MrsHK

Originally Posted by Bells24 

 

HI- did you end up having your wedding in April. I am looking to do the same and wondering how the weather is at that time, was it busier, more expensive, etc.? Thanks.

 

Originally Posted by Bells24 

 

Hi Inna,

 

Your weddings pics are stunning. Just wondering how the March April time was in Mexico? Weather-wise and was it busy and more expensive? Thanks!

Hi there! I have lived down here in Playa Del Carmen for almost two years and can answer the weather and flight price questions for you.

 

One thing to consider for March is Spring Break, as that will make prices of packages in this area more expensive and there will also be lots of families and college kids in town during that time. Everyone's Spring Break dates vary, but most are in March. You can do a Google search to see more specific dates if you'd like.

 

There's also a religious holiday called Semana Santa from April 13th to the 20th. A lot of Mexican families travel and go on vacation during that time and it is very busy in Playa Del Carmen and the surrounding areas. Prices drop after Semana Santa, so anytime from April 21st to May 31st is usually a better deal and the weather is normally nice. June to October is rainy season and is very hot.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions about the area, or if I can help you in any way!

Originally Posted by mizpriya 

 

Hi ladies,

 

I like in Ontario in the Milton area and work in Mississauga. Looking for your help on finding an inexpensive place to get my dress cleaned. I plan on selling it online since I have no use for it anymore. Any suggestions as to where I can sell? And also clean the dress?

 

Thanks!

 

Originally Posted by ironman 

 

I purchased my dress from preownedweddingdresses.com/.com. I also searched on kijiji, but found the best selection on preowned. I've seen a bunch of groupons for gown cleaning lately. I'm in Edmonton, but wouldn't be surprised if there were also some in Toronto.

 

I bought my dress on preownedweddingdresses.com too! It was a great experience, and was happy to get a designer dress at half the price.

Originally Posted by rileyjl 

 

What is everyone doing for shoes? My ceremony is going to be on the beach and then move to a outdoor deck. So spike heels are a no go. I am thinking either flat sandals or wedges. I have been trying to find a sparkly sandal with a small-medium wedge, that isn't too casual....but I can't find anything like that! What is everyone else doing, does anyone have suggestions? Thanks!

 

Originally Posted by TealMarie 

 

I've thought this over for a while. I bought beautiful heels before I even purchased my dress. I planned to go barefoot on the beach for the ceremony and then wear heels. My seamstress (my Aunt) informed me I had to pick one or the other, as she has to hem the dress, so I'm choosing barefoot/flats. I realized no one will see my shoes anyways and why do I have to wear heels for the reception and be in pain all night? They make your legs look killer but when you're wearing a long dress, what's the point? So I'm going to find sparkly sandals or some with clear jewels on them and then either go barefoot for the ceremony or get barefoot sandals. There's a pair that I'm lusting over made by a poster on this site.http://www.redibychelsea.com/bond-girl-rhinestone-pearl-destination-wedding-handcrafted-barefoot-jewelry/ I love them but I'm not sure if I can fork over that much money for them. We'll see. 

 

Have you looked at Nordstrom online or shopbop or zappos? 

 

Originally Posted by jolene028 

 

I am doing barefoot sandals I actually made some because I too couldnt justify spending that kind of coin... I loved doing it so much that I made all the girls in my bridal party some! I was actually thinking that maybe I would start selling them at half the price of everyone else because I think that they are over priced LOL! I also got white flip flops that I am going to put some bling on for the reception and other places that you need to wear shoes... we are going to the beach so I am going to go with that theme and be barefoot as much as possible!

I loved wearing barefoot sandals for my wedding! Our ceremony and reception were both in the sand, and the cocktail hour was by the pool on a wooden deck. I just kept the bare feet the whole time and walked on the wooden deck with no shoes. If you do need shoes at some point, dressy flip flops are a great option. Chances are your dress is long, so no need to go through the pain of high heels while you dance the night away on your wedding night!

 

I did, however, take a couple of photos while I was getting ready with a pair of purple high heels on while holding my dress up, just to have that photo! There was no way to tell that the dress was too short with the heel on because she took it close up. 

 

Here's the store on Etsy I got the barefoot sandals from, very affordable compared to the other site I was looking at! http://www.etsy.com/listing/118146078/beach-wedding-barefoot-sandals-foot

 

Originally Posted by FaredaT 

 

Hello Playacar Palace Brides

 

I am soo happy I came across this forum! I am getting married November 25, 2013 and I desperately need some advice about using outside vendors vs. the vendors the resort provides. I have heard good things about DJ Doremixx- but my W/C Dulce is saying it will cost $500 plus another $250 to bring in an outside DJ, is that true?

 

And flowers, should i go with the resort flowers or should i hire an outside florist? Will PP charge me a fee for buying my flowers from the outside?

 

Has anyone gotten their hair and make-up done at the PP Salon/Spa? I compared the PP salon prices to The Styling Trio (which i have heard GREAT things and they do airbrush make-up) and it comes out to be about the same. I'm just not sure who to go with and not sure if the resort will charge for bringing in a day guest? Is there a way to get around that?

 

And lastly, photographer and videographer- Does anyone recommend an amazzzing photographer and videographer that is decently priced?

 

Any advice/help would be soooo appreciated

Hi Fareda! I'm from Vancouver, Canada and I live down here in Playa Del Carmen. I have a friend who does wedding photography, she is very reasonably priced and her photos are stunning! Her name is Susana Hidalgo and her website is http://www.myadorablebridal.com/

 

Here's a couple of photos she took at our wedding, although she wasn't our primary photographer. She was a guest at the wedding and took some photos during the cocktail hour and reception. That's her little girl I'm holding, and she was our flower girl!

 

     

 

     

 

Originally Posted by TaraB 

 

Bridetobeabcd

 

Sorry about the last post... im not getting along with the mobile site very well at the moment!

 

Eek we are only one day apart! So exciting!

 

Planning is going well... 36 booked and counting! Bought my necklace, earrings and veil as well. Having sone trouble with shoes. .. so far I have purchased 4 pairs but after realized I dont really love any of them so back to the drawing board I guess.

 

Struggling with what to do for decorations... really trying to limit what I take down with me, but also trying to limit my spending at the resort since by the time everyone books we will be double the amount of people that our package covers. What are you doing for decorations?

Hey Tara! I just got married in May in Tulum and purchased almost all of our decor rather than renting since we live down here in Playa Del Carmen. If you're looking for simple, affordable decorations that you won't have to drag around in your luggage, let me know! I'm doing a little rental business on the side, and have priced everything very reasonably. I have lanterns, bottles and vases for flowers, mason jars, rustic vintage details, etc.

 

The quotes from resorts, venues and wedding coordinators for decor down here are outrageous! I felt most of the pricing was so unfair so I wanted to give fellow brides an alternative to the vendors down here. Send me a PM if you're interested in seeing the pricing list and photos of everything.

Originally Posted by b21fly 

 

Hi again Smiles33,

A few more questions for you:

• How did you get from the airport to resort?  And did you arrange this travel prior to arriving in Mexico? 
• How did you pack your wedding dress?

• Did you do any shopping in Playa Del Carmen?  If so, how were the shops?  Do you by any chance remember seeing maracas?  I would like to buy maracas for the wedding ceremony/reception (based on some very cute ideas from this forum!) and am contemplating between buying online now versus waiting until I get to Mexico...wondering if you shopped and found any for a good price...

Hi b21fly! I know you didn't ask me this question, but I thought I could help answer since I live down here in Playa Del Carmen. There are LOTS of shops selling maracas, and they go from $1-$3 each, depending on the vendor and the size of the maraca. (There are large and small ones) The bigger shops have set prices, but the smaller ones you can see if you can get a bulk deal and barter with them. Also ask if they have ones in the back, since the ones in the bins have been picked through and are sometimes in rougher shape.

 

It's great that you are considering buying them down here and support the local vendors! Plus you'll save room in your luggage.

 

About the wedding dress, it depends on the airline. I just carried mine on in a garment bag and put it in the overhead compartment, folded in half. My dress was lace so it didn't wrinkle, but it depends on what your dress is made of and if you plan on getting the resort to steam it for you or not.

Hey ladies! We just got the first half of our photos from our photographers, and I am beyond excited!! We did a photoshoot the day before the wedding around the beach and in the town of Tulum. The wedding day photos should come within a week, and I can hardly wait!!

 

I picked a few of my favourites to post here, but you can see the rest here at http://luckygirl.ca/blog if you'd like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your wedding looked fantastic, and your hair and makeup was beautiful! Congrats to another fellow happy Tulum bride.

Originally Posted by cherany 

 

Omg, ladies!  I can't believe I'm just now getting back on this site!  Took me a while to go through the 20+ pages posted in my absence, but I loved reading all of it!  

 

CONGRATULATIONS to all the May brides!  I hope all weddings went off without too many problems!  We had our share, which I'll update about when I find time to write my planning thread, but the wedding was mostly great and resulted in a pair of very happy newlyweds, so all ended well! 

 

I promised myself I wouldn't be one of those brides who disappears from the site after getting married, but it's been a whirlwind since the wedding!  Literally as soon as we made it home, my wife was hospitalized with extreme asthma complications, so the first few days home were spent at the hospital. After that, it took her a month to get well, and then we were overwhelmed with catching up on everything that got shoved to the back burner just before and after the wedding. Things are finally calming down, and we're getting back to a normal routine, so I hope to be around more. I learned so much planning this wedding and hope to pass on the knowledge to future brides.

 

The full collection of professional pictures is still on its way to us, but quite a few photos were posted in a slideshow on the blog:

 

http://delsolphotography.com/playa-del-carmen-same-sex-wedding-el-taj-ca-06282013/

(be sure to click "view more photos" on the right to see all; the first image is of the hotel, and the last one is a cake eating pic)

 

 

 

 

Wow, you both look just stunning! I love your purple hair, so fantastic! Sorry to hear about your complications once you arrived home, but happy to hear your wife is on the mend.

Originally Posted by RNtoBe 

 

Hey ladies, 

I'm excited to share a blog post from my photographer of our wedding photos!I couldn't be happier with them!! Here is the link: http://www.cassiescamera.com/2013/06/09/dayna-ray-just-married-calgary-destination-wedding-photographer/

We also hired Angel Zapien from Cinematic Touch as our videographer. I will post a link once our video is ready. 

Beautiful photos! Congrats!

This was our gazebo for our wedding in Tulum in May. We collected the bottles ourselves and tied them to the string and we purchased the flower garlands. We brought the garlands and the bottles to our florist for them to arrange flowers in and they delivered the gazebo and took care of the set up of everything. They tied a transparent string across the bottom so the bottles didn't blow in the wind and hit each other. We used Floreria Jardin in Playa Del Carmen and they were great to work with!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Originally Posted by EvySF 

 

Hello lovely ladies, I was hoping someone here could share information on the cost of hosting a wedding at Al Cielo hotel. Has anyone gotten a recent quote or had their amazing wedding here recently? I would REALLY REALLY appreciate any information you could share with me.

 

Happy planning all!!!!

 

 

Hi Evy! We went to Al Cielo for a site visit last year, and I have some photos that I saved from other people's weddings there and a document they sent me. If you PM me your email I can send you what I have! Have you contacted them for their most recent pricing? Are you planning on staying at the hotel too or somewhere else?

Originally Posted by lgerry 

 

Beautiful pics and a beautiful wedding... Congrats!!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Sehausle 

 

Wow I am so impressed - your flowers look VERY real and you look absolutely stunning! (great dress!!!)

 

Thank you so much!

Originally Posted by muneera0302 

 

wow beautiful!!! i like the shortened name, def catchy!

ALso, i just learned that these are called sweetheart tables :-) silly me. there are a few threads already on these. But thanks again for sharing! i really like your sign idea!

Thank you so much! The sign was ordered online from Paper Source. It came with a ton of letters, so it is possible to make two or three signs with it, depending on what you need. I love the vintage feel of it!

Originally Posted by cinnagirl 

 

Hi May ladies! 

 

I wasn't super active on this thread for the last few months leading up to the wedding (by that point I was done with planning and ready to start the party, lol), but I just got our photos back from our photographers this weekend. Hiring Katya Nova to document our wedding day was one of the best decisions we made, and looking through the photos was like reliving the day all over again. 

 

Here are the blog posts they put together with photos from our wedding and our rock the dress session the morning after:

http://www.katyanovablog.com/dreams-palm-beach-jellyfish-wedding-krista-pat/

http://www.katyanovablog.com/sunrise-punta-cana-rock-the-dress-couples-boudoir-krista-pat/

Gorgeous photos! You guys look so happy and everything looked so beautiful! Congrats

Hey ladies! This was our sweetheart table from our wedding in Tulum last month! The restaurant already had hanging wine bottles behind where we were wanted our table set up, so we just had them put baby's breath into the bottles. All the other decor we collected ourselves. I made the burlap and lace runners, collected and cleaned old bottles (mostly booze bottles haha!) and purchased the lanterns, bombillos and banner. 

 

I put my bouquet down when I got to the table and it ended up looking nice just laying there. Totally by accident though! My fiance's last name is hyphenated and is quite long, and when he was a kid they shortened it to "HK" and it stuck. So now, we're the "HKs"!

 

This was our sweetheart table from our wedding in Tulum last month! The restaurant already had hanging wine bottles behind where we were wanted our table set up, so we just had them put baby's breath into the bottles. All the other decor we collected ourselves. I made the burlap and lace runners, collected and cleaned old bottles (mostly booze bottles haha!) and purchased the lanterns, bombillos and banner. 

 

I put my bouquet down when I got to the table and it ended up looking nice just laying there. Totally by accident though! My fiance's last name is hyphenated and is quite long, and when he was a kid they shortened it to "HK" and it stuck. So now, we're the "HKs"!

 

Loving all of the different ideas on here ladies! So many beautiful options.

 

For our wedding in Tulum last month we went with a rustic vintage style. For our flowers we used mismatched bottles of various sizes with roses and baby's breath. We also used two types of lanterns, bombillos in brass buckets (similar to the tops of oil lamps) and lots of tea lights in glass candle holders. Our tables were long rectangles, and I arranged it in such a way that all the tables looked balanced and put together, while still keeping the rustic mismatched look.

 

I collected the bottles myself, made the burlap and lace runners, and purchased the lanterns, bombillos and tea light holders from various places.

 

All the photos are by Luckygirl Photography based out of Winnipeg, Canada, aside from the second one and the last two, which were taken by friends. - www.luckygirl.ca

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

   

 

Here's my bouquet! I went with a real touch bouquet because I wanted peonies, large bloom garden roses and succulents and those are either not available or are insanely expensive in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico. Its also nice to have a memento to keep after the wedding. We don't have our professional photos yet, but we're lucky enough to have lots of talented friends taking some extra photos on our wedding day.

 

The first photo is actually by someone who does wedding photography down here in the Mayan Riviera. Her name is Susana Hidalgo and you can see more of her photos at www.myadorablebridal.com if you are looking for an affordable photographer here in Mexico.

 

I designed my own bouquet and ordered it from Alexis Grace Designs on Etsy. Make sure you get your order for your real touch bouquet in early if you plan on going that route! Most companies require you to order 6-8 months ahead of time. - http://www.etsy.com/shop/alexisgracedesigns

 

 

 

 

 

Originally Posted by Lucy79 

 

Such a unique wedding! amazing pics! congrats!

 

Originally Posted by alexisinjamaica 

 

Love everything about this wedding! Your pics are all amazing and you too are adorable together. Congrats!!

 

Thank you ladies! We're expecting our professional photos in the next few weeks. I can't wait to see them!!

Originally Posted by nov2013maya 

 

Anybody getting married dec 2nd? Want to see if someone wants to sell me their decor after your wedding.

Hi there! If you're looking for an affordable decor rental down here, I can help! I just had my wedding in May and purchased almost everything for it. Since I live down here in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico I decided to rent things to brides who don't want to lug things down to Mexico and back. When I was planning my wedding I was so shocked with the prices I was being quoted. I made a promise that I would help my fellow brides in the future and offer affordable rental prices.

 

Send me a PM if you're interested in discussing things further!

Originally Posted by Dazeydawl 

 

Ahhhhhh ladies my photographer just put up the blog!!!!! I'm so excited.. I get the rest of the pics on Friday so my planning thread is coming soon but check out the blog if you wish!

 

Luckygirl.ca

Gorgeous Ali!! I'm so happy for you, your photos are just stunning. Mairen really captured your love, and the feel of your trip to Negril so well. Seeing yours up on the blog makes me really excited for ours! I'm hoping they'll post ours in the next few weeks!  

 

For those who don't know, Ali posted a link to Luckygirl a while back and I clicked on it and fell in love with their photos. We ended up letting go of the photographer that we had paid a deposit on down here in Mexico and flying Mairen and Rachael of Luckygirl down for our wedding. In the end it was cheaper than our original photographer would have been, which is hard to believe, but true.

MrsHK, your ship in the bottle is ADORABLE. You did a great job! Where did you find the ship in the bottle part? 

Thank you! It's from a store in Cancun called 'Routa de las Indias' and it was $12. We live down here in Mexico, so that's why we bought it in Cancun, but if I were buying it back home I would've looked on Etsy or EBay. If you end up ordering one I'd love to see what you decided on!

This was our cake topper! Our wedding was a vintage travel theme with nautical elements. We're actually going to get certified to sail on our honeymoon, and my husband has a few tattoos of ships, so we thought the ship was quite fitting. The ship in a bottle was purchased for $12 and I did the letters myself. I bought the wooden letters from Michael's, painted them and glued them to sticks.

 

I had a cute little cut out heart that I glued to a matchstick to put between the letters but it looks like our wedding planners missed it, or perhaps it was too short behind the ship. Who knows! Our cake was small and was on the top of our cupcake tower. I was so impressed with the fondant cupcakes by Zaida at Dolcet bakery too!