RoryS

yes, the chair covers are included in the Ultimate Package, but only for 20 guests. Anything over that 20 is an additional cost. I think Jacy had told my niece that they would move the chair bows to the reception area chairs. Does that mean they will just have bows on the chairs and no covers?

I've travelled with my niece when she was under 18 and always brought a letter. You never know when you might run into a immigration official who might want to play cowboy ??

Ohhh, that's not good. Why would you go to a Caribbean location to have your reception in a closed-in room? You could be anywhere and it wouldn't matter!! I hope that's not the case. My niece is having 40 people and I KNOW she won't want to hold her reception in a plain vanilla room. Also, depending on how large the banquet room is, what would you have - like 2 tables for 10 people Do you know what the beach option would be? Can the reception be by the lagoon or at the pool?

My niece and her fiance are having a legal wedding before their May, 2009 wedding in PA. Her family is extremely upset with her that they are not going to have a religious ceremony in Mexico. My sister is quite upset about it, but it is the bride & groom's choice. The reason she decided to go with a legal ceremony and then just the "vow renewal" was to save some costs. Also, she didn't like the idea of having a blood test done in Mexico, which I understand is all done very hygienically and everything, but that's how she feels. Maybe if you just explain to your Dad that it will be less hassle for you to do the ceremony in the courthouse before going to your destination. I"m not sure if the religious aspect is important to you and your FI,(but if it is) tell your Dad that the ceremony also means alot to you and your FI and that even though the legal ceremony counts; it won't really mean as much unless it's performed before God and your family. I think it's important to let others know that their feelings and beliefs matter too and that you want your Dad to be happy for you in your decision, just as you want to take his feelings into consideration. Life is a 2-way street...

Yay!! Finally got my niece's STD luggage tags yesterday. She did them herself and didn't realize how much work was involved with a DIY project. I think she's re-thinking doing her invites herself now. Anyway, she had told all of us not to make our reservations until the STD's went out. My airfares from Newark haven't gone up in the past couple months, but they have gone up quite a bit from Phoenix, which is where the majority of the guests are coming from. It's June 12, 2009 and it's now official for Erika & Blake!!!

Congratulations! You both looks so happy! As great as your DW will be, this one will always hold a special place in your hearts because you were surrounded by so much love and you will never regret it.

Some hotels/resorts have access to babysitting services. You might want to look into that and it probably wouldn't be too expensive. Maybe the parents would contribute to it, as well. Also, most parents enjoy some "adult time" and will be with their kids the rest of the week, so might actually look forward to a little break.

Thank you for your input. I don't think my niece would be pissed, as she is a very caring person and would be happy that those who loved her were thinking about her, due to the fact that we wouldn't be able to join her on her own local shower. We are all travelling to the RM for the wedding, so it wouldn't be possible to pay to fly to AZ for a shower, as well. I had seen some suggestions on other websites for possibly getting together, bringing the gifts unwrapped and wrapping them up and shipping them to the bride. I know she has wanted a lingerie shower, so it would be fun to see the items that the others purchased for her. I would provide different wrapping paper and bows, etc. and we could take pictures to send to her. Just a way to let her know that she is loved and cared for by the folks "back east" who can't possibly be there on her shower day. If anyone has any other ideas or suggestions; I'd be happy to hear them.

My niece is getting married next June in Mexico. She lives in Arizona, along with most of her friends and Mom and sister. My sister is originally from NJ, so all of her family is here. My niece is only inviting about 6 or 7 of us from NJ. Would it be appropriate to do some sort of a local shower for her here? I was just thinking of inviting the family and having some sort of a brunch, or would that be strange with just 6 of us and no bride?

Good for you... sometimes we spend our whole lives being the "good daughter" the "good friend", the "good fiance/wife" and trying to please everyone - that we often lose sight of who "we" are. In the end, we sometimes have to do with what makes us happy. People can look at that as being selfish, but when we try to make others happy, we often make ourselves miserable. Enjoy your day and if what makes you happy is your wedding day in St. Lucia, then so be it.

I am so sorry for your loss. We've all lost loved ones at some point in our lives, but when it's someone who is young and in the prime of their life and especially when it comes unexpectedly; it is even more difficult to bear. I agree with SunBride - you probably need to take some time to grieve and deal with your loss, however long that takes. Sometimes, we think we are dealing with a loss extremely well, when in fact, we're not. I know when my Dad passed away; I wasn't able to attend any "happy" events for about 6 months. You will be affected in many different ways - not only emotionally, but physically and mentally, as this type of loss saps quite a bit of your energy.

Do you think if you send them a picture of what you want; that they can duplicate it? It is a very simple arrangement.

Hi Bessie, I am married to a Greek-American and have picked up several phrases over the years. We know quite a few Greeks from Long Island. I am helping my niece plan her wedding for next May. She is not quite into all the planning that I see so many of these brides do. I cannot understand that, but that's just how she is. I get ideas and send them to her and then it's her decision. We went crazy finding a site and finally decided on Puerto Aventuras Mexico. You will have so many fabulous photo ops in Athens with all the historical sites. Is your ceremony going to be in a church or somewhere else?

Kalli Tihi !!!

That looks like it might be along side the Marina. Is there a restaurant on that side?

This is a picture of the site where we were thinking of holding the reception. Again, not quite sure where it is on the property, but it looks like it would be really pretty. Sunscape Puerto Aventuras2 I hope it's okay to post this link...

My niece is trying to decide where she wants to have her reception. Are the 2 restaurant locations, El Patio and Oceana? She also mentioned something about the adult pool area. I saw in some pictures an area near the lagoon and they had set up a table there. Is that an area where you can have a reception? It might have been near the massage hut - it was kinda hard to tell from the photo, which may have been an old Sunscape picture. It's only going to be about 35 people. If she has it one of the restaurants, will it be private or will there be others dining there?

We went to Majuhual on cruise stop in Costa Maya in 2007. It is such a charming town and what I pictured Cancun might have been like many, many years ago. My husband and I were supposed to go to Cancun for our honeymoon in 1976, but the travel agent said they only had 6 hotels and had some problems with frequent power outages and problems getting enough help!! I guess things have changed since then...

My niece is trying to reach Jacy, but hasn't heard back after 2 emails. Has anyone had a problem getting a response? She wants to know if she can get pictures of the centerpieces that their florist does. Can they be customized? Also, is there a wedding checklist that PA provided so she can see what times different things need to be completed by with regard to the resort. She's set her date and time for June 12th at 5 p.m. When does she decide on menu, # of guests attending, location of ceremony and reception. Is there any way to get pictures of the beach besides what's on their web site? She's leaning towards the gazebo, but just wants options.

Does anyone know who the "house" photographer will be at Dreams PA? I've seen some of the pictures posted from other resorts using a "house"photog and some are good and some are just "ok". Weddings are a one shot deal and you don't get a "do-over", so pictures are really important.

Have you looked into Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point)? My sister lives in Arizona and it is a drive down from the Scottsdale area. It is really growing and a lot of hotels have been added. You'll still get the beach and it might be more reasonable for you.

I just noticed on the Dreams website that the opening date for PA has been pushed back to December, 2008. Does anyone know what the status is?

I saw something on buying your own flowers for centerpieces and it mentioned a supermarket called Soriano's. I can't for the life of me find it anywhere. Does anyone know of a flower market or some place where you can buy your own flowers to make centerpieces?

hope they have chair covers! I plan on bringing my own sashes and table runners tho. I believe they do have covers, as that was in the information package they sent and is included at least with the Ultimate Package. I'm not sure what color table linens they have. I know she wants orange and pink for her wedding colors. Anyone else used those colors on this board? I know she is bringing her own bows and sashes too. not sure about table runners, tho

We looked at quite a few different places in Zihuatanejo and then Ixtapa. Another place we looked into on the west coast was Huatulco. The places she really liked were extremely expensive (Tides), plus the airfare for the folks coming from the east coast U.S. were really much more expensive than the east coast Mexico. She always wanted to have a Caribbean wedding, so when I found the site for Dreams, it seemed like a perfect match, and the pricing was good too. Good luck, whichever area you choose.