fogdog

I got all of the girls who hosted my shower (4 of them) monogrammed tanks from J.Crew, plus a bottle of wine for the one whose house it was at. They were a huge hit and they all wore them down in Cabo. They were on sale. If you call to place your order and tell them what it's for, they might (wink, wink) give you free shipping

We did our Catholic ceremony at home after our Cabo wedding and the priest was totally fine with it. I'm sure if you chat with your priest about it he will accommodate you. Could I suggest...use the extra money you would have paid to do it in your church and fly your priest down there? He may want you to do a small ceremony in the actual church when you get home to make it official, but you can always consider your Mexico wedding your "real" day.

In the grand scheme of things, a favor is such a small detail of your overall experience and it's likely that many of your guests won't even end up going home with them (I had to chase people down the next day to try to pass ours out) or notice many of the details about them. I think the fact that your guy actually thought this over and specifically asked you to be in charge of it is so very sweet and shows that he really cares and wants to contribute something of his own to your day. I say embrace it, let him do it, and be proud of whatever he does.

Oh, yes, for the trio they quoted $350/hr. so you're still getting a great price. We had them for the ceremony and cocktail hour, so I think 2 hours total, which was perfect.

Wow, that's a really good price. fwiw, for my wedding in November, they quoted me $500/hr. for the whole band, so $150 would be a great deal. I didn't particularly love them, but for $150, you can't go wrong. My review of them is in here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t11819 (Funny thing, my friends all shared photos after the wedding, and many took photos of the band, and there they are, talking on the cell phones...)

Just to clarify, the tip was only on her fee (not on all the other services she arranged). If your WC is arranged through the hotel, they might automatically tack on the 15% service which may or may not cover her. Quote: Originally Posted by fogdog We tipped our WC generously (about 20%) and also sent her a very nice flower arrangement. She made it all happen by going above and beyond, so was definitely worth tipping.

We tipped our WC generously (about 20%) and also sent her a very nice flower arrangement. She made it all happen by going above and beyond, so was definitely worth tipping.

I had my dress altered as tight as I could bc it was strapless. Then I was so busy and stressed the week before the wedding that I ended up having to pull it up all night because it was loose! Stay focused and stick to your plan, drink lots of water (only), and you should be fine. 11 weeks is alot of time.

I eat a California Suncake at 8:30 with a coffee and am rarely hungry before 12, usually even 1. Too easy, I take a bag of 5 out of the freezer and to work with me on Monday and don't think about breakfast again all week. Suncakes Store (disclaimer: FI says they're like eating a hockey puck, but if you just want to get the breakfast done healthy and fast, there's nothing better) As for yogurt, I just got my own yogurt maker. It's so easy and the yogurt tastes soo much better than store bought. It's creamy and smooth, rather than tart or sour as store bought can be. And, since you make it yourself, you know there are no added sugars or chemicals. I love it!

We did not spend the night together, because that's what he wanted, but if I had it to do over, I would. We've been together for 6 years, lived together for 3... It was far more trouble than it was worth to schlep all my stuff into a room with my girlfriends where 4 of us shacked up - I hardly slept all night. If I could do it again, I would have just agreed to get up before he woke up. I had brunch with the girls, hung out with my mom, and started getting ready the day of. It wasn't a big deal at all to be apart for the day. But the logistics of room switching for the overnight were a bit too much for me (we had 6+ suitcases btw us!).

We put it in a ziploc bag and back in the vase when we got home.

So sorry you're going through this. It's exactly how I felt about dealing with them... I don't know what else to suggest except to just know that you will have an absolutely beautiful wedding and a great vacation. Everything about the Sheraton is fabulous, except their wedding planning. I would suggest having your WC deal with them as much as possible and insulate yourself. For what it's worth, I sent the manager a long letter about my experience and how I felt, listing opportunities for improvement. He basically didn't care. Everyone had so much fun and wants to go back for an anniversary trip but it bums me out a tiny bit bc I'd hate to give them more business!

Sorry, confusing, I was having trouble wording the question. But, yes, do I need to change my name on my passport to travel out of the country (if I have already changed social security, etc...). Sounds like I'd be fine going to SS with my passport and changing it with them. But, when we go I need to make my reservation in my old name. Right? Also, add-on question, how long do you generally have after being married to get everything changed? Is there a time limit? Thanks for the help!

Does anyone know if my passport would still work if I went to social security and changed my name (without getting a new passport)? I happen to have the day off tomorrow and was thinking about going to social security to do the name change. But, we are thinking of going on our honeymoon in a few weeks and I don't think I'd have my updated passport back in time for that.

Quote: Originally Posted by Minx1969 And..my friends and family are finding better rates on the SPG.com site instead of through the hotel so I'm trying to get credit for those stays. I think the Sheraton should provide us with the best possible rate - otherwise what is the incentive for people to stay? We were in the exact same situation. I would recommend just booking the absolute minimum of rooms to get your benefits (site fee, etc) and then tell everyone else to book online. As I wrote in my review, there are many benefits to NOT using the group rate at the Sheraton. You would think they would be incented to take care of groups, but they are obviously not. This was really frustrating to me.

Not Curves, but 24 hr. Fit-Lite, which I understand is very similar. I love the concept but would be out of my mind with boredom if I did it 5x/week - don't know how you all did it!!

Lea was my stylist (both hair and makeup) and I thought she was great! I was very happy with both as well as the entire process. She came with Paulina as a translator and both women were incredibly professional and had great taste. If you would like to see all my photos, PM me and I can send you a link.

They do xray every bag on the way in, so if you have several multiples of one thing, be prepared to get searched. For me it was the 80 pairs of flip flops that did it. Just have your receipts and don't go over $300 pp. I've also heard (from my WC) that they do not like things coming in from China. Take off all the tags, stickers, etc.

I used my actual dress - went into the ocean and the pool - and it was totally fine. I actually haven't dry cleaned it yet, but I would totally wear it as it is. The only thing I'd worry about it what someone mentioned above - if your dress is light, make sure it won't be see through when wet!

I also thought Lucy was great. However, once you sign your contract, she hands you off to the WC's, Anne and Irma. I have no experience with Irma, but don't have favorable things to say about working with Anne.

I think my contract was just for 10 room nights. It didn't specify over how many separate rooms or dates would be involved. But it sounds like the contract may have changed slightly... You can always try to negotiate.

Quote: Originally Posted by starfish kate I haven't seen it.... Is the song so recognizeable that people who have seen the movie will associate the song/movie? Definitely for me, but again, it's my favorite. The song is a key theme throughout the movie, so I would say that people who have seen it would remember the movie. But, it's an old movie and people may not have seen it or seen it recently.

I agree and totally wanted to do this, especially because it is our favorite movie (which we both decided before we even knew e/o). But, DH said no because the movie is too violent - have you seen it? You might want to watch before choosing the song...

We also played background music off an ipod. Since most people will be focused on talking, eating, and toasting, I figured it wasn't worth it to pay for entertainment during this time. I also think the Mariachis would have been too much noise during dinner - if you have a full band they're very loud.

I used and her and absolutely loved her! I'm surprised you're having a language barrier - I didn't experience that at all. She is incredibly professional - has been working in the business for 10+ years - but also warm and caring. Have you tried corresponding with her via email? The phone service can have static or a delay, so I did most of my communication over email until the last couple weeks. She is great and I would totally recommend her - she made my wedding perfect! Even my guests were raving about her.