alittlerandr

@lozzawatts & @missjade - I just emailed the additional services pdf for 2012.

Hi Erin, We ordered everything from cubavera.com and were very happy with it. (I ordered everything on behalf of the guys, so we qualified for a 40% off coupon code and free shipping.) Everything was shipped very quickly and people were happy with the quality. We also had no issue with making returns. (Ordered 2 sizes of one of the shirts.) The pants did run a little long, but our shorter guys just had them hemmed. Shirts (bright white): http://www.cubavera.com/Single-Pocket-Textured-Linen-Shirt/CCHW0035DS,default,pd.html Pants (natural linen): http://www.cubavera.com/Drawstring-Linen-Pant/C8FB0147DS,default,pd.html

Hi Lorraine - We just had a symbolic ceremony and was able to tailor it so it was our own. They're pretty flexible. We had a large wedding party (8 bridesmaids, 6 groomsmen and 2 flower girls). One of my aunts gave a reading we selected (though the officiant forgot she was doing it so she had to interrupt him - no big deal though), we brought our own vows and words for the ring exchange, and we did a sand ceremony. (For our sand ceremony, we first had our moms pour in sand to represent our families. Then, my husband and I each poured in our own colored sand. Maybe something like this would be a way to incorporate your boys?) We just reviewed everything with Yinette during our meeting and she made copies to give to the officiant. Pretty low key and easy! Happy planning!

Hi Cheryl - (Just thought I'd jump in with some of my experiences here!) Things may have changed, but I believe the free wedding is only available to groups of 10 or fewer. Since you have 21 guests, this may not be an option for you. I'd recommend confirming this with Yinette/Ada asap so you don't have a rude budget awakening down the road! As far as communicating with them, I generally expected a 48-72 hour response, and, if I didn't hear back, I'd try again. They average 2-3 weddings per day at the resort and are often out running around, so they aren't in the office much. It took some getting used to on my part, but I just had to remind myself to be patient ) We had a cocktail hour included in our package (we went with Sand Extravaganza) and it was great - I'm really glad we did it. We gave Yinette our first and second choice for dates, and she then assigned us a time. It's based on who else is getting married that day and the officiant's schedule, so we didn't have any say in it. (Our wedding was at 4 and I thought that was perfect because it was starting to cool down and then our reception started as the sun was setting.) Hope that helps! Happy planning

Here was our approximate photo schedule: 1 - 1:45 - bride & girls 1:45 - 2:10 - groom & guys 2:15 - first look (bride & groom) 2:30 - 3:30 - wedding party, a few family photos 4:30 - 5:30 - family photos, bride & groom photo shoot (30-ish minutes) 5:30 - 7:00 - cocktail hour shots, early reception shots We had a half hour between our cocktail hour and reception, and it almost felt a little long. (That's when we took all of the 'wedding party at the bar' photos because we didn't have anything else to do!) And thanks - the centerpieces were a spur of the moment thing by some of our guests (I had several aunts/mom's friends down there that were super excited to help decorate, etc, and this is one of the things they came up with.)

Hey Ally- 1. Our app was the grouper ceviche, soup was cream of broccoli, dessert was duo of mousse. Seriously LOVED the food. You'll also choose your cake flavor/filling down there. We had vanilla with caramel cake but didn't wind up even having any of it b/c everyone was so full. For cocktail hour, we had the salmon crepes, tropical chicken skewers, mini quiche lorraine, seafood tempura sticks and shrimp and pineapple curry. We were still doing photos during the start of the cocktail hour so we missed a lot of them, but I hear they were good! 2. Our ceremony was at 4, cocktail hour was 5 - 6, and reception was 6:30 - 10:30. We were given a few choices down there, and this was as close together as we could get everything. It flowed nicely. 3. The dive center is on one side of the beach, La Brasa on the other. It's maybe a 3 or so minute walk. The other option for cocktail hour was the main buffet. (Your wedding coordinator will show you the options when you meet with her so you know where everything is.) 4. A bridesmaid did my makeup, and my aunt (a stylist) did my hair. I did get a mani/pedi and massage at the salon, though. It was nice. 5. We had 60 guests. Our head table sat 17 (haha, yes, I know!) and we had I believe 6 round tables that sat 6 or 7 each. The wedding coordinator went over that with us, too, to see how many we needed at the head table and how many round tables we needed. They were super flexible. We also had the choice to use the covered chairs from the ceremony or the ones at the restaurant; we chose the covered chairs. We were on the terrace and had plenty of room for everyone, dancing, etc. The space was great, and I loved being right on the beach. We set up a photoshare site for our guests, and people have really been using it. You can see photos at http://akburns.shutterfly.com/. There are lots of great shots of the ceremony site, reception, decor, etc. And, seriously, I'm more than happy to answer questions - if anything else comes up, ask away!

Hey ladies! Well, I've been back for a few days now from what was literally THE BEST WEEK OF MY LIFE (You guys are going to love it!) I'm going to post some unsolicited tips/thoughts/etc below...but please feel free to ask me any specific questions!! Life at the resort: Beautiful! We were in Villa 7, just steps away from the main buffet and we were thrilled about it. (Others in our party were in 6, 9, and 10, which is much closer to the beach.) Be sure to ask for a view of the grounds. (The back side of 7 faced the service road and a chain link fence.) We never had a problem finding chairs at the pool or beach. We even slept on the beach one night on the 'Privilege' area beds...so wonderful and relaxing, I totally recommend it. Food: Buffet was great, although we didn't realize until the last day that it was open for lunch, too. (Beach restaurant is also open for lunch, but selection is more limited.) Italian restaurant was so-so, though the wine was good. Steakhouse was definitely worth the reservation. And, we ate at Overtime just about every night after we closed down the lobby bar or disco Shopping area is right next to the resort...probably 15-20 shops with typical touristy items (jewelry, paintings, clothing, cigars, mamajuana, etc) OOT bags: Biggest hits: 22 oz insulated mugs. People RAVED about these; I'm so glad that we splurged on larger, insulated mugs. Another big hit was lanyards with keycard holders. Lastly, our 'in sickness and health' kits were well used. Here is everything from my bags: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/76281/oot-bags-on-a-budget Rehearsal: We staged our own rehearsal on the beach the night before. We then had a rehearsal dinner at the main buffet. (Yinette was able to make reservations for us.) Wedding: Beautiful. Yinette worked really hard to make everything a reality for us, and she totally pulled through. We did the Sand Extravaganza package, with the ceremony on the beach, cocktail hour at the dive center, and the dinner at La Brasa. Instead of a dj, we rented the sound equipment, and my cousin appointed himself as dj for the day/night (he really got into it...I think he had as much fun as we did!) Food at La Brasa was amazing (we did the beef dinner and got tons of compliments on it.) Ceremony will not be private, but, honestly, you won't even notice. (I am starting to see some of our guests' pictures and people literally were standing feet away from the minister, drug beach chairs up, etc.) It's kind of neat how many people you don't even know are excited to see your ceremony. We had my aunt do a reading, the minister read the vows we'd provided, and we did a sand ceremony. Wedding details: Flowers: I found a wholesale florist who delivered fresh but flowers so my mom, who is a florist, could make the bouquets. (Because of this, I cancelled the bouquet that came with the package and was able to save some money off the sound system rental.) Decor: I went with the basic package, so the gazebo was decorated and chairs were covered. We also got a few floral items which were moved to the reception area post-ceremony. Reception decor: My mom bought large starfish from the shopping area. She used these as a container for some of the extra roses. She also brought vases for BM bouquets. Videographer: I purchased the gold package through the resort, and am so glad I did. He was there until the reception ended, and it's been so fun watching the videos of the day, and seeing the things we missed. Photographer: I went with HDC's largest package, with prints. We had everything in hand 3 days after the ceremony, but I really appreciated the quick turn around....one less thing to do once we got home. And it was a great value! My husband's photographer cousin (who was also a guest) said the package we got would've been at least 3x as expensive back in Minnesota. Oops: Snafus were so minor, but that's what makes some of the best memories! Reading: Minister forgot we were having a reading, so my aunt had to interrupt him (husband and I simultaneously made the 'time out' sign to the audience and that made for some pretty cute pictures.) Flower girl: (She just turned 3.) Her dress was a bit long, so she had to pick it up to walk through the sand. Well..she picked it up so high she flashed the entire crowd her undies. It was just precious Sand ceremony: Sand ceremony went fine, and I carefully packed it in our checked luggage...not thinking that my suitcase would be turned upside down several times...so the sand got all mixed up and much of it spilled since the lid wasn't totally airtight. Oops! Sky lanterns: It was pretty breezy the night of our reception, and guests didn't let the lanterns fully inflate before letting them go...one landed on the roof of the bar, another on the grounds, etc...only one actually took off before we decided we'd better play it safe and put a stop to it. (If anyone else is planning to try this, find a calm area - probably closer to the lobby than the beach. I purchased these online and packed them in my checked luggage with no issues.) Hope that helps with some questions and/or planning! As I mentioned earlier, I'm more than happy to answer any other questions or provide more details. Believe me, I could talk for days

I'm doing the Sand package and will know within a couple of weeks what all is included. Once I get back, I'll share about everything...hopefully that will help some people out!

Congrats!! I leave next Saturday with the rest of our crew. Hope we have as great a time as you all did

MsClarke, what did you reception food did you choose?

I'm not sure if you've stumbled across these yet or not, but check out the planning journals...SUPER helpful! http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/f/128/wedding-planning-journal

Just sent! Time is going by quickly...lots of little details to take care of still. This website has been a godsend...I've gotten more ideas and more info from here than anywhere else.

We're probably going with HDC (wedding is in 5 weeks and still haven't booked a photographer...nothing like waiting til the last minute, ha!) But their prices are very reasonable and Arnaud is super quick to communicate - it's usually just a matter of minutes.

Would you share with me, too? Please [email protected] Thanks!

Congrats!!! Have a wonderful time

Looks great!

Looks great!

Very nice!

Fun!

We used Riptide Promotions. Haven't gotten the mugs yet, but Jim has been great to work with. They do have minimum quantities, but it depends on the mug. We're getting a 22 oz mug, and decided to order 128, which is more than what we need but we're spending out the same amount for 128 that we would have for 50 on pretty much any other site, so...I guess we'll never need travel mugs again www.riptidepromotions.com

Very cute!

Super fun - thanks for sharing!

Looks great - I especially like the finished product!

I really wanted to give mine out at the hotel, but we've got about 50 guests coming and the logistics of packing all of the bags, etc seemed like it would be a huge hassle. Since most of the group is coming from the same area, we've decided to use a few limos to take us to and pick us up from the airport. The plan now is to pick up me and FI first, then we'll be picking up the remaining people at a few stops, and we'll give them their bags when we pick them up. That leaves about 16 that won't be in the limo, so we'll give them out individually at the airport or hotel, depending on their flights. Hopefully it works out as smoothly in my head as it does on paper!

Very nice - way to go on the wise couponing!