A la Playa

I got to see them finally! I registered a couple of days ago and rec'd the same message saying that they weren't available yet, but today I got an email telling me I had a gift credit for the couple on Pictage. They are AMAZING!!! You were a gorgeous bride, Jennifer! And MTM did a wonderful job. I would have loved to have been able to book them....they take such beautiful beach photos! Stunning!!

So, of course with less than two weeks to go we are watching the Hurricane Forecast, and what do we see? Atlantic Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook Please keep your fingers crossed, say some prayers, do some anti-hurricane dances--whatever it takes--so that this thing falls apart before it even starts!!!

Congrats Jenni! So excited to hear your professional opinions, and looking forward to seeing all your photos!

Quote: Originally Posted by punkie569 I would think if she hasn't said anything to you yet then you should be ok. This was the first time I've emailed her in about a month so maybe this went back a few weeks? All I know is she has zero information regarding my wedding now. So far I've sent her 3-4 emails to catch her up and she still isn't on the same page as me. Other than the photography packages changing we haven't had any issues rebooking what we wanted though. I can't believe how soon you get married. How exciting! Are you close to being ready? I don't know about being ready and having all the details finalized, but I'm definitely excited!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by punkie569 So did anyone else have an issue with Valeria's computer crashing and her losing all their information? Luckily I kept all emails but we are basically at square one again with her asking me what location we want to get married at and what time to book the restaurant etc. All things we've already booked so I'm pretty frustrated and I hope there are no issues with booking/times. Uhhh, what? No, I hadn't heard about that......... I'm assuming that she would already have things printed off for weddings that are less than a month away, right? Ours is in two weeks, and if I need to update her on things, I would hope that she would let me know. I'm at the point where I can't take anything else that's unexpected....too little time! I really hope that she didn't lose everyone's info. How frustrating for everyone... Keep us updated on what you find out from her!

Quote: Originally Posted by sarahardwick No it is wonderful!! The casitas are the way to go. We did an individual one and loved it. Sara, when did you get back? Any last minute advice?? We leave two weeks from tomorrow!! What block was your ind. casita in? We'll also be in an ind. casita. Hopefully as close to the beach as possible.........

Quote: Originally Posted by rpingree001 Does anyone know about El Dorado Royale changing their sink and shower water to salt water? I have a friend who just went and said the hotel is going green and changed the water to salt water - which is horrible on skin and hair! That's why you rinse off after getting out of the ocean. Does anyone know anything about this that has recently been there? Thanks! Your friend is right...unfortunately. I was there 2 weeks ago for my site visit, they are using ocean water and purifying it through reverse osmosis. It's still very salty, which you can tell when you are brushing your teeth (and it certainly shows if you don't use a good deep conditioner!). You can also use your mugs. We are taking ours down for all of our guests when we leave in two weeks!!

Dimplz, I'm leaving for a quick three-day site visit this Saturday that was pretty spur-of-the moment. I just wanted to tie up loose ends so that I can relax and quit stressing out of the "unknowns". I'm meeting with Valeria while I'm there, but after your review, I almost feel like I should be meeting with the on-site coordinators we'll be working with as well. LOVED your review! It's been a long time since we've had a current report on things back at EDR, so I really appreciate all the details. I know that it was no easy task since you just got back! Thanks again.

Quote: Originally Posted by jodieP here's mine....this is also my first attempt at posting a pic! sorry if it doesnt work? or is huge!! [/img] Okay, I LOVE these! Where did you get them? And pleeeaaase don't say Scotland... ;-)

First, Congratulations to you!!! Now you can relax! Thank you so much for the invaluable advice--it's truly priceless. Your detailed review and pictures are amazing! I'm taking detailed notes, and I've picked up a lot of useful info. Great job, and thanks for sharing your experiences!

Yea, Dimplz!!! Welcome back, Mrs! So, was it everything you had hoped? Anything that you regret not doing that you would recommend now? How was the beach? Which section did you stay in? Can't wait to see your pictures!

Ladies, hope everyone is doing well with the final (or beginning) stages of planning! I'm so excited b/c I have chosen to do something completely out of character for me--I decided yesterday to do a spur-of-the-moment site visit to EDR in two weeks since I've never been there. Even though our wedding is about 7 weeks away (Talk about putting the cart before the horse!!), I feel like this will really help me calm my nerves and "figure everything out", so that I can put the finishing touches on the planning. Since we were originally getting married at a property that we have stayed at before, I've never been 100% comfortable planning a wedding somewhere sight unseen. I'm just going down for a quick three-day stay and I'm meeting my TA there. If anyone has any special requests that they would like me to check on, I'll do my best! P.S. Did most of you do site visits before you decided to get married there?

Dimplz, you only have eight days!! WooHoo! When do you leave? Are you in panic mode yet? I only ask b/c I know I would have a to-do list longer than I am.... Lol

Quote: Originally Posted by dimplz05 A la Playa - we are doing the sunset cruise through cancun catamarans. They are very reasonably priced and are super nice and have accomodated all of our needs. I think they have a boat that fits up to 25 people. The owners name is Allen Mason. His email is [email protected]. Hope it works out! Thanks for the info, Dimplz! I'm definitely going to look into that. I think I remember you saying a while back how well-priced they were. They were so much better than what we were quoted through Lomas. Are you all actually cruising on a catamaran or a yacht? My concern with a catamaran was that my guests would have to remain seated for most of the cruise, and I was picturing a cruise where they could get up and mingle with each other. (and us!) Lauren, we are having the White Glove Cocktail Party at the Health Bar. I wish that I could help you with decoration suggestions, but honestly I am only going by what is recommended. We were told that this place was close to the chapel, so it would be a good location for our cocktail after the ceremony. If I get any pics (I've requested those from my TA), I'll pass them along. I think it's awesome how much detail you ladies have already put into your decorations and planning! Your days are going to turn out beautifully!

Jasmin- That's awesome about the lower prices!! Your colors sound gorgeous together! I don't know if I've ever seen all three of those colors together, but now that I imagine them, they seem fabulous! I'd love to hear about your decorations. Did you select them yourself, or did you pick from selections that they provided? I really wanted to do the sunset cruise, but I couldn't find a yacht that would hold more than 16 people (that wasn't cruise ship size), and since we have 22, I just couldn't make it work. Lol. I spent an entire Saturday afternoon researching the heck out of it.... It's too bad, because it could have been a really cool and unique thing to experience with our guests. If anyone knows of something I am missing, I am all ears~

You girls are so sweet! I love this site!!! I don't know where I would be without it.....Yes I do--I would be curled up in the corner in the fetal position right now! Ha! I did look into doing the cruise thing, but I was looking into more of a "yacht" type boat where my guests could walk around and mingle. I LOVED the idea of doing a cruise right after the ceremony as a cocktail hour, but I just didn't think that a catamaran was the right style boat. (I can just see my 83-year old grandma having too many cocktails and going overboard!) My colors are fuschia and apple green with tangerine accents. I don't really have my decorations picked out. Other than what my TA (acting as wedding coordinator has suggested). I'm just trying to look at pictures that I can find and see what I like. How did you girls pick out yours? Were you given examples to pick from, or did you bring your examples and they gave you a price to make those? Right now, my plan is to do the ceremony at 1:30. Since it's Catholic, it will probably take close to 45 min. Then we will do photos and have everyone either grab a drink on their own until the cocktail party starts at 3. I'm thinking of doing the White Glove Cocktail from 3-5 at the Health Bar. Maybe cutting cake then? Then giving everyone a break to go to their rooms to freshen up before dinner and having dinner at 6. After dinner we'll let the older guests do what they want, and then our friends, or whomever can continue to party at Guacamayas or whereever we take the party. We're not doing traditional first dances, speeches, or anything like that. We have a small group, and we just wanted to keep it fun and spontaneous. Your thoughts and suggestions are immensely appreciated!!!

Laur13- I don't think that we're doing the BBQ Deluxe. I would like to, but I don't think that we have enough guests (don't you have to have a min. 30 people?). We only have 22. We're only having a private cocktail reception. Then probably doing the dinner at Cocotal. It's awful. I'm less than two months away, and I still don't have my details lined out. (I feel like a bridal failure!) Because we had to switch resorts three months before our wedding date, it's thrown all of our plans for a loop. We're having the Catholic ceremony in the chapel, but the only time that the priest can perform the ceremony is 1:30.......which is much earlier than I wanted my wedding. Now I have to get creative on how to fill the rest of the day, when I really just wanted a laid-back and fun evening with my guests after a later ceremony. BTW, we're using Claudia Rodriguez for our photography, but it's actually her associate, Erick! They were the best of all the "approved" photogs, in my opinion. I think $2k for three hours is way too high...but I guess EDR pretty much has a monopoly on their property when it comes to choosing photogs.

Quote: Originally Posted by BagLover21 I downloaded the new banquet kit with the lower prices this afternoon. So they're still on there. So I'd better get this discount!!! You are right!! Ahhhh! I've been looking at so many different places for info. Lol. I was looking at the Lomas site, not the Karisma site. It's still on the Karisma site. Go get your lower prices! WooHoo!

Just to clarify: I saved the Banquet Kit with the "cheaper" prices i.e., $26pp off the Lomas website on 3/17/10. My TA gave me the "updated" version with the higher prices that she was given by the resort when she visited them the first week in April. I looked last week and the version with the cheaper prices was still posted on the Lomas website. As of last night, the Banquet Kit is no longer available online. It now instructs you to contact them for pricing information. Hmmm On a side note, I did compare the two Banquet kits, and it looks like the cocktail party prices are the same, but the dinner prices have increased--significantly. Let me know what you hear from Valeria, BagLover! Good luck!

Quote: Originally Posted by Laur13 update*** I called my wedding cordinator from Lomas yesterday to tell her about these prices and she honored the BBQ deluxe price of 26 pp instead of 49 pp!!! Also she said and you can see on the website that most of the other private event menus have gone down in price. I just saved 800 dollars!!!! I'm so excited. Let me know if you get the lower price also Really?? That's awesome! Who is your WC? When I was quoting private events with my TA (she is going back and forth w/ Valeria as the "coordinator") she said that she had been given an "updated" price list on her last trip down there in March, which had the higher prices. The only thing different was the higher prices...it still said "prices effective for 2009/2010" at the bottom. I will have to ask about that. Sometimes I think that I should be dealing directly with Valeria, because I feel like I am losing a lot in translation by having her as a middle man. Glad you saved so much money! If those lower prices are still true, then I might re-think my itenerary. However, am getting really tired of getting mixed info from Lomas and Karisma. No one seems to give me a correct price quote on ANYthing. Anyone else have that problem?

Quote: Originally Posted by robbiemoe hey A La Playa....just wanted to let you know that because of your message I called my cc company again, and spoke to a manager and got my money back! thanks so much, had you not posted, I probably would have given up on the whole thing. That's fantastic news!!! So sorry you've been through the ringer w/ this stuff, but I'm glad you didn't give up on getting your money back.

Jasmin, I have been getting all of the quotes for excursions from our TA. She is one the GI vacation consultants for the Karisma Resorts. She has been doing all of the communicating with Valeria for me so far--basically acting as a TA/wedding planner. Anyone else have a similar setup?? I'm pretty sure that all of the excursions that we have been quoted were through Lomas Travel, which is tied in with Karisma, but you can always seek out private excursions through other vendors that may be less expensive/more convenient for you and your guests.

Quote: Originally Posted by dimplz05 We are taking our guests on a private 2 hour catamaran sail the night after our wedding. I thought it was relatively inexpensive. We are paying $1,000 for 2 hour private sail with open bar for 32 guests. They are arranging transportation to and from our hotel as well. Dimplz, where did you book your catamaran sail? We looked into doing something like that, but we were quoted $55/person (min. 30 people) for only 1h 30min w/ Lomas. Transfers to and from hotel also included. TIA!

Quote: Originally Posted by *~*Mel*~* Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts. Still no news but we're holding out hope that maybe someone in the area has him and just doesn't realize that we're looking for him. I guess that my Dad spoke to the kennel owner again and he's still looking. My Dad also thinks that he let the child who lost Bailey go and won't be using children to walk dogs anymore (at least we hope!). On top of everything I just feel so terrible for the child who lost him because we know that he feels awful and that it was an accident. It wasn't the poor kid's fault so we don't blame him at all. I hope that the poor thing isn't completely traumatized. I'm going to mention to my parents that maybe they speak to the child or his parents just to let him know that no one is blaming him and that as horrible as a situation this is it can happen, dogs can be unpredictable. I'm just so sad. I grew up with this dog and he means so much to me too. My whole week has been spent either searching, searching and crying, crying in bed or drugging myself up with Gravol to try and sleep (ok not the healthiest thing I know). DH doesn't know what to do with me at this point and he's also a huge dog lover. Even my own dog is sad right now! My heart is completely broken and I have no idea how to move forward (I don't want to say move on because I don't want to lose hope or abandon him). I know that to some people a dog is just an animal but I've always been the type of person who cries during a movie when a dog dies but not a person. It's just so hard! I'm not religious but I'm praying for a miracle at this point. Thanks for all of the support though! It's just nice to hear that people care! Oh, Mel! My heart goes out to you and your family. I've been in your shoes, and nothing hurts worse than not knowing where your furbaby is. Anyone who has a pet know that pets are people too. We are here for you. We're praying right along with you....Don't give up! Just keep picturing Bailey safe and warm with a full belly, and he will be home soon enough. **Saying a special prayer for Mel and fam and Bailey tonight so that he finds his way home safely very SOON!**

Quote: Originally Posted by robbiemoe I called my credit card company, but it's too late, because I made the deposit so long ago (trying to be a good planner! lol). I really just want to help spread the word so other brides don't fall victim. I don't know where I'm going to go from here, but I'm not giving up on getting my money back! Thanks for the support ladies! What CC company do you have? You made your deposit in Sept, right? Your CC company won't let you dispute it, even in writing? Did they understand that you were disputing a deposit that you paid for services that were supposed to be executed by February....less than 60 days ago? You should definitely be able to argue the charges. I have a similar situation with some charges on my Chase card. Deposit paid at the end of Sept. for services to be performed in June. Vendor couldn't follow through--had to find another vendor, but vendor refused to refund my deposit. I just got off the phone with Chase, and they said that I had to dispute everything in writing. Keep track of all emails, documents, faxes, etc. that you've sent her. Good luck!