nylalany

And just to give perspective, I normally wear a size 2 at most (US designer) in formal dresses, but was told I'd be a size 8 (UK designer), so really doesn't reflect normal sizes at all. Totally off and you should simply love the dress and the fit.

Did you get this list from your TA or the WC at the resort? If I'm not getting married there but I do plan on having a group there (and maybe having a rehearsal dinner there) would the WC also provide the room preference list.arrival date/group list? Or was it the resort reservations people? Did you deal directly with them?

Any recommendations for stores with a very large selection of dresses? Do I really have to drive an hour or more to Orange County to go to Mon Amie and The White Dress and if so, are they worth it? Also, any recs on where to find Jenny Packham besides RMine Bridal in the Valley? Thanks!

I tried on some dresses and am very confused. I love Jenny Packham's Papillion, but feel like it is too fancy for a beach wedding. It is the most me, though I'm not sure if it is the most flattering. I also like Carmen and Cleo. I tried a Vera Wang dress which was oddly less pricey than Jenny Packham and is kind of a similar cut to Papillion, but more classic old fashioned sweet garden dress feeling. My mom and sis love it the most. Then I tried Amy Michelson's Gold Rush and White Chocolate, which are probably the most beachish and the backs are amazing (and look good on me) - if I could get a combo of the 2. Problem is none of the dresses are at the same store. Only some allow you to take photos and others don't since they think people will copy the designs. I just want to look at me in the designs at home! None were absolutely perfect on. There is always some problem!! How do people just find the perfect dress?

My concern is that the point of having a destination wedding for me is to have a vacation with all my loved ones, and that won't really happen if they stay on the Caribe side - it is quite far and those folks can't use all the restaurants of the Tropical/Colonial side, etc. So...I don't know. I wish I found a smaller resort.

I viisted St. Lucia with a friend about 4 years ago and the island is gorgeous. While we got some deal at a Rex resort on the north of the island, we rented a jeep and drove south one day and stopped at Anse Chastenet. Although it is better suited for a romantic couple, we both fell in love with the place and decided to pay to stay the night so that we could enjoy the beach and avoid driving back at night. The resort went out of their way to find me some contact lens solutions to make this possible. It is very rustic elegant - at the time that I was there there was no pool or anything, but the views and rooms were really charming and unique - great for a romantic vacation. I believe there are some other places like that down in that area too. The next day we went jungle biking, which was 5 minutes away from there, if you are an active couple.

Tonight? You have places that are open late? I have 2 appointments tomorrow to try dresses on - with the hopes that I find something in case I really do get married in May, as everyone tells me that isn't enough time to get a dress...so I'll wish us both luck . It is fun and then they put a veil on you and you realize - wow, I'm getting married?

I'm debating btwn Grand Sunset Princess / Grand Riviera Princess and Barcelo Maya Palace for my guests' lodging for my wedding (with my wedding offsite), and I don't have a TA. Telling all my guests to go through AppleVacations or Funjet or Travelocity or something seems scary considering I don't know how many rooms are actually available in the quantity I need for my dates. Does anyone recommend their TA highly? The one I almost worked with I had met on Tripadvisor and apparently someone reported her to the Better Business Bureau (I was wondering why she hadn't written me back in a while) and thus I am definitely in need of a referral to someone good! Thanks!

MelissaH - Do you have a small group of guests going? I have people coming from different cities and for different amounts of times too, but I think I have a bunch from each, so maybe the TA can still get group room rates. I'm surprised your TA couldn't just get group room rates w/o the flights? Did she still help organize the travel at all? Would you recommend her? I don't have a TA and I need one!

When you book groups at the Barcelo resorts, do they offer a group rate? I'm considering the Barcelo Maya Palace that is opening up b/c it is about a 5 minute drive from where I want to get married, and the beach at Barcelo is definitely the best, but I wanted everyone to stay at the Palace b/c the complex is so big - thus I'm hoping for group rates.

Congratulations - I can't wait to see photos and hear all about it!

Oh I just realized his is Lubavitch which is pretty Orthodox so no point in asking .

Not sure why my post was reposted . You think believing in another faith that may eventually interfere is better than just taking a step back from religion in general? Hmm. I would have thought the opposite, but maybe I'll just keep the email simple!

You probably don't have any idea, but do you happen to know if he'd be willing to perform an interfaith marriage if the bride is Jewish, the groom is atheist and not willing to convert, but the couple is going to raise the children Jewish?

You probably don't have any idea, but do you happen to know if he'd be willing to perform an interfaith marriage if the bride is Jewish, the groom is atheist and not willing to convert, but the couple is going to raise the children Jewish?

Thank you all. I may have to move my wedding to November due to family reasons and since the place I wanted to have it in Riviera Maya is not sure if the lease will be renewed, I'm consider just completely switching to Cabo. Ocean swimming and good food are very important to me, as is pretty design. And I need to have a beach ceremony and beach front or ocean view reception - do you all have recs on this? Should I have cocktails on the beach and reception in an ocean view area? What are those areas like? I was originally thinking of an AI since I have so many guests (100?) but the Hilton gets such great reviews and I like that all the rooms have ocean views...but the menus are so pricey!! Same as LA if not worse in some cases! My future inlaws will do a rehearsal dinner, and my parents will pay for a wedding + 1 more thing - either welcome cocktails or day after brunch - would the cocktails be the cheaper way to go? Did any of you negotiate on the menus and pricing? Or are there 2 cheaper things we can somehow manage to do, like cocktails w/apps and one activity? I was thinking of organizing a surfing outing, maybe my FI and I could pay for it, but I'm not sure b/c it seems really expensive. Maybe a snorkeling outing would be cheaper, and the surfing could be optional. I don't know. So much to think about and I haven't even been to Cabo! Maybe I should stick to Riviera Maya...

I agree with you. It is supposed to open next week so hopefully you can read some reviews once it does. But I'm thinking of a May wedding too (yes we're both last minute!) and to be honest, the WC didn't seem to know much about anything as of yet. I'm also thinking of waiting until November, and I assume more of the plants will be grown in by then, but seriously, it is really nice already. I'm debating having my guests lodge there and having some sort of welcome cocktails and rehearsal dinner there, but having my wedding off property at a little beach restaurant I fell in love with that specializes in weddings. Of course, that means renting vans to shuttle people and dealing with parents complaining about having to leave early to take their kids back, etc. which is definitely an issue...

As mentioned on another thread, here are photos I took during my self-guided tour of the resort. Keep in mind, it is not open yet, and also, somehow, it was prettier in person than in the photos. I was actually very impressed and thought it was the prettiest of the mega resorts I saw down there (mega resort being resorts with 1000+ rooms). Picasa Web Albums - Sarah - Grand Sunset ...

Here are photos I took during my self-guided tour of the resort. Keep in mind, it is not open yet, and also, somehow, it was prettier in person than in the photos. I was actually very impressed and thought it was the prettiest of the mega resorts I saw down there (mega resort being resorts with 1000+ rooms). It is a long walk to the beach from the lobby, but it seems like that is true of most of the big resorts. Picasa Web Albums - Sarah - Grand Sunset ...

Hilton Cabo brides, I've read that you can swim in the ocean at the Hilton but I'm wondering if that was actually true for you guys. When you went on your site visit or when you stayed at the Hilton for your wedding, was the ocean safe for swimming? I'm debating switching my location from Riviera Maya to Cabo b/c I might have to move my wedding date and Cabo offers less chance of rain in rainy months, and the option of surfing, which is great for my FI and me, but having an ocean that my guests and I can swim in is very very important to me. Also, for those of you with weddings in May - October, could you please comment on the ocean and the weather in general during the month you were married (or during which you visited)? THANKS!!

Didn't make a final decision sadly. I wish I could take the service, restaurants, and architecture of Azul Beach, the resort size and pool of Paradisus, add in a little of the rustic feel of Xpu Ha Palace, and put it on the beach of Barcelo. Ha. In my dreams, yes? So for added drama, my future bro-in-law's gf found out she is pregnant and due 5 days before I was planning on getting married. But since I didn't send STDs yet, in theory I could move the wedding from May to Nov. But I really wanted the extra light of May, and I didn't want to wait forever as I too want a baby (and I'm 12 years older than her, so it might not be so easy). The gf doesn't want to ruin my wedding but I don't want to be rude either... So I'm trying to decide btwn May: Wedding at Al Cielo, guests at Grand Sunset/Riviera Princess. Wedding at Al Cielo, guests at the new Barcelo Palace. Weddng & guests at Paradisus. Wedding at Al Cielo, find other lodging? November: Wedding & guests at the new Azul View if it opens on time. One of the aforementioned options, with the hope that Al Cielo's lease gets renewed. Look into Isla Mujeres or Cozumel? Or sometime in July or maybe September in Cabo or Los Angeles - back to the drawing board...

duplicate sorry

Wow they were great and so fun to watch - great for the guests!! Does anyone know what dress she is wearing? I like it - maybe I like it because she happens to be pretty and look good in it, but I figured maybe I should try to find out and try it on?

Barcelo Maya Tropical - We stayed here b/c we knew my cousin's family was there and it seemed like a good a place at any to stop at this point, considering it was 9pm on our last night and I was suffering from low sugar levels or something. The rate we got was more than what we paid at Paradisus, so that might influence my opinion of the place a bit. Room - Our first room smelled like bathroom so we had to go back to the front desk to request another room. Meanwhile, I was about to faint, so we went to the buffet where we ran into my cousin. That made our decision to stop worth it! Food - personally, I did not like the buffet food. I had a hard time finding food to eat (I eat fish but no shellfish and am otherwise vegetarian and I tend to eat on the healthy side). What I did find wasn't very good. The same was true in the morning. The food didn't have much taste, there were no vegetables to be found, and breakfast just wasn't very good. This is my view point, based on my tastebuds as well as comparison to Paradisus, Sirenis, and Al Cielo. However, my cousin raved about the buffet, so to each their own. I just want to emphasize that taste is personal as evident from my cousin and everyone he was traveling with loving the buffet. But it would be hard for me to be happy with food I don't like all week. Room 2 - The second room we got smelled like air freshener, which although not great, was an improvement. The room was fine, not great design, but big enough. The shower had great water pressure. We got slippers but no robes (got both at the other resorts). The balcony furniture was plastic. There was a really really loud machine noise that kept me up half the night, but I felt like I couldn't ask to move the room again at that point, for one night. The bed was soft, unlike the other hotels, but actually I slept better the previous nights on the harder beds. Room Service - IS NOT INCLUDED (unlike the other hotels). Grounds - The place is huge but it wasn't that far to walk to the beach, gym, or nearest buffet restaurant once you figured out your way around. The design was nice enough, not my style really, and a little too Disney for me, but I think other people thought it was beautiful. Nice covered open walkways through landscaped grounds and the room buildings had fountains where the walkways came through. Pools - Huge, with covered bridges, water slides, and the like. Gym - Was in an open air palapa. The fans kept me cool but it was November. Not sure what it would be like in summer. It was actually full, unlike the other resorts gyms I went to. BEACH - Barcelo's beach is what everyone raves about on tripadvisor and I have to agree with them. Unlike all the other beaches I saw on my trip (and please note, I didn't not see Dreams or Hotel Akumal Caribe beach b/c it was night), the water here was clear and what I would expect from the Caribbean. The colors were a beautiful range of blues and blue-greens and with some (dead?) coral and rocks in the water giving it character. Some areas had waves but not all, and you could still basically see through the waves to see where you were stepping to try to avoid the rocks. Water shoes are advisable though. The sand was nice, but not as nice as at Paradisus (which was poweder white), and the beach was big. The beach did not have any palapas on it, which is a frequent complaint and definitely a strike against it but I guess Barcelo gets away with no palapas and bad food because the ocean is the best in Riviera Maya? Plenty of BEAUTIFUL beach spots for a wedding!!! Guests - There were more guests here than at any of the other resorts and they were friendly and all seemed happy. Other notes - We walked to the end to see Xpu Ha Palace which is in dire need of repairs and lacks a beach entirely, which is too bad b/c the style of the rooms - upscale cabanas on stilts, would be something I'd love to offer my guests - something different and beachy but not too rustic. We also peeked at the new Barcelo Maya Palace and the design there seemed a bit more tasteful and elegant than the Tropical, but similar in feel. The pool looked pretty with poolside beds. The furniture on the balconies were wicker instead of plastic. The part nearest to the beach has some weird design with domes - maybe attempting to be Moorish? The beach is similar to the rest of Barcelo's beach, which is nice. I think they are planning on offering beach service at the new resort, which is also nice.

Hotel Akumal Caribe - It is known for a great restaurant - Lol Ha, and a great beach. We stopped by at night just to see and the rooms were very reasonably priced, but the king bed was very short and my FI family has some very tall family members. The room was simple and beachy in feel, with Mexican/Caribe influence in tile work. It was their only available room and it was next to the restaurant generator, which was really loud, so we left. Also, although the place was beachy and small and cute, it wasn't upscale enough to please mother, who has a lot of relatives that will be coming, so that influenced our decision to leave. Unfortunately, we did not see the Akumal Bay Beach, which is supposedly really nice, as it was night. Also note there were little markets in walking distance from the hotel.