mrspfafftobe

Hi Arch713 - Thanks! We got the images of the fish, chicken and cow from our RSVP cards that we had designed. (See our invitations here: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/78726/my-beautiful-letterpress-talavera-themed-invitations-lots-of-pics) We enlarged the image in Adobe Illustrator and then typed each name on top with white text. We had to adjust sizing and spacing to make sure everyone's name fit, so unfortunately you can't do just a mail merge. We bought the kraft place cards from www.paperpresentation.com and printed them at home. I'm not going to lie, the thick stock and small size made the cards VERY hard to print on a home printer. It took a lot of adjustments with the paper and print settings to get them to go through right. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any more questions. Step by step tutorial for the paper straws coming soon!

Hi Dazeydawl - We got our frames from Michael's. They always have great 50% off coupons and sales.

Thanks everyone for the kind words about our projects!! The cigars - long story - When we went on our site visit we checked out some cigar shops in downtown Playa. They seemed okay but we were able to find much better pricing for the Cuban cigars from www.cigarterminal.com which is a company located in the duty free zone of Switerland. They ship to Mexico but warned us that it could take a long time for the package to clear customs. We were saving so much money that we figured we'd take the risk. Well - the morning of our wedding they still hadn't arrived so my husband and brother in law ran downtown to buy the expensive cigars so we have some for the reception. The package arrived form Switzerland on MONDAY after the wedding - lol! We had a few during the rest of our trip, but of course we couldn't take them back with us, so we gave the rest to the hotel staff as part of their gratuity (about $500 worth of cigars ) Anyways, I'd just recommend you buy them down there. There are lots of good and reputable shops. If you have a lot of time (months) I do recommend www.cigarterminal.com as their prices are REALLY low. Hope that helps!!

This is a good forum regarding customs in Mexico if you decide to bring items with you on the plane. I wrote about my interesting experience on the last page: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/41422/customs-in-mexico-an-effort-to-gather-the-info-in-one-thread/120#post_1806440

Hi! We created the design then sent it to www.rubberstamps.net to be made into the stamp.

We just booked our honeymoon at Sivory and we are so excited! We are doing the double-four diamond once in a lifetime package which we found to be a really great value! I have heard their food is among the best on the entire island and we are doing an all-inclusive package

Sorry, the picture didn't show up, so I'll try again:

I got married in Mexico back in June but I'm just getting around to posting this. Before we left I read this forum and understood the limitations and requirements, etc. We were bringing down a massive amount of stuff with us (9 suitcases not including our personal items/clothes/etc for the trip) so I had a feeling we were going to have issues. We had a folder inside each suitcase that included a detailed spreadsheet of every item and its value, and original receipts for every item. We understood that each person had a $300 limit and we would be taxed for anything above that amount. We easily could have made up receipts and lied about an items value, BUT the penalty to falsifying information is WAY MORE (several thousand dollars) than just paying taxes. We decided to go the safe route and were honest about everything. I think total we brought with us about $2,500 of decor, gifts, welcome bag materials, etc. We bought plastic suitcases/travel trunks from Walmart (picture below) - they were wonderful for packing and traveling but were a HUGE RED FLAG for customs. We didn't even get to go through the red light / green light thing. We were brought aside immediately by customs staff and all 9 suitcases were inspected in their entirety. They made sure there was nothing illegal (guns, drugs, etc.) and of course wanted to know the value of everything. I am so lucky/thankful that I have been studying Spanish for 12 years, otherwise this process would have been nearly impossible with the language barrier. They were asking me a lot of questions and trying to have a conversation the whole time. We ended up having to pay around $120 to get them to clear our suitcases. Please note that they only accept Mexican pesos - no US dollars or credit cards. We didn't know this so we had to find a currency exchange at the airport and were charged a ridiculous exchange rate. We were afraid they would confiscate items or charge us several hundred dollars, so we didn't think our fine/tax was too bad. The worst part was that the whole process took about an hour and 1/2. There were 12 other guests on our same flight from the States who were waiting for us to head to the resort (we had a huge 20 passenger van) so I felt really bad about how long it took. My advice: travel with luggage that looks like personal luggage, not sketchy trunks!!

Quote: Originally Posted by diddles 13 Hola fellow brides, anyone out there been married at Esencia, Playa del Carmen? I'm getting married there next year and I'd love to get any advice!! I have never been to Esencia but it looks amazing! We did extensive research on Esencia when planning our wedding, but ended up picking Le Reve instead. We are hoping to stay there for a few days on our anniversary trip next summer. Good luck and happy planning - you are so lucky to be getting married at such a beautiful, exclusive resort! Unless you had a special negotiation with del Sol (which would be really surprising) they have the copyright to your photos, which I believe means they can do anything they want with them. Our contract with del Sol had a model release saying that we grant them the permission to use our photos without any restriction or approval form us. I found this to be a good thing; I would love our pictures to be shared! Your wedding looked gorgeous by the way - I especially loved your hair!! Congrats on your marriage

Hi Dazeydawl, I bought the mr and mrs sign from a seller on etsy named LazyCaterpiller. I also bought a smaller banner for our card box as well. https://www.etsy.com/transaction/78571322 https://www.etsy.com/transaction/78571323 And yes, those are burlap overlays on the table. I bought cheap burlap fabric and my mom sewed them.

Here is what I got my husband.... Breitling Super Avenger watch!!! Photo by del Sol, more here: http://delsolphotography.com/blog/content/galleries/?gal=755

Here are pictures of our reception tables and sweetheart table.... photos courtsey of the talented del Sol team! More here: http://delsolphotography.com/blog/content/galleries/?gal=755