karyc

One thing I wish I had realized is that the 300 isn't a "limit" - it's just that over and above that amount you would have to pay a duty on it. (Not sure what the amount was.) I had misunderstood the policy and was worried that customs just wouldn't allow the goods through if you went over and above that amount. My mom came in with 607 worth of stuff and they asked for the receipts but then didn't really do the math so she didn't need to pay any duty. Two of our friends came in with 300 each and the agents did calculate the totals based on all of hte receipts.

Hi LS2014 - Our wedding was 65 people. we were nervous that we were going to have closer to 90 people, and to be honest, i don't know how easy it would be to do much more than 65-70. their venues are on the smaller side (and some venues have a maximum of 50-55 people), so i think if you had more than 65-70 you would be stuck having all of your events in the ballroom....

there's a great website called hifiweddings that features the weddings of couples who are really into music and tells you their playlists - smoe of them even connect directly to spotify so you can listen to it and pick and choose. also gives you some great ideas for processional/recessional...

JennyBenz- Did you get confirmation that booking the room for the vendors will definitely work for bypassing the outside vendor charges? I am starting to think about just doing that, but I'm afraid they'll end up making it difficult to have him set up his equipment/etc if we haven't officially paid to have the outside vendor provide services?

yeah, not only is there a locked gate at the entrance, but even to get OUT of the resort you have to prove to them that you are all paid up -- the cabs/vans won't let you elave without you having a receipt of sorts (or at least that was our experience when we were down there in October) -- so I think it'll be pretty easy for them to "force" us to pay the fee. i am basically withholding my final wedding payment right now until I get confirmation that we won't be charged the fee. i am also frustrated because we are having two events at the same time (the beach bbq and the smores bonfire for our rehearsal), and our WC had indicated that we would OBVIOUSLY get a discount, since the charges for each of the events includes the open bar, and there's no need to be paying for that twice. of course the resort came back and said that "since it's an all inclusive resort, these charges are not for food or drink, but rather are for the services" (which, honestly, is a joke since they charge different amounts for different types of food at the "all-inclusive" resort during private events) -- so now we are paying full price for both events. i am not even bothering to push back very hard on this one, but we had better have TWO open bars if we're paying for all of those services!!! okay sorry for all the karisma-related venting!!!

For all future brides I totally agree with MK0386 about this better-to-just-not-ask policy -- i really think that's where people are running into problems with not being "allowed" to have DJ doremixx -- i just didn't ask, and no one said anything to me when i told them who my dj was. definitely wish I'd gone that route when it came to asking about the day pass!

Also, I think they tell you the max is 60 -- but they are letting us have 65. The max at a lot of the venues is lower than i would have thought -- 55 at wave lounge, 60 on playa chil....if you have too big a wedding i think your only option is the indoor "ball room" -- but i think as long as you keep it under 70 you should be fine!

Yes, I actually asked if we can just stay in the lobby. Still haven't heard back....the nickel-and-diming gets really frustrating the closer you get to the wedding (especially when you're talking hundreds of dollars and not nickels and dimes)....and this is one thing that I feel like fighting about on principle. I'm so irritated!

Has anyone had an issue with needing to pay a day pass fee for an outside vendor for a day prior to the wedding? My DJ wants to meet with us a few days early (which I appreciate) and the resort is telling me I need to pay a day pass for that which strikes me as outrageous since I am already paying $800 to have him provide his services. To me, one of those "services" is the initial consultation. I'm frustrated and am wondering if anyone else has run into this...

Has anyone had an issue with needing to pay a day pass fee for an outside vendor for a day prior to the wedding? My DJ wants to meet with us a few days early (which I appreciate) and the resort is telling me I need to pay a day pass for that which strikes me as outrageous since I am already paying $800 to have him provide his services. To me, one of those "services" is the initial consultation. I'm frustrated and am wondering if anyone else has run into this...

that's awesome! i have dj doremixx for my wedding on march 2 and am paying the outside vendor fee....

thanks - i don't know a lot about flowers, but fyi it looks like there are some calla lilies in that bouquet, and i know that those aren't available in march so it's extra to get those imported (according to WC, which is different than what website says) - but roses areavailable. very pretty!

i didn't visit any of those resorts, but one of my friends got married at dreams puerto vallarta and loved it. indecisiveness is difficult in wedding planning - being ALMOST done with it, i can tell you it's particularly hard when you spend forever making a decision and then someone tells you that decision is no longer available. trust me, it happens a lot more than you would expect! just figure out which decisions really matter to you and it'll save you a lot of stress! good luck!

thanks! that's helpful too!

how long did that take?