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@@talicea7812 I feel your pain about bridesmaids. Unfortunately 2 of mine acted in such selfish terrible ways right before and during my wedding that I haven't spoken to them since we've gotten back from Mexico and that's been 4 months already. They were really such horrible people that were supposed to be my friends but we're too jealous and selfish to look past themselves...on the one hand, I'm glad they're out of my life but on the other, I feel awful that I had to find out during one of the happiest times of my life. I'm glad though that you have your beautiful family! @@KaraEbeth how have things been for you? I miss our fb/bdw chats!

@@dustinmeghan hair and makeup wouldn't be an outside vendor...you just have to pay a daypass for them to come work then leave. as for the DJ, I just had my wedding there 2 weeks ago and used an outside DJ...we paid for a room and put the DJ and Photographers name on it so that we wouldn't have to pay the outside vendor fee for each then just used it as the grooms day of room @@dustinmeghan we used the family style menu for the reception and did the deluxe BBQ on the beach for our welcome event. Everything was delicious! I'll try and upload the menus here

@@soon2bmrsgrey Congratulations!! This forum is amazing and so useful....there are a few other threads for other Karisma locations and for weddings happening this year at Azul that would also be helpful to read through. Let us know if you have any questions Happy planning!!

Hi ladies, Does anyone remember the dimensions for the tables at Blue Terrace (the square tables)? I'm trying to buy a runner to go across all the tables if I put them in a "U" pattern. Thank you!

@@KaraEbeth Thanks! now I just need to see what sales are like at the end of the summer. Like I said on fb, we might just hit up the costco/walmart there for things like sunscreen and aloe gel instead of bringing it with us. Although I'm scared that they won't have that stuff in January (even though it's Mexico and I would think that they have that stuff year round). @@MariCorrea23 Wow! That's a surprise about Lucy and the flowers!! I would just do what Kara said and say that you're bringing in fake flowers and then make your own accommodation for an outside flower company. Just keep in mind that you won't be able to have them delivered to the door of the hotel. You'll have to do what Talicea said in her blog and have them delivered to the gate and send either the groom and groomsmen to get them or someone else that's trustworthy.

@@MariCorrea23 my wedding is January 2015. I see what you mean about September in the fine print. We're going to have approximately 30 rooms so I just asked to see if they'll work with me. Like I said, you gotta put up a fight sometimes but they usually come around.

@@malika2014 it's "Azul Beach Hotel Brides!" It's a closed group so you can search for it but have to be approved. @@MariCorrea23 My first wc left so I was assigned Lucy Menna. I would just ask to be switched to her. Also, that's not a lie on social media. The link I gave in the previous post is straight from the Karisma website. I just checked and for some reason the direct link isn't working however if you google Karisma Always and Forever, it's the first link that comes up (Memorable Moments...) and it'll take you straight to where it says that it's complimentary if you stay for 7 or more nights and book a minimum of 5 rooms at 3 nights (for your guests). Either your wedding coordinator or your travel agent needs to get with it! I've been dealing directly with Karisma for that stuff and they never said that you can't bring in outside stuff. They're just going to charge depending on what it is. So if you want to bring in decor or favors, they'll charge a set up fee of I think $5 per person up to a max of $250 for everyone (depending on how much stuff you want them to set up). As far as outside vendors like photo/video/dj/flowers you can either pay $800 per vendor or book a room and put the vendors names on it for 3 nights (whichever is cheaper).

@@MariCorrea23 I agree with @@KaraEbeth, I think you should switch coordinators because as long as you fulfill their criteria, the always and forever package should be free. See http://www.memorablemomentsweddings.com/Karisma-Design-Event-AlwaysandForever.cfm Also, I think that that is one of the most frequent and annoying complaints about Karisma, that they are so difficult to deal with. Every wedding coordinator gives you a different answer. I finally got a coordinator that I like and is responsive (usually about a 24 hour turnaround time). Before that (for like 5 months), I had to fight for everything. Every single Azul Beach bride I've spoken with has said the exact same thing...that they had to argue for everything. BUT, all that aside, they say that it was worth it because the on site coordinators make up for everything and are so nice and easy to work with (read accommodating). So with that I say, don't go looking for an off site location. You're flying all that way to have that scenery. Just find creative ways around it. I was told that they can't waive the day pass fee for my 3 out of 70 guests who are staying off resort and coming to our welcome bbq and wedding reception, meanwhile, in some document that was emailed to me earlier this year it says that as long as they are attending a 4 hour private event (which both events are) that they can waive the fee. It's like their head doesn't know what their body is doing. Check out Talicea's blog at http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/76182-tinas-peacock-wedding-planning-blog/ because she went through everything recently and had even thought about going off resort as well until they accommodated her (which they always will). Hope that helps! @@KaraEbeth I want to show you my OOT bags but don't know how to attach pics here so I put it on fb lol

@@KaraEbeth Yes, that's me on facebook I got my bags today from wedding chicks!! So excited. They're simple but pretty. I wanted the "Hola Amigos" bag and the fiance wanted the "Bienvenidos" bag...I figured I'd let him have this one lol. As for what we're putting in it, I figured I'd stuff the bottom with paper to fluff it up then put in: advil packets, pepto packets, emergen C, water bottles from the hotel, sunscreen and aloe vera gel that we are thinking of buying in Cancun at costco or walmart, and sunglasses. I found the sunglass website either here or on the fb azul beach page. I called to request a sample and I got it today also. I requested the cheap $0.63 cents Blues Brothers glasses...the link is http://www.sunglassville.com/BluesBrothers-SunglassesBlack They're cheap in quality (what did I expect for $0.63 honestly, but they'd be great for the weekend) and nice for pictures to see everyone in the same black wayfarer sunglasses. Hopefully I won't break the bank on these bags lol. @@MariCorrea23 I agree with KaraEbeth, take a look at Talicea's planning page. You can bring in fresh flowers from outside but if you want to use a florist (as opposed to buying flowers in town by yourself) they'll try and charge you an outside vendor fee and a setup fee. Talicea figured out how to get around that and not pay the outside vendor fee. If you're bringing some things for your own decorations and/or favors, they'll charge you a setup fee anyway. The amount charged depends on how much you want them to set up but if you have a lot of stuff, it should be a flat fee of $250 total. Hope that helps! Keep us all posted

@@KaraEbeth They look fabulous!!!! Congratulations! I placed my order about 2 weeks ago so I'm still waiting on them. I can't wait. Now begins the hunt for finding what to put in the bags! I feel like no matter what I put in there, it's still going to look empty. Have you had any thoughts on that?

@@talicea7812 Congratulations on the little girl! Your pictures are beautiful by the way. She did a great job!!

@@girlinthecity97 another good idea

@@MissJen3 I understand now...gotcha. I was thinking the same thing although my fiance doesn't want to give sample sized sunblock and such but if we don't we'll go broke just on the OOT bag contents lol

@@MissJen3 what do you mean by sleeves?

Hi ladies...FYI wedding chicks has a bunch of really cute bags on sale this week...20 for $90!!! They're usually 20 for $125 happy shopping!

@@talicea7812 How's everything with the baby going? Have you gotten pics back from the wedding yet? love to hear some stuff

@@girlinthecity97 great idea! How would you distribute them though? Like at the welcome dinner, ceremony, etc?

@@linaco80 I'm doing one bag per room..I also have some rooms with friends sharing so I haven't really thought about that. I'm pretty sure we're doing some gender neutral stuff like the usual: lip balm, sunscreen, aloe vera gel, water bottle, pepto, asprin, emergen C, and we're going to try and go to town to get some snack foods since there's a costco/walmart in Cancun. Some of the more pricey items that I'd like to give but have to see if we have the budget for are: sunglasses, mini bottle of tequila, flip flops (although I'm not sure how I'd figure out sizes ahead of time). I think we'll do one from the pricey list (probably the sunglasses) but that still means I have to put two in the bags. I'm trying to scour the internet now for all the stuff on my first list but they're still pretty pricey when you add it all up so I'm going to try and hit up some chain pharmacies at the end of the summer to see what's on sale, then I'll order the rest on amazon or something.

@@linaco80 OOT bags = Out of Town Bags....it's the same thing as a welcome bag. Wedding Chicks http://shop.weddingchicks.com/ has really pretty bags that you can order. You might want to check out the thread on this site for OOT bag ideas also http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/29980-my-oot-bags-the-big-hits-and-the-things-that-werent-used/page-114

Thank you @@linaco80 ....that's good to know, I didn't realize they had to check in as well like the other guests. I will keep you posted as well and please do the same for me

Hi past Azul brides! I need your advice. We are using two outside vendors so in order to avoid the outside vendor fee, we will be booking a room and putting their names on it. The problem is, this room will technically be empty since the vendors are Cancun locals. Is there anyway to give that room to a family member without adding their name to it or are we doomed to have it empty? Any advice is much appreciated! Thank you!!!

Hi past Azul brides! I need your advice. We are using two outside vendors so in order to avoid the outside vendor fee, we will be booking a room and putting their names on it. The problem is, this room will technically be empty since the vendors are Cancun locals. Is there anyway to give that room to a family member without adding their name to it or are we doomed to have it empty? Any advice is much appreciated! Thank you!!!