RoSean

Wow! Beautiful pictures! You are one stylist bride. You looked awesome in your dress! Haven't been in this site for a awhile. It sure brings back great memories!! We're trying to convince our friends to have a destination wedding so we can re-live those memories. CONGRATS!!!!

Here is one video from the wedding. My husband's sister sang during the ceremony when the veil and cord were being removed. There are some pro photos in the mix and you can see how the gazebo area was layed out. Also, you will notice that it is windy. According to the photographer and videographer, it actually was not that windy and it usually is windier. Make sure to watch in HD to see a clearer video and photos. Click here to watch video (make sure to watch in HD) YouTube - Two Words - Lea Salonga, Sung by Angela Jill

Gosh, I haven't logged on in awhile. Hopefully, my response is not too late. I rented the organza chair bows from Dreams. If you can spare the $, just rent it since they will set it up for you, both in the ceremony and reception area. What was disappointing was that as soon as the ceremony ended, Claudia quickly took the chair bows out to move them to the reception. I did not get a chance to take photos with them on after the ceremony. Also, not sure if they would charge for set up fees anyway if you do not rent from them. Quote: Originally Posted by dc22173 Loved the pictures!! Everything came out so beautiful Did you rent the chair bows from them? I thought for some reason they only had satin bows for rent. These look like organza or some other material. I am still debating if I am just going to make my own.

Quote: Originally Posted by mummergirl where did you get the shirts for the groomsmen? i love them! They were custom made from the Philippines. They're called "Barong" - Filipino formal wear. Maybe you can find a company online that makes them. Goodluck!

We just came back from Australia and it was an awesome place! I totally would recommend it for an active honeymoon. We loved Hamilton Island and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary! The Great Barrier Reef is a scuba divers dream. Whitehaven beach was so pristine. Zorbing was a fun experience. Australia is a great place to explore and can't wait to go back. Thanks for your feedback.

Kat, I'm sorry to hear that. I know the memories is more important than the money. Congrats and glad to hear the rest went well!

Quote: Originally Posted by ccarmany23 Honeymoon in Australia will be fantastic!!!!! I thought I was the only one crazy enough to consider marrying in Mexico and then traveling to Australia/New Zealand for the hm. Do you have any good info on how long flight is and any good tips for airlines that fly from mexico out there We're flying from New Jersey using Qantas airlines. They are definitely the cheapest airlines for us since we are visiting 3 cities. We bought it from their website. I'm not looking forward to the flight since it's over a day. We leave at 6PM and arrive 2 days later at 7AM (factors in the time difference). That's exhausting

Quote: Originally Posted by jkcz0702 I just got back from Sydney it is so much fun. You can see so much is a short amount of time. I really liked the featherdale park it is outside the city you take a train you can pet kangaroos and koalas, the opera house is great, shopping is really good, you will have a blast. Oh cool! How was the weather in Sydney? Should I pack sweaters/jeans? Did you go to featherdal park on your own or with a tour? How much is the tour of the Opera House? We're staying at the city center (Hyde Park area) and I'm unsure if I should get a CityPass. I think many attractons are nearby/walking distance. What did you guys do for transportation? I'm super excited now that it's just a week away...

Quote: Originally Posted by Ava Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane is the best place to cuddle a koala and feed roo's. You cannot cuddle koalas in New South Wales (where Sydney is). I have zorbed, but in the ones that strap you in. It is a lot of fun, but if you're queasy, it might get messy! Keep in mind, Brisbane is a HUGE city, landwise, but there is public transport everywhere. I haven't been to the Blue Mountains, but I have heard they're pretty impressive! HOWEVER - what we in Australia deem impressive as far as mountains go, my Canadian fiance calls "hills". I've been checking the weather and it'll be in the 70's F. Do you think the water will be warm enough to swim in? When you lived in Brisbane, did you go swimming in August? I'm looking forward to snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, but I'm a little worried the water would be too cold. I would be extremely disappointed if it is.

Quote: Originally Posted by jessie123 Your wedding looks amazing!! What package did you get from Dreams? I saw that you had Claudia for your pics, did Dreams credit you for not using there photo/video? I got the Ultimate Wedding Package. I traded the photos and video for b-maid's flowers and gazebo decoration.

Quote: Originally Posted by cancunbride hmmmmmmmmmm the cakes dont look that appealing at all! hahah Has anyone here opted for an additional layer?? How much did you guys pay for an additional one? I requested for a 2 layer cake. It was $5 per person above the 20 pp that the Ultimate Package includes. I got the strawberry cake (vanilla cake) and I thought it was pretty good. Not bad at all, but definitely not the best. Remember to request to have the cake served to everyone and not just those who are sitting down. We had so much leftover cake since they did not serve anyone who weren't sitting on their table. Of course, most people are dancing and hanging outside since it was too hot on the lobby.

Quote: Originally Posted by Samantha S Rosean, did they add these without your asking and/or charge you? Great new pics by the way! What a beautiful wedding. Samantha, the petals and hurricane glass with sand was done entirely by them, BUT I did not ask them for it. If you specifically ask for it, they will charge you. I had the expectation that only my center pieces I brought would be the only thing on the table, so it was a nice surprise that they included the petals and glass without me having to pay.

Value of the Eternity honeymoon package cannot be redeemed as a discount. It is more of a complementary for spending more mula on higher category rooms. The Dreams honeymoon and anniversary package is just champagne and fruits. The champagne breakfast in bed is BS since the resort offers 24 hours room service so you can order breakfast at anytime. Special turn down service is another BS since the maids clean your room daily and prepares your bed daily for all rooms (I've asked all my guests who didn't have the honeymoon package). The Eternity package is great since you get the Spa treatments and private dinner as well as the petit fours each evening. Honestly, a few of our guests said it was their anniversary upon check in and when they went into their room, they got the Dreams honeymoon stuff. I don't think they're enforcing the paperwork on this one.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ava I'm from Brisbane, I moved to Canada. If you have any questions at all, ask me. As far as a honeymoon goes, Hamilton Island is fantastic, and so is Airlie Beach (if you're really liking wanting to spend time on the Great Barrier Reef). There are some gorgeous hotels on the Gold Coast near Brisbane too, but the Gold Coast is a huge tourist destination so it is a little busy. Cool! We're spending a majority of our time in Sydney and Hamilton Island. We'll be in Brisbane for 2 days since we fly back to the US from that airport. Have you gone Zorbing? My husband really wants to try that. Also, where is the best place to cuddle a koala and see kangaroos? Have you been to Blue Mountain (nearby Sydney)? Is that worth seeing? Thanks.

We're honeymooning in Australia in late August for 2 weeks. Any suggestions on activities, must see places, restaurants etc.?

That's lovely!

Quote: Originally Posted by PaulaV RoSean!!!!!! I am so glad to hear everything went so well! You looked beautful! I loved the colours you chose, they really stand out on the Dreams backdrop. Congratulations! I am so happy for you! Thank you! You and Susan were a great help during my planning phase.

Here's an after the wedding comment on this subject. I registered, but only for things I needed or upgraded to nicer things since I knew my family were throwing me a shower. Of course, most people prefer to give gifts during a shower since part of the party is opening gifts and making a hat out of the bows etc etc. I received almost everything from my registry. People that do not buy off the registry do it for few reason. First, there is no longer a gift in your registry that is in their price range and they don't know another guests to pair with to combine gifts together. Second, they want to give a more romantic present (along with a few other guests who will buy a nice frame, vase, clock etc.) than say a spatula. This is where all the duplication happens. Since we were having a destination wedding, we did not expect wedding gifts from our guests. The budget I put together even assumes that we would not get any $$$ back so I was hesitant to spend a lot on many things. The outcome was that all our guests still gave us a gift, check/cash mostly. Many of which were very very generous. Even those who did not go to Mexico gave us gifts. So I think, it's safer to register so you get what you want than to not register because people by nature loves to give gifts especially to showers. Most would know to give cash to a wedding to help out with the wedding expenses. One of the gift that we loved since we travel often is a 7 day timeshare (no restrictions).

Quote: Originally Posted by cancunbride Where can I read your review?? Here is the link to the review - Dreams Wedding Review

The back of my dress. Our centerpiece was very simple, submerged candle holder from Target with sea glass. It actually stayed lit even though it was very windy. Dreams also decorated the tables with rose petals and a hurricane glass with sand. I had all the bouquets placed at the center table to make it look nicer. We did surprise our guests with a first dance (hip-hop/r&b remix dance). Everyone was laughing hysterically. Our cake was decorated with the same flowers as my bouquet and I bought a white starfish cake topper. The party was so much fun!! No one wanted to leave so it turned into a pool party at the end. Our "private" romantic dinner at the pier. (Paparazzi friends were taking photos from Oceana) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Again, thanks to all the ladies in this forum for the inspiration and information. Good luck and happy planning to all the future brides!!!

Nice review and great photos. The ceremony set up with the chupah decorations are so lovely!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by dancingdolphin How many people did you have at the Rehearsal dinner at the buffet? Were you all seated together? What time did you get there to ask for a table that big? Thanks so much for your review. Incredibly helpful!! Love the plane with the banner. Unfortunately, I don't think our guests will be that creative! I think we had around 30 people. There's a section to the left side of the buffet that was sort of separated from the rest of the dining hall. I went to the buffet to reserve at 5:40 and asked for that section. Buffet opened at 6 PM. When our party got there, we just took up the entire section and pulled tables together. They don't usually like when you rearrange their table setting, but our waiter was pretty cool with it. We just gave him a big tip. Honestly, the buffet rarely gets crowded since there's all the other great restaurants (Oceana and Seaside Grill) in the resort. You should be fine if you get there early.

Quote: Originally Posted by ashrose No way! You got an airplane to fly over you with a banner? That's amazing! It was actually a surprise gift from the wedding entourage. No wonder they were asking for specific times of when the ceremony would be over. We were taking family group photos when all of a sudden, everyone started to point in the sky. It was a nice surprise! The plane circled around 4 times so we were able to take photos with different sets of people (family, entourage, other guests). It was quite a mess shuffling everyone around while people were shouting, "Hurry up, it's coming around again!" It was a lot of fun. I will be posting more photos soon. Stay tuned....

I finally posted my review and some pics in the wedding review secton. I'll be posting more pictures this week. I just have to sort through our gazillion pictures. Have fun reading...

Surprise gift from the Bridal Entourage. The most painful, but most rewarding project of them all, our message in a bottle invitation with boarding pass RSVP and info. It took us a month to make 100 of them. It was worth it since we received so many compliments. Wedding rice that we placed on everyone's seat. During the rehearsal. As a gift, I had custom shirts made for my bridesmaids. Bridesmaid's bouquet. Placecards for all the guests. Custom printed with $1 each starfish. The shells was bought from the Walmart and Claudia laid out everything nicely. MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 3 MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 3 MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 3