kellygrrrl

hi ladies - just wanted to check in, as it's been awhile since I posted here. I'm gearing up to start Insanity again (this will be my second time through the DVDs). our wedding is in May, so I was thinking I'd start in early to mid-February. based on the earlier comment about it being 80 - 85% what you eat, I'm thinking of following the meal plan CLOSELY this time. the first time through, I lost ~5 lbs and dropped a size, so that put me around 117 lbs at 5' 4". for me, it's not so much about numbers as it is wanting to feel great (and have my arms look buff, that'd be awesome ; ). has anyone tried it with the meal plan? thoughts? -kelly

yes, they allow DJs and zero vendor fees (i.e. you'll get exactly the same thing you would at the Royal, except people will dance on decks - or on lighted dance floors on decks - instead of the beach). in my opinion, that's a better option. they can also bring in lounge furniture (like the royal offers).

oh sorry for the double post, but I wanted to include images from my pinterest as well. there are photog ideas interspersed with other ideas. http://pinterest.com/kellygrrrl/i-do/

the sooner you can, I think the better. I just found out ours jumped $200/hr since we booked - whew!

hey ladies - I'm in the process of moving my reception from the Royal Playa del Carmen to Wicky's and couldn't be more excited. spunkimo, like you, our photographer is La Luna (Jonathan), and we're planning to have mariachis escort us from the Royal to Wicky's. I'm so happy!! I was ultimately fed up with the Royal's policies and extraneous fees and have found Wicky's (and Linda, specifically) to be such a breath of fresh air. we have a small group of 11 so will be in the VIP room + patio. YAY!! : ) can't wait to hear from other brides who've been there before and see pics. spinkimo, when will you be there in may? our wedding is 5/5/2012. -kelly

hey ladies, so if you've read back through the forums, you'll know I've been here for 1.5 yrs, and through that time, I've been super loyal to the Royal (I've spent two vacations there in the past). however, with the pervading sentiment lately being frustration with their policies and fees, I just wanted to throw this out there... I recently asked to change my reception from private to semi-private (we have a mere 11 guests), and they told us the only restaurant times available are 6pm or 9pm. now those of you who have booked a photographer will know the best light is sunset, so the goal is to do cocktails while you're off shooting and then have dinner after, around 7pm. the royal's issue is that this is peak dining time, so you must schedule around their needs, not the other way around. now, this would be understandable if it was some sort of sandals-type free wedding, but it clearly isn't. when I realized how blatant they were being about me planning around them, something snapped, and I threatened to start looking for other venues. lo and behold I found one that same evening. it's called wicky's and has a gorgeous, glass-enclosed, air-conditioned private dining area for 20 people or less with an attached patio overlooking the ocean. they're rumored to be one of the best restaurants in playa, and though their food is american, they carry USDA-quality filet mignon and king crab. their private dining room is geared to smaller groups, but they can accomodate weddings of any size up to 375 (you can even rent out the entire restaurant and patios). oh, and the cost to have your wedding there? $350. seriously. no sunset fees, no weekend fees, just $350. do they allow sky lanterns? you betcha. no $300 charge, no BS statements about the environment, just go set them off and wicky's will be happy to help. I asked about getting a small tres leches cake, and linda, the coordinator, offered to visit a local bakery (who doesn't have a website and doesn't speak english) and send me pricing. how long do we have the dining area reserved for? as long as we want. did linda offer to book us a mariachi band to escort us from the royal to wicky's? absolutely. what's more, linda gets about one panicked phone call per month from a fed up royal bride asking to switch the whole thing to wicky's. now I understand this isn't the most ideal location for everyone and I didn't mean to make it into a sales pitch about wicky's specifically, but I wanted to point out that if you're fed up with the Royal, YOU HAVE OTHER OPTIONS. please don't be scared to look around. oh, and the cost of moving my reception and switching my wedding to a la carte pricing (vs one of the royal's packages)? THE SAME. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather give my money to a venue that will appreciate me being there than one that expects me to cater to them and pay whatever fees they deem necessary. honestly, at this rate, I think the Royal better watch themselves. there are simply too many other places in Playa willing to cater to brides with lower rates and zero BS fees. here's a pic of wicky's (from their website) so you know it's the real deal:

hey ladies - just wanted to send an update on the clear starfish. I talked with jmilka over the phone. essentially, her assistant sent the starfish to one of her clients by accident (instead of jaykay). jmilka is going to deliver the starfish to jaykay's hotel in calgary, where jaykay is staying before her flight. I'd encourage all of you to exchange phone numbers as well as contact information so you can get in touch if the starfish doesn't show up. I completely understand how small accidents happen, and I think having the ability to talk with the person who is sending you the starfish will alleviate a lot of the stress in waiting. best of luck jaykay! I hope everything works out. : )

AGREED. : ) thanks, echraide. : )

I think I got y'all beat on the timing. my STDs went out 13 months in advance, and the invites were mailed 9 months in advance. I thought it would be best to give people the maximum amount of time to plan for the wedding -- instead of getting married within nine months of the engagement, we'll have ended up waiting 1.75 yrs = TOO. LONG. but we had two couples (including the best man) decide to go to Europe instead. the others (who I believed could have saved money in order to attend) did nothing. and (it feels like) everyone else just forgot. GRR!!! apologies for the vent, but I really appreciate your understanding. although I hate for anyone else to be going through this, the camaraderie definitely helps.

it looks like our wedding will be a small group of 11 - no one in FI's family is planning to attend (not even his best man) despite affirmative responses to the STD (GRRR!!!), but I'm slowly becoming ok with it. I was hoping for 25, though deep down I kinda knew it would be small. the only true disappointment is the sheer lack of response. I think by the time we're a few months out, people will have forgotten about our wedding entirely. I thought of sending an evite-style reminder post card that lists their current reply as, 'not yet responded'. the least they could do is log onto the website and let us know, right?? that's an etiquette thing, though - I think most people assume that no response = their indication of not coming. for some reason that's better than RSVPing (?!) speaking of etiquette, I know it's tempting to dial up these people and WTF them, but I read something Emily Post-style that basically said that it shouldn't be up to the bride to 'dirty her hands' with wrangling RSVPs from invited guests. if perhaps a close friend or family member can intervene on your behalf and make calls, send emails/letters, etc, I think it will save much angst on your part. it's tough, ladies, but I'm hopeful it all works out in the end. ; ) best of luck.

I think I've tracked her down on Facebook and send a message. please reach out to her via PM or other source if you haven't already. Quote: Originally Posted by JayKay I still haven't receieved the starfish from Jmikla.

oh a boy on the forums! hooray! : ) having a few of you guys out there keeps things interesting ; ) have you settled on a date yet? we'll be there 5/2 - 5/11.

OR just make a lot of bookings on Booking.com. you may be able to switch out the name on the reservation, but you can reserve without fees or cancellation penalties (provided you cancel within 48 hours of departure). at least you can get your family booked at a lower rate that way. prices will likely vary between now and your wedding, so it may not be gone for good, but I'd see if you could get a reservation for most people you think are coming tonight.

no, the WC rates will vary based on the website rates. they've been threatening to raise the rate the past three months - I think it's finally going to happen. if you can, I'd get on the phone with a travel agent immediately and see if they can hold rooms for you.

*** UPDATE **** I've ordered the luggage tags and have about 10 clear plastic tags remaining for $6.30 + actual shipping to your destination. Please PM or reply if interested. Thanks!

I wish. the store I found them at was OUT a month later when I went back for another bride. we amassed enough by me selling some of my own collection to her, but I haven't seen these yet. they were on summer clearance, so I'm thinking they won't be back until sometime next year.

hey ladies - wanted to report the latest. so the 40 sandalwood fans shipped to me in the US at $11.82 and then cost to Canada (JUST under 4 lbs, which helps greatly with customs forms) was $16.80, for a total shipping cost of $28.62. even after you factor paypal conversion fees (3.9% or under $5 for the whole thing), related costs were a third of what the website was asking. it also helps to put a gift value of <$20 so there are no customs fees (hint, hint ; ). my suspicion is that many of these sites are using solely FedEx or UPS as their shipping partner, thus making it nearly impossible to send packages at a reasonable rate. if anyone else needs help, please don't be afraid to ask. -kelly

there are a lot of cute jute bags out there that aren't too expensive. another bride posted about these for $2 each, just as an example: http://www.onebagatatime.com/shop/bags/100-biodegradable-jute-bags-wholesale.html

ok ladies, I've got a question about receptions. for those who hosted a private reception on the beach, was it ok? I'd just hate to have everyone exposed to the wind all night. is it a factor or a non-issue? also, I emailed JHarris to find out about the semi-private venues, but has anyone had their reception, welcome dinner or rehearsal dinner at one of the restaurants? which would you recommend and why? there's another beach reception going on during ours, so I'm thinking it'd even be odd if we tried to host it at Pelicanos. we have a small family group, and I just don't want to get blown out by someone's rowdy party down the way. for brides who have either been married at the royal or who have attended weddings there, any advice?? thanks so much, -kelly

those are sooooooo friggin cool. I want. : )

WOW - that was thorough! thanks so much. : )

just curious if you can describe the asylum workouts. how long are they? are they like some P90X/Insanity combo? are you glad you did them after Insanity, or would you start with them? I'd previously though the asylum was more geared to pro athletes, so I'm glad to read your posts and am thinking about adding that to my spring workout regime. thanks for any advice/thougts!

jessica - I was just searching on the Royal's website, and they have availability in the garden room for Fri 4/20, though not Sat 4/21. they do have beachfront walk-out rooms for the entire weekend. not sure if that's in anyone's budget, but wanted to let you know the availability is moving around. also, if your guests book one of the highest room classes at they grand porto, they'll be able to come to the royal at anytime without buying a day pass (at least, that was the case according to this thread awhile back). good luck!!

funny, I just had this same thought today. I would like to have some type of AHR meal, especially for my grandparents and FI's kiddoes (both of whom can't make it to Mexico). but when we get into including his family (who's NOT attending the wedding) and our friends who decided to go to europe instead, I'm not super in the mood to spend (another) $2500 to accomodate people for whom our wedding was not a priority. this being said, I would like to celebrate with our friends and would feel silly wearing my dress at a more casual restaurant. I was thinking we'd let our friends know about the formal dinner (but also that if they wanted to attend, they would need to pay for their own meal) and then furnish a complementary champagne toast and cake cutting following the dinner. after, we could have drinks either there or go out downtown. I know that traditionalists will abhor the notion of people paying for their own meal, but again, I'm not in the mood to put on two weddings. if you want dinner for free, COME TO MEXICO. if not, you're welcome to cake and champagne and an evening downtown with the bride and groom.