JHo2013

The Bridal Party Attire

 

I cannot wait to wear my dress!! But I'm not going to post photos of the dress because my fiance told me the other day he was on this website and saw some of my posts!! Hahaha... what a guy. Didn't know he was looking at this website too. But I can post my accessories and what the rest of the bridal party will be wearing

 

My Accessories

 

Every time I look at these studded Valentino babies I still swoon. I'm gonna wear them for the reception, but not for the ceremony because the ceremony is on the beach. And I'm gonna wear them again lots after the wedding. Love them! 

 

 

For the beach ceremony, I bought these simple sparkly wedges from Spring. They're actually perfect! They're comfortable, not too high but still gives me some height, and they were very inexpensive (especially compared to the pair above...lol)

I beaded about 12 pairs of barefoot sandals. And made myself one similar to these but with light blue swarovski crystals mixed in with the pearls.

 

 

 

These are my favourite accessory - they were a gift from my mom. I think they're perfect because the mother of pearl gives it a beautiful beach-wedding feel, and the design is Aztec and I think it's quite fitting given we're getting married on a resort with some original Mayan ruins still standing.  

 

I love how this clutch has a vintage feel to them. I have a giant phone (the Samsung note 2) and it fits! So I had to get it. It's from David's Bridal and was about $40.

 

Groom

My fiance will be wearing a full suit and tie (a blush colored tie, and pocket square), just for the ceremony and a few pictures, then he can take off the tie and jacket if he wants. Or he might get a vest as well to match the rest of the guys. It's up to him. But I picked out a really great suit for him. I think sexy has to be the only word to describe it...

 

 

 

 

 

Bridesmaids

For the girls, I wanted to find something light weight and that they'd wear again. I picked up some really cute and inexpensive dresses from F21 and used the rest of the money I budgeted on their outfits towards their gifts. I wanted to pay for their attire because they're already paying so much money to come to our wedding. 

 

 

 

 

I thought maybe if they wore a statement necklace it would be a little different than your traditional bridal party, so I picked up these necklaces from H&M for about $25

 

 

I also got 8 of these 'getting ready robes' for everyone - they're on sale right now from La Vie en Rose for like $8.99! I loved the floral ones I see off etsy, but I love these and the price tag it comes with! I bought the light grey with the light pink trim as they go perfectly with my wedding colors. I'm going to wear a blush kimono from VS.

 

 

 

I got them a really nice gift and I cannot wait to give it to them. But I don't want to ruin the surprise by posting it here just in case they see the post. I'll post it after they receive it

 

Groomsmen & my 'Man of Honour'

Our gift to the guys is their suits. I shopped around a LOT and finally settled on this set from Express, and they were having a promo on every $50 spend, you receive $10 gift card or something like that so it helped. The guys probably won't be wearing a tie, but I'm going to get a white pocket square for everyone. 

 

 

 

For footwear, all the boys will be rockin these Toms. Everyone loves them!

 

 

Ring Bearers

We don't have any flower girls, and my fiance has 2 adorable nephews. They're going to be wearing grey pants, a white linen shirt, a newsboy cap from zara, and a pink and white stripe bow tie and black suspenders. I don't have a picture of them in their outfits, but it's similar to this cutie pie here.

 

Yayy! I'm so glad you did and so excited for you! If I had my AHR Fiat before Mexico I definitely would wear my dress again. But it all works out and u get to wear 2 beautiful gowns Haha! I'm gonna post more about what I've been working on. .. But I think work blocked a lot of stuff in this website and I can't use their full editor lol. Stay tuned for the bridal party's attire and ceremony decorations

 

Definitely lots and lots of details to think about! But it'll be worth it! If you haven't got your dress already, just remember to keep a budget aside for alterations - because I'm getting my dress fittings this month and holy mama! It's expensive! Yes, I have 2 wedding dresses. Because I'll trash my dress in Mexico, and having our wedding back at home 6 days later is way too stressful whether the dress will come back clean, whether I'll tear the dress somehow, etc. Instead of stressing over it, I got a more dressier gown for our AHR. hahaha....

It's such a dilemma because if I was a guest, and I received something in Mexico once I arrive as a little welcome gift, I would feel like they've gone above and beyond in planning so I'd feel welcomed. But at the same time, holy man it's a lot to bring down! haha... I'm going to mail out the luggage tags with a flyer of a schedule of our wedding week. And then maybe give them just the beach towels and key/tip holders when we're there at the welcome dinner on our first night there. I think I'm going to opt out of the minibus stuff because I really don't think it'll be used and it all adds up! What's in your oot bags?

 

Hey. I know!! This wedding is definitely adding up a pretty penny for me too! I've always been pretty good with my pennies, but when it comes to wedding I'm finding it harder to be a bit more frugal than I am haha.. I'm also having an AHR 6 days after I get back home for the legal signing and a Chinese styled full on wedding day for 150+ people. But I think you should do the presidential package. The palapa and private beach area will be so worth it! I fell in love with the idea of the palapa. I know what you mean about the other perks, but I think the flowers are bigger and more lush too with the presidential package. I'd say do it!

I've always thought these little key holders are a must! i like the playful vows that's incorporated into this. Definitely gonna borrow that idea!

Ouch!! I guess I will eventually have to chose from this one or the other vendor. When will you be placing your order?

Hey. Did you end up getting these suits? I couldn't really justify the price tag. So I got these cute linen Grey pants and white linen shirt from old Navy. Then I bought suspenders and bows ties off ebay and a hay from Zara and all that came up to the same cost of 1 etsy suit ( I dressed 2 boys) and got them baby toms to wear. Their mom loves the whole look!

I definitely want a veil for the ceremony - I think it makes it look a lot more "bridal" then I'd do a few photos with and the rest of the evening I wouldn't wear the veil any more.

 

Hi LeeLou - I went with the Presidential Package and I'm having the reception at the Palapa. If I wasn't having it in the Palapa then the Beach would have been my second choice. And if I had to have it in a restaurant I would have chosen the Italian restaurant because it's very classic and clean inside, and the colors are black and white so it's easy to coordinate. Have you put your deposit down yet?

Very pretty!! These look very similar to what I had originally wanted. But we have about 7 tables, and to achieve the look I would have wanted that would have been at least 3 vases per table plus votives so that's over 21 vases to tote down. Really didn't have the room for that on top of everything else we need to bring. But they look amazing! I'm also shocked by how much the resort charges for flowers. So I made my own pomanders to hang down the aisle and then using them again as centerpieces for the reception.

That's a great tip!! Thanks for the headsup, I'll definitely make sure to wrap them up safely. These are soooo nice!! Thanks again!

Hi everyone! I'm just trying to plan the logistics of when to give my guests their OOT bags. I'm planning on doing up a 1 pager itinerary for our guests and email that to them & have it printed so that they'll have a copy at the resort. And for the OOT bags I'm doing something quite simple - I bought a beach towel for everyone that I'll tie a ribbon to and maybe a coral top wine stopper & acrylic tumbler. Did you get help from the resort to deliver them to your guests? did you hand them out yourselves? What's the best method? Thanks!

These are perfect! Exactly what I've been looking for. My name means Coral so I kinda wanted to incorporate some coral into the DW wedding Thanks for sharing. And I love everything you have done with your planning. Your wedding looks amazing!

Hi Brides - I'm a little bit worried about any surprise wedding upcharges and want to prepare as much as possible. For those who were married at this resort - the Pres. package only includes accommodations for up to 10 guests. Did you have to pay extra for extra chairs? What color sashes do the chairs come with? How much were the sashes? Did anyone else use the burlap runner? If so, how many pieces did you have to get? We want to do a sparkler set off at the end of the night, how much did those come up to? Please let me know what kind of surprise charges you might run into. Thanks beautiful brides!

Thank you so much for this!! It looks completely doable! I purchased one off etsy and was not pleased with the service or the end product so I'm gonna have fun making these for me and my girls Thanks again!

Originally Posted by AmandaRyan2014 

 

So we finally got everything confirmed.  I got the receipt the other day and she also sent me a list of all the details that I will need to fill out three months prior to our wedding date! 

 

Janelle - Maybe we will end up running into each other!  We will be arriving on April 7th (the Monday) not sure if you will still be there or not.  Have you got your dress yet?

 

Jho - That's awesome that they have connecting suites.  I had asked my travel agent about these and she said that you can't book them but that you can ask for an upgrade when you are there?!?  Not sure why you can't request them.  We opted for two junior suite rooms instead.  Your date is coming up soon!!  Do you feel like you have everything ready?  Are you bringing centerpieces or any favours?

 

Yes!! It's quickly approaching! We depart for Mexico on July 29th! I have tonnes and tonnes of stuff to bring I need to spend a week organizing and sort voluntelling people to help bring some stuff down for me.

I made all my own kissing balls. Super happy with how they turned out. I made 10 of them and they will hang off the tiffany chairs down the aisle. I spoke with my wedding coordinator and she said I might need about 15-20 of the aisle runners for the length of the walk (it comes up to about $250! I have to look into some options or just bite the bullet I guess).

 

The kissing balls are then going to turn into our centerpieces (we have about 7-8 tables, so 2 can be used for the guestbook/escort card tables or for the cake table...) I'll post a picture of these babies on my planning thread soon.

 

For favors - I bought these really bright and fun beach towels as a welcome gift and I'm gonna roll them up and tie a bow with a little note for each of my guests. Then I bought a box of buri fans, photo coasters, and mini lanterns for the wedding day. I also made over 12 pairs of beaded barefoot sandals for my ladies. I really need to post all this stuff in the planning journal. I'm just being stubborn and wanted to post the professional pictures of them from the event hahaha...

 

The most stressful part of this is the AHR we're having 6 days after we come back from our DW. And I'm worried my dress won't come back in a wearable condition as I'm planning to trash it, so I may have to get another dress for that. The AHR is for 150 people and it's also the day we're legally signing our papers - I certainly didn't plan to have such a big event after the wedding... but once you let your traditional Chinese dad get involved.... sigh.

 

The whole year went by so quickly and as stressful as it can be I've enjoyed every single second of it. Can't wait to see all my hard work come together.

Originally Posted by AmandaRyan2014 

 

Hello Everyone!

 

I have been reading this thread from start to finish and it has been so helpful you have no idea!!  Thank-you to all the past brides for posting such detailed reviews!!  They have been amazing, it is so nice to just be able to read through the posts instead of emailing the WC's every single question.  Plus it's great hearing everyone's experiences! 

 

We are booked to get married April 10th 2014.  We gave our deposit about a week ago through our travel agent and I haven't heard a confirmation yet but I really hope that we get the date.  We were originally booked at the Grand Palladium however we weren't able to get a wedding date so we had to move everyone to this resort!!  Huge headache but after seeing the beautiful photos of the palapa location, I'm starting to think that everything happens for a reason! 

 

We will be booking the Presidential wedding package.  It looks like the best bang for your buck and I'm hoping that we can upgrade to a connecting suite as we will be bringing my future step children.  Would be very nice to have the connecting suite for us.  But that is all just wishful thinking! lol

 

Anyway, Can't wait to get to know all you brides!!

Congratulations! That's exciting! I took a tour of all their suites when I was there last year and they definitely do have some Silver/Gold/Platinum level rooms that have connecting suites (and there was a playstation and xbox too I think). You should ask your coordinator about those rooms.

Originally Posted by lgerry 

 

I love how you are having a "Man of honor"... I too am having one of my "guy" best friends stand up with me along with my 2 other Maid of honor's!

Everything looks great so far!! I love your website! 

 

Liz

Hi Liz - glad you enjoyed the website! I can't imagine getting married without my best guy friend! He's like a brother to me. I'm glad to hear that others are doing that as well. I love your engagement photos!

I like the 2nd dress as well - i think it's a little bit dressier than the first one Very pretty!

The Invitations

As mentioned earlier, we sent the formal invitations a month following the Save the Date email. We did a formal styled invitation because I fell in love with a design I found at Papyrus. We had it done on heavy cold press paper, raised glossy ink, and a beautiful blush ribbon that's matted on top of a grey card. The invitation folds out into 3 sections. I also chose the French styled envelope and used a wax seal to give it that little extra something special. My FI had gifted me a calligraphy set over Christmas, so I put my penmanship to use and addressed 100+ invites. I had lots of fun doing it. We added a starfish motif to the otherwise uber traditional and formal invitation.

 

 

 

I love all of these shoes...I am getting married on the beach and one of the reasons I had trouble deciding is I love to be in cute shoes and I feel slimmer in heels...but doing destination I decided to do it in the sand and now I am disappointed I won't get cute shoes!

I would do wedges to get the best of both worlds. I couldn't give up the chance to buy beautiful heels so I'm wearing the heels for the reception!

Yes, I saw and have heard of a few weddings with Marry Me for a processional song. Actually, the day after FI proposed we were on a beach in Mexico and the bridal processional was that song. So lovely. I wanted a slow song for our first dance, but I made the mistake of asking FI's opinion... Then he said he liked this song, and I said I do too... so he said, yes, yes, that is our first dance song. He has been working on convincing me, and now I like it. I think we are going to go a little bit of a swing dance with it.

Lol I actually wanted an upbeat song and FI wanted a slow song so we're going with adele. Swing dance would be so fun! I was afraid of putting our guests to sleep with such a slow song. Hmm.... Maybe gotta keep looking

Hi Everyone!

 

It is getting really close to the 2 months count down! We fly on July 29th and will be getting married at the Grand Sirenis in Rivieria Maya on August 3rd, 2013! I can't believe how quickly the last year has just gone by!

 

This website has helped me out so much through my planning and I hope to share a bit of my journey with you and hope to contribute back

 

The Engagement

If you're interested in the full story - you can go here

But the sweet and simple version was Chris and I met 4 years ago and as cliche as it sounds, when you know - you just know. The more I learned about Chris, the more certain I was that we were meant for each other. He took me on a complete roller coaster ride the last 2 weeks before he finally proposed, taking me out to romantic dinners, decorating the home with candles and rose petals with chocolate fondue (and it wasn't even Valentine's!) - and each time I thought he was going to propose but didn't. Just when I wrote it off while we were on vacation at the Grand Sirenis in Riviera Maya last year, he got down on one knee while we were enjoying the stars and the ocean breeze on the beach and asked if I would marry him. Of course I gladly said yes!

 

The Ring

Because he proposed on the beach at night time, I didn't even get to see the ring when he presented it! But boy was I pleasantly surprised when we went back to a more well lit area!!

I am completely in love with it! <3

 

The Save the Dates

Because we knew that we were going to have a destination wedding, I thought that giving people as much time as possible was necessary. I created a website through http://www.wix.com to announce our Save the Date 9 months to the wedding. Formal invitations were to follow a month later.

The website I built took about 3 months (I have a background in Communications so I probably got a little bit more intesnse than I should have with the construction of the site). That said, I did build the website from scratch with all the lovely photos that our amazing photographer, Jacqueline Elizabeth Morrison (http://www.jacquelineelizabeth.com) did for us. If you don't know html too well, don't worry, the website has lots of templates to choose from. The first landing page was our Save the Date photo, and in the website I covered our full engagement story, a blurb on each member of the bridal party, the location and resort, what to pack, how to book their trip, what excursions are offered, google map of the resort, etc. As thorough as I could be so that I would not have to repeatedly answer the same questions.

 

 

 

 

I'll post some more later I just gotta head out now! xoxo

Originally Posted by lgerry 

 

Hi ladies!

 

I have narrowed my shoes down to 3 pairs, and I'm having a tough time deciding between them so I'm looking for opinions!  I'm debating between these 3 pairs:

 

 

 

 

 

I'm think I'm leaning mostly between the first 2 because from what I've seen in other pics online, the 3rd pair are a really shiny patent gold which might be too much for my dress and the setting.

 

This are pics of my dress to show you what i'll be wearing them with:

2 pics of the actual dress:

 

 

 

And 2 pics on the model:

 

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

Liz

I think you made the right choice with shoe #1. I have them in a patent nude and love them!! I think they're so much more interesting and make legs look so sexy!

I love your first dance song! I love Train. I think their "Marry Me" would be sooo beautiful for the bridal procession.

Originally Posted by Peach 

 

There is a place with all kinds of discussion like this under Wedding Entertainment and Music.

Try this thread:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/42149/anyone-have-their-entire-playlist

 

Or this one:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/985/post-your-must-have-wedding-songs

 

There are lots of good ideas! That is my month's to-do as well.

 

So far:

Prelude:

TWO of the following:

Til There Was You (Beatles)

God Only Knows (Beach Boys)

Somebody's Getting Married (Muppets)

I Wanna Grow Old With You (Adam Sandler)

 

Groom, Best Man, Parents, Maid of Honour:

Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World (Israel Kamikowe)

 

Bride's Procession: Kiss the Girl (instrumental version on acoustic guitar, performed by my brother)

 

Recessional: We Go Together (from Grease)

 

First Dance: Hey Soul Sister (Train)

 

Parent Dance: The Rainbow Connection (Kermit the Frog! Not sure if that is the version we will use or not)

 

We have songs also chosen for our AHR, where we will do the garter removal and toss (either Cherry Pie or Let's Get It On), bouquet toss (I think Girls Just Wanna Have Fun), cake cutting (Pour Some Sugar on Me or Sugar Sugar), and a reception entrance (either Marry You by Bruno Mars or What I Like About You by the Romantiks). We will also have a slide show (I Say a Little Prayer, from My Best Friend's Wedding, and So This is Love, from Cinderella), video (songs yet to be decided - so far For Those About To Rock (AC/DC) for the boys, Unforgettable for romantic pictures, and Can't Help Falling in Love, by Elvis. We need to pick a few more)

 

So hopefully that helps. We are also doing all the music for the dancing on the beach; my future father in law is taking care of that though.

 

So yeah. There are my picks. I definitely recommend checking out the music section though - there is lots there!