AllieH

Hi there! the group menu #3 is the fixed choice - meaning everyone gets the same thing. The Family Style means large portions of each dish are available for everyone to choose from during dinner. Think of a family dinner where everyone can pass dishes and take what they like. does that help? Quote: Originally Posted by m8chow Has anyone selected their wedding menu yet? I"m wondering what you've chosen. We thought about getting the group menu #3 but the email we got back from the WC said that all guests would have the exact same meal (appetizer, entree, dessert). Then the Family Style says "tray passed" but the guests are offered all of the entrees the day of. Ohh I'm so confused... help.. please?

I love, love this dress!! I think it'd be awesome on the beach with the breeze flowing through the ruffles. Yes, maybe a bit hot - perhaps a 2nd or short dress for the reception/party? Quote: Originally Posted by rednlovinit21 LOVED my dress when I bought it (when I was having an indoor wedding). Now that I am having a hot hot hot summer Punta Cana Wedding I am rethinking my choice and actually trying to sell it. Here's a picture : )

girrrrll you look GORGEOUS!!! I love the group photos where you're standing on the other side of the salt water pool wall - great idea! what a beautiful wedding. *dreamy sigh* Quote: Originally Posted by nbateman Received my photos from Magic Vision yesterday and uploaded them to my shutterfly share site if anyone is interested! Also had some guests upload their pics. The share site is awesome, no need to have a shutterfly account to view them and anyone can upload by sending an email to a particular address to get automatically added to the album or by uploading on the site: https://holmanweddingmexico.shutterfly.com/pictures/1831

I'm still working to figure out the new packages and how they do (or don't) interact with Lomas. From what I can tell, the big difference is "pre-packaged" decorations and themes. As I am able to gather more info, I will update the official thread and let you ladies know what I've learned. 100 guests is a big group, and it will take quite a bit of effort for them to accommodate a group of that size - from closing a restaurant entirely to host you and your guests, to the staff specifically needed to service your events. So there are charges above and beyond the 40 people that are included in the basic wedding package. I don't disagree that there should be some benefits to bringing this much revenue to the resort, but largely that will depend on the promotion you were able to get when your TA booked the group for you (free room nights or credits for every 10 or 15 rooms booked, etc.) This is also where a GIVC TA can be a huge help in getting your promos. Quote: Originally Posted by Mamzaleg Hi! We are bringing over 100 guests to EDR for our wedding in April and I feel the exact same way! I keep asking why I'm being penalized for having a large group instead of given perks for bringing so many people. One of our biggest issues is the rehearsal dinner and the resort not allowing us to use the 40 person dinner as a part of this. Plus many more!! Have you found any helpful answers Paula?? Ps I'm from Chicago, right near by! Also, I've been researching the new wedding packages and I don't see any connection to Lomas travel. Did something happen or change? Can Anyone help me understand these new packages?? Thank you!!!

now WHY does the guy get the booze? I could have used that Svedka... Quote: Originally Posted by LKocelko Here's what my husband got for his groom's room. We just had them bring it to his BM's room while they were getting ready.

Hi Kelsey! Welcome to the EDR Brides thread!! I responded to your questions in the quote below. We ALL had questions before the big day - hope this helps! Quote: Originally Posted by kelseyrenee Hello all! I'm getting married April 24, 2014 at EDR. The ceremony will be at 4 pm at Gazebo 55 followed by the fiesta cocktail party at Gazebo 55 and then the reception at Toucanes from 7 - 11 pm. I've been to EDR before this past March and was able to see a few weddings being set up but still have a lot of questions. Should cocktail party be on the beach by Gazebo 55 or somewhere else?? Should I be worried my guests will be too hot at Gazebo 55 for that long? The sun will be setting so I assume it will cool down. I'm not worried about guests drinking too much at the cocktail party because I drank all day long for a week straight there and had a GREAT time Also, there will be food and a donkey - I have to have the donkey. Allie: I think there are limited places that they'll allow the donkey. There isn't any shade at Gazebo 55, so that's definitely a consideration if many of your guests have already had plenty of sun by the day of the wedding. It will cool down as the sun sets, definitely. And there's a good breeze in that location (ok, kinda windy really...). Will the wedding coordinator take down flowers from the ceremony and set add them to tables at the reception? Allie: yes, they will do that for you. If you have somewhere specific that you want them placed, be sure to let your onsite WC know during your planning meeting once you arrive. I'm having my hair done and my WC advised my appointment is at the spa, is it possible to have someone from the spa come to my casita to do my hair so I can get ready with my bridesmaids and have moms stop in? I also want my bridesmaids to get their hair done with me. Allie: I think there was an option to do this, but it's a pretty big up-charge if I'm remembering correctly. You'll have to ask your WC if it's an option currently. We went to the Casitas spa, and it worked out wonderfully. We got lucky in that the salon was totally empty, so my mom and I, and our photographers had the whole area to ourselves. They do have a couple of bridal suites in the salon, but it'd only be you in that room getting ready vs. your whole party (they'd be in the other part of the salon). there are 3 chairs for hair in the main Casitas salon, so depending on how many maids you have, you'd be taking turns getting your hair done anyway. What does the groom's "room" consist of on the wedding day? Description says they are provided with cocktails and gourmet bites? Any idea where this is located? Allie: where it's located will depend on what rooms are empty on the day of your wedding. It'll be the lowest class of room, so most likely near the EDR lobby. My DH's groom's room was in building 9 - he had to go to the WC's office in the lobby to pick up his room key after 10am that morning. I know they had bottles of booze and beer and such in the room. My DH said they had small plates, but he doesn't remember what kind of food it was. I'd guess they can order room service if they really wanted to. Has anyone used Caribe Photo or DJ All Music? Comments? Allie: we used DJ All Music, and really liked them! Thanks!!

soooo gorgeous Leanne!!!!! Quote: Originally Posted by leannesmith My dress!

I always thought of it as a group effort - bride, MOB, bridal party, etc. Here's my example: something old: my mom gave me a piece of lace from my grandmother's wedding veil something new: dress, shoes, etc. something blue: I had a dress label made that included the blue that was one of our wedding colors (and a blue ribbon in my flowers, and a blue jeweled starfish - I went overboard with blue!) something borrowed: this had stumped me, but a dear friend surprised me by sending me her handkerchief she used in her wedding as a loaner. she wasn't able to attend, so it meant that much more to me to have it for my wedding. I laundered it and sent it back when we returned from Mexico. bottom line (as with most things wedding) - do what works best for you. Quote: Originally Posted by sharmer I had always been told this tradition was something bridesmaids/maid of honour took care of. However, I was just in a wedding and the bride did it all herself? Is this typical?

Hi Tiff, I don't think most of us had that many wedding guests or qualified for the free private events, so we probably aren't much help. I would ask your Lomas wedding coordinator about the semi-private dinner options with a group of your size, and how that fits in with the free events. Just guessing, you probably don't get the semi-private dinner since you DO get the private event each day. I'm not sure where these are held, if they are buffets, or if they give you an early or late dinner seating at one of the restaurant to yourselves. Definitely ask a lot of questions of your WC. As Lindsey mentioned, in order to have a private event on your wedding day, it sounds like you'll need to purchase a separate event - reception/dinner/cocktail to have it in Tucanes. Those are all per head fees, and I included a link to the last banquet package in the official thread. I haven't seen any changes or updates to it since the one I linked to. Something else to be aware of: Karisma is rolling out their new wedding packages this month. I haven't reviewed them in depth, and still have quite a few questions about how it will work, especially for brides who have already booked/planned their weddings or for those who are in the process of planning them. The website is here: http://www.memorablemomentsweddings.com As I learn more about them, I'll be updating the official thread with information for our brides! Quote: Originally Posted by LKocelko Quote: Originally Posted by Tiff1037 Thanks so much for your response! The semi private dinner is for only 40 people and since we're going to be well over that, and we would prefer to have the private dinner, I wasnt sure if they would give us any sort of credit to use it somewhere else. And what the actual fee is to rent the Tucanes because its not posted there or on here. We were also told us we can't use the private event deal the day of our wedding (free cocktail event or dinner/lunch every day) and I'm just checking that was the case for everyone who had enough people to qualify for the private events. Check out this thread Allie put together - it should answer your questions. I don't think you would get any credit, but you can pay extra (I believe) to add more people to the semi-private. You don't pay to actually rent out Tucanes, but rather you pay the per plate fee for the private event. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/85364/official-el-dorado-royale-el-dorado-casitas-royale-thread

Oxana - I'm so sorry to hear that your wedding was soggy!! Ugh, too bad we can't control the weather too. It sounds like you guys made the best of a challenging weather event. Great idea to have everything at Tucanes - can't wait to see the photos! Quote: Originally Posted by Oxana Sh Hi Ladies! I had my wedding at El Dorado Royale almost two months ago. And now, finally, I feel that I am ready to share some of my emotions:) I'm so glad your wedding was amazing, and soooo glad you got the upgrade into the casitas. I can't wait to see your photos! Quote: Originally Posted by nbateman Hey Everyone! So just made it back from the beautiful EDR for our wedding 10/4/2013, last Friday. It was amazing and perfect! I wouldn't change a thing!

We did Gazebo 55 and Tucanes as well. We didn't do a formal cocktail, and just sent everyone to the Martini bar for an informal cocktail. Some of them peeled off and went to JoJos for snacks & drinks. If you're doing a formal cocktail, and hour and a half is about right for photos (depending on how big your wedding party is). I wouldn't plan to do it RIGHT by Gazebo 55 - only because if you send them elsewhere, it gives your photographer more room to work without worrying about a guest jumping in on the photos (huge complaint by photographers!). It also gives you a little more freedom to go around the resort for photos vs. staying right near the Gazbeo. and ok - it could be awkward to smile and pose for photos with everyone watching. You could do the chapel terrace (on the beach), the white gazebo (on the beach), or send them to Tucanes (they can set up high tables around the pool area, while still having the low tables underneath for dinner, etc). Quote: Originally Posted by TheWolferts Quote: Originally Posted by JenniferM Maybeachbride-I'm so excited about the paddle boats and kayaks and we are definitely snorkeling. The food looks amazing I'll have to check out the Petit Gourmet too. For anyone that had the ceremony at Gazebo 55 and the reception at Tucanes, where did you have you serve cocktails? I wasn't sure if they just hang out on the beach handy for pics or move early to Tucanes. Also is 2 hours right for cocktails? We had our ceremony at Gazebo 55 and our cocktail reception off to the side of Gazebo 55. Our cocktail reception was about an hour and a half and many guests complained of it starting to get too warm and them starting to get drunk! So 2 hours might be a bit long to have your guests drinking in the sun LOL. Quote: Originally Posted by amanda50388 Quote: Originally Posted by JenniferM Maybeachbride-I'm so excited about the paddle boats and kayaks and we are definitely snorkeling. The food looks amazing I'll have to check out the Petit Gourmet too. For anyone that had the ceremony at Gazebo 55 and the reception at Tucanes, where did you have you serve cocktails? I wasn't sure if they just hang out on the beach handy for pics or move early to Tucanes. Also is 2 hours right for cocktails? They can give you options for your cocktail hour, I am not sure how long it is I would ask the wedding coordinators. I know the beach is an option not sure on the rest because we never did one. People just went and got drinks at reception site and they were kind enough to severe our family and friends drinks early and waited for us to come back from pictures.

Hi! I noticed your question re: shells and the welcome bags, and wanted to share my experience. We took real shells & dried starfish for our wedding in Riviera Maya, and had no issues with customs. You'll be fine with fake shells! For the welcome bags - the rule is that each person can bring $300 worth of gifts into Mexico without paying any import taxes. If you think you'll have more than that, you may want to split it up among family/guests who are also traveling, and ensure they have the receipts (or copies of the receipts) for what they are carrying. Your decorations, dress, etc. count as personal items, not gifts, so you don't need to include that in the total. Just the items you are actually giving to your guests. Hope that helps! Quote: Originally Posted by ironman Quote: Originally Posted by hortonk Are we allowed to bring fake sea shells into Mexico? I am using them as part of my centerpeices and bought them from Party city. I am terrified of getting questioned at the airport and them taknig stuff away. Also, i wil be brining my welcome bags down to give out at the welcome reception. How much is each person allowed to bring into Mexico? Are they fake shells? Like made out of plastic? I can't see how those would be a problem. I've read threads on here where people bring in dried starfish without any problem.

YAY!! It's almost here!!!! Your groom will give the iPod with the playlists to the MC when he arrives at the ceremony site (or you can designate a guest to do it - which I think would be better!!). You will give them the script and all of your decorations at the meeting, so go ahead and bring those with you. Will you have your dress steamed by EDR? If so, your onsite WC will give you instructions about where to leave it and when they will come get it. remove anything detachable before they pick it up, just in case. And be specific about where you want them to return it - your room or another room. If they return it to your room, don't worry about your groom seeing it - they'll wrap it in a white sheet, and hang it on the curtain rod. They do take GREAT care of it. now take a deep breath, and ENJOY EVERY MOMENT. I can't wait to hear how it all goes for you. Happy Wedding!!!!! Quote: Originally Posted by nbateman Ok, leaving for EDR on Wednesday, anyone have any last minute pointers? I have all of my OOT bag stuff packed in two suitcases (one carry on and one large) purchased from Goodwill and we're going to leave them there : ) I have copies of my receipts for my OOT purchases Have my ceremony written out ipod playlists setup important WC emails/DestinationWeddings.com emails printed wedding spreadsheet printed hair and makeup pics printed rings are ready dress is ready, his outfit is ready facial done, hair is tonight and wax on Saturday license on Friday, legal ceremony on Tuesday Anything else important I need to know or have readily available? Any advice for when we meet with the WC at EDR? Do we give them the ceremony write up and ipod for the ceremony at the meeting?

beautiful! I love the scallop edge around the bottom. and love the earrings too! Quote: Originally Posted by CGervaisToBe Went and picked up my dress today!!! :-D So excited!! And got these earrings to go with it!

Hey Nikki! Do you want to do AI again, or are you looking into other options? My two favorite islands in the Caribbean are Puerto Rico & Aruba. but neither of them really have great AI's. I also like Jamaica for AI's - though you do need to be careful if you intend to go off resort property. It's a beautiful island, and there are some good excursions there (as long as you go with a reputable tour company). climbing Dunns River Falls is popular, and going tubing on the river is fun too. I've heard good things about Secrets Silversands and Secrets Maroma in RM as alternatives. Quote: Originally Posted by TheWolferts Hi ladies!!! My husband and I are hoping to book a March trip to somewhere warm and fabulous in March... Thoughts on location and/or resort?! We have high standards after staying at EDR twice, but I dont think we want to splurge that much, so we are looking for a great "bang for our buck"!

Hi Kaleigh! I am a type A/planner/detail person too, and planning a destination wedding really challenges that. From what you've said, so far your experience is pretty typical. Part of it is that your wedding is a bit out, so they are focused on the most immediate weddings, and another part is that they will try to accommodate pretty much anything you want - it is your wedding after all. Check out both the OFFICIAL Azul Sensatori thread that Murmel (Miriam) put together, and you can also look at the OFFICIAL El Dorado Royale thread - they both have a lot of the info on Lomas and weddings for the Karisma resorts, and may help answer more of your questions. The last thing to keep in mind is that you will meet with the onsite coordinators at the resort - usually the day after your arrival. They will go over your spreadsheet with you in detail, and you can make updates then too. They are pros at this, and they will take good care of you!! Quote: Originally Posted by kaleighMCL I am using Lynda, and I have found it frustrating because she isn't super forth wright with information (ie: its your wedding, you tell me what you want" type response) I am not too sure if that is standard or just me not really knowing what i want but with my wedding in February 2014 - I usually give her 3-5 business days to respond before I follow up (which i haven't had to do yet) and when she does respond, it got enough information for me to get me to my next wall of questions. I'm a little of a type A and want to have everything figured out right away so this has been a process letting go a bit - but this forum is really good at answering a lot of the questions that have given me the most anxiety! Good luck planning!

Hi Tracey, I'm so sorry to hear about your frustrations. Take a deep breath!! You still have plenty of time to get all the details planned, and final payment made. I don't think we made our final payment until a couple of weeks before our wedding - it just took that long to finish up the details. And we made some changes once we got onsite too. The length of time for responses in the planning stages can be very frustrating, and I think most of us freaked out a bit (ok, I know I freaked out about the time lags). As the wedding got closer, the responses were faster, and everything was taken care of. I freaked and stressed myself out for nothing. Do you have a TA who can reach out to the resort directly to prompt Lomas to reach out to you? Have you tried connecting via online chat with Lomas to get some answers? Quote: Originally Posted by tracey lynn Hi Eveyone. I am having a horrible experience planning my wedding at this hotel. Well it was basically pulling teeth to get my coordinator to respond to me, and offer me my options. Then one week before our decisions are due, I find out she isn't with the company anymore (mind you I had already been awaiting a response for a week and a half). So the supervisor Fabio has taken over my account. I have sent him about 7 or 8 emails, and three phone calls in the past three weeks, and no response. All he keeps saying is he will get back to me within 24 hours. I just called today requesting to speak with upper management and they won't patch me through. I am expected to pay in full in less than one month but decisions cannot be made without responses to my questions. My wedding is the first week of December and this lack of communication is completely unacceptable. Do any of you have an email or phone number of a wedding coordinator manager, or anyone that you think could help me with this?? Sorry for the venting, they have just pushed this bride to her limit. thanks. tracey lynn

COMING SOON: Memorable Moments Signature Wedding Collections by Karisma As Karisma rolls out their new destination wedding packages, we'll update the information in this thread to the best of our ability (and available information). To follow the unveiling on your own, click here: Memorable Moments by Karisma and on Facebook: Memorable Moments Signature Collections

Hi Jess, I personally haven't worked with any of the photographers (we brought our own with us for our wedding). Several brides on the EDR thread (link in my signature) have used Sarani, and were very happy. I've also seen reviews from brides at other Rivera Maya resorts who were happy with Claudia Photo and Mexican Wedding Photography (and Mike from MWP is a member here at BDW). You may want to do a search on those particular photographers to see more examples of their work, and reviews. Happy Planning!! Quote: Originally Posted by Jess Ashley KC I am getting married January 18th at the El Dorado Royale and am looking for advice on photographers. I look at the approved vendors and don’t know how you are supposed to choose. Has anyone worked with any of these? Any good or bad reviews of them? Thanks

Jn - I didn't realize the long range walkie talkies worked so well! great tip!!! we had no problem with customs - green lighted all of our wedding stuff through. And we had a lot - 2 checked bags each, 1 rolling carry on, my dress, and each of us had a back pack. Plus my mom brought a checked bag of decorations for us. Just be sure to have receipts for anything that is gifts - wedding favors, wedding party gifts, etc. and that the maximum amount for gifts is $200 per person ($400 per married couple). The rest is "personal belongings", and it should be good. it sounds a lot worse than it is, though I have heard of a few brides who got a secondary search and interview with Mexican customs agency. once they showed receipts, it was good. Quote: Originally Posted by jennifandr5 Thank you so much for the reply! I really appreciate you taking the time its a shame about the heels since my fiance is like a foot taller than me. Maybe ill just be barefoot at the ceremony and cocktail hour and then i can wear them at tucanes afterwards. thats great info about airplane mode and wifi! i didnt know that. Allie thanks for your info too and the pictures!! Also- did you girls run into any trouble at customs? im so worried they are going to tell me i cant bring my decor through. any advice on that? Im actually using one of those large hard covered golf bag cases for most of the breakable items but its going to be huge!

Hi there! If you use the wifi, then text messages may go through - it totally depends on the phone. I think we communicated using the wifi and then via Facebook messages most of the time. Or we'd just call room to room. There isn't 1 easy way unless everyone is willing to use an international data plan or something. the resort is too large for walkie talkies to really do any good either. You will have to walk in the sand quite a bit from the sidewalk to where the runner starts at Gazebo 55. It was difficult even in wedges. Unless you're a ninja in those heels, I wouldn't recommend them!! here's a photo to give you an idea of the distance from the sidewalk to the runner: my dad & I are at the end of the runner. the sidewalk is back behind the lady in the purplish dress, by that other palm tree. it's probably a good 20-30 feet. We didn't do the string lights at Tucanes. We did paper lanterns with battery operated lights inside. I don't really think there are outlets for the light strings - they'd have to use extension cords. Here's a shot of our set up inside Tucanes: Quote: Originally Posted by jennifandr5 Hi Ladies, Does anyone have any advice on communicating at the resort with eachother? I know some people mentioned hey tell- but doesnt that use wifi? I know it was mentioned that the wifi is spotty so did anyone come up with a system that works if our guests dont want to pay for wifi? Also, if you turn off your cell data on your iphone then will the text messages still go through? Is that also based on wifi? And another question is about high heels in sand! We are having our ceremony at gazebo 55 and we will have the bamboo runner. Does anyone have any input on how difficult it is to walk in heels over there? We also have our cocktail hour right there too in the sand... Lastly, did anyone bring string lights for decor at tucanes? we have a lot of those but i am wondering if there are ample places to plug them in?? Thanks!!

Tuff - you certainly aren't the only one! We didn't have a formal bridal party either, because of that same reason. And really, everyone who attended was our party - we didn't have to leave anyone out. For photos, we still took pics with "my girls" and "his guys", they just didn't have matching outfits on or stand up next to us for the ceremony. It wasn't "less" of a wedding because we went this route. Quote: Originally Posted by TuffLuv Quote: Originally Posted by ammorris17 We aren't having any for the same reason. Our guest are paying to go to the wedding so I don't want them to have to pay more for a dress, shoes, etc. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one not having a bridal party. I chose not to have a bridal party b/c of the exact reason you listed ammorris17

beautiful Lianne!!! Quote: Originally Posted by lianne Morie Lee 1813. I wore it without the sleeves.