Two Months to Go!

It's true - time flies, even during a long engagement like ours. We're getting so excited for the big day, which is about two months away right now. You should be receiving your invite in the mail in the upcoming days. We wanted to take the chance to answer a few questions you may have once you receive your invite...
1. Why are you getting married in Mexico?
As you most likely know, Brian and I met in Australia. When we were looking at locations, we knew we wanted to bring our wedding to a destination, and a tropical destination at that. We also loved the idea of being able to take a vacation with our closest family and friends. Finally, we've never been to Mexico and wanted to have a place that we could continue to go back to to re-live our wedding day!
2. Is Akumal safe?
Yes! We know there's always information in the news about Mexico being dangerous, let us assure you - we did not choose a dangerous location for our wedding! The problems in Mexico are isolated in the North (much closer to the US border). We'll be surrounded by higher end vacation spots.
3. If I decide to come to the wedding, when should I plan on arriving?
You can plan to arrive anytime, however we would recommend flying in at least a day ahead of time. When you book your flight, we'd love for you to send us your details so we can keep track of everyone. Brian and I will be in Mexico from Sunday, June 27 - Tuesday, July 6.
4. Which airport do I fly into?
Cancun International is the closest airport. From there you'll either want to rent a car, or grab a shuttle to your accommodations.
5. Where should I stay?
As this is a smaller wedding, and we are not staying in a hotel, we did not book out a block of rooms anywhere. Instead, depending on how long of a trip your planning on taking, we'd love to suggest some options. If you're planning on staying for more than 3 days, we'd suggest looking into one of the condos available on http://www.locogringo.com/. Specifically search in the Akumal area. For those of you staying for a shorter period (or who just prefer to stay in a hotel) - there are hotels in Akumal, and many resorts/hotels in Playa del Carmen (15 - 20 minute car ride from Akumal). Luckily we're going in the off season, so there are some great rates to be found! If you need any help finding somewhere to stay - please don't hesitate to call/email us.
6. What should I wear, is this thing on a beach?
For the wedding/reception we'd prefer you dress in beach cocktail attire. We'd rather not have anyone in jeans or shorts. The rest of the week - it's gonna be hot, we're guessing you'll be in a swimsuit :)

We're so thrilled that the wedding is quickly approaching! Looking forward to seeing you in Mexico!

Krystle & Brian's Wedding - Review of Details

We're nearing the 5 months out mark and save the dates are going out this week - so thought it might be nice to do a quick review, for folks looking for an all up view of the details.
Flights:
- We're not booking group flights or anything like that, as we're sure people will want to stay for different amounts of time.
- Make sure you fly into Cancun - it's the closest airport to Akumal
- If you're planning on doing travelling other than to Akumal, rent a car...otherwise, if you're just staying in Akumal - no need to. Just hop in a shared van, one recommended provider is: http://www.cancuntransfers.com/express/ You can even reserve online if you'd like.

Accommodations:
- Pretty much all types of hotels, B&B's, condos, all inclusives, and hostels are available in or near Akumal. Check out our earlier post for specifics on hotels, condos, and all inclusives.
- If you're looking to stay in a bigger city, Playa Del Carmen is 15 - 20 minutes away and has the bigger, brand name hotels (Marriots, Hiltons, etc.). Just remember that you'll need to find some transportation to the wedding. (Taxis and collectivos are easy to hail)
- If you stay in Akumal, everything is less than a mile apart, so you won't need to worry about getting around.

Akumal:
- Akumal is about an hour South of Cancun, away from the giant resorts and crazy amounts of tourists.
- Known for snorkelling and diving, there's pristine beaches with reefs that are a short swim from shore.
- Also within a short drive/taxi ride are the Tulum ruins and many cenotes (caves for diving).
- There are little restaurants, shops, and places to grab a drink along the beaches of Akumal.
- The wedding party is staying at the Romero Compound - located on a lagoon. Typically people need to pay to use the lagoon, with the exception of those staying on a private property, so feel free to come by for a swim in the lagoon or one of the pools!

The wedding/reception:
- The wedding is on Saturday, July 3 at 5:30pm at Casa Romero
- Dinner, drinks and dancing will follow at the same location
- Dress is beach cocktail - we'd prefer no jeans, shorts, or flip flops for the ceremony... however we do understand it's Mexico, in the summer - so feel free to get more comfortable for the reception.

Your presence at our wedding is the best gift we can ask for, however - for those who have asked - we are registered at Crate & Barrel and at Macy's .
When we're closer to the date, I'll provide the phone number to where the bridal party will be staying, along with more details (as they become avialable). If you have any other questions, please shoot us an email or leave a comment and we'll get back to you!

So looking forward to our wedding and seeing everyone in Mexico!

New Year, More Photos, More Details!

First off, Happy New Year to all! We had our last Christmas apart (thankfully!) and enjoyed the holiday time with our families. We've also been working on the wedding details and getting more and more excited to go to Mexico!

We did receive the rest of our engagement pictures, to view them visit here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2208207&id=25900729&l=ee39250c78 or check them out from our photographer's page here: http://www.kristenmarie.org/blog/2009/12/26/krystlebrian.html

In wedding planning news, after a FULL year of searching... I finally chose bridesmaid dresses! Very exciting, very cute dresses, and now feel like planning is really under way!

Finally, for those who may be joining us in Mexico but haven't yet found somewhere to stay - there's two townhomes still available on the Romero compound (where the Watson family and Murphy family, as well as bridal party will be staying). Each fit 4 people and are $1500 for the week. If you're interested, please let me know and I'll put you in touch with the owner.

We're less than six months out, save the dates will be sent out soon. I'm sure before we know it, we'll be in Mexico!

And The Winners Are...

Jon & Andrea Carey! Officially the first two plane tickets have been purchased to get to this crazy wedding! Andrea posted on FB that they were good to go and made my day. There will be some kind of prize in Mexico for their preparedness.
For those of you wondering about the actual dates - we'd love to have you for any and all of the time we're in Mexico. Brian and I will be in Mexico from Tuesday - Tuesday with our families and the bridal party (well Brittney will be there a little less, as she'll be finishing up her MBA). We're not planning on having large, organized group activities (because we're not that kind of people), but we will fill everyone in on general plans and keep it nice and casual. Between the properties we've rented we'll have 3 pools and a lagoon for snorkeling, so at least plan for a little time to hang out! Oh, and the wedding is on Saturday, July 3 - so please make sure to be there for that little event :)

About 8 months away... yay :)

What we did on Sunday...

Much to Brian's dismay, I had completely planned out our morning last Sunday. For those of you who either grew up with Brian or know him very well... Brian is NOT a morning person. Especially if he hasn't had breakfast yet. ESPECIALLY if you take him shopping early in the morning, without breakfast. However, we are about 9 months our from our wedding (EEK... must. plan. more.) so it was time to register for gifts. Luckily, Crate & Barrel was having a registry event - before the mall opened, with food for the boys. Registering is weird - picking out gifts that you want other people to buy for you... it's just strange. However, we did have a good time planning for our future. We also stopped by Macy's, which wasn't nearly as fun as Crate and Barrel. Macy's was unorganized and not very helpful - but we still managed to find a few items.

To find our registeries visit: Crate & Barrel and type in one of our names, or Macy's - same thing, type in one of our names.

Note: We consider your attendence at our wedding the best gift you can give us... but we have been asked about our registry, so felt it was time to do something about it.

Hotels, Resorts, and Condos - Where to stay in Akumal?

Maybe you’re trying to decide if you want to come down for the wedding, and obviously cost is going to be a consideration. There are a variety of accommodations for a wide range of budgets. Below is a list of hotels and resources for accommodations priced as low as $89 nightly. Also, we’re looking into getting a block of rooms in a nearby hotel (if there is enough interest). Let us know if you have any questions about the areas these hotels are in relation to the wedding and other things to do in Akumal.


Hotel Akumal Caribe: Beachfront hotel rooms. Room rates for a double - $109 USD nightly; triple - $124 USD nightly; Bungalows: double - $89 USD nightly; $104 USD nightly
Gran Bahia Principe Akumal: All inclusive resort – double - $230 USD nightly
Vista Del Mar: Beachfront 2 bedroom condos from $110 USD nightly
Las Casitas Akumal: 2 bedroom condos from $220 USD nightly
Akumal Beach Resort: All inclusive resort from $90 USD per person, nightly
Loco Gringo: Great search engine for reasonably priced, well-maintained condos and houses for rent.

Location! Location! Location!

At this point we've started introducing you to our wedding party and given a quick (well, maybe not so quick) insight into how this crazy relationship started. Probably time to provide some details about the wedding location!

When we started planning the wedding, we knew right away we'd be going away. Key considerations were: somewhere tropical, hopefully even distance from the west and east coasts, somewhere that there was lots to do, and something within our small budget. After a LOT of research (that Krystle did) we landed on Akumal, Mexico. Neither Brian nor I have been to Mexico, but we've heard great things - especially about Akumal.

About Akumal:
Akumal is about an hour south of Cancun, pretty close to the border of Belize. It's less touristy and more rustic than Cancun and surrounding areas, but close enough to the bigger attractions to get groceries and go to Costco (yes, there is Costco in Mexico). Akumal is known as the "Place of Turtles" as it's where the sea turtles go to lay their eggs. There are several beaches, cave diving, open water diving, and historical attractions nearby. The Watson and Murphy families will be staying at the Romero Compound on the Yal-Ku Lagoon. The Lagoon is actually a marine sanctuary with excellent snorkelling. We're still researching other activities and will keep everyone updated on what looks interesting to us!

Other logistical items we'll be working on over the next few months include: flight options, transportation from the airport, and hotel accommodations for additional guests. If anyone has additional points we should consider, please let us know!

Fun Facts: Groomsmen - Grant

Grant Watson. Hmmm… well he let us put him in the dog crate once, he’s gone several days without showering before, and has tipped over Honey Buckets. Somehow, he’s still managed to wrangle a place in our wedding party. We actually are pretty excited about it too. Is something wrong with him… or with us?


Fun Facts About Grant
- Until Grant was about 6 or 7, he watched the following movies almost daily: Lion King, Beethoven and Homeward Bound. It’s no wonder that Krystle can still recite most of the lines to those movies.
- Grant used to be able to make a noise that sounded exactly like a dolphin. Then his voice changed. He can no longer make said noise.
- Grant’s a master of the obvious. Case in point: Krystle, Jared, Ryan, and Brian on a chairlift. Grant: “Guys, when there’s snow on the trees it means it snowed recently”.
- Grant had the best imagination growing up. He would use his toys to make scuba gear and mountain climbing gear to go on expeditions. He was typically summiting the stairs. With the dog in tow. 
- Grant loves dogs – he received stuffed animal dogs several years in a row for Christmas and always had names picked out for each of them ahead of time.
- Brittney (MOH) thought Krystle trained Grant to like her more when he was little.
- Grant prefers hiking up a mountain and skiing down, rather than taking a chair lift like normal people.
- Grant drives a car that is the same age as him – 1990 Ford Ranger.
- Grant broke Brittney’s finger when he was little by smashing it with his toy guitar.
- Grant loves to ski, snowboard, scuba dive, wakeboard, mountain bike, and hike. He’s not really a “team sports” kind of guy. Probably a reason why Grant and Brian get along so well.
- Grant once sold Krystle his bike for $100. The bike was broken. Krystle was unaware of this at the time of purchase.
- Grant’s been letting Brian borrow his really nice Trek road bike. Note: Brian does not wear the stretchy shorts like all other road bikers do.
- Grant already has the name picked out for his future German Shepherd: Jerry Lee.
- Grant is a freshman at Oregon Institute of Technology.
- Grant loves fireworks. He’ll be in charge of the Mexican fireworks at our wedding. Is this a bad judgment call?
- Bottomline: Even though he does have the tendency to text his friends whenever he’s hanging out with Krystle and Brian, he’s a pretty great little brother. He’s always willing to watch the dog for us, come hang out, and is actually very helpful. We’re so glad he can be a part of our day – plus he’s always wanted an older brother… so he’s kind of getting one now.

Fun Facts: The Maid of Honor

Ah the Maid of Honor - a time honored tradition where one extremely lucky girl gets to take care of the bride all day (basically be my slave). For our wedding, it had to be the fabulous Brittney Ericka Watson (aka: Krystle's sister).

A few fun facts about Brittney:
- When she was little, she threw the world's most intense hissy fits
- She cried every single time Krystle got a birthday gift
- Brittney thought Krystle trained their little brother
- Krystle and Brittney used to get the mail before their parents, if there was a dentist appointment reminder they would bury it in the backyard
- Krystle and Brittney would always want extra snacks and cookies - so one of us would distract my dad while the other grabbed cookies and ran upstairs
- Brittney was the valedictorian of her high school class
- Brittney is awesome at soccer and can run further than most people we know
- Brittney and Jared (one of our groomsmen) have known each other since they were under 1 year old
- Brittney is awesome to have with you on arrivals day at Nordstrom Rack - she will literally plow through other people to grab that perfect pair of jeans for you
- Brittney and Krystle always watch Friends whenever they are together
- Brittney is the queen of dessert making for Christmas Eve (if you've never had Christmas Eve at my parents house - there are typically about 11 different desserts)
- Brittney doesn't drink beer and she loves very girly drinks
- Brittney doesn't prefer for her food to touch on a plate - in fact, our parents had an old baby plate of grants with separate sections that she often eats off of
- Bottomline: Brittney is quirky, crazy, fun, super smart, and a wonderful sister - we're so excited to have her with us (especially since she'll be travelling from grad school in Virginia to be there) on our wedding day.

A step back in time...(part II)

Last post I gave you the run down on how we met... now to more recent history... In July of 2008, we moved in together in a little apartment in Issaquah, WA. Two days after moving in, we had our first addition to the family - Atilla the English Springer Spaniel (and greatest dog in the world). Brian started subbing for the Issaquah School District and I continued to work in communications - everything was great. Then, in the middle of December - things got even better... Brian proposed. Here's the official story: We were about to have a snowstorm, it was already snowing a bit and we decided to go for a walk. As I was downstairs, ready to go - Brian, as usual, was taking forever to get ready. He yelled down to me "do you see my jacket?", "do you see my watch?", "do you think my hat is down there?" - just as I was about to tell him to find all of these items himself, he was hurrying down the stairs and kneeling in front of me. Completely floored, I barely remember him asking "Will you marry me" - and apparently I kept saying "Are you serious?!" over, and over again. As Brian put the ring on my finger, the dog grabbed the ring box and ran around (typical). We then went for our walk and then started calling our friends.

Pretty immediately we knew we were going to get married in a different way than the past weddings we had been to. Although the weddings were all fun - we had geographical concerns and wanted to re-live a bit of the beginning of our relationship. So Mexico... Here we come!!

What's up with the wedding?

Yup, it's true... after FIVE years of dating, living together, living across the country together, and everything else in between... we're getting married! We're hoping to use this blog as a place to provide information to those who are planning on joining us, those who are unable to join (but are curious to see just how awesome this wedding will be), and probably let some creepy internet stalkers hang out too.

So here's what we know so far:
Date:July 3, 2010
Location: Casa Romero, Akumal, Mexico (both ceremony & reception)
Time: TBA (probably pre-cocktails around 5:30, ceremony at 6)
Bridal Party (more specific details on these wonderful folks in later posts): Maid of Honor: Brittney Watson; Best Man: Jon Carey; Bridesmaids: Laurel & Caitlin Murphy; Groomsmen: Grant Watson & Jared Long

We'll be posting details on flights, hotels, things to do in Akumal, trivia about ourselves and the bridal party. In addition, feel free to use the comments area - we'll check back to answer questions.

Can't wait for the big day & hope that you can all make it!