We've got the invitations out, and I thought this would be a good time to let visitors know that we'll be having a few open house type receptions (read: casual, laid back) in our hometowns when we return from Mexico. We're still working out the specifics on when those will be, and we'll send out save the date cards as soon as we have it pinned down.
We know that with a destination wedding, not everybody will be able to attend. We still want to celebrate with those friends and family members who won't be able to make it for the actual wedding. So, if you're reading this and are worried about not being able to celebrate with us, don't worry!
As previously posted, we received the invitations late last week. They look great. Last night, we put them together while watching Heroes, and got them pretty much done. I have to hunt down another address or two, but the remainder are going in the mail today! Hopefully we get lots of replies fairly quickly!
In an earlier post I started listing out other activities that visitors to the Barcelo Maya resort can partake in. This another post with more ideas, if you want to get away from the resort for the day.
Another tourist attraction are the ancient Mayan ruins that are practically littered across the Yucatan peninsula. Only 20-30 minutes away are the ruins of Tulum or if you are feeling a little more adventurous you can check out the major ancient city of Chichen Itza.
Chichen Itza
Another tourist attraction are the ancient Mayan ruins that are practically littered across the Yucatan peninsula. Only 20-30 minutes away are the ruins of Tulum or if you are feeling a little more adventurous you can check out the major ancient city of Chichen Itza.
Tulum
Chichen ItzaBoth are uncovered lost cities built by the Mayans thousands of years ago and are a site to see. Chichen Itza is quite a bit further away from the resort and will take most of the day to travel to and from and explore, but my parents have been there and thought it was awesome. So if you are a history buff like me it may be worth seeing. Otherwise, if you are just mildly curious but don't want to burn a whole day doing it then Tulum may be more your style. The resort has charter buses that travel to both locations.
As always you can swing by the activities desk a the Barcelo hotel lobby to book one of these things to do or you can always check with your travel booking group and book ahead of time. I would recommend waiting to get down there to decide what day you want to sign up for so you can see what the weather will be like.
We'll try to get them out in the next week or so. Things are quite busy, but all we really have to do is address them. We found a designer through etsy.com and she did a lovely job. She was very communicative and flexible. She did the work quickly and beautifully and we'd certainly recommend her highly!
Her website is here: www.thestylishscribe.blogspot.com
Her etsy site is here: chprfan.etsy.com
Her website is here: www.thestylishscribe.blogspot.com
Her etsy site is here: chprfan.etsy.com
We're awaiting the invitations, which will hopefully go out sometime next week. (Fast, I know!) Heath and I have our trip booked, and some family members have started looking into the process as well.
Booking travel these days is very often a DIY venture. When Heath and I travel, we typically go online and find the best deal ourselves. For the destination wedding, we opted to get in touch with a real-live travel agent to help manage the process for us and our guests. The deals she presented to us were better than anything we could find online at the time, so we decided to go ahead and book through her.
That being said, prices change and there are countless websites that allow you to search for and put together travel packages on your own. At times, the prices will be lower than the prices we put out there through our agent, Suzanne. A couple of thoughts on this. Most of it is common sense, but we want our guests to have a good experience and be aware of some of these things.
You certainly don't have to book through our travel agent, but if possible, as a courtesy, it would be nice to give her the opportunity to match the prices you find online. She has given us a lot of her time and help already, so I'd like to keep her in mind. If she cannot match the price, then I certainly can't begrudge you for booking on your own.
Thanks!
Note: This post will be accessible via a link in the Travel Information Section
Booking travel these days is very often a DIY venture. When Heath and I travel, we typically go online and find the best deal ourselves. For the destination wedding, we opted to get in touch with a real-live travel agent to help manage the process for us and our guests. The deals she presented to us were better than anything we could find online at the time, so we decided to go ahead and book through her.
That being said, prices change and there are countless websites that allow you to search for and put together travel packages on your own. At times, the prices will be lower than the prices we put out there through our agent, Suzanne. A couple of thoughts on this. Most of it is common sense, but we want our guests to have a good experience and be aware of some of these things.
- Be mindful of whether you are seeing a direct flight or a flight with connections. When we traveled to Mexico last year, we had a connection between different airlines in Mexico City. While this was manageable, it was confusing and stressful. We ended up burning pretty much an entire day in the airports, and didn't arrive to the resort until dark.
- Also, ensure that the prices you are being quoted include taxes, fees, and transfers. Those things can add up in a hurry, so you want to be sure that you are looking at an actual price before making your decision.
- If you do find a seemingly better deal, feel free to email it over to our travel agent to see if she can match it. If she can, you may have the option of avoiding paying in full up front. Additionally, if she is able to work her connections to get a group upgrade in rooms, you would get to be in on that as well.
- Please make sure make sure make sure that it is the right resort and the right dates!
You certainly don't have to book through our travel agent, but if possible, as a courtesy, it would be nice to give her the opportunity to match the prices you find online. She has given us a lot of her time and help already, so I'd like to keep her in mind. If she cannot match the price, then I certainly can't begrudge you for booking on your own.
Thanks!
Note: This post will be accessible via a link in the Travel Information Section
I'm doing some preliminary dress shopping this weekend, so we'll see how that goes. I also updated the wedding details page with some thoughts on attire, which are also posted here:
Attire is beach dressy (a term I made up). We want people to be cool and comfortable, but not totally beach bummy. Ladies, a cute sundress or something like that is fine with sandals or flipflops (the bride and groom may both be barefoot). Guys, we'd like some form of sleeves (short is fine), so a polo or button down with khakis would probably be your best bet.
Attire is beach dressy (a term I made up). We want people to be cool and comfortable, but not totally beach bummy. Ladies, a cute sundress or something like that is fine with sandals or flipflops (the bride and groom may both be barefoot). Guys, we'd like some form of sleeves (short is fine), so a polo or button down with khakis would probably be your best bet.
If you have some spare time and are interested in picking up a little Spanish, the BBC offers some free online lessons. Pretty much everybody speaks English at the resort, but it might be fun to learn a bit or brush up on some rusty skills.
BBC - Languages - Spanish
BBC - Languages - Spanish
As we get closer to finalizing plans for the wedding in Riviera Maya, I thought it might be a helpful to list some other items to do around the Barcelo Maya resort. As Kelly mentioned before there is tons to do to keep yourself entertained within the resort for no extra cost, such as:
- swimming pools
- beach sports (soccer, volleyball, etc)
- arts & crafts
- eating
- drinking at one of the swim up or walk up bars
- napping in one of the many hammocks
- and much more
There are also a number of activities for a fee like ATV rides in the jungle, horse back riding, etc. If you are looking to get off the resort for a day one highly recommended spot to visit is Xel-Ha about 20 minutes away. When Kelly and I were in Mexico last year, we checked this place out and loved it. Xel-Ha is an all inclusive nature fun park (think national park with a bar). It is an ecological sanctuary where visitors are allowed to snorkel, hike and relax with mother nature. The park is a jungle that surrounds a spring fed river that flows out to the Caribbean. The water way is open to the sea so many of the fish swim up in its waters. You can do many things such as snorkel amongst the shores and caves with many exotic fish, grab a tube and float down the river through mangroves, jump off a 12 foot cliff into the river, eat and drink at the all inclusive restaurant, swim with the dolphins (extra fee), hike through the paved nature trial and more. The park is all inclusive and the fee covers your meals at the restaurant and drinks at the bar (throughout the day) as well as snorkel gear (flippers, mask, snorkel and life vest). The only thing you would need money for once inside would be to swim with the dolphins or for any trinket shopping you might want to do. The park is very picturesque and relaxing and never really seems crowded. Oh and don't bother bringing sun block. The park requires that you use their sun block (free packet provided) because it is environmentally friendly and won't hurt the fish you are swimming with. If it is something you think you want to try Kelly and I would recommend it. It was one of the highlights of our trip.
Barcelo has a desk at each of the hotel lobbies where you can sign up for excursions like this when you get there or I am sure you can book something up front through the travel agent you choose to use. In the mean time check out the website for Xel-Ha (http://www.xelha.com/) or let Kelly and I know if you have any questions. I will try to have more posts like this over time to let you know what other stuff there is to do around the resort
June 16, 2009 it is!
I just heard back from the resort and they're holding the date for us! Now we can really get moving on booking our trip and getting the invites finalized! Keep an eye on the wedding details and travel information tabs for continued updates!
I just heard back from the resort and they're holding the date for us! Now we can really get moving on booking our trip and getting the invites finalized! Keep an eye on the wedding details and travel information tabs for continued updates!
I added a quiz off to the right hand side. I know we don't have a ton of readers, but I thought it might be fun to give it a try.
I'm trying to think ahead to what kind of dress I'll want. I'm torn between having a tea length one, which would be fine for a summer beach wedding..or a longer more elegant one, particularly since it's an evening event. I've got to keep things like temperature (so, no long sleeves or heavy layers :) !) and packability (not too poofy to fit in my bag, not so delicate to not get wrecked/wrinkled in transit) in mind as I begin my search.
Suggestions welcome!
Thanks!
I'm trying to think ahead to what kind of dress I'll want. I'm torn between having a tea length one, which would be fine for a summer beach wedding..or a longer more elegant one, particularly since it's an evening event. I've got to keep things like temperature (so, no long sleeves or heavy layers :) !) and packability (not too poofy to fit in my bag, not so delicate to not get wrecked/wrinkled in transit) in mind as I begin my search.
Suggestions welcome!
Thanks!
Hello all! We've updated the look of our blog and added some navigation features. The tabbed links will quickly take our visitors to pertinent ceremony and travel information. This will allow us to update that information regularly and keep it all in one centralized location (well, two, I guess, but you know what I mean).
PLEASE NOTE YOU WILL NEED A PASSPORT! Make sure you get one or update yours if needed. This takes some time, so we recommend you start early. A link to the Passport information website is at the bottom of this posting.
We'll provide some estimated costs for 4 Night and 7 Night options on the invitation, but please note that because rates are based on availability, we won't be able to guarantee them.
Estimated price breakdown:
Suggested Travel Options:
We'll provide some estimated costs for 4 Night and 7 Night options on the invitation, but please note that because rates are based on availability, we won't be able to guarantee them.
Estimated price breakdown:
- 7 night stay (Saturday, June 13 - Saturday, June 20) estimated at $1489 per guest at Beach and Caribe hotels
- 7 night stay (Saturday, June 13 - Saturday, June 20) estimated at $1599 per guest at Tropical and Colonial hotels
- 4 night stay (Sunday, June 14 - Thursday, June 18) estimated at $1119 per guest at Beach and Caribe hotels
- 4 night stay (Sunday, June 14 - Thursday, June 18) estimated at $1189 per guest at Tropical and Colonial hotels
NOTE: The above prices would include your all-inclusive (food, drinks, non-motorized activities) stay at the hotels listed at the resort, direct round trip flight from O'Hare airport, and transfers between the Cancun airport and the resort during arrival and departure days. The prices are not guaranteed and may change over time or if changes are made (e.g. flying from a different airport). Keep in mind that the wedding will be on Tuesday, June 16. Kelly and I have already booked our stay for Thursday, June 11 - Saturday, June 20 and have the wedding locked in for Tuesday, June 16. As you would imagine, we recommend booking early if you are going to be joining us. That will increase the likelihood that you'll get the best deal. If the packages we provide are not quite what you need (e.g., different departure airport, different dates to stay), please feel free to contact our travel agent. She has committed to working with our guests to make arrangements that best fit their needs.
Keep in mind that upon booking, a $125 deposit will be due for each passenger. The balance will be due 50 days prior to travel. Thus, you can book early with a small deposit to lock in the lower price.
Hotel/Resort Information (to consider as you make your plans):
- We'll be staying at the Barcelo Maya Resort. This resort includes 5 separate hotels: Beach, Caribe, Colonial, Tropical, and Palace. The first four are by and large the same, with access to each other's pools, beach area, snack bars, and theatres.
- The resort is all-inclusive which means that all your meals, drinks, tips, and taxes, as well as many resort activities are included in the rate. You can check out any of the hotel websites (links in the section below) for more information. The rates that we will provide will also include airfare (and all associated taxes and fees) as well as transfers to and from the airport in Cancun.
- Beach and Caribe tend to be a little less expensive than Colonial and Tropical. The key difference between the pairs (Beach/Caribe vs Colonial/Tropical) is that guests of Beach/Caribe will not have access to the air conditioned buffets of Colonial/Tropical nor the a la carte restaurants. Guests of Colonial/Tropical will, however, have acces to the buffets and a la carte restauarants at Beach/Caribe.
- When Heath and I stayed at this resort in October 2007, we stayed at Beach and thought it was very nice. So, if you decide to stay there to save some money, you certainly won't be disappointed. For the wedding week, Heath and I are planning on staying at either Colonial or Tropical for a couple of reasons. First, it's our wedding/honeymoon!! So, we want to upgrade a bit. Second, we'll be there for 9 nights, and the additional variety of a la carte restaurants and buffets will be nice to have over that longer amount of time.
- The Palace is the fanciest of the five, but is quite separated from the other four hotels (i.e., guests of the other 4 cannot use the Palace's pools etc without purchasing a separate day pass), so we would not recommend that option for our guests.
- Everybody is more than welcome to stay wherever they'd like. Our travel agent can help you figure out what is the best solution for your needs, or feel free to call Heath or me to discuss our thoughts on the various options.
Suggested Travel Options:
- 7 Nights: Depart Saturday June 13, 2009, Return Saturday June 20, 2009.
- 4 Nights: Depart Sunday June 14, 2009, Return Thursday June 18, 2009.
- If neither of these is a good option for you, our travel agent can help you to customize a package to meet your individual needs.
- Suzanne Grimes @ Best Travel & Tours.
- Phone: 773.380.0150
- Email: sgrimes@besttravel.com
- YOU WILL NEED A PASSPORT!
- http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
16 June 2009 @ 6:00 p.m.
We'll be tying the knot at Barcelo Maya Resort, in Riviera Maya, Mexico (just a bit south of Cancun).
The ceremony will be at 6:00 pm on June 16, 2009 on the Beach at the Resort, with a catered dinner on the beach following the ceremony. We just got the menu options, and while we have to talk it over, the choices look pretty delicious! If the weather doesn't cooperate, alternative arrangements will be made.
Invitations will go out in the next couple weeks.
We understand that with a destination wedding, not all of our friends and family will be able to attend. We look forward to celebrating with everybody in our hometowns (Grand Rapids, MI and Lyndon, IL) and most likely our current home (Evanston, IL or Chicago) later in the summer when we return. We'll be finalizing dates for these get-togethers and sending out save the date notifications soon!
Attire is beach dressy (a term I made up). We want people to be cool and comfortable, but not totally beach bummy. Ladies, a cute sundress or something like that is fine with sandals or flipflops (the bride and groom may both be barefoot). Guys, we'd like some form of sleeves (short is fine), so a polo or button down with khakis would probably be your best bet.
Information on Travel Arrangements is available by following one of the Travel Information links in this site.
If you can't get enough, you can visit Our Knot page for more information.
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