Avborges

I'm actually not worried about the heat.. I was warned by my hairdresser at the resort in Mexico to consider an up-do because it's too windy and I would hate to spend my entire ceremony fighting with my hair... 

Originally Posted by kard613 

 

I am so glad I'm not the only one having crazy dreams, and I don't even really consider myself a big planner or someone to stress over little things (well, I guess I was upset about the hotel renovations and the lack of communication with the WC but I wasn't even over the top and got over it all pretty quickly)

 

I have thought about the heat, actually that was one of the reasons why I didn't end up with the dress that I really wanted (Maggie Soretta, Karena Royal) it was just to heavy. I had thought I wanted lace the whole time but then decided that I'd rather be more comfortable and able to dance with out heatstroke.  I  LOVE the dress I have now (its a Priscilla of Boston from her vineyard collection...she went out of business a few years ago but I was able to find the dress at the VOWS bridal outlet). Its not at all what I thought I wanted but in the end it is definitely much more me then a dress with fancy lace (did I mention my dress has pockets?!)

That was my dress too!!!  And I skipped it for the same reason!  

Originally Posted by Billandstina 

 

 

I actually found some at DSW...my dress is the same as yours!

I will try DSW!

Who's your designer?  I'm so excited!

Originally Posted by Lyman 

 

hi Avborges.....would love to hear about how your plans are progressing...... hope you found a great photographer to record those priceless memories of your once-in-a-lifetime Big Day! 

 

looking forward to your update.........L

Hi Lyman!

Plans are going well!  We have found our photographers and can't wait for the big day!  We are using Amorcito Corazon Studios.  

Hi Ladies, I'm having a hard time with shoes!  My dress is ivory/champagne and the material is lace.  I can't find elegant wedges!  Any suggestions?  I don't mind flipflops as the party progresses but I would really like to walk down the aisle wearing heels (my walk will be on grass, sand, then concrete).

Thanks!

Originally Posted by natalieblev 

 

Only four months away now ladies!!! Wow time flew by!

 

Okay so my FI had me make a spread sheet with EVERYTHING wedding related on it to see where we were with the budget. I did not want to do this originally (I was scared hah!) but it actually has helped me so much and has motivated me to start getting things bought and done so i can check them off without having a big sum catch up to us right before the wedding. AND it has challenged me (i love a challenge) to get rid of the 2000 over we were.

 

We are now only 800.00 over!! And counting! So happy.

 

This week we bought our plane tickets- found a great deal on first class (we have been looking almost daily since nov) so we got those and saved 600.00 off our original budget for those!

 

I found a great site for 22 oz beer steins on etsy...she has great prices, designs for free, and made in USA...So ordered 50 personalized cups for my welcome bags. 

 

FI got our ceremony music all ready and has his reception playlist ready to continue to add to these next few months.

 

We got FI's suit and some of the groomsmen have purchased theirs.  We also purchased their shoes and had them shipped to each groomsmen.

 

Oh I sent out my invites and have already received a few RSVP's! That feels great to be done with that. 

 

My bridesmaids and mom have taken over planning me a shower at the resort as well as the bach party.

 

I set up our excursions through a wonderful group down in Punta Cana and we are all set for that except one fishing trip for the hubs.

 

And now I am working on some DIY things so it doesnt get too rushed down the road!

 

Would love to hear what you all have been up to! 

Hi Natalie!  My FI is so lost with his attire!  Where did you FI end up getting?  

Our guests are finally booking and pretty soon I would like to get our OOT bags!

Hi Ladies, our wedding is open to kids.. how should I address the envelope (we don't have inner envelopes to actually name each child).

Mr. and Mrs. Adam Smith & Family 

or 

The Smith Family

How are you guys addressing your envelopes?

Originally Posted by Lindsey Marie 

 

Would you please send me the email address for Juan as well? The preferred Photographer for Playacar Palace is almost $900 for only 2 hours! I think that's a little too pricey, especially considering you can get a Photographer ALL DAY here for $1500! Any recommendations and emails would be great

Hi Lindsey, I put together a spreadsheet with rates for all the photographers I have contacted.  If you want a copy, please email me at [email protected].  

Originally Posted by Jessicalynne 

 

Hi Ladies,

 

I love this thread! Whoever created it is a genius . We're getting married June 15th at the Iberostar Tucan, same as Catgirl (hi!).

 

What legal documents do we need to bring to get married in Mexico? I've read yes to birth certifcates (also read somewhere that those are supposed to be translated), but also no to them. 

 

Also, what are you guys doing for centerpieces? I read on another forum that girls are using the paper lanterns since they're easy to pack...could do some cute stuff with those, but would love to hear your all's ideas.

 

Congrats to all of you!!!

Congrats, Jessica!  I'm also getting married on June 15 at Marina El Cid!

I'm renting hanging lanterns from our resort but I was also thinking of releasing chinese lanterns for good luck.. if I do those, I will most likely bring them with me.

Originally Posted by shannonmarie 

 

I'm pretty sure we are going to do maracas as favors at the reception. I love the little quote about kissing to put on the maracas (Instead of tapping on your glass, here's a system with Mexican class. Stand and shake with all your might to see the groom kiss his bride tonight) and I think it's perfect for a wedding in Mexico. If something happens when the time gets closer and we don't end up buying them, then I think the welcome bag will be just fine! 

I am also doing the maracas + kissing!  I think that too should be enough, right?  I was actually going to use them as place cards.  On the other side of "shake it for a kiss", I am going to right name and table number.

This looks so elegant!!

Originally Posted by agm04 

We're doing the submerged calla lily ones, like this,but I think without the stones at the bottom and without the candle, and cylinder vases instead of square.  The pricing comes as a cluster of 3 - I think they were quoted at $62.50 USD.  I'll probably just do one in the center and one at each end of the table instead (we have rectangular 10 person tables).  Does that sound like it will look weird?

 

 

 

For the cocktail tables for cocktail hour, we're doing non floral centerpieces - just sand and shells in a vase.  Those will be like $19 USD each, and I just refuse to spend any more than that!  Maybe I'm cheap but it just seems crazy to spend so much on simple centerpieces.

Are you guys buying wedding favors or do you consider the items in the OOT bags to be part of your favors?

I'm with you, Shannon..

I will only start OOT bags and decide on center pieces once we know guest count.. I'm not sure how many of each to order or how many tables we will need and I don't want to buy extras of anything!  

Hey ladies!  Just booked our wedding photographer and now I am looking for entertainment.. mariachi band or a spanish guitar.  

What are you ladies up to?

Originally Posted by Avborges 

 

Your wedding date is my engagement anniversary! Most likely I will be a June 2013 bride.

Best of luck!

Now it's official!  I'm a June 15, 2013 bride!!

Hi Ladies,

Anyone hiring a Mariachi band or spanish guitarist for their ceremony/cocktail hour?  What are you also doing for entertainment (DJ or iPod)?

Originally Posted by JessiTaylor 

 

 

i dont know why i only get email alerts half the time!

 

We found a new one! Our band suggested one and gave us the contact details,so fi spoke with them and watched videos to make sure they were decent and he was really happy with them. It is for one hour (last post i couldnt remember if it was one hour or 45 minutes, but is definitely one hour)

 

Fi contacted them in spanish so im not sure whether the guy speaks english (besides, you get way better prices in pesos!) but the email is [email protected]            we had to pay 50% deposit in advance - so 4000 pesos now, and 4000 later, and we're good to go!

Hi Jessi,

I'm new to this threat.. just wanted to know if anyone else found more options for affordable mariachi bands in Cancun. 

I sent an email to Salatiel Sanabria just in case as well..

I think children under 2 are free because when I got my group rates, they grouped children 2-12 and 13-17.  No clear indication of how much for them to attend the reception.. sorry.. if anyone knows that, please share!

Originally Posted by 2013Bride 

 

Thanks so much for the confirmation ladies!  I have 60 people coming and only had 9 platinum rooms booked for 7 nights so was just going to pay for the 10th platinum room but now I see I don't have to, yay!! What a relief that we are covered!!

 

yes.. you are well on your well to enjoy a free 4-course reception dinner!  Congrats!  When is your wedding and how long did it take for your guests to start booking?  I'm getting married June 15 and sent out the STD last week.. so far no one has booked... 

Originally Posted by shannonmarie 

 

Oh wow! This sounds so bad but I hope one third of our invited guest don't come! I wanted something small and simple too! That's why we chose to go this route! 60 is too many for my liking as well!! (I hope none of my guest are on these boards!!!) lol! 

I know the feeling!  I also feel that 60 is large for a destination wedding.. Now that my list is at 201 guests, I hope the statistics are not accurate.. lol

Originally Posted by shannonmarie 

 

It's in Cancun. I'll be fine bringing the medicine but thanks for the heads up! I've talked (and read on here) a so many brides have brought advil, immodium, etc for their welcome bags and nobody has had any issues with smuggling drugs. If you do a search on these boards you'll read dozens of reviews and threads on OOT bags where brides have brought stuff down in their suitcases. If your worried, you can go to the Wal-mart or Costco in Cancun but I just don't want to deal with that once i get there. I'd rather just bring it all down with me & just enjoy my vacation right when we get to the resort!

Thank you!  This is definitely something I have to read more on.  Our TA warned us about it so I had the impression I could spend my wedding weekend in a Mexican jail.  I will read on!  lol

Originally Posted by shannonmarie 

 

Your absolutely right! Things are so much different with a destination wedding! It's all about what works for you. I think you'd be fine sending invites around then.. For me, I'd like to have my RSVP's and a head count by March (latest April) for my own sanity! I'll need to know how many chair sashes, centerpieces, etc to have and I don't want to wait till the last minute. My resort doesn't need an exact count until I believe 45 days in advance, but I'm telling my guest 90 days (although I'm sure we'll have some last minute people book!) Unfortunately we didn't do a room block so I don't have a deadline for them to book by. I wish I did so people wouldn't wait until the last minute! So far (besides our parents and my sister, we've only had 6 guest book). As for an info card, I have all of the info on our website, which I'm sure most of our guest have looked at, but we put some of the important info on the back of the invite. How many guest are you inviting? We invited most everyone we would invite if we were having a local wedding and our guest list is around 150. I'm hoping for no more than 40 though! It gets expensive!  It's amazing how things add up so darn quick!

We have to present our final list on April 14 but I have inquired about that and have been told they are flexible and will add more guests as long as rooms are available.  We started our guest list with 125 guests.. this would have been our max for a traditional wedding.. couldn't afford more than that.. now that we are having a destination wedding, we are at 188!  I'm nervous because I wanted something small and simple.  They say usually one third of guests invited normally attend so can you imagine if I have to make 60 OOT bags?  I'll be in trouble!  hahah  I would love if our guests started to book.. right now it's only the two of us!  A bit nerve-wrecking but I know of at least 30 people who will be there (including family, of course).

Originally Posted by Ktomash 

 

Yep, I want to assure you all again that this is the case!  Here is my correspondence with Deyanira:

 

To further clarify regarding the premium or elite wedding package:

If we have 30 rooms (60 guests) and 5 rooms are booked in platinum rooms for 7 nights each (35 nights total) then we do not have to pay the $4,000 fee for the extra 50 guests ($80 x 50 = $4,000)? You are right you just have to pay the wedding packages selected.

 

::sigh::  Glad you are also confirming!  I can use all the peace of mind I can get!  Soooo excited about El Cid!!!  

Originally Posted by shannonmarie 

 

I too am anxious to start my OOT bags! I have a list of everything I'm putting in but I refuse to buy anything until I have more of a clue how many guest we'll have. Right now I'm clueless. So many people say they are coming but when it comes down to actually booking, I'm not so sure. I am not making them too fancy, and I'm trying to keep the price reasonable. Just plain gift bags with a "Wedding Week Survival Kit" filled with medicine, tissues, chapstick, handsanitizer, aloe, ect, welcome letter, and then a koozie. Trying to keep it pretty simple! I'm trying to keep the OOT bags, and decor limited to one suitcase, POSSIBLY two if I have no choice! From my understanding, each person is allowed to bring in $300 worth of items without paying duties. 

Hmmm where's your wedding?  Be very careful before taking all that medicine on your suitcase!  I haven't done proper research on it yet but they could consider it "smuggling drugs"... last thing you need on your wedding weekend.  I would love to hear from other people how they got medicine over the border.  Or maybe they bot it there?