AllieH

Hi Kristen (@kfracassi) - check out this post on the official EDR/EDCR thread. It lists all the reception locations and the # of guests that can be accommodated at each. Are you looking for a beach location, poolside, or indoors? Tucanes is the most popular location for a private reception. It's poolside, and in the main part of the resort (very central location). It also has greenery around it that makes it fairly private. Let me know more of what you're looking for, and I'd be happy to share some other thoughts.

Hi there - what about heading down to the Florida Keys? Key West has some really nice resorts/hotels. Ocean Key & Pier House are two that I really like. There are other chain hotels also. The beaches in KW are mostly private, so you'd want to stay in a hotel that allows access. Key Largo is also a nice area that offers plenty to do. If you really want to stay on the FL west coast, I'd suggest Sanibel or Captiva Islands near Fort Myers. Farther north closer to Tampa is Long Boat Key or Clearwater Beach - those are all great areas for a beach vacation also.

@@lauralane - the basic set up doesn't include chair covers at all. They are just basic white chairs. chair covers and/or sashes are extra. here's my set up: we added the orange chair sash (and table runners too) that we brought from home. But this gives you an idea of what their standard chairs look like, and the white linens.

call your TA and ask them to call the resort to see if they'll honor it.

hi @@lauralane - the standard set up is white table clothes & napkins. no table runners, chair sashes/covers, etc. are included. HTH!

@@mrsgordoncomeondown According to the 2014 banquet guide, you can add additional hours to a cocktail (standard 2 hour event) for $9 per person per hour. Thus, to extend it 2 hours would be $18 per person, which may be more than what you are paying for the cocktail itself. And they may want you to pay extra to add seating, since a standing cocktail even doesn't come with tables & chairs (just the high tables). She may have been trying to steer you towards one of the dinners (standard 4 hour event) since it is likely more cost effective than extending a cocktail 2 hours and includes tables and chairs. If the 4 hour cocktail is what you want, I'd ask again, and point out the available extension listed in the banquet kit. It's on the last page of the 2014 version here: http://www.weddingsbylomastravel.com/planning/Weddings_Banquet_kit_2014.pdf

I sent a "thank you for booking" letter too. I think it's a great idea!

congrats!!!! the Karisma properties are amazing.

I've flow SW quite a bit, and their planes do not have a closet. You're going to have to put them in the overhead bin. I would suggest rolling it up in the garment bag and putting it into a wheeled carry on for the most protection while traveling. Don't worry - EDR will steam it for you before the ceremony, and the cost is around $15 - $20. They do a fantastic job. Just remove anything that is removable (corset laces, straps, belts, etc) before you send it off to the laundry. They will return it to your room wrapped in sheets and hang it on the curtain rod, so it'll be safe from peeking eyes prior to your big day.

I believe some brides have purchased maracas from marisols in Mexico, and had them delivered to the resort once they arrive. But that's really all that I've heard as far as favors purchased in Mexico. We had custom ornaments for our favors, purchased them in the states and took them with us. I'm not sure what their production timing is though, and if they can do a rush order right now as you'd have to ask them. It's a husband/wife team, and they are really nice to work with. here's their website: http://fivecedars.com/favors/sand-dollar-wedding-favors/

I was going to suggest Bows-n-Ties.com, but I've see you've found them already. I think your matches are pretty good! We bought our ties from them, and were happy with quality, speed of shipping and service. Good luck!

gorgeous!!! congratulations!!

Maybe one of our TAs will chime in. Based on my own experience, those are stiff penalties with a very long lead time, and very little wiggle room. That said - not uncommon for doing a true room block that you really need to have a good idea of how many rooms you'll have very quickly as you sign the contract and be on the hook for them. We too ran into this, and we refused to be on the hook for rooms that our guests may or may not commit to. We gave guests 2 weeks to put down their deposits so we'd know how many rooms we'd need. The deposits were refundable up to a certain date (maybe 90 days out..?), but once final payment was made, no refunds (unless they had purchased travel insurance separately). Anyone who missed that booking window wasn't guaranteed the price we negotiated, or the same room category that was available. Luckily our TA was able to squeeze in some late bookers, but overall it worked out for us. Do you have a good TA who can help you through this? They are by far the best partner to have when planning a destination wedding.

@@NickiLynn1116 - I wonder if they are saying that because they can't accommodate 10 of you in one or the other - that would be my guess!!! We stayed at the Royale side for our anniversary and were able to book the Casitas spa. Almost all of the brides I've talked to have used the Casitas spa, regardless of where they (and their bridal party) are staying. I'd push back on your WC. You may still need to split up due to the number you have in your party to get ready. As I said previously, Casitas only has 3 hair/make up chairs in their salon, and I would guess the Royale spa is the same. Another option may be to ask if the stylists can come to a couple of adjacent rooms to do hair/make up, vs. trying to fit you all in at the spa. I would suggest that to your WC, and indicate that with 10 people to get ready, it's a lot of money you will be spending at the spa. And they really need to accommodate you one way or the other, without all of your party & family getting ready separately from you.

one more thing I'll add: when I've talked with friends who are in the midst of planning a wedding stateside, 90% of them say "I wish we'd done a destination wedding!!!". And none of my friends who have done a DW have regretted it.

you won't be *right* on the beach there - it has a sea wall (what we're standing on in my profile pic). and then rocks below that, but the wall blocks the rocks so we got pretty blue water pics. here's one of our beach photos just in front of Gazebo 55. seaweed was more noticeable than the sand bags!!!

hi @@Sophiaone95 ! boy, you sound like you're going through a lot of what we did when we told our family we wanted to get married in Mexico. it was so bad that my parents said they weren't coming... worried about safety, too far to travel, etc. they eventually did (I knew they wouldn't miss it) and loved every minute of it. My sister has young kids, and from the beginning said she wouldn't go. She didn't, and while I really, really missed her being there, it didn't change the memories we made. we ultimately decided that we weren't the ones missing out by her not being there - she missed out. we also had numerous friends who didn't go - including some of my best friends. again, we decided that those who went to Mexico were the ones who would truly support our marriage. we too considered Vegas, FL and other US-based locations. we could get more for our $$ by going to Mexico, and plus everyone had to travel anyway (very few of our family & friends live where we do!). A good compromise may be to do your destination wedding as you've always envisioned - after all, it is YOUR day, your memories, and the celebration of your marriage. Then maybe throw a back yard BBQ or gathering for the friends/family who couldn't make it, and show off your photos. We have been to Mexico 3 times in the last 18 months - and never had a single problem with safety or other concerns. The resorts are amazing, the people are gracious and we would go back in a heartbeat. I would suggest you make it very clear to them how much having a DW in Mexico means to you & your husband-to-be, and also how important it is for them to be there for it. Have a conversation about their concerns, and then make sure your own feelings are heard too. I'm a big advocate for doing a wedding your way - not what your family or friends want. Good luck!!!

@@MandM2014 - will you have children at your wedding ceremony...? I ask, because EDR has a lovely ceremony site on the beach that doesn't face the sandbags/concrete barriers - Gazebo 55. That's where we chose to have our ceremony because I didn't want the sandbags in my ceremony photos. It was perfect! click through my gallery to see some of our photos if you need more info on this location.

we did a small break - an "informal cocktail" - for our guests to go to the bar while we did photos. Some of them ended up getting something to eat instead of going to the bar. But they all showed up for the party - no worries!

We had a 4pm wedding in November, and I wish we'd started earlier. The light goes FAST at sunset, and we lost it while doing our couples pictures. you won't have much sun light at all at a 5pm ceremony. Remember that Cancun/RM is on the EAST coast, so the sun is setting behind the beach and over the mangroves.

Hi Missie - welcome to BDW!!! We're all big planners around here - we got engaged in July 2011, and our weddingmoon was November 2012. Best of luck with the wedding planning!

@@Lilian84 - what does your heart say?? There's no right or wrong answer, it's just what you (and he) want. If you keep this ring on your left hand, you can have a custom made band made to wrap around it. So many options!!

Hi @@NickiLynn1116 - congrats on your wedding!! There is plenty of lighting at Tucanes - you don't "need" lanterns, etc. they are really nice accents, but not at all necessary. I do wish we had done the floating candles for the pool - that would have been so beautiful (the pool itself is just dark at night, not lit up). My gallery has photos of Tucanes from my wedding, it should give you an idea of the lighting and options for decorating. We can help too!!! Just let me know what questions you have. Hi @@mkg51615 ! Tucanes will hold 75 for a plated dinner. here's the post in the official thread that lists out all of the venues and the capacity for various set ups. There's tons of additional information in that thread as well. I have two key pieces of advice for DW brides: The WCs will take forever to respond, and it will be a frustrating process. BUT - it will all be taken care of when you get onsite! the onsite WC are magic and will make your day perfect. 2nd - don't "over do" all of the decorating and frills. It doesn't have to be a pinterest perfect wedding, and the site is so beautiful it doesn't need a ton of embellishment. Let me know if I can be of any help!!

a week isn't unusual for a response time unfortunately. they are managing 2-3 weddings per day, and tend to be more responsive as your date gets closer 60 or 90 days out. have you tried using the live chat feature on the Lomas website? sometimes brides have been able to get responses easier that way. This is one of the more frustrating aspects of planning a destination wedding for every bride! has she provided you with a copy of your spreadsheet yet? that's where they should be capturing all of your decisions, pricing, etc. hair/make up: They have 3 chairs in the salon in the Casitas, plus the bridal suite (separate from the others). I would plan to start no later than 10am. The bride will probably take at least 2 hours, and estimate 90 minutes each for the others. Not sure if they will only have 3 stylists available in Casitas, or if they are able to add more based on how many of you there are. I would definitely ask your coordinator!

hi @@Msmimi - they were inspired by a post card I saw, and then had them recreated as STDs! there isn't a template to share unfortunately.