TonyandTricia

Hi Ladies. Our wedding is already over, but now I'm just trying to post pics to give other people ideas!! Here's my dress at my first fitting: Ella Bridals Good Luck to everyone who is still in the planning stage!!

Cake from our resort reception: Cake from our AHR:

These are my centerpieces that we used for our Mexico reception: Freeze dried rose petals from flyboynaturals.com with tea lights from pier one. These are the ones from my AHR: This one has sand in the bottom (we bought a big bag from the hardware store), candles from michael's, and pre-filled votives from hobby lobby with bright orange and fuchsia rose petals. We wanted to vary it up so on half of the tables we had these tall centerpieces with sea shells in the bottom with a light and drowned gladiola blooms. Surrounded by petals and votives. This was my inspiration pic and I think it turned out even better!! I was so pleased!!

I finally posted my review!! It's pretty long and probably boring for those who are not future Moon Palace brides, but there's lots of pics!

FINALLY!!! I posted my review!!

Honeymoon – Excellence Playa Mujeres B- Just a word about our honeymoon spot…it was absolutely beautiful!! But also very expensive ($700/night!), food wasn’t as good as moon palace, slow service, and far away from things if you wanted to do any excursions. We enjoyed our time there, but won’t go back. Overall, we are sooo happy with how everything turned out. It was definitely the wedding of our dreams!!

Flowers: I ordered my bouquet and FI boutineirre from Realistic Silk Wedding Flowers, Natural Touch and Silk Bridal Bouquets. I gave them an inspiration pic and ,although they didn’t match it perfectly, I was very happy with it and everyone loved it! They couldn’t even tell that it was fake! I paid $106 for both of those. I asked MP to give me the roses that they would have used in my complementary bouquet as loose roses so that we could make bouts for the dads (3) and bouquets for our moms (5!). I asked for fuchsia roses and got pink that also had a lot of white. They worked perfect for what we wanted them for, but I am so glad that I decided not to have them do my bouquet because they were definitely not fuchsia as I had requested. Petals: I ordered petals from Eco-Friendly Freeze Dried Rose Petals I ordered 128 cups for the aisle, guest toss after ceremony, and reception tables. They were approximately $200. I ordered fuchsia and orange ginger snap. They came in 2 big bags and were a little hard when they arrived. I ordered them at the beginning of January and stored them in a dark closet like they recommend until our wedding at the end of February. They were the same as when I got them over a month later. When we got to our room at the resort I put them in the bathroom, turned on the shower, and shut the door. They softened up and were perfect. I was very happy with them. They do have cheaper options if you get their mixes, but I was set on fuchsia and orange. Carriage Ride: A+++ My FI thought that the carriage ride seemed kind of expensive ($135) and suggested that maybe we skip it. We decided to go ahead and do it and he said that it was the best decision we made. He said seeing me come around the corner in the carriage was the happiest moment in his life and brought tears to his eyes. Afterward he said that was his favorite part about the wedding and still smiles today when we start talking about it. ☺ Photographer: A We decided to go with the resort photographer, David Pena. We just didn’t have it in our budget to fly someone in or pay for their stay at the resort. I am happy with our pictures and glad we went with David. Videographer: A I love our video! Worth the money and I cried like a baby when I watched it. Ceremony: Before we arrived, Angelica dropped my pedals all over the aisle and set up my sand ceremony pieces. Guests were told to arrive at 1:30 (because we have some people that are NEVER on time!) At 2:00 the my step mom, FI step mom, my mom, and FI mom poured their portions of sand into our corresponding vases. Meanwhile… Our carriage got over to the Nizuc side (after a short ride to sunrise) a little early so we paused behind a building to wait for the right time. We were close enough for me to hear the music begin, but not for our guests to see me. As soon as I heard my first song play (moms walking down the aisle and filling our vases with sand) I was overcome with emotion and was fighting back the tears . It was such a great feeling to hear the music that I had worked so hard picking out. It was all coming together and I couldn’t have been happier. Finally, our carriage song started and we were off to the gazebo! As we pulled around I saw a huge smile on my FI face and looked at the crowd and saw the water works!! All the women were crying! We pulled up to the gazebo to meet my dad and my step dad’s fiancé who were waiting for us. My step dad got out and walked down the aisle, while I waited in the carriage. My dad helped me out (tiny stairs by the way, I was worried I was going to do a face plant in front of everyone!) and then my song began. My dad and I walked down the aisle to meet FI and the ceremony began! We wrote our ceremony script (ok, cut and pasted pieces from BDW) we were told that MP couldn’t guarantee that our minister could pronounce it very well, but he did great. It wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t care. After the ceremony our recessional song began and our guests exited the gazebo while we had our champagne toast and took a couple of pics. Then we exited the gazebo to greet our guests who threw rose petals. I thought it was just perfect!! It was VERY windy and I had to take off my veil mid-vows. I only wore it for about 20 minutes total, but I still loved it. It made me feel like a bride! After the ceremony we took group pictures and then we went to the beach for pictures and our guests went to the cocktail hour. Cocktail Hour: 3:00-4:00 pm. They started a little early for us after our group pictures (about 2:45). Our cocktail hour was held at the Bugambilia Terrace right next to the gazebo. We chose the Superior Hors D'Oeuvres Menu: pimiento piquillo relleno de queso crema y nuez / bell pepper filled with cream cheese and nut camarón con piña / shrimp with pineapple blue cheese hors D'oeuvres brocheta de pollo / chicken shish kebab medallones de res / beef medallions volován relleno mariscos / seafood vol au vent It was a lot of food! Honestly I couldn’t’ tell you how good it was because I didn’t eat much. I heard that the shish kabobs and stuffed bell peppers were good. Reception: A++ Due to the wind and temperature (it was a little chilly at night) we chose to have our reception indoors. I’m glad we did! Our reception was held in the Aqua Salon in the Nizuc main building. We chose the French menu and I thought it was great and a lot of people complemented us on it. Afterwards we went to the disco to continue the party! Music: A Ceremony playlist: 1.Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a wonderful world-Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (moms walking down the aisle) 2. You’re So Cool-Hans Zimmer (Carriage coming around the bend!) 3. Canon in D (bride) 4. I’m Yours-Jason Mraz (Sand Ceremony) 5. Beautiful Day-U2 (Recessional) Reception Music: We got the iPod hook up and made our own playlists. We got a Dj and a microphone as well. Cake A We decided to upgrade the cake. We chose a smaller version of one out of the catalog because we only had 30 people and didn’t want to pay a ton for the cake. Not very many people ate it although I thought it was tasty. We got one layer of chocolate and one layer of vanilla. I think people were just so full from dinner and dinner came with a ton of desserts…really good desserts too. My hubby says that if we could go back he would have just got the complementary one, but I still would have gotten it just because it was so pretty. Centerpieces A++ I brought rose petals and tea light candles (Pier One) for the center pieces and I thought they looked beautiful!! Definitely would have blown away had we chose to stay outdoors. Our original reception location was supposed to be the Venado Terrace. It is right next to the ocean, but also right next to Grand so it was far. Add-ons: Carriage Ride: $135 Cocktail Hour: $600 Reception: $1200 Cake: $130 Photography: $950 Dress steamed: $35 DH clothes pressed: $25 (not worth it!! Came wrinkley anyway.) iPod hook-up, microphone, DJ: $220 Ship Pictues: $70 Nails: $8

WEDDING DETAILS Wedding Date / Time – Friday, February 26, 2010 / 2:00 p.m. Wedding Coordinator – Angelica Martinez Mauricio Wedding Package - Complimentary Gazebo – Bugambilia Cocktail Hour - Bugambilia Terrace 3:00-4:00 p.m. Reception - 6:30 p.m. – Aqua Salon Total number of guests including Husband and I - 30. Our stay – February 23 – February 28th Most of our guests stay – February 24 – March 1 Honeymoon – Excellence Playa Mujeres from February 28 – March 4 Photographer – David Pena (resort photographer) Overall Experience A+++++++++ I can’t not begin to express how wonderful our wedding was at Moon Palace!!! It was absolutely perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing. I have to first of all thank all of the BDW brides that helped me with my planning!!! It wouldn’t have been the same without all of the great tips that I got from this site. And I have met some amazing friends (WhooHooo February Brides!!!). I think that Moon Palace was absolutely perfect for us. We have a large divided family and not necessarily every guest would have wanted to spend their whole vacation hanging out with their ex’s, so the size was perfect for us. It is large so you weren’t right on top of each other, but it was still fun to occasionally run into guests as you walked around. After the wedding a lot of guests told us that it was the best wedding that that they had ever been to and some are even planning a return trip for our one year anniversary!! Travel Agency B The travel agency that we used was destinationweddings.com. I have mixed feelings about them. They did help a lot, but their prices were more than what we found on internet discount sites (in particular Orbitz) so they agreed to price match Orbitz and get our guests pretty low rates. In general it was a little under $2400 for flight, transfers, and oceanfront accomodations for 6 days and 5 nights. So at times, I wondered why we were even using them because our guests could have just booked on Orbitz. Their response was 1. We had a representative to call if we had questions, which was true and she would help if she could and 2. We were guaranteed not to be bumped if the hotel over booked. Airline C We, along with our guests, flew American Airlines. DH and I’s experience with them was pretty uneventful. 18 of our guests however had a different experience. 18 of them were on the same 10 am flight from KC to Cancun. 30 minutes into their flight they had a failed engine and had to turn back to KC. Their flight ended up being cancelled and about 4:00 pm 4 of them caught a flight to Cancun. The other 14 of them had to go to Chicago and arrived in Miami after midnight where they spent the night and arrived in Cancun a day late. I’m glad that they all made it safely and am not giving AA a bad grade because of that. I am giving them a C because the next day the same plane caught on fire!! I also had a friend taking an AA flight from NYC to KC, which also caught on fire. 2 planes with fire equals bad grade from this bride. Wedding Coordinator B Our wedding coordinator was Angelica Martinez. Through out the whole process I was very frustrated with MP because they have rules of not getting your WC until 90 days before your wedding. I’d get on the forum and read about brides getting married MONTHS after me who were in contact with theirs. I finally threw a fit to MP and from then on they pretty much worked with me to get what I requested. Angelica did a good job, my frustration was with the whole system in general, not necessarily her. I know some people tip their wedding coordinator, but my hubby wouldn’t let me. He said we gave them enough of our money. ☺ Customs A I was so worried about going through customs with all of our stuff!!! (7 bags plus dress!) I was very prepared with folders with receipts of OOT bag contents in each suitcase. I took 128 cups of rose petals with me and was super worried that they would be confiscated. As my bags went through the machine the lady asked me how much all of my wedding gifts were worth and I said $200 because I thought that I read somewhere that $300 was the limit. She said ok and then I hit the green light so my bags weren’t checked. Thank goodness!! Transfers A Our transfers were with American Express and they were very helpful and didn’t push sales on us too much. Because all of our guests were coming in at odd times the American Express rep from the hotel (Martin) sat with us in the lobby and called his coworkers who were at the airport and gave us a heads up when a guest was on their way. We have no complaints about them. The Resort A+++ I am sooooo happy with our decision to go with Moon Palace! It is such a beautiful resort with so much to do and great food. It was perfect for us and I wouldn’t change a thing. Everyone who worked there was very kind and accommodating to everything we requested. I’ve heard people complain about the beach, and yes, it’s not the most beautiful beach, but I still thought it was very pretty. The seaweed wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated from the reviews. Rooms A We, along with all of our guests, stayed on the Nizuc side. I’m glad that we did it was in the middle of the resort and so we never had a hard time to get to any one area. I thought our room was very nice and we had a beautiful view to wake up to every day! Room Service A YUM!!! We ordered room service everyday! Our faves were the ham and cheese croissants, hamburgers, and the FRIES!! Room service came in helpful for breakfast a lot, when we needed a quick bite to eat before we went out and met people, and on our wedding day because we didn’t see each other until the ceremony and didn’t want to risk running into each other beforehand. Restaurants A+ El Caribeno: Super good food. We really liked it here. La Trattoria: About 10 of us went here the night after our wedding and everyone thought that it was the best meal that they had all week. The appetizers were horrible so we were worried, but the meals were delicious!! Bambu: I didn’t eat here, but my family didn’t like it. Arrecifes: I didn’t care for this at all. I know other people have great things to say about it, but I just didn’t think it was that good. Los Caporales: My favorite. We had our rehearsal dinner here and it was so good. See my entry below about our menu. Buffet in Nizuc Lobby: Not sure it’s name (think it’s El Manglar), but everyone loved going here for breakfast. They had pretty much everything that you could think of and it was really tasty! Palapa Delfines: We ate here for lunch a couple of times. They had good Philly cheeseteak sandwiches, fries, and chips and guacamole. Dessert bar in Nizuc lobby: They have all kinds of desserts…our favorite was the double layered chocolate cake. It was delicious!!! Someone else told us after we got home that they had chocolate frosties that tasted like Wendy’s…too bad we missed out on that! Overall we thought the food was really good!! We went to a really nice honeymoon spot afterwards that was supposed to have all 4/5 star restaurants and we thought MP food was much better!! As you can tell we ate like crap!! But hey, I had been good for way to long not to break the diet a little (ok, a lot) when we were there! Entertainment on the Resort Our favorite spots to hang out were the Nizuc pool and the Swing Bar on the Sunrise side. The Swing bar was always a lot of fun and we met a lot of nice people there. After our reception we went to Andromeda, the resort disco, which is located on the Sunrise side. It opens at 10:30 every night. At first when we got there I wasn’t into it too much because it was actual disco music. After a while, they started playing different music and we had so much fun dancing!!! There is a schedule of events posted in the lobby that had the nightly shows/entertainment that was planned. One night there was a fire show (Thursday) and a lot of the guests enjoyed that. Mondays are the Michael Jackson show and we missed that although I’ve heard good things about it. I finally got to meet another BDW bride (FutureMsMoutlon) at the resort, which was great!! We had a bridal party drinking contest at the Nizuc Pool and unfortunately she smoked me! TIME LINE OF EVENTS Wednesday, February 24 - We had a Meet and Greet scheduled for the roof top bar above El Caribeno, but unfortunately it was cancelled due to the airline mishap previously mentioned. The night before the scheduled Meet and Greet my FI and I went and got a drink and checked it out. It’s a large space with a bunch of lounge furniture. I think it would have been perfect for a meet and greet although it is on the far end of the resort. Thursday, February 25 - This was the night of our rehearsal dinner. We had it at Los Caporales. I thought it was the perfect place to have it. The food was great (except we didn’t care for the dessert) and the staff and atmosphere was lots of fun! The marriache band came and played for our table and my dad had to jump up and play with them. It was so fun! Here was our menu that I had to preselect: appetizer: chicken tacos and guacamole (very good) soup: black bean cream soup salad: mixed salad with tomato, baby corn, carrot, and guajillo chilli dressing main dish: beef fillet (everyone thought this was REALLY good) or fish stuffed shrimp (only a few of us chose this and when it arrived a lot of people wish that they had. it was soooo good!!) dessert: dark and white chocolate cake with vanilla sauce (it was flan, which most of our guests weren’t crazy about, but we had so much other good food no one seemed to mind. ) Friday, February 26 - Ceremony Day My sister stayed with me the night before and FI stayed with my brother in law so that we wouldn’t see each other or talk before the wedding. When we woke up my sister and I ordered room service so that we wouldn’t run into FI or other guests. Then we went to the salon and had my nails painted. They did a decent job and it was only $8. After my nails we went back to my room and my hair stylist (FutureMsMoulton’s sister!!) came around 10:45 am. At 1:40 Angelica, our wedding coordinator came to our room to pick me up. She walked me to the carriage and my step father and I went for a little ride before heading to Bugambilia Gazebo. I loved the gazebo that we were in. It was close to our rooms and very pretty with a great terrace out front. I was a little worried at first because I kept reading good things about Tucan, but was assigned Bugambilia. I thought it was perfect and I wouldn’t have changed a thing! Hair: FutureMsMoulton’s sister did my hair and I thought she did a great job!! I loved it and got a lot of compliments. I was also pretty happy with how well it held up considering the crazy wind and humidity.

Pain In The Ass!!

Krista: You're dress looks beautiful!! I really like it and I"m sure you have to feel like a princess in that! I want to see a pic with you wearing it now that you have it! I think your hair and inspiration pics looks great too! Sounds like you have been a busy girl! It's so exciting! Your time is right around the corner! It's so cute that your FI has already thought about vows! I jokingly brought it up to Tony and he said "no way." Haha Krista H: Glad to hear that your AHR went so well!! I want to see some pics! If they're already on FB I'll have to look at them tonight. I love looking at everyone's celebration pics! Are you trying to avoid alcohol since you are trying? We are not actively trying, as in not counting optimal days, but are not trying not to either. Everytime I have a drink (which isn't a lot just on the weekends) I worry a little about it. So I've taken a couple tests before I head out on the town just to make sure even though I know it doesn't always show up on them. Chris- Glad you got your DVD. It's about dang time! Can't wait to see more pics! It was great wearing my dress again. It made me feel almost as good again as the first time in it. Like yours, mine is sitting in the bag in our guest room still. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet. I'm pretty sure I'm going to sell it. I just need to get it cleaned again. Brooke- 14 kegs and 40 bottles!!! That is a lot of booze!!! How many kegs do you think a bar goes through in a night? I bet not 14 kegs! If Wisconsin/Minnesota wasn't so far you may have had a couple party crashers to help you drink it. It's so exciting that Meredith knows!! I'm sure it was a relief to be able to share it with someone in your family. When you are telling everyone else?? How far along are you now? How have you been feeling? I am 100% with you on how Chris needs to handle the PITA co-worker!! Sabrina- Hey, mama, how have you been feeling? Still a lot of nausea? I hope not too much! Alison- I saw your pics on FB...it looks like you guys had a lot of fun in NYC!!

Chris- So glad you finally got your pics!! I was a little disappointed too that I couldn't find that one great picture frame shot, but as I look at them more I really like them. Sabrina- 8 weeks?!?! WHooHoo!! I hope you start to feel a little better! Alison- I also looked EVERYWHERE for thank yous to fit a 4x6 picture. I couldn't find them anywhere and didn't want to pay $3 or $4 a piece buying them individually. I also decided to make my own. They were very plain....but looked nice and ended up being very cheap. I also like the idea of meeting up in NY in the fall! Glad to hear the doc says everything looks good! Did they tell you to wait a little longer and then if necessary they'll run some tests? Krista- Are these ADULTS we're talking about here?? I say let them have their pity party at home while you guys enjoy your night!!

Erica- Your picture is absolutely gorgeous!!! What a great shot!! I can't wait to see more!! Sue- So sorry to hear about your grandpa. What a long life he had!, but I know that still doesn't make it any easier. I don't think you should feel guilty about not going back. That is very expensive and I don't think you have to go to the funeral to say your goodbyes if it's too hard to get there. That's wonderful that you were able to make it back there last summer after so long away. Timberly- I have Chase too, but have learned you can get the fees and penalties taken away. I ALWAYS pay my bills on time, but one time just plain forgot and called them and they waived the fee. If you have that good of a track record they should do that for you! They do what they can to keep you as a customer. Chris- Still no pictures?!?! Hopefully soon!! So is the guy just really busy and back logged on weddings? I can't imagine why it would take so long! Sabrina, Brooke- How's pregnancy treating you ladies?? So Brooke....will you still fly up to the last minute or have to be close to the ground for easy access to an OB the last month?

Hi ladies, I hope that all of your planning is going good! I'm super slow on my review I know. I keep thinking I'll go in and edit it to make it more reaonabe, but I've been so busy I may just post as is.

Erica-Good to hear from you! Glad your mini-vation went well! I's great that you guys get to travel to such neat places. Chris- A VCR?!?! Timbery- I sure hope you prevail on this fight! That's ridiculous! Nothing too exciting going on with me. I'm going to Minnesota this weekend for a fundraiser and that's pretty much the highlight of my week! Counting down the minutes until work is over... I'm going to try to finish my review and get that up too. It's looong overdue!

Yay,Brooke!!!!!! And way to go MR. AWESOME!!!! I am so happy for you guys!

Chris- It's about freaking time, huh?!? And they look great!! I hope you get the rest soon! Timberly- It looks like you guys had a great vacation!! Brooke- I can't wait to hear the results! Even if it's a no (for now) I still love how we all keep each other up to date and it's so exciting to hear about this stage of everyone's life as well!! Shell- i agree...I absolutely LOVE being married!!! Life isn't much different, but I just love the feeling knowing that we are "official"!! And lemon cake is one of my faves! Although hubby and I aren't trying to get pregnant right now, I did take my last BC pill on Friday. It may sound weird, but there was something liberating about knowing that it was my last one. I have had an alarm set on my phone for the past 5+ years to remind me to take it everyday at 5:30 and I got to turn that off for the first time! I am not a medication person AT ALL so it was great to get to stop! I hope everyone is having a great holiday!!

Hi ladies, Brooke! You are so patient! I don't know if I could wait, but I agree you definitely should! Did you stop taking your BC before the wedding or after? If you really are pregnant Justin has earned his nickname!! I can't believe the first bride is pregnant!!! I haven't hardly seen any pics from my reception, but I did see this one of my cake. I was so preoccupied that night I barely got to check it out. When I saw the pic I just thought it was so gorgeous if I do say so myself!!

YAY!!!!! Congrats, Sabrina!!! That is so exciting!!!!!! I love the baby talk!! After I finish this pill pack (Friday) I am done! I don't really know if I need to finish the pack, but I read that somewhere?? I have been so busy the last couple of weeks that I've barely been able to check in. We had our AHR on Friday and had a blast!! I will post some pics!

Hi fellow KC-MP brides! We did a sand ceremony and stuffed the top of the vase with very dense tissue paper and put it in our checked bag in the styrofoam packaging it came in. The vase survived and the tissue paper is still packed tightly in the top , but the sand settled and mixed all up. I knew we would have been better carrying it on, but we didn't want to lug everything to our honeymoon resort so sent it home with guests.

Hi ladies, I know several of you have Pm'd me questions and I hope to get my review up soon!! Life is hectic right now (started a new business last week and AHR is next weekend) so I do a little whenever I have some down time. Right now it is super loooonngggg. I may have to cut a little, add some pics and hope to get it up within the next week. I love talking about our wedding!!! Just trying to find the time! I absolutely love being married.

Should I ship our little man to KimmyG? He's still sitting on my dining room table.

ONE MONTH?!? Can you believe it?? Personally, I am loving married life

I dropped off all of my stuff in the WC office and they set up everything for me. When I'm done with my review I'll post pics. I thought they did a good job.

Susie: Cute house! And beautiful hard woods and kitchen! It looks really nice. Timberly: That's funny about the puppy. I understand how you feel about people not acknowledging your wedding. I have learned a lot during the experience as well. I am the person who always goes to everyone's things even if I don't want to, am tired, or am sick because I want them to feel special on their day (birthday, wedding, shower, fiesta!, whatever!) and I realized that not only do people not come, but they don't RSVP. So next time I am feverish and lying in bed and don't feel like going to someone's birthday party, my ass is getting some rest!! Brooke- that's how we handled our money up until recently and it worked pretty good for us. I didn't really see the need to switch when we did, but I have to admit it has been more convenient. Erica- we went to a wedding last year and got pizza around 10:00 pm and it was great!!

I was about to respond to Sarah and then realized that post was from 2006!! I'm sure she's figured it out by now....but to anyone else who may be curious....we had 30 people at our reception and we danced, danced, danced. We had a blast, even those of us who are not exactly talented at it! I've never been to a wedding without dancing either. I would probably be on the edge of my seat all night waiting for it to start.