TealMarie

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktie17 
 

Teal Marie-- do you have a link to your photos yet? I am so torn between the hotel photographer or Juan Navarro?!?!

Also, what did people select/recommend for the dinner meals for the reception?

 

Thanks!

Did you mean me or someone else? We haven't left for MX yet and we're using Victor Herrera photography.

Quote:

Originally Posted by flo628 
 

Has anyone found or know where to get cheap crossword puzzle/sudoku books? I was going to put mini ones in the OOT bags.

 

PS- my 150th post!!!!!! I'm expecting confetti to fall from above and bells to ring as soon as I hit "submit".

I found some at Michael's for $1 and at Dollar Tree for $1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by karijean 
 

Well it's official ladies! My fiance and I are all booked for June 12th, 2014!! I am soooo ready for it to be here NOW! I just sent Gloria an email full of questions regarding questions about the bouquets, centerpieces, locations, menu, etc. (she already sent me the options to choose from) but I wanted to ask a few questions on here to see if you all knew!

 

1. Does anyone know how much DJ Mania costs? I read that that company is on that list of approved DJ's so there is no $500 fee correct? We aren't having a reception at home so I want it to be a fun time!

 

2. What is the name of the company of in-house photographer? I think Gloria sent it to me but I can't find it anywhere. I wanted to research them some.

 

3. I'm also curious about the groom's room night before the wedding, this would be very helpful.

 

4. Anyone know if you can have a slideshow played at the reception?

 

TealMarie your day is coming so fast! I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Thanks everyone!

Congrats! From everything I've heard from past brides, you'll be so happy you booked there. I'll be sure to come back and post my reviews as well. I think I can answer some of these questions.

1. I believe he costs $1200 for the 4 hour reception. He's their 'in house' DJ so there is no $500 fee.

2. I don't remember.

3. I've asked about this and it's based on if there's a room available. I tried to book it beforehand but she said they'd look into when we arrive, so I'm not worrying about it. If we don't get it, he'll stay in his buddy's room.

4. Yes you can. It's $300 for the projector and $145 for the screen rental.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastminbride 
 

Hi Dina,

Great to hear you are under $300 and that you'll take the receipts.  You'll be covered then.

I have not had a bad experience, but I know well how the customs officials work in Latin America.  Also, goods are sometimes more expensive there than that we find online here, and so they don't believe the price of things (specially those that come from the $ star).  If they see people with lots of baggage, they don't do the random check system (red/green light button - you'll see when you're there), they just pass you to inspection directly because it's likely you are brining in more than $300.  Without the receipts, they can assign any amount they want to your merchandise.

 

Anyway, good luck with the packing.  The list sounds like a great idea!

 

Sending good juju your way Dina!

 

H

What items are they focusing on? I'm assuming it doesn't include clothing, or else all of our wedding dresses would be over. Same goes for shoes, jewelry, accessories. I have receipts for the stuff we got for the OOT bags, except for now I see I may have lost a few dollar store receipts!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jolene028 
 

I had some major issues when I originally booked so me it wasn't so much negotiating but yelling until they have me something... I have read on their website that wedding dresses are no problem for carry on, but they don't have a closet so you will have to lay it flat  in the overhead... my dress is huge once I put it in no one will be able to get anything else in there! LOL

 

I am going tanning, I know that it isn't good for you, but a) I spent all summer in the shade to make sure that I didn't have stupid tan lines, and I figure a base tan before I go is better than a burn when I get there, because no matter what if I don't have at least a base I always burn... and I think that burning is worse then a few minutes in a tanning bed, or at least that is what I am telling myself...

I totally understand going tanning just for a special event. I definitely didn't mean it as putting down anyone who is doing it, just explaining why I'm not getting a base tan when in a lot of ways it would be smart to. Burning is definitely the worst and I hope that I slather on enough sunscreen to avoid it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lydia1120 
 

Do you know how long the spray tan lasts?   We arrive Saturday and I get married on the Wednesday. Also, won't swimming in the pool and ocean take it off?

That's part of the reason for the trial this week. I want to see how long it lasts. I've had some before that have lasted 8 days and I'm going to a place where they airbrush it so it lasts longer, instead of just the stand up automated spritzing. (that always makes me think of Ross in Friends getting his orange spray tan on one side) We have a similar schedule to you, arriving on Sunday and wedding on Thursday. Swimming in the pool and ocean definitely will make it fade but the lady I'm going to says you can use this extender lotion? I'm not sure, but I'm willing to try it to see how it works. So all in all, a spray tan is probably not the best idea and using a tanning bed would last longer. I'll let you know how my trial goes

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lydia1120 
 

It's funny you say the "bride charm"  until I read your post, I thought that I would just pull it out at the airport and they would probably let me by...good thing I read it..lol. I got the Option Plus as well....we also got free seat selection for all our guests after we booked 70 people on the same flight...albeit I had to make a fuss to get it. 

I'm not very good at negotiating. It goes something like this, "It'd be wonderful if we could have an extra piece of luggage since we're the bride and groom and have helped book all these guests on Air Transat flights." Travel agent "I'll see how much first class will cost you." Me in a small voice, "nevermind...." Nice that you got your guests free seat selection! We didn't have nearly as many guests, so we didn't get anything additional unfortunately. Option plus sounds good though. I don't think they'll care that much at the airport that we're on our way to our wedding because I imagine there will be 7 other couples on our same flight that are as well. I do however think they will help me out with my dress. I've heard they have a special bride closet on the planes, but even if they don't I've shoved it in a pretty small overhead bin already with not much of a problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lydia1120 
 

Any of you ladies going to a tanning bed now before we leave?  I'm reading all about that and thinking that maybe I should go...hmmmm thoughts?

I'm getting a spray tan and then using tanning lotion to extend that until the wedding. I promised my Mom a long time ago to stop going to tanning beds. Depending on how soon your wedding is after you leave, a spray tan could look really phenomenal! I'm doing my trial tan in two days to make sure it's not orange.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lydia1120 


Good thing you mentioned that $15 /kg....I will make sure to ak more carefully now and ask family to take stuff for me. Did Transat offer you extra weight? We have an extra 10 lbs each

Glad to help if I can. I did try to bride charm an extra luggage out of our travel agent but she is a bit useless (although nice). We purchased 'Option Plus' which gives you an extra 10kg per person, as well as seat selection, some alcoholic drinks, snacks and meals on the flight, priority boarding and check-in. 

I don't know how you girls are staying so cool. I'm losing my mother freaking mind here. Granted, I was cool up until yesterday when I realized it was 3 weeks until we leave. WhaaAAaa?!

I'm starting to make last minute decisions like: We need a welcome dinner; NO slideshow - ain't nobody got time for that; and we NEED a wedding video! So yeah, going bride crazy here. I'm finding it simultaneously entertaining though as in reality I'm really prepared and I know I'm just working myself up because I'm anxious to get married. 

No card box here and there'd be no room for it. We'll go with the good old fashioned, place your cards on a table. Our luggage weight limits are so restrictive and the penalty is really high (FYI if you're flying Air Transat, look up the weight limits. It's 44lbs/person with a $15/kg penalty!), so I'm trying to be really choosy of what we bring. Plus I'm getting other people to bring stuff for me in a way. Like I asked my SIL to bring hairspray since I knew she would and I only need it for W day. I also have 2-3 days of straight up beauty appointments before we leave. It takes a lot of work to look as good as we ladies do, amirite? lol

Jenn - I hope you get everything done on time. You sound like an organized person, so I'm sure you will. 

I really hope everyone can come back and give a quick recap of their day and vacation, even if it's without photos. It'd just be nice to hear how things went for everyone as I feel partially invested in all of your weddings and I hope they go wonderfully!

Quote:

Originally Posted by HNeal 

I'm glad to hear Gloria has been great! We already have our date booked and I pretty much know what details I want so maybe I will just get it settled now. TealMarie you may have already posted this earlier but what are the details of your day?

Our ceremony is at 2pm at the beach gazebo. The cocktail hour will be at Las Olas and the reception in the Foyer. I know a lot of people have said the Foyer is incredibly hot but from what I can tell they had their weddings in the summer, so I'm hoping it's a bit cooler in there. I have no problems answering any other questions you might have. I've read through this thread and I feel like I've asked Gloria about everything you could think of, so I'm happy to share

Quote:

Originally Posted by HNeal 
 

TrishaJ34- You look amazing!  Your sunset photos are amazing!  We decided on keeping our wedding date and having the 1pm ceremony.  You are correct about the wedding being unpredictable so I am just gonna go with it.

 

TealMarie- You must be beside yourself with excitement!  How far in advance did you choose your ceremony and reception location?  Gloria told me that I did not need to decide until a month before the date but I am worried that the options would become more limited if they get picked by another bride before me.

As soon as we decided on this resort and wedding date, I emailed Gloria with our choices for ceremony, cocktail hour and reception locations. I think you need a hotel reservation number to actually reserve it. You probably can wait until a month before but I didn't see the point in waiting and I like having things organized. By the way, Gloria is awesome to deal with. Hope you have fun planning!

Quote:

Originally Posted by CdnBrideJoanne 
 

I've also found the individual packets crazy expensive.  Dollarama sells medication bags (like ziploc bags but much smaller), so I am making labels for those and just dispensing them once I get to the resort.  You need to travel with the medication in the original packaging...  I'm going to do Tums, Tylenol, Advil and Immodium.

This is what I was thinking of doing, but I wasn't sure what to put them in. Thanks for the tip on bags at Dollarama!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrishaJ34 
 

Hi there! I got married at 5pm. Some of the best pictures we got were at sunset during/after the reception. We played in the ocean that day until about noon for me/1pm for other people. Then we got ready and enjoyed the reception, then closed out the 'disco'. It was really hot mid-day and then it clouded over and the breeze picked up for the ceremony. We didn't need sunglasses and it was not too hot. Our ceremony was 7/12. I still think it would have been fine at 1pm, but I'm glad I had the 5pm slot. You are still so far in advance, I would think you'd be able to change it without too much disruption. I guess the weather is unpredictable and you never know what you'll get. You'll have so much on your mind leading up to the wedding, pick the option that that will ease your mind the most. Good Luck! (A few of our sunset pics below).

Amazing sunset photo! You look stunning. Thanks for sharing.

We're less than a month away and getting so excited!

I have purchased SOOOO many things on Etsy. I love it and have only had an awesome experience on the site.

Some of the many things I have purchased:

Mongrammed bracelet for my bridesmaids:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/transaction/106685909?ref=fb2_tnx_title

Succulent boutonnieres from Lulus Awesome Blossoms with a different bout for each guy.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/159901408/succulent-boutonnieres?ref=shop_home_active

Hubby to be's tungsten carbide ring:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/transaction/146010409?ref=fb2_tnx_title

Locket for my Mom:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/transaction/147305741?ref=fb2_tnx_title

Flower for my hair. She even incorporated lace from dress into the flower!

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/62847858/champagne-brunch-small-bridal-hair?ref=shop_home_active

Custom cufflinks for my Dad with picture of us and special quote:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/transaction/148777228?ref=fb2_tnx_title

Infographic wedding programs! She will customize anything for you.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/transaction/153756111?ref=fb2_tnx_title

Handkerchiefs for our parents:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/transaction/153765956?ref=fb2_tnx_title

Bracelet for my MIL

https://www.etsy.com/ca/transaction/156631703?ref=fb2_tnx_title

Earrings for wedding day:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/transaction/156633593?ref=fb2_tnx_title

We leave in one month today! Oh.my.goodness. I'm so excited!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharmer 
 

struggling to find the individual packs of things (pepto, advil etc.,) in canada, can anyone help a canuck out?? 

I'm having the same problem. I looked at Costco, but they didn't have anything individually wrapped. Now I'm thinking of getting those small, round pill containers and just putting all the different pills for each couple in those with an attached info sheet. (ie: pink tablets - pepto bismal, directions; brown tablets - advil, directions and medicine content, etc)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jenn963 
 

TEALMARIE!! You couldn't have said it better.....I needed to read this lol....i think i've become so super stressed and bridezilla ish with this wedding...i'm 24 days away from departure.....i have things like "oh my god i have to cut my aisle runner down from 100ft to 30 ft!!"  running through my brain at like 2am...and i immediately get up and write it in my iphone as a reminder so i wont forget...lol.  we chose a destination wedding BECAUSE it was supposed to NOT be stressful...but i'm such a control freak that i've made an obsession out of this wedding! I have guests that say they're coming and have YET to book...which irritates the crap out of me because I don't want to bring too many OOT bags (if they dont show) and i also don't want to not have an OOT bag for them (if they decide to come last minute).  

Awww, I'm glad I could help you feel better. Remember that if you don't get something done, no one will notice it's not there but you and you'll be too busy to notice anyways. I would stop buying stuff for your OOT bags and bring enough for the people you know of now. Tell the other guests (if they do end up making it) that you're sorry you don't have one for them because you finished making them a month ago. Oh well, too bad for them and in the end not a big deal. When do you have to give your caterer final numbers for the wedding? That's what I'd be annoyed about with the possible show/no shows. All that being said, I'm waiting for my meltdown as well. 

I like what Jolene said, we're doing these destination weddings for less stress and more fun so let's start that now!

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Originally Posted by hezmshaw 
 

Do you think confetti/sparklers/whatever are necessary for a beach wedding?? I can't decide. What about a cake knife? That seems a little unnecessary, one of those little details that just doesn't matter that much... 

 

I'm clearly mid-panic attack, 29 days until we leave lol... I didn't sleep more than a few hours.. been up since 3 thinking about what i still need to do.

 

What's an escort card?? I'm googling wedding checklists and it keeps coming up.

 

I seem to be reconsidering things I've dismissed before.. aisle decor, for example, I was happy with chairs with sashes and a nice canopy, maybe that would be plain? I don't know! AAH! Wedding is tooo close!

This is happening to me too. I keep wondering if I "need" this or that. After reading a lot of forums, tips and advice from past brides, most of them wish they hadn't purchased cake knives and unnecessary things like that. You won't remember it and more than likely your resort has one or two floating around that you can use. I talked myself out of aisle decor a long time ago. What I liked the most is the view of the beach and the water, it's already beautiful enough. No sense stressing yourself out and lugging more stuff down there. 

Just try and think of what's most important for the day: you, the groom, the marriage licence, officiant, vows, guests, food, drinks and good music. These are the things I remember from other people's weddings and just the general vibe from the wedding. I was in my brother's wedding last summer and the day after I couldn't even remember if they a cake at all! I had an absolute blast at it though. Your guests are there for you, not for elaborate decor, so don't stress over it.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with a credit card on the loose! Oh well, it's the home stretch. Thanks for the ideas on bridal party gifts. I'm thinking of doing clutches for the girls and cool flasks for the guys.

I agree with ampanda. I don't think you will be able to find door crasher deals for ERC because it's such a luxury resort and so highly rated by past guests. Our travel agent said November is usually a slow time, but not for ERC because it's so popular, it's busy all year round. It's a good suggestion to see if people can go for 4 or 5 days, that may help sway a lot of people into going.

I've spent the summer carefully deciding and researching everything for the wedding so that I know I've found the best items for our wedding and the best deals. Now that we're less than 2 months out I feel like I'm just throwing money at people because I'm on a buying binge now, lol. My fiance is shocked at how many packages arrive per week and sometimes per day! Am I the only one? It's exciting though. I just ordered some of those beautiful wedding handkerchiefs for our parents and little gifts for them too (cufflinks with photos, locket necklace with photo and engraved and photo bracelet). After saying I wouldn't do programs, I found the most awesome infographic wedding programs on etsy and now I am super excited to get them!

Anyone make any last minute purchases they thought they wouldn't or found something really cool in the last few weeks?

I'm also happy to say I've started working on our music playlist and the pre-wedding flyer. These are the two things I think will take the most time.

We gave the bridesmaids money for their dresses, we're paying for hair and makeup and for a day at the spa for them. Should I get them anything else? Like a little ring or something to remember the day by? Same situation for the guys. We gave them money for their attire and my fiance is taking them on a deep sea fishing day. Should we still get them something like a flask or...I don't know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mateika83 

I'm getting married this weekend!!!

How exciting! I hope you have a great time. Can't wait to hear all about it!

As for the update on our to-do lists, I feel like I'm really behind now. Work has gotten extremely crazy for me and I have to work 7 days a week for over a month. I hope I can get wedding stuff done at night. Here's what I have left to do:

- music playlist (why must I keep putting this off?)

- white shirt and shoes for my hubby to be

- pre-wedding flyer for guests with schedule for wedding and activities to do on and off the resort

- order reception decor

- finish the last few napkins I was making (we had 10 people decide to come in the last month which changed my numbers)

- buy makeup and hair extensions

- wedding night lingerie (anyone have recommendations of good places to shop?)

- finish vows

- order MIL thank you gift for the wedding

- make up a wedding day schedule

- purchase items for wedding day emergency kit

- order my getting ready robe

- take dancing lessons (hubby to be would like to learn to dance for me - seriously, how sweet is that and I've never even brought it up!)

- decide whether to have welcome dinner or wedding rehearsal dinner and organize it at the resort

I hope everyone's doing good with their planning. I can't believe we're only a month away from November!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mateika83 

I'm getting married on October 5th. One month away. I'm so excited! Anyway, I have a question for some of the veteran ERC brides, did y'all have a wedding rehearsal? I emailed Gloria and she said that since she would be there on our wedding day she would make sure everyone knew where to go so a rehearsal wasn't necessary. Also, I saw some of you posted about a welcome cocktail hour, does this cost extra?

Wow, you're one month away, that's exciting! I just emailed Gloria about the exact same thing so if I hear anything first I'll let you know. We're looking at having a rehearsal dinner and as far as I read on here from previous brides it does cost more (I think it was $20/pp) as it's a private event and the restaurants there won't take tables of more than 4 or maybe it's 8 people. I'm sure there's someone on here who can help us out though with the specifics. 

Are you all ready for the wedding? Any last minute things to get done? I feel like my list keeps growing, but we're 2 1/2 months out (and I keep putting certain tasks off).

Oh and apparently it's $35 to do the aqua wellness tour on its own, so maybe that's the option for us.

Thanks for the reply girls! No one has upgraded to Excellence Club in our group, so we can't take advantage of that, but good to know. I've emailed with them a bit more and I think I have the answer now. Rhiham, you're right, it depends on the service you choose. If you get a massage, body treatment, facial or one of the rituals, the aqua wellness is included in it. So it's included for almost everything, except unfortunately for things like mani/pedis, it's not included. It's weird though because you pay the same price for a mani/pedi combo as a massage or facial, so you'd think it would be included. I'll just have to let the girls know so they don't feel left out of the aqua tour if they want to try it.