KCDawn

Awesome! Thank you so much!

Cri, Thanks you SO MUCH for posting all of thsoe pictures! I'm still figuring out what decor I want to use and that was a big help! The colored fabric that was draped on the wooden structure for your ceremony - did you bring that or did the resort have that?

Wow!!! These are gorgeous! SOOO professional looking. I love the luggage tag tucked inside the card design. Can't wait to see more!

Thanks for answering the question about the sand! I hadn't thought about some of these things when we were having the ceremony at the Gazebo!

Thanks for the tip on the shrinkwrap for the chapsticks! I never would have thought to look for those. Were you able to use a hairdryer to apply them or did you have to use a heatgun?

On page 137 of this thread Cri posted pictures of her beach ceremony setup. AnnieWeds posted the link to her wedding pics (beach ceremony) on the same page. If you're doing maracas at the ceremony I think most people have one placed on each chair. If you're putting them out at the reception they're typically set out at each place setting. It adds a nice pop of color each way. We're doing maracas too and we're giving them out at the reception, one at each place setting.

I've seen people put out paint brushes with ribbon around them to brush off the sand. A few towels might work better. I'm curious about this too. I hadn't really thought of it yet, since we just switched to the beach.

I was completely set on the Gazebo until I saw the new setup. I love it! I'm still working on decor. I need to get in touch with the florist and see what my options are. I know I'm going to add somewhere but I'm trying to keep the budget in check.

So they still only gave you a discounted credit even though you exchanged a spa service for another spa service? Or did you just ask to swap it like that? I was hoping to exchange the hair style and makeup for another service, maybe a manicure and pedicure, but wasn't sure how they would handle the credit.

Thanks!!! I'm really excited! I think I'm going to get wedges for the ceremony and wear the heels I already have for pictures, which we're doing before the ceremony. Now I have to shop for ceremony sandals!

Our ceremony is officially switched to the beach location!!! Just got our updated contract back from Valeria. Thanks for your help girls!

Go for it! I'm still working on the passports so fingers crossed I can find the time this week to finish designing them and they turn out halfway decent! I understand not wanting to put anything about an additional charge on an invitation but I think it would be way worse for your guests to be surprised with a $100 per person charge when they show up to your wedding. If you're not upfront with them about it it could turn out badly. For us, that seems to be the thing that keeps people from going to another hotel.

I am still working on our invitations but here is what I have so far for the accommodations page. Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, a AAA Four Diamond Resort, is tucked away on secluded Maroma Beach, voted the World’s Best Beach by the Travel Channel four years in a row. (Three stock pictures of the beach and pool area from the Secrets website inserted here) Featuring six gourmet restaurants, a buffet, and seven bars and lounges, this all-inclusive, adults only resort is located only 20 miles south of Cancun’s International Airport. Enjoy nightly entertainment, water sports, golf and 24-hour room service. I took the first section directly from the resort info I found on SMB's website. The last part is a paraphrased version of something from the same place. The TA information is on the opposite page (I'm doing passport invites). On that page I'm adding a note about the $100 fee for a daily pass if they stay somewhere else. I think it's important to let people know that. I wouldn't suggest people stay elsewhere. If you do that I think people will definitely start comparing rates and complain about the prices. .

I'm sure they will. You get your choice of a couples massage, body scrub or facial with the Ultimate Package. If you don't want any of those I'm sure they'll give you credit. I'm really looking forward to that part though!

You're definitely not alone! I got some of the same comments. My grandmother said I was doing the DW so I could exclude people and my brother complained about the time of year being inconvenient for him and his wife. Other family members have complained as well and we've definitely gotten the too dangerous remarks (as if you wouldn't research that before taking all your closest friends and family there?!) Bottom line, it's going to happen, there will always be complaints, but you can't let yourself get caught up in it. There's no point in fighting with anyone about it and you definitely shouldn't let it damper your special day. Puerto Vallarta will be awesome!

Valeria told me if we didn't use the photography in the Ultimate Package the credit would be $350. Then, of course you have to pay $100 for the outside vendor fee. That's ultimately why we ended up just upgrading our photography. It was going to cost so much more to go outside and get the same thing, plus I really liked Juan's photos. So it made sense to do it that way. I'm really excited about the bonfire too! I think it's going to be a really cool thing for our guests. I've seen pictures of the bonfire somewhere, in the reviews on this site maybe. It looks like a firepit they set up on the beach. The only thing we're adding is the bar. We're bringing an ipod dock and playing music that way. I think we can all relate to the frustration over the extras. It does seem like there are a lot and they're adding up fast. I just keep telling myself I'd be spending a whole lot more to have a wedding at home and it wouldn't be anything like this.

I've been coming here for answers first too! It's so much quicker. I can help you with a few of these. I'm sure other ladies can help you with the rest or add to what I have.... 1. I haven't dealt with the Styling Trio at all so I can't help you here. Sorry! There may already me a thread on them though. 2. I don't have the credit amounts for these, but I have the makeup and hair on my list to ask Valeria. I do know that the credits are much less than the listed "a la carte" prices you'll find in the wedding guide and other SMB price lists. This is because they consider these to be discounted when bundled in the package. 3. This one I can help you with! Yes, you just pay the difference to upgrade the photo package. This is what Valeria told me. I am using Juan Navarro. I emailed him at the beginning of the planning to secure him for our day. Keep in mind that it is Juan or one of his associates so you'll need to get in touch with him to see if he is available if you want him specifically. When I emailed him I gave him the types of pictures I wanted to do and he came back with a timeline and seemed very open to what I wanted and was very responsive. I'm sure if you gave him samples of things you wanted he would work with you. You could also look at his Blog (blog.juanphotos.com) or his Facebook page and find pics he's already done that you'd like to recreate. 4. I'm guessing this depends on how you do your booking. We used a travel agent, but did not do a room block. You may get a different answer somewhere else, but our TA told us they don't really do discounts with the room blocks, it's more that they'll reward you with freebies, like a free cocktail hour or something like that. I have yet to really look into this though. I was waiting until most of our guests are booked. 5. We are doing the welcome bonfire. There are price details in the wedding guide. We're doing the bonfire and the bar (no dinner). We figure can do dinner on their own since they're already paying for it. The bonfire is a $250 set up fee and the bar is $12.60 per person after the tax and service fee. If you have a small group, just setting a time in a restaurant might be a good idea, however to reserve a space they may charge you anyway. You'll have to check with Cecilia on that one. Hope that helps!! Good luck!

Cri, out of curiosity what menu did you guys end up putting together? Any suggestions? I was just looking at all the choices yesterday and while I'm sure it's all very good, I have no idea what to pick. I know someone said you can do a tasting when you get there but I'd really like to have it out of the way before we get there.

It's a good question, but we're not going to. We're telling people not to bring gifts. Even if a few bring cards, I don't think our group is big enough to warrant a special area. We're having a party at home afterwards so if they want to give us gifts, they can do it there.

Thanks for the tip!! I would have never thought to ask the Florist. I assumed he would be long gone by the time the ceremony was over. I was hoping to be able to use the ceremony decor at the reception. It turned out beautiful!!

I did the exact same thing. I was convinced I needed an outside photographer and got all the quotes, only to realize that it would bust the budget. It also helped that one of the photographers I liked (Juan) was the photographer included in the package. We upgraded to photo package 6 for $640. One thing that I liked about Juan is he didn't push for a longer session than we wanted. Through email I told him what we wanted to be covered and he said three hours would be enough. Juan is doing about a half hour of getting ready pics, the "first look" and portraits before the ceremony, the ceremony, some family and group shots afterwards, and the cocktail hour. He did tell me that he always comes prepared to work longer so if we wanted to extend the time he would be available.

All of our guests so far are staying at Secrets. We have 22 guests booked with 3 1/2 months to go! Once people realize it's an all inclusive and they can't come and go as they please if they stay elsewhere they book at Secrets. That's where the party is. The wedding is only a small part of it. If they stay elsewhere they'll miss most of the fun. Of course, the people we have coming are all close friends and family so getting to spend the time outside of the wedding with everyone makes a difference to them. One thing I've heard of people doing to spend time alone after the wedding is the bride and groom switching to another resort. The change makes it feel a little more like a separate honeymoon and you get your alone time without putting your guests out.

Cri, is this at the Gazebo? Did they move your ceremony decorations to the Gazebo for the reception for you or did you have to take care of that yourself?

CKRN - Thank you so much for posting your pictures!! I love your cake topper! Where did you find that?

I'm in a similar situation, being already settled in a home and having a lot of typical wedding gift stuff. We are going to register for some updated stuff, pretty much what has already been mentioned - pots & pans, towels, bedding, etc. In addition to that a friend of mine made a suggestion that I thought was helpful. She suggested keeping in mind additional stuff you may need if you plan to move into a bigger home anytime soon. She said they lived in a small apartment when they got married so they kept the registry small, but wished she had thought ahead and registered for items for an additional bathroom or bedroom, for example. I've also been told not to shy away from the more expensive items, because sometimes groups of people like to chip in for a bigger item. I know my friends and I have done that for weddings and baby showers before.