beachbride2009

No problem...I will post the answers on here when I hear back from Tiffany.

Thanks for the great info! The Zocalo patio looks like a great place to have the welcome dinner we can use from the package...do you know if that's possible? Oh, and what do the yellow lights look like? Sounds a bit strange!

Hi ladies...I just got an email from Tiffany who has taken over for Nancy. I just sent her a long email detailing me enquiries/requests, I'll paste it below and if anyone is interested in any of the answers let me know and I can send them on to you! Hi Tiffany, Thanks so much for the email. I look forward to working with you! I have been working on some plans for our wedding, here is what I have so far and any questions…plus I’ll need to get some costs from you on some things too please: · Ceremony at 3pm…how long does this generally last? We’d like enough time to have the ceremony, then have pictures taken before moving to the cocktail reception before dinner. · Ceremony on the beach…I would like the beach set up please, decorated with teal and lavender coloured fabric…please see photo below for inspiration. · For the chairs, I would like the white covered chairs with teal bows tied around in the same gauzy fabric as on the gazebo. · After the ceremony will there be a bar available for the guests to have some cocktails before dinner and while we get some photos taken? · We would like to have a Mariachi band play for about an hour before dinner. · We would like our dinner set up on the beach please. · For the dinner, I am wondering how many entrées we can allow our guests to choose from? I was hoping to offer one seafood, one meat, and one vegetarian. · Is wine with dinner included? · During dinner, are we able to play a video on a screen? · Our after dinner reception/dance I would also like on the beach…I have attached a picture of the type of set-up I would like, but using my colour palette. We would also like some stand-up tables around the area, and a small dance floor set up. Tiki torches and candles also. · I will not need a DJ, we will be bringing our iPod of our songs, but will need the set-up for that. · I will decide on flowers closer to the day. We are bringing our own photographer…he is my cousin and will be a guest for the week at the resort with us. Nancy had said this is fine. Can you please send me cake samples? I have the flower options. Also the wine/champagne list please. I would like to reserve the special bridal suite in the spa for the day of the wedding…how do I go about this? We are expecting between 40-50 guests with most, if not all, staying at the resort. For our welcome dinner, can we use the one offered in the wedding package (SILVER)? And if so, what does that include / not include? We are thinking of having the Mexican Fiesta Cocktail Party for our guests perhaps before the welcome dinner at the restaurant. Is there music included with this since it’s a cocktail party, or can you arrange for it? Where on the property would you recommend having this? Can you please send me the prices for everything, based on 46 people please so I can work out the budget. Thanks so much for your time, I really look forward to hearing from you!

Have you seen these yet? I LOVE the beach dinner set up....exactly what I want to do! MobileMe Gallery

Quote: Originally Posted by jhawkev Thanks for posting, I saw this and was going to post too but then I totally forgot. I don't think I'll be able to use it I saw your gown! They didn't have that one at my boutique, but I tried on a strapless one in the same material. It's the perfect weight for Mexico! And very fashion forward Thanks Jhawkev! I don't think I'll be able to either, but hopefully some of us can!

Quote: Originally Posted by jhawkev This website lets you look up sunset times by dates and locations: Sunrise and Sunset Calculator Great song choices Jennifer! Are there 5 different ones needed for the whole ceremony? I'm planning on walking down the aisle to the "Over the Rainbow", I love that one!! I am from Kansas and I also own a Cairn Terrier (toto). ha. I'm cheesy. That Jason Mraz song is fabulous too! Can't wait to see the rest of your pics, did I miss them? P.S.- You said you were probably older than most of us...but you don't look it. Ok, that's just too cute for words! I'm having to possibly adjust my aisle walking song...will take suggestions! I was thinking the instrumentl version of Bittersweet Symphony, but not fully impressed with the version I have.

Hey ladies...have you heard of the new "It's all about the Bride" promo with Karisma? Its All About the Bride, destination wedding promotion Sorry if this has already been posted, but it could save some $$$ for some of you! For all those Canadian brides booking through Signature Vacations, I was told by Karisma that we would have to contact Signature to see if they are honoring the promo, and so I called Sig and so far they know nothing about it, however I would get your TA to keep her eyes peeled as they may pick it up or something like it in the near future... For all you US brides, if you are booking through someone other than Karisma directly, would you mind letting me know who that would be? I would like to compare some pricing...between the free wedding package and this promo, there's got to be a way to get a better deal! THANKS!

Thanks so much ladies! You got me on the right track!

Jenn: Thanks for the fantastic review...you are very candid and we all appreciate it! And you look stunning. Question: How did you feel about the time you got married? I am currently booked for 4pm next November (after the time changes) and we have family and friends joining us...do you think we'll have enough time to get all the shots with guests etc before the sun goes down or do you suggest we bump the time up to 3pm? THANKS!!!! Looking forward to the rest of your photos!

Quote: Originally Posted by jhawkev Polina- Thanks for the info about what Fabio told you, good to know! Jennifer- Thank you so much for your wonderful review. I can't wait to check TA for the other one. You and your husband looked fabulous and I'm so glad you were happy with most everything! That was so nice they surprised you with such a special dinner Girls- I'm loving seeing everyone's gowns. Here are links to the two I'm deciding b/w. I'm making my final decision this Saturday! Nicole Miller Wedding Dresses - Wedding Dress Style LJ0003 | Brides.com Ireland - by Maggie Sottero (if I get this one I will cut the train to a mini one) Erika...I LOVE Nicole Miller gowns...I got one of hers from her Spring 08 line of Taffeta. LOVE IT!

Hi ladies & gents! I need to get my STD's out ASAP (evil SIL crisis) and the designer/printer I was going to use for them can't do them after all! Can anyone recommend someone who could do them for me? I have looked all over the web but with no luck! I don't have time (or the creativity & patience!) to do them myself and I'd like to get them out in the next 7-10 days if possible! Or worst case scenario, if you have an ultra easy template I could work with, please PM me. Thanks in advance...I just LOVE what everyone's done on here with their STDs...I just can't believe you DIY!!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Mrs.StephP.2Be Beachbride2009 I too was concerned and confused about Canadians and the "free wedding package" So I emailed the resort. What I found out is that Canadians can qualify for the free wedding package as long as they are not using Signature Vacations. I am not really sure how Canadian Tour Companies work (maybe TA Jennifer can help us out with this one) but my understanding is that Signature is able to offer the best rates, by how much I do not know. In fact, I am anxious to know what rates other Canadian Tour Companies can offer because I too wanted to book the Honeymoon suite and free wedding. We have a small group of 12 going down so depending on how much more the rate is my Fiance and I could pay the difference for each of our guests and possibly still save money. Unfortunately, we have already booked and paid so there is not much we can do about it now, but it is still frustrating. If I had known this information before I would have researched it further. PM me if you want to compare rates and info. Love your Dress by the way. Very unique! Here is the website to my dress Ladies! But the top right picture is not what the back looks like-its not even the same dress Paradise Style 7071 Mrs StephP... I did some number crunching this weekend, and I think we are better off to book through Signature and pay for the wedding package as opposed to the other way. Signatures rate for the honeymoon suite is really good, and with the rate of exchange nowadays we end up better off. Unless there's another way to book the honeymoon suite that's at a discount from the Karisma website that I don't know about Cheers!

Hi all...I'm looking for reputable company to book a sunset catamaran cruise -type excursion for a group of about 50 in the Mayan Riviera...does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!!!

I'm having a hard time figuring out how to come up with a budget!! Do I calculate how much what I want is going to cost and make that my budget, or calculate how much we can afford and try and make it fit into that My FI's parents have indicated they will be contributing, but so far we don't know how much and my FI is waiting for the right time (if there is one?) to ask. We have a year until the big day, but the more and more I read on this forum, the more ideas I get for our wedding day that of course contributes towards the budget! Help!!!

Thanks everyone...I am trying to focus on our wedding and all the good stuff that comes with planning instead of dwelling on the evil SIL. Hopefully we'll know in the next couple days what they decide to go with. I plan on having those STDs in the mail by next Monday! Ooh, and I sent my MIL our wedding website even though its a work in progress...just to get in there before the ESIL!!! Sneaky

Ooooh those darn SIL's...if you read my rant "unbelievable fiasco with SIL" you'll see I have a similar situation with the BIL now probably not being able to be best man for my FI because of his FI now planning their wedding as a destination (in the same place as ours!). Chin up...it'll all work out in the end! I'm submersing myself in my own plans instead of fuming and cursing the SIL...although I do have a voodoo doll with her name on it!

Does anyone know what the restrictions are to how many main courses we can offer our guests to choose from? I was thinking 3 - one vegetarian, one chicken, and one seafood. As long as we get our order in ahead of time do you know if we're able to split it up like that? Thanks! Here's a link to my dress...it's in the metal tafetta... Nicole Miller Wedding Dresses - Wedding Dress Style FT0002 | Brides.com

That was brought up, but I veto'd it...my FI and I don't want to share our week with anyone. Plus it would make for a really exhausting week, between their events and ours. And you know how people are...who'd want anyone "comparing" weddings! But thanks for the suggestion!

Oh, and yes, my STDs are at the designer/printers right now and I told him I needed a rush on it!

Thanks ladies...I appreciate the support that I am not totally off my rocker here! My FI and I have discussed this at great length the last few days and he is of the opinion that there is nothing we can do at this point until they tell us what their final decision is. My FI said that his brother is the only one that might be able to change things and knock some sense into her. She is obviously not of a reasonable mind because I tried pointing out all of the issues with this decision but she declined to listen. The guys might consider a sit-down meeting, but I honestly think I'd strangle her if I got close enough. apparently Dave says she wants a spring wedding, no ifs and or buts. And Dave tred to get her to think about 2010, but she doesn't want to get married when she's 39...what's the difference with 38? Sheesh...

I have but I can't figure out how to post a pic!

This is a tale and a half...I'm hoping to get some validation for my feelings about this brutal situation from you lovely ladies! My FI's brother got engaged last Christmas...at this point me and my FI were not engaged yet...and they mentioned at the time they were thinking about a destination wedding. I told them they should book asap as these things take time to plan and book up fast! My FI and I got engaged in May, after a thoughtful waiting period for brother Dave & Alex to enjoy their 'newly engaged status' without us raining on their parade. So after we got engaged, we waited and waited for them to decide what they were going to do about their wedding, as we thought since they got engaged first, we would be respectful and let them choose their wedding style/date before we did. So here comes September and Alex (sister-in-law-to-be) is all over the board with what she wants to do...she decides she wants a spring wedding (April 2009!!!) and is looking at the Mayan Riviera (my recommendation!). After hemming and hawing, she decides its too much to ask her friends to shell out that kind of money, and too much work for her. So she looks at Victoria BC, then settles on the Okanagan in BC. (Remember, this is 10 months after they got engaged). In early October she emails me telling me she has book June 25th at a resort hotel in the Okanagan, and that she and Dave are set on it now. Great! So my FI and I sit down that week and talk about what we want to do....we had been looking at a few options (local golf course), but my FI says "lets do the destination thing since Dave & Alex aren't". I am totally fine with that...and we decide on the Mayan Riviera as it's both of our fave spots. So I go ahead and book our wedding date at the Azul Sensatori for November 20th, 2009. I tell Alex we have decided on the destination wedding since she and Dave are staying local. That was a month ago. Around the same time we were at a family gathering and we talked about our respective plans with other family members. As far as I knew it was a done deal. So then 4 days ago I get an email from Alex saying she has now changed her mind and wants to do a destination wedding...in the Mayan...in April - this April. I was flabbergasted. What? How could she do this? I emailed her and explained that her making this decision would really affect not just our plans, but it would put finacial stress on the common family...either shell out for 2 weddings both in the Mayan only 7 months apart, or have to choose between the 2 brothers. How fair is that? And my FI wanted Dave to be his best man, but if they go ahead with this they said they wouldn't be able to attend our wedding. and how could we afford to attend theirs when we're saving for ours? I am extremely pissed about this. My FI talked to his brother expressing our concerns (I tried with Alex but she basically said 'I don't care, its what I want', and Dave told my FI that he understands and agrees with us, but he doesn't think he'll be able to change her mind. My FI also told Dave that this is going to cause some long term relationship rifts in the family if she doesn't come to her senses, and he basically just shrugged his shoulders. Is it just me, or do you think this is entirely completely selfish of her to do this? After all the respect and patience we gave them too! We are still awaiting the final word from Dave on what they are going to do, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. Hopefully sooner rather than later as I'm not sleeping well!

Quote: Originally Posted by jennik13 Nope. I had no issues. You just need to either pay $500 or have your photographers stay for a min of 3 days, that is what we are doing and they are shooting the entire weekend. Hi jennik...I'm bringing a photog down from home myself, and have yet to tackle the "permit" issue...have you talked to the WC about that and do you have any further info as to how easy/difficult it is? Thanks!

Hello ladies! I am currently trying to work out whether I'm going to book my travel package to the resort through a tour company (canadian) or through a company in the US or the hotel directly. My dilemma is this: I want to book the honeymoon suite (who wouldn't want that wicked balcony!), and if I book it through a Canadian tour company I get a great rate on it, but the wedding package (gold/silver) is not 'free'. If I skip the tour company, I am wondering who in the US has the best rates for me to book, so I could get the wedding package free. I want to compare which way of booking is less expensive for us so I can put any extra $$$ towards other parts of the wedding. So, my question is this: Could you lovely American brides please let me know who you are booking your wedding through that allows you the wedding package for free, and also, if you get the free wedding package, is it the gold or silver or either? Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Ooooch...when did the costs change? I will have to go back and look at the date I signed my contract. That's a huge jump, and being Canadian, if the dollar stays the way it is, we may have to kaybosh the Beach BBQ! Darnit!