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Like so many other brides before me, it would seem, I wasn’t going to do a planning thread. But I have seen how helpful they can be to others, as well as it’s a great way to solicit ideas for your own planning. Not to mention, I think it will help me stay on track. So here goes… How We Met We met at a destination wedding at Dreams Tulum in Nov 2010. I was there for my co-worker and he came as his buddy’s “plus one”. Jeff knew the wedding couple and a lot of the guests, but he wasn’t close enough to be invited. In a sense we were both outsiders, since I was a friend from work, and while I knew many of the bride’s friends, I was not close to any of them. It turned out that it didn’t matter - we made fast friends and had so much fun over the course of that week. He followed me around like a puppy dog the entire week! (I hope he never reads this - he will kill me ) Because I had not been to an all-inclusive before and I generally like more active vacations, plus the fact that I wasn’t super tight with the group, I had booked a couple of excursions on my own. Jeff’s friend “volunteered” him to come with me on one. Thank goodness he did. I was so hungover. I wouldn’t have made it back down the Coba pyramid without him! But I wasn’t interested. I really liked him. We got along so well and he made me laugh. But I wasn’t into him. I was recently out of a relationship that ended badly, so I’m sure that was part of it. Strangely, he’s quite shy by nature, but he was NOT shy with me. He made his intentions clear from the start, but I wasn’t going there. Anyhow, fast forward a year. I finally emailed him to send him photos from the Coba excursion (he conveniently forgot his camera). I suggested drinks, thinking that since a year had past, maybe we could now be friends. And here we are almost 3.5 years later. The Proposal We had been talking about getting married. We had been talking about rings. I inherited a ring from my grandma that is really ugly (and not an antique or anything I want to keep for sentimental reasons), but has some diamonds and gold that I suggested he use to have a ring custom made. That was a little too intimidating for him, I guess. He told me to go ring shopping with a girlfriend, which I did, but didn’t tell him about. One night, after many drinks, and him complaining about not knowing what to do about a custom ring, I tossed a business card at him with 3 model numbers printed on it. That was summer 2014. We had a big trip planned to Spain and France in Sept 2014. I thought he might propose. But as the days passed in Barcelona, nothing. I was trying not to expect it, because I didn’t want to be disappointed. Then towards the end of our trip, the two of us alone in a ruined castle tower in the South of France, he whipped out the ring and proposed. I forgot to say “yes”. I said “thank you” instead, because I had this pretty “gift” he was giving me. He had to clarify. LOL. He had the ring in his wallet the whole time - walking around Barcelona, pickpocket central. I still can’t believe it. The Destination We considered a local wedding (or somewhat local). I wanted something very casual - maybe a BBQ in a park? But public parks don’t allow booze! So now what? We thought about going to the Okanagan, which is like Canada’s Napa Valley for those who aren’t familiar with it. We’ve done an annual trip there 3 years running, and I grew up in the area, but no longer have any friends or family there. But it just wasn’t quite right. We’d also been to the Riviera Maya twice since we originally met. It is our go-to place for a relaxing, easy getaway. Plus we met there, so it just seemed right. We’ve now been there a total of 4 times together, having just returned from another trip last week. And we both had so much fun at the wedding at Dreams Tulum. I hope ours is just as good! Resorts I started doing research on resorts in late November, I think. I also contacted a destination wedding travel agent in probably December, who further helped with the research. We considered Grand Princess (we’d previously been there on vacation), Grand Palladium, Ocean Coral & Turquesa, all 3 Azul properties (Beach, Sensatori & Fives), plus Now Jade and Now Sapphire. It was really tough finding the right combination of resort and wedding package, while trying to consider our guests and their needs as well. I have a huge spreadsheet with all the details in it for comparing resorts. Although it’s still early in the planning stages for me, I think choosing the resort was the toughest part of the whole process. For various reasons we narrowed it down to Now Jade, Now Sapphire and Ocean Coral & Turquesa. In mid-January, we put down a deposit with the TA and she got quotes from those three for travel packages (air + hotel + transfers). OCT was a bit cheaper, but it’s not as highly rated either in stars or reviews as the Now properties. If it had been a lot cheaper, I would have considered it. It was tough to choose between the 2 Now properties, but Sapphire was a little bit cheaper, seemed to have a more “Mexican feel” to it, which I wanted, and I also have a colleague who was married there 2 years ago who had a great experience. We booked Now Sapphire at the end of Feb. Guests We invited 62 adults plus some kids. Of course, we knew some would not come. I was thinking we might end up around 40 - 50. At this point, I think it may be closer to 30 - 40, which I actually prefer. We currently have 33 people who have said they are coming (plus a few kids), as well as 12 who have said they are not. I don’t know about the other 17, but suspect not many will come. Of the 33, 11 have put down a deposit. Our booking deposit deadline is May 15. Save the Date We sent a simple email with links to our wedding web site (http://erinandjeff.weddingwoo.com/) and attachments including travel details. We have an RSVP form on our web site, which I built in Google Forms. I’m not planning to send paper STDs, but I think I will send paper invitations. Obviously we have almost a year until our wedding, so plenty of time to plan and work on all those little touches. But I’m a planner and our wedding is my new obsession, so stay tuned for more updates soon, I’m sure!

Oh... Where do I start? Our story is long, and hectic. I'm very excited to share our journey with you. I have been lurking Best Destination Wedding for some time and now I'm here to have my voice. Chuck and I met in 2012. We met at a bar through mutual friends. It didn't take long for me to know he was the one. We started dating the day after valentines days, February 15th 2013. The number 15 is my new lucky number. Chuck and I have been through our fair share of rough patches. We've been through moves and job changes and the only thing that changes is the strength of our love for each other. This past summer we were once again in the midst of some career changes. We decided to take a trip to spend some quality bonding time before I was going to submerge myself in my work. The day we picked for our trip was August 15th 2015. We had a phenomenal drive up there. We're from Windsor so it took about 4 hours by the time you factor in visiting an old boss in Ancaster. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. We seemingly had picked the HOTTEST day of the year to go hiking. The background was BEAUTIFUL. In my younger adult years I'd lived in Hamilton and went to school at Mohawk. Actually getting out into nature and spending time with not only who I love but doing what I love was very important to me. Earlier in the day I had convinced Chuck to buy a Selfie stick (LOL). So while he was taking that, I turned around to grab some snaps of the falls. I was so happy just being outside and being active. I didn't even hear Chuck calling my name. When I finally turned around, I found Chuck waiting for me with something in his hand. Now I wish I could say he was completely down on one knee but the situation wasn't ideal. Anybody who has been to Albion Falls knows how rocky and mucky it can be. He began to tell me how important I was to him and how he knew it just felt right too. Thank GOODNESS I was wearing sunglasses because I was a wreck. I was crying and shaking and so excited. In that moment, we didn't even notice the hundred people who were going about their adventure around him. 2.5 years after we started dating (to the day) I said yes to marrying the love of my life. When I called my mom (who was in on the whole thing) she was so happy. The words destination and beach wedding were already flying out of her mouth. My heart was always set on a beach wedding. I am a beach person. I live for the sunshine and warmth. I'm not a big family person. I only keep in contact with a few family members (My mom is the youngest of 15). To me a wedding is intimate and not about who can throw the most money at vendors. However, I knew this attitude would not hold up with both sides of the family. When we returned home we immediately threw around the ideas of Jamaica and Mexico. To me, Cuba was not an option. I adore Cuba. I have been 3 times. Compared to the Dominican , I prefer Cuba. However, I wanted to experience somewhere different, more elegant. By September we had decided on The Grand Sunset Princess in Playa Del Carmen. We chose a bridal party of 7 each (I know, a lot). The GSP was going to cost me 1500$ CDN tax in from Toronto May 10-17th 2017. At first, everyone was on board. The deposit date was January 4th 2016. Nobody booked. We opted for a very personalized letter that we distributed to about 100 of our family and friends. We hand delivered each letter and explained how excited we'd be if they could join us. Nobody. Not even my parents. With the deadline approaching (as well as Christmas), my heart started to break. Family members were calling demanding to know when the at home reception would be(which I hadn't planned on). We had decided on a private beach reception (that was going to cost me a pretty Canadian penny). By mid December, we cancelled our Mexico Weddingmoon. 4/7 Bridesmaids had convinced me to do a home wedding. The promised they'd help with everything. And so we booked a Venue, and a DJ and a Decorator. Our new date was February 11th 2017. Our TA was excellent. She had arranged to allow us to keep our deposit for our honeymoon instead. Over the next two months I became stressed and obsessed. Every time I'd turned around our guest list swelled by 5 and the cheque book was signing more and more money away. My small home wedding turned into a 200 person extravaganza. Our honeymoon was going to cost 6000 minimum. I broke down. My heart felt empty as we planned a Winter Affair. No longer would I spend a week with my parents who have never been somewhere tropical. No longer would I profess my love for Chuck on a beach with the Toes in the Sand. With everyday that passed, we struggled to find help. Bridesmaids didn't want to do what I asked. I would make numerous appointments for dress fittings, they wouldn't come. We threw our engagement party were almost none of the BM's showed up. They didn't want to help. I plopped on the couch in the mid of February and told my mom I wanted to run away...too my surprise she said DO IT. So we are. We searched in Cuba for a cheap alternative. All the expectations I had were out the window. I settled on a symbolic ceremony with no bridal party. We decided not to tell people our new plans. For all most people know, we're going away with family for a early winter getaway. Our Travel Agent at Goligers Travel in Windsor is our lifesaver. She rerouted our deposit (again) and was able to secure us 30 seats to the Melia Varadero for November 11th to 18th 2016 (Friday to Friday). The cost ended up at 1308 pp , tax in. Chuck and I splurged, we upgraded to Suite at The Level Melia Varadero. And even still, the price we got was better then our pp cost for a honeymoon in Jamaica. http://blog.meliacuba.com/luxury/new-level-melia-varadero-timeless-luxury-avant-garde-flair/ So Where are we now. Well... about 3 weeks ago I used inspiration from another BDW bride and used Paperless Post to selectively pick who I'd invite first. Instead of giving guests 90 days for the deposit, we've chosen 45 days with a date of April 15th for cut off (Obviously we have the ability to add more for 45 more days). This has been received well. The paperless invites have been a hit. It cost me 20 dollars to invite 50 guests and I have left over coins yet. As of writing we have about 10 confirmed attendants. Truthfully, that is all I need. My dress has been bought already and I'm ready to go. I am anticipating about 20 people including us to travel. At this time we have no real plans for anything besides a housewarming party after the wedding. We are currently trying to save up for our house (we're touring some this week), and what better way to celebrate our casual marriage than with a casual housewarming party. I promise to add more information as I go. I have bought some cheap decorations and am hoping to get working on formal invites once we buy the house. As the booking deadline approaches, I will focus more on the OOT bags and other details. Thanks for everyone's support. I look forward to sharing my journey with you all !!!

Hello beautiful brides! I wanted to start a forum to share wedding information about the Cancun resorts managed by Playa Resorts. I've booked my April 2016 wedding at the Hyatt Ziva opening in Cancun November 2015. It is formerly the Dreams Cancun resort. Here is a photo of one of the wedding venues available at Hyatt Ziva and the Hyatt wedding brochure. I think the venue is going to be gorgeous! I look forward to chatting with other Playa brides! Hyatt Weddings Brochure- FINAL.pdf

TADAAAAA - We have a date! 8 months after our engagement, and 5 months after joining this site. A whole lot of researching, nagging, a site tour, and basically blood, sweat, and tears. We have finally made the commitment. I should have just listened to @@calgarybride2015 to begin with! Props lady! This is a Planning Thread v 2.0 for me, so I'll just copy/paste some of my previous backstory. How We Met He likes to call it "Fishing Off the Company Pier" which basically means we met at work. I was a Service Advisor, and he is an Automotive Technician. I've since left the position as it is considered a conflict of interest (although no one had any idea we were together). Initially we were both in relationships, but I always thought he was cute. I never thought we would end up together. He says he always knew we would end up together. Sometimes I still stop and look at him and I have to shake my head. I love him so much, and I feel lucky to be with him. He's a challenge some days, and so am I. But I guess that's the beauty of a loving relationship. Even from the day he proposed to today I feel our love has evolved to such a higher place.

Hey Brides! I'm trying to figure out whether I should get a spray tan and lash extensions before our trip. We fly out may 3rd in the morning so I would have to get the tan done on the 2nd. The wedding isn't until the 6th. I'd hate for the fan to be splotchy on our wedding day and memorialized in our photos! Does anyone have any experience with this? Or experience with lash extensions on vacation? I want to be able to enjoy my time, not be thinking about whether or not the pool is going to fade my tan or my mascara running. Thanks in advance for humoring my uber superficial post

Hello brides! I've been looking around for more recent brides who have gotten married or plan to get married at Cabo Azul. I see a lot of information for brides around 2012. Has anyone received any quotes from the resort in the past 12 to 24 months?

Hey Brides! Since this is a month of giving, I am planning on hosting a webinar for you "Brides", who are looking to get married in a resort and are just looking for support not a wedding planner. In this webinar, you will learn the following: How to know which resort to book? Where are you in your planning? Is there anything such as the “perfect” wedding package? “Help! I´ve just gotten started and I´m already going crazy!” How to have a beautiful destination wedding(while keeping the travel costs under control) If this is something you would want to join, please leave a comment below. Also let me know the best time to host it for you. Happy Planning! Joyce

Hello lovely brides and brides-to-be, We have decided to open up the floor to our guests if they would like to give a speech. We are asking them to decide this ahead of time though so that they can prepare for it a little, also so that it gives us a change to let them know that we want them to keep it at 3mins max-ish. In my earlier days following this forum, I saw or read someone post their example of a blurb that explained their speech etiquette for lack of better words. Does anyone have a sample of the wording they used? I'm short for words today but really want to get started on this asap. thank you!

I have been trying to find a way of getting in contact with someone at the small little white chapel in playa del Carmen. The church is Nuestra Senora del Carmen. I've attempted to call multiple times but never get an answer and I have also emailed the church. We would love to get married in this church. Really would be a dream our wedding plans are on hold until we can reach someone at the church. I really would appreciate an advice!!! Also any particular resorts recommended for a small intimate dinner on the beach after the ceremony? Thanks again in advance!

Hi everyone! My name is Danielle and I am new-ish! I have been on here since May, but haven't actually posted anything because most of my questions are answered right in the forums. I am getting married on 5 May (4 months and 4 days! Ahh!), and as I have already used this site so much, I thought I would say hello Me and my fiance (Chris) are from Vancouver Island (BC) and currently live outside Whistler. We are getting married in Playa del Carmen, and we are so excited! We chose a DW, because, like so many couples, having family across the country was difficult to choose a spot. We discovered that an all inclusive in Mexico was cheaper than travelling 7 days to Toronto or Kelowna. Plus, this was a compromise from my lovely fiance, who actually wanted to elope vs a big wedding Current projects are favours and decor. Did any of you have any troubles bringing edible favours/OOT bags into Mexico? That was my only fear, but I didn't want to spend the money on non-edible favours because so many get left behind. Thanks everyone for all the insight so far; looking forward to being more visible on this site! Talk soon!