desouc

HELLO LADIES! If any of you are on a budget but still want a beautiful wedding dress for the big day, consider looking at my posting for my dress on craigslist (Toronto). I'm selling it for $400! http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/clo/2109241061.html Only catch is you will have to be close to my size and shape: Bust 32; Waist 25.5; Hips 34 Height: 5'1" Have a look at the photos I've placed in the posting, and if you're interested, email me to arrange to see it in person: descar0@yahoo.ca Carla

Hi Jen Yes, the Italian and Latin Cuisine restaurants are definitely the best at this resort. The food and service were amazing at both, and they offer a nice romantic setting. I had my wedding reception for 9 people at the Latin one (note this is different from the Mexican one) and everything was fantastic! I think you'll have a beautiful time with your new husband here no matter what you do. Only thing I can suggest is to get a beach bed early. I didn't even get to use the beach beds but I was always doing things with my guests like playing beach volleyball, and games in the pool, etc. You may also consider booking a swim up jacuzzi room - it's pretty nice to have the water right at your balcony when you wake up in the morning and aren't ready to head to the beach front yet.

Hi Jen You'll love the resort. It's a nice relaxing and romantic place for a honeymoon. Just get up early to save a bed on your favourite part of the beach! The best restaurants are definitely the Italian & Latin one. I had my wedding reception for 9 people at the Latin one (note this is not the same as the Mexican restaurant) and the food and service were fantastic!! If you think you might like to lounge around near your unit, maybe opt for a swim up jacuzzi suite. My husband and I were in one and it was nice to hang out on the balcony sometimes and have the option of going in the water. It was really relaxing.

Hello To anyone in Ontario who is considering using the translatorsbase.com: I spent $70 and there was no problem in the service. However, when I went to the Ministry of Transportation to have my name on my Drivers Licence changed, they said that the marriage certificate must be approved by a translator that is a member of the Association of Translators 1-800-234-5030 www.atio.on.ca So, bye bye $70... At least I didn't spend money to have it translated in Mexico. Surely the translator down there wouldn't be a member of this Association of Translators. Why does the government have to make these things so difficult?

Hi Leah Your wedding is just around the corner!! I hope it's everything you dreamed it would be. I'm sure you won't regret El Dorado for your venue. I would try to see if you could switch the restaurant. I had asked to use a restaurant other than Arrecifes for my reception and requested the Italian one (Mia Casa) cause I had heard such great things about the service and food. However, I think that restaurant is very busy and popular, so they moved me to the VIDA GARDEN RESTAURANT. It worked out well though as the food and service were incredible here also. We had an option of some steak or coconut salmon for our main course, and everyone was pleased with the food! You should be able to change the restaurant when you get down there since you're group isn't too big. But, if you want to give them a head's up before you arrive, that wouldn't be a bad idea. They should not charge anything extra for changing the restaurant by the way. Good luck with all the last minute arrangements!

Hi I recently posted here about El Dorado Seaside in Mayan Riviera Mexico http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...-brides-50670/ It was great From Toronto, direct flight to Cancun, all inclusive was $1497 + tax CAD in first week of February. This is the price for a standard ocean view room. My husband and I got the swim up suite and had to pay almost $250 more each for the swim up to qualify for the "free wedding package" at EL Dorado, but it worked out. We had a great wedding, without spendin much money on "extras" Carla

Hi I just got back from Playa Del Carmen where I had my wedding and brought back 20 each of: small tequila bottles, vanilla, habanero sauce You can go to any gift shops in Playa and get lots of these kinds of things for a good price. We packaged everything nicely in a bag I customized with a printout I hot glued onto the bag, and some turquoise tissue paper. I think we spent $4 per bag and they turned out great!!

Hi I got back a couple of weeks ago from my wedding trip and it was amazing I wouldn't have had my wedding any other way It actually rained 3 times the day of the wedding, but luckily it cleared up and we had gorgeous weather for our ceremony at the pier. A bit windy during the photos, but that was nice for the guys in long sleeves, not so good for the women's hair, but that's okay. I even got to wear my shoes (also teal!!) which I didn't expect... the surface around the pier is kind of hard so even though it was sandy, I could walk without falling. Here are my pictures Newlyweds - Feb 3 2010 - a set on Flickr Oh, we used Mexican Wedding Photography and had Eduardo take our pictures. He was very open to suggestions and was awesome!!! He spent 3 hours with us and we negotiated with him to pay the 2 hour package price as long as we print our own pictures. So, we just got a cd with all the high resolution images from him which worked out great. A few regrets: The time and money spent at the spa the day of the wedding. What a waste of time!!! The girls there have no sense of what's attractive and their lack of English poses a communication problem. I just wanted a simple side pony tail but it was cumbersome to get the stylist to understand, even with a picture! Luckily, my bridesmaid stepped in and actually helped manage what the hairdresser was doing to my hair. I should have just done it myself. The nails was a different story altogether!! The lady who was supposed to give me a french manicure was using 3 brush strokes to apply the white polish on each nail, resulting in 3 edges!! I tried to ask for her to redo the white in a nice smooth curve fashion and she did not understand... I settled for one colour in the end because I didn't want to waste any more time. The correspondence between my contact at Lomas travel (Valeria) prior to the trip was almost pointless! I emailed her back and forth for 3 months, sent her faxes of all my witnesses information, confirmed details for the big day, etc. But, once I arrived at the resort, I had to spend 2 hours going over everything with the on site coordinators. They had none of the witness information I sent before!! I was so frustrated that day! I must compliment the on site coordinators for all their help though! They were great and did everything they could to make sure the wedding day went as I wanted... Especially, sweet little Aracelli! The reception at Vida Restaurant (the latin cuisine) was amazing, and they even had some turquoise cocktails for everyone as they arrived prepared without me asking. That was their idea and my delightful surprise since that was my wedding colour : ) They also spread out the turquoise petals I brought (they were synthetic so they couldn't spread them on the walkway for the ceremony in case they blew into the water and got eaten by fish/birds) and displayed the turquoise wrapped presents I brought for the guests very nicely on the table. There was no need to bring any centrepieces, or pay anything extra for the reception dinner. It was great! After the ceremony, my guests took some pictures with us and then simply hung out by the bar. The ceremony was at 3, and we had everyone meet us at the restaurant for 6. Worked out just fine. One other change I would make is to skip Arrecifes restaurant all together! We ate there our first night, but the food and service were not horrible, but poor. The latin (there's also a mexican one that's not so good) and italian restaurants were my favourites, and for a group of 10, they can accommodate you as long as you give them about 2 hours notice to set up tables and get organized. When we got back, we had a nice at home reception in the party room of our condo building. It was great. We had our wedding cake there (no point in doing it at the reception since everyone had dessert as part of their meal) and we gave out nicely packaged gift bags we prepared (they included small bottles of tequila, vanilla and habanero sauce we brought back from Playa Del Carmen). All in all, I would recommend El Dorado for a wedding ceremony. All the staff are super attentive, everything is clean, there's lots of fun stuff to do around the resort for free and everyone in my group had a great time. Let me know if you have any specific questions about the wedding experience, the resort, the tours we did, etc. Carla

Hi Soontobe Not sure if you'll get a chance to read this soon but.. I'm getting married at El Dorado Seaside and am thinking of getting my wedding docs translated the way you did to save some $. Just wondering how the process ended? Did you get everything you required for only $35 in the end? No funny "catches" along the way? Thanks, Carla

I got you all beat. I arrive back from my trip Feb 6 and my reception is in my condo party room on the 7th! A day after we arrive!!!! It's going to be a very casual event though, with no real sit down meal or anything. Just an afternoon cocktail reception with wine/beer, sandwiches, desserts etc. We'll also display our photos in a slideshow which we'll set up on the way back (from the dvd we're getting from the photographer). Still have to think about getting a "wedding cake", music, some activities to engage the guests, speeches (if any), and a gift to give each family. I was thinking of giving away some bags filled with stuff from Mexico. Like, pomegranate tequila (little bottles), vanilla (Mexico has nice vanilla for baking), and a couple of other things I might find down there that I like and aren't too costly. Good luck to everyone with their AHR's!

Hello My wedding is in a month at EDSS and I'm only having 7 guests. Not sure if you've finalized any of the reception details yet, but I don't think it's worth doing a cocktail reception. I think you can maybe try to organize an informal one, but certainly don't pay for a private one when everyone has already paid for all-inclusive drinks, etc. For my group, I am expecting them to freshen up back at their rooms and chill and have drinks while pictures are being taken on the beach. We'll regroup at 6pm for dinner at the Vida Restaurant for our formal dinner reception. I opted out of the private dinner reception since we would have to pay $70+ per person since we're under the 16 minimum required for the more reasonable $30-40 per person for the meal/reception. Let me know what you decided. Good luck with everything p.s. are you wearing shoes for your ceremony and where did you decide to do it? Carla

Thank you ladies! I have been in touch with Mexican Wedding Photos and read about how good Eduardo is so I've booked him. But, they haven't asked for any deposit yet so I don't think it's official yet and I might just check out the other companies suggested by missbliss to compare. Tracy - did you have to put a deposit for Mexican Wedding Photos through Valeria? Would you share a link to your photos, or have you already?

Those links are great! Thanks so much for the tip I'm in Canada and am having a destination wedding this coming February Resorts charge a ridiculous amount of money to rent chair covers & bows! Bringing my own will save me so much money! And, since I'm only having 12 people at my wedding, it shouldn't be a huge problem to pack.

Jen, you deserve an award for the most extensive and organized review on bestdestinationwedding! From the photos, your wedding looks lovely. Your review has reassured me that I've selected a great resort for my wedding : ) I can't wait! I wish I read your review sooner though- I would have used your brochure idea - it's fantastic!! Any tips on heels in the pier location during the ceremony?

I need some ideas! I prefer real, but would consider silky ones I'd like to have some turquoise, a somewhat simple bouquet.. have any brides here done something similar?

Hi Tracy & the rest of you El Dorado brides I just recently booked my wedding at EDSS and it's coming up fast!!! Feb 3 So, I have to get organized and begin planning the details fast. Still have to find a photographer (my budget is about $1000/1200) and considering the Trash the Dress shoot... Still need to determine welcome packages, thank you gifts, style of reception. At least I'm pretty sure I want the ceremony at the pier. I've read through most of this thread and there are great ideas and information covered. I'd love to hear more about the experiences of some brides that have already had their wedding - what did you enjoy most? what would you change? Tracy - your wedding was fairly recent- any tips? Linda - Your wedding is coming up soon, and trials/tribulations you'd like to share? One thing I was surprised about was the blood tests - I didn't even know the bride & groom need to go through that until reading this forum. No chest xray though, right? Also, any comments on the food at the restaurant offered for the free package - at Los Arrefices? I think SoontobeE said it wasn't bad, but others have said it's mediocre? I wonder if it's worth it to do the private beach reception for $18 per person (formerly $11 per person). Also, what's involved in the sand ceremony? Any of you not have a proper bridal party? I don't have one but I am thinking of asking my 14 or so guests to coordinate what they are wearing for pictures... What do you guys think? Any feedback would be appreciated : )

Hi, It took me & my FI a while to decide where to have our destination wedding, but we finally chose El Dorado Seaside Suites and I am so excited! It's going to be a small group of about 14 and I have only 2 months to figure out all the details of how I want the wedding/reception to flow... Needless to say, I'll be visiting this forum regularly! CARLA