Ruzanna

Aug 28th is free so far i will try my best to make it! 

where were you thinking to meet up?

Hi ladies. sorry i was AMA. 

I wanted to let you know that we decided to celebrate our wedding in Toronto. There were many factors that affected that decision. 

That said, i'm so happy to see that you ladies are still planning to meet up! I will still be happy to meet all of you. Lets decide on a date August is good i think.

Ok so i guess weekend it is. Are you sure you ladies want to do it in August or earlier?

Ok Great! So weekend or weekday evening?

Hi Ladies!

I was chatting with some amazing brides here and i thought, why not meet up? We are all planning a destination wedding, we're all interested in new ideas and since you're all so lovely i think it would be a pleasure to meet up and chat  

Let me know if you are interested and we'll figure out a date and time convenient for us all! 

I know there is a separate folder for meet up requests, but i noticed that no one really looked in there. 

@@calgarybride2015 Thank you. I'm really stressing out about those prices though. Honestly having traveled in Mexico before, these prices seem so high! My FI's family has traveled too, so i'm not sure what their reaction will be to find out they have to pay $1400-$1500 for a trip they can book for $1000. 

But you're right, I can't take the "last minute" risk on my wedding. Maybe some of my friends that are on a tight budget will be able to book it separately last minute.....not sure. 

I'm stressing out about my guests' cost, instead of my wedding.....LOL so backwards! haha

@@calgarybride2015 That's why i was very surprised!!! she didn't say that it's going to 100% be $1500. she said "around $1500".  I just checked tripcentral and 1 week, all inclusive, Grand Sirenis September 2015 (our wedding is Sep 2016, prices don't change as much) is $980!

When we traveled to GS in 2012 we paid around $950.

That's why i'm a bit confused. she said that because it's guarantied rooms, hence the price....plus if you book 11-12 then 1 free (you know the usual deals they Agencies have). Hopefully i'll be able to get more info about the prices.

@@krystalball yes for sure! 

If you don't mind me asking, why is your group rate $1485? We always travel April or September-October because of the good rates. Or is it because we book it last minute (1-2 months before)?

@@snswedding2016 Yes, the contract is with the company. Both Karen and Sandi gave me good info.

I asked Sandi what cost per guest i should expect and she honestly said around $1500. I want it to be lower, since if you book your travel as a vacation (outside of the wedding) then you can get 7 days All inclusive at Grand Sirenis in September for $900-$1200. If the group rate is higher than my guests just booking, then i'm not sure what i'm going to do. how can i ask my guests to pay way more, just to be "in a group package" LOL

  @@krystalball that's also a great idea! FI and me will be looking next week, since he's pretty busy with work. I hope either Sandi or Karen will be my TA, because they both sounded very nice.

I was just reading Travel Agent reviews on here and read about the LUXE! 70% was fake!!!!!!!! it was fake for sure! so obviously fake with no effort to even pretend that those are actual users! No active posts, and only that one 5 star review of the LUXE!  Now, even if they are good, i will not want to work with them. 

@@calgarybride2015 as always very helpful!!!! thank you! i'm really hoping to be able to book GS.

Regarding TAs: So far i spoke to 2 recommended TAs. they sounded very nice and gave me some good info. Honestly our main objective is to have it under $1500 for our guests.

Now one of the TAs mentioned that we need to sign a contract with her, but how will we get info from others to beat the price if we sign a contract? 

@@krystalball did you sign a contract with Sandi? 

What a great idea! @@NJBride2014 how did it turn out?

@@calgarybride2015 I've looked at the packages and didn't see any of them mention palapas. So does that mean that even if we choose the more expensive packages we still would have to pay for a location upgrade, if we want palapas? 

And did you have a DJ and a Photographer? Did you hire them outside of the resort?

thank you 

@@snswedding2016  @@krystalball thank you for info!!!

Krystal Most likely we'll have the wedding September 2016. I've been to GS before and loved it! @calgarybride gave an amazing review and when i saw the palapas for the reception, it just gave me chills LOL 

I love their Presidential package, it's expensive but it covers everything we need! We love the 4 hours private dinner at the beach (which i'm sure can be changed to the palapas), 4hr DJ and 10 passes to the spas which will be used for our bridal party and parents. 

My only problem is that it's for maximum 10 people. I'm not sure how much will it be for more people (we're expecting to have 30-40). Any info would be much appreciated! 

@@Ruzanna While I'm sure Karen will do an awesome job for you, I would make sure to get quotes from other TAs as well in order to test the market and make sure you're getting the best price for you and your guests. You can use other quotes to get the TA you want to work with to price match (so you get the service you want and the best pricing).

 

Karen was the first TA I contacted when I started looking for pricing and she was lovely and gave me some good insights on locations I might like, but in the end the pricing for resorts seemed soooo much higher than I thought it should be. I got a referral for another TA from a friend at work and her quotes for the same resorts were almost $200 cheaper. 

 

Even though I love my TA and she has worked like a dog for me (emails returned within the hour, she even did deposits for guests over the long weekend), I still got my MIL to ask her TA she uses for regular travel to get a quote once we had settled on a location and date. That quote was $20 less, but I just got my TA to price match since she's great to work with.

 

Sorry for the long essay here, lol. I just found this whole TA business and the lack of transparency in the markup of the rates from the airlines to be frustrating and stressful. I would be happy to share my TA's info if you want it, if even just to price match if you hit it off with Karen 

 Thank you @krystalball . I will PM you for the TA's info. Also I noticed that you booked Grand Sirenis! We are thinking about GS too! which package did you get?

@@snswedding2016 thank you! I will be contacting her! Let me PM you for some info

Shelac is good for everyday, but if you're going to the beach, from my personal experience, Gel is better. It stays longer. Shelac can chip off, which happened to me on one of our vacations.

Since my nails don't really grow much i get a bit of a tip too. If your technician is good, the tip shouldn't be too thick, ask to make it thinner. 

Hi Ladies!

So I've researched some resorts myself, but I feel that a good TA could definitely help. I'm looking at Riviera Maya Resorts in Mexico.

Do you know anyone good or how to find a good TA in Toronto?

Thank you!

Thank you so much! this looks like a great template for passport invites too!

Thank you ladies! Yes i'm from Canada too @@calgarybride2015 , but from Toronto. I found Michaels to be pricey. Quality matters, for sure, but i don't want to spend extra money on unnecessary things. Thanks for the app idea!  

Love it!!!!

Hi Ladies!

 I believe DW doesn't need much decor, but still some details could be cute. I decided to do some DIY stuff and obviously went to Michaels.

From your experience does Michels have good prices? Can you compare it to Dollar store or any other stores? What have you DIY? 

P.S. Since my main color most likely will be coral, I didn't see many things in that color (( Any advice?

Thank you! 

Thank you for all your advice ladies!!!

@@snswedding2016 thank you for that info! You're right, most of the packages are for smaller groups. I haven't thought of customizing the package for  60+ guests. we don't have our numbers yet. i mean we will be inviting many people, but i don't know how many will actually come. 

Yup. It's annoying. I asked myself the same question: If my guests are all paying for all-inclusive food & drink, why does it cost so much more for the wedding dinner. I do get it to an extent. It's outside of the regular service they are providing both at your event and behind the scenes in the kitchen. They have to staff for it. But they are still making lots of $$$ off us!

 

Our package is $3300 for 25 people (and includes a lot of extras - flowers, photography, videography, makeup/hair, massage for 2, private dinner for 2 on the beach, soloist, etc.). Then it's $94 per additional person for dinner. This includes set-up, champagne toast, wedding cake, cocktail hour, etc. But these are also priced separately so, for example, I don't plan to add any extra wedding cake. We get a cake for 25 plus dessert, so that will save me $7 per extra person. Oh, BTW, this doesn't include the $5 per extra chair for the wedding ceremony! And, if we want our reception to go past 9, we have to pay $15/person per hour for EVERYONE. Don't get me started on sound systems, etc. 

 

I'm sad to say that DWs are a nickle & dime experience. 

@@vancouverpetunia  I'm glad i'm not the only one who didn't get the whole additional pay concept. BUT $94 PP is Toronto prices!!! I can't believe they would charge you that much! Where are planning your wedding?

@@beckys98 $20pp additional is what i saw for some resorts. That sounds more reasonable.  I guess I would have to turn on some mad negotiation skills HAHA

Thank you very much for the valuable info @@racht33