What I would and wouldn't do again...

[nicmicj]

Thanks for all of this great information. It really helps to learn from what happened to you all.

[coppergoddess13]

Wow- going through the archives of this thread has given me some great ideas! To all the Mrs.s out there, please keep the advice coming!

[DallasAshli]

I know there are a lot of October and November brides that are back...give us your insight (or hindsight maybe)! Please!

[beachbride08]

Here is what I would do again:

1. Have a destination wedding! This was the best decision ever.

2. Get OOT bags and hand deliver them to the guests. They were really surprised to receive the bags and were so grateful since many of the things we put in the bags were things they forgot to bring and needed. Everyone was using the bags to carry stuff down to the pool, and I'm so happy I tied tags on each bag with the names before we left. Since the bags were all the same it made it easy to know which bag belonged to who.

3. Get mini bottles of tequila and personalized margarita mix packets as the favor. I went back and forth if we should get favors and what to get. I'm so glad we bought the tequila in Mexico since it was one less thing to carry down.

4. Get blumebox vases for our centerpieces. It eliminated the need to pack more glass stuff, they looked really pretty on the tables, and some of the guests got to take a centerpiece back to their room.

5. Get the Adesso Polaroid album. I originally wanted the 4x6 album, but it only came in black. I ordered the tan colored Polaroid one with the intention of just cutting regular pictures to that size. Shortly before we left I ordered the camera and am so happy we did. It was so much easier and the guests seemed to have a fun time taking the pictures. Plus, we got to look at the pictures and read what people wrote in our book the next day.

6. Get the off-white parasols for the bridal party. I also got a pink one, but decided not to bring it. I think the color of the off-white ones looked so nice with the girl's dresses and the beach. I don't think the pink would have had the same effect.

7. Reserve the steakhouse for the wedding dinner. It was much more private than the Italian restaurant which we originally considered.

8. Even though I drove myself crazy with some of the DIY projects I would do them all over again. I really liked how everything turned out, and received so many compliments which made all my hard work pay off.

9. Dance all night!!!

10. Have a sweetheart table for the dinner. This was the only time that Mike and I really had alone, and it was so nice just to sit and talk with him while we ate.

 

What I wouldn't do again:

1. Let people's comments about my wedding plans get to me. At first it really bugged Mike and I, but we quickly came to the realization that this was what we wanted and it was our wedding day. We wouldn't have changed our plans, but we shouldn't have people get to us.

2. Not worry so much about the resort we chose. After we booked I kept looking at other resorts and seeing pictures of weddings at our resort that made me nervous. All my fears were erased when we got to the resort.

3. Don't stress out so much about the details. There were a few little things that didn't go quite as planned, and on our wedding day I couldn't care less because I was having too much fun.

4. Hire the resort photographer. I didn't get to see any samples of his work before hand, and am not too crazy about our video. It wasn't a top priority for me, but now that I have it I would've hired an external videographer.

5. Not eat anything. I didn't have time to eat breakfast in the morning, and was at the spa all day. I would have ordered room service so I could munch on something while I was getting ready before going to the spa.

6. Get the white boards. We were the only ones that used them and that was at the end of the night. It was kind of a waste, but they weren't expensive so I guess it wasn't really a big deal that we had them.

 

That is all I can think of right now.

[DallasAshli]

Thanks for the post! That's good advice One question...what is a white board? Maybe I should know this but I'm lost...

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachbride08 6. Get the white boards. We were the only ones that used them and that was at the end of the night. It was kind of a waste, but they weren't expensive so I guess it wasn't really a big deal that we had them.

[beachbride08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DallasAshli Thanks for the post! That's good advice One question...what is a white board? Maybe I should know this but I'm lost...

We bought 2 small dry erase boards t write on and have people hold them when taking pictures, but nobody used them except for Mike and I at the end of the night.

[sunstarsmoon]

this is such a great topic. It has helped me making certain decisions whether or not to do include certain things

 

thanks for sharing everyone

[Nitnylyin1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DallasAshli I know there are a lot of October and November brides that are back...give us your insight (or hindsight maybe)! Please!

I recently returned from my DW in Puerto vallarta and had a blast here's my list:

What I would Do:

1. Have a destination wedding, definitely the best decision, memories I will always remember and good times spent with friends over a number of days instead of one night.
2. Color choice of coral/pink-very beachy
3. The resort-staff at Dreams was excellent, beautiful beach and scenery
4. Photographer, Juan Carlos Tapia-Don't have my pics back but am confident they'll be great, he was very serious about his work, you can tell he takes pride
5. Mariachi band for cocktail hr-it was a surprise and everyone enjoyed
6. Fireworks-again another surprise that was enjoyed by not just the guests but the hotel guests as well
7. My wedding gown- I thought it was beautiful and characteristic of Mexico
8. Not see my husband until the day of the wedding with the walk down the aisle, I got pretty misty eyed
9. Stay at the same resort for the duration of our trip...was nice to not have to pack up and go flying off to somewhere else.
10. Dance lessons for our 1st dance- we learned to salsa, a lot of fun. My DH had 2 left feet before and he has definitely got some rhythm in him now
11. No programs- I thought it was a waste of time/money and I am also lazy. At our rehearsal dinner we introduced the guests/bridal party and how they played a part in out lives, not sure this would work with a big guest list. Also didn't know how the ceremony(legal and symbolic) was going to be carried out so why make a program that may have false info.

What I wouldn't do:
1. Have a wedding cake....not many ate it and it was cake but not like "WOW", i.e. not really decorated and basic 3 milks cake, we had to use the chef at the resort as opposed to bring in a vendor, we could have had a dessert served off of a menu that probably would have been better.
2. My hairstyle: I was not that much into it and I should have told the sylist but we were already running behind and I was stressed, just hope it looked better in the pics.
3. My IPOD for reception music: A good idea yes but I should have showed others how to use it before the wedding ,not all were technically inclined and I ended up DJ'ing my music, it didn't help that my MP3 was going wacko, just too stressful but I laughed it off. Maybe using CD's would have been a better alternative.
4. Having a veil, I loved my veil but in pics half the time it was behind me instead of over my shoulders, don't know how noticeable it will be in pics. Probably could have stuck with just a flower in my hair.
5. Worry if everyone's having a good time---I believe everyone did and if they didn 't then they probably are sour pusses and hard to please
6. Stress- no matter what happens it's all about the bride and groom on that day and about starting the rest of your life together with the one you love

[Nitnylyin1]

I recently returned from my DW in Puerto vallarta and had a blast here's my list:

 

What I would Do:

 

8. Not see my husband until the day of the wedding with the walk down the aisle, I got pretty misty eyed[/size][/color]

 

 

Ooops, of course I saw my DH before the wedding...we were there 5 days beforehand. I meant that we spent the night seperately and did not see each other on the day of the wedding until I walked with my dad down the aisle.....A moment I will never forget!

[KLC77]

Thanks for the new posts. This is one of my favorite threads on the forum. Its great to be able to learn from what you guys have already done.