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The Dress Is the Focal Point of Your Wedding—do it Right!
alecgainesme posted a article in Style & Fashion
In 2012 weddings cost the average Australian couple a mind-numbing $54,294. On the other side of the pond, our American cousins spent an average of $28,082. Why the wide disparity? Are Americans less romantic…stingier…there must be an explanation. Just by keeping your expenses to the levels spent in the United States, you could save almost half on your wedding expenses. The breakdown for these expenses reveals that the most significant cost differences are in the amount spent on the honeymoon, rings and photograper/videographer. It seems our American counterparts spend about 50% less. We Aussies also spend a bit more on the bridal party attire, about 25 percent more. Considering the fact that we spend more for photographers and videographers, we should make that extra effort to look good, especially the bride! Why not consider less expensive engagement and weddings rings, using that money instead for a custom wedding dress? You could also cut back on your honeymoon expenses or perhaps trim a little from both. After all, the rings don’t show up well in photographs and you photographer isn’t joining you for the honeymoon. Custom made wedding dresses can be the centre of attention and the focal point for many priceless memories. Let me give you a few reasons why choosing a custom made wedding dress is an excellent decision. A custom dress does not automatically mean that you will pay a higher price than if you buy your dress off-the-rack Off-the-rack dresses almost always need tailoring which can set you back more than a few dollars A custom dress affords you the opportunity to have a one-of-a-kind wedding dress, made from the fabric you choose, in the design you have dreamt about with all the details, trim and style included. You are not ‘settling” for something that is almost what you want A perfectly fitting wedding will enhance your confidence immeasurably Custom dresses include features unavailable in off-the-rack gowns such as supportive spiral boning and waist stays, offering the bride unparalleled comfort Impeccable craftsmanship is the hallmark of a custom gown and heirloom quality adds immensely to the value Choosing a custom dress makes you part of the process which ensures that your gown will be everything you imagined and integrate flawlessly with your wedding’s theme With a custom gown, the worries of shipping, altering, bustling and final pressing are eliminated Are there any downsides…well yes, but they are few. First, you will be devoting extra time in the design and completion of your dress as compared to choosing one off-the-rack. The second issue is you will need to make your decision regarding a custom gown at least three months ahead of your wedding date. It cannot be a last minute decision for obvious reasons. Each of us has unique physical characteristics … some we wish to minimize and some we desire to maximize. A custom gown will allow you to resolve any issues you may have in this regard. Custom fit goes well beyond waist and bust sizes. As you make your wedding plans, consider the points made here carefully. While you may be fortunate enough to find the dress of your dreams right off-the-rack, there is an equally good chance that you won’t. When so much hard won cash is being spent for that memorable day, the wedding dress is the nadir of the occasion and should be your number one priority. As to our American friends, I am convinced they are just a bit more practical when it comes to wedding expenditures than we Aussies are. The rate of divorce in the United States may play a role as well. The rate of divorce in the US is significantly higher than in Australia. Maybe their weddings cost half of what ours cost because they need to do it more times to get it right … just a thought. -
Formal events are just like regular dinners or parties. These are special occasions that call for special apparel. Throughout the year there are usually several formal events to attend. This is one of the reasons that women start shopping early. Formal dress styles can be costly depending on where you shop. It is possible to find great formal looks even when you're on a budget. You can find a vast selection of dresses in this category. Fortunately the internet is a terrific resource for shoppers. There are fine stores online that sell formal dresses. You can shop for styles that suit your own taste. At the same time, you can find affordable formal dresses for your events. You can be the bell of the ball with the right dress purchase. The best thing is you don't have to break the bank to find your dress. In fact, if you shop at the right location you can afford more than one formal dress. Following a few tips is a good way to find beautiful formal dresses. These styles can come in any color or length. You can shop for trendy styles or for bargain prices. Formal dresses are available in different shapes and lengths. They can be found with traditional designs or more contemporary details. With a bit of research you'll find the dress that offers style and appeal. Here are 5 tips that will assist you on your search: 1 – Know the Styles You Like It's important to not only know the dress styles that you like. You need to know the styles that you dislike, as well. This can shorten the selection process a great deal. There are a lot of different formal dresses available. This is true whether you are shopping for an inexpensive item or a costlier one. Let's take a look at some of the top formal style being purchased. Here are a few: Evening Dresses Prom Dresses Bridesmaid Dresses Brides' Dresses Cocktail Dresses Each of these styles comes in a variety of lengths and shapes. Mermaid, A-Line and Princess shapes are popular types of formal dresses. Target and Macy's are physical locations to find these styles. You can also visit their online stores to find affordable dresses. Once you know these styles that appeal to you, you can shop wisely for your dress selection. 2 – Visit Various Store Sites Since there are similar designs of formal dresses, you need to visit more than one location. Online stores allow you to do this from the privacy of your own home. This is a convenient way to shop and to compare prices. Prom dresses are some of the most popular formal styles. They can be worn for many social events and occasions. Parties, concerts and galas fit into this category of events. A Short One-Sleeve Dress is a prom style that is unique. It's an eye-catching formal dress that makes a statement. Another stunning style is the Knee Length Modest Neckline Dress. It can be purchased in the size and color that you want. 3 – Consider Different Lengths There are a number of things that factor into the dress length that you purchase. The type of event may dictate the length of the dress. Events scheduled for the fall or winter may inspire longer formal dress lengths. Warmer temperatures usually bring out short dress lengths. Women often purchase dresses that accentuate their figures. Showing off legs is a terrific way to do this. Knee length, short length and minis are trendy styles for these dress fashions. You will discover that there a fine bargain priced formal dresses. 4 – Purchase a Variety of Colors Many times you will find the perfect formal dress but in the wrong color. When you find the right shape and style of dress, why not purchase more than one? You can experiment with a variety of colors. Seasonal shades like sage, rust and cranberry are wonderful for fall events. Lemon, crimson and cream are bright spring colors. Colors add a lot to the overall display of your formal ensemble. In fact, you can create your very own scheme with the right color selection. Sites that allow you to shop by price are some of the best budget-friendly stores. These are usually stores that have large selections to choose from. If you don't want the same dress style, look for similar cuts and designs. Altering the color of a similar look can make a whole new impression. 5 – Buy Several Designs There are many unique designs when it comes to formal dresses. An example of these designs is the A-Line Off-Shoulder ¾ Sleeves Dress. This is a dress that showcases a gorgeous satin fabric and shimmering display. The New Beading Sweetheart Strapless Dress is another option for an original look. This particular dress has a long flowing skirt. Some events are less formal than others and may accommodate short cocktail dress lengths. Galas and balls are usually occasions for longer lengths. Fortunately there are such diverse designs, you can buy several dresses. You may even want to try different dress shapes like Mermaid and Empire. Affordable selections give you the opportunity to plan ahead for scheduled events. Fashion trends play an important role in the formal dresses on the market. This is why many women check out what's popular before they shop. Some designs are closely associated with the season. Considering this for your formal dress purchase may be a good idea, too.
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It is usually the most expensive item of the reception: Dinner and Drinks! So what can you do to budget and organize well? Of course it all depends on your available money for the wedding total but for argument sake let's take a budget of about 100 dollars per person which is about average for all night bar and food service. First let's start with the bar. I personally do not recommend the 4 to 5 hour bar to anyone in Mexico It is a party and no cash should be needed at any time. Also, in our venue we do not close early so it is an all-inclusive all night concept. So just consider the bar to be open during the entire party. The costs are going to be based on if you want well brands or top shelf brands and also I often set up a Specialty Sctrach Bar with all fresh ingredients for Mojitos and Margaritas So as you can guess, the cheapest is an open bar with well brands and beer and then it goes up according to the brands used and if we set up a cool looking bar and lounge area. Second, the food, yummy , the food can cost about 40 dollars per person for a good quality 3 course dinner, up to 150 dollars per person for 8 hors d'ouevres and 4 course gourmet dinner with imported ingredients such as Foie Gras and such... The dinner/food service cost is really very variable since we in www.Martoca.com for example, create all our menus for each wedding according to the taste and budget of the couple. In order to plan your budget I suggest you take in consideration the duration of your party and if it is more than 5 Hours you should have a late night taco bar for example . You should not have your guests without eating for longer than 3 or 4 hours. I try to have something, even small hors d'ouvres for example every 3 or 4 hours... This is a cool tip: If you are a mixed culture couple like for example Mexican Bride and American or Canadian Groom, it is fun to do for example hors d'ouevres from Mexico and Dinner from the Cajun/Southern Sould Food/France/italy/Irish or whatever the couples better half is originally from or his ancestry, and then close with amazing cultural desserts from Puerto Vallarta region in our case or wherever your wedding location is going to be. So Bride or groom gets hor's d Ouevres then the other gets the dinner choices and the dessert is local And if the budget permits and your party is longer than 5 or 6 hours like in our venue we do up to 10 hours... you should invest in a Taco Bar. It is a great feature for your wedding and it is only about 10 to 15 dollars per person to set it up with awesome fresh made salsas and tacos. So to summerize you need to consider the bar, types of brands and duration of open bar and if you want a specialty drink bar set up like this one for example: Then comes the food budget, in summary you need to consider qulity of food for example the steak can be Kobe, Prime, Choice... do you want Organic or Grassfed beef, or Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp versus Chicken or pork. All this matters. This is why I always interview my couples and find out if they enjoy fine dinning or are "foodies" and if not then I go with a more standard menu. If they enjoy food and want the dinner to be a showpiece in the wedding then we will offer exotic menus and combinations and create amazing culinary experiences for our brides and their guests. Once you decide on the quality and type of ingredients the cooking cost the same if we are making chicken or Lobster Does this make sense? It is about ingredients and then we cook what you like to serve your guests. Then you must consider after quality of ingredients is the Quantity of "servings" i.e. Fists Hors d'Ouevres, then dinner, then dessert bar, then taco bar and Mexican Coffee flambee for example Here are some pictures of levels and types of food services offered. I forgot about buffets... sorry. We do not usually do buffets because the quality of the food suffers on the line. In Mexico labor is cheap so it really is no difference in price so buffets are not recommended by me. You should treat your guests to great 5 star service An important part of catering is the dinnerware and silverware and glasses used, as well as the table settings... this can vary from about 10 dollars per person up to 30 or 40 per person or more. It simply depends on your taste Thank You for reading and if you have any questions I am glad to help Jimmy james@martoca.com
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Hello everyone, This is my first post, so bare with me. I am planning a wedding in Cabo and i'm in need of a wedding planner ASAP. I came across Beth Dalton and she seems amazing! My only concern is that she says I will need between 40k-50k for a wedding in Cabo for 100 people. Is this true? I was hoping to keep the cost under that. I am also considering hiring a wedding planner where I live. She is really good, but has only helped one of her friends plan a wedding in Cabo. However, she indicated that I will spend well under 30k by having a wedding in Cabo as opposed to where I live. I think Beth would be great because she has connections with the vendors in Cabo, but I don't want to spend 40-50k. Any thoughts? Should I go with Beth or the wedding planner from home? Or does the wedding planner at home just not know enough to know that a wedding in Cabo will cost this much for 100 people?
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I am looking to have a Maui wedding-- but I'm on a pretty strick budget of only 5-6k... I want to keep it relatively small- prob around 20 guests-- maybe around 35-40 if we can keep it within budget... Any suggestions on budget friendly venues, food, hair/makeup, etc.... Also, I'm not sure if the best route to keep cost down is to try to do everything myself, or if it is worth it to hire a planner to help out...
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Weddings are not cheap - especially that dream wedding you’ve been fantasizing about since you were an innocent little child. In March of this year Reuters.com reported that the average cost of a U.S. wedding is $27,000. In New York, the most expensive city in the United States, that figure skyrockets to an average of nearly $66,000 per wedding. (Click here to view the article.) BestDestinationWedding.com members are already one step-ahead when it comes to reducing wedding costs. Destination Weddings are often considered as the more budget-friendly wedding alternative. Youngandthrifty.ca estimates the average destination wedding costs $17,000 USD, $10,000 less than the traditional wedding average. (Click here to view the article.) And unlike traditional weddings, destination weddings typically include the honeymoon. Choosing a destination wedding is just the first-step for engaged couples that are keen about saving money though. The next step is to transform your wedding expenses into wedding gifts from loved ones and guests. Here are some excellent ideas for couples looking to tie the knot in the Riviera Maya, Mexico: 1. Wedding Photography Gift Registry We at Playaloves.me Photography allow family, friends and guests of our clients contribute to their loved one's wedding collection, helping give the gift of professional wedding photography. Just like engaged couples register for wedding gifts at stores, they can now register for their wedding photography with Playaloves.me! Playaloves.me will accept partial payments from family, friend and guests to be applied toward any contracted photography package. Playaloves.me Photography Gift Registry 2. Hotel Wedding and Honeymoon Gift Registry Ocean by H10 Hotels is now offering a free bridal registry service that even includes your own personal wedding website. Ocean by H10 Hotels now makes it easier than ever to ensure your dream destination wedding and Caribbean honeymoon plans come true! Send links to family and friends to help them fulfill your destination wedding wishes and set you on your way to a perfect Caribbean honeymoon. Hotel Ocean Maya Gift Registry Many other hotels and resorts in the Riviera Maya offer this service. Be sure to ask your favorite hotel/resort property about their gift registry policies. 3. Tours and Excursions Gift Registry HoneymoonWishes Registry offers a more comprehensive gift registry service that includes a large selection of hotel properties including Palace Resorts Properties, Karisma Hotel + Resorts Properties, Secrets Resorts + Spas Properties and more. The company even includes local excursions and tours as well as local shopping in its gift registry services. They also show you how it works through an online gift registry sample. HoneymoonWishes. When only the best honeymoon registry will do. The #1 Gift Registry for Honeymoons! Wedding gifts may be forgotten but honeymoon memories will last a lifetime. HoneymoonWishes Gift Registry 4. Cash Instead of a Gift Dream Weddings Riviera Maya’s Joyce Mnguni just recently shared an article suggesting that couples simply ask for cash: Asking for Money Instead of a Wedding Gift. BDW members have also dug up some of their own cash instead of gift resources. Check out this thread: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/76767/cash-gift-registries 5. Gifts that Give Back This option doesn't necessarily cut costs for you. But it does help spread the "love" to those in need. Check out this BDW thread about gift registries that donate a portion of the gifting funds to charity: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/58346/gift-registry-that-gives-back
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Janette & Colin's Grand Sirenis Resort Akumel Wedding Bride and Groom were wed on April 16, 2012. Janette, username [janette34], used the BDW Community to bring her destination wedding to life. Janette gives back to the BDW Community as she kindly shares the details of her perfect day in an interview below. Wedding Profile The Bride Janette The Groom Colin Hometown Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, Canada Wedding Date April 16, 2012 Wedding Location Grand Sirenis Resort, Akumel, Mexico Why did you choose to have a destination wedding? For us this was fairly simple, neither of us are overly religious and growing up by the ocean we are both beach lovers. Colin had never travelled outside of the country when we first met and shortly after we had started dating he moved to the other side of the country for work for a few months, part of the agreement was we had to go on vacation when he came home so we found a great deal to Mexico and have been going every year for the past 8 years. We wanted to share our love of Mexico with our friends and family and at the same time give them an excuse to take a vacation. Why did you choose your location? We had stayed there in the past and enjoyed the resort but mostly we choose the Grand Sirenis for their private wedding/reception location. The Grand Sirenis met all our needs for our group, family friendly, lots of restaurants and most of all the price we got fit into eveyone's budget. What were your wedding colors and/or theme? Pink & Orange with lots of starfish! Every wedding is special in its own right. What made your wedding unique? Our relationship is special because it was never supposed to be a relationship. For Colin it was love at first sight, but I was already in a relationship. After meeting at an Oktoberfest gathering in 2004 he just started showing up at places I would be. For awhile I really thought this guy has issues and even thought he might be a stalker. His persistance paid off and after many months of trying to get my attention I gave him a chance. He proposed on my birthday in 2010 to which I responded "Maybe if I thought you were serious", I never noticed the ring in his hand and it wasn't until I looked at him that I realized he was in fact serious. One of the major challenges of putting together a destination wedding is finding and working with your ideal vendors from afar. What wedding vendors did you use to put together this spectacular wedding? Dress - Pronovias, Alfil Photographer(s) - My sister in law for the ceremony, Juan Navarro for the TTD Florist - Bloom Bridal for my real touch bouquet Wedding coordinator - Elizabeth at the Grand Sirenis Initation company - DIY Boarding Passes You were an active member of BDW and created some great content. Could you please summarize (with hyperlinks) some of your best work for us? I tried to do as much DIY as possible and absolutely loved the year and a half I had planned the wedding. A Frugal Bride's Riviera Maya DIY Wedding Your Wedding was absolutely beautiful! Your posts and reviews will be extrememely helpful to our new brides. Thank you for sharing your special day with us at BDW. Dear members, if you planned your wedding with the help of our community we would love to hear from you. Contact us at admin@BestDestinationWedding.com if you are interested in sharing your wedding experience with us. For more information here is the "BDW Real Weddings | Featured Wedding Submission Information Thread" Thanks!
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Tips on how to Calculate a budget for a wedding in Puerto Vallarta These are some general guidelines to prepare an estimate or your "mas o menos" budget for your destination wedding when it is not in an all-inclusive hotel scenario or a restaurant. I assume other venues are similar in the way they operate so this could be handy for you even if you are not choosing Martoca Beach Garden as your venue for your wedding. The venue should rent here in Puerto Vallarta area for 2,200 to 5,500 dollars on a beach front setting. The price also depends on wether it is a weekday or a weekend since weekdays are usually half price. Some places are villas so they charge you 5 night stays mandatory which could cost up to 10,000 a night for the villa which has many rooms. The catering may vary from 30 dollars a person to 150 dollars a person. This includes tables, chairs, dinnerware and service andall that is needed for catering and the banquet setting. Anything more and you are paying way too much. Unless of course a world class chef is doing the cooking and even then it would have to be a 6 or 7 course dinner. The Open bar should cost from 25 dollars a person for beer and wine and soft drinks to 55 dollars for a specialty bar and a full premium bar with top notch liquors. A decent average bar should be 35 usd per person for 8 hour open bar. DJ and dace floor for 8 hours should cost you from 800 usd up to no more than 3,000 usd with all included for a big nightclub setting with LED lighting, strobe lights, smoke and whatever else you can think for entertainment. The ceremony gazebo should cost anywhere from 300 dollars and up since this varies with taste and decorations. Mostly flowers can make the biggest difference in cost. A simple setting should be 300 usd. These are the core items for a wedding in a venue. Wedding planners charge 10% of the total cost of the wedding or they may charge a flat fee. A good fully bilingual coordinator will charge about 2,000 dollars for a good quality wedding. There are others who may charge 1,000 dollars but the service will be lacking much promptness and they will not be able to speak English effectively. There are however wedding designers who charge 5,000 or 6,000 dollars for there services. it really depends on your budget and your desire for special decorations. Most of the extra cost is spent on flowers and special decorations or handmade items. It definately makes a difference but if you just want a great party with good food and drinks and excellent music and fun the whole enchilada should run you on average about 200 dollars a person for a very nicely decorated wedding wit great quality food and service. Happy hunting for your perfect spot that suits your budget.
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My 70 on 7 Rule I want to let brides know of a simple rule I use to allocate the funds for an independent garden wedding that is not in an all-inclusive hotel. I recommend 70% of the budget must go to 7 key factors. This is why I call this the 70 on 7 rule. The 7 unavoidable factors for any custom wedding are: Venue - Independent venues have different styles or regulations, check with them for details. Coordination and Staff - This includes decorator, full coordination, set/up, take/down, clean/up, hostess... Decorations - This includes lamps, cushions, colors, accents, floating candles, tiki torches.... Catering - 3 or 4 course dinner, desserts, salads, tables, chairs, dinnerware, glassware, linens... Open Bar - Full, international brands, 5 or 8 hours, special margarita bar.... DJ and Dance Floor - DJ with playlist, dance floor can be wood, plastic covering or lighted or with light shows and video screens... Ceremony - Minister or judge or both, decorated arch, chairs, table for ceremony... All else can be added if desired or if the budget allows for it. However, these 7 items are essencial for a great wedding day and are practically unavoidable, so focus on these first. That's why I suggest 70% of the budget be allocated for these items and the 30% left over can go to other important factors such as entertainment, transportation, more decorations, souvenirs, photographer and video, late night taco bar, more flowers, rehearsal dinner, tours, etc. There are so many factors that can change your expenses that it is impossible to have one size fits all budgets. At least in our case since all our weddings are custom made. Certain factors may repeat themselves often which is why the 7 core principles are the same but the devil (cost increase) is in the details as they say. There are tables that may cost 8 dollars to rent and tables that cost 400 dollars, so that alone can change your budget from 40 dollars to 2,000 dollars if 5 table are needed! That is the difference between a 10,000 dollar wedding and a 12,000 dollar wedding or a 20% increase. So always have an idea of where you want to be in your budget plan and let the coordinator know. They should accomodate any budget you have. It is a matter of finding the right vendors and quality for you. Just because it is low budget it does not have to be bad quality. Conversely, expensive does not guarantee quality either. So choose wisely. I hope this helps. Buena Suerte! Be well and stay in love, Jimmy Martoca Beach Garden Showcase Page
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When we went for a site visit to our resort (Hilton Rose Hall Resort in Montego Bay) a few months before our wedding, the coordinator showed us a book of cake examples included with our package-- lets just say we were less than impressed with the totally 80's looking designs! So we decided to order a plain white two-tier cake for our 70 guests and bring our own sugar flowers down to Jamaica. Our colors were pink and green, so we ordered two large fuchsia tiger lilies from www.sugarflowershop.com (believe they were around $15-20 a piece and the owner, Amy, is wonderful to work with), green orchids seen here: WholesaleSugarFlowers.com - Detail (only $9.99 for 9 flowers!) and white lilies seen here: WholesaleSugarFlowers.com - Detail (same deal- $9.99). I also ordered some dusting powder for $2.99 ea. in pearl and green to give the orchids and lillies a sparkley wash WholesaleSugarFlowers.com - Detail My mom transported the sugar flowers for us-- was able to bring them on board with no problem. She snuck away for a few minutes during the cocktail reception to arrange the sugar flowers on the cake and it turned out beautiful (see attached pic)! Since the two-tier cake was included with our package, we wound up spending around $60 total for a pretty cake that was exactly how I envisioned :-) Hope this helps a few brides out there!
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Add Creative Zeal To Your Life By Using Decorative Rubber Stamps! The age in which we are living is the digital age and there has been enormous demand for the use of rubber decorative stamps. Earlier, it was limited only in the business sector for stamping logos and creating stamps for the notary. It was regarded as one of the powerful driving force of the business. Has anybody realize the importance of rubber stamps? Are you familiar with the decorative rubber stamps that it has become the hobby of every man? In its initial time it was like that no business activities would initiate without business rubber stamps. Of latest, it has been utilized for enhancing the creativity skills of an individual If you imagine how you can create innovative items with the use of decorative rubber stamps then it is apt. These stamps helps in enhancing and modifying the creativity in creating works for example, cards for birthdays and Christmas, banners and scrapbooks to remember your past happy memories. This activity is really funny and full of pleasure. It boosts the confidence of the people indulged in home craft activities. Make your life more interesting and creative. Do you find any instinct of passion for decorative rubber stamps? If yes catch online at www.vistaprint.com and utilize coupons hitting the screen online. The Vistaprint Coupons give you the maximum satisfaction in your savings. Benefits of the decorative rubber stamps: Decorative rubber stamps help you in enriching your cultural values and it also helps you in learning about various cultures by using art rubber stamps. It sparks values among the children exposing their interest towards the rubber stamps. The decorative stamps are used for creating beautiful designs on the scrap books and beautiful cards made by the children. It helps in nurturing creative ideas in the mind of the children. The using of decorative rubber stamps is affordable and interesting. It raises the meaning to your life by adding ingredient from the exterior part. It is such hobby which acquires less time. The use of decorative rubber stamps becomes the outflow of the website thus generating more volume to your business. Uses of decorative rubber stamps are: Creating photo albums for gifting purposes. Scrapbooks used for memorizing happy memories and in touch with the old contacts. Used for designing greeting cards for personalized touch. There is unlimited discount in the availability of rubber stamps online. So make your purchase as early as possible in case you lose the chance of saving your bucks by using vista print coupon code.
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A growing trend of destination weddings is offering lower costs, gorgeous settings, and such options as condos for the whole family instead of traditional hotel rooms. “Cost is a major factor why a couple will choose a destination instead of a wedding in their area,” says Richard Markel, President of AFWPI (Association for Wedding Professional International). The group that is attending a destination wedding will be smaller, and because “the bride and groom are not responsible to cover hotel nights, only those that really want to go will attend,” he explains. Another way to save is to choose a destination that is closer to home. The gorgeous white sand shores of the Mexican Caribbean are just a few hours away from the north-eastern US, and about an hour away from south Florida. Many airlines have direct flights to Cancun from multiple US cities, such as JetBlue, American Airlines, US Airways. During low season, it’s possible to snatch up roundtrip tickets for about $300. When it comes to choosing the venue, an upcoming trend in destination weddings are condo hotels, as they offer luxury apartments with kitchens and multiple bedrooms, ideal for families, for the price of one room at a regular hotel. “Where condo hotels really shine is the ability to have the family attend, and they can save with the kitchenettes,” says Richard. New York Daily News, in a recent article about condo hotels and savings for families, interviewed a family of a Manhattan architect, 40-year old Alexander Argento, who has stayed at Condo Hotels Playa del Carmen, a group of luxury condominiums in the heart of the town and right by the beach, with his wife and 6-year-old son. Alexander says: “for about $300 a night, we had two bedrooms and two bathrooms plus a full kitchen, so we prepared our own breakfasts and lunches on most days and saved money on meals,” he said. They also stocked up on drinks and snacks from a nearby Walmart, says Alexander in the article entitled, “Condo Hotels: a Great Way to Have Family Vacation Fun on the Cheap.” When your hotel is situated in town, and surrounded by multiple choices for shopping, eating and entertainment, this also helps cut down on taxi fare to and from a resort, and keeps the guests entertained, as well as free to come and go as they please. The developer of the properties, Jack Perlman, takes pride in the fact that a wedding party at his hotel can enjoy being “in the middle of it all.” He says: “Guests at my hotels are not confined by the limits of a resort, as it often happens with wedding groups that choose to stay at all-inclusive resorts, tucked away in the jungle.” After all, when guests take care of their own accommodations and airfare, the biggest expense for the couple is the wedding reception and dinner itself. Indigo Beach Club, located at El Taj Oceanfront, one of the Condo Hotels, offers multiple dinner and reception options for guests. Sit-down dinner rates start at $36 per person and include a 3-course gourmet meal: (www.condohotelsplayadelcarmen.com/weddings/wedding-package-ceremony.php). Rates at Condo Hotels Playa del Carmen start at $185 per one bedroom unit. Wedding groups receive a 20% discount. To learn more about weddings at Condo Hotels Playa del Carmen, please visit www.condohotelsplayadelcarmen.com/weddings/index.php or email reservations@condhotelsplayadelcarmen.com. ABOUT CONDO HOTELS PLAYA DEL CARMEN Condo Hotels Playa del Carmen consists of five distinct luxury condominiums with 100 units total: Villas Sacbe, Porto Playa, Maya Villa, El Taj Beachside and El Taj Oceanfront. The properties provide the services ofa 5-star hotel, such as 24-hour front desk, maid services, airport pick-up, parking garage, gym, babysitter, Spa, health café, beach club and two 5-star restaurants. Each condominium is surrounded by a private courtyard with landscaped gardens, a fountain and a swimming pool. Playa del Carmen beach is steps away, and the convenience of the best restaurants, nightlife and shopping is within easy walking distance. For more information, please visit www.condohotelsplayadelcarmen.com. For media inquiries and for high & low resolution images, please contact: Raminta Tsopelas 917-721-1977 Raminta@lilas-pr.com
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