2 Cost efficient ways to make your big day extra special

Over at Ruffledblog.com they have some cutesy Alphabet Bounting available for printing. They are in beautiful, colorful patterns and best of all ~ they are FREE!
Click HERE to be taken to them now.



Another easy, fun thing that always causes me to stop and admire is when the bride and groom have strings (or twine) of pictures displayed of them with their loved ones. Pictures from their childhood is always a nice treat as well. ♥ You could use ribbon and a nicer form of clip if your wedding is more formal. Also going off of that idea, are picture trees like THIS one.


Photo courtesy of Levi Photography



Much love from Legacy,

Meghan and Jason! Wedding at the Azul Sensatori

The bride and groom: Meghan & Jason
The photographer: Caribe Photo (Resort photographer)
The resort: Azul Sensatori
Travel agent: Terrah Rominger

~ Bride Interview ~

What made you decide on having a destination wedding?
We wanted a beach and Mexico was the most affordable. It helped us to cut down the cost of the wedding as well because we had a smaller wedding.

What made you decide on the resort/venue?
Advice of the travel agent, Terrah Rominger. I liked that they had adults only and kids sections as well as an English speaking wedding coordinator in the states.

Who was your photographer, and if you had one, your videographer?
Caribe photography. They were great and we enjoyed having both prints and photo albums to take home with us. I wish we would have done a video though.

What was the biggest difficulty in planning your destination wedding?
Not seeing the resort first. In retrospect I wish we would have gone out there first to make sure it was right but it turned out wonderfully. It just made it more stressful not knowing for sure if it was going to be what we wanted until we got there.

What was the highlight of the experience?
Jumping in the pool in our clothes after the reception! I’ve had tons of comments it was the best wedding people had been to. Irais, the on site coordinator made it so effortless and took the worry out of everything the day of the wedding. We had 31 guests, so it was a nice intimate group with lots of great energy!

Biggest surprise?
That the wedding staff was so easy to work with, especially everyone at the resort. They had some great ideas about some things we should add when we got there and were able to make it as low stress as a wedding could be!

If your best friend were planning a destination wedding what would your advice be to her?
Look at lots of pictures and have an idea of what you want. If you’re not sure, ask. The wedding team does tons of these and has lots of great ideas. Make sure you pick a resort that does lots of weddings and comes recommended. Check theKnot.com for blogs, etc. Take into account that it may limit who attends or you may have to do some creative problem solving to get the people that are important to you down there.

Emily & Brent ~ Wedding at The Gran Porto Real

The bride and groom: Emily & Brent
The photographer: Jennifer Graham and resort photographer
The resort: Gran Porto Real Resort
Travel agent: Terrah Rominger

~ Bride Interview ~

What made you decide on having a destination wedding?
I have always wanted a beach wedding!


What made you decide on the resort/venue?
We knew we wanted an all inclusive resort. The Gran Porto Real seemed to fit every ones budget. We also like the option to use the Royal.


Who was your photographer?
Resort photographer and my best friend Jenny!


What was the biggest difficulty in planning your destination wedding?
Letting go and trusting that the resort coordinator would take care of everything....they are the experts!


What was the highlight of the experience?
Rooms were great and we loved the all inclusive aspect of not having to think or worry about were to eat!


Biggest surprise?
Our wonderful room and special treats we had left for us every night.


If your best friend were planning a destination wedding what would your advice be to her?
Be flexible and go with the flow! You will have a great time no matter what may happen :) Definitely move resorts if you want anytype of honeymoon! You will run into your guests everywhere. Also, plan a group outing ahead of time, try to budget this into your trip.

Kendra & Cody ~ Wedding at The El Dorado Royale

The bride and groom: Kendra & Cody
The photographer: Jackie G. Photography
The resort: The El Dorado Royale

Travel agent: Marty Boehlke

~ Bride & Groom Interview ~

What made you decide on having a destination wedding?
Cody: I am from Texas and Kendra is from NC. Since we both have family in different states we decided to have a destination wedding because we did not want to make any of the family members mad because we had the wedding in either Texas or NC.
Kendra: We both always dreamed of having a destination wedding but didn't think that we would be able to. The more we researched venues, we realized that some of our family would have to travel regardless of where we get married. As we got closer to creating our budget we realized we would be able to do our destination wedding.

What made you decide on the resort/venue?
Cody: We went to the El Dorado last May and we loved the place. So since we wanted to have a Destination wedding, we thought since we have been to the El Dorado and loved it, why not get married there.
Kendra: We were looking at Mexico because it is a rather easy trip from Texas and one of the least expensive places to fly to. We also liked the idea of going somewhere we had been and were familiar with so there wouldn't be any surprises. We visited the El Dorado Royale the year before with a group of friends and had an amazing time. The food was incredible, the service was top notch and we were completely satisfied with our first experience. We also wanted all inclusive and adult only, so it was an easy choice.

Who was your photographer, and if you had one, your videographer?
Cody: Jackie G. and she was amazing. I would recommend her to anyone doing a destination wedding.
Kendra: We chose to bring our own photographer and she was AMAZING. She knew us and our style and did an incredible job... contact information is on her website ... http://www.jackiegphotography.blogspot.com

What was the biggest difficulty in planning your destination wedding?
Cody: I did not have one. Ask my wife because she did all the planning but I think everything went seamlessly.
Kendra: I took care of most of the details with small projects for the ceremony but had an offsite coordinator that would email details back and forth. It was relatively easy considering my mom was my florist and we were pretty specific with what we wanted. People don't realize that these large resorts do multiple weddings a day so they are great and details and making sure everything is right... you have to be somewhat flexible since you won't be meeting face to face or seeing everything before hand but it was great.

What was the highlight of the experience?
Cody: On the wedding day the weather was not that great. Overcast and looked like rain was approaching. At 1.00pm all the clouds disappeared and there was not a cloud in the sky and at the time of the wedding the weather was perfect.
Kendra: The service and attention of the staff and coordinators were amazing. Everyone was so attentive to the fact that we were getting married and really made it their priority to treat us that way.

Biggest surprise?
Kendra: The over the top staff at the resort who went above the call of duty to make sure that your experience was the best it could be.
Cody: My watch and “other” present Kendra gave me. (and the fact that we got to hang out with Angel who was one of our bartenders last year)

If your best friend were planning a destination wedding what would your advice be to her?
Kendra: Enjoy the ride, be flexible and relax... it was the most un-stressful wedding process ever.. and totally worth every minute and penny! Also don't go over the top with all the tiny details, it will be gorgeous regardless... look at the location how can it not be.

Carley & Sam ~ Wedding at THE ROYAL Playa

The bride and groom: Carley & Sam

The photographer: Joel and Laura Photography

The resort: THE ROYAL Playa del Carmen


~ Bride Interview ~

What made you decide to have a destination wedding?
When I was in high school my family and I were in Mexico while Stephen King's daughter was getting married on the beach where we stayed (Iberostar Grand Paraiso Lindo). It was absolutely gorgeous and from that day on I knew that I would be married in tropical Mexico!


What made you decide on the resort/venue?
We got married at The Royal Playa Del Carmen. I decided on that venue because it was close to town and would give my guests more to do while they were there!

Who was your photographer and videographer?
Joel and Laura Photography www.joelandlaura.com They are out of Dallas and did and AMAZING job! Super creative, nice, and very professional! I used the videographer the resort hired and he did a great job. I even lost the DVD at my reception back here in Dallas and he sent me another one!


What was the biggest difficulty in planning your destination wedding?
I really can't name one specific thing that was really difficult. Honestly, the whole thing was just a little more work and preparation than a normal wedding We had a huge reception in Dallas this week at Hotel Zaza and I have spent almost as much time planning it as I did the destination wedding.

What was the highlight of the experience?
Well there were really two highlights of the trip. We had a private reception on the beach with a dance floor, music, food, cake etc. and it was absolutely amazing. There was a gorgeous sunset in the background and it was so much fun! The second was the day after the wedding. Some of our guests (about 15 of us) went to Selvatica Canopy Tour together! It was a lot of fun! Great memories!

Biggest Surprise?
Everything went perfect. I know, sounds hard to believe, but my wedding planner, Michel, at the resort was absolutely amazing and took care of everything!


If your best friend were planning a destination wedding what would your advice be to her?
Make sure you have a LOT of time to plan and really think EVERYTHING through. I spent a year planning and I think that is why it went so perfectly. You really cannot halfway do a destination wedding, and you must start planning early!!