AllieH

do you meant the clear ones like this? they aren't quite as thick as a Starbucks version, but they are durable and you can't beat the price.

If you aren't willing to take the hurricane chance, then you won't want to plan on a wedding in the caribbean from July - November. DR is in the caribbean, thus there's the chance of a hurricane. Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire are much further south, so they typically aren't impacted by hurricanes. Puerto Rico, DR/Haiti, Jamaica, Bahamas, FL Keys, Virgin Islands, Mexico (Cancun and Cabo) Turks & Caicos, even Bermuda have a chance of a hurricane in summer. Heck, even NC, SC, GA and up the eastern coast have a chance of a hurricane in those months. It's minimizing the risk - July is much less likely than August... good luck with your decision!

hi and welcome to BDW! Congratulations on your engagement. You have some extra planning stress with two celebrations. There's tons of info here for planning destination weddings - settle in and do some searching.

@@chelseapaige37 - it's a gorgeous dress! I would definitely try on different accessories at your alterations appointment. A sparkly belt or a statement necklace will look fabulous with it.

@@lornj29 - hi there and welcome to BDW! The Atlantic hurricane season is actually June 1 - November 30. Eastern Pacific hurricane season is May 15 - November 30. August/September/October are the most active months. I would highly recommend anyone traveling to the caribbean during hurricane season get cancel for any reason travel insurance. For example: we got married on Nov 5th. Mexico didn't have any hurricanes, BUT NYC did - Hurricane Sandy. Some of our guests weren't able to make it to Mexico because of a hurricane in NY. That wasn't anything we expected... The silver lining on the hurricanes is you usually have some warning where they are headed. Not exact, and they can change direction, but you should know before your departure if a hurricane has developed and is headed for that area. Some seasons are very active, and some (like this year) aren't very active at all. Hope for the best...prepare for the worst.

yes - you'll go through all of those details when you meet with the onsite WC.

congrats Amanda, and welcome to BDW!!

@@NickiLynn1116 - I'd suggest asking her again about the rehearsal and indicate that other brides have been able to arrange this ahead of time. And then ask when you have your meeting if your planning WC still says no. You really don't have any control with the scheduling of the meeting with the onsite WC. You'll be given the time when you check in, and it will generally be in the afternoon the next day. I think it took 60-90 minutes. They will go through all of the details of your worksheet with you to confirm all of the events, table set up, take all of your decorations and things you brought with you, and go through details you haven't even thought of (where do you want the cake table? um, I don't care). What you can do is call to talk to the onsite WC when you arrive and ask to reschedule it either to that day, or a time that works better for you the following day. I can't imagine they wouldn't do their best to work with you. It's just easier to talk to them directly when you're onsite vs. pushing the offsite planning team. The WCs have an office in the main lobby on the Royale side (if you are in the Casitas, you'll be taken to their dedicated lobby and won't see the WC office). We didn't do chargers at all, and I didn't think they were necessary. We did a menu/thank you which was folded into the (white) napkins on the place settings - looked fantastic! I chose not to spend $$ on different place settings & glassware, just went with the standard. I brought my own table runners though for a pop of color.

@@calgarybride2015 - your hair looks GREAT curled like that!! and I like the flower too. so glad you got good advice from your stylist. trust the pros for sure.

you've gotten great suggestions for budget-friendly dresses! I'd also suggest not stressing terribly over whether or not it will travel well. The biggest consideration is whether you are willing to carry it with you through the airports and on a plane. If a ball gown with a super full skirt is more than you want to manage, consider a different silhouette. Destination brides have worn all silhouettes and it's all perfectly appropriate - I've seen huge ball gowns, a-lines, mermaid/trumpet style, and what most people think of as a destination wedding dress (slim column, chiffon or flowy material). Find a dress that you love, and go from there. Most of the resorts are used to steaming wedding gowns, so even if it arrives with a few wrinkles it will be ok.

whew!! that's a great relief!! if you will email me the script, I'll post it in this thread for other brides. I'll PM you my email address.

You'd have to ask your photographer and minister about their fees and standard charges if it's a destination wedding. Some might discount or change their compensation structure, but some may not. Have you considered writing your own ceremony script? Then you can be sure it includes just the right amount of spirituality you envisioned.

@@ChiTiff - They do have a standard symbolic ceremony script. I'm not familiar with it though, since we chose to write our own ceremony for reasons similar to yours. That took the religion out of it and avoided a full out Groom melt down Based on what Kim said above, they will probably need to wait until closer to your wedding date to confirm if your officiant is available prior to your ceremony. That may not work for your party to make plans for their day ahead of time - not ideal, I know! Another option may be for you to schedule a rehearsal with your party and the onsite WC regardless of whether or not the officiant can be there. You can run through the ceremony and staging at the time you set with the help of the WC and your MOH (press her into duty!). Then you can meet with the officiant when he/she is available. That would allow your guests to plan their day Friday, and allow you to meet with the officiant prior to your ceremony to discuss specifics, walk through the ceremony, instruct him/her specifically on the "no religious talk" rules. Just some different thoughts & solutions. Keep in mind that a destination/resort wedding is not exactly the same as having a wedding at home where you meet with the officiant, choose who you like, etc. This is one of those items that really is up to the resort to choose & get set up. I will tell you that our officiant spoke English very well, all of our guests understood what he was saying (as did we!) and we really had no complaints about him. We didn't meet him before hand, and our WC gave him our ceremony script (we gave it to her at our meeting). Note that you will meet with the onsite WC the day after you arrive to the resort. So if you're also getting in on Thursday, expect to meet with them on Friday afternoon. They will tell you the day & time of your meeting when you check into the resort.

@@lshotty - I know quite a few brides have rented the $250 sound system. I thought it was a bose system similar to what you can bring vs. a lot of speakers. Hopefully one of the other ladies can confirm! We went with a DJ so I'm not much help there. I think you'll be able to make reservations for you & guests, up to a party of 6 (they generally won't seat more than 6 together). I would be very sweet and kind with your concierge and offer small cash gratuities when you're making reservations Ah the music. first - pick what you love. Don't sweat if it isn't "the perfect wedding song". There's a ton of threads on songs on this site: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/45-wedding-music-entertainment/ A popular guest seating song (and the one we used) is Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's Somewhere Over the Rainbow + What a Wonderful World. We also used "Going to the Chapel" - the 1950's song, and one other that I can't remember right now. If you like country you can play "I Do" by Mark Wills, Rascal Flatts - so many to choose from. here are some others that come to mind: It Had to Be You (Harry Connick Jr) She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5) I Cross My Heart (George Strait) I'll Be (Edwin McCain or Sara Evans) John Legend has some great romantic songs too. For my walk I used Silver String Quartet's instrumental version of Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars) - it was fun and upbeat, and non-traditional which is what I wanted. Search YouTube for more of their music as they have instrumentals of a lot of popular music. Our first dance song was "I Won't Give Up" by John Mayer - it fit us and is the promise we made to each other. So in summary - pick what you love. Make it personal - if that's traditional, great! If not, don't be afraid to change it up and do something that represents you two, your family & friends, etc. Do a quick google search for wedding music ____ (ceremony, intro, processional, etc.) and you'll find a lot of lists and blogs with suggestions.

@@ChiTiff - Generally your officiant won't be at the rehearsal. The rehearsal would be run by the onsite WC team, and you'll meet the officiant the day of. My understanding is you can request to meet the officiant before hand, and it will depend on his/her schedule if they are available. What concerns do you have about the officiants? Are you doing a legal ceremony or symbolic?

I'm of the opinion that a good photographer is worth the splurge for your wedding. You'll never get that day back, and you want photos that capture the feelings, the moments and the memories. Scrimp and save on other areas if needed. and I so wish we had jumped in the pool after our reception! can't wait to see your photos of it.

hi @Ishotty! so exciting that your wedding is around the corner. November is a fantastic time in Mexico. The Health Bar is really great - right by the ocean, and next to a pool too. Here's one of the photos I have of it. Definitely request & clarify if you can use the Casitas Spa. the Royale side also has a spa, though I don't know anything about it. The nice thing about the Casitas spa is the water journey - while you may not do it ON your wedding day, you can ask them for a pass to go back and do it, or do it before another spa treatment. Two restaurants require reservations: Santa Fe Grill and Fuentes Culinary Theater (assuming they have a new chef there). Anyone can make reservations for these two with their concierge, and you should see yours shortly after you arrive (both book up quickly). Sante Fe also serves a really fantastic breakfast - highly recommend making this a breakfast spot! You could conceivably walk into the other restaurants for dinner if you go shortly after they open without reservations (we do that a lot). If you are staying in the Casitas, you can make reservations for any restaurant for dinner. If you are staying on the Royale side, you may have to wait for a table if you go during the busiest time (7-9pm). And there's always 24/7 room service through out the resort. We did the symbolic ceremony and no one knew it wasn't legal. They have a certificate for you to sign during the ceremony and will give it to you later in your stay. Hope that helps, let me know if I can answer more questions for you!

I don't know that answer unfortunately. I don't recall seeing wheelchairs (or motorized scooters which would probably be easier) around the resort. My best guess is this is something you'd need to arrange and have delivered to the resort. Either your TA or the resort itself should be able to help. Sorry!!!

yay congrats!!!! You will love EDR. Let us know if we can answer any questions for you.

@@kfracassi - yes absolutely get a travel agent. Pick a GIVC Karisma travel agent to maximize the perks you get for your group. @@kmk2016 says, if you are in the US, Wright Travel is a solid partner for your destination wedding. You can contact them through the link in my signature. Tell them Allie sent you!

@@TheBHolders - it's gorgeous! congrats on finding your dream dress and getting a great deal on it. I would just go ahead and dry clean it, then keep it in a good garment bag (not the plastic ones standard from a dry cleaner). I think the preservation part is just putting it in a certain box/trunk that is airtight. You can do that, just know you may need to have it steamed prior to your wedding (which will probably be the case anyway since you'll be traveling with it!). I

first - all three look beautiful on you! I like the top two better than the bottom one. And between the top two, I like the one with more bling on the right.

acw271011 @@acw271011 - will be thinking about you. I hope it goes well and you have a swift recovery. please pop in and let us know how you're doing if you have a chance.

Hi @@rykell - pics are posted on the first post of this thread for all of the items. also, not to be a pain, but we are in the middle of a move, and everything is packed into various boxes. depending on when your wedding date is, we can coordinate shipping once we have moved and unpacked. just let me know.

@@rebepax - they are gorgeous!!