Snoopy129

Originally Posted by dmccamey 

 

We did the American Way and had Chicken or Steak as an option for guests to choose from.

thank you again!  that's actually what we are leaning towards too!  :-)

Originally Posted by janette34 

 

 

 

 

I got my custom made bouquet from Bloom Bridal in Toronto. Loved how it turned out!

this bouquet is SOOOO beautiful!  i cannot believe they're not real!  congrats!

sounds amazing!  congrats on such a successful and beautiful wedding!  i was wondering which menu you decided on for the reception? 

Originally Posted by cherany 

 

 

Here is the listing for you:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280881137698

 

They come in gold, silver, red, & black.  I went with gold since my dress is a warm color.

 

 

whoo thanks for sharing!  i'm kinda loving those red ones too!  :-)

Originally Posted by EVKnowsitall 

 

I suggested to my girls that we should host the bachelorette party upon arrival at the resort- it would def save people money, unfortunately, not everyone is flying in on the same days and I don't want to do it the day before my actual wedding.

 

I'm getting married in DR- but I went to Mexico last year and we absolutely loved the XPLOR park- we want during the day and went ziplining, ATV-ing, swimming in a cenote, and rafting. They also include a buffet lunch. Another activity my fiancé and I enjoyed was a jetskiing ATV package. At the end of the jetskiing we ended up at a bar on the beach with swings as chairs. Both excursions were arranged through a tour company. I want to say Olympus but I'm not certain. We just went to the table they had in the Lobby and signed up the day before.

 

Finally- the best excursion for a bachelorette party that we did was the Party Bus. For $75 a person, a van picks you up at your hotel (there are other stops at other places too) and they take you to three hot night spots. The first was señor Frogs, the second a lounge called The Pink Elephant and the night ends at CocoBongos which includes a live show of trapeze artists, celebrity impersonators, lazer light shows- and it's interactive. All drinks are included at all three bars, and the tour guides act like babysitters- they bring the drinks to you- my hand was never empty, and they make sure you get back on the van when it's time to go to the next spot. For the price and service it cannot be beat. We D's the jetskiing an ATV package which was $95 and also worth it- jetskiing alone costs that at some places- during the day- came back to the hotel for dinner and to shower and change and then we were off on the party bus. It was a fun filled day. I Totally recommend the party bus but id make a whole day of it.

 

For my bachelorette were doing a road trip. We live in NY and since DR is costing our party money, we wanted to do something cheaper for bachelorette. We are driving to P-Town MA or Oceand City MD- both are 5 hours away, crashing all of us in one room (can anyone say sleeping bags) and beaching it during the day, seafood dinners, bars and lounges at night. Low key and cheap. My fiancé is also doing a road trip to Montreal- also about a 5 hour drive- and going fishing with his buds and then lounges at night. They already booked their trip.

that party bus idea sounds awesome!  was it also through olympus tours?

Originally Posted by Angela Shim 

 

 

 

Ok... so after all the Jasmine pics, here are some Dressilyme pics.  The dress is almost exactly as I asked for.  I wanted my dress to sparkle a bit with clear sequins and/or beading, but think they just put on pearls or maybe I just don't see the sequins due to the lighting.  I asked to see if they could be added.  I ordered the dress only 2 weeks ago!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i am also looking into dressilyme and i am so impressed with yours!  i feel less nervous about ordering from them!  beautiful!!!!

Originally Posted by KristieT 

 

Here is an update to my last post!. I did ask the seamstress to take out the dress a little bit so it wasnt so "mermaid" and she has shipped me the dress, here it is:

Sorry for the photo quality they were taken on my blackberry! The dress is wrinkled from the shipping but you get the idea.

 

The dress fits like a glove ( a little big in the chest) but I will get it taken in.

 

 $220 plus $30shipping and  $20 duty = $270

 

The dress is made wonderfully,  it has boning and bra cups sewn in!

 

Very impresssed and happy!

wow!  it looks amazing!!!  congrats!  i am definitely going to look into your etsy seller (she has a lot of great reviews as well)!  thanks!!!!

Originally Posted by bksweetheart 

 

Just booked The Beloved for December 14, 2013!!! So excited to begin planning :-) 

whoo!  congrats on making it official!  i love the way everything is decorated for the holidays in December! 

Originally Posted by mstigger 

 

I think I have too  much invested to turn back now, but I feel very comfortable stopping where I'm at and not adding other items.

A friend of mine is looking for some cheap material and she is going to make sarongs for the ladies and still need a little something for the guys and I'm all done!!

Glad to see I'm not alone with this dilemma!!

Thanks everyone!

sarongs are a great idea!!!

Originally Posted by suzanni84 

 

It is very hard to gauge head count!! But I think the hotel is flexible that way.  I had Alejandro give me a price proposal for 70 people, I don't think there will be more and hoping we might have less.  Lupita lounge did have some type of music starting from around 6ish... most nights it had a DJ then a band would come for an hour then maybe a sax player when no one was playing live they had music going.  People did dance and it was never really busy there after dinner.  It seemed like most people (including us) would go to grab a drink and app. before dinner. We have decided to add an extra hour to our reception however, I think $16pp is a bit much seeing that a rehearsal cocktail hour friday (2hrs) with passed apps in $18pp.  

Hmm you got a point there about the $16pp.  Thanks for the heads up (I hadn't priced out a separate cocktail reception).  As for the price proposal, did it include all the decor/flowers and DJ?  Or just food/drink costs of the welcome reception and wedding/reception?  I know you had already done the tasting and picked out your menu when you went for the site visit.  Oh man, we haven't decided on our menu yet!  Haha!

Originally Posted by Christen Jean 

 

Oh!!!  You have to check it out!  If you don't have a store near you, you can shop online. 

 

www.hobbylobby.com

 

They have the true touch flowers online as well!  Here's a link to the ivory boutonierre, but they have other colors/options.  If you sign up for their emails you receive weekly coupons as well.  I put my bouquets together with a pair of strong scissors (to cut the stems), a hot glue gun, ribbon I already had, and the 5 stems I purchased.  We bought the boutonierres there, which are 50% off at the moment, so $1.50.  If I find anything else like this or see anything that is a neat tip/trick once I get to GCR I'll be sure to share it with you girls!

 

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/vanilla-true-touch-corsage-205906/

thanks for the info!  your diy bouquet is so lovely!!!!

Originally Posted by adales 

 

I read that too but I was worried that it may not be exactly what I want so I went ahead and ordered them.  One of my BM's lives on the east coast so I am having them shipped to her and she is bringing them down for us.  One less thing that I have to pack!

 

We ordered ours from http://www.amols.com. They have great looking maracas and you can order them in your color scheme.

thanks for the website on the maracas!  it's a great idea for both place card and favor!

sounds awesome Peach!  and i LOVE vistaprint as well!!!

Originally Posted by Peach 

It is great to hear so many different perspectives on this.

 

We originally were going to do disposable underwater cameras and a bubba keg in a little bag.

 

So, originally, we were just going to do a favour... then we discovered vistaprint.

So, we have vistaprint bags, with a few small items (caps, pens, keychains) and a welcome booklet (passport style). That is one per room. But then we also got bubba kegs (one per person), which was our original plan, and we actually lucked out and stumbled across a clearance sale for mini video cameras. Whew.

At least all of the items from vistaprint were free - including free shipping, or $1 shipping. 

 

We are sending out a brochure with a couple (free) luggage tags pre travel.

 

We are not doing favours in addition to this.

 

The moms and bridal party are getting extra things in their bags too.

 

I still would love to do a disposable underwater camera, but we just do not have extra money. I think maybe I will give one to each of my brothers, since they will probably help out, but not actually be in the wedding party. Plus, then my family could borrow them. FI's parents have an actual underwater camera.

 

We also talked about taking people on an excursion instead, but could not think of one they all would like.

 

I should say, we have a small group, and most of the people coming are immediate family. So we feel good about spoiling them a little. Plus we are not spending any money on decor or anything like that. And we are going to try to hand this all out the night before we leave (we will all have to stay in Calgary I think to catch the plane; none of us live there) with the exception of FI's best man (flying in separately) and his parents (will be there the week before us). So we really do not have to pack too much along.

 

I did throw in some SPF lip chap, but no real first aid items. I keep thinking about it, but really, they all travel a lot, so they will probably bring that stuff anyway. And I am including a packing list in the pre-travel brochure, so I can be sure to include that there.

 

I do think it is important to give people something, but what that something is depends on the number of people in your group, their travelling experience, where you are going, and your own financial abilities. NO ONE is expecting getting all of this. FI's parents know people are getting something, but they do not know to what extent. Hopefully everyone appreciates them!

ebay???  that's awesome!  those kate spades are really cute!!!!
 

Originally Posted by Kim7799 

 

So glad to hear from other 2013 Brides!

 

I have an invitation question. We're only inviting family and a couple of friends to the Beloved. Almost all of our guests have put their deposits down with our travel agent. I've been emailing everyone with hotel and travel info pretty regularly. For the invitations, we're doing boarding passes and then luggage tags for the RSVPs. I'm creating a website this week, but do you guys think we need to include anything else in the actual invitation?

Ooh!  Boarding pass invitations are so nice!  I think as long as your website is updated to have the latest and greatest info, you should be set.  A lot of people I've seen do a pretty standard invitation but keep all the destination/hotel details on the website.  Plus, more people will refer to your website for details than the actual hardcopy invitation.  You can post up suggested packing lists, schedule of events, reception meal options (in case some people have dietary restrictions), dress code, FAQs, registry and other details on the website and it's a one-stop-shop for your guests.  Congrats on having most of your guests confirmed with their deposits!

Ohhh!  Aynat, I love your shoes!  And I agree with Seatkins22, go for the peep toe, Dazeydawl!
 

oh my a thread about shoes!  i lurveeeee!  haha!  i haven't gotten my dress yet but i'm still debating wearing heels for the reception and barefoot sandals for the ceremony on the beach.  For those girls who wore heels at the reception after going barefoot on the beach ceremony, how did you hem your dress?  to the length of the heels or barefoot?  thanks!!!

I believe Castaways has a covered roof (but the sides are all open).  But I agree, the Bamboo Room has air conditioning and it may be nice for your guests to get a break from the heat!  Especially, if you're going to dance the night away!

this was an unbelievable thread!  great ideas and execution!  your wedding details were so lovely!  (and thanks for the inspiration!) congrats!!!!

That catamaran charter sounds so awesome!  Would you mind sharing what company you're going with?  Thank you!

Originally Posted by Mlite83 

We are doing oot bags but handing them out in advance (going to be doing a lot of visiting in the coming weeks) - we didn't go crazy on the bags though - bags from vistaprint, travel mugs from factory 21 and then a few little things from dollar store (bug wipes, tylenol, tums, first aid kit, nail file, safety pin etc). 

As our favour we are doing a charter catamaran cruise (4hrs)...took lots of pricing but got deal we are happy with and think is reasonable for a nice extra to say thanks for coming.  it is about $1400 for our 40 guests with open bar.  the cruise includes snorkely equipment too so i think everyone should have a good time!

thanks for the starfish info and for the tip about the bouquet!  your thread was super inspiring! 

Yeah, the lounge set up on the beach sounds awesome!  We may do the same but we wanna see how many people actually come.  It's been hard to gauge our headcount.  We asked about extending our reception as well and it was $16 per person for the 1 hour extension, so we may go with that.  How was lupita lounge when you went to the Beloved for your tasting?  I heard there's a DJ or live music.  Do people dance there?  Or is it more like for drinks and more subdued merriment?

Originally Posted by suzanni84 

I was going to start around 4 as well because I want it to still be light enough for photos after the ceremony.  I was thinking of seeing if we could extend the cocktail hour and extra 30 min, we are having a lounge area set up in the sand and having a trio band play for 45 min. Then I was going to ask them to extend the reception for an extra hour (I'm sure and extra cost will be applies) They have the lupita lounge that stays open until midnight so I figured we could move over there if people still wanted to stay out.  

Amazing thread!  I love all the DIY stuff you did and everything looked so beautiful in these photos!  Thank you for sharing!!! 

Also, I was wondering where you got the blue starfish in your bouquet?  And how did it stay in there?  Was it like a hat pin that was inserted into the bouquet?  Thank you and congrats on a perfect wedding!!!

Originally Posted by AllieH 

My photographer ROCKS!! 

 

Here's a link to her blog post/preview: 

http://www.lotusblossomphotography.net/2012/11/allison-and-steve-el-dorado-resort-mexico-wedding/

 

And a link to the slideshow: 

http://www.lotusblossomphotography.com/index.html#/slideshows-allisonsteve/

 

And here are a few of my favorites: 

For JayKay - Proof that the blue starfish was in the bouquet at some point!! 

 

 

My favorite getting ready photo: 

 

 

First look - yup, I teared up big time. 

 

 

Our ceremony & guests (Gazebo 55, EDR)

 

 

A favorite

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table settings: 

 

 

 

so beautiful!  those are some amazing pics! 

Originally Posted by Matt Adcock 

Hi Superlawyer87 and Shannonmarie,

 

Congrats on your upcoming weddings!!!

 

We just finished a gorgeous wedding story at the Now Jade and I had to share it with you because this couple said yes to the Pergola and the Castaways Restaurant:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more inspiration and ideas, check out their full slideshow here: http://delsolphotography.com/blog/content/galleries/?gal=860

 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Best wishes!

 

 

 

 

Hey Nicola, sorry to hear that your TA is having trouble getting in touch with the Groups Department!  That's so odd because my TA had no troubles and they responded fairly quickly.  I'm sure the time difference doesn't help!  Don't give up!  Did you try asking Alejandro about it?  Perhaps letting him know that you are close to giving up will at least possibly result in him reaching out to the group bookings department and see what's happening?  I hope things work out for you!  Keep us posted!

Originally Posted by nicolam 

Hi Everyone,

 

I have tentatively booked my wedding date in August 2013 in the Beloved but I'm having so much trouble trying to arrange a group contract.  I will have guests travelling from UK, USA and Australia and the hotel seems not to be responding to my Travel Agent.  I'm using one in Australia where I am living now.

 

Can anyone offer any help or advice or did anyone have the same problems with the Groups Department in the hotel?

 

I'm really close to just giving up... and I've not even started with the wedding planning!!!

 

Thanks

 

Nicola