MissFrench

@@calgarybride2015 thanks for sharing!

@@hellosassypants, could you share your video with me? I'd love to see what a GoPro wedding video looks like! I tried googling it but didn't have much luck.

@@blushingbride19 I'm intrigued! We are not planning on having a videographer due to budget constraints. I would love to see your video if you are able and willing to share!

@@yuniedo, I think it really depends on the time of year you're traveling and how far in advance you book. We booked our wedding in late November (8 months before our wedding) through a local travel agent who created a room block. The TA got us a group rate and our guests had 2 weeks to make their first deposit. We ended up getting a double occupancy room rate of $769 for 3 nights but that was booking 8 months in advance. I had originally wanted to get married during February vacation (I'm a teacher) however the costs were significantly more-similar to the quote you received from your TA, which is why we decided to wait until my summer vacation to have our wedding. I would highly suggest contacting a travel agent on this website. They seem so knowledgeable with destination weddings and from my own experience, I wish I would have contacted a true destination wedding specialist before booking with my TA at home... we've run into some issues with her. Also, look into specials or offers (a TA should help you with this! Ours did not...). The AM Resorts often offer complimentary cocktail welcome parties which we are not eligible for because we booked less than a year in advance. You can also get a lower rate for your wedding if you choose to have it during specific times of the year. I hope this helps and wish you the best!

@@IzzyDeee that is soooo exciting! Have a wonderful time! Looking forward to hearing all about it!

2 1/2 months until my wedding at Secrets Maroma Beach! I had this week off from school and have been busy having fun with wedding planning.

@@crcombs Wedding Date Twin! How are your plans coming along? 79 days until we do!!!

I just saw this post! I'm so excited to share that I'm also planning on doing a Polaroid photo booth guest book! I can't wait to see how yours turns out @smileitsb and @@yasminea84! Your big days are almost here!!!

@@marinah84 what airline did you fly with the bag? I'm considering ordering one of these bags off of Amazon but Jetblue doesn't have any hanging space and I'm not sure about them allowing this kind of bag.

I just ordered these on ebay yesterday and they've already shipped! They come in packs of 20. Hope this helps!

Thanks ladies, I really appreciate your help! After reading your responses, talking to my guy, and thinking about it some more, we've decided to wait until after our wedding to officially book and plan this event. We might even scratch the idea all together since our actual wedding is costing more than we had originally budgeted but we'll decide that once we return from Mexico in July! @@KayRae, thanks for everything! I don't know what I'd do without you chica!!!! @@kellymiller, it is going to be roughly $1,000 more for food and beverage to include the extra people. We are not planning on inviting cousins (mine are much younger than me and my fiance isn't very close with his because they live out of town). I completely understand and appreciate your point about celebrating without your Mr. @@LauraM. I certainly don't want to offend anyone or hurt feelings. I would also want to have my love with me if I didn't have a close group of friends at an event but since the groups will have each other, that's why I didn't originally put the spouses and plus ones on the list from the start. We have lots to think about and I thank you again ladies!

My fiance and I are getting married in July and are planning on bringing a little of Mexico back home with us. Our plan is to have a Fiesta themed party at a local golf course's function room 2 months after our wedding. The event is going to be on a Sunday from 2:00-6:00pm. We want to keep things on the casual side with no wedding traditions and we are not having a plated meal. One of our friends is a DJ so there will be music for dancing if people choose to dance, photos of our wedding-maybe a slide show, Mexican decor, and a taco buffet for eats. There will not be an open bar however we're considering doing a drink ticket or two per person, signature drinks (cervezas and either sangria or margaritas) or putting a dollar amount on the bar. Although this isn't a full blown wedding reception, the costs are really adding up. I don't want to offend anyone but am struggling on the invite list. This is a second wedding for both of us and part of the reason we chose to have a destination wedding is to keep our ceremony more intimate but we are over the moon happy and want to celebrate our love with our family and friends who cannot make the trip. I really would prefer not to invite aunts and uncles but am starting to feel some pressure from my mother (who is throwing me a bridal shower/congratulations celebration with my girlfriends and insists on inviting them). Also, should I invite the group of 7 women that were in my graduate teaching program but now only see one to two times a year? And if so, do I invite their spouses whom I've never met? Also, do I invite the spouses of my teaching team whom I've never met? I truly appreciate your advice and thank you!

Hi @@ShannonK! Yes, Marvin at Maya Florals is very responsive and a pleasure to work with. He just told me that unfortunately the only contract he has with Secrets allows him to provide flowers only... I'm going to email Cecilia about this because I don't know if I want to work with Planner 1... While I understand P1 is a very busy company, it concerns me that it takes 2 weeks to respond to an email with questions. If I do use P1 it will be for the woven aisle runner mats and organza drapery for the beach ceremony (which Marvin said he could provide) and string lighting at the reception. The cost of the mats that P1 quoted me is $232, $464 for the organza drapery, and $700 for the lights not including set up fees and freight. Marvin quoted me $150 for the aisle mats and $200 for the organza drapery but I'm not sure if that's including the 16% tax that P1 is charging or setup and delivery. Either way, if I have Marvin provide the mats and draperies it's over $200 in savings that I could apply towards extra flowers or something else. I haven't decided if it's worth the extra money to have all of these little 'extras' since we're already spending more than I had planned and SM is sooooo beautiful just as is! I know that @@KayRae used P1 and they did such an amazing job on her wedding! I think @@FutureMrsNash is using P1 for decor except flowers and I'm excited to hear all about her and @@baezsolano's day!

This is actually my second time using a Groupon deal for our Vistaprint bags. I ordered the first batch back in February but still need a few more. We ordered the deluxe tote bags which are $13 each. They have a smaller version for $10 each. I think it ends up costing around $6 each (not including the cost of the groupon deal). Hope this helps! I am really impressed with the way they came out.

FYI! $27 for $70 worth of custom products. I just ordered my OOT canvas beach bags https://www.groupon.com/browse/boston?lat=42.3589&lng=-71.0578&query=vistaprint&address=Boston&locale=en_US

I would love this as well!

Thanks @@baezsolano! I can't wait to hear all about your big day! xoxo

@@baezsolano and @@FutureMrsNash NEXT WEEK!!!!! Ahhhhh I'm so excited for you ladies!

I am also getting married in July and went to DB with my bridesmaids on March 21st. The dresses came in last week! It was so much quicker than I had expected. I think it depends on the style and color. Good luck! FYI: If you look up your dress style, color, and size on their website as if you were going to purchase it online, it has a ship date.

@@baezsolano Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! The next 5 weeks are going to fly! @@KayRae and @@FutureMrsNash have been so helpful to me and I know they'll help you with your planning as well! Like you, I found P1's prices to be a little high and was less than impressed with their communication. I am using Maya Florals for my flowers and some decor. Marvin the owner has been a pleasure to work with so far! I am using mostly full garden roses, astilbe, and lambs ear for my flowers for an "airy vintage" look.. Marvin has lots of great advice and ideas and will help you keep costs down. My bouquet is going to be around $175 and $45-65 for bridesmaids, $20 for bouts, $25-35 small cocktail centerpiece or flowers to hang off ceremony chairs, and $65-$95 for centerpieces each including 3 candles. I am planning to rent additional candle holders from him for $20 a dozen. He also has hanging lanterns and the petate aisle mats that P1 has for a smaller rental fee. Maya Florals is a preferred vendor so no outside vendor fee is needed! As far as hair and makeup goes, I have contacted a few stylists in the area. Although they are extremely talented amd have rave reviews, spending $500+ When you include outside vendor fees on my wedding day hair and makeup is not something I'm comfortable with. I am planning on doing a trial at the spa when I arrive since it is included and deciding from there. Just a suggestion, bring some photos of what you like to share with your artist. Are you able to have a trial at home and have the stylists take photos and write in detail what they did? Thats just an idea. I used to be a MUA and am capable of doing my own if all else fails but I'm trying not to worry about it too much! I'm so happy to see another SMB Bride on here!

@@KayRae @@FutureMrsNash I love that there is some activity on this board! I'm getting excited!

@@KayRae you are amazing!!!! Thank you so much for your response and sharing! I really appreciate it! You had a beautiful wedding! I sent you a private message with some questions. Congratulations and thank you again!

@@pddcmc I love this! Engagement ring “The engagement ring is a symbol of promise and intention. Now, the intention is realized and the promise is fulfilled. Jake, please place the engagement ring on Tricia’s finger over her wedding band to symbolize that the love that brought you together will always protect and sustain your marriage.”

Great post @@LisaAnthonyPoppy! I hadn't thought about this yet. I always wear my jewelry when traveling as well but have a feeling the Mr. won't agree with wearing our wedding rings on the plane. I'm going to have to do some thinking!

@@snswedding2016 this is very similar to what my guy wants (only in beige). I appreciate the help ladies!