aeroo

I had one of my close friends to do it. I wasn't keen on the idea at first, but thought about it a lot and changed my mind. It felt so special to have someone close marry us instead of a stranger. If you're worried your mom would cry, just give her your script well ahead of time so she can practice. Because I wrote our ceremony script and had read it a million times, I actually did not cry that much (I thought I would be bawling).

That's great! I love the pic in the background with the heart in the sand - perfect!

I've started volunteer dog walking at the SPCA and have been taking my grandma with me. She's not that active and has been gaining weight (which she needs to lose cuz she's pre-diabetes). She doesn't like to do things alone so doesn't take the initiative to do any hobbies or exercise. She only goes out if people take her out. Taking her with me every day is great exercise for all of us and gets her out of the house. Plus it takes some burden off my parents since they try to take her out somewhere almost every day. And we get to spend some time together since we never really did that before. Can't believe I didn't think of doing this sooner! Great thread - I love random acts of kindness!!

We just watched 'Sometimes in April' and I haven't seen such a good movie like that in awhile. It's about the genocide in Rwanda. It's totally different than Hotel Rwanda in that you actually get background on what sparked the crisis, and understand what went on there. Great acting, moving story, highly recommend!

Oooh, glad I came across this post! I might just go do the hike this weekend as the weather is supposed to be gorgeous. How long did it take you to get up there? Just wondering if it is better to go early in the morning or see if I can get away with starting at noon.

Have you decided on a date yet? If not, you may want to check out when low season is and plan it then. That's what we did. In the Riviera Maya, I believe low season is May, Sept, and Oct (but not 100% sure so don't quote me on that). If you go during winter, it's going to cost you way more. Have you checked out the Real Resorts chain? In Playa del Carmen, they have 3 sister resorts, the Real (4 star), Gran Porto Real (5 star), and the Royal (5 star luxury). You and your guests can stay at the Real and have the ceremony and dinner at one of the other two resorts (since they are nicer). The Real is very affordable. I just checked for a family rate for 2 adults and 2 kids, it costs $177 per night, all inclusive! That's only $885 for 5 nights. I don't know how much flights are, but if you book both flight and hotel through their website, you get a discount. If you do decide to do a DW, just remember that only a small percentage of guests you invite will actually make it, so try not to plan things too much around what your guests would like. I've read plenty of posts here of brides who planned their wedding on specific dates or chose specific resorts (ie. kid-friendly), only to have those guests cancelling out last minute, so they went through all that stress/planning for nothing. Not to be harsh, but you most likely will be disapointed with some of your close friends/family who you thought would for sure be there. We've all been there - sadly, it's part of a DW. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do!

Ooh, very nice set! They look great together. Lol, I know what you mean about wanting to wear the band right away. I wore mine for about a week after I first got it - I just didn't want to take it off!!

Great pics! Looks like you guys had a lot of fun. I looove your e-ring and wedding band. Do you have a picture of the two on your finger? Would love to see a closeup!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by MrsTorrence Wow, I'm so glad for all your responses! I can't wait to read all your reviews and see pictures. For those of you who are going with Suzanne, how far in advance did you guys do a trial run? And I looked at her prices and I didn't understand her prices for lashes. She charges $25 extra to apply fake eyelashes? Or $60 if she uses her own? And Aeroo, how do I see your inspiration pictures? You can't see the pics? They are in there with my post. Weird, I can see them fine on my computer.

OMG, I know what you mean! I got a trial run done here at home, and it turned out horribly! I was so worried about how it would turn out at the wedding. Fortunately, I absolutely looooved my makeup the day of. I could not have been happier - plus I was so relieved too. The makeup artist at the hotel did such an amazing job. I gave her two inspiration pics. I wanted something fresh and natural, but with a focus on the eyes. I brought my own fake lashes and glue. I got a tip from a makeup artist friend who told me to cut the fake lash in half and just glue them to the outer edges of the eye, which turned out beautifully (this I tried at home first). Here were my inspiration pics. I probably got them off this forum somewhere. ETA: Lol, I know the pics are not of Asian girls, but I couldn't find any that I liked.

Quote: Originally Posted by dcheung1111 Did anyone actually do the Star Crossed Lover's package? I really liked to idea that it included the 3 course meal for 20 guests and also a welcome cock-tail cruise. I wonder if it's cheaper to do the package or everything separately though. Some items in the package aren't really necessary for us.. like the limo transfer from airport. Also - how far in advance did you guys start planning out the details of the wedding.. ie.. floral arrangements, ceremony location, food..etc? My wedding isn't until next November.. but just want to get an idea of when would be a good time to start thinking about all of that. I actually didn't decide the floral arrangements or ceremony location until the day before the wedding when we met with Micaela, the WC! I didn't want to choose the ceremony location until I saw both of them myself. Anyways, even if you have already confirmed the location beforehand, you can always change it when you get there - they set up the day of, so it's not a big deal. As for the flowers, I sort of had an idea of what I wanted, but totally went a different direction when I saw some other flower arrangments in her office. For the food, they told us that we had to let them know at least a week in advance, but then we changed some options the day before when we met with Walter.

Quote: Originally Posted by Oscar_Ernie Thanks for the reassurance! aeroo, did you do a review of Gran Porto? I'm curious how it compares with The Royal. Yup, here is my wedding review http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t23916 From what I have heard, the weddings at both the Royal and Gran Porto sound pretty much the same. Ceremony and reception at the Gran Porto cost a bit less than the Royal though. Same WCs. Both had weddings almost every day when I was there. Gorgeous setups but I prefer the gazebo ceremonies to the beach ceremonies since the beach locations had less privacy.

Quote: Originally Posted by LouLou7 I got Micaela's OOO message too! I did contact Zulma (if you look at Micaela's signature the email is changed to zdominguez) and she reassured me that since we booked our wedding before the 'No Outside Vendor' policy that we would be fine. Yay! I have read several times that there is an additional cost for the chair bows/ribbons and table overlays. Does anyone happen to know how much they charge? Also, what is the cost difference per guest between the plated and buffet style dinners? Thx! Lindsay We had the standard setup with the white chair covers and bows plus white tablecloth, which was all included in the price. If you want anything more than that, I'm not sure how much it costs. I saw some brides bringing their own coloured chair bows and table overlays for the WC to set up. I don't think that cost them anything but I'm not 100% sure. The per guest cost for the plated and buffet are the same, unless they changed it from when I got the info early this year.

Yup, our WC, Micaela, seemed to handle everything from getting me in my room, sending people down the aisle, getting the centerpiece to the reception, setting up the decor, etc. I pretty much did not see her after I walked down the aisle though! But everything seemed to work out fine and everything seemed pretty organized.

We saved saved saved! We decided not to spend more than $XXX and stuck to it. In fact, ended up spending less than we had anticipated. I didn't have my dream dress (although I loooved the dress I bought) and didn't have that many flowers, but it was worth it to not be in any debt and not use up all our savings. We still had an amazing wedding and didn't feel like we deprived ourselves of anything. I think just the fact that you're having a DW makes it feel like a million dollar wedding because the beach backdrop is priceless. Surprisingly, there are many ways to save money here and there. For example, I bought a bridesmaid's dress in ivory, which cost $200. There's no way I could have bought a bridal dress for that amount! I was surprised at how many bridesmaid's dresses had trains too. Also got a second dress from ebay for $40. I got my invitations and thank you cards from Vistaprint (thank you cards ended up being free due to a promotion!). I got my shoes on sale for less than $30. Veil from ebay for $20. Ummm, what else....FI wore a suit he had just bought for work. I avoided buying anything (aside from dress) from a bridal or wedding store, where the markups are quite high. Ebay was my best friend. Instead of DJ we put our music on our laptop and hooked it up to the sound system. Oh yea, and we chose to get married in low season, when accomodation was the cheapest. I'm sure there were other areas as well, I can't think of, but it's definately possible to not break the bank while having an incredible (and debt free) wedding. Honeymoon fund sounds like a great idea too! If you're having trouble saving the money, the easiest thing to do is open an account just for your wedding and have a certain amount put in to it as soon as you get each paycheck. That way, you don't even see the money and can't spend it. ING has a pretty good interest rate and they do automatic withdrawals from your bank account. You may need to cut back in other areas of daily life, such as clothes, entertainment, coffees, etc (it's the little things that add up), but it is worth it to not go into debt! If you're motivated enough to stick to a plan, then anything is possible. Good luck!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Oscar_Ernie So, I think I've seen this, but not 100% positive. We're really hoping for a beach ceremony, but do we have to have the white table? Are there important things that need a place to sit while we exchange our vows? I'm just not overly fond of the white table...blocks more of the view! lol The table is where they put the flower centerpiece and where you sign the legal papers. We also put our rings on it before we did the ring exchange. Oh yea and I guess you would use that if you have a sand ceremony. If you don't want or need the table, just let the WC know before the ceremony and she'll make sure it's not there.

totally adorable! great job on the shots! what lens are you using?

Quote: Originally Posted by bridetobe22 Just wanted to let you know I emailed Micaela a while back and asked what is the standard set up in a beach reception. She specifically said under table lighting is included and I was so excited. I know no flowers are included in for the tables, but they do provide votives and tiki torches around the reception site. Hope this helps a little! OH yea and the standard centerpieces are hurricane candles. If you don't want to spend too much $$ on centerpieces, having the hurricane candles with some rose petals scattered around would look really pretty, but if it's windy, they might blow away.

Quote: Originally Posted by Shay2679 That is really gorgeous! I'm still waiting to hear back from Micaela about whether or not the hotel can provide us with some tiki torches or strung lights for a reception on the beach. We're having a big AHR when we get back, so we're opting for the beach...simply for...something completely different (not that the garden wouldn't be different also, but the beach is really what its all about for us)... I LOVE your ideas...I hope they are able to work something out for you to capture that beauty. Shay, I saw a few receptions on the beach while I was there and they all had tiki torches. I can't remember if they had strung lights or not, but they had those under table lights which makes the whole area look really nice at night since everything just glows. Plus they had little portable lights around and I think special lighting for the dance floor. I'm pretty sure this is the basic set up since I saw it a few times but it looks just gorgeous. Remember, they are really experienced with all the weddings that they do, so they really know how to make the place look amazing. This is one area I wouldn't worry about. If I had to do it again, I'd leave the decor up to them! They seemed to have a gorgeous setup for every reception I saw there. If you have a beach reception, you will have beach chairs pretty much surrounding the reception area, but by that time no one is really sitting out there anyways.

We had 2 of our friends do it.

I got mine from an ebay store for less than $20 and I was very happy with it!

It sounds like you should start saving the money now, rather than later. If you start putting away $250 per month, then you'll have $3000 in 12 months. If each of you put away $75 per paycheck (assuming you get paid every 2 weeks), then it should work out okay. At least once you start saving the money, you'll have more options than if you leave it to the last minute and have nothing saved up.

I got this for our ceremony and now we use it as our ring holder. Every time I see it, it reminds me of our wedding day. I love it!

Quote: Originally Posted by aeroo The Real is a 4 star in Playa del Carmen and it's about $135 per night, all inclusive. Although the resort is not located on the beach, they do have a beach club with shuttles going there every 15 mins or so; otherwise it's a 10 minute walk. You can get food and drinks (included) at the beach club, so you won't be starving if you hang out all day on the beach. You can choose to have the ceremony and reception at their sister hotels, Grand Porto Real or The Royal (both in PDC). Official Web Site - Real Playa del Carmen Hotel, Playa del Carmen That price is for 2 people, so $70 per person per night, all inclusive - very affordable!

The Real is a 4 star in Playa del Carmen and it's about $135 per night, all inclusive. Although the resort is not located on the beach, they do have a beach club with shuttles going there every 15 mins or so; otherwise it's a 10 minute walk. You can get food and drinks (included) at the beach club, so you won't be starving if you hang out all day on the beach. You can choose to have the ceremony and reception at their sister hotels, Grand Porto Real or The Royal (both in PDC). Official Web Site - Real Playa del Carmen Hotel, Playa del Carmen