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I have upgraded our wedding package as I want the photographer to capture the entire wedding but also because my top priorities are pictures, DJ and drinks for the guests. I've talked to a few brides who also upgraded theirs as pictures were on the top of their lists as well and so far they all thought it was worth it and some others who didn't but were extremely happy with the shots they received so it really depends on how important they are to you and how many pictures you want. Quote: Originally Posted by klayne Hi everyone, I'm new to this site, but recently booked my wedding for March 31, 2012. Does anyone know whether the North Beach or the South Beach is better for the ceremony? I'm trying to decide the location but I am not sure which is better. Thanks! Also: has anyone upgraded their photo package (I have the Ultimate wedding package)? If so, was it worth the additional expense?

It sounds like they definitely want it put somewhere towards wedding related but not necessarily on the wedding day (since they're suggesting you could possibly use it towards the at home reception). It's your day and it's their gift to you guys - if it was me I'd use it towards the honeymoon and splurge on us - but that's just me.

The video is awesome. Thanks for sharing.

Congrats! That's awesome.

I love you for finding out! hahah! Guess I'm a little late on this thread!!! Did the WC say if they'll charge an extra fee for it? Did they give you any hassle about it and have to get special permission or was it not a big deal for them?

What an amazing idea!!! I LOVE IT!!! Thank you sooo much for sharing. Now to figure out if the resort will allow it!!!

Thanks for sharing! This is awesome! I'm in love w/ Dollar Tree!

Congratulation! You're right...it will be here before you know it.

Ohh that's awesome! Congrats! Hope we get the same response when we're finally allowed to send our save-the-dates out. And, that's a good attitude - not counting people until they book. You'd think a destination wedding would be more affordable but the costs seem to add up no matter what. Running of the brides is great - but go early and be prepared. I went with my future-sis-in-law who is also getting married next yr and it was insanity. Take people with you so they can help you get styles you like and trade dresses you don't. It's a mad house but a great experience (and an awesome deal). Good luck! I hope you find your dress!

Yeah, that's a relief. I definitely know we can't guarantee a 100 people even though we don't know the exact no. of guests who will come. Out of the people we've shared that we're having a destination wedding in Mexico next year, a lot of them have already told us that they're not going to be able to make it - some for financial reasons and others b/c of the crime rate in Mexico - so I don't think it will be even close to a 100 and am actually starting to relax. We're thinking about having either a big engagement party or a big post wedding celebration at home instead to include everyone so don't necessarily need to invite everyone to Mexico which will definitely help out with our budget as well. You've already sent out your STD's right? What kind of responses are you hearing from people? Yeah, have decided on locations. Ceremony is at the gazebo and reception in the ballroom - my fiance wants a traditional flair to the wedding so the ballroom was our compromise. I've been soo confused when it comes to color scheme...I like a new one every few days. I figure I'm going to wait till it's time to order bridesmaids dresses and will go with whatever I like based on the style of the dresses and what the girls like unless I fall in love with something before then and then they'll be stuck with that. It was a lot easier to find my own dress haha. How about you - picked out your location/colors yet? Have you found your dress yet?

Thank you sooo much! That is great to know.

Yeah, I'm not sure - from what I'm being told they can plan 3 weddings per day and since it's a holiday wknd, it ends up being their busier times. I wonder if we can request having just our weddings for that day? I'm working with both Ana and Gina...not sure who's officially assigned to me as I receive communication from both.

Alexus, The pictures (and you) are BEAUTIFUL!!! Congratulations to you both!!! A couple of questions: Did you send them pictures of the flowers on the huppah and cake or did you finalize those details once you got there? Also, did you use the resort to do your hair/makeup, outside vendor or did you do it yourself? Thanks!

We've decided on our ceremony being at the gazebo...has anyone looked into decoration ideas for that area specifically? I'm focusing on non-floral ideas as much as possible! Thanks!

Crazily enough I found my dress within a month of our engagement on a casual shopping trip - but you know when it's THE one and it that was mine The boutique recommended getting the major alterations done immediately after that so I went with it. I'm supposed to go back 1.5 month before the wedding for any minor changes they may need to do right before. But they "highly recommended" not gaining or losing more than 10 lbs ;-) Ask them how long their alteration process takes and make your decision based on that.

Gorgeous!!! You did an AMAZING job with this

CONGRATULATIONS!!! LUCKY YOU!!! THAT'S HUGE!!!! )))

That would be gorgeous! And, almost eliminate any decor costs I would think...hmmmm! I'll check to see if they would deviate from their normal routine but if you hear anything sooner, let me know.

hahah you're too funny. I told you that when you first joined the forum. Why do you think I was mentioning possibly splitting linen costs etc if we decided on similar color schemes Not sure about the guest count yet. We have 2 more weddings in the family so are waiting to see how they tackle their lists before we finalize our budget and based on that, our invite list. I'll have a better idea in November when the 1st wedding is taking place and the other couple is sending out their invitations. Based on research online and destination wedding planners I've talked to, it seems that destination guests expectancy % is anything from 20%-40% of invited list so regardless of how many people either of us invites, the resort should more than easily be able to accommodate all of our guests. The only tricky thing is if there are any other weddings that weekend but considering we've been planning ours for a little longer, I'm hoping it'll give us a leg up. Do you know if there are any other weddings booked for our weekend yet?

Don't stress out - I know it's hard not to when you keep reading about where everyone else is in their planning process but as one of the other brides said, it really will fall in place and in lot less time than a traditional wedding at home. I feel like I'm planning 2 weddings at the same time (ours and my future sister-in-law's) and the amount of work that's going in her wedding is making me realize how much easier I have it. Don't worry - just give people a heads up on location and date and everyone who wants to be there will find a way to be there.

I second Sarah-Jane...you should be getting a commission on this business Lol! Thanks again for the fireworks pdf and the additional info.

Congratulation!!! Very excited for you. Absolutely can't wait to read your review. And, to second that, I had contacted Gina earlier about a few "swaps" and was given the same information. They give us the package and everything in it...it's upto us whether we want to use all the elements or not but they don't reduce our price because of that. As some others have stated, an alternative is getting a lower package and adding on whatever else you want.

Hi dimplesandsuga, That's a great idea. Could you also email the pdf to me at [email protected]. Thank you!!!

I've been receiving the same info and yes, it's extremely frustrating b/c you're budgeting for a wedding you don't know how much to budget for. It's not fair but I don't know how much control we have over this (and at this point it's close to none). We're tackling the issue by putting all wedding details such as DJ, Photography, etc. on hold until we receive a price list for 2012. The only thing we've confirmed is the wedding package we want and this way we can prioritize if the prices go up more than what we can afford. Also, I made a preliminary spreadsheet with 2011 prices and added a 12% increase to all our have to's and want to's to get an idea of what our end budget could potentially look like. Granted I may be overestimating a little but I'd rather do that than underestimate. Based on the projection, I also divided up the main guest list into A, B and C and if the prices go up way more than expected, the guests are getting chopped off the list. Not sure if this helps but this is how we're coping with it.

Congratulations! Super excited for you!!! You're getting there! )