claire0701

Jen the photo booth sounds like lots of fun!  I haven't heard or seen anything about having one abroad but I'm sure you'll find some good ideas and photos online to help

Hi girls,

Bre - the white party was cancelled because of the weather although we did not know this until we arrived everything was in darkness, then the rain started.  It wasn't held on another night to make up, but we just went to following week. 

Chrestena - thank you for your kind words, I keep saying the wrong name like this morning I made a hair appointment and said my maiden name then burst out laughing, I had to explain to the girl she was lovely and congratulated us though.

Lauren - how exciting it's so close for you now!  Don't worry about your dress, it will be just perfect, and I'm glad to hear you got bathing suits finally, I also struggle to find suits to fit as I need a bigger top than bottoms and they usually end up costing like £50!  Luckily I managed to find a few shops selling separates so I could choose the right size for each.  I was a little worried about the red light at the airport as I had so many drugs in my bags (paracetamol etc.) and also had lots of sparklers, but luckily I got green.  It sounds like you are very well organised and have lots of paperwork so I wouldn't worry one bit about the receipts.  It's clear you are travelling for a wedding and not to sell goods.

You're so lucky you can take so much luggage Lauren, we were allowed just one case each which had to be under 20kg.  We were also allowed 5kg hand luggage, but every kg extra we are charged £20 for so it would cost lots! 

Norma, We were in Mayan Suite in Kantenah, room number 3404 and that's where the ladies got ready so you can see some photos a few pages back which I posted a few days ago.   And yes, the white party is every Monday starting with dancing and games like limbo at 9pm, with the fire show around 11.  The party went on I think until 1am.

Hey Bre,

That was the cake which was included.  I was also surprised at how big it was!  Everyone got a huge slice after we cut it and it was just delicious, light and fluffy and lots of yummy yummy icing!  We had 32 guests in total, I'm sure they make the cake size to fit the number of guests, but I did think it was very big, far bigger than I expected

Hi Liz, thanks for your nice comments.  I had the bridesmaids dresses made as I knew exactly what I was looking for and didn't think I'd find them in the shops.  I actually saw one I liked but they cost more than my wedding dress so were out of the question! 

Thanks Lauren for your nice words as well x

I forgot to include some 'getting ready' photos so here are a few...

My mum having her hair done (You can see the outdoor shower in the background)

My wedding jewellery

Hi girls,

So we have been home a week now and after a mini-moon to Paris (which was fabulous!) it's finally sinking in that we are officially married! 

We had the most amazing day and as all the previous brides promised us, Vanessa was wonderful.  She was so organised, on the ball and considerate.  We met her the day after we arrived and finalised flower choices, menu options and locations (church, Portofino, Las Rocas)  She also checked about our photographer who was an outside vendor and put our minds at ease with everything.  I brought sparklers to be given out for our first dance and Vanessa made these all up with the little cards I had made before coming - they said 'let love shine' and had our names and the date.  We hadn't mentioned to Vanessa about having lighters available because we just assumed guests would use their own lighters and pass on the flame, but when we arrived Vanessa had small fire pits set up for everyone to light their sparklers from - so thoughtful! 

A few days after we arrived we were heading for the white party at Las Rocas but when we got there it was terribly windy.  It then began raining crazy Mexico rain and peter and I got soaked trying to get back to the lobby.  We panicked a bit because we thought you could never enjoy an evening there with such wild weather, and if the heavens opened everyone would get so wet they would probably just want to go back to their rooms.  The next day we spoke to Vanessa and she told us we could change the location of our cocktail party, but she could wait until after the wedding for us to make our decision which meant we could check the weather more.  Thankfully the weather was far better on our wedding day and we could stick to our original plans - which worked out perfectly.  Vanessa was very reassuring and I'm glad I didn't change the location now.

We had a rehersal in the Church on the Saturday which was good to make sure everyone knew where to sit, and also the little differences in the service, like how communion is administered. 

Peter and I e-mailed the resort a week before we travelled using the template from palladiumaddict and received a complimentary room upgrade to a Mayan Suite in Kantennah which I was absolutely delighted with.  It was a beautiful room and the outdoor shower was fab for washing my dress after the wedding and the trash the dress.

The day of the wedding went very smoothly.  Vanessa arranged for Peter and his ushers to be picked up at his room half an hour before the 4pm ceremony, and for me and my maids and parents to be collected 15 minutes before.  When we arrived the bridesmaids got out a little way back from the church and walked along the path. This meant the guests couldn't see me when they looked back to see the bridesmaids coming up the aisle.  The car then drove me right to the door where Vanessa greeted me and told me 'no crying! because I was starting to well up hearing the beautiful music being played.  We hired a violinist recommended by Vanessa for $200.  She played along to a backing track.  We didn't choose music as we thought we would let her play what she felt was suitable and I did burst into tears when I realised she was playing 'tale as old as time' as I walked up the aisle.  Beauty and the beast holds special memories for Peter and I so it was just lovely.  We opted to go without the red carpet and asked Vanessa to use rose petals instead.  These were lovely but VERY slippery, my maid of honour almost fell walking up the aisle, and I almost fell walking down.  I would advise in the church, to either have the red carpet, or leave the floor plain.  Before my dad and I entered the church, the priest gave us a blessing.  This was a really lovely touch and I felt it helped me calm down and compose myself a little.  The mass was lovely, not too long and not too warm either.  I especially liked the Mexican tradition of giving an offering to Our Lady, Vanessa told us about this and we decided to do it.  The bride and groom, after they are married go to an altar for Mary and they offer a flower from the bride's bouquet and ask Our Lady to bless their marriage.  It was a lovely moment which I will cherish.

After the ceremony, we were greeted with champagne and got our group photos.  Vanessa then took the guests to the White Sands lobby on a little cart and we went with our ushers and bridesmaids to have photos taken.  This was the quickest hour and a half ever but I cant wait to see the photos!  We got some round the back of the church, on the beach at Punta Emelia and on the rocks at Las Rocas (I'm most excited about these ones!)  We then had a little car take us to Portofino.  we were dropped off on the other side of the large wooden bridge that crosses the lake and it was lovely crossing over because all our guests saw us fro Portofino and were standing and cheering for us.  They got some gorgeous photos of us waving from the bridge as well.  Our meal was delicious (carprese salad, minestrone soup, Portobello steak, ice cream and wedding cake)  We had our speeches before dinner and then enjoyed dinner and chatting till 9.  Vanessa then took us all to the lobby where she had a long train to take us all to Las Rocas. 

When we arrived it looked amazing, I had brought lanterns which Vanessa had hung with lights, and they had tied little covers on the chairs and tables.  It looked just perfect.  We brought our own music on an iPod which got wet and broke but luckily we had backed the playlist up on another phone.  The sound system was good, at first it was a bit crackly with some songs, but Vanessa got right on it and changed the audio jac which sorted it right out.  We had our sparkler lit first dance and then partied the night away.  My MOH ordered 32 shots when we arrived - one for every guest and from then on the bar staff had lots of fun making us up their own concoctions, without us even asking.  They were super.  We danced all night, including at some points on the chairs/tables and beds.  Vanessa said she and the bar staff enjoyed working because we were having such fun.  After midnight Vanessa transported us all to the disco where the dancing and fun continued.  The music in the disco was right up our street and we had so much fun dancing with the few other people who were there.  When the disco closed at 2am we stayed on having a sing song and dance for a little then most people called it a night.  Some of the guests went to the 24 hour bar, but we headed back to the room. 

My dress was a MESS!  My sisters had brought confetti but forgot to bring it to the church so they brought it for our first dance instead.  It was lovely but by then we were very sweaty so it just stuck everywhere!  I has pink and purple dots all over my stomach for days after!  My dress did get dyed at parts from the confetti as well, especially all around the bottom, which was totally pink by the end of the night.  Because Las Rocas is sandy, myself and the bridesmaids ended up covered in sand.  With the long dresses they were just lifting sand all the time.  We all had sand right up to our thighs by the end of the night.  When I got back the room I stood in the shower with the dress on the start getting all the sand off and then my new husband and I spent an hour cleaning it as best we could.  We did a pretty good job in the end.  The next day I washed it in the bath again, using a body puffer to rub the soap in.  We managed to get almost all of the stains and marks out - yippeeee!

The next day we popped in to see Vanessa and she gave us our wedding certificate and one of each DIY thing I had asked her to give out to guests (fans, menu cards etc)  This was really thoughtful of her to keep for us, because we had totally forgot!  We have put them in our wedding memory box now

The only down side was that I found out I'm allergic to mosquito bites.  On the day of the wedding I came out in the most terrible swollen lumps all over my arm, back and legs.  It was so uncomfortable but did not ruin my day at all.  I just hope they don't show up too clearly in the photos.  I visited the doctor the next day who gave me 2 days of jags and a week worth of pills to take throughout the day and I was fighting fit within a few days.  I did spend 2 days sleeping because of the jags which was a shame.  When I got better Peter came down with sunstroke so we were glad of our trip to Paris when we got home! 

We did our trash the dress shoot as well and loved every minute.  It was a great way to spend a day together and we got so many lovely comments from people we met out and about.  Our photographer was Gonzalo Nunez and we loved working with him.  We went to the cenotes which were amazing but very busy with tourists.  Going under the water was strange but easy to adapt to.  My dress was really heavy and tangled my legs up so I had to tread water using just my arms.  It was hard at first but I soon got the hang of it. We ended up being there for 3 hours because it was so busy, and by the end we were freezing!  After that Gonzalo took us to a traditional Mexican food place at the side of the road and had delicious Mexican food for lunch.  We then went to some more hippy style hotels which looked so relaxed and wonderful, we would definitely stay somewhere like that next time, even just for a few days.  We got photos around the hotel and then at the beach and in the sea.  In the sea was definitely the hardest for me because my dress was so heavy and the sand and netting was scratching all up my legs like sandpaper.  I was glad we did this at the end! 

My one and only complaint is that I felt the hotel was not able to cope very well with the number of guests.  The buffet lines were always very long, for example for an omelette I had to wait every morning for about 10 minutes in line, and similar for pasta at lunch time.  The a la carte restaurants were delicious, but we had major problems trying to eat there.  Many nights we went from restaurant to restaurant to be told they could not take us, or there would be a 2 hour wait.  If you eat before 7 you are fine, but any time after 7, you may not eat until nearly 10.  One night we went down at 8.30, waited in line at El Dorado for 30 minutes to be told they cannot take us.  We then went to Sumptori who said it was an hour wait so we took a buzzer and waited at the little sofa in the restaurant reception.  Our niece who is only 1 was with us and in her pram.  It was almost 10.30 when our buzzer went and my sister in law was right outside the restaurant walking the baby up and down to settle her to sleep, but the man said we would loose our table because she was not there right that second.  He was really very rude to us.  We finally got our meal at around 11 which is way too late for me to eat.  We ended up leaving most of it because we had lost our appetite.  Most of our guests had this problem.  When we are on holiday I don't really like to eat before 7 because I like to get a nap before having a shower and getting ready for the evening out.  To do all of this before 7 would mean leaving the pool/beach around 4.30 which is way to early for me.  We are on holiday after all, we should be able to eat when we like.  Several nights we ended up in the buffet a little annoyed because we would rather a la carte.  I wish they would introduce a booking system, at least then you could reserve a time and stick to it.  I did speak to Guest Services about my frustrations but the girl simply said 'It's high season'  I was annoyed because we actually pay more because it's high season!  Also the little trains were not often enough.  On holiday I am happy to walk or stroll most everywhere but our room was a good 20 minute walk to Kantennah lobby and only 1 night out of 14 did a train pass and pick us up.  We called for a car on the morning of our trash the dress shoot because I was wearing my wedding dress and Peter his suit, and we had bags with towels, clothes etc, but we were told we did not have privileges to be collected.  We ended up walking and were both very sweaty and uncomfortable by the time we arrived.  I wish we had arranged that through Vanessa. 

Overall, the wedding was amazing.  Vanessa and her team were wonderful. We are also very grateful for our complimentary upgrade and thought the grounds were stunning and impeccably well kept - a true paradise.  Maybe it's because they were busy, but I felt the hotel staff in general were not very helpful or accommodating.  We were quite frustrated with the restaurant situation and were offered no help when we brought it to guest services, and we did feel the trains were not well enough staffed.  There were always several trains not running, only one lobby train at night time so it could take 20-30 minutes wait, by then there would be so many people waiting you had to fight to get on, or just give up and walk.

We had the perfect day for our wedding and in general a lovely holiday as well. Here are some photos

Outside our room, waiting for our car

Outside our room again

It's official!

The new Mr & Mrs

Our gorgeous niece and flowergirl, her dress was all sparkly under the tulle as well, it's hard to see in this photo.

Arriving for dinner

Portofino all set up

Cutting the cake - it was delicious!

Las Rocas from the bar

First dance

All the confetti

Dancing the night away with my sisters

Bre, your engagement photos are lovley   I decided against having out hair and make up done at the spa. I'm pretty fussy and even at home prefer to do these things myself so they can be 'just the way I want' haha.  I do think the prices are very steep though. 

It's a good idea to look into the outside vendors being recommended as well, it would be nice to have hair and make up done in your room rather than having to go down to the spa and possibly bumping into guests en route or in there. 

Carlota, I'm so pleased to hear Thomas is making a recovery and will be fighting for for the wedding!  You seem to be really well planned for the big day, the next few weeks will fly in believe me! We leave for Mexico tomorrow and the wedding is in a week and 2 days.  I have been pack, pack, packing for the last few days.  I am struggling with our luggage allowance which is only 20kg each.  I have managed to get my sisters to carry some of the OOT bags for me so that has helped but I am still a little over the weight.  Peter is a little under so hopefully that will be okay.  We weren't able to pre book our seats because the others in our group didn't want to and it had to be everyone on the booking.  We're just going to get to the airport super early tomorrow morning and I'm sure we will be fine. 

I did not hear back from Vanessa until several days after I first emailed her and she said she STILL did not know for sure if our paperwork was in place.  I had a minor breakdown yesterday when I called to see if I could carry a copy of the paperwork from our Diocese and they said 'no'.  I have emailed Vanessa again this morning with the address the paperwork was sent to and I guess I just need to leave it be and hope everything will work out okay over the next few days.

Good question about the fingerprint book as well Carlota, I would agree with Lauren and say appoint someone the job of taking it back to the room after La Laguna, on their way to Las Rocas.  Maybe your maid of honour?  I think we are going to keep ours at home for our AHR because of our luggage restrictions and we don't want it getting all crumpled.  All of our guests will be at the AHR as well so we will catch them all there a few weeks after we return.  I have just realised our AHR is the same day as you get married Carlota - we will raise a glass to you

Lauren, I'm glad to hear you had a fun weekend in Vegas, and it's also so exciting to have your dress fitting as well.  I haven't actually tried mine on since I picked it up last week because all I have done this last week is eat eat eat!  I have been trying to catch up with everyone before we leave so have been out for dinner lots!  I'm not worrying about it though, I'm just going to go easy on the carbs when we arrive and cross my fingers - everything will be fine. 

Well girls, I don't think I'll be back on here until after the wedding when  come back to give you all a review.  I hope I manage to do that before Lauren and Carlota leave, but if I don't - GOOD LUCK girls!  Enjoy every minute and I'm sure you will look amazing.  I can't wait to see your photos when you get back xxxx

Our ceremony time is 4-5pm so we have time for some photots afterwards before the sun starts to go down and then dinner is at 6:30. For us, this suits perfectly because there won't be several hours between wedding and dinner, but we will still have time to get photos while our guests have a few drinks. 

We sent out 'save the dates' about 18months in advance saying that we planned to book in about 6 months (we couldn't book sooner because flights weren't out till then)  and we would be booking to travel in July.  It gave people the chance to have a good think about it so that when we booked almost everyone had already decided if they were coming or not.  It was all quite easy because everyone had so much notice.  

Have a chat with your family and friends they will tell you what would be helpful for them as well.  I hope that helps a little. 

Congratulations Carlota!! I tried to win too but was not so lucky.  I'm please to see you won though

Bre, yes I made the bags myself, I drew on outline first with black felt tipped pen then painted with fabric paints before sewing the embelishments on (the glue does not always hold so well).  The hangers were pretty easy although it id take me two attempts.  I would suggest printing out each name first so you have a guideline for the wire.  I also used pliers for the really tight bends,  The most difficult bit was joining the capital initial letter to the rest of the name.  Because I chose a cursive font the other letters already had the joins in place.  I would definitely give it a try though, just buy a fairly flexible wire (I bought florists wire) so it is easy to bend but will still hold the shape.

Like Liana, we have also went for cufflinks as gifts for the groomsmen.  I guess the other alternative is a hipflask which you could have engraved with a message and the date?

Thanks for your reassurances Carlota, I have e-mailed again just now but you are probably right that Vanessa is waiting to hear back from someone else.  I'm sure all will be fine.

I must go to bed now, it's almost 1am - I started making a 'hliday calendar' to give everyone and got totally carried away!

Lauren, your bridesmaids dresses are beautiful, I love the colour and style.

Carlota, It’s lovely that you could replace the lost earring from your grandma to wear on your special day. They are beautiful. I’m also glad to hear Thomas is starting to feel better as well. Liana, your shoes are awesome and very unique, I’m sure they photos will be fab!

Lauren, it’s great to hear we can decide on going ahead if there is a little rain as well. Thanks for sharing that info with us. I think I should be okay because we are in the Church though. As far as decoration goes, I am planning on bringing some Chinese lanterns; I wasn’t sure how many to bring but think I’ll go with Laurens suggestion of around 10. On the tables I will have only menus for each guest and a place card with the name of each guest. I will also bring lanterns for Las Rocas, Vanessa said we can bring our own and they will attach to the lights. If we hire them there it is $5 each when I can buy 3 here for £3! I have sparklers for when we arrive (also an idea stolen from pintrest) and that’s about it decoration-wise for me. I’m going to let the resort be all my decoration ïŠ

Lauren, I hope you have a fantastic time in Vegas, it sounds great!

Carlota, the message in a bottle idea is great, I did those for my Save the date’s and everyone loved them so much. I would say remember to tie some string round the paper and leave it hanging out of the bottle so guests can pull the paper out instead of tipping the bottle upside down and getting sand everywhere.

Alyn, welcome to the forum. I’m sorry to hear you are feeling a little frustrated. All I can say is if you read all the reviews from previous brides they all say the same thing – you should not worry at all beforehand. The wedding coordinators focus on the weddings happening in the near future and will give your wedding the same attention when the times comes round. I would try to push for confirmation of the restaurant and location though as you don’t want to miss out on the exact places you wish for.

I'm feeling a little nervous now as we have not had confirmation from Vanessa that the Church in RM has received our paperwork from the church here.  We cannot get married without it.  I emailed her yesterday morning to ask but haven't heard back yet.  Hopefully I will hear soon.  I don't have very long to organise the paperwork if it has not been received.  Well girls, keep your fingers crossed for me

Sorry for all the typos, I'm on my phone 

Oh forgot to say, lauren, I got my bridesmaids rings to wear on the day and packaged them up with a card saying 'thanks for helping me tie the knot'

I

I also bought then each a bracelet and friendship ceramic heart with a nice poem on which we will Gove then during the speeches.  I don't think it is too much to ask for them to pay the deposit to you, that's a lot of money and you have many other expenses now so um sure they will be understanding.  

Thank you so much for your reply and reassurances Chrestena, I think I'll take the risk and then follow your 'rinse rinse rinse' regime

That is such a sweet story about your hubby rescuing the dog, and Carlota your picture is wevery cute as well.  Here is our 'baby'

Carlotta I'm glad your dad called Bout the wine and you don't need to worry about it now , try to relax and enjoy the last bits of planning.  

Lauren, I'm so glad you liked your bridesmaids dressrs and I also agree, when they don't fit it is an added excitement to see them all completed.  I had my bridesmaids dresses made, and my dress and flowergirls dress totally customised so it was like a new dress every time I went to the dressmakers - very exciting! 

My finished bridesmaids bags, and below the hangers for their dresses (the glue is not quite dry one one for the date)

Hi girls,

Carlota, I love the facebook page and think it’s a great idea for us to keep in touch and share ideas.  I can’t wait to see all you girls photos after the big day and they are so much easier to upload to facebook.  I think I will also bury some knives in the ground as good luck for the weather as well J

Lauren and Carlota, thank you for your kind words about the bags for my bridesmaids, they are all finished now.

Lauren,  I’m glad your bridesmaids dresses are starting to arrive as well Lauren, are you happy with them?  I collected my dress, and my bridesmaids and flower girls dresses yesterday and right now they are at my mum’s waiting for the big day!  Today I kept myself busy by making personalised hangers for the maids dresses.

Carlota, like Liana, I am just going to have the ‘house wine’ and although it is not the best, people can order their preferred drinks as most would prefer to drinks spirits over wine anyway.  I wouldn’t stress too much about it, I’m sure it will all work out just fine.

Chrestena, it’s lovely to hear from you again and to see some more of your beautiful photographs.  It’s a lovely idea to walk the wedding walk again before you leave and collect some sand to keep at home, I will definitely try to remember to do that as well.  I really like the starfish for your rings, it’s really pretty.  It’s a shame to hear the hostess was not very helpful to you on your flight.  I am preparing myself that I may need to smile sweetly and plead with them to allow me to take up some space on the plane, but whatever happens I won’t let it ruin the big day. 

Can I also ask, how did your dress come out after being in the sea?  I was planning on wearing mine for our TTD shoot but after collecting it I am worried it will get ruined.  We are having a party when we get home and I really want to wear it again seeing as it is so pretty!  What do you girls all think?  I have a beautiful gold dress which I could wear as an alternative for the TTD (although I don’t really want that to get trashed either!)

Carlota, I would go for an ivory or white ribbon for your starfish, I think that would look lovely.

Liana, I have also decided to use fans for my bridesmaids instead of bouquests, although I was thinking about having a floral corsage made for them and either attaching it to the fans, or onto their wrists.  Your fan is beautiful, I hadn’t considered getting a fan for me but you are right they will look amazing in the photos, especially the contrast of the black!

Carlota, I’m sorry to hear Thomas Is not feeling well, I hope he gets better soon.  It’s very sweet how dogs can tell when something is wrong and they just stick right by your side.  I’d be lost without my doggy Benny.  He’s a Lhasa Apso and the laziest dog you will ever meet!  What kind of dog do you have?

I leave in a week and 2 days ... countdown time

LadyLuck, Congratulations and thank you for the review, it's so comforting to hear positive feedback, especially when we are all in our final countdowns. 

Lauren, I laughed so much when you apologised for the no paragraphs and then it did it again, that's like something I would do!   Yes I am getting quite excited now, I have just been keeping myself busy with my DIY projects, at the moment I am working on personalised jute bags for my bridesmaids.  I have done most of the painting now but have still to go and buy all the ribbon and embellishments to make them super pretty!  Here is a photo of them just now, of course I will post some more when they are finished. 

Your tan party sounds great, and so does your trip to Vegas, what a fab way to relax before the big day!  We have a week in Mexico before our wedding so I will be sunbathing at every opportunity! I'm sorry to hear about the flooding and rain in your city.

This week I have been receiving lots of orders from eBay -  the ink pads for our fingerprint tree, lace fans for my bridesmaids (I am going to get them corsage flowers made and attach to the fans instead of a bouquet each), my travel bag for my wedding dress and gift bags for our OOT bags and gifts for wedding party. 

I also found out since we are having Catholic ceremony, we do not need to have the blood tests done - yey!  We are just waiting for Vanessa to receive all of our paperwork from the Church here and I am a bit nervous about that seeing as it is out of our control and we just need to hope the post delivers everything safely.

Carlota, I love your luggage tags and it was a great idea to have the travel agent give them out with the tickets.  Your guests will love that.  I have also requested to join your facebook page, I'm sure I will love it!

Carlota - wow, your dress is beautiful! It is very floaty and I can just picture you in the gorgeous sun and sand - you will look amazing!  Your sandals are very nice too and I agree with Lauren, your glass beads will be dazzling in the sunshine.

Lauren your Bout's are gorgeous, very fitting for the destination wedding and it means you can keep them as a memento as well because they won't wilt and die like the traditional flowers. I also really like your ring bearer box, it's so cute!

Becci, we are also having boutineers made up here so we could have the flowers we wanted. They look great and we are happy that the guys can all wear them again at our big party when we get home. I'm also taking my dress, bridesmaids and ushers dresses and shoes as hand luggage, hopefully it will help if there's a wee upgrade available   We are having 3 hours as Las Rocas and it was an extra $5 per hour after the first 2 hours, so $10 per person for 3 hours.  Hope that helps.

Not long for me to go now ladies, we leave for Mexico two weeks on Wednesday, although I have barely bought one holiday item, I think we have all the wedding details under control.  I'm going to spend a day or two next week getting all my holiday clothes and toiletries etc. 

I am going to collect my dress and my bridesmaids dresses this weekend, oh and my flowergirl, I got a plain white dress and had my dress maker customise it to fit in with the bridesmaids dresses -it is so cute!  I had sequins added on the skirt so it is all puffy and sparkly, and a massive sparkly bow at the back.  I will post photos as soon as I can

I've been busy tonight working on the OOT bags, placecards for the tables and menus.  I also bought sparklers for all the guests for the evening and have made little card holders that say 'let love shine', I'm sure you will have seen them on here, they are so cute.  I've been working on our fingerprint guestbook too, peter is a great drawer so he is going to draw the actual tree, but I have ordered the ink pads in our wedding colours (grey and yellow) and made a little sign to put beside it that says 'Leaf your print and sign your name'  again, I'm sure you will have seen similar ideas on here.  I'm looking forward to bringing that home to our party and having all our guests here 'sign' it as well.  I think it will be a lovely item to frame and hang on the wall. 

Well ladies, I am exhausted and have a busy day at work tomorrow (printing more wedding things!) so will log off and try and get a decent nights sleep

Welcome iamlizzygrace, and congratulations on booking your big day!  I'm sure you will find lots of great info on here, but if there is anything you are concerned about - just ask ... everyone is super helpful!

Hi Normas09,

although I wouldn't say I'm a total newbie,  would totally love a copy of the fact sheet if you wouldn't mind sending it to me?  My e-mail is [email protected] ... thank you!

Hi Carlota, I will definitely ask the hostess on the plane to help as far as possible.  Our flight is also direct but last year my friend lots their suitcase because a lady picked up the wrong one at the airport so I will not be letting my dress out of sight.  Same for shoes, bridesmaids clothes and all jewellery - we will have a LOT of carry on! We are at GP 10-24th July, but don't arrive back in the UK until 25th July and I am then surprising hubby with a trip to Paris the next day so won't be able to review until August probably - by then you will be relaxing and preparing for your big day! 

I went for heels but got my maids gorgeous sandals.  They are like flip-flops but with a tiny little wedge, and lots of sparkles!  I loved then so much I bought a pair for myself to wear on holiday too.  I got them from Kurt Geiger ...

They are very comfy but also sparkly

Hi everyone and welcome to the forum for all the new ladies!  Haven't checked in for a while - work has been so hectic! Time is ticking away now though, less than 4 weeks to leave - I can't wait!  W2e have our last meeting with our priest tomorrow and hopefully we will get the Nihil Obstat shortly after.  I'm a bit anxious about that but fingers crossed all will go smoothly

Jen, yes it will be hot hot hot!  I have made programme fans for each guest with tissues attached 'tears of joy, tears of laughter, tears of happy ever after' and was also thinking of getting my bridesmaids lace fans instead of a bouquet seeing as they will be so warm.  I was going to maybe have a corsage made of each so they still have fresh flowers, they could attach to their wrist or right onto the fan is possible. 

Aak2fast4u, we're getting married just about a week before you  are you having a private white party or are you going to the hotel one which is open to all guests?  I think we're going to invite all our guests to join us at the night which will be open to all guests (Vanessa said usually a Monday night).  The fire dancers sound amazing!

Had my final fitting for my dress today, how are you girls all travelling with your dress?  I don't want to put it in the hold in case it gets lost in transit so am thinking a carry on case which can go in the overhead compartment.  My airline said they cant guarantee a hanging space if I were to bring it in the dress bag which is a bit dissapointing

Becci, I agree with Carlota that you should look into some outside photographers first.  I can't recall if I've heard good or bad things about the resort photographer, but we decided from the off that we would hire a specialised wedding photographer so didn't really look into the resort photographer much. 

The ones Carlota recommended all have great websites which give lots of examples of work.  We were in touch with all of those photographers before settling on Gonzalo Nunez, but found they were all really good at replying to emails and answering my many questions. 

Good luck!

Chrestena, oh my you're video is wonderful!  You look amazing and totally relaxed and happy.  What a gorgeous ceremony as well, the minister was great - I love his accent! Your vows were really lovely as well.

The music choices were just perfect and really complimented the video beautifully.  We've also been thinking of using Somewhere over the Rainbow, but possibly as our first dance.  Still trying to whittle that one down. 

I loved your face in the video when you put the ring on Michael's finger, very sweet!  I also love, love, loved your bangle, it is just beautiful!  I am currently trying to find a statement necklace but finding it rather difficult. I also loved the clips at the end of everyone enjoying the first dance and getting the photos taken.  my favourite is the part where your bridesmaids are all getting ready for the photo and you're splashing away in the ocean - just perfect.

We actually, like you, had said very quickly a videographer was something we would do without, but after watching your video and reading your review we are re-considering now,

Carlota, thanks for the info on the videographer you found as well, we will have a look into both

Chrestena,

First of all congratulations! You were a truly stunning bride.  I am so pleased to hear everything was perfect for you and you had such a lovely time. 

Thank you for your review and photos, I have so enjoyed reading and looking at it all, although I did tear up by the time I got through all the photos with your lovely comments describing each one.

You were beautiful and so were your bridal party, the photos took my breath away. 

I'm definitely taking a leaf from your book and staying calm and collected and hopefully will have just as special a day as you did.

Thanks again, Claire xx

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by caseylynndavis 

Claire,

All your Vistaprint "stuff" looks great! 

I want to steal some of the information you put on your booking brochure, but am having a really hard time reading it even when I increase the size on my screen.  If you have time, could you copy and paste your wording onto a post?  Or, point me in the right direction as to where you came up with your info?

Thanks!

Casey

HI Casey, I will copy and paste here for you ...

Page 1

Hola Familia & Amigos,

Let the countdown commence!

In no time at all we will have our toes in the sand, and a cocktail in hand, while soaking up the glorious Mexican sunshine!

It means so much to us both that you have decided to join us in the Mayan Riviera as we exchange vows and become husband and wife.

Before we leave, we wanted to share some helpful tips and important information, so when you arrive you can get straight down to having fun fun fun!

If we can help with any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact us.

Page 2

The Resort

The Grand Palladium Resort and Spa consists of 5 sections.  Guests have access to the fIrst 4 sections including all pools, bars and restaurants.  The 5th Section - Royal Suites, is exclusive to those residing in this section and is adults only. 

All guests have access to the spa and can use the adults only pool, jacuzzi, sauna and vapor bath at no added cost. 

We included a table showing each section of the hotel and included general info eg - rocky beach, busy pool etc, ang a list of all the restaurants, showing the cuisine and what section they are in.  I can't really copy and past that easily sorry!

Beach towels are provided and can be changed daily - save your luggage

Page 3

Transport

The resort is vast. Although there are many footpaths and bridges to join the different sections, there is also a regular train service which runs throughout the resort. 

Trains will collect passengers at each lobby and run either around that section, or to the other sections to collect and drop off there. 

Restaurants

• A La Carte

You are entitled to unlimited a la carte dining, reservations are not required.

Simply turn up at your chosen restaurant and if a table is not available you will be given a buzzer and you can head to the bar to wait.

• Buffet

Breakfast and lunch are served at all buffet restaurants.

There is also a weekly beach BBQ dinner (usually a Friday) and paella served around the pool area for lunch.

The Colonial beach bar serves snacks 24 hours.

• Dress Code

Gentemen are required to wear shirts/t-shirts with sleeves and long trousers to the a la carte restaurants.

Swimwear covered up is acceptable for buffet restaurants.  Guests should not wear wet clothes to the buffet restaurants.

Page 4

A table outlining our timeline for the wedding day so everyone knows what time wedding/meal/cocktail etc begins and where to meet.

We also included another table on this page with general info about Mexico - temperature, flight time, local time difference, currency, departure tax advice and reminding our guests to bring bug spray.

Page 5 (back)

We are really excited about the wedding and are looking forward to celebrating with you. 

The best advice we can give is 

'don't stress' We certainly don't plan to.  We want each and every guest to relax and enjoy this amazing resort in whichever way you prefer. 

We wouldn't dream of putting everyone on a schedule on their holiday, but we will provide you with a list of optional events on arrival. 

You are welcome, but not obligated, to join us for everything we have planned.

For more detailed information about the resort visit www.palladiumaddict.net

We included our phone numbers and email addresses on the brochure as well, and the guests really liked them. 

I got most of my ideas and wording from BDW so thank you to all those who shared.  Hope this is some help to you Casey