KPSouthie

Haha! Ok, ok, you girls are funny & very right about the spelling! Oh boy, so I was planning to have my rehearsal dinner at the restaurant near the beach and my welcome reception at the sushi bar or near the pool. Hmmm I wonder if I should switch the rehearsal dinner to the restaurant in the front? I didn't eat there though when we had a site visit though because it was closed. Did any of you? My main concern though is it being real buggy for the wedding reception. I guess the best we can do is get lots & lots of bugspray and citronella oil/candles. Lauren -your cupcakes were very pretty & look yum! YES -Thanks for answering all the questions & providing feedback. It definitely helps!!!!!

Oops realized after I posted I had a typo in my first sentence.

Oh I've had plenty of those days so you are not alone! I'm still sorry to hear about the disappointment but it sounds like their getting a little better. BTW -this is the perfect place to vent so don't apologize! Quote: Originally Posted by lshaef I think I was just having a bad day and I shouldn't think about wedding stuff during work like I was b/c I get too stressed. My FI spoke to Diana on the phone and via email and she has been very helpful and clarified some things for us. Hoping this will continue. So we haven't decided, but I think we're doing a cake through Ceiba. I wonder if their cakes are as delicious & beautiful as the cupcakes? I haven't seen or heard anything about the cakes. Samantha (who is the bride who posted hers that people refer to) said they were as delicious as they looked. Lauren -I wasn't able to view your pic. Not sure why, but any chance can add it to your profile photo album or PM me? I'm curious to see what they look like. I was also thinking about the bug situation again. I know you said to use the Deet bug spray on the beach, but do you remember it being real buggy when you were in the bar areas or around the pool at night? Thanks!

Lucky you Theresa to have someone in the family to take care of your hair and makeup! I've actually done the wedding makeup for a couple of my friends. I was contemplating doing my own, but I'd really rather just sit and relax while someone else does it for me. Oh! I meant to ask, are you definitely doing a civil ceremony or are you still considering a symbolic? We're still going back and forth on this, but I think we're planning to do a symbolic ceremony with a minister Diana recommended. Yes, we did a last minute site visit back in September and that is what sold us on the property. I'm SOOOO happy we did for many reasons. As an events planner I needed to see first hand and experience the resorts as a guest would. I guess that's the type A person in me. While during our visit we stayed at one of the properties we were considering and both hated it. I couldn't imagine staying at this property for more than one day so a wedding there was out of the question! With the Ceiba del Mar we loved the authentic feel, the wedding venue options, the friendly staff and the food & drinks were great! A huge bonus for us was the size. We really wanted everyone to be able to hang out and spend time together. Seeing that we're taking over the majority of the property it's perfect! And did I mention that Diana came in on her day off to meet with us?! She spent over two hours showing us the resort and then sat down afterwards for an hour to discuss our wedding and answer any questions we had. In the end it made a difference with us. BTW Gabi, I owe you a reply!! I will write back in the next day or two.

Thanks Lauren and Theresa for the great info! I saw after my original reply posted to the thread it said "lurker" next to my username. I thought to myself "What the heck is that?? And who's going to reply when they see it?!" Couldn't they just go with "Newbie"?? Haha I've actually been working directly with Diana from the start and she's been fantastic -always prompt with her replies, accomodating and extremely helpful when I've needed her assistance with a couple of issues. She gave me a recommended vendor list, but it's always good to people who've had first hand experience when dealing with the vendors. Gabi -thanks for the warm welcome! We've actually been speaking over email already. Lauren -we were also thinking of doing a bonfire for our welcome reception. Did you have music on the beach? What did you do for chairs/seating? Did people seem to like it? This is one of the many things we're still trying to figure out. Also what did you do, or what are you doing in Theresa's case, about hair & makeup? Thanks again! Kristin

Hi Ladies! I'm new to the board so it's nice to find other Ceiba brides and all of the board’s useful information. We’re booked for July of 2011 and expecting 100 people. I have to say a piece of me is nervous after reading a couple of the reviews, especially one in particular. It’s hard not to second guess our choice after reading the negative ones. However prior to booking we did go down for a site visit to 5 resorts (stayed at Ceiba overnight), spoke to other recent Ceiba brides who had excellent experiences and I’ve read a ton of positive reviews on trip advisor. To date, I’ve had nothing but a positive experience with the hotel and especially when working with Dians so I’m praying they have since taken care of any problems or issues they were having. savvybride2010 –Sounds &looks like you planned an amazing wedding & weekend! Do you have any additional photos from your other events that you’d be willing to share? I’m trying to get ideas for décor. Also I apologize if I missed it, but who did you use for your DJ? We haven’t booked anyone yet but it’s really important for us to have someone who can keep everyone out on the dance floor. Thanks in advance!