Jessie

Tkuma - that is just straight up rotten. I've heard similar bad things about HOB. I didn't order through them for that very reason, even though they are cheaper. Maybe consider trying another Levkoff style, if you can find a sample or used gown in the Champagne color in the right size? A lot of his dresses are very similar. My bridesmaid all wore different styles of Levkoff dresses, in the same color and fabric (not Champagne or I'd definitely be able to hook you up!). Or if you could find the same dress in a different color that you feel comfortable with, I'd keep that in mind as you call around looking for samples. Good luck! I hope the dress comes in and you don't have to stress about it anymore!

Jana, we pretty much tipped everyone - the WCs, the DJ, the servers and bartenders at our 2 private events, as well as bartenders and servers throughout our whole trip. The service they give at the private events is amazing, and they do it so happily....they definitely deserved tips. The waiters/bartenders that stay late for your reception are the same ones that will greet you very early the next morning at breakfast.....they work very hard, around the clock. Most all-inclusive places tell you that you don't need to tip anyone, that it is all included, so it is really a personal choice. Congratulations and ENJOY!!

They are round tables of 8. I think at one time my WC said they possibly had different table sizes, but I don't know if that is actually true or not. I would plan on tables of 8, if at all possible. We had 7 round tables of 8, and then one table with 9 (same size table, just crammed one more in due to an odd number), and then our sweetheart table. It all fit nicely in a circle around the gazebo.

Kathryn, Have you had any contact with most of these folks since you sent the STD/Invitation? Are people indicating to you that they are thinking about coming but haven't booked yet or RSVP'd? Sometimes when people get something far in advance, they put it off initially, and then kind of forget about the actual due date. I know I'm really bad with that stuff (and now that I've had a wedding, I know how many brides were cursing my name for not sending in the reply card on time). How does the room block work with your contract? Do they need to book by a certain date to get your blocked rooms? My travel agent sent an email reminder to everyone about 2 weeks in advance of our drop date, and then sent another one on that date, or the day before. That way, it was all on her, and I didn't feel like I was pushing people. I still didn't get a response from a decent number of people, but they were mostly people I figured wouldn't come anyway, so I didn't worry about them. I know it is frustrating. If your travel agent can't send a reminder, you'll have to do it yourself, or have friends and family help you (i.e., have your mom or fiancee's mom get in touch with family members, etc.) And keep in mind that a small group is not a bad thing!! We had about 65 guests, and while we had the best time ever, it was NOT RELAXING AT ALL, because we were constantly running around, trying to spend time with everyone. A lot of days I didn't even see my husband that much because we were running in different directions. As long as you have those people that are most important to the two of you, it'll be perfect. Good luck!

I have always heard that if you are having the legal ceremony, that is must be in Spanish, and there is little to no deviation from the script. If you are having a symbolic ceremony, you can write the script however you choose. We ended up doing the symbolic ceremony for those very reasons.....and just got married at the JoP a couple weeks before our wedding.

Jamila - The transportation when I went down was part of the package put together by my TA, but I think it was something like $30 per person? Does that sound like the quotes you are getting?

Jana - I looked into shipping when I was planning for my wedding, because I had a lot of stuff. The basic answer is no. I'm actually surprised that your WC even gave you the address, because usually they just say that they will not hold stuff for you. Basically what I found was that once your stuff gets to Mexico, the reliability of all of your stuff getting where you want it to be, in the right time frame, was extremely iffy. I heard stories of folks having their stuff held (not at the resort), and having to pay a lot of money to get it back. Also your boxes could be rifled through, and may not all be there. My vague understanding of it is that once it gets to Mexico, it is no longer in the hands of a shipper that you trust ( UPS, FedEX, DHL, etc.), and can take much longer than expected, and/or not arrive at all. I know I'm missing some of the details of how it all works, but the general consesus was, DON'T SHIP IT! Sorry! I know hauling all that stuff down there is a hassle, but at least you'll know where it is at all times!

I think she's qoutoing you wrong. Those prices seem to be the price for everything if you rent it all through Lomas. The white sheers are $100 each to rent ($150 for colored), the chair bows are $4 or $5 each to rent, etc. If you bring that stuff on your own, they will charge you a set up fee, that when I was there in November 2011, was $5/per guest, which caps out at $250. I brought chair sashes, palm frond fan programs, guest book tree, menus for each place setting, paper flower napkin rings, table numbers, escort cards tied to starfish, about 30 lanterns for the gazebo at Plaza Zavas, and......that's all I can think of right now. Through Lomas I ordered the wedding gazebo setup (I think it was called Exotic Gazebo, and it included 2 sheers, and 2 large hanging corsages), and various other flowers and vases. To set up everything I brought, they charged me $250 cash (I had 65 guests, so $5 apiece is more than $250, which was the maximum). If you don't have that much stuff, they may charge less. But the prices Erika quoted you are not for setting up items that you bring, that is to rent them from Lomas. I would say definitely bring the chair sashes with you. You can get them for less th an a $1.00 each, and they barely take up any room in your suitcase. I personally thought getting the exotic gazebo package was worth it, so I didn't have to worry about the measurements of the sheers and all of that. I would just make sure that Erika understands that you are NOT ordering that stuff through Lomas (if you decide not to), but just bringing it on your own. Of course, there is always a chance they've changed their policies/prices since I've been there. They definitely are always trying to find a way to get around the ways that brides find to keep the costs down and not pay Lomas so much. But based on the prices she quoted you, they seem to match up exactly with what those items cost to rent through Lomas, so I think she was confused.

Jenny- I had the $400 cupcake tree also. The cupcakes were TERRIBLE. Literally the worst cupcakes I've ever had - tasted like they'd been sitting around for 5 days. I ate one bite of mine. They also served assorted desserts with dinner -we had the family style menu. Those desserts were adequate, nothing amazing. I don't know what the other options are, but I would definitely stay away from the cupcakes. The sweetheart cake we had on top of the cupcake tower was better than the cupcakes, so maybe the regular cakes are better.

Brooke - Congratulations! You are going to have sooo much fun. As far as breakfast the morning after your wedding, like Murmel said, you can't seat more than 6 at a table. They won't let you just push a bunch of tables together (or even two tables). We didn't do anything for breakfast the day after the wedding. We had breakfast in bed delivered (part of our package), so we just enjoyed that, and then went and joined everyone. I don't think your guests feel like they need to be entertained by you all of the time (believe me, they will just be so happy to be enjoying a vacation in Mexico). I don't know how big your group is, but when I was there, even though you couldn't eat all of your meals together with all of your guests, you will just run into them during regular meal times. We had about 65 guests with us, and there was always several tables at any given restaurant with our guests. It felt a little bad, seeing our guests but not being with all of them all of the time, but it is just impossible. And really, I don't think anyone cared. But like Murmel said, if you'd like to get together with your guests for breakfast, just let them know which restaurant you'll be at and what time. If you have a large group, I would suggest Spoons. They have the most open areas where you could potentially sit around all of your guests. The caribbean restaurant (blanking on the name right now) does a nice breakfast, but is smaller, and has a layout that doesn't really lend itself to a large group. As far as cell phones go, we contacted our provider before we went (Verizon), and switched over to an international plan for just the time that we were going to be in Mexico. I think some of our friends did that too. Some providers will do it and some won't. The ones that we able to use their phones without high fees shared it with some of the others who could not, and people usually just made quick calls to check on the kids, etc. One of my friends and her husband also skyped with their little boys while they were there, so that is an option too. I had the resort steam my dress. It turned out well, and wasn't that expensive. I think they brought it back a day later, and that was something that the wedding coordinator asked me about right away (can't remember if it was when we checked in or later when we had our meeting with them). I didn't do the fake eyelashes (but kind of wished I had). If you are having your makeup done at the resort, they will ask if you want them. Are you having a trial done before your wedding day? They will put them on during your trial run to see if you like it (and will charge a fee for it), so if you are unsure, you could give it a try then. Enjoy!!

Elaine - These are the LED lights we used: http://m.michaels.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Michaels-Site/default/mProduct-Show?pid=fl1253&start=6&q=Led%20lights They are submersible LED lights. They are probably more expensive than the type that Murmel made. I waited until the last minute to take care of this stuff, and at that point could not focus enough to make the throwies. But if you have the time and the patience, that would be more economical, because you obviously do not need submersible lights for the lanterns. These come in packs of 12, so if you could get enough coupons, the 40% off would be a great deal! The guys at the resort hooked them all up for us, and according to my husband, they used 2 lights each for the medium and large lanterns, so definitely buy extra. We had about 30 laterns, and Chris said we bought 4 or 5 packages of the LED lights. I'd hook you up with our lights, but they are only good for a certain amount of hours (can't remember how many), so I doubt they'd make it all the way through another reception! I just noticed your wedding date. Ours was Nov. 12 of last year. We had awesome weather last year at that time. You have SO MUCH to look forward to!

Elaine - I ordered lanterns of different shades and sizes, ranging in size from 14" to 24". I had about 30 of them. I will say, the 24" just barely fit into our largest suitcase, so that is something to consider. Here's a couple pictures to give you an idea - I think the quantity/sizes turned out well. We used small LED lights that my husband picked up at Michaels. I'll ask him for the details on those, because I didn't pay that much attention. I'll see if we have an extra package I can take a picture of to show you.

I just saw your next post.....althought the set up fee is (currently) capped at $250, that DOES NOT include the OOT bag delivery. That would be a separate charge. I think when I was there (November), it was $4 per bag, and I didn't want to pay that much, so we, at the suggestion of one of the past brides (I think Murmel), decided to meet our guests in the lobby when they arrived and hand them their bag. I think it is a nice gesture, and your guests are so happy to be in Mexico and see you. And it is a good way to keep track of everybody. That being said, we spent almost 2 entire days in the lobby waiting for folks, when we were dying to be hanging out by the pools with the folks who were already there. But, given the time and expense that our guests incurred to come to our wedding, it was a nice way to make sure they knew that we were waiting for them and were excited for them to join us. Quote: Originally Posted by JennyBenz Thank you so much for the help on this! We have been given so many different answers and it's frustrating b/c we are trying to figure out a budget! My WC told me it's $7 a bag to deliver OOT to guests' rooms! I have asked for the WC to confirm there is only one fee, and thanks for letting me know that the WC can't tell me final price. At least if we know it's only one fee for everything to be set up, we can somewhat figure out how much money to bring for this. We're expecting 100 guests perhaps a few more/less, so we just don't want to get down there and they throw an absurd fee at us! I'm hoping to get all the facts straight so we don't get shocked upon arrival LOL Thanks again!!!

Jenny - I don't know exactly how they calculate the fee, but it is a MAXIMUM of $250. It depends on the number of guests and the amount of stuff you have to set up, but it will not exceed $250. I'd go ahead and plan for the $250, because I doubt it will be less than that. They told me that it was cash that they pay the workers who set everything up......makes them want to keep coming back and work for them. We had 65 guests, with a fair amout of stuff to set up (lanterns, centerpieces, guest book tree, paper flower napkin rings and menus at each place setting, table numbers, escort cards tied to starfish, guest book tree and ink, a picture of my husband's father, chair sashes, fan programs, cake topper, cupcake wrappers), and they charged us the $250. So definitely expect that and bring the cash for it. I didn't mind that fee (one of the few that did not make me mad), because I was happy for them to put everything up and take it down (putting it all nicely back in our suitcase), and they did it exactly as I asked. I know it is stressful......but trust me, your WILL get the wedding of your dreams!

We did the BBQ Deluxe menu for our welcome party, and the family style menu for our reception. Our guests LOVED both menus, and just raved about the food at our events. Because we did the Welcome party on the beach, the buffet was set up at the little Beach Grill stand (that is open for lunch). It worked out perfectly for our purposes. I'm not sure how they set it up in other locations, but I'm sure it would be just like any standard buffet.

The reason it is priced per person is because it is all-inclusive. They want to make sure each person is charged for food and drink, not just the room. And be careful, too, because at Sensatori, they won't necessarily let a family of 4 stay in one room together, depending on the ages. I'm sure it would be fine if two of them were young children, but if they are adults and/or teenagers, you might have a problem. Make sure you specify things like that before you sign your contract.

That's AWESOME! Nice work! I think that will be so much better, because you will have more input with the flowers, cake, and decorations. I was frustrated with ordering flowers through Lomas, because I couldn't talk to the actual florist too discuss what I really wanted. My WC tried to help, but she's not a florist, and if you want something that is not exactly like one of their options, it is hard to communicate to them what you want. Plus the cupcakes I had at my wedding were HORRENDOUS. Like seriously the worst cupcakes I've ever tasted, at over $6 each. Just make sure to get IN WRITING, that they are only going to charge that vendor fee once. But kudos for outsmarting Lomas!

I haven't been to El Dorado Maroma, but I have heard they have a gorgeous beach with the beautiful clear blue water. So I would definitely do pictures there, because it has a much nicer beach than Sensatori. Do you know what time sunset is on your wedding day? You want to pay attention to that to make sure you have enough time to get your pictures in before the sun sets. And then plan your cocktail party around that. I think it would be nice if you could have the cocktail party at EDM after the wedding, just to maximize the amount of time that your guests will be there. That way you can tell them where and when to meet back at Sensatori for the reception. But if it works out better with your pictures, and traveling between resorts, having it at Sensatori right before the reception would be fine too. If you are planning on doing pictures before the ceremony, it might be a good idea to get a lot of the family stuff out of the way at that time, so you don't have to keep track of everyone after the wedding. Christine - Sensatori is small enough that it is no big deal to leave your guests fending for themselves for a few hours while you take care of pictures, freshening up, etc. They will have no problem finding the bar and entertaining themselves. Nothing to worry about at all. All of your guests will be relaxed and happy to be on vacation, and will show up whenever you tell them to!

I didn't look into the fire dancers, but I did have a similar situation with a Mariachi Band. I REALLY wanted the Mariachis at my reception during dinner. Lomas's price seemed very high, and after some research, I found that Lomas charged more than double the price for less than half of the playing time as comparable bands in the area. I tried and tried to talk to my WC about it, but they would not budge an inch on the price. I was going to go ahead and get them anyway, but decided not to, mostly on principal. I would have had no problem paying the price Lomas charged if that was the actual market value (or even remotely close), but there is only so much that one should pay for any given thing, and Lomas's prices on most things are way over the line, in my opinion. And I got irritated at giving in to their pricing on everything. $1600 seems like a lot to me for 15 minutes of anything (especially since $800 of it is basically for nothing). But the heart wants what it wants (my own personal motto during my wedding planning), so I understand the struggle! Quote: Originally Posted by jsal4 I am trying to decide if I should get fire dancers for the wedding. The price through Lomas is $2500 for 30 min, which I thought was waaaaay too much. I have done some research and have a quote for $800 for a 15 minute show. But of course, Azul will charge an outside vendor fee of $800, so the total would be $1,600. I tried to get Lomas to give me a 15 minute show for half the price, but they did not go for that. Have any of you other brides had fire dancers at your wedding? Or anyone else researching it and have more information? Thanks!

I don't know what the evening weather is like in February....but it shouldn't be too chilly at night. And the wind depends on the day, obviously. When we had our party on the beach, we gave out (cheap) pashminas to all of the ladies, and I know a lot of them were glad to have it, but it definitely wasn't overwhelmingly cold or anything. That was in November. Obviously the weather is a crapshoot, no matter what, but I think the setting is definitely worth the risk. A few hours before our beach party it looked like it was going to rain, and wedding coordinators tried to get me to move my party inside. She showed us a smelly, nondescript conference room, and we said, nope, we'll take our chances. The weather turned out great, and our guests really loved the beach setting. We didn't bring a single decoration or flower or anything for that welcome party, and it didn't matter.....everyone was just so happy to be on the beach and in a tropical setting. Also, if you are doing any pre-wedding mailers to your guests, or have a wedding website, you can let your guests know what the average tempurature is in the evening (for the time period of your wedding), and let them know that the beach might get a little windy, so they can dress appropriately. Or, if you have room in your budget, grab some wraps for your ladies, and they'll be fine!

I didn't have my reception on the beach, but I did have a welcome party for all of my guests on the beach the night before my wedding. It was set up the same way a wedding would be (except I didn't have a DJ for that party, so no dance floor - we just rented the sound system and used a playlist on our ipod), with round tables and chairs, and we had the beach bbq menu, which all of our guests loved. We had a perfect evening, and our guests really raved about the party. The only thing I didn't like is that a few of the chairs (including the one I happened to be sitting in) ended up being on a big to a down slope, which made it a little difficult to sit. Are you having a large party? I saw some smaller parties set up on the yoga palapa, and that looked really nice.

Amanda - I got married at AS in November, 2011. Although I still haven't totaled up our wedding costs (something I still want to do, for curiosity sake more than anything else), I would estimate we spent around $15,000. That includes everything. The trip (a major part of the cost as we were traveling for about 2 weeks), clothes, two dinner parties for our 67 guests (welcome beach bbq and reception), DJ, decorations, paper stuff ( I spent a lot in this area - STDs, formal invitations, thank you for booking cards, bridesmaids cards, thank you cards, reception menus, place cards, paper flowers, palm frond fan programs, etc.), flowers, shoes, jewelry, OOT bags and their contents, wedding party gifts, chair sashes, etc. One major thing we didn't pay for was photography because my uncle is wedding photographer, so he did it for us (and for that reason I don't have any idea of what a good photographer costs - but I'm sure that woudl have added at least a couple of thousand to our bottom line). That being said, we weren't working from any specific budget, and didn't try to skimp on anything. Depending on what you want, you can spend WAY less than that, and still have an awesome wedding. If you have less than 40 guests, the free Spoons dinner is a great way to save money. From what I saw, it is pretty closed off from the rest of the restaurant, and I've heard great reviews about the food. If you have a private event, you can use your iPod instead of hiring a DJ. What you have to watch out for is all the resort/lomas charges for things like decorations/flowers. They WAY overcharge for things. Sometimes it is worth paying for them to do stuff, just for the ease of it (and there really is only so much stuff you can drag with you to Mexico). But those charges can tend to get irritating after a while. I will say this - our guests LOVED the beach BBQ welcome party that we had the night before the wedding. We brought absolutely no decorations or anything for that, and just rented the speaker system and used our iPod with a playlist my husband set up. The music sounded great, and nobody noticed the lack of decorations. The setting was beautiful, weather was great, and the food was great. Of course, I think our guests enjoyed all the little touches that we spent a lot of time and money on for the reception as well, but my point is that it isn't necessary. Your guests will have an amazing time regardless, and if budget is an issue, there are a lot of ways to make it work and still have the wedding of your dreams!

Hey Brooke ! We did the Beach BBQ menu for our welcome party, and the Family Style menu for our reception. Both were good, and our guests all loved it. The Petite Gourmet is very similar to those menus.....so I'm sure it's good! People appreciate having the different choices, I think. And I've seen brides discuss pretty much all of the menu options, and I don't remember hearing any complaints about any of the meals served at private events. Generally, those meals are the best ones your guests will have while at the resort!

We found out shortly after we checked in when our meeting was, and it was the day after we arrived. The meeting lasted 2 hours. We went over absolutely everything. The Spa Coordinator came in to make sure all the spa appointments were set up. The rest of the meeting was with our Lomas Coordinator (Odette) and the Coordinator from the resort, Ivan. We went over the entire detail sheet. We went over everything that we brought that we wanted set up. I had prepared a list of everything I brought with me and what I wanted done with it. Bring pictures, if possible. If you are having assigned seating, go over how you want the tables set up (and have a chart prepared to give them). Although it is tedious (especially when it is in the middle of the day and you want to be OUTSIDE IN THE SUN), but it is important for them to understand exactly how you want everything, and to clear up any discrepancies. Also, you can add/change things on your detail sheet in the meeting. They will do everything they can to make you happy, so don't worry about it at all.

I asked mu husband about this, since he was the one that handled everything with the DJ. He said it took a couple of days for to get confirmation. Honestly, try not to worry about it.....they'll get back to you! Once we got to the resort, Ivan came to meet with us to go over everything, and they were very legit and professional.