brownsugarbride

You are welcome! There are lots of bridal bargains books, but this is a great one. If you have a kindle, you can download a chapter or two for free. (I think the chapter is on invitations, rather than dresses though.)

My advice would definitely be to get a good travel agent! You can tell the agent your parameters (e.g. must allow kids, nice beaches) and your budget, and they will be able to make some great suggestions for you.

I wanted to get married in St. Lucia so badly, but I ended up switching to Riviera Maya because I wanted to keep the flight length/cost down for my guests. I hope previous brides will reach out to you from the other thread (you should post, I bet they will respond). I did some research on weddings in St. Lucia, and I'm happy to pass along some of what I found to you. Best of luck!

First off, I'm so sorry that the resort staff did not handle the details of your special day in the way in which you deserved. How incredibly frustrating after so much planning! However, I'm glad that the ceremony went well and that you ended up having a great time. I definitely think that you should put this in the review section, so that brides will have full information about your experience at the resort. Did you end up talking to the hotel manager and corporate about what happened? You deserve an apology and a partial refund at the very least!

I have not purchased a dress online. However, I recommend that you purchase 'Bridal Bargains' or borrow this book from the library. It has a very extensive chapter on wedding dresses, and discusses the quality and ratings for a number of online outlets. In addition, they have a forum for updates and further discussion. I hope this helps---good luck!

Hi all, Virginia bride here (current resident, not born and raised)! We are planning a May 2014 wedding in Riviera Maya and I am very excited!

In the beginning, I thought I would have my wedding at home so that I could have the exact music I wanted, the exact officiant, etc.. But then I realized that, ironically, a destination wedding would allow me to have the wedding that I wanted, that reflected my FI and I (and our friends and family from all around the U.S. and abroad) and be able to do it on a reasonable budget. I admit that I'm a bit frustrated now with finding the right venue, but I would have the same problem here at home. I'm so glad that FI and I are starting our lives together in such a fabulous way that rings true to who we are.

I was browsing Pinterest and Del Sol Photography has some wonderful ideas for receptions and entertainment in Riviera Maya: http://pinterest.com/delsolphoto/reception-ideas/ http://pinterest.com/delsolphoto/entertainment/

Your wedding is absolutely gorgeous, very vintage and personal. I love that dress---is it Essense of Australia?

My FI didn't see the big deal about using a resort photographer either (and neither did my mom), but I think what helps is for people to see the different photographers and their styles stacked up side by side. I sent wedding planner I was thinking of working with examples of what I didn't want (not knocking the photographer, but it looked like typical wedding stuff) and examples of photographers that I loved. I can't wait to see your final decision on colors. I really do think that all of these color palates rock (and I'm not just saying that). I'm still thinking of the navy, silver, coral and maybe the right purple...

My thoughts about the brides that would jump on you for this...O___o. Are they planning to pay for your legal ceremony? The extra days you have to spend to be in the country? Please! I think whatever you decide is fine and your wedding will be great either way!

I would love to see what you come up with---that headpiece is gorgeous!

Congratulations on your engagement! Getting the venue down is the biggest step (one I'm still struggling with!). The great thing is that there are so many fabulous photographers at a number of price points. I think I mentioned this on one thread, but every wedding coordinator that I have talked to that does destination weddings has strongly recommended bringing in an outside photographer. One said that all of her brides that went with resort photographers were very disappointed. (Some on here have had good luck, but if you don't have to chance it..) I do like that blue and I'm all about pops of color! Have you thought about doing that blue with a turquoise to evoke the sea, or maybe even a different shade of blue?

Woo hoo! NOW Jade is on my list of possibilities!

I came across this interesting-looking venue while doing a google search this morning. Does anyone know anything about it? It is a private property with wedding planners. http://oceanevents.com.mx/Eng/

Do any of these websites work for you? http://www.wishlantern.co/ http://www.wishlantern.com/White-Eco-Wish-Lantern-Ten-Pack-_p_33.html http://www.theweddingshoppe.ca/White_Wish_Lanterns_Pk_of_5_p/wl100el-5.htm

So...I'm going to admit something that may be blasphemy to some India Arie fans...but I think her music is boring in general. . 'Ready for Love' is a HUGE exception. One of my friends got married to this song, and I think that it's just beautiful. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=4mXjg4q8VTg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D4mXjg4q8VTg

Dina and Yazmin-- This is a great suggestion! I had not thought too much about NOW Sapphire because NOW Jade is supposed to be more up to date, but this is definitely something for us to think about!

Great photos! I love the combination of bold and subtle pops of color!

Welcome Shara and congrats on your engagement! I can completely empathize with your stress but there is an incredibly generous community here of brides, grooms, and wedding professionals who are here to help! It's been a long time, but I loved the DR when I visited, and I bet your guests will too.

Thanks so much Yazmin! Joyce also recommended this place to me, and I will take a closer look at it. I have heard brides mention that the wedding coordinator/staff are a bit challenging to work with, but not having to pay vendor fees is a plus. In addition to this venue, can you recommend any other places that have a semi-private place for the ceremony? Anyway, I think I was venting a bit because I am such a visual person and need to see some of these places in real life! However, May dates are being booked up at venues and with the top photographers, hence my slight panic.

Have you already looked on Amazon? I found a few leather luggage tags for about $5 or under: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st?keywords=Leather&qid=1369673167&rh=n%3A1036592%2Cn%3A!1036682%2Cn%3A15743161%2Cn%3A15743971%2Cn%3A1234358011%2Ck%3ALeather&sort=price

I'm a bit stressed right now trying to pick the right resort *sigh*, but I'm looking forward to the actual preparations part.

Maria- This thread is so inspirational! Your wedding is so beautiful, and I love all of the DIY touches. I know that your guests felt cherished, and will be talking about this for years to come. P.S. I will definitely be using some of these ideas!

After reading this forum and a long discussion with my TA, I got the 2014 rates for my top choices that I thought would be reasonably priced for my guests: Azul Sensatori, Dreams Riviera Maya, and NOW Jade. My criteria were good food, nice scenery and off-beach options, especially a garden. After looking through the photos, I thought NOW Jade would give me the best choice. I was especially loving the seaside garden. However, I have finally found some photos of real weddings and the seaside garden seems to not be private at all and doesn't seem to overlook the sea. I also didn't like the canopy/chuppah the resort used instead of the arch. And the beach...I couldn't believe the hordes of people staring! I really don't like the gazebo at Dreams, and Azul's beach has lots of people staring too, from pictures. (The Sky Deck is great, but not quite what I want.) I feel really bummed right now. My hubby to be and I are trying to save money, have a strict budget, and we both have demanding jobs. Thus, I've reluctantly given up the idea of having a private villa wedding overlooking the crashing waves. . Perhaps I'm letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, but I'd love a suggestion for reasonably priced resort that allows kids, with good food and a modicum of privacy, even if not total privacy. Am I just being picky and unreasonable? I don't know, maybe one of these is still the resort for me?