andreslove

Hey,

Leading up to the wedding I was so unproductive at work, so since I've been back I've been trying to catch up and have more of a balance with everything. But I still sign in and posts when I can. I posted wedding pictures in my review, but here's the slideshow if you're interested. Lenita & Andre

Here's my welcome letter. I can't remember where I found some of the verbage, but feel free to use whatever. On the bottom, I created a schedule of events for the days (not copied below). Let me know if you want to see it. Hope this helps.

 

Dear Family and Friends,

 

The wait is finally over! Welcome to sun, sand and relaxation… welcome to Mexico! We are both so happy and feel very blessed to be able to have our wedding here in Cancun! We are especially honored that you have traveled this far to be a part of our marriage celebration.

 

Marriage is not a culmination, it is a beginning; the beginning of a life that will grow and change in ways more wonderful than we can imagine. Many years from now when we look back upon our life, love, and this day, we will remember that it was not the flowers, music, nor food that made our day so special; our memories of sharing the beginning of our life as husband and wife with you, our friends and family, will be what’s most cherishable. Having you here with us for our celebration has made our wedding truly wonderful.

 

Understanding that life holds many momentous commitments, we thank you for sharing in one of our happiest occasions.

 

Please make the most of your stay here in Mexico. We hope that the next few days will be as memorable for you as it will be for us.

 

With Love and Appreciation,

Lenita & Andre

 

 

Schedule of Events:

We understand that you will want to participate in many fun festivities. Enjoy your trip to Mexico and all the many sites to see. However, if you don't have other plans, we would love for you to spend your time with us! We invite you to join us for any of the activities listed below. Don't forget to contact us (Moon Palace number listed below) if you want to participate, so that we can make reservations.

Out of Town bag or welcome bag. Many brides put little goodies in them to welcome them to the destination and thank them for traveling.

I used a box to mail my invites. I'm not sure if you were asking about something like this or not. If so, I believe it was about $1.10 each to mail. The person who created my invites got them for me.

 

I used Jill Higgins (Charleston Wedding Photography by Jill Higgins - Childrens Portrait Photographers) for my wedding March 3. I would highly recommend her! She was great to work with. I love my pictures. She's a member of the forum also. Here's a link to the slideshow of my wedding if you want to see her work. Lenita & Andre

WOW! Those pictures are hot! Christine, he's going to love them.

Congrats Glenda! You will make a great moderator. You are so funny! You brighten everyone's day.

I have had this happen to me. People can be so rude but I always assume that they don't know any better (although they should). I just explained that it would be a small wedding in Mexico and they pretty much understood. I also had someone that I invited but didn't think they would ever come to come. It was fine though.

Congrats! Can't wait to see the pictures and hear about everything.

I absolutely love water. I'll drink water before anything else. But it sucks because I'm constantly going to the restroom. Oh well!

Welcome to the forum! Let us know how we can help you.

All I can say is Wow! You look amazing. Love the dress. Everything seems like it was perfect. Can't wait to see more. Congratulations!

I wouldn't worry. I had individual sized sun block, margarita mix, etc. and didn't have any problems and no extra taxes.

Thanks! I was hot in my dress. I get hot easily, then with nerves added my legs were burning up. It was in the 80's there. My guests had fans, so they were fine though.

Oh, believe me...I can't leave. I am trying to have more of a balance though. Leading up to the wedding, I became so addictive to this forum. Now, it's time to actually catch up on the work that I should have been doing all along

Thanks so much. My dress was a private label. I purchased it from Eva's Bridal in Oak Lawn, IL (which is right outside of Chicago). Let me know if you need the number or anything.

All I can say is WOW! I loved your pictures, your flowers, the colors...everything. You all make a beautiful couple. You could see the love in the pictures. Welcome to the forum!

You all are hilarious! I had fake lashes at both the BD shoot and my wedding. For my wedding, I had lash extensions. They took 2 hours! Unfortunately, most of them are gone already. I have contacts and have allergies, so I've been constantly rubbing my eyes. They were supposed to last a much longer time, but I didn't try and save them after the wedding.

The civil ceremony was 5 minutes because we wanted my cousin to perform the religious ceremony. If you just have the civil ceremony it will be about 30 minutes. All we did was the legal stuff, but they add more for those who will only have the civil ceremony. The Nizuc side was automatically assigned to us.

The translation fee is like $30

Thanks everyone. I can't imagine what my wedding would have looked like without the advice and ideas from this website. You all are great! You helped me so much, I look forward to helping someone else.

I think he played like 1 or 2 songs - something like Sade or something. You can chose your centerpieces from a book or if you have something you like, you can email them and ask them how much it would be. Those came from a book and we just changed a few things (color, more flowers). All of the centerpieces started around $45 per centerpiece. I think those were $65 though. There are 2 Carolina's (one from the Miami office and the other at the resort). I think you may be communicating with the Miami office right now, because I didn't find out about my coordinator until about 1 month before, but had talked to the other Carolina to book things through. Carolina worked out well. At first, I was getting irritated because I felt like she was taking too long to respond to my email, but as I think back, I believe I was just too stressed. When your wedding is right around the corner little things begin to stress you. They do this for a living and really have everything under control. I did look at the other options for the private function. We got married at noon, so we knew we wanted the dinner (or lunch in our case) reception inside in the ballroom because we expected it to be too hot. We threw in the cocktail hour later, so we chose the garden due to the location of the gazebo. It was right in front and we thought since it was only for 1 hour, our guest could take the heat. Plus it was a little shade and we provided fans during the ceremony. Really, you can't go wrong with either place. I think I took a picture of another wedding reception on a terrace. I'll see if I can find it and post it for you. The resort is huge, but I didn't think it was too big. They do have golf carts and shuttles to take you around. The only time it was a problem was for Andre's mom. Her room was a bit from the gazebo and she has bad asthma. She thought she was late (all of the guests are supposed to be there 15 minutes before) and was rushing and had a little shortness of breath after making it. But our room was really close to the gazebo so it wasn't a big deal. Plus it really has something for everyone. My little niece LOVED the kids club. Plus, since our guests stayed on the Nizuc side we saw each other throughout the day, but it's big enough so that we had our alone time.

Keep the questions coming. I don't mind...

Which package are you getting? If you chose the free, then I would recommend that you at least get the horse and carriage, video DVD and the Mariachi band. If you get the delux, I believe they come standard in them. How many guests are you expecting? Will they all be staying at Moon Palace?

I forgot to mention that we received our license and DVD within 3 days. We moved to LeBlanc for our honeymoon, so our wedding coordinator just sent it there. We had our license translated and got an extra copy of it.

We also did 2 private functions, which we really didn't need. There was so much food. But, we were so busy taking pictures and mingling, I didn't even eat any of the cocktail reception food.

That has been the biggest headache. He's moving into my condo until we can save for a downpayment. We don't have enough space though. I'm been trying to clean out closets and drawers to give him some room to move in. Luckily, he doesn't have to be completely out of his place until the end of the month, so he's slowly bringing things over and is trying to sell his furniture (bachelor stuff that I refuse to have). We need a place quick!

 

Do you know of a good charity that I could donate some clothes and coats? I may just take it to the Salvation Army or something. Someone also suggested those consignment places that will pay you a percentage of what they get for selling it. Have you used anything like that? I have 2 boxed and about 5 bags full of stuff that I'm going to toss or give away.

Here's mine:

 

 

What is the weather like during March in Cancun?

Average High: 84

Average Low: 71

 

What sort of attire is appropriate for the wedding?

We don't want to tell you what to wear- but since you asked, tropical formal attire would be most appropriate. Suggestions for tropical formal attire include:

 

Men:

- linen or cotten dress pants

- collard golf or button down shirts

- summery suits

 

Women:

- sundresses

- dress pants or capris

- blouses or lightweight twinsets

- summery skirt suits

 

Will I be able to call home?

Glad you asked. It is very expensive to call from the resort - even when using your own calling card. We would recommend purchasing a pre-paid calling card upon arrival in Cancun. From what we hear, the Mexico calling cards you can buy in the States DO NOT WORK when calling from Mexico - only to.

 

What happens after we land in Cancun?

You will first need to proceed to immigration. You will be given a tourist card. DO NOT LOSE IT, as you need to present this card when you leave Mexico. If lost, you will be fined. Next, you will go through customs, where you press a button - green means you're all good, red means they will search your things. Please check online to be sure you are not bringing any prohibited items (such as fresh fruits or vegetables) into Mexico. Please refer to the State Department's website for more tips for travelers to Mexico: Tips for Travelers to Mexico

 

Do I need to convert money?

Mexicans use the Peso as their currency. The Mexican government permits tourists to exchange dollars for pesos at the fluctuating free market rate. Most places accept the US Dollar, but you get a better exchange rate if you convert to Pesos. Only exchange what you need for each day as the rate changes daily.

 

Take travelers checks with you. Personal U.S. checks are rarely accepted by Mexican hotels or banks. Major credit cards are accepted in many hotels, shops and restaurants. An exchange office (casa de cambios) usually gives a better rate of exchange than do stores, hotels or restaurants.

 

Can I drink the water?

Drink only bottled water or water that has been boiled for 20 minutes. Beware of ice cubes that may not have been made with purified water. Vegetables and fruits should be peeled or washed in a purifying solution. If you can't peel it or cook it, do NOT eat it. Don't eat food purchased from street vendors. Don't eat dairy products unless you know for a fact that they have been pasteurized.

 

Is it safe to walk around the town at night?

Yes, definitely. You should feel much safer in Cancun than in the United States. There is very little crime here, and what does exist is usually petty compared to the U.S. The tourist police here are friendly and very helpful. Use your common sense, and be careful. Leave your fancy jewelry at home! After dark, stay on the main streets; do not wander on the beaches late at night. Never flash large amounts of money.

Yes - the wedding was everything I'd hoped for. I couldn't be happier.

 

Leigh - As you can see from Andre's reaction. He LOVED the pics. The surprised look on his face was the topless photos (it was more than 1 on the page). The first couple of pictures were ones with his basketball jersey or just "pretty" pictures. Then, it turned into the "sexy" pictures which is why he looked so funny and shocked. I'm constantly looking at his pictures and laughing at his reaction. I'm going to show him the others to see if I picked the ones that he would have. But he was more than happy especially after finding out that you took the pictures (although he still thinks I'm crazy for being so comfortable with people I met online).