MissyR

Everything is awesome! Have an amazing wedding!

We didn't even do a formal RSVP. We told people the booking deadline and asked them to RSVP on our wedding wedsite. Of the 88 people invited 57 came - thankfully we had no last minute bookings - people were pretty good about using the online reply.

Here it goes! I am sure there are things I have left out so ask away! Resort and Facilities I won’t spend a lot of time on this section. We had guests travelling with kids and babies who took advantage of the kids pool and daycare services offered at the resort and they were extremely pleased with the services provided. Great service at all the bars and no real issues with anything – the first day there was quite a lot of sea weed because of the winds but they cleaned it 2x a day for the rest of the week which was nice. Great concierge services – they will pretty much arrange everything for you. The hotel offers a free shuttle to Cancun 5 days a week for shopping although the few of our guests who took advantage of it said that it didn’t actually go to the best shopping areas so something to keep in mind. There is also a shuttle to Playa Del Carmen that costs appx $10 person that runs three days a week – it’s good if you only want to go into Playa for an hour or two – (i.e. leaves at 4:00 pm and returns at 8:00 pm). We didn’t actually watch any of the evening shows b/c most nights everyone congregated in the lobby and then headed to the fun pub. The fun pub is closed on Wed and Fri as the hotel organizes a trip into the local disco (Cocobongo). The fun pub is exactly what it sounds like – it’s a pub with a dance floor. It’s not a disco but it serves it’s purpose and the music was good – we ended up there at 12:30 after the wedding and it was amazing. Make sure to bring bug spray as we found in the evenings that the mosquitos were quite annoying! Food We did have a number of guests experience some stomach issues but frankly to me this comes with the territory – you are in a different country, different weather, food, alcohol, etc. We did have one family with a one year old who got quite ill and puked in her crib and over the room – the resort moved them to a new room for the last two nights to give them time to recover (apparently the smell of puke never really disappears!) at no extra charge which was great. All the restaurants were amazing – most of our guests are quite well travelled and all commented on how good the food was everywhere. The Buffet was great, lots of selection, healthy options section, great kids choices, etc. I won’t go into tons of detail because everything was quite good. The only negative thing I would have to say about the food actually relates to the reservation system. Even being in Royale Service, we had a hard time getting reservations and some nights one a la carte was completely closed which was quite frustrating. It was a little annoying but I think the key is to make reservations as soon as you arrive. My parents made dinner reservations for 12 ppl for every night as soon as they arrived and that was perfect – they were always able to round up a group to go for dinner. Welcome Dinner We had 57 ppl join us in Mexico, with 90% arriving the same day we did (Sunday). I had arranged with Perla before we left to have the far section of the buffet (private area) reserved for our group. Perla was actually off the day we arrived which was fine. FI and I showed up with our two huge bins of welcome bags and Perla had arranged to have 5 long tables set for 12 ppl set up as well as the two tables I had asked for to set out the OOT Bags. It was perfect, the staff set out the OOT Bags, we had 1 waiter per table and the service was amazing. This didn’t cost us anything extra at all – part of the reason why we chose to go with the buffet. Monday Meeting with Perla Let me start by saying that I am the most anal person I know. Before I left I had calculated more than 200 emails between Perla and I over the last 15 months. When we went for our site visit, I actually took Perla a binder with all the information, every question I had etc. and she answered all of them. We also took down two boxes of all our centrepieces – vases, candles and rocks and tea lights. About 5 days before the wedding, I sent her a 15 page document (see attached) setting out everything – seating, flowers, table arrangements etc. FI and I and our 4 witnesses met with Perla on Monday to sign the paperwork and have our blood taken. It was 15 minutes tops. Then FI and I sat down with Perla and Daniela went over every detail for the wedding day. I gave them two huge bins with everything from menu cards to place cards to table numbers, to sand ceremony vases etc. We also wrote our own vows and sand ceremony which I gave to Perla to give to the judge. The best decision I ever made was asking my BF to be my day of coordinator. I gave her a copy of everything I gave Perla and she was onsite the entire day of the wedding to make sure everything was exactly how I had asked. Keep in mind that, depending on the detail, they may start as early as 9:30 am (which they did for mine) and I didn’t want to worry myself or my MOH with the details. Rehearsal We had arranged with Perla to do a quick walk through at 3:30 pm the day before. This was just a 10 minute exercise for the parents and bridal party to see where they would be coming from etc. It certainly proved beneficial for the parents who were nervous about their grand entrances! Hair Salon I had visited the hair salon in September when we went down for our site visit and had a hair trial completed by Leticia. I will admit that I was not completely happy with my hair at the site visit but she followed the pic I gave her – I think I just wasn’t sure what I wanted. You are guaranteed to have Leticia as she is the only stylist. While she does not speak English, the spa staff are more than happy to translate and both my sister (MOH) and I were extremely happy with our hair. We had made appointments for 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00 am for my mom and sis and I and then my MIL was joining us at 11:00 as well. Apparently they had arranged for a second stylest to come from ME Cancun at 11:00 but that person never showed up which ended up being fine b/c my MIL has short hair and really only needed a wash and blow dry. I am glad we went as early as we did – there was no rushing – we just lounged and our photogs were coming and going taking pics which was great. Make sure you take pics of what you want to show her – they do have some books and my sis (MOH) actually picked her hairstyle from one of those. Fitness Great gym – I used it a couple of days as did DH and our guests – They also have an outdoor track and tennis and basketball courts. I did fine the gym slightly busy around 9:30 am and 5:00pm but the equipment is good and it does the job. Spa FI did a couples massage two nights before the wedding. What a great experience – we were supposed to go on the beach but it was quite cool and windy that night so we asked to be moved inside and that was no problem at all. They have a nice couples hot tub out back which we relaxed in before our massages. They were totally flexible about allowing our photogs in to take a couple “romantic†pictures which was amazing as well. You also get a spa credit with your room which we didn’t even know about so that was an added discount to the evening. Wedding Day The night before the wedding, FI had dinner with his family and I with mine and then we said goodbye to eachother. FI stayed with his bro and my sis with me. I had arranged the night before the wedding to have room service breakfast delivered to the room and my sis and mom and I enjoyed some fruit and pastries before heading over to the salon at 9:15am. We hung out there until about 12:00pm and then went back to the room to begin getting ready. A good friend of mine who was a guest at the wedding is also a MAC make-up artist so she volunteered to do all our make-up. We ordered room service and just chilled in our room with our photogs – I had my make-up done first so as to have some pics done outside while the others were getting ready. At least 3-4 times that afternoon – Perla or Daniela called the room to check in and see if there was anything we needed. When my bouquet arrived at 3:00 – the locket I had given Perla (as my something old) was not laced into the ribbon as I had asked. I called my BF and she went and found Perla. Within 10 minutes there was someone at my door – they took my bouquet and brought it back 5 minutes later with the locket – no questions asked. The guests were asked to arrive at 3:15 and we had given Perla a CD with music for the guests mingling, processional, signing etc. and she played all that perfectly. The boys and parents walked over around 3:20 and hid in the Mexican Restaurant. The cart came to get me and my MOH at about 3:30 and took us to the lobby where we took a few pics and made our way to the Mexican Restaurant (which leads out onto the Terrace and down the stairs). Perla and Daniela were very careful to ensure that FI and I did not see eachother and were both onsite all day with walkie talkies going back and forth on stuff. Daniela was positioned on the beach during the entire ceremony to make sure that no one walked by etc. Ceremony Was perfect. The judge was a female and the entire ceremony was performed in English. As previously mentioned, we wrote our own vows and Sand Ceremony and Perla had given this to her and she read it beautifully. We didn’t memorize our vows (I knew I would be too nervous) and she would read us line by line to repeat). They had the wireless microphone which was great – we had asked for that specifically. After the ceremony we went back up to the terrace for champagne (which they had tinted to my wedding colour to my surprise) and we did a toast with all the guests and mingled on the beach to do some pics. The bar was open from 4:15 – 5:15 while we continued to do pics and then appetizers came out at 5:30. Cocktail Hour We had arranged for 7 appetizers and open bar for an hour between 5:30 – 6:30. This was all set-up buffet style and apparently (since we didn’t get to try much as we were off around the resort doing pics) the food was amazing. We had also arranged for the mariachi trio but got the 7 person mariachi (which we ended up paying extra for!) and they were the best investment of the week – great music – great vibe – people were dancing – it was awesome! Dinner The set-up was to a tee exactly what I had asked for and Perla and her staff made all the centrepieces. I wll say bar none that the service and food that the Paradisus provided was above and beyond. The banquet captain (Victor) was our head table server and he was the pinnacle of professionalism and service. Each course was carefully chosen by Ben and I and lived up to every expectation. We had upgraded on the wine (per bottle fee) and while the wine we had asked for didn’t arrive for supplier reasons, they provided us an alternate without a hiccup. For dessert we had bananas flambay with rum and mixed nuts – a nice surprise that the dessert for FI and I was prepared table side by Victor and then when it was ready they brought out the guest desserts. I will also say that I was concerned with the privacy (being near the tequila grill area and the buffet) and Perla resolved this issue by hanging white tool/sheet materials draping on the windows and at the far end to give us some privacy. Memory Table As previously posted, FI's BF passed away in June and his wife and kids were at the wedding. In addition to donating to the trust fund for the kids, we also had a memory table with his pic and FI's grandparents pics.. Cake We had sent Perla two pictures, one with the style of cake and the other with the colours.The cake was amazing – exactly what we had asked for (tres leches) and tasted amazing. DJ Victor SWANK Another great choice. I had sent him our play and do no play lists weeks before and he stuck to them. I will say that FI and I do not enjoy “interactive DJs†– if you are looking for someone to involve your guests in activities and such then you may enjoy something a little different. I had sent Victor a Wedding Day Schedule before we left and asked him to announce guests to sit for dinner, first dance etc. and he followed it to a tee. We had also asked for a podium with a wireless mic for speeches and this was set up as well. For our first dance and mother/son, father/daughter dances we had given Victor the songs we wanted before and he had them downloaded for us – we also brought backups on CD just in case. For our first dance – we actually did a rock the reception type act and we had told him ahead of time what the two songs were and that was great too (one song he couldn’t get so we just brought it ourselves). Overall I really have nothing negative to say. The staff, DJ, Perla and Daniela worked extremely hard leading up to the wedding and during. Smiles the entire time – great service, and courteous to the fullest extent. All the service staff at the wedding knew my name and constantly brought me bottle water throughout the night without me even asking. Perla was there at midnight packing everything up – Damn that lady is a gem. Payment We were fortunate enough to have our families pay for the wedding costs so the morning of the wedding my BF rounded up the dads and they went with Perla to straighten out all the finances. There were a couple small in discrepancies but nothing major. Payment was made by credit card. Supplies On the Saturday (the day before we left) we went to go get our supplies etc. back from Perla and were told she had left for the day and than she had delivered everything to our room. Of course it was all there – packed up nicely – including FI’s “ceremony shirt†(he had two separate shirts for the ceremony and the reception) – my veil etc. and a nice note from Perla. Not one thing was missing or unaccounted for. SOoo… pictures and a full review of our photogs, Visual Cravings Photography to follow. I cannot do justice to how amazing they are without showing you some of their work.

The resort is awesome in terms of the information they can provide to guests regarding excursions. There is a concierge desk in the front lobby (totally separate from the front desk) where they will answer any question, get you prices, give directions, book a taxi etc.) When we were down for our site visit we needed directions etc. to Walmart and Costco and they were awesome. Our guests also used them to book day trips, babysitting etc. so I wouldn't worry about it at all. There really is so much to do and it's not your responsibility to tell your guests about everything!

You both look amazing! Great pics!

Thanks for all your compliments ladies! I am working on my review as we speak. My siggie pic was taken by my cousin - she is a great photog -still waiting on our professional pics. Yes the bouquet is real - I loved the way our flowers turned out! Bridesmaid dress is Jim Hjelm - My sis made a good choice!

We are back and everything was perfect! It was truly the best day and week of my life.. a few non pro pics.. there will be more to come (and a full review of course!)

I stole a couple pics from my cousin which I am going to post - still waiting on the 8000 from my photog though! Busy working away on my review! Quote: Originally Posted by Kat81 OMG Missy that siggy pic is amazing! Welcome back and Congrats! Do you have more pictures?

Steal away! We wanted a way to remember FI's Best Friend without making everyone cry and super depressed - and his wife and kids were there and they were touched by the pic (we had asked her first if the kids would be OK with it)

These are all great ideas! FI's best friend passed away six months before our wedding - we had a picture of him and FI's grandparents on our guestbook table with a plaque that said something to the effect of "On our wedding day, we think lovingly of those who hold a special place in our hearts"

I wore the same dress - and mine as well was cleaner after my TTD than it was the day after the wedding. Go for it!

Hi Trish! I would think it might depend on the size of the travel company you use. I might go with a well known, larger travel group cause there is a much less chance they will go out of business. Just my two cents for what it's worth. I wouldn't worry too much..

Our ceremony was at 3:30 - we had our own music that the hotel played and then we had a mariachi band from 5:30 - 6:30 - Our DJ played from 6:30 to 12:00 midnight and we probably could have gone later!

we just returned from our wedding at the Pardisus. My DH was born in Alberta and I here in Ontario. We were required to bring long versions of our birth certificates only and as set out above, have four witnesses sign the paperwork with us. Before we left we already had all our legal documentation from the judge to bring back with us.

Elisa has been gone since before the summer. Daniela is Perla's assistant - to be honest I always corresponded directly with Perla but both were around on my wedding day!

OLA Paradisus girls! We arrived home a few hours ago from Mexico. I will say bar none that not only was it the best week of my life - but the wedding day and every last detail was perfect! Perla and Daniela were absolutely phenomenal - every detail, every request, was perfect. I am of course working on a review (since I know how important it is!) - I will tell you though that you should feel so awesome about the resort you have picked - I was told again and again that it was th best wedding, best food, ceremony, music etc. which is so awesome to hear! Welcome aboard Julia and Ryan - I am working on the answers to the Qs you sent me which I will send you tomorrow. In terms of the package costs - what we found to be the cheapest was to work off of the wish package and add on what we wanted (b/c every change to an existing package had a cost) All the appetizer packages have one hour of open bar included and all the dinner packages include 3 hours of service including unlimited bar service. I am excited just thinking about what I will include in my review - we used DJ Victor SWANK and he was unbelievable - had us all cutting a rug into the wee hours of the night! Hopefully my review will answer questions but feel free to ask away!

Thanks ladies! We leave in 12 hours and I have zero stress.. just having a glass of wine and burning some tunes... FI is cleaning out the garage.. HAHA.. And yes.... as you can see.. Barney loves having his picture taken!

I don't think your crazy at all! A healthy and maintable weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week - even at a pound a week you are still 20ish weeks away from your goal so I think it's doablw!

Welcome! There is tons of great information here - good luck with your planning!

We leave in 12 hours.. just burning my CDs and visiting BDW.. 1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer wrap but bags are always easier 2. Real tree or Artificial? Real, we cut it down 3. When do you put up the tree? December 1 4. When do you take the tree down? First week in january 5 . Do you like eggnog? Yep. MIL's homemade is killer 6. Favorite gift received as a child? Atari 7. Hardest person to buy for? my sister 8. Easiest person to buy for? Ben 9. Do you have a nativity scene? NO 10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail 11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmm... bad jewellery 12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Grinch that Stole Christmas, Christmas Vacation 13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? end of Nov 14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No 15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? christmas cookies 16. Lights on the tree? Multi-colour 17. Favorite Christmas song? Love em all 18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Travel to see FI's family in Calgary and we go to my parents cottage 19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, dancer, prancer, vixen, comet, cupid, donner, blitzen, rudolph 20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel - we bought it at Disney World! 21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Stocking on Christmas Eve and gifts in the AM 22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Scrooges 23. What theme or color are you using? red and gold 24. Favorite for Christmas dinner. Lamb 25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Umm. nothing actually.

Congrats on the new house! Welcome back!

Awesome choices! Choosing a photog can be harder than choosing a husband! (just kidding!) Congrats on checking that off of your to do list!

I know for the centrepieces Perla is not charging us to set them up - that being said - my Best friend will be coordinating that the day of so I am sure she will be assisting in putting them together - not sure about the chair bows. In terms of the rates - when we booked (which was November 2007) I asked Perla for quotes on certain things right away - the DJ as an example, the mariachi trio, bouquets, lobster option for the dinner. If there are things that you have already decided on then I would get a price. With the lobster, she originally quoted me $18 pp but then 8 months later when we were reviewing costs she said $24 - when I called her on it I had to send her the email where she said $18 and she honoured that.. It wasn't so much that our deposit secured the rates.. it was that she quoted us prices in 2007... Does that help!?

Our prices have increased dramatically since we booked. We booked in 2007 so we were able to lock-in a lot of the 2007 prices but the 08 and 09 prices are certainly higher and I have had to constantly remind my WC that we booked in 2007 to get the lower rates..

Just received these today! Our e-session included our pup Barney! http://www.visualcravings.com/blog/2...bens-esession/