VeronicaLane

Hey Brides, I wanted to post a few pics of the "standard" ceremony and reception set up. We found everything to be perfect and elegant. I'm not sure which dancefloor is included with the standard package. But, we received the cool light-up floor with our standard package. Also, here's what we realized: the staff at the Royal works very hard. They give extreme attention to detail. Be nice to them. They will take care of you! I'm sure some brides treat them badly and are rude. (We all know the stresses of wedding planning.) But, I think that if you are kind, you are more likely to get what you want. The WCs know about this website. I'm not sure if they read it... But, trust that they will make your day come together beautifully. When, I think of the time that I spent stressing and (I hate to admit it) crying over the smallest things, I get so mad at myself. I can't get that time back! ENJOY this time. And, soak up every second in PDC. Breathe it in, and enjoy yourself. It is paradise. Ok, I'll get off my soapbox. I'm so excited for y'all! I wish I were doing it again!

Quote: Originally Posted by Kriswim Hey Girls! Its been a while since i posted...but i have been SUPER busy with wedding stuff!! I leave in 26 days!!! OMG! We still don't have our rings...still don't have the guys outfits (thanks to a slacking FI). Everyone has replied - thank goodness! We have 38 adults, and 4 kids under 5! (2 of which are 3 months old!) Just wanted to let everyone know that my new WC is Michelle - i think she works at the Royal is SOOO AWESOME! She gets right back to me (sometimes with in the hour!). Everyday i email her with a random question and she responds - its totally eased my nerves! I still have to post my semi-DYI invites tonight - just never got around to it! Does anyone else have this problem: At my shower i had lots of people give me the guilt trip for having a destination wedding - like "sorry we can't be there - but ya know we have kids, or don't have vacation or don't have the money." OR "why are you having a desitination wedding anyway!" i feel like telling them - "so annoying people like you don't go!!!!!" oh well...i should be used to it but seriously one month away and now I get this? Does anyone know if they had to provide songs to the DJ? Or did they just have everything already Veronica - can't wait to read your review!! I've been thinking of this problem. This was probably my biggest DW issue. I felt bad aksing people to go to a different country just for me. But, I have from Lubbock, TX. I had guests from Cali, NYC, TX, TN, MS, etc. If we had decided to have a traditional wedding at my family church in Lubbock, everyone would have spent just as much (or more!) on tuxes, dresses, flight tickets, hotel rooms, and all the other expenses that go along with wedding parties. Instead, we asked them to spend $$ to go to paradise for four days, and eat and drink as much as they want. You have to look at it that way. And, for those who tell you that they "just can't go"---that's ok. The people who really want to be there will make it happen. I wish someone had told this stuff to me before the wedding. I wasted so much time stressing over this. I can't say it enough: relax and enjoy this time.

Quote: Originally Posted by Kriswim Veronica - where did you go to get massages? Was if off site? I would like to go there - only $30!!! Do they do other services too like Pedicures? We got massages at "Veronica's"---no this isn't my side job! lol. I read about Veronica's on TripAdvisor and some brides on here mentioned it. They do facials, massages, and maybe manis and pedis. It's about three minutes from the Royal, on 5th Ave. You can't miss it. It was great!

Hey Fellow Royal Brides (and Groom!)- Here's my Royal Review: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...180#post747533 PM me with any specific questions, and I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge. xoxo, Veronica

Zulma Dominguez, WC & Royal Wedding She was wonderful, sweet, and very professional. We knew she was an expert on making wedding dreams come true. We brought her a big beach bag (with our guestbook, cake boxes, favors, etc.) She had everything set up beautifully. She is so kind and warm. If you marry at the Royal, KNOW that everything is under control. We went with a very basic package. The Royal’s standard wedding and reception set-up is gorgeous, simple, and classy. We didn’t feel the need for extra flowers, a bigger dance floor, or toile hanging everywhere. Trust me when I say that the beach and ocean make a beautiful backdrop! Wedding Events/OOT Bags: Wednesday Night: We had a Welcome Reception at the Lobby Bar, which was perfect. There was live music and great seating and tables. We moved the party to the Tapas Bar, were we made a welcome toast, and handed out the OOT Bags. *** Everyone LOVED the OOT Bags and Who’s Who Guide. We made a decision to buy useful things like beach towels and nice flip flops for everyone, rather than little swag items (like hand sanitizer, sun screen, crosswords, etc.) This was a great decision. Little items add up in price. We ended up spending the same amount, and our guests will actually use the gifts we gave. After drinks and dinner, the girls and guys separated for Bachelor/Bachelorette night. This was so fun! The boys went to the cigar bar, then to Blue Parrot off of 5th Ave. The girls went to the Lobby Bar, then to the Beer Bucket off of 5th Ave. We had such a fun and crazy time! Thursday night - “Rehearsal” Dinner. There wasn’t actually a rehearsal. But, we all met up at Asiana for dinner. The Royal Staff was so awesome about helping us seat our large group together. We always tipped well to the host or hostess for their extra efforts to help us with large-party seating. Some mariachis off the street came into the restaurant and serenaded my FI and me at dinner. This was absolutely perfect. Friday 11:00 AM - Will and I went to Veronica’s and got massages. This was fabulous! An hour massage was $30. It was so relaxing and wonderful. This was the best way to start the wedding day. 1:00 PM – Had lunch with girls at Pelicano’s. So nice and light. Then, I got ready. I did my makeup, and my mom did my hair. 3:30 PM – Cecilia Dumas (our photographer) arrived to take pics of me in the room getting ready. I made sure the girls were there so they could be in the pics. I’m so glad we did this! Then, Will and I walked through Playa del Carmen with Cecilia and took pics around town. These are gorgeous and creative. And, I LOVE our pics. A note on Cecilia: She is a pleasure to work with. She is fun, yet professional. She made us feel so comfortable. She went above and beyond. We love our pics that received less than two weeks later---which is super fast for wedding pics! 5:00 PM – Ceremony. This was so sweet and beautiful in the beachside gazebo. There were bikini-clad onlookers watching us say our vows. But, it didn’t matter. Everything was so warm and sweet and perfect. Roberto was our Minister. He was precious. He had a few problems with some of the English. But, it added to the charm of our Mexican wedding! 6:00 PM – Reception. Before I describe the reception, let me say that we were torn about having a cocktail hour. I’m so glad that we did not! We saved $1500 dollars. While we took a few extra beach pics, our guests were served drinks outside of the gazebo, where the Royal had set up a “small” bar area. The transition to the reception was seamless. Guests trickled toward the tables on the beach as we took a few final pics…. The Reception was perfect! We chose the standard set-up, which was lovely. We chose the surf and turf entrée, which our guests loved. (BTW: the Reception dinner was phenomenal. The best food all week!) The lit-up dance floor was perfect and fun. We used our iPod for the music, which was awesome! We had tres-leches cake, which most guests took “to go” in our cake boxes, simply because we were served a great dessert at dinner. The night was beautiful and festive. And, it was, hands-down, the best night of my life! In Summary… We had guests who were reluctant to go to Mexico. They returned home with a new perspective. Several of our friends now want destination weddings. Everyone had an amazing time. They loved PDC and the Royal. Our wedding was beyond my dreams, and I wish so badly that I could relive it all again. It was perfect. I wish you the best in your wedding planning. Soak it all in and try not to sweat the small stuff---it goes by too fast. You’ll know what I mean the morning after your wedding! ;-) You can see my planning thread here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t38503

March 20, 2009 The Royal Playa Del Carmen Ceremony @ Royal Beachside Gazebo Reception @ Beach The Destination Wedding Will and I are not formal people. We feel our best in t-shirts and flip-flops. We love Jimmy Buffett, anything that involves the beach, and casual settings with our close friends. When we got engaged, we knew we wanted a beach wedding in a fun, yet romantic setting. Mexico was the obvious choice. We are from to different states. Had we had a traditional wedding party, we would have asked our guests to spend money on travel, formal wear, hotels, etc. We knew that our guests would rather spend the money to go to a beautiful AI resort in Mexico, than on traditional wedding expenses and travel to my small hometown in Texas. Playa del Carmen What an amazing little city! This quaint Mexican town is filled with traditional Mexican culture, as well as lively tourist flavor. It is surrounded by beautiful white beaches, and clear waters. It is far enough from Cancun to feel “grown up,†yet close enough to still have a fun feel. We always felt safe and secure when walking through the streets of Playa. Don’t spend your entire time in the resort. Go explore! The Royal Playa del Carmen I loved this resort!!! The Royal was the perfect location. It was close to 5th Ave, which I highly recommend. The Royal beach is big and beautiful. Service was phenomenal. The rooms are spacious and lovely. And, the pools are great. The food was delicious. Spice (the buffet) was awesome for breakfast (featuring fresh fruit, made to order omelets, crepes, etc.) We loved Asiana. It’s a beautiful restaurant with Asian-fusion choices (sushi, tempura, Japanese, and Thai entrées.) Pelicano’s was great. It is the beachside café. It had the best guacamole! It also had amazing breakfast. The tapas bar was really good. We ordered several of everything on the menu, and tried it all. It was fabulous. Maria Marie’s was really great. We wish we had discovered it sooner. I had scallops and steak that were excellent. Room service was great! And, the bars were so fun (Lobby bar, poolside swing bar, and swim-up bar).

Hey Everyone! We're back! We got back late Tuesday, and I had huge sales presentation on Thurs & Friday. (I'm still exhausted and trying to catch up with work.) So, I haven't had time to post yet. But, let me just say this: THE WEDDING WAS PERFECT. Our week in Playa was the best week of my life. Everything was phenomenal. Our choice to marry in PDC and at the Royal was the best decision. I will get my professional pics this week. But, I'll try to post a full review ASAP. xoxo, Veronica

Hey Everyone, We are super excited and are ready to go and enjoy ourselves! The starfish necklaces were purchased from a wholesale jeweler. Just Google "wholesale sterling silver" and you can find several vendors. The OOT Bags were from Cheaptotes. And, we purchased iron-on transfer paper. Our wedding is very DIY. :-)

Hey Everyone, We leave on Tuesday!! I am so excited that I started packing last weekend. Haha! I bought some fun new bikinis and some cute sundresses. Yay!!! My FI's fam is flying on the same flight as us to Mexico. We are going to divide all the wedding stuff (OOT bags, etc.) in all of our luggage. Hopefully we won't have to may too much extra $$. Zulma has been great about emailing me back within a few hours everytime I have a question---which is a great change. I'll be sure to post a full review when we return. And, of course, I'll be around until Monday. If anyone can think of specifics that you need me to scout when I get there, just let me know.

Quote: Originally Posted by moepeedy Love your bridesmaid dress where did you order from? The dress is from Alfred Angelo. Basically, I gave my BM a pallete and let her choose. She has great taste and classic style. So, I knew she would choose something pretty. v

Haha, girls! I'm glad i have everyone fooled that I'm a little Martha! :-) I kid you not when i say that 90% of my planning came from this website! I used so many of Katy's ideas. And, thanks for the kind words! I am so stoked. I just spent an hour in the gym. Y'all can understand what I mean when I say that I'm tired of working on this wedding. I'm ready to sip drinks, lay by the pool, and enjoy time with my FI, fam, and friends! :-) And, steph: I'm so excited about the favors! I'm really glad we did the beach towels and nice flip flops. My FI suggested that guests may rather have one or two great gifts than snacks, sunscreen, and little "gimmes". Shay, we have a department store called Dillards. (Not sure if it is up north.) They had a crazy sale in November. All the handbags were 25% off. These little clutches ended up costing around $60 each, which I thought was great---since I only had to purchase two. I'm probably going to put the black one in a beach bag with some fun little things (lipgloss, lotion, etc.) or my future sis in law (the one bridesmaid.) It will be a nice surprise.

Quote: Originally Posted by EmenGeeRoxx VL Do you have a link to the template for the pre-wedding letter? Thanks for sharing and best of luck to you and your fiance. Here's the template! I got if from Katy (Bride2Be22). Also, here's the link to the cake boxes. We bought the "Fiori" print (item 88440740P). We will only have 25 guests, so we bought two packages. (Each package has 20 boxes.) The boxes are really pretty. They're sturdy and embossed with a cute floral pattern. preweddingletterfinal9[1].10.doc

Hey Royal PDC Family, I posted my Planning Thread today! You'll see that several of our wedding ideas came from this thread. Thanks to everyone for sharing inspiration, templates, and ideas. You guys are amazing! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...503#post716449 Enjoy! V

Thanks for the kinds words, everyone! It has been so fun planning and reading other BDW ideas. One more thing: I completely forgot to mention that we are getting married at The Royal in Playa del Carmen. I wish we were leaving today! xoxo, Veronica Lane

I will only have one bridesmaid. But, I have another great girlfriend who has been my lifesaver in the planning process. So, I got little Coach clutches for these two. The rest of my best girlfriends will receive sterling silver starfish necklaces. BM Dress I can’t decide on flowers. Here are my faves: I know I want my hair to have the sides pulled up. I want something soft and beachy. Here is some celebrity inspiration. We will have a Welcome Reception when everyone arrives. I created a Who’s Who guide, since several of our friends haven’t met yet. Finally, here is the wedding gift that I purchased for my future hubby. I tried to include the vendors and all the details that were important to me. If you have any questions, just shout! I’ll try to answer them all before we leave on March 17th! Thanks everyone!

We are using the standard cake topped with fresh flowers in Tres Leches flavor. Our wedding will be in the gazebo, and our reception is on the beach. And, we purchased a sand ceremony vase from bellacroft We are working with Cecilia Dumas as our photographer. I LOVED the idea of to-go cake boxes (we printed our logo on sticker paper, and purchased the boxes from papermart.) We will also have starfish wine-stoppers for our guests when they are seated for our reception dinner. We created our guest book on Snapfish. We printed a “beachy†looking photobook of all of our guests. We’re going to have them sign (yearbook style!) with bright colored Sharpies.

I designed our Save the Date in Photoshop. We created post cards and sent them out. I also created our monogram, which we have used several times. Here is our wedding invitation, which we ordered from Wedding Paper Divas. One month prior to the wedding, we sent out a pre-wedding letter. I got the template from another BDW bride. Our guests found it very helpful. Here are the OOT bags that we will have in our guest rooms. We have Rainbow flip-flops for the guys, embroidered towels for the girls, and drink kooozies for everyone. (I designed the koozie on Photoshop.) All of the vendors are hyperlinked.

OMG, I can’t believe it’s my turn to do this. Our wedding is two weeks from today! The countdown has begun, and we couldn’t be more excited! I truly feel like this forum has been my “virtual†wedding planner. So much of my inspiration came all of you, and I hope I can maybe return the favor. Many of the ideas listed in this thread came from other BDW brides. I can only take credit for a few of the details. To everyone who has posted templates, pics, and suggestions: THANK YOU! Here we go…. Here’s my engagement ring. My FI designed it and hid it for two months before surprising me on a weekend getaway! It was, undoubtedly, the most joyous moment of my life. Here are our wedding bands: We knew we wanted a Destination Wedding. We are from different states, and our friends are all over the U.S. A beach wedding made sense and it fit our personalities. My mother’s family is from Mexico, and this culture is a huge part of who I am. Plus, my FI lived there for a summer during college. Therefore, we had no doubt where we would host our dream wedding. So, we started planning and created a website. We used eWedding. It was really easy to create, and only $5/month. Check out our finished product: willandveronica.com. My parents took some engagement pics for us. Here’s one: Here’s my wedding dress. It’s very simple. It was a total bargain, and I love it more every time I try it on! I am wearing gold strappy heals to walk down the aisle, flip flops for our sand reception, a flower in my hair, and big earrings. MORE IN NEXT POST...

Thanks for the scoop, Athena! I think it was Katy who had her wedding in the ballroom because of rain. She said that it was beautiful and perfect. It sounds the Royal staff is ready for anything. That's good info on the cake. We'll only have 25 people at our wedding. We'll be sure to order the standard. Athena, which menu did you choose? We're leaning toward the lobster dinner. It's such a value for such great-sounding food! I'm curious to which menu you all are chosing! I have been Googling and searching travel saftey info on Cancun and Playa. The more I search, the more relaxed I feel. Thanks everyone for sharing articles and links! I'm posting my planning thread sometime this weekend, maybe today!

Quote: Originally Posted by jaxsebridetobe I have a question on the reception and the music... I don't quite know how many people we will have with us, but let's say it's 20-30 people. To save some money, i'm thinking of not going with a DJ - so if we just use our own music (either IPOD or CD's) how is the sound? I do want people to get up and dance and have a good time, but will the sound be good enough without the DJ? Thanks! From what I understand, you can use your iPod rather than a DJ. The charge is around $80. This pays for their full PA system (speakers, iPod dock, etc.) and someone from the Royal to monitor the iPod (make sure the music never stops, etc.) That's not bad when you compare the $1000+ for a DJ.

Quote: Originally Posted by Shay2679 I'm so excited for you V! If you need anything in these last few weeks...let us know! xo Haha! I will NOT disappear from this site after the wedding. I'll be sure do write a full site review and planning thread. (I should probably do the planning thread soon!) This forum has been a total lifesaver. I can remember the first time I stumbled onto this website and spent about 12 hours reading thread after thread! Now, it's my turn to share info! I have to return the favor to future brides. ;-) V

Hey Everyone, Thanks for your advice. The "MUST READ" was especially helpful. I personally am not the slightest bit worried. But, I got frustrated when by BFF (a single female traveling alone) told me that her parents "begged" her to not go to the wedding. UGH. That's something that a bride never wants to hear. Our wedding is the root of some mother's worry. Here's the official email we sent to our confirmed wedding guests: "Hola Amigos! We are two weeks away from cold margaritas and warm Mexican beaches! We are so excited! A few of you have voiced concerns regarding the recent reports on increased violence in Mexico. We want our Wedding Week to be a perfect experience for everyone, so we've done some research. Here is the link to the U.S. State Department's Mexican Travel Alert. Please read this info carefully. Also, here is a link regarding Spring Break Travel Safety in Mexico. Please note that the majority of violence is happening in U.S. Border cities. However, it is essential that we all travel together and use precaution. Please send us your flight information. We will send a consolidated spreadsheet with everyone's flight info and cell phone numbers. Let's use the buddy system and watch out for each other. We feel great about Playa del Carmen and the Royal Resort. This is a safe city that revolves around tourism. But, it never hurts to be cautious. Let us know if you have any questions. We want everyone to feel safe and secure about the upcoming events. Love, Veronica and Will"

Athena, Thanks so much for sharing your pics. They are great! You looked beautiful, and everything looked perfect. Shay, I LOVE your invitations. They are so cool---very original! Here's a quick subject change: Have any of you guys been keeping up with the increased violence in Mexico? A couple of my wedding guests (single ladies) are freaked out by the media coverage regarding Mexican drug cartel. I am trying to do damage control and convince them that Cancun and Playa del Carmen are completely safe. Have any of you had any issues with this so far? This is the last thing I thought I would worry about when planning a wedding. Ok, ladies. I'm oficially next! I am so excited and ready!! xoxo, V.

Shay, You look beautiful!! That dress is so romantic---perfect for Mexico! I love it. I love the 2nd veil. I think it looks fabulous with that stunning dress. Your hard work has paid off in that you look lovely!

Quote: Originally Posted by dcheung1111 Is everyone booking the DJ offered by the hotel? The rate is currently $1K - that's just crazy! Anyone know of any cheaper options? We're just using our iPod. I would love to have a DJ, but we don't want to send an extra grand, when we have thousands of iTunes. :-) I asked Zulma what the cost was to use our iPod and their speakers, and she didn't give me a price. It may be free. Does anyone know the price of using the Royal's AV eqipment?