AllieH

FYI - Mike Cantarell is on their list - Mexican Wedding Photo. they offer both photo and video services. Mike is also on BDW, so you can do a search for his work, and/or contact him.

put them on your anniversary dessert every year!

Hi and welcome to BDW! congratulations on your engagement. You might want to try one of the BDW Travel Agents. They Specialize in Destination weddings. You can contact them HERE! If you do not know what TA you want to work with, just fill out the form Contact a Destination Wedding Specialist HERE and Tammy will direct you to the best agent that fits your needs. You can read some of their reviews here: Wright Travel Agency ~ Destination Wedding Specialist Reviews HERE WTA knows those resorts really well and can help you decide. Good luck and happy planning!

It was probably discontinued. If you still have the item # for it, call the store in Rochester and see if they still have the samples in their racks.

Jenny - the tables of 9 will be too crowded. I would split them up a little more - tables of 7, some of 8, or even some of 6. and with the buffet, maybe consider NOT assigning tables, except for reserving a couple of immediate family, and another for the bridal party (if you're having one). we had people cancel at the last minute, so we had 1 table of 8, 1 of 6, 1 of 4, etc. just the way it all worked out... don't stress over it! I'd say it's totally up to you, and how much you are already bringing with you. We had quite the haul of stuff when we went. My mom took 1 suitcase down for us, and we basically carried the rest. We had my dress and backpack as a carryon, my husband had a rollerboard with our favors and his computer bag as his carry on. then we had 4 suitcases that we checked, plus the 1 my mom brought. While it was a lot to juggle - we really just juggled it to the check in counter, and then through bagged claim/customs in Mexico. It was a bit of a pain, but certainly not uber stressful. We were able to consolidate coming back, since we didn't have the wedding favors and OOT bag contents. I rolled up my dress and put it into one of the extra suitcases too. In the end, the cost of checking the additional suitcases and bringing my own decoration was still a cost saver vs. getting the items from Lomas. And of course some of those items can be recycled to other brides. As for the DJ, I used DJ All Music and we had a great time. You can check out videos & testamonials for each of their DJ options on the Lomas website too.

YAY congratulations Leslie!!!! We loved our stay in the Casitas - your guests will really enjoy EDR. Tucanes is such a great location for the reception - mostly private, the pool, private bar - we had such a blast.

nice to see a video actually at EDR, and somewhat applicable to this thread!

great advice Kaleigh! so glad all went well. can't wait to see your photos.

Unless you have a really elaborate set up of lights and fabric hung from the ceilings and such - I wouldn't expect to pay more than $250. Anything outside their norm will be a much bigger charge. If it's table settings, aisle markers, etc, the $250 is more the norm.

@amandances - The tables are 60" rounds, so you may want bigger. If my math is right, with a 90" round tablecloth, you have 15" overlap on each side..? the resort can always put the standard/white tablecloths underneath if needed.

We sent ours out in July for a November wedding. We used them as a reminder to make final payment (due in August), book airfare (if they haven't already), and to gather our entree selections. I think it's ok to send them earlier, especially if you have a purpose for doing so! Destination weddings are so different from traditional weddings as far as the timing goes.

they give it to you at immigration.

SYTTD has totally made the huge posse for shopping seem the norm, but it isn't. I think it's all about being on TV.. in fact, most salons will ask you to limit your party to 1 or 2 guests, as they simply don't have room for every bride to bring her entire bridal party. I'd certainly ask before taking a huge group to any salon to make sure they can accomodate you!

totally normal! we ran into the same thing. we ended up sending our STDs via email, and then followed with a formal invitation closer to the date. we used the formal invite as a reminder that final payment was due, they needed to book flights, and we needed to capture entree choice for the reception dinner. Plus - I really, really wanted paper invites - that was important to me. but there are no rules on a destination wedding. it's a completely different ballgame, if you want it to be!

It's unlikely that the Catholic churches will allow you to use their facilities. They are fairly strict about their procedures, and I know that they require a letter of approval from the priest in the home parish to perform weddings in their churches. There should be some sort of protestant churches there - though not many. I know one resort (El Dorado Royale) has a chapel that can be used for any ceremony (not specifically a Catholic chapel). It looks like there's a Presbyterian church in Cancun: http://www.visitcancun.com/churches_in_cancun.htm I did a few google searches and found some other Christian churches that meet, but wasn't really able to find photos of their facilities (e.g. is it a small commercial building vs. a more formal church).

that's awesome!!!!

hi and welcome to BDW!!!

@@Linds1204 - wow, what a fab sneak peek!!!!!

I'm not so sure you need to talk to All Music directly. there's a spreadsheet of music you fill out with all of your choices - play this, do not play these. play this during dinner, etc. if you have enough on your "must play" list for the evening, they won't be able to go off script. they have a health selection of songs to choose from, and if there's anything they don't have, you can request it. http://www.weddingsbylomastravel.com/planning/Dj-Music/DJ-all-Music I'd think the only reason to talk to the DJ directly is if there's some weird style of music you absolutely must have. and if that's the case, I'm not so sure any other DJ would have it, and an iPod might be the way to go. if you'd like to see the spreadsheet we filled out from All Music, PM me your email and I'd be happy to send it to you so you can see what it looks like. we specifically said no country music, and then had all of the group dance stuff (electric slide, macarena, etc) on the do not play list. they stuck to our list... (and it's mostly 80's and 90's stuff, which is what we like - we're cheesy that way)

I did the dollar tree tumblers for our wedding in Nov 2012. we put the vinyl stickers with our logo on them for our guests. My mom still has hers, and the sticker stays on just fine. Decent quality for the price! we ended up putting stickers on different cups for our own use (ran out of the DT versions), but the stickers have survived several turns through the dishwasher without incident. We got our stickers from Davet Designs on etsy.

wow - that will all look AMAZING! I think a tea light in a votive may still blow out. even though it isn't necessarily windy in Tucanes (it's kind of protected from the sea breezes by La Isla), there are still fans in there circulating the air. You'd need something a little taller than a votive to keep the candles lit. here's what we did with our table set up: on the set up costs...I'm going to say that's high to just place linens & chargers on the tables. a) they have to put SOME sort of linens (usually the standard white linens) on the table anyway, and chargers are just 1 extra plate, when they already have to put the silverware & other setting pieces down. I'd go at it like a negotiation: "we're already paying xxx for all of these add ons. we're really looking forward to having our wedding at EDR. the set up costs are really just for which simply replaces the standard white linens that already have to be on the table, and one added charger. we'd like Lomas to be more flexible and remove the set-up charge based on this"

the bathrooms at Tucanes aren't 100% private. They are over a little bridge and connected to the back of the La Isla restaurant. so it's possible that other resort guests can use those restrooms. It's likely the votives will blow out, unless you surround them with a taller vase or something like that. We brought the votives, and then rented the vases that they sat in, on top of sand (and surrounded by shells). it looked really nice. oh the Cancun airport. I would word it in a way that they will receive lots of offers of help for their luggage, and should use caution in accepting help, if at all (I admit, we let one of the porters track down our TONS of luggage - it was actually pretty helpful). of course they just want the tips... And that they should proceed straight out to the transportation area and search for xxx transportation company. It's helpful to have the voucher in hand, as there are uniformed airport security who can help direct to the right company (e.g. the guys in the orange shirts, or maroon, or whatever the case may be). I'd add a caution that it's very common at the Cancun airport for timeshare reps to be aggressive, and try to redirect guests to somewhere other than their destination. Again, look for either uniformed airport security, or your transportation company. and re: all inclusive: Let your guests know that all food and beverages (including premium liquor brands) are included in their stay. However, if they'd like to choose from a separate wine selection, or visit the spa, there are additional charges, and this is what the vouchers will offset. 2 weeks!! SO SOON!

The Real Housewives of Atlanta are at EDR if anyone wants to peek!

wow - great planning thread! it will all look so gorgeous. can't wait!

I created one in word with an address, store name, list of items and their prices then the total. really simple.