ashhtayy

@@KBrown looks like set up fee is about $3-$7pp and they do decide once you get there and they see what you have. For me it still made the most economical sense.

 

You can pick components of the memorable moments packages and just add what you want. Everything they offer can be rented for a cost (most time an enormous cost). I know one bride paid for their table settings (linens, Chargers, napkins) but brought he own centrepieces. Anything is possible there you just have to ask!

@@KBrown No, we are not going with one of the memorable moments packages. Are you? Way too expensive for us because we are sitting around 60 guests right now. Keep in mind you can do a la carte there too!

 

We are on the sky deck for both ceremony and reception. We've decided to bring a lot of our decor with us to save some money. Right now the only thing I am/may rent from Lomas is a chandelier, beaded back drop, white sheets (all this for the gazebo), sound system, maybe a cake and maybe (big maybe) a few florals. I already spent a fortune on silk florals that I will be bringing with us as so not sure if we need more. Possibly lighting too. My WC says we won't need more but I've heard otherwise.

 

The ladies on here have been really happy with their hair and makeup. It would nice for you to get pampered on your day but I can imagine that because you are a hair stylist it might be hard to be completely satisfied with someone else's work. All reviews I've read say they're great so of its in the budget, I'd say go for it!

Great to meet all of you!

I'll be at union around 5:45. See you all soon!

@@maria1488 I have my dining room table set up as a guest table right now lol All but one of my runners are still in the bag though so thanks for the advice. I just went and double checked and only one sequin fell off and is on my floor. The sequins are so tiny that I would expect some to come loose but, even at double the price, that would likely happen. I'm meeting with a past bride tonight and will be buying four of her pieces from chair cover factory as well. I'll ask her what she did to get the creases out and get back to you.

@KBrown 

 

Miami WD - Mine is Maribel and it sounds like she is very similar to Jennifer. They take awhile but I do know they are taking care of a zillion weddings at once. Tell Jennifer you want a call, don't want for your scheduled ones! I have sent so many questions that on two occasions Maribel has said, whoa, lots of questions - when can I call you? I then relax on the emails and stock pile all my questions until I can speak with her on the phone. Although I get frustrated with the delays in her replies it is a breath of fresh air speaking with her because she is wonderful over the phone.

 

TA - I am working with an Ottawa based GI certified TA as well but I live in the Toronto area. She is with Centre Holidays and I have been less than impressed...most days. She has gotten better this week though so fingers crossed this continues. I asked who yours was so I could see if we shared similar struggles. Has your TA offered you one of their GI perks? Spa credit, photo credit or cocktail hour credit? We were initially going to use the cocktail hour credit but have since switched to the spa credit.

 

I'm glad you've joined this site! After Steph and Sofi's weddings went by I was beginning to think I was the only AF bride around!

@@snswedding2016 – Again, thank you so much for posting this (and all your other fabulous reviews!) This post couldn’t come at a better time for me. Last night (Mike’s travelling for work) I went through our budget spreadsheet and converted everything to US $. I almost had a heart attack. I knew we were spending a lot but man, it looks MUCH better before you take into account the value of our Canadian dollar.

 

I have a zillion questions, so brace yourself lol

 

Here goes…

 

First, everything you have listed is in US $, correct?

 

Pre-Ceremony
Semi-Private Dinner (included in the A&F package. Up to 40 people, set menu at Flavours. Kids not counted in numbers if they are ordering from the children's menu) FREE
-Menu- smoked salmon, nut crusted chicken breast, apple crisp
Rehearsal Ceremony (time and date TBD onsite - we did this the day before the wedding at 1pm) FREE

 

*Did you use your semi-private dinner for your rehearsal dinner? Good to know kids ordering from the kids menu are not considered one of the 40 people (lol sounds bad, but helps with planning!) Because our group is larger than 40, I was thinking of inviting our wedding party, their significant others and our family. I feel bad about excluding non-wedding party guests but I think that’s what we will have to do. Food was delicious? We blended a few of the menu options with our favs. Hope its delicious!

Cocktail Hour FREE
Location - Zky Terrace/Bar (came with hor d'oeuvres, sparkling wine post ceremony and a signature drink. We had "Tequila Party". Cocktail tables with ribbon in our wedding colour)
**We got lucky on this one...not sure how but we qualified for a free cocktail hour. If we didn't we would have just done an informal cocktail hour in the Zky Bar**

 

*HOW? Did you plan to pay for it but they said it was complimentary when you had to pay your bill before your wedding? I want this! Our Miami WD said to do our cocktail hour on the Xky Terrace (as opposed to Sky Deck where C & R are) because it was cheaper but definitely not FREE. Also, ‘Tequila Party’ is not in my Private Events Banquet Kit? The only options are Asia Pacific ($38USD), Viva La Roma ($23USD), Mexican Fiesta Cocktail Party ($18USD), The Deluxe ($41USD), Mexican Donkey Bar (pay per item), and White Glove Cocktail Party (pay per item).

Reception
Location - Garden - FREE
Decor - we brought our own and then asked for all of the flowers from the HC08 arrangements to be divided among the tables to add to the centrepieces
Set Up Fee - $250 (this included candles, books, vases, signs, favours and string lights)
Menu - Set Menu 2 (Beef Carpaccio, Pork Rib Eye, Creme Brulee - No wedding cake)
Originally $20/pp ...somehow we qualified for a discount and paid $14.40/pp (x50)
Kids FREE (if ordering from children's menu)

 

*Set-Up Fee: I know we won’t know the décor set-up fee until we arrive but how was your experience with this? Was it a negotiation or did they just say $5 x 50 adult guests = $250?

 

*Menu: WOW again with the discount. Was this something your Miami WD told you when you made your selection? According to our listing that would be $20USD pp.

 

Sound Equipment - Amplifier and microphone $250 (for 4 hours. We brought our own playlist and plugged it in - no DJ)

 

*I remember you saying you were meeting with a friend to teach them how to use the Wedding DJ App. Did you set them near the amplifier or were they able to sit them at their regular table and control it from the iPad/iPhone from there? I had a friend that has said if we decide to use the app he’d be happy to control it I just don’t want to have to segregate him for too long!

Misc
Outside Vendor Fee - $800 (photographers)
2 for 1 massages (A&F package) - transferred to our honeymoon at El Dorado Casitas Royale (they gave us 2 for FREE)
Honeymoon Breakfast in Bed (A&F package) FREE
Candlelight Dinner on the beach - transferred to El Dorado as well FREE

 

*Massages: Okay, wow again. Are you and Sean the best negotiators ever or was there some serious luck on your side? Was this a resort mistake or a kind gesture? Again, did you coordinate ahead of time with Miami WD or was this done on site?

 

*Honeymoon Breakfast in Bed: We made our selection for this as well. YAY! We chose the morning after all our guests’ leave (we are staying for a total of 2 weeks – the last 5 days will be just us at AF). When did you do yours?

 

*Candlelight Dinner on the Beach: We picked this one too! Couldn’t justify paying for the pier or the Sky Deck option.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

@@snswedding2016 and @@TinkerSofi did! (January 2016 and August 2015). Search them and you'll find AWESOME reviews of their weddings.

@@KBrown Who is your wedding planner? At first mine took no time to reply...now it takes ages and after a week or two I send a follow up email and she answers half of the questions. Ask her for a planning call if you have a lot of questions. She will spend at least an hour on the phone with you - super helpful!

 

Also, are you using an Ottawa based TA? If so, may I ask who?

 

Oh and you can use the chat for some questions. Like when I wanted the dimensions of the cake I went to the online chat and she was able to get me the answer within minutes. There are some things they can't answer and they will tell you to contact your WD but for basic things like cake dimensions and "can I have confetti on the sky deck?" they're helpful!

@@snswedding2016

 

Firstly, thank you so much for writing such detailed reviews. I can’t begin to explain how helpful and reassuring these posts are.

 

Waking up together, getting dressed in those comfy robes, drinking mimosas and ordering room service sounds like the start to a PERFECT day! PS. You two are adorable.

 

Sounds like your wedding day spa experience was fabulous. Love that they let you give mani’s to two of your girls. I think I’ll extend that to our mom’s if we get so lucky J Did you coordinate that with your Miami WD beforehand?

 

I am so glad that you decided to move forward as planned regardless of weather. I can only imagine how stressful that must have been for that 45 minutes. You’ve mentally prepared me for that conversation!

 

I cannot believe Sean’s dad wife. I’m glad you’re able to laugh about it now and that your BM’s stepped up to take care of that drama. I definitely wouldn’t have been as kind! Good for you, girl!

 

BM’s dresses, robes, YOUR DRESS, GM’s outfits, SEAN! Wow! Love how it all came together. The raw images look amazing – you must be so pleased!

 

I have to know – which gentleman is Mr. Hugo Boss? My first guess is bald gentleman with the beard; my second is Mr. Flow.

 

OMG! That photograph of Sean looking at you (I imagine right after he turned around) is breathtaking! I teared up the first three times I looked at it. HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH! You can see it 

 

Can’t wait to keep reading and to hear about it in person tomorrow. I have 1000 questions lol and I am going to start by posting some of them in the new thread you created.

@@Wafflesmom Can't wait to read all about it!

 

Enjoy the rest of your mini-moon

Love the cake topper! I've been trying to decide on an etsy vendor for mine, so I'll check yours out

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

She was the first etsy vendor I have ever purchased from that never convo or emailed me. I like getting that thank you message or a little note in the packaging. Maybe I've just purchased from extra sentimental vendors in the past lol I am happy with our topper. There isn't much too it but that is all we needed. It's exactly as described on her shop too so no surprises at all. I hope you find something you love!

 

YAY! It's like Christmas every time a parcel arrives. Today's delivery was our table runners. As mentioned before I'm purchasing @ cake table cloth and three runners. I ordered seven additional runners from the same shop. We will have 6 guest tables, a rectangular everything table, a cake table and a head table. I decided to save a bit of money by doing runners on all tables (except cake).

 

These were purchased from www.chaircoverfactory.com for $10.39 USD each. I am so happy we went with champagne instead of gold because these look gold. I'm not sure I would have liked the 'gold' colour.

@ Super cute idea to have the surprise at their house! I can already imagine what my dad will say - "Okay, so are we still going to Mexico? I don't understand this whole thing".

Hi @@ashhtayy
just had my wedding at Azul Fives on December 5th and I have a lot of feedback I can give you in terms of expectations of the resort and wedding team and how things actually run based on my experience. Have you locked your wedding in yet? Also since your wedding is smaller have you considered the possibility of booking through the hotel direct? I'm not sure if that's possible but we noticed a lot of specials running online periodically. The unknown rates thing seems a little odd to me but maybe you should consider a different travel agent. Let me know any other questions you might have....my experience was not stellar with Azul Fives but I think if my expectations were lower I may have been a little more prepared for how things were actually going to run throughout our wedding experience.

 

I'd gladly receive any feedback you have to offer. Our wedding is June 7th, 2016 on the Sky Deck. We are in Canada and booked using a travel agent back in March. Our guests were required to pay their deposits by June 7th, 2015 in order to obtain the group rate we secured. It seems as though we don't get any perks because of the deals we get on combined flight + hotel. The only bonus we did receive because we used a GI certified TA is a credit that can be used towards the spa, photography or a cocktail party. We have opted for the spa credit for my wedding hair and makeup.

 

If you don't mind sharing, what specifically were you unhappy with in regards to your wedding at AF? On-site coordinator? Flowers? DJ? Photography? Food?

Oh! @ - I ordered all my other runners (I couldn't wait) and just checked the tracking number - they're set to arrive tomorrow! I thought I would have to wait until Friday to see them but they've shipped quite quickly. 

Number two has taken a strong lead. Thanks @@maybeoneday & @!

 

Cake topper arrived! I'm too scared to remove it from the packaging so this is the only pic I can share until it shows up on our wedding cake Etsy Vendor: BashandCoParty

 

We also booked an officiant for our at home legal ceremony. We're still working out the logistics but we will be legally married in our new home March 26th (2 months today!) around 5PM. It will be a surprise for my parents and brother as well as Mike's mom and nonna - hopefully they don't find this forum first lol After the surprise wedding we will head to a local restaurant we love for some delicious food and drinks!

@ I tan well and quickly and don't normally burn in natural sunlight but the beds are a different story. I burn very quickly and it takes some time to see the glow (after the burn subsides). Not sure if that makes sense but that's always been the story with my skin. I'll be careful not to go TOO much before before though because I don't want it to look too fake lol

 

I also strategically placed our wedding at the beginning or the trip so that we could enjoy the sun as much as possible and not worry about tan lines. Fingers crossed this pans out.

Will it be weird if I show up with a list of questions?...not just regarding the app lol

I'm in!

 

@ @@snswedding2016 I assume you'll be bringing your photos on your iPads? (YAY!) Do you also have the wedding DJ app on there? I'm hoping if you don't mind you can do a little showcase for me. That's something big we have yet to cross off the list and I'd love to hear all your feedback on it.

@@deecol @@acw271011 @@vancouverpetunia @@calgarybride2015 - thanks for you suggestions. I don't know why making such a simple decision is so tricky for me. I wish I could be like Mike and just pick one and that be that.

 

Tally (including my mum & girlfriends)

 

1- III

2- IIIII

3-I

4-II

 

To be honest this is how I pick my meal when I'm at a restaurant too. Wait for everyone else to pick them go from there lol

@@Kirsteen I plan on starting to tan for my June 7th wedding fairly soon. I am going to do beds though, not a spray tan. The issue with the spray tan is the more showers you take and the more you swim, the more quickly you will lose that tan.

 

I have had spray tans for $40 that turn out blotchy (hands and toes) and spray tans for $75 that have done the same. The cream they provide for those 'creasey' areas helps but its not fool proof.

 

If you aren't against tanning beds, I would suggest you do that instead of a spray tan. Don't get me wrong, I have had spray tans I've loved and that photographed nicely (friends weddings) but in my opinion it may not be the best alternative for a DW where you'll likely be in and out of the pool (and sweating a lot!) 

 

I can't comment on lash extensions other than the fact that I too want them. Badly. A lot of the ladies on here have gotten them and will likely chime in. Where do you live? You may get lucky and get some suggestions on where to go as well.

OMG. I just asked Mike...

 

A - "Which one do you like best?"

M - "They're all the same?"

A - "No, look closely; they're all slightly different".

M - "Oh, yeah! Hrmmm I like #1".

A - "Why?"

M - "It's...captivating?!"

 

LOL so helpful!

 

@@deecol thanks! i have no idea...

Opinions please! 1, 2, 3 or 4...

I am going to put this post in both the 2015 and 2016 forum to try and get the most feedback possible.

 

Right now we have 10 in our group that are booked for 4-nights land only, the rest are 7-night land and flight. We've had other people come forward requesting land only rates and two months later, no rates have been received. Our travel agent says that is because Karisma has seen a surge of Americans booking the land only rates in CAD $ therefore the rate on their site is super high to deter this from happening. Apparently they are being very strict on the number of land only rooms that are being allocated to CDN tour operators.

 

Has anyone else ran into this? Seems crazy to me that a resort would rather no business at all over a 4-night stay.

 

Obviously this is a huge deterrent for our guests. 1. Who would want to wait over 2 months for rates? 2. The price our agent sent from the site is astronomical (double actually).

I am going to put this post in both the 2015 and 2016 forum to try and get the most feedback possible.

 

Right now we have 10 in our group that are booked for 4-nights land only, the rest are 7-night land and flight. We've had other people come forward requesting land only rates and two months later, no rates have been received. Our travel agent says that is because Karisma has seen a surge of Americans booking the land only rates in CAD $ therefore the rate on their site is super high to deter this from happening. Apparently they are being very strict on the number of land only rooms that are being allocated to CDN tour operators.

 

Has anyone else ran into this? Seems crazy to me that a resort would rather no business at all over a 4-night stay.

 

Obviously this is a huge deterrent for our guests. 1. Who would want to wait over 2 months for rates? 2. The price our agent sent from the site is astronomical (double actually).

If you create a Facebook group please put anything important on here too. I'm that annoying friend with no Facebook that needs the email updates lol

 

Thanks

@@Wafflesmom Happy Wedding Day!