violagirl

Two months until the big day! What are you ladies planning on wearing out on the town after the reception is over? I was thinking of getting a tea-length white dress to wear after my reception, but I don't know that I want to invest in a second wedding dress. Are any other brides planning on changing to go out on the town after the reception, and if so, what are you planning on wearing? Also wondering....OOT gifts, bags-- what is the tradition here? What does OOT stand for, what types of things should be included, and how are these delivered to the guests? Also, should these be prepared ahead of time and transported, or do you think we could get away with putting them together in Mexico, a couple days before the wedding? SweetLe: I bought four boxes of LED flickering tea lights (very inexpensive online), and I plan to buy some paper to make simple luminaries to set in the center of the tables. I also got chair sashes, table covers, a gold runner for the head table, and will print my own place holders on cardstock. Oh--and a couple rolls of burgundy and ivory tulle, to decorate the gazebo. We have only 17 people for our reception (ourselves included), so we will probably order centerpieces either through the resort or from Maya Diseno....though I have been waiting to hear back from them for a while now. We're doing the ipod thing as well. I will definitely check out the wedding app that was mentioned- what a great idea! My FI is worried that the reception won't be fun because it is such a small group, but I think it may even be more fun that way. Everyone there has no kids to worry about, nowhere to go, except to hang out and celebrate with us...and, no one has to drive It is seriously a drag that the resort feels they have to profit so heavily off of things like using an outside vendor, not having 20 guests for the reception, charging for admission to the wedding and doubling all fees for non-resort guests. Especially when we're paying thousands of dollars to rent a room for the week. It's disappointing and frustrating. But then, weddings were never really meant to be inexpensive, were they? Thanks to everyone for their continued comments/insight....this site has been very helpful! Jen

Hi all, I'm curious about how people booked a room for their photographer...from what I'm seeing, the cost of a room for one night is almost as much as the outside vendor fee anyway. Also, if we were to book him at the Gran Porto, would that still help us avoid the vendor fee? Finally, how did people confirm that the fee would be waived if the outside vendor were a guest? I'm also a little concerned about bringing decorations through customs...I haven't been saving my receipts! Would printed email confirmations suffice? Wow, I am definitely a last-minute kind of girl. 2.5 months to go, still haven't done much of anything! Next steps: contact the florist, ask some questions of the photographer, finalize the menu and cake (hoping I can get the Tres Leche!), and start preparing myself for a crazy bachelorette party Thanks! Jen

Wow, the date is fast approaching, May 21st! And the more I read, the more questions I have! Kellygrrrl, you mentioned a basecamp login....what is this, and should I have this already? Also: for those of you who booked a room for your photographer, did you clear that with your WC? We haven't been assigned our on-site coordinator yet, and I'm slightly afraid to ask about booking a room for the photographer to try to get around the vendor fee. However, I'm afraid that if I don't ask, I'll end up getting charged both for the room and for the outside vendor fee. Any thoughts? For those of you interested in adding to the basic decorations, I found very inexpensive table covers at efavormart.com. The tables used for the Royal receptions are 1.5 meters round (app. 72"). I also ordered a couple of rolls of tulle in burgundy and ivory (very inexpensive!), and I am thinking of making small, round paper luminaries for the tables (reception starts at 7, so we'll be in the dark for much of it) with LED lights inside. I'm pretty amazed at how easy and inexpensive these decorations can be--now the question is, how do I get all this stuff down there?? Anyone have other ideas for table lighting? I am afraid it may be too windy for candles (we're not on the beach, but near it--at the gazebo). Here's yet another question: is anyone else taking care of the legal ceremony at home, prior to the Mexico wedding? We are thinking of doing this, just because of all the additional requirements to get legally married in MX. Any thoughts on this? Kshows03, your description is fantastic! I love the detail you put into this, it's so helpful and gave me lots of ideas. Congrats on your awesome wedding Thanks, Jen

Wow, what an incredible amount of helpful info to be found here! My fiance and I are booked at the gazebo for the wedding,cocktail hour and reception on May 21. We decided to go with the free wedding, as it didn't seem like much more money to pay the extra for the hotel, given the cost of the wedding packages...also, we wanted to choose our own photographer, bouquet, cake, etc, and didn't really want the options that came with the wedding packages. I'm very lucky to have three guests (one is family) that are professional hair stylists...so, no worries there. Also, I plan to do my own makeup (I have been researching and shopping for several weeks already But, the one outside vendor issue I haven't seen addressed on this forum is the photographer. Does anyone know, will we have to pay the $350 vendor fee to use an outside photographer? Has anyone had any luck adding their photographer to the guest list, or finding another way around the vendor fee? With the photographer--how have people divided up the time? We have a four-hour package with Blue Lens Caribe. I was thinking a half hour before the wedding, the wedding, 1-2 hours after and then 1 hour of the reception. Anyone have suggestions on how to best use the photographer? Also, what have people experienced as far as guests staying outside of the The Royal? Can guests staying at the Gran Porto get into the The Royal, or is it true that all individuals not staying at The Royal can only come in for the wedding and reception? If my family and members of the wedding party can't get in, it will be pretty daunting to not be able to get ready together. Last, any thoughts on the food choices for the reception? We are having a private reception, and I'm just wondering if anyone has recommendations for the menu? I keep reading about a cake--tres leches--but this does not seem to be on the menu. Sorry for the long list questions. And I'm sure there are more to follow Jen

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Hi there! You can add me to the list.... May 21, 2011, The Royal Playa del Carmen. So much to read here...