RIU RM Palace Brides??

[Nicyx]

No wonder you exhausted.... not long until you get your well deserved break and holiday of a lifetime!!! Your wedding :-) Glad the move went well xxx

[vlvetter7]

I've decided I am just going to put my planning thread up here instead of starting a new one...

 

Thanks to all the ladies here for your ideas. I never thought in a million years I would have “online friends†but I sure do now! I am thrilled to have shared my wedding planning experiences with each of you! Past brides – thank you for all the wonderful ideas! Future brides - happy planning! This site is beyond helpful.

Engagement Story
Joe and I got engaged December of 2009. He was originally planning to propose on New Years Eve, but he made the mistake of telling my sister his plan in mid-December.  She told him he had to move up the date because 1) she couldn’t keep a secret from me for that long and 2) because she wanted to see my ring when she was up visiting for Christmas! So, he listened to her and proposed December 19th, 2009. 

 

 

Wedding Location - Riu Palace Riviera Maya
We looked into a traditional wedding, but with it being Joe’s second wedding, something just didn’t feel right about doing it the “traditional†way. We considered (for about 5 seconds) eloping, but knew that our families would be extremely disappointed. So we decided on a destination wedding. After hours and hours of research, we chose the Riu Palace Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen. Neither of us has ever been but we’re excited to share this new experience with our closest friends and family – 36 guests total on April 9, 2011!

 

Wedding Logo

Joe found this great website called crowdspring.com. We entered to have graphic artists create a wedding logo for us to use however we wanted…as you’ll see, we used the design in just about every part of the wedding, from Save The Dates/Invites, to mugs/koozies, etc…

Engagement Ring
Both my mother and sister have round solitaires, so it’s only fitting that I do too! Joe asked my parents for their permission before popping the question. He actually even hid the ring in their safe for a few months so I wouldn’t find it! My parents said of course, and asked if he was really sure he could handle me forever because once he married me there was no giving me back to them! J

 

My Wedding Bands

I searched high and low for the perfect band to sit flush with my engagement ring but I had the hardest time. I must have gone to 100 jewelry stores and tried on several hundred rings. When I finally found the perfect band they were so reasonably priced that I bought two! One for each side…

 

 

Grooms Band

Joe originally wanted a plain, platinum band but refused to pay for one. He chose this instead.

 

Dress – David’s Bridal
I went right out after I got engaged and bought the perfect dress. 8 months later I realized that a heavy, lace, fully beaded dress probably wasn’t appropriate for a destination wedding in Mexico unless I wanted to melt (I’m one of those people who sweats when it’s 30 degrees outside)! So I went back out in search of the second perfect dress and I found it at David’s Bridal for $249! I couldn’t believe it.  I still have the other dress…I guess I should consider selling it! 

 

Shoes – ivory Havainnas
Simple but so “me†– I’m not a huge heels fan and I don’t want to be taller than my fiancé in all our photos…all of my bridesmaids will be wearing 3.5†heels for the ceremony with flip flops to change into later in the night.

  

 

 

 

 

[vlvetter7]

Hair Inspiration Pictures
I have annoying curly hair that has a mind of its own, so I can only imagine how it will act up with the humidity of Mexico. Therefore, I chose an up-do. I plan to show the hairdresser these pictures and hope she comes up with something similar – the last thing I want is to look like I am going to the prom or something!

 

BM Dress – David’s Bridal

I have three bridesmaids, and they all got different but similar dresses at David’s Bridal in “jade†– a teal/green color.  The single picture below is my sister’s dress (maid of honor), shown in jade (my color).  The picture with the two dresses are my other two bridesmaid’s dresses but not shown in the correct color.  I let them choose everything…I didn’t feel strongly about this for some reason. I just wanted them to be comfortable in what they were in.

 

BM Jewelry

My mother happens to make jewelry so I gave her some inspiration pictures from Etsy. Here are a few of the inspiration pictures. They came out perfect!

 

Groom Attire

Joe bought a tan, Calvin Klein linen suit all on his own. He will be wearing a Robert Graham white, embroidered shirt and flip flops with it.

Groomsmen Attire

The groomsmen, my two â€˜soon to be’ step sons and my ring bearer (my nephew) will be wearing guayabera shirts with khaki pants and flip flops.

 

‘Save the Dates’ and Invitations

I found my wedding invitation and save the date designer here on BDW – Kate at Custom Paper Works is AMAZING. She listened to my ideas and worked with me to make sure every little detail was perfect. Pricing was quite reasonable too!  We got our magnets on Zazzle, which I wasn’t thrilled with but sent out anyhow…

Kate’s website is http://www.custompaperworks.com/

 

 

 

Photographer

What do you know…I found my photographer here on BDW too! Joshua Albanese. I am beyond excited that he agreed to take the trip back to Playa del Carmen for our wedding! I can’t wait to share his photos with you all! Check out his website in the meantime… www.joshuaalbanese.com

 

OOT Bags
These were so fun to make! We did mugs, koozies, Oh Sh*t kits and hangover kits. In the Oh Sh*t kits we put laundry detergent where you can wash clothes/bathing suits in the sink of the hotel, sun screen, first aid kits, some medications (advil, pepto bismol, etc), shout wipes, hand sanitation wipes, etc…for the hangover kits we added advil, mints, Crystal light individual packets and Emergen-C packets. They came out pretty cute!
  

 

 

 

 

 

[vlvetter7]

 

Ceremony Fans
I think these will be handed out to the ladies only at the ceremony because I only bought 18 of them…

 

Cake Topper
Simple but it will work!

[Nicyx]

Virginia....

 

Fantastic planning thread :-) Everything have been given so so much thought, i love the proposal story... Thats sooooo cute.... Good on ya sister, lol :-)

 

Your dress is stunning and cant wait to see it on, I love the idea of your BM's having different style dresses too.... Makes it more unique to the BM's and to your wedding day!!!!

 

Your invites are fab 2, so well finished............

 

EVERYTHING is just wonderful, Thank you so so much for sharing with us

 

Enjoy every second lady, and dont dont dont forget to take time out with your hubby at regular intervals!!! Will be nice to see each other on your wedding day....... xx

 

 

 

[vlvetter7]

Thanks Nic! I'll be sure to post pictures on facebook to keep you updated along the way!! xoxo

[Nicyx]

 

 

Originally Posted by vlvetter7 

 

Thanks Nic! I'll be sure to post pictures on facebook to keep you updated along the way!! xoxo

 

 

Whoo, Whoo, Thats good to hear, cant wait :-)

 

Are you nervous yet? xox

 

 

[SeeFlowers]

LOVE IT ALL!!!!!

[vlvetter7]

I'm not nervous to get married, but I'm nervous about getting everything done before I leave. I took tomorrow off but we're getting 12+ inches of snow tonight/tomorrow so that's going to put a little damper on my plans! So annoying...I'm hoping it's the best April Fools joke ever from the weather men, but looking outside it just looks like SNOW! ARHHHHHHHH

[celestial419]

V- Amazing Job!! I especially love your invites & custom cups.  Seems like we have very similar taste for our weddings..the colors, style, etc..i love it!