bridetobe22

Cancun Wedding Videos | Mayan Riviera Wedding Videographer | Mike Cantarell Here is a link to the highlights portion of our video from Cancun Wedding Videos. It is the best money we spent at the wedding. I highly recommend these guys! Mike Cantarell and his team do an AMAZING job. Jerry is the guy who did ours and it was PERFECT!

Hi everyone- I hope your wedding planning is going well. I just wanted to let you know that our 'highlights' portion of our wedding video is online. Our video from Cancun Wedding Video is our favorite part of our wedding. We HIGHLY recommend using these guys. Here is the link. Enjoy! Cancun Wedding Videos | Mayan Riviera Wedding Videographer | Mike Cantarell Katy

Thank you everyone for your kind comments! All the best to all of you in your planning.

Quote: Originally Posted by JLC That looks great! Everything turned out gorgeous! Where did you get the heart for the sand? I love it!!! I want to do something like that for sure ) I got the sand ceremony from Ebay...search for sand ceremony and you will see them!

Hi everyone- I just want to thank you all for your kind words about the loss of our puppy. He was really like our child and for it to happen so suddenly one week after we got home from PDC has been really tough. Anyway, thank you again for your thoughts! I am trying to get back into the swing of things and just replied to the PMs you all sent. Please let me know if I can help you out in any way. My biggest advice is when you meet with your WC, be very specific in what you want. Bring pictures, write out all the details, etc. I know you have all worked so hard in your planning and it is so important that all of your ideas get conveyed to the WCs. They are very willing to accomodate you, but you just have to let them know what you want. Good luck! Katy

Hi- We just got back from our wedding in PDC and Carlos and DJ Mannia are fabulous! Honestly, we could not have asked for anything better. From the moment we started emailing to the very end, he was perfect. His prompt responses, his professionalism, his desire to please his customer, his amazing equipment, his flexibility (moving from outside to inside during the rain).....I could go on and on. All I can say is that if you are looking for the perfect DJ....Carlos is your man!

Hi everyone- We are back and all I can say is that it was a fairytale. I just did my wedding review...here is the link. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t33274 Thank you to everyone for your well wished while we were gone. Please PM me if you have any specific questions. I'm sure you've seen our little puppy Bentley, in my picture...well he died suddently this week and I can't tell you the overwhelming grief we are feeling. Writing this review is the first productive thing I've done in two days. I may be a little slow getting back to you for a few days and I probably won't be checking this site too often, but I will get back to it eventually. They say time heals, but we feel like we lost our child. I am so thankful Steve and I have each other. In the end, after all the wedding festivities, it is the marriage that is the most important part! All the best, Katy

(Continued from previous post) DJ- DJ Mannia, Carlos AMAZING!!! He was so fantastic. You should absolutely book him!!!!!!!!!!!! He played everything we asked and was open to guests requests….just perfect! He was awesome. Can't say enough great things about him. In the pic below, you can see the balloons he hands out...so fun. You'll also see I changed into my mom's wedding dress from 1969! Saturday brunch, Spice 10am. – This was so fun for everyone to get together the morning after the wedding. Just go early and they will move tables together for you. Again, a no cost option for you and a fun event for the guests. Trash the Dress - We did this a few days after the wedding and these are just the teaser pics, Cecilia sent us. Can't wait to see all of them. I got this dress to simulate my real dress from Ebay. Vendors not yet reviewed: Photography- Cecilia Dumas. AMAZING!!! We love our pictures. Have a look and decide for yourselves! She is a doll and so fantastic to work with. Couldn’t have asked for better! FABULOUS!!!! Videography- Cancun Wedding Video, Jerry was great! He was so easy to work with and worked fantastically with Cecilia. He was so accommodating and unobtrusive. I can’t wait to see the video. I hope it will be wonderful and feel sure it will. Ajua Weddings- guitar and mariachi. I worked with Stephanie who made everything very easy and I know we saved money booking the musicians through them rather than going directly thru the Royal. The guitarist played about 20 min while the guests were arriving in the reception and then played ‘Cannon in D’ as the mothers were seated, ‘You are the Sunshine of my Life’ as the groom entered and ‘Over the Rainbow’ as I walked down the aisle. The mariachi was supposed to play as we walked back down the aisle after they pronounced us husband and wife, but they weren’t there?!?! So the guitarist played and the mariachi came walking up about 5 min. later as we were all doing a champagne toast. It was perfect. They played for 45 min. during the cocktail hour. Lounge Furniture and Chair Rental – Cancun Events and Weddings- Well, I think this was probably a waste of money since our reception had to be moved inside. It would have been worth it on the beach though. Royal Wedding Coordinator, Micaela- As you fellow Royal brides know, communication prior to arriving at the Royal was slim, but once we got there we had her full attention. Micaela worked so hard to make sure all the little details were perfect and they were! She was a pleasure to work with. Veronica’s Massage- This is in downtown Playa and myself and many of the guests had massages while we were there…..only $30 for one hour and they are better than many of the $100+ massages I have had in the US!! Can’t beat it! Please PM me if you have any questions. Many thanks to you all and all the best to each of you as you plan your special day! Katy (BridetoBe22)

(Continued from previous post) Here are more of the pics we took on the beach while the guests were enjoying the cocktail hour. 6:00-10:30pm - Reception was all set up on the beach behind the gazebo and looked lovely….but it rained for about 30 min. at the end of the cocktail reception and everything had to be moved inside. I was really upset at first as we were really excited for an outdoor reception, but honestly I don’t think it could have been any more fun or more lovely as it was in the ballroom. The guests were outside for the wedding, cocktails, and we had drinks at the lobby bar as they were setting up the ballroom, so there was a lot of 'movement'...but felt very natural. It was perfect! The food at the reception was the best we had while we were at the Royal. We did a buffet style to promote conversation. Highly recommend the Tres Leches cake. Some said it was the best wedding cake they had ever had! Yummy. They made the centerpieces just as I had asked. Continued in next post.....

(Continued from previous post) Wedding, 4pm. – Wedding in Gazebo. I loved the gazebo. It was ‘semiprivate’ and I thought decorated so pretty. The WCs had no problem hanging all the paper lanterns for us. I had given them specific details on the bouquet and centerpiece and I loved the way they turned out. I am also so glad I brought the aisle runner and sand ceremony. 4:30-5:30pm- Cocktail reception with horderves in the garden in front of the gazebo (guests said the food was great). Mariachi played for 45 min and then they played a CD we had given them. This is where the guests picked up their name cards for the reception. In the pic below, you can see the cocktail tables set up in the background. During the cocktail reception (we chose the menu when we arrived at the Royal the day before) Steve and I took pics on the beach and around the resort. We didn't actually participate in the cocktail hour, but the guests loved it. More in next post......

I can’t believe it is time for me to do my wedding review. We got married on Friday Nov. 21, 2008 at the Royal in PDC. We had 31 of our friends and family join us for the event. It was the best day of our lives! My wish is that all of you will have the same glorious time at your wedding. Please PM me if you have any questions or want any additional information. Here is a link to my planning thread for more details: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t31915 Royal Overview: Highly recommend. Perfect location which made the trip most enjoyable for the guests and for us too. The fact that it is steps away from downtown PDC is awesome. It is an adorable little town. The Royal beach is big and beautiful, although the WCs told me that the beach size changes month to month due to the tides. Service is amazing, rooms are spacious and lovely, pools are divine. Wedding accommodations are great. The food was good. Some really good, some average, some ok. Spice is the buffet….always great for breakfast (my favorite meal) and lunch. Dinner options are Asiana (just ok), Pellicanos (outdoor…nice ambiance, ok food), Maria Marie’s (need reservation but the best food in our opinion), Chef’s Plate (need reservation and a prix fix menu, but very good), and also a Tapas restaurant that we didn’t try. We ate at the Italian restaurant and Mexican restaurant at the Gran Porto and they were ok. We had an ocean view room and did not get the upgrade based on availability. We loved our room. 297. Some guests who had rooms on the ground floor that opened to the pool area were really cool too. Wedding Events: Guests arrived on Thursday afternoon. Thursday night- Welcome cocktails at Lobby Bar at 9pm. This was awesome and I highly recommend everyone do it as it is just a great way for all the guests to meet each other and get to know each other better. It’s free for us. As it turns out, about half of our guests all met up for dinner at Pellicano’s before which was fun. Friday, 11:30am, Went to salon to have hair styled by Jesu. I loved it and it looked even better than the picture I showed her. I did my own makeup. I do highly recommend a trial run, which we did the day before. 2:00pm – Photographer (Cecilia Dumas-yay!) and (Cancun Wedding Videos, Jerry-YAY) arrived to take pics of me in the room getting ready. 2:45-3:00 - Steve and I walked around town with Jerry and Cecilia getting pics made. It was so fun and some of my favorite pics are from here. I would highly recommend making time for this in your wedding day. More in next post.......

We aren't having a Rehearsal Dinner but we are having a 'Welcome Cocktail Party' the night before. I spoke to some previous brides and they suggested to do it in the lobby bar. The bar looks really big and cool, with couches, beds for conversing, lots of tables and chairs. I made up custom drink menus that we will put on the tables and the featured drinks follow the theme of Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. In the OOT bags we did a list of 'Who's Who' at the wedding so I hope people will read this to learn a little about each person so that it will be a good conversation starter at the cocktail party. This is a really simple and affordable way to have a special gathering for your guests when they arrive. We are also doing a brunch the morning after the wedding in Spice. I am just hoping to pull some tables together. Again, just a way to get everyone together and say thank you and reminisce about the night before. I'll let you know how it all works out.

Quote: Originally Posted by Marianna Hello Katy!!! First of all everything looks beautiful! I love the colors and your logo. I cant wait to see your pictures and read your review. I am getting married at the Royal in May as well. Its pretty funny but we will be using the same photographer, dj, and the company for the lounge area! I would love to hear all about them. Are you getting your flowers done straight thru the hotel? And if you dont mind sharing how much extra did they charge you for the chairs? I hope you have a great time and can't wait to hear all about it! Hi Marianna- I will definitely fill you in on everything about the Royal when I get back! Events and Weddings is charging me $9.50/ea for the chairs. Yes, I am doing my flowers through the Royal. Since some were included in our package, I figured it would be the most cost effective option, but I really didn't research it too much. I just can't wait to get there! Thanks for your kind words. Katy

Hi everyone- I just posted my planning thread and thought that since you are all Royal Brides you might want to take a look. Please let me know if you have any questions. I have to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all the past Royal brides for everything. Your help is so much appreciated. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...915#post597100 We leave in 10 days. I hope that everything turns out just as planned and that when I return will have many more insights to help out the future brides. All the best- Katy

OOT bags will be waiting in each guests’ room when they arrive. They were purchased from Target. We printed welcome cards with a personalized note inside. We will also be including a ‘Who’s Who’ at the wedding list in each bag so everyone will get an idea of who the fellow guests will be. 1 month prior to the wedding we sent the ‘Pre-Wedding Letter’ and the luggage tags. Template is attached. TTD dress (on model…not me!) I got this from ebay and it looks SO much like my real dress. Our photographer is Cecilia Dumas, Wedding photography | Cecilia Dumas, Cancun y Riviera Maya | Imagenes de Bodas and our Videographer is Mike Cantarell, Cancun Wedding Videos | Mayan Riviera Wedding Videographer | Miguel Cantarell - Home Thanks again to everyone! preweddingletterfinal9.10.doc

Handbag from Ebay. Flip Flops from Etsy seller weddingsandsuch Guestbook from Welcome to the Guestbook Store! Wedding Guestbooks! Our ceremony flow, vows, ring exchange, sand ceremony, etc. is attached. Music for the ceremony will be a solo guitarist hired through Ajua Weddings. Destination Weddings and Wedding Planning Services in Playa del Carmen He will play 20 min. prior to the start of the ceremony. When the Mother’s are seated he will play ‘Cannon in D’ and then will sing and play ‘Ava Maria’. He will play 'You are the Sunshine of my Life' - by Stevie Wonder when groom walks down the aisle and then play ‘Over the Rainbow’ when I walk down the aisle. At the end of the ceremony a mariachi band will play as soon as we are pronounced husband and wife. Mariachi band was also hired from Ajua Weddings. Using them for the music saved money as compared to going directly through the resort. The cocktail hour will be in the garden area. We will make a CD of music to play once the mariachi band finishes their 45 min. set. Guests will pick up their place cards here. Starfish were ordered from ebay seller worldwidewildlifeproducts. The reception will be on the beach and we will have a dinner area and dancing/lounge area. We hired a DJ through DJMannia and will be doing the cold fireworks explosions too. MANNIA - Audio, Video e Iluminación Profesional The pic below shows our centerpiece choices and also the cake (except our ribbon will be green and brown). At the reception, we will give two favors: Everyone will receive a silver starfish wine bottle stopper from Starfish Wine Bottle Stoppers, Ocean Themed Wedding Favors, Wine Party Favors. The ladies will receive a brown pashmina purchased from a vendor in NYC. We will give everyone a paper bag to put their goodies in from Paper Mart Packaging Store We printed the logo onto full sheet label paper from Staples and cut into circles. WeddingVows.doc

When deciding on a location for the wedding were looking for the following: we wanted something that would not be too long of a flight for the guests, relatively reasonable in price (for a luxury resort, that is), a reception on the beach, ceremony outside at a separate location from the reception, and a cocktail hour outside at a different location as well. We also wanted to make sure that the Resort could accommodate us inside in case of rain. With all these things considered and all of your insights, we decided on the Royal in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Our ceremony will be in this gazebo. We will decorate it like this with white paper lanterns purchased from Paper Lanterns, Party Supplies and Chinese Paper Lanterns - PaperLanternStore.com 36 12EVP-WH 12" White Even Ribbing Round Paper Lantern $1.45/ea. White aisle runner handpainted with monogram from etsy seller threegalasdesigns. $130+ 19.50 Shipping = $149.50 They were AMAZING to work with. Tiffany style stilla chairs to be used for both ceremony and reception. Rented these from Events and Weddings. Each chair will hold a fan purchased from Party supplies, crafts, party decorations, toys: Oriental Trading Item 34/1124 10 in. Refreshing Fans, $7.99/dozen 4 dozen = 36 fans for $31.96 + $8.95 shipping = $40.91 Sand Ceremony Vases (engraved with three initials and date) Ebay Seller ‘Karen’s Wedding Treasures’ $48 + $12 shipping = $60 total Wedding gown is Pronovias ‘Octobre’. (during an a dress fitting) Earrings and headpiece. More in next post......

Well I can’t believe that we leave for the wedding in only 10 days. BDW has been a lifesaver for me. All of your stories and ideas have encouraged and guided me over the past few months of planning and you all play a little part in our wedding. I want to say that I don’t think any of the ideas you’ll see below are my own, but rather all from you. While I can’t remember where I got them, please know that you should take all the credit! Thank you for everything. I hope this thread is as helpful to you as all of the previous planning threads were to me. My engagement ring – I wish this picture did the ring justice, but my camera doesn’t take good close-ups. We loved shopping together for the ring and finally purchased it in NYC. We had engagement pics taken in the East Village of NYC by Agaton Strom. Agaton Strom, Wedding Photographer, 917-306-7014 He was amazing. Please see this post for all of the pics. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t30611. This is one of our favorite ones. Our color scheme is chartreuse green and chocolate brown with accents of raffia elements and natural starfish. I love monograms so you will see we incorporated it into many parts of the wedding. Our monogram was designed by Brittany Hermansen at Eiffel Printing & Design. Brittany is fantastic! Eiffel Printing & Design - Introduction We loved our STDs, Invitations, and Thank You cards also designed by Eiffel Printing & Design. STD is a pocket-style. I love the raffia element and cane paper Inside of STD. Thank you Notes The Invitation is tied with a raffia bow Opened invitation with the invitation on the right and the 'Festivities Card' on the left. The 'Festivities Card' is held in place with the wide cane band. It slides in and out MORE IN NEXT POST.....

It's breathtaking and you look fantastic!

Hi everyone- Regarding the frustration you are feeling about not hearing back in a timely manner from the WCs, I think that is something we have all felt. As I read and reread through this thread and have gone through this planning process myself, I have come to realize that is simply how they operate. For a planner like me, who tries to always be on the ball, it is hard to deal with. The comfort I take in all of this is that every past bride has dealt with it and their weddings have turned out perfectly!! Here I am 4 weeks from the wedding and have not picked out flowers, food, decorations, discussed music, discussed with the Royal who my photographer, videographer, etc. will be...but Micaela assures me that we will do all that when I arrive...2 DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING! Believe me, I have asked her many times what I need to be doing to get ready and she said we will do it all when I get there. So, just know that communication will continue to be limited with the Royal and that the details won't be worked out until you get there. Honestly, once I chose the date, the symbolic ceremony, and the locations for the wedding, cocktail hour, and reception, I have not discussed anything else with the Royal. It seems weird to me....I'm just hoping it all works out. I'll be able to let you know soon! Katy

Quote: Originally Posted by Jentwo I am less than 3 weeks out for my wedding at the Royal and just found out some disturbing news regarding the ceremony. Micaela explained to me that the judges for the ceremony are more strict than ever and will not allow any readings, etc. What this means is that the first part of the wedding is the exchange of vows and then once he leaves we can have readings and the sand ceremony. I feel like this is anti-climatic to the 'I-do's'. Who is going to announce us even if we do readings and the sand ceremony after the vows? What I'm wondering is how future brides that are getting legally married are going to handle this and how past brides have handled it? I'm very bummed and need ideas please! Thanks. PS - I haven't uploaded anything in a while so if '09 brides have questions or want samples (OOT bags, music, etc.) I'm more than willing to share! I am so sorry that the ceremony is not working out how you'd like it to. My wedding is just a few days after yours, but I am not doing a legal ceremony so I know that is a lot different. Why don't you write a script to pick up after the judge does his vows,etc. Just let him exit and then either see if Micaela would read the script or see if someone else from the Royal would, or you could assign different parts of your script to close friends and family members to read. I am sure they would feel honored and that would be an extra special touch. So sorry for the stress you are feeling about this. Aside from this, how is the rest of the last minute planning going?

Mona- Your pics are beautiful! I love love love them. The locations are great and you are right about the lighting being good, especially in the park. The bridge shots are amazing. Agaton is really talented! I am so glad you are happy with them! Katy

Quote: Originally Posted by ltl_leah I am getting married at the Royal on May 6, 2009 and I specifically requested to use my choice of photographer when I corresponded with the WC, Laura. Laura said I would have to pay $100, like you have stated. I am having Cecilia Dumas and she has photographed there in the past with no problems. I have had such a great experience with her so far and she hasn't even met me! I am so excited to meet her. Her website is Wedding photography | Cecilia Dumas, Cancun y Riviera Maya | Imagenes de Bodas. I personally love her style of photography and think that her prices are very reasonable. She also does trash the dress sessions if you're interested in that. I'm sure if you specifically mention a particular photographer that you want to use, they will say yes, and have you pay the $100. Happy planning!! Hi- I am getting married next month and am using Cecilia Dumas too. I'll be sure and post the photos so you can see!

Thank you so much for the reassurance! I really appreciate it.

I really love your pages...you have a great eye for it! I have looked at a lot of albums recently and your page designs are some of my favorite. I like that they are not too 'busy' yet still very intricate. Really nice work.