I wanted to order many items from this website, and they offer great deals, but in the end I ordered only one item: capiz shell votive holders. I loved them. They were shipped quickly and nothing was broken. I like the site, but I do think some of the items are too expensive overall. I had a small wedding, so my order was only for 12 of the holders. If you order more, you get discounts and so forth. In all, a good site for wedding supplies.

What can I say about the Grand Velas? The only word that comes to me is overwhelming. Seriously, the luxury and the pampering are out of this world. Never have I had service like this! I had my wedding at Grand Velas on June 25, 2011. My husband and I arrived on Thursday to square things away and get an idea of the place, etc. We arrive in the lobby and we're immediately told not to take our bags. We're whisked away to a couch and served cold hibiscus tea and cold lemon-scented towels. We're given a welcome massage that was just awesome. One of the best check-in experiences I've ever had.

Edward, who I kept calling Eduardo, was our porter who gave us our tour of the facility. He was really cool and had a great personality. We talked a couple of times and always very sweet. We get to our room and what an amazing view! We can see clear out to the Bay and could see the gazebo where we were getting married. The beds were so comfy and the rooms well appointed. We had a master room I believe, and it came with a jacuzzi and shower. I loved how the toilet and shower were in separate areas. The only weird part about the room was answering the phone. There were 3, but you could only answer one normally, lol.

We went to our tasting and the food was divine. Never have I had lamb so succulent and not paired with something typical like mint. We had lamb, duck, salmon, and a puff pastry leek for our wedding guests. All were delicious. The chef was very accommodating and joked that I challenged him with my choice of cake (white chocolate w/ strawberries). We didn't get to try it then, but I had full faith once I tasted the entrees and hors' d'oeurves. And this was not just a tasting. They gave us the complete entrees as our guests would have them! I was so surprised. We tried our signature drink choices and selected two: kiwi mojito and mango something. Both delicious.

We ate at Piaf also and the food was again awesome. Service amazing. Try the tempura short rib. I couldn't finish it, but wished I could! The next day, our guests started arriving and everyone couldn't believe how amazing the place was. We went to the spa on Saturday, the day of the wedding, and it was such a luxury. I forgot my masseuse's name, but I think she did a wonderful job. Created a very serene atmosphere. Afterwards, the spa surprised me with a veil and had drinks set up on there lower level for my wedding guests. It was so unexpected and everyone loved it!

Our wedding party had the rehearsal dinner at Azul and we shut the place down. All the staff were great. We retired to the lobby bar afterwards for karaoke. So much fun. People kept asking for an encore from us! The hotel remembered my mother-in-laws birthday and surprised her with a cake. I also arranged a private dinner at Frida for my in-laws anniversary. They were really pleased and said the food was so much they had to stop and get some rest, lol. My dad and gramps went golfing for their complimentary amenity. Both really had a great time driving around in the cart!

The wedding itself was nothing short of fabulous. They listened to all the things I wanted and created the look I was going for. My coordinator, Ana Santos, was a pleasure to work with. She was very patient with me, as I'm pretty Type-A. We went off schedule, but she never hurried us along. She was very inconspicuous and had great suggestions. Initially, since it was rainy season, there was a struggle over moving the reception inside. But, I relented and was glad I did. Visually, outside would have been nice, but the temperature never really cools down and there's very little wind so my guests would've been truly melting. Ana's suggestions are to be trusted and I thank her for caring enough to stand her ground.

We did the ceremony on the amazing gazebo and the reception in the Tamayo room. All the lighting and drapery was lovely and our table really beautiful. We had so much fun and no one wanted to leave. Everyone kept saying it was one of the best weddings they've been to just because of the experience GVV gave us.

Ana also surprised us with an extra upgrade for our wedding night suite. I can't remember the style of the room, but it has the jacuzzi outside and the interior is very dark wood panel. Absolutely amazing with the views! My husband got to get ready for the wedding in that room while I was given a special bridal suite. My ladies and I had sweets and drinks waiting for us when we go to the suite which was lovely. For my wedding night suite, strawberries and champagne. All great touches and unexpected!

Our wedding was watched by a lot of other GVV guests and that was really cute. People were clapping and cheering when we got married. We also had a photo shoot the day after in the pool and other guests were kind enough to keep to the sides while we swam. It's like the hotel's hospitality spills over onto the guests themselves. It was so much fun being there and I miss it already!

Some drawbacks were the constant change in coordinators and the lack of up front information. For instance, the contract says guests can get free 25 minute spa treatments or golf. If someone chose golf, they then had to pay for equipment rental and golf cart fees. The only thing "free" was the tee time. That I didn't like. A lot of times the hotel nickel and dimed us, but I knew when to fight and when to let go. I urge all future brides to negotiate strongly. Go for what you want, but don't let them walk all over you.

For those who are considering this place for a visit or a wedding, please highly consider Grand Velas. The service, rooms, and food are top-notch and amazing. They really care and are extremely considerate and professional. I can't say enough about this place. We all had a great time and hope to return in the future. Big shouts to Ana Santos, Karla Aguillon, the spa staff, and Alexa, my hair stylist!

ETSY is a dream find for brides. I got the following items there:

1) Veil: Montgomery Belles
2) Place Cards: Timeless Paper
3) Bracelet (Chrissy Torres), earrings (Tala Collection), belt (Little White Dresser) and fascinator (Peacock Pixys)
4) Coral decor: Mrshady
5) Brides maids dresses: Erin Nicole Boutique
6) Guestbook: Simplicity4U

I found myself constantly on there for my wedding needs. You can find anything and you can find it cheaply. Some vendors are slower than others, but it's comparable to EBAY in that way. I saved lots of money using this site. I highly recommend it.

Bridal Garden...it's a love-hate thang, lol. Ok, so I chose this salon because it was the closest one to me that sold Pronovias. I went there with my mom and sister and we had to wait upstairs with the b-maid gown for like an hour even with an appointment. No biggie. My fam knows how to act and have fun anyway. So we get Mary Ellen as my consultant. I was originally looking for Pronovias Enebro, but they didn't carry it. I went after my second choice and tried it on. It was a perfect fit (in terms of personality, not actual fit). Mary Ellen chose some other Pronovias gowns, but I didn't care for them as much as the first. She wasn't pushy. If she brought it and I didn't even wanna try it on, she simply moved on. That's how I shop. I know if something will work or not.

Anywho, the actual buying a dress experience was great. They let me try on a belt with it since the dress has no embellishments. My mom and I liked it, but never at any time did we say, "Oh we'll take it." I thought it was just to SEE, not ADD to the bill. I get my bill, and the belt is on there. I question it and they act like they'll take it off. We pay 50% for the dress and the balance was due when it came in. Fine.

Dress comes in about 6 months later. I go to try it on and we need some alterations. I brought my belt which I got on Etsy. Mary Ellen loves it and shows it to another bride even before I put it on with my dress. It's whatever, cool I say and tell her where I got it. I try on my dress and I mention I'm torn about whether to wear a traditional veil or not. They let me try some on and I liked one with some sparkles in it. When time came to pay the bill, I see they ADDED the darned veil! On top of that, the belt was still on my bill. I promptly ask them to remove the belt and veil and they look at me like I'm from another planet and get that snooty attitude that others have criticized them for.

The next time I go in for a fitting, they try to press me to buy a $97 bra! Really?! I don't even buy $30 bras from Vicky Secrets, so why would I get a $100 one? What does it do? Light up and keep your breasts room temperature?! Give me a break. They kept saying how they had to make sure I had the right bra so the alterations would be perfect. I said, guess what, I'm not wearing a bra that day, so proceed as normal. Yea, they didn't like that one either.

I felt like every time I went in there, they were trying to pawn something off of me. If I tried something on, they added it to the bill before just asking me if I wanted to purchase it. That is shady business to me. I don't mind getting things I need, but their prices are outrageous. I could get better and cheaper off of Etsy, which I did for all my bridal accessories. BG can kick rocks as far as I'm concerned. And the flat rate for alterations is just bizarre to me. $350?! Really? I tried to get my strap altered and the seamstress tried to convince me she couldn't do it. Yea, right. More like she didn't want to do it and still wanted to get paid.

And, they kept my dress until the week of my wedding. That was a little bizarre to me. The last time I went in to try it on, was to ask about the strap. The dress was already ready to go. She opened the strap up at that fitting was all. I had to wait another month after that to get my dress. Really?! You couldn't do that within a few days so I'd have my dress earlier? ::rolls eyes::

Honestly, Mary Ellen was cool and a great consultant. The shop itself is bogus though. They're rude and are shady. Only go here if you have to.