Wafflesmom

Review continued: Day 2 Surprisingly, I did not wake up with a hangover! Unfortunately I couldn’t say the same for Der lol. While he slept in, I organized all our décor and made sure everything was clearly labelled. Our meeting was scheduled for 11am so Der and I headed to the wedding office (in the Nizuc lobby), along with our four witnesses. We decided to pick Derrick's mom and dad, my mom and my brother as our witnesses. For Quintana Roo, if you want your parents' names on your marriage certificate (for civil weddings), you needed to have your birth certificates apostilled and translated. We opted to not do this to save on headaches. As a work around, by having them as our legal witnesses, they're still on our marriage certificate! Sneaky huh? So we arrive at the Moon Palace Wedding Department and it is impressive. It's big and each coordinator has their own office. We met Laura again and she quickly had an assistant photocopy our witnesses visitor card. She also had them review their names and age that we had previously provided them as it was going to be sent to the registry office. It's a good thing she had us review it since Der's dad celebrated his bday on Jan 9 so his age had changed. Once that was done, all our witnesses were able to go off and enjoy the morning while Der and I stayed with Laura to go over the wedding and get our blood taken. Having seen what she had done the night before for our welcome dinner, I was already impresses by Laura. So coming into the meeting, I was relaxed as I knew I was in good hands. She went over every aspect of the wedding again to make sure she had everything right. We talked about ceremony set up, reception set up, décor and music for the ceremony. She was so detailed and even talked me through things I never considered like how to make sure to get our room cleaned early for photos, and who would be getting me for the ceremony. I also made sure she set up a separate table for our photographers so they could eat. During the meeting, she informed us that the person who would be taking our blood had arrived. So off we went to the room he was in and he had us sign a few forms. I decided to go first. They really made it a point to show us that everything was sterile and clean. He showed me the new package of gloves before he put it on. Then be showed me the vial with the needle in it and I had to verify that he broke the seal on the vial in front of me. This is to certify that it's a new unused needle. He did the same to Der. I'm not afraid of needles so it was really painless and quick. Der's was even quicker. As soon as the needle went in his arm, he filled the tube! Even the guy was impressed lol. The whole process took only 5-10 mins. We continued our meeting with Laura and we proceeded to show her all the decor I brought. She jotted down notes of how and where I wanted them displayed. She asked us if we wanted a rehearsal and she was so detailed that Der and I didn't feel the need to go over it. So after 2 hours, we left and headed off to get something to eat. The rest of the day was spent by the pool. I was happy to see that all of our guests were all lounging by the pool together! It was really nice to see that everyone had already clicked. That night, we all decided to have dinner at Momo's (Asian cuisine). The food here was awesome, we went three times during our stay! One of my bridesmaids arrived that night and so we decided to spend a nice night chilling at the swing bar.

Omg a week away, already? Oh I'm so excited for you! Yay, another wedding to stalk lol No need for mini freak outs. Your pile looks so organized, and I love your spreadsheet idea! As for the resort makeup, I agree with everyone that they can be a miss at times. But I'm pretty sure @@calgarybride2015 got hers done at the resort and it was beautifully done. I'm not skilled in doing my own hair and makeup so I knew right away I was going to have that done professionally. Honestly, the best updo I can do on my own is a ponytail lol. I can't even work the bun rings! I didn't want to take a gamble with the resort so I made sure to hire a company I could trust. And honestly, I loved Styling Trio. But that's me and I didn't have other brides like Kim whose opinion I'd trust. And I will add that it was nice to be pampered. Oh and those lashes are awesome! I agree with everyone that whichever way you choose, you're naturally beauty so you can't go wrong either way.

Your shower looked so fun and your mums are so cute. Col looked so cute in all the pics and you two look so in love!! I have to hand it to your mom, I love the champagne bottle idea. Such a lovely keepsake too. And that's a beautiful cake topper. Ok so you are gorgeous in your dress! Col's jaw is gonna drop when he sees his beautiful bride walking down the aisle. And I commend you on how well you're taking the whole flight change. I would have freaked out but I'm a worrier lol

Erin I have missed so much on your thread. I am sorry for not being on here as much as I had before but I'm back now and here to offer support to my awesome bride friends. First of all, you look beautiful in your dress, it turned out so well. I can't wait, 50 days from now to see you in it again for your wedding day. Congrats on the legal ceremony planning. Where are you guys having it? You said Stanley Park right? And your stationary have turned out well, I love the papel picado design. For table seating, since you don't care about place cards, how about straw flags to indicate menu choice? Your guests can always pick up their straw place cards from the bar. OR if you like, I'm not sure how you're setting up your napkins but I have paper napkin rings from Weddingstar that I never used. You can write on them and they yours if you want them. Just let me know if you want them and I'll see how many I have. They look like this

Oh don't even worry about that post! I'm sorry she had a bad wedding experience but it is not fair to you to just say negative things and not offer any solutions! @@snswedding2016 just had her wedding and everything looked fabulous. I'm certain yours will be just as fabulous

@@calgarybride2015 I left out the details but let's just say that a lot of guests had to leave a hefty tip for some of the room cleaners. Lol

OH Dee your MIL is so sweet. That's an awesome robe! Can't wait to hear and see your updates

OMG I have missed so much! Ok, you look fantastic in your bachelorette dress! That's such a steal, I wish I was as lucky. Your sister did a great job planning a fun time, the makeup artist did a beautiful job on you. You've been doing a great job on your own makeup. Don't worry about flash. Especially if your photographer doesn't use it. Plus, did you use the flash on your camera? Because I don't know anyone who looks good under that awful flash! And your dress alterations are perfect!!! Yay instant boobs lol. I'm like you and not exactly blessed in the boob department. Your dress looks beautiful in you, can't wait to see you in it soon I had shellac done and aside from my nails growing, they never chipped. I lost a few glitter but not noticeable. I'm a bit biased with nail design choice so I obviously like the glitter ombré look As for the aisle, as much as I love the look of the wooden planks, I would only choose them if you're not in heels. They'll pose more as a tripping hazard to you and if you're worried about tripping, your eyes will be focused on the walkway more than on Kyle. Honestly, when you walk fine the aisle, your eyes will be fixated on your hubby so reducing barriers will bode you well. If you do opt for them, go barefoot.

REVIEW Resort: Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort Date: January 23, 2016 Offsite Wedding Coordinator: Elizabeth Yañez (October 2014 - March 2015) and Yanet Zavala Serna (April 2015 - December 2015) Onsite Wedding Coordinator: Leidi Laura Guzman Wedding Locations: Ceremony - Toucan Beach Cocktail Hour - Toucan Garden Reception - Toucan Gazebo Vendors: Hair and Makeup - Styling Trio Photography - Samuel Luna and assistant for the day, Karla Dela Rosa Décor and Flowers - LatinAsia DJ - PSAV I cannot say enough great things about our wedding day, our resort and our vendors! My husband (still feels weird to type that) and I are truly thankful and overjoyed with how everything turned out and we have absolutely no regrets with our decision to have a destination wedding. Departure Day: So our flight was really early, 7 am PST to be exact so that meant a short nap and an early morning commute to the airport. The night before was spent packing all of our clothes. Luckily I was organized and had already packed all of our wedding décor. After everything was packed, we had a total of 7 bags, 4 check in and 3 carry-on. The ever so generous @ gave me her wallybag to use and it was awesome! It was easy to carry and stored mine and Derrick's wedding outfits, as well as both of our shoes. The morning we departed, we treated our families to a limo ride to the airport. Aside from being awesome, it's actually cheaper than a cab. We made it to the airport safely and no problems with check-in. Air Transat was awesome and the perks of option plus for the bride and groom is fabulous! Our flight was just over 5 hours and we arrived safely in Cancun at 3:30 EST. Well that airport is ridiculous! I think we arrived at the same time as 4 other flights so you can just imagine the line up. Considering the lineups and the potential for emotions to erupt, a lot of the passengers were actually smiling and very accommodating. I think the worst part for me was getting out of customs and looking for the shuttle. People would stop abruptly and not move as I carried multiple bags (no carts allowed at this point). By the time we left the airport, it was 6:00 pm Since Moon Palace is really close to the airport, we made it to the resort by 6:20. I have never been there before and as you drive to the lobby, you get an appreciation on just how big the resort is...it was a long drive! It was really funny because we drove past the stables where they keep the horse and carriages. Der looked at it and said Oh that's neat. I actually never told him about the horse and carriage and so I looked at him and said, "I'm glad you like it because I'll be riding that for our wedding" lol As the shuttle pulled up to the Sunrise lobby (there are three lobbies at Moon: Sunrise, Nizuc and Grand), the bellboys immediately greeted us with a cold towel that smelled like rose water. After the long wait at the airport, it was refreshing and made me feel human again. They also greeted us with a carnation, definitely a sweet gesture and impressed our guests immediately! Luckily we were the only ones checking in so it was quick and easy. They gave Der and I pink bracelets and I asked what the pink meant. It signified that we were honeymooners. It was cute and anytime any worker saw our bands, they would congratulate us. By the time we finished checking in, it was 6:30. Well our welcome cocktails and dinner started at 7, we only had 30 minutes. The bellboys said that they would take our bags to the room for us. We told everyone to not worry about being dressy and to just come as is. We knew everyone was hungry and since it was a bbq buffet, we really didn't mind not being dressy. Most of our guests, aside from two rooms were assigned to the Toranja building (grapefruit). From the lobby, we didn't exactly know where it was so it took us 15 minutes to find it lol. Once Der and I found our room, we were happy that we got upgraded to a partial ocean view. Perks of being the bride and groom! It was already 6:45 at this point and I sent a group message (I had everyone install whatsapp on their phone) for everyone to meet at the sunrise lobby so we could all go and try to find Bugambillias terrace where our welcome event was held. Our luggage hadn't arrived yet so I didn't have our welcome bags to give out. I had planned on giving them out to our guests at the welcome event. Surprisingly none of this bothered me and I was ready to just party! Der and I headed to the lobby and found only 1 guest waiting for us. Since we were already running late, we decided to leave and messaged everyone to just meet us at the terrace. It was 7:10 at this point and it was dark out. We decided to take the fast route and asked one of the workers on a golf cart to take us to the terrace. Boy do they drive those things fast! When we got there, I noticed that our party was moved to the gazebo and only Derrick's parents were there. I messaged everyone where it was and as soon as I walked in, I was so happy. I didn't plan for any décor for this party since I didn't want to bring too much and I wanted our reception to stand out. Well my lovely onsite, Laura provided small vases with décor and set our tables up in a U-shaped. It was perfect for mingling and talking to each other. As soon as we walked in, we were offered drinks and was informed that the hors d'oeuvres were ready. We chose the Mexican hors d'oeuvres and they were a hit! Slowly all of our guests arrived and everyone raved about the hors d'oeuvres. We were all hungry but despite that, it was delicious. Since we were all late, 30 minutes later, our dinner buffet started. We chose the BBQ buffet and again, delicious! Our wedding coordinator also stopped by to say hi and see how things were going. She's so sweet since she wasn't actually working that day! She said that they opted to move our party to the gazebo since it rained earlier in the day. I actually liked it so much that I asked her to book the Toucan Gazebo as my alternate for our wedding day (so thankful I did this). Now sometime after dinner, someone suggested group shots to celebrate our first night in Mexico. Derrick's sister suggested lemondrop shots. They were tasty! The rounds kept coming and within 30 minutes, I think we drank 6 lemondrop shots already. This is how we became known as the "lemondrop wedding" lol. While everyone was mingling and drinking, Der and I decided to go to our room to see if our bags were dropped off, and they were! I had pre-assembled the bags (yay) so I quickly grabbed them and ran back to the party. All of our guests were surprised and loved them. They all used the bag the whole week. So we all partied until 10 and we headed out. Since the lemondrop and tequila shots were free flowing, we had to drop some of our guests off in their rooms. The rest of us who could walk decided to head to the lobby for crepes and ice cream. So good. From there we decided to call it a night and everyone had to use the hangover kit the next day lol

Ladies, thank you so much for all the well wishes! Der and I had the most amazing wedding day and week. I promise to do a full review as soon as we get back from our mini-moon. xoxo, Mrs. Marsh

@@acw271011 Thanks Ann I can't believe how quickly time flies! Thanks for the compliments, I hope I'm as organized as you think I am lol Yes, I'm doing the horse drawn carriage, when else can I feel like a princess? Surprisingly it's not that expensive, only $140. Based on all the reviews, I think it's worth it! We fly out at 7am so no sleep that night. Our flight is 5 hours long so I can always try to sleep on the plane. But who am I kidding, I'll be too excited!!!

I'm so sorry I've been MIA. As you can imagine, I've been quite busy. So I'm now down to 6 days until our wedding and only 2 days till we leave. I had my last day of work on Friday and it felt great turning on my vacation rule on my email This week, I've completed basically everything off my list: - finished tagging all the fans - printed our table numbers and placed them in the frames. I'm super happy with the way they turned out. I can't thank @ enough - folded all the napkins and boxed them for transport. My bridesmaid has finished our placecards tags. I won't see her until we leave for Mexico so I'll attach the tags to the napkins when we get to Mexico. She did a great job with them, way better than my "calligraphy" lol - bought tons of sunscreen. I found some banana boat spray sunscreen on clear out at shoppers, $5 per bottle! Can't beat that - bought two swimsuits and a large floppy hat. I'm gonna try my hardest to not get any nasty tan lines, at least before the wedding - done some of my personal grooming appts like wax and hair trim and colour. Tomorrow I'll get my nails done and get my brows threaded - exchanged money. I'm solely using Mexican pesos, especially with the continuing decline of the Canadian dollar! I'll be tipping all of our vendors and servers this way, it really doesn't make sense to lose any more money! - tagged all the OOT bags - and I've finished paking all if our decor!! Two bags, not bad at all I can happily say that I'm pretty much done, minus a few things: - finish packing - finish thank you speech (I'll finalize this on the flight home) - finalize itinerary for my brother in law who'll be our emcee I can't believe it's almost here!!!!!

Wow Ann, your video is so beautiful and so touching. I won't lie to you, I cried with tears of joy for you both while I watched the video but as the video ended, I caught myself smiling as I stared into my iPad. The love you and Doug have for each other is so strong and I hope that Der and I are as in love as you two when we hit our 4 year anniversary. You are both truly fortunate to have found each other and I thank you for sharing your love story and journey in life and love with the rest of us. You both embody what we long for in our marriage: strength, support, understanding and love. All the best to you guys xoxo

@@deecol congrats, you and Col are doing awesome. 1lb is nothing! @@cruisebride2016 5lbs? Wow, that's amazing, good job!! Keep the momentum going, especially now that you know how much you can accomplish when you're motivated. @@calgarybride2015 Der says the same thing! LOL My update: So after my indulgences during the holidays, I've been so motivated and was really good at keeping with my normal workout routine (2x pilates and 2x bootcamp). I've also been keeping with meal plans and clean eating. After gaining weight during the holidays, I made my bootcamp instructor take my measurements. I'm happy to report that I actually lost .5 inches around my abs (whew) and gained .5 inches of muscles in each arm! Music to my ears. Despite getting my measurements, I was really worried about my final dress fitting which was last Saturday. Well my worries are over because my dress fit The clean eating did take a break over the weekend since I had a dinner with my bridal party and then Der and I had our joint wedding shower. Let's just say the food and booze were plentiful. Now with 11 days until our wedding, I've gone back to clean eating and have resumed my workouts. I unfortunately ended up missing my bootcamp yesterday (had to take my poor pup to the vet) but I made it to pilates today. I still have 2 more workouts booked this week, any little bit counts! Wish me luck ladies

Oh Dee, they're so cute. They look just like the photo, I love them!!

@@vancouverpetunia Thanks Erin! I can't believe our wedding day is fast approaching. I hope I can get everything done Thanks @@yycbride2016 I actually get nervous when I look at my list. It's shorter than before but with less than a week before we leave, it feels like I'm running out of time @@deecol Thanks for the compliments. And yup, our livers are definitely ready for Mexico. We'll be bringing our latest purchase, Drinko to Mexico (I posted this on instagram). I blame Crown apple, it was really yummy @@Danielle1 I'm using framed photos of my dog Waffle as our table numbers. I posted it last week (I think either one or two pages ago on my thread), the very talented @ designed them for me. The frames are silver ones to coordinate with our colour scheme. @@nkavanaugh Thank you so much. I wish we could have her as part of our wedding, I think she would make a really cute flowerpup but unfortunately we have to leave her home (well actually the kennel). I knew right away that I wanted to have her be a part somehow and I thought of having her photos as table numbers. I ran the idea by @ and she kindly offered to design them for me. I'm so happy with how they turned out and I'm really excited to have her included. I definitely recommend doing the same for yours!!

I'm so late, I'm sorry. I hope you and Sean had a wonderful wedding, can't wait to hear all about it and see photos

Thanks Kim for the suggestion! I had thought of tums since they may be a necessary thing at an all-inclusive. How was Cuba by the way? Did you have fun despite the rain? And Der's dad was actually sober, can't wait to see him in action when he gets few shots in him. He's hilarious when he drinks And thanks for the compliments, I'm so excited but also a bit scared of how quickly time is flying. P.S. your 1 year is in 10 days

@ I'll be sure to send you photos of the finished table numbers in frames. I'll be getting them printed this week, probably Thursday. I can't wait to see them too, you did such an amazing job on them. I even showed them to the vet and she loved them @@yycbride2016 thanks for the compliments I love our sweetheart table decor, and it's super light too so it's great for packing @@ashhtayy I read your post out loud to Der and he said thanks. He made that keg table and spent hours polishing it. And feel free to steal any ideas, that's how I've planned a lot of my stuff LOL I love the printed song lyrics, I'm going to be hanging it on our wall after the wedding. oh and yes, we do have a ring bearer and he'll be carrying that ring box down the aisle. And thanks for the reminder, I've realized that I never posted his outfit. I bought it from J Crew, it's a grey gingham long sleeve (which will be rolled), charcoal shorts and a coral bow tie that matches Der's tie. @@vancouverpetunia we're actually getting legally married in Mexico. My friend just had a really low key wedding recently so I can ask who her for the name of her officiant. It was actually a cute story, she and her fiance have been engaged for a while and she was never into having a huge wedding nor was she into wedding planning. So her fiance just booked an officiant and surprised her during a family dinner. Yup, just like that, they got married LOL @@calgarybride2015 thanks so much, I love my ring box. Unfortunately they don't have a bigger box so not sure they'd have what you're looking for. UPDATE: 12 days till we wed!!!! Ok so I finally finished my OOT bags!!! It's funny because I actually bought my bags in 2014 during a Black Friday sale from Weddingchicks. So we decided to give a bag to each couple or single attendee but made sure that each adult had one full hangover kit (I think they'll need it). Our OOT bags include: hangover kit (inside it is a pack of gum, 2 packs of emergen-c, a container of advil, 2 pepto bismol tablets and 2 strips of bandaids), our welcome letter/itinerary bundle, a package of tissue, playing cards, hand sanitizer and a bag of lollipops which have stickers on them that say "we're suckers for love". Again, so cheesy that I love it. Do you think that's enough? On Saturday I had my final dress fitting. Although I've been really good with my workouts, I was pretty bad with my diet during the holidays so I was a little worried about this fitting. Well I'm happy to report that it fits Everything looked so beautiful and my seamstress did an amazing job. She showed my sister how to bustle my dress and fix the skirt portion once it's bustled. Next time I have it on will be on my wedding day!!!! Yesterday my family and bridal party threw Der and I a joint wedding shower. We honestly didn't think we needed a wedding shower but with none of Der's grandparents attending, we thought it would be a great way for them to celebrate with us. I honestly didn't know what to expect and both Der and I were blown away. Der was really surprised at how much fun he had, he confessed later that he thought it was actually going to be lame (thanks??). My family was in charge of food and booze and if anyone knows my family, there was plenty of both. Throughout the night I think I prepped my liver for Mexico/ 3 glasses of champagne and 10 shots later, major detox is needed this week to give my liver a little bit of a break. My bridesmaids were in charge of decor and all I could say was wow. One of my bridesmaids spray painted wine glasses gold and stenciled our initials on them. Mine and Der's glasses said "Mr and Mrs", it was beautiful. Oh and I always dread the games at showers but honestly, we had so much fun. During one game, we had couples participate where the guys first answered questions about their significant other and the ladies were then asked in front of everyone. Like the newlywed game. Well Der's parents made this game awesome. One of the questions was, "where was your first kiss?", Der's mom answered, "in his car" and his dad's answer was, "in the shower....naked" LOL Oh and one other question was, "what's your favourite app?" Der's mom said, "pinterest" and his dad's answer was "sausage rolls". We all looked at each other confused until someone blurted out loud, oh he thought app meant appetizers LOL During another game, Der and I took turns being blindfolded. While blindfolded, six ppl would kiss us on the cheek and we were supposed to guess which kiss was from our fiance. Well Der's grandpa took it to a whole new level. He thought he'd be one of the six to give Der a kiss. When it was his turn, he kissed Der on the lips LOL Der said he knew it was his grandpa because he felt stubble. FYI - his grandpa's nickname growing up was Merv the perv Here's a few pics from the party So with a week before we leave, my to-do list includes: - hair appointment (scheduled for Saturday) - wax and threading appointment (I need to schedule this for Monday) - nail appt (I need to schedule for Monday) - print table number photos and other engagement photos for display - label decor items for wedding coordinator - print out travel itineraries and correspondence with vendors and coordinator - already gave my bridesmaids the placecards so she can write in calligraphy. Will need to pick them up next weekend and attach them to the napkins - fold the rest of the napkins - pack - write thank you speech - exchange money Looks like it will be a busy week before traveling!

Wow, you've gotten so much done again, woohoo! I have to commend you on the organization. Getting those bins is a great idea. And it's a shame the letters are heavy, but at least you get yo use them for you AHR.

@@ashhtayy wow, everything looks great! Here you were stressing about not having enough time when you've planned so much in just the last few weeks. Your decor is all gorgeous and you're so lucky to get @'s linens. Those sequin tablecloths and runners are beautiful. I do wish we had some too but it's too late now to change decor on my end. As for the Chargers, that's a ridiculous amount to charge for them! I think our rental is $2.90 for each one. Like everyone said, I don't think you need them, especially with sequin tablecloths. And that's a tiny cake! But if it's just for cutting and feeding each other, it could be ok. Maybe you could even just bring a fake tier and place it on that??? Not sure how realistic that suggestion is though As for wedding activities, we've only planned two events, a welcome dinner and the wedding. Everything else can be up to guests since Der and I want them to feel like it's their vacation. We're going to set up group messages on whattsap and go from there. I can give you a review on grey suits since that's what Der is wearing. That man is definitely going to be sweating so I'll keep you posted

Oh Dee, I've missed so much. Those charms are so beautiful, they're gonna be perfect bridesmaids gifts. I'm glad you chose to get them. And your dress, wow! I agree that it looks beautiful just hanging on the hanger, can't wait to see it on you once you get the corset put in. You're gonna look like Jessica Rabbit vavavavoom

Update: I picked up another décor yesterday that I'm so in love with. This will go on our sweetheart table and will complete the look @ has also finished all of our table numbers. Once I've printed them, I'll be sure to post them. Thanks again @. Waffle says thanks for making sure she's included in the wedding I've also finalized our music list for our DJ and have emailed that to them. Woohoo, another one off our list. Today my coworkers threw me a lovely bridal shower at work. I was honestly so touched that they organized such an awesome shower with lots of food, cake and gifts. Clearly they know me all too well, hence the cute cake topper.

Don't stress out. Honestly, I'm 12 days away from leaving and I actually feel like I've been more productive in the last few days than I've been in the last few months. AND don't worry too much, it will all work out. Feel free to vent on here if and when you get stressed, we're all here to support and help you

It actually sounds like you've done a lot for your wedding planning. It probably doesn't feel like a lot since it's all administrative but I think you've done quite a bit. We only have 23 guests, including us and like you, we wanted 3-4 tables. So we opted for a sweetheart table and opted for smaller tables that seat 5-6 guests (2 for family, 1 for friends and 1 for wedding party). Then perhaps it wouldn't look so formal. For your bouquet I actually like 1 or 2 but that's because they're more my style. All are really beautiful so you can't go wrong with any option. As for the boutonniere, I always like fresh flowers so I love your new choice. And your cake is beautiful! So glad there's no extra charge. And I know you'll easily tackle through your list! I have faith in you