AllieH

thank you so much!!

YAY Lindsey!! one month countdown is ON! A year already?? Happy anniversary Amanda!

I'm not sure where you are shipping from, but it's crazy expensive to ship from the US to Mexico. And not reliable at all. I would not plan to go this route if you have your heart set on getting these favors for your guests. I would figure out a way to transport them yourself, or buy them when you get to Mexico. You can easily do international shipping estimates on ups.com or fedex.com to get an idea of the costs.

I had mine dry cleaned when we got back home. I brought it back from Mexico rolled up in one of the suitcases we brought our OOT bags/favors in. I'd assume even in the bag it'd get some wrinkles carrying it home on the plane, and you'd still need to at least get it steamed. And no guarantee the resort will be able to really dry clean it either. I know the hem of my dress was filthy!!

I had my wedding dress steamed for about $15. They did a fantastic job with it! They picked it up Saturday morning, and returned it that same afternoon (the laundry is closed on Sundays, and our wedding was Monday). They hung it up on the curtain rod in our room wrapped in a couple of white sheets (so my husband couldn't see it before our wedding day). The prices are listed in pesos on the laundry sheet in the closets. If you need the steamer for your dress, I'd just let the resort do it. Just be sure to remove any removable pieces (e.g. corset laces, belts, etc.). If it's for every day or dinner clothes, they do have an iron w/ steam capabilities in each room.

Lydia, What a lovely story. Wishing you all the best on your very special day! You both deserve it. Happy Planning!!

YAY! I'm so excited for you Gail. It will all be wonderful!!! and don't worry, I called all of the wedding stuff "crap" for quite a while. just take it one day at a time, and don't forget to enjoy it! I can't wait to hear all about your trip. have a VERY safe drive to WV, and a safe trip to Mexico!

I love your bouquets Lindsey, and the menus & programs really do look great! I would not have guessed you printed them yourselves. The bachelorette party sounds like fun! 30 days..tick tock!!!!

we did one per couple (for the couples), and then one per person if they were singles traveling together.

Hi Riz! we met DJ All Music when our onsite WC took us to Tucanes for our reception. the guys came out to meet us before they introduced the bridal party (in our case, our parents) and us. I confess - I don't remember their actual names! It was all a blur at that point... BUT never fear - it's not winging it at all!! they have a pretty detailed excel spreadsheet that you fill out with your Lomas WC ahead of time once you decide to book them. You choose all of your playlists for dinner, and for the reception. The spreadsheet includes any of the announcements you want made - introductions when you/your bridal party walk in, cake cutting, announcing the father/daughter dance, garter toss, etc. It also asks when you want each of those events to happen and then the MC will move through any of the events you have based on what you outline. For us, it wasn't necessarily a specific time - like cake cutting - 7pm, first dance, 7:30pm, etc. Our cues were more like "cut the cake in between the entree course and dessert course" and "first dance - after dessert is finished". So they had all of that timing set out, and it really worked well.

Hi Oxana, We used DJ All Music through Lomas. We were very happy with them overall. Their services included a DJ and an MC - they kept our reception rolling and everything happened at the times when I wanted them to (cutting the cake, first dances, etc.).

it was a couple of hours I think. We had time to chat while they poured the wine, and before they came to take the orders. Then we had 4 courses. appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. I think it'll also depend on your group size, and how busy the restaurant is at that time. So you can estimate a couple of hours, or just go with the "Post-dinner events", which is probably safer..that way noone gets anxious if dinner goes longer.

The food is SO GOOD. definitely go to D'Italia Casitas - this was our favorite dinner place. My DH loved the Osso Bucco, and the seared tuna appetizer. and I loved everything I had there too. We usually ate lunch at JoJos - loved the calamari and the tuna appetizers. I'd pass on the burgers, but the fish & chips were good, and the quesadilla too. I'd also check out the wraps at Las Olas (Casitas 31) - that was a fantastic lunch spot!! The pizza at the pizza corner is just so-so in my opinion - it's pizza toppings on a tortilla. however, the bacon wrapped hot dog was super yummy (I know, I'm weird - I love hot dogs). and ask for the fondue menu at La Isla for dinner one night. YUM!!! we really enjoyed our group dinner at Cocotal also - I'm kind of sad we didn't go back for dinner another night. I didn't do the water journey - we just didn't make the time. from what I hear it's progressing through several pools of water/spas. If you are just doing your hair & make up on your wedding day, I'd probably pass on doing the water journey right before those appointments - you'd have to wash your hair again (if you got it wet), and dry it before the appointment (the salon can do that for you, but will charge extra). it's included with any spa service, no additional charge. so if you're doing massages on another day, that's when I'd do the water journey.

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I think they look just fine Lindsey! Love the colors.

Bowzer looks like quite a character!!

Hi Jenny - welcome to BDW!! If you haven't already, hit up the Riviera Maya section - NOW Jade and AS both have very active threads, and both are popular with brides. Good luck, and happy planning!

Jess - these are sooooo beautiful!!

we had 35 guests, and decided programs weren't required. we didn't have a bridal party, musicians or soloists or anyone like that to be introduced in a program. we didn't have a super traditional ceremony either - no religious customs or traditions to incorporate that our guests needed to know what was going on. we had 1 reading a friend did, and the minister announced her and asked her to come forward, and then one affirmation from our guests that the minister also read. they'd get thrown away in the end no matter what...so it seemed like a waste to me. the ceremony went really smoothly without it! all of that said - whether or not you "need" a program totally depends on the type of ceremony you are planning, and how elaborate you want to be. Quote: Originally Posted by kefritz I'm torn on having programs or not. Im only having about 20 guests and wondering if its worth it. Any thoughts?

oh no Gail, not a good week! I hope everyone is ok. will be thinking about you! and yes, there were days when I wondered why in the world we were doing all of this, and didn't elope.

Betsy these are GORGEOUS! I really love the different places and perspectives she used. I hope you are feeling better!

Lindsey - it's right after the exchange of rings. so signing the certificate was the last thing before we kissed.

oh yeah - I forgot about signing the certificate!! that would be a great place to have one of the songs - the train song I think would fit better here than the bruno mars, but you could do either one. I think we signed it right after we finished exchanging rings. I'll look back at our ceremony photos and figure out the sequence of it. clearly, I didn't have it written into the ceremony and didn't have music for it either. one other tidbit: expect that the minister will have you both walk around the table to face your guests while you sign it. Quote: Originally Posted by LKocelko I didn't think about the signing...when does this happen in the ceremony? How long does that take?

I'd think 17 minutes is plenty - split them up into "Guest Seating" and then "FI/BM walk" playlists though. that way the MC will switch it when the time is right. And if they take longer to get seated, he can replay the Guest Seating list...then time the FI/BM walk. I wanted the happy upbeat song for my walk, which is why I chose the Bruno Mars one. I think Train's song is gorgeous though, especially if you've found an acoustic version you like. And if your FI isn't budging on the recessional song, go with the Train song for your walk song, and then use his for the recessional. you can always work the Bruno Mars song into your dinner music (the original). See? use all three! lol Gail - I loved the 1000 years song too!!!! my FI nixed it when he learned it was from Twilight lol but I thought it'd make a lovely wedding song regardless.

oh yuck - that a serious bug you've managed to catch. I hope these meds do the trick and get you all healthy soon!! those koozies are so adorable!!!!