kellygrrrl

ladies - omg, we are BACK from our wedding and honeymoon at the Royal Playa del Carmen, and I have to tell you in a year and a half of planning, one of the best things I ever did was getting in shape with Insanity. I felt soooo good and confident running around in a swimsuit for nine days, and in all the pictures I see muscles, not fat! It was so rewarding to just go enjoy the all-inclusive knowing how hard I'd worked for it, and I returned home to find my free t-shirt in the mail (seriously awesome - on the front it has the Insanity logo, and on the back it says 'I earned it'). I'd like to get back into some sort of routine now that we're home, but I just wanted to pass on that extra motivation for anyone who may need it. In the end it is SO. TOTALLY. WORTH. IT. best of luck, and keep pushing! ; ) -kelly

you know, it was so long ago that I'm not sure. at the time, they had more 'apprentices,' although now the studio is larger, so maybe there are additional options. if you drop them an email through their contact form, they should be in touch with pricing. and don't be afraid to ask for what you want - they may be able to accomodate. from experience, I wouldn't get anything less than four hours. I thought we'd have time to burn with two photogs, five hours and only a dozen people, but it FLEW. also, it takes a good 15 - 20 mins to capture the perfect shot, and a large part of that time is experimentation with light and exposure, etc. I wouldn't have believed it if anyone had told me this in the beginning, but truly, honestly, the more time the better. I don't think it's ever overkill with the photogs, and Del Sol was really reassuing throughout the process. looking back, I may have even booked 8 hours (crazy, right?!) just to be sure I got everything. I'm sure I'll be amazed with what they captured, though, and I can't wait for the first look! : ) please let me know if you have any more questions. I'll ask them to get in touch with you as well. Quote: Originally Posted by marooon13 Thank you. I LOVE Del Sol's work. Unfortunately, they don't exactly fit in our budget- by a long stretch. How much did they quote you for if you don't mind me asking? I have only heard rumors but I don't really want to get my hopes up!

if you read the latest contract, there's now language about how you can't book a room for the photog to skirt the vendor fee. I'd be extremely leery about doing so. we paid the $350 vendor fee, and it covered our photog + assistant. it's irritating to pay so much money considering our reception wasn't even AT the hotel, but it is what it is. I'd be up-front with them, you do NOT want to be dealing with a photog issue on the day of the wedding, believe me. you need all the time you have with them. : )

it was one of my fav things I ordered (and SO FUN to wear around the resort : )

congrats!! you'll love wendy. she pops in on the forum every now and again. : ) planning a year in advance should secure you all the best stuff. book with the Royal and your photog asap. we adored Del Sol - just throwin it out there. ; ) http://www.delsolphotography.com/blog/index.php

hey, here's how it turned out! I bought a simple veil off Etsy for my reception dress and threw that on the next day with my newlywed bikini. too fun! everyone around the pool congratulated us. : )

we won't have our pro pics for another 6 - 8 weeks, but in the meantime we spent an hour with the resort photographer, and I was really pleased with the way they turned out - especially because they included some daytime shots from around the resort (we got married at sunset). we should have a first look shortly, but here are a few from the resort photog (full set posted at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150885065139663.425156.680664662&type=1&l=59e6fd2122) Quote: Originally Posted by yeemein kellygrrrl, congratulations on your happy wedding day!!! isn't it a great feeling once the BIG day has passed? But also sad because we also had so much fun that we wanted to do it all over again! =) no, not real, completely fake. my hairdresser was thoughtful enough to bring them or else I would have had no flowers in my hair. it was hella hot on our wedding day also, probably the hottest day of the 2 weeks we were there. congratulations again too! post some pics!

I think you'll be absolutely fine at 5pm. our ceremony was at 5:30, and it was well cooled by the time people started to gather at 5 - 5:15. I brought paper fans and cool-off towelettes, and no one needed either. just have a wind plan because that's when it starts to come in off the ocean. every day we checked it was pretty gusty. I ended up bobby pinning my bangs back and holding my chapel length veil in my hand (along with the bouquet - hopefully it turns out alright in the pics ; ). my MOH fixed me once during the ceremony, which was fine. I'm sure it will be great! : )

I love your pics!! you look stunning. : ) was that a real phaleonopsis orchid in your hair? I went with the dedrobium orchid due to the heat. we did a tour to Tulum through Yuca Treks (LOVE. THEM!!), and I believe you about the beach. the one we saw had those 45 degree angle palm trees and is easily in the top 10 most beautiful things I've ever seen. congratulations!! and thanks for sharing. : )

we're already back, and it was AMAZING!! one of my favorite quotes was when now-husband and I returned to our room after the entire wedding and reception was over. we had just closed the door behind us, and I said to him, "That was AWESOME. Let's never do it again!" : ) it was this pure feeling of having gotten everything I wanted and yet pure relief that it was all over. I was so happy with everything - we laughed a lot on the wedding day (the insanity of getting ready and the mini sky lantern disaster were pure hillarity). as others have said, be sure to take it all in. he and I both agreed that we were fully present for the ceremony and meant every word that we said. as I walked down our aisle, I thought, "This is big. It's one of those lifetime moments." my mom said then-FI had a look on his face that said, "I never want to forget this." everyone was in tears. it's so beautiful just thinking of it. what a day. what a vacation and honeymoon. I wish all the remaining May brides the best of luck. : )

yes!! we're back as well, and as others have mentioned recently YOU WILL BE ENTERTAINING WHEN YOUR GUESTS ARE THERE. we didn't even give ourselves time to unpack, it was turn and burn from the moment the plane touched down. the really crazy part is we only had 10 people, but maybe that's the cutoff. more than that, and you let everyone fend for themselves. ; ) after a few days, I took a shower and realized it was the longest I'd been in our room awake since we arrived. if you're saving any little tasks for your destination, DO THEM NOW! we didn't have time to do ANYTHING when we were there, except throw (literally THROW) the things into the OOT bags. I'm not trying to scare those of you who haven't left yet, but just know if it's not done at home, it likely won't happen at your destination. it was absolutely great to see everyone, but if we hadn't taken an extra week at the resort just for us, the 'vacation' element would have been absent. I have absolutely no regrets, but I want to make sure all those brides who are planning now know that they need to make time for themselves - to unpack, to enjoy the room, to enjoy your FI. do whatever it takes - plan an outside excursion, switch hotels after the wedding - just make sure you have that time because if you're a type-A planner like me, you're going to be worried about everyone else the entire time they're there (PS - don't forget the Xanax. it can be crazy running around like that!!) all that said, we were a little sad to see my parents and brother go. it was fun to just see what they were up to. even weirder when someone new moved into their rooms - imposters!! ; ) I would've liked to keep them around, but it was good that now-husband and I had time. to fill with scuba diving and jet skis and everything else. ; ) the good part is that it was our decision and it really allowed me to relax. I'm currently working on a much more comprehensive review to add here, but I wanted to emphasize what the past few brides have been saying about how busy you are in the destination and how critical it is to take some time for yourselves. : ) best of luck!!

we had 12 and it was AWESOME. I would've gone nuts trying to entertain more people than that. really, I'm glad it worked out the way it did! : )

you won't need them due to the breeze coming in off the ocean. even if it's warmer, it will provide plenty of movement. I recommend everyone getting married and/or having a reception outdoors has a backup plan for the wind. trust me, it will be there! if you're really concerned about the heat, you could always move indoors to the air conditioned ballrooms. I bet you could even decide that when you're down there, as long as someone hasn't already planned a reception there.

all right, ladies, I'm back! and it was so much fun - everything was exactly what I'd wanted. it was my third time to the Royal and I can't wait to go back. it's going to take some time to compile all the thoughts I have floating around, but if you have any questions (mainly about the experience of being there), please don't hesitate to reach out, either on here or via PM. I'll stay in touch over the coming months and will continue to check in here, as long as things don't get too crazy with the house we're building. the wedding planners are true professionals. I understand the frustration of people not getting back to you but just know that it all will be worked out, the royal staff is SUPER accomodating, and they really help you once you're there. they are swamped because they're working on as many as 10 weddings per day. it sucks when yours isn't the priority, but when you're there, you are, and you won't have to worry about a thing. it's the downside of destination weddings, but if you can make it through, it's all worth it. even when I was at the resort, I only saw my consultant (Denys) for about 20 - 30 mins, although honestly, that was all we needed and I didn't want to take time from my vacation and guests. we reviewed the details, she asked a few questions, and everything was executed flawlessly. few other things I would have done differently: * take time to unpack. we switched rooms the day of the wedding (NIGHTMARE!! but our own fault), and I spent our entire vacation searching for things. when you get there, agree to meet with your guests later the same day and take some time for yourselves to enjoy being there and organize all your things to make it all easier. * if you're a type A planner, don't forget the Xanax. there was an element of stress with everyone there that had me running room to room to coordinate, and I was just a bit freaked out about all that was going on. it's A LOT, even just to talk to people for several days prior to the biggest day of your life. I frequently woke up in the middle of the night for no particular reason and was kind of running as soon as the sun was up. net/net, it's not necessarily the world's most relaxing time, but I am really glad I had all that time with everyone. it's one of the things I wanted most out of our wedding. * we did the world's greatest day trip to Tulum with Yuca Treks. it was a private tour (they can accomodate up to 12 people), and just my immediate family opted to go. the stress level was lower because we were away from most of the guests, and it was soooo nice to get out and see something unique to the area. we visited the ruins, snorkeled in a cenote, and spent time at one of the most gorgeous beaches I've ever seen. initially, I was concerned about spending 8am - 4pm out of the resort, and although it caused me to lose an entire day prior to the wedding, I wouldn't have traded it for the world. people rave about Yuca Treks on TripAdvisor, and I can completely understand why. I'd strongly recommend it if you're considering an excursion (or even just a break for the family). seriously one of the best things we did. http://www.yucatreks.com/ also, there wasn't a single drop of rain in our 10 days at the resort. I think the crazy weather patterns ended with April. fingers crossed for everyone whose weddings are coming up!! I'll save my more resort-specific points for reviews, both here and on TripAdvisor. again, please don't hesitate to reach out with questions. best of luck! in the end, it's all worth it. : ) -kelly

there was a central beach reception the other night that was FREAKING. ROCKIN. IT! the music from the beach carried the entire way through the resort, and lots of people drifted down there to see what was going on. it was awesome - like being at a club. : ) I'd totally recommend the beach. the wind is a factor with everything in the evening here, but it feels great at night (I've even gotten goosebumps once or twice). also, I asked who their DJ was, and they said DJ Mania. he was fab. DO THE BEACH! the garden is pretty, but you can kill it on the beach. ; )

hey ladies, I wrote about the silicon watches on eBay a few pages back. we're at the resort now, and these were probably the biggest hit outside of the bubbas. I'd definitely get one per person and maybe even a few extras in case they disappear/break. I got the 3ATM waterproof ones, and my mom took hers into the pool. it stopped working for a little while but then came back to life. I'm not sure you can expect much for $1 each, but people definitely loved them. : ) also, you'll have to order in advance because they ship from china. I'll put a full review on as soon as I'm back, but I wanted to throw this out there in the meantime. : )

thanks ladies. couple other quick thoughts on things to bring. I wish I had more t-shirts to wear in the pool and during activities like ocean kayaking. everyone here is burnt, and that'd really help. also, be sure you grab a couple baseball caps. again, great to do for the sun. I put on SPF 15, 30 then 55 and still managed to burn one shoulder somehow (I blame the toucan who we took a picture with a few days ago ; ). I'm meeting Matt from Del Sol photography for drinks tonight. can't wait to write more, and I'll check in again as soon as I'm back. : )

my freeze dried rose petals were confiscated by customs when travelling to Mexico. they are definitely NOT ALLOWED. the customs dog sniffed them out immediately. such a bummer.