Angela139

Congrats Zoe and Scott, and welcome from a fellow Ontarian!

Congrats and welcome Elsie We were married at the Majestic Colonial in Punta Cana and I highly recommend that resort for weddings!

We were married at the Majestic Colonial in Punta Cana on October 20, 2009. We retained DJ Mannia for our reception, and I must say that that was easily the best decision we made in the entire planning process!! They were simply AMAZING! This company truly is worthy of your business (and this and all other fantastic reviews they have received!).

As we were taking post-ceremony photos, and it must only have been about 4:00, we noticed that DJ Mannia was already setting up – the reception did not start until 6:30!

The individuals who attended on behalf of DJ Mannia were Alexander Castillo and Carlos Martínez.

They handled all of our announcing during the reception, effectively eliminating the need to have an MC – introductions, cake cutting, speeches, father-daughter dance, etc.

The music they played during dinner was perfect – soft, romantic, but not at all bland or nondescript.

My husband and I had a bit of a disagreement during dinner re the order of things for the reception (basically he decided on the spot, after months of planning on my part, and a refusal to become involved on his part, that he wanted the order changed around lol) – DJ Mannia was quick to notice that things were not going as planned, and to intervene with suggestions. Ultimately it went over beautifully and I don’t think a single person noticed that we had been unsure of ourselves for a few minutes. J I absolutely credit DJ Mannia with this.

I have never been at a wedding reception where every single guest danced all night – yet this is exactly what happened! We were a small group (28 people) but very varied in age (20ish to 60ish) and musical tastes. DJ Mannia had every single person on that dance floor for the entire evening! And not just dancing – having an AMAZING time. We have been told repeatedly by most of our guests that they were the best DJ they had ever heard in their lives! And we believe them, because we can honestly say the exact same thing.

At one point later in the evening it started to rain – our reception was on the beach so everyone ran for cover. Obviously DJ Mannia scrambled to cover their very expensive equipment, etc, and the party stopped. But only for about five minutes, because as soon as the rain stopped DJ Mannia kept going! And again, every single person got back on that dance floor and stayed there until the resort kicked us off the beach. J

I highly, highly recommend DJ Mannia. They are amazing to deal with and are clearly very good at reading the crowd and choosing songs that will keep everyone going. J They played a key role in making our wedding perfect!

[double post]

I have a Maggie Zoe in size 12 - it has been hemmed, I'm 5'4. I got it for the TTD but no longer plan on using it, so it is new! I paid $400 for it but can give it to you for $300 if you are interested.

The song, "Here There and Everywhere" by the Beatles is being played during our ceremony while we sign the documents. FI just told me lastnight that he would really like to have that as our first dance song as well. I think it will be kind of cute, to have our first dance as husband and wife to the same song that played while we signed our marriage docs - but what do you all think? Do you think having the same song played twice is overkill or inappropriate?

I paid for their dresses, and am arranging for a friend to do their hair - and I bought them each a starfish necklace from Tiffanys. A little overboard maybe, but they are flying all the way down south for me, I know they deserve it

coupon - cut

I am! lol I can barely concentrate on anything right now!

Initially my mother said she wouldn't come as well. I was heartbroken! But FI suggested that she might be doing it to pressure us to change our mind and stay local, and he urged me to tell her we were doing it anyway and just wait and she would come around. And he was absolutely right! Two weeks passed and she called and said of course she wouldn't miss her daughter's wedding. Now I've had to pay for her to go, lol, but still.

None of my siblings are coming though - I agree with everyone else, it is your wedding and you really have to try to focus on just you and FI and YOUR day, and not let negative responses or RSVPs get you down.

church : not my thing

First, I love love LOVE that dress! I almost bought it as a second dress because I loved it soo much Very elegant and yet sexy at the same time!

I agree though that you should get it to fit you now - while it is cliche, it is also very TRUE that it is much easier to take it in than it is to take it out. And even with the best of intentions, we don't always lose what we want to lose! Speaking from experience, I have dropped 35 lbs in the last year - 20lbs since I bought my dress. I bought it in the size I was then, and yes it does need to be taken in a bit now, but it could just as easily gone the other way! A very close friend did buy it too small and was in tears 5 weeks before the wedding because it didn't fit - I'd never want to be in THAT spot. It is much easier, albeit more expensive, to need to get it taken in.

Good luck!!!

My wedding is in a little over a week, and I've just gotten to picking music today! lol Anyway, I'm not 100% sure on all of this yet, but here is what I'm thinking:

wedding party entrance: Bella's Lullaby

my entrance - Jonathan Cain's Bridal March

signing documents - Here, There and Everywhere, the Beatles

Recessional/Exist - The Best is Yet to Come, Michael Buble

We are doing our reception on the beach as well - there will be 28 of us. They will put down a dance floor, and we've booked a dj and a private bar. We will also have a sit down dinner on the beach. I can't wait!

Hi Christina! A good friend of mine is a jewelry artist and she works with real stones - she is amazing! Her website is <whitelotusdesign.net>, and her email is [email protected].

MissM - I was initially told the same thing by my TA about people having to book early - we got the rate in October 08, people had to be paid in full within 30 days!

But we negotiated and had her call the airline and they ultimately agreed to extend it by like 7 months - the booking deadline was August 2009 in the end! So try to be more forceful - and if that doesn't work, get another TA, because there are TAs out there who WILL be more reasonable!

redhead : cute

After much back and forth (and totally unnecessary stress!) I decided to go without shoes for both the ceremony and reception. We're doing the reception on the beach as well though, so the whole thing will be in the sand. So here are my "shoes" (but in fuschia, not blue)

"You and I" by Michael Buble. I wanted "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago (I'm an 80s buff) but FI was NOT having it! lol

Beautiful! And fun

We are doing one week at one resort with all of our guests, then staying an extra week by ourselves at a more upscale, adults-only resort.

Congrats and wecome Julie! I'm not familiar enough with Mayan weather to give you an opinion on that...but welcome to the forum!

I recommend buying the size you are now, and then getting it altered if you have to. Yes, it's a pain, but it would be so much worse if your dress ended up being too small! I lost 30 pounds after I got mine, had it altered and all was well. And it was a very intricate dress, so it was no small feat - but a good seamstress can work magic. Of course it's up to you...but I had a friend last year who 5 weeks before her wedding completely broke down because she couldn't zip up her dress! She ultimately starved herself (almost literally) and got into it - but that is a situation that I would rather not be faced with! Good luck!!

I think that's right. Does anyone know if the coordinators will do the sand ceremony reading for you? Who are you all having do that?

Hi Everyone!

My wedding is just over two weeks away, I am sooo excited! ) I found a sand ceremony reading online, and added to/changed it a bit - what do you all think? Here it is:

Angela and Jason,

As you stand beside the ocean, may your love always be as constant as the tide; waves flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea. Just as water is the eternal force of life, so is love. Love is the force that allows us to face fear and uncertainty with courage. Love is the force that completes us.

You have just sealed your marriage by the giving and receiving of rings. But although you will be sharing one life, never forget that you are two separate people. Cherish and affirm your differences. Love each other, with every fiber of your being. Keep your commitment primary, and nourish it, above all else.

Together you will laugh and cry, be sick and well, be happy and angry, share and grow. In your lives together, you will no doubt be faced with many challenges, but also many joys. Embrace all of these together, as partners, as one.

To symbolize this union, two separate colors of sand will be combined. Each one holds its own unique beauty, strength, and character. They can stand on their own and be whole, without the need of anything else. However, when these two are blended together, they create an entirely new, and extraordinarily more intricate entity.

Each grain of sand brings to the mixture a lasting beauty that forever enriches the combination.

Please pour the sand into this common container to symbolize the union of your two lives.

[Angela and Jason pour the sand into the centre vase]

Angela and Jason, just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be a molding of two individual personalities, bonded together forming one heart, one life, and one family.