dianep

diana's pics look amazing! thanks, jess, for sharing! that's exciting news about the michigan office going away. hopefully it will be a good change!

Quote: Originally Posted by lorijfletcher I am in need of teal and orange sashes! Thanks! Lori i had 20 gorgeous orange sashes but didn't get them back after the ceremony!! otherwise, i would totally send them your way!

what a fun date! good luck with your planning!

Quote: Originally Posted by SarahE786 yay! and congratulations!! what time did you have your reception? at first my WC told me that the latest they could do was 4pm and then I managed to push it back to 5pm but I was still worried about it being too hot...i had seen weddings on here at 6pm but figured since we're date-ish twins you might know how hot it got :-) we had our ceremony at 6 and our reception at 7:30. Thankfully, it cooled down to an absolutely GORGEOUS temperature for the wedding and the reception. seriously, it couldn't have been more perfect! it does get dark very quickly after 7:15 or so. we kind of ran out light for our pictures... i know they've started charging $400 more for weekend weddings after 4pm, but as far as i'm aware, they'll still do them if it's available. let me know if you have any other questions!

Quote: Originally Posted by autjo Thanks for the review! Your flowers were amazing! And your siggy pic is beautiful. We just booked a vacation to the Royal for Thanksgiving and everyone's reviews are so helpful... not just for B2Bs, but for holidays as well. Thanks! thanks. have fun - you'll love it there!

The Royal in Playa del Carmen sounds like it would be exactly what you're looking for. adults only, luxury resort. located right on the beach and 2 short blocks from 5th Avenue. Lots to see and do and great restaurats in the area. But you just might not even want to leave the resort. The Royal Playa del Carmen, Luxury All Inclusive Playa del Carmen Hotel|Mexico good luck with your decision!

Quote: Originally Posted by gettingmarried Looks great!! How did they get the colour under those tables? We are also having a beach reception and it looks great!!! it was just colored lights sitting under the tables with white tablecloths. a pretty simple set up (or so it seemed) but it looked great!

Quote: Originally Posted by SarahE786 Hi Everyone! I'm pretty new to the forum, but have officially booked at the Royal PDC for May 15, 2011! I've just started planning things but was wondering if anyone have reception pictures from sites other than the beach? So far I've seen a couple from the garden and several from the beach but none from any of their indoor locations? I also have in writing from my WC that they can "make a special request for you to have 2 entrees with the other course items that same. To make the request, I will need to know how many of each entree . You will be responsible for place cards that will inform the servers which guest will receive which entree." Hope that helps! Hope that everyone is having a great memorial day weekend! welcome! i just had my wedding on may 15th - we're kind of date twins! and as far as the entree goes, that's exactly what i did - i just had to let them know how many of each entree and have place cards showing people's selections (i had little pails which we filled with sand, shells, and a color-specific little umbrella to show which entree). Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMrsYak That's a good question. I am having a semi private reception in one of the restaurants, I haven't seen any reception pictures of this. Or...maybe I have and haven't realized it? we had dinner in one of the restaurants and there was a reception going on. it wasn't private at all, with the only separation being a waist-high metal railing (maria's at the gran porto). but the group didn't seem to mind at all - they were dancing away and having a great time! Quote: Originally Posted by duprk452 Someone recently posted that they saw plenty of centerpiece ideas while on 5th. They said it would have been more convenient to purchase things there. I can't remember who this was, but I'd like to know more about this. I want something for our tables (we will probably have about 4-5 tables), but I don't want to carry anything down there and I don't want anything too expensive. If anyone could give any insight into this I would definitely appreciate it. It seems like I am getting the last minute urge to do things. Just bought sashes from LadyDi's website she recommended. I was inspired by Dianep's pictures. lol It says they should be here in 2-3 days. Let's hope so, we leave in 2 weeks! i ordered through lady di's site, too! the orange sashes you must've seen were one of the absolute best moves i made in planning this wedding. i ADORED the vivid color and the life it brought to the ceremony site. mine were the satin (so they would be a more saturated-looking color), but i am excited to see how diana's organza sashes looked!

Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMrsYak THANK YOU! Glad to hear that! Did you make the ladies in MI aware like was it in your contract, or you just told them when you got down there? you're welcome! we didn't pay the $400 for a minister, so they knew that we would be providing our own officiant. since it was technically a symbolic ceremony, i don't think they really care what you do! i don't think i told my MI WC, but i did mention to my onsite WC that it would be my mom.

Quote: Originally Posted by nathanielthompsonphoto I've had many brides trash their actual wedding dress, and a few that get a 2nd dress just for the TTD. But, I'm still looking for a bride that will trash 2 dresses No matter what, you have to do a TTD - you'll always be thankful you did. The most amazing photos can come from the TTD session! give me a dress and i'll trash it!!

my review is up! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...ew-long-59649/

my (slightly long-winded) review is up... http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...ew-long-59649/

DIY flowers for tiki torches The Reception

my bouquet placecards the ceremony

the ceremony site

Flights We flew on American Airlines. At first, I was a bit disappointed when I found out that they would not hang my dress during the flights and that the dress counted as my carry-on. Before boarding, I checked in with the desk and let them know I was carrying my wedding dress. In both instances, they allowed me to board early (with either first class or group 1) so I was able to lay my dress flat in an overhead compartment. For the connecting flight, a flight attendant actually came and took my dress out of the overhead and hung it for me. No problems at all. The flights into Cancun tend to be a little bumpy, but we didn’t experience anything out of the ordinary. Customs This took a loooong time. We spent about an hour in each of the two sections of customs in Cancun. It’s hot and sticky and I was carrying my dress in through the long lines. I was wondering the whole time how wrinkled my dress was getting since I could only sling it over my arm (and I wasn’t the only one! I think I saw 2-3 other girls carrying big white bags, too!). Thankfully, we both got the green light so they didn’t have to search our many bags (four checked bags plus a carry-on). Phew! Transport to resort I had declined the Best Day transportation voucher (seriously, $90!?). However, when we walked out of the airport, there was a guy holding a sign with my name on it (I’ve always kind of wanted to see that!). long story short, they had us marked down as paid, so who are we to turn down a handy-dandy ride? We were traveling with my husband’s sister and her BF, and they were able to get in on the deal for $23 each. Not bad! We ended up waiting for quite a while (20-30 minutes?) before actually leaving the airport. On the way to the resort, we saw a pretty bad accident happen right in front of us. A car came from the right hand side of the road, flew all the way across all lanes of traffic (our driver had to slam on the brakes to not hit him) and proceeded to wrap himself around a pole in the median. YIKES! We’re praying that there were no passengers in that taxi, as it was not a pretty site. Thankfully no other cars were involved, but wear your seatbelts. The Resorts – Gran Porto Real and They Royal in Playa del Carmen We had a unique experience with staying at both resorts. The wedding package comes with a room upgrade. We had booked an ocean view room at the Gran Porto Real for 10 nights. They didn’t have an upgrade available until the last two nights. So we asked about getting a basic suite at the Royal instead. They upgraded us to a junior suite for three nights and we paid to upgrade for a fourth night there in an oceanfront room for one additional night. What a difference! The Gran Porto Real Nearly all of our guests stayed at the GPR (none at the Royal, a couple offsite). Check-in was a little difficult. Our room (a junior suite ocean view) was not ready when we arrived (around 4pm, and check-in is at 3pm). Some guests had no problems, but some had to wait or had their first room dirty, etc. Some of the front desk folks gave through information, but ours didn’t. We learned quickly, though, and made sure our guests had received all the necessary information. The rooms and the resort itself are nice. The beds are comfortably firm and the rooms are kept quite clean and I like it that it has a Mexican feel. Though the showers in the room are very large, I missed having a tub or a Jacuzzi here. Rooms are spacious, but there is a definite lack of storage if you want to unpack much. The common areas are warm and humid, but the rooms are nice and cool (but still a bit humid). The liquor dispensers are handy, but it’s pretty cheap stuff. The service was phenomenal. Everyone is super friendly and they really do their best to make sure you have everything you need. Tips help and are obviously appreciated. They will accept pesos or dollars, but we checked with someone and after a little coaxing, he finally admitted that money is money, but the workers would prefer pesos over dollars. The first time I ordered room service (on the day of the wedding, no less), I had to leave a message and the food never showed up – so be sure to call back and get a person if you want room service. Otherwise, room service was good. The three restaurants are convenient and do not have a dress code, which is nice. Albatros, the buffet, has good food and is located near the pool area, so it’s the most convenient. Though most of the reviews I’ve seen prefer Il Pescatore, the Italian restaurant, our experiences there were quite mediocre. It’s ok, but I could make better Italian food at home (and I’m neither Italian or an accomplished chef). Maria’s, the Mexican restaurant, continued to impress us. The food and presentation were great! We had an impromptu welcome dinner here on Friday night and they were able to accommodate our group of about 12. We waited for about 20 minutes as they had just finished another larger party, but they got us in and gave great service. The pool area is decent. There is only one main pool, but the chairs are fairly available with no need to reserve a spot early in the morning. A big plus here is that there’s a snack bar. I had a plate of chips with fresh guacamole and pico de gallo (and, I’ll admit, plenty of the nacho cheese as well) every single day. Service around the pool is good, but my favorite – by FAR – was Jesus. Even after being away at the royal for 4-5 days, he saw me, remembered what I was drinking and brought me a drink even though I wasn’t in his section. Ice melts insanely fast, so a thermal something-or-other would have been most helpful. You are given towel cards, which must be exchanged for towels for the pool/beach. Not terrible, but a hassle that you don’t have to deal with at the Royal. And if the card/towel is lost, it’s $30 fee. There is no swim up bar – and drinks are not allowed in the pool. Wireless internet was great – easy and fast connections. The Royal Check-in at the Royal was a breeze. They spoke great English, and it seemed as though no one had to wait for a room that wasn’t yet ready. They are very helpful and the concierge is always available for assistance as well. We stayed 3 nights in a royal junior suite and one night in the royal junior suite oceanfront. The rooms are big, gorgeous, and clean. More modern than the GPR, it doesn’t really have a Mexico feel at all, but it’s so nice here that it doesn’t matter. Beds are comfortable. My favorite things were the Jacuzzi in the room and the hammock on the large balcony. The liquors in the dispensers are a decent quality, and they refill some small snacks as well, which is nice. There is some storage so you’re able to unpack a bit. Like at the GPR, the service is phenomenal. Everyone aims to please, and tips definitely go a long way. The restaurants were great. We had dinner at Asiana and it was good. I had hopes for the teppanyaki to be cooked in a showy way in front of us, but it’s all just done in the kitchen. Food was good, though. Dinner at Chef’s Plate was wonderful. The mixes of flavors and the presentation and the service were second to none; it was a definite highlight. Pelicanos was good – they have wonderful soups! We visited Spice, the buffet restaurant, only for breakfast, and it was good. We had a bottle of wine from the lobby bar before dinner one night, and it was nice, but the sommelier wasn’t of huge assistance. We tried the coffee house one morning but it was closed. Room service was good, and I loved the special little cubby for that purpose! We didn’t try the El Mediterraneo or Maria Marie’s. The pool area is beautiful and large. It’s absolutely impossible to get one of the chairs that sit in the water, and the other chairs fill up pretty quickly too. People put a towel on a chair to reserve it and then don’t come back for hours, leaving the spaces completely unused… a little annoying. But the chairs at the beach are more than plentiful. Wireless internet was not as good as it was at the GPR. Only sometimes able to connect, and it was much slower here. Wedding Coordinators The coordinators at the Michigan office (contracted by the resorts) are hit and miss. Unfortunately, mine was a major miss! She took weeks to get back to me and had very short, usually vague answers when she did finally respond. I got way more information from the girls on the forum than I did from my Michigan WC. My on-site coordinator was Denys, and she was great (once I got to the resort – I didn’t receive a response to my three e-mails prior to arrival). There are many things that you would have to specifically ask for if you want it done other than how they would normally do it, but Denys was very kind, efficient, organized, and accommodating. She made sure everything was done well and everything ran smoothly. Not a single issue to complain about. They’re good at what they do and they WILL ensure that you have a beautiful wedding! Wedding Ceremony and Reception We went with the classic package and the ceremony and the beach reception were held at North Beach at the Gran Porto Real. Located just on the other side of the pier by Pelicano’s at the Royal, this was my favorite beach ceremony spot of all the locations at both resorts. It was more private than the other sites, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Plus, the bar with the swings is there and it made for a great photo opportunity (I’m super bummed out I forgot to get shots of hubby and me all dressed up here). All of the other weddings I saw there went with the standard white decorations provided by the resort, but adding color (for me, it was orange!) was one of the best things I did for the wedding. I absolutely adored the punch of color brought by the orange tulle on the huppah and the orange satin chair sashes. It was vibrant and gorgeous against the white sand and turquoise water! The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for our 6pm ceremony and 7:30 reception on the beach. We had 15 guests plus us, and everyone was so relaxed and just drinking in the gorgeous weather, the sand, the surf and all the beauty surrounding us. It was such a relaxed atmosphere and I loved it! The flowers were those provided through the resort. My bouquet had orange lilies and orange and pink gerberas. The centerpiece was made to match and they both looked great. I loved the vibrant colors! I DIY’d the corsages for the moms and the decorations for the tiki torches. I loved it all. Food Our classic package comes with a 3-Course menu. For the salad, we had the avocado stuffed with crab pulp au fresh dill vinaigrette and it was good. I’m not even into seafood, but it was not fishy at all and it was tasty. If I’d had a more lettuce-like option I likely would’ve gone for that, but this was good and a little different. Pretty presentation! For the main course, guests were able to choose from the Red snapper fantasy stuffed with seafood and black caviar cream or the Beef fillet tournedo with fresh wild mushroom sauce. Neither of us tried the snapper, but guests raved about how delicious it was. I actually didn’t even get to see what this one looked like, but we heard it was presented nicely. We both had the beef. It had a great flavor (I don’t like mushrooms, but it was really more of tasty gravy than it was mushroom-y). Though ours wasn’t super tender, all of our guests said that their meat was good, tender, and hot. Both entrees went over very well and everyone seemed to like them. For dessert, we chose the Paris chocolate shell with fruit a white Cinzano flavor. This was both pretty and delicious. I haven’t had the other options, but I would definitely go with this one again! Though I was basically originally told by my Michigan WC that the tres leches cake would end up as a melted pile of goo, my onsite coordinator told me it wouldn’t be a problem. I was thrilled to be able to have the tres leches cake! They brought out the cake (#1 of the choices, but with orange lilies instead of frosting decoration) after we were done with dinner. It was so pretty with the fresh flowers, so it was worth the small investment for the medium floral cake topper. Probably about 45 minutes after they brought the cake out, we cut the cake and were able to serve it to each other (we were nice and didn’t smear!). They cut and served the cake for us, as well as provided the cake cutter. When the cake was served, it was still cool and perfect-looking. Absolutely no melting issues at all! Spas I also had the opportunity to visit both spas. Both have prices comparable to a decent spa back at home. SpaReal (GPR) – on the morning of the wedding, we had mud wraps done. Getting checked in took a little while and they only had 4 rooms (we wanted 5 at once), but the actual mud wraps were wonderfully relaxing. The locker room also had a hot tub and maybe (? I didn’t explore or use anything more) a cold pool. We were not given (though we didn’t ask) a choice of male or female, but it turned out that everyone was comfortable with who they received to do their service. SPAzul (Royal) – my husband decided to treat us to a couple’s massage during our stay at the Royal. Check-in was a breeze here, though we had to wait a few minutes past our appointment time. He was asked if we have a preference for male or female, but they only had females available for our service. The massage was wonderful. We were together in one room and they did a great job with our deep tissue massages. I felt so great after it was done! Though slightly more gets exposed than it would at home, they were completely respectful and I wasn’t uncomfortable at all (but then again, I lived in Europe and once had a massage by a male masseuse who requested that I SIT for part of the time!) and the gluts massage was worth the extra exposure. The locker rooms were beautiful with a hot tub, cold plunge, lounge chairs, steam room, sauna, etc. This was just kind of thrown together, so I apologize if it seems kind of random or disorganized. If I missed anything or if you have any specific questions, please feel free to let me know! We are eagerly awaiting pictures from our photographer, but I’m attaching some random pics taken by family and friends.

Quote: Originally Posted by theend903 Did you use your real dress for the TTD photos, or did you bring another dress for those photos i used just one dress. i love it that it's the same dress as the ceremony, but i'll admit that it was a little heavy when it was soaking wet and it made it a bit difficult to walk out of the water. still i'm totally happy with the way it all went and i can't wait to get the rest of our pictures back from the photographer!

Quote: Originally Posted by ~Stephanie~ Ok sorry to be a pain... former Royal brides and peeps who have stayed there.... How strict are they on the pants at dinner? Can they be jeans? Or do they have to be dress pants? Also, it says no sandals... I bought all these cute sandals to wear with my dresses, so can you wear sandals if they aren't "flip flops"? Also, could a guy get away with like leather slides? Where just the tips of the toes show? I don't want FI to have to wear dress shoes everynight... K thanks! they weren't strict about it. we called before dinner at asiana, and jeans were totally fine. and girls can get away with pretty much anything, even suuuper casual sundresses. Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMrsYak Has anyone that has had a symbolic ceremony had a family member/friend perform the ceremony? FI has an Uncle that is an ordained minister who did his cousins destination wedding, and did a wonderful job. I just thought it would be more personable and a more relaxed environment. I emailed Carole on this and she said "how nice is that" I just want to make sure before we ask his Uncle to do it that we don't get down there and the resort say it's not allowed. absolutely you can! my mom (also a licensed pastor) officiated our service and it was great! no problems at all. you could have absolutely anyone do it!

ladies, i'm married and back home! i wore the #7s by M.A.C. and absolutely loved them! no problems with them coming off in the humidity at all! my glue, unfortunately, was in my SIL's room and i couldn't wear them for the TTD the next morning, so i don't know yet how they would hold up in water, but they were absolutely fantastic and i think they were the perfect choice! i kind of want to wear them every day now... i don't have my pictures from the photographer yet, but here's one that kind of shows the lashes. (note that the suuuper long part isn't the lashes, but a crease in the fabric behind me or my hair or something. they weren't insanely long!)

Quote: Originally Posted by greysgirl Thanks so much ladies. This was the setting I liked most and he picked the center stone, which made me quite happy:) Do you think I should/could put a band with it? I don't want to hide the side pave much. i think it's gorgeous as is and i don't think it needs anything added. beautiful!

Quote: Originally Posted by lexibride Also for all the brides who are worried about getting family from The Gran to The Royal for the wedding - DONT worry at all. All of our guests came over with no issue and we had 4 kids with us too. In addition to that, I stayed at The Gran for the first part of our trip and when we walked over to The Royal, nobody even stopped us once. Apparently if you're a guest of The Gran, you can go eat at Royal restaurants, but you have to pay 50%. So, some of our guests w/out kids who stayed at The Gran wanted to check out The Royal and just walked around freely with no issue at all! it's true. we stayed at both places and went back and forth all the time (the beach is nicer in front of the royal). all of the beaches in mexico are technically public. you could walk the shore from playa to cancun if you wanted to! so they can't have any say over who is on their beach or when they show up...

Quote: Originally Posted by ~Stephanie~ SO another question, I heard today that you now have to be a high room catagory to eat at chefs plate... wtf?! This wasn't the case when I made my reservation! Are they going to honor that?! for the chef's plate, you need to be in an either an ocean front or ocean view (i can't remember. we were in 735, so whatever that one is!). you need to make a reservation with the concierge as well. we went one night and it was a great experience. very personalized service, good house wine (not easily found there) and good food. if you're in a room that allows you to go, you should! Quote: Originally Posted by Lisa DSO For you ladies who had the luxury package? Did they really give you a room upgrade as stated (as part of the package)? we had the classic package, which comes with an upgrade too. they didn't have anything for us at the GPR, so they upgraded us to a junior suite at the royal (we paid extra for our last night in the nicer room at the royal). it's based on availability, so if they're full, you're out of luck! Quote: Originally Posted by Lisa DSO You could always order it at an authentic Mexican restaurant where you live- do they even exist north of Texas ;-) ? i had an amazing tres leches cake from a higher-end bakery recently and it was delicious as well. and if we can get stuff like that as far north as MN, i think it should be available anywhere! Quote: Originally Posted by Lisa DSO Oh and ladies who just got back, did you have the choice of the tiffany chairs or chair covers? my WC never asked me for my preference on this, so i would be sure to add this to your list of questions for when you get there. i think they're available, but i also think there are a lot of things you need to specifically ask for. otherwise, they just do the cookie-cutter wedding.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lisa DSO Hi chica, Did you save the folders anywhere else other than desktop? What o/s are you using? Have you checked recycle bin? If you saved anything on say MS word, check for shadow copies . Last but not least, you might want to try a 3rd party application called Recuva (it's a file recovery system). Hope that helps! EDIT.....just read that you have a mac so some of my suggestion probably not an option. (sorry I work at MS and just assumed lol) I think apple has some online forums from which you can get free support; i would go that route and only do a geek squad time service as a last resort because they are seriously overpriced. how new is your mac? are you still under warrantee? even if not, i think you can still take it to a genius bar at an apple store for assistance...

Quote: Originally Posted by RunningBride24 Okay, probably a dumb question.......what is tres leches not a dumb question at all. in a word? deliciousness. and that's coming from a chocolate lover when there is no chocolate in this cake at all! it is soooo good. Pastel de Tres Leches- Basic Tres Leches Cake Recipe

i had sooo much fun planning, but i'm not sad at all that it's over. looking forward to our AHR in a couple weeks, then we're homefree!