ELAINENYC

Miami is telling me I cannot bring in a make up stylist, even if I was crazy enough to pay the $800 vendor. Has anyone found a way around this insane policy? I wanted to get my girls airbrush makeup as part of their gift. The spa prices are really high and I wanted it to be in the room so we can all be together , and that is an additional outrageous fee.

 

Just curious if anyone else has similar wants and found "creative" ways to make it happen.

 

Is it awful to try and pretend the stylist is part of my wedding group? Would this even work?

 

Thanks ladies

 

I couldn't agree with you more. Their outside vendor fee of $800 is crazy! I ended up paying the vendor fee of $800 for my videographer. As for my makeup artist and hair stylist, I included them as my guests to avoid having to pay the vendor fee but of course I picked up the tab on them staying 2 nights (shared room). In  my case, picking up the tab for the 2 nights was way cheaper than paying another $1,600 in vendor fees for both of them.  I had no issues with including them as my guests. The fact they are doing my makeup and hair is none of their business. When my wedding planner asked me if I needed my hair and make-up done I replied back "my friends are doing it for me" - case closed. 

Good luck! 

I'm not sure if they did it directly through Marina El Cids website or if they did it through some company like Fun jet or Apple. I'm going to have to break it down for them once again so they can truly see price difference. My fiance says I'm over reacting. He doesn't think a Hotel would cancel a wedding because of the 80% rule. Since final numbers have to be in 45 days prior, if they canceled that would mean they would only have 45 days to book another wedding for that day or lose all the money we would have brought in. Hopefully we won't have an issue but I am a bit OCD and always like to plan ahead incase life happens.

I am really sorry you are dealing with this.  I am a bit OCD too so I completely understand. I really do not know how strict they are with the 80% rule, but I hope your guests who are staying at other resorts understand the costs involved with transportation and with the guest fees.  Hopefully, once you break down the costs and compare it, the difference will be nominal. Good luck!  

Out of curiosity, are there any brides planning on staying at any of the other Karisma Resorts for their honeymoon?

Although its been 3 years since my wedding at Azul Sensatori, I am pretty sure their strict rules on Le Chique remains the same, meaning they only take reservations when you arrive and the most in a group is party of 5 or 6. But definitely not 16. As soon as I arrived, this was my first order of business since I had asked all of my guests (over 50) who wanted to experience it. They could not fit us all at one table, so we broke up into party of 3's, 4's, 5's or 6's. Since I had so many people, we had to come at different times. So some came at 6:30, or 7:00 or 7:30. The reason for this is b/c the whole experience at Le Chique is a 4 hr meal (or was it 3 hrs). So, they only serve a specific number of people at specific given times. For the most part, my guests enjoy the meal but I will have to say we were the loudest since we kept getting up to talk to each other in between meals. Not sure what the fee would be if you asked to have your rehearsal dinner at Le Chique. I had mine's at Spoon. It was separated from everyone else and my guests and I had a blast!.

One more thing, if you have any guests that are used to having large meals, Le Chique may not be for them. Or be prepared for them to still be hungry.  A couple of my friends were still hungry even after the 4 hrs meal. Unfortunately, each meal is very small but in my opinion very filling.

If any recent brides are aware of different rules at Le Chique please share.

Hope this helps. 

Hi Ladies

Something to keep in mind, I am almost positive you do not have the buy chair sashes for both ceremony and reception. I remember only buying 60 (using only 56) chair sashes and they moved it from the ceremony right to the reception. 

Past Brides - Please confirm this info. Thx

Has anyone hired the cigar roller? We are thinking of doing this but I was looking at the packages and $550  when all you get is 30 cigars is crazy. I understand the person wraps cigars during the time there, but do you also get those cigars? I mean we could buy way more than 30 cigars for $550 and just set up a cigar bar. 

Hi! I know the price sounds crazy but it was def worth it. My husband and his friends are big cigar smokers and they still remember it almost 3 years later. And of course plenty of pics of them smoking and with the guys who rolled the cigars.  i really don't remember them only rolling 30. I do remember that it was only a 2 hr show and a lot of the guys were booing when they closed up shop. lol.  If you can swing it or find an alternative I do not think you will regret it.

@@ismyrneg

@@rebepax

How was the El Dorado? We were thinking of heading there for a few days after the wedding!

 

I originally had booked with El Dorado for my anniversary last month. However, when I arrived, they gave me some perks to get me to stay at Generations we decided to go for it. NO REGRETS!  Since both resorts are connected, along with El Dorado Casitias, my husband and I had chance to spend time on all 3 properties. It was amazing!! El Dorado is definitely larger. They have a main pool where most people would hang out with dance music playing pretty loud. They also have other pools that had significantly less people and much quieter. So, it really appeals to all. And of course you have the beach.  Service and food were excellent! My only recommendation is if you decide to go to dinner around 7:30, you may run into a 45-60 min wait. This happened a couple of times to us.Otherwise, it was great!  

For those of you that have passed out their welcome bags or are planning on doing so at your welcome party, how did you go about doing that and did you keep them in some sort of container as guests picked them up?

Thanks,

Carrie 

Where are you having your welcoming party? I would suggest asking the staff to designate a table for you to lay out the welcome bags so your guests can pick them up. My finance (at that time) and I handed them to each guest. Not only was it very time consuming but it also took our time away from relaxing and having fun.

Hope this helps.

P.S. Its been a couple of years since I have been to this forum and I am so pleased to see this is still going strong!

I hope I can lend my advice based on my personal experience when I had gotten married at Azul Sensatori on 11/10/12. Also, I just got back from El Dorado Royale&Generations for our anniversary.  Both resorts are amazing! So if anyone plans on heading here for their honeymoon, you will NOT be disappointed!

And of course, congratulations to all the Brides!!!!

Sorry for the delay.

Does $1.50 each lantern sound fair? The only thing is that it would probably cost more to ship it to you.

White Bebe Dress Size 4 - Price $50 -not negotiable. Excellent Condition. Worn only for 4 hours (This can be mailed)

Used Amsale Size 8 sweetheart drop waist wedding gown Price $3,000 (originally paid $8,800). Excellent condition; already cleaned and boxed.(local pick-up only)

Chines Paper Lanterns purchased at Artifacts:

1x 14" White

2x 14" royal purple

2x 16' white

2x 16" royal purple

2x 18" white

2x 18" royal purple

10x 16" lavendar

5x 20" lavendar

50 Irridescent Light Purple Poly sparkle organza chair sashes

1x White sheer for Gazebo (12 meters x 1.5 meters)

1x irridescent light purple poly sparkle organza sheer for Gazebo (12 meters x 1.5 meters)

The paper lanterns and chair sashes can be mailed as well, but shipping will be paid by you. Name your price on the sashes, and sheer and lanterns.

Having trouble uploading all of the pics. If you are interested, please send me a PM and I will send you more pics.

Originally Posted by RachelTX 

 

Just wondering, I am working with Elizabeth Riff, who has been FANTASTIC!  But since Thanksgiving I haven't heard a peep from her and I've emailed her 3 times, all about different things.  My final payment is due next week and I have decided to add a few things and want to be sure I have included everything on the detail sheet, but I haven't heard back from her.  I finally called today and left a message.  Has anyone heard if something has happened or is there a reason I haven't heard back from her?  It's just very uncharacteristic.  Also, not sure if anyone has had any experience with it or not, but there is NO WAY I am making that final payment without talking to someone again....how strict are they at enforcing that final payment date?  

I actually totally forgot about making final payment. My WC, Elizabeth Torres, did not even remind me until about 2 weeks before my big day. We were definitely scrambling a bit, with respect to final changes, head count and making sure the math was correct. I am sure given the situation and the emails you have sent, they are aware they you need to pay. They will not make you pay until everything is correct and you approve the wedding detail sheet.  I believe you are getting married next month so you do have some time. No worries they will make sure the wedding detail sheet is perfect before making you make the final payment. 

GinaP - During you meeting with your wedding coordinator, make sure you tell them to light the candles on the table. They should do this automatically but in case they do not make sure you tell them. Also, I would suggest designating a person (a close family/friend but a non-wedding party memnbert) to make sure they are lit. Ask an aunt or uncle or cousin or parent. Just ask them to check the candles on the table when they sit down for the reception.  If they are not lit, ask them to tell one of the staff members. Honestly, I should have been better at delegating tasks. Now that you know ahead of time, you will learn from my mistakes.

MY DETAILED REVIEW - Sorry for such a long winded novel. If you do not want to read my boring details you can just skip to the bottom where i listed a few tips. Please feel free to ask me any question or if you want to see any pics! Would love to help in any way I can!  

Tuesday – Nov 6^th

We arrived at Azul Sensatori around 1:30pm.  Once we arrived, we checked in at the Premier Concierge.  We asked her if she could recommend a shop in the Cancun area so we can pick up maracas. She actually informed us there is a Mexican Market on the premises on Thursday so we should be able to pick them up there. Since we needed 54, she was able to order them for us in advance. The big ones were going to be $5 and the smaller ones were for $3. Not sure if we could have gotten a better price in Cancun but since we were pressed for time we decided to purchase them this way. Any brides who may be pressed for time and really do not need to go to Cancun other than to purchase maracas, then I would recommend asking the Concierge to order them for you.

After settling in, meeting with the Premier Concierge, and putting together the Welcome Bags, I went right over to Le Chique to make reservations for my guests and my husband & I. I only made reservations for guests who were staying past Sunday and who wanted to try out the restaurant. It turns out that if you booked in the Premier section than the $25 entrance fee per person is waived.  Those who do pay $25 can apply it towards the upgraded menu ($110) or apply it towards the wine pairing. They have 3 different wine pairing prices ($55, $49 and $39).  Le Chique usually does not allow you to make reservations for guests who have not booked. However, as long as you play the bride card and you know which section your guests are staying in, then you can do this. 

Since we went with the Silver Wedding Package, we reserved our candlelight dinner for our 1^st night at the resort. It was perfect. The food was amazing and came out promptly. I recall reading from other brides complaining about the service. I guess we lucked out b/c the food and service was great.  As we were dining, there was another couple actually getting married with 2 witnesses. It was so beautiful and super private. An added bonus to witness this event while we were having out romantic dinner. I actually think my husband even teared up a bit. lol

Wednesday – Nov 7th

We went to greet my bridesmaids and to go over the cancellations with Olympus. They were the transportation company who was handling all transfers for my guests. Since my husband and I picked up the tab for our guests, it was very important to us to figure out who was cancelling and whose flight was being delayed. As you may recall, my area was not only affected by Hurricane Sandy but there was also a Nor’easter that hit the area on Wednesday night /Thursday morning.

We also went over the wedding detail sheet with our wedding coordinator, Janet. Make sure you go through each line and every detail. Do not leave anything out. There were a few minor errors I caught b/c I went through everything before I signed off.

I was entitled to have a mannequin in the room to display my wedding gown. Since I did not want my husband to see it yet, I had it sent to my bridesmaid’s room.

Also, I was entitled to a bridal attendant 3 hours before the start of the ceremony. I told Janet I did not think I needed her but if I did, I will call the wedding coordinator’s office. The day of my wedding, I called the extension # provided by Janet 3x and NO ONE CAME!!!! This made me furious b/c my bridesmaids and I could not get the gown off the mannequin! It took 2 women, who stood on chairs and pulled up the mannequin, while the other 3 women slid the dress off carefully. So, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND, you ask for your wedding attendant to be by your side, even if she stands there doing nothing. You never know when you might need her…….

In the evening, my guests and I went to Zavaz. Since there were 13 of us, they would not give us 1 big table. Unfortunately, this is the case for all of the restaurants at the Resort. They will only seat you in small groups, max is 7 or 8 people and depending on which restaurant. Great food at this restaurant..one of my favorites.

Thursday – Nov 8^th

We greeted more guests and picked up the maracas.  Also, I filled out the dry cleaning service sheet, which you will find in the closet. If you only want your dress pressed, then make sure you fill out the proper line for “wedding gownâ€.  I did not see the line for “wedding gown†and filled out the line for “dress†as advised by Janet. The price for “dress†is 75 pesos. The line for wedding gown is 110 pesos. I was very annoyed when I check-out and I was not charged for 75 pesos. I did not care that it was more money but it was the fact that Janet helped me fill it out and she filled it out incorrectly. I wish someone could have at least given me the courtesy of telling me the sheet was filled out incorrectly and that it would be more money. At least I would have expected it. So if you want your gown pressed, make sure you fill it out correctly. You will notice a “Pressing†section towards the bottom of the service sheet.

By Thursday, I had about 42 guests. We all headed to Tapaz. I called ahead of time asking if there was enough seating for us. They were able to accommodate us; however the service was super slow!! If you are going with a large group, I would not suggest this. The plates are super tiny and after the very long meal, my guests and I ended up at Spoon since most of us were still hungry.

In the evening the resort had Tequila tasting as one of its entertainment. I HIGHLY recommend this. It was a blast!!! Its Tequila…you can’t go wrong. lol

Friday – Nov 9th

Again, we greeted the rest of our guests who were arriving. I will admit trying to greet all of our guests was a real pain.  It is a super nice gesture to meet all guests in the front lobby with the Welcome Bag, but it does take away from you enjoying the day. My husband and I were constantly checking the time to see who was coming and when.  So if this is something you are thinking about incorporating into your plan, then expect to not have much time enjoying the day esp if you have a large group. I had 54 guests.

Since I had requested for a private event (Welcome Dinner) at Spoon for my guests, it was nice not having to deal with whether or not the restaurant could accommodate us. There were a few large tables set up, which was curtained off for privacy at Spoon. The food was ok but it was nice to just have the private area to my guests and me.

Afterwards, we headed to the rooftop lounge. Unfortunately the mojito lounge was closed due to renovations but there was still a staff member coming around to take drink orders. It was at this location that I met Jana, the other bride from the forum. She was getting married on Sunday. Jana and her now husband, Tommy were super nice and a super cute couple!

Saturday – Nov 10^TH – THE BIG DAY

I started off at the spa getting my nails done at 10am. I was entitled to a free express manicure which was part of my silver package. I asked for a French manicure and was really disappointed. It was a very mediocre job. I had high expectations but then again it was for free and it was called an “express†manicure so….

While I was getting my nails done, my bridesmaid and MOH were getting their hair and make-up done. AMAZING job! I knew the work would be beautiful since I did not read one complain about their service on the forum. I trust if there was 1 bad job, a bride would be sure to inform us on the forum. Lol.

I was getting my hair and make-up done by my bridesmaid, who is a make-up artist and her mother who is a hair stylist. So, I got ready in their room. Plus the mannequin with my gown was displayed in their room.  I was ready by exactly 2:45; ceremony started at 3pm. If you decided to have your nails done before hand and your ceremony is at 3pm, I would suggest getting your nails done at 9am. The nail service is really slow.

I had my ceremony playlist on my iphone, which I handed over to Janet about 1 hr before the ceremony. As long as you have the songs in the order you want played and you tell Janet ahead of time and it is written on your wedding sheet, it should go smoothly.

Ceremony went well, except the Officiant was not speaking into the microphone. It was a very windy day so she was struggling with holding the script in one hand and keeping the hair out of her face. But if you have been doing this for a long time, shouldn’t you be an expert by now on juggling the script, wind and microphone?

Since we opted for the symbolic ceremony and sand ceremony, I was pleasantly surprised that we signed a certificate in front of everyone right after the sane ceremony. It was a nice touch.

Right after the ceremony, which ended at 3:30, we had a cocktail hour set up for our guests from 3:30-4:30. The location was Palapa Yoga which is a bit further down along the beach. I expected Janet to lead guests towards the Palapa Yoga. She only did it for a few guests and not all guests. So, only some of my guests made it and the others went to Spoon since they did not know where to go afterwards. I was really upset when I heard about this. I expected Janet to make sure things ran smoothly and to be sure guests knew where to go. Enough complaining about this.. lol.

The only thing I would suggest is to confirm and re-confirm your wedding coordinator will not drop the ball on this. Make sure they lead guests to the next location.

The reception started at 6:00 and it was an unforgettable night. DJ Doremixx is really great and had everyone on their feet the whole night. We also had the photo booth from 6:00-8:00 and then the cigar roller from 8:00-10:00. The photo booth was a hit and the pictures were hilarious!! The props they bring are super funny! The cigar roller was also another hit since we have a lot of cigar smokers in my group including my husband.

The only complaint is the candles that I brought from home were not lit. Although we did not need the light, I still would have liked the candles lit. I even asked one of the waiters to do this but it never got done. Also, I had lights for the hanging lanterns. None of them were lit. Again, I assume Janet would be checking all of this to be sure things were perfect.

After the reception we went to the Teens Club area which is turned into an adults lounge at night. We continued the party here and then ended the night on the beach.

A side note  - the water pump broke so there was no water in the late afternoon. Luckily my ceremony had started so my guests and I had no idea. But there was no water from the sink and no flushing the toilet until 1am! I heard another bride who was getting married after me was FURIOUS. Her guests, including the bride could not shower! I really would not know what I would do if that happened!

Sunday – Brunch and then relaxing by the pool

Monday – Dinner at Le Chique; excellent food!!!!

Tuesday – Excursion at Chichen Itza! It’s a full day event but totally worth it!!! I promise you would not be disappointed.

Wednesday – Back home as Mr. and Mrs. J

A few tips:

1. Make sure your wedding coordinator is by you during your big day. Even ask your wedding coordinator during your meeting, what exactly will she be doing…then ask her what you would like her to do.
2. If you want your gown pressed, make sure you fill out the correct line
3. I would suggest staying in Premier since dining at Le Chique would be for free and you have wifi for free. Otherwise, wifi would be $75/week or $15 per day (I think).
4. Some of my guests and I played beach volleyball at 4pm every day (except sat) during our stay…definitely a lot of fun.
5. When you check out make sure you go through your bill. I was charge a couple of things when it should have been for free.
6. Bring plenty of small change ($1 and $5 and $10).
7. Don’t forget sunblock…. VERY expensive at the resort!!!!!!!!!

8. Oh…and if you use the ATM machine, I believe it’s a 20% charge on what you take out.

9. After the wedding, they will give you back your decorations, make sure you double check it. We never got back our bride & groom signs. L

10. Wedding cake is terrible!

11. My set up fee was $150 b/c I did not have much stuff to set up. Honestly, the reason why the WC you are dealing with can not really give you a price is b/c they really do not know how much decorations you have. When you arrive at the Resort and you meet with your WC on the premises, they are the ones who can give you the quote. If your WC in Miami is giving you a quote and you like the quoted fee then get it in writing! The resort is reasonable on their set-up fee and you can always negotiate!

  ENJOY EVERY SECOND..IT WILL GO BACK VERY QUICKLY!

Originally Posted by RachelTX 

 

Can anyone tell me anything about the Cigar Rollers?  It says they put on a 2 hour "show" but I'm not really sure what that would consist of.   Also, do they roll your pre-ordered cigars during the show?  or are those pre-rolled??

We had the cigar rollers at our reception from 8:00-10:00. The 2 hr event is a few guys who set up a table and roll right in front of you a mix of Mexican and Dominican cigars. Since it is rolled fresh, the cigars are actually pretty good. Unfortunately, they do not roll cuban cigars. However, you can pre-order Cuban cigars which come in a box for an extra cost. Off the top of my head, I do not remember how much extra the cuban cost. But if you are interested, I can dig through my file to see how much I paid. The cigar rollers were a big hit with my group.

1. I brought all of my own decorations, which was not a lot. I kept it simple. I was charged $150. I brought down gazebo sheers and chair sashes for the ceremony.  For the reception, i brought down lanterns, candles, flower petals to scatter on the table, menus, guest mad libs, and more chair sashes for the chairs at the reception. The only i bought down there were maracas.

2. If you use an outside vendor, you can avoid the $800 vendor fee by having them stay for 3nights. I splurged in this dept by using Elizabeth Medina. I did not pay the $800 vendor fee since I told them she was staying for 3 nights. She actually was only able to stay for 2 nights so it was much cheaper than the $800 vendor fee.  The Resort did not give me a problem with her only staying for the 2nights.

3. This is really all up to you. Honestly, almost anything looks romantic on the beach! I have seen so many different types of gowns and they all looked beautiful. I did not have a veil and i did not have a long train. I will post pics soon so you can see and then decided.

4. I totally agree in this dept. I am only 5ft tall and my husband is 5'10". So I definitely needed to be taller. I opted for platform wedge flip flops for the beach ceremony. Then I changed to heels for the reception. Since I splurged on my photographer, I purchased inexpensive shoes at http://www.bridalshoesus.com/home.php  They charged no sales tax and free shipping.

5. I would suggest calling, esp for the older family members. I know its a pain and very time consuming but your family/friends would appreciate it a lot more than an email. Of course, I'm sure there are guests who would totally be ok with an email so those guests i would send an email to.  Plus the holidays are coming up so you can bring it up then and see what feedback you get.

6. I did not do any live music. But I wish I hired the mariachi band for the smores bonfire. I did have a photo booth and cigar roller during my reception which was a hit!

Hope this is helpful...

Originally Posted by KayaWasTaken 

Now that I'm official, I'm ready to ask my seventeen hundred questions!

 

1. I see everyone talking about bringing down their own decorations... Are there rules on what you can bring, and what has to come from AS? BTW, without this forum, I would have never even known that bringing my own bows etc was even an (awesome) option!

 

2. What was everyone's decision on the photographer? For me, this is probably the most important part, besides actually getting married, of course, lol. I am willing to make this a bigger part of the budget, and give up some other things. I have to say, I am really not crazy about any of the AS approved choices, so I guess I will have no choice but pay the $800 fee... Well, I got some prices, and I really like Elizabeth Medina, but their packages start at $5,250, and $6K seems pretty high! Anyone use a local photographer they loved? Any way to get out of the $800 fee?

 

3. Train or no train? I'm the clumsiest person alive, and I'm convinced I will trip walking down the isle if I have a train, but would having a long veil be "romantic" enough?

 

4. Shoes! I definitely want heels for as long as I can bear it (then will probably switch to white wedges of some sort, yet to find them, too)... Any recommendations for a cute but COMFY white heels? Brands? Stores? Styles?

 

5. How did you go about getting a headcount? My WP keeps saying email, but I can't help but feel like it's tacky to have that be the first announcement of our wedding, especially for older family members... On the other hand, we are inviting about 200 people, but expecting only 40-60 to make it, so printed stuff will get pricey...

 

6. Entertainment: Did anyone have the Fire Dancers or any of the Live Music?

 

That's all for now, I appreciate any input the more experienced of you may have! Thanks in advance!

MK0386 -  No worries. I also thought the same thing as you. I did not want to bump into another bride while I was getting married but you will not even notice.  You and the other brides will be at different locations of the resort and the resort is big enough where the music will not clash.  There were 2 other weddings going on the same day as mine. I had NO idea  until after the fact. I did not see them at all.

Originally Posted by MK0386 

So I just found out there is a wedding the same day as mine at the resort! :/ I don't know how I feel about this. I'm trying not to exaggerate or overreact, but I'm nervous. The main reasons I'm nervous are 1- Hearing each others music at the receptions. 2- If it were to rain we would both be moving our wedding indoors and I'm nervous that the options are going to be scarce with 2 brides. 3-Pictures. I don't know what time her ceremony is, but there is only so much time between ceremony and reception where my guests will be at the cocktail hour and we will be taking pictures. What if the other wedding is trying to use the same spots for their pictures as us??....eeek!

 

Anyone have any experience with this or tips?? 

Ladies - AGain i am soo sorry for the delay in my review. I am trying to catch up on the posts I have missed during work. Shh..don't tell my boss. LOL. And I am hoping my internet/cable will be up and runing when i get home tonight! Keep your fingers crossed! Will definitely write a detailed review! In the meantime, feel free to PM any specific questions as I still have the trip fresh in my mind.  One thing I will say, I REALLY DID NOT LIKE my wedding coordinator on the resort. Her name is Janet! I will give specific examples of what happened in my review. I do NOT want to scare anyone... i HAD A LOT OF FUN, but i will just give you some tips on how to manage her. 

Originally Posted by KayaWasTaken 

 

Hello Everyone!

 

I'm new to posting, but of course I've been stalking the boards for a while now :-)

 

Our date is almost set, don't want to jinx it, but I really wanted to know what time everyone picked for their ceremony, and why?

 

We are looking at the Sky Deck next November, and I know sunset is at 5pm, and we would like to strike a balance between not too hot, yet still light out... Any experience with that?

 

Thanks in advance!

XOXO, Kaya

 One more thing to add.... it is NOT humid at all! I had perfect 80s degree weather from Nov 6 - Nov 15th! It rained for 10 min on nov 14th and rained from 5am -7am on Nov 15th. Other than that, perfect weather! It did get a bit chilly at night and very very windy! At night it will drop down to 60s so bring a light cardigan or shawl.

Originally Posted by KayaWasTaken 

 

 

 

Thank you both RachelTX and AllieH!

 

I think we are going to choose a 3pm or 3:30pm ceremony then, the last thing I want to do is rush, and we want to have time for a couple of things, like the fire dance show, photo booth etc. It would be nice to get sunset pictures, too, and RachelTX, I would love to hear how that goes for you.

 My wedding was on November 10, 2012. My ceremony was from 3:00-3:30. Then we took group pictures and bride/groom pictures and did not feel rushed at all. Sunset was around 5:10pm. If you plan on having your wedding in November, I would recommend 3:00.  I also had the photo booth set up during the reception, which was a LOT OF FUN! They have amazing props! All kids and all adults had a blast!  

Hope this helps...

Originally Posted by MK0386 

 

Elaine- 

 

HI! I am getting married at AS on June 28, 2013 and have been reading this forum like it's a Bible! It's seriously so helpful! I swear I have asked my WC this question, but is what you said true about the marriage not being considered legal in the US?? Do you know that for a fact?

 

Thanks!!

Megan

 Megan,

Yes, unfortunately, it is an absolute FACT. Whether you have a symbolic ceremony or a legl cereomy it is NOT legal in the US. 

Ladies - So my wedding was on 11/10/12. Had a blast and will post pics and write a review soon. I am so sorry i have been MIA from this forum but the last 2 weeks before I left to Mexico was awful. Not sure if you know (but I know Jenny knows this), Hurriance Sandy hit our NY/NJ area hard and a lot of my family friends lost power, heat and had extensive house damage. And on top of all of that, we had a low supply of gas so gas lines were about 3-4 hrs wait!!! It was really rough during the last week since I had no idea how to get in touch with the store that had my wedding gown, my hairstylist and my jeweler. They all lost power. Luckily, I somehow managed. Sorry this is short since today is my 1st day back at work. I would love to post pics tonight when I get home but I still have NO internet!   So, please be patient with me and I will send pics and my review soon!

Overall, everything went well and I really lucked out with the weather! There are a few things I am annoyed about and that I have learned about, which i will definitely share( both good things and bad things) !!!!!!  

Originally Posted by Tara Steve 

 

I was curious about invites.  I have just sent out my save the dates.  How do you handle the formal invitations later, do you send to everyone or only the people who have booked thier trip/and or people you know are coming??  Thanks:)

Hi! There is no wrong way or right way to handle. I know some brides who did not send save the dates. And some brides sent out the save the dates followed by invitations. I actually placed my save the dates along with the invitation. If you have sent out the save the dates, then who do you know who is coming or not? So I would suggest sending out the invitations to all guests. Unless you already know who is coming and in that case, I would just send to them.

Hope this helps...

Elaine

Originally Posted by PPMay2013 

 

The flowers are beautiful!  Who did you use for them?

 

Thanks!

Hi! Check out Water Me Not. http://watermenot.com/

Her name is kelly and she is AMAZING!!

Originally Posted by tkuzma 

 

Argh! Why is it so hard for people to have the decency to even send a quick email saying no, they won't be coming? 1.5 weeks until my rsvp deadline and I'm still waiting for about 30 people to respond!

sorry you are going through this! But you are def not alone. I ended up texting and emailing people to get a response. It is def very very frustrating and even a bit insulting for not rsvping, but there is one thing i have learned throughout this process.....that is those who want to come will fight tooth and nail to be there!! To tell you the truth, my mother is not coming. i prefer not to go into the details but let's just say my parents have been divorce for almost 10 years and she still can't be in the same room as my dad. Hang in there! And try not to let this bother you too much!!! Your energy is better spent on the other fun stuff!!

Josephine - Love your pic!!! Thank you for sharing! You have such an amazing smile!! Can't wait to see more!!

tkuzma - Thank you for the compliment! I have been trying to lose these last 5 lbs....sooooo hard to get rid of!!!!

Jenny - I just reached out to the vendor on etsy.com, looks like I will be able to get the extra sashes on time. Can't believe I almost messed up!!  As for table decorations, I am just bringing down candles and lavender petals to throw on the table. We will also pick up maracas when we arrive in mexico. I am bringing down 60 pairs of personalized flip flops which is taking up sooo much room! On top of that I am bringing down 32 hand painted frames so my guests can place the photo taken at the photo booth in it. Then I have to bring down the groomsmen gift which is also taking up a lot of room. I think I might give these out before Mexico. Your thoughts? Do you plan on giving the wedding party gifts in mexico or beforehand? As for my flowers, I went with silk flowers, which I will hold in my hand. I am also giving each bridesmaid and my MOH, their bouquet to hold. As for my shoes, I am actually wearing personalized platform flip flops (about 3") for the beach ceremony. I am afraid if i wear heels i might trip walking on the plank. After the ceremony, I will quickly change into my heels,which is about 3 1/2 ". I am only 5ft tall so platform flip flops and heels are extremely important!!! lol.  I bought my heels from the website below. It was free shipping and no sales tax. The shoes were inexpensive and I really could not spend much in this dept since I had already spent so much on other things. How amazing you can design your own shoes!!! Can't wait to see them!! Please make sure you share a picture!! Would love to see it!!!

http://www.bridalshoesus.com/home.php

Hi Jen - Congratulations! And welcome to this amazing forum!!! Looks like we will be sharing an anniversary!! Definitely post any questions and/or comments at anytime!

Happy Planning!!

Originally Posted by jennblake 

Hi Ladies!

 

I'm so excited to be able to post something - I've been silently stalking this thread for about three months now. 

 

We just confirmed our date - we are getting married on November 10, 2013 at Azul Sensatori! This thread was incredibly helpful to me when we were looking at different options, and I'm definitely excited to be a part of this group!

 

Jen