vanessa81

Hi Angie! Don’t feel behind – we just sent out our Save the Dates out about 4 months earlier! We included instructions to book as an insert with the Save the Dates – as well as some information on our website. I have found that very few people have actually gone to the website though! I know some brides have sent out a “reminder†with instructions and this has helped if booking is still slow. We sent out around 35 Save the Dates, so invited about 70-80 people total. However, some of my family has older kids who need their own rooms so we have a couple of situations where one family has had to book 2 rooms, etc. so I think that has bolstered the numbers. Your entertainment choices sound great! I agree with you about not wanting to have people be on a “scheduleâ€. We haven’t officially reserved anything yet w/ Vallarta Adventures, but this is what most people have been inquiring about. I think that after we get our invitation RSVPs back, we’ll start to ask those attending if they are interested in any activities and go from there. As for the minister, we are using Lucie, mainly because she speaks French & Spanish. Some of my family is Spanish-speaking only, so I wanted her to be able to do some parts of the ceremony in Spanish. Happy planning – and have a great weekend!

Thanks Angie! I have been searching for dresses online for a while now – however just booked my first appointment for next month. Figured I really couldn’t keep putting it off – we’ll see how it goes! Yes, I’d say so far filling the rooms has been the only thing remotely stressful in the process and I think a lot of the girls on here would agree. However, you still have plenty of time. I’m currently working on getting our invitations designed to send them out around June to serve as yet another reminder for people to book (we sent the Save the Dates out in July – yes, we’ve had a long engagement!). That way if there are definitive ‘No’s’ we can possibly invite others (on the B list…) if we need more rooms filled. We are also doing a partial takeover and so far have 11 rooms booked (including ours). Good luck!! As for the D & E package, we chose #1. We were a little bummed that karaoke was no longer an entertainment option for us when we booked; however the FI is already looking forward to some Texas Hold Em. We are also thinking of planning a day outing with Vallarta Adventures (zip lining, etc.) during the week. Are you leaning towards anything in particular yet?

Hi Angie, CONGRATULATIONS and welcome to the forum! You will be getting married about a month before me! Let me tell you - booking at PF you have already made the best and most important decision. My planning has gone so smoothly so far - love it! Also - the ladies on here are SO helpful! Be sure to look over past threads, etc. to see what others have done, tips, etc. Happy planning and again, congrats! Vanessa

Hi Heather, Welcome! I worded the STD: "please save the week" and then like Kate, also directed them to our website for more details. I actually went ahead and included a short letter as well as the booking instructions for PF in our STD too.

Thanks so much ladies! My apologies for never responding - just today I was notified I had all of these messages-- from like February! You ladies were right - this month it will be one year since my engagement and it has gone by SO FAST! However, in that one year we: booked our wedding at Playa Fiesta, booked our photographer, and booked our minister. Just last month, we sent out the Save the Dates & put up our website. I can't even think how we could get everything done had we NOT had such a long engagement! @EricaMarie: Yes, I agree with you -- send out your Save the Dates as soon as you can! Given the considerable cost & time required, we wanted to give our guests the most time we could. I felt a little silly sending out Save the Dates about 15 months out, but people have said they are really grateful for the advance notice! Since we have our hotel booked, we were able to let them know how much to budget to stay there the week. As far as airfare, you're right, most flights won't open up until 11 months out. For those that have asked, I have given them estimates based on fares for those dates in December for this year and expect them to be comparable (or cheaper if they book early on). Happy planning everyone!!

Magalie - how exciting! I'm sure all of the work leading up to it will be SO worth it - truly a once in a lifetime opportunity! I am looking forward to living vicariously through your pics/blog during your travels Good luck this last month!

Welcome Jenny Lee! I agree - the ladies on here are a WONDERFUL resource - so happy to have found them! Happy to see another possible Chicago PF bride! @Magalie: hope things are going great with getting ready for the big honeymoon!!

::bump::

Magalie, All I can say is WOW, absolutely gorgeous!!! I agree with Kate, I could go on and on and on about what I loved - everything from your hair, make-up, bouquet, etc. etc. And you looked stunning in your dress - so happy for you especially when you had those last minute issues with it. Also - Travis's menu looked absolutely delish! Again, you have great style and it showed! Also loved how your photographer captured such emotion in her shots. CONGRATS again!! Definitely makes me want to fast forward 1.5 years to my wedding! Thanks so much for the beautiful inspiration!!

Magalie - gorgeous! Can't tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your pictures! I know what you mean about checking out other PF weddings... I am forever stalking Michelle's blog and this forum for pics!

Congrats Magalie!! So glad to hear it was worth it - can't wait to see the pics of your big day!! We are also doing the 15-room booking for the wedding... and don't really have it in our budget to pay for others' rooms... hope we can fill it!

Hi Kristy, We have not yet done a site visit - we'd love to go but I feel like we should forgo the visit and instead put that money down towards the wedding since we already signed the contract! If you're able to go though, I would definitely do it! Couldn't hurt, right? We just felt really comfortable with all of the reviews & the information the girls on this message board gave so we had no qualms about signing a contact before seeing the actual place. So far we've been really pleased with working with the PF crew! Good luck!

Hi Kristy, Welcome to the PF message board! Don't feel bad about contacting PF if your wedding is 2 years away... we were in the same boat & booked PF in November 2009 for December 2011! Even though we are over 1.5 years out now, Lindsay, Adam & Blaire have already got the wheels rolling & it feels great that we have so much done already! And as you can already see, the ladies on here are AWESOME and offer invaluable help & insight on your PF wedding! Happy planning!! Vanessa

Magalie, Yay, glad to hear you are done with planning & ready to enjoy Mexico! Hope you have a wonderful time with your family & friends and that your big day is everything you dreamed of. Can't wait to hear/see how it goes - love your taste and really looking forward to it! CONGRATS in advance! -Vanessa

Hi Magalie! Can't believe your big day is SO very close - how exciting! I echo the other girls in saying I'm so sorry to hear about your wedding dress woes! The dress looks very pretty though - hope you are pleasantly surprised at your next fitting! (Any progress?). Best of luck with the finishing touches - can't wait!

Hi Crystal - Great post! Sounds like you truly had the perfect wedding. Can't wait to see your pictures! I agree with Magalie, these reports are so helpful in helping us plan, etc. Also, not that I had questioned her before this, but it's reassuring to know you rated Michelle so high We're so looking forward to have her shoot our wedding! We got the TR shoot too as well as the photo booth. Thanks again & CONGRATS!

Believe me, it's not that we're organized, it's that we needed all the time we could get to save money & have our family/friends save as well so they could join us for a destination wedding! In other news, has anyone checked out these AWESOME wedding toppers from Etsy?!! Handmade Personalised Custom Bride and Groom by boogiebabys I absolutely HAVE to have a set made for our cake I think... but will have to wait to see what kind of clothing we'll be wearing, etc. Hope everyone's having a great week!!

Oh no, hope this isn't the case Magalie! We only reserved 15 rooms, and are planning on inviting only between 40-50 people so I think it will be close! We have plenty of time though. This week we put down our deposit with Michelle Turner -- so excited to have her shoot our wedding! That means so far we have the date, venue booked and photographer set for our December 2011 wedding. I almost feel like I can forget about things for a year or so and still be okay haha!

Congrats on the civil ceremony Magalie - everything was beautiful! From the dress, to the flower pomanders, and the photography - can't wait for your PF wedding! Is this the same photographer who will be taking your PF wedding pictures too? I know.. we were kinda bummed about not having the karaoke option anymore - we were really looking forward to it! I wonder why they no longer offer it

Thanks for your help Vancouver ladies! Ives – thanks and congrats to you as well as a fellow 2011 bride! We emailed Michelle a few weeks ago and she responded within the hour! We are leaning towards her, but just wanted to see what Beth had to offer to have something to compare. However, considering we’ll be coordinating things from afar, I think it’s very important to establish good email communication so we may not want to take the risk with Beth. I agree – I love Michelle’s blog & portfolio! Nice work negotiating a good deal with Michelle – we’ll certainly try to do the same . Mlabbe – thanks for your feedback as well; this is very helpful! I echo your sentiments, I think I’d feel much more comfortable with someone who is really easy to get a hold of. Hope all of your planning is going well!

Hi ladies, We are looking to book a photographer soon at PF and really love the work of Michelle Turner and Beth Lloyd. I think we pretty much have decided we will choose one or the other. I have already been in contact with Michelle and she sent us price information, her availability, etc. She has been really great via email. However, I tried contacting Beth over a week ago via her website and haven't gotten a reply. Anyone have any experience contacting/working with Beth? Not sure if I should try contacting her again via the website or if there is another way (dont want to be pushy!). I really love both of their work and would like to have both of their information before we make a decision. Thanks in advance!

Hi Kate, Glad you had a great trip! Thanks so much for the updates - how exciting!

I agree - it'd be good to know if there are any changes at the hotel. I thought someone had mentioned before they they work on the hotel during the months it is closed? Even though we signed the contract before doing a site visit, we are planning on going in December to see what the beach, etc. is like exactly one year before the big date - I can certainly provide updates when the time comes for that. Have a great time Kate!!

I agree - I absolutely love how the mariachis look in the pics! My mom has requested them for the reception hour so we're certainly looking forward to it!

Lovely maracas! How does one get pricing information for these?