beachbride2013

Nobody gave me away, but the isle is big enough. My husband walked with both of our moms at the same time and there was enough room. As for the appetizers, we just chose from the menu and they determined how much to have. I can't remember what menu it was from. I think it was gold, but not sure. I'm a little envious! You are going to have a great time!!!

The Italian restaurant was okay. It wasn't my favorite but was still good. Not sure about how to enjoy cocktail hour with guests. We had an hour and a half in between ceremony and cocktail hour and still missed most of it. As far as how much time you need to get ready, not sure. The hair an makeup apt took about 2 hours. I woke up at 8, went to brekkie with my bridesmaids, went to the spa to do the sauna and hydrotherapy, had time to shower, go to spa for hair make up, went back to room for room service and hanging out with the girls. It was very relaxed and I never felt rushed. Cecilia came by a few times to check on things and let me know timeline, etc.

I am the one who posted the pic of the apps for cocktail. It was for 20 people. Dinner follows so it is enough I think. There were a few things leftover (maybe 3) at the end of the cocktail hour. For our meal, we had surf and turf (comes with shrimp). It was very good. The quality of the meat was the same as the steakhouse at the resort. We did not do a tasting. We served the Secrets Salad (has hearts of palm) and it was also very good imo. Husband was not crazy about it though. For our desert (besides the wedding cake) we served the chocolate bread pudding and it was not my favorite but was still very good.

Well, I CAN see your frustration. I went through a few things like that...trying to figure out what time/date/locations, etc were available. I don't know if it will get better or start being fun for you. I hope it does, but I just don't know. For me it did when I got the contract and was able to start choosing the menu, the songs, the OOT bags, etc. I hope you have a good experience....but I would def try to get in touch with her. I would email her now and let her know that you are getting frustrated and that you really want to set your date/time/location and pay your deposit.

I agree with this completely. I think part of the appeal of a DW is that you don't have all of the control....you don't have to worry about all of the tiny details in the end. At least that was the appeal for me. I didn't want to try to control everything, I wanted to relax for the most part and enjoy it. It's the beach, it's not meant to be stressful. MSOP-when is your wedding?

The barracuda terrace has better views of the beach/ocean but it has no gazebo, so it really just looks like an area by the pool....which it is. The gazebo is usually the first choice for brides (it was mine) but the barracuda terrace is the second best imo. The gazebo is beautiful and looks really grand I think. It's the same views, just no beautiful gazebo. Both areas will be away from guests of the hotel, both have restrooms near by. I heard someone say, this hotel is so nice that you could have your wedding in the bathroom and it would still be gorgeous. I wouldn't take it that far, but seriously the entire resort is so incredibly nice.

I made my own using cardstock, ribbon, and my own printer. I just have a really basic dell printer. I used a free template that I found on a martha steward site. It was quite simple but took all day to do it. It was my first DIY project ever I think. I think CriCri made her own menus as well.

Yes, there could be some miscommunication. I wouldn't move my reception if I were you though. The gazebo and barracuda terrace are the prettiest options.

They can print menus for you but I can't remember if there is a fee.... I believe they print them on plain paper that just says secrets at the top. I brought my own menus and place cards because I didn't want them to be plain and it was just an easy DIY thing that I was able to do.

I would just talk to Cecilia then, and see what she says. They are flexible and I am sure there are a number of factors that go into it.

Where is your ceremony being held, and where is your reception being held? If it's the same place, then they will use the same chairs. Mine was from the beach to barracuda terrace and the chairs were not moved from location to location. I had 1.5 hours between as well, and they still did not move the chairs.

I would get a white dress bag. Once the overhead bin is full, neatly lay it across the top of the bags.

There are foot showers for the guests to rinse their feet. The sand should not be an issue unless people are wearing socks or something. Nicc-the resort will set up the maracas for you. They will be tucked neatly into the chair in front or the person. For the last row, they will be in the chair. The resort will make your wedding look wonderful and will be very well put together. You don't have to worry about the small details like the maracas. Just take them down there and Cecilia will ask you what you have brought. She will take care of everything.

Here is a pic of the app table for the cocktail hour. We did the Mexican Tapas.

We also did the cocktail hour with apps. I am guessing it was worth it. Groom and I were doing photos during that time. All the apps were pretty much gone when we arrived and I heard the food was good.

I brought chair sashes, maracas, centerpieces, menus, a ton of led candles, etc. I brought a lot! Cecilia went to my room before the wedding and grabbed it all. The hotel set it up for us. I wanted my bridal party with me, and did not feel comfortable asking them to set up our stuff for us. We had 20 guests, and 3 tables set up, plus 35ish sashes total. The cost was minimal and well worth it. If you bring your own sashes, be sure to bring enough for the ceremony and the reception. They won't have time to rush to move them and I would imagine you are more likely to get a deal on the cost if you make it easier on them.

Yeah!!!

I didn't use a TA. I normally book my own vacations so I did it myself this time too. I did get a few quotes from different TA's and it was all the same prices/packages I already found on my own through apple, etc. I did ask them if they did payment plans and suggested those TA's to the guests who asked about paying for it or who I knew would be interested. We had a few friends who actually did the payment plan and were happy to have that option and not put it on a credit card. Do you have close friends whom you are inviting to your wedding and hoping they will come? If you are close to them, after you send out invites you could verbally speak to them about it, like ask them if they think they would be able to come, ask if they have any questions, etc. I had a few friends that I literally had to hound about it. I felt bad, but they kept putting it off and I was worried the hotel would be booked or prices would go to high. I kept stressing that to them and they all were booked. Thank goodness bc shortly after the hotel was booked.

Hi newloves. Did you give the people that you are inviting any sort of idea about the cost? If you really want people to stay at the resort, I would only list the resort. I never mentioned other hotels to any guests and only 2 stayed outside of the resort. One everyone was there, they all knew it was worth the cost.I believe that the accommodation cards should only have the name/address of hotel and that a room rate has been reserved and what to do it they want to take advantage. You may want to make a wedding website where you can put additional info about the resort and give people options for booking. What we did: suggested a few TA's that people could use and suggested payment plans (a few guests did this). We also listed the top 3 travel sites that we found the lowest rates for people to use (cheaptickets.com, orbitz.com, apple.com). If you do the website, you can put the info. I would fists put it out there. If someone starts freaking out, then maybe suggest that they stay at another resort if they wish. You may find that most will just book and won't really freak. I was surprised by this myself. Everyone who was invited showed up and stayed at the resort.

msop, just to clairify....the 250 is for the setup. You will be having a private party for your guests and so although it's an all inclusive resort, it is a private event and is not included in the hotel price. After doing the bonfire, I think it's just what they charge for setup and take down. I did think it was well worth the $$. They make it look really nice. Everything the resort does looks and feels really nice, so you won't be disappointed!

For the bonfire, the $250 fee is just for the set up. It includes the bonfire which as KCDawn stated, it's a firepit that they set up.... They rake the sand and make it look really clean. They will have a few cocktail tables set up with some type of candle or something on each one. They will have beach chairs and regular chairs pulled up for people to sit on. I think only a few people actually used them. Most were up mingling around. We had 20 guests. I think the lounge furniture would be really nice, but don't worry if it's not in the budget. As for the bar, they had a nice set up and it was full bar. Each bonfire has their own. You will also have one or two waiters, I think it depends on the size of your party. Cecilia will meet you by the showers going out to the beach and walk you to your bonfire. She will tell you ahead of time exactly where yours will be so you can tell your guests. It was so much fun, I wish I could do it all over again. I will say that what I had pictured in my mind for the bonfire, and what it actually was were pretty different.

Thanks Cri. I didn't push them to be done. I just hope I get them soon.

It's a pretty big gazebo. It should be more than enough room for your first dance, and 30 people can fit in the gazebo with no problems I'm sure.

For those who were married and used Juan as the photographer...how long did it take for you to get your photos?

1. Didn't use them, so not sure. 2. You will need to ask your wedding coordinator. The policy/price changes often so until it is in your contract which you have signed, then it is not a sure thing. It's Mexico, so it's all somewhat negotiable. 3. I upgraded through Cecilia (never spoke or emailed Juan) and she took care of it. I even changed the hours that I wanted them there a few days before the wedding and Juan and an assistant were there exactly on time. 4. We had about the same amount of rooms, maybe a few more. We used no discounts. Everyone who attended my wedding booked on their own. We encouraged them to, but assisted with finding the best deals online, for the time that they were ready to book. The hotel attempted to put us all in the same area, but we found that to be not important at all. The resort isn't that big and all of the rooms have phones, so it just isn't that big of a deal once you are there. 5. We did a bonfire 2 nights before the wedding at 8:30. It was perfect. Everyone went to eat on their own and came to the bonfire after. We only had the bar setup. It was plenty. It was $250 plus about $10 per person for the 2 hours I think. Well worth it. All of our guests became friends and it was a blast to say the least. I would recommend this. It's def a party and lots of fun. Also, I would recommend the bonfire over a dinner. And a dinner for 20ish guests is not included. That would be a private function and there would be a cost for it. The highest number of guests we could seat together (other than breakfast buffet) was 8 people. And no reservations except for the Japanese rest. The restaurants are set up more for couples. If a bonfire is in the budget, go for it. You wouldn't regret it. We didn't tell most of our guests about it until the day they arrived and they were so excited!