cjb0arder13

Hey ladies! How did everyone do last week I lost 2 pounds...woo hoo! Now just 18 away from goal...but I may re-evaluate my goal as I get closer. After all, I want to look SUPER good in a bikini!

Amybermuda....FANTASTIC pics! You are sooooo stunning! I hope I look half as beautiful as you did on your wedding day. And I'm so glad I picked Claudia too. She takes AMAZING photos!

Here we go:

Quote: Originally Posted by lisadias Quite a bit I think. I am addicted to this site. Resort booked, 22 people booked before the invites went out(which i did myself before i knew about this forum uhhh so many cute ideas i didn't even think about). Invites now out. Colors: Aqua/turquoise with lime green/apple green and white Quote from resort completed, just need to confirm numbers now. Bought some decorations. Need a dress but think it's a bit early, tried on dresses one day and liked Maggie destination collection 3300 Found bridesmaid dresses that they both agree on but still looking around Like two photographers but haven't chosen yet and still debating the pricing. Sooo doing the TTD! Gifts for guests: Maracas, starfish winestoppers, raffia fans and organza rose petal bags. not sure about the OOT bags yet, starting to get really pricey! That's it for now. Anybody have my same colors!!! I would love to see how you are working with them. Still trying to get the hang of this site and posting pics lol Thanks for the welcome wishes everyone Oooh oooh I have your same colors!! Welcome to the forum! I don't have anything cool to show you, though. I've pretty much only done my invitations (made them myself with stuff from Michael's craft store). That's where my creativity ended. Originally, I wanted aqua/lime green/purple, but felt that it might be TOO many colors, so I just stuck to the lime green and aqua. I'm having my bridesmaids pick whatever dress they like in aqua. I may have them wear lime green sashes around their waist...haven't decided yet. I'm going to post a pic from another thread I'm on using our colors. Be right back

Quote: Originally Posted by Nicyx Morning ladies, Hope were all good today? :-) Just stopping by, i weigh myself today :-s Didnt do my exercise last night was just too tired, I feel so guilty now its a new day.... I can always work harder tonight though!!!! Hopefully Ive lost at least a pound this week. xoxo Good luck! Sending all the skinny mojo your way. I weigh myself on Sunday. I FEEL skinnier, but the proof is in the pudding. FI has already weighed himself after only 3 days on the diet, and is already down 3 pounds. That brat.

Oooh another Sailor Moon fan here! Is it weird that I thought Darien was a total hotty boombotty? He's a cartoon for heaven's sake. Yes, I'm a weirdo.

Quote: Originally Posted by nmurch well for me my flowers, ring and dress are my carryon and there are certain things that i am sending down prior to the wedding to the hotel! Girlie, be very careful with sending things down ahead of time. I think I read in a thread somewhere that they don't advise you to do this...it's super expensive, and a lot of times gets caught up in customs never to be seen again!!! I just wanted to give you a word of warning...if you do send stuff down, make sure it's not the "important" elements that will make or break your wedding. If you already know all this, ignore me

Quote: Originally Posted by aella Welcome Nicola!! Great job already losing 10 pounds!! I'm restarting the workout and diet regime that I originally tried to start in April.... And May.... And June... :0 But this time I do feel more prepared, probably because it's getting to the point of no choice!! I'm on my second day of p90x and have been doing well, although I did have one coffee with cream and sugar yesterday and today, which was something I had said I would give up... But otherwise I amazingly stuck to my diet which is usually something that's impossible for me!! My buns are so sore today I can hardly sit down, but I just keep picturing my bathing suit and remember why I'm torturing myself. Celina - I laughed at my computer screen! What a clever FI you have, you are a very lucky girl! Besides the near heart attack of course We just can't forget to keep supporting each other ladies, together we can all acheive our goals and look beautiful at our weddings!!! xoxo Thanks Alison! Yes, my fiance is adorable, I am very very lucky Sore buns are never fun! Especially because you get reminded of them any time you sit down...or stand up...or go to the bathroom...you get the picture. My quads are a-burning today because I did squats/lunges for the first time in, like, a year on Monday, and I am hurtin! No pain, no gain though right?? I kind of want to try P90X, but I'm scared to death I'll barf and pass out. I'm waaaaay out of shape. We have the video..maybe I'll try to talk FI into doing it together. As long as he promises not to make fun of my spastic lack of coordination...

msmarmar123...I LOVE Baby G!!! So flippin' adorable. I'm like you, generally go for bigger dogs (as you can see from my siggy pic) but every once in a while a small dog will yap its way into my heart. We bought our lab Boone as a pup at 8 weeks, but adopted Brodie when he was 7 months old (they're 5 days apart in age...how crazy is that??). I've already decided that all of our future dogs will be rescues...there are just so many that need homes!

Nicola that is awesome! You and your FI are doing amazingly well. You should both be proud of yourselves. I totally agree with you...I have a vision in my head of how I want to look on my wedding day (not to mention on the beach in a bikini) and it's helping me get through when all I want in the world is a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. I started working out yesterday (just walking/jogging) and already feel better. I'm going to try for 3 days a week to start out, and then up it from there. This morning I get to work and FI sent me an e-mail. It said "I love you very much, but I have to confess to something, and I'm not proud of it. I cheated. On my diet!! I had three cookies after you went to bed" I almost fell out of my chair laughing...that is, after my first reaction of wanting to kick his ass for saying he CHEATED! That boy...always keeping me on my toes

Quote: Originally Posted by amybermuda Linz, you are so on a roll girl! Your invites and pre-mailer were amazing. Good work! I cant wait to see how cute everything else is for your wedding! Glad everyone who hasn't heard of it is going to try Old Bay. I love it on baked potatoes and chicken too. I've found it in NC, MA, and now Bermuda so I am sure New Orleans has it somewhere! Its the best on shrimp too - I even add it to tuna salad. :-) I keep checking Claudia's website for my pro pics and still nothing - its been over 7 weeks - I am dying to see my slide show & wanted to show it to everyone this Saturday at the AHR. Seriously?? That's such a bummer! I would be kinda frustrated to not have my photos to show peeps at the AHR...she must be super busy! I'll make sure to keep this in mind when planning my AHR, because Claudia is my photographer too! Maybe you just have soooooo many good pictures it's hard for her to narrow it down

All right ladies I'm back in this whole "lose my love handles" game. FI and I BOTH started our Wedding Diet today...we're going to start working out, too. I've taken the last month off of dieting, but somehow have maintained my 20 pound loss (by some miracle!). But now, have another 20 to go, and only 4 months to do it!! I want to be at my goal by November so I can get my dress altered. I wish all of you (and myself!) luck...we can do it!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by KittenHeart This is the thing with this... it's not even really that true. Their policy is fluff and each WC for Karisma says a different thing. Amy Frommert (Afrommert) was told she couldn't have a DJ from Mexico, I hired DJ Mannia from Mexico and there was no issue and our weddings were months apart. I was nervous when I told the onsite coordinators about him but they accommodated him with no question and even let him onsite for a few hours the day prior to pick out his spot at my reception and he was treated wonderfully. I did pay the $500 outside vendor fee, but I'm POSITIVE after having been there now that you could hire a Mexican photographer, whoever you wanted for that matter. Do you really think that your photographer is going to show up at your resort ON your wedding day and they are going to say, “Oh you’re Mexican, sorry leave.†No way, that’s just not going to happen. Know this AS/AB ladies, when you work with your coordinator whoever they are, never ASK, never! Just tell them, "I'm bringing an outside DJ & Photographer, please make note on my details sheet" they don't need details they don’t need names or the color of your vendor’s skin. Another example, I wanted chiavari chairs, they quoted me and I said, "no, that's too pricey" and Kiara negotiated them down twice for me to an actual reasonable price for the chairs and pads on them. I got my cake negotiated cheaper as well. We negotiated my manzanita branch down 4 times as well. Managed to get my reception area approved regardless of the fact that didn't meet the minimum requirement of guests. Just know that the outside WC's jobs are to control and coerce you into using their vendors since they make more money that way but once you get to the resort, they pretty much won't say no and they truly bend over backwards for you. My whole philosophy while planning my wedding was to not really pay too much attention to the offsite WC, I knew if I was told something couldn't be done, I'd hold my tongue and mention it onsite, I got everything I wanted and more. So chin up girls, if you want it, know that it can be done! This is exactly why you need to become a wedding planner in Mexico! Can you imagine? You and hubby could live on the beach and you could spend all day planning fantastic weddings for all us DW brides. I need you on my team!!!

Ok, so I'm gonna talk about the photography thing, because it doesn't seem fair to me, and since I'm no longer staying at Azul Beach, I want to make sure the other brides are informed. Basically, I was told that I had to use either the resort photographers (which I didn't really like) or bring someone from the states with me and pay for 3 nights minimum. I was NOT allowed to use a local photographer from Mexico. I was told this was due to the contract they had with the resort photographers. I put up quite a fuss, as I really didn't like the resort photogs and felt like I was being steamrolled into using them. Plus, my contract didn't say anything about a minimum stay; it did, however, say there was a $500 fee to use an "outside" vendor, but that the vendor had to be approved by the resort first. So basically, they wouldn't approve anyone but their own photographers. After pointing out this discrepancy on the contract, Tiffany allowed me to choose a photographer off of an "extended list" that they use for their El-Dorado resorts. One of them was Claudia Rodriguez (who is fantastic!) so I chose her. She's moving over the Barcelo Maya Palace instead, and her rates are lower for that resort. I have NO idea why they would allow certain photogs for some of their resorts but not others. I just want to make sure that any brides that are thinking of booking at AB or AS are aware of the policy before they sign their contract, so they can decide if it's worth it to them. I still think both resorts are fantastic, but their photog policy kinda sucks (in my opinion)

You guys are way on the ball. I haven't bought a single item of clothing for Mexico. But that's because I still plan on losing at least 20 more pounds, and I want to wait until I'm not such a heifer before buying things. And don't even get me STARTED on bathing suit shopping right now. Ugh. I will put that off as long as possible, and probably have a few drinks before that venture (don't worry, I'll make someone else drive )

Haha no worries Amy, I'm not freaked out! Actually, more rural and low-key sounds perfect to me! I want to pretty much lay by the pool, maybe do some snorkeling/scuba diving, and enjoy being married to my husband...oh, and unlimited alcohol will help

Quote: Originally Posted by murmel That's wonderful news! We have a few friends working on their 'apprenticeship' and it can be very hard. So congrats to your FI for reaching journeyman! Aww thank you so much! I'm so proud of him it's ridiculous. He's really worked his booty off the last 5 years and has totally earned it

Quote: Originally Posted by KittenHeart I’ve been to Cozumel for a day snorkel trip. It’s very small, the water is unbelievable but I wouldn’t recommend staying there from what I’ve heard. My photographer stayed out there a few days to snorkel before I arrived in Mexico and he said a “5 star resort†out there is more like a 2 star. Just less bang for your buck I guess. Eek! Seriously? That kind of makes me nervous. FI and I are staying at Cozumel Palace for our HM...my TA said it was a really nice resort, and I know FI wanted to get some diving in (I'm kind of scared to scuba, but I told him I'd get certified with him because he's really excited about it) Of course...hopefully we won't be leaving the hotel room much anyway...hee hee.

Quote: Originally Posted by dstinationdrmr Call me a dummy, but what's a journeyman? I would never call you a dummy! I didn't know any of this stuff before I met FI either. So in the electrician union (I think it may be the same for plumbing union) a person starts out as an "apprentice". They do that for 5 years, and go to school every year (for my FI it was 6 weeks a year). At the end of that time they take a test, and get licensed as a "Journeyman" if they pass. The pay is way higher, which I'm super psyched about! We may be able to afford this wedding after all!

Quote: Originally Posted by gingerlover36 That was going to be next post. So after a crazy 2 weeks and investigating close to 15-20 hotels and analyzing their wedding menu/packages, reviews, etc. I decided....to stay at Azul Beach! My fiance spoke at length for 3 days with Fabio who is FABOLOUS. Totally honest...no BS and got the info we needed. We know that there is a chance there may be some construction going on but no bulldozers etc. We hope its all finished but there is a chance it won't be. He said ti will be the interior of the rooms. We are just keeping our fingers crossed for the best. We are also going to most likely plan ANOTHER trip there before the wedding to check out the progress. So as of today 39 rooms booked and TA is working on getting 2 more if possible. Hooray...now I'm off to party plan - my sister is due in 7 weeks and I am planning her shower with my mom (poor mom has lots of showers/parties to plan this year) Good for you girl!! I so hope that the construction is minimal, and that Azul Beach made it worth your while to stay there. They didn't really do much for me, so I pulled up roots and moved over to Barcelo Maya Palace. Maybe FI and I will be able to visit Azul Beach someday As to the job sitch: I'm a supervisor in the Card/Wire services department at a Credit Union. Not a big fan of my job right now, what with all the financial industry FUN that's going on right now (pretty stressful) but it pays the bills. My fiance is a commercial electrician...he just got turned out as a journeyman last week, and I am so proud of him!!

Quote: Originally Posted by murmel We have guests coming from all over Canada. So we only arranged for group rates from Toronto and Ottawa. But our TA managed to arranage a special land only rate (ie hotel cost), so our guests just have to get a flight, if they are travelling from anywhere other than Toronto and Ottawa. I am not sure I can post the prices, but take a look at my website under the Travel Info section. All the info is listed there. miriamandluke.com And a picture of my dress: http://72.232.198.18/manufcols/prono...om/Deseo_B.jpg So not what I had expected to wear, but it's very romantic and I feel a little Spanish looking So I don't know who your TA is, but you need to send her a big bouquet of flowers or something...your rates are AMAZING! Seriously. When we were looking at the Sensatori, we got rates of $1380 per person for 7 nights, LAND ONLY! So with flight we were looking at over $1800. You got a hell of a deal.

BethBride welcome back! So happy to hear you had a fantastic wedding!! I'm really excited, because I have Claudia as my WC, and Claudia Rodriguez is my photographer! Sounds like I made the right choice!

I apologize if this question has already been answered...I tried doing a search but I didn't really see this question anywhere. If I have other guests staying at the Beach, Colonial, or Tropical, do they have to pay for a day pass to attend the wedding? Thanks ladies!

Wow ok there are lots of Barcelo brides on here! This is awesome! Yeah, the slow e-mail thing honestly doesn't really bother me. I am SUPER laid-back about everything...I plan on doing the majority of the planning once we get there. I want everything simple and fun and natural, so I don't think I'll get too frustrated with slow e-mail responses. Plus, I have all of you gorgeous ladies to answer my questions! Hee hee!

Hey fellow brides! Long time no chat! I've been busy painting my house and laying floors this last week...man I am tired! So with all the resort construction drama, we've switched resorts! I am thisclose to booking at Barcelo Maya Palace instead. I know there's at least one other Barcelo bride on here...I'm so excited!