deniden

I already got married but I love your review! I love love love your bouquet - never seen one like it before. And loved your centerpieces. Oh, and I'm glad you posted pictures from the cocktail hour. Ours was moved there too and I had no idea what it looked like, lol! It looks like we had similar weather on our wedding days, and you are right - the A/C and the close bathrooms for the ballrooms were definitely a huge plus!

Juan's blog post for our TTD photos: http://www.juanphotos.com/blog/trash-the-dress/trash-the-dress-playa-del-carmen-riviera-maya-denielle-ryan-destination-wedding-photographer/

I did 8 hours of wedding day coverage and 2 hour TTD the next day.

Hi ladies! I posted a review for Juan here: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/juan-navarro-photography/reviews/6163 I got all of my professional pictures from him the other day - 6 DVDs worth! And the wedding album is gorgeous. It's hard cover and just beautiful!

Hi ladies! I posted a review for Marvin here: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/maya-floral/reviews/6165 His service was great, the flowers were gorgeous and vibrant, and no problems!

Hi ladies! Just posted my review: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/the-royal-in-playa-del-carmen-all-inclusive-spa-resort/reviews/6171 I focused more on the wedding side of it, but I also have a link to my TripAdvisor review, which focuses more on the resort itself.

We brought our music down on my iPod on a playlist, and Lili made a list of the songs to ensure it went how I wanted. There was someone controlling the music for us. Seating - "Have you ever really loved a woman" - Bryan Adams Matron of Honor - "All You Need is Love" - The Beatles Bridal Processional - "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys Recessional - "L O V E" - Michael Buble

Hi ladies! I just wanted to post some pictures of my guys in their suits for the wedding (Teaser pictures are here: http://www.juanphotos.com/blog/weddings/the-royal-playa-destination-wedding-denielle-ryan-playa-del-carmen-qroo-mexico/). Best Man & Groom in Tropical English Beige: Father of Groom & Groom - Tropical Rome Beige vs Tropical English Beige

Joanne - congrats on your pregnancy! I love your little tips. I loved TCOYF & I also frequent the Fertility Friend boards. They have great articles, FAQs, and I use them to track my cycle with BBTs & CM. Super helpful. Amber - thanks for the tip about Evening Primrose Oil, I had never heard about that! Well, I've been charting since February since I went off of BC. We "tried" for a honeymoon baby but that didn't happen. I'm in my 2nd cycle of TTC, so we'll see what happens. I'm also taking B6 100mg, which is supposed to help lengethen your luteal phase, and Vitex, which is supposed to be like nature's Clomid. You take the B6 all cycle, and then the Vitex from Cycle Day 1 until ovulation.

That was our exact menu. The guests LOVED both entrees. I ate the beef and loved it, and I'm honestly not even really a red meat eater. I don't think I have any pictures, but I'll look around.

Leslie - you look gorgeous and I LOVE your dress! Congrats!

I think that we only paid 1 price for the cocktail hour, I don't remember there being separate prices for open bar vs not... maybe it's something new they are doing?

Juan posted some more teasers on his blog: http://www.juanphotos.com/blog/weddings/the-royal-playa-destination-wedding-denielle-ryan-playa-del-carmen-qroo-mexico/

Morning ladies! Well, Juan posted some teaser pictures from our wedding! http://www.juanphotos.com/blog/weddings/the-royal-playa-destination-wedding-denielle-ryan-playa-del-carmen-qroo-mexico/

We chose 2 entrees (my off-site coordinator, Ana, told me we could pick from any menu - we did the Beef Filet with Dijon Mustard & Provencial Herbs and the Chicken Casablanca stuffed w/ Seafood) and then our guests had to pick from one of those two options. We had to turn in the final numbers 45 days out of who wanted what. We also had 1 person who got the vegetarian meal, and we were able to pick which of the vegetarian meals she wanted.

We paid the vendor fee.

We had a Facebook group, so the ones I didn't know, I asked there or asked them via text message.

So, I'm back from my wedding and honeymoon and have had some time to gather my thoughts. What I Would Do Again Marry my husband - no-brainer! Use my travel agent, she was so organized and dealt with my crazy lady emails everyday. She helped us find the resort of our dreams and in the price range that we were comfortable with for our guests. Everything was so well thought-out and organized by her, and she arranged everything so well with the hotel for check-in - all of my guests except for 2 got early check-in. Get married at The Royal Playa del Carmen - I'm waiting for my professional pictures to post a review, but really, this place has it ALL! Use the forums on this site - seriously, the tips on here are amazing! Vistaprint - what a life saver! I made so many things for free on Vistaprint and the quality is amazing! Bring down my own chair sashes - it added a perfect pop of color to our ceremony and reception and the price was nil compared to what the resort wanted to charge Videographer - I initially had no interest in a videographer, but am glad we hired one (Cancun Wedding Video) - at the end of the day, all you have left are pictures and video Trash the Dress - we did a TTD session with our photographer (Juan Navarro) in the ocean. It was very tiring (make sure you eat a good breakfast!) but from the pictures we've seen so far, worth every single penny. No one we know will have pictures like this, and we even wore our actual wedding clothes in the water. So fun! OOT Bags - everyone loved them, and I'm glad we gave them out BEFORE the trip. Less for us to take to Mexico and people got to pick and choose exactly what they wanted to bring down. We did a "travel document pickup" meeting and gave everyone their OOT bags and travel documents then. So easy! Cocktail Hour - for cocktail hour, I made an iPod playlist of all of the couples' wedding songs who were in attendance, what a hit! Reception - We did all of "formal" stuff at the beginning (first dances, parent dances, cake cutting, speeches, toasts, blessings) so that once dinner was done being served, it was party time! No interruptions, no slow songs, just a ton of dancing! Photograph List - I emailed my photographer a list of "must have" pictures (formal shots with family, etc) so that we didn't miss anyone - worked out perfectly. Separate honeymoon - we honeymooned for a week in Jamaica after our wedding. We had 2 days after the wedding with our guests and then finally got some private time. It was nice to unwind after dealing with 50 people and the pressures of the wedding. Do the legal thing at home/write our own ceremony script - it made it so much easier for us with DH's divorce and paperwork-wise. We also got to have a friend officiate our ceremony (both at home and in Mexico) which meant writing our own ceremony script, which I loved. No one will ever have the same wedding script as us, ever. Photo Guestbook - everyone loved the props and the FujiFilm instant camera. The guestbook is totally personal and our friends' personalities shine through. Plus, we plan on reusing the camera for at-home parties. Wear a veil - this is a big "to do"/"not to do" for destination brides... and I, myself, wasn't convinced I wanted one until I saw myself in one in my dress. Do it! It makes for great pictures, you really feel like a bride, and when else are you going to be able to wear one?! LOL. I kept mine on the entire night! What I Wouldn't Do Again Program Fans - I made them, they were pretty cheap to make, but still I'm not sure the effort was worth it. Even though it was hot, not many people used them and even fewer kept them. We had an entire pile of them after the ceremony. Weather - I let myself stress about the weather every single day from when we arrived in Mexico up until our wedding. Our reception had to be moved inside, which turned out to be better for us, but I should've never let it stress me. The resorts always have back up plans! Schedule an AHR - We had one scheduled for next month, but are having to cancel it due to closing on the house we are building. I had no desire for one from the start, but started planning it mostly for my parents' benefit, even though they were not paying for it. If I could do it all over again, I would've never even mentioned the possibility of having one. I just never wanted an "at home" affair. I think that's it for now! Will post more if it comes to me! :)D Denielle

I had asked about candles and they will supply them - but charge you something like $2 or $3 a candle.

Um, let me think - the bags themselves didn't get used too much. Some people used them, but alot of people had their own beach bags that they liked to use. Most of the other items were used, but for the things that might not have been put to use (like some of the first aid stuff, some of the sewing kit stuff), people said they are "good to haves" for travel. When I was making the bags, I tried to think of stuff I like to have when I travel, and that made it easier. The mugs were definitely a big hit and very useful!

I was originally supposed to have my reception on the beach - mother nature didn't agree so we ended up in a ballroom, which to me, was even better. Regardless, I asked similar questions before and no one complained about sand in the food. Although, I must caution you that it gets very windy down on the beach, especially at night. I had luminarias for decoration and the WC told me they'd have a hard time with them because of the wind. If we are thinking of the same place (the only other place I can think of is the garden by the gazebo) - the central garden seems very pretty, but it doesn't seem like you'd have much privacy at all. In order to get to the lobby, most people walk on those walkways. Plus, the tequila bar is right there.

Ours ended around 9:30pm. We then transferred the party to an outdoor bar at our resort. We didn't last long, but I know those that stayed out went out on 5th Avenue and partied the night away, lol.