Mlite83

We sent out actualy STDs but I am leaning towards electronic for pretty much everything else -- real invites are nice but they are costly and usually just end up in the garabage so I definitely think electronic is valid and smart (in this digital age)!

We are doing our legal ceremony at home -- haven't 100% decided when (before or after, how many days etc) but I think it will be less of a headache and cheaper than dealing with the medical and translation required to do a legal ceremony in Mexico.  We are only letting a few people know that we won't be legally married in Mexico (mostly the friends who are close enough to know that a legal ceremony in Mexico requires blood test etc since I was on the fence about this for a while so they heard my pro/con arguments).

We dated for over 12 years before getting engaged and it will be just over 13 years when we get married.  People would ask us all the time when we were going to get married (heck my father even made a joke about it during his speech when my older brother got married 2 summers ago) but my answer (jokingly) was usually that i wanted to keep my options open or i wasn't really sure yet - I found that shut people up pretty quickly  

Originally Posted by jenniferandjeff 

 

Thank you! I called Pilar after I read your post and her assistant said she would pass the message and by the next morning all the documents I needed was emailed to me. I've emailed Pilar again but I was wondering if maybe you can answer my questions.

1. I've filed out the forms provided but my fiancée and I don’t have our flight and arrival time yet, do we need to book our a flight and room before sending in the forms (wedding date reservation and credit card form)?

2. I’m getting the Divine wedding package, I understand it covers the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception (dinner) but does that include the party portion ( dance floor, DJ, etc…)?

3. Is there group rates since I will have a large group that will be staying at the hotel?

I'll do my best to answer your questions

I did not have our flight info yet either so I simply put TBD/unknown at this time but listed who we booked through (airline) and that was fine with Pilar.  Closer to the wedding (ie 60 days out or so) you send in more detailed information including number of guests, date of arrival etc so no worries for now.

As for the reception items - those are not included in the package but you can purchase them from the additonal or ala carte services listed in the wedding package book that Pilar would have included in your email.  I have also read that some brides have been able to switch out the 45 min instrument music for DJ services...that would be something you can negotiate with Pilar directly.  The decor items included in the package (chair covers, centerpiece on judge's table etc) will be moved over to the reception area too.

As for group rates -- I had my TA negotiate that as part of our 7 days AI through Air Transat so I can't speak to what the hotel can offer if you wish to book rooms directly with them. 

Hope this helped!!

Originally Posted by MissBubbles205 

 

Ladies, I need your help..

 

We are almost at our one year mark and we want to get our save the dates out as soon as I get them typed up and printed.. But I am wondering who all should we send them to?

 

I'm wanting to do Save the Dates with our pictures since a lot of his family members haven't gotten to meet me yet and vice versa. We are only inviting our close family and friends to our Destination Wedding because we assumed extended members may not want to or can't afford to travel. We do plan to invite everyone to an AHR (no dates, location, or plans have been made for this yet.) But we are wanting to send our Save the Dates to everyone in case some people mention they want to go to the DW.

 

How are you ladies wording your Save the Dates if you are having the same senario as me?

 

What are your suggestions on whom to invite?

We also did a postcard STD for friends and family recognizing that many will not be able to attend...I borrowed some words from different STDs I saw online and came up with this for wording, feel free to use as you'd like:)

DEAR FRIENDS & FAMILY

We are getting married!  The wedding festivities will be at Now Jade in sunny Riviera Maya, Mexico, on Saturday, February 9, 2013. 

We realize that due to distance and cost, some of you may not be able to attend.  While we would be delighted to have you all come celebrate with us, we understand and respect your decision if you cannot make it.  After our return, we will host an at-home reception - formal invitations will follow at a later date.  Visit our wedding website à for more information regarding travel arrangements and to RSVP if you are interested in joining us. 

We are extremely excited and look forward to sharing our special day with you!

* We used the wedding website address vertically to separate the info from the address section on the back of our postcard that's why there is an arrow (it points to the website address).

Originally Posted by Cheerios 

 

Hi Caroline, 

I'm having my wedding there in June, and I am having like a welcome cocktail session at the lobby bar, there are couches on both sides of the bar and Pilar said they would block off an area for my guests(NO CHARGE).

 

After that we are going to have dinner at the Carnival Buffet and she would do the same, reserve an area with no additional fee:) 

 

Ling

Thanks for sharing your experience -- we were thinking of doing the same, glad to know it can be done

Originally Posted by Caroline1118 

 

Thanks so much for all these responses ladies!  I think I'm going to include them on my invitations because so far, even though some of my guests are checking out my wedding website, not all are.  At least with the invitiation I can guarentee that all guests are going to read the options on the RSVP card when they receive the invitaiton in the mail.

 

Another question to throw out there...  about how much time ahead of your wedding date will you be requirings guests to RSVP?

 

I'm getting married April 26,2013.  My travel agent was suggesting that the RSVP date should be July 31, which is the first deadline for guests to place a deposit on their rooms.  Does that seem to early? 

 

Is there a suggested guideline about when guests should RSVP before the wedding date?

We are getting married in February 2013 and our deposits are due to the TA by end of July 2012...that was part of the deal I got when booking...guests can still book after that date but we can't guarantee the price will remain the same as what we reserved.  For our deal final payment is due at the end of September.

Beautiful!  I love the little touches of starfish!!

Originally Posted by ChocoTaco7568 

 

Hey Mlite! The entree options will be  available when I publish my site in June and I'm not getting married until May 2013. My expectation is that my invited guests will have enough courtesy to seriously think about their decision to attend my wedding when submitting their RSVP and not flip-flop about their decision (fingers crossed). Granted, things happen, and I get that. However, I think that by having the RSVP available at the same time as the entree selection will actually eliminate the possiblity of people forgetting to make a selection later.  

Thanks for sharing -- I can definitely see the advantage of doing it in one go, especially for some older relatives who may only go on the website once because they aren't very computer savy (or addicted to facebook, pinterest etc

Thanks for the tips on making barefoot jewelry -- you have no doubt saved me some time and frustration, haha!

Everything looks great! You must be getting excited!!

Originally Posted by summer12 

Ladies- I have experience making jewelry but these were very easy pieces!  Especially the barefoot jewelry- I bought stretchy string from a craft store and just beaded them almost like a necklace.  Start with the beads that go around your toe and then add the ones on the top of your foot- (those will be through both ends of your string) and then separate the two ends again for around your ankle and tie in the back!  I got most of the beads and the string at hobby lobby when they were 40% off so it was very inexpensive.

 

For the bracelets I used jewelry wire and a clasp as shown below.  At first I tried the stretchy string but it was too hard to tie.  This worked better and I liked that the final product was more chunky-looking.

 
This was my favorite part of planning so far! 

 

 

 

Pilar (the WC) is no doubt very busy right now, April - June is peak season for them.  I found the easiest way to get ahold of her when I booked my date was to call her directly.  From there she was able to look up my email (while I was on the phone) and reply to it with the appropriate paperwork for me to fill out right then and there. 

I know the Now Jade website also has a wedding date request form but it is different from what Pilar sends you directly (more specific details, fine print etc). 

My advice is once you have a date (or two) in mind call the resort and speak to Pilar so she can confirm availability and send the paperwork to you....

Originally Posted by jenniferandjeff 

I have emailed Now Jade, [email protected], 3 times and still have not gotten a response in the last two weeks. Regardless of how I am being treated right now, I have my eye on this resort. Does anyone have the documents that are needed to book your date?

Wow - it is stunning! Good luck and be sure to post a photo when you get it and let us know how it turns out for you!!

Congrats!  Glad to hear it was everything you wanted!  You photos are beautiful!!

Originally Posted by yeemein 

Hello ladies! We're back from our vacation of a lifetime! It was the best experience we could every imagine - if you're getting married at Gran Bahia Principe Resorts in Riviera Maya, MX go to the main thread and you'll see my review.

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/yeemein/TodayWasAFairyTale?authuser=0&feat=directlink - here are the pictures from the Arrecife Studio.

 

We have more pictures, but waiting to get them from our other photographer. We did TTD pictures at a local public beach close to Tulum Ruins. I don't like to brag, but I think those are going to be gorgeous.

 

BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES...to-date.

I am also having guests select entrees on our website -- but I am still trying to figure out when to open that option up?  FI thinks we should do it now but I am concerned that people may RSVP yes and select their menu but end up changing their mind (about going or about their menu selection) between now and February 2013....when are you ladies giving guests the option for entree choices?? 

During the webinair Pilar confirmed that you can select entrees from the Devine or Eternite menu (and there is no extra fee is you already have the Devine package, if not you simply pay the "upgrade" fee per meal).  She did say she would require advance notice on how many of each entree items ie how many beef, how many tuna, etc.  I am not sure how much advance notice is required tho?

Originally Posted by JustNoelle 

 

I am considering these for my ceremony shoes

Zigi Girl 'Lauralee' Sandal

These are awesome - I'm also looking for something flat and with a bit of embellishment.  Definitely be able to wear them again in the future too!

Originally Posted by JQLong 

 

We were lucky!!!! And....we found a bargain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We went to an outlet mall today and went to a few stores without any success.....until we went to the Lord & Taylor outlet....

 

 

 

The color was perfect...the fit was perfect and the price......made my jaw drop...

We found this dress at the Lord & Taylor Outlet....

Orig. Price $278...

Marked Down $138...(we were excited about this....)

 

But she paid....$39.99!!!!  I was AMAZED!!!

Wow - I love it!!  And the price doesn't hurt either!! 

Originally Posted by cdc150 

 

 

They're terracotta. My word of advice is give yourself a lot of extra time to get dressed, the corsets took awhile to get done of everyone. 

I love the colour combination of the dresses and necklaces - looks awesome!!

Have you looked at Studio Suits online (studiosuits.com)?  There is an entire thread devoted to them (on BDW) and most people are very pleased with their product and pricing!  They have a great deal for linen suits.

Dress #1 looks awesome and you look so happy in it so that gets my vote!!

Originally Posted by MJKH 

 

P.S.  I'm a UWO grad!! : )

Me too!

Also I completely agree with your rant about MoB dresses -- having 2 older brother's who have alread gotten married (with traditional weddings) my Mother was thrilled to get to think outside the box of pastel colours, jackets over dresses and other traditional MoB styles.

My Mom has purchased this dress for our wedding in Mexico but since the wedding is not until February 2013 I have a feel she may end up with more than one dress!  For my brother's wedding 2 years ago she bought 3 different dresses since she couldn't decide which one she liked best.  At least she got this one on sale if she does chance her mind, ha!

I'm certain you will be happy with an outside photog (especially DelSol - they do amazing work!!!), I just wanted to mention too that you can purchase additional hours (for about $100/hr) and you have the option to purchase all images on a disk (for around $500)...this is what I have understood based on previous reviews by Now Jade brides.  My wedding is not until winter 2013 so I can't speak from experience tho

Originally Posted by aarosenthall 

I totally struggled with the same thing... Whether or not to hire an outside photographer or to use the resorts. Mlite83 you are correct on the photographer being adventure photo. I looked into them... All that comes with the package is one hour of photography and I think 30 photos. Anything else and you are paying an hourly rate not to mention the negatives are not included. The communication was good with them though.
After considering this and also knowing that I wanted to look back on my photos and remember the day and all the details, the looks on people's faces that I had forgotten, the day unfolding as a story, I decided to book an outside photographer and after much research, ultimately decided on Del Sol (which recently merged with La Luna their sister company) and could not be happier. Based on other bride's feedback and comments, everyone who has used del Sol/La Luna feels they made the correct choice. I have yet to find a picture of theirs that I did not think was absolutely breathtaking!
Best of luck with your decision!

I haven't had my wedding at Now Jade yet but I can tell you that Pilar said that they do not like to break the packages (ie no substitutions) BUT has been done...the advice I was offered is to go into it assuming that the package can't be changed and it is a nice perk if they do allow you to move things around.

As for the slideshow I know I saw the price of it somewhere...maybe the wedding booklet?  I think its around $500?

Originally Posted by khunt29 

Hi Brides,

 

Just a couple of questions (hopefully those who already married there will still check this thread!)

Have any of you used the resort photog included in the pkg?  We are really having a hard time deciding whether to use the one included in the pkg or bring in an outsider....pictures are really important to us, so I am just worried that the one w/ the resort will only snap the obligatory 25 pictures and not capture a lot of the candid moments....anyone have any input?
Also does anyone know the answers to these questions?:

 

Extending the reception – what are our options?  Our reception is in the Bamboo Room from 6-8pm, I think.  What cost is associated with extending that to midnight or something?

The saxophonist/violinist/guitarist playing the ceremony- Is he only available during the ceremony, or can we use him during the cocktail hour as well?  Or at the reception?  We may have specific music we want for the ceremony, so can we use him at a later time, instead of during the ceremony?

Is a DJ an option for the reception?  We noticed it isn't included in the 2013 package anymore, but can we use a DJ instead of something else within the pkg? Example- use the DJ instead of say, the private beach dinner?

Cost for slideshow during the reception?

Substitutions with our package?  Is it possible to move things around in the pkg- if, for example, I want to give up the couples massage, can we get a longer videographer time slot? or something like that....

 

Thank you everyone! 

 

~counting down....378 days LOL...~