girlinthecity97

@@becassidy - thanks so very much for the tip re Ikea for items to use in OOT bags! Happy planning! @@ng2015 - I plan to just purchase generic flip flops in men and women size, since they tend to be in a range that covers standard foot sizes (e.g., 6-9 womens; 10-12 mens).

@@Aliyedwinramirez - all the best and happy planning! I know your wedding will be amazing. We were torn between Sensatori & GRM/EDR. @@kmk2016 - UGH! Thanks for the heads up about the DJ. We are torn between doing an ipod list, asking one of my dj friends who will be coming to do the honors, OR hiring an outside vendor. From the sounds of things our only option is to have one of my friends dj or go the ipod route w/ someone MCing. @@Christinagiovanni & @@nicatella - major CONGRATS & WELCOME! @@Christinagiovanni - thanks so very much for the new deets based on your recent BDR. We went in January. I heard the sky deck will be ready in September. I was hoping to squeeze a trip down there after they finish it but that's looking increasingly unlikely. @@nicatella - we secured our discounted rate room block through our TA. We got quotes from others for group rates so we could be sure we were getting the best rate available. Since we are getting married during a peak weekend, we wanted to lock in ASAP to ensure we had enough rooms and get the best rates for that weekend. Happy Planning!

@@0713root - Congrats on your recent wedding! I'm sure you are still on cloud 9! Did you have a difficult time bringing your flowers to Mexico for the wedding?

@@rtscent - thanks for the tip and keeping things in perspective. I plan to start dress hunting this weekend and think I'll take a few weekdays here and there with a friend or two to look as well. Also, The Memory Factory isn't a Lomas "blessed" vendor.

@@TheBHolders - hmmm I could be wrong but think that's cutting it close/tight since their dresses start at about $2K. It might be possible though if you got something on sample sale or during trunk show that offers a discount. I would call to ask to be sure though. Hope this helps!

@@kmk2016 - LOVE this!!! I don't think I'd open it. Maybe I'll get one for my sister just as a keepsake! @@McGee2Be - yup. he's weird LOL. He makes friends but is awful about keeping in touch. He was in the military so that made it worse. Unless his friends/classmates were stationed with him, he disappears. The Best Man has been friends with him since middle school and the ONLY reason they are still in touch is because he (Best Man) makes the effort to do so. He's the same way with family. He struggled to list 20 people friends/family combined. I'm like your fiance re symmetry. I'd be ok if it was a slight mismatch (4 girls 3 guys or something like that) but since it'd be 4.5 I just opted to stick with my sister & niece.

@@TheBHolders - what a cute idea (re care packages). Fortunately (and unfortunately) I just have 1.5 bridesmaids LOL. My sister is my Matron of Honor and my 10 year old niece is going to be a jr bridesmaid since she's too big to be a flower girl. My fiance only has a Best Man so that's how my "envisioned 4" turned to 1.5. I didn't do anything fancy because they were there when he proposed. My sister & I made a pact years ago to be each others Maid/Matron of Honor and my niece has been hinting strongly about being a flower girl. I surprised her when I said well, I guess this means you can't be a flower girl since I'd like you to be a jr. bridesmaid.

@@lizandkeevin - sorry I was MIA. I'm impatient so I coughed up the cash for a direct transfer to our resort. I didn't want to wait for others then have to drop them off or pick up them up on the return to the airport. Hope you have an amazing trip & can't wait to read about it. @@kmk2016 - despite asking for one, I didn't receive my BDR itinerary until we checked in at the resort we were staying at. I think this was because our host resort wedding coordinator was juggling two weddings so she changed our tour time. I don't think there is a problem with cancelling a site visit. Based on the BDR contract/registration documents I signed, you are only obligated to attend the BDR event at EDR to qualify for the BDR rate. Hope this helps & enjoy!

Congrats Erobin223 - Regarding your how long to book a photographer question, I think that depends on what you want him/her to capture. Some people really want lots of getting ready pics followed by coverage of the ceremony and most of the reception. Based on that, you are pretty safe with booking 5-6 hours [1 hour to 1.5 hrs for getting ready pics, 30 min-1 hour for ceremony pics, 1hr - 1.5 hr post ceremony & the rest reception pics]. My photographer suggested going with no more than 4 hours and I agree. I don't want a lot of getting ready shots. Maybe a couple of my mom & sister helping me with my dress, the first time my dad sees me in the dress, then ceremony and post ceremony shots. Reception-wise, he agreed it is a waste to have them there for most of it so I am having all the key events like the 1st dance, parent dance (me & my dad, fiance & his mom) followed by toasts and cake cutting within the 1st 30 min-1 hour of the reception so he can get those shots and be finished. He also suggested what time I should schedule my ceremony to ensure we get the best light & sunset shots post ceremony. He likes shooting the reception in the dark. We further felt we'd made the right choice after receiving his candid and helpful feedback/suggestions. As for more than one photographer, it helps in terms of making sure they get all the shots you want. However, I'd make sure the assistant or co-photog has the same "eye" as the person you are hiring. My photog has an assistant who shares his "eye" & is included in his rate, so I'm ok with this. I'm not sure which photographers price negotiate as none of my top 3 picks did so. I ultimately went with the one both my fiance and I liked the most. He doesn't price negotiate but it's understandable - he charges a pretty reasonable hourly rate. He is not one of our resorts preferred vendors so we have to pay the outside vendor fee for him to come onsite. I'm getting married at a Karisma resort and found two local florists that other Karisma brides have been happy with that are much cheaper than Karisma's vendor Weddings by Lomas. I'm not sure about delivery fees though. Hope this helps!

@LizandKeevin - can't wait to hear about the trip and what you decided location wise!

@@Aliyedwinramirez - thanks so much for sharing your pics and for the tip about the pier. Like @@rtscent - I was really apprehensive about using that location for reception and possibly cocktail hour. I'm still toying with the idea of just doing cocktail hour on the sky deck but don't know for sure b/c they still haven't finished it yet. CONGRATS on picking Azul Sensatori! We were really really torn between there and Generations/EDR. The onsite wedding coordinator at Azul Sensatori was amazing! She was SO on top of her game and full of great decorating suggestions when we toured the resort with her. Happy planning & don't be a stranger since we are all Karisma brides! @@rtscent - how are you? how's the planning going? My fiance induced mild panic attacks by pointing out July will be 6 months out from our wedding. Between hunting for a house, helping proof his B-school papers and working long hours, I think I hit a wall and have fallen behind on the planning front. Now my mom and sister are really hounding me about dress hunting. I just feel so unmotivated. I forced myself to get back on this site b/c I missed chatting with others and maybe it will help me get my planning mojo back. @ - thanks so much for the update on the food. I look forward to hearing about your trip there next month.

@@angelajackson - CONGRATS & I echo everyone else! I too was torn between DR and Riviera Maya but chose Riviera Maya for the reasons you noted about your experience from DR (minus the food - I stayed at Paradisus Palma Real and it was delicious). I also chose Riviera Maya because it would be the cheapest/most convenient for everyone to get to. I have a 10 year old niece to factor in so we had to find a family friendly resort and decided on Generations Riviera Maya after touring it and El Dorado Royale. We felt the food was good for an all-inclusive and thought it would be the perfect balance for our guests who want to relax without being around kids and those who don't mind kids. While the beach was a bit of a concern, I had the same sentiments as @@AllieH - the choices, services and beauty of these resorts outweighs the beach for me.

@@Aliyedwinramirez - welcome and CONGRATS (love Love LOVE your profile pic by the way!) SO jealous you are going there next week! Are you staying as well? I'm getting married February 2015 and our nightly rate is $301 (based on double occupancy). I know mine is more because I'm getting married over President's Day weekend. We lucked up and found non-stop flights for $383/person so I'm all set with getting there and the photographer. I'm in the midst of working on all the other "little" details like invitations, dresses (self, mom, sister, niece and flower girls) etc.. Our wedding will be on the Sky Deck which I hear is still under construction & the reception will be on the covered pier. We have a good amount of senior relatives so we figured that'd be the safer route for them than the beach. Congrats again & can't wait to hear your thoughts on the resort!

@@acw271011 - I echo @@malyna! Thanks!!!

@@pddcmc - I think having a bridal shower is perfectly ok!!!! My sister and mom are throwing me one. Just because it's a destination wedding doesn't mean you shouldn't get to celebrate the same way someone having a local wedding would. As for a registry, initially I wasn't going to do one but my mom and friends suggested I should to help people attending the shower & at my job (who will also be throwing a shower) know what to get. There are also some relatives who won't be able to attend the wedding but have been asking my mom what to send as a gift.

@@DZweds - I am inclined to agree with @@bicoastalimages on this one. It really sounds like you've done your research and have narrowed it down to what fits your needs & vision. Anything more than that can make you further confused. When we first started out, I had a list of 5-8 resorts which was then narrowed to 3. There was a fourth but they were very limited date option wise so we ruled them out on that principle. I'm glad I only had the 3 because it made it easier to choose. I also suggeest making a spreadsheet or list of the things you are interested in seeing/knowing when you visit those resorts. Be sure to take it with you as you tour the properties so you can take notes. This really helped us when we sat down to make our final decision. There were things in the notes we'd forgotten about but were important in helping us make our decision. My "last" suggestion is to take a planner/binder or something with pockets as well. We didn't do this and I wish we had. While at one of the properties, we met a really great cigar maker who does weddings and he gave us his business card. We can't find what we did with it and a couple of other brochures for things we want to now include. Hope this helps and you have a great trip!

@@jd0922 - coming your way! What part of NJ are you in? I'm Northern.

@@LizzleDizzle - Congrats and so excited for you. The info is on the Lomas site: http://www.weddingsbylomastravel.com/planning/ Just click on the category and it will show the vendors. Annnnnd I just noticed everyone else already gave you the info. @@lizandkeevin - Congrats & enjoy!! I'm jealous of you ladies! I wish I could go again!

@@rtscent - I'm not mad at you! I found a couple of places from this site that seem to do really nice fake flowers (like http://www.bloombridal.com/ and ). If I go that route all the way are partly, I plan to get a suitcase from Goodwill and take all my wedding stuff in, then leave the suitcase there or find someplace to put it in the trash.

@@rtscent - oh nice! we are trying to figure out if we are going to do the stereo system or get a DJ. As for flowers, I'm trying to figure that out too. I found a local floral vendor from another bride on here - there work is beautiful and far cheaper than Lomas. I also found some real looking fakes I contemplating using since I want orchid blossoms submerged in tall glass cylinders. I just need to crunch the numbers to see which is the best way to go. I'll most likely go approved for everything else.

@@rtscent - Ah! Hopefully she'll have something to help you out. I hear you about the budget. Mine is looking out of control but I'm hoping to reign it in with the use of some local vendors. Once I know how many people I actually have to plan for, then I can move forward with those negotiations and logistics. I am using a travel co. My fiance, also known as "My personal rain cloud of reality" is the budget owner and has given me the for what I have listed so far. LOL

@@talicea7812 - Ah! Ok NOW I get it. I thought this was a form you obtained in Mexico that was recognized back home. Thanks for clarifying!

@@talicea7812 - AGREED @@forevertogether! I was touched just by reading it and I'm neither you nor your fiance! I bet everyone there was moved and in tears! I forgot to ask yesterday, how did you get the certificate of self-unification? This was all you needed for your State to legally recognize your marriage? Did you still have to pay the $400 officiant fee or did you fight them on this? My coordinator is saying we still have to pay the $400 fee even though we now have our own officiant.

@@kjb123 - CONGRATS and absolutely! How's the planning going? Your special day is just around the corner! You must be so excited! @@Playain2014 - sure! Check your in box. CONGRATS & hope your planning is going well! You too must be very excited your wedding is coming soon!

@@talicea7812 - CONGRATS again and I echo everyone's sentiments! SO happy everything turned out well and was an amazing time! Thanks also for the ceremony tip. My cousin has asked to officiate and we have to do symbolic because we are getting married on a Sunday. I'm looking into whether or not I can get out of being charged for a ceremony type (legal or otherwise) since I have my own officiant. Can't wait to see your pics!