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AfricanVenus

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Everything posted by AfricanVenus

  1. Our colors are turquoise and gold. Very Jasmine from Aladdin, lol. Here are some of my inspiration pics:
  2. From what I've found, you have to PM Tammy, the host of this forum. You can find more info on this thread: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/list/96/destination-wedding-vendors. If the link only takes you back to the home page for whatever reason (that happens to me alot), then mouse over the "forums" tab at the top and mouse over "BDW General", then scroll down and select Destination Wedding Vendors. Hope that helps and welcome!
  3. Went to one store I knew sold the dresses I was looking at and tried on about 5-6 dresses. I had my list of dresses to try on, but kept myself open to other silhouettes. My first choice was discontinued (couldn't find that bad boy anywhere!), so my second choice (first one I tried) became my wedding dress. I'm an executive decision chick. Since the only dress that would top it wasn't available, then I knew the second choice was the one. When you know, you know (like w/ our FIs, right?).
  4. @emsdds: Try the GVRM thread in the Riviera Maya forum. All the best w/ your planning.
  5. I have been in regular contact w/ the owner, and she is very nice. She was very professional about my concern. She offered to take them back and I would have to wait until she rec'd a new batch to replace them. I declined though. The reviews are really good and she said she didn't notice anything at all when she shipped it. I figure she's the expert. Won't go looking for something that isn't there. Maybe I'm used to the store-bought kind that's wrapped up all pretty and the tracks look clean. I think I was just underwhelmed by the appearance. Hopefully it'll all work out. Thanks for your reply!
  6. @Misti and JonesR: I rec'd my hair today from Demure Tresses, but it looks used. It's been washed, I can smell the shampoo, but the tracks look like glue was on them. I've bought hair like this before for my last trip to Mexico (w/ the same sad appearance), and I remember it didn't hold up well when I put conditioner in it. It got matted and tangled really bad. I'm worried about this hair big time. I wanted to know how your hair looked when it arrived? I got the 12-14 in straight/wavy Indian hair.
  7. April 2011 Jon'el (bizzyangel) & Carlito - April 1, 2011 - RIU Ocho Rios Brandy & Chris- April 2, 2011- Beaches Turks & Caicos Teira & Travis - April 7, 2011 - Dreams Los Cabos Laura & Chris (Lua) - April 9, 2011 - ClubHotel Riu Negril, Jamaica Cindy & Chole (Vintage Bride)- April 14,2011- Dreams Punta Cana Christina and Charles (futur_bride) - April 14 2011, Grand Palladium Riviera Maya, Mexico TheFutureWagners - April 16, 2011, The Royal Cancun, Mexico Suzy & Randy (Suzy831) - April 16, 2011, The Royal Playa del Carmen, Mexico May 2011 Wendy and Erhard - May 3, 2011 Iberostar Tucan, Playacar Mexico Mel and Vince (Mellyrox) - May 04, 2011 Grand Palladium Jamaica Heather and Eric (hockeymom97) - May 5th, 2011, Beaches, Turks & Caicos Annick and Kevin (Anikoni) - May 7, 2011 Grand Bahia Principe Esmeralda Raquel and Sean (Mrs.G2B) -May 14, 2011 The Royal Playa Del Carmen Kennisha and Kori (Bride KSmith)- May 20, 2011 Moon Palace Cancun, Mexico Shannon & Paul (IrishgirlinNY)- May 28, 2011 Riu Ocho Rios Amber & Aneal (AmberJanet) - May 31, 2011 Gran Bahia Principe Coba Nicola & Stephen (Nicyx) - May 2011, Date TBC, Riu Plce Riviera Maya June 2011 Alisa & Kevin~Aventura Cove Palace~6.11.11 Missy & Aaron (geminiwanderlust) June 11, 2011 Dreams Tulum Riviera Maya Adrianne & James (adridashanne) - June 17, 2011, Grand Palladium Riviera Lisa & Omar (lisa203) - June 21, 2011, Moon Dance Cliffs Negril, Jamaica Shari-Ann & Kofi (AfricanVenus) - June 25, 2011, Grand Velas Vallarta Resort and Spa, MX Heidi & Francois (heidilynn2 - June 28th, 2011, Valentin Imperial Maya, MX July 2011 Chris & John (sunstarsmoon) - July 8, 2011 Couples Sans Souci Ocho Rios Denedra & Eron (sorord) - July 30, 2011 Negril Jamaica August 2011 Sarah & Michael (Espejo2be) - August 8th, 2011 - Gran Bahia Principe Runaway Bay Jamaica Tanya & Bob (mrssylvester2b)-August 10, 2011 - Beaches Turks & Caicos Mallory & Glenn (Mallory57)-August 13th, 2011-Moon Dance Cliffs-Negril, Jamaica October 2011 Anthea & Alphonso (MrsJones2be)- October 9, 2011- Nassau, Bahamas November 2011 Eden & Eric (Eden) - November 11, 2011 - Michigan, USA Jeanine & Reuben-November 11, 2001-Rose Hall Suites, Montego Bay, Jamaica January 2012 Kristyn & John (perry1217) - January 6, 2012 (Little Christmas!!!) - Playacar Palace, Riviera Maya, Mexico Jaimee and Ryan (Avens) - January 12, 2012 - Barcelo Maya Palace, Riviera Maya, Mexico Jaynee & Mason (jaykay) - January 13, 2012 - Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica, Runaway Bay, Jamaica Liz & Robert (lizzdee)- January 21, 2012 - Beaches Turks & Caicos Kya & Mike (kya101)- January 25, 2012 - Las Caletas, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico April 2012 Jamie & Mark (J-me) - April 21, 2012 - Aentura Cove Palace, Riviera Maya August 2012 Cathy and Charles - August 2012 October 2012 Chelsea & Eric (DWBride615) - October 13, 2012 - Rome, Italy (Odescalchi Castle)
  8. Well ladies, here's the final report. After putting in a claim w/ PayPal, Hugo proceeded to threaten me by making veiled threats about coming to the hotel and if I don't remove the PayPal dispute I won't have a "perfect wedding". See the red print: You have this week to take care of the paypal claim you agreed with the contract before sending the money and im just saying you will have the perfect unforgettable wedding trip thats all. Hugo Lopez After talking w/ my FI, I just decided to drop the dispute. While I don't want him thinking that his threats were what prompted my decision, I don't want to have to deal with a crazy person. It's enough to post here and everywhere how absolutely disgusting this behavior is from a "professional". I will pray for him and that's the extent of it. So, if you hear his name, I wouldn't sign on the dotted line. Over and out. ~~Your Canary in the Mine Shaft
  9. @Bithy8: Who were you asking? My wedding isn't until June and it's at the Nuevo Vallarta property. I don't think I would be much help to you. There may be some brides who've been married at the Riviera Maya under that forum that could help you out. This one is mainly for the GVNV property. Hopefully one of the GVRM brides will see your post and help you out. You already booked w/ GVRM?
  10. Just a follow-up to my post: I paid $825 to HBOSS thru PayPal. He offered to refund all my money. Then he emails me and says there's a problem with his bank and PayPal disbursing the funds. So, he offered to go thru Western Union. When he found out that between the exchange rate and the transfer fees he would have to pay close to $100, he was only willing to give me $700. I told him no and to find a way to give me all my money back and suggested different option. He then flips out, calls me a "Freak Bride", and says it's $700 or $0! He also said his clients found me weird for asking about him and that I had crossed the line with him. I was "expecting perfection" and it doesn't exist, lol. Now I'm saved, but that got me hot, lol. I calmed down, because I don't want to do anything rash seeing he still had my money. So I called PayPal to get my options. They inform me I can put in a request to the sender to get the whole amount back or accept his offer and dispute the remaining balance thru them. I don't respond to him angrily. Just told him to send the $700. He does and I wait for the money to be cleared into my account. Now, I've opened up a dispute for the rest of it. I don't know if anything will come of it, but at least I stood up for myself. It's just so odd to me that someone can be wrong, get caught, deny it, and then have the audacity to get angry about being caught, lol. You would think that his professional reputation would be of the utmost importance to him. I am halfway expecting an angry email from him b/c of the dispute, but it's more fuel for the fire in their investigation if you ask me. I refuse to say a word to him. Well, I'll keep everyone posted about how this turns out.
  11. My fiance's "best friend" who was going to be best man is no longer speaking to my fiance because my fiance couldn't get off work to go to the friend's girlfriend's father's funeral. One, he told my fiance on a Sunday and the funeral was Monday. Two, my fiance stopped by the gf's home and spent time w/ her family to pay his respects after (best friend wasn't there at the time). So, with a little over 2 months until our wedding, the "friend" is jetsetting to Ghana and India, but won't talk to my fiance to let him know if he's coming at all. I mean literally, he's been going to these countries more than once since the year started! I'm assuming the next step, if we do hear from him, will be that he doesn't have any money, lol. I've come to realize that weddings show you who your friends are...It's really a shame and downright childish, but you live and learn.
  12. I'd never heard of these types of bouquets until I came across this photog's site and the bride had one. I instantly fell in love and I don't even like roses like that! I'm trying to get one. The photog's name is Mike Colon and it was for a wedding named "Sherman and Thao" (http://www.mikecolon.com/love/real_weddings/shutters_on_the_beach_wedding_photography). Here's her bouquet:
  13. I'm a negotiator by nature, so I bargain everything down. My guests' budget was very important to me. You want people to come after all, lol. So mine will pay about $1100/person including taxes. I'm marrying at the Grand Velas Resort and Spa in Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico. Got a great deal from the hotel at $250/night and with flights, it's about another $500-$600. We're only staying a weekend though. I know people get better deals for staying the entire week, but my hotel is one of those top-notch deals, lol. All the best to you in your planning!
  14. You have a unique situation where your parents may not be coming. If you're not close to them, then it's not an issue. But what if you are close? That'll hurt and weddings are in a sense about bringing families together. I agree that you should sit down and weigh the pros and cons. Maybe you'll have to help your mom out financially to come. Maybe you should do Kauai for your honeymoon. I'm not dissuading you from a DW. However I think a lot of thought should go into it. I've learned that throughout this whole process. Feelings get hurt pretty easily. It's easy to say, "Whoever'll come, will come if they love you" or something similar. It's not always that simple though. Go over everything with your FI and figure out what will work best for you. Yea, you wanna look back on your day and remember you did it your way. But you also wanna look back and know you shared it with those you wanted there. Hope this helps!
  15. We're doing it separately also. I'm from NJ also Diahr, so it is cheap for $28 vs. $600 for doing it in Mexico! Luckily, I clerk for a judge, so they'll be performing the ceremony. It's coming up in April. My parents expect to come, so close family and friends will be there. I don't consider it the real wedding and it takes away nothing from my spiritual wedding in Mexico. It is just business: crossing t's and dotting i's. My mom keeps reminding me that certain legal documents would want to know my wedding date and the April date is what I'd have to put down. I don't really care. June 25th is the real date to me. I may still put it down as June 25th on paper and if they ask me any questions, I'll explain. Wish we could've kept it private, but some people who couldn't go to Mexico expressed a desire to attend this one, so why not.
  16. The hotel I fell in love with was way too expensive for my guests initially, even though a wedding there is fairly cheap. I decided to go in a different direction b/c I didn't want to drag people so far and then make them pay a whole heap. It wasn't their wedding after all. However, I just loved the hotel, so when I went back to them, I changed the date (had more meaning anyway) and voila! The price came down considerably. I didn't want to make too big a deal w/ the hotel b/c they're a 5 star resort and the price is worth it from all reviews. I figured if I've been favored enough to get such a low price, then I should grab it and run! It's still a little pricey, but guests were forewarned well ahead of time to save. And, it's like everyone's been saying: it's your day. Ultimately, do what will make you happy. All the right people will get it and be excited with you. If some still don't want to come, be understanding and gracious, but keep planning your dream wedding. Life's too short to worry about money.
  17. Mistibuard: This will definitely help me as I'm purchasing hair from Demure Tresses as well. It seems to hold up well. I plan to get it sewn in like a week and a half before the wedding so I don't have that "face-lift" look and the hair settles. Thanks for your help and all the best w/ your marriage!
  18. I'm just letting the future B2Bs know about this "company." The proprietor's name is Hugo Lopez and his website is www.hugolopez.ca. He can also be found on Facebook and YouTube. According to his site, he does wedding photography and videography. I don't believe that is altogether true. Here's why: Photography is extremely important to me. I had some photogs in mind, but the quality was not that great or they were way over budget. I came across Hugo during a Google search. He's from Vancouver, but now lives in Puerto Vallarta. He is by training a dancer and runs a one-stop shop event company: DJ, entertainment, graphic designs, and photography. I reached out to him and asked him the usual: price, package, references, portfolio. He sends me his YouTube channel links of some videos and slideshows he claimed to have done. I fell in love wih one of the videos, but his other work was great too. In the video, he said the location was PV and the couple's name was Mary and John, date of wedding Jan. 2011. I checked his refs, they were all glowing. So, I paid the 50% deposit: we were getting all day photo and video and a 2 hr TTD for $1600. I thought it was a great deal and he seemed cool. However, the video always sort of bothered me. The water in the video was very blue, very unlike PV, but very like Cancun. I let it go, but I tried to find the gazebo from the video and even made a post on here. Couldn't find it and no one recognized it. So, I let it go. On a completely unrelated search, I find the video again on another person's website (Eric is his name)! The video was longer, but it was essentially the same stuff. He had different names for the couple and said it was shot in Cancun and the hotel where it took place. I get suspicious again, but think, maybe Hugo second shot the wedding. I check to see if Eric and Hugo are friends on Facebook and nada. Neither one referenced the other on their sites. I check the hotel website for the gazebo, and it's the right hotel in Cancun. I contacted Eric and he informs me the video is his and he never worked with or met Hugo. He wrote a cease and desist letter. Eric also wrote to Hugo's Canadian "partner", whose photos Hugo used also. I watched to see what Hugo would do: fight or take it down. He "privatizes" the video links instead. I asked him nonchalantly what became of the video and he says he's reorganizing his website and gives me the private link to his version of the video. I immediately let him know that I know the video isn't his and he should let me know what's going on. He to this day refuses to admit he stole the work and insists the bride and Eric are making a big deal out of nothing, they're jealous, etc. He never once actually just said, the videos weren't mine. Also, the "partner" he used was contacted and he had no idea who Hugo was! Hugo claimed to have used him as a second shooter, but if one glances at the partner's site, he has more pictures than Hugo. Needless to say, Hugo removed the partner's name from the website, but continues to use the partner's photos. I was willing to work with him if he just admitted he hadn't worked in weddings before and was trying to branch out, but his responses were disturbing and bizarre. People who can't admit when they're caught have issues. He got really spooked though when the bride called him and he is ready to give me my money back. So, learn from me and make sure you follow up with every vendor you work with. We're taking a great risk working with foreign vendors, but share every info you can to keep foolishness at bay. It'll keep these people honest. Hope I help someone with this story!
  19. www.endless.com, www.ninashoes.com just for starters...
  20. I went with the traditional veil. I fell in love with this one from Etsy seller montgomerybelles: http://www.etsy.com/listing/59300974/re-embroidered-lace-applique-veil-ivory
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