Christined

KateMZ- our wedding is right before yours (Feb 12) and we will be there on the 16th still! OMG- 1 month until the wedding and less than a month until we leave! Panic is starting to set in! Anyone have advice about Mexican customs? What do I need to all take with me and is it best to disperse our favours, decorations, etc amongst people or easiest to keep it all with us?

Hey everyone! Less than 2 months until my big day! Eeek! This might seem like an odd question but I just wanted some in put from you guys... We are still getting the groomsmen shirts and fiance's shirt for under his vest (he has a suit jacket but not sure how long he will last with the heat) and I am wondering what colour. They are wearing linen pants and he is wearing a tan/sand coloured linen suit. I like how white dress shirts with rolled up sleeves looks but do you think white will look bad beside my ivory dress in photos? Or will it not be noticeable? I should have held a white dress shirt up to my dress to see but it is already at the seamstress! Let me know your thoughts or what past brides did, thanks ladies!!

Jsal- how was the amp? Did it work ok and was it loud enough for dancing and stuff? We are planning on renting it as well but what do you mean about being ontop of whoever is in charge of the music? We were planning on just making playlists. But ya I guess we need someone to change them right- is that what you mean? Jenna- beautiful wedding and thanks for the pics!!

I ordered maracas from the following website and they are absolutely perfect! They look very authentic and the medium sized ones are just the right size. I know it seems crazy to take maracas to Mexico but these were cheap and should fit in our luggage ok and we didn't want the hassle of doing it once we get there. We are going to personalize them by adding tags with our wedding date, names, and a jIngle to shake for a kiss instead of tapping on glasses! http://www.amols.com/catalog/medium-traditional-maracas

Hey ladies! Just a question that I need some feedback on...we can't decide between the Pick and Choose meal or Family style for our reception. Pick and choose seems like more work but it is cheaper but family style has way more options. I have never had a family style meal at a reception so maybe that is why I am hesitant. What have past brides done and what are future brides planning to do? Ps- my WC said that the set up fees are determined on site and our travel agent guessed around $200-$300. We are bringing our own chair bows, centrepieces, favours, and sheers so I really hope it is not per chair or anything!

Duh....here is the link to the website! http://www.lingsmoment.com/

Hi ladies! I know this has been asked a million times but I just want to make sure before I order my fabric. For the sheers for the gazebo on the beach- 12 meters by 1.5 meters right? And usually people get 2 of them? My colours are blue and green so I am assuming I should do one of each colour? Thanks for your help. ps- the place I am ordering the organza from can only make the width 1.4m, this should not be a problem should it? Check out Ling's Moment online and Ebay for chair sashes and fabric for the gazebo. I ordered enough sashes for the ceremony and reception b/c I could not bother paying Lomas $4/chair and they were so much cheaper! AND the organza I found for $10/m in stores here, they are giving me the 12m piece for $30 (that's including shipping!) Hope this helps!

I have Erika Torres as my WC! She has been ok so far, she told me we could not have the Free Sweet package though and was not willing to do much about it. She has answered all of my questions but does not get back to me as fast as my last WC, usually takes a few days at least. But overall it has been ok, we haven't had to do much with here lately. Hope this helps and let me now what ya think!

I just ordered mine! I cant wait to see them! Jamieirene- Thanks for posting pics from your wedding...it looked gorgeous! FYI for Canadian brides- the shipping cost me more than the maracas but since I didnt need too many it was worth it for me. But email them and get a shipping quote first!

First off, like some of the other ladies have said....sadly, most of us know what you are going through! I have had almost the exact same thing happen to me- bff since we were 8, bridesmaid, recently told me she cant come to the wedding b/c of finances. (touchy issue, I know, but I have known her my whole life and this has never been an issue for anything before and she had a year to save so it is hard for me to understand) We do have friends that would love to attend but we know they cant afford it and that is totally understandable, but they also arent going on other vacays and buying new cars, etc. Ya get where I am coming from? It is a huge slap in the face and makes you think about your friendship BUT on the other hand...we have some amazing friends and family coming that we never thought would be able to come. That being said, it makes it harder for us to justify one of our closest friends not coming. I have been trying not to focus on it too much and just focus on the awesome group we do have coming. This made me really sad when I read it b/c I went through the same feelings and emotions. But know it does get better and I really think this is part of planning any wedding, especially destination. So many people told me that I would learn a lot about my friends and the people closest to me....and I have! Im sure your friend will show you how much she cares by participating and helping with other aspects of your wedding but be honest and talk to her about it, it helped me! Sending big hugs from Calgary....which isnt that far away

Hey ladies! From the sounds of it, I am having the same dilemma as everyone else....I cant decide between medium or large. I am worried about packing them so the smallewre the better but I am worried the 6 inch ones will be too small. The most recent pic posted is of the large ones, correct? Does anyone have a pic of the 6 inch ones they could post? Thanks!

Thank you so much to everyone who had given me ideas and info for decorating Plaza Zavas!! Now I just need to figure out these LED throwies I keep reading about thanks again ladies!!

Hey ladies! Amylou1983- gorgeous photos! Seeing pics gets me sooo excited! I have a question about some decorating ideas. We have had to change where we are having our private dinner reception b/c we have more people coming thatn we initially thought. So we have moved it to Plaza Zavas...which I think is absolutely gorgeous in pics! So I wanted to get some feedback on decoration ideas for this space. We are bringing our own centrepieces down but need everything else. - paper lanterns: I love how these look in photos. I am assuming past brides have brought them down with them? Approx how many do you think you would need to fill the space nicely? And I notice some light up, are these the LED throwies I have been reading about? Any good websites you can reccommend for cheap, decent quality lanterns? - lights: my WC said we can rent rope lights for $50/pole from Lomas.....any other ideas? - pool: If I am not mistaken, this is located right next to the pool right? Has anyone put anything to float in the pool? Not sure if they would allow it? Any other ideas? One more thing, we were going to have our cocktail party at Plaza Zavas and reception in Zocalo Alfresco but since we have moved the reception to Plaza Zavas, should we move the cocktail party to the beach or somewhere else? Thanks so much for the help! Happy planning!!

Hey ladies! I have been out of touch for a while but have got caught up on the thread. So I need some advice about the wedding packages. I originally booked the Silver package but then saw the Free Sweet package....I emailed our WC and she shut it down and quoted the website that it is not available for AS from Canada. What a load of crap!! So now I am stuck about staying with the Silver or downgrading to the Pearl and just having add ons. We are bringing our own flowers, having a symbolic ceremony, bringing our photographer, and the spa bells and whistles dont seem like they are worth an extra $1500 to me. Am I missing something major? Tkuzma- I really hope you can still get the Free Sweet package. Let me know how it goes b/c I feel like they are going to try to get the money for a package out of you at some point or another and I dont want any unhappy surprises for you...this still makes me so mad!!

I love Plaza Zavaz too so this would definitely be our choice. The WC just kind of sprung it on me and didnt tell me the options if it does rain. We were initially told Zocalo would hold up to 70 people so it was just a surprise. But yes, I would be happy with Plaza Zavaz and just try not to worry about the weather. Good to know that they were helpful with moving it indoors if need be. Thanks for the input!

Hi guys....I need some advice! As of now we have Zocalo Alfresco booked for our private dinner b/c we were nervous to choose somewhere outside b/c most of the pics look quite windy and there is the chance of rain; we thought Zocalo Alfresco was the best of both worlds with the huge screen windows. Our guest list of people that are booking keeps growing and our WC just emailed me and said the max # of people for Zocalo Alfresco is 55. She said the only other options are on the beach or Plaza Zavaz- which I love but I dont want to worry about rain/weather the whole time. What are your thoughts or have your WCs suggested anything else? Where did previous brides with larger groups have it? Thanks ladies!

ELAINENYC- thank you for the sample from Water Me Not! I just emailed for a quote for the peacock feather bouquets and bouts I posted a while back!

This has been really confusing for me too but I actually just received an email from my WC about it. I will copy and paste it below with the pic of the menu card she sent me. But yes, I think we will end up making place cards and menus for each guest b/c I think we have to according to this! - For the private event in Zocalo Alfresco, Dena was asking me to decide on menu options now. We have looked at it and we want to give the guests 2 options for their main course. So do we need to ask them their choice before we come there and have numbers all ready to go? Yes! I will need to know the number of entrees selected in order to calculate the total and for the hotel to make sure the correct number of entrees are made. Are you thinking on having the ‘Pick and Choose Menu’? If so, you will need to select 1 first course, 2 entrees, and 1 dessert. Each guest would have the same 1st course and dessert. You will also need to make menu cards/entrée cards so the servers will know who is getting which entrée. And in the Silver package there is a personalized menu card included, is that for the private dinner? What does it look like? The personalized menu card is for the semi-private dinner reservation for up to 40 guests at Spoon International. I have attached what the menu card looks like. I have searched high and low to figure out a way to get the maracas for the wedding b/c I love them and think its a cute idea. So I have found a lot online but we didn't want to pay to get them shipped to Canada and then pay extra luggage fees to take them back to Mexico. My TA, who got married here a couple of years ago, got hers in Playa Del Carmen. She went into town one afternoon and got them for about $3 each, and there were a tonne to choose from. They won't be personalized but we plan on taking little cards with a saying and our wedding date to attach to them with ribbon or something. Or someone else suggested to bring a couple of those silver or gold permanent marker pens to write on them with.

Murmel- when you say "went into town" to get the vases and BM jewellery, did you go to Playa Del Carmen or Puerto Morelos for it? My TA said Playa Del Carmen has much more to choose from (we are getting maracas there but Puerto Morelos does have some stuff and its so much closer. Ladies, check this out! One of my BMs found this online and I thought it was a pretty cool idea...especially if you want to do some spa things with your crew (this could be an idea to do with your BM as a gift b/c is it is so affordable compared to the resort prices) I like the non profit idea and the fact that your money is going to Mayan women and their families is nice too. Has anyone tried it? Check out the link below and you can also find it on Trip Advisor- great reviews! http://www.mayaecho.com/Jungle_Spa.html http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g240327-d1466783-Reviews-Jungle_Spa-Puerto_Morelos_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

jriftin- I dont believe Dena is with them anymore, I got an email from a different WC saying she would be looking after our wedding now. I did nit have to deal with that many people, only my travel agent and the WC so far and they seem to be handling things in their own but I guess we will see! ELAINENYC- thank you so much for the bonfire info! Erika is my WC too so I am sure she will have the same info. Thanks again, I really love the idea so I hope we can swing it!

jriftin- I dont believe Dena is with them anymore, I got an email from a different WC saying she would be looking after our wedding now. I did nit have to deal with that many people, only my travel agent and the WC so far and they seem to be handling things in their own but I guess we will see! ELAINENYC- thank you so much for the bonfire info! Erika is my WC too so I am sure she will have the same info. Thanks again, I really love the idea so I hope we can swing it!

Does the $15 per person includenthe dessert table and private bar? Not bad if it does! And what time do most people do it? My WC was Dena Henfield and is now Erika Torres.

I am having a really hard time deciding whether to go with a DJ or just do our own playlists with an ipod for our private reception. I have been to destination weddings with both and more people definitely danced with the DJ but their prices were almost half of the Lomas ones. And the one with the ipod was still a blast! I am just having a hard time justifying the prices! My WC from Miami just got changed which made me a little nervous b/c my first one either got fired or quit. I asked her about the pricing for the smores fire thing b/c it looks like a fun idea but she hasn't got back to me yet. Does anyone know the going rate per person?

Hey ladies! I have not been on here in a while! slarso13- We had such a hard time choosing the location for our reception as well but decided to go with Zocalo Alfresco. Our TA has been there so many times and just recently got back and sent me some pics. It looks really cool with the screens, you can have the best of both worlds (indoor/outdoor). My only concern was some people on here mentioned the lighting in there is bad for pics. Has anyone asked about sending stuff to the resort? I am wondering b/c I found some maracas online that are made in Mexico but the shipping is expensive to Canada (and I just dont want them to get shipped here, pack them all and pay for overweight luggage, then take them back to where they came from). They said they will send them to resorts BUT they need to have contact info, etc. I havent even asked our wedding coordinator yet b/c the thought of it worries me a little. Our theme and colours for the wedding is peacock- green, blue, purple, etc! Haha the bridesmaid's dresses are almost royal blue and then we will most likely have mainly green accents with it. The nice thing with the peacock feathers is they pick up so many different colours so I dont have to worry about matching too much. And they are light to pack to take along for decorations! Since the price of the Lomas stuff is making me a little crazy, here are what we are going to do for bouquets/boutonnieres (sp?) and I found them on Etsy. We will just customize them with ribbon in our main colours. I didn't initially like the idea of artificial flowers but I found these ones made from that rubbery/foam material and I have seen them in real life so I know how real they look and feel!

Hey! I obviously haven't been to EDM but I would say the same thing, have the cocktail party there if you can so you can maximize time there. And like every review says, the beach at AS might not be the best for pics. I would just make sure you give your guests enough time to get back to AS for the reception once the cocktail party is over. (I have no clue how far they are from each other so I am not sure about times) And both destination weddings I have been to, it was nice to have a few mins before the reception to freshen up b/c it is usually stinkin hot! That is cool you are doing it at both resorts, I didn't even know that was an option!