cglouie

could you also tell us what the liquor is like at Walmart and Mega? For example, champage and grey goose? :-)
 

Great to hear you are having a wonderful time. Have an incredible wedding!!!! So happy for you. Congratulations!
 

When you find a dress that makes you good and feel good, it is totally worth it. I want my dress to be under $200, but if I find a dress that makes me look a lot thinner than I am, I would shell out a lot more. Nothing wrong with looking your best on your wedding!

Everyone in my party doesn't care about decorations and all that nice stuff. I figure everyone will be looking at the beautiful surroundings and not at the bowless chairs. LOL! Let's hope! I'm doing the standard 3 course dinner.. I hope we get 20 people, than I get into the Italian restaurant.

For loot bags, I have anti bacteria gels, glow sticks, money conversion chart and english to spanish translation list, advil, tums, maybe some shower gels from Skoah, that sort of stuff. I might buy some champagne down there and put that in it too. I plan to have people over at our suite and I'll stock up on top liquor stuff, as i hear the resort provides the cheapest stuff. The only thing I'm not cheap about is my alcohol. Not worth the headache and I hate the taste of cheap booze.

We are having a symbolic ceremony. I will write something... keep puttting that off. It will be sappy and personal.
 

We also booked ocean view in hopes of getting an upgrade to ocean front. Our WC Sally Leon said it was likely but has not yet confirmed.

Our reception is at Albatros, but I wanted it at the Italian restaurant. If our numbers are small, then maybe this will happen? We are having cocktails after the reception at 4:00pm at the gazebo. No decoration or anything, we are pretty laid back bunch. Even my dress will be plain - I'm opting for a bridesmaid's dress, something simple, one arm and sleek. My wedding is pretty much a bridezilla's nightmare, but its what we wanted to do. I am doing welcome loot bags, and those will be fun and unique and useful.

What about you?

Also, thanks Billandstina for posting more information. Have a great time and congratulations!!!
 

I've seen pictures at the North Beach ceremony. Just stunning. You made the right choice to have the wedding on the beach.  I think the sandbag problem is near the front of the hotel property or once you get in... I don't think it will show in your pictures. My friend just back from the Gran Porto and she said the regular rooms were dark and dingy, but the junior suite rooms were nice. It would be nice if other brides who have just had a wedding would post more pictures! I'll ask her about the sandbags and such.

My wedding is at the gazebo. I picked it because it seem like a pretty spot, but now I hear the best place to get married is on the beach. I haven't heard anything negative about getting married at the beach location, so don't worry.

The complaints about the resort... well, that has me worried. About rooms paid for that are not ready for a day or two, or booking a nice oceanview room only to have it at a less than ideal spot (too loud, etc.). Food not being any good. Sandbags on the beach. I never saw so many complaints before I booked and boom - after we paid it seem that the negative reviews have gone up. I don't want to ask my guests to stay at an unsatisfactory resort, particularly as they are paying the premium price (no one is waiting for a 'deal'). Now I wish I booked at the Royal, but no kids are allowed there...

Oh well. I guess we will see.
 

Has anyone noticed the negative reviews on tripadvisor? When I first checked out the hotel, there were few. It seems like a lot of people are complaining now... Hope the resort isn't going downhill...

$50 dollars! Got it for my bridesmaid - beyond the rack

Check out the dresses I bought for my bridesmaid. Beyond the rack. $50 dollars each. $10 for delivery.

Same boat.. I'm just going to order what all the other brides have recommended. I'm getting married on Dec 10! Maybe I'll see ya there! :-)
 

Noir does look to be the better deal. Fortune Nails costs the same - $75. Also at Noir, refills are only $35, plus they remove your extensions for no fee, meaning if you want to stop wearing them, they will take it out at no charge. Good to know! What a useful thread..

Fortune Nails in the Beltline District - see Angela the owner. Gorgeous work...
 

Fortune Nails in the Beltline District - see Angela the owner. Gorgeous work...
 

So far, my wedding coordinator, Sally Leon from Gran Porto has been great. She just contacted me and said I do qualify for a room upgrade. My wedding is 8 months away, and I think I'm in good shape! So far, easy peasy! :-)
 

Thanks for the warning. I love how their website on the classic wedding package says the room upgrade is guaranteed but my WC is going to see what happens. 

I also found out if I want to switch my cocktail hour after the semi-private reception instead of before, they will charge me an extra $600 dollars as it constitutes a separate event even though it's continuous. 

My fiancé is so annoyed that he says we should just screw them and not even have a cocktail hour before or after the dinner. I'm considering it and will just take my party somewhere on 5th Ave out of spite. Lol. 

It's true - the resort will ding you for everything possible, and the amount is significant. 

I found out that if you want the room upgrade (as promised in the package) you have to forward your WC your room booking confirmation. Sally said she will be looking into it and getting back to me to see if I actually do get it. She's been good so far- answering my questions within a week. 

For the reception dinner, alcohol is included in the cost. For the cocktail hour, we get champagne and cold appies ($10 per person) but if you want an open bar, its an additional $5.00 per person. 

We are having a semiprivate reception around 6:00 and I want the cocktail hour after the dinner, at around 7:30 or 8:00pm. I like the idea of getting up after dinner and walking outside when its cooler, listening to music and having a good night toast with cake. Sally hasn't confirmed yet if this was possible. 

My WC is Sally Leon. 

I'm still waiting to hear about menu options and seeing if I can switch my cocktail hour around. My wedding is in December 2013 so I'm just trying to relax and not worry about the VERY IMPORTANT DETAILS LIKE FOOD!!! Lol. I booked the ceremony and reception. I'm just hoping the food is decent. 

I'm going to buy Avery bags for the medical stuff and then find a bag for the goodies, welcome letter, oh shoot bag, etc. I decided I'm going to buy everything in Canada -I can't stand paying for shipping charges. Just not worth it. I'll be purchasing everything at Superstore, Wal-Mart, Target, Body Shop, etc. I calculated the shipping costs and its just not worth it for me. The only thing I will be shipping is when I visit Las Vegas, I'm going to get Jelly Belly packets sent to the hotel. We can get our name and stuff printed on the packets as favours. Lol.

I'm using Marvin for my wedding flowers as well (December 2013). He's been very good so far - and I love his work (and this is coming from the daughter of a florist - my mom owned two shops for over 20 years). He prefers payment over paypal or something like that... can't remember..

The bouquets he send me are beautiful. The more expensive bouquets in particular, lol - of course. I'll post pictures of the chosen bouquets soon. 

Just booked my wedding at Gran Porto... December 10, 2013. Gazebo... it's happening!

As long as the bags are clear and you have the receipts, it should be okay. Just bring a stapler or tape in case of any slight damage. 

Where did you end up buying the bag and topper for the survival kits? I can't find them in Calgary...

Congrats! So exciting!

I am considering having my wedding at Tequila too. Haven't decided between Tequila and Palace. What made you decide on Tequila? Where is your ceremony?

Love it Angela H - 

Forget your high heels and tuxedos,

just pack your flip-flops and your speedos

We invite you to share in the joy as

we begin our life together as husband and wife.

Angela

and

Eric

will be married on the beach

DATE

TIME

PLACE

I'm going to use it! Perfect - light and fun. 

For my loot bags, I'm going to make it really practical. Bandaids, aloe vera, emergence packets, advil, tiger balm, wipes, tums, anti you know what, etc. I was going to add Pringles, cookies, etc., but I thought everyone is going to eat and drink way too much on this trip, why add to it? Tiger balm is great for bites, headaches or tummy aches. I'm also going to make a currency exchange chart so people can easily whip it out and figure out the cost. 

I'm starting to realize how hard it is to find a good TA in Calgary. The rates I'm getting are terrible. Why would I suggest to my guests to go through one when it would be so much cheaper to pay direct? I have one TA who may be promising and I'm going to check with AMA (thanks for the suggestions girls) to see if they can do better. We are getting married December 2013 - most likely a RIU resort in Playa del Carmen.