brownsugarbride

Quote: Originally Posted by awhiteside There hasn't been much movement for us. We have the big ticket's locked down ( Ceremony, Reception, DJ, etc) but haven't really done much more... We are starting to get back into planning since were only less than 5 months away! How about you? Well, I have my dress, planner, venue and one piece of entertainment (mariachi) locked down, and am about to lock down transportation and DJ for my guests in the next 24 hours or less. I am still pretty bummed that they have banned fire dancers and am considering other options. No luck so far though. What I really need to do is to send out my invites next week (don't judge me, I sent out save the dates awhile back!!!) and make some decisions on the menu.

Hi all: As I posted on another thread, due to restrictions at my venue (Blue Venado Beach Club), I can no longer have the surprise I had planned for my guests (fire dancers). I have been wracking my brain, and I'm thinking that a caricature artist might be a lot of fun at a beach wedding. Has anyone had anything similar at their wedding? Do you think you would enjoy something like that personally? The only thing I'm worried about is having people waiting in lines at the wedding---that wouldn't be fun at all.

Quote: Originally Posted by kking Hello Future Now Jade Brides! Quit worrying and know that everything they do at Now Jade, they do it well! My fiancé and I visited Now Jade last week November 9th-16th and let me tell you that it was amazing! My mind has been put at ease for my wedding on June 18th, 2014! Everything was incredible. FOOD & DRINKS: The food was delicious, neither of us got any stomach sickness and I am extremely sensitive. The restaurants were all delicious; my least favorite would probably be the Cin Cin, which was the ‘adults only’ one. Remember, when you go to the restaurants in the resort, the portions are extremely small, so you order an appetizer, salad/soup, and a main dish each or else you will still be hungry! No reservations are needed and my fiancé and I are early eaters so we never had to wait. The restaurants open a half hour earlier then the buffet so we went to the restaurants mostly, however, when we did have the buffet and it was very good as well! The service of the staff getting drinks for you while you sit at the beach, pool bar, or anywhere is amazing! As soon as your drink is getting empty another one will appear in your hand! The drinks were strong and made with top shelf liquor if you request, they have Absolute Vodka, Bacardi Rum, and other well know alcohol! For the beer drinkers, they have Corona on tap, Corona Extra in cans, Bud Light in cans, and Modelo in the mini fridge in all the rooms. There was also a café on site which is included in the all-inclusive, that was like a mini Starbucks, something unique that I haven’t seen at most resorts. ROOMS: The rooms were spacious and updated! We stayed in the basic room because that is what our guests will be staying in when they are visiting for our wedding, and we wanted to see it from there view first! The bed was pretty comfy, there was a sitting room as well, a balcony with two chairs and a side table, although we didn’t have a view being on the first floor it was still nice, and the bathroom was extremely large! There was a bidet and toilet with a door in the bathroom, a large tile shower, two sinks, and a jetted bathtub! Also, the mini fridge is included, no extra charges as well as a safe in the closet! This was the best all-inclusive room I have ever been in! ROOM SERVICE: We didn't have any complaints will room service! They were quick, especially with breakfast! I ordered the American Breakfast which consists of two eggs made to order and sausage, bacon, ham, whichever that had, some days they wouldn’t have bacon, toast and choice of coffee and juice. They would tell you there’s about a 30-45 minute wait but it never took over 30 minutes for breakfast. We also ordered a late snack, of macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers and they were quick as well! We didn’t get our room serviced every day by choice because we just didn’t need to but it you still needed a couple bottles of water or a couple towels you could just ask the room service ladies in the hallway. POOLS: The pools are beautiful, clean, and refreshing, there are three separate pools, not too hot as you might expect! The infinity pools look straight into the ocean which is gorgeous! The pool bars are always kept clean and they have pretty good service for the demand! My favorite pool bar was on the preferred side, which it doesn’t matter if you upgrade or not you can go to whichever side of the resort, because it was right next to the ocean! By the way, there are also no bracelets worn at all, so they do not designate if you are preferred or not, it all goes by room number. BEACH: The beach is gorgeous, not as deep of a sand/beach area as I expected but very nice, they keep the beach area neat and they are plenty of cabanas if you want shade! We had no problem finding chairs every day! I was concerned about the clearness of the water and seaweed but it was pretty clear and not much seaweed at all! The workers are out every morning raking the sand to make everything look nice and get the tiny bit of seaweed off the beach. Only complaint is that the beach is a little rocky, mainly in the middle area, and I would recommend telling the parents of children that are coming to get them water shoes if they want to play around and run in the ocean (my fiancé cut his foot on a rock when he was playing in the ocean like a kid)! Also, there are servers that come and get drink orders constantly, like no other resort I have been to before, we never had to make trips to the pool bar! I am so glad/relieved to read this! We are staying at the Now Jade (but getting married offsite). I will not be visiting prior to the wedding, and it is very important to me that my guests have a nice experience at the resort.

Don't worry---everything will be fine! I got engaged after you and will be getting married in April 2014---so I've been planning for even less time! Lol

Yazmin- Thanks for the suggestions! I had loved the fire dancers because they combined the African drums with their performance---a perfect way to bring in some of my heritage. I would have loved to bring in the Brazilian drumming and singing, as I used to do samba dance, but $2000+ is unfortunately not in my budget. I am wondering if it would be possible to bring in some acrobats who do their routines to African drumming...

I had planned to have fire dancers at my wedding as a big surprise for my guests, but was heartbroken to learn that my venue no longer allows them. For me, the fire dancers had that 'wow' factor that will be very hard to duplicate (the LED version doesn't come close). Does anyone have any other ideas? I was thinking about maybe some acrobats, but not sure the beams in the palapa at the Blue Venado would allow for such a performance...

Your wedding is stunning and it looks like everyone had a good time! My wedding colors are purple, aqua and silver so I loved seeing how you brought a similar color palette to life.

How is the planning coming along for fellow BV brides?

Quote: Originally Posted by SweetFire Hi BrownSugarBride, Thanks for complimenting this thread. We were hoping it would be helpful for the brides during the planning process. There are many ways to make our job easier! Having your family put away their cameras will definitely make their experience more memorable and the photographers job a bit easier. Scheduling your ceremony for the right time is essential for photography. If you have your ceremony two hours before sunset it will allow us to have enough time and perfect light for the Newlywed images. I believe on a destination wedding it’s essential to remember the beauty of the place you traveled to just like the happiest moments of your life. Another thing that can help a photgraphers job is to have the right room in the right condition ready for some getting ready images. Here are some helpful hints for your dressing room ​ - Have the cleaning service come to tidy your dressing room so it is made up when you return from your hair appointment. - Have your girls clean up all the non-wedding related messes. Wedding "messes" are ok :-). - Empty shoe boxes and dress bags should be placed somewhere outside the dressing room. Bring all the dresses out and hang the in the room so they can be used in the shots. - Light is extremely important. If you have a choice, choose a room with lots of space and natural light. I hope that helps! Lori Lori- This helps so much! I will put this down on my list of things to remember.

Did you ever find anyone? I'd love to get recommendations!

Why not send your playlists/requests to the DJ in advance? From what I've seen and read so far, most of them are very accommodating.

I love this thread, it has such great information! One big question I have for all of our photographers is: how can I make YOUR job easier and help facilitate your best work? My photographer seems really happy about the fact that we're asking our friends and families to put their cameras away for the ceremony (no fighting to get shots) and planning the ceremony approximately two hours before sunset. Are there any other things that we brides can do that help photographers? Any additional tips (lighting, timing, etc.) would be very much appreciated!

Very cool idea! Thanks for posting!

I really wanted a blush dress, but it ended up not working out because of the expense! LOL Watters has some gorgeous blush dresses that you might take a look at. Also, here is a pinterest search for blush dresses that may turn up something of interest: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=blush%20wedding%20dress&rs=ac&len=10

Quote: Originally Posted by julikam I know this is old posting, but I had to read as the same thing is happening to us. The best man, my fiancé's best friend all through childhood, is about to back out less than a week before the wedding. We are getting married about 3 hours away and he was complaining about the cost at first (last week). He only had to buy a pair of pants and his hotel room plus gas, my fiancé supplied everything else. Yet he just bought himself an upgraded car and moved into a really expensive apartment and He makes more money than both of us combined. Now he says he won't know until Tuesday if he can get off work this weekend? Really? You had 10 months to ask for the time off. We have had to bug him for months to get fitted for his pants, never sent back the rsvp, and also doesn't return calls. We don't even know if we got the pants yet. Why do people not see how much it hurts their "friend" to do this. I'm sorry but if I couldn't make it for whatever reason I would call immediately to let the groom know and apologize and feel horrible about it. Its too late to ask someone else to stand in. We just got the programs two days ago and its too late to reprint them. I told my fiancé to cross him name off every one of them. I feel like a heartless b$itch, but to me you could have found the time to back out in 10 months. What a sucky friend! My fiancé is crushed. it has really hurt him to know his best friend isn't man enough to just back out. No one even threw him a bachelor party. That's a huge rite of passage that I really want him to have. He says no big deal, but to me it is. I have been keeping out of it, but I am so ready to call him and go bridezilla on his you know what. My fiancé's aunt thinks we are being insensitive to the "best man's" situation which also ticks me off. Why is it too much to ask someone for advanced notice before they completely bale on you on one of the most important days of your life? I know our wedding day will go off without anyone else noticing that he is missing, but WE know. This completely changes their friendship. It would be one thing if it were for an uncontrollable reason, but I'm sorry if I am being heartless but this is a sh$t thing to do to your good friend. I am so sorry to hear this---I am in total agreement with you about the callousness of this so-called friend! Sending warm thoughts to your FH and hoping that everything will work out wonderfully!

The name of the company is Tuscany Bike Toursscany Bike Tours and they were excellent, as you can see on Yelp. Apparently, they have added Vespa scooters now was well! You will also get to do wine and olive oil tastings prior to lunch, which I really enjoyed (the latter, that is). I will look through my travel diaries to see if I made any other notes about travel through Tuscany.

How has everyone been doing? Has anyone won anything lately?

I just wanted to give some of our Australian brides that there are two great giveaways for you for photography and honeymoons: http://www.polkadotbride.com/2013/09/win-500-cash-towards-your-dream-honeymoon-thanks-to-hotelclub/ http://www.adriantuazon.com/blog/2013/09/21/win-an-engagement-session/ I hope a BDW bride wins!

Lol...We will be buying our house and getting married within a 5 month span (or less)! Insanity!

Quote: Originally Posted by Italy2013 We leave this next Friday for our wedding in Montepulciano, Italy. We are having just 12 guests and we are paying for the travel, accommodations and car rentals for 8 including us (our children and their spouses). We are both 50 and our kids are 22 - 30 and we have one granddaughter. My parents and my brother and his wife are also going. The wedding and reception are really reasonable. The travel expenses are higher but we all get a vacation in Tuscany too! Our family will leave after a week and we are staying an extra week and traveling up to Portofino and Barolo for our honeymoon. Here are our costs. Efffetti Wedding planner in Italy - $1,881 Piazza Comunale Town hall - $1,300 Jay Studio Rome photography - $1,040 Jay Studio videographer - $1,235 Wedding/reception flowers - $630 Enzo Polito Musicians - $1,170 Bottegga del Nobile wine cave reception - $1,560 Wedding attire (both) - $2,375 At home reception (60 people) - $3,915 Travel for 8 - $15,600 Honeymoon - $3,000 Total $33,706 Not bad and about the cost of a wedding at home but we get to be in Italy!!! Ditto---this really does sound absolutely wonderful! If you are going to Florence, I have a great wine and bike tour that I would highly recommend---and I don't even drink! I would love to hear your tips for an at-home reception. I am trying to cut down on costs and would really like to keep my budget fairly modest like the one you list above.

Quote: Originally Posted by Maria Tripaldi BV is a unique location with amazing jungle around it! my fb is chef there and he will cook supremely for all of You! enjoy planning and be sure that it will be an incredible event. Day (the Events manager) is very skilled and has solved more than one emergency. Enjoy!! Maria Maria: Thanks so much for posting this! I have a wonderful planner that I trust, but I will not be visiting BV until a few days before the wedding!! Seeing posts like this from another professional helps to reassure me and other brides that this is a quality location with professional staff who know exactly what they're doing. If you have any tips to pass along about this location, I am sure that all of us brides would love to hear them!

Quote: Originally Posted by Beee Hi Ladies, i'm having my wedding at BV, the deposit was made today. Our date is Nov 08, 2014, it's a little over 14 months away, it gives us enough time to pay and plan for it SVD cards went out about two month ago and soon as I know the resort/town houses/condos where I would like our guest to stay I will be sending the invitations, hopefully around Thanksgiving or Christmas. I’m giving guest enough time to plan for this event. I know people plan their vacations one year in advance and I want them to keep our wedding in mind when planning other vacations. Erica from weddingsinplaya.com is our wedding coordinator and she’s been so awesome and helpful. She’s been able to work with our budget and has put me in contact with photographers, condo rentals etc. I can’t imagine planning a destination wedding without her help. I’ll won’t get a chance to visit BV till the wedding but I trust her opinions. I’m soooo excited!!! I can’t wait to hear about your food, entertainment, and decoration ideas. Congratulations Beee! Things are crazy here at work, so wedding planning has taken a partial backseat. Right now, I've chosen my wedding planner and photographer (flying him in) and am in the process of choosing a DJ and a makeup artist.

Quote: Originally Posted by maccancun Hello Dear BrownSugarbride!! I am Norma Zurama Pérez a MAC make up artist in Cancun/Riviera maya área, I have alot experience in make up for all skin types, this is my link: http://normazuramamkup.webmium.com/ if you need more information, please let me know, my email: [email protected] Hi Norma! Thank you for replying to my thread. I will send you a note, as I would love to see any examples of the work you've done with darker-skinned brides.

Quote: Originally Posted by awhiteside Hi Ladies! We will be having our reception at Blue Venado as well! We originally were going to have our ceremony and reception at Xcaret. But after a site visit, we ended up loving BV for the reception. Has anyone chosen their menu options already? We were able to do a tasting but still haven't been able to decide on final options but they said that can be decided later anyhow:). Yay! Another BV bride! I am taking a big risk, as I am actually not planning to visit the BV until a couple of days before my wedding. (Yikes!) However, I feel very confident that with my awesome planner at the helm, reviews, and pictures, that I am making the right decision. I would like to have some of the food reflect our Caribbean heritage, but I would rather the BV do the food that they are really good at, rather than try to make food that isn't as familiar.

Another natural bride here! I was super worried about my hair, because I have long dreadlocs, but luckily, my wedding planner has a stylist who can do my hair. :thewave: There are some great natural wedding styles on Pinterest, but another great option is Offbeat bride. They have two posts covering natural hairstyles for black brides. Munaluchi bride is also fantastic for inspiration. There's also a fantastic FB group called Black Women with Real Hair that posts many different natural styles daily, as well as hair care tips. Thank you so much to the OP for starting this thread! While I certainly am a big supporter of brides however they wear their hair, it's nice to see other AA celebrating their natural curls.