JennyBenz

Hi KTBeach2014!!

Yes I had my hair & make-up done at the resort spa. Angelis did both for me, she was wonderful. I wanted my hair down, but wind and humidity made me think otherwise. I was going for a looser look, but honestly, I'm glad she did it the way she did b/c it kept all day & night! I took advantage of the bridal hair & makeup preview- b/c I was nervous about letting someone other than my hair stylist from NYC touch my hair haha But all went well she understood the little things I asked her to change and wound up really happy with the results! I booked the appointments for myself as well as my bridal party & parents about a month in advance, through the WC. I wanted it to be taken care of before we arrived, then just followed up with the spa when we checked in and all was confirmed

Happy planning!

Originally Posted by KTBeach2014 

Hi Jenny,

 

Did you have your hair and makeup done at the resort?  If so, who did you use?  You look beautiful!     Also, how far in advance did you make your appointments for the day of the wedding?

 

Thanks!

PZL & LOU --> Thanks so much!! I promise to get cracking on the planning thread & review ASAP!!

PHSEXXY--> Originally, we were going to do this style of menu. We were told in addition to providing the total # of menu selections prior to the event date, you'll also need the place settings to have some type of distinction to show the wait staff who gets what. What I've seen many brides do, and is probably the easiest way, is to create seating cards with a symbol of some sort for each menu selection. So, one entrée would have a seashell on it, another would have a starfish, etc. So all you'd have to provide to waitstaff is a key of what each symbol represents. Hope this helps!

Hello ladies!!! It has been quite a while since I've been on here! First off, a big CONGRATS to all the newlyweds =)

I have been enjoying married life since our May 18th wedding, and we still cannot believe it's all over & done with.

I was joking with some friends that I need to find a new hobby now that the planning is over haha!

We still haven't had much time to catch up on writing reviews and what not, but I'd love to share some pictures we just got from our photographers- Shenko Photography. I HIGHLY recommend them, Eugenia and Erik are beyond talented and super easy to work with! Their price was one of the best for the value, we had them for 8 hours [plus about 1hr early they arrived at the spa which they didn't charge for!]; We also did the TTD at a local cenote from 6AM to 12PM. We were so happy with our choice, and I'm sure the pix say it all! One day I promise to give you all a detailed review and also a planning thread =)

Sorry I know there are a lot of pix, but I love them all so much!!!

xo Jen

Thanks so much!!!

Originally Posted by JMK923 

Welcome back and congrats Jenny! So happy everything went perfectly for you!

Thanks everyone for the sweet words and well wishes =)

KTBeach2014~~

Thanks so much!! It was very windy the day of the wedding, so it helped us and our guests a TON to stay cool =) I'd say it was high 80's for our ceremony, and not one person was breaking a sweat- Very comfortable! The only time I was a bit hot was during the reception because I was dancing like crazy But if you're doing your wedding events in the evening/night, you shouldn't worry it's beautiful at night!!!

Originally Posted by KTBeach2014 

Hi Jenny!  Your pictures look amazing... I see that you guys chose a beach reception....  How was the heat?  Was in bareable?   and What about the wind???

Hello my lovely ladies!!! We are back after an amazing two week stay in Mexico!!! We stayed at the AS the first week for our wedding on May 18th, and then transferred to El Dorado Casitas Royale for another week for our honeymoon.

I will eventually get to the long detailed review & planning journal, but wanted to say we had the BEST TIME OF OUR LIVES in Mexico!!

First & foremost, a very HUGE thank you to everyone on here for their endless support and advice over the past year! I am so grateful to have made many friends through here, and especially to my fellow bride MISSY who I spent lots of time with during our stay! You are all amazing and thank you for being a wonderful support system! Our wedding day was the most memorable day of our lives, and the AS went above & beyond!!!! The resort's staff was exceptional in service and amazingly kind!!  This was absolutely the best idea my FI had, was to have this DW. I'm so grateful! Here are a few shots I wanted to share with you all =) More to come with the review & planning journal!!

To all soon to be brides, don't stress about anything!  It's an amazing place with knowledgeable and talented staff seeing that your day will be amazing!

My father giving me away!

WE DO!!!!

 our first dance  [reception was on the beach]

 cocktail hour on the beach with mariachi band

Thanks so much ladies! I am SO excited!

MMK- I LOVE your planning thread- everything came out so amazing!!! Your big day is coming quickly also!!

Can't wait to get back and tell you all about our big day & trip =) We'll be back MDW so talk to you all then!!
XOXOXO

Originally Posted by MMK0386 

yayyy!!!! congrats and best of luck! please let us all know how everything goes and show us pics!!

Originally Posted by DawnDean 

Thank you so much and good luck to you.  It's going to be wonderful.  The place is fantastic and they really know what they are doing.  Don't sweat the small stuff... seriously!

Hi ladies!! Dawn, again you made a beautiful bride and congratulations!!

I'm heading out next week to the Sensatori!!!! I can't believe I'll be there in a few days, soaking up the rays & sipping pina coladas! Any last minute advice before I fly away ?

A huge thank you to everyone on here who has been encouraging & welcoming through this whole crazy process! All of the ideas & inspiration I found on here were a huge help and I hope to share pictures after our wedding for you all to see!

XO

Jenny

Hi ladies! How is everyone doing?

I'm SUPER excited, because in less than 2 weeks we'll be soaking up the sun!! 

I know we keep talking tips, but I still have questions. Did any of you tip your WC that's in Miami and/or your travel agent? I was thinking of maybe sending them a basket of goodies, or bouquet of flowers as a thank you. What's the etiquette for servers at the wedding reception? Do you tip your on-site team? Hm... I'm trying to get an idea of how much extra cash to bring for tips, besides the every day maid/bartender/server money. thanks

Congratulations Dawn!! You are your husband look so happily in love =D

You made a beautiful bride, and the reception & sky deck pictures are lovely!!

All the very best to you!!

Have you checked on Ebay? I looked on there for linens & sheers, and they have about everything you can think of on there for cheap!!

Originally Posted by phsexxy 

I was trying to find White 60 Inch Organza Fabrics 25 Yards Bolt Wholesale and I am having trouble finding it. I keep coming across Mirror organza and wondering what the difference is? Does anyone know?

 If you look on the right side of this page, you'll "recent images" click on there and you can see my flowers =) I was nervous about real touch, not knowing exactly how "real" they'll look in person, and believe me I am THRILLED with the outcome =)

Originally Posted by phsexxy 

I am trying to figure out what I should do about the bridal bouquet and three bridesmaids bouquets. Is anyone using real touch/silk flowers if so are these using a specific company. I can't see spending a ton of money on flowers. Please let me know...

Hi lovely ladies!!

I finally got around to organizing and sorting through all of our wedding goodies, and there are many items that won't be coming with us to Mexico. I'm looking to sell them all ASAP, so I created a listing. Here's a chance to get first dibs

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/85995/mason-jar-variety-tealights-floating-candles-square-vase-sets-submersible-led-lights-materials

I know many of you have shown interest in these types of decorations, so this is your chance!

I'm practically giving these away =)

Jenny

I am getting around to cleaning out our spare room, devoted to all things wedding! We came across many left over items that will not be coming with us to Mexico, so I'd love to get these out of the house ASAP! We'll be leaving in a few weeks, so I'd like to sell these all in one shipment, to one buyer, if possible.

**If you want to buy the entire package below, please reply to this post with your email. I'll attain the freight quote and send you an invoice via PayPal [this method of payment only, please]. If I have no takers on the entire bundle within a few days, I'll be glad to sell off individually.**

*4 Small 8 oz. Mason Jars - 4 for $2 

*5 Large 32 oz. Mason Jars - 5 for $4

*1 Medium 24 oz. Mason Jar - $1

*1 Medium 16 oz. Mason Jar - $1

*4 Medium 16 oz. BALL Mason Jars - 4 for $3

*12 pack Ashland Submersible LED Lights [clear, VERY bright, great for centerpieces!] $8/pk

*~40-50 Small 1.5" IKEA tea lights [not sure of exact count] $2 for all

*24 Medium 2.25" IKEA tea lights $4 for all

*2 Sets of 3 pc. square vases with ivory floating candles [two or three candles were lit, but only for about 5 minutes each] =

     $25 for both sets [6 vases + 6 floating candles]

*Material Surplus: ~20 ft. roll of burlap, ~5ft of woven cotton material, 1 spool of frilly white lace, 1 bag Natural Raffia [only 2 strands taken out of bag] & 1 spool of cream gauze - $10

Entire package $60 + shipping

Hey ladies! I finished all of my centerpieces, 24 in total [3 per table]. Well worth the time I put into it, they came out better than I could have expected. Best part of all, the total cost for everything needed to make these came out to less than $10 a table!!!! Hope you love them as much as I do!! 

Hi Lindsay, welcome to the forum and congratulations!! You will find practically everything you need to know to get started right here on the forum! Most of us I'm sure can agree with you 100% about the prices Lomas charges! I know many of us on here have done DIY projects and decorations to not only save money but add a few "personal" touches to the wedding. Have you been in touch with your WC yet and has she given you a detail sheet? That's the best place to start, also begin to look for a travel agent. If you can find a TA that is a GWIC [gourmet wedding consultant for Karisma] you can get top notch pricing as well as lots of freebies & discounts!

Also, if you're thinking of sending save the dates, you should do so ASAP. You want to send the invitations a few months in advance, depending on what the deadline will be to book your group through your TA. You can do a room block- there's a deposit per room but that goes towards your stay and gets you best rates. You want to give your guests plenty of time to decide if they'll be able to come.

Next, look at all of the possible ceremony/reception locations and check the availability with your WC. I know MURMEL from this forum posted a link to the official AS forum that has all of the location info, as well as types of ceremonies to choose from. Hopefully you can find it on here somewhere

Feel free to ask any questions you have on here, we're glad to help !

Best of luck to you! Happy Planning!!

Jen

Originally Posted by Lins1 

Hey! My name is LIndsay and i'm new to this forum. My wedding date is Nov.17, 2013 at the Sensatori. Does anyone have any useful tips or recommendations? I'm finding the wedding to be quite costly and Lomas Travel charges an absurd amount for things...is anyone else finding this as well?

 

Happy planning everyone

Hi ladies! Hope you are all doing well!

I'm finally getting around to going through the tons of boxes throughout our house and came across some items we won't end up using for the wedding. I'm thinking of doing a "pre-wedding" sale to make some space in our apartment before my shower. I figured I would let you all know here first to give any of my fellow AS brides first dibs =)

Here are some items I have left over, if there's interest, I'll post pictures & prices:

-Mason jars, various sizes [some are plain, others are with BALL logo & measurements] About 10-12 jars

-Submergible LED lights, set of 12 from Michael's craft store [these are VERY bright!]

-2 sets of 3 pc. tall square glass vases, with matching ivory floating candles

-Random fabric/material left over- ivory woven cotton "rope", cream "gauze" ribbon, white frilly lace, raw burlap roll.

Murmel-

 I was told by my WC Lynda that no fireworks of any kind [including cold] are allowed on the property.

 I asked several times, b/c I know they've done it in the past. WC confirmed "although they've allowed cold fireworks in the past, they no longer allow it due to complications they've had". So i would say no to fireworks

Originally Posted by murmel 


If it's part of the DJ's setup(the small cold fireworks), then I would think it should be fine. However you are not allowed to travel or bring your own fireworks onto the resort. And I don't believe you can have sky fireworks(especially not at the Plaza). But ask your WC, perhaps they offer a package to do it on the beach (although I really have my doubts- sorry).

Those are beautiful Kristie!! I see we're getting married within a few days of each other =)

As for your question about transporting- I'm going to see how they are shipped to me and determine the best way to travel with them. I am going to give the BM their bouquet's to pack and carry with them down to Mexico. Considering how much we have to bring and that our carry-on's will definitely be too full to fit anything else, I think it's best to have them carry it down [hopefully in their carry-on] =)

Originally Posted by KristieT 

Hi Ladies,

 

Here are my real touch flowers from Bloom Bridal.

 

 

 

Very happy with the quality!

 

For future brides, make sure you order early! They are really busy!

For past brides- did you have any problems transporting your flowers? My plan is to take the flowers in my carry on? And hope for the best?

............

Hope you all love them as much as I do =) Simply amazing!!

XO Jenny

Hello my fabulous BTB & brides! I received final proofs of my flowers from Angel's Accents. For anyone interested in "real touch" flowers, let me say that I'd recommend Angel's work to ANYONE!! She was absolutely amazing with creating what I envisioned and am so thrilled with how my order came out =) I want to share [insert happy squeal here]

my bouquet:

my BM bouquets:

boutennieres:

Pomander balls [aisle decor & will sit atop mason jars on reception tables- Angel remembered my idea and did just that when she took this picture so I can see if it would work]

What a great looking suit! I'm curious to hear how it fits- did you order custom sizing or pre-made size? And how long did it take to receive the suit from ordering?

I think we decided to order through Studio Suits b/c our suit guy didn't come through [the ONE sample we waited weeks to see was horrible ugh!]. So thanks for sharing the pic & your thoughts on it, this makes our decision much easier =)

Originally Posted by MMK0386 


So my FI's suit came today!! I am so excited for him to try it on tonight!! So far from what I can tell by just touching it, it seems like really nice quality and a job well done but the true test will be how it looks on and how FI feels about it. Lol. We went with the glen check grey and are thinking of having the other guys wear a solid grey. We will have them order as soon as FI approves his I will definitely keep you updated on what he thinks and how it looks on him so far- here is just a quick picture I snapped with my phone:

Hi Ladies! Hope you're all having a great week!!

So less than 2 months to go, and I finally had the time this weekend to get so much done! I'm very excited to share my favorite project yet with you all- My flower girl's tutu. I love tutu's but didn't want a short one that was too much like a ballerina's. Instead I saw a long, flowy one online and tried to recreate it. It looks a bit poofy here, but that's b/c there was TONS of static lol The bow will be the back of the tutu and there are also a few longer pieces of tulle we attached to the back after I took the picture.

SO easy to make as well =)

Hi lovely brides & BTB!!!

I've been a bit MIA lately, and see we have welcomed some ladies to the forum!

MMK- Thanks so much for the advice and kind words Did you order suits from Studio Suits? I had Mike order samples bc we wanted to see the quality whille his suit store waits for his "samples" [which were supposed to come in two weeks ago already! eek] I actually changed the postcards I made in that same post also- I kept the wording but changed the images, the purple & pink were too "baby" colored for me hahah!

JESS878 AND TARA STEVE- This may be the most stressful part of all the wedding planning. Our deadline to book rooms was March 15th and there were a TON of last minute bookers- and some that still have yet to book. Sometimes, TA can only see available rooms that are open to them- it doesn't necessarily go for the entire resort's availability. I remember my TA said she sees X amount of rooms left if we wanted to add to our block, but she could ask resort to open more to her. So I'd ask the TA again to check with resort and if they really are almost out of room, ask what the next category up would be available. And don't stress about those last minute & late bookers- I did and i regret it b/c either they booked or didn't, something we can't control unfortunately! But it will work out, just be cautious when it comes time to keep or release your rooms that aren't booked- If you keep them after the deadline and they are not fulfilled, you will be penalized. Hope this helps =)

ALYSSA NYC- Thank you so much!! I wanted to do something out of the ordinary, and also something our guests would be able to use there and bring back as a favor =) It was a great idea and the pricing was amazing for the quality! I'd recommend Factory 21 to anyone =)

Their prices on Etsy actually seem a bit better than on their actual website weird right? LOL ANyways hope to see your OOT ideas on the forum soon!! btw, what part of NYC are you from? I work in Midtown and live in Queens

Originally Posted by MMK0386 

Your mugs look great!! It says it takes 2-3 weeks..we'll see!! I'll let you know what we think of them as soon as the suit comes!

Originally Posted by Jess878 

Hi ladies,

 

I'm having an issues that is really stressing me out.  I was speaking with my TA and she said to let any family members and friends know that they should book soon b/c it looks like the hotel will book out.  Did anyone have this happen to them?  My wedding isn't til November and I know many of my guests are dragging their feet and haven't booked yet.  I haven't even gotten my invites out yet... Did this happen to any previous brides or anyone dealing with this now?  I'm worried that when my guest actually go to book there wont be rooms available... I was thinking to email everyone just a reminder to book or something but thats what my invites were supposed to be... Just stressing!!!

 

Any input would be much appreciated...

 

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Tara Steve 

Hey we are getting married on November 16, 2013.  We did hold 30 rooms with our reservation and was told at certain dates we will have the options of releasing some of those rooms back if we think they wont book up.  We have only had about 4 rooms that have been booked so far.  Seems like the same thing for us, people are saying they are coming, but just haven't booked yet:(  When are you thinking you are gonna send out your invites??  Did you send out save-the-dates??  Thanks:)

Originally Posted by AlyssaNYC 

Jen-

I love love love the mugs!!! Thanx for the info! I was looking into putting some sort of cup inside my OOT bags.

I also really think the Shutterfly account is a great idea!

Lots of Luck with your future projects!!