May 2013 Brides

[Sophia2616]

katy- Welcome   We will be staying at Cabanas Tulum after our wedding. I cant wait!!

[ChocoTaco7568]

Hi Katy, 

 

Welcome to BDW and the May 2013 thread. You stumbled upon one of the best monthly planning threads on BDW and your definitely in good company with this group of fantastic brides.  I’m impressed that you read through all 143 pages; that takes a bit of commitment. 

 

Any-who, feel free to ask any questions as I’m sure many will come your way since you’re a PDC local and many of us are getting married in the Riviera Maya. 

 

Happy Planning!

[MrsHK]

Thanks for the warm welcome ladies! Yes, I went through all the pages over the last few days, although I did skim over some of course. It's great to see the process of everyone's weddings coming together and all the little projects along the way! Tova I loved your passports, they looked great! Since we live in Mexico we're doing digital invites, so that's saving us some time and money.

 

I'll write my list of things we've completed and things left to do later tonight and maybe some questions will come up. I'll also upload photos of our personalized beer coozies and travel mugs. In the meantime if anyone has any questions about the area, let me know!

[melnryluvco]

Originally Posted by MrsHK 

 

Thanks for the warm welcome ladies! Yes, I went through all the pages over the last few days, although I did skim over some of course. It's great to see the process of everyone's weddings coming together and all the little projects along the way! Tova I loved your passports, they looked great! Since we live in Mexico we're doing digital invites, so that's saving us some time and money.

 

I'll write my list of things we've completed and things left to do later tonight and maybe some questions will come up. I'll also upload photos of our personalized beer coozies and travel mugs. In the meantime if anyone has any questions about the area, let me know!

Welcome!! Congrats on finding this amazing site. These ladies are my sanity life line. I honestly don't think my FI has a clue how stressful things can be. I'm sure he'll be just as surprised as our guests. Men!! Anyways, I'd love to see you Koozies. We're thinking of doing the same as favors for our OOT bags. So I do have a question for you. How much is the boat over to Cozumel? I was thinking about heading over there after we get married as a "honeymoon" for a few days. Well, I'm happy you found us and we welcome your insight and advice!

Best,

Melissa

[Dazeydawl]

Welcome!!!!!!! Congrats and happy planning!!!! How lucky of you to live somewhere so beautiful. Tova is right with this thread being the best!!!!! Saved me many times.

[cherany]

Welcome, MrsHK!

 

Nice to see the plans coming along for everyone.  I feel like so much has happened since I last updated, yet not nearly enough is done.  I'm feeling the pressure of being behind and getting scared whenever I look at the calendar and see how soon it's all coming!

 

I'm really embarrassed to say this, but I don't even have our invitations out yet!  A couple of my bridesmaids came over to help me with them a few weekends ago, but we didn't finish them.  I was really ambitious with a DIY message in a bottle invite/boarding pass reply card/passport travel booklet combo.  I don't regret my choice, but finding time to finish them has been a challenge.  My idea was to get them out in January, since the RSVP date is March 1, but it seems people will pretty much have to return the card as soon as they get it, because I'll be lucky to get them done and mailed out this week.  I did send STDs a year in advance from the wedding date, so I remind myself that everyone has had time now to make a decision.  Still, I wanted to give them more time with the invite in their hands, as people tend to forget about things they received notice of nearly a year ago.  Luckily, we know what's going on with most guests, but I still feel weird and awful about it, like I've messed up an important part of the wedding.

 

There are many other things I'm concerned about, but I think my biggest worry at the moment is that our reception venue is rather lackluster in terms of lighting and color.  It's a restaurant with terrific reviews on food, and they've been really helpful and great to work with, but I don't like the neutral decor at all and don't know how to word questions about it without insulting them or sounding like I don't like the place. It's just that we're having a colorful event, and I feel like colored lighting would jazz the place up.  If there's something easily packed in a suitcase that can be plugged in and then used to spread colored light over a wall, that's the kind of thing I'm looking for.  Or, if anyone has other ideas, I'm open.  Some photos of our venue:

 

 

 

 

 

We're probably bringing down colored table runners and chair sashes (another thing I'm way behind on and haven't done), but because we're asking the staff to put out everything we bring down, I worry about asking too much of them.  Of course, now that I"m typing all of this out, it makes me realize I should just e-mail them and ask for suggestions for bringing colored lighting into the room.  Surely that is not an offensive question?

[ChocoTaco7568]

Originally Posted by cherany 

Of course, now that I"m typing all of this out, it makes me realize I should just e-mail them and ask for suggestions for bringing colored lighting into the room.  Surely that is not an offensive question?

BINGO!  Try not to stress over factors that you haven't even inquired about.  You are not the first wedding that they’ve hosted, and considering that they’ve been accommodating thus far, I would be extremely surprised if they were offended by any of your décor request considering the occasion.  The only thing that I would worry about is potential added cost dependent on how much stuff you bring and how labor intensive the set-up is for them.  If you’re still working with a wedding coordinator, then I would bounce these ideas off of him/her, that’s what they are there for. 

 

Final note... Nice venue, and based on my previous visit to PDC in 2011, I can vouch for the food.  

[MrsHK]

Originally Posted by melnryluvco 

 

Welcome!! Congrats on finding this amazing site. These ladies are my sanity life line. I honestly don't think my FI has a clue how stressful things can be. I'm sure he'll be just as surprised as our guests. Men!! Anyways, I'd love to see you Koozies. We're thinking of doing the same as favors for our OOT bags. So I do have a question for you. How much is the boat over to Cozumel? I was thinking about heading over there after we get married as a "honeymoon" for a few days. Well, I'm happy you found us and we welcome your insight and advice!

Best,

Melissa

Yes, I'll go take some coozie photos right now! The boat to Cozumel is about $15 per person each way, or $30 round trip. I recommend buying a one way so you can choose which boat you want to take on your way back. If you do round trip you have to go back at a certain time. Cozumel is great for snorkelling and diving or renting a car and exploring the beaches around the island. The town is smaller than Playa Del Carmen but is very similar. Same shops selling the same stuff, lots of diamonds international stores and things of the like. It's a cruise ship port so they cater to that crowd.

 

I don't know what kind of travellers you are, but I would consider Tulum for your honeymoon. If you like to relax on the beach (the nicest along the coast in my opinion) with no crowds or resorts around, Tulum is your spot. They use the term "eco-chic" to describe it because a lot of places run on solar power or generators. Its got a laidback and bohemian vibe and I always feel so happy and at peace whenever I'm there. The Tulum town (pueblo) has lots of places to eat for cheap and is more quaint and less touristy than Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel. The Tulum beach strip (a $5 cab ride away) has lots of cute boutique hotels and prices range from $50 a night to $350 and up. You can find anything that suits your style. There are some really beautiful and unique places to eat too. We've had a lot of friends that have spent time down here in the last year and everyone loved Tulum. It depends what kind of traveller you are though!

 

Here's an article about Tulum that describes it quite well: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/the-stylish-beaches-of-tulum-mexico

[MrsHK]

Are there any Playa Del Carmen or Riviera Maya brides that are curious about finding flowers down here for DIY bouquets, or wondering what sort of flowers are available? I got a PM inquiring about it earlier and I can paste my reply here if anyone is interested. Just let me know!

[Sophia2616]

Yes I would like to know! I want to buy my own flowers for the vintage jars, I can use the suggestions!!!