Lindobride14

Quote: Originally Posted by murmel Hmmm...some of the resorts have very large wagons that get used for seaweed removal, but 1) it will be to heavy for a 2 year old to pull, and 2) I don't think it fits the wedding scene. Depending on what you had planned in terms of walking down the aisle. If the bridemsaids are just walking down the aisle (ie groomsmen in front already), I would suggest one of your bridesmaids carry the ring bearer, and holding hands with the flower girl perhaps? If you have the bridesmaids and groomsmen walking in together, maybe the first couple can walk in with the flower girl, and the next couple with the ring bearer? Thanks for the ideas! Haha, yeah seaweed wagon, not so good. We are probably having the BM and GM walk in together (as long as the numbers stay even) with the exception of the MOH and Best Man. I was going to have the best man stand in front with the groom so that he's not standing up there all alone, and then have my sister, MOH, walk in solo right before me. So I think I will plan on having her hold the ring bearer (it's her son after all) and hold the flower girl's hand. Thanks for that!

Jeremy- Very nice shot in the rain! We are getting married at the Lindo as well and would love to see more of your photos from this wedding. Keep em coming!

Cute monogram, Joanna! Did you do it yourself? Speaking of kids, my nephew who is our ring bearer will be 13 months old on our wedding date. Who knows if he'll be walking. Our flower girl will be 2 and a half. If he's not walking by then, was thinking of having her pull him in a wagon. But where in the world would I get a wagon in Mexico? Anyone have any other ideas?

Just watched your whole slideshow . . . Beautiful pics, really!! Some hilarious dance pics, your husband is quite the ham haha!

We can't wait to meet with him at our site visit in two weeks! Your pics are gorgeous!

Very cute! that looks like it takes some major creative skills & craftiness -- don't sell yourself short! I saw a cute set somewhere similar to yours, but the B&G were wearing sombreros, which I thought was cute :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Mischaka Thank you for that site!!! As a woman of color it's hard to find someone who knows how to work with our hair. So I googled them and it's possible that they have some experience in that area. I sure hope so too!!! you're welcome! I hope you have luck with them!

Quote: Originally Posted by pitt2011 For the jewelry I was thinking of pretty crystal earrings and maybe a necklace to match. I love swarovski and seeing that I only have 4 bridesmaids I can splurge a little and get them nice jewelry. I have seen pics on this forum of bridesmaids wearing starfish necklaces and I think they are so cute!! I might get them starfish necklaces with crystals in them to the match the earrings. I might go with a whole starfish jewelry theme!! I am also a big fan of really big costume rings. Maybe I can find a starfish one too. I havn't been looking at jewelry websites yet but if I find one I'll definitely pass it on. For shoes, I am going with flip flops all the way! I am having a beach ceremony so the wedding will be barefoot and then once we are off the sand everyone will be wearing flip flops. I got my dresses at Davids Bridal and they have flip flops there to match the colors of the dresses so I will get the girls their flip flops for them as one of their gifts too. I couldn't fathom the thought of wearing heels to the beach!! I have four bridesmaids so including myself there would be 5 heads for my cousin to do. It's not that many so I think I will take your advice and frame it as a joke and see what she says. I also LOVE your idea of offering the spa services to her as a thank you for doing our hair. With taking care of 3 kids (two being 2 year old twins) she doesn't get a lot of time for herself. I'm sure she would love a massage or two!! Her husband will just have to watch the kids while she treats herself for a change!! I want to have all of the bridesmaids do "updo's" for the wedding as I think it will look nice if everyone has the same hairstyle. How about you? What are you thinking about for hairstyles? The starfish jewelry sounds cute! Tiffany has that cute sterling silver necklace and stud earrings set. You can get really good knockoffs too. I do love swarovski though! My girls are wearing one-shoulder dresses, so I'm looking for dangly earrings and bracelets. Let me know if you find anything good! For the hair, I think I'm just going to let the girls decide what they want to do. A few of my friends are fans of the loose curl down do's. January is actually not too hot, plus our ceremony is in the church so wind is not really a huge factor. Let me know how it goes with your cousin. I actually have a close friend who does hair and I was going to ask her to do ours, but now she's not sure if she can make it for financial reasons. So much for that!

Yeah, I concur -- you got an awesome deal!! And your website is very nice - you make a cute couple!

Anyone have pics of their reception centerpiece inspirations? I am meeting with the florist at our site visit and want to bring pics to show him. Here's what I have so far: Sort of want something whimsical like these first two with the fruit. Our colors are coral and hot pink. I don't think peonies are available (for the first one), but maybe I could substitute another flower with big blooms like dahlias or hydrangeas? This I thought was really unique. Are those pink hydrangeas? Anyone know? This is from another BDW-er that got married at our resort & had her centerpieces done by Maya Diseno. I would substitute our colors and do hot pink gerber daisies and maybe orange on the tall orchids

Quote: Originally Posted by pitt2011 Not sure, I havn't asked about the hair/makeup/mani/pedi to give that to someone else. I will ask Karla if I decide to go with an outside vendor. Good idea! I didn't even think of that. I'm going to get my girls travel bags with their monogrammed initials from LL Bean (a family member works there and can get me a discount) and I was going to get their jewelry as well. But that's as far as I got. I might just end up paying for them to get their hair done too. I mean they are paying to come down to the wedding anyways. They already paid for their dresses so I'm too late for that. I will definitely check out Waves salon's website and try and figure out the costs. My cousin is a hairdresser and is coming to the wedding and I havn't decided if I want to bother her with doing our hair or not. She's coming to the wedding and using it as a vacation and she has three children to get ready for the wedding, nevermind herself. I want to check out my other options just in case I decide not to ask her. Thanks! To answer your other question....I believe I have the 2010 prices. I only have the package prices and the price list from the spa. I don't have any of the floral prices though. That was going to be my next step. THose are really nice gifts. I think the travel bags are such a cute idea. I'm looking for a good website/stores for their jewelry, any suggestions? I may just have them do whatever they want for shoes & jewelry since I already bought their dresses, but if I find a really good deal, I'd like to get them their jewlery and give it to them at the bridal shower. As for their shoes at first I wanted them to all match since their short dresses, but now I think I'm just gonna tell them to wear any pair of silver heels they want. What r you doing about shoes? As for the hair, how many bridesmaids do you have? If it's just a few, I would consider asking your cousin. I see what you mean about her having the kids and herself to worry about, but is she married? Can her husband take care of the kids? Honestly, seeing that it's sooo expensive to get it done at the resort, I would at least ask. Frame it as a joke and see how she reacts to test the water You could offer her the spa servies you're not using as a thank you gift.

Pitt- Oh, do you have a current price list from the resort for all the diff add-ons like BM bouquets, bouts, extra flowers for the ceremony arch, cocktail hour, etc.? I think the info I have is 2009 prices.

Quote: Originally Posted by pitt2011 I emailed Karla today and asked her to send me a price list from El Spa. For a ladies special occasion hairdo it's $95 and for makeup it's $96. YIKES!! Thats a lot of money, and I feel bad making my girls pay that money for their hair and makeup. I am definitely going to look into an outside salon. Also, my mom and I sat down one day and added up the price differences between the cheaper package and adding all of the extras and then just having the "dream package". It was definitely cheaper to go with the "dream package". The only things that won't be utilized are the spa things. My fiancee and I don't go to the spa. So I asked her if we could offer those to others in the wedding. She said that we could give the spa things to our parents or any of the wedding party members. They would just have to say who they are in relation to us if they want to use the spa. We wanted to have a Mariachi (spelling?) band and the welcome cocktail hour and all of the other things that were offered in the package. Adding all of the things ala carte is way more expensive. Have you done any of the math differences? No, I haven't sat down and done the math yet. But I will take your word for it! That is awesome that you can give the spa services to someone in your bridal party or your parents! I will definitely do that. I wonder if the bride's hair and makeup, and the manicure & pedicure can be transferred to someone else as well, if you use an outside vendor? Or is it just the massages that's transferable? Yeah, over 200 bucks with tip for hair & makeup is WAY overpriced. Also, just a heads up if you didn't notice the manicure is 59 and pedicure is 79! I warned my girls go at home before the trip! I was originally going to get my 8 BM's their jewelry, a monogrammed travel cosmetic/toiletry case, and then pay for them to get their hair done while we're there. When I factored what those things would cost, I decided instead to just buy them their dresses instead. It's more practical and more appreciated! And that way, if that 75 spa credit is offered when they book their trips, they can just use that toward getting their hair done. I'm sure most if not all the girls wil just do their own makeup at that cost. QA I checked with about 5 or 6 hair stylists and Waves was the best deal I found. Their website is Waves Beauty Salon Playa del Carmen by Canadian Hairstylist Trevor Kohlman | Wavesplaya.com

Hi Di- Do you have any photos of the back of your hair by chance? I really like your hairstyle, but I can't tell if it's completely swept to one side or not in the back. Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by murmel Wow, just finished reading all the pages and can't wait to join the discussions! I am a January 24, 2011 bride at the Azul Sensatori. As for planning, well I always feel I have no idea what I'm doing but: STD were sent out months ago. We found a wonderful travel agency who deals with nothing but destination weddings, so tons of knowledge (Weddings By Oceans), and they got us amazing pricing for our resort. We put down a deposit to hold seats on the plane, and sent out the invitations about 2 weeks ago. I know it might seem a little early, but we want to give everyone enough time to plan for it. Have an amazing photographer booked, Taylor Jackson, he's cute as a button! Found my BM dresses. And accidently found my dress just the other day. I ended up buying a dress, that is nothing like what I had pictured! But I tried it on and knew it was the one Once I figure out how to upload a picture I will post it(but I am horrible at computers) Now have to deal with finding GM clothing and preparing OOT bags. We plan on trying to buy a lot of the stuff to go into the OOT bags in Mexico, it will save a lot of room and weight in our bags. (chocolates, postcards to be used instead of a guest book, local craft/art?, etc) Anyway so excited to be joining all of you, and can't wait to chit chat! Welcome! Saw ya in the other 2011 thread and wanted to say hi! Wow you have quite a lot done! I can't wait to see your dress! I have my dress as well, STD's sent out, BM dresses ordered, GM attire picked out but waiting for them all to get measured, and that's about it. We have booked a site visit July 26-29 and I cannot wait to see the resort and get more things checked off the list!!! We will hopefully have a very productive trip and pick out our wedding package, reception venue, menu, flowers, etc., meet with photographer, and get hair/makeup trial -- pheeww, that's a lot to do in 4 days! You mentioned getting amazing pricing for your resort -- would you mind sharing what kind of rates you were able to get? We are working with Beach Bum Vacation, also DW specialists. But we did not go the group rate route, and instead are doing individual bookings because we think guests will ultimately get a better deal. I am always curious as to what rates others are getting because I want to make sure we are getting the best rates possible for our guests. The only thing stressing me out about planning our wedding is how much it's costing our guests

Quote: Originally Posted by pitt2011 Oh and i cant wait to see all of your pics!! I'm excited to hear about all of your meetings with the wedding people Yeah the brides hair & makeup is included in the dream package (is that the package you're talking about?) I will have to sit down and chat with the WC about whether we should still do the dream package even though I'm not getting my hair done there. With all the other extras that are included in the dream package like the private reception, the mariachis, welcome cocktail party, etc, I may still be better off going with that package -- as opposed to doing the more basic package and then adding on all those things ala carte. I will def take some pics for you while I'm there! I cannot WAIT to see everything in person! And I agree that It's great talking to someone with the same questions! BTW, if you end up going with the resort's salon, email them and ask for a group discount. They offered me 10% I think, still high, but it's something. Please let me know what Karla says about that $75 credit. I'd love to know if it's going to be offered in 2011.

Pitt- Correction -- At Waves, bride's hair and makeup including a free trial is $136 with my 20% group discount (need to have 9 or more ppl) Otherwise, full price it's $170. I will take pics of this as well so you can see his work

klc - Thanks for the nice comment pitt- I really hope we get to meet the florist! I have a pic of the bouquet I want. It's sort of a cascading shape with orchids and roses, and I want to make sure he can do it! I have no idea about the BM bouquets, need to get on that. And then for centerpieces and ceremony decor, I have pics of a few diff ideas to show them. What specifically did you want me to take pics of? I think they show you a book of some of the options for bouquets and centerpieces. I'm more than happy to take pics of that if you want. As for the hair/makeup, I heard about Waves Salon on this forum. Trevor is the owner/head stylist. They will come to your resort for no extra charge. They offered me a discount based on the # of BM's I have getting their hair done. With the discount, it's 72 per person for hair and I think about 120 for both hair and makeup. Mine is I think 199 and includes a free trial. At the resort's salon, they want 96 per person for hair and 95 per person for makeup. Steep! Iberostar is currently running a special that you get a 75 dollar spa credit when you book your trip. It's good through 2010, and they're not sure if it'll be offered in 2011. If it is, my BM's and the mom's will probably use that towards their hair. If that's the case, I'll just have them use the resort's salon and I'll still use Trevor since he's doing my hair/makeup trial this month!

Oh, and I wouldn't worry about DOREMIXX not getting back to you . . . Maybe it's because it was a friday and they had numerous events over the weekend? I've only exchanged one email with him and he responded in I think 2 days, which I thought was good, comparably speaking. How are the WC's at Del Mar at getting back to you? At the Lindo, they're inconsistent, one time it'll be a few hours later, the next time, a week!

Quote: Originally Posted by pitt2011 I have not heard that you can have a reception in the Piazza! I wonder what that looks like?! I am very interested to know! When do you go for your site visit? I am really excited about DOREMIXX! The only thing is he isn't that prompt with returning my emails I emailed him first last Tuesday and didn't hear from him until Thursday and then again Friday night. I then responded to that email and havn't heard from him since. I feel like I'm the only one on here that isn't having any luck with the emails from him. Not sure, maybe he is just busy..... My mom and I (that's right bringing my mom instead of the FI haha) leave July 26th! We will meet with Mayra, the WC at Lindo to plan the reception venue, dinner menu, ceremony music, etc. etc. We will also hopefully meet with the resort's florist to pick out all our bouquets & centerpieces. There is one florist for all 5 IB properties and I was told he's very busy and that Mayra will "try" to get him to meet with us. Really?! I am also getting my hair/makeup trial at Waves Salon in PDC and meeting with Ivan Luckie (photographer), so it'll be a packed 4 days for sure. I really want to get as much planned as possible so it'll be smooth sailing in January! As for the piazza (that's just my word, I dunno what they call it) here is the email from Mayra: Can you please tell me ALL options for our private reception, including those on the other Iberostar properties? Also, if you have pictures of these spaces, that would be very helpful. I would like to mention that we do have the Convencion Center, Shopping Center Garden, Vitrales Room, By the Beach and the Cajun Restaurant Attached to the email were photos and I can only assume by process of elimination that "shopping center garden" is this photo: I'm assuming she's referring to the area surrounding the gazebo? I will clarify and take pics while we're there. This should be available to you at the Del Mar as well since all the properties share the shopping center area.

Quote: Originally Posted by pitt2011 Thanks! Yes I have checked out the 2010 Iberostar Weddings site and it has been real helpful! There's so much to read on there, I do a little at a time. I have been to the Del Mar before. My fiancee and I went 3 years ago with a group of friends and loved it!! Thats why we decided to go back. We are having our ceremony on the beach and our reception in the now Italian restaurant. I am working on booking DJ DOREMIXX for the wedding, just waiting to hear back on the confirmation from him. I'm thinking on looking for an outside photographer but havn't gotten that far yet. How about you? What are you doing for your wedding? I walked through the Lindo the last time I was there and it's real pretty. Ooh I love that the Italian is open air -- it'll be perfect for your reception! We are having a Catholic ceremony (very important to his grandmas LOL) at the chapel in the shopping center. And we're not sure about where to have the reception yet. We'll decide at our site visit. We want a private reception where we can have dinner & dancing in the same location. Sadly, I dont think the Lindo has any open air restaurants like the Italian at Del Mar. I hear you can have an outdoor reception in the little piazza outside the shopping center (by the gazebo) Have you heard this? We're booking DOREMIXX too! He's been very responsive & thorough in his emails. Just havent paid the deposit yet.

Quote: Originally Posted by pitt2011 Hey, July 2011 bride here! I feel like next year is so far away but I have a feeling it will come faster than I think!! I booked at the Iberostar Del Mar in the Riviera Maya and our Save the dates are being shipped as we speak!! I'm so excited to start my planning & Congrats! So great to see another Iberostar bride! Have you been to the Del Mar before or flying blind like us? We are doing our site visit this month, and can't wait! If you have any questions throughout the planning process, please don't hesitate to ask. Though I'm getting married at the sister property, Lindo, I've been back & forth with the WC's & know quite a bit ! P.S. The 2010 Iberostar Weddings is a great thread to check out too if you haven't already

Hey foxy lady, your pics look stunning, really! Great wardrobe choices -- pics 2 & 3 are my fav! Your pics are a great showcase for your photographer's work! It would make me book her if I lived in NYC!

Quote: Originally Posted by klc52379 I found and bought my dress today!!!! It was supposed to be a BM dress day - we ended up going with the one I posted the other day. I ended up doing truffle (dark brown). I could not decide with the watermelon or clover...my sister ended up trying the brown one on because it was in her size. After seeing it on her, my vision all came together in my mind with flowers & using brighter colors as accents. So, I casually started looking at dresses while everyone was getting measured. I really had no intentions on even trying one on and then I ended up trying on a few. It's completely true that you know as soon as you put it on. I'm pretty much a plain Jane and didn't want anything too fancy. So, here it is: Chiffon Split Front A-line - David's Bridal I'm bummed because I didn't have my camera with me and my cell phone pics didn't turn out the best. I'll try to post it later. There's nothing plain Jane about that dress, it's beautiful! Love the belt-like beading around the empire waist! Congrats!

Hi Everyone, hope everyone in the states had a great holiday weekend -- and my overseas ladies, well, I hope your weekend was lovely as well :-) FI and I spent the weekend with my mom and her fiance and FI's parents in a little resort town in Michigan. Our parents get along quite well which makes us very happy! It was exactly one year ago that our parents met for the first time. We all went to the same spot for 4th of July, and we were so nervous that they would not like each other! Haha. Little did I know that John would pop the question a few weeks later! We got engaged on July 25th, 2009 -- I can't believe it's been a yr already!