ashbrooke3ou

I haven't checked this blog lately but I noticed there were some questions about the classical guitarist. We actually used their classical guitarist and I really liked it. I did not get to hear the songs at the beginning but the ones I did hear I really liked. It is a lot to pay for 45 min though and the selections are limited. My mom really wanted live music though so that's why we went with it but I'm glad we did. Also, we only paid $500 so if you really want one I would try to negotiate if they are telling you more.

I can send you a proof of my program if you need help. I tried to upload it but the file is too big. We did fans and I just took the content off of different programs that I found online but I thought they turned out really well.

My onsite coordinator had everything exactly the way Valeria and I planned. I would just make sure to have Valeria send you your final worksheet before you go down there so you can compare. I had saved all my emails so if something was off I would have went and printed them off but thankfully I didn't have to do that.

Thanks for posting the pics! I just added them as attachments so I guess that's why they didn't show up the first time. The beach was super windy while we were there. I really wanted to wear my hair half down or a little bit looser but there is no way that it would have held. I did a practice run for the rehearsal and my hair fell flat after 20 min. The chairs come with the pads and they were $12 for one location and $16 if you want to use them at both locations. Pretty pricey but I thought they looked nice.

No, I didn't use their spreadsheet. I guess I misplaced it at somepoint because I'm sure they probably sent it to me. When we met, he filled out the information but I guess I was not clear enough on the times. We made a list of songs that we liked and kind of the genre we wanted for the cocktail and dinner but I didn't want to pick out every song because I figure he does that for a living and that's why I'm paying him so I didn't want to have to worry about it so much. In hindsight I probably should have just spent a little bit more time on it but who knew Chug a lug would come up. haha It's all kind of funny to me now but at the time I was not feeling it. I think Sinatra music would still be good during dinner. I guess it depends on the mood you are going for. For us, the beachy music was more fitting. It made it more casual and fun to me but I don't think that would be everyone's style. I can email you my playlist. It is by no means very organized but you can probably use it as a starting point. I'm not sure what's going on with the pics. I can email those to you as well.

One more thing....we actually did the Mexican Donkey Cocktail before the reception. I wasn't so sure about having the donkey but it was a hit. I think just about everyone got up on it and the poor thing was so tired by the time we got there. It was great though! I have to thank my fiance for pushing for that one though.

We used the Gazebo 55 for the ceremony and the White Gazebo area for the reception. I'll include a few pics below that I grabbed from some friends and family. You can see the arrangements on the last pic. We actually brought most of the decor with us and then Maya Floral set everything up for us and did the centerpieces. It's hard to tell but they included some purple flowers which I did not want but it was too late once I got to the site and noticed they were in the arrangements. Other than that I thought everything looked great. I think my favorite restaurant was La Isla. They don't have the fondue restaurant any more but you can actually get fondue at La Isla. I think the general consensus was that no one really like the cheese fondue though but everyone liked the beef fondue. A lot of people really enjoyed Kampai as well. We used DJ Doremixx. I've heard nothing but good things and actually he was really good. My only issues were the schedule of activities and timing of when certain music was playing. I guess I should have been more clear. I sent a list before I went down there and requested to play Frank Sinatra type songs during dinner. They actually used the music I requested for cocktail hour during dinner which was more like Jimmy Buffet, Bob Marley, etc. and we all enjoyed it more than Sinatra which was probably a little too formal for the setting for us. At one point during dinner they played a song called "Chug a lug", I was cringing but I guess it is a really old song that even my grandparents enjoyed so I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought. I probably worried a little too much about what was playing because I think everyone had a great time and I don't even think anyone else noticed those things. Well except for the quick transition to Tupac. :-)

Hey Everyone! I just got back from our honeymoon so I'm not going to write my review just yet. I'll try to do it soon though. Just wanted to give you all a few tips from our wedding. We had an amazing time! The weather was perfect the whole time we were there. On Sunday it was overcast and I think rained for a few days after that so I feel very fortunate to have had the weather we did although it was pretty windy. I would say as far as the cocktail, ceremony, & reception were concerned, everything that I had planned with Lomas went exactly as I wanted. I have had some frustrations with plannnig with them along the way but it was really nice to be face-to-face with them and they were all very helpful. I would say the only things that didn't go as planned were from the outside vendors that I used. My dj did not follow the schedule that I had for the reception and kind of deviated from the playlist we had discussed. It wasn't too bad and we were able to guide him back but I certainly did not want a Tupac song played 20 minutes after dinner. haha As for welcome bags, I did these and included an itinerary, coozie, chapstick, & sunscreen. I handed most of them out at the Welcome Cocktail that we had on Thursday night. I actually only saw 1 coozie used the entire time. I thought they were really cute but I don't know if the bags didn't make it back to their rooms with them that night or what. Maybe they were using them and I just didn't notice with everything else going on. I guess it probably depends on your guests too but if I had it to do over again, I may not have stressed so much about them. As for the question about how the drinks are served, they mostly give you plastic cups at least at the pools anyways. There are cans in the rooms but I don't think they ever serve bottles of beer. Not that I saw anyways. We actually went to the courthouse and got married right before we left. To me that was just the legal part and our real wedding was in Mexico. We actually told people because I didn't really think it was a big deal but I wish we hadn't. It would have been hard to keep it a secret because I actually got in a little wreck on the way to the courthouse the morning we did the legal ceremony. Whoops! Anyways, it kind of bothered me that people already considered us married beforehand and I didn't feel like we were yet but it's not really a big deal now. Just a feeling I got the few days before the ceremony. One more suggestion that I have for you all is try to schedule any meetings that you have the first day so you can relax the rest of the time and hang out with your guests. I had 3 outside vendors plus my meeting with the wedding coordinators. I feel like all I did the first 2 days were meetings and run around trying to make sure things were ready so I actually did not get to go hang out with my friends and family at all during the day. I know they all had a good time but I just wish I could have been there for more of it. Anyways let me know if you have any questions and I will try to help! Ashley

I do have a timeline that I can send you. I think I found it online and then just rearranged somethings but would probably help you at least get started. What is your email or is there some way to send on this website? Its been nice learning we are not alone in these frustrations. We may need to write a destination wedding etiquette book after this! Haha

Whoops! I meant I leave next Wednesday!

That is annoying and frustrating! Has he not booked the room yet? Is your fiance close enough to call him up and say "Hey I thought you were coming?" or something kind of casual so it doesn't seem like you are aggravated about it? We had someone back out 1 or 2 weeks ago but it was a work related deal and nothing he could do about it. He even offered to pay us if we were out any costs. I thought that was very nice and considerate but definitely not needed. It is shocking that people can be so cluless or inconsiderate when it comes to these things but I guess that's just life. I'll tell you one thing, I will be very aware of how I handle RSVP's and attending weddings from now on. I have to say I've never been good about sending RSVP's in so that is something that I've learned through this whole process. We actually had a groomsman back out of our wedding as well and so we have an uneven number too which is not ideal but we'll make the most of it. Here's the kicker though...he is still coming to Mexico! So we did not do plus ones unless people were married or engaged because I didn't want an enormous wedding. I also didn't want people bringing randoms and then breaking up and having to deal with canceled rooms etc. Well one of my fiance's groomsman couldn't accept that so he is bringing her anyways but backed out of the wedding. I was already not a fan of her so this obviously does not help things. Some people just obviously lack class in this world! Anyways soon I will be sitting in Mexico and hopefully not worry about these things. I lived next Wednesday! :-)

I agree with Murmel. I am actually getting married on March 3 (not long at all!). My original thoughts were that we would have around 60 guests as well and I wanted to use the Salon Dorado. I love the looks of it! Anyways we actually have 70 guests and had to pick a different location for the reception. I was kind of bummed at first but we are doing it on the white gazebo beach area and I think I'm going to enjoy it even more. You should both make the most of your 30-40 guests! I think that's a great number for a DW and so much more personal. For me that's one of the reasons I wanted a DW in the first place. I would still go for the dj if I were ya'll. It will take pressure off you worrying about the music and people can just make requests if they want to hear something in particular. We are going to be in Mexico so I don't see how anyone would not have a good time whether we have 10 guests or 100. It's your day so don't let the little things get to you. I've also had trouble with rsvp's and people not responding or coming when the excuse seems kind of lame but I've just tried to chalk it up to sometimes learning who your true friends are. I've had my share of gripes about this but I figure in 20 years I probably won't remember or care that most of those people weren't there anyways.

Just a suggestion but I would be very hesitant to just accept the $800 fee. If anyone has not already signed a contract I would ask that a lower fee probably $500 be used for all outside vendors. I really fought those fees as I am bringing on 3 outside vendors as well as have a pretty large guest list. Hopefully you all can get them to work with you as well.

I was actually told because they gave me some "five star" rate for all of my guests that I didn't qualify for "the bride and groom" stay free so I'm actually getting no rooms for free and we are booking 36 rooms with my group. I find this ridiculous but I have asked multiple times and they will not budge. Did everyone have a group rate for their rooms? If that is the case, I plan on approaching the subject again. I am getting married March 3rd and will be posting an extensive review once we are get back from the honeymoon. This has been a very eye-opening process for me. When we went down in May for the Bride and Groom promotion, I never imagined all the overcharging that would occur. I had read quite a few posts and reviews but wish I had asked a few more questions and done more research. That being said I am still very excited about having the wedding at EDR and know that we will have a great time. There are just a few things I wish I had known to ask about to make things more affordable and less stressful.

I have also contacted Marvin a few times with no response. My first communication was several weeks ago so I'm wondering if I need to find another florist. Does anyone have any other suggestions for florists?

Hi! I priced Dj doremixx and it ended up being more than the approved vendors when you include the outside vendors. Do you mind telling me what they quoted for 4 hrs of service?