marrying that someone special makes you feel a lot younger! Believe me - I know!! lol

I am definitely NOT going to admit to being neurotic! lol However....... I want our vow renewal to be exactly on our anniversary in October 2015 and knowing how quickly the resort dates book up I'm already doing my research for where I think I want to be. Thought I had it narrowed down but heard a couple of comments about the resort that was number one choice, so now I'm not so sure. So since that's a year and a half away, and I've been looking at it since last year, you could probably say I'm a planner! lol My only catch is that I have another hospital round to get through before I can finalize plans, so I'm trying to have everything in place so that as soon as we know things are good, I can push the buzzer and get it all done! The good thing is my husband has promised that if all goes well and doc says I can travel, we're going to Mexico the last week before I go back to work so I'm hoping we'll stay at one of the resorts that is at the top of my list and really be able to check it out and see if it's what we want! Happy planning! And if it makes you feel better doing it really early, then go for it!! Just make sure you have fun with it!!

I don't have any experience with Mexico but the resort in Jamaica that we got married at had a great salon. I just found she was a bit too heavy on the eyeliner for me and looking back I should have asked her to lighten it up, but at the last minute because of the heat I asked them to put my hair up. It was ok but my hair isn't long so it wasn't as nice as I had hoped. Then once we were actually down at the gazebo on the beach there was a beautiful breeze, and I could have just as easily had it down and styled and been fine. Live and learn. I think if you have photos of what you want, then take them with you and I would definitely recommend a trial if at all possible. I know it runs extra money but just might be worth it. My dress was chiffon, again because i wanted something cool and flowy. Because of health circumstances, and the fact that I'm alive, for our vow renewal I want my dress to absolutely WOW my husband. I want drama and I want his jaw to drop open when he sees it! lol So definitely, go with whatever you're comfortable with!! Happy planning everyone!!

Well done! They do look great! I'm curious... what colour cardstock is everyone using when printing these? Is anyone using a nice bright colour so that they stand out? I know that would mean changing font colours, but again. just wondered...

I'm taking a serious look at this resort. I had my heart set on Gran Porto Real in Playa del Carmen but don't like a couple of comments that have been passed on about the resort. Grand Sunset Princess looks beautiful, and I really like the gazebo! I've checked a bunch of photographers and it may be worth looking at Cecilia Dumas. I love the colours in her photos, and I'm seriously considering getting her booked. Happy planning everyone!!

Congrats on your engagement and welcome to the site! You'll find all kinds of information, tips and planning ideas here, and all of the brides - past and present - are more than willing to share! Good luck and happy planning!

Have you tried www.etsy.com ? I know there are quite a few brides on the site that have purchased flowers from the site. I'm not exactly sure which vendor - perhaps someone could chime in with additional info? The other thing is that you could look through the vendor reviews and see who other brides have dealt with and what they have to say about them! I know there are quite a few florists in the Riviera Maya area, but they use the real flowers. If you specifically want silk, I'm sure there is someone on the site that has found somewhere to get them! Good luck and happy planning!

Congrats and welcome to the site! Definitely concur with what AllieH said. Wright Travel will definitely be a great resource for information to help you decide! Good luck and happy planning!

There are any number of ways that you could have the rings carried, but generally, as Rainmaker said, the bride carries the groom's ring and vice versa. The best man can carry it in his pocket, and the MOH on one of her fingers, or on a piece of ribbon. Tons of ideas that you could do. Another nice thought perhaps is asking the parents if they're attending to carry the rings, and rather than ask the wedding party, you could ask the parents. It depends of course on how close you all are, etc. But just something different. I'm also not sure how you could work the special box into your ceremony. Maybe if you mention it to your WC she might be able to have a word with the Officiant and figure something out for you to surprise your FI. That's a really nice thought! Happy planning!

You don't say which Royalton you're thinking about? I'm sure if you did a search through the forums you would find something. You'll find this site is full of information, tips and ideas, and all of the brides, past and present are more than willing to share information! Welcome to the site, and happy planning!

I'm looking at fuchsia and turquoise. love how it looks together

Well I can probably compare with you in terms of a small destination wedding ... lol We were 2. That's it. Just us! lol But we had a wonderful time! So don't worry about it being small. We had a video done. Why do you have to put the parents names or bridal party names? There's no hard and fast rule that says you have to do anything. If it's important to you, you could put your parents names, then your FI's parents names and with it something like "loved but missed" or something to that effect that indicates that they weren't there. But to be honest, it's nobody's business and I would just tell the person doing your video that you don't want the names added into the video. Good luck and happy planning!

I'm not sure if you have already, but check out the resort reviews and see what other brides have to say about the resorts. You could also do a search through the forums and read through them and see comments and tips. The brides on this site are very willing to share their info! If you don't already have a travel agent, that's another good place to get suggestions and reviews from. Good luck and happy planning!

You may have to look at the shades of green yourself. I just did a quick search and found different shades on dessy.com It may not necessarily be called seafoam. different designers will call their shades something different. Plus there is always Davids Bridal as a starting point, then just google different designers to see who carries bridesmaid dresses. I know there is Dessy, After Six, Alfred Angelo does bridesmaid dresses too. Then you can get into the more expensive designers. I would defiitely start with a google search and see what you get, then narrow it down to stores that are near you and go from there. Happy planning!

You could also take a look at vistaprint. Not quite as elegant, but they do have some destination/beach wedding designs that might work, and they have the whole matching set with menu card, reply card,etc. And they always have discount coupons. Worth a look. You can get quite creative with some of the designs and colours. Happy planning!

Hi. Just wondered if there is an outside vendor fee at GSP if you bring in an outside photographer? What about day passes for makeup people? Who do they use for flowers, and what are the prices like? Thanks!!

Anyone still looking for a resort for your 2015 wedding? I just found out about a new resort opening - the Royalton Riviera Cancun! For canadian brides it's under Sunwing and the few photos I found are gorgeous!! I picked up the new 2014/2015 Sunwing book this morning and found photos of this new resort! It says it's beachfront, 10 minutes from Cancun airport and 20 minutes to downtown. The earliest flight so far that I can find out of Toronto is February 1, 2015. The rates seem quite reasonable and it's for both families and adults, with a separate adult section. It's a big resort - 1183 luxury suites, 12 pools, 1 buffet and 8 a la carte restaurants and 14 bars. It also offers the Diamond Club upgrade. Tons of pluses - exclusive DreamBed, Sports Event Guarantee, unlimited reservation free dining at all the a la carte restaurants, 24 hr room service, all-in connectivity featuring free wi-fi throughout the resort, unlimited free in room calling to North America and most of Europe, USB recharge and Bluetooth audio station in your room. Plus it says you can download the free Royalton app to receive the free unlimited free calling plan from your mobile device while on the property as well as unlimited free app to app texting! For weddings it says "sky weddings and wedding gazebos - located on the beach and in the resort's tranquil garden - offer an unforgettably romantic backdrop for your special day. There is an email: weddingplanner @royaltonresorts.com I checked the website that it lists and had a hard time finding anything specific about this new resort but here is the website since it's says you can go there and get information on their wedding packages: www.royaltonresorts.com I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye open for this one since it looks fabulous, even if it's just for a vacation! I know usually new resorts have bugs and kinks to work out when they first open, so this may only work for someone that is looking at a later 2015 wedding date but I know TripAdvisor will have reviews as soon as the resort actually has guests! Happy planning!!

Hopefully either Tammy or TA Wendy will chime in with the answer for this as Wright Travel are specialists with Palace resorts and would be able to clarify this for you. Happy planning!

That's always the kind of information that's appreciated! Thanks for sharing!

Now having said all of this, it should be noted that canadian brides have a slightly different way to do things with a travel agent. in canada there are the charter packages - sunwing, red tag, sunquest, Transat, etc. - which aren't available in the US. While still highly recommending a travel agent to make your life much less complicated, doing a room block and separate flight in canada is much more expensive than what is offered by the vacation companies, and really not cost effective. For canadian brides, it's generally automatically done with a vacation supplier.

I totally agree, and you couldn't get any better help than working with Wright Travel! You won't get all of your perks if you don't stick with the group booking through Wright Travel. Definitelty get Wendy to help you out. She knows her stuff!