kellygrrrl

welcome, amina : ) also had a few bits of information from my conversation with Ana Perez to share with the forum. if you're considering doing a morning wedding and evening reception, it IS possible to split them up like that. however, you will still pay the $400 suset charge for the reception, and if you have guests not staying at the royal, they will need to leave in between the ceremony and reception (unless you purchase a day pass for them). if you're attempting to do a legal ceremony and one of you has been previously divorced, the contract states that you will need the divorced person's birth certificate, passport and divorce decree translated into spanish (at the bargain rate of $30/page ; ). we sent these documents to ana, and she said no need to translate, which is a huge relief. I'm not sure what would necesitate translation - maybe having them in a language other than English? if you are not working with a travel agent, the resort can offer you a special wedding rate for you and your guests. it is currently $415/night (versus the rack rate of $450/night); however it will change as the resort has sales. the great part about it is if you and your guests put a downpayment equal to one night's stay, you will LOCK IN the rate for the duration of your vacation. pretty fantastic info for those of us without travel agents. ; ) the only potential downside is waiting on the resort to have a sale, but it's a pretty nice concession they offer to us brides. thanks for all the info, ladies (and the planning thread, kshows!). I feel like I could fill out my contract right now and know I made the best choices. ; )

and honestly, the royal is two blocks from playa's main avenue, and they're completely safe there, too. I think the only questionable danger would be renting a car and driving way out somewhere far from tourist destinations which seems unlikely. once you're at the resort, you never want to leave. : )

I am truly sorry to hear about the rain, but it definitely sounds like the royal (and you) made the most of the situation by moving everything to pelicanos. good call on everyone's part!! : )

wellllllllllllll, only my mom has made some side jokes about being afraid to go to Mexico, and my entire family was there in 2004 (I also went to the royal once with my mom in 2007 and then with my now-finace in 2009). I'm pretty much working with my guests personally to help answer questions, etc, but concerns about violence in mexico aren't on their radar yet (we're still 1+ yrs out). when my mom says anything I remind her that cities like Cancun, Playa and Cozumel grew to support tourism. for the people who live there, they credit their ability to do so to those of us who visit. I really believe that those are some of the most protected areas because the government relies so heavily on people vacationing there. never once did I feel unsafe when I was in mexico, especially not in any major city (or anywhere along the mayan riviera). I remember being in greece discussing concerns about renting a moped (#1 tourist killer) and my boat captain reminding me and the other tourists that if you listen to the warnings all the time, you will never leave the confines of your home. while it was a good idea for me not to rent a scooter in that situation, the same can be said for mexico. there are things going on all over, and while you can minimize the risk, attending a wedding in mexico seems pretty innocent to me. if people don't want to come, that's fine, but I don't see the conflict there as a deterrant -- due largely to the number of native citizens who want to do nothing more than protect tourism in places like playa del carmen. I hope my guests will feel the same way. Quote: Originally Posted by geoffnsara Congrats Kellygrrrl. I still have a lot to do myself. Are you running into issues with your guests being scared of traveling to mexico? if so how are you over coming this?

LADIES! just wanted to let you all know that I have FINALLY booked for cinco de mayo 2012! I'm now one of you - I even have a basecamp login and everything. : ) it's not easy waiting patiently for a wedding 1.3 years away, but the first six months have gone by really quickly. I couldn't believe when other brides on here were booking dates in may and june - it was a huge wake up call! we're currently working on STDs and my mom said, 'umm, shouldn't you go ahead and book your date at the resort?' ha. yep. : ) just wanted to share the great news. happy planning! : )

hey kd1116 - I saw your question about room rates and wanted to respond, but the forum isn't letting me quote for some reason. I'm telling guests to budget $350/night and reminding them that includes meals, drinks, accomodation, everything. the royal's rack rate is $450+/night, but as someone mentioned earlier, the resort runs 30% off specials. my fiance and I are planning to watch their website and let everyone know when rates are lowest (anticipating a sale in fall of this year for our wedding in may 2012).

When I tried sending to Kelfrecks earlier, the attachment didn't upload. If you want to PM me your email address, I'll send offline. : )

Hey ladies - sorry to have been AWOL for the holidays. My fiance and I moved in together just after Thanksgiving, so bonding with the new fam (he has joint custody of his two kiddoes) was my holiday mission. ; ) Regarding the quote below on the men's suits, you could potentially save on renting them for an entire week if you have guests staying for less time and send the other suits back with them. If you go through the A La Carte wedding planning tool on the Royal website, you can see pictures of all the cakes. I think they used real shells on someone's (the one with the frosting shells). I can't remember seeing much in this forum about Funever, but when my fiance and I stayed at the Royal in 2009, a staff photog came to take our picture poolside. I assume it was Funever because they had a booth for viewing photos set up off the lobby. At any rate, they had taken 5 - 10 shots of us outside, midday and we looked AWFUL. AWFUL. It was point-blank range, our faces were red and shiny and everything you don't want to look like -- what a mess! Now, the daytime photographers may have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the wedding photogs, they may not use the same equipment, they may not even be the same company, but for me, I couldn't take the chance. After the wedding, the photographs are what live on, and although the price tags associated with them are lofty, for me, it's the most important parts, especially in a situation where not everyone can be there. There are many photogs discussed on here who offer rates <$1000. For me, I'd rather just get a couple hours with a killer photog than an entire day with a just ok one, but that's an entirely personal choice. The Royal is beyond amazing. I've done a lot of traveling in the last 10 years, and it's by FAR my favorite place. Not a single bride has come back and said that they would have preferred their wedding elsewhere. It's kind of like finding the perfect dress. Once you find it, you stop looking. The resort is IT. You don't have to worry. I like it so much that I've gone twice before and am now planning a wedding there. When we started talking destination wedding, my FI and I couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else. When we went in 2009, it felt like a honeymoon, and now it actually will be! : ) Michelle - try searching earlier in the forums for tipping. Someone had a huge writeup on who they tipped and how much. K - Another great aspect of the Royal is its location. It is located directly on the beach and two blocks from 5th Avenue, Playa's main drag. You just walk out of the hotel (e.g. the opposite direction from the beach), turn left on the main street. If you walk about 20 mins, you'll come to a ferry pier and pass all sorts of stores and restaurants on the way. I think that's all your guests would need to know (it's pretty intuitive) and I'm sure the front desk would be more than happy to point people in the right direction. If you Google Playa del Carmen, you should get map images for it. Ashley, check out the A La Carte planning website on the Royal's wedding website. Just sign in (I sometimes make up info to get in) and then mouse over all the flowers. There are probably about 100 options to choose from. If a brides bouquet is included in your package, it's an $80 option. If you prefer one of the other higher-priced arrangements, you'll have to pay 100% of the cost listed (not the upgrade cost minus $80). Generally, the arrangements can't be altered, but your coordinator may work with you. They will also do an arrangement of any color of roses surrounded by green leaves (REALLY pretty) as the $80 option. I think Lady Di did this - I have a photo I can PM you if needed. It's not on the A La Carte website. Lots of people have done the iPod option - you can even pay for someone to run it if needed. Just try searching the forum (or Royal reviews) for iPod. Welcome, Nikki! : )

it takes about 6 - 8 weeks to get a passport if I remember correctly. I believe it can be rush processed in a shorter duration or you can drive to the consulate office. they have all the info online. you have plenty of time, though.

ah, per person. that makes more sense. : ) I told my prospective guests to budget about $1K each. Quote: Originally Posted by jesmcan Ya it was about $290 for the flights round trip and the rest was hotel and we traveled Sunday to Sunday. Hubby and I paid 1,500 pp for the ocean front. We did have a TA but my god did she end up being absolutely awful. They did not have rates that low she matched what I found. Expedia at the time last Feb when we booked thats what the rates were at pp.

$1350 with flight for a WEEK?! how did you get such a great deal?? did you have a travel agent??

yea, I saw this because I'm planning to book May 2012 and rates are $450/night. they run specials in the fall for cheaper spring rates - like right now (or just last week), they were offering 30% off in May 2011. so maybe about 6 months prior they'll start discounting. right now, you're just seeing rack rates but maybe if you check back in mar - apr they'll be lower. otherwise, you could always book with the orbitz trip assurance where they'll match lower rates. but be careful, because I heard that people booking on third-party sites are usually the first to be bumped when the resort is full. Also ladies I just went to look at rates to book our anniversary trip for next year. The rates are only out until October and they are almost double what we paid!! Is this possible??? Has anyone else seen this or is just because those dates are so far out?

thank you, lisa, that helps a lot and is really good insight. I actually have a minority of married/kids friends, so hopefully that will work in my favor. also, all our friends are shared (I knew the majority from days before FI and I met), so he'd probably feel he was partying it up with my friends no matter what. : ) I could see how that would be harder on the other side, but the resort is SOOOOO amazing, I know you'll have the best time, no matter WHO is there! ha, I should take my own advice... : ) Quote: Originally Posted by Lisa DSO Kelly, A lot of my friends of my friends had full intentions on going, but when it came to fruition, it just wasn't possible. I noticed some factors, however: FI has a about 8 friends going (they are all unmarried, no children and most are single) I have 1 friend booked (unmarried, coming with her boyfriend)...supposed to have another friend coming, but she hasn't booked and well, wedding is in 8 days. Most of my friends are married with (small) children, so I think that played the biggest factor among my core group because even after the age of 2, you have to pay for their airline seat. I will admit, I sometimes send FI a little sad face in IM convos lol and tell him I'm jealous that most of his good friends are going and a lot of mine are not, but I know that I will love and always remember my wedding in Mexico and how much I love him. It does bring me comfort that we are having a home reception, however, so my good friends WILL be at that. You would always do something at home- it can be as simple as a small casual bbq at home, to an elaborate affair, but your friends will definitely celebrate your union with you there :-). I hope that helps.

you're welcome - I should have also mentioned how much I LOVE your dress!! it's absolutely GORGEOUS! who is it made by? if there are layers underneath that you can't see, maybe it's worth getting rid of them, but otherwise, I'd be tempted to sweat it out for a dress like that. : ) I've seen LOTS of photos of one GM walking down the aisle with two BM. I guess it's not as pimp to have two guys and one girl, but it'd still be cute. : ) otherwise, I like your idea of just having the girls walk. I'm sure it will work out, no matter what you decide. here is someone's beach cermony setup. this is my first shot a posting photos. if it doesn't work, I'll PM you. URL=http://img269.imageshack.us/i/pinkbeachwedding.jpg/][/url] Quote: Originally Posted by Mrs.G2B Thanks Kelly- I did try it on the dress and it seemed a bit full or heavy for the heat in Playa, I wasnt sure if I should have it removed. I think if i make it less full it might take away the beauty of it all. Still debating. Jess-Im so jealous everyone can see your pics, for some reason I cant see anything!! I think Im going to have a smaller wedding then anticpated, we started out with 4 BMs and 4 GM and now 2 of my BMs cant go, yet all his GM are on board! Im not sure what I can do now that the party is thrown off. Any suggestions? I was thinking of just having the girls walk and all the GM already at the altar. Question for already married brides on the beach. It seems like everyone is going with the Gazebo, has anyone married on the beach? I would love to see pics of the way you decorated or how they set up I cant wait to see all the newly wed brides reviews and pics to get inspired!! YAY!!

I like the skirt the way it is - they may be using a hoop or petticoat to fan all the layers out in front of the camera. have you tried it on yet?

I have in my notes (from my first read of the entire thread): The Royal recommends no more than 7 (ideal) to 8 (maximum) guests per table.

lisa brings up an interesting point below, and I'd like the group for additional advice. my FI and I are a year and a half away from our prospecitve wedding date, and part of the reason we're planning so far in advance is that we wanted to allow people the maximum amount of time to plan and save for it. our wedding party is definitely on the smaller side - even if we'd stayed here in Austin, I think we'd only have about 20 - 30 people in attendance (which is why the destination wedding idea was so appealing). nearly all of our friends who I've spoken with are thrilled about the destination wedding idea and say they're already saving money and making plans in order to go. I guess my biggest fear would be getting to mexico with just a handful of people and wishing I had stayed in Austin so that I could share the experience with more of our friends. in the end, I know my FI and family will be there, and that's what's most important. but for those of you who have a smaller circle of friends and family, what was your experience getting people to book? did people respond enthuiastically to you but when it came time to actually make reservations, did they back out? I know it's nothing you can control as a bride, but were you ok with having just a few people come? any regrets? thanks!

hi jozee - as the other brides mentioned, I was planning to buy the dresses for my bridesmaids (due to the trip expense, I don't want them to have to pay for anything else, especially a 1x wear mandantory dress of my chosing (in fuschia, nonetheless). ; ) however, I think an all-around, classy, nice but-not-too-expensive gift is a pashmina wrap. if you do a search, you should find sites where people purchased theirs for less (it's a pretty popular idea). another favorite gift I saw on four weddings (TLC) was during the reception, a photographer came around and took pictures of the guests together. then, later in the evening, people returned to their tables to find a framed photo of themselves. maybe it would be relatively simple to take some casual pool shots before the ceremony and print them in town (or bring a tiny photo printer) and give them to your bridal party (and groomsmen?) as framed gifts during the reception? you may even be able to pick up some cool local 'playa' frames, depending on when you arrive.

GOOD CALL, msglave. 6 more votes and she's in the lead! : )

a BOY on the forum?? is that even ALLOWED?? hee hee, just kidding, mike. glad to have you - just don't look back a few pages. you might get in trouble! ; ) you'll probably want to go with the person the royal provides - otherwise you'll be suckered into the $350 outside vendor fee. UNLESS you feel comfortable having one of your friends becoming ordained and marrying you. actually, if it's a symbolic ceremony, they probably don't even have to be ordained. it'd be good if they had an idea of how a ceremony runs because the royal doesn't really do rehearsals. good luck, and please let us know what you decide.

maybe gonzalo nunez would work something out with you. his prices are some of the most reasonable I've seen for the quality. also, sasha gluck has wedding packages starting at $650 for two hours, so I would think her TTD would be pretty well priced.

lisa - both yoga and/or the elliptical would be great! also, if you haven't tried it before, bikram yoga is another idea. it's much more strenuous because it's done in a heated room (around 100 degrees and 40% humidity), but I've heard several first-hand accounts from runners who rehabed knee injuries doing it (even those who were told that only surgery would correct their issues). the first few sessions are SUPER hot and VERY sweaty, but you kinda get used to it. it's definitely not for everyone but can work wonders. : )

wow, Jess - wow, wow, WOW, totally agree with lisa #4 as the fav and with runningbride below - now EVERYONE on this forum wants a boudoir session! : ) thing is, I know my FI will want to be in the pics too, so maybe he and I can both do one together and I'll set up one for just me afterward on the DL. ok, so DETAILS! how long was your session? how many outfit changes? Raw isn't an option for me (living in austin), so I'd like to gauge the session length etc in order to get enough. but if I need to wait for your planning write-up, that's fine, too. thank you again for having the confidence and positive esteem to share those photos. they're fantastic and such a great idea for all of us. : )

Lisa - I am so sorry to hear about the itchiness, but hopefully everything will be back to normal soon. maybe some light, safe-for-your-knee exercise (elliptical? yoga?) would help you de-stress? my fiance and I just started working out together a few weeks ago. we only do about 30 minutes three times a week, but it has already made such a huge difference, even in just my outlook (I'm pretty type-a, so I need it for the metal break alone! : )

hey ladies - just a quick note re the aisle runner. the thing about the red runner is although it clashes with nearly everything, it is HEAVY. I believe that previous brides who purchased their own (even the monogrammed ones) were unable to keep them sufficiently weighed down during the cermony, even with the coordinator and staff's help. it would be nice if the royal would invest in a white runner, but until then I think they'll remove the red one at no charge and you can simply go without. alternately, you could use either real or fake flower petals. the royal sells the real ones for $20 per bag and recommends 5 - 10 bags to line the aisle. customs won't let you bring real ones, but I think they're fine with the fake petals. and the royal doesn't have any concerns about the fake disrupting wildlife, etc.