MrsHK

Quote: Originally Posted by sharmer I wish there was someone like you in Punta Cana!!! Haha, maybe one day! I wish there was someone like me when I was planning over the last couple of years for our wedding this past May. The vendor prices here are so insane, I just ended up making and buying a lot of stuff. It was tons of work but we saved a lot of money. I tried to price everything fairly for all the future Mayan Riviera brides!

Quote: Originally Posted by thatpiscesgirl Great review. I too am a event planner, insane type A! hahah Are you interested in selling any of your decor? I would love to see it. Did you happen to see the ballroom? We are having our recepetion in there, as our wedding is in June, when its hot as hel, and I really dont want to be a sweaty bride;) We plan on being beachside all week. Why did you choose doremixx? Did you have concerns about the resort dj? thanks, and CONGRATS!!! Jessi Hey Jessi, I'm actually the bride that Alana sold her decor to! I've been collecting different decor items from past brides, as well as brabbing things on our trip throughout Mexico, the US and Canada. When is your wedding, and would you like to see the things I have for rent? Send me a PM with your email address and I can send you a link to view all the photos, as well as a complete price list!

Quote: Originally Posted by m8chow Thank you Mrs.HK... the clock is counting down for us so I better get on this stuff quick. I'll definitely contact you if I need to rent stuff. Do you have a website or a full list of what you offer in the Playa area? I'm just starting to work on a website, so for now I have a list with pricing as well as a link to a Dropbox folder with all the photos. If you PM me your email address I can send you the Dropbox link so you can look at photos of everything. I know this isn't exactly the right thread to post this in... but maybe some fellow Canadian brides would be interested in see the list as well? Sorry if it is too far off topic! Here's a partial list with pricing below, PM me for the full list and further details on an affordable rental! Lighting $8 ea. - Gold lantern - 8" tall (I have 6) $8 ea. - White lantern - 8" tall (I have 7) $8 ea. - Hanging white railroad lantern with hook ($7 ea. without hook) - 9" tall (I have 20) $10 ea. - Black lantern - 12" tall (I have 8) $12 ea. - Charcoal grey lantern - 15" tall (I have 3) $8 ea. - Bombillos (oil lamp glass top) with brass buckets, to be filled with sand and lit with a candlestick (real flame), also available with silver tin buckets instead of brass (I have 14) $2 ea. - 8 oz Mason jars wrapped in a woven cotton material (I have 8) $2 ea. - 16 oz Mason jars wrapped in twine (I have 8) $3 ea. - 32 oz Jars wrapped in burlap (I have 8) $1 ea. - Clear tealight holders (I have 16) $1 ea. - Small glass jar tea light holders (I have 16) $2 ea. - Gold mercury glass tealight holders (I have 24) $2 ea. - Pink frosted glass tea light holders (I have 9) $0.50 - $1 ea. - Candlesticks for bombillos & brass/tin buckets / Real flame tealights / Pillar candles $1.50 -$3 ea. - LED tea lights, wax votives, $3 ea. - LEDvotives - LED light with wax votive (I have 6) $3 ea. - LEDpilar - LED pilar candle (I have 16) $15 ea. - Stringlighting - Globe bulb string lighting with 25 bulbs (I have 14 strands) $10 ea. - Christmas lights - (I have 6 strands, will be getting more) Paper lanterns of various sizes and colours with lights for inside - tiffany blue, ivory, white $2 ea. - 8" - (6 ivory, 3 tiffany blue) $2.50 ea.- 10" & 12" (15 of each size in white) $3 ea. - 16" (15 white, 3 ivory, 4 tiffany blue) $4 ea. - 24" (4 ivory, 5 tiffany blue) $1 ea. - LED light/battery powered lightbulb for hanging inside paper lantern $1 ea. - Paper bag votives to be used with LED pilar candle (I have 6) Bottles/Vases/Jars for Rustic Vintage Centrepieces Bottles $1 ea. - Variety of small bottles - (I have 56) 6"-8" tall $1 ea. - Blue vintage style bottles (I have 8) 6.5" tall $3 ea. - Vintage apothecary bottles, truly vintage, various sizes from 3"-7" (I have 8 clear, 6 teal & 2 brown) $1 ea. - 375 mL Jack Daniel's bottle (I have 1) - 8" tall $2 ea. - Round Flor de Caña bottle (I have 2) - 8" tall $3 ea. - Bulliet Bourbon bottles (I have 6, will be getting more) - 9.5" tall $3 ea. - Variety of large size liquor bottles (I have 30) - 10"-12.5" tall $3 ea. - Blue vintage style bottle (I have 3) - 11" tall Vases $3 ea. - Wine carafes - (I have 6) - 10" tall $2 ea. - Mismatched clear, white & blue vases (I have 11) - 6"-9" tall Mason Jars $2 ea. - Mason8oz - Medium 8oz mason jars (I have 18) $3 ea. - Large 16 oz round mason jars (I have 19) $3 ea. - Large 16 oz hanging mason jars with lids wrapped in twine for aisle (I have 6) Bottles, vases and mason jars can be wrapped in lace or burlap for an extra $1 per item. Photo Booth $10 - Set of Photo Booth props (moustaches, lips, glasses, etc) $5 ea. - Frames for photobooth props (one white, one teal, one silver) $10 - Vintage camera for decor $15 - Lace fabric for photobooth backdrop $5 - Vintage mirror (actual mirror part is broken, can be used as a prop) $5 - "Step Right Up, Take a Photograph" sign Signs & Frames $12 - White antiqued frame for table assignment display $17 - Hand painted wooden "Welcome" sign $10 - Gold glittery "Cards" banner sign to hang across vintage suitcase or birdcage $5 ea. - Table number/name frames (customizable) $10 - Customizable vintage style banner that I can assemble for you, you choose the wording, possible to make 2 or 3 banners depending on the letters required (pictured is "The HKs") $5 ea. - Photo boards for displaying family photos $8 per strand - Papel Picado - coloured or all white (I have 20 strands w 10 plastic flags each) $8 - Handmade "Just Married" sign $8 - Turquoise wooden ampersand Runners & Napkins $12 ea. - Burlap table runners - (various lengths, please let me know what size you need) $10 ea. - Lace table runners (3 types & various lengths, please let me know what size you need) $12 ea. - Navy blue & white striped cloth runners (I have 10, 8ft long, 2ft wide) $5 ea. - Navy accent pieces for cocktail/guestbook/dessert tables (I have 2 - one is 29in x 60in, one is 30in x 51in) $5 ea. - Navy blue & white striped accent squares for cocktail/guestbook/dessert tables (I have 5 - 32inx32in) Other $18 - Gold metal birdcage - approx 2 ft tall $16 - White metal birdcage - approx 16" tall (top opens) $15 - Flower garlands for gazebo - purple and white flowers $1 ea. - Tiffany blue fans (15 of these, photo coming soon) $2 ea. - Sandalwood fans (20 of these) $2 ea. - Tin buckets - 4" tall $12 - Large oval tin bucket for drinks (inquire for pricing to be delivered with ice & Mexican craft beer) $4 ea. - Wooden crates - (I have 7, will be getting more) $18 - Vintage suitcase - brown (inquire for pricing for cigar & whisky bar) $14 - Vintage suitcase - white $28 - Vintage trunk $4 ea. or 3 for $10 - Vintage books, variety of sizes & colours $5 ea. - Parasols in ivory, blue and white - 7 ivory, 1 ivory kid's, 1 blue kid's $20 - Globe $5 - Small treasure trunk for displaying favours $1 ea. - Rose petal cones for tossing petals after ceremony I'm also available to make custom hangtags, Oh Shit! Kits, Welcome Booklets and other items for OOT bags and wedding favours. Let me know what sort of thing you're looking for!

Quote: Originally Posted by m8chow Hey Canadian Brides, are you doing paper lanterns? I've been all over the forums looking for where girls got a good deal on their lanterns but every good deal was blown out of the water once the shipping to Canada was added on. So does anyone in this forum have a tip on lanterns? I'd love the help. If all else fails, I have paper lanterns for rent down here in Mexico. Here's my inventory and prices: Paper lanterns of various sizes and colours with lights for inside - tiffany blue, ivory, white $2 ea. - 8" - (6 ivory, 3 tiffany blue) $2.50 ea.- 10" & 12" (15 of each size in white) $3 ea. - 16" (15 white, 3 ivory, 4 tiffany blue) $4 ea. - 24" (4 ivory, 5 tiffany blue) $1 ea. - LED light/battery powered lightbulb for hanging inside paper lantern Most people have been renting the white ones, as I have 45 of those total. Let me know if you'd like some more info!

Quote: Originally Posted by TaraHall These photos are GORGEOUS. Thank you for sharing. I am interested in your friend's photography. What resort is this at? We were married in May at two small sister hotels in Tulum called Cabañas Tulum & The Beach Hotel. The restaurant is called El Bistro Ziggy Beach and that is where our reception and ceremony was. The cocktail hour was by the pool at The Beach Hotel. Tulum is south of Playa Del Carmen by about 45 mins. I have lots more info on both hotels, the venue and Susana from MyAdorableBridal.com if you want it! Just let me know

Quote: Originally Posted by sharmer So many beautiful bouquets! I need to find a cheap place in Canada to get silk flowers Try afloral.com or saveoncrafts.com, I found they had great prices! I can't remember what their policies and fees are for shipping to Canada... Maybe it is worth it for you to send things to a shipping depot in Buffalo, depending on how close you are? I did that with some packages to Vancouver, as it was only about an hour away.

Quote: Originally Posted by merling86 Hi Ladies! We just set our date for May 8th, 2014! I was wondering if you guys plan on using the resort photographer or if you are using an outside photographer? We are trying to stay below $1,000 any recommendations? I live down here in the Mayan Riviera, and a friend of mine does photography for around $1500. You may have to pay an outside vendor fee on top of that and I'm not sure how much that would be. Her name is Susana Hidalgo and her company is My Adorable Bridal - http://www.myadorablebridal.com Here are a few photos she took at our wedding. She was a guest and only took her camera out during cocktail hour and the first dance to snap a few shots. I love them!

Quote: Originally Posted by KayaWasTaken Thanks MrsHK! We just got the script from Lynda, and it's very similar if not identical. Also, for anyone wondering about adding their personal vows, readings etc into the predefined legal ceremony (and the sand ceremony, as I was), apparently that happens AFTER the "I do's" and the rings, but BEFORE you are officially pronounced husband and wife and kissing. The signing and fingerprinting of the wedding certificate also happens in that in-between. Mystery solved, lol :-) You're welcome! That's awesome that you were able to clear that up for everyone.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lydia1120 Love it! Quote: Originally Posted by Jenn963 wowwwww!! this is SUCH a fab idea!!! might have to reconsider thank you Thanks ladies!

Quote: Originally Posted by sharmer I love the simple roses! Quote: Originally Posted by Wedding2014 love the roses Thank you! Doing loose flowers in grouping of bottles ended up saving us quite a bit of money. I love the look of full flower centrepieces, but at $70 a pop I couldn't bear to spend that much on something that dies a few days later. We would've needed at least three per table too. Lanterns and mismatched bottles were a great alternative!

Quote: Originally Posted by m8chow MrsHK - was that your table from the wedding? Its so pretty! Can you tell me where you got the little lanterns? I love them Yep those photos are all from our wedding! The lanterns are from Pier 1 Imports. If you don't want to buy them and lug them down here, I have 13 of them for rent (for less than the cost of buying them actually), as well as several other rustic vintage type decor items. I live down in Plays Del Carmen and have started a small decor rental company with affordable pricing, as a way to help brides find an alternative to inflated resort pricing. Send me a PM with if you'd like to look at the things I have!

Quote: Originally Posted by Meg32IL I would love any information you have. [email protected] We plan to have between 40-50 also. I was down there earlier this year and did a catamaran excursion out of Puerto Morelos. It was great but I don't remember the company name. It was not private, but we had so many people in our group there was only two other couples on our boat. They took us out to the middle of the water and those who wanted to snorkel went on a separate small boat and snorkeled for about an hour. The captain and his crew were amazing, they were so fun, let us choose the music and made the best drinks. The whole thing was supposed to be about 3-4 hours on the water but they let us stay out longer. Then we returned to land and had lunch at a local restaurant, it was included and very good. It was not too warm that day so we did not swim while we were docked but that would be nice if it was on option, not sure if it was. Also, it would have been good to have snacks on the boat, we were all starving by the time we got back from lunch. Overall it was a great experience and I'm looking for the same thing when we go down for our wedding. Quote: Originally Posted by m8chow Omg I missed this message. I would love your recommendations Mrs.HK. We'll have a smaller group at about 40. Did you and the guests enjoy the catamaran trip though? I'm hoping none of them get seasick but that's such a good point that I never thought of. How long was your excursion and did they include a transfer from the hotel? Hey ladies! We ended up going with Catamaya, and it was great! Our group ended up being just over 50 people. We had a lunch (they have 3 different choices), all inclusive drinks and they let us play our own music. We stopped to snorkel and swim for a bit which was fun. If you have more than 40 people this is a great option. Here's their email: [email protected] and their Tripadvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g153510-d1901945-Reviews-Catamaya_Sailing_Cruises-Puerto_Aventuras_Yucatan_Peninsula.html This is the package we chose, quoted directly from the email I got from the company: SUNSET Charter with Hamburgers Hours From 3:00pm to 7:00pm Service Sailing and snorkelling. Lunch An hamburger grilled aboard along salad, dressing, mexican salsa, tortilla chips and assorted nuts. Drinks FULL OPEN BAR: Beer, rum, vodka and tequila, Sodas: Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Juices: Orange, Pineapple and Purified water Cost US$ 3,510.00 All the options above include: Sailing and snorkelling, these activities depend on the weather conditions. We provide the complete snorkel gear. Crew service. Two fishing lines. Music and great fun! Very Important notes: Tips not included, kindly suggest US 4.00 per person. If you need us to provide the round trip transportation, please consider US10.00 per person. A 30% deposit is required order to book the date and the balance will have to be paid two weeks before the event. Another company to consider is Fat Cat if you have a slightly smaller group. They have two vessels that each accommodate 40 people. Arlene there was great to deal with and the only reason we didn't chose them was the size of our group: www.fatcatsail.com/‎ & http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g153510-d1185301-Reviews-FatCat_Ocean_Adventures-Puerto_Aventuras_Yucatan_Peninsula.html Paradise Catamarans gets great reviews too, but they were booked when I contacted them two months in advance, so I didn't get any price quotes at all. Their max capacity is 50 people: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g153510-d815084-Reviews-Paradise_Catamarans-Puerto_Aventuras_Yucatan_Peninsula.html [email protected] www.paradisecatamarans.com I believe all of these companies sail from Puerto Aventuras, which is 15 mins south of Playa Del Carmen. The catamaran companies will all be able to provide shuttles for your group and the price depends on where you are coming from. Let me know if you have any other questions, although if you contact these three companies I'm sure you will find all the information you need though them. Happy sailing!

I'm not sure if this is the same script Azul Sensatori does, as things tend to vary quite a bit down here in Mexico, even with legal things! This was sent to me by my independent wedding planner and is the script from an independent civil judge we were considering hiring. Maybe the resort has a copy of what they specifically read out? We ended up getting our marriage paperwork dealt with at home ahead of time so that we could write our own script, and it also saved us about $600 in judge transport and service fees and blood tests. We had our good friend from Playa Del Carmen that used to be a lawyer marry us, and only 5 immediate family members out of our 72 knew that we had done the paperwork at home. We told everyone our friend was ordained and no one had any idea! It was also great to have someone close to us preform such a special ceremony, even though it was a symbolic one. Please excuse the formatting below, as I just copied and pasted it from an email. MEXICAN CIVIL MARRIAGE ADVICES ( TAKEN FROM OCAMPO’S LETTER ) Ladies and gentlemen, according to the laws of this country we are gathered here to join the bonds of Matrimony which is an honorable status: ________________________________ and _____________________________ Seeing it is a very important act, I would kindly ask everybody to remain in silence. As witnesses of this important act, there are present here: 1. – ______________________________ 2. - ______________________________ 3. - ______________________________ 4. – ______________________________ Who will sign the marriage document. A great Mexican philosopher of the ninetheen century, Mr. Melchor Ocampo, wrote in his legendary letter, the following words that until today are always read in our wedding ceremonies “ marriage “, it says is the only legal and moral way to found a Family, to preserve mankind and avoid imperfections of the human being who are only able to obtain the perfection of the human race, through matrimony in a conjugal duality. Men and Women have the same rights, but it is important to observe their respective obligations. Both of you should have respect, fidelity, trust and assistance to one another and also tenderness and love, much love. Do not fight with one another, use your heads and your hearts to correct something wrong. I now ask two questions to your witnesses. 1.-Are ________________________ and ____________________ ¿Persons you know well? 2. - ¿ And are there any objections for them to be joined in legal marriage in Mexico? ________________________ ¿ do you accept _____________________ as your beloved and wedded wife, __________________________ ¿ do you accept _____________________ as your beloved and wedded husband. ____________________________ and ___________________ after ratifying your wish to get legally married by means of your sing and with your witnesses’ sing and in the presence of your family and friends in the name of the law and the society and with the authority from the Solidaridad Municipal, here in Quintana Roo, Mèxico, I now declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride. ¡ CONGRATULATIONS! Playa del Carmen, Solidaridad, Quintana Roo. The ______ Of. _____________ El C. Oficial 07 del Registro Civil.

Quote: Originally Posted by m8chow I'm in the same boat (ha-ha cheesy), we're planning on doing a rehearsal dinner on a catamaran with our guests but we can't find a reputable company. Any recommendations? How many people do you have? I did quite a bit of research ahead of time for our catamaran excursion and narrowed it down to a few really good ones. Our deciding factor was our number of guests (we had 55) but if you let me know how many people you're expecting I can give you some recommendations. Another factor to consider is if anyone in your group gets sea sick? We had about 15 people decide not to come because they thought they would get sea sick. Also, a few people get sick on the boat, even though we told them it would be open water and possibly a bit wavy. How wavy or windy the day you pick will be is something you can't predict or control. Just a thought!

Quote: Originally Posted by Jenn963 hi Lydia!! where did you get the glass (or plastic) little bottles with cork lids? this is such a neat idea...i dont have many guests so it would be great. Hey Jenn! I'm not sure where Lydia got hers, but we did a message in a bottle type thing as well, but didn't use them for seating assignments. We printed out a bunch of different drinking quotes, tea stained them and tied them up, and then had the bottles placed on everyone's tables. They were kind of like a message in a bottle fortune cookies! We got ours at Dollar Tree in Vancouver, and I'm sure most locations across Canada would have them. They were in the craft section, and they had two of the same size for a dollar (2 larger ones), or four different sizes for a dollar (2 larger ones, a medium and a small).

Hello future Tulum brides! I'm a newlywed from Vancouver, Canada that lives down here in Playa Del Carmen. My husband and I were married in May at El Bistro Restaurant, which is at The Beach & Cabañas Tulum. The hotels are sister hotels, and I would highly recommend them as a venue! I have quite a few decor items leftover from our wedding in May, mostly in a rustic vintage style. I've decided to rent things out to brides that don't want to lug things like vases & mason jars down here to Mexico, and have priced things quite fairly compared to the resorts' prices. I have a lots of different types of bottles, mason jars, vases and lanterns, as well as a variety of other items like wooden signs & frames and rustic birdcages. If you want a Style Me Pretty or Ruffled type of wedding in Tulum without a huge price tag, I'm your gal! I'm also always interested in buying items that brides bring down and would like to sell after their weddings. If you'd like to see some photos and a price list, please send me a PM with your email address and I'll send you all the info. Also if anyone has any questions about the area, ask away! I've lived in Playa for two years and know the Tulum area quite well. Happy planning ladies! Here's a couple of photos of the items we used in our wedding:

Hello ladies! I'm a newlywed from Vancouver that lives down here in Playa Del Carmen. I have quite a few decor items leftover from our wedding in May, mostly in a rustic vintage style. I've decided to rent things out to brides that don't want to lug things like vases & mason jars down here to Mexico, and have priced things quite fairly compared to the resorts' prices. I have a lots of different types of bottles, mason jars, vases and lanterns, as well as a variety of other items like wooden signs & frames and rustic birdcages. If you want a Style Me Pretty or Ruffled type of wedding without a huge price tag, I'm your gal! I'm also always interested in buying items that brides bring down and would like to sell after their weddings. If you'd like to see some photos and a price list, please send me a PM with your email address and I'll send you all the info. Also if anyone has any questions about the area, ask away! I've lived here for two years and know the area quite well. Happy planning ladies! Here's a couple photos of some of things I used for our wedding tables: We took the hanging mason jars from our aisle and reused them around the reception:

Quote: Originally Posted by ironman Hello! We're bringing welcome bags for our guests in lieu of a wedding favour (travel mugs with customized labels, hand stencilled beach bags and a few other goodies). We're bringing down out own lanterns with LED lights, as well as chair bows and table runners (way cheaper off ebay than what our resort was offering). Haven't quite figured out the centrepiece bit quite yet.. If we don't figure something out before we leave, I imagine we'll just get a few smaller flower bouquets for the tables. In general, I've found it's much cheaper to buy stuff here and bring it down, than it is to "rent" it from the resort. Hey there! I see you're getting married at Now Jade in the Mayan Riviera! I've heard great things about that resort. I'm a newlywed from Vancouver that lives down here in Playa Del Carmen, and I have quite a few decor items leftover from our wedding in May. I've decided to rent things out to brides that don't want to lug things like vases & mason jars down here, and have priced things quite fairly compared to the resort's prices. I have a lots of different types of bottles, mason jars, vases and lanterns, as well as a variety of other items. I'm also always interested in buying items that brides bring down and would like to sell after their weddings. If you'd like to see some photos and a price list, please send me a PM with your email address and I'll send you all the info. Congrats on your upcoming wedding and happy planning!