TinkerSofi

@@Danielle1 these are the current prices for the food. http://karismahotels.uberflip.com/i/183324 Prices do usually go up every year, at any resort. So if you're 100% decided on the hotel you want I would try to book, regardless of how early it might be. Then you lock in those prices

@@TaraMarie33 Oh i get you 100% because we were on the exact same boat a few months ago, the two resorts that we had picked didn't work out. We had also gone to visit them and I felt so discouraged, back to square 1. I felt like we had totally wasted that trip visiting hotels. I think your best resource here will be your TA, that's how we ended up at AF. She suggested a couple of resorts to us in our price range and we picked one. Jan 2-9 can still be high season. We traveled at that time last year and we paid 1500 for a hotel that was probably 4 stars, maybe 3.5, so just keep that in mind. What about Grand Sirenis? @@calgarybride2015 was really happy with them

We visited beach palace and it is a gorgeous resort but the prices for trips were lower at AF So that's why we booked here. Where did you hear that prices are going up? What kind of menu were you looking at? I suggest you visit their website and look at their banquet kit. I'll post a link when I'm on my computer. If you live in the US there's tons of perks for you like free events, etc. if you're from anywhere else the perks are more limited Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Hopefully they budge! I'm over it now with it being 4 hours. I confronted them and also told them that other brides were quoted different prices and they still didn't budge. Makes a bit angry that they're so unfair but what can I do being so far away? My mission is to take over the sky lounge like it was my private reception Hahah. I honestly don't know if I'll make it past 2am anyway [emoji13] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thank you!

I think you'd be ok if you have a couple of kids. The biggest problem might be that the place settings are the same, whether they're kids or adults, so it might look a little more crammed.

@@racht33 I agree that this is the hardest part. I also liked a lot of resorts but their wedding packages just weren't what I was looking for. Others, sometimes you ask for information and they send you nothing. I think you also need to find a combination between everything you want. Sometimes you might have to give something up since no resort is 100% perfect. For us, the prices for trips were $100 over the budget we had, but we thought it was worth it If you can wait until September and it would make you feel better to visit a bunch of hotel before deciding I think it's a good idea. You have plenty of time. We didn't visit the hotel we booked but it has such amazing reviews, and other people have been to weddings there and said that it was beautiful, and their weddings are really well put together, so we're happy with our choice.

you've definitely come to the right place! I love these forums. I think contacting at TA that specializes in the resort you want is a great step. Usually they can get cheaper travel quotes for you than if you went through the hotel, or even if you look through expedia. We were pretty much decided on our resort as well, which makes the process a little easier. We had to change resorts last minute, but that's another story haha. I'm not sure how much the wedding packages are for the royal hotels but I was planning my wedding in one of their sister resorts a couple of years ago and they were reasonable. I'm sure the prices have gone up since then, but it might be doable with 10k. A lot of it always depends on the amount of guests, you will have a much easier time pulling it off with 20 guests than with 40. If you have more guests, it's always a matter of reallocating costs and prioritizing things. It also depends on how many "extras" you want for the wedding or if you want something quite simple. We're having about 40-45 people and will probably spend close to 17000 by the end of it. I don't think it will be a luxurious wedding but we're definitely splurging on a few things

Yay another planning thread!! I totally love the bristol board idea , maybe I should do the same. I'm such a visual person and I have this long mental list of things that need to get done, but I'm having a hard time organizing them on paper. The biggest thing right now for us that is that for a couple of months it's all based on my income. Right now I have a lot of things to buy, but I have to pace it according to the funds. Can't wait to read more!

that's what it's looking like for us too and we really don't want to go over that.

@@calgarybride2015 @@acw271011 Agreed, I think it was on this thread. I haven't put much thought to it since I saw it to be honest. I decided that weather is so unpredictable, and if we're going to go by statistics, the further away you are from a date the less statistical power your prediction has. They can barely get tomorrow's weather right, let alone the weather in 6 or 8 months! As I said before, out of every time I have gone to Mexico, August was the best weather i've had. The fiance went in May one year with his friends and the weather was great, but we went the next May and it was crap . I think October will be perfect, because it won't be as hot I will, however, double check with my TA as to what would happen in the worst case scenario. It's just good to be aware.

We made a rough list of people we wanted to invite. Things got a bit out of hand in the end, people who we thought there was no way they'd come ended up booking, there's usually more friends than you think, etc haha, so our final list ended up bigger than we had estimated before, just keep that in mind. When we first started planning we said "oh yeah, we should have 30 people tops" now it turns out if all the maybes say yes we'll have close to 50 We run it by everyone first to kind of feel the waters a bit before booking anything. Most liked the idea and were willing to go. Mind you, this worked out for us and most of the people that said they'd come are actually coming, but it doesn't work out like that for everyone. Then we picked a resort based on the rough number of people we were expecting and then sent out invites, people booked their trips and now we are just waiting on a few, but otherwise our number is almost finalized . We got prices in June 2014 for our August 2015 wedding . Depending on the travel agent you work with, sometimes they can get you prices sooner, especially if they have a good relationship with the hotel you're working with.

@@acw271011 apparently, it's some kind of accurate method, about 87% accurate. I'm hoping they're wrong and/or that all this is just a scam haha. It's from here: http://www.globalweatheroscillations.com/ Let's hope this year falls in that 13% of inaccuracy! haha

no problem. I really liked them and they're pretty decent quality, they don't feel like they'll break any minute. thanks! They are super awesome. I was talking to Juan about them yesterday and he said he's excited to see people wearing them. Awesome! I'll check them out. Update: they have tons of nice bags at thedealrack but unfortunately they only ship to the US . I went to La Vie en Rose but they didn't have enough of them left so I'll shop around.

@@racht33 Just some info on the packages at the karisma resorts (azul sensatori). You don't have to pay the $250 per table for the reception. Those are an add on, otherwise you get basic white linens and you can bring your own decor. The wedding would cost you the $950 for the starter ceremony package (that includes 25 chairs I believe and the rest are extra $$). You can upgrade some ceremony locations for an extra fee and that will include all the chairs you need. In terms of the reception, the price is based on the food actually, on a per person basis. For example we had chosen a menu that was $22 per person. The prices have gone up a bit since then, but just to give you an idea. This includes 4hr open bar reception too. Then you can also upgrade things for extra costs of course, like some reception locations or the $250 tables. The amplifier for your iPod is $250 for the 4hrs. I hope that clears things up. Their website is Soo confusing Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wouldn't be crazy for it, but at the same time, poor guys are stuck with linens, plates and kitchen things, which I'm sure they're not too excited about. So hey, why not give them the chance to have a few things for themselves. Usually newer play consoles can play blue rays or DVDs so they might still get some use (you could watch your wedding video on it? haha) I don't know if my guests would be up for paying for trips down to our wedding AND a game console, but maybe a bunch of friends can get together and buy something from the electronic registry. With my friends that's usually what we do, we all pitch money in to buy a bigger gift for someone. I find that the items on an electronic registry would be much more expensive than one at, say, bed bath and beyond, where you can find a wide range of prices, but maybe you can have both. People will spend how much they can so if it's too much for them they won't buy it.

The best part is they they leave enough money on the budget for bags! [emoji3] yay!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thanks! I found these ones on ebay. Maybe they're not as nice, but they'll do the job, and they can also put their cell phones there so they don't get wet http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1PC-Waterproof-Pouch-Swimming-Beach-Dry-Bag-Case-Cover-For-Cell-Phone-Camera/381022216726?_trksid=p2050601.c100085.m2372&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140211132617%26meid%3Dea2d9af56559404fa7079b4a9a189229%26pid%3D100085%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D331149579480%26clkid%3D4101546612526356562&_qi=RTM1963932

I checked them out online, but I have to go to the mall and i live like 5 min away from crossiron so i'll definitely walk in and check out what they have

@@calgarybride2015 I'll definitely check out vie en rose. They're cheaper than the ones on wedding chicks and they seem nicer . I'll look into those types of money clips. You're totally right about the guests being free to eat whenever they want. After all, if they're that hungry they can just walk into a buffet and have a few snacks haha. I think I've watched too much of that show four weddings (the girls are soo caty and will criticize everything hahah). @@Wafflesmom We got them here http://www.logolenses.com/shop/wayfarer-sunglasses/54a78112e29e9#choose_side_arms_options We got about 100 because we're bringing them down to our reception in Argentina as well, so they were quite cheap. They'll charge you customs for them, but it was about $27. update: I looked into the beach bags at La Vie en Rose but the cheapest ones are $19 . So I checked out ebay and there are some decent ones for under $5 so that's good! I'll check out our budget and see how we're doing but since we only need half the amount of bags for our guests (one per room) we will probably be able to do it Thanks! I'm feeling much better about our timeline and I love the soft light of the sunset so it should be great for pictures . I also didn't want our reception to end before midnight haha so this way it will be perfect. Then we'll take the party to the hotel bar . @@tygrrlily I agree! I think our guests will really enjoy them! I'm excited to take a group picture with everyone wearing them haha

OOT Bags It took me a while to convince Juan that we should give people something for spending so much money to come. It started with a very long list of about 15 items, until he came over and slashed it to about 7 haha. I was going to do OOT cups but a bride here mentioned no one used them and they did seem kind of a hassle to bring, so we decided to order some sunglasses. Now, not everyone might use them, just like the OOT cups, but they seem to be easier to transport. Here's a picture with all the colors we ordered. I'm a fan of a couple so I'm not sure which color I'm going to pick We made them personalized: Then, instead of giving a bunch of smaller items I thought we could give each person less items but bigger. I ordered some sarongs for the girls, which i found on ebay for about $3 each haha. I really hope they're somewhat decent for that price . I'll update as soon as I get them as to the quality and whether it was a good idea or I wasted my money haha. That should be fairly soon since I ordered them about a month ago. I ordered them in a bunch of different patterns but this one is my fave: For the guys I'm thinking of something around the lines of a money clip or somewhere to put the cash while at the beach, etc. I haven't found any yet that I liked and are in the price range i'm looking. Guys are the hardest to pick for! I initially thought hats would be a good idea, but I also couldn't find any nice ones for the price I was looking for. Maybe it's a sign i need to increase the budget? hahah As for the bags, I'd love to have fabric totes, but I'm not sure we'll be able to do that unless wedding chicks has another one of their huge sale they had this past year (so mad at myself for missing that). I kinda like these ones: if that's not possible, the plan is to do paper gift bags and create a label along the same lines as that design and just put them on the bags . Then inside, I'll put a brochure welcoming people, with info about the resort and the location as well as a place for them to write down their friends' room numbers. I'm not sure whether adding this on to the brochure or having a separate thing, but I wanted to do a postcard with all of the week's planned events and the times, so that people don't forget or miss out on anything. I'm still considering other items, but we'll see how we're doing in terms of money. On totally unrelated notes, we got an update from the resort with our timeline. Sunset will be at 7:20 during our wedding, so our ceremony is now at 6 (used to be at 5), and reception from 8-12. I'm so happy they're not charging us more to have it until midnight . Unfortunately, because apparently worrying is my favorite hobby, now I worry whether people will be extremely hungry by the time the reception rolls around and maybe I should have kept the original timeline, ceremony at 5 and reception at 7. Juan told me I'm going to drive myself insane hahah

excellent tip!!

yeah we arrive on sunday and don't get married until thursday. I'm not much of a drinker because I'm such a cheap drunk haha, it's the buffets that get me . Usually I can offset the eating by swimming all day though.

that makes sense. Sometimes I find i'm procrastinating things that I actually like to do or want to do! like putting together some of the bouquets and things like that. It's weird how that happens. You know I did think about how in the world this ring will fit on my finger hahah. When I went to NYC in July I couldn't take my e-ring off while I was there because my hands were so swollen. I'm going to keep a bottle/cup of water and lemon by my side all day, hopefully every day and maybe put my and in a bucket of ice before heading to the ceremony hahah.

Ps: I feel you about the whole being muscular thing. Seriously, my body throws on muscle so quickly, you'd think I'm on something haha but I'm sure you'll look beautiful. I can't believe it's so close!! and the countdown begins yay!!! bahah, I actually LOLed to this . I finally had a nice one last night! My dress was totally different but pretty, it was basically two pieces, a corset and a short pencil skirt, but then it had the tulle skirt that mine has at the back. It almost looked like one of the outfits from the evil queen on once upon a time, but white and with tulle hah. It was pretty cool

Totally love Hindu weddings!