Lindobride14

I should also mention that on top of the $300, the resort makes you purchase a guest pass (think they're $60 each) for each person, so if the photographer brings an assistant that would be another 120. Ya know, I can't remember who, because I looked at so many, but only one photographer I spoke with offered a $300 credit towards their services to compensate for the $300 penalty. I know it was not Ivan Luckie -- that's who we are using -- but his costs are lower than most others I've found. For a full day of photography, no photo limit, it's $1800. I'm meeting with him on our site visit July 28th, so I'm going to just mention all the additional costs the resort charges and see if he'll throw us a bone, hahaha I had originally planned to just go with the resort's vendors for everything, but I've seen some not so good reviews on this forum. So even though it's a lot more expensive, I'm willing to spend the money, because I know we'll be happier in the long run. I'm using outside vendors for hair & makeup, photographer, DJ, & possibly our table centerpieces for the reception. (though hair & makeup is the only one that's actually cheaper than the resort)

Josie, you make a beautiful bride, very elegant!!! Looks sort of bohemian-esque to me, which suits you extremely well (from what little I know of you) !!! I'm sure you're thrilled to finally get the dress :-) Nicy- SOOO happy to hear your parents will be coming after all!! God love our parents, they can be a little goofy sometimes. Glad they woke up and smelled the coffee (literally) In fact, in the spirit of all these celebratory events, I think I'll go have a glass of wine for you ladies!! hehehehe Bonnie - I'm emailing your Bachelorette Party itinerary to my sister and saying "I want THAT!"

Quote: Originally Posted by prettypigpig Thanks. I love my pics...heehee...I am such a self-admirer (a typical virgo) Yes! you will have a blast! Please let me know about your trial at Waves Beauty Salon! I am thinking of hiring Trevor too. I thought photographers are expensive...until I saw the prices for hair and makeup artists! Geez...I think I am in the wrong industry! I will let you know how the hair/makeup trial goes! Trevor really seems like he knews his shiznit. As far as the price, I know right?! . . . what the hell, I'm gonna go get my beautician's license and move to Mexico!! I'm discovering that if you want to use any outside vendors, you're gonna pay a pretty penny! DJ's are not so cheap either!

Quote: Originally Posted by pitt2011 Im new to this. I'm getting married at the Del Mar in 2011. I was wondering about the photography? I thought they didn't allow outside photographers? I checked out Claudia's website and her photos are amazing!! Is she expensive? Welcome! I'm getting married in Jan 2011 at the sister property, Lindo. They allow outside photographers but you have to pay a $300 penalty to PhotoCaribbean (the resort's photographer) for not using them I believe Claudia is sort of midrange or slightly higher as far as RM photogs go, not as expensive as say Elizabeth Medina or Del Sol. If you're looking for someone slightly less expensive, there's Sascha Gluck or Ivan Luckie.

AKbeach- Thanks so much for posting this! I just got enough points to open up attachements so this will come in handy in a few months! Great to see another IB Paraiso Lindo bride -- there's not too many of us on here. I bet you can't believe a year has passed since your wedding! Now I'm going to do a search and see if you posted a review :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by amyrot Oh wow thats too bad I'll miss you! I am in disbelief that I leave in less than a week.... Thankfully missing the storm. I hope there isn't too much damage. I am having my guests meet for cocktails at the Maya Lobby bar- the Snake bar. We are not doing a formal cocktail hour because I think its ridiculous that they charge you. I just asked my guests to go there after the ceremony while I do pictures, then I will meet them there, and we will go to our dinner at the Italian at 7:30. We are having a huge home reception, so we are just having dinner and cake and thats all. No private room or DJ, because we are paying for the whole mexico trip, wedding, and the home reception with over 200 people! Mayra has been good the last few days with communicating with me and making my spa appointments for hair, nails, etc. We are trying to nail down flowers...i cannot decide what to do for the bridesmaids or the beach flowers. Less than a week!! Wow! Oh, I hope there's not too much damage ! Good luck with your final decisions :-) I don't blame you for not doing a formal cocktail hr/rececption if you're having a huge AHR! We are not having an AHR, so that's why we're doing it up more formal in Mexico.

Congrats, Michelle!!! Bet that's a load off So happy it all worked out for you! Bonnie, love the new siggy! That would be an adorable STD pic if you haven't sent them out yet ;-) Looks like you had a blast. In one month, that'll be me . . . Can't wait!

Looks beautiful! The floral pattern is playful yet classy. Nice job!

Quote: Originally Posted by amyrot I'm not sure if there are any..it might be the Japanese, but not sure. I am having my dinner at the steakhouse and the Italian the night before, and neither are open air. I know the seafood is inside as well. We leave three weeks from tomorrow....I'm freaking out a little! Oh my gosh, so soon! I will just miss you by two weeks. My mom and I are going for a site visit July 26th! Best of luck -- can't wait to hear your review! Are you doing a cocktail hour by the way? And if so, where? I wonder if there's an outdoor option.

They turned out great ! )

Quote: Originally Posted by klc52379 Not sure if anyone is looking for their Save the Dates still, but Wedding Paper Divas is having a really big sale! I had ordered about samples a few months ago, and we agreed on two. One of our choices was majorly on sale, and I got them for almost $50 cheaper than normal! Thanks for the tip-off. We picked out a bridal shower invite from Wedding Paper Divas a few weeks back. I am going to go check and see if it's on sale!

Quote: Originally Posted by janapana Thankyou everyone..... what are your thoughts on strapless bras? I hate them usually, but think i´m going to need one under the frock. Trouble is they´re so uncomfortable, and they usually end up round my waist anyway. Anyone got an amazing magical bra to recommend? Have you considered having a seamstress sew bra cups into your dress? I was not sure about this idea at first because I was imaginging a thin lining sort of like on a bathing suit top -- and I need a lot more lift than that :-) But I was actually pleasantly surprised by them. The cups I'm having sewn in are a thicker material, sort of like a VS push up bra. I know this option may not give enough support for everyone, but it's worth looking into. Otherwise, my go-to strapless bra is the Victoria Secret Plunge bra with detacheable straps (comes with regular and clear straps)

Quote: Originally Posted by cjb0arder13 Thanks so much for the good thoughts! Yeah, I will admit I had a moment of pure panic, but I'm feeling better now after 10 deep breaths I have no idea why this wasn't brought up when booking. My TA wasn't informed of this until I pointed it out to him...so it's not like they're even telling the people who are already booked!!! I knew there might be some minor construction, but it's sounding like they're doing a major revamp of all the rooms as well. So, I may have to move to the Sensatori...which sounds wonderful as well. I'm hoping that if that's the case, we get a HELLUVA deal on our rooms because of the situation. Silver linings!!! Ugh, quite the conundrum! Keep your chin up, lady And demand some damn compensation! LOL Good thing for the forum, because who knows when you'd have found out otherwise -- probably when a bunch more were booked, making it much more difficult to move you all. I hear both resorts are wonderful though. I think Sensatori is a bit more expensive than Azul Beach, so perhaps your guests will be able to stay at Sensatori for the price of AB. chaching! My TA Nanda from Beach Bum used to work for Karisma and has nothing but good things to say about their resorts. If you ever decide you're unhappy with your TA, I am sure that, having worked for them, Nanda would be able to majorly pull some strings. Just sayin . . .

Can anyone tell me which, if any, of the Lindo's restaurants are open air?

Michelle- Love your shoes! Are they available in the States? That's just what I'm looking for for my bridesmaids

Hello ladies! Well, everything worked out with the dress last week. The seamstress said she can make it fit me perfectly, so that's a relief! Last week I went to stay with my sister who lives in Door County, WI (about 5 hours away) for the week and spend some time with her and my 5 month old godson! It was so great to spend some time with the little guy, but I must say I have a new respect for you mom's out there. It is HARD work! I babysat all day Thurs & Fri while my sister was at work, and poor little Jack had just started teething . . . so I was giving him cold rags, frozen teethers, putting him in his swing, reading him books, watching Baby Einstein, standing on my head -- ANYTHING to pacify him!! As a sidenote, I also watched a marathon session of My Fair Wedding, Bridezillas and Rich Bride Poor Bride while I was there. Thank god I'm cheap and don't have those channels at home!

Great review, Di! I am planning to use Maya Diseno as well. Did you send them your bouquet and centerpiece inspirations via email beforehand? I am fortunately doing a site visit with my mom next month and I wonder if I should set up a meeting with them or if corresponsing through email would suffice? Do you happen to have a price list?

I discovered an awesome site for mugs over the weekend. I was staying with my sister and she had this huge 32 oz insulated mug that had both a straw and the snap top (for beer drinkers) She got it at the movie theater of all places. The website was on the bottom of it. Welcome to Whirley-DrinkWorks! The personalizing option is a bit confusing on the site. I'd call the 800 number and inquire. Hope this helps

You guys did a great job! I like that you included a page with traditional invitation wording. A lot of passport invites I've seen don't include that. Well done ;-)

Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMoreno Hello future Iberostar Brides....We are back and it was just amazing. I wish we are still there, but you have to get back to reality at some point. I will post my review soon, but we absolutely had the best time, the wedding and reception was even better than we had imagined it. Thanks for all the well wishes...will post that review soon. Missy Congratulations!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Quote: Originally Posted by KatieMc Hello my name is Katie and I am planning on having my weeding in Aruba next July 2011! I have not yet booked anything, but I am thinking of booking at the Occidental Grand. Does anyone have any information about weddings at this hotel?? Any information would be great! Thanks! Hi Katie, Congrats on picking such a beautiful location for your wedding! When we first knew we wanted a DW, Aruba was our first choice, but for financial reasons, we decided on Riviera Maya. I just wanted to tell you that FI and I stayed at the Occidental Grand Aruba for a week for NYE 2006/2007 and absolutely loved it! It's a great location, the pool is fabulous, staff was so friendly -- I don't think you'll be disappointed. All the restaurants were pretty good, the only one we weren't crazy about was the Italian. While I dont have any of their wedding package info: there is a really good open air tropical/seafood restaurant at the resort that would be perfect for a private reception. It's off the pool area if memory serves. Secondly, you guys MUST do the Kuku Kanuku party bus as a bachelor/bachelorette party or just a late night group activity. It is absolutely hilarious! Best wishes ! Tara

Quote: Originally Posted by prettypigpig Lindobride, what is the name of your dress? I PM you, and you can go on those site..and see what the Chinese can do for you. Pronovias are made in China, your chance is good. Thanks for PM-ing me that. The name of my dress is Martina. It's from the 2008 La Sposa collection (I have a mental block, I don't know why I keep saying Pronovias) It's not on either site since they only go back to the 2009 collection, but I will contact them depending on how things pan out. Thanks again

Quote: Originally Posted by Treenbean2011 Is she positive about that? I am a size two in real life, but my wedding dress is a size 8. The women at the salon told me that cutting a dress down by one or two sizes is usually fine. Anything more than that and it gets tricky. Are you a bridal two? I am really like a size 0-2. Pronovias' smallest size is 4, but I think they run small. The woman at the salon told me the same thing, it would be no problem & that it shouldnt cost more than 250. I took it to the bridal alterations person the shop recommended, who said she could do it but wanted to charge way more than the bridal shop owner quoted me. Then I found out FMIL's cousin has been a seamstress for 30 years (who knew?) Took it to her yesterday and she said it's just too big. SHe said there's no way to cut the boob cups down since it's a sweetheart neckline and it's made for a size 38 chest. It honestly all depends on the particular dress, how much beading, lace there is to remove to take the dress in, etc. I dunno if I trust the cousin because she runs a regular seamstress shop, not one that specializes in wedding gowns. She does quite a bit of wedding gowns however. I am seeking another opinion of a really well-known bridal alterations lady tonight. If she says no, then I'm back to square one. I would take your dress to the seamstress early, just to make sure she can do it. That way you have adequate time if you do need to find another dress.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lolita29 I bought my wedding dress yesterday!!!! I am sooo exited and happy!!!! Sottero and Midgley Wedding Dresses - Style VSM7012 Lolita- since I may be back in the market for a wedding dress, did you get your dress at a local bridal shop? I'm at a loss for where to even start looking again! (if need be) I have an appointment with Mary, that seamstress I told you about, tomorrow night. I will get a second opinion from her on if she thinks the dress can be sized down enough to fit me without compromising the dress. Maybe this dress was just not meant to be

Quote: Originally Posted by prettypigpig I ordered it with a wedding dress manufacturer in China, because it is cheaper ($410), and it is tailor made to my measurements. One of my chinese friend's wife ordered the San Patrick's Palma, and after alterations, they chopped off a lot of the mermaid tail (because she is like 5ft tall)...she looked like a squid/white tube from the front, the back/catheral train was still very beautiful. That is the problem with alters ..sometimes, the dress don't look the same after a lot of chopping and cutting. So I went to a seamstress today. She looked at my dress and said that once I start cutting it and such to fit me, it will not look right! My dress is a Pronovias Size 10 and I'm like a size 2. I am freaking because I love my dress and I cannot order it in a smaller size because it's discontinued! Bonnie, can you tell me who the dress manufacturer is that you ordered your dress from? Worse case scenario, maybe I will just have to have one custom made to my measurements. Can I show them the picture of my dress and have them recreate it?