Search the Community

If you're look for an all-inclusive resort in Mexico that families with children will love, Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort should definitely be near the top of your list. While the luxurious and spacious grounds provide an inviting and relaxing ambiance for adults, the property is well equipped with a number of features that will keep kids busy and happy all vacation long. With more than 65,000 sq. feet of massive pools throughout the resort, including a children's pool, families will immediately be drawn to the colorful Children's Water Park and Water Slide on site. Much like the design of the entire property, the waterpark and slide area is safe and spacious area that offers easy access for families to unwind and enjoy picture perfect days under the Mexico sun. The resort also has a wonderful lazy river equipped with floating tubes (access is for Preferred Club guests only). For families looking for another way to bask in the sun, the beach area is full of daybeds and lounge chairs where kids can play in the sand or take a dip in the warm turquoise blue ocean waters. In the beach area, you'll also find the Dream's Delphinus Dolphin Habitat -- a world-class interactive program allowing resort guests to observe dolphins close-up, right in their natural habitat of the ocean. Delphinus offers guests various programs, which include swimming and interacting with these friendly creatures. They are a socially responsible company committed to the welfare of the dolphins under their care. Reservations and additional details are available by contacting the resort concierge. Those with young children, ages 3 to 12, can have the time of their lives at the Explorer's Club for Kids -- all a part of the resort's Unlimited-Luxury® privileges. The club is fully and professionally supervised and filled with adventures and activities children will enjoy and treasure for a lifetime, while giving parents time on their own to spend vacation time their way. Daily activities are based around nature, science and exploration. Once a week, the Explorer’s Club offers a camping adventure on the beach as well! They’ll make new friends from around the world, while parents reconnect with each other. The program can even provide dinners for kids when parents want to enjoy a romantic evening alone! The Explorer's Club is is open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. Families with children ages 13 to 17, can cut loose at the Core Zone Teens Club. Here, teens can enjoy daily resort activities and a vast array of sports and games, weekly bonfires and disco mixers where they can make new friends, connect with those they are with and have a great time. The Teens Club is open from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m. daily. - - - To find out more information about booking your vacation or destination wedding at Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort, or any other resort/location, contact Wright Travel Agency at: www.wrighttravelagency.com or you can contact them HERE!

Kerala is full of diverse tradition and culture. The three major communities in Kerala are Christians, Hindus and Muslims. Christians of Kerala have immersed themselves into the customs and practices of other two communities in Kerala, the Hindu and Muslim which blend to form a truly special wedding ceremony. Taking a look at the wedding attires and the bridal jewelry the Indian Christian weddings are quite distinct from what we imagine. The major wedding ceremonies in a Kerala Christian wedding: Matchmaking Marriages are considered the union of two people predestined by God. The initial proposal of the marriage begins from the brides sides through elders, relatives or with the help of brokers. Once both the families are fully convinced and satisfied about the family status and background, then they proceed to fix a date for the engagement or manassammatham and wedding day after the Kerala is full of diverse tradition and culture. The three major communities in Kerala are Christians, Hindus and Muslims. Christians of Kerala have immersed themselves into the customs and practices of other two communities in Kerala, the Hindu and Muslim which blend to form a truly special wedding ceremony. Taking a look at the wedding attires and the bridal jewelry the Indian Christian weddings are quite distinct from what we imagine. The major wedding ceremonies in a Kerala Christian wedding: Matchmaking Marriages are considered the union of two people predestined by God. The initial proposal of the marriage begins from the brides sides through elders, relatives or with the help of brokers. Once both the families are fully convinced and satisfied about the family status and background, then they proceed to fix a date for the engagement or manassammatham and wedding day after the male members from the groom’s side of the family goes to the bride’s home for fixing the wedding also known as kalyanamuraappeeru. Pre- Wedding Rituals Betrothal or the Manassammatham After the date for the wedding is fixed the next function is the betrothal or the manassammatham. Generally, the engagement ceremony takes place in girl’s home. Both the bride and groom show their willingness to marry in front of the church and their relatives. Betrothal is usually done as a small marriage function itself. The groom and his family members reach the bride’s parish along with the letter from their priest. All family members attend this ceremony and give their blessings to bride and groom for their married life and future. Announcement of Marriage via Church - Kalyanam Vilichu Chollal After the betrothal function, the marriage acceptance of both the bride and groom are announced to the public during Sunday Mass. Wedding Eve Madhuram Veppu The day before the wedding is filled with a number of ceremonies and rituals which follow the customs of Christian marriages. Night before the marriage, at the brides and grooms house, the Madhuram Veppu is conducted. The bride /groom is placed in a special seat and then the prayers are done and the uncle of the bride/groom will ask to the group of close relatives, whether he shall give the bride/groom the sweet, It will be asked three times and then sweet is given to the bride/groom. Wedding Day On the wedding day, the bride and the groom set off from their home after offering prayers. Marriage is usually conducted by the groom’s party, at their parish. The marriage is done along with the holy mass. The marriage is blessed in the middle of the holy mass, by the priest. One of the most imperative rituals in a Kerala Christian Wedding is Minnukettu. The bride ties a thaali on her neck. It is hanged on a string which is made from the seven threads that are taken from mantrakodi. Later, this string is replaced by a gold chain. At the end of this wedding ceremony, the couple signs their names in the register along with two witness’s signatures. With the end of the marriage functions at the church, the bride changes her costume to wear the mantrakodi. More about Kerala weddings visit- https://fonixeventmanagementcompany.blogspot.in/

I’m new here but was googling for some insight and came across this site. Couldn’t quite find a scenario like mine (not surprising) so figured I would ask my own question for some outside input as I’m stuck rumaging through my brain right now. There’s too much background info to get into, but basically my mother has been a functioning/nonfunctioning alcoholic and narcissist my entire life. I love her to death but there’s always been a strain on our relationship and I’ve felt like I’ve had to “watch out” for her, especially the last 5 or so years (I’m 26). She has a pretty intense personality without alcohol, but she often becomes belligerent and verbally abusive when she comes in contact with any amount of alcohol. Change pages to my fiance- he’s an amazing partner and father to my 7yo son. He comes from an Asian (Indian) family, and he showcases many of their values- education, etiquette, order, and most importantly- respect. We’ve been together a little over 2 years now and are getting married later this year. He had a few brief encounters with my mom that were decent, but other than that he only experienced her through what I shared with him of our relationship- until this weekend. We moved across country 4 months ago and she just came to visit. She seemed to be doing well in life and told me she had not been drinking for a long time, and I SURELY didn’t think she would drink as she hadn’t seen us in months and would only be here for a few days. Well, I was wrong. Things were fantastic all the way up until the last day- in which she snuck and drank while my fiance and I were at work and our son was at school. He got home first and before I got there she had made more than one very disrespectful comment about him, including referencing him being a terrorist and comparing his family to The Jungle Book. IT WAS HORRIFYING. When I finally got here, she blew up and was full blown screaming and saying mean things to us all. Terrible is an understatement. I had her leave earlier than expected, and I’m still dealing with the aftermath. My fiance had never been exposed to anything like that and was distraught. He’s refusing to ever have anything else to do with her and saying she’s never welcome in our home. It’s sad that I’m a bit numb to it, but I respect his wishes as I can’t imagine anyone let alone his parents ever treating me that way. SO…with all that being said- here’s my concern: we will be having our wedding at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, meaning alcohol EVERYWHERE. I was really believing (false hope) nothing would happen when she visited here, but apparently I was wrong. I’m concerned, and my fiance is even MORE concerned, that something will happen during the 4-day event with all his family there. I seriously can’t imagine my wedding day without her and I know I’d regret her not being there, but I am at a lost for other options about what to do for this huge life event (not to mention my marriage and my relationship with her moving forward). Any and all input is appreciated!

Hey all! This is my first time posting on this board and I am planning on a 2017 Carnival Cruise Wedding. I really like the low stress idea, where there's no having to deal with clean up or set up, its just one big party! I am nervous about how everyone else will react to the news, my mom and sister love the idea but I don't want the rest of my family to roll their eyes and say ' we have to PAY to come to your wedding?'. How did your families react when you told them the news? Did you get any bad reactions?

Hello! My name is Kimmie, and I work for Discovery Studios - the in-house production company for Discovery Communications. We are making a pilot with a wedding planner duo, and are looking to connect with brides who would be interested in FREE day-of coordination! We are looking to film from April 11th-April 17th and April 25th-April 30th, 2017. If your wedding in those dates and you would be interested in the free coordination, please email kimmie_lucas@discovery.com or call 323-308-3751.

After traveling to several countries and numerous resorts and hotels throughout the world, I've come to realize that what sets apart good resorts from excellent ones is customer service and guest experience. And these aspects truly made me appreciate and enjoy my weeklong stay at Azul Beach Hotel in Puerto Morelos, Mexico this past year because the customer service and guest experience here were second to none. From the moment we stepped foot on the resort grounds, we were welcomed by friendly faces who always went out of their way to ensure that all our needs and any special requests were taken care of. Whenever we were in communication with the front desk or concierge, we were always greeted warmly and our questions or requests were quickly addressed. Room service even happily arranged for a glass of milk to be delivered to our room every night for our 2-year-old little girl before she went to bed. And whenever we needed anything in our room, it was delivered promptly. I cannot say enough about the front desk staff and concierge -- they are always willing to help when they can. The Vassa Spa is another area of the resort where customer service really shines, the spa staff is completely focused on giving you a relaxing experience highlighted by top notch service from beginning to end. Scheduling an appointment at the spa is simple and easy and you will feel all your stresses melt away the minute you walk through the spa doors. But the guests experience doesn't just end there -- you are greeted with the same professionalism in all of the hotel's eateries as well. The hostesses are all very warm and welcoming and before you dine, they always ask for any allergies they need to be aware of. And I cannot say enough about the servers in each of the restaurants, all of whom were extremely friendly and attentive. Because our toddler would take naps in the late afternoon after spending hours at the beach or pool, my family and I often dined late for dinner. And while we were often the last guests left in the restaurants, we were never rushed or felt pressured to dine quickly. Our servers encouraged us to enjoy every part of our meal and always suggested dessert or coffee to wrap up our meals no matter how late it was! Having a wonderful dinner experience was always such a nice way to end our day. Another aspect that I really enjoyed at Azul Beach was the staff's focus on ensuring that families with children were well taken care of. Traveling and vacationing with young children can be so intimidating and stressful, but at Azul Beach, they go out of their way to make sure children's needs are met -- be it with an expansive kids menu at all the eateries, the many kids amenities in the rooms (bath robes, slippers, toys, crib, stroller, etc.) and throughout the resort (the kids pool, kids lounge chairs, toys on the beach, the kids club, etc.). The staff is there not only to serve the needs of adults, but that of their youngest guests as well! When you visit Azul Beach Hotel it feels like home. And before your stay even ends, you'll find yourself already looking forward to the next visit! To find out more about staying at Azul Beach Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico, contact one of the Best Destination Wedding travel agents who specialize in destination wedding and honeymoon travel. You can contact them HERE! - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and I was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world. I am also a mother to two girls, an avid traveler and a destination wedding writer/blogger.

Traveling with groups of family or friends can be quite challenging for several reasons. Besides the obvious intricacies of air/road travel in a large pack, finding a hotel or resort that can accommodate a large group while keeping everyone close to each other can be a real nightmare. So when it comes to group-style vacations, why not have everyone under one roof via Villa vacationing to help simplify things? Villa-style vacationing is becoming a quite popular trend for those with large families or traveling in groups. Here are five reasons why villas are ideal for family/group trips: 1) Your group will have complete privacy. At your villa, you don't have to worry about loud neighbors, making too much noise that might disturb your neighbors or having to plan gatherings when the grounds are not too crowded. Villa vacationing means your group will have the ability to enjoy your private space from morning till night without having to worry about other guests. If your villa comes with a pool, there's no need to worry about other guests crowding the pool space because it's all yours! A villa not only serves as your vacation hub, it's more like a vacation home giving you all the amenities and space you need for a relaxing stay. 2) It can be affordable when split between different parties and the perks make it worth it. Although pricing for villa vacations can often seem intimidating, when splitting the costs amongst your group, a luxury stay at a villa can be quite affordable. The perks of staying at a private villa also make the costs worthwhile for several reasons: open access to the amenities (pool, spa, pool tables, lounge furniture), homestyle comfort and a spacious living areas you simply don't get in a resort room or suite, ability to host gatherings for your large group on your own timeline. Villas also often come with kitchens so you can dine at home if you'd like, also cutting costs. 3) The Villa serves as the hub. There's no need to plan to meet anywhere or schedule a time slot where you group can gather, because your villa can serve as the hub for your group making outings or special activities much easier to plan. Want to plan a special meal for your group -- why not do it right on your villa property? Your villa gives you the space you need for any occasion. 4) You can still have a sense of privacy amongst your group. Villa vacationing doesn't always necessarily mean you'll be on top of one another -- there are spacious villas that will still give each family in your group the privacy they need on their own. For instance, the gorgeous Villa Carola by Karisma at Azul Beach offers separate entry ways for the first floor and second floor units -- yet both are on the same grounds and share the same pool, but each story has their own living room space giving each the privacy they need. And with six bedrooms and bathrooms, you can easily accommodate up to 12 adults and 8 children. 5) Builds camaraderie in your group. Sharing the same roof will not only give you a sense of togetherness, it also gives you more opportunity to create more memories together! Villa vacationing is perfect for groups especially large families -- how happy are kids when they know they can hang out with their favorite cousins from morning till night? Villa vacationing is truly the perfect option for families who want to spend time together and share a vacation experience they'll never forget! To find out more about villa options at your ideal destination location, contact one of the Best Destination Wedding travel agents who specialize in destination wedding and honeymoon travel. You can contact them HERE! - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and I was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world. I am also a mother to two girls, an avid traveler and a destination wedding writer/blogger.

Weddings are full of touching and heartfelt times to share with the one you love as well as friends and family. They are especially moving when they involve different cultures and backgrounds. Here are some of the suggestions we have for planning a multi-cultural wedding full of inspirational traditions that will bring together cultures, backgrounds and religions into a party that is sure to be loved by all! Celebrate Diversity! Enjoy this time of planning! Work together to combine traditions in a diverse celebration that will be uniquely yours! Sharing your culture with your partner, understanding together and appreciating the different customs will give you a great start to a long and happy relationship together! 1.Be Daring with a Fashionable Fusion We hosted a Hindu wedding for a couple and the celebration lasted 3 days!!! We loved the professional henna artwork that the bride and her entire family wore on their hands and feet. In the Hindu culture, it is believed that henna enhances the beauty of the bride – and we definitely agree! 2.Wedding Party Customs Bring together traditions from each background for the wedding party. You can add small symbols that represent each culture on the bouquet or the boutonniere. Or have the wedding party arrive in a traditional fashion. In the Hindu wedding, the groom arrived to the wedding with his family and closest friends in an incredible parade that included traditional singing and dancing. The entrance represented the happiness the groom and his family felt toward the new bride. 3. Blending Ceremonial Traditions In Jewish weddings, the couple breaks a glass together to be reminded of the fragility of relationships. In the Filipino culture, they include a money dance. At our Hindu favorite, they included a Ganesh Puja ritual for good luck. Ganesh represented the destruction of all obstacles. It may not be feasible to include ALL of the traditions of both the bride’s culture and the groom’s culture – but pick the traditions that will be the most meaningful and respectful to you and your family. Most of all – have fun while you plan! Check out the images above for more ideas and inspiration! On Trend: Reciting Your Vows in a Different Language We have seen this displayed in two ways. One: recite the vows to you beloved in your first language. There’s something so special about saying your vows in the language of your heart and mind. You could also change it up and read the vows to your spouse in his/her language – this version takes a lot more practice! Tell Us: What is the most memorable tradition you have seen at a multi-cultural wedding?

Azul Beach Hotel in Cancun-Riviera Maya is known for its family-friendly setting, and through the resort's Nickelodeon Experience, parents and their children can enjoy the ultimate family vacation. One of the hotel's most popular activities is the Nickelodeon sliming -- an experience your kids will soon not forget. Through the concierge, your family can schedule a private sliming -- what is this you ask? Just one of the coolest activities that kids love where you can get slimed with Nickelodeon's famous green goo! Sliming is a ritual enjoyed by the likes of celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Will Smith, Katy Perry and Kobe Bryant. So children of all ages will love to be added to that list of honor! And when the resort's Nickelodeon crew arrives for your private sliming, they'll also make it fun with a dance performance to start leading up to the moment. Sliming includes up to 4 people with a private photographer for a fee of $98. To find out more about scheduling a private sliming during your stay at Azul Beach Hotel, click here. For more information about Azul Beach Hotel, or to book your stay at this family-friendly resort, contact one of the Best Destination Wedding travel agents who specialize in destination wedding and honeymoon travel. You can contact them HERE! - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and I was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world. I am also a mother to two girls, an avid traveler and a destination wedding writer/blogger.