MSPOKRAN

What I would do again at first thought: -order two bouquets and choose the day of. One real touch flowers from bloom bridal and then fresh flowers from the resort. I was able to use both bouquets, one for the ceremony and one for the TTD - spring for the mariachi trio! It made great pics too! - having my reception on the beach- best TIME EVER and so intimate - Paying for a DJ and light up dance floor on the beach with only 21 guests. We had the time of our lives and these items helped make the party! It would not have been the same without the DJ and dance floor!! No way! DJ Doremixx was AWESOME!! It's worth it ladies! - ditching the $3,000 dress for the $450 dress that I loved so much more. It's not the price tag its how it makes you feel - Trash the Dress!! -customize your ceremony and reception- make it memorable. My guests said it was hands down the best wedding they had ever been to! All the planning and preparation, and some may say obsession, pays off. -go for the custom cake with at least two tiers. Don't settle for the free cake if you don't get what you want. - I'm happy I was married in the gazebo and then had reception on the beach. Since I'm short this allowed me to wear heels. Plus the beach was still busy at 5:30pm. - so happy that I got my butt in gear and lost as much weight as possible pre wedding. Then happy that I continued to eat healthy until the day of my wedding. Couldn't risk the dress not fitting! Then I got busy eating the next week! - happy that we upgraded to the swim up suite for our honeymoon. Made it so much more romantic plus we got a cabana! - if your events are outside, and rain is a possibility- hold out as long as you can. That morning our coordinator said 95% chance of rain. We held out and the rain moved away and not a drop fell until after the entire event was over. I would have been SICK to go inside. - have your man wear a tux if this is your vision even if he doesn't want to! It was worth it! - have your family match their attire to your wedding colors. It made the pictures so much better!! Have them follow a color scheme, they don't have to match exactly of course. Try to get all guests to do this, but especially the family. What not do to: -schedule the TTD AFTER the majority of your guests leave. I lost time with my guests I had to get my hair done again and get in the dress all over again and then 3 hours of shooting. Do the TTD, just choose the time more carefully. - don't choose a dress too early. Especially if you plan to loose weight. Places like Davids Bridal make it easy to order from the rack. Your tastes will changes as you lose weight. I went from a dress that showed little of my form to one which hugged my curves and I'm so happy with it. Take your time and take it into consideration how your body will change. - DONT GO TO Wickys in Playa Del Carmen. It was horrible service and I had to keep apologizing to my guests. - don't choose a room next to the elevator we were woke up all early hours of the morning

I couldn't decide either. So I elected to have both!! I ordered a real touch bouquet from bloom bridal. It had a twist on my colors of yellow and gray, with white and deep purple added in and some bling of diamonds and pearls. I ordered only my bouquet and the grooms mothers corsage to match. It cost me around $200. I also had the resort prepare me a yellow fresh flower traditional boquet. The day of my photographer took test shots with both bouquets and the girls helped me decide. I went with the real touch bouquet hands down it was SO classy. Then I used the real yellow bouquet the next day for my trash the dress session. BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! I am such a happy bride. Here is a shot of the bloom bridal bouquet. I will try to post a closer up shot later.

We don't have professional pics back yet either, but here are some friends pics. The day was magical!!

Be patient and read read read!! Choose topics you are most concerned about or want to know more about and get daily emails on those threads. Think closely about the type of ceremony you want and location. For example when choosing a resort-how private do you want the ceremony? We chose a busy beach and it worked out great for us, and we were close to nightlife and shopping right off of 5th street in Playa Del Carmen. But if you want seclusion- choose somewhere like Isla Mujures. On your dress- keep in mind if you will lose or gain weight. I spent over 3,000 on a dress trying to get it the way I wanted when I purchased it ten months ago. I lost around 20 pounds and when that happened my vision of the dress changed. I ended up with a $450 dress from davids bridal that I adored. Take your time when choosing and think carefully!!

Do it! it's an experience of a lifetime!! We just returned a few days ago. The dress can be cleaned I promise- who cares how it sits around in a box?? You paid and planned to get all out of this experience that you could don't settle!! Claudia Rodriguez did our shoot and I am SO excited to get the pics back. They will be super sexy and unique and this chance will not come around again most likely! My dress was light- and this did help a ton. My only other advice, our TTD session took around three hours almost. This took away time I wanted to spend with my guests playing pool volleyball and other things Plan this out a little bit so that it doesn't take away from guest time. I did our shoot immediately the day after the wedding but if I had waited just one day my guests would have been gone and I could have relaxed more.

We just came back from our honeymoon a few days ago. Getting there and even back wasn't super easy but we certainly made it through. Here are my suggestions from learnings- The zipper on my David's Bridal dress bag broke after flight #1. This resulted in all kinds of trauma including my bonked head and a lost veil. I'm not sure how often this happens, but maybe bring some bobby pins in your carry on to pin it back together if this happens, or maybe even a cheap backup dress bag. You don't want your dress dragging the floor, or items like your veil falling out of the bag, plus you don't want your groom to see the dress! Sand will get you pulled over going through security. I tried to bring my sand ceremony back in my carry on. It was too precious to get broke. But when security ran the test on the substance to see what it was they messed up the look of the sand, it had a beautiful layering and now that is gone. I will have to buy more sand and re-pour it to get the colors to blend again like they should. I should have had them scoop it from the top, but mostly security doesn't care. I still wouldn't change putting it in my carry on. I can handle re-pouring sand I cant handle it breaking. Bring bubble wrap for the return trip and wrap anything that can break very well both there and back. They throw the bags around!

Ladies I am back. My wedding was phenomenal- I will post a planning thread over the next few days. Every dime I spent here was worth it- I have SO much to tell all of you!!! My only disappointment was in Wickys for my welcome dinner. DONT waste time and money on this tourist trap. I am not sure how some have written good reviews on this establishment but this will be an all out war for me. I was completely embarrassed the entire time we were there. More later.

Our vows- sharing and hope it helps someone. All pretty much pieced together from other posts on here. .................................... Jennifer and Holger 5-19-13 Opening Welcome Family and Friends – On behalf of Jennifer and Holger, I want to thank you all for gathering here on this beautiful day to witness their marriage ceremony. The fact that you all have traveled such a great distance to be here today is a testament to the amazing amount of love and support they have. They would like to sincerely thank you all for being here to witness and celebrate this moment. The couple would also like to thank their parents for their everlasting love, support and encouragement and their presence today. Being assured of your love as lifelong companions, and that you have your families blessings, I now ask, who gives this woman to be married to this man? (Gary Edwards, “I doâ€). Thank you. Vows (Please face each other and join hands) Holger – Do you accept Jennifer to be your wife, to love and to cherish, to share your dreams, successes and challenges, in plenty and in want, in triumph and in failure, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live? (Holger- “I doâ€) Jennifer – Do you accept Holger to be your husband, to love and to cherish, to share your dreams, successes and challenges, in plenty and in want, in triumph and in failure, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live? (Jennifer- “I doâ€) The Blessing Of The Sea Jennifer and Holger, as we stand by the ocean, may your love always be as constant and unchanging as these never-ending waves that break before us, flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea. Your love came softly upon each other's hearts, just as the sea foam lies softly before us, and just as there will never be a morning without the ocean's flow, may there never be a day without your love for each other. As the tides ebb and flow so to, do the fortunes of life. Footprints in the sand are washed away, driftwood moves on its endless quest for a peaceful harbor. Only a deep and abiding love can withstand the tides of change in two lives. Pledge yourselves to each other this day, and promise to be as faithful and dependable as the tide. Just as these waters nourish the earth and sustain life, may your constant love nourish and sustain each other until the end of time. Sand Ceremony – Holger and Jennifer -you have just sealed your relationship by the exchange of vows. This covenant is a relationship pledge between two people who agree that they will commit themselves to one another throughout their lives. Today, this relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand- one, representing you, Jennifer and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other representing you Holger and all that you were and all that you are, and all that you will ever be. I invite you both now to pour the sand from each separate vase into the third vase. As these two containers of sand are poured into the third vase, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be. (Pouring of sand- Adele Lovesong) Rings – (The rings please) I will ask you now to seal the vows which have been made, by the giving and receiving of rings. Your wedding rings represent the unconditional love that you have for one another. These rings are a circle with no beginning and no end. Wear them with honor and pride as they are a visible reminder of the vows and promises you have made here today. Holger, please take this ring and place it on Jennifer’s finger and repeat after me: Jennifer I give you this ring as a visible and constant symbol of my promise to love you as long as I live. You are my one true love and partner in life. I will cherish and love you today, tomorrow and forever. I will trust and respect you, laugh and cry with you. I will love you faithfully and unconditionally. Holger I give you this ring as a visible and constant symbol of my promise to love you as long as I live. You are my one true love and partner in life. I will cherish and love you today, tomorrow and forever. I will trust and respect you, laugh and cry with you. I will love you faithfully and unconditionally. Closing: We, who are present today, hope that the inspiration of this moment will never be forgotten. May all your days and years to come be filled with vision, joy and passion. May the love you now share continue to grow, and may the happiness you bring to each other be a continuing part of your life together. With friends and family, along with the sun, the sky, and the sea, it is my pleasure to announce the new Husband and Wife, Mr. & Mrs. Jennifer and Holger Pokrandt! You may now kiss the bride J (Release bubbles)

OMG! How do they do that to you Georgias??? Can you get them to pay part of that tab?

I am using Claudia Rodriguez- she charged $500 for the ceremony only (video) so that sounds about right! We arrive tomorrow!You have started planning very early- I would try to hire a photographer other than the one the resort offers if you can. Have you tried Ivan Luckie? I hear great things and his prices are incredible. If anyone needs anything while I am there let me know! I arrive 5-15-13 and leave 5-25-13.

This is our program- I had a seller on Etsy create them and then I just took them to Kinko's. I didn't want to spend an extraordinary amount of time on programs so they are simple, but I wanted to give credit to the wedding party and thank everyone (again) for attending.