MrsHK

Hi ladies! Congrats to you all on your upcoming weddings! I'm a May 2013 bride that happens to live in Playa Del Carmen in the Riviera Maya. I saw that there were a couple of brides in this thread that are getting married down here. First, I wanted to offer my assistance if either of you has any questions about the area. We've been living down here for a year now and know the area quite well. Throw any questions you may have my way! Second, I'm in the process of collecting some decor for our rustic vintage themed wedding down here on May 22nd. I'm having a hard time finding everything I need since the area caters mostly to tourists and doesn't really have a ton of options in the way of home decor. If anyone having their wedding in Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Tulum or anywhere in between would like to sell some of their decor items to me please let me know! This may also help with baggage fees on the way home These are some of the things we are still looking for: - anything that would suit a vintage or rustic style wedding - a birdcage (rustic looking if possible) - string lighting of any sort, exposed bulb and christmas lights - frames for a DIY photobooth - oil lamps or lanterns - tin buckets of various sizes - one parasol in any shade of purple, teal or turquoise - small glass candleholders or candles holders of any kind - white or teal paper picado (as long as its not personalized of course) - a wooden ampersand symbol - barefoot sandals for size 8 feet - anything else that's ivory, blush, lavender or turquoise Thanks, and happy planning to everyone! You guys are getting really close!

I'm not sure if she does French Macarons, but Zaida from Dolcet bakery does great work. You could email her and if she doesn't make them she might know someone who does. She usually takes 3 or 4 days to write you back as she's very busy. Zaida, Dolcet Bakery: http://dolcetcakes.com/weddings I assume these are the sort of things that need to be fresh and you couldn't bring them from home in some tupperware?

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll look into some local DJ prices, although our WC quoted $1000 for her person a few months back. I'm assuming its the same company and possibly the same guy. We actually already have a friend of ours MCing so we don't need a DJ for that. I'm going to contact some local companies and see if I can get a better price. It's too bad that I have to go around my WC to try and get better prices... I hired her to find me the best deals out there and I'm not quite sure that's happening. I'm certainly not the first bride to say this, but I'm getting really of tired of all the "wedding pricing". I'm certainly not cheap and am willing to spend money on quality things, but I feel like some of these price quotes I'm getting are so silly! Why must we pay out the wazoo to celebrate our love? As soon as something out there is for a wedding the item/service triples in price. Oh well, I'll just keep working on my DIY stuff to save our hard earned money and will keep negotiating with vendors for the best price possible. Nothing else I can do, really.

The tech guy is not actually going to be Djing at all or providing any lighting, he just works for a DJ company. It's just speaker & mic rental with set up & take down, plus "operation" which is just plugging stuff in and making sure it works. We're giving our iPod to the WC so all the tech guy will do is plug it in and make sure the speakers are playing. $800 + $120 for suggested tip seems steep to me but the WC says that's normal... Maybe it's because we have to hire an external company since our hotel doesn't have any to rent. I may see what a few local companies down here charge without mentioning a wedding and see what they say. Thanks for sharing your costs, ladies! And yes Heather, we have TONS of music! We play music in our house from the moment we wake us until we go to bed. Sometimes Mikee will even play music while we sleep! We carry our Jambox (which is an AMAZING little bluetooth speaker by the way) with us everywhere and always have music; at the beach, at the pool, etc... Mikee is in charge of the music for the wedding and I know he'll do an amazing job! We had a going away party for over 100 people when we moved down here to Mexico and he made a 5 hour playlist that he got tons of compliments on! A lot of our friends are in bands or are involved in music in some way so they're not super easy to impress. I'm happy to share our playlist on here once we have it finalized!

Please do share with everyone who needs it! I think I had two posts, the one you quoted above and another with the prices and email from place at 30th & 16th across from Walmart. There's also a place at 30th Ave and 20th street which is across the main intersection of Constituyentes just past the Mega on the left. Between Walmart and those two flowers shops I'm sure you everyone will find what they need! There may be some local wedding florists that aren't super stoked on me sharing all this info, but I think it's only fair that everyone has all the info they need to make their decisions. I'm sure there's still plenty of floral business down here despite a handful of DIY flower brides I would suggest bringing all the florist tape, ribbons and pins you'll need from home for your bouquets so you don't have to look for it here. Another thought I had is if the resort will care if you come in with your own flowers? If they see you coming in with bunches of flowers they might try to charge some kind of vendor fee. I guess either be stealthy about it or let them know ahead of time that you're doing them yourself.

Ladies, I have a quick question about your sound equipment and music for the evening. What are you doing for speakers and microphone for the ceremony, dinner and reception? How much is your resort charging you for rental? Are you using a DJ or using your iPod? Our hotel is quite small (non all-inclusive) and they don't have speakers for us to rent. We're hiring a DJ company to bring the equipment, set it up on the beach and then move it to the reception, operate it through the evening and then take it down once the party ends. We prefer to play our own playlists so we're not using the DJ to do anything but set the equipment up and make sure it's running. Our WC will be in charge of making sure the right playlist is playing. Our WC quoted $800 for the speaker rental plus a suggested $120 tip for the guy running the equipment. Our ceremony is at 5:00 so I figure he'll come around 3:30pm and will leave around 1:00am. Does that sound about right for price? I have nothing to compare it to...

Thank you, that would be awesome! I always seem to have trouble securing the ends. The parts where they divide confuse me too... haha

Wow ladies, I love all the dresses on here! You all look fantastic! I bought a Ramona Keveza dress second hand (and saved $1800, woo hoo!) These photos are from last summer before any alterations. I'm going to be getting the alterations done in March, including beading all the way down the back, and will also be wearing a sash on my wedding day. The veil I'm wearing in the last photo isn't mine, that's just the one the shop had for me to try on. Mine has a clip with lace and pearls rather than a flower.

I agree with the girls above, add a bottle of his favourite booze or a booze local to your destination plus a money clip or shaving kit. It really depends on what his interests and hobbies are, and I guess if he shaves his face or not. Lots of guys rock the scruff these days! If he likes to go to the spa maybe you could get him a GC for a spa day either on the trip or back home that you guys can do together?

Both the Now Sapphire and Now Jade resorts are near a small fishing town called Puerto Morelos. It's halfway between Playa Del Carmen and Cancun so you could go to either city to find a flower store. I live in Playa and rarely head up to Cancun so I don't know any specific locations, although I'm sure you could ask anyone in Cancun where a flower shop is and they'd be able to point you in the right direction. Cancun is a much busier and bigger city than Playa. I can only speak for flower shop prices and locations in Playa Del Carmen. The flower store I recommend in Playa is on the corner of 30th Av and Calle 16. It is called Floreria Sac-Nah and is right across the street from the Walmart. Their email address is [email protected]. They don't speak English so I reccomend using Google translate if you want to email them to pre order your flowers. I would say you're having a gathering of friends and don't need them arranged (they charge more for arranging), and don't mention they are for a wedding!! I wouldn't do it too far in advance either since "gatherings of friends" aren't usually planned months ahead of time. Their price for gerber daisies is 220 pesos or $17.24. I'm sure they have lots of colours!

I love your barefoot sandals! Would you by any chance want to do a step-by-step guide for us girls that are having trouble doing it ourselves, maybe when you do them with you girls? And yes, you should for sure start an Etsy account for those that don't want to make them! Yours are some of the best I've seen, DIY or for sale online.

Quote: Originally Posted by melnryluvco My gosh! I could seriously kiss you right now! I feel like I have a spy on the the other side who is passing vital information to us!! Thank you so much for all your input. It is very much appricated. Quote: Originally Posted by cherany Ditto! I feel so much more confident about DIY flowers now! Was really nervous about that part of things and was feeling like I had to spend hundreds of dollars we can't really afford, just to ease my mind about it. I doubt I will book an expensive florist now. No worries ladies! If you need any more insider info, let me know! I'm going with a real touch bouquet that I will then put in a brass pitcher for our sweetheart table centrepiece. For the guests' tables we're using stems of flowers in a variety of bottles, jars and vases. Some I will get from the flower shop (I found one in Tulum!) and some I will have Vanessa Jaime deliver. I scrapped the fresh flower centrepieces, $70-$90 per table seemed like too much to spend on something that doesn't last past the evening. We're going to use a mix of lanterns, the bottles and vases and candles on the tables. No big expensive arrangements needed! I wish I had an endless flower budget, not just for the wedding but for everyday! Haha maybe one day I'll pay to have fresh flowers delivered to the house every week

These are amazing! I've been trying to figure out how to do a pair for myself. Any chance you'd take a few step by step pictures when you do them with your girls? I'd love a little help in this area! Thanks

Hi there! Yes I would be interested in doing that for sure. I'll send you a PM right now!

Yes there are a few places that sell vases, although they are a much thinner glass than you'd be used to at somewhere like Homesense or Pier 1. They would work just fine though for the purpose! Walmart has a handful of vases but not a huge selection. I would recommend the fabric/craft type store that's across just the street from the Mega to the left called Modelas. They have a variety of vases there for about 15-20 pesos each. For fresh flowers I'll copy and paste what I wrote in another thread: One place I've consistently seen flowers available is Walmart at 30th Ave & 12th St. I took a picture of what the roses cost and as of last week it was 47 pesos for 6 roses ($4) and 85 pesos for 12 roses ($7). The selection is limited though so it depends what you are looking for and how much. There are also quite a few little flower shops in town, or "florerias" as they are called down here. I went to a flower shop last night and their prices were a bit higher than Walmart although the quality is probably higher too. You can also pre-order with them via email with the shop I went into. It is called Floreria Sac-Nah and it is on the corner of 30th Ave and Calle 16, right across the street from the Walmart. Their email address is [email protected]. They don't speak English so I reccomend using Google translate if you want to email them to pre order your flowers. I would say you're having a gathering of friends and don't need them arranged (they charge more for arranging), and don't mention they are for a wedding!! I wouldn't do it too far in advance either since "gatherings of friends" aren't usually planned months ahead of time. I took a photo of their price list (all in Spanish and pesos but I translated it) and here it is: Carnation (Clavel): 12 for 60 pesos or $4.70 Daisy (Margarita): 12 for 80 pesos or $6.30 Pom Pom: 12 for 80 pesos or $6.30 Gladiola: 12 for 80 pesos or $6.30 Spider (Spaider): 12 for 80 pesos or $6.30 Alstroemeria: 12 for 150 pesos or $11.76 Roses: 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Gerber Daisy: 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Cala Lilies (Alcatraz): 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Hibiscus (Hawaianas): 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Birds of Paradise (Aves de Parasio): 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Heliconia (similar to BoP): 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Iris: 1 for 25 pesos ($2), price for 12 was blocked by a shelf... why they put a shelf in front of their price list, I don't know... the rest of the prices will be per 1 stem since that's the only price I could see They had a bunch listed that all seem to be coming up in Google as lilies... Lily (Lili): 1 for 25 pesos ($2) Tiger Lily (Acapulco): 1 for 45 pesos ($3.53) White Lily (Casa Blancas): 1 for 45 pesos ($3.53) Lily (Azucenas): 1 for 45 pesos ($3.53) Tulipanes (Tulips): 1 for 45 pesos ($3.53) At both places, the florerias and Walmart, the selections are not as big as you'd see at home but between Walmart and maybe one floreria you would be able to find enough for your bouquets and tables, depending on which flowers you want. The roses come in various colours too although I'm not sure exactly which colours aside from the usual red and pink. The quality here can vary, but if you order from a floreria I think you will get better quality. Another thing to consider is if you'll have a fridge to keep your bouquets in. It is very hot and humid down here and your bouquets might wilt if you leave them out for a day or two even if they're in water. I'd recommend keeping them in a fridge in a bucket of water if you can. I'm using a wedding florist for the flowers I can't find at the shops in town and will probably buy the other ones myself. I don't want tropical flowers so the ones my florist suggested for me are roses, freesias and lisianthus. I haven't been able to find the last two in the flower shops though, only roses. She suggested silk flowers for the ones that I want that would require her to import them from Holland. She also has all kind of tropical flowers such as lilies, cala lilies, gerber daisies, orchids, snapdragons, birds of paradise and a few others. Her prices are of course higher than the flower shops and Walmart but she will arrange them for you, deliver them and you are guaranteed good quality. Her name is Vanessa Jaimes - http://www.vanessajaimes.com If you pick tropical flowers you'll have a better chance of finding them at a reasonable price since we are in the topics, either on your own or from a wedding florist. Hope that helps for those of you doing DIY bouquets! Again, I think the prices at Walmart are better than the florerias but you're risking not being able to pre-order and having a limited selection.

Hi ladies! Congrats to you all on your upcoming weddings! I'm a May 2013 bride that happens to live in Playa Del Carmen in the Riviera Maya. I saw that there were a couple of brides in this thread that are getting married down here. First, I wanted to offer my assistance if either of you has any questions about the area. We've been living down here for a year now and know the area quite well. Throw any questions you may have my way! Second, I'm in the process of collecting some decor for our rustic vintage themed wedding down here on May 22nd. I'm having a hard time finding everything I need since the area caters mostly to tourists and doesn't really have a ton of options in the way of home decor. If anyone having their wedding in Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Tulum or anywhere in between would like to sell some of their decor items to me please let me know! This may also help with baggage fees on the way home These are some of the things we are still looking for: - anything that would suit a vintage or rustic style wedding - a birdcage (rustic looking if possible) - string lighting of any sort, exposed bulb and christmas lights - props and frames for a DIY photobooth (nothing too cheesy, we're think more of a "gentlemen & ladies" style" - oil lamps or lanterns - tin buckets of various sizes - one parasol in any shade of purple, teal or turquoise - small glass candleholders - burlap runners that are around 13 feet long - white or teal paper lanterns - white or teal paper picado (as long as its not personalized of course) - a wooden or metal ampersand symbol - a birdcage - barefoot sandals for size 8 feet - anything else that's ivory, blush, lavender or turquoise Thanks, and happy planning to everyone! You guys are getting really close!

Here's the schedule that my WC suggested with a few changes from me. I haven't talked it over with the photographer yet so it may still change a bit. We don't have a wedding party so we don't have to schedule photos for that in. Sunset on May 22 is scheduled for 7:21 p.m so this is what we're thinking... Breakfast with FI, family & friends - 10:30 Start getting ready - 12:00 Getting ready pictures with my family & girlfriends - 2:00 First look & photos with FI - 3:00 Freshen up & have a snack so I don't pass out from nerves! - 4:40 - 5:00 Ceremony - 5:00 transition to cocktail & photos with family - 5:30 - 5:45 Cocktail hour - 5:45 - 6:45 transition to dinner 6:45 - 7:00 Dinner & speeches - 7:00 - 9:00 First dance & cake cutting - 9:00 Party time!! - 9:15 - 1:00 Michelle - Your guest book and cups look great! That book will be such a treasure for you two We found some vintage Mexican postcards in Mexico City that we're going to have everyone sign for our guestbook. I spent hours at the antique market sorting through them and looking for blank ones, but we found enough!

Hi ladies! Congrats to you all on your upcoming weddings! I'm a May 2013 bride that happens to live in Playa Del Carmen in the Riviera Maya. I saw that there were a couple of brides in this thread that are getting married down here. First, I wanted to offer my assistance if either of you has any questions about the area. We've been living down here for a year now and know the area quite well. Throw any questions you may have my way! Second, I'm in the process of collecting some decor for our rustic vintage themed wedding down here on May 22nd. I'm having a hard time finding everything I need since the area caters mostly to tourists and doesn't really have a ton of options in the way of home decor. If anyone having their wedding in Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Tulum or anywhere in between would like to sell some of their decor items to me please let me know! This may also help with baggage fees on the way home These are some of the things we are still looking for: - anything that would suit a vintage or rustic style wedding - fans in lighter shades of pink, teal, lavender, ivory or just made of wood - a birdcage (rustic looking if possible) - string lighting of any sort, exposed bulb and christmas lights - props and frames for a DIY photobooth (nothing too cheesy, we're think more of a "gentlemen & ladies" style" - oil lamps - tin buckets of various sizes - a parasol in any shade of purple, teal or turquoise - small glass candleholders - burlap or lace runners that would fit rectangle tables for 10-12 people - white or teal paper lanterns - white or teal paper picado (as long as its not personalized of course) - anything else that's ivory, blush, lavender or turquoise Thanks, and happy planning to everyone! You guys are getting really close!

Hi ladies! Congrats to you all on your upcoming weddings! I'm a May 2013 bride that happens to live in Playa Del Carmen in the Riviera Maya. I saw that there were a couple of brides in this thread that are getting married down here. First, I wanted to offer my assistance if either of you has any questions about the area. We've been living down here for a year now and know the area quite well. Throw any questions you may have my way! Second, I'm in the process of collecting some decor for our rustic vintage themed wedding down here on May 22nd. I'm having a hard time finding everything I need since the area caters mostly to tourists and doesn't really have a ton of options in the way of home decor. If anyone having their wedding in Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Tulum or anywhere in between would like to sell some of their decor items to me please let me know! This may also help with baggage fees on the way home These are some of the things we are still looking for: - anything that would suit a vintage or rustic style wedding - fans in lighter shades of pink, teal, lavender, ivory or just made of wood - a birdcage (rustic looking if possible) - string lighting of any sort, exposed bulb and christmas lights - props and frames for a DIY photobooth (nothing too cheesy, we're think more of a "gentlemen & ladies" style" - oil lamps - tin buckets of various sizes - a parasol in any shade of purple, teal or turquoise - small glass candleholders - burlap or lace runners that would fit rectangle tables for 10-12 people - white or teal paper lanterns - white or teal paper picado (as long as its not personalized of course) - anything else that's ivory, blush, lavender or turquoise Thanks, and happy planning to everyone! You guys are getting really close!

As far as I know there's not really seasonal flowers down here as the temperature doesn't vary a huge amount year round. The only season we have a rainy season, hurricane season, mosquito season and holy moly it is really hot and humid season. The ones she suggested for me are roses, freesias and lisianthus. I haven't been able to find the last two in the flower shops though, only roses. She suggested silk flowers for the ones that I want that would require her to import them from Holland. She also has all kind of tropical flowers such as lilies, cala lilies, gerber daisies, orchids, snapdragons, birds of paradise and a few others. Her prices are of course higher than the flower shops but she will arrange them for you, deliver them and you are guaranteed good quality. If you pick tropical flowers you'll have a better chance of finding them at a reasonable price since we are in the topics, either on your own or from a wedding florist. Most of the tropical ones I listed are availble at the flower shops in town. I went to a flower shop last night and their prices were a bit higher than Walmart although the quality is probably higher too. You can also pre-order with them via email with the shop I went into. It is called Floreria Sac-Nah and it is on the corner of 30th Ave and Calle 16, right across the street from the Walmart. Their email address is [email protected]. They don't speak English so I reccomend using Google translate if you want to email them to pre order your flowers. I would say you're having a gathering of friends and don't need them arranged, and don't mention they are for a wedding!! I wouldn't do it too far in advance either since "gatherings of friends" aren't usually planned months ahead of time. I took a photo of their price list (all in Spanish and pesos but I translated it) and here it is: Carnation (Clavel): 12 for 60 pesos or $4.70 Daisy (Margarita): 12 for 80 pesos or $6.30 Pom Pom: 12 for 80 pesos or $6.30 Gladiola: 12 for 80 pesos or $6.30 Spider (Spaider): 12 for 80 pesos or $6.30 Alstroemeria: 12 for 150 pesos or $11.76 Roses: 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Gerber Daisy: 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Cala Lilies (Alcatraz): 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Hibiscus (Hawaianas): 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Birds of Paradise (Aves de Parasio): 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Heliconia (similar to BoP): 12 for 220 pesos or $17.24 Iris: 1 for 25 pesos ($2), price for 12 was blocked by a shelf... why they put a shelf in front of their price list, I don't know... the rest of the prices will be per 1 stem since that's the only price I could see They had a bunch listed that all seem to be coming up in Google as lilies... Lily (Lili): 1 for 25 pesos ($2) Tiger Lily (Acapulco): 1 for 45 pesos ($3.53) White Lily (Casa Blancas): 1 for 45 pesos ($3.53) Lily (Azucenas): 1 for 45 pesos ($3.53) Tulipanes (Tulips): 1 for 45 pesos ($3.53) Hope that helps for those of you doing DIY bouquets! Again, I think the prices at Walmart are better than the florerias but you're risking not being able to pre-order and having a limited selection. I'm going to Walmart today so I'll have a look at what the other prices are.

Hi ladies! Congrats to you all on your upcoming weddings! I'm a May 2013 bride that happens to live in Playa Del Carmen in the Riviera Maya. I saw that there were a couple of brides in here that are getting married down here, specifically seatkins22 and Amanda Gardner. First, I wanted to offer my assistance if either of you has any questions about the area. We've been living down here for a year now and know the area quite well. Throw any questions you may have my way! Second, I'm in the process of collecting some decor for our rustic vintage themed wedding down here on May 22nd. I'm having a hard time finding everything I need since the area caters mostly to tourists and doesn't really have a ton of options in the way of home decor. If anyone having their wedding in Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Tulum or anywhere in between would like to sell some of their decor items to me please let me know! This may also help with baggage fees on the way home These are some of the things we are still looking for: - anything that would suit a vintage or rustic style wedding - fans in lighter shades of pink, teal, lavender, ivory or just made of wood - a birdcage (rustic looking if possible) - string lighting of any sort, exposed bulb and christmas lights - props and frames for a DIY photobooth (nothing too cheesy, we're think more of a "gentlemen & ladies" style" - oil lamps - tin buckets of various sizes - a parasol in any shade of purple, teal or turquoise - small glass candleholders - burlap or lace runners that would fit rectangle tables for 10-12 people - white or teal paper lanterns - white or teal paper picado (as long as its not personalized of course) - anything else that's ivory, blush, lavender or turquoise Thanks, and happy planning to everyone! You guys are getting really close!