Simistar

Aaaaah!! Looks like you figured out at the same time I was posting, lol:-) Re: the tiki torches, no those aren't included... We did actually pay to have some of those, I forgot to mention that... However, I had to keep on Cecilia throughout the night to 1. have them moved from the ceremony location to the reception location and 2. keep them lit! Obviously they may blow out, so I kept having to ask Cecilia to have someone re-light them...Just something to keep in mind when requesting things for Cecilia to do/keep an eye on:-) Also, yes, unless it's changed, you'll need enough chair bows for BOTH the ceremony AND the reception...they say there's not time to move them.... I of course didn't know this until the night of -- so bring lots so you don't have to worry about it!:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Boo Thanks Simistar I got the email! Thats good to know about the band - we are considering a mariatchi trio for after the ceremony for 45 min. Simistar did you get Cecilia to upgrade the set up at all? In terms of linen or bows on the tall round tables? There are some vendors that do lounge furniture but its soo expensive... We didn't pay to upgrade the decor at all, we just went with what was included... And then we brought chair bows, centerpieces and table runners. SMB staff/Cecilia will put out whatever decor your bring for no extra charge...at least there was no extra charge when we did it:-) Kits55 did lounge furniture...not sure how much she paid, but maybe she got a good deal and can offer some advice...? Quote: Originally Posted by Boo Quick question to all the girls - from the pictures and this blog it seems most people are choosing 3, 4 pm even in the fall, so about an hour before sunset for that time. I booked 2 pm on November 19, 2010 and I believe there is already a second wedding that day at 4 pm, also at the beach so I cant make it later anyway but is 2 pm not a good time? is it too bright compared to the softer light later on? I first went with two cause I figure 30 min. for ceremony, 30 min for us to hang out at the cocktail hour and take group pictures and then us we want pictures in two locations then another 1.5 hours for that so we aimed to finish every by 5 before it gets dark... are we starting too early? I'm surprised they booked another wedidng for so close to yours?? When we first looked into SMB we were told they have a max. of two weddings a day -- one in the morning and one in the late afternoon/evening.... I can't speak for anyone else, but we chose to get married close to sunset b/c we wanted to have our ceremony during sunset... It all depends on what you want... We actually did pictures before our ceremony for better light, so if you have your ceremony at 2pm, you won't have to worry about that:-) Are you having a reception after...? If so, I don't think you're starting too early necessarily... you'll just be giving your guests a long break between the ceremony and the reception... If you're okay with that, and have the photographer for enough hours to stay all that time, it should be fine I would think?:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Boo 1. you guys used the small beach structure then and moved it? I actually think I like the look of it better, hmmm I'm not sure, but I don't think they moved it? Looks like it's in the same place it was for us... But obviously she can say for sure, lol:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by mlynnea Hi Ladies...So I tried to upload pics to this site, but kept getting an error that my computer couldn't find a server. Frustrating! I have pics that Cecilia sent me of what the cocktail hour looks like when setup on the beach, reception table, and gazebo ceremony setup, and beach ceremony setup. Shoot me an email if you'd like to see 'em. ([email protected]) You need to create an account and upload them to photobucket.com... then copy and paste the image code (IMG) on here and the picture(s) will show up! Unless you already did that and it still wasn't working...

Quote: Originally Posted by lauraereed Email me if you'd like any additional pictures. I hope to complete my review shortly. As a side note, we LOVED our photographer Rafa Ibanez. You can see some pictures from the wedding and of the bouquet on Rafa's blog. Laura & Alex @Riviera Maya Rafa Ibáñez BLOG Congratulations! You look FABULOUS! And I LOVE your pictures! Out of curiosity, did you pay to upgrade your bouquet or was the one "included" in your package...? Just wondering whether they've improved the "upgraded" flowers so future SMB brides know whether it's worth it...(and your bouquet looked gorgeous BTW:-))

Boo -- I just e-mailed you a link to a photobucket album...let me know if it doesn't work or you don't get it!:-) Oh, and forgot to mention in the e-mail, there are a few in there of the band we had during our cocktail hour...this was not a band booked through SMB, just FYI:-)

Hi there! Welcome! I was married at SMB -- and there are few other former SMB brides on here too who can hopefully help you out! As a previous poster mentioned, there are a couple threads on SMB and honestly, there's pretty much everything you need to know in them:-) Cheers!

Quote: Originally Posted by mlabbe Thank you, yes, I would love to know who you used! I know that I can keep it easy but I wanted easier - i.e., just show up! It's just weird that they don't have that option available. I always had this thing in the back of my head where a city hall wedding was a valid backup plan (anytime I'm frustrated) and now I can't even have that! Haha. FI suggested that we ask the commissioner to come to city hall to marry us? Could be funny! True, true...we also were hoping it would just be a one-phone call kind of deal:-) So, yes, there IS a little effort involved, which I know sucks when you're already super busy with everything else:-) So, the name of the commissioner we used is Ann Moore... She's REALLY sweet and REALLY loves doing weddings...so it's not just like she's rambling off the words... BTW, there are about two lines in a legal ceremony that you HAVE to repeat (for it to be legally valid) that are SOOO not romanctic, lol:-)) They sound like they're taken directly from the criminal code or something:-) But aside from that, the script Ann used was lovely... You can of course, customize it to whatever you want, but we didn't bother b/c we liked hers:-) Any commissioner costs $100 (or maybe some charge $75?)...anyway, it's that cost plus it's etiquette to tip the commissioner... For Ann, we paid her $100, plus a tip... If you want, she lets you stay for a bit at her house and if you bring champagne or whatever, she provides nice glasses for you to have toast and a drink after the ceremony... That's what we did:-) (BTW, I'm sure she travels too, so you don't HAVE to have it near her place...though most commissioners will charge a travel fee as well...) Okay, so here is her contact info: Ann Moore E-mail: [email protected] (hopefully it hasn't changed from last year?!) Phone number: 604-731-1116 I'm also attaching the ceremony script she sent us:-) Hope this helps -- and again, any questions, just ask!:-) Legal MARRIAGE CEREMONY script.doc

Quote: Originally Posted by mlabbe Unlike anywhere else I have been to or heard of (I'm not from Vancouver, neither is FI) you can't get married at City Hall. I can get a marriage license, but I can't get married. From what I understand, I have to book a marriage commissioner separately to get married. This means that I would have to 1) find a location 2) shop around for a commissioner, etc. I just want something easy! I'm sooooo frustrated! So, here's where I'm looking for help. I know that many of us on here do the legal wedding prior the destination one - has any BC bride been able to get married at City Hall? Are there any options out there for me so that I don't end up planning two weddings? HELP!!! Hey there! We got married here legally first...and yes, I too was surprised you couldn't just go down to City Hall:-) It's really not TOO much extra work, so don't worry:-) I am happy to pass on the contact info for the commissioner we used, I'm just in a HUGE rush right now, but will locate that info and send/post! The woman we used was GREAT...she lives in Kits point and will even let you use her house for the ceremony, or her garden:-) Or, you can go across the street and get married at Kits Beach, it's literally across the street:-) This is what we did:-) Then we walked up to 4th avenue and had dinner at Pinky's Steakhouse with our witnesses - you need two - to celebrate:-) Meanwhile if you want to search other commissioners, or maybe just don't live anywhere near Kits Point, here's the BC gov. website you need to go to: BC Vital Statistics Agency - Marriage Registration & Certificates On the left-hand side you can click on links to lists of commissioners and places that issue marriage licences...Believe it or not, London Drugs issues them and that's where we got ours:-) Again, will post our commissioner's contact info later today/tonight!:-) Good luck -- and any questions, just ask!

Quote: Originally Posted by Outdoor_girl1010 This may sound like a silly question, but the ladys who use the wands were they already made or did you have to put them together? Also did any of your ladys use the ones with the bells? Jennifer Not silly at all! You COULD DIY them...but I just figured for how inexpensive they were, it was easier to just buy them:) The company I ordered from (in post #8 of this thread) only charges like $6 for a dozen... And as I said before, they're super light and easy to pack:-) Not sure about the bells...we only had ribbons.... NaM -- your ribbbon wands look cool in that picture! I bet when you get your pro pics back you'll have some great shots:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Kits55 For whatever package you pick be advised ahead of time that for us the "late check-out" based upon availability got us an extra hour and we had to fight tooth and nail for it. I know the resort was not filling up because it was during the swine flu epidemic and people were actually LEAVING the resort. They were just being stingy. Also, we weren't given a groom's room for the night before the wedding even though we asked twice about it. My husband pretended to be sad when I asked for the room so I didn't push for it. I think Simistar maybe had to fight tooth and nail to get a room for her man the night before? Yep -- our "late-checkout" was also only an extra hour! L-A-M-E...especially b/c not only was that part of our wedding package (we got the Secrets of Love) but b/c I think that is also offered as being part of the preferred club, which we were b/c we stayed in an ocean-front room! As for the "groom's room" the night before that they offer...we asked twice for it and it never happened! It wasn't a HUGE deal for us, we more wanted a room where my DH could get ready the day-of so we wouldn't be getting ready in the same room... So Cecilia suggested giving my DH a room for the next day to get ready in...we asked twice about that (afterall, SHE offered!) and you guessed it, it never happened:-) MAYBE this has improved in the past year? :-) Quote: Originally Posted by LillyMD Hello Everyone! I am excited to see this thread. I am getting married at Secrets Maroma Beach on June 5th! So far, we've decided on the Ultimate wedding package and that's about it! We are adding a violinist for the ceremony (any experience with that?) and will have the Mexican trio play during the cocktail hour and just use our IPOD music for the reception. I'll probably upgrade my bouquet. Can anyone tell me what the decor is like that is included in the package? Any other tips and tidbits welcome!! Thanks! Welcome -- and congrats! As far as upgrading your bouquet, my advice is to just go with what's included... I payed an extra $130 to upgrade and my bouquet was crap... The flowers were all half-dead, drooping, and the stems were mushy. All the girls who just went with what was included had gorgeous bouquets though! I guess they get those flowers fresh or something, and the upgraded ones they fly in? Cecilia said something like that to me anyway... The decor that's included with the packages is pretty basic... For the wedding ceremony, they decorate the beach wedding arch with tulle and will put down a white satin aisle runner if you want... It includes chairs and I *think* chair covers, but not chair sashes/bows... They will also line the aisle with starfish. There's a table inside the arch that will be covered with a white table cloth, and I think your package should include some flowers to be placed on that table... For the reception, it includes table cloths (I think they only offer white?) and chairs with chair covers...Again, does not include chair bows/sashes, so if you want those for both the reception and the ceremony, buy/bring enough for BOTH... They won't move them from one location to the other. No centerpieces, you have to buy theirs or bring your own... They do decorate the wedding gazebo by the pool (whether you have your reception near there or ceremony there) with tulle -- it looks really nice! That's all I can think of for now... Perhaps other girls can think of more/something else Good luck!:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Boo Thanks Simistar, yeah I saw your review of the resort and the photographer - they definitly help for the next girls, thanks!!! It would be great to see some picture of the set up, yeah I though of axing the pomanders in the gazeebo as well, but will include them still on the chairs. If you could email them to be it would greatly appreciated [email protected] Sorry, just been super busy this week, but I'll e-mail or post them on the weekend for sure! :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by kriztie707 I think its official that we have a date! We are just waiting to hear back from Cecila if our date is available. We are hoping for December 13, 2010. Its actually the day we got engaged at Secrets Maroma in 2008. Its so exciting to finally have a date. We actually originally wanted Dec. 12th but couldn't b/c it's a Mexican national holiday -- Our Lady of Guadalupe day I thnk?:-) Anyway, assuming the holiday is just one day, you should be fine:-)

Thanks everyone! We plan on framing three of the shots for our living room:-) Quote: Originally Posted by mlabbe OMG these are amazing!!! I love the blur motion ones on the ice and the shots with the awesome hats. So much fun!!! I'm glad that you finally have great photos that you can be proud of and show the world. Wouldn't it be fun to have anniversary shots taken each year? If only! That WOULD be fun...and expensive! lol:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Boo Instead of pomanders I am now thinking of doing a garland of orchids or something like that, I think I saw a picture on the Dreams Tulum site once that had it, have any of you girls done that at Secrets? My bouquet will likely be roses, calla lilies and orchids that is why I am thinking orchids, but it might be expensive... any suggestions? We just went with what was included...tulle wrapped around the posts, which looks really nice:-) If you want it to look a little nicer, or more elaborate, then flowers would look really nice...I think some SMB girls have added flowers...maybe they have pics to post?? :-) My only warning about flowers is that some flowers may be hard to get fresh in Mexico... Here's a link to a thread that may help you: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...ilty-list-819/ I paid $130 extra to have calla lillies and they weren't that great...most of them were dead or half-dead and some stems were so mushy my dress got a tiny stain on it! (thankfully, not noticeable:-)) So, my advice for the bouquet, is to just go with whatever is included in your package -- I wish had:-) Everyone who just went with what's included had gorgeous bouquets! (AND you won't have to pay extra:-)) Obviously, you'll have to pay extra to have flowers wrapped around the beach gazebo/structure, but maybe try to stick with whatever flowers are available in Mexico that time of year...

Quote: Originally Posted by ddk5576 You all bring such smiles to my face!! I have now been somewhat informed as to the project starting up in mid April for him. This still doesn't give ME a clue on when I will be flying there to check things out. I am just super excited to meet you all...and as Simistar said, "...having cocktails"!! Hope you ALL have a great New Year! TTYS!! Let us know if/when you'll be in town earlier to check things out...we can always do a get-together then! (Mid-April just seems SO faaaaar away:-))

Quote: Originally Posted by Boo maybe to make it easier to visualize this is the set up with a picture up close of what I mean Thanks girls!! Glad you posted that picture -- b/c I had no idea what you meant!:-) But I do now;-) Okay, so I can't remember exactly how high the beach structure/gazebo thing is, but I'm pretty sure it's not high enough to do this without the pomanders hanging at the same height as your heads... I could be wrong, maybe some other SMB brides can weigh in, but from what I recall, it's not high enough to do this...(unless maybe you keep the pomanders on a really short string...but that may look weird?;-)) You might be better off decorating it with flowers wrapped around the wooden posts, that way there's no chance they'd hang in your face:-) Quote: Originally Posted by Boo Also - I am during my reception back at DRC but considering doing cocktail hour at the beach, did any of you have a mariatchy band for it? is it worth it for the cocktail hour? what is the 'basic' set up for the cocktail hour? Cecilia has actually been pretty good with her turn arounds for emails, but she has not gotten back to me about this for ever. Thanks! I had my cocktail hour on the beach, and I'm not sure if you read my review or not, but we did not get good service there. Now, that was more than a year ago so things may have improved!! (I HOPE they have! lol:-)) Again, maybe some more recent SMB brides who had a cocktail hour on the beach can weigh in here? Basically, for us, the service was terrible....had only one waiter and he didn't bring food until about 45 mins in and we had to literally hunt him down to order drinks. Which was REALLY weird b/c we'd had a bonfire on the beach, with a buffet, a couple nights before and had AMAZING service! The difference may have just been due to the resort only being open for a few months at that time and inconsistencies in service... The basic set-up is a few cocktail height tables...how many obviously depends on how many people you have. There were table cloths and candles on the tables, but there were no chairs and the older guests ended up leaving early b/c they wanted to sit down somewhere. So, if you DO have your cocktail hour on the beach, make sure you request some chairs!:-) We had a band play during our ceremony and during our cocktail hour (both on the beach)... They weren't mariachi, but they were great, and was probably the only thing that kept our guests there (since the waiter wasn't bringing food or drinks, lol:-)) I would recommend getting a band, mariachi or otherwise, or playing music from an Ipod or having SOME sort of entertainment for guests during your cocktail hour if it's in your budget... It was definitely worth it for us:-) Our pro photog wasn't there for our cocktail hour so not sure what pictures I have from our guests, but I can go through our pics later this week and either post them here or e-mail them to you, to give you an idea of the set-up (I'm pretty sure we have a couple:-)) Cheers:-)

Wow -- nice stuff! Wish I was going to be in Mexico soon...~Sigh~... :-)

Oh my gosh -- I'm SO late in posting this update, but better late than never, right?:-) Between work and waiting for our friend to get us the pics, it all took a while...plus my general laziness:-) In the end I just chose a really simple one on the flowers as this one seemed to "blend" with the other photos better (i.e. couldn't tell it WASN'T taken in Mexico, lol:-)) Anyway, here's the shot I ended up going with: And here's how I laid it out in the album (it's ona double-page spread): (am going to post my album pages as soon as I have time:-)) So, not as creative or gorgeous as some of the shots on here, but I think it works:-) Thanks for all your help ladies! :-)

You look gorgeous! LOVE the photos! You guys will have a kick-ass album I'm sure:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by violetvixen god, I really wish I had better pictures, but here you go... my Nicole Miller gown. As you can see I'm standing on a chair; the dress is really long on me and I'll need to get the hem taken up. Also, the dress is super wrinkled, needs to be steamed! but you get the the idea. Wowza -- you look h-o-t in the dress! Great choice:-)

Quote: Originally Posted by NaM Keep me posted on this Michelle! You know I'm in. And let me know if you need help planning...we can talk to over cocktails one night For sure -- there's nothing I love more than having cocktails...except having cocktails PLUS planning something BDW related, haha:-) Quote: Originally Posted by Sita&Nate I would be in! I'd love to hear Natalia & Michelle's DW experiences in person, seeing as mine isn't coming up until May next year And we'd love to share! (of course, I'm speaking for Natalia, but I'm sure she's say the same:-)) So, maybe I'll start a new thread in a couple weeks in the section for get-togethers and we can start organizing a date and how many peeps etc!:-)

Hey guys! So I posted some pics (tried to post many that weren't in Michael W.'s blog!) in my other thread if you want to check them out (or maybe you've seen enough, haha:-)) Here's the thread: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...ncluded-52965/ Hope you enjoy!:-)

I tried to include some pics that weren't on the blog as well!:-) I think that's it!:-)