SarahBen2011

It's really really tough at first. I was extremely frustrated. Each time they changed a coordinator I had to go through everything again, re-confirm prices, etc. But I've heard that most resorts are like this... it's just the way they operate. We decided to go with the free package since we are not using their photographer and therefore didn't need that portion of the higher up packages (Michelle Turner, she seems so great!). And the packages only include 20 people and we knew we'd have more than that as well. AND we didn't want to spend money on a cocktail hour (which ends up being about $30 a person) so that's another reason we went for the free deal. I'm doing a full planning thread in a few weeks so I'll try to remember and post that here for you too! Have fun planning! Have you set a date?

Congrats LTLFAITHY!!!! It's true - the wedding coordinators at Dreams are a bit MIA and so far we've gone through 3 different coordinators. I'm a very detail oriented person so it took some time to get over that and some of the miscommunication we had. But, I'm getting married here in 4 weeks and now everything is lined up and ready to go. I'll keep you posted but I'm very excited!

sxcT you will NOT regret having a pro do your pics! Joanne had some great advise. I really wish I would have shown my photog some pictures that i wanted to re-create. I forgot to mention it while i was shooting (i was too nervous trying to look "sexy") hahaha. So i missed out on some shots i wanted. And - seriously go out of your comfort zone! I just got my pics back and i love them... but they aren't as HOT as i wanted them to be. They are pretty and some of them are seductive, but i could've gone all out and i held back. DON'T hold back! Here are 2 pics that dont' show my face :-) I'm making my book on Picaboo I think.... not sure yet!

$500 that is insane! Is the person doing your hair/make-up a guest of the wedding or staying at the hotel? If so you wouldn't have to pay anything. You don't want to do hair/make-up at their salon? They quoted me $100 for an external videographer or photographer - and they quoted that last fall so maybe prices have gone up (as usual)! All of our weddings are coming up so fast! We get get married in 36 days so we leave in 33!! ahhhh i'm beyond excited! And our bach parties are this weekend so that'll be a blast! It's time to start WORKING OUT, I'm such a slacker!!!

BGardner - You'll check in when we check out :-) The outside vendor fee is $100... so not too bad! We are also heading to Yelapa for our honeymoon!!! But we are staying at Verana for 4 nights! Although Lagunita looks amazing as well!!!!! Hhaha Verana is even more "open" so I'm also curious / nervous about the bugs but it'll be such an adventure!

Pucca congrats on the legal wedding!!!! So exciting! And sxcT I love your dress!!!! Beautiful! I too am already "planning" my planning thread HA. I've been taking and saving down pictures and will hopefully post a week or two before I leave. I kind of wish I had more to do on my list... but I'm sure I won't be saying that in a few weeks :-) The next month is going to FLY by.

Hmm good call... I also did a BD shoot and want to get him something else as a more "traditional" gift. He really liked the cigar cases we got the GM... so maybe I'll surprise him and order one of those?

Congrats B Gardner! When is your wedding day? Ours is 11/18/11 so I think you are right after us!? We're getting our hair/make-up done at the salon at Dreams. We have appointments confirmed and they seem really great to work with. My 2nd fitting is at the end of Oct and I'm going to do a hair trail that morning so I can see how my hair looks with my dress/veil! And this way I can bring a picture to Dreams and show them exactly what I want :-)

Good ideas on the tipping you guys! I found out we need to pay our videographer cash (PromovisionPV) which makes me soooo nervous to travel with all that hard cash. But, ah well. Checked a few things off the list today on our lunch breaks - got our marriage license , ordered both of our wedding bands and FI got his suit altered! Feels so nice! And we ordered the cigar cases & engraved cutters from elighters.com last night. Great website if your GMs like cigars!

I'd like to get legally married as close to when we leave as possible, so we're aiming for 11/12 BUT we are getting the certificate today just to get it out of the way. You have to get married within 60 days. Does anyone know if you can adjust what the judge says while he's marrying you? We also want to keep it all "business" and save the emotion for the DW!!

UMM yes this is the main thing left on our to-do list that we keep avoiding. Our music is all over the place (between 3 computers, some work, some personal). So we have to go through and figure out which songs we have on what computer, which songs we have to download, etc. It's too bad the DJs there don't have a music library like the US / Canadian DJs.. Ah the joys of DWs ;-) Just curious - what are you guys doing for gifts for the GMs and parents...??

It has been pretty quiet on this thread lately! I leave 6 weeks from today and am getting SOOOooOOOO excited! I started putting together my OOT bags this past weekend and are pretty much done. Yippie! The only things left on the to-do list are alter FI's suit, order the GM gifts (we're thinking engraved cigar cases and will put Mexican cigars in there when we arrive), waiting for the programs to come in so I can assemble, we're ordering our wedding bands on Thursday and will be sending our pre-travel brochures next week. The main thing on our list is the MUSIC!!! Ahhh what a task. I had my first dress fitting last week and just love love love it! The BM dresses are LATE and I'm starting to freak out but the shop keeps telling me they will be here "soon". Trying not to go bridezilla and will give them one week before loosing it. mllek1986 let me know what you do with your purple cocktail - we want to do something similar!!! How fun! I've been working with Fatima and she's been pretty good lately. We have had most of the details decided on for a while, so fingers crossed we're in good shape! Has anyone gotten married at Dreams PV lately? I'd love to hear an update!

SarahBen2011 Sarah Nov. 15th Nov. 18th Mexico - PV I need to get cracking on my OOT bag assembly! What type of bags are you using for your "wedding survival / health kit"?? I've seen a lot of people use glad bags and print out a card stock label for the top... has anyone else done anything else...?

Update! 7 weeks until we leave!!!! So excited! We sent invitations in May and set the RSVP date for end of August. I knew I wanted boarding pass invites but figured I couldn't really pull it off as a DIY (I'm not that creative!). Luckily my FI's sister if law's family owns a printing company and they did our invites for us! I bought button and string envelopes from Paper Source. They were so cute!

I cannot believe your wedding is in Feb 2012 and you are already pretty much done with these!!!!! Amazing!

Hmm good call ladies! How much are you guys thinking...?

Gotta love Vista Print! I soo wish I could start packing like you guys - but we live in a one bedroom condo. It's already busting at the seams! I did, however, write up a packing list already. :-) I'm glad I'm not alone! We leave 7 weeks from yesterday!!!!!!

This thread was SOOO helpful! So I thought I'd share our script which was taken from this and a few things online. It runs about 8 minutes when I read it, but I think it'll go a little slower. Is that too quick? It's 2 pages in Word. Still trying to decide if we should add a reading. Are most of you guys doing a reading? Opening On behalf of Sarah and Ben, I want to thank you all for gathering here on this beautiful day to witness their marriage ceremony. The fact that you all have traveled such a great distance to be here today is a testament to the amazing amount of love and support they have. Many of you have given them much happiness, love and guidance through the various stages of their lives and their relationship. They would like to sincerely thank you all for being here to witness and celebrate this moment. Ceremony The marriage between Sarah and Ben does not mark the beginning of a new relationship; it is an acknowledgement and celebration of a relationship that has been flourishing since they met. For Sarah and Ben, marriage is an affirmation of life, an undying commitment, a spiritual, emotional, and intellectual bond between two people. It is created from the purest of friendship, respect and love. The institution of marriage is not entered into lightly, because it symbolizes commitment on every level. Together you will continue to meet the challenges and obstacles of life head-on. Marriage is perhaps the greatest and most challenging adventure. It is the mutual commitment of two people sincerely in love who share the same dreams about life. But more than that, it is the intimate sharing of two lives. A successful relationship takes more than just love. It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so. And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both. Love is life’s highest emotion. It makes us less selfish, it makes our personalities grow, and it makes our lives more meaningful. It is caring about the welfare and happiness of your partner as your own. Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. You have chosen to walk through life together. There is no truer statement of love. The choice was not made by any one moment, but by being together you grew to realize that you belonged together and that you fulfilled each other’s needs. You have come to thrive upon each other’s presence, loyalty and wisdom. The commitment you make today will be the foundation on which you will build your life together. Look at one another… remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another - acquaintance, best friend, companion, roommate, supporter, and even teacher. Now you will say a few words that take you across a threshold of life. For after these vows, you will say to the world, THIS- is my husband, THIS- is my wife. Declaration of Intent to Marry The covenant of marriage is one that can be entered into only by persons who are both legally and spiritually free to offer themselves to each other. Therefore, in the presence of God and in the presence of all of the witnesses here, I will ask Sarah and Ben to state their intention. Do you, Ben, knowing this woman’s love for you and returning it, realizing her strengths and learning from them, recognizing her weaknesses and helping her to overcome them, give yourself to Sarah in the holy state of matrimony? “I do†Do you, Sarah, knowing this man’s love for you and returning it, realizing his strengths and learning from them, recognizing his weaknesses and helping him to overcome them, give yourself to Ben in the holy state of matrimony? “I do†Vows Ben and Sarah please face each other and join your hands. (To Groom) Please repeat after me: I, Ben, take you Sarah, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live. (To Bride) Please repeat after me: I, Sarah, take you Ben, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live. Exchange of Rings The wedding ring is a symbol of unity, a circle unbroken, without beginning or end. And today Ben and Sarah give and receive these rings as confirmation of their vows. (To the groom), take this ring and place it on Sarah’s finger. Repeat after me: “Wear this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. With this ring I thee wed.†(To the bride), take this ring and place it on Ben’s finger. Repeat after me: “Wear this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. With this ring I thee wed.†Flowers for Parents This wedding celebration is a joining of two unique families who stood separate until today. Sarah and Ben would like to honor their families and acknowledge the love and sacrifice that each of them has made to make them who they are today. *we'll hug each set of parents and present a flower to our moms* Closing: Sarah and Ben, remember to treat each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulty or fear assail your relationship – as they threatened all relationships at one time or another – remember to focus on what is right between you. Give to one another new experiences of joy. Challenge one another so that you may grow. May the love you hold for each other, now sealed in marriage, continue to mature with the passing years. May you never take each other for granted, but always experience the wonder of your union. Remember the journey that brought you to each day of your lives together. With the support of your families and friends, by the vows you have made to one another and in the presence of God, I now pronounce you “Husband and Wife.†You may kiss the bride!

Dreams PV is free room service and the mini fridge is free / included as well!

A little under 8 weeks for me! Our list: Buy earrings for BMs Order programs / put them together Buy final items for OOT bags (almost done though!) Order wedding rings (we reallllly need to get on this) Get legally married Alter my dress & FI's suite Finalize music play list Figure out GM gifts Teeth whitening! So we're in okay shape, I hope!? hahah

I love the burned paper! Did you buy or make??

No they are so easy! It looks really small but it's bigger in person. I can get the paper in and out no problem!

While at work I've decided to print out some of my escort cards and see how they work! The cork is MUCH bigger than I thought it was going to be...but it's still cute! I bought fun "rustic" paper at Hobby Lobby, but the color will blend in too much with the sand once it's all put together. So I'll probably just go with plain white paper! And I put it next to my lip gloss so people can see the size. Thoughts?

Gorgeous! I love seeing pictures like this! Getting me so excited

I can't believe some people still haven't RSVP'd for you guys! So far I've bought my OOT bag items at target (advil, kleenx) and Minims (pepto, aloe, gatorade packets). I got koozies made from Barry Promos on Etsy. I got decks of cards from OTC and fridge magnets from Vista Print. I need to add more things to the bags that will take up some space but not cost a lot!!!