What I would and wouldn't do again...

[Jananaz]

What a great thread! Thanks for sharing your lists ladies!

 

I wish I had found this before my wedding Here's my list:

 

What I WOULD Do Again:

 

Bahia Principe Destination Wedding - DH and I went back and forth over having a wedding at home or away. I'm SO GLAD we ultimately chose a destination wedding. It was so nice to have a vacation, have a WC included in our package, and have a gorgeous backdrop.

 

Custom Made Wedding Dress - I got my dress from Gianinarbridal and it was a custom order. It took a few months to make, but worth every second waiting for it. It turned out to be my dream dress and was incredibly affordable.

 

Tim Cothran Photography - We hired Tim online and didn't meet him until we all met up at Cancun airport. I was a bit apprehensive about doing everything online to start, but he had stellar references and a great portfolio. It turned out we loved working with him and were super impressed with his work! We'd hire him again for sure!

 

Poolside Reception - This was an extra for our wedding package, but it was worth it. The pools lit up at night looked so pretty and the decorations were beautiful. We also had lots of fun.

 

An August Wedding in Mexico - Yes it was hot, but it was less busy and the prices were great!

 

Getting There A Few Days Early - We got to the resort and Thursday and the wedding was not until Saturday. I'm really glad we had a few days to get settled and get to know the place. I think the time we had was a minimum - if you got there even earlier, it wouldn't hurt.

 

Making Our Own Invitations - This was a lot of work, but we liked the way they turned out. We used printable kits and had the cards color laser printed at Kinkos, then we added ribbons and seals ourselves. DH and I did the design together too, with help from my parents for wording. It was nice to have a big collaborative effort!

 

Wedding Cake PLUS Dessert - Tres Leches wedding cake and tiramisu at the wedding reception. Need I say more?

 

Small Bridal Party - I think this is a personal decision and you should do what suits you best. We had one best man, one maid of honor. We kept things simple and our other friends and family were still happy to be guests.

 

What I WOULD NOT Do Again:

 

Spa/Salon at the Resort - In retrospect it was a bit silly of me to think that a complete stranger would know how I would want my hair/makeup, especially with a language barrier. I ended up doing my own makeup mostly anyways. I would recommend ladies just do some of your own practice looks beforehand, and you can probably do it yourself.

 

Making Our Own Labels - We made our own labels for one item in the OOT bags, and it was such a huge task. We spent a lot of time and energy and the alignment would just not work. We ended up hiring MrsCronkright on Etsy to do them for us. She did a great job with our labels and our custom maps. Better to leave these things in the hands of professionals!

 

Sand Ceremony - I'd skip it. During the ceremony it was nice, but everything got shuffled on the way home. It also took up a ton of room in our luggage. Looking back, I think our ceremony would have been fine without it.

 

Welcome Dinner at the Resort - We did our welcome dinner at the resort, but if I had known then what I know now, it would have been a nice opportunity for all the guests to get off the resort and go to a local restaurant in Akumal.

 

Not Bringing Pictures for Wedding Items - I forgot to bring pictures for my hair and bouquet and had to wing it. It made things a little more difficult communication-wise. Consider printing off photos and bringing them with you.

[affiwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jananaz What I WOULD NOT Do Again: Welcome Dinner at the Resort - We did our welcome dinner at the resort, but if I had known then what I know now, it would have been a nice opportunity for all the guests to get off the resort and go to a local restaurant in Akumal. Not Bringing Pictures for Wedding Items - I forgot to bring pictures for my hair and bouquet and had to wing it. It made things a little more difficult communication-wise. Consider printing off photos and bringing them with you.

Your last two points are great. Thanks for sharing. We are thinking of taking our guests off the "reservation" for a meal in the town. Since some are only coming for the weekend it would be great to get everyone out for some fun in a different atmosphere.

[affiwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willsbride What I wouldn't do: Parasols - I bought one for all the female guests. Looking back it was really unnecessary. Most guests didn't use them. If I could go back, I would only get one for me and my bridesmaids. It made for a good photo prop.

Thanks for sharing Willsbride. I was thinking about parasols, but now I may just give them to my BM as photo props.

[ddk5576]

Great info as always!! Thank you for the input! Still stressing about the details, but this helps eliminate some of them!

[Jananaz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by affiwin Your last two points are great. Thanks for sharing. We are thinking of taking our guests off the "reservation" for a meal in the town. Since some are only coming for the weekend it would be great to get everyone out for some fun in a different atmosphere.

I think your guests would love that, especially if they are only there for a few days. We had guests that stayed longer and went off the resort themselves later, but they were still like, Why didn't you take us here!!?? lol

[Mike&Wendy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by affiwin Your last two points are great. Thanks for sharing. We are thinking of taking our guests off the "reservation" for a meal in the town. Since some are only coming for the weekend it would be great to get everyone out for some fun in a different atmosphere.

We're taking our guests into Playa del Carmen two days before the wedding for our rehearsal dinner. Our thank you for making the trip to share in our day.

We just booked it so everything is taken care of. However, i'm sure you can just go into town and pick a restaurant. Either way, it's a nice gesture.

Have fun!

[trobin01]

Thanks to everyone for their fabulous ideas. Although I am a HUGE dessert person I am not going to upgrade the cake!

[SandalGirl]

Thanks for all the good honest tips girls!! You thought them out - and I often need the reminder "I don't need that".

[frenchie427]

Ok, I think I am officially addicted to this forum! Thank you for posting this thread!

[shellk]

this thread is great thanks for the advice ladies