AllieH

Hi Shannon - one idea is to go to Target and scoop up a set of ELF false lashes - they come with glue, and are a whopping $1 each. I used that for my wedding, and the lashes stayed on just fine. You may want to keep some in your bride's bag on your wedding day too.

glad you had a good time Nikki! thanks for sharing the info on EDSS.

I had to go stalk his site to find them - sorry Tova!! I couldn't wait. GORGEOUS. freakin gorgeous woman. I hope your day was uber special, and you are enjoying your trip.

it's gorgeous Jess!!

Totally understand your concerns! Their outside vendor fee (and strict adherence to it) is certainly something to think about in the planning process. I do think that their vendors are pretty good from everything I've seen. There are so many lovely resorts down there, I hope you find the perfect one for you!

wow!!! welcome to the boards Natalie. I can only imagine how amazing your wedding in Italy will be. I think it's just fine to put both dates.

hi there! congratulations on your engagement, and welcome to BDW! My husband & I are self-proclaimed foodies, and we were really concerned about the food quality at all inclusive resorts. I've been on enough cruises to know that mass prepared food is edible, but rarely rave-worthy. Thus, good (GREAT) food was a priority for us in choosing a resort. We'd heard good things about the Karisma Resorts (El Dorado's - adults only, Azul's - family), and we were not disappointed. We really enjoyed the food, and never were bored with choices. Half of our (personal) photos are of the food!! I felt that at EDR I could plan an intimate but personal wedding, and do it my way without breaking the bank. And happily I did that! Privacy was one of my concerns too. While we did have additional guests watching our ceremony, it wasn't as intrusive as I feared it would be. Everyone wished us well, and respected our space throughout the day. We used one of the resort's recommended/approved DJ's, and they played the music that we requested, and nothing we didn't. I was really pleased with the way they kept the party going. We also brought our photographer in as one of our guests, and that was another fantastic decision (with no outside vendor fee, since she was a guest at the resort for 3 nights). I'm definitely biased towards EDR (and can't wait to go back to celebrate our 1st anniversary this fall)! Do you have a travel agent? I found that to be a HUGE help when looking at resorts. If not, can I suggest Wright Travel? They have DW specialists who know the resorts and wedding packages, and can take a huge load off your shoulders for planning. There are links to EDR info and Wright Travel info below in my signature. Even if you don't choose EDR for your DW, if you go to RM, definitely look at EDR for your honeymoon!! Good luck, and happy planning!

hi there - welcome to BDW. In Mexico, the legal (civil) ceremony has several requirements: --health certificate & blood test for both of you done by the --birth certificates (translated) --scripted, required wording for the ceremony (limited or no changes) --4 witnesses; if these are part of your wedding party, they will have paperwork to fill out as well --valid passports --tourist card (received at immigration) The symbolic ceremony is exactly that - any language, any wording, and is not legal. Each resort may require you/your witnesses to arrive 2-3 business days prior to the civil ceremony. If you're asking about a Catholic/religious ceremony, my understanding is that this is separate and in addition to the civil/legal ceremony. Most commonly, both bride & groom will need to present birth certificates, baptism & confirmation certificates, and a letter issued by the local priest, addressed to the priest in Cancun to allow you to marry. Many times the resorts/wedding coordinators want these well in advance of your wedding. and of course the ceremony must take place in a church/chapel/cathedral. Requirements may vary slightly depending on the resort and/or wedding coordinators. Many brides choose to do the legal ceremony in their home country, and focus on the Catholic/religious ceremony for their destination wedding. Other countries besides Mexico do make the legal process a bit easier (e.g. most don't require the blood tests). I'm not sure if they commonly combine the legal & religious ceremony. I'm not familiar with the requirements of DR or Jamaica, but those are other popular destinations for weddings.

welcome to BDW! I've heard good things about both resorts, but haven't been to either of them. There are reviews here, and threads for both too. Take a look at their wedding packages online, and let that info help you decide which one is the better fit for you. Good luck and happy planning!

We were somewhat in your situation when we were deciding on a resort. We really fell in love with EDR, but it was certainly a higher priced resort for both our stay, and our guests. We decided to do a shorter stay vs. compromise on the resort we loved so much. Most of our guests stayed 3 or 4 nights, and some stayed 6 or 7. They were able to stay longer as they wanted to. It really worked out well, and everyone LOVED the resort. We had 4 guests stay off site, and EDR allowed them to come on the property the day of the wedding (beginning 1 hour before the ceremony) w/out a charge because we hosted a private dinner/reception. Their rule is 75% of the group must stay on property. When I was looking, we saw a lot of kids-stay-extra-nights-free type promotions. You may want to look into those with some of the family resorts. Depending on the size of your group, you may get free nights (in the form of credits to your room/stay), and you can also spread those across the group or help subsidize someone's stay). You can always, always change up the way a venue looks with decorations. Fabrics can change a rustic into an elegant, and lighting can make an impact too. That said, I wouldn't choose a resort I didn't feel was a good fit just for the cost.

hi there! welcome to BDW. Jennifer is right - this forum has a TON of great info for planning and ideas. Secrets Maroma is in a beautiful area - we saw it when we were out snorkeling on an excursion. Have fun, and happy planning!

they are soooo lovely LIndsey! I love the sunrise shoot. and the pic of the two of you with your feet in the pool.

we skipped the unity ceremony - no candles or sand ceremony. just wasn't "us". we also intentionally left out the "who gives this woman" - my husband & I lived together for a few years before we got married. I had my father walk me down and hand me off to my husband. Both worked out well! our ceremony was not religious at all, because that isn't us either. it was very much focused on the reality of marriage - hard work, joining together, working through the good and the bad, choosing to be together, etc. we did have a friend do a reading for us. we did the traditional "echo" vows, but also said our own vows before that (promises to each other). it was very special and meaningful to both of us. so all in all, we really customized the ceremony to fit who we are, and what our relationship is. It was perfect (for us)!

YAY!!! it's coming SOON! play what you want! that's my recommendation. we did a bit of Jimmy Buffet over dinner - mixed with a whole lotta other soft-ish music. and lots of 80's music for dancing. it was fun because everyone loved the music, no matter how cheesy some of it was. some of my favorites: Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding Billy Joel - Piano Man Sweet Caroline - Neal Diamond Blister in the Sun - Violet Femms Celebration - Kool & the Gang All You Need is Love - The Beatles She Will be Loved - Maroon 5 La Isla Bonita - Madonna Margaritaville, Volcano - Buffett Dancing Queen - Abba I'll Be - Edwin McCain At Last - Etta James Paradise - Coldplay Islands in the Stream - Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton

awww - congratulations Mrs!!

those are hawt!!!

sweet!!!!!!! Quote:Originally Posted by LKocelko literally everything went perfect! Beyond pleased.

Hi Joanne, Yes, I would. It was about what looked best on me, and what made me feel beautiful. I tried on a number of the lighter weight "destination" dresses, and they just weren't flattering for my body type. I was hot and sweaty dancing at the reception - it just didn't matter to me. I wanted to enjoy every second of the party, and I did! My advice is to find the dress you love, and embrace every bit of it. You can always take a break to freshen up, or cool off for a few minutes. Take some blotter paper with you in your bride bag, and some extra make up to do a quick fix. Then get back to that party and enjoy it.

Kriss - yep, that is why we chose a destination wedding. Plus like TropicalBride, our friends & family are scattered across the country, so it would have been a destination no matter WHERE we chose to go. And we didn't want to get into the "you've got to invite my best friend so and so" thing, so the invites balloon out of control. We didn't have a wedding party because we didn't want to ask them to buy dresses or suits on top of the travel costs (we felt all of our guests were our wedding party). We had 36 guests As far as costs go - you can plan as elaborate or as simple of a destination wedding as you want, and spend as little or as much as you want too. For us, the idea of a local wedding with $100 per head for the reception dinner (rough cost), venue rental, hiring an officiant, finding the local vendors, decorations, etc was more than we wanted to spend. If we include the cost of our stay at the resort, we spent around $12k total - that's wedding AND honeymoon. here's what that included: -paper suite (invites, STDs, name cards, etc) -wedding day attire (my dress, his suit, shoes, jewelry, etc) -10 nights in a Casita swim up suite (yes, the cost included our honeymoon!) -private reception with filet & lobster dinner (it was DELICIOUS) -DJ -real touch bouquet/bouts/corsages for family -photographer (we brought ours with us) -cupcakes -centerpieces/table decorations (brought the pretties, rented a vase from Lomas) -chair sashes/table runners (brought our own) -small OOT bags for guests (1 per couple or 1 per single guest) You really do have to decide if you're ok with a destination wedding, and if you can live with the possibility that some of your nearest and dearest friends and/or family may not want or be able to go. And if you will still want a DW even if they aren't there. I think all of us had to go through that stress point - some decided to cancel the DW and do something at home, some decide to do a DW anyway, and some do an at-home reception to include those who can't travel. Good luck with your decision making!!

ah Lindsey! your hair will go fine, just be specific - I think it's easier than make up. Happy Wedding day!!!!

*dreamy sigh* oh Gail, they are beautiful. YOU are beautiful. I just love how happy you are in all of them. I get happy just looking at them!! I'm going to stalk your photos on FB later tonight when I get home

we're here to help with the navigation! here's the Official thread which has lots of info on EDR/EDCR. here's the actual post with the gazebos. There's a listing of the ceremony locations that correspond to the resort map too, that may help a bit. The "Faisaines" gazebo is usually the one they refer to as Casitas gazebo. and Murmel (Miriam) has a lovely photo album of all the locations for ceremonies at EDR: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/g/a/104294/el-dorado-royale-photos

Yes - any of those will be perfect for you then! All three of them are the white gazebos I think. The D'italia casitas is very private, since it's farther down on the casitas side of the resort. Casitas gazebo is very similar to D'Italia. Presidential is over on the Royale side, closer to the middle of all the action. YAY! I know they are treating you like a king & queen. I'm really glad you are loving your stay. ok Gail - you're holding out on us with the photos!!! MORE PLEASE. this looks soooo gorgeous.

hi there! if you check out the official EDR/EDCR thread (link in my signature) there are links to photos of all of the ceremony sites. how many guests are you anticipating?

I would assume they'll keep working on it until your happy. BUT..on your wedding day, you may not have time to keep redoing it. that said, it's not likely they'll remember exactly what they did for your trial in order to replicate it perfectly on the day of your wedding. one option - do trials here in the states, and take photos. when you find what you like, take that pic with you to Mexico.