snswedding2016

@@Layla79 The number of people free depends on many factors, when you book, time of year of your wedding, the rooms you've booked etc. I know TinkerSofi has every 11th free, ashhtayy has every 21st free and when we booked we got every 16th free but they are all through Transat. Unfortunately you can no longer use westjet or AC to get a package with Azul Fives, although that being said when I spoke to the Toronto Karisma rep about this he said that because of this they are actually trying to figure out how to incorporate more perks for Canadian brides.

Thank ladies!! @@calgarybride2015 initially I was going to hand them out at the airport but then thought about the liquids. We're either going to have a small informal gathering with our Toronto guests before we leave or I'll give them out with their Christmas presents haha! If we were getting married in the summer, Sean and I would just throw a BBQ in the backyard and hand them all out.

OOT Bags Sean and I went back and forth on whether or not to do bags and after looking on this site and seeing all the inspiration we decided to go for it! We're going to do one bag per family/couple/person (if they are attending single) and hand out the bags prior to travel to those in Toronto to reduce the amount we need to pack and bring with us. I did lots of research on various different bags. A lot of the custom bags were too pricey for our budget and I didn't know if I would have the patience to DIY plain bags - lol! I found some really cute bags from Oriental Trading and with tax and shipping they came out to $2.40/bag (Canadian). The quality is pretty decent and they are a good size and cute! Overall I'm pretty happy with the bags. ID Badges - from Amazon (seller discounttown). A batch of 50 for $15.84 (Canadian -free shipping!) Wrist Coils - from Office Playground. A batch of 50 for $34.22 (Canadian - includes shipping). I could have sworn I specified the colour (the display picture is not the colour your are ordering). It defaults to multi-coloured! At first I was disappointed but then realized I would be the only one who cared the coils were different colours! I'm over it now! haha! My next project is to put the ID Badges and Wrist Coils together with Key Card Holder cards! Contents: Hand Sanitizer - Bath and Bodyworks. I was just going to get regular hand sanitizer but these were on sale in Feb for 3 for $5 with some really fun scents like "Caribbean Escape", "Island Margarita", "Wild Mango Mojito" etc. Travel Sized Shampoo/Conditioner/Body Wash - I posted these in a separate thread. My mom was given a bunch of free travel sized samples so I was able to get these for free!! I got enough for all of my guests. There's Old Spice Bodywash & Shampoo, Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner and Olay Bodywash. Kids Toys - I had some fun getting a bunch of stuff for the kids at Dollarama and Dollar Tree. I got crayons, gliders, spinning tops, stickers, and kites! Things still left to purchase for OOT Bags: -Bandaids -Emergen-C -Nail Files -Floss -Maybe Pepto if I can find a good deal

#1 is my favourite too! The design looks very vintage - love it!

We were on the fence about the BDR for a while. We really wanted to go but we didn't know if we could swing it financially but I just found out from my mom that she can transfer a travel voucher she won to my name and we can use it to get our flights for free! That sealed the deal for us. It will be kinda close for our wedding but it will be before our final payment is due so at least we can make some changes.

@@TinkerSofi Yea I'm really looking forward to the first look now. I agree I think with everything going on for the ceremony it will be nice to have a private moment captured by our photographer. I LOVE the new sections of AF that everyone is posting on Facebook for photos - they look gorgeous!! We're pretty sure we're going to do the BDR in Sept so we're trying to arrange to meet our photographers and do a walk through of spots we want to take photos. For photos after the ceremony I would recommend designating someone (maybe a bridesmaid) to run your group photos. I've done this for several friend's weddings and it really helps speed everything up. You basically just have one person with the 'shot list' getting everyone organized and making sure that the photographer has who they need and the next group is waiting and ready. My photographer also made a good point - he said you can always get group photos with your guests at the reception but you don't really want to lost the light for photos with you and your hubby…after all those are the pics that are going to be up in your house. I totally get you about writing your own vows. It's not for everyone and you definitely want Juan to be comfortable for your ceremony. Sean was the opposite, I tentatively asked if he wanted to write our own vows and he was like "hell ya!" LOL! I've always wanted to write my own as well but now I'm nervous I'm just going to be a hot mess trying to get through them. haha. I'm definitely going to have to practice them a lot!

That sounds like a good plan!! The mingling is key! Sean and I were talking to a friend last night about DWs and she said she went to one two years ago but no one introduced the group to each other or had any sort of events (private or otherwise) before the wedding so she didn't know anyone when it came time for the wedding date. I thought that was a bit bizarre. I don't think you need to do private events every night but at least get the group all together in some way so they can start to get to know one another. As for the first look, we're still learning the process as well. At first Sean wasn't sure if he wanted to see me before the ceremony, not for superstitious reasons but he always thought the first time he'd see me in my dress would be walking down the aisle. The more we talked about it and after talking to our photographer we thought it would be best to do it to maximize our time. I also love the idea of capturing the reaction of both bride and groom seeing each other for the first time. Our photographer says he usually only schedules them for 15 min. We're going to do: Getting ready photos First look (15 min) Bridal Party Pics (15-20 min) Ceremony Group Pics (family & friends 20 min) Couple Pics (in addition to the first look 45 min) Reception

@Tinkersofi We're doing an informal welcome cocktail party (ie. picking one bar to meet up at lol! ). We're probably going to go with 1910 -The Mexican Cantina. It sounds like there is space inside and outside for people to mingle. We're using our semi private dinner at Flavours for our rehearsal dinner but after reading your post, I thought oh maybe having it the day after we arrive is a good idea. So my post may not be helpful at all as I'm starting to reconsider my own itinerary! As for the ceremony and reception time…are you guys doing a first look before the ceremony? If you are that will allow you to take photos ahead of time and still keep a later ceremony like you want. If you're not than you might start to run out of light trying to get all your photos done after the ceremony. Are you doing a lot of group photos after the ceremony? If it is just you and your hubby mainly than it might not be so bad timing wise. I think asking your photographer is your best bet. I did the same trying to figure out timing…and like you I've changed my ceremony start time twice with Karisma. lol! I moved it up once to allow for more photos with the light (as per our photographer's suggestion) and then we moved it back because of the new daylight savings. Both times I almost couldn't move it because of other weddings scheduled. In the end it all worked out. Love the new shoes - super cute!!!

@@pddcmc Love the article you posted! I really identify with her first point of not marrying her best friend. Have you read "The Longest Date - life as a wife" by Cindy Chupak (one of the writers for Sex and the City), I think you would really enjoy it! I read it after I got engaged and loved it. Sending you all the good weather vibes!! Your wedding will be gorgeous!

Me too! Glad to be saving anywhere I can!!

@@TinkerSofi I get the same thing with shellac. Are you using the GIWC perk at the spa? Are you getting the mani/pedi that comes with it? Just wondering if you're also getting your nails done before your wedding if you're getting the spa package once you're there.

@ same here! we're also with Transat and our TA said that most likely the prices will just go up. She said it is mainly to do with the resort we've chosen that they always sell out regardless of the time of year.

My fiancé is soooo not a planner….hence why I was so impressed with his proposal! He planned it all out and by himself no less. I run everything by him but he would let me just go to town if I wanted to. I'm way more concerned about our budget than he is. He's always like "when are we going to have another opportunity for your mom and my mom to get drunk on a beach together for a week" lol! He usually tells me to just buy it and we'll figure it out. This is why I feel like we're a good team, we are very different but definitely compliment each other. I get him organized and he calms me down when things don't go exactly according to my plan (I'm very type A). If I left it up to him he would pack for vacations in a laundry hamper…he's done it before (prior to us being together of course) haha! That idea alone stresses me out just thinking about it! LOL!

My pleasure!

@@veryvalentine the etsy vendor for the cufflinks is BrassAndChain @@ashhtayy the etsy vendor for the paper roses is KristaMaeStudio Happy shopping ladies!!

@@ashhtayy Thanks so much!!! Let me know if you'd like the etsy seller for the paper flowers. She was great to work with, was able to accommodate my book request and she shipped it out very quickly.

@@Meandhim awesome idea! @@acw271011 I did the same thing with my wrist coils. I thought I set it to order all of them in blue but somehow it defaulted to multi-coloured. I was a little disappointed at first but then realized I'm probably the only one who cares that they are different colours.

@@TinkerSofi thanks so much!! We had a lot of fun during the photo shoot! It was also great to meet Derek in person after so much planning over email.

@ yay! I'm so glad you're contacting Karen - I love her!! She's the best! She was just in Thailand for three weeks (looking at gorgeous honeymoon/wedding properties!) and I think she should be back tomorrow. Let me know if you have any questions about working with myweddingaway.com. I'll also send her a message to look out for your email (tell her I sent you ...I'll pm you with some info). As for having a wedding at Azul Fives and not staying there - I'm not actually sure about that one. I wonder if you would need to pay for day passes for everyone. @@TinkerSofi do you know if AF would allow this? Flower Girl Gift I wasn't planning on really doing a gift for my flower girl as we're getting her outfit for the wedding BUT I just couldn't resist after seeing this on etsy. It is so cute and they will personalize a little note to go with it. It isn't very expensive and I can also save on shipping as the seller is based out of Toronto! Just a little something to show our appreciation for her being part of our big day!

Your CDs look amazing!! Love the sea horse card too!! We're doing CDs as well but for as our favours at the reception with all of the music created by friends and family for the wedding. Your guests are going to love the CD and I'm sure it will get everyone excited for big trip!!

@ Thanks but please don't feel ashamed. All of our planning journeys are unique. I know yours will come together beautifully! I kinda started planning like crazy right out of the gate but it has definitely slowed down a bit now. My busy time at work is in the summer-fall and then we get married next winter! I'm trying to get as much done now as I can. I will definitely keep you posted with all the planning updates! This forum is such a great resource and I love how everyone comes together to help each other out. I don't know where I would be if I hadn't found this site.

@@veryvalentine I think the watch is a great idea - especially if he loves watches! Very classy gift! My fiance never wears watches ...although maybe if I got him one he might. It is definitely something I'm considering. Like @@acw271011 my guy is a big techie - loves his tools and gadgets! We don't have kids but father's day is his favourite day to go shopping - everything he loves is on sale lol! We've also been talking about just doing letters to each other and instead of gifts, putting that money towards our honeymoon (like @beckys98). We're thinking of maybe just going all out and having a crazy spa day to pamper ourselves after the wedding.

@@kcole123 congrats!!!

We're still trying to figure out what to get our groomsmen as we have a real mix of guys with varying tastes. I did find something small to include in their gifts this weekend though. They are collapsable stainless steel shot glasses from Amazon. Super cute, fun and for $3.95 each (free shipping)…how can you go wrong? One of the items we're debating are these vintage map cufflinks. I contacted the etsy seller and she said she could make them with maps of playa del carmen. I think they would be really cute but Sean doesn't think most of the guys will use them…which he may have a point, but I still think they look cute! lol He's thinking about it and may come around on the idea.

@@krystalball actually it wasn't anywhere too fancy - we just went to the Keg but we went to the Keg Mansion (so pretty in there). The cake (if you go) is called the Billy Miner's pie. Some of our other favourite places to go are: Black Hoof (a little more adventurous - they have some really interesting items on their menu. It's a smaller place and they don't take reservations but great food and fun atmosphere with great cocktails.) Joey's (it's a chain but we always love anything we order there and I've had some pretty great desserts there too!) If you like Thai food - Pai, Sukho Thai & Khao san road are all amazing and owned by the same couple. I could go on and on... can you tell I'm getting hungry sitting at my desk at work - haha!