kathryn83

Originally Posted by april9639 

 

14 days until my wedding day and 12 days left until we leave!! I had my first nightmare last night about missing the plane and issues at the airport! I am starting to get sooo excited and am hoping the weather holds out for us. I called the airline to give them a heads up about about my dress and they did not seem to know what to do. They told me my dress would be considered my carry on, not my personal item and I would only have a place to store it if the plane has a closet(which they could not tell me) and if the airline stewardesses were accommodating. I was a little annoyed by this. They even suggested I put it in a box and put it in with checked luggage!! I was appalled! Can any other bride share there plane experience with me so I know what to expect. Thanks ladies!

Yes, your dress is your carry-on, which means you can take one additional item to put under your seat. 

I was first on the plane and the flight attendants offered to put my dress in the first class closet. There was only one other bride on the plane and her dress fit in the closet as well, but I don't think either of ours were especially poufy. If you're flying from a large city, the gate agents likely will not care that you're getting married or allow you special treatment as they see brides daily. It may be worth considering an upgrade, depending on the airline, so that you can get to an overhead bin before they're full. Most people will try to accommodate you though.

I wanted to share a picture from my hair trial. I used my GI freebie for the salon package and it was great. I did have to pay a bit extra as I brought clip-in extensions, but it was more than worth it. My stylist was Nayibe and she's been doing hair for 22 years. For anyone concerned about having their hair done on site, do not stress! She also did a fantastic job with my makeup. I did have to tone down eyebrows and lips a bit during the trial, but speaks more to my comfort with makeup than her skills.

Here is the inspiration from Pinterest:

And my finished trial. I asked for it to be higher off the neck because I was afraid of being too hot.

The version from the day of was identical, if not better, than the trial.

Originally Posted by Tara Steve 

 

So when you say "box"  did you bring all your stuff in a box, not a suitcase??  If so, do you know who much it cost to do that??  also, do you think im ok if I make copies of the reciepts to give to my family that is helping me take some of the items??  Hope that makes sense:)  Thanks for the info!!

Yes, my mom packed a cardboard moving box with decorations and welcome bag items. She was traveling with my father so they were able to use the box as his one free checked "bag" and there was no extra charge as it was within normal suitcase weight guidelines. If they both had had suitcases the charge to bring the box on the plane would've been $40 or $50 -- whatever the airline charged for a second bag. 

Copies of receipts should be fine. 

I do think the box caused them to be pulled aside for searching -- she did not have the chance to push the button beforehand. (In Cancun you push a button -- if its green you walk through, if it turns red you get searched.) But even with that, because we were not taking any of those items home she didn't have to worry about having an extra suitcase to deal with on the return.

Originally Posted by bubblez 

 

One more month to go before I fly to Azul!!!! Getting super excited but still so much to do.  I have a few questions hoping that past brides can help.

 

Where did you guys to your TTD?  We are thinking of staying at the resort to do TTD.  Is there a specific pool or beach area with less people?  I guess early morning would have less traffic right?  I'm travelling with 34 people and I was wondering if past brides stayed near a specific area all the time so that people can find you.  Or did you just roam about?  Was it hard to coordinate lunches and dinner with different groups of family and friends?  OR did you have to pre-plan meals with different groups?

 

DId anyone pay for wifi for their guest? Was it worth it because I've been to other resort but the wifi was weak?

 

Thank you in advance!

The resort is small enough that you'll probably run into everyone often. We spent most of our time at the swim up bar in front of Zavas restaurant. This connects to the premium pool, which made things easy as most of us had access to that. It is not adults only but I don't think I saw more than a handful of kids. It's also good for non-swimmers as they can sit at the upper bar and look at the ocean. Families tended to stick to the pool by building 4 and Zocalo. I never went in that or the adults only pool -- though we did opt for that bar most evenings.

We received free wi-fi as bride and groom and had no complaints. Not super fast but adequate. The signal was available in most of the restaurants and when at the premium section of the beach (close enough to the building).

Originally Posted by Tara Steve 

 

Im sure this has been discussed but as I am working on details of planning some questions have come up:)  Im starting to have anxiety about packing things..lol..I know im less than 6mos. away, but I am a planner.  For those of you that did welcome bags, how did you pack them.  did you wait till you got there to put the items in the bags??  also, many of you have said there is not an issue when travelling with so much stuff, but If i chose to divide up my stuff to some of my family members to travel with, will they all be stopped and asked why they have maracas, candles, etc.???  I know someone mentioned showing reciepts to the staff in the airport, but if I divide up the stuff will everyone need to show reciepts??  Thanks for the help:)  also, when is the meeting usually scheduled with the wedding coordinators at the resort?  We want to schedule some things and Im afraid they will mess up my meeting. 

You are allowed $300 worth of goods per person. Even though it was clear my box was for a wedding, my parents were thoroughly searched and had to present receipts. (They had them). I was also searched (separate arrival) -- including my dress. Just lucky I guess.

We assembled the bags in the room because it was easier to pack things flat.

You'll find out your meeting time when you check-in. Mine was scheduled during my hair trial  -- I assumed it would've been communicated -- but they allowed me to move the meeting. Plan for it to take 45 minutes to an hour. My original time was 10 a.m., rescheduled time was 4 p.m.

Originally Posted by JMK923 

 

Kathryn - I LOVE your paper banners. The only reason I wanted to have the paper lanterns was for extra light, but it doesn't seem like that's an issue. The banners are so festive and different!

 

April - I have been to Mexico twice and have a ton of family and friends who have traveled there many times and did not have any issues. I have never heard of getting a shot or anything like that.. Obviously don't drink the tap water and you'll be fine!

Thanks! They really "made" our theme I think. We did purchase a pinata and our tables through the resort to embrace the fiesta theme. 

Extra lighting was not an issue. I did bring the strands of christmas lights from home -- six strands total -- purchased for $5 during after xmas sales. We donated them to the resort after, but who knows where they ended up.

Originally Posted by Jennypert 

 

You can check the Lomas Travel website for live entertainment options. I'm thinking about a jazz guitarist. I am also thinking about making a playlist on an iPod, renting equipment from AS and not having a DJ. I need to find someone locally who program the iPod with the songs we want. Has anyone else done that?

We did an iPod playlist with no DJ -- and no rental equipment!

If you have an iPod Touch or iPhone, look into WeddingDJ ($1.99). This is what we used for all of our music. I labored for hours over the playlists - ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and reception but it really turned out perfectly. We bought a travel Bose for $300 and took it with us rather than spending $300 to rent their sound system.

The resort will provide a sound system for music for your ceremony. They were able to plug our iPhone into the system and run the app for us. Then they took our dock to the cocktail hour space, hooked up the phone and started our next playlist. Same for moving from cocktail to reception venue. I had the remote in my pocket but only had to adjust volume once and pause for speeches.

We had a small group (20) so the Bose without extra speakers was plenty loud enough for the reception. Just another option!

Originally Posted by Ashley Lovlin 

 

Congrats Kathryn83! Did you get the paper banners from the hotel and if so do you know if they are available in white?

Hi Ashley, I did not source the banners through the hotel. I used an Etsy vendor and got one batch of customized -- our names and wedding date -- and one batch of "generic" wedding theme. She offers both options in white.

Here is her store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Vintagebabydoll

I did ask the resort if they had a vendor for papel picado but it is very seasonal in that region and they could not provide.

Hi ladies.

We did it and it's all over now!

Everything was lovely and the resort really exceeded our expectations. I'll be back to share more details later, but here's a photo! Feel free to ask anything specific in the interim -- we just returned on Saturday so it's fresh in my mind.

Can anyone give a suggestion on how much cash we should bring? We'll be there 10 days and are doing two excusions plus I'll probably go do a market shopping day.

My concern is the unknown setup fee.

Does anyone have a preference for PDC or Cancun for shopping?

Also, I'm being told now that there's no longer a resort shuttle to PDC or Cancun in the afternoons. Can anyone confirm this? The quotes I'm getting for a private van are insanity.

Originally Posted by Missy Taddonio 

 

Hi! I am a little less than 3 months away from the date! I have been buying a bunch of decorations and figuring out all of our music. I also am finalizing my shoes and jewelry and figuring out how I want my hair. We are going to also get all the stuff for the welcome bags and favors. And I need to buy my bridesmaids gifts as well!! What have you been up to?

Music is on the to-do list, I just can't seem to sit down and finish it. My clothing is set and I have my fittings & alterations the week of March 18. Our gift bags are basically complete, I'll be going through all of that and figuring out last shopping needs the week of March 18, too. I've made my final payment to the travel agent, but need to finalize things with the resort WC still. Decorations are either ordered or being taken care of on the property.

I tried to find a cake topper yesterday but struck out. I have no idea what will/should happen during the ceremony. I have his wedding ring, but not one for me. Don't know if we're doing that -- probably should figure that out!

I feel out of sorts and can't figure out what I should be doing. Brides one to three months out, what are you working on right now?

Originally Posted by JMK923 

 

For those of you who are doing OOT bags, how are you delivering them to your guests? My WC said they can deliver them to each guests room for $4 each but I can't see paying that.

We're either going to get a rooming list and deliver ourselves or meet in the lobby at arrival as most of our guests are arriving a day after us. We also don't have many guests so it shouldn't be an all-day affair.

Thanks for the in-depth recap. Congratulations!!!

Originally Posted by tkuzma 

Hello again ladies!!! I am back after an amazing wedding week at the Azul Sensatori and a second incredible honeymoon week at El Dorado Maroma! I didn't want to ever leave

 

As other brides before me always said, I now reiterate, none of you have anything to worry about! I was a bit of a skeptic before because I'm an obsessive compulsive perfectionist, but now I'm a believer that this resort has weddings down to a science, and they will do anything in their power to make your day an absolutely fantastic one!

 

So now for a bit of a review...

 

 

Saturday February 2 - Arrival

Most of us (30 guests + bride & groom) arrived at the resort around 9 pm. The check-in process was a breeze.  We were all greeted with cold towels & champagne, and they directed us to one of the ballrooms for paperwork, which was full of sweets and more drinks. My groom & I were upgraded without asking to the honeyroom suite- OMG I hope some of you are able to experience this suite (to die for panoramic views of the beach & ocean!

After a quick bite to eat at Spoon, we all gathered at the Mojito Lounge to hand out our welcome cards and beach bags. Our group took over the terrace of the lounge, and we had our own little private party. Make sure to try the mango & kiwi mojitos!

 

 

Sunday February 3

This was a beach day for our guests. Chris & I ran around (a bit with our heads cut off) trying to greet the remainder of our guests and making sure everyone was happy. We visited his dad at Azul Beach, which was a nice little walk- again a reminder you have to walk past the nudist resort to get here.

We ate the beach bbq for lunch (actually, most days we ate lunch here!) and it is fab- a great selection and great service as well.  Make sure to try the ribs.

Dinner was at Zocalo (Mexican restaurant)- I think overall this one was my favourite (take into account that unfortunately due to commitments and time constraints, we never actually ate at either Tapaz or Le Chique). (Zocalo has fantastic tortilla soup & fish tacos at lunch).

In the evening we had a crafting party with both of our families and wedding party back at our suite- we ordered in room service dessert, yummy!

 

 

Monday February 4

Chris & I had to go into Cancun to meet with the priest that would be officiating our ceremony- this was a bit of a gongshow (we got dropped off at the wrong church, which in fairness, had almost an identical name to the one we needed to get to); however, the resort was very helpful in arranging for a private car with a driver for a return trip.  My aunt joined us, and the driver took her around to several local markets.

Our meeting with the wedding coordinator team was at 3 pm.  Odette and her assistant Kristina were the ladies we met with.  Both were very professional, attentive and methodical.  We went over every item in our spreadsheets with them, and then reviewed the decorations that I had brought.  This process took almost 2 hours, but I was extremely pleased to know that they wanted to make sure they knew exactly what our vision was and wanted to know in great detail how things should be set up and how we wanted to day to run.  We had a ton of various decorations we brought, and the random amount we were charged for setup was $150.

Only slight disappointment was that I had bought several dozen of various sized Ikea candles with me, but I was not allowed to use them because I didn't have candle holders, and they had none I could rent, so they went unused, and we rented their votives at the ridiculous price of $3/candle.

We ordered room service dinner that evening as we were in a bit of a rush to get ready for our Smores Party which we had on the beach that evening from 7-9pm.  This event was a hit with our guests, and well worth the $15/person price tag.  The actual bonfire was puny, but that is the only slight complaint I had.  The selection and amount of treats was impressive.  We had our own personal bartender and about 4 servers and they did a great job.  It turned out that the fire dancer show started at 9 pm right next to our party, so that was an added entertainment bonus.

 

 

Tuesday February 5

This was Chris & my day to "relax" and to try to enjoy the beach.  Haha, we still managed to find ourselves some tasks to complete and to try entertain various guests.

As part of our wedding package, we were supposed to receive a 30 min sky massage.  Somehow, we ended up receiving a 60 min massage, even though it was inside.  Not sure how this happened, but no compaints from us Just a note to not expect an RMT equivalent massage like back home, but it's soothing nonetheless.

In the evening, our wedding party had arranged a separate girls' and guys' dinner as a start to our joint bachelorette and bachelor parties.  The boys had a great time at Zocalo- the restaurant printed them a special menu for the event (at no charge) and gave them a tequila testing.  The girls met up at Zavas for dinner & drinks- the service was great, and they sat us at two long tables.  This was actually the only meal I really did not like during my entire stay at the resort, but no big deal.  After dinner, we all headed to Coco Bongo, which we arranged through the SunWing reps- just a small side note: we assumed we were headed to the Coco Bongo in Cancun, but SunWing only deals with the club in Playa del Carmen; no big deal, just a little bit of confusion. Mini buses picked up our group at 9:20 at the resort, and we left the club at 1:30.  The experience was totally worth the $50/girl and $60/guy.

 

 

Wednesday February 6

I started the day off with my bridesmaids with a 60 min sky massage.  I ended up with the same masseuse as the day prior, and I asked him to apply a lot more pressure than previous, which was more of what I usually receive with my RMT.

From 1-5pm I spent at the spa. I had a manicure & pedicure from 1-3 pm.  I forget the esthetician's name, but she did really nice work.  I have really short nails, and most esthetician's won't do a French manicure for me in Canada, but this girl did not even hesitate.  The polish on both my hands and feet lasted with minimal chips until the end of our honeymoon!  She also did my trial makeup from 3-4 pm.  They use MAC products, and they have a ton of colours to choose from.  She did a wonderful job, and was very receptive to changes suggested by me.  At the end, they even took my picture on their IPad, so they could refer to it again the next day.

Zenaida did my trial hair from 4- ~5:15pm.  I showed her three different pictures, and she masterfully combined all 3 into a curly sideswept low updo, which I absolutely loved.  Again my picture was taken, so they could refer to it the following day.

We had arranged to do a walk through of the ceremony with Odette for $50 through Lomas prior to arrival as we weren't going to see the El Dorado chapel until the actual wedding day.  She spent half an hour with us even though she had to run back and forth between 2 different weddings that day.  It was a bit haphazard, but it worked.  We then went with our families and wedding party to Sienna for a rehearsal dinner.

 

 

Thursday February 7 - WEDDING DAY!

I started at the spa at 9 am for makeup and then had my hair around 10:15.  I was done around 11:30.  The girls recreated my hair and makeup from the trials perfectly.  I think you can be rest assured that the ladies with do a fabulous job for you even without a trial- like I mentioned before, I am OCD about details, so I needed the trials to calm my nerves.  We paid for my bridesmaids and moms to get their hair done as well, and everyone loved their styles.

My photographer, Dean Sanderson & his friend, Catherine O'Hara (who was visitng from Paris) arrived around 12:30 to start shooting details and us getting ready.  I could go on forever about how great Dean & Catherine were the entire day.  Their work is beautiful, and their attention to detail is impeccable!  I don't have any pictures to show with you yet, but the pictures we saw on his camera were so beautiful.  I would highly recommend Dean!!!

We had two mini buses pick up Chris, his groomsmen and all of our guests around 2:10 for transport to El Dorado chapel. My bridesmaids, my parents and I were picked up in a limo around 2:20.  The ceremony was at 3pm and was about 50 min.  The chapel is simple, but so beautiful.  We had minimal decorations, and anything more would have been overkill.  They have AC built into the chapel, but unfortunately it wasn't working properly, so it was HOT!

After the ceremony, we took pictures with family and guests until 4:50, when they were transferred back to AS. We stayed with our wedding party on Maroma beach until 5:50 taking more pictures.  If you have a chance to visit Maroma beach, go!!! It has been voted one of the world's top 10 beaches, and it is indeed spectacular!

Our cocktail hour was from 6-7pm on Zocalo beach- Chris & I didn't attend because of photos, but our guests said the food was great, and the resort did an amazing job with the signature cocktail we had requested, a pear martini.

Our reception was from 7-11 pm at Zocalo Al Fresco- the terrace outside of Zocalo restaurant.  I would highly recommend this location- it has a roof and blinds they can pull down if it gets too windy or rains, and it still has a wonderful view of the beach and ocean without actually being on the beach.  Only downside as with all outdoor locations, it can be quite hot!  I couldn't have asked for a better setup of the area and all of our decorations, if I had done it myself to be honest.  Odette and her team paid amazing attention to detail, and Chris & I couldn't have been happier.  Our wedding dinner was probably the best meal we had at the resort all week.  We had requested the Mexican guitar trio for entertainment during dinner, and they did a great job.  We also had a pinata, which was a huge hit.  We brought our own decorations for the cake; we really enjoyed the cake itself- 1 layer chocolate, and the other hazelnut.  The servers and bartenders were fantastic. We rented the amplifier system and played our own music off of playlists we created on our laptop, which worked out perfectly with our group size.

It's so true what past brides say, the day itself goes by in a flash! So much planning goes into it, but at the end of the day, it is only a 24 hour period, which you can not prolong, so make sure to enjoy it!!! There were mini blips that happened, but overall I thought the day was just perfect!

 

 

Friday, February 8

Breakfast in bed, which was part of our wedding package arrived at our room at 11 am. Food was plentiful, and it was presented in true gourmet style!

Our couples' dinner on the beach was at 6:30 pm this evening- it's a 4 course meal in a private cabana. Second best meal of the week after the wedding meal!

Not much else to say about this day- we were just so exhausted after running arround the entire week, that we slept for most of the day!

 

 

Saturday, February 9

We changed the dinner reservation at Spoon that came with the wedding package into a brunch for a Thank You and Farewell for our guests.  They booked us in at 10 am at Zavas.  The food was endless and super yummy.  Service again was exceptional.  It was nice to see our guests one last time prior to them leaving to go back home and us moving to El Dorado Maroma for the next week.

 

Well now, that is almost a novel!  If you have any questions, please let me know   I will post pictures as soon as I get them.  I am going to start working on my Wedding Planning Journal, but it might take awhile as I am back at work- I will let you know when it's done.

 

One final note- my groom was skeptical about a DW when we first started planning, but at the wedding reception he turned to me and said he couldn't have imagined doing it any other way.  You will not regret getting married at Azul Sensatori!  AS holds a lot of sentimental value to us, and we hope we can go back soon on one of our first couple of anniversaries.  Oh, and if you can at all manage, try to go down to Mexico for 2 weeks! That first week just went by in a blur- it was nice to visit and introduce family & friends, but it wasn't until our 2nd week that we really got to relax and just breathe!

Originally Posted by MK0386 

 

 

What kind of set up did you choose? The only options I saw all started at 285/table. That seems pretty steep to me. If you don't mind me asking- what kind of set up did you choose and how much was it?

 

My package (maybe all packages- not sure) comes with a white table set up so I figure if I just add a table runner, a centerpiece, chair sashes and maybe colored napkins it will be spruced up enough and for way less than $285/table.

We did the fiesta table that was $285, but only needed to purchase three tables. The resort will charge you max amount if you have a lot of table decor to setup, as it's the most time consuming. That's $200-300 right there. With the tables we're getting a bit of additional lighting (uplighting under tables) as well as favors in that price. Sure we could've done it for cheaper, but I'm already going to be fretting over our OOT bag items making it on and off the plane, so why add to the stress? Also need to consider your price limits for bringing items into the country and baggage fees. We'll be close to the limit that with our OOT bag items.

Originally Posted by MK0386 

 

 

Wow... $90 each. Unreal. Lomas is such a rip off. The Walmart being more expensive is news to me. Thanks for that info! I will definitely look into my other options but I'm thinking ill probably just get them there even if they are a little more expensive bc I can't imagine trying to carry on glass vases (I read about another bride that did this) bc I have a 1 1/2 year old. He will be one month shy of 2 years old when we get married and I'm definelty not trying to bring fragile carry on luggage with him! Lol

 

I will have to check out beau-coup.com! I actually haven't purchased the lanterns yet. There is another girl on the forum getting married a couple days before me and we might share! I'm not sure where she got hers.

I think Lomas is overpriced on a lot of things, but their full table setups were very reasonable compared to a la carte pricing. Since we're having a small wedding it was more cost effective for us to purchase table packages through Lomas than to go to the trouble of finding items on our own, packing them for travel, worrying that it will make it to the resort and then paying a setup fee (which will be on the high end). Something to consider.

Originally Posted by DaynaV 

 

Hi ladies, just wondering if anybody has used the onsite spa for their hair and/or makeup and if you would recommend it or anybody working there in particular? I was at my brothers wedding in Cabo in January and my mom and I got our hair done at the spa on the resort (RIU Palace) and I had photos of everything I wanted (simple stuff, soft updo and basic smoky eye makeup, nothing crazy) and it turned out awful. $300 later We pretty much looked like Mexican hookers. So understandably I am a bit nervous to use the onsite spa now, but I cannot justify spending the $800 outside vendor fee for a outside company.

Any opinions /photos/info you have would be much appreciated!!

I will be using the spa in May. With my package I get trail hair and makeup the day before, so I figure that should iron out any kinks.

Recent brides -- how much did the resort enforce the restaurant dress code?

Originally Posted by JMK923 

 

Hi! I'm curious if anyone is having a cocktail party after their ceremony, or if they have anything scheduled in between the ceremony and reception? Is anyone having food served, or just drinks? I'm up in the air about having one since our guest list is pretty large - we're inviting 190 friends and family. Although, we expect about half to attend... But it's still a pretty big destination wedding! Anyways, I'm trying to be conscious about spending as much as possible and thinking about eliminating the cocktail party or having an alternative. Typically, I feel a cocktail party is required at a wedding but since this is a destination I figured I'd ask. What's everyone else doing? Any ideas?! Have any past brides had a cocktail party and really liked it?!

We're doing a cocktail party even though it feels superfluous and we have a super small guest list. FI's favorite thing about weddings is the food and I figure it'll help everyone stay in one place for pictures. Since we have so few guests attending, I want to get as many group shots as we can.

Originally Posted by LilPumpkin 

 

 

Kathryn83. Did they charge you for the modifications? I asked for one change and they said it would be a $2.00 per person charge. I said HECK no. LOL

Originally Posted by MK0386 

 

Oh, I'm interested to hear what your modifications are! 

We swapped out some of the dessert options in favor of others that we think we'll like better from some of the other menus. If we had done a straight addition to the menu it would've been $2/item/person. I am not sure if the free swap is something standard or something I got because of previous issues we encountered with the planning process. I don't want to get into details but the resort "owed" me on a couple things so this may have just been a favor for our troubles. I'm also assuming that there would've been a charge if we wanted something that wasn't standard.

Originally Posted by MK0386 

 

We are doing the BBQ Deluxe and I have heard it is absolutely delicious! Honestly, I have heard that all the food is great! I'm excited to find out for myself bc the last time I went to an all inclusive resort (RIU Ochos Rios) I wasn't that impressed. Now, I was there for Spring Break lol so I wasn't really too concerned about food. For my wedding, though... I care a bit more.

We are also having this menu, with a few modifications. Will let you know how it is in May!

Originally Posted by phsexxy 

 

The semi-private is what is offered in the free package, which consists of dinenr with a fixed menu. This is the wording in the free package "Dinner reservations for wedding group (*restaurant and group size varies by hotel) ". So whatever that means.. I guess Im going to have to ask.

This means you get a dinner at Spoons for 40. You canot use an iPod or have any decorations with this.

Originally Posted by karyc 

 

 

yeah, not only is there a locked gate at the entrance, but even to get OUT of the resort you have to prove to them that you are all paid up -- the cabs/vans won't let you elave without you having a receipt of sorts (or at least that was our experience when we were down there in October) -- so I think it'll be pretty easy for them to "force" us to pay the fee. i am basically withholding my final wedding payment right now until I get confirmation that we won't be charged the fee.

 

i am also frustrated because we are having two events at the same time (the beach bbq and the smores bonfire for our rehearsal), and our WC had indicated that we would OBVIOUSLY get a discount, since the charges for each of the events includes the open bar, and there's no need to be paying for that twice. of course the resort came back and said that "since it's an all inclusive resort, these charges are not for food or drink, but rather are for the services" (which, honestly, is a joke since they charge different amounts for different types of food at the "all-inclusive" resort during private events) -- so now we are paying full price for both events. i am not even bothering to push back very hard on this one, but we had better have TWO open bars if we're paying for all of those services!!!

 

okay sorry for all the karisma-related venting!!!

At the least you should get 20 percent off. Are you getting 8 hours of total time? I bet not. And also, Karisma is running unlimited free private events right now. Push back.

Originally Posted by phsexxy 

 

Are there any specific questions I need to ask the wc regarding having a beach ceremony at 6:30pm? I am trying to finalize my wedding date fro august 3rd this year and need to know if there are specific questions I need to ask. Please advaice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

You likely won't be able to have the ceremony that late. They only offer certain times and that won't work with the reception/Spoons dinner offerings. You should decide where you'd like to hold your ceremony and reception as that may dictate times available to you.

Ladies, I have to share my music solution with you.

I've been hard at work at my wedding playlists since we're not doing a DJ. I'm a freelance iPhone app reviewer and I came across one called My WeddingDJ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-weddingdj/id383243064?mt=8

So far it's great and definitely worth the $2! You just pop in the tracks you want under the preset categories, like pre ceremony or first dance, or you can create your own categories. 

The interface is super simple and since your playlists are stored in the app, there's no chance of the wrong song playing and you set the order of when music comes up. All the operator has to do is slide the bar to start. You can also select the option for waiting time in between moments. When you end a song or skip to the next the app also will crossfade it for you so you don't have do any of that work on the front end in iTunes.

It also looks like there's an option for the app to take requests from your iTunes library during your reception, but I haven't started playing with that yet. 

Some of the reviews said there was an issue with DRM coded music, but since most of my songs are pre DRM or from Amazon, I can't tell if that's still an issue.

Anyway, if you're bringing down your own setup or want to provide your own music for ceremony, I definitely recommend checking this out.