MommyBride14

Hi! Depending on your budget, you can pay for a private reception separate from your package. My fiance and I chose the silver package and selected the private reception on the beach. You can also choose the shopping center or the private restaurant. They also have the DREAMS package, and that includes a ton of extra amenities, including a 4 hour private reception. I would ask your WC at the resort to give you a list of the options. Just make sure to keep bugging them with emails, but not to add too many questions in one email because they tend to skip over some of your questions. If you want to know what all is included in the dreams package, I would click on the Iberostar paraiso 2014 Brides Forum. I just looked on there the other day and saw that a bride had posted the price and list of the Dreams Package. Let me know if you have any other questions! I hope that helps! I will let you know what we are going with: Silver Wedding Package Adventure Photos Photography (at the resort) DJ Doremmix (Out of Cancun) Private Beach Reception

Hi Iberostarbride, Private message me your email and I can see if I have the documents that you need! :)

Yes, definitely check out Annie's pictures! They are gorgeous!!

Hi Mindy! I think my fiance and I are going with Adventure Photos so we don't have to pay for the extra fee for having an outside photographer. I've tried a few others and haven't heard back from them and Gerardo (from adventure photos) was very quick to respond . I'm going to bring a booklet of poses and pictures that we want done to see if they can do them for us; that way we won't feel like we didn't get the pictures that we wanted. I have too many ideas from pinterest!! (darn site!! ). I don't necessarily think their work is as exquisite and unique as other local photographers, but I think they do quality work and all I want are those special moments captured . Let me know what you choose!

Thank you, Scarma!! I am interested in the fact that she budgets! I'm only looking for the ceremony and after ceremony pictures with family and guests! I love her work already . And she helps animals?? I love her already!! Are any brides doing Bride & Groom pictures during cocktail hour?? I really really want my fiance to see me as I'm walking down the isle, but I'm hoping it won't take over 45 minutes to get our own photos done after the ceremony. What do you ladies think??

Right? He is crazy!!! . We thought about flying our friends down for the trip because they are professional photographers, but that would still be out of our price range . One of our friends was going to do it for really cheap! (Only $600!!), but I'm pretty sure she is bailing on us because she hasn't booked and hasn't returned my messages in two months?? We put more of our budget towards our reception and DJ, so I'm hoping we hear back from Adventure Photos and can get a quote. I still would LOVE to see your pictures, and of course steal posing ideas! . I'll send you my email! Thanks so much!!!!

I know... I'm nervous for that, but I'm thinking I need to just "go with it" and not care during the ceremony. As long as people aren't making obnoxious remarks during it, I'll be fine (I hope!). Thank you for the advice for picture spots! I would LOVE pictures near the water on the rocks! I have not yet booked a photographer. I was supposed to have a family friend who I was going to pay, but she has not yet booked and I really don't think she intends to because she won't respond to my emails, so I started looking into Adventure Photos at the resort because they were the cheapest I could find. Could you send me your photographers price quote? My fiance doesn't think we need a professional photographer, but I think he's crazy! Even just for two hours I would like to have one to capture the ceremony and individual/group pictures.

I think you are right! It will be outside on the beach and the beach will be beautiful enough! My guests are SUPER laid back and I know they won't pay attention to them, so I really don't know why I am stressing it! I guess I just don't want it to look too plain. I'm super excited to see your wedding pictures when you get them back! I'm never able to open picture links on here because I don't have enough posts yet to access them! . You have seriously helped me alleviate a ton of stress ! Thank you for all of your help!

I couldn't remember who had a wedding right after us!! Too bad it wasn't a few days sooner so we could meet! I'm excited for you! I just emailed DJ Doremixx and I think it's a for sure "GO" with them I'm pretty excited. I'm still nervous about centerpieces. I don't think anyone will care, but I want to do something in colored water with an illuminating light inside and some flowers. I just really don't know how I'm going to travel with stuff for the centerpieces, but I'd rather not spend money on flowers that we'd just toss after the reception. :S. What are your ladies plans for centerpieces?

Thank you!!! Our wedding coordinator that we are working with is Idalia, and she has been awesome and very attentive . I'm a little crazy and get anxious when I don't have everything done right away, but she explained that we would go further in detail with planning within 2 to 3 months of our wedding date. I have our menu picked out and have reserved our reception for the beach and now I'm just waiting to hear a response from DJ Doremixx to see if he is available for our wedding date . I also sent out E-vites !

Mindy and Dax, We sent out our save-the-dates at the end of March (Our wedding is Nov. 10th) so that they would have plenty of time to plan and book their trip. We booked through destinationweddings.com and worked with a Wedding consultant who helped us find the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo as our resort and helped set up our website so that guests could book online on our site. It's been extremely helpful! Our wedding consultant helps all of our guests with any of their questions, which has taken a lot of stress off of our hands. If you want, you can go to our website to see an idea of what we we've done for our guests. You can just go to www.destinationweddings.com, click "attending a wedding" and click in MERRIMANWEDDING. You have to create a log-in but that is just for your personal use and won't show up on our site . Planning wise, I have just now started to dig deep into planning, but I still feel like I have so much to do! I will send you all of the documents I have from our wedding coordinator at the resort if you'd like? Just let me know

Brides, Are any of you having a beach wedding and/or reception? I really want to wear wedges for the reception, but I've never walked in the sand in anything other than flip flops. I won't have my dress in until September, but I want to know what I should wear when getting alterations; should I do that wedges or just go barefoot? I am only 5'2 ish...and my fiance is 6'2! I would like to look taller and slender in my dress, but I would rather not roll my ankle in the sand! Any suggestions??

I heard that it was star wars theme!!! Too funny! Well that makes me feel better because my fiance and I were first considering just having the disco as our dancing place after we had our reception dinner.. I didn't think that was very special for our wedding, so I'm glad that we are deciding otherwise! I know that when staying at the lindo we have access to the Maya, but I think that is it, which I am okay with . I don't even know if we'd have time to venture out to every place even if we had the option. I've also heard nothing but FANTASTIC reviews about the Grand, so we will have to make our way over just to see it! Oh shoot! I'm hoping it's still fun at the disco! I only have approximately 30 guests and they range from 23 to 53, but I know that we all like to be cheeseballs so my guests will probably be a little (understatement) intoxicated when they head to the disco after the reception, lol

I am working with Idalia and we will be getting married at the Lindo. I am waiting to see if the beach reception will be available for us. I think instead of favors I might do a welcome sheet just saying thank you and saying when we will have a welcome cocktail hour. I found these cute door hook signs that say do not disturb "We were partying all night at the wedding of so and so". Too cute!! I think it's a good idea just to have close family members for the group dinner. How was the steakhouse?!?! I'm looking into that and the Japanese restaurant (i'm not sure if they are the same), and then I'm pretty sure everyone else will be more interested in the buffet because it's quick and easy. Luckily, all of my guests are pretty simple and would be fine going to the disco for our reception... but I feel like that isn't as intimate, and they will really enjoy the beach reception! How often do you get to dance your booty off in Mexico on the beach?!

You are a rockstar!!! I'm getting really excited right now. It makes me feel better that we can just let everyone enjoy their vacation. I think I might set up a few nights for a dinner that we can all go to, one night for our rehearsal dinner and then one possibly for the cool Japanese Restaurant . I'm getting super excited that I finally have details coming together. Did you do provide any gift bags for guests or a little souvenir? I'm wondering if this is necessary, but I would like to leave a welcome note in each of their rooms when they arrive if the resort allows for that! Thank you for being so helpful!