January 2016 Mexico Bride - Planning And Budget

[jswllms]

@@TaraMarie33 - Great story!! Here are my thoughts...

 

- I don't see a problem with bringing a photographer. Lots of people do it. We ended up not going with our resort's photog and booked a different (local) one, and we are so glad we did. My only piece of advice would be to make sure you really like your friend's work. I know it's a friend, but this is one of the most important days of your life. I personally think photos are one of the most important elements of the day. You want to make sure it's done right.

 

- We only had a maid of honor (my sister) and best man (his brother), but we paid for MOH, MOB and my SIL's hair and make-up. (MIL declined the offer since she has short hair and doesn't wear much make-up anyways.) It was a drop in the bucket considering how much help everyone had been, on top of paying good money for their trips to the wedding. I wanted the ladies closest to us to look and feel their best, so I knew from the start we'd be treating them. I kind of think it's just part of planning a wedding/budget, especially if you want a more polished look for everyone. It's kind of hard to have a couple girls do their own and then a couple get theirs professionally done. It might be a little obvious, but that's your call.

 

- Groom and BM ordered their linen blend suits online a few months in advance to leave room for exchanges for different sizes, so I can't speak to going to fittings.

 

- We brought two extra suitcases of décor and gift bag items. We brought a number of things including chair sashes, cake toppers, table runners, seashells, starfish, menus, colored straws, custom drink coasters, tote bags, mini aloe and sunscreen, etc. What helped was that we ordered custom maracas, fans and papel picado from Puerto Vallarta, which shipped straight to the resort, so that saved a lot of packing room.

Where'd your groomsmen order there linen suit?

 

 

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[JenniferH114]

@@jswllms - www.cubavera.com

[jswllms]

@@jswllms - www.cubavera.com

Thanks! I would love to see some pictures when they come in

 

 

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[JenniferH114]

@@jswllms - There are a few photos in my gallery.

[yycbride2016]

@@JenniferH114 where did you get the starfish from? I'm hesitant to order them from Etsy but so far it's the only place I can find.

 

 

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[calgarybride2015]

@@JenniferH114 where did you get the starfish from? I'm hesitant to order them from Etsy but so far it's the only place I can find.

 

 

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Ebay too. Marina got lots from china for super cheap but you'd have to wait probably a month to receive them.

 

 

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[yycbride2016]

@@calgarybride2015 good thinking! I think to get 80 medium sized and 200 tiny starfish was going to cost me $100 on Etsy. I'm going to check Ebay since I have 8.5 months to wait for them to arrive haha.

 

 

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[calgarybride2015]

@@calgarybride2015 good thinking! I think to get 80 medium sized and 200 tiny starfish was going to cost me $100 on Etsy. I'm going to check Ebay since I have 8.5 months to wait for them to arrive haha.

 

 

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Yikes!!! I'd wait for something to arrive if it's 75% cheaper! That's expensive!! I had found a seller on etsy that had them for like $10 for 40 ish. Not sure I still have them favorited though but they were a Canadian seller.

 

 

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Edited June 4, 2015 by calgarybride2015

[calgarybride2015]

I will chime in too I believe you are marrying at the Grand Sirenis right?  I thought I read that somewhere, but when I go back and read this post I can't seem to find it.

 

-- What do you think of flying out a photographer instead of paying for one? Resort is quoting me about $1500 for the day to take pictures of the wedding.. One of kennys friends offered to do it but we have to pay for his trip. We are thinking of flying him out for the day before the wedding, wedding day, and day after ($1100!) - saves us $400 and we have 3 days of photos?! What do you think? Has anyone done this before? I am not against this idea whatsoever. But as another bride said, make sure this guy is your style!  Whether it be your friend, the resort, or an off site photographer. Just have to find one that matches your style and your budget!

 

-- Hair and makeup for my girls .. I dont know if they expect it to be done. Its quite costly I think to have it done for all my maids (4 girls, 1 guy - so just 4 in total). Or I am thinking of treating my mother and mother in law to hair/makeup instead? Thoughts?   My girls paid for their own. They had the option to do it themselves or at the spa. They gladly did hair / makeup at the spa.  I kind of asked around and everyone I knew had to pay for their own when they were in a wedding, so I assumed this was the norm.  Given it was another expense for them, they did have the option.   At the Grand Sirenis, I believe they have a bridesmaid hair/make up combo special.  Was around $125 Canadian.

 

-- How far out do the men have to get their suit fittings? Recommendations?  Our men didn't need fittings, so I am no help. But if you are wanting summer attire just make sure you shop for it between June -Aug, we went looking for short sleeved shirts in September and it was slim pickings.

 

-- How much decor to you think I can realistically bring myself? I want to bring all my own flowers (silk flower bouquets), I would love to bring my own chiffon for the chair covers. Favours, and lighting (tea lights, string lights, etc). Am i outrageous to bring that much?  Just depends how many suitcases you want!  I had about 3 for wedding stuff. Then all my jewelry and breakables in my carry on.   The cost at the GS for the chiffon bows was less than $2 a pop, so unless you get a smoking deal to bring your own, may not be worth it.    I brought 48 tumblers with oh shit kits, 48 maracas, 20+ votive sized candle holders and candles, 5 vases (laid flat) 5 picture frames, a large chest for guest book, 2 other larger frames for guest book table, banner, cake topper, all my guestbook supplies, 45 fans, 100 glow sticks, flower girl pail, ring bearer shell, hmmmm what else. 

Edited June 4, 2015 by calgarybride2015

[JenniferH114]

@@yycbride2016 - I ordered a lot of our stuff from Etsy, including the starfish. I love the ones we got and I thought they were very reasonably priced. I was willing to pay a little more for better quality, plus I love Etsy and supporting small businesses.

 

As a side note, if you are buying a lot, many shop owners will negotiate price with you. I always sent a message first and said something like, "If I order XX starfish, would you be willing to give a bulk or discounted rate?" I think pretty much every shop owner gave me some sort of discount.
 

I ordered my chair sashes from weddinglinensdirect.com. It was $49, including shipping, for 80 sashes and they were perfect! I could've gotten some from the resort but for how inexpensive and lightweight they were, I just brought them myself and opted to have the rose petals included in our wedding package instead.

Edited June 5, 2015 by JenniferH114