vancouverpetunia

@@calgarybride2015 @@acw271011 Thanks for the advice. I did explain to my dad that we had sort of planned this as our thank you to our guests for coming to the wedding. He said they are fine with whatever we want to do. I told him that I would talk to Jeff (FI) about it and let them know. Jeff's not really fussed either way, although he did raise the point about his parents. I also mentioned that traditionally my parents would be paying for most of the wedding anyhow, but I understand where he's coming from. Anyhow, I'm still mulling it over a bit and will probably talk to them this week as we need to get the deposit paid.

So... we have a few items on the go this week. Excursion We are ready to book our excursion. We are not doing OOT bags and likely no favors (maybe fans?) so this is our thank you for our guests. It's a bit of a further bus ride from our resort than we wanted (1 hour), but it is (the same or) a better deal than the catamarans that we've looked at and it also seems better for the older folks and the little kids (more stable, some air conditioned areas, etc.). That said, my parents suddenly offered to pay for/host this. They had originally offered a flat contribution for our wedding costs and this will be less. I'm not sure if they will top it up or not - and not really sure how to raise that issue. In addition to that, my FI's parents are not contributing anything (for good reason - they supported him financially a number of years ago when he needed help), but wondering if they will feel left out if we advertise this as "hosted by my parents". And finally, this was supposed to be our thank you. I sort of wanted to be able to say to our guests - thank you for coming, this is our treat to you (and not my parents' treat to you). That said, their original contribution is included in our budget, so it is kinda all the same. Not sure what to do with this scenario but will figure it out. Groom's/Groomsmens' Outfits We are planning casual clothes for them. FI in grey pants and white button up shirt. Groomsmen (2, including BM) in same grey pants and matching light blue button up shirt. I would like to get this sorted out over the summer so we aren't trying to find linen pants (or whatever) in Feb. We are heading to Washington State this weekend for a few days of camping with the GMs and their GFs, so we are going to do a group shopping extravaganza to the outlet stores. Wish us luck! I think that covers it for now! Happy planning, everyone!

I went to a wedding a Dreams Tulum, but it was in 2010. I don't remember any issues with additional expenses. Maybe they tried to upsell us on wine or something in the restaurants, but doesn't stand out as an issue for me, and it's not uncommon (I've been to 5 all-inclusives in the area). Of course, that was almost 5 years ago so things could have changed. Nice resort, though. My only complaint was that I would have liked more pool options. They seemed a bit small and did not enforce the "quiet" zone at the quiet pool.

@@TraceyT We are having our wedding at Now Sapphire and did a quick site visit in the spring. It seems relatively small if you get a room close to the pools/restaurants. It's about 500 rooms, though, so not tiny. We didn't stay there, however, so don't have a really good idea of the property. I have stayed at the Fairmont Mayakoba (Mayakoba complex was suggested by @@acw271011 - there are about 3 - 4 hotels there). The Fairmont is VERY spread out and you have to pay big bucks to stay near the beach. They do have trams running frequently and also have bikes available, but they are not the greatest and may not work for your ankle. It is a beautiful property, although not cheap (not all-inclusive). Have not been to the other resorts at Mayakoba. Dreams Tulum is nice, and if you get a room close to the beach/pool it is convenient. I stayed in the "cheap seats" - furthest building - and it was a good 10 min walk. Don't remember any trams.

Richmond, BC is where the Vancouver airport is located. Have no idea why that's where they would chose to send your package, but it makes sense in terms of shipping hubs. You should get really worried if it ends up in Prince Rupert or Kamloops P.S. Good luck!

OMG your flower girl dresses are so cute. I may have to find myself a flower girl

I've found that it's been tougher to get my carry on bag (with wheels) through the new regulations. I did a lot of business travel last fall and it was always a crap shoot. Hint: if you get through with your bags put them into the overhead bin with wheels in and handle out. Makes more room for other bags than sideways and tends to fit better than wheels out.

I'm pretty sure the U.S. is as picky. Their airlines were charging for checked bags before Canadian ones were. When I flew out of O'Hare (Chicago) last November they turned me around from security and forced me to check my carry on. It's supposed to be regulation size, but the wheels stuck out maybe half an inch from their limit. It's a pain and every airline is different. Make sure you check the measurements they give on their website to avoid any issues at check in. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@@MrsCtoB Some great dresses here! Thanks for this

Good tips! Thanks. I feel like the resort is charging way too much for what I want, but at the same time, our wedding is pretty small and I'm keeping it pretty simple, so our flower costs are around $400 right now. Not sure if it's worth the hassle to do them ourselves to save some money at that point. But I love flowers and enjoy arranging them, although I have no training. I also have a few ladies attending with some training and/or who are just good with that kind of stuff. So we could probably make it work. Haha - tropical tacky. I think I know exactly what you mean!

@@veryvalentine Haha! Love it. See? I don't even have to befriend the gardener. Just bring shears and wander around the resort in the middle of the night...

@@DinaQtobe Cute idea! Thanks for sharing @@jessiker05 It is kinda dinky, isn't it? Maybe it's just one of a few? I'll have to ask... I'm renting some lights through Love & Lace Wedding Decor. I'm not sure if I even checked with the resort, but $400 per pole to string them on seems indicative of outrageous pricing all around for lighting Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi ladies - I posted this before, but no answer. Going to try it again. Does anyone know if the resort has something to secure place cards at the tables? I don't want them blowing away and I wasn't planning on buying/bringing anything with me. Assuming they do, is there a cost? I'm starting to plan my stationery so would like to get this sorted out before I go too far down that path. Gracias!

That's it. I'm getting the other dress. Last night, I showed 3 friends (who are not close enough to be invited to the wedding) a photo of me in the dress I purchased. They said nice things about it. Then I showed them the photo of the dress I originally wanted and can't stop thinking about. They ooohh'd and aawh'd. Totally different reactions. Even the waitress got in on the action and responded similarly. I don't have to order it until late fall to get it in time (custom made in HK), so hopefully will lose a bit of weight before then. I'm doing it!

Thank you for your post. Since I'm planning my wedding for 9 months from now, I haven't even thought of the emotions as it all ends. Good to be prepared, although I suspect you never know how you'll feel, until is all happens! It seems like you have so few regrets among a multitude of happy memories.It's never going to be perfect, and you even said you had the best time of your life.I know this is probably lame advice and you are already trying to do this, but just hold onto the good stuff and let those regrets go. I like what @@Sabes44 said: "In hindsight I wouldn't have changed anything, but wish I could do it all again." If you couldn't change anything but had the opportunity to do it all over again, would you? I bet you would! @@Wafflesmom I know how you feel about wanting to make sure guests have a great time. I feel the same way. I take consolation in the fact that I went to a DW a number of years ago (where I met my FI!) and I think everyone, us included, had an amazing time. People still talk about it. And for us, it's not even that it was great because we met there - we didn't see each other again for a year. So it's not like our memories are tinged with romance. However, the downside to that is we had such a fantastic time I'm worried our own DW won't live up to my expectations! P.S. @@veryvalentine How did you get your flowers into the resort? Did you have to pay any vendor fees? I want very simple centrepieces, very similar to yours, so we could probably do them ourselves, but I don't know how that would work. Can you send the contact info for the florist, too?

This reminds me... I get 45 minutes with my choice of a guitarist, violinist or saxophonist (included with my package). I haven't thought about what to do with this yet or which one I should choose. I guess it would make the most sense to use it at the cocktail hour. Any other suggestions? And I suppose choice of instrument is a just a personal thing. I don't know if I would go with the sax. I have a friend coming who is a professional sax player, so he might be offended Sorry, that doesn't really help with your question... but I'll be watching to see if there are other suggestions.

@@jessiker05 Here is the photo that Juan Carlos sent me. Now that I think about it, I'm not clear if there is only one light stand or multiples. And how bright is it at night? I'm planning to add some strings of fairy lights (on the railings) & globe bulbs (under the pergola), but that won't add a lot once it's actually dark out. I assume the adjacent restaurants will throw some light in the general direction, but again, not much. Hmmm....

@@acw271011 Good point about budget and size of group. We did email STDs about 1 year out and I think we will do mailed invitations about 6 months out. Seems a bit silly in a way to do the invitations but it's one traditional thing I really like (I love stationery and paper products). We also have a few older relatives who don't have email so I think they would appreciate it. But everyone's different and I don't think there's a "proper" way to do it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats! You look so excited! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@@ashlynm88 That's a really pretty dress! Yeah, it's tough. I also don't want to force my girls into BM dresses that they will never use again. But we are all in different cities, so can't go shopping together. I'm thinking I will end up picking a color and telling them to get whatever dress they like from David's. At least the colors will match, they can try them on, and I can also go look at the dresses myself. Juan Carlos is great! He is super responsive (at least compared to what seems to be the norm in that industry). I usually hear back from him within about 3 days. We did a quick site visit when we were in the area for vacation in April, so we were able to meet him in person. He's a nice guy with lots of wedding experience. He lived in one of the Carolinas (can't remember which one) for 8 years or something and worked in the wedding industry there. He's worked in catering and has training as a photographer as well!

@@ashlynm88 Congrats on booking your wedding! I am about a month before you on April 7. We are on the tequila terrace. I have a few ideas for you... Photography: If you want to PM me with your email address, I can send you a spreadsheet with my photography research. DJ: We aren't using a DJ. We are renting a portable sound system from Love & Lace Wedding Decor (find her on Facebook). It's under $100 and includes a microphone: http://www.ionaudio.com/products/details/block-rocker-2010-model. I'm a little worried it might not be loud enough but it seems that others have used portable speaker systems there, so I hope it will be okay. How big is your group? We are about 40. Lighting: Who is your WC? I have Juan Carlos. He sent me a photo that showed the included lighting on the tequila terrace. Perhaps you can get the same for the beach terrace. To get the fancy lights hung over the terrace, I believe they have to put up poles and I think they charge $400 per pole, which I don't even think includes the lights! [emoji15] Where are you getting your BM dresses? I also want teal but haven't made any decisions yet. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm going to dissent from the majority vote on the shoes. My fav is #3 but it's just more my style. I have never tried those heel things but I think they are more for grass. I think they wouldn't help much for sand. It's even hard to walk in flip flops in dry sand! Good luck with dress shopping this weekend! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You look fantastic and the gazebo is gorgeous. Congrats! Hope you are feeling better soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk