violethaze2b

Good luck with your planning! Don't let others disappointments worry you too much. Remember there are at least two sides to every story. I can see how I could have been more organized and diligent in my planning and just took for granted that the coordinator would have her shit together. It depends on the coordinator too. I think a good one will tell you what they can offer, ask questions, and give suggestions. Mine did none of those. All in all it was a beautiful experience that those around us keep talking about Planning can be fun, make the most of it! V

Hi JGGM, We did that exact same thing. Got married at the city court the week before our wedding in Mexico so that we didn't have to worry about legalities. No residency period, no blood tests, no paperwork Cheaper wedding. For the $50 we spent on the license and ceremony at home we saved at least a $300 on the Mexico part. I wanted to incorporate a Sand Ceremony but my wedding coordinator was a tool so I just did that myself at the reception. Good luck. Quote: Originally Posted by jggm Hi, I am pretty sure that we are going to get married here first and do a non legal ceremony in Mexico. Does anyone know if they still require you to be there a certain amount of time before the wedding? Also if anyone did do just a symbolic ceremony what did the minister do and did you add anything to the ceremony, like readings or a sand ceremony? Thanks for everyones help.

Awww, Thank You!!! I joke that the kids couldn't wait to give me away lol. My parents couldn't make it so my kids giving me away only made sense. Yup disappointed in the color of some pics because they kept telling me they were editing and here I have dark uncropped pics. Hopefully fixable for the photo book they make me. I did pick out the flowers once there. If you want something specific you can see if they can accomodate you but the flower availability is different there than from the US. I considered taking my own silk bouquet so that I could keep it but figured it would be more to pack and a dust collector after awhile. The resort just automatically puts down the petals Thank you on the hair My first ever updo. The salon was great. I got to meet the ladies when I decided to get a manicure so that was nice but I didn't opt for the trial. Just went in the morning of the wedding with a picture of what I wanted . . . which wasnt much different than some of the stuff they had in their books. I pulled out 50 hairpins that night lol. I wouldn't even bother with a trial, I was already so busy with stuff and trying to enjoy the resort that even trying to make it to the nail appointment was a drag. I had no info given to me on the ceremony. The gentleman performing the ceremony just did his bit, was a little humorous, and we got to say our I dos and have the kiss (3 times lol) and we were happy with that. We aren't very religious or formal so it worked for us. You can customize the way you want it from what i understand though. I picked out the cake once there yes . And they can make any flavor cake you can think of. I know this because they asked me and I couldn't think of a darned thing lol. I wound up with one layer lime (yum) and one layer vanilla for the groom. I can't remember upgrading so I am thinking I didn't. I just told her that I needed enough cake for my group If you have cake ideas you can send that too them to see if they can do it. The wedding coordinator can do lots for you. I even had her order flowers for the mothers in my group that were coming in to the resort with me that mothers day ) though she did forget to put cards in them. Good luck with your planning!! Try not to stress too much, don't make more work than there needs to be, and be Happy! If you have any other questions just ask V~* Quote: Originally Posted by Leslie-Xcaret09 Beautiful pictures! Your kids are adorable....i love how they walked you down the aisle! I would ask Cancun studios about the lighting because some of the pics are a bit dark and ya would think they could fix that! A couple questions... did you pick out the flowers that you wanted once you got there?? Did you bring the rose petals that are on the ground on the way to the gazebo or do they automatically do that or do you have to ask? Your hair looked great! How was it at the spa? Did you get to do a trial? Did they send you a copy of the ceremony before you got there? OK one more Did you pick out the cake once you got there? Did you upgrade it at all? Congratulations again on your beautiful wedding and thank you so much for sharing the pictures!

Got my professional photos link from Cancun Studios after just over a month. They are ok, they said they were doing editing and it really doesn't look like much editing was done since some pics are really dark. I raved about the customer service but I think its waning. Take a look John and Violet

I didn't get married at Secrets Capri but I went there for a few days after my wedding. They are off the charts excellent. You pull up, it looks fabulous, you walk in and wow, the ambience is spa like, relaxing, and very classy. The customer service . . . wow. Very nice, helpful, english speaking personnel. My room . . . I have never stayed in such an extravagant room. We had trouble getting through to room service but if that happens just call the front desk and they will patch you in no problems. The food was excellent! All the restaurants were great! Its a smaller resort so easy to get around. A great big roomy beach for lounging, swimming, walking. The pool was very nice. Saw two weddings there. One was a larger wedding on the beach with private reception poolside and the other was an intimate wedding with just the couple at the poolside gazebo. Both were lovely. The night life there isn't all that but they do have a daily 6pm shuttle to Playa del Carmen for some nice shopping and restaurants. Senor Frogs was way fun. Sorry I don't have pics but their website sums it up . Good luck!

I was just at Target and saw these bags. How bummed am I that they weren't out when I needed them!! lol Good luck with the oot bags!

Quote: Originally Posted by Diana Do you think the resort was too big? Did any of your guests have an issue with the size? I love the way the resort looks but my FI is concerned with the size. How long did it take you to get from your room to the beach, restaurants, etc? Sorry for all the questions.... It was a good size but not too big. There is a trolley as stated before that goes around in a loop so that can help with guests who tire easily. For the impatient walking isn't that bad and sometimes quicker. Anyone who has difficulty with stairs should have that stated so that they get a 1st floor room in the buildings without elevators. The size of the place came in handy when someone from the group needed some time to themselves too. We would still end up passing them or spotting them at another pool. We were in a building that was closer to the beach so that was a 5-7 minute walk and to the lobby/restaurants it was more like 10 minutes.

Aww, thank you for the compliments. I could have done without the stress there but I think if I had been more prepared it would have been avoidable. I probably could have even gone to the salon myself to make sure the timing would work out better with the ladies that actually do the hair and makeup and confirm my appointment and I probably could have made a welcome dinner reservation when I arrived as a back up in case. But I thought it was all taken care of I suppose. Good luck to you in your planning and future marriage! Quote: Originally Posted by Diana Thank you so much for the info... I am sorry that things didn't go exactly as you planned but it sounds like things went well. The pictures are great and you looked beautiful.

We went with the International Buffet. It wasn't super great but it was the best food I had had while there. My opinion on the food is a little skewed since hubby and I went to a much nicer resort after for the honeymoon portion. Secrets Capri was phenomenal. The food was much much better, the customer service was top notch, and very relaxing . . . no kids at that one. Love my darlings but needed a break for a few days

I like the RV idea but if you guys had a couple of friends/family help with the driving that would make it less stressful. Would be nice if you could hire someone to do the driving so you and daddy can kick back and care for baby Gwen between oogling the scenery and sites. Try to plan for overnight stops near enough to bigger towns so you have medical facilities close by. But I bet your girl will be strong and ready to roll Good luck!!!

My resort was 20 minutes from Playa del Carmen and we knew there was a Walmart there. We just hoped in a cab and told them we wanted to go to the Walmart. Took us right to the door, I think it was $12 and it was easy getting another cab on the way out. Good luck!!!

Welcome and good luck!

Hiya ladies Still been busy here with catching up at work and getting ready for our at home reception. I am not good at posting pics but will try. I was a pretty laid back bride but that may have worked against me. 1) When working with their planner . . . you can email with these people before you get there but keep your ducks in a row and take a list with all your key points/needs. I got there and the woman may as well have never talked to me before. There were a few things taken care of before my arriving but if it wasn't discussed at our face to face then she acted like we never talked about it before. 2) Maybe make this list in the form of an email to the coordinator a week before you arrive and just print it out and pack it in your purse or with your wedding items you are taking. 3) Know what you want . . . the Occidental doesn't really seem to follow a check list or form that they share with us. The woman just seemed to go along with whatever I brought up or asked about. She didn't ask questions or make suggestions to help along the process. She also didn't respond well to changes . . .ie: I asked for breakfast in bed to be rescheduled . . . I went hungry wedding morning and turned it away when it showed up the next day at the original time 4) I worked with Marialma in case you are wondering She fud up a few things. The resort. Wow, I was blown away once there. Not overly but it was my first time at such a place. It is big but if you have patience there is a 'train' that goes around the in a U shape to the key points of the resort. It just doens't necessarily show up every 10 minutes as stated. The rooms were nice, I liked the Jr suites with King beds. I didn't have one because I took kids but others did and I liked the size and space. The tile floors felt funky the first day but somehow that went away quickly so not a problem. Love love loved the showers. OMG, everyone raved about how good the showers felt because of the filtered water. Even when I hand washed items in the sink they were super clean. There is no room service. The couple getting married gets breakfast in bed but thats the only room service. I bet the Royal Club has room service, hmmmm. We loved the beach so we also were very fond of the buffet at the beach. If you like nature and open air eating its definitely the place to go. Food was ok. Took a little getting used to figuring out what to eat but I really liked the variety. The beach was plenty roomy and refreshing . . . the pools were a little warm for me but everyone absolutely enjoyed both. The fave pool of course was the one with the bar . Only one guy out of our group of 26 got sick but he ate at McDonalds on the way to resort lol, avoid this! Try to find out before you leave for the resort when your coordinator wants to meet with you! I found out when our meeting was . . . at the time of the meeting! Be very clear in your emails. I think some things got lost in translation and my sometimes quirky language. She didn't have a hair appt for me, she didn't have my welcome/rehearsal dinner reserved, she didn't have a bouquet for my flower girl, she messed up the breakfast in bed, and she overall didn't have a good sense of timing with the hair/makeup appointments, when the photographer was supposed to be starting, and all this in corelation with the ceremony time. Lost an hour of photography so if you are coordinated . . . please tell your coordinator when you think you want things done. I should have hounded that woman. I do have to say though that the ceremony went nicely and my reception lunch went great! We wanted a private reception and a dj and open air so we were at this area above the beach bar. It was a nice buffet, probably the best food I had had while there. Everyone really liked it. Even the next day at the beach random people commented on how they really liked having the music lol. It was hot. I would not recommend a heavy dress. I would not recommend a noon wedding. I would suggest your guests wear light clothing and no suits. I saw ball gowns and tuxes while there and I can't imagine that those people were very comfortable. I would do it all again and even at the same place. No one complained about the size of the place, everyone liked the activities, the night time had shows and bars. There were different stores to shop at. The xcaret park was ok but we went on the hottest day, ugh. The kids didn't really get into the kids club. I would say its cute for a group of kids from 3-5yrs old maybe or if you need to get them out of the sun for a bit. I went with Cancun Studios for photography and they had a store front right in the resort so it was nice getting to visit them. Still waiting on pics from them though but loved the service so far . Oh, there were no elevators in our building. We were third floor, great for the legs but tiring. Ok its late. So i will try to post some pics tomorrow. Let me know if you have any questions. WeddingPicsMay08.doc

Yay, congrats on your pending engagement!!

Congrats, glad you had fun! It looks like it was lovely!!

Excellent reminder Glenda! I have to say I have been to a few wedding forums and this is by far the best!! Now can we get you on the morning news once a week to give these reminders to the general public??!!! lol Keep up the great work!

You have lots of great stuff, I certainly wouldn't worry about getting anything else. Everyone will love it!

Very Cute, good job!

My kids did sand art at a fair and if you fill the container up completely and it gets compacted with a little tapping on the table and a cork to seal it, it should retain its design. I was going to do a smaller container for this reason. And even if it got blended . . . each grain perfectly blended into on whole fam.

Quote: Originally Posted by crawford2B I got my sand ceremony containers at Hobby Lobby. I also made my own flowers from there. i love that place. They are all glass. i just wraped them in paper and had them on my carry on. We were in Ocho Rios jamaica and on the way home I had it in my bidg purse carry on. i had a cork in it so the sand wouldn't come out and wraped in paper and a plastiv bag. it went thru the x-ray thing and they asked me what it was. i told them sand because we just got married. They didn't ask anything else. My husband has an 11 year old. This was a excellent way to involve him into our ceremony. Here are some pics of our wedding. There are sand cereomny pics in one of them. Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions. Slideshow of Wedding 1 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting Slideshow of wedding 2 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting I love the photos!!! thanks for sharing! I love the sand ceremony ideas to. Everyone is so creative. Might have to consider the photo frame one now

Lots of great ideas! Great thread! If I can get a bachelorette party going for myself I will use one of these fabulous ideas. My MOH seems to be super busy and pointed out her only 'availalbe' night is on a weekend I have with my kids. I share custody so I do not do the babysitter thing where I can avoid it. She also pointed out that she has to do a low budget night since she over spent at another bachelorette party recently. Doesn't that make me feel special. I may just go hang out at one of my future sister in laws house for a girls night in lol.

I got these clear luggage tags off of ebay for $11 and ordered business cards from Staples online which allowed me to customize what I wanted it to say for $13 so voilah! My save the date. I will have to download that picture one of these days. I tied on some pink ribbon and raffia and printed another insert to include the travel agents info. ebay tags $11, 25 Clear Vinyl Luggage Tags Book Bag Tags GYM BAGS TAG - eBay (item 310035365918 end time Apr-01-08 21:56:29 PDT) SavetheDate.doc

Wow, that stinks!I would be pissed for having compromised and changed the location and then the same person totally changing the plan altoghether at the new destination. Not cool. Good luck and try to have fun anyway. Any hopes of me getting a bachelorette party have been dashed so have fun in Vegas for me!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by SoontobeMrsE I know...but not with your name on them!! BOO-Hoo! Well - my MIL is the one who bought them and I'll just have her take them! HA! We are flying American. On our last flight on United I took a lighter in a checked bag and no one noticed. My FI also inadvertantly had a lighter in his pocket on a flight to Vegas and got it through. I'll let my MIL know and see what she says. If all else fails, we can just send them to the WC and have her hold them for us. If they get lost - it's not a lot of money to lose...we'll just have to ramsack the bars supply of matches - while were having margaritas!! Maybe they say no to matches in luggage because it will give a positive reading for explosives with the test they do at the airports and the dogs they use. Just my guess since matches have that bulb of flammable material they could potentially leave residue about. Lighters probably make it by because they are pretty well sealed. If you wanna try taking them I would keep them away from other things you pack until you have them sealed in a baggie or cello bags from the craft store just my thoughts

Thanks for the Kohls sale mention Will have to go check it out