Wafflesmom

@@DestoWeddingers we've chosen to do a legal ceremony in Mexico, Riviera Maya to be exact and we just have to get a blood test at the resort, bring a notarized copy of our birth certificates, be at the resort 3 days before the ceremony and have a couple of witnesses over the age of 18. We do have to pay for the apostille and to get docs translated but it was only around $500. I have an amazing destination wedding TA from BC lower mainland so pm me if you want her contact info. She's wonderful!

@@LauraM J&S and JSAV are the same company. I hope PSAV works out for you. Depending on how many hours are reception end up being, that all determine who I get @@tygrrlily you're lucky your wedding is done, they've made a few changes to the wedding contracts. It's a lot pricier

Hi @@StaceyMarieHughes! There's also a forum on Facebook called "Palace Resorts Brides". Travel agents from this site are the administrators and I know they've mentioned that they will be visiting the resort

@@TheBHolders I love that color combination It will look gorgeous on the beach

@@LauraM isn't the new electricity fee ridiculous? I haven't booked my DJ yet and now with this fee plus the vendor fee, it's making it so expensive! Plus, J&S just increased their 2015 prices @@calgarybride2015 you got free lanterns? You're so lucky!

I sent him an email about it last week and he advised me to change my schedule by an hour. He said that he looked into it and everything says that sunset on January 23, 2016 should be 6:30 instead of 5:30. He said we can assess once the time change occurs. I would think that everything would just get moved an hour forward wouldn't it? I've asked my wedding coordinator too just in case I should start a pinterest board on wedding photo inspirations too, although he's so talented, I think I'll just let him do his own thing LOL I hope you can push your time, it's only half an hour! I'm hoping I can still change my schedule, especially since we still have a little under a year to go. I thought I was the only one panicking about the time change, so glad to know I'm not alone! We're having our reception at a terrace so we've rented 4 strings of lit lanterns to be hung overhead. Our centerpieces are tall vases with orchids and white led lights. I'd post a pic of it but not quite sure how to do that.I was also going to have under table lights but my wedding coordinator said that we wouldn't need it since we already have so many lights. I'm so glad she gives me great advice! She could have made me waste money on it but advised against it Plus if we're hiring a DJ, I believe they also bring more lights so that's why I'd rather have the reception be during the night when it's dark.

@@marinah84 are you going to change it? I actually wanted our reception to be dark since we rented lighting and I want it to show. As for the wedding and photos, are you going to change it? Samuel posted a sunset photo last week (did you see it?) and it was gorgeous! @@calgarybride2015 from what I understood, they'll be on this new time zone indefinitely, meaning they'll be in sync with Eastern time all year round. Which means my whole schedule may be an hour earlier now (3 pm ceremony will actually be like a 2 pm ceremony)

I was concerned about the time change that starts this Feb 1. I was hoping for sunset photos but if time changes, we may not get sunset until 6:30 when our reception is happening. Plus if time changes by an hour, our ceremony is scheduled right now at 3 which would then equate to 2 pm with time change. It may be hotter. Am I getting this right? What time was your ceremony Kim? How was the temp?

If we've scheduled our photos for 5 pm to catch sunset photos, should I now move it to 6 pm? Our wedding is on January 23, 2016

@@acosta and @@kcole123 same here! I just placed a deposit for decor and what was $1650 USD turned into $2030 CAD! Ouch

Kim your photos are amazing! You had such picturesque weather and everything looked wonderful. I'm so glad all that planning paid off.

@@Melissadgttu I showed it to the FI and he said he prefers black and white. I'm sorry, I really like it too.

Ooh I love the burlap banner. Do you happen to know how much it would cost to ship to Vancouver, BC Canada?

@@TinkerSofi great question! I'm assuming alterations (in case needed) will also have to be factored in)? And feel free to rant, that's what we're here for I hope she does have a legitimate excuse but I would be frustrated as well

Kristy your budget looks really great! I think you're in really good shape and it looks like everything will look great. So far, I've accounted exchange rates and vendor fees to be the sore point for me. Ours is $800 for outside vendor fees, I can't believe yours is $1000!

@@Meandhim this is such a great idea! Like everyone else, I haven't been using MFP lately but if you start a group, I'll start using it again. I have 1 year to go (exactly a year today) and I have to be disciplined enough to maintain my weight. I've already bought my wedding dress and I've found that buying it early has been such a great motivator to stay active and eat a little healthier. I'll check my username later and find you on it

@@Chelsovan you're very welcome I hope you find a great photographer that you love. Samuel Luna sent me an email this week and he did mention that he has been so busy so thought I'd mention it in case it takes him a little longer to reply to you. Let me know if you have any other questions, I'd be more than happy to help.

Kim, You make one gorgeous bride!! And you had an up-do, exactly what you wanted. Everything looks great from those photos and I love the bright colours. Weather looks fantastic, better than in Calgary (and that's an understatement, lol) Congrats again

I "like" his Facebook page so all photos he uploads goes onto my news feed. He posts pictures quite regularly and everytime I see his pics, I get more excited about our wedding day lol

Hi @@MissAmber26! Congrats on your engagement Have you looked at the re Moon Palace in Jamaica? I've seen pics of it and it looks really nice but not sure if it meets your criteria. Beach Palace is gorgeous, the rooftop ceremonies look so beautiful. A bride just posted her review and pics from her December 2014 wedding which you might find useful. Just search beach palace planning thread, her username is tygrrlily. I used paperless post too and it was so handy. Plus, you can track who received the invitation and guests can RSVP right away without costing you or them extra. Good luck in your planning and I hope you have fun doing it. Feel free to ask questions or vent if needed lol

@@marinah84 I love getting those new photos too! He's so talented and so great to communicate with. I can't wait to see your pics, please post them when you cam! Less than 2 months for you

There are so many great photographers in Mexico, I was quite impressed. Check out Samuel Luna, we fell in love with his style and he's very quick to reply to my email messages. And on to of being very helpful, he has great rates. I should caution you to check with your resort regarding outside vendor fees. This can range from $400 to $1000! If you're watching your budget, make sure you factor this in.

@@TinkerSofi the state of our dollar is crazy! I've made an appointment with my financial advisor to get some advice. I can't imagine how much more we Canadian brides pay because of the exchange rate!

@@kcole123 everything looks great, I love what you've planned and am now addicted to your planning thread Our colours are also coral and grey! You've made me look through many etsy shops so thanks for all the details. How did you find shipping to Canada, were they pricey?

Woohoo, 1 more sleep and your big day is here. I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I hope he's doing well and will heal quickly. Have a great time in Mexico and I wish you all the best tomorrow. Early congrats and can't wait to hear all about it xoxo