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We had the Dreams of Love Wedding package on April 17th with the ceremony at 5:30 pm on the North Beach, cocktail at the Jacuzzi, and reception at the deck.

@TinkerSofi @acw271011 @maybeoneday @kcole123 @hellosassypants @FutureMrsGlover @Meandhim @calgarybride2015 and @everyone else Here are the funny and the sweet memories from our wedding day that I want to share with you guys: 1. I forgot to look at myself fully made-up and dressed in the mirror. 2. I was so excited to see my husband that I said I don't care if my dress gets dirty, which it really, truly did by the looks of the gown in photos. 3. It took me forever to say the word "lawfully" in my vows because I was afraid I was going to say wafflely like that video I had posted a few weeks back. 4. Before the ceremony started, I asked the Best Man if he had the rings... well, I guess he didn't hear me.... and I assumed that meant that he had them... 5. Apparently, during the ceremony, my bestie realized that the rings were still in the clam ring pillow... so she jumped up and ran to get them (4 months pregnant) from the box that my MOH had put together (in it there was a copy of our vows, deodorant, mints, tide stick, my reception shoes, etc.. and apparently she and my MOH put the rings in there to take to the ceremony). She then passed them to the Best Man. I guess I was so focused on my husband and the ceremony, that I didn't see any f this!!! LOL 6. Husband dropped my ring and I bent down to pick it up! LOL I'm sure that looked ridiculous! ...I mean, look at how form fitting my dress was! I am lucky I didn't fall over!!! 7. The minister changed our script a little...so when he said, "I now have the honor to introduce for the first time Mr. & Mrs. ____" and gave a long pause, we thought we were supposed to kiss... so we did... and the minister said something (I don't remember what it was, but everyone laughed). Well, he went on and finished announcing us and then told us to share our first kiss as husband and wife..so we did, again. haha Everyone is right, I can't believe how quickly our day went. Minus a few mishaps with the wedding coordinator, it was wonderfully perfect with little quirks that made the day super special. I can't wait to share photos with you all! ____________________________________________________ The Best Moments: Hair and make-up artists ____________________________________________________ *Just in case other brides run across my planning journal at a later time, I have posted full reviews on The Best Moments, Del Sol Photography, and Dreams Riviera Cancun under the appropriate review sections.*

The table numbers ended up being a waste.. The wind picked up a bit at night, so they laid all of my down flat on the table... so I spent money on frames and time on designing the numbers for nothing.. oh well

Thank you! I hired The Best Moments and the stylist was Natacha Bitsch (I think she owns Evo Evolution, or something like that?). According to @@TinkerSofi, the photos are from ik kil Guess what? We packed THE NIGHT before we left... I went to sleep at 1:30 and woke up at 4:00 am

Discountmugs.com and I used a coupon from retailmenot.com. I can't remember what I paid for them, but I think I wrote in my planning journal.

@@Sheaka http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/77696-our-dw-dreams-riviera-cancun-17-apr-2015/?p=1887892 I forgot to mention, the sound system has little wheels and a pull out handle so it was really easy to move it around the airport, etc.

@@Sheaka I would just have a "back up" plan in case they don't have a room for him just so you don't have to worry about it. This is the resort's MOST recent budget planner form: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/77696-our-dw-dreams-riviera-cancun-17-apr-2015/?p=1892549

@@hellosassypants Oh that's so cool! Did you run into the other bride at the Cancun airport? Congrats to you guys! @@TinkerSofi Yes, it was a gorgeous place! I LOVED it! Do you know the name of the cenote? @@kcole123 You looked fantastically gorgeous. Congrats to you and your hubby! @@maybeoneday Thank you! _____________________________________________ OK, no judgement on the mess you can see in the photos... but... The Packing: I placed a layer of bubble wrap, then placed the cups in their individual bubble wrap that they came shipped in, then I placed a layer of bubble warp over the top. We only had one broken cup, and I packed extras just in case. I call that success.

Thank you! I just want to make sure that you know that I did not sure any of the bridal spa services at the resort for my wedding day, I hired outside stylists. I was very happy with my bouquet. I couldn't imagine upgrading and having a fuller bouquet, it was easily 8 lbs! We only had a matron of honor and a best man. Since we didn't have a full bridal party and didn't use the extra corsages and bouts, they made a mini bouquet for my MOH free of charge. Thank you so much! I still can't believe that I forgot to look at myself fully put together! I didn't even realize that I hadn't seen myself until the reception! lol We purchased the sound system from Costco because we found it for a better bargain there. My husband used it as his personal item (he also had a carry on item. I also had a bag full of stuff and my wedding dress - which I "smuggled" stuff in the garment bag). Anyway, the sound system fit perfectly in the overhead bin. My hubby had an entire playlist made and used blue tooth to control it, no one had an idea. It was awesome. What are you concerned about? He didn't have any trouble and I saw the room before we said good night, it was nice. We didn't have a dj and my bestie did the 5 mins of emcee at the beginning of the reception (announcing MOH/Best Man, us, first dance, and cake cutting) because I really wanted her to be a special part of our day. We had 3 extremely large rolling suitcases - all were overweight, but the airline people were awesome and didn't charge us for any of them. We had one entire suitcase for tumblers and gifts, one for decor, and one for our clothes, shoes, etc. Bubble wrap worked great for the cups. Only one cup broke, but I packed extras so that wasn't a big deal. We also put locks on our suitcases, but TSA did not open them. No problems with customs at all, but I got a green button. I would try to keep receipts the best that you can, but I don't think it'll be a big deal. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/77696-our-dw-dreams-riviera-cancun-17-apr-2015/?p=1894466 ^Here are photos of how I packed the cups. The cups were a HUGE HIT - everyone used them the entire time they were there. @@Sheaka I posted photos and a review on the sound system we had on my planning journal.

The weather was PERFECT! Thank you, everyone, for all of your positivity and kindness!!!

Hello! I have SO much to tell you guys! We arrived on Thursday night and have been so tired! I did NOTHING yesterday, and haven't done much today, either. But, I will share EVERYTHING with yall - hopefully tonight or tomorrow! You can read my short review, but I will add more details here just for you! This is a link to my facebook album Unfortunately, I don't have any photos from the actual wedding day! In fact, I forgot to look at myself in the mirror!!! I have only seen myself all made up in my gown, with hair and make-up done, and jewelry from photos!!! I didn't even realize I hadn't seen myself until the reception! LOL

We had the Dreams of Love Wedding package on April 17th with the ceremony at 5:30 pm on the North Beach, cocktail at the Jacuzzi, and reception at the deck. Travel: We had the same experience as Natalie. We flew with Apple vacations/Frontier Air. We had no problem taking our wedding outfits on the plane (the biggest pain was carrying it through the airport!) and we got a private overhead compartment to lay our clothes down in. No problem with customs. We were over-weight with all three pieces of luggage, but when we checked our bags, the person at the counter let it “slide” because it was for our wedding (I think wearing a “Bride” shirt helped). Arrival: We arrived to DRC and were greeted with cool towels that smelled amazing. We were then taken to the preferred club to check-in and provided champagne. Our wedding coordinator met us there and walked us to the wedding office (more on that later). In the room we had a good-size flower arrangement, champagne, and fruit and a welcome letter waiting for us. We were in room 1551, which had an AMAZING view. We had the largest deck in the building. Pre-wedding meeting: Our meeting with Maira (wedding coordinator) occurred immediately after checking in. I will say this – I was extremely disappointed. Maira did not have the most current Wedding Planner form (I should have trusted my instincts and brought a print out, but in an email she told me she would take care of it), so that made things a little challenging. But, I remained calm and positive, until… we started discussing the events of the wedding day. She said, “You didn’t tell me you were having a first look.” *Um, what?!* We had corresponded several times about this. So, by then I started to panic a little because it became apparent that she was not with it. Also, in an email, she told me she would cancel the bridal appointment with the spa (I hired outside stylists), well she didn’t. So, in the meeting had to remind her of this. She then wrote herself a note to cancel the appointment. Unfortunately, the day of the wedding, the spa called my room and said that I was 9 minutes late for my appointment! Luckily, my MOH had answered the phone and let them know that the coordinator was supposed to contact them the previous day. During the pre-wedding meeting, my fiancé also noticed that the WC was not on the ball, which says a lot because he is a very calm, easy-going guy. What I am trying to say is this proves that I was not over-reacting. Basically, I had my MOH and girl friends take charge – the day went perfectly. Complimentary Room: Jake checked-in to his complimentary room @ 3pm on Thursday and was required to check-out on Friday @ 12pm. He got ready in a friend’s room. The Best Moments: I was VERY happy with my hair and make-up, as well as my MOH and mother’s looks. I do recommend them, but I will say that I had a few communication issues with Martina at the beginning, but everything worked out wonderfully. WEDDING DAY – The Best Moments: Natacha (hair) and the make-up artists (I can’t remember her name for the life of me) arrived 12:30. They were so sweet and fast! My mom, MOH, and I were finished by 3 pm, which was perfect. It gave us enough time to just relax and visit with each other. Del Sol Photography: Debora arrived to my room at 4 pm and her assistant (Jorge) went to my husband’s room for getting ready photos. Debora was FANTASTIC!!! I have yet to see photos, but she was so fun, outgoing, and full of life. In fact, even my guests commented on how great she was! Getting ready robe from etsy - it photographed very well and was very comfortable! Ceremony: Symbolic ceremony (legal wedding at home before). We had a man who was very nice but did have a heavy Mexican accent that made it a little hard to follow what he was saying. On the plus side, we had a bilingual ceremony, so that was nice. However, I did feel like he didn’t read our preferred ceremony script before the actual ceremony. Oh well. My husband’s cousin and uncle performed the processional. It was PHENOMENAL. They played “A Love Idea” by Mark Knopfler. Jose walked down the aisle playing this piece on his violin and Uncle Gus played the accompaniment on the electronic piano on the left side. Our guests tossed mini beach balls as we walked down the aisle as husband and wife. Décor: I brought fans, mini beach balls and two baskets, a chalk board, and starfish garland. The resort decorated the arch with white and coral. Honestly, the fans were not needed. There was a nice breeze blowing and the ceremony time we had chosen was perfect – it was not hot at all and the sun was not in our eyes. The sound system we brought was PERFECT – everyone could hear without a problem (best $150 I have ever spent). I didn't upgrade my bouquet, but I thought it was beautiful. And, man, that sucker was heavy!! Cocktail Hour: We didn’t get to enjoy too much of this, but of what food I had, it was delicious. Reception: We were on the deck and it was gorgeous. We had the Mexican Buffet and the food was amazing…Probably the best food all week. We brought the cake topper and we had a marble cake. You can't take the cake home with you or back to your room because it's sitting out for so long. Just like Natalie had posted in her review, we also we went to the disco and danced after our reception. Any questions about the resort, other wedding locations, restaurants, etc??

OH. Where to begin... stay tuned... this is going to be a LONG review...

GIRL. You ROCKED your dresses! You and everything looks so beautiful..and happy! YAAAYYYYY!!! CONGRATS!!!!!

@@hellosassypants Same goes for you! When do you guys fly out? Your flight must be nice and short, coming from Texas! I have a long to do list today... but, it will get done. I just need to focus on one thing at a time. Do you have any last minute things to do? @@kcole123 You are already on your way! I wish you an easy flight, a fantastic wedding week, and a beautiful wedding day! I am so excited for you and to hear and see everything when you return! Congrats & best wishes!!!

Hi and good morning! You're already on your way to your destination wedding! I wish you an easy flight, a wonderful wedding week, and the most beautiful wedding day! The biggest congratulations to you and Nathan! I cannot wait to hear how fabulous everything was and to see photos! Congratulations!!!

@acw271011 that's all I can "do". That, and a virtual hug! I found them in Target for $0.97/kit! I had to make two trips because I bought all of their stock! Anyway, here is the link for them online.

Ok, so I forgot to explain what I was doing here HAHA (oh, that wedding brain...) So, I tried cutting off the hanging tabs at the top, but this caused the cardboard cover to fall off (which is not what I want. I want each first aid kit to look unopened and never been used - because that's what they are). I used clear packing tape to tape down the tab. In fact, this worked better than I had planned because I was able to put 12 first aid kits in each gallon-sized ziplock bag. I then used 3 pieces of clear packing tape at the top of each gallon bag, in hopes of being a deterrent (but, hopefully, I am just being paranoid and the tape won't need to serve as any purpose except a pain in the butt when we open them). Alternative Guest Book The Packing Begins... This is a piece of hard-shell luggage. I was to stack two layers of cups on one side of the suitcase (3 cups down and 5 cups across) = 30 cups On the right side of the suitcase, once you unzip the thin cover, the dimensions are exactly the same. We are bringing all 50 cups in case a few get broken. I am also going to pack the rest first aid kits in this suit case. (& anything else that will fit nicely) TSA-approved locks A red band will appear if TSA opens the lock. *I [still] have to go to Kinko's to print the Welcome Letters, table numbers, and place cards* NOTE: I hope that brides who are stressed out and feel like they are behind come across my posts, because I feel like my experience could make them feel a little better. We leave the 15th and we are STILL scattering to get things done because well, what. This is procrastination at it's finest.

@@SchroederWedding2015 I would suggest getting a size smaller than the suggested listed size. The cotton is rather thin, but soft. Overall, I'm happy with the purchase.

YAY YAY YAY!!!! I'm soooo excited for you!!!! Tomorrow is the day you leave for paradise!!!! AND FRIDAY IS THE DAY!!! WOOOO HOOOO

@@kimmyd2 I got it from BlissfullyModern on Etsy for $12.00. I'm not sure if the shop has more, but it's worth a look. I think I saw some others similar on ebay and googling "clam shell jewelry box" and "shell ring pillow" @ Everyone, Thanks so much for all of the support, advice, laughs, virtual hugs, etc. I cannot being to express how thankful, grateful, truly happy, (and all of those other emotions) that I found BDW.com and connected with ya'll. Even though we don't 'really' "know" each other, you all have played such an important role in this crazy, stressful, fun, exciting, emotional roller coaster ride of wedding planning. I know that I will never forget this community of strong, wonderful women. I just want to thank all of your from the bottom of my heart - Thank you!!! I'll be back to post my reviews and photos, but I just want to say thank you, again. And, I wish each and every one of you the very best! And, now, to share what's been going on. Friday - I had my last day of work. Oh man, talk about an emotional day. My 2 patients were so sick, just so, so sick. Sometimes it is just so hard to not get too emotionally involved and vulnerable. I just want to "fix" them. But, I made it through with my sanity, had a few really good laughs with some of my co-workers, and that really helped. Saturday - WOW. Just, wow. Let me preface by saying - we had our first meal @ 1730..and I ordered a "skinny" margarita with an extra shot. (Up until this last week or so, I'd say the last drink I had was a month ago, or so...I'm just not very big on alcohol. But, hey, if a little liquid encouragement gets me through this week, bring it on). So, back to Saturday.... We got up at 0730, showered, and was out of the door by 0900. We first went to our local grocery store to pick up a few "emergency" things. From there, we headed to my bank and purchased Traveler's Checks to pay the resort. Now, this took a while because hardly anyone accepts TCs anymore, and even more so, hardly any banks carry them or sell them, so it took a while for the bakers to get all of the formalities taken care of. By 1100, we went to the FI's bank and did a wire transfer for the photographer. After that, we went shopping. Goodness gracious...that took forever. From there, we went to Target and picked up all of the travel-size items that we needed. By this time, it was 1715, we were worn out. So, we decided to go to a sit down restaurant and just debrief. After dinner, we went to the Guitar Center and the FI bought a mixer (Don't ask for details, he's the music genius lol) We came home around 1900 and relaxed with the dogs. Well, of course I couldn't relax...so I went into the spare bedroom and started "packaging" things to be packed. Saturday (today) - We are going to go buy the hard-shell luggage. After that, I am going to start packing (Yeah, I know... we are leaving in 3 days....). At 1530, I'm going to get my nails done. From there, I'm sure I'll come home and keep packing, cleaning, doing laundry, etc etc etc etc...ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz............... COME ON MEXICO and WEDDING DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone is arriving Thursday, so we are going to meet people at the bar at a certain time and pass them out then.

@@kcole123 I think things will calm down for us when we are at our locations. I think we are caught up in wedding mode, but it's a little more stressful because we are having DW and there are quite a few "extras" that go along with it. A glass of wine has helped me tremendously! (too bad I don't have any right now...) ______________________________________________________ I love what this girl has to say, thought I'd share Souce: http://alamocity.citymomsblog.com/2015/04/02/i-didnt-marry-my-best-friend/ I Didn’t Marry My Best Friend by Candice on April 2, 2015 in Advice, Humor, Motherhood, Parenting My husband and I are celebrating nine years of marriage this year. Those of you with double-digit anniversary numbers are probably rolling your eyes at me, and those of you with one or two years of marriage under your belts may think I might know a little about what I’m talking about. I don’t. After nine years we are still figuring it out and still failing and succeeding on a regular basis. However, I have learned a few things over the last nine years: 1. I didn’t marry my best friend. Ugh, but that’s the standard phrase, right? When someone gets engaged or posts an anniversary pic, it’s usually captioned with “married my best friend” or something along those lines. In my case, it’s not true. I didn’t marry my best friend. I met my best friend when I was six years old, and she is still my best friend today. She knows every detail of my life, from my first kiss down to my deepest secrets. When we get together, we giggle about that first kiss and talk about past boyfriends, Spring Break road trips, how my feet stink after a few hours of wearing my new Toms, how bad my cramps were with my last period, and how sometimes we feel like punching our kids in the nose (which we don’t, just for the record). We check out each other’s questionable moles, give honest feedback on whether that new dress makes our butts look big, and occasionally talk about how our husbands are driving us nuts but we love them anyway. She doesn’t want to snuggle with me or kiss just for fun. She wouldn’t rub my feet unless there was a medically necessary reason. She thinks my kids are great but no doubt favors hers over mine. That’s my best friend. I married my lover, my partner. We snuggle and talk about how our kids are the best (and best-looking) things in the entire world. He rubs my feet (after a shower), and we work through the details of living a life side by side. We stress over bills together and work out what hurts deep in our hearts. My husband doesn’t want to hear about my stinking Toms feet. Trust me—he’s well aware of them. He won’t tell me that my butt looks big in the new dress because he loves and fears me at the same time. He won’t investigate my questionable mole but will recommend I see a doctor, and he never, ever talks about my first kiss because, ewww. I have the best friend a girl could ask for and have no desire to marry her. When I met my husband, she was the first person I wanted to tell that I had found the person I wanted to spend my life with, have children with, and call my husband, because those are the exciting things you share with your BFF. 2. Sometimes marriage just sucks. Don’t you just love weddings? The gifts, the cake, the candles, the music, and the bride—oh, the beautiful bride! Here’s a secret: that’s just one day—a few hours, actually. A marriage has nothing to do with a wedding. Every marriage will face days when one or both want to throw in the towel and call it quits. Every marriage has days when you want to “accidentally” back over your spouse with your car, but since our cars come equipped with back-up cameras now, we can’t claim it as an accident and refrain. Marriage can be brutal. 3. Marriage totally rocks. My husband knows me in a way that no one else will ever know. He knows every curve of my body and cherishes each detail that makes me who I am. He reminds me how awesome he thinks my body is for giving us our children and tells his friends what a wonderful mom he thinks I am. He knows by the arc in my eyebrow if I’m sad or mad, and either way he knows the cure. He makes sure there’s always coffee for me when I wake up, either out of fear of the monster I am without coffee or because he enjoys pleasing me. Every night when I go to bed I have the security of his strong hands wrapped around mine and know that through good, awesome, terrible, and downright horrible times, he will always be with me. Marriage rocks when you know you are loved through all of your flaws and cherished for all of your gifts. 4. You can’t always have it your way. I like my way. My way is the right way—I promise. I know how to perfectly fold a towel, change a baby’s diaper correctly, and arrange the dishes in the dishwasher—well, until I got married, that is. Compromising is not one of my strong skills. Who in the world taught this man the wrong way to fold a towel? As if it they are going to fit in the cabinet if they’re folded like that! When our triplets were born I almost had to duct tape my mouth shut so I wouldn’t give him step-by-step directions on how to “properly” (read: my way) change their diapers. He changed several of his first daughter’s diapers and she turned out great, so I let it slide with the triplets. In a good and loving marriage you will need to learn to compromise, give in, let go, and shut up. Plus, a towel works the same way no matter how wrongly it is folded. 5. Marriage takes hard work. It’s not fun to wash someone else’s dirty underwear, no matter how much you love them. It’s not fun to stay awake while the beast next to you blows down a forest with his growls, or snores, or whatever you want to call them. It’s not fun to have to be the light when someone else is in a dark place. It takes work—hard work. It takes far more work than it did to plan that fancy wedding or fit into that perfect dress. It takes serious, selfless devotion and commitment. 6. It’s a ton of fun. There’s nothing like belly laughs with your spouse, the kind of laughs that remind you why you are together in the first place. There’s nothing sweeter than having your husband open your car door as if it were your first date. There’s nothing better than bragging on your kids to the one who totally gets how perfect they are. My husband likes to watch me ride my bike around the cul-de-sac, and I like to watch him dance with the kids. We like to tease each other and sneak in butt grabs when the kids aren’t looking. Marriage can be a ton of fun. You know what else is a ton of fun? Calling your best friend and giggling about how silly and awesome your husband is. 7. Sometimes the beauty comes after the storm. A storm will hit your marriage sooner or later. Some marriages’ storms are worse than others. Some face hurricanes while others face drizzle. Marriages face death of loved ones, infidelity, broken trust, rebellious kids, financial ruin, or complete loss. Some face all of the above. I know for a fact that staying and fixing what broke will make you stronger. We’ve become such an instant gratification society that our quick fix is to walk away, but if you weather the storm, shelter each other from the debris, and pick up the pieces together you will discover that sometimes the beauty comes after the storm. When I repeated my vows to my husband and said, “for better or worse,” I meant it. I did not say, “for better or I’m bailing if things get hard.” Be brave in the storm. I’m not an expert on marriage, and I probably have no business giving advice, but I do know that marriage can be messy and hard. I know that it can be beautiful and fulfilling. I know for sure that it can be bent and shaken, but it’s a lifelong journey. Appreciate and learn from the broken moments. Celebrate and dance in the good moments. It’s all worth it.

@@smileitseb I really like your mailer!