mkdela

No problem!! Yes, we got married at city hall the day before we left for Mexico. I wanted to have everything done and "official" when we were away on our honeymoon, rather than dealing with it when we got back. I brought our legal wedding certificiate with us to Mexico but I don't think we needed it for anything. Also, I tried to have my documentation sent to my wedding coordinator but my parish priest wouldn't do that, he said he had to send it directly to the church. He did keep a copy of everything that got sent, though, so we weren't too worried about it getting lost. What I did do was have my wedding coordinator call the church in Cancun and give them a heads up to look out for my papers as soon as I knew that my priest in New York had sent them. Then I had her call again a week later and confirm they had been received and that nothing was missing. Quote: Originally Posted by Bernie thanks mkdela!! So you also got married legally before you went to Mexico?

Mine worked pretty much the same way. I did my pre-cana (marriage prep) with the priest at my home parish in New York. He did all the paper work, and he sent it all to the church in Mexico. I had to follow up on my own to make sure they received it. The position of the church in Mexico was that as long as I'd met all the requirements for a marriage in NY, it would be sufficient from their end. We got married by a priest from the parish in Cancun. After the ceremony, he gave us a Catholic marriage certificate, and I sent a copy of that along with our legal marriage certificate to our priest in New York for him to have on file. The Catholic Church in the U.S. definitely recognizes the marriage as a Catholic marriage. Good luck!! Quote: Originally Posted by Bernie thanks so much maura. I had another question- did you have to send all the paperwork to mexico or did the priest do all of that.

A religious ceremony is not a "legal" marriage in Mexico (that's why you didn't have to get a marriage license). The tradition in Mexico is to have a civil ceremony performed by a judge immediately prior to the religious ceremony performed by the priest. The legal/civil marriage requires blood work, 4 witnesses, etc. So unless you did that part in Mexico as well, you probably do not have a marriage certificate that is recognized by anyone other than the Catholic Church. If you don't have a "legal" marriage in Mexico, you won't have one in the U.S. either. For destination weddings, some people do both the religious and legal ceremonies in Mexico, or some (including myself) just have a civil/legal wedding in the U.S. before or after. I went to city hall in New York and then did the Catholic ceremony in Mexico. The Catholic Church in the U.S. will recognize the wedding certificate you got from your Catholic ceremony, but I don't believe your state will. So you probably need to apply for a marriage license and have a civil wedding in the U.S. if you don't have a legal marriage certificate from Mexico. There's also a lot of stuff written about this online if you want more info, we did a lot of research leading up to the wedding. At the end of the day, I think you are better off and life is easier with a U.S. marriage certificate anyway...if you have a Mexican certificate I think you have to pay translator fees, etc. Quote: Originally Posted by mjm160 I know this is an old thread... but i recently got married in a Riviera Maya Catholic Church and received a marriage certificate (in spanish). First question- how do i get it translated to English and 2) Is it considered a legal wedding in the U.S.? I'm running into problems changing my name and we never had to sign anything for a marriage license. We did all the Catholic things in the U.S. beforehand and got our certificate after the ceremony, I just feel like we should have more docuements form Mexico? Help, did anyone else go through this??

I would love to get your opinions/thoughts on our predicament: Our guests are staying at the Gran Melia Cancun, and the reception is there. However, the ceremony will take place at the CasaMagna Marriott (b/c you can do Catholic ceremony there). We are trying to figure out how to get people back and forth between the hotels. The hotels are RIGHT next door to each other, but the problem is they are both set back so far from the road that it's a good 10-15 minute walk from one to the other (plus another 5 minutes or so once you're in the hotel to get to the wedding gazebo) because you have to go all the way down to the street to get from one to the other. I think that 15 minutes each way (up to 30 minutes roundtrip) is a long way to ask people to walk, especially for older people, women in heels, or if it's hot outside. But, it seems ridiculous to hire a bus to literally drive people 2 minutes to the hotel next door. The quote on one bus is $600!! We have about 130 guests coming so we may need the bus to make 2 trips or to get two buses. People could also walk over on the beach, which is a bit shorter (10 minutes maybe?) but I think more confusing to find the wedding gazebo if you're coming from behind the hotel. I guess I could tell people that their options are to take a taxi or walk and let them decide. But then I was thinking that after the ceremony is over, there will be so many people outside the Marriott waiting for taxis! I'm not sure what to do! Do I just suck it up and pay for the bus?

Quote: Originally Posted by carimcn Is anyone familiar with the JW/Casa Magna Marriott in Cancun? The staff has been very helpful and professional in their correspondence but I would love to hear from someone who has actually been there! Thank you in advance for any insight to the property! Here is a photo I took of the gazebo...I think I have more photos but sounds like you've already seen some by now. I'm having my ceremony there in March (and going for second site visit tomorrow actually)...it is beautiful. The location is very private, which is great. <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd84/mkdela/GazeboWithoutCatholicSetup.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

Quote: Originally Posted by playagirl We've been to the Blue Parrot a couple of times and have had a great time. Definitely Blue Parrot - it is a blast! There is a dance floor right on the beach.

Welcome and congrats!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Adamsgrrl Its really not that bad. We had to go through this, and I can honestly say it was one of the most easiest things I had to do for the wedding so far. Just meet with your priest and its bascially his job to get you all prepared. I agree...it's really not nearly as bad as it sounds. Also, we had to get most of that stuff, but not quite all. For example, I don't think we need the color photos. The church in Cancun told us that all we need to send is what our church in NY would otherwise require (which is still most of that stuff...baptismal certificates, pre cana certificates, etc.) But our priest in NYC is basically guiding us through the whole thing.

Congrats and welcome to the forum!! We chose Cancun because it's relatively cheap to fly to and guests from both sides of the country can get a direct flight there. We also went with a big resort but we are expecting about 140, so I don't think a small place could have accommodated us...particularly because we are renting out space for both a Welcome Dinner and the Reception.

Take pictures of EVERYTHING, rooms, restaurants, lobby, pool, beach - it is helpful when you get back.

I guess it really just depends on how much the open bar costs - $55 for 4 hours does seem like a great deal and i'd take that. Like Fiesta Americana, the Gran Melia was asking for some outrageous amount per person (i forget exactly what) which we calculated would mean every single person at the wedding would have to drink 2-3 drinks per hour for every hour. I estimate about 1 drink per person/per hour (b/c we have a lot of drinkers but a lot of non-drinkers). So since the average drink is about $8, I decided I wouldn't pay for open bar that was more than about $8-10/hour per person. Even though it may have been less stressful, I am just pretty confident we will not spend as much as the Gran Melia is asking.

I have really dark circles all the time, too. If I don't wear make-up, people are constantly asking me if I am feeling ok or telling me I look tired! I just never leave the house without concealer and I find it does the trick. I use a MAC concealer now that I really like. The key is to get dark enough coverage, without something so cakey that it cracks and makes lines under your eyes. Most liquid concealers I've tried from the drug store are too transparent and don't give enough coverage. I find the solid sticks are too cakey. But, the MAC (it's a liquid in a tube) does the trick for me.

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan I would either do it this way or just drop mr & mrs. I also don't like Mrs. John Smith. It's like the woman no longer has any identity. I've had a women tell me her name was mrs. fred jones before when i was writting up a contract. I said "but what's your name." She repeated "mrs. fred jones." So i had to write "fred" where her name goes. I didn't put mr. & mrs. on the save the dates. I probably will for the formal invites. That story is ridiculous!!! Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I didn't put Mr. & Mrs. on STDs either so this is just coming up now.

I have a random question, I know that the "proper" etiquette for married couples is to address the invitation as Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. But I have a weird feminist thing where I hate women being referred to as "Mrs. John Smith" and I want both first names to go on the envelope. I can't find a description of how to do this anywhere b/c I think it's not traditional (unless the wife has a different title like Dr. or something). So my question is, do I say, Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith? Or do I say, Mr. John Smith and Mrs. Jane Smith? I guess they both look weird!

Quote: Originally Posted by Lizz I thought this was a good site to help people with how to word their invitations: http://www.rexcraft.com/Verses_VerseChoices.cfm. Good find! I have this one bookmarked, too. Wedding Invitation Envelope Addressing Etiquette-Reference Guide

Quote: Originally Posted by lbberger hi! i am planning a march 8 wedding in cancun or the riviera maya and need some help and suggestions. my FI and i are planning a visit next week to look at hotels. we don't want all inclusive and are looking for 20+ rooms at $180-200 a night. we originally were thinking about the riviera maya, but it seems the resorts there are really expensive and are all all inclusive which i don't want because i want a rehearsal dinner at a local restaurant and i don't want people paying for their own food at the wedding reception (and we want to host a brunch as well). there are hundreds of hotels in cancun, it is so hard to choose. and the trip advisor has good and bad reviews on all of them. we are looking at the westin, the omni, the fiesta americana condesa, the hyatt, and the intercontinental presidente to name a few. are we missing any that we should check out? should we get a wedding coordinator or just trust the hotel wedding coordinators? does anyone have restaurant suggestions for a rehearsal dinner? can anyone recomment a good hair and make up artist? i appreciate your help! thanks *lauren Lauren - check out the Gran Melia, too (right next door to FA Condesa). I also didnt want all inclusive for the same reasons...and checked out a number places in Cancun. I got the best room rate (it fits into your budget) on the Gran Melia - the prices I was quoted at the Marriott and FA Condesa were higher. We have been really happy with the Gran Melia so far. I've just been using their wedding coordinator and think she's great.

Quote: Originally Posted by LEIGH Anyone know what the cab fee's are from the Cancun airport into the Hotel district? (Dreams Cancun) And also, how difficult/hectic is it to get to the cabs at the Cancun airport? Thanks again! I found the cab process fairly easy at the Cancun airport - when you exit customs there are a line of counters where you can arrange van transportation to the hotel zone (no advanced reservations necessary). I think it's $5 for a shared van (that goes to various hotels in the hotel zone) or you can get your own private van for about $40. You pay at the counters and then they give you a voucher and you take it outside with you.

Quote: Originally Posted by jamisoncollette Does anyone know what type of flowers hold up best in heat? I don't know names and there are so many pretty ideas but I would hate to have my flowers wilt on top of my head... I think a lot of people use silk flowers for their hair for that reason. I was thinking of ordering from FLOWER CLIP :: Hand Picked Silk Flower Hair Clips and other Floral Accessories

Yeah, I would go to a travel agent - they would at least be knowledgable (and hopefully neutral) about all the various locations and could give you insight about comparing transportation costs, accommodations, etc.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lizz Kathleen - I searched for this thread from awhile ago... did you receive these bags yet? I'm thinking of ordering them and wanted to see if you liked them and how big they are before I place my order. Thanks!!! Has anyone else ordered the flip flop tote bags from Oriental Trading? Wow, REALLY delayed response on my part, sorry! I got put on a jury so I couldn't be in front of my computer all day!! So, after hearing those bags were pretty small, I didn't order them. I haven't ordered anything yet, but now I'm trying to find something that will hold 2 (small) water bottles. I'm thinking maybe it will be easier to do paper bags? I have to make so many, I'm trying to figure out what will be the easiest to get down there.

Wow, they look great!!

Quote: Originally Posted by melglnh2o TMarraty and mkdela, Thanks for the suggestions. Do either of you have photos of how and where the reception would be set up? Thanks, Melissa Hi Melissa - unfortunately I don't have any photos yet of the set up. The reception is going to be under a large palapa near the pool, it is covered but will still be open-air which we thought was the best of both worlds. If I get some pictures I will definitely pass them on!

I'm having about 140 and our reception is going to be at the Gran Melia Cancun, which is also part of the Sol Melia chain. I've been really happy with them (especially their prices!) so far.

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan What about a more informal RSVP? I've asked people to let me know if they are considering going, not if they are going. But, I'm doing it informally through the website, email, of phone. I think it's hard for people to answer so far in advance. I'm not doing a room block, so I don't need an RSVP now, but it's nice to know. I always laugh when an 8 & a ) turns into a We did something similar - we sent out save the date magnets and on the bottom wrote "please visit our website at ...for details and to rsvp." We are still sending invites to everyone but are hoping this will encourage people to rsvp on the website first.

Congratulations and welcome!!