MJKH

We've been to the MR three times now...I never have issues but the first two trips, my husband had bites that developed into HUGE welts. We made a trip to the pharmacy to make sure we had a kit to deal with the issues as they came up during the two weeks we would be there for our wedding. She recommended that rather than dealing with bites after the fact, he take an allergy tablet (I believe it was the week prior to leaving and while we were in Mexico, but check with your own pharmacist about this) so that in case he was bitten, he didn't develop as severe a reaction. The bonus to this was that he didn't have to worry about not drinking alcohol like you would if you had to take Benadryl or something like that. Between that and making sure he used spray when he was in the jungle, he was totally fine this time around.

Good Morning! A Photobook Canada Groupon offer is available today and for the next three days...it's $36 for a $115 book. http://www.groupon.com/deals/photobook-canada-saskatoon-1?c=button&utm_source=newsletter&s=body&utm_medium=email&division=saskatoon&utm_campaign=photobook-canada-saskatoon-1&pt=&utm_content=all-deals_saskatoon&sid=11196061&date=20120615&p=1&addxe=amFuZWxsZWhvbHN0ZWluQHlhaG9vLmNvbQ==&user=aeb2312905f732b84b26a6b976d096a2da8aa08f86550466ce6a2e54ea507c94

LOVE these...I'm sure she'll go over well with our BDW brides!

I would keep checking on ebay for sure...currently the gold version is available to "buy now" for $125. If you can find someone on etsy who uses swarovski stones or similar components, you could approach them with the photo and they might be able to construct something to your specifications!

I can help Janette (we got married at the same resort!)... We ordered two sets of seating for 8 at 2,500 pesos per set plus a flat rate of 1000 pesos for delivery to the resort and set up (6,000 pesos total or around $430 USD converted today). We were so glad we did...the resort had a nice area to place them and otherwise I guess our guests would have been up on their feet from 3:30 - 6:30...the chairs used for the ceremony went into the palapa for the reception. My Dad made a comment that he wished the resort had put more of the lounge furniture out...he didn't realize we had to pay for those!!! We probably could have used one more set for our group of 32.

Oh, and you have that "&" in your menu heading as well...you may want to add an extra space there to balance it out. I think because it leans so much it takes up a lot of space and makes the character after it look too close.

Wow...great menu...I haven't had lunch so I'm drooling all over it!!! ; ) I think 1 or 2 would work...I'm a sucker for script so I would probably pick 2...but agree with chocotaco that the script headings should be increased in size. There are also some spelling and formatting issues...but you're probably still working that out, right? I get a kick out of menu translations...like is the tomato and artichoke thing a soup? You may want to say that...shrimp has a typo...and personally I like the "&" on a separate line when offering two items...like you did with the starters. I found with that script we always had to put an extra space between the "&" and my hubby's name, otherwise it looked too scrunched. You may want to do this in your mad lib heading.

Hey there! Just wondering if any GS brides have inquired about special offers/incentives/packages the resort offers to couples who were married there and are returning for a wedding anniversary? P.S. Prometida...loved reading your review and can't wait to see some photos! That late night buffet sounds awesome...didn't even know that was an option! I wonder if that's new...

My bouquet...the handle was first wrapped in sand-coloured satin ribbon, then in wide sinamay ribbon and tied with our monogrammed porcelain charm from Etsy (palomasnest): .

Oh and p.s., I appreciated your comment about not feeling that a typical dw dress was for you (although I came to learn on this forum that really ANYTHING goes!!!)...but I know exactly what you mean and I learned this the hard way myself. Light and flow-y with no structure is not necessarily the best look for our shape! ; ) J~

L & L, Whoa...how did I miss that your wedding had come and gone?!? It was GREAT to see your pics and read your thread...thanks for sharing! : ) To me, you still get the prize for the best wedding monogram EVER!!! Congrats to you both and best wishes always! J~

Ummm...in our case, yep! It was in a much prettier package, but it still tasted pretty much the same! ; ) I've seen lots of pics of wedding cakes on BDW that look a LOT like ours did...but I've also heard some participants tell of some amazing unique/custom flavours they had. Like I said, it is worth it to ask lots of questions...if that is important to you (that the flavours of your cake with be completely unique to the flavours of any sort of dessert served at the buffets on a daily basis), tell them so and pick the WPs brain about what else their team could do for you. We made up for it with our AHR cake though...it was divine!!! : )

Sadly, that was part of the issue at our resort...tres leches cake was readily available as a dessert at the lunch and dinner buffets...so by the time we had it as a wedding cake, it was not a unique flavour anymore. The same white cake appeared as a tres leches, with broiled meringue on top, or with a light whipped topping over and over again. Just something you might want to ask about...

Ask lots of questions...and do your research!!! How big of a rush is the resort to get the answers to these questions? You should have time...but here's what I wish we would have done: If money is no object or a live musician is included in your package, I would have live music for the ceremony. Reception DJ - I wish we had gone external and paid the extra money for a pro DJ. A DJ was "included" with our package, but he was a dude who was part of the entertainment crew at the resort...who showed up in his skimpy little poolside-work shorts...and, quite frankly he sucked. We had to ask him twice to go back to the songs we had on our iPad. To give you an example, he played "More Than Words" by Extreme when we were doing the pinata with the kids at the reception. WTF!?! I was MORTIFIED... On all other points, I totally agree with CriCri...don't skimp on the photography!!! We LOVED our mariachi...if you're getting married in Mexico I would strongly encourage that : ) DEFINITELY a private reception if possible. It felt very odd to be in a restaurant with a bridal party and their guests having dinner in the same space. I think a welcome dinner or rehearsal dinner that would include all of your guests would be awesome. We had a rehearsal dinner for everyone the night before the wedding (even though there was no rehearsal!!!) and, other than the reception dinner, it was the only meal that we all ate together.

There is nothing like a Mariachi trio or group to get the party started...we are so glad we did that! I'm guessing you're asking about someone to play at the ceremony though??? Our resort had a sax player in the lounge in the evenings and he was awesome. But I'm with you...I have a hard time putting him and his style of music/playing at a wedding ceremony. But it totally depends on what "feel" you're going for. I would think a violinist would give your ceremony the most "traditional" feel.

You're at an all-inclusive, right? Here's what we found with our cake...we ordered one tier vanilla, one tier strawberry and one tier chocolate. The chocolate tier was missing altogether, which my new husband was somewhat disappointed about as that's his favourite flavour. The strawberry tier was identical to the vanilla tier, except the middle filling had some chopped fresh strawberries in it. Our cake basically tasted identical to a lot of the dessert options at the buffets...if I had to do it all over again, I would ask for something completely different than what is accessible at lunch and dinner meals at the buffets...I guess otherwise they do what they do best and stick with it. Also, if you plan on serving a dessert in addition to wedding cake, give some consideration to offering a variety (i.e., if the resort will be serving your guests a brownie with ice cream for dessert, you may want to pick a wedding cake flavour other than chocolate). That being said, I LOVE the idea of a small two-tier cake with one coconut layer and one pineapple layer...just like a pina colada...YUM!!! Music-wise, you can't go wrong with the violin if you want a very traditional feel to your wedding. Personally, that's what I would pick. Good luck...sounds like you have lots of great options! : )

Eeeesh...that's a nightmare! As far as travelling with a baby is concerned, I would have them speak directly with a physician/pediatrician/public health nurse about that one. In our health region we actually have a "public health travel clinic"...where folks of any age travelling to any country can get advice, immunizations, etc. but there is a cost even for a basic consultation. I have a feeling that it wouldn't matter what you had to say about it or what you've researched, she's going to need to hear it directly from a physician or public health nurse. My FI and I lived by the mantra...even if it's just you and me in the Riviera Maya, this is how WE want to get married. We heard EVERY reason under the sun for why people couldn't come (and these were people that right off the bat said "we'll be there!")...and a couple of people really screwed us over in the end. You really get to learn a lot about your friends and family in the process of planning a wedding. On our wedding day, we had 32 people there whom we love and mean the world to us...and we didn't give one thought to the people who weren't there and/or made things difficult for us. Personally, I wouldn't give up my dream wedding for anyone...I really hope it all works itself out for you guys in the end!!! Best of luck : )

I've never used Picaboo for photobooks, cards, etc. but they have a Groupon out here right now...if anyone is a fan! http://www.groupon.com/deals/picaboo-saskatoon-5?c=title&utm_content=all-deals_saskatoon&pt=&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&sid=11183508&s=body&utm_campaign=picaboo-saskatoon-5&division=saskatoon&date=20120527&p=1&addxe=amFuZWxsZWhvbHN0ZWluQHlhaG9vLmNvbQ==&user=aeb2312905f732b84b26a6b976d096a2da8aa08f86550466ce6a2e54ea507c94&dl=d47388

Wow...that was a quick response to my request! ; ) YESSSS, this particular deal is a great one...the Barrie Groupon was $39 for $115 worth of product and expires Nov/12...so this one is an even better deal AND you have a good chunk of time to work on your books before the groupon would expire.

Hey ladies, I'd still love to hear if/when groupons pop up in your city for Photobook Canada. I bought 4 when they came up on the Barrie, Ontario site (thanks to a BDW bride here!!!) and we've now used them all up...eeep. I'm addicted...but they make AWESOME gifts! : )

I used the oversize postcards from Vistaprint as well...my details and template are posted in my wedding week survival kit thread (attached as a link in my signature line below). The trick to getting a nice, sharp, clean fold is the boning tool and a ruler. I tucked the plastic bag inside the folded card and stapled everything together.

Hi Katman, We got married at the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya...click on our planning thread in my signature line at the bottom of one of my posts and you can read all about it. You can also check out this thread for more reviews and discussions about this resort: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/45305/grand-sirenis-riviera-maya-brides Janelle

Personally, I would pick the steak house. I think overall it's the more popular of the two...we ate there twice (over the two weeks we were there) and had really good experiences both times. If I remember correctly, we had french onion soup both times, the appie buffet had veggie crudities (sp?) with two different cheese sauce fountains, chili, onion rings, salads...and I had the filet both times...it was perfectly cooked. I'm pretty sure my MIL had salmon there and really enjoyed it. We ate at the Cajun restaurant two years ago and it didn't do much for us so we didn't go back our last trip. Maybe someone who was at both recently can fill you in. Good luck...it'll all work out!!! : )

I wish!!!! ; ) Have a WONDERFUL wedding...we'll be thinking about you and we look forward to hearing how everything goes...and seeing some pics too hopefully!

Yaaaay kellygrrrl...welcome back! Can't wait to see more of your photos : ) Yeah, I don't know...is there a word stronger than "entertaining" to describe what the wedding week is like??? We joke that at times it felt like we were taking 32 four-year olds on a week-long field trip!!! None of our guests had been to Mexico before and we really had no idea what it was going to be like to be holiday-ing together...who would hang out and the beach/pool and who would want to get off the resort during the day. I wish we had more time together...like just to make sand castles on the beach with my niece and nephews or whatever...but when I think back to what we could have done differently, I don't know HOW we could have even made time for more of that!!! But you are absolutely right...do EVERYTHING you can before you leave that is important...cards, letters, notes, speeches, ceremony script, etc. as it is so hard to get time to focus on stuff like that when you get to the resort!!!