J-me

Beautiful!! And congrats I'm guessing you brought the lanterns yourself?

Thanks for updating all of us and congrats on now being a married woman!!! Glad to hear you're having a great time & I look forward to hearing more details when you get back!

Thanks Jess! Yeah, I definitely factored in paying for day pass(es) - just wasn't sure about all the other 'fee' rumors, as I've heard so many different things...hope married life is going well! Thank you Taryn! No doubt your guests will have a blast since you're putting together the playlist. I can't wait to be in your shoes - you must be so excited congrats and keep us posted!!

So I really want to hire a DJ - my TA forwarded me Aventura's 'preferred' DJ - J&S AV and while they seem very professional and I'm sure they are fantastic, their prices are MUCH higher (approx. $1500) than DJ Mannia ($990). In my contract it indicates 'no outside vendors' but I was able to get them to make an exception for Del Sol. Anyone have a concrete answer on what they will/will not allow for DJ services? And if they do allow/make exception for outside DJs, is there really a 'vendor fee' or crazy 'insurance' needed (that would obviously make up the cost for the difference in DJ services)? Thank you for any insight! My head is starting to spin with all their 'loose' rules!

So excited!! After months of searching, we found our BM dress! For some reason, it was more challenging than I imagined finding the right color AND the right dress! Jim Hjelm 5104 - the pic on the right is the dress, but the pic on the left is the color (Sunset)

Hi Caroline! My FI and I did a site visit to Aventura and Playacar Palace this past March to pick which place we wanted to get married. While Playacar will be great for our guests to go enjoy a day trip to the beach, we LOVED the charm of ACP/ASP! It really is a beautiful property! My suggestion is to start writing down any questions that pop in your head on a notepad and take with you. They do site visits quite often, so when Lorena showed us around, she answered many of our questions without us even having to ask. We saw the different venue spaces, asked about capacity with each venue/depending on size of your guest list, we asked questions about the resort credits, the onsite amenities, their wedding packages, the different restaurants,and the room categories (and got to see the room types). I suggest taking lots of pictures - you can upload them on your wedding website (if you have one) as a great 'teaser' for guests! Let me know if I can help you with any specific questions, but otherwise just enjoy the site visit and visualizing your wedding there!

Well....it's official. Aventura is being converted to Hard Rock, ALTHOUGH phase 1 not to begin until Fall 2012 (whew!) While I'm relieved it doesn't affect my wedding, I sure hope they reached out to their Fall '12 brides! http://www.facebook.com/palaceresorts#!/notes/palace-resorts-official-site/all-inclusive-hard-rock-resorts-coming-to-mexico/279342265422571 Congrats to you ASP ladies leaving so very soon! Even with all the 'to do's' you must be getting so excited!!

I am also having coral BM dresses and they will be carrying white calla lily bouquets with coral or sand/latte colored ribbon around the stem (my colors are coral, 'sand' and white). I think white would look beautiful against your watermelon dresses, but then again, you really could go with any tropical colors! Yellows, coral variations (oranges & pinks), etc...

Aventura IS so beautiful, so I really CAN'T imagine them wanting to change it! But we shall see....honestly, I think I'll be more mad that they haven't reached out to brides more so even than the changes themself. Hopefully, it's one big fat rumor Either way, happy this doesn't affect you fall brides - so great you only have 5 weeks!! Try to enjoy every last bit of it - everything you've planned will come together and you'll be in paradise soon with your new hubby!

But I ordered it a few weeks ago, so when I go to pick it up - I'll let ya know!

Thanks Jenna! To be honest, I was SO excited to find it that I can't even remember with certainty if it was comb or clip - but 99% sure it was clip. I actually saw it later at another bridal salon, so I would look around I would love a veil, but it's super windy in the Riviera Maya so I'm just doing this clip & a nice updo!

*sigh* so frustrating! Great news for you though! Hopefully, when he says the 'next few months' he means AFTER April I guess we'll just wait & see what happens....thanks for sharing this!

I just got off the phone with Palace, who said the rumors of Aventura being transformed to Hard Rock are NOT true (big sigh of relief). Hopefully this remains the case, but just thought I'd let you ladies know...

Thanks! I tried it on and it's just as cute in person as it is online definitely a top contender! And if I don't get it for them, may just get it in white for my welcome reception dress!

Eeek! I just looked into it after reading this and saw the same buzz on TripAdvisor and on Palace's Facebook page - although no one from Palace definitively confirmed or denied it. It makes me nervous as well bc they were also in talks of changing it back to Adults only - and since I have a few kiddos attending, I'll be upset if I have to switch up my resort, ESP. since I just finished my invites I don't mind Hard Rock, but I think it would take away from the charm/tranquility of ASP and on principle, they should be notifying ALL of their booked brides if this is really true...I emailed my TA, so stay tuned!

I'll answer for Avens since I just tried it on it's beautiful and from Dessy/After Six: http://www.dessy.com/dresses/bridesmaid/6574/

That's great to hear - thank you! I ordered it so I can try on & see the coral color in person. If it doesn't work, I can always return but it's one of my top picks!

Having a tough time deciding, but thought I'd post a few of my 'finalists' in case it helps anyone else (and feel free to share your thoughts!) All of the dresses would be in coral: Liz Fields Watters WToo - 624 (in coral) J Crew - Gabby Allure - 1221

Thank you! I wanted a flower, but with more bling than I had seen in some of the others, so was excited to find this good luck finding yours!

Welcome to the forum - it's a GREAT site & I can't imagine planning my wedding without all of the ideas and advice from other brides on here. Congrats and good luck!

I've had the EXACT same frustrations!! My BM's color is coral, but I can't find just the right shade in a dress I like (& I feel like I've looked at TONS) - I either like the shade & don't like the style or vice versa...but like you, I love seeing everyone else's picks! Good luck finding yours

I had a really tough time deciding too - they ALL seem great! Ultimately I went with Fernando bc I'm getting hair & makeup & I loved his work. I'm sure you'll love either one - just bring pic(s) of what you want and maybe schedule a trial if it would ease your mind (plus then your hair would be done for welcome cocktail or another pre-wedding event)! Good luck!

We decided to go with Grand Velas in the Riviera Maya for our honeymoon! So excited!!!

Thank you - I'm so excited to have my wedding at Aventura and even MORE excited about having Del Sol as my photographer!!

Hmm....not sure, I would just Google image wedding/veil/hairstyles to get ideas. You could also look through bridal mags to bring a pic for when you get your hair done. I love the look of a veil but it's pretty windy in the RM and I didn't want to be swatting it out of my face the whole ceremony I'm sure it'll look beautiful however you decide to wear it!