Lisa DSO

Quote: Originally Posted by lizzy123 Thanks for all the posts, they are so useful, I’m getting all sort of great ideas and of course some do’s and don’ts. I still have some questions for any of you that may know the answer: 1)I’m booking the wedding reception at 4 pm in the Gran Porto Real in the beach location, is there more than one beach in the GPR? I just that I have reading that in the Royal PDC they are so if anyone know how the beach settings for the receptions are in the GPR I will really appreciate any comment or suggestion 2)Regardin the guest and non-guest, do they charge you for a day pass for the non-guest if you are already paying for the private reception in their packages? I’m kind of confused on this as my WC hasn’t told me anything about an additional charge and I don’t want surprises 3)Does anybody contract the DJ with the packages, I have been reading that very good reviews about DJ Ivan and Doremix and I was wondering if its better to book somebody outside even with the vendor charge 4)Same question about the photographers, does anybody contracted the ones that the Royal has or its better to go with an outsider? Tx! 1. Have you looked at the Royal's website under GPR's venue picture gallery? It might show some there 2. it is my understanding that you do not have to pay for a pass for attending the wedding (someone correct me if i'm wrong) 3. at this point the vendor charge is upward of 400 dollars, so i think its a matter of personal choice. However, DJ Ivan is their in-house DJ, so you wouldnt have to pay if you book through him (or through resort) 4. most of the people have booked outside photographers as a matter of personal choice, but you can check the resort package photographers body of work here: ::: Funever Photos :::

Quote: Originally Posted by Lady_Di What! She said that? We got charged for the vendor fee for DJ Ivan. We booked through him. Sigh. I'm guessing this is a policy that was just implemented in the past few months since Ivan has become their resident DJ. So i think it only applies to those who booked after that (otherwise it would have been 350.00-yikes)

A day shy of 3 weeks (and a call from my TA later), Angie confirmed my date/time/location ( i sensed sarcasm when she said that i had sent back the confirmation letter with that date). I wanted to say, "okay and I'm sure all the OTHER ladies did too, but that didnt stop you from FUBARing theirs"...but i didn't :-). I'll just vent here and continue killing her with kindness. (we should really pray for her lol) She also said that I wouldnt be charged for DJ Ivan if I booked through the RESORT (small heart attack), but then sent another email saying that she just learned the policy has changed and there would NOT be a charge for booking through Ivan because he is the in-house DJ. (i'm guessing this a policy implemented this calendar year) Yays!

Quote: Originally Posted by bridetobe1515 I don't know if this will work, but I tried uploading some random pics. Best Destination Wedding Forum ~ The Ultimate Destination Wedding Resource The bridesmaid flowers look so much prettier in your picture than on the pdf. Very nice! I can't remember if you said you got your bouquet through the royal as well....do they just make the bridesmaid ones smaller? Love the bridesmaid dresses too- my MOH put that dress as one of the ones she would like for them to try on. What did your girls think about it?

Quote: Originally Posted by Lady_Di Diane, you look gorgeous! Congrats! My planning thread is up! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...-thread-59477/ Diana, your planning thread made me teary-eyed; your wedding is going to be so beautiful.

Quote: Originally Posted by bridetobe1515 For ours we decided base on previous reviews not to give them to the hotel. They don't really understand a lot of english and they really do run on slow time there. So we went to Maria's for the rehearsal dinner before everyone showed up and put them on everyone's chair. It was a lot of fun. Plus when people got there they were totally surprised that they were getting a bag of goodies! ooh good idea! Quote: Originally Posted by dianep here are a few randoms (in no order whatsoever!!) that friends and family have posted on facebook. so fun to see what people have as the days go on. more pics and eventually some pro pics to be posted in the coming days/weeks! wedding pictures by dipics - Photobucket hope this works - i've never posted a whole album before. You look amazing! and the colors are gorgeous!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by smckinney22 If any of you ladies are planning to order anything from Oriental Trading here is a coupon for FREE shipping if the order is over $49. Just got it in my email today but it's only good until 5/25. Code: WCE9383 Awesome! Thanks :-)

Good point, I didn't think about the "guy factor" lol. Wow, Di, you are sooo close! holy crap!

Quote: Originally Posted by duprk452 Any of the ladies that have recently been married there, have you seen the wicker fans? I wants to do these as favors. If so, where can you get them and for about how much? I was thinking the same thing, because I know that some of the guys coming with us will not be worried with them or the maracas, but I still feel weird not getting one for everyone.. Any other ideas like this would be welcomed. We aren't getting DJ Ivan, so we are looking for any way to liven up the crowd, but if I know my friends well enough, I won't need much to do this. lol Have you checked oriental trading company? Some of their stuff is cheesy, but some of it's good

Quote: Originally Posted by RunningBride24 Lisa, You're ADORABLE, I loved these pictures! Do you think that was too much to cram into one day? How far was it from your resort? Wow I'm question bombing people today. Thanks for all your help ladies! :-) I did the Extreme one two years ago and the Snorkeling Adventure last year. They usually pick you up around 8:30 am and have you back between 3-5. They also provide lunch. From playa to akumal it was about 35 min? and maybe 45-50 to Tulum? It's not bad though because it's cool to look around town and also chat with other people in the van (it will probably be better when we get married because maybe it will be our friends/family joining us). Definitely have that biodegradeable bugspray/sunscreen around the jungle and ruins (tons of mosquitos). Take some disposable water cameras, but if not, they have a professional photographer documenting the whole thing (not in the water though) and they will make a CD of pics of you for like 20 USD. Oh and uh...lol....if you are in a snorkeling group (and you see other ones)- play close attention while snorkeling and don't rendezvous with the wrong group like I did (I could hear my group leader yelling my name from a distance) p.s. most places will provide snorkeling gear for you (but I'm ooged out by the thought of placing my mouth where someone's else's was, so I bought this and love it..darnit they didnt have pink though) It has a valve that helps you purge and it closes if you go underwater: http://www.aqualungsport.com/us/content/view/41/1/ http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...367826.2672649

I'm sure they do, Diana (sounds like Lynnie did the Tulum Extreme one). Usually they will have a few companies set up and you can go talk to the concierge or tour operator and they will set you up for a specific day and pick you up early in the morning. I would suggest doing any snorkeling excursions AFTER the wedding or you will end up having a bar (tan line) down your back (possibly)...I dont think I got one, but FI definitely did lol (its from the snorkeling vest which makes a sort of "T" on your back). Ya know, just in case you are wearing a strapless lol

Lynnie you look amazing and you rocked that Maggie Sottero Reese dress! Woot!

Quote: Originally Posted by Lady_Di Lisa, can you give me more info on Tulum extreme? Oh btw, I bought the sunscreen and bug spray from the website you posted so thanks! I hope they get here before we leave. Lol. Awesome! I'll post some pics so you can get an idea of each: Tulum Extreme: Rappeling down to the cenote (underground river cave): and Cenote: Zipline over jungle (you do 3): here are two pics for perspective and you can barely see me here lol: then of course you go to Tulum ruins.... ************************************************** *********** These are from the Mayan Adventure Snorkeling Trip : start of the freshwater to ocean inlet (just amazing) I took a pic of the sign and you swim the entire thing from the red dot at top, to where it says Yakul Lagoon at bottom and the freshwater start I don't have many more because we ran out of film on this excursion..boo! But i loved it They take you to 2-3 more snorkeling spots which are cool I have usually signed up for these at the resort through concierge

BTW, just over 2 weeks and no reply from Angie to confirm my wedding date.... le sigh

Quote: Originally Posted by giraffexx Lisa DSO - your new siggy picture is AWESOME!! LOL thanks! Quote: Originally Posted by RunningBride24 Hey ladies, Are any of you doing excurstions while you're down there? I'm torn between: 1. Hidden Worlds 2. Xel-ha 3. Xcaret What is the difference? Has anyone done/is doing any of them? I don't know how to choose? I personally have never been, but for those of my friends who have gone, the general consensus was the same : do not book any of the ones (xel ha or xcaret) that combine Tulum because you will be extremely rushed and not given as much opportunity to enjoy either site. (for adrenline junkies, I did do the Tulum Extreme which includes rappeling, zipline over the jungle, cenote snorkeling, and Tulum ruins visit...pretty cool!) Everyone I talked to had fun at all of those above places mentioned, although they did say that they were a bit more commercialized/americanized and the amount of fish you see during snorkeling has decreased 3 fold in the past few years (but that is just THEIR perspective, please don't let it deter you if you really want to go because, they DID have fun) If you are into snorkeling, there is one excursion that takes you to a cenote, an outdoor freshwater pool (where they have Newlywed Mayan Sacrifice, which is like a 17 foot jump into the pool!), and Yakul Lagoon in Akumal which is AMAZING because you start in fresh water surrounded by schools of blue and purple fish, then swim out a mile into the saltwater ocean inlets with stingray, turtles, coral, etc) Quote: Originally Posted by Lady_Di Julia, looks like you guys had some great pics! Lisa, lol, your siggy picture is so cute. :-) Gracias!

The above post just reminded me of the past few times I've been to Mexico... If you go on an excursion, you have to have biodegradable sunscreen/bug spray only. They are very conscious of the environment and ecosystem and won't let you go into cenotes and such with regular (chemical-laden) sunscreen. Some resorts sell it in store, but obviously at an inflated price. Here is a website that sells both: Mexitan All Natural Products

Quote: Originally Posted by candicemarie I'm gonna post a thread about this in the OOT section, but I wanted to share it w/my fellow Royal/GPR brides first in case any of y'all needed any maracas Thread will say: "I've been searching for maracas for awhile for wedding favors/place settings for the reception (no assigned seating; just a maraca in front of each seat). I, finally, found this store, Amols.com, located in San Antonio. They had EXACTLY what I was looking for in price (2.95/pair or 1.95/pair if you buy more than 12pairs), quality (from the look of the pic) and size 8" Traditional Large Maracas 8" Cinco de Mayo Favors & Prizes | Amols' Fiesta Party Supplies I was about to place my order for 13 pairs and just get whatever colors they ended up sending to me, when I decided to email customer service to ask if I could get specific colors for my order or if they had any additional colors in the turquoise & yellow family. I wasn't expecting much bc, well, customer service is lacking pretty much everywhere in general these days. Boy, was I wrong! Within a day, I received a response that I could definitely choose my specific colors for my 13 pair order. Yay! They had yellow but were out of the turquoise. He said they would be getting a shipment in that afternoon so they would let me know what they got. A few hours later, they replied saying they had received a teal color but no turquoise. They said it was closer to green then turquoise so they didn't know if it would work for me and to let them know what I thought. I took a chance that they wouldn't think I was nuts and emailed a pic of my BM's dress and asked if they had a color close to the picture. They didn't mind at all, I guess, bc a couple hours later they sent a color recommendation and a promise that he would personally pull the colors I needed and make sure they were shipped as such! I know its not much, but it meant the world to me that they cared enough about my measly, little, 13 pair order to take the time and make sure I was super happy w/everything. Anywho, I just wanted to share my little story & a website recommendation w/my fellow Desties! I'll make sure to come back and post pics of the maracas after I get them." Aww that's so awesome, and yes, it makes a difference when they go out of their way! Quote: Originally Posted by jesmcan Candicemarie you are awesome!!! I have been looking everywhere to because I don't want the hassle of getting to Playa and running around getting 80 maracas haahah, thank you so much!!! LisaD - you are a smart woman for ordering invites. Although I am happy the way they turned out I think for sanity reasons its better to let the professionals do it lol Me and my dreams....last night I dreamt that I met the lady who is doing the invites and she put the wrong background on it (I love starfish and I was like "noooo, it's supposed to have starfish!") I'm such a weirdo

Quote: Originally Posted by jesmcan YAY my invites are finally done!!! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...9/#post1298523 They are too cute! I just ordered mine today but decided to have them made because 1. i'm lazy 2. not that creative lol Quote: Originally Posted by dianep i'm tan, married, and happy. we have a few days of the honeymoon left to enjoy before heading home. i met julia in the hallway just after her wedding - congrats, and you looked beautiful! keeping an eye out for lynnie s as we were upgraded to the royal (it's soooo much nicer!!). having a wonderful time, but it's going way too fast. about to take a jacuzzi now and listed to the rain... Yay congrats!! I hope you are having an amazing time :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by JuliaR Here's our first wedding pic! I'm still in Tulum, but I couldn't wait to post the first one! More to come later! absolutely stunning! Quote: Originally Posted by RunningBride24 I was just curious when everyone was booking their flights down to Cancun? I'm clueless whether to book now or wait a few months in hopes that the airfare will go down. Any suggestions are very welcomed! Thanks ladies! My family and I booked ours early last month to ensure non-stop flights

Quote: Originally Posted by saza175 hey maggie brides... i'm in love with 3 gowns from the destination line... i just can't find anywhere that has them so I can try them on! what to do, what to do.... JD1328 - by Maggie Sottero JD1231 - by Maggie Sottero SD5238 - by Maggie Sottero obviously they look incredible on the 90 pound model, but i need to see what it looks like on me ! I know, girl, I was unable to find ANY destination maggies in my area (but one). And yes, I agree about the 90 lb model thing lol

Quote: Originally Posted by LynnieS Wow, I just can't get away from the forum haha!! I saw many weddings and, although we did not use one, I heard a harp several times and it was absolutely beautiful! I also saw several mariachi bands play during the cocktail hour, never during the receptions. BTW if I have one piece of advice, especially if you have a large group, pay for the extra hour for reception, it is def worth it. My reception was very late in getting started and we had only been dancing for about 45 minutes before our 3 hours was up and added on an hour. We felt very rushed in getting all the dances in (ie father/daughter, 1st dance etc. ) and the cake cutting and speeches. That is my ONLY complaint!!!! this resort is so amazing I am kinda depressed to leave tomor!!! Sweet! thank you so much; the harpist is actually what I was interested in :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by LynnieS Yes they can! Very expensive however BTW IM MARRIED!! We come back tomorrow but thought I'd check in real quick since everyone has left but us. ask anything. Everything was absolutely amazing!! You girls will not be disappointed. It was beyond my every expectation. They are just awesome!!! More later. . . WOot, yay Lynnie!

Jenconrad or ladies who have recently been married (and who had the luxury package)... what were the musicians like, especially the soloist? Which one did you choose and how often did he/she play?

I'm kinda bummed that the Royal doesn't heat their pools :-(. I went to Secrets Capri Riviera last October and they didnt heat theirs either and it was extremely cold and uncomfortable......

Quote: Originally Posted by Jenny310 Lisa I get there on the 21st so we'll be there at the same time! Awesome, you might get to see my wedding on the 24th! We're leaving for cozumel the day before your wedding though. Quote: Originally Posted by candicemarie Aww good luck! I'm sure it will, too!! Enjoy it lady! hahahaha! oh heck ya, man. at least once a week, especially now that we're getting close I'm doing a totally non-traditional, light, short dress bc I never saw myself in one of those fancy ones: TFNC | TFNC Jacquard Bandeau Dress at ASOS I'm w/LadyDi go w/the one that's the most you! Cute!