kellygrrrl

hi ladies - ok, so my mom FORBID me taking any pictures, but we found several great dresses at Nordstrom Rack. some of the colors were a bit on the dark side (the one she chose was platinum-colored), and they did have a lot of winter stuff, but there were a few in lighter fabrics and colors. and the best part? her dress that was originally $128 was marked down to $25. even though she wasn't wild about the color, I made her get it and promised she could just wear it to dinner some night if she found another dress she liked more. you might give Nordstrom's Rack a try. I know my mom has been SUPER stressed out about what to wear - I think she'll really appreciate having an option, even if it's not perfect perfect (though I think it looks great ; ).

thanks so much for your thoughts, karyan. I've only recently decided that a proper wedding cake is something I really want, and because my resort makes a pretty affordable one, I think we're going for it!! I'm glad to hear that someone else appreciated having it, and it looking nice in the photos. and you've also reminded me to check in with my hairdresser/makup artist to make sure we're good. thanks!! : )

a lot of your questions have been asked and answered in this forum previously. honestly, the best thing to do is pour a nice glass of wine (or several) and read back through the previous few hundred posts. it will provide more information and viewpoints than we could do quickly. there's also the ability to search this forum for specific things - like DJ or lighted dance floor. hopefully that will give you a solid foundation for wedding planning.

random question - has anyone tried the Royal's Couture Cakes (the upgrade ones)? I know the forum votes heavily for the Tres Leches flavor (if allowed) and says you'll never need that much cake, but I'm kind of a cake nut and am really curious about the other options (like Moka, Kahlua, Bailey's). if you're like me and have your heart set on some absolutely gorgeous (but inordinately expensive and completely impractical) tiered cake, you'll find the Royal's upgraded cake prices a few hundred dollars less than the competition. woo!! I just want to make sure the flavor is like something you'd find in the US. when FI and I were at the Royal, we thought the desserts at Spice seemed to all taste sort of the same and lack sugar. I'm sure it's a cultural difference but was curious if their wedding cakes are similar or different from the Spice desserts. has anyone scheduled a cake tasting soon? or a site visit? thanks for any insight. -kelly

it's always good to hear positive things about the Royal - after all, we've chosen it for a reason (this will be my third time returning to the resort : ). this forum has shown that nearly every bride has been completely satisfied with their wedding at the Royal and thoroughly impressed with their service. I think that really the only dissention is regarding the restrictions that they impose. I have absolutely no doubt that they are fully capable of hosting an incredible event, I just wasn't willing to compromise on what we wanted to fit their schedule and/or financial requirements. but it certainly doesn't mean they're not capable of pulling off a great wedding - there are hundreds of posts here proving they can! thanks for your review and info, ChicagoBride, and congratulations!!

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wow, ok, good to know. they're coming to my hotel room, so I won't have the same transportation issue but that's awful they weren't available. had you confirmed with Trevor recently? I emailed him to book an appointment and haven't heard anything back. he seems a bit flighty. what'd you do instead?

if it's any help, in my experience, it took a few months for the weight I'd lost during Insanity to return. like you, I continued doing it a few times per week but then eventually fizzled out during the way-too-hot Texas summer. I weighed the same as when I stopped for awhile, though I'm not sure if I stayed in shape (cardiovascularly) that entire time. either way, you should be fine for your AHR, even if you stopped today (not that you want to, just in case ; ).

used to be the rule was you could have a choice of two entrees if you found a way to distinguish it to the waitstaff (i.e. different colored stickers on the seating cards). I think they will let you. I was planning to give guests a choice between the beef filet (tournado?) and the red snapper. good luck!

I still freak out, especially because my dress looks MUCH better in person than in the photos on the website. it arrived last May, and I've been desperate to try it on lately (it stays at my parent's house). I finally put it on last night and loved it all over again. it's so silly, but every time I wear it, I know it's the right one. : )

DON'T. CHANGE. I remember seeing a post on here where a girl's guests convinced her to switch resorts and they STILL didn't attend. I'd try your best to explain how the difference is negligible, but more importantly, this is what YOU want (and as the bride, you have that right). even better if a close friend or family member can negotiate on your behalf. I understand people wanting to get what they want out of a vacation, but they're not seeing how that is compromising your day. hopefully there will only be a few (if any!!) who insist on staying at a different resort, and maybe you can still accomodate them (or even make THEM pay the supplement - HA!), but I'd absolutely NOT change your plans based on their wishes. I had a distant friend plan a destination wedding at another resort to Mexico, and I figured if I was spending the money to go to Mexico, I'd like to stay at the Royal. it never occurred to me to ask her to change the wedding location or accomodate me so that I could stay at our favorite resort. instead, I let her know I wouldn't be attending. it was that simple.

yay! so glad for a reivew on here. : ) just bumping the thread in case anyone else has used Waves. I'm booking them for 5/5/2012 and PRAYING the resort doesn't charge the $350 outside vendor fee. fingers crossed!!

wanted to post a few pics I took at the Bridal Extravaganza this weekend. it seems like white is really in. I kinda miss those centerpieces with several vases and different types of flowers. after agonizing for over a year, I think I'm going to go with all white like in the first and second pictures. I really couldn't make up my mind - it was between turquoise and white or fuschia and tropical greens/citrus colors. ultimately, I just picked the white route. I hope it will look classy and elegant and not too bland.

I guess it just depends on how much you're spending. even if I eloped, I'd want a honeymoon, so there's half the cost of our wedding already (e.g. me + FI flights, hotel, activities for 10 days). although inflated, Mexico wedding costs are sooooo much less than those in the US. one of my reasons for having a destination wedding was not being able to find a reception venue for less than $7500 (PLUS photography, flowers - ARGH!!). for us, another $5K wouldn't have made much difference in our house downpayment (I mean it WOULD, but not critically), so I don't feel like it's bad to put it towards an intimate wedding, even though my original intention was 25 people. now, I'm happy that I'm saving so much, and I've even been able to plan a reception outside our resort (at Wicky's) to make it really, really special for my close family. : ) I never would have been able to do that with 25 people. on the flip side, I have a friend who hosted a small wedding locally. she was married at a free chapel and then took a small group (~15 people max) to dinner at a nice restaurant in town. I imagine she spent about the same as I will in Mexico. at the end, the only thing that's important is what YOU want. if you're really, truly fed up with the destination wedding thing and just want to elope, go for it! I had some friends do that, and they took a wonderful honeymoon to Barcelona. I think it's important to have your time with your FI and the memories, but I wouldn't NOT do something you want because other people are being irritating. I'd suggest sitting down with your FI and figuring out what you both really want and then pursuing that without reservation. the house is definitely important, but I don't know that I'd give up a small wedding for it. if I REALLY had to pick either/or, it would probably be the house because it's there every day, not just one. I think I'd still try to do SOMETHING, though - even if it was only $1K and the free chapel with cake and champagne afterwards. good luck with your decision. please let us know how it turns out.

oh yay, please do take pictures!! I'm familiar with Playa but I've never seen Wicky's and can't really figure out the layout. can't wait to hear about everything!! : )

I love the VS one - can't see through it at all. not sure about the Advantage Bridal bikinis.

anytime! and despite the bridezilla-like nature of this, I was thinking of putting together a powerpoint (or Pinterest) for my photographer so that he could see my favorite photographic ideas (though I don't want to get in the way of his creativity). it seems like shot lists are also popular, too, so that nothing is missed. family pictures are easy enough, but I've talked to a number of brides who don't have full-length pictures of themselves in the dress (alone) or even the bride and groom in front of the altar. funny how those things get missed in all the craziness. good luck with everything!

that's a great point. the bar at wicky's is pricey, so if you have a drinking group, it wouldn't be as cost-effective. the majority of my family will likely only have one drink (and the others will likely be pretty saturated by Saturday), so we're good there. ; ) but ya, if people were ordering rounds of shots all night, whewwwww... !

yep, we're keeping the wedding at the royal, only because we're staying there. wicky's doesn't have sunset/weekend fees, so it'll save you $400 if you move that, too. wicky's food reviewers say it is AMAZING. USDA filets that melt in your mouth and Alaskan King Crab legs. I know, I know, we're not going the whole way to Mexico to eat american food, but I wanted something upscale that I was certain my guests would like. they also feature local fish with a different chef's preparation based on what was caught fresh that day - I think that's a good compromise. ; ) one option at the Royal is to have a cocktail hour between the ceremony and dinner in order to delay the dinner an hour. I'm not sure how many guests you have, but it costs around $10 per Royal guest, depending on your package ($20 per non-Royal guest). I originally wasn't going to have one, but I thought about people standing around during photos and realized that providing the food + drinks would give them something to do. hot apps are an extra $5 per person ($15 total per Royal guest for hot and cold apps and drinks). regarding your guests at other hotels, you will be the one stuck with the fees. like if you've added a private reception, you'd pay $15 per person for a Royal guest and $30 per person for another hotel guest. same goes for the cocktail hour as illustrated above. and, of course, they have to leave if you have more than a 30 minute break between activities. wicky's doesn't care where people are staying, and they accomodate adults and kids alike. I asked the planner how long we had the room reserved for, and she said, 'as long as you want.' what a difference!!