BamaBride

EJ4ever, I'm getting married at the Marriott & Stellaris too! Are you having both the ceremony & reception at the resort? Sounds like I am in the same situation as you are...tight budget, not sure if I should get a WC or not, & not sure about getting my own vendors or using the hotel to coordinate. It's pretty overwhelming. We are going to San Juan in Nov, so hopefully all our ducks will be in a row beforehand.

Thanks for all the information! Wow, you are WAY ahead of me, kinda in freak-out mode right now! That's great that you have all that taken care of though, less stress later. What was the setup like in the reception rooms? Need much decorations? I'd like to not spend an arm & a leg on decor, but of course, want it to look nice. That's a good idea on having in on a non-traditional day...most, if not all, of our guests will be staying a week so it wouldn't really matter what day we had it. San Cristobal is beautiful! Are you having an evening ceremony? I would love to get married earlier, but since you have to wait till the parks close, evening it is. Have you found a vendor for chairs/lights...hopefully it won't be ridiculous, like you said, it's only 30 minutes, rather spend the money on booze;) Didn't know about the construction at El Morro, that's something to think about. Was it big construction, would it show up in pics? Sorry about all the questions, just trying to get this show on the road ha!

Thanks ladies! Of course I didn't even look at it for the first couple hours due to sheer shock ha! But once I did, I liked what I saw;)

You got this girl! I'm in the middle of Week 5, the beginning of Phase 2, which is a new beast completely. I thought I was done being sore, but could barely move this morning ha. It's worth it though, definitely seeing the results. My FI is doing it with me as well, which is good, because I'm less likely to wuss out if he's already done his workout for the day. We do ours at different times during the day though, I do mine before he gets back from work & he does his in the evening...which I kind of like, because I tend to get mucho sweaty...not a cute look for me:) Keep it up, I have to tell myself it will be worth it when I'm a hot bride. I also find that yelling cuss words at Shaun T while doing the workout feels very good.

Any brides out there with any experience with El Convento in Old San Juan???? My FI has given me until the end of the month to have a place for our wedding reception in April of next year. (I have changed my mind 13 million times) We have settled on having the ceremony at El Morro, but I have yet to have found a reception site. I absolutely love El Convento, but think it might be out of our price range. We want to keep the budget under 10K...and although we only are inviting 40 guests, El Convento still seems a little pricey. The problem is, every other place I have looked at & actually liked has seemed to be around the same figure. For dinner & drinks it looks to be around 150 pp, which is fine, if that's all this thing will costs....but I'm wondering how much money I will have to invest in decor & how many additional fees will "pop up" once we get closer to the date. Has anyone had there wedding reception there & have a ballpark figure for the total? Would I need to decorate the space a lot...the pictures on their site seem beautiful, but I'm wondering how much of the decor is actually provided. ANY help would be greatly appreciated, since it seems like I have been stressing over this thing for months! I just want to have a place booked! Thanks ladies:)

I had to join in on the fun! Everyone's rings are beautiful! I'm obsessed with mine, even more so because my FI picked it out all by himself:)

How'd it go? I promise, although it never gets EASY, it is worth it in the long run. I never "look forward" to my workouts, but my day is always better when I'm done....even if I feel like I can't move some of my muscles:) Keep it up!

I love these! Yeah, not sure if my grandparents would get it either, but I'm sure people that DID get it would love seeing grandparents walking around with them! Such a cute idea!

Congratulations! Yay for PR Brides! I know, it is pretty overwhelming planning a wedding, especially when you don't live where you want to get married. I have looked into a TON of venue....mostly hotel...in San Juan. I have actually been to La Concha, it's beautiful! Last time we went to PR, we stayed in San Juan & walked everywhere. There's so much to do, your guests will love it. Right now we are 99.99% sure we are getting married in Old San Juan at El Morro & then renting out part of a restaurant for the reception. But we shall see, seems like our planning changes daily ha. We are thinking we'll have 40-50 guests. Have you looked at http://www.bodaclickpr.com? It's in spanish, but your computer should be able to translate it if you need. It's a great source of info for different PR vendors. Let me know how your planning is going! So glad to have another PR Bride!

Ha well I am impressed that you made it through! Thanks! I was impressed that he put so much time into planning the proposal (I had no idea!) & writing the story (writing that thing is about the only thing he's done for the wedding so far;). Congrats to you too! Looks like we're getting married around the same time....can't wait!

First off, I'm so sorry this post is so long! If you have an attention span like me, you'll check out after the first paragraph. If not, and you read the whole thing, thanks so much! I'm creating a wedding website & asked my FI to write a short blurb about how he proposed. I didn't really think he would do it. Two hours later, he showed be what he'd been writing. Not only was I in complete shock that he wrote more than a line or two, but touched by how much effort he put into it. Had to share it with someone:) In His words: So there I was one knee down on what had to be one of the smallest beaches in Puerto Rico trying my best to put four words together which I had never said out loud without stammering. This question would inevitably lead me to what has become one of the most incredible years of planning, heated arguments about cupcakes vs. tiered cakes, planning of which shades of blues is better (celeste, turquoise, sky and dozens of others which were formerly known to me as light blue) and other fired discussions of details which I have since learned to emphatically agree with an “I love it†because “uh-huh†and “I like it†has been determined to be equivalent to “I don’t care, you do it all yourselfâ€. But it didn’t start there…so to make a short story long… I had been planning to do this for a while; about a year in fact - guys will understand this, I have since learned that the ladies don’t and to be honest I don’t have a reason why it took me this long; it just did...but Idid do it so let’s get on with it. Perhaps the longest part of planning was trying to make sure it was special. Jamie’s a great girl and we’ve had some incredible adventures over the last three years but as she’s learned, I’m not big on planning and prefer to take things as they come. To make things worse, we hadn’t really ever talked about marriage or getting engaged so there wasn’t much for me to go on for what she was looking for and how I should propose but nonetheless I knew it had to be special. After about four months of seriously looking I finally found the ring that I wanted; about two months later I found a jeweler with the ring size that I needed (but wouldn’t ship internationally); and about a month later a plan emerged to get it shipped to Puerto Rico to a great friend of ours, Helen, who we’ve shared many a memory with. The trip to Puerto Rico started out with a bumpy flight on a six seater Cessna that had Jamie decide she would take up residence in PR rather than fly back. We spent a couple days exploring old San Juan and soaking up the rays. On the third day of vacation Helen treated us to an unforgettable experience at the Ritz Carlton as her guests where we received a couples massages; mine from Helga, a rugged, strong-handed, masculine woman and Jamie’s from Fernando, with matching qualities as Helga…I believe Jamie enjoyed hers more than mine. Following the Ritz, Helen gave us a great tour of the northern coast of Puero Rico up to her Aunt & Uncle’s house on a sleepy road past the hustle and bustle of the condos and high rises of San Juan. As Jamie practiced her Spanish with the family I wandered around the backyard trying to figure out how I was going to do this…as mentioned, I’m not too big on plans but I had decided that today was going to be the day and this was going to be the spot. A small beach on the empty lot next to the house proved to be a perfect setting and with a little sly help from Helen, Jamie and I waded to the beach just before sunset. I spent about 10 minutes on my knee waiting for an answer; at first I figured I could outlast her but eventually I had to demand a reply and thankfully she eventually eked out a “Yes! Of course!â€. The night was capped with good food with great friends and a memorable toast "to the ocean as an eternal witness to our love"…that and some fresh oysters from Tito’s van. And in case you were really wondering; the answer is turquoise blue. In Her words: I didn't even think Pete was paying attention when I mentioned that I found cheap flights to Puerto Rico. I have a tendency to ramble. Pete had begun to master the ever-helpful skill of tuning me out. So I was completely shocked when a few weeks later he declared we were going to take advantage of the cheap transportation & see the Puerto Rico. I like to believe that all girls like to have something to plan. I think I like to believe that so I don't feel so bad about being a complete planning freak. But, hey sue me, I like to have something to get excited about, to anticipate, and yes, to plan. So, as soon as the declaration of our trip left Pete's mouth, I was internet-ing away. Finding out all the adventures Puerto Rico had to offer. Pete does not plan. Notice the factual tone that last sentence was written. That's because it happens to be emphatically true. I like to plan. When it comes to most things not involving work, Pete likes to take things as they come. This little fact about Pete doesn't really matter or add much to this part of the story, but to comprehend my extreme shock as to what comes, it is necessary to understand. Well the day before we flew out arrived. I had just finished packing my suitcase. Pete had just finished asking the question, which has now become somewhat of pre-flight tradition, "Why in the world do you need to bring so much stuff?". This was the night he decided to inform me the size of the plane we were flying on. Small. Like, I could touch both sides of the inside without fully stretching out my arms, small. Like, I can reach up & tap the pilot's shoulder small. Like, I literally thought I was going to crash to my death in this tiny, tiny, tiny little plane, small. Short story, the flight was terrifying....I prayed & cried....Pete laughed & videotaped me. One day I will look back & laugh. One day. Once we got to Puerto Rico, I became completely enamored with the island. It had the conveniences, restaurants, and general "hustle & bustle" that we had not experienced in so long...but still the beauty & tranquility of a tropical island. We stayed busy eating, drinking, shopping, & sightseeing. Just liked I had planned. On our last full day, our good friend Helen, treated us to a day at the Ritz Carlton. Now, I did not grow up going to places like the Ritz. So it's a very glamorous idea for me. I wanted to create a fake identity so I could seem mysterious/fit in with the people who stay in the Ritz all the time. Now that I'm typing it, I realize how sad that last statement really is. Nevertheless, I didn't create an alias, but did feel fabulously important & pampered. Helen even arranged for us to get a couples massage. I was a little nervous about some lady rubbing all up on my man right in front of me. Helen assured me, I had no need to worry. He had a very robust looking woman. I had a very young Puerto Rican man. It was very nice. After the massage they presented us with champagne & I proceeded to show the Ritz what a classy lady I was by walking around the whole resort with the open bottle & nothing else. Hey, alias or no, I am from Alabama at heart. Helen then decided to take us on a drive around the island. We drove out of San Juan, into this amazing countryside. The view was absolutely breathtaking. When we stopped to visit her Aunt & Uncle, I assumed it was to see their amazing house & to meet the sweet couple. I got to practice my espanol with the pair, they were nice enough to pretend they knew what I was talking about. While admiring the incredible scenery from the deck, Pete ran off to the bathroom. While he was gone Helen told me to get him to take my onto the little beach adjacent to the house. So that's what we did. Once on the beach I was overtaken by the beauty of the place. And I turned my back on him to take in the sunset, I told him how wonderful I thought that day had been. Pete said something really sweet. I turned around to kiss him. He was on one knee. And that was the moment my entire world stopped. I would love it if I could tell you word-for-word the complete proposal. But at the very moment, I heard no words & saw no ring. I just saw him on one knee. I thought I was going to pass out. I started screaming/crying/jumping up & down all at once. I was a hot-mess. Finally, the man who I now call my fiance, had to tell me to look at the ring & give him an answer. Of course, it was breathtaking. And, of course, I said yes. I was the most shocked I have ever been. Ever. In my entire life. That was the part that was most thrilling to me. Other than having the man of my dreams ask me to marry him. I'm hardly ever, that truly, surprised. And to know that amount of planning & preparing that Pete put into making this proposal happen, that is what utterly impressed, shocked, and made me feel absolutely glorious. After I finished screaming/crying/jumping up & down. And after the ring was on my finger & huge, silly grin was seemingly plastered on my face. We were toasted in spanish, shared hugs & wine with strangers that had now become friends, & found Tito who sold raw oysters out of his van. It was the perfect day. Absolutely & completely a dream come true. And I didn't have to plan a thing.

So glad I found this thread! I'm on Week 3 of Insanity & everyday it seems like a new body part is sore! Ha! Well, I guess it will all be worth it when the big day is here! Are ya'll doing a specific kind of eating plan with the workout? I've been trying to eat healthier (more fruits, veggies, etc), but not sure if I should be on a specific regime. Keep up the good work ladies! "Let's Go!" (screamed in Shawn T.'s voice:)

LOVE Vitamin String Quartet, I'd never heard then before getting engaged...when I discovered them, I became obsessed! Your wedding's going to be beautiful!

I haven't gotten married yet, but my FI and I are planning on getting married at El Morro & I have the same questions as you! Have you gotten the permits for the ceremony yet? Where did you get your liability insurance from? Are you getting a wedding planner?.....Sorry for the barrage of questions, haven't found many PR brides that are still active on here! Good luck with all the planning!

I'm a Puerto Rico bride! That's where we got engaged, so what better place to tie the knot! Our date is April 26, 2013. It seems like I have looked at every venue on the island, but I think we finally settled on having the ceremony at El Morro or San Cristobal. The pics I've seen from weddings there are amazing! Still haven't found a location for the reception. Since it's a small wedding (40-50 people) we thought about having dinner/drinks/music at a restaurant that offers private dining. Then the wedding party/people that want to party on can go to an "after reception" party in downtown San Juan. Lord knows I'm gonna need a drink when we finally pull this thing off. Still lots to do, but excited to hear from other Puerto Rico brides! Good luck with everything!

Hi ladies! This is my first post....I stumbled across this site this morning & have literally spent my entire day on it! We are planning a destination wedding in Puerto Rico for April 2013. So excited & glad to have other brides that are going through the craziness that is involved in planning a destination wedding!