Sarah519

would someone be able to email this to me? [email protected]

Hi, Haven't heard from you since last week....

Just waiting to hear back from you so we can arrange pick up for flowers.

THANKS! Can't wait
 

Does anyone have anything that the coordinators have sent you about the flowers? Did you wait until you got down there to pick what you wanted or do you let them know ahead of time? I got the original upgrade package that comes with an extra flower arrangement but not sure what to expect. Have any had luck with swapping out red carpet for petals?

My wedding isn't for 5 months but I'm having a hard time envisioning everything..and trying to make the most of the decor and fake flowers I buy so that I can use it for the AHR too. This budget is getting more and more stretched lol

Does anyone know where to buy cheap marracas online? I know they are probably cheaper when I get there but dont think I will have time to go to town before hand.

Also, just wondering about the booking 25 rooms special someone mentioned....I have over 25 rooms booked and was wondering if anyone knew of a contact I could email to see if I can be eligible for any discounts on the wedding package.

Thanks ladies!

Hey Liz! I really liked the pictures they posted on their Facebook page/website as well! I'm really happy we were able to book them. We looked at bringing a photographer and also other photographers in the area and this was by far the best deal! We have the same wedding date?! Your profile says February 6th, has that changed? I'm getting married on December 4th at 4:00pm. We chose the beach pergola as we have always wanted our wedding to be directly on the beach! What time/where is your ceremony at?!

I wouldn'

Hi Everyone, After having read all the comments and information and finally getting caught up, I am feeling somewhat sour at my wedding coordinator.  Only because I am set to get married on January 14, 2013, however, I haven't been able to book the restaurant or the ceremony location.  The only thing confirmed is the date and time.  My wedding coordinator at the grand palladium advised me that she will not be looking at planning my wedding until about 2-months before the actual wedding date. Has anyone else had any issues with planning their wedding / wedding coordinator?  Should I be concerned?  What if I don't get the ceremony location that I wanted or the restaurant?  Starting to get stressed here, and that is the last thing I wanted....Any advice? Alyn [/quote I wouldn't stress too much. They book 2 weddings a day so if you have your time booked you will be able to get married whereever you want. I guess for dinner you might want to get that booked in but my coordinator told me the same. Who do you have? Mine is Grace...shes been great with getting back to me in a couple days but sonetimes I wish i had Vanessa as she seems very good at English and at offering suggestions. I find it a bit hard to understand Grace...ive heard they are all great when you are there though. I think since they do 2 weddings most days it must be hard to keep everyones straight and i know when my wedding gets closer I want her answering my questions asap!!! Lol not answering someone whos wedding is 9 months away instead of me haha. Most things seem to be able to be picked during meeting at resort before wedding. Does anyone have any info on the actual ceremony? Vows or what they read out? Just curious on what everyone prepares before going? Also,for any past brides...how big was your free bouquet?? Just wondering if its worth ordering bridesmaids bouquets from local flower shops instead of using the resorts.

MyTye2B Honestly it doesnt hurt !!! Most of my clients fall asleep on the massage table. I play spa music and it usually happens lol. A pad sticks under your lower lid to seperate lower lashes ... Thats probably the weirdest feeling of the whole process.

Hi Ladies, just some quick note about eyelash extensions to answer some questions I saw some of you post...

I am an eyelash technician and if done properly you shouldn't feel them at all.

They shouldn't feel heavy and shouldn't damage your natural lashes. I read how some of you were able to remove them with baby oil...if it was done with quality glue and done right then oil would not work to remove them. Over time oil could break down the bond but not in one shot.

They are really durable and you can swim, and sleep, and wash your face like you normally would...just avoid oily makeup remover or waterproof mascara (most people don't wear mascara with them anyways) and keep your lashes dry for the first 24-48 hours.

Also, read that someones eyes were very sensitive and watery after they took their contacts out...please take your contacts out BEFORE getting them done as your eyes are shut for 2 hours and it will definitely cause irritation and dryness for your eyes.

My suggestion would be to make sure you consult your technician about length and thickness so that you get the desired look you are looking for. If done properly they should shed slowly like your natural lashes and most come for fills every 3 -  4 weeks without them looking too sparse.

I would recommend getting them done about 4 weeks before your wedding...then again on the week before you go away get a fill. They will be thicker then the first set put on and it will give you time to get used to them and make sure you like them. I love them for vacations...not mascara and your eyes pop all day long.

Ill be getting them done for my wedding. If anyone has any questions about them I'd be happy to answer them. Just send me a message.

Whats left?

They seem to be $3.11 each now though

Loubellou thanks so much for your post. I like those ALOT better! Are you happy with the size? I thought the ones I had picked might be too big

Hi girls, I wanted these waterproof phone bags for my guests as I figure they could use them on excursions for their cameras/room keys/tip money. I am trying to get a wholesale deal on these though as they are $1.60 on ebay. The supplier messaged me back and said for 100 I can pay $1.00 each. I was thinking of giving 1 per couple so I really only need 40. Does anybody want to split this order with me?

I act

Hey MsCD; what brand of hand sanititzer did you buy at Dollarama? I've seen the 3 pack of sanitizers but never the 6.   

Do you have any of those orange chair sashes left and if so how many?

Times for wed

Hi girls, It's been a while since I had been on but it's great to come back and the first thing I read is a great review of chrestenas wedding! I now can't wait for mine. We've booked ours for February 19th 2014. I seem to be having the same issue with colours- we had already chose the bridesmaid colour of teal and I'm not sure anything but white will go with it. In thinking of bringing some coloured sashes to brighten it up a little. I have been emailing Vanessa and honestly I'm getting a little anxious. She wants me to choose a restaurant but is only able to provide photos of a wedding set up in the portafino. I have some very fussy eaters in my family and the menu for el dorado will suit our group much more but I really want to see what the set up is like before I go ahead and book- does anyone happen to have any photos of this they can share with me? The portafino terrace is beautiful and I just hope they can do something just as nice in el dorado. I've also asked a few times for confirmation on the time of our wedding- our request was for 4pm. Did anyone else have an issue with this? Becci

I'm just wondering if anyone else is going though the same thing with trying to book group packages- we get the group pricing from our TA then all our guests are expected to pay in full within a couple of weeks (before that special pricing expires). They can't put a deposit and pay on a few months. Our wedding isn't for 7 months. If we want to hold seats we can't use the discounted rates. And then all payment has to be in within 6 weeks. Any advice/suggestions-or is this the same experience everyone else is having?

Hi l

The suit has been difficult for us.  I agree, Moores, TipTop, and other stores in our area have a very limited selection as far as suits go, and I was surprised at the cost - the suit cannot cost more than my dress, that doesn't seem right to me...  We also decided against linen, which limits us even more.  We went into Michigan this weekend to see if the US had more selection.  We went to countless stores, and it was very difficult to find something in his size off the rack.  We ended up choosing something from Joseph A. Bank.  It's a suit made especially for warmer climates, called "tropical blend".  My fiance really liked the material of the suit as it is very light, and it was a great colour too.  Patrick said he felt like it was something he would actually wear again.  He wasn't able to try it on in his size, we had to specially order it - means another trip to the US for us.  I really hope it fits.  Now to find a reasonably priced and slim fitting pale blue dress shirt. This particular suit was on the top end of our price range for him.  There are no matching pants for the groomsmen, so I am not sure what we are going to do there.  My fiance suggested we find a darker shade of pants for them, with a darker blue shirt.  I have no idea if this will look okay or not, but I guess it's not that big of a deal ( - aka don't stress ). I think it's great you are starting so early.  It will allow you to figure out sizing and then keep an eye out for sales online, etc.  My personal favourite suit was from Express - I think he looked super sexy, but he didn't love it.

Hey Ladies, Grace wants me to confirm all my locations for December wedding. I was going to do a cocktail party after ceremony before dinner to kill time but as some of you mentioned I cant justify paying for cocktails when they are included especially since i dont know how many of the guests will actually go since some may do their own thing. Anyone that had been there do you have a good bar to recommend i put on itinerary that could acvomodate 50 people? I was thinking the emelia bar since it seems close to pergola and nice to watch sunset on the beach but wasnt sure how big it was. Any insight would be appreciated!

H

Hey Amanda, I don't think we're going to tell our guests that we will be getting legally married before we leave for Mexico, although my mom knows and my bridesmaids know. They don't think its a big deal but same as with Lauren, my fiancé and I are going to treat the mexico wedding as our 'real' wedding .. and when we get legally married we won't be doing anything fancy .. so Jan 2nd will be what we consider our anniversary. I'm planning on doing the private beach bash & have it booked as of right now. I have wanted it ever since I saw the pictures and read the description. I mentioned it to my mom and her & my aunt really loved the idea. Are you thinking of doing the beach bash or?? Bre

Originally Posted by jengullage 

 

Hi ladies!

 

Welcome to all the newbies!  Vanessa emailed me this week and told me that the Karen Bussen Packages are available now and that I could change my vow renewal package to one of the new ones so I have been looking at these for options but have so many questions and concerns! Maybe some of the new brides here will be wondering the same thing/know the answers to!? 

 

What I am finding with these new packages is that you can't really "customize" anything in them.  If you choose white as your colour pallet from the limited choices they offer per package (which is what I would have to go with as they don't have coral or torquiose) then you cant make any of the flowers anything other than white.  So for example I am looking at the Mayan pearl package, and choosing white- so the flowers are white lilies for everything-even the bridesmaids, so there is no colour contrast. And I couldn't choose their pink colour as my colour scheme because it would clash with the coral dress of my bridesmaid.  Ideally, my bridesmaid having white would be fine-but for that package all they offer is a tiny white lily bouquet (i think its one or two flowers only), and then i would like to have a few coral coloured flowers mixed into mine, but they can't do that.  So I am disappointed about that.  It's kind of one colour for everything  Is anyone else going through these motions right now and finding out anything more than what I have discovered???

 

You might think "well then just keep with your original package" however my fiance has really fallen in love with the look of the mayan pearl package decorations and palladium packages will not let u use those decorations unless you get the karen bussen packages.  The chairs and more modern looking chair covers is what has caught his eye and he is pretty stuck on them now~ lol.  

 

So if anyone else has some more answers on how we can change or if we can change some details in these packages please let me know!

 

Jen

I have also been sent the new packages if I wish to change it but are the Karen Bussen packages an additional fee or do you think that fee replaces the original one? I too don't like the set colour schemes. I think Palladium should offer some kind of incentive for hosting weddings with them. I am over the 40 guest mark now so I am very stressed about not being able to have my dinner at an a la carte. I can't afford to pay 50-60 per person for dinner and am already having to pay $20 per person just for the ceremony on top of wedding package so its adding up quick. Gah!

I think I am going with the original vow renewal package I picked. Grace has sent me the bouquet examples I can choose and the other items like bridesmaids bouquets seem to be priced a bit better. They don't seem to have outside vendor fees so what about going with the original package and seeing if there is any rental companies in the Mayan that would be affordable enough to bring in a few things that your fiancé really likes?

I wouldn't wait for prices to go down. The way things work now the travel agents have advised me that they mostly just go up for groups....last minute deals are more for people who are traveling in small groups and flexible to where they go. I got a group rate held for 90 days from Transat and they have a price drop guarantee plus the Palladium offers "Early Booking Date" discounts of about $250 a person. My wedding is in December and with transat, the suites were already all booked by February in the Whitesands area. Also, planes book up quick. I tried getting a group booking for November back in January and the flights were pretty booked up already for holding large group spots on the plane. I ended up having to move it to December. Basically my main point is I would recommend getting quotes as soon as possible...Palladium is a pretty popular resort.

Originally Posted by Chrestena 

 

Hi ladies I came into the den with a nice glass of wine to read all the lovely posts!! This is becoming one of my favorite relaxing moments of my week.  Welcome Carlota! Your English is beautiful! And congratulations...this has been such a wonderful place to connect with other brides and talk things through, and share ideas.  We also, in a small way, get to celebrate with them after their weddings, through the photographs, like we did with Shayla! 

 

As for the tipping- I am from New York, and we tip for everything...ugh. So yes, we are planning on tipping Vanessa. In NY it is customary to tip between 15%-20%, so we were thinking we would only tip on the cost of the actual wedding services, not the reception. Our wedding came to $2200, (not including the reception, or cocktail hour- this is only the cost of our actual wedding package) so we would tip Vanessa around $400 US dollars.I am hoping this is fair.She has been such a great help, and is really good at communicating with me. I think it is worth it. 

 

Carlota- it sounds like our wedding day will be very similar!!  We too, are getting married at the beach gazebo at 4 pm, followed by a cocktail hour, and finally the reception at La Laguna. (we will also be having a Spanish Trio play directly after the ceremony for our first dance). And my fiance too is from Italy! (although he is very American too...he came here as a baby). I will be sure to tell you how our day goes!! ( I have 65 days to go!)

 

Shayla- thank you again for the beautiful photos, you look  absolutely stunning!!  And also, thank you for sharing the idea of bringing a list for the photographer...that is a great idea. Im glad to hear that there wasn't too much stress without having a traditional rehearsal dinner...and your right...as long as the guys know what to do...I should be ok...

 

Mikeycelle- your dress is amazing!! oh my gosh!! The lace is stunning, and you will no doubt look beautiful As for favors...I will put up a photo below... we are doing OOT bags and favors, but only because we found these maracas for so little money. I know maracas might seem like the obvious choice for a wedding in Mexico, but they just seemed like so much fun- and they look really bright and happy We ordered them from a website called "Amols". We have 50 handpainted (from Mexico) maracas for under $60 (US dollars). 

 Its funny how they made the trip from Mexico, to Texas where the Amols store is, to New York, where we live, and are going back to Mexico for our wedding.  We are tying ribbon with cards that have our names and our wedding date on them.

 

Karenk- your day is almost here!!! I am so excited for you!! Good to know you love the DJ App...I will be working with that sometime this week and next...and I am wishing happy thoughts for your wedding day

 

Jengullage- I am with you on the mens footwear...we finally decided on the outfits for the men...which, I have to say-was not easy! They are wearing leather slip on shoes from Italy. I told them they could wear flip flops but they chose the shoes.  I know you were asking about coral dresses...my bridesmaids are wearing coral dresses that are so pretty,from the Jordan line.  I am attaching a photo of the dress but it is shown in the ice pink color, not the coral.  The coral is a nice, bright tropical color-beautiful!  If you go to their website you will be able to see it...it is really pretty in person...I don't know how you feel about ordering online, but if everyone takes their measurements, I'm certain it will be fine

 

 

Lauren-I was thinking about the same thing with the hot sand, as you and Jengullage were. I also ordered foot jewelry for myself and the girls, but I still want shoes to wear for the ceremony and reception. I will wear the foot jewelry on the beach, or maybe not even on that day but on the honeymoon...I don't know. I really would like to find some beautiful shoes but I am still looking!  Yes, my dress is in...and I love it!! I just need to have the train taken off and made into a sweep train...I don't want all that length in the back. Here is a photo- but please disregard my face! lol...I was looking at my dress with my hair and trying to decide what to do with it-wear it up or down, it gets so windy near the beach...so I look confused (or mad)...I wasn't! lol  I am trying to decide also on a belt or not- and if you girls could give me your two cents that would be great...thin sparkly belt or no belt? Decisions, decisions decisions!   Claire- I know you are anxiously awaiting your dress! I know it will be lovely!!!

 

 

 

Ok- well, my wine is gone, and I should go check on the fiance...I've ignored him enough for tonight!  

Chrestena I think a belt would look FANTASTIC. I tried a dress on like this and the seamstress brought over one about 1 1/2 inches thick and it just finished it off so nice. That dress is gorgeous though either way! I know what you mean about hair up or down...probably going with half up "waterfall braid to keep hair from blowing but still romantic and flowy.  Have you got your bridesmaids dresses in yet? I am also doing coral and am going with a similar style in mind...perhaps a long style as some of the girls hate their calfs lol?? Are your guys wearing suits? I have linen shirts so far but think the groom may wear a jacket so hes a bit more formal.

Originally Posted by brebuisson02 

 

Hey Sarah! I also saw the beach party on the Palladium wedding website and thought that would be an awesome idea & when I mentioned it to my mom she thought my aunts & the older relatives would probably prefer that to just going to the disco or to a sitting bar after the supper. I messaged Rocio about it & she said it can be added to any wedding package and she seemed to know what I was talking about. I was also a little concerned because our wedding will be on a Friday and on Friday's they have the beach bonfire so I was wondering if that would make a difference for me - she said that the beach bonfire date depends on whats happening that week and also that they are in different locations from the 'Private Beach Bash' so it wouldnt affect anything!

Oh that's good to hear that Rocio said its possible. Since I have her assistant I think she just may not be as familiar with the options. I also didn't know about the Friday Beach Bonfire. That sounds so fun! I had read about the Monday night White party. I think I may have to put it out to the guests to pack something white. So excited and it seems so far away! Good luck planning!!!

Hey Ladies

My wedding isn't until December 2013 so if you have any décor/items for sale in the coral/tourq. please keep me in mind! I have just started my search.

Do you live near the border? I use Kinek ...google them. At basically every border (about 5-10 mins over) they have a mail address office that you can ship to and notify you when it arrives so you know when to pick it up. I think they hold your items for i think 90 days before charging extra fees. Port Huron