brownsugarbride

And pictures! I'm probably spending close to 1/3 of the budget on pictures, when I think it's supposed to be about 10 percent!

I love it!!!! Even though my site is prefab (but very customizable), I would love you to take a look once I'm done so that I could get your feedback.

Recy- You can totally pull off the November date! That's plenty of time!

I am setting up my wedding website for my guests, and I wanted to give them information on taxis, just in case they didn't want to use the service provided by the travel agency. Can anyone tell me the approximate cost to get a taxi from the Cancun Airport to Puerto Morelos---specifically Now Jade? Thanks so much!

Lol...since our dates are so close, I could come to your hotel and pick it up just to make sure you didn't run away! Lol

ETA: Rayn just took care of it!

Oh crap, I copied the last one that I saw, but clearly it was not the updated version! Let me go back and fill it in. So sorry,

I'm so happy that we're doing the starfish exchange! Not to worry if we have two weddings that are close together, as we can always get two charms going! ***** You have to copy and paste this entire message into a new message box - it doesn't seem to be working when you click quote - Please & Thank You***** Please Past your username and Wedding date in Order below if you are interested in doing a "Starfish Sharing" with our awesome group of ladies here!! hclibby1982-February 7, 2014 missjali -March 8, 2014 Brownsugarbride-April 25, 2014 lorcas- may 23, 2014 shugapop1- June 7,2014 Moodyc82 - June 16th 2014 Rayndrop - October 22, 2014 Basically, we need to find a starfish to use - Who ever is getting married first will have it in her wedding some how (part of the decorations, in her bouquet, on her veil, really however you want) Once she is back from her wedding she will send it off to the next bride - to - be and so on. . . It could be your something borrowed - or if you already have something I think it would be a cute way for us all to be part of each other's weddings!

Did you ever find a dj that fits the requirements that you list above? It sounds like I have similar tastes and wedding guests, and would love some recommendations!

We are planning an at home reception, particularly since we had to keep the guest list smaller than we (well, I!) wanted. I feel you on not wanting to plan after the wedding. I will likely do most of the planning at the same time and try to reuse decorations if I can to keep costs down.

{{HUGS}}

Welcome Britney and congratulations on your engagement! To answer some of your questions, the Riviera Maya is an amazing place for weddings! There are so many fabulous resorts where you can eat and drink for one great price. I would start with a great travel agent that can give you a sense of what some of your options are for resorts. The travel agent will take into account your preferences, such as a great beach, prices, whether they allow children, etc. Another thing you can do is to go on the Riviera Maya boards and go on resort-specific threads (e.g. Azul Sensatori) and read up to get more specifics. Everyone on here is so kind and willing to share that I'm sure you'll get great feedback. Personally, I am staying at an all-inclusive resort (Now Jade), but my wedding will be held at a private beach club in Playa Del Carmen. I hope this helps, and please don't hesitate to ask more questions! Again, welcome!

$6 for one tea light!? You can get a huge bag at Bed Bath and Beyounf for less than that----and that's before the coupon!! Resorts really do try to nickel and dime you to death. :eek::mad: I haven't done this, but I can't imagine everything melting so quickly. If you are really worried, you could carry the tea lights with you in your carryon bag, and then stuff them in your fridge once you get to the resort.

I feel/felt the same way! Just keep at it!

I want to share my save the dates, but since they haven't gone out yet, I probably shouldn't. (This is because some people who are getting them don't even know I'm getting married! LOL LOL LOL)

I finally won something! I won a gorgeous bridal headpiece from this designer: http://www.yelenasmirnova.co.uk/collection-2013/ Now, only if I could make up my mind on a dress..

Update: I found the veil but it is nearly $700!!! http://jenniferbehr.com/index.php?main=gall&gall=2&thumb=3&page=1

Now that the big pieces of the wedding are finally coming together (venue, photographer, housing), I'm starting my search for other vendors, including my beauty team. I've looked through the portfolios of many makeup artists recommended here on BDW. Unfortunately, very few have pictures of African American brides or dark-skinned brides. I've also checked out a few on the Internet outside of this site. I want to be careful how I say this, as I would never want to hurt any bride's feelings, but it is clear that many makeup artists have little experience with darker skin, and the foundation makeup comes off looking 'ashy' and the lip and eye colors fail to take into account the undertones of the skin. On a more positive note, I'm looking for recommendations for experienced makeup artists that are comfortable with and own appropriate makeup colors for African American brides, particularly those that are darker-skinned. I would most likely need airbrushing, as I want my makeup to last all day. I don't wear makeup very much, but I do want to look polished for my special day. I would appreciate any and all recommendations, especially if there are pictures to examine. Thanks so much!

Did you already see this groupon? http://www.groupon.com/deals/vista-print-42-new-york?sid=VWdONmZ3b0JDalFBQUN1UkdjTUFBQUQw&utm_source=GPN&utm_medium=afl&utm_campaign=200003&tsToken=US_AFF_0_200003_200248_0

How exciting! Congratulations on choosing your resort. You are going to have a fabulous time! Azul was one of my top choices (the food is supposed to be fabulous), but I ended up choosing an off-resort wedding and staying at a cheaper AI for my guests. Have you checked out the official Azul Sensatori thread? You'll get some great advice there, as well as from the Riviera Maya threads in general.

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this already, but a really cool idea would be to use a globe as a guestbook. With the small group, each person could write a great little message and have room to do so.

I'm about to do a wall slide. I gave my save the dates to Staples to copy last night. I found a slight typo (lack of apostrophe) just now. I'm on my way to give a talk in another city and won't be back until tonight. *sigh*

Awesome! When are you sending out your STDs?

Traditionally, wedding invitations were delivered by hand, so you are perfectly within the bounds of good etiquette!

Oh no. I just hate to hear stories like this. One of my girlfriends told me: "It's easy to say this in retrospect [after the marriage], but we realized early on that we couldn't please everybody. So don't even try." Simple words, but very true. I find that my family has been incredibly supportive (in fact, THEY were the ones who were expecting a DW!) but they all have their opinions, some of which I take to heart, and some of which I have to filter out. At the end of the day though, they've all said: this is your wedding. You do you. And I am!