AllieH

Sure, no problem! Here's a link to the map on their website. If you double click it, it'll get (a little) bigger. http://www.eldoradosparesorts.com/hotels/el_dorado_royale/location.php Gazebo 55 is the double rings at the far left on the beach. Guacamayas is in the middle of the resort - next to the "Club House" - it's spot B2, just to the right & behind the chapel. Cocotal is in the same builidng as the main lobby, it's just downstairs. The easiest landmark on the map is the Grand Ballroom, it's just "below" that. The Martini bar is also next to the main lobby. We sent our guests from Gazebo 55 to the Martini bar for (informal) cocktails, and then to Tucanes for the reception. Some of them stopped at Jojos for drinks and snacks instead of going to the Martini bar. We honestly didn't care for Guacamayas. We went there one night, and the music (live cover band) was just...bad...lol We couldn't drink fast enough to make it entertaining. Maybe it's just us though! Others seemed to enjoy it. We hung out at the Martini bar or the Beach bar most nights. We didn't catch many of the shows - just the fire show. That one was worth watching. Does that help?

ok Gale, in that case I'll forgive you for making us wait (and you know I'm just teasing you, right??).

You're making us wait a month for pics of you in your dress? cruel!!!! I'm glad the alterations won't be expensive for you. where did you order it from again??

I really think it's a matter of what YOU envision and intend for your wedding. If you are doing something offsite, and having a lot of different vendors, then an outside coordinator is the way to go - someone to bring it all together and who knows the local wedding market. If you have a really elaborate vision, you will want to weigh whether or not the resort's WC can make it happen - some of the boutique/specialty resorts can, I'm sure, and some are probably less suited to that. You'll also want to know if the resort will charge an outside vendor fee for using an outside WC, to be able to factor it into the budget. Hopefully that'll give you some things to think about. Quote: Originally Posted by PickyBride2013 Hi Everyone, In my endless research on trying to decide on a resort, I have came across many wedding pictures that are awesome. When I look at the pictures I think either that bride did a million DIY projects, or they hired a professional. I am not sure if the professional was just the resort coordinator or if these brides hired a wedding coordinator not affiliated with the resort. So my question is.... Would you recommend hiring an outside wedding coordinator or just utilize the resort coordinator?? I would love everyone's thoughts and recommendations. Thank you in advance.

Hi ladies! congrats to both of you!! If you haven't already, I'd highly suggest a travel agent to help you narrow down your resort choices and find the one that is perfect for you - budget, number of guests, amenities, etc. The ladies at Wright Travel can help you with this if you don't have a TA yet. There are soooo many fantastic resorts in Cancun and along the RM cooridor. And they all offer different packages and price points. It's really a matter of prioritizing what you want in a resort. When I started my search, I built an excel spreadsheet to compare the resorts (# of rooms, distance from airports, # of restaurants, bars, pools, and other facilities, and the room rack rates that I pulled from their websites). then I added their wedding packages to compare what's included in the "free", what's buy-up, what flowers are included, spa services, private events, etc. I also compared the current incentive packages - how many rooms/room nights do you need to get a bride/groom stay free credit or private event credit - things like that. good luck with your search, and happy planning!!

For us (Nov 2012), the rehearsal for hair & make up were $49 each, and it's $86 for each on the day-of. Then you add a service fee (18%) on top... So I did a hair rehearsal for me, and then day-of hairstyles for my mother & I. Hers was also the $86. hope that helps!

Gale - I think the trick is to create stuff and add it to your cart, but don't check out. They'll eventually send you coupons for it. Others also used Groupons ($17 for $70) to get really inexpensive stuff. I never quite figured Vistaprint out myself... I didn't have that kind of patience. When I was ready to order it, I ordered it lol I think most of mine ended up coming from 123print.com or overnightprints.com - and yes, I paid for it.

It looks great Lindsey!!!!

Hi! welcome to the group. I'm so glad my over-sharing is helpful congratulations on your engagement!!!!

we did the same thing as Miriam suggests with our photographer. Her photography was all a lovely, generous gift. We had no issues at all!

this is gorgeous!

Hi Lori, I think you will want to set up a schedule with each resort's WC if at all possible. You don't want to just pop in and hope they have time to show you around. Plus most of the resorts have security, and if you aren't on the guest list, you may have trouble getting onto the properties. Whether or not you have to buy a guest pass probably depends on what you intend to do at each resort. I think if you're just touring the resort and discussing the wedding venues, you probably wouldn't have to buy a pass (after all, they are trying to sell you!). If you're wanting to get onto the property and explore on your own, swim, etc., then I can see them charging a day pass. I know that the Karisma resorts have a Bride's Dress Rehearsal package to view their resorts - it has a lot of perks, and is basically a free 3 day stay so you can tour their resorts (and then you get a credit for the amount of the stay towards your wedding package). Not sure if some of the other resorts offer something similar. I also wouldn't suggest relying on a taxi to get around. A) they are expensive and they don't really "hang out" at the RM resorts. either book a shuttle service for yourselves for the day, or rent a car. All of the resorts in RM are pretty much along the same road leading out of Cancun. And the ones in the Cancun hotel district are also clustered well together. You'd be fine driving yourselves among the resorts, I just wouldn't stray very far from the resorts. Do you have a travel agent who can help you set these up? Good luck with your planning!

those are really cute! I love the postcard idea, and the way you've displayed them for the party. Happy wedding planning!

If you have your heart set on a certain dress, you should be looking now. Even then, it may not quite be enough time to order one - some of them take 6 months to come in. You may get lucky and find one that is 2-3 months, or even find a salon that has THE DRESS you want in a sample size that works for you. Depending on how much weight you want to lose, a corset back will give you room to go down two sizes smaller than what you order, and then alterations can be made to nip and tuck any other areas that need adjusting. 2 sizes is somewhere around 20lbs to give you an idea. I highly recommend you don't wait any longer - get out there and get shopping!

I'm finally getting around to blogging more photos and such from our stay at EDR (so what if it's 2+ months late...) The resort: http://alliesnewday.blogspot.com/2013/01/welp-yeah-here-i-am.html The food part 1: http://alliesnewday.blogspot.com/2013/01/edr-food-part-1.html hope you ladies are all doing well!! my DH is recovering from the flu, so it was a tough week here in our house.

well gosh it should! thanks Tammy!!!

Our amazing photographer, Lotus Blossom Photography is hosting their Image of the Year contest. We'd really like to win the print! Please visit LBP's blog, and comment as your vote on #34. If you're also on Pinterest, you can vote a 2nd time by pinning our photo, and adding a comment with a link to your pin. http://www.lotusblossomphotography.net/2013/01/20112012-lbp-image-of-the-year/ You can vote until 9pm ET on Friday, January 25th 2013. thanks in advance!!

Your engagement photos are so cute!!! I love your dress, and the mix you found for your BMs too. Can't wait to see more!

I know every family dynamic is different, and each of us is different in how we deal with it. From my experience....don't invite anyone to your DW that you truly do not want to be there. We have 2 stories where we did this, and I wish we hadn't. One is my DH's father - my DH does not like him, is not close to him, and my DH's mother cannot stand her ex. Yet my DH felt obligated to invite the man. He was one of the hardest to get to book, and in the end my DH's grandparents paid for his dad to be there at the last minute. It was just a huge stress for my DH during this time, and I still don't understand why he bothered. He didn't even want to hang out with his father at the resort!! His mother spent the entire time avoiding his father too. With a group of 35...yeah that had some weird moments. And the first time I met his father was on our wedding day - during our formal photos. awkward much?! The 2nd one - my DH's mother insisted we invite one of her friends. my DH met this woman once...so it's not like she was a close friend of the family that he knew growing up with. Needless to say, she no-showed at the wedding after tons of drama, and then filed a dispute on her credit card for the trip - saying my TA never told her that it was non-refundable. Uhm, lady? You paid for the trip at final payment. Then you told us THE DAY AFTER YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE that you weren't coming. Let me just say that I'm still pissed at this woman, and hope I never meet her... Those are my guest-drama stories. I really wish I had put my foot down and not invited either of them quite honestly.

wow Elissa!!! I love, love all of your planning!!!!! The colors are gorgeous, and I adore the anchor, and how you've carried it through your items. Fantastic job girl! And your engagement photos - awwwww so sweet.

Hi Gina! I did the pick & choose menu for our EDR wedding. We had everyone choose their entree as part of their RSVP. I had a list of everyone's entree choices in excel that I gave the resort, and then also had the place cards "coded" with the entree choice. The orange starfish was one entree, the blue scallop shell was another, and then the blue trumpet shell was our vegetarian option (we had 2 vegetarian guests in our party). Here's a photo of the place cards I did: And then I forgot to tell the resort what the "code" was, but fortunately they had the list, and they used the name cards against the list to hand out the entrees. I had our menus printed with a thank you note on the back. The resort put them on each setting, wrapped in the napkin - it was a great presentation! Hope that helps!

hi there! welcome to BDW, and congrats on your engagement! We had 30 of our 34 guests stay onsite at our resort. The other 4 chose to use their timeshares and stayed off property - they ended up only coming to our resort on our wedding day itself, as it would have been an $80 or $90 daypass to come any other time. Two of our guests were able to use their timeshare to book our resort - so that worked out well for them to be there. However, they weren't included in our room block. Here's the language we used on our wedding website to encourage our guests to book within our room block: Please note that it's important for you to book your accomodations through to ensure your room is included in our room block. Not only does this guarantee you get the negotiated rates above, it will help us plan the events that will surround our wedding. I also included a couple of FAQs on our website around booking the resort/room block: 6. I can get a cheaper rate on the resort elsewhere. Is it ok for me to book it separately? Please let know if you find a lower price. She can work with the resort to see if they can match it (and thus benefit the entire group!). 10. What if we decide to stay elsewhere? You will need to purchase a day pass to EDR to attend the wedding. The approximate cost of a day pass is $90 per person. (I wasn't sure if the guests would have to pay for a day pass or not during the planning process, and just never quite found the time to update this on the website... ) Even with all of that, we were sweating the final number of double occupancy rooms we had in the block (that counted towards our incentives/packages) at final payment time. Our travel agent was very helpful and creative to get us the minimum number we needed to qualify for the incentives. We moved some guests around a little in the bookings - from a triple and a single to two doubles for instance. Anyway - hope that helps you. Good luck with all of your planning!!

Hi Shlearae! We worked with a DJ through our resort; the resort's wedding coordinator had a playlist/spreadsheet for us to fill out for this DJ. We chose the entire list of songs we wanted played. We had a pretty diverse list, from country to techno to 80's to some 60's too - it was a wide variety! The resort gave us a (huge) list of songs to choose from, and then we were able to specify other songs we wanted that weren't on the list. They went and found those songs for us. So I'd suggest putting together a specific list of the "hard to find" or less-common songs that you you really want played at your wedding, and then asking the DJ's if they have those songs as you are weeding through them. You could also ask them what format they'd need if you could provide those songs to them (e.g. mp3, etc.). I hope this idea helps you with your search & planning. Good luck!

hi! They are testing for HIV and syphilis, and some searches said also blood type. Quote: Originally Posted by tess12 What do they test for?