amberm390

Abby, I don't have a map of Aventura, but I honestly wouldn't worry about it. I initially wanted to include one in our welcome bags also, so I just waited until we got to the resort because they have maps already printed there. Also, upon check-in, there is a map included with your room key, so I didn't even put any in the welcome bags then because everyone got one when they checked in. I was SOOO worried about all the little details before I went and honestly, when you get there, you forget about everything!! I was regretting bringing so much stuff along with me because the resort was beautiful enough on its own and there was always so much going on with all our family and friends there. SO if I could give one word of advice, DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF! I know it's easier said than done, but trust me, once you are there, all the little details will fall to the wayside and you will just want to be having fun with your family and friends. I ended up packing stuff that we didn't end up using anyway...and let me tell you, that trip through the airport with all that stuff was NOT fun! We even had 6 people with us on our flight and I still brought too much stuff. So just thought I'd mention that. Jennykay and other newbie brides...I would DEF read through this entire thread...it is VERY long, but sooo helpful!! I spent so many hours when I first joined the site just reading about what all the other brides had to say. It was always nice to see other people's pictures to get ideas. I know exactly how you girls are feeling right now with all the unknowns and not knowing what to expect. I was just in your position not too long ago! If there are any questions or any specific pictures of the resort you are looking for, just let me know, I may be able to help!! One other word of advice, DON'T believe all the tripadvisor reviews you read. I spent so much time stalking tripadvisor for months before our wedding and was so nervous because of the reviews. However, we were completely blown away by Aventura, as were our family and friends. I think alot of those tripadvisor reviews are bogus or people are really hard to please. Everything we experienced was fabulous:)

Chase- We had our 'welcome drinks' at the martini bar because we didn't want to pay for a private event for this. We just included it in our itinerary so our guests knew to meet us there at a certain time. Just some info...I honestly don't remember the 'light snacks' they are referring to online. Maybe at most they put peanuts and chips out on the bar. That's all I remember...it wasn't like appetizers or anything that you could order (unless I missed something!). Also, the martini bar is outside right on the water with open air sides. We ended up leaving the martini bar and relocating because we were there in December and it got chilly at night and we were all cold! I'm sure it will be warmer for you in May, so you probably don't have to worry about this. The martini bar also plays VERY loud music...I actually asked the bartender to turn it down so we could talk to each other...it was really loud! Otherwise, we basically had the place to ourselves and the drinks were delicious. It has a disco ball and different colored lights...so it's sort of like a disco atmosphere...not at all what you would expect a martini bar to be like. If you have fun people in your group it could be fun! Our group ended up enjoying the Cove side lobby bar (sports bar) better, so we relocated there.

Sarah regarding your question about the Cove side... we liked both sides of the resort...along with Jess, it was basically just one big resort to us! However, we did not have any children in our group so everyone could go back and forth with no problem. Just a few things that I noticed while we were there...there was definitely more people on the Spa side and more things happening on the Spa side during the day (poolside activities and such). However, all of the nighttime entertainment (shows and themed nights) were on the Cove side. We LOVED the Cove side lobby bar (or sports bar they may call it). The bartender there was out of this world and we would just spend hours there! The disco was also on the Cove side which we had a blast at the night of the wedding. We enjoyed the breakfast place on the Cove side better than the Spa as well...it was more open air and had an awesome view. Our cocktail hour and our reception dinner were on the Cove side and everyone had a blast...so no need to fret!! There is also a 'kids club' where your family/friends could leave their children at for a few hours (if they feel comfortable doing that) if they wanted to go to the Spa side for dinner, etc. The actual Spa is on the Spa side, so they would need to leave the children behind if they wanted to do that. Just trying to give you an idea of where different things are located:)

Also, forgot to mention this before...they don't always set up 5 tables for cocktail hour...they will set up as many tables as your group requires. So if you have a bigger party, then they will set up more for you and vice versa. My WC asked me how many tables we wanted and I just said whatever she thought was best, since they do this all the time! There will not be enough chairs for everyone because cocktail hour is basically a time where people mingle...it is so much fun! I wish we could do it all over again:)

Chase, they do use white linens at cocktail hour; however, my wedding coordinator asked what our wedding colors were and she used colored napkins as decorations on the tables to add that splash of color. I will attach a picture of it to give you an idea... My husband and I felt the same way as you and we wanted to be at our cocktail party also!! I felt like if I was paying all that money for the Mexican Trio Band then I wanted to hear it! So we planned our times accordingly...our ceremony started at 3pm and cocktail hour started at 5pm...so in between our guests just had 'free time' to do whatever they pleased. Remember, you are at an all-inclusive resort so people can go to the bar and get a drink, back to their room to freshen up, etc. Our guests had no problem with this at all. So that gave us about an hour and a half to take pictures, which I think is pretty standard (this obviously depends on the photographer though). We did not feel overly rushed with this amount of time and we were able to take alot of pictures. We showed up at cocktail hour about 15 minutes after it started, but it was actually perfect because it gave our guests time to mingle and munch on some hour'dourves before we got there. We had the Trio band play from 5:15-6 (they do 45 minute time slots). This worked out perfectly because the Trio band began playing for our entrance which was just awesome because our guests didn't know we were having this! Here is a picture of our tables at cocktail hour...don't mind the stains on the pink napkin, those are just water marks from people setting their drinks down...

Chase, I initially wanted to do the Pandero for cocktail hour also because of the paper lanterns, but since there are no wooden slats on top anymore, the lanterns can't be hung from there. They have to hang them from the poles around the outside of the terrace. They were unable to hang the lanterns on the Cove Terrace because there was nothing to hang them from. I think Jess (jszy10) might have a picture of Pandero set up for her cocktail hour?? Or am I thinking of someone else Jess? Try not to stress so much about the destination wedding...I know that's easier said than done though!! Everyone will still have so much fun! We went with the trio band instead of mariachi because it was cheaper. I think the mariachi band has more instruments in it maybe...and the trio band is only 3 people, but it was plenty. I heard from my wedding coordinator maybe 2 months out or so...but communication was not always that great. The closer we got to our date, the better she was at responding. Honestly, you realize how busy they are when you get there and it's easy to understand why they don't respond right away. They are so busy with weddings all the time...sometimes several in the same day. Our wedding coordinator got everything perfect and we met with her 2 days before the wedding! So don't fret because they are soooo GOOD at pulling things together last minute. Like Jess already said, if you have a musician playing, then you don't have to pick any songs for the ceremony, because they will play appropriate music. We did not have a musician play, so I brought an instrumental wedding CD that I bought at Joann Fabric...I just picked like 4 songs from there and they filled in the rest for me. It all worked out fine and sounded great! You don't HAVE to pick music for the ceremony...they offer 'romantic' music to be played if you don't bring your own music. But if you have your heart set on something in particular, you would need to bring that yourself. We did purchase the Amber package because it just seemed easier to me, because I wanted alot of things included in the package. Alot of others just do complimentary packages and then add-on what they want. That seems to work out well for alot of people! I would suggest the horse-and-carriage...it was so awesome and beautiful. I felt like Cinderella!!! Any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask:)

Mexican Trio Band at cocktail hour! We decided to splurge for them, because that's something you can't really do anywhere else. It was GREAT entertainment during cocktail hour and our guests loved it because it was a surprise to them. The band even took requests:)

Mundaca Steakhouse from another view...not completely private, but pretty private from the rest of the restaurant. We were still able to do toasts and stuff!

If you look behind our cake, there is a lower level terrace at Mundaca Steakhouse with rope lights on the railing. This is another option for your reception dinner (this does not have a roof though, so it would depend on weather). We chose not to have it down there because we were there in December and it got a little chilly at night, so it was warmer for us on the covered porch.

Reception dinner at Mundaca Steakhouse

View from Cove Terrace

Horse and carriage can pull right up to the Tulum Gazebo Random picture of Cove Terrace, but shows a little bit of the view

Tulum Gazebo set up with the Amber package Tulum Gazebo from the front

Hi Chase414...welcome to the site!! I was just married at Aventura in December and it was beyond AMAZING!!! Our experience was sooo good and everything turned out just perfect...I cannot say enough good things We had a little bit of the same issue with people booking their trips...we had some procrastinators in the group. However, December was not a busy time for the resort, so our guests didn't have a problem booking a month before the trip. We ended up having 24 people in our group. I think it's just best to be patient with your guests and not bug them too much about booking (I was a VERY laid-back bride though). The people who REALLY want to come will be sure to book and the people who don't aren't really worth stressing yourself out over. We learned who the important people were:) Honestly, it is nice to have a smaller group because you can spend time together around the resort and it's just more special. We got married in the Tulum Gazebo...we chose this one since it is the most private one. It is at the far end of the Spa side. The other gazebos were more in the middle of the resort and didn't feel very private to me, but thats just my opinion. Then we had cocktail hour at the Cove Terrace and we LOVED it up there! I initially wanted the Pandero Terrace (because of hanging paper lanterns), but I didn't like the way it looked without the wooden slats on the 'roof'. So I decided not to bring the paper lanterns and we picked a different location. I have to say that the Cove Terrace has a BEAUTIFUL view...we couldn't have been happier with our choice. Then we had our dinner at Mundaca Steakhouse (same place as Jess). We were on the same covered patio as Jess was with the long table for guests and my husband and I were at the head of it facing our guests. We couldn't fathom spending ALL that money on a private reception for only 24 people. Especially since we are spending money on a big reception at home for all of our family and friends. Your question about the cocktail hour, they do set up a bar for you and your guests. We also had a 'signature' drink at our cocktail hour that was colored to match our wedding colors (our wedding coordinator did this on her own). They also set up high and low tables for guests to stand around and sit. Sorry that I have rambled on, but I just know how helpless you feel when trying to plan your wedding from far away. It's a bit stressful. I also love reliving a wedding at Aventura through other people because it is so awesome...we cannot wait to go back. Our guests rave about the place! I literally have about 800 pictures from Aventura (my brother-in-law is a photographer so it's what he does!), so if there is anything in particular you want to see, I probably have a picture of it...just ask! I will also attach some pictures that may be of interest to you...

MissNikki, I can honestly say that we were not even asked one time about a timeshare! We were just there in December with 24 people in our party and I don't think anyone was 'bugged' about it at all. Not even one person mentioned it to us, which surprised me!! I have heard that Aventura will be converted to Hard Rock in the Fall of this year...I'm not sure if any changes will be made before then. They do tell you that your resort wedding coordinator will get in touch with you 30 days prior...lour coordinator did contact us earlier than that (maybe 2 or 3 months before the wedding). The communication beforehand may be a little stressful, but I was totally put at ease when I got there! Our wedding coordinator pulled everything together 2 days before the wedding and it was PERFECT! Just have faith...I know that's easier said than done:)

Taryn, did you have something floating in the vases at your reception? I love those centerpieces and would like to try to make something similar for our at-home reception...

Here's just a few...

I just realized that there aren't alot of great pictures on my facebook page from the wedding...I do have a slideshow of pictures that my brother-in-law took if anyone wants to see that. Message me with your email address and I will forward you the page with alot of pictures from Aventura...

Hey ladies....just returned last night from our week long stay at Aventura Spa and it was beyond AMAZING!!!!! Our stay was literally perfect from beginning to end! The wedding was gorgeous, weather was perfect (even though the forecast was sayiing rain), and the service was incredible. I can't say enough good things about this resort. The grounds are so beautiful and they literally wait on your hand and foot. I was disappointed when I had to come home and cook my own food and do my own dishes. I will have to post some pictures soon. We used the resort photographer and videographer since we purchased the Amber package. Our photo album and DVD came in the mail today already and we LOVE them. They turned out better than I could have ever imagined!! I have looked at the pictures like 20 times and watched the DVD 3 times already haha. Cristina was our WC and she did an AMAZING job putting everything together so last minute...I don't know how those ladies do it, but they do it well! We were so happy with how everything turned out and would not change a thing...I was literally blown away by how perfect it was None of our guests were ready to leave when the time came. Any questions, please feel free to ask! You can look for me on facebook under Amber Miller from Kutztown (if that doesn't work, try from Allentown). Some of our guests posted pictures on fbook...

Taryn, did your guests book their Spa services in advance or wait until they got to the resort?If they waited until they got there, did they have trouble making appt bc it filled up? I was pushing for people to do it beforehand, but then I got nervous that they wouldn't be able to use all their resort credit at the Spa (people at the resort were telling me that they only get that if they booked June 1st and after...otherwise, they could only spend $300 at the Spa). They are driving me absolutely insane with this resort credit and the Spa! I Just can't get a straight answer out of anyone. I didn't want my guests booking all this stuff and then have to pay for it out of pocket.

I can't thank you enough for all the pics and info! They are nice to see so close to leaving. Our ceremony is at 3pm so we should be fine with that! The resort looks so awesome and I love how they wrote "I Love You" in rose petals...very nice touch! So what did you guys end up doing at the resort on the days it rained? Also, did you and your guests mostly enjoy the food there? Any specific restaurant that you would suggest? Did you eat at Mundaca? Sorry for all the questions!! My mind has been racing this past week...

Thanks so much for all the info Taryn!! It's so exciting and I'm so glad you had such an amazing time The pictures you showed so far look gorgeous! I do have a few questions I wanted to ask you... What flavor cake did you have? Also, did you upgrade the cake since it looked like a bigger one? What time was your ceremony at? I know you said you felt rushed through pictures because it was getting dark. I was concerned about that too! Did you bring the centerpieces yourself? Your tables looked awesome! Were those real votive candles or battery operated? I wanted real candles but was concerned about them staying lit outside with the wind. I have totally been a FREAK about the weather also, because it seems to be raining there alot! I'm stalking the 10 day weather forecast and hoping it's wrong!!

Taryn, do you have any pictures yet? I'm eager to see them! Also, any suggestions for other soon-to-be Aventura brides?? We leave exactly a week from tomorrow and I am so excited/nervous! I hope everything goes smoothly, but it sounds like it will