calgarybride2015

Oh yes, of course those cases are a 'slide'. Poor person I mean those ones who are just being lazy!!!

We got lucky, all but 3 couples booked in our group! 2 couples were last minute, but we had a heads up this would happen (last minute meaning they booked in November)... then the last couple lived in Mexico.

We are our own worst critics... I was very nervous before our engagement shots and I was for nothing!!! And trust me, you could walk about in a paper bag and your fiance will be fighting back tears!

I don't know if I have said this before hehe, but I think at 2 months out you can cut people off and/or tell them a firm deadline. IE - as of Mar 1st we are unable to accept anymore guests. At this point I think it is pretty tacky of your guests not to have let you know!

How many guests do you have? We had 50 Maracas from Amols and I fit them into a small carry on suitcase, approx 21 inch. It was actually the easiest thing to bring. Just throwing that out there if you don't think you can find what you want on site.

@@Nikitagrandsirenis16 Welcome and congrats on your engagement. I was married 2 weeks ago at the Grand Sirenis. Below I will post some links to threads on this board about the Grand Sirenis. When I booked my date the ladies sent me all the price lists of extras, did you get this? If not, you need to email them and ask for it, as well as all the pictures of flowers and cakes. It was super helpful in deciding what I wanted based on price. I had already done a lot of research so when I booked I had requested the free package with upgrade to palapa, so I had that from day one. You will also find a tonne of info when you look thru the threads posted below from previous brides. If by color scheme you mean the colors of your chair sashes, fabrics, linens, etc. you just put those onto your wedding spreadsheet that you have to send back about 3 months prior. When you get to Mexico you will go thru the whole sheet and confirm it all. Just note that any upgrades from the basic white are at a charge, but the prices are on the extras sheet. We had the palapa and I would highly recommend it, but I know you mention you won't have enough guests. If you truly had your heart set on it I think you can just pay for the person difference but I know for some that is pricey and seems silly when you don't have near the right amount of guests. (ie you only have 20 guests but pay for 35) I can't speak for the restaurants because honestly I only ate in 2 A'la Cartes but I have heard good things about weddings in the Mediterranean and Italian. The Brazilian has great reviews too, as does the Japanese but you can't have a wedding in there LOL For a reception -- depends on your package. If you get a private A'la Carte you can have your reception there. If you do a package with a semi private A'la Carte you can pay for a party in either the Health Bar or the Beach Bar. This is also on the extras price list and on a handout all its own. Did you get this? Here is a link to the main thread - http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/38741-grand-sirenis-riviera-maya-brides/ Here is a link to a few reviews - http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/reviews/p/21288-grand-sirenis-riviera-maya-all-inclusive/ Below you will also find my planning thread and some wedding pictures. The resort is beautiful, the weddings are well done and the ladies work hard to get everything right. I know sometimes communication is slow but its because the brides on site get a lot of attention. I am over the moon about my wedding at the GS and would recommend the resort to anyone.

hehehe it might! The steamer worked great for the BMs dresses too, some were really bad as they just packed them into their carry on bags! ha! You basically have to touch the dress with the steamer and then it goes quick. At first I was holding it back a ways and getting absolutely nowhere. When I moved to my daughter's dress and actually touched it I realized it was safe!!!

Our plane with Air Canada didn't have the longer bins. Thankfully there was a closet, but honestly it isn't a full sizes closet even for normal jackets lol, so my dress was scrunched up at the bottom. I had a friend bring a travel steamer and once we figured out how to use it, it worked like a charm

You can't start your stalking next week if your deadline is Friday, you gotta start now!!! I would get on the phone or email/text everyone who has said yes and remind them. We had everyone book in the last 2 days but we reminded them twice.

My resort was the same. Vendor fee Is The penalty charge to not use their services. Day pass is so they can eat and use the services there if need be. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Once I had picked my date and had it booked with the resort and travel agent, I sent out my invites. Our invites had the basic info, but then it directed them to our wedding website where I listed all prices, dates, deadlines, deposits, etc. Then they could contact our travel agent from there. About 2 weeks before our deadline for deposits (they had 90 days) I sent reminder emails/texts to people who hadn't booked and/or we had no idea if they were coming or not. Most people booked on the last day, so a heads up on that. It can be very stressful. I didn't do a STD. If you have any questions let me know! I've been married 2 weeks tomorrow!

I hate to admit this LOL Last March I wanted to update my resume so I ordered Microsoft per month thru their webpage. I was paying $10.50. Had totally planned to cancel it, then I got engaged and needed it. I have been paying $10.50 per month for almost a year and totally could have just bought it out right haha! Maybe rent the whole program per month like me until your wedding is over? Publisher is WAY easier to use than word. I made my wedding day timeline in publisher.

I like 'pack your bags and get ready for paradise'. I attached mine above - I hope you can see it mine was casual as well. We had a relaxed style / non formal wedding as well. I did my boarding pass in word as that is where the free template was made but publisher is way easier to use and I used it for later projects. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

YAY!! so close. Your being organized is really fantastic. I think fiance thought I was nuts with all I was doing, but it sure made being in Mexico more relaxed that everything was taken care of and everything was organized. I even went as far as to buy large zip lock bags that fit decor - I had one for each table and listed the contents and how I wanted them placed hahah. People laughed but whatever, it made the WC know what I wanted much more easily and kept my things organized. Doing a list for the photographer or a designated friend is a VERY good idea. I didn't actually do this until 11pm the night before the wedding based on my photographers recommendation when I met with her that day. I made a list of all the family and group shots I wanted and gave it to my MC. He was awesome at making sure people knew to stick around, he would call out for certain people and/or families to come get pictures done and it made everything go so smoothly and quickly. It may have been a mess otherwise because you are in your own little world and can't make decisions like that on the fly!!! Enjoy! can't wait to hear all about it. ps - enjoy these last days... it goes way to quickly and now I wish I was still in the 'waiting' phase as I want to relive that day over and over.

I agree, generally I don't mind a connecting flight but not for our wedding! I was already panicked about stuff not making it With our upgrade to first class they made all our bags (kids and ours) priority but I know that still isn't a guarantee. Vancouver is a major center and it makes no sense they wouldn't have a direct flight into the most popular airport in Mexico! I wasn't in the back with my guests but I know a lot of drinks were being had -- there was a fight over the cold beer and we drank so much it was warm because they ran out LOL!!! That was awesome with first class - they just kept bringing it and bringing it lol, not sure how I will ever go back to economy!

Welcome and congrats on your engagement! I am just going from experience.... 1. You need a TA. Especially one who has done a destination wedding or two. She will help you narrow down your choices as she is familiar with the properties, locations, countries, etc. Mine priced out the resorts I wanted her too, but also recommended ones she knew were coming back in our price range. The one we ultimately chose was from her suggestion and was never on our radar. 2. I don't believe they up the prices due to group bookings and your TA is paid from the tour operator themselves, you never have to pay her anything. 3. For our group price, it was NEVER cheaper anywhere else, ever. People tried but realized how good of a price we got. We stayed at the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya which is listed as a 5* for a 7 night all inclusive package (hotel, flight, transfers, taxes) and from Toronto they paid $1465 and Calgary $1565. The transfers to these locations if the people lived elsewhere were very cheap! 4. Going for a group booking also has perks depending on your airline. We booked with Air Canada Vacations. We got a free upgrade to first class for the bride/groom which has great perks - one being more luggage and at higher weights per bag (perfect for all that wedding stuff!) We also got every 17th person booked for free (minus taxes), so in the end I got 2 free packages totaling around $2000 back to us. 5. The TA handled everything - all the bookings, questions, mishaps (flight changes, etc.), connectors for people, hotels if they needed, she sent all our travel documents, reminded people to pay, let people do payment plans, etc. 6. Finding the TA was hard! Noone ever called us back. I am in Calgary but ended up using a TA in a small town in BC. We did everything on the phone or thru email. She was fantastic and came recommended from a friend. If you want her info just let me know. 7. I recommend you start with a country, then area of the country, then start looking at resorts, Make a list of must haves so you can narrow the resorts down. Also request their wedding information because some resorts look great, but their weddings not so much or vice versa. I had my TA help me initially with some resorts to get info, but when it was time to book the date with the resort I did that all by myself. This process is very overwhelming and will leave your head spinning, but this is where a good TA can help! Good luck!

I was worried about spillage. I never had a problem but my guests did. By that time my Dress was black from dirt anyways so I didn't care lol. The pool jump cleaned it up I'm sure. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Isn't it nuts they don't offer a direct flight from Vancouver? Irked some of my BC guests they had to come to Calgary!!! but in the end I think they loved that most of us (over 30 of our 45) were on the same flight.

Awesome! We didn't do this in the end (totally slipped my mind) but now that I have went thru their ceremony there, it will totally work! Just let your WC know what you plan to do and when and she will have it all ready for you! I got my WC about 1 month before.

The resort I got married at 2 weeks ago was really good, especially for price. They have a lot of different wedding packages to choose from and their upgrades and add-ons aren't super costly! I was very impressed at the quality of everything and the service provided was fantastic. It's the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya or the Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach. 2 resorts on one, but you have access to all services. The Mayan Beach side has the oceanview rooms so it may be more pricey from that perspective. If you look at the resort and think you may be interested let me know and I can give you tonnes of info on it! I had 45 people. I upgraded to the private palapa for ceremony and reception. Extended it by 4 hours, had the DJ for 6 hours, cocktail hour, mariachi band, golf cart service, tonnes of extra flowers, etc. Also had a hair trial, then hair/makeup on my wedding day and after deposit I paid around $5000 Canadian. Edit: I should add that my resort's packages included 10 people. With the upgraded to the palapa I had to pay per person (noone was included). I choose the buffet and that was about $32 per person. If you want to use an A'la Carte it includes the 10 people and prices vary for each person over and above depending what menu you want.

Sorry I didn't wed at your location, just was being supportive of the original post about DW being hard!

My guess is that it is. If you go to adventure photos site they list the different areas of Mexico they service. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not sure if you saw my Facebook page of wedding pics but there are quite a few candid shots of all the hugging and then the toast. Link is below Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We had one. We walked up the isle and our WC had our champagne ready, then everyone got their glass. As it was being served everyone hugged us and said congrats. Once we all had one everyone raised their hand and the MC said a very quick toast - like 5 words. Then he immediately told people to be ready for pics and how he was going to arrange people. Once those pics were done the mariachi came and it was cocktail hour while we had our own pics done. Worked awesome and wouldn't have it any other way! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats on your wonderful wedding day! We are also lucky and had a fabulous wedding on January 21st!!!