The Cake and the Dance:

We danced to Michael Buble "Everything" and did a modified rumba. I recommend lessons, it costs only $150. However I must say dancing in the actual dress was harder than I thought since it was tight around my legs.

I order the three tier cake and asked them to leave off the icing flowers. I purchased cake ribbon in gray and flowers at hobby lobby to decorate the cake. The topper was a simple H&J from Exclusively Weddings.com 

I just posted my planning thread and review here for those who want to view it. If you need help and have questions let me know!!

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/86453/review-and-planning-thread-for-royal-playa-del-carmen-wedding-2013#post_1912128

I have posted my planning thread and review here. Everything is fresh in my memory so if you have questions or need help don't hesitate to let me know I am here for you!

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/86453/review-and-planning-thread-for-royal-playa-del-carmen-wedding-2013#post_1912128

I have a bit more to post later, but want to say how great the Royal was. I had a vision, and gave it to my coordinator one time, and she put it together better than I could have imagined. All of my guests want to have destination beach weddings now and said it was the best wedding they had ever been to! I cant be happier.

After the ceremony and during cocktail Holger and I were off taking pictures. We hired Claudia Rodriguez and she was awesome. I don't have any pics back from her just yet but as soon as I do I will post. She was great at directing us and being creative. She knows what she is doing! She stayed longer than she had to that evening as our party didn't die down until they made us shut down. She took a lot of great party pics I am so excited to see!

Reception:

We sprung for DJ Doremixx for reception and the light up dance floor. They were incredible and get the party going all night. They had cold fireworks for after the first dance, masks to hand out and glow bracelets. They did all of our introductions. I had a small group and had debated a long time on whether this expense was worth it. IT WAS. Guests back in the hotel who had watched several wedding receptions said our music was the best they had heard. Doremixx gave so much energy to our group, and the Royal kept bringing excellent shots. It really set the mood and kept the party going until the last minute.

The Reception Setup and Ceremony Setup:

 For the ceremony I wanted to add in my yellow and gray theme. I had inspiration from many other brides on BDW. I purchased yellow and gray pom poms and yellow chair sashes from Luna Bazaar.com. I  ordered parasols (also from Luna Bazaar) in yellow and gray which were set up along the aisle. We covered the walkway with yellow gray and purple artificial rose petals. It was windy so Lorena had to help a lot with timing and she did a great job so that when I walked out all was perfect!!

For the beach reception, I bought the Borrby lantern from Ikea for $14.99. I unpacked them out of the box into one suitcase to bring down. The glass broke in one, but it ended up not mattering as you couldn't tell. I ordered flameless candles to go inside them from Quick Candles.com. Make sure you bubble wrap these candles, some of mine broke but I brought extra. I also brought small votives to set on the table, and purple crystal ice for the tables. The tables were beautiful.

My menus were done by an Etsy seller and I took them to Kinkos to print. ReplyByDesignStudio's. They did a great job as you can see in the picture.

I had a couple of other great and unique things from Etsy.

The ring bearers sign from Made By CRose. It says "Uncle Holger Here Come Your Girl"

and a thank you sign which we used in pictures from SignsToLiveBy. I'll post pics of this later, but it was wooden and said Thank You, 5-19-13 Mr.Mrs Pokrandt.

Another thing I did was order t-shirts for us and family from Zazzle.com:

Mine- Mrs. Pokrandt

Groom: "I put a Ring On It, 5-19-13"

Dad: Father of the Bride, 5-19-13, Playa Del Carmen Mexico

Grooms Mom: Mother of the Groom, 5-19-13, Playa Del Carmen Mexico

Grooms Father (only speaks German so his was in German) Father of the Groom...

They arrived in a week and a half custom ordered and great quality!!

Flowers:

I ordered real touch flowers from Bloom Bridal.com. I ordered only my bouquet and the grooms mothers corsage. Since I wasn't sure if I wanted real flowers I went ahead and the resort prepare a yellow boquet. My bridesmaid also had a yellow boquet. I couldn't decide until last minute, but my photographer took pics of both boquets wit the dress and the real touch won! It has pins of diamonds and pearls in it. I used the real yellow boquet for my TTD the next day!

The groom had a yellow corsage.

Cocktail Hour:

We sprung for the mariachi trio. It was worth it and our guests loved it. It made great pictures too! The Royal did a great job with the food presentation!!

My wedding at the Royal could not have played out better in my dreams! I am a bit hard to please, especially with something this important so I can tell you this is true and from the heart and not at all an exaggeration it was PERFECT.

 

I picked the Classic Wedding Package and we had 21 guests. Ana was my wedding coordinator online up until Lorena at the resort onsite. They both were marvelous. I held my ceremony at the gazebo, cocktail hour at the gazebo and reception at the beach. I wouldn't change a thing! The beach is busy up until around mid evening hours. Our ceremony was at 5:30 and things had died down but still a lot of commotion. The gazebo gives you the ability to have the ocean feel but allows for privacy and.....heels

 

Dress:

I purchased my first dress back in Nov last year but wasn't married until My. I was 20 pounds heavier. This turned out to be a big mistake. I had to drive back and forth about 100 miles from where I live to get fitted for this dress once it came in. When it came in I kept trying to continue alterations but it never turned out as I had hoped. $3500 later I decided to go shopping elsewhere than Alfred Angelo. My experience in Alfred Angelo in Tulsa OK was bad. I would not return there. They are short staffed and the service is poor. They are not knowledgeable about the business they are in and they are about 25 years too outdated to be doing this work. At the end of it all they even sold me a dirty bra to go under the dress which I cant even get my money back on.  2 weeks before the wedding I went to David's Bridal and found the perfect dress for $450. The service at DB is better I believe because they are better staffed, and  they have a huge selection of dresses and sizes. You can buy off the rack and really see what the dress looks like on you with the right size or at least close to the right size. Ladies beware as you loose weight- your tastes change. This dress fit me like a glove and I love how it kept the girls in without any cleavage showing. It was classy and simple and leight weight which was great for the beach and the TTD. I loved the veil as well, such a simple classic touch! Another shout out to David's Bridal about my veil. Along the way to Mexico somehow my dress bag zipper broke- and the veil fell out. I still have no idea how this happened but one day before the wedding I realized it was missing. I sent my Dad down to DB and explained what happened and they gave my Dad a replacement to bring down to me for free. I was so happy for a million reasons, one being that my Dad could not afford anything else with the trip, and I was worried he would have to pay and couldn't use my credit card.

 

 

 

OOT Bags:

I spent way too much time on these! They became an obsession! I decided to go with bags from The Welcome Bag Company. You can customize the bags to your colors, and in my case I added our names. I didn't want any of our guests to feel obligated to carry bags around which I gave out so I thought this would be a better option. Here is a pic:

 

I know a lot of girls put together the survival kit with all of the labels and inserts. I went the easy route and purchased cheap zippered plastic bags from Wal-Mart and just put some contents inside this bag. Here is what it contained:

- Advil

-Tums

-Woolite Travel

- Hand sanitizer

-Sunscreen

-Lip gloss from Sephora for the girls

-Blistex for the guys

 

 

For the rest of the items I did purchase the starfish bottle openers and personalized koozies from Totally Promotional.com. These were a hit! I also had some Ikea bags and Jack Daniels shot glasses. I  enclosed yellow maracas which went with my color theme of yellow and gray.

 

Since there has been so much in the news lately I also included a few rules about Mexico Safety:

 

Mexico Safety

I took some safety travel tips off of government websites that I wanted to share with all of you and just from reading travelers trips. The resort areas of PDC should be fine but it is important to follow these simple guidelines for staying safe:

1.Do not travel alone outside of the resort. Do not wander off from your group.
2.Do not carry any valuables or extra money with you while outside the resort. Take only with you what you need. Leave extra money, credit cards and valuable jewelry in the safe deposit box in the room.
3.Do not give the appearance of wealth while outside the resort; try to keep a low profile.
4.Do not enter into any secluded areas without proper lighting or crowds- especially roads. Take toll ways if traveling.
5.My recommendation would be to only take organized group transportation. Holger and I have rented a car before here and we were ok. But do this at your own risk. The roads to some sites, particularly Chichen- Itza are isolated and along the way there are several stops with armed officials who could or could not be legitimate. If you do choose to take your own transportation try to stay on major roads and highways.
6.Avoid public transportation if possible (bus), taxis are ok. 

 

 

 

 

I also created some super cute MiniBooks from The Minted.com. The file is too large to load the pdf here but it included a Thank You note for attending, a Schedule of Events and several pics of us. It was sort of a pre-program. I also used this book for getting the word out about communication and social media. I asked everyone to download Viber or Whats App for communication methods since Royal offers free Wi-Fi. This was a lifesaver! I also asked that no one post pictures of the wedding day events on social media, but instead later to a shared space on shutterfly. In retrospect Shutterfly did not work out and I don't recommend it. It's difficult to load pics to shared pages and SLOOOOW and times out. Difficult to download. Just all around disappointed. Instead I am going to use Wal-Mart.com to share pics.

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome Dinner:

The night before the wedding we had a welcome dinner at Wicky's Seaside Buffet which is 3 blocks from the Royal. I had heard such great reviews and had high expectations but we were disappointed and it did not live up. The restaurant was empty besides us. They were fully staffed. However they were just completely disinterested in providing good service. The waiter complained to the table about our tab being all separate checks, and it was clear that this was annoying to him. We had to ask for drinks, and for orders to be taken. Half of my table had finished meals while some had not received a meal yet. There was a soccer game on and all of the staff huddled around the tv. I'm not sure if he wanted a tip under the table or what. To top it off at the end, the waiter gave us an already filled out rating card. Here is a pic for proof:

 

 

We  told one of the waiters, and he thought it was funny  and said he didn't do that. This place was overpriced, the food was lousy, and the service the worst. All of the good reviews you see- probably written by them. I have asked Linda with Marketing for an explanation on the event, she said she would speak with them but has yet to get back to me. Trip Advisor it is!!

 

Reception Table:

For our guest book, I had an Etsy seller(shaunnac73) create a custom thumbprint art in my colors of gray and yellow. I purchased acrylic paint from hobby lobby and out guests put their thumbprint and initial on! So cute and we can hang it later! The yellow sign in a frame says "Ink Your Finger and Sign Your Name to Leaf Your Mark on Our Wedding Tree Art". Then my fiance and I did ink thumbprints below it in the shape of a heart.

 

 

 

 

 

For the escort cards, I used starfish in a gray serving tray I purchased from crate and barrel. It was expensive but the color scheme worked awesome. I hand made the tags with a silver pen and ties yellow ribbon around them.

 

 

 

 

I brought pashima scarves and had them laid out on the table, but it was not cold or even windy enough to need them. The weather was perfect.

 

I also set up a picture of me and fiancé. This table turned out marvelous and really set the mood as guests came in. I have to credit the Royal for putting it together so beautifully!

 

 

 

Unworn Alfred Angelo Sapphire, with tags. It has been altered down from a size 8.

Bust- 36

Waist- 28

Length - not sure, I am 5'2"

Point D'Esprit, Satin Flowers. Re-Embroidered Lace with Metallic Accents.
Crystal Beading, Sequins, Rhinestones, Pearls. Lace up back. Ivory.

I paid $1700 for this dress with another $800 in alterations. Nothing is wrong with the dress, it's just that the style of dress that I wanted changed. My financial misfortune is certainly your gain as I know I won't get close to what I paid for this dress.

I didn't want to chance the resort photographer - but didn't do my own research so that really isn't fair! I did help 2 of our guests make the trip. If you can afford it--and it's really important to you that those persons be there I don't see anything wrong with monetary help. I just wouldn't expect the money back. I considered it a gift. I have no regrets for helping people out.

I purchased a hair flower on etsy that I didn't wear because I decided to go with a veil. It's simple and beautiful! It's ivory color. I will ship for free.

I think that's a great idea to get a different dress! Just make sure you love it and won't regret it.

Hi ladies! I am working on my review but wanted to say that our wedding was absolutely PERFECT! You have nothing to worry about. The Royal has this art perfected. I am waiting to get my edits back from the photographer- photos in cancun- so I can show you what an amazing job they did! More to come soon Also, I have some items that I am working on selling. If you don't have OOT bags yet, I have 20 left over that are specific to PDC. PM me if you're interested! http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/85772/playa-del-carmen-specific-oot-bags-for-sale

The day pass is $100 for those at Gran Porto. But you are allowed four guests to come in 3 hours early from a sister resort at no charge as long as they are adults for the ceremony. Children can only come in 30 min before. This is what we did. We had guests at the gran Porto and if we wanted to spend additional time with them we went to their resort because Royal guests can go to any sister resort free of charge. Does that make sense?

I went with bloom bridal and it was worth every penny. I elected for two bouquets. Here is the real touch, and then I used the real flowers from the resort for the TTD. Best of both worlds. I didn't think Bloom Bridal was expensive, but I am sure it depends on how many you need. Consider only ordering your bouquet from them making your unique and different. I am so glad I did!

What I would do again at first thought:

-order two bouquets and choose the day of. One real touch flowers from bloom bridal and then fresh flowers from the resort. I was able to use both bouquets, one for the ceremony and one for the TTD

- spring for the mariachi trio! It made great pics too!

- having my reception on the beach- best TIME EVER and so intimate

- Paying for a DJ and light up dance floor on the beach with only 21 guests. We had the time of our lives and these items helped make the party! It would not have been the same without the DJ and dance floor!! No way! DJ Doremixx was AWESOME!! It's worth it ladies!

- ditching the $3,000 dress for the $450 dress that I loved so much more. It's not the price tag its how it makes you feel

- Trash the Dress!!

-customize your ceremony and reception- make it memorable. My guests said it was hands down the best wedding they had ever been to! All the planning and preparation, and some may say obsession, pays off.

-go for the custom cake with at least two tiers. Don't settle for the free cake if you don't get what you want.

- I'm happy I was married in the gazebo and then had reception on the beach. Since I'm short this allowed me to wear heels. Plus the beach was still busy at 5:30pm.

- so happy that I got my butt in gear and lost as much weight as possible pre wedding. Then happy that I continued to eat healthy until the day of my wedding. Couldn't risk the dress not fitting! Then I got busy eating the next week!

 - happy that we upgraded to the swim up suite for our honeymoon. Made it so much more romantic plus we got a cabana!

- if your events are outside, and rain is a possibility- hold out as long as you can. That morning our coordinator said 95% chance of rain. We held out and the rain moved away and not a drop fell until after the entire event was over. I would have been SICK to go inside.

- have your man wear a tux if this is your vision even if he doesn't want to! It was worth it!

 - have your family match their attire to your wedding colors. It made the pictures so much better!! Have them follow a color scheme, they don't have to match exactly of course. Try to get all guests to do this, but especially the family.

What not do to:

-schedule the TTD AFTER the majority of your guests leave. I lost time with my guests I had to get my hair done again and get in the dress all over again and then  3 hours of shooting. Do the TTD, just choose the time more carefully.

- don't choose a dress too early. Especially if you plan to loose weight. Places like Davids Bridal make it easy to order from the rack. Your tastes will changes as you lose weight. I went from a dress that showed little of my form to one which hugged my curves and I'm so happy with it. Take your time and take it into consideration how your body will change.

- DONT GO TO Wickys in Playa Del Carmen. It was horrible service and I had to keep apologizing to my guests.

- don't choose a room next to the elevator we were woke up all early hours of the morning

I couldn't decide either. So I elected to have both!! I ordered a real touch bouquet from bloom bridal. It had a twist on my colors of yellow and gray, with white and deep purple added in and some bling of diamonds and pearls. I ordered only my bouquet and the grooms mothers corsage to match. It cost me around $200. I also had the resort prepare me a yellow fresh flower traditional boquet. The day of my photographer took test shots with both bouquets and the girls helped me decide. I went with the real touch bouquet hands down it was SO classy. Then I used the real yellow bouquet the next day for my trash the dress session. BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! I am such a happy bride. Here is a shot of the bloom bridal bouquet.  I will try to post a closer up shot later.

We don't have professional pics back yet either,  but here are some friends pics. The day was magical!!

Be patient and read read read!! Choose topics you are most concerned about or want to know more about and get daily emails on those threads. Think closely about the type of ceremony you want and location. For example when choosing  a resort-how private do you want the ceremony? We chose a busy beach and it worked out great for us, and we were close to nightlife and shopping right off of 5th street in Playa Del Carmen. But if you want seclusion- choose somewhere like Isla Mujures.

On your dress- keep in mind if you will lose or gain weight. I spent over 3,000 on a dress trying to get it the way I wanted when I purchased it ten months ago. I lost around 20 pounds and when that happened my vision of the dress changed. I ended up with a $450 dress from davids bridal that I adored. Take your time when choosing and think carefully!!

Do it! it's an experience of a lifetime!! We just returned a few days ago. The dress can be cleaned I promise- who cares how it sits around in a box?? You paid and planned to get all out of this experience that you could don't settle!! Claudia Rodriguez did our shoot and I am SO excited to get the pics back. They will be super sexy and unique and this chance will not come around again most likely!

My dress was light- and this did help a ton. My only other advice, our TTD session took around three hours almost. This took away time I wanted to spend with my guests playing pool volleyball and other things Plan this out a little bit so that it doesn't take away from guest time. I did our shoot immediately the day after the wedding but if I had waited just one day my guests would have been gone and I could have relaxed more.

We just came back from our honeymoon a few days ago. Getting there and even back wasn't super easy but we certainly made it through. Here are my suggestions from learnings-

The zipper on my David's Bridal dress bag broke after flight #1. This resulted in all kinds of trauma including my bonked head and a lost veil. I'm not sure how often this happens, but maybe bring some bobby pins in your carry on to pin it back together if this happens, or maybe even a cheap backup dress bag. You don't want your dress dragging the floor, or items like your veil falling out of the bag, plus you don't want your groom to see the dress!

Sand will get you pulled over going through security. I tried to bring my sand ceremony back in my carry on. It was too precious to get broke. But when security ran the test on the substance to see what it was they messed up the look of the sand, it had a beautiful layering and now that is gone. I will have to buy more sand and re-pour it to get the colors to blend again like they should. I should have had them scoop it from the top, but mostly security doesn't care. I still wouldn't change putting it in my carry on. I can handle re-pouring sand I cant handle it breaking.

Bring bubble wrap for the return trip and wrap anything that can break very well both there and back. They throw the bags around!

Ladies I am back. My wedding was phenomenal- I will post a planning thread over the next few days. Every dime I spent here was worth it- I have SO much to tell all of you!!!

My only disappointment was in Wickys for my welcome dinner. DONT waste time and money on this tourist trap. I am not sure how some have written good reviews on this establishment but this will be an all out war for me. I was completely embarrassed the entire time we were there. More later.

Our vows- sharing and hope it helps someone. All pretty much pieced together from other posts on here. ....................................

Jennifer and Holger

5-19-13

Opening

Welcome Family and Friends –

On behalf of Jennifer and Holger, I want to thank you all for gathering here on this beautiful day to witness their marriage ceremony. The fact that you all have traveled such a great distance to be here today is a testament to the amazing amount of love and support they have. They would like to sincerely thank you all for being here to witness and celebrate this moment. The couple would also like to thank their parents for their everlasting love, support and encouragement and their presence today.

Being assured of your love as lifelong companions, and that you have your families blessings, I now ask, who gives this woman to be married to this man? (Gary Edwards, “I doâ€). Thank you.

Vows

(Please face each other and join hands)

Holger –

Do you accept Jennifer to be your wife, to love and to cherish, to share your dreams, successes and challenges, in plenty and in want, in triumph and in failure, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live? (Holger- “I doâ€)

Jennifer –

Do you accept Holger to be your husband, to love and to cherish, to share your dreams, successes and challenges, in plenty and in want, in triumph and in failure, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live? (Jennifer- “I doâ€)

The Blessing Of The Sea

Jennifer and Holger, as we stand by the ocean, may your love always be as constant and unchanging as these never-ending waves that break before us, flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea. Your love came softly upon each other's hearts, just as the sea foam lies softly before us, and just as there will never be a morning without the ocean's flow, may there never be a day without your love for each other.

As the tides ebb and flow so to, do the fortunes of life. Footprints in the sand are washed away, driftwood moves on its endless quest for a peaceful harbor. Only a deep and abiding love can withstand the tides of change in two lives.

Pledge yourselves to each other this day, and promise to be as faithful and dependable as the tide. Just as these waters nourish the earth and sustain life, may your constant love nourish and sustain each other until the end of time.

Sand Ceremony –

Holger and Jennifer -you have just sealed your relationship by the exchange of vows. This covenant is a relationship pledge between two people who agree that they will commit themselves to one another throughout their lives. Today, this relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand- one, representing you, Jennifer and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other representing you Holger and all that you were and all that you are, and all that you will ever be.

I invite you both now to pour the sand from each separate vase into the third vase. As these two containers of sand are poured into the third vase, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be. (Pouring of sand- Adele Lovesong)

Rings –

(The rings please)

I will ask you now to seal the vows which have been made, by the giving and receiving of rings. Your wedding rings represent the unconditional love that you have for one another. These rings are a circle with no beginning and no end. Wear them with honor and pride as they are a visible reminder of the vows and promises you have made here today.

Holger, please take this ring and place it on Jennifer’s finger and repeat after me:

Jennifer I give you this ring

 as a visible and constant symbol

of my promise to love you

as long as I live.

You are my one true love

and partner in life.

 I will cherish and love you

today, tomorrow and forever.

 I will trust and respect you,

 laugh and cry with you.

I will love you faithfully and unconditionally.

Holger I give you this ring

as a visible and constant symbol

of my promise to love you

 as long as I live.

You are my one true love

and partner in life.

I will cherish and love you

 today, tomorrow and forever.

I will trust and respect you,

 laugh and cry with you.

 I will love you faithfully and unconditionally.

Closing:

We, who are present today, hope that the inspiration of this moment will never be forgotten.  May all your days and years to come be filled with vision, joy and passion.  May the love you now share continue to grow, and may the happiness you bring to each other be a continuing part of your life together. 

With friends and family, along with the sun, the sky, and the sea, it is my pleasure to announce the new Husband and Wife, Mr. & Mrs. Jennifer and Holger Pokrandt!

You may now kiss the bride J

(Release bubbles)

OMG! How do they do that to you Georgias??? Can you get them to pay part of that tab?

I am using Claudia Rodriguez- she charged $500 for the ceremony only (video) so that sounds about right! We arrive tomorrow!You have started planning very early- I would try to hire a photographer other than the one the resort offers if you can. Have you tried Ivan Luckie? I  hear great things and his prices are incredible.

If anyone needs anything while I am there let me know! I arrive 5-15-13 and leave 5-25-13.