RachelTX

We choose the free sweet wedding and added on from there. It is perfect for us as we don't want to pay a lot extra since everyone has spent plenty on all inclusive and we don't really care about having a "private" event. We have 36 guest coming and I think it will be amazing. We used a GI travel agent and got the incentive on that so we do have some private events going on, but not your traditional wedding reception. But my FI and I are perfectly OK with that. Our wedding is fast approaching....15 days......so I will let you know soon if it is everything I am anticipating.

I'm using Caribe as well....haven't requested anyone specific, but will definitely let you know what I think when we get back. My WC, Elizabeth, said she had them do her engagement photos and she loved them.....so that made me feel a lot better!

Hi there....random thought as I read through your post here....I know that you can only have a Cigar roller if you have a Private reception, and I would venture to guess the same goes for a DJ as well. We wanted to do the Cigar Roller for after our semi-private (included) dinner and we were told that was not possible. We had to just order boxes of cigars instead. So....you will definitely want to check with your WC on that. I'm curious about your app....what is it going to do?

No problem!!

What a great idea! Would love to see pictures of how that turned out!! We ended up getting mugs from discountmugs.com . They turned out pretty well. Will post pictures soon

Here is a link to where I got it and all of their chevron patterns.... http://warehousefabricsinc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc? It is $7.47 a yard and I got 5 yards. With shipping I paid $43.95. We made 3 LONG runners for the reception and 4 small centerpieces for the cocktail party. We backed them with old white sheets to make them thicker, more sturdy, and more finished. This cost nothing! We used every bit of the fabric, we didn't have any leftover, but the runners should go the entire length of the tables. Good luck!!

One of my best friends is a pro at photoshop....so we created my own ceremony program covers. This is the front and back..... and this is the inside of the front cover and the inside of the back cover..... I still need to drop them off at staples to have the inside pages copied and attached....but then they are complete! Good thing since we are 20 days away from the wedding!!

I didn't use a professional photographer either, just a friend They turned out amazing!!

Hi Ladies, Hope your holidays were GREAT! I'm officially less than 30 days from my wedding!! So excited! A couple of questions for ya: 1. My guests all arrive on different days, and I definitely don't want to have things planned every day...but it seems most people are arriving on Wednesday and Thursday. I thought it would be nice to let my guests know where I might be hanging out on Thursday night so that everyone could come and at least have a drink and touch base. I was thinking meet up for pre-dinner drinks....I haven't been to the resort though and have no idea which bar might be the best location for about 20 to meet up prior to dinner. Suggestions? 2. What did you do about letting your guest know where you were hanging out during the week? I think we all plan to have our cell phones turned off so not to incur long distance charges. Is there a way to ask my wedding coordinator or travel agent for a list of guests and their room numbers? I sort of assume rooms aren't actually assigned until we get there, so not sure how to keep in touch with everyone. 3. We are not having a private reception, therefore no DJ. Does anyone have any advice as far as something like a first dance? I read online that the Mojito Lounge has a DJ every night, do you think they would play a specific song for me so we could have our first dance there? I could bring the song on an ipod or a cd. Other thoughts I had were possibly doing it on the beach immediately following the wedding ceremony.

depending on "how ivory" your dress is, I think it would be fine to have white shirts. There are so many shades of ivory though....if it's really, really ivory, I guess I agree with Murmel and do off-white. But if it is just sort of ivory/not stark white (that is how my dress is), I think white will be fine. We are doing white linen shirts, with the linen suit/pants...white linen isn't exactly stark white.

I made a guest book on shutterfly....got a GREAT deal too! They often run specials so check the website often...I got mine for 50% off, free shipping, and had a $10 coupon too!! I also made thank you cards (once again, shutterfly....50% of on them too!) with engagement photos on them, I've been using them for shower gifts and they have been a HUGE it!! We used some at my bridal shower as well. Attached to ribbon and hung in the windows for decoration.

I am, however, she's pretty terrible! lol I don't think she would get much done. She's pretty much written me off since we've all paid in full for our trips at this point. If I don't hear back from Elizabeth or someone on Monday then maybe I'll see if my travel agent can do anything. I'm sure I can always call the main office as well.

Thanks Kathryn! I had gotten the bounce-backs that she was out of the office, but it kept looking like she was back and then out again. I haven't heard anything from Fabio. I wouldn't be too concerned except for that final payment. I'm sorry to hear about her dad, I just figured there had to be some sort of explaination.

Just wondering, I am working with Elizabeth Riff, who has been FANTASTIC! But since Thanksgiving I haven't heard a peep from her and I've emailed her 3 times, all about different things. My final payment is due next week and I have decided to add a few things and want to be sure I have included everything on the detail sheet, but I haven't heard back from her. I finally called today and left a message. Has anyone heard if something has happened or is there a reason I haven't heard back from her? It's just very uncharacteristic. Also, not sure if anyone has had any experience with it or not, but there is NO WAY I am making that final payment without talking to someone again....how strict are they at enforcing that final payment date?

Can anyone tell me anything about the Cigar Rollers? It says they put on a 2 hour "show" but I'm not really sure what that would consist of. Also, do they roll your pre-ordered cigars during the show? or are those pre-rolled??

I don't but LOVE the idea!! I considered doing something like this as well....but then decided not to. Good Luck! I know it will look fabulous!!

Elaine- Can you tell me more about the cigar roller. The way the description reads I am not exactly sure what to expect.

YAY!! Welcome

YES!! with TONS left over!! I am actually using it to paint a cake stand and three vases as well and I'm pretty sure there will still be a lot left. It was a GREAT deal!

My ceremony is at 4:30, with sunset being at 5pm you can get the best light for pictures right before sunset. Also I would like to have some actual sunset pictures. The sun actually sets on the non beach side of the resort, but I still figure the sky/ocean will be beautiful at sunset. My wedding is in January, so I'm not too worried about too hot.

I actually bought the little testers in the paint department from Home Depot for I think $2.50. So it is flat wall paint. This way I was able to get the exact color I wanted. You could use any acrylic craft paint as well. I am planning to still put a spray enamel coat on them, my dad tells me it's a polyurathane to seal the paint so it won't chip. I haven't done that part yet.