Paradisus Riviera Brides - POST HERE!

Thank you SOOO MUCH! I was desperate for another option so this looks great!

I am beginning to get annoyed with all the inconsitencies with the pricing, reception, service, open bar etc. so I emailed Perla tonight with three excel spreadsheets - one for Fantasy Package, one for Aqua and a Custom Quote. Essentially I have set out our day in minute detail and want costs for everything!

I will post them when I receive them as I am sure they will be helpful girls!

I got a quote for the steel drum from Elisa. Here's what I got:

"The price per hour will be 350 USD +10% tax with one steel drum, if you want the one steel drum and sound system 450 USD +10% like for the cocktail, in fact they have as well a Regaee Band including the steel drums with sound system per 2 sets (2 hours) the prices will be 1700 USD +10% tax."

I worked on it last night and FI was playing his XBOX - at one point we were trying to figure it out and he was like HOLY S*%T - My response was now you know what I have been going through!

What I don't really understand is:

1) Why they have the "packages" none of which include the legal ceremony

2) Why we have to pay $10 per person per hour for "open bar" when the resort is AI

3) How the "4 hours of service" works - we are not having our dinner until like 6:00 but our ceremony is at 3:30 - so the "service" starts at 3:30? (I have asked her this question!?)

4) Is there a difference between an "open bar" vs. "just ordering from the waiter" and is "soft bar" only pop and juice?

Oh god I could go on forever - we have asked for a number of changes to the food packages - the addition of lobster etc. so I will be interested to see what Perla says..

The funniest is that they don't look at anything in relationship to anything else - the fact that I asked her for a quote for the Fantasy and Aqua and then for the Fantasy she asked "if I wanted a private dinner?" LOL - She knows I am having one but since it's not included in that package she feels the need to ask!

OK sorry for the rant - back to making my pot roast!

So I emailed Mannia Audio and he responded in like 10 minutes - here's the info:

Let me present my self my name is Carlos Martínez General Director from Mannia Audio , Video , Professional lighting and Dj services for weddings and all kind of events, we have around 22 years experience doing dj service ,

Our rates are different depending of how many people will be invited to your wedding reception, for you to have an idea from 1 to 80 people the price is $750.00 usd and includes:

Audio equipment

Dj booth

Professional dj

Robotic lighting

Wireless microphone (for speeches and announcements)

5 hours service

We also can provide Audio for ceremony (the price depends of the number of people), iluminated dance floor (the price depends of the size of it), cold fireworks ($240.00usd for 4 explosions that goes off at the same time), Lcd video projector and screen for slide show($260.00usd), i am sending you in the atachment a basic 600 song list just for you to have an idea of the music that we have , our entire song list is bigger than a phonebook ,so if you desire you can also send us your own playlist including the first dance and a do not playlist, and i´m sending some pictures of the dance floor and the cold fireworks,

Thanks a lot and please feel free to contact us for any doubt you may have

Holy smokes, Batman! That's CHEAP!

Have you talked with Perla or Elisa to see if they will let him on site? If so, I'm booking NOW.

LOL not yet - still waiting to here back on the mother email I sent her on Saturday - I think it would just be a day pass fee ($80)?

was just about to email that DJ...will do it now!

here is the response I got from Perla to a few questions I had...I'd sent five separate emails and hadn't gotten a response in over a week, so I condensed everything into one more email and she responded right away. Not thrilled with all the answers, but whatever...

1. We would like to have a LEGAL ceremony on Saturday, January 17, 2009 at 3:30pm. We understand there will be an additional charge of $1000. Please confirm that this can be arranged with the right judge/minister for the date and time listed above and also that all blood tests and paperwork will be arranged through the resort (covered by this fee). I will arrange the services of the judge for you! Please consider the following documents.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR BRIDE AND GROOM:

• Valid passport

• Valid birth certificate

• Certified copies of the birth certificate

• Mexican entry visa (issued upon entering the country) tourist card

• Blood test results (must be done in Mexico)

• Medical certificate (must be done in Mexico)

• Divorce decree or death certificate (if applicable you must bring certified copies WITH THE APOSTILLE SEAL ON IT and its translation from English to Spanish).

• Four witnesses (passports and tourist card are required)

Bride and Groom must arrive to the hotel 3 labor days prior to the civil wedding ceremony date in order to complete the blood test and process the necessary documents. The day of their arrival, weekends and holidays are not consider labor days.

Witnesses must arrive to the hotel 3 labor days prior to the civil wedding ceremony date in order to complete the document process. Witnesses must be at least 18 years of age at the time of the ceremony.

Witnesses can be provided by the resort at a charge of $20 USD per witness payable to the hotel directly in cash.

2. We would like to have a cocktail reception from 4-5pm on the Mexican Terrace. Is there a $10/person charge for alcohol in addition to the per person price of the cocktail menus? No the cocktail menus prices already include the open bar for 1 hour.

3. We're thinking we'd like to hire the steel drum band at the rate of $350 for our cocktail hour scheduled for 4-5pm. Since we'll be using your preferred vendor, we won't need to pay an additional $300 vendor fee, correct? No, the $300USD fee only applies for the vendors that you bring by your self. I mean if you hire the services through the resort, you don’t need to pay the $300USD.

4. We would like to begin our dinner reception at 5pm and continue until 10pm. This will be a 5 hour dinner reception - consequently, we'd like to know what additional fees will be involved? (for example: dinner per person cost PLUS $10/person x 1 extra hr?) The dinner fee includes open bar and 3 hours of service, so you will need to pay 2 extra hours at $10USD per person per hours plus 10% of tax.

5. We are considering the ESPANOL MENU for our reception. We would like to eliminate the soup course, so the menu becomes a three course meal rather than a four course meal. We would also like to give guests the option of having their entree be the (listed) beef filet or the chicken from the COBA menu or the fish from the TULUM menu (both of which are cheaper than the ESPANOL MENU). With these changes, I think its fair that the price per person remain at $80 not $90. Please confirm or explain. The extra charge on the menu it is because you want to offer 3 entrees. In order to keep the price at $80USD (she didn't finish that sentence...)

6. We will be contracting a DJ for our reception through Victor de Alba/Swank AV. We have a contract for 5 hours of service (5pm-10pm). Please confirm that we do NOT need to pay the $300 vendor fee for this DJ since we are using the resort's preferred service? No of curse you will not pay the $300USD, since he I our supplier and he is based at the resort.

7. Our photographer will be Claudia Rodriguez from Claudia Photo. Can we purchase a full day/night pass for her for $95 instead of paying the $300 vendor fee, since she is still part of the resort's preferred service? As I explain you when you where here, she doesn’t work directly with the hotel. In this case the $300USD will apply.

8. We would like to do a ceremony "walk-through" with one or both of you on Friday 1/16/09 at 4pm. This would just entail having access to the tequila terrace and beach from 4-4:30pm so we can show our wedding party/attendants where they will enter from, stand, do, etc. Is this possible? If not, is there another time in the day that this would be possible? Or on Thursday 1/15/09? Hopefully there isn't any charge for this! The time and day is perfect. One of us will be there. There is no extra charge for it.

9. Can a section of the buffet dining area be blocked off on Friday for our group's dinner? We would need a section of about 25 seats and would like for it to be blocked off from 6pm-9pm? Is that possible? Please confirm there is no extra charge for this! Yes there is no problem about this, we can block an era for you to have dinner.

10. Is it possible for you to send us a contract, even if its a generic contract so we can start getting some of these details set in stone? Yes! I will do the contract for you and I will send it ASAP. (still haven't gotten it, but no surprise there)

Thank you so much! These are some of the exact same Questions I sent her in my chart! Hopefully she will get back to me soon too!

I don't understand any of their bar policies - so cocktails are included in the cocktail menus and dinner for 3 hours - but anything after than is $10 pp per hour? That sounds more reasonable!

OK so I heard from her about the DJ - Apparently (no suprise here) SWANK is their exclusive with some exceptions - apparently you would have to pay $55 per hour to have someone there from SWANK to supervise - FI$K$%G RIDIDCULOUS.. here is a portion but I have attached it!

RULES AND FEES FOR EXTERNAL SUPPLIERS OF AUDIOVISUAL

EQUIPMENT, DECORATIONS, STAGE SETS AND COMPUTER

SUPPLIES

The following rules and policies shall be in force as of January 1, 2007, and shall be mandatory for all

audiovisual, decorations, stage sets and computer supply companies that provide services within the

facilities of the Sol Meliá hotels located in Cancun and the Riviera Maya. The supplier shall return a

signed copy of this manual to the Hotel; the latter may deny the supplier access to the facilities in such

case as a signed copy of the manual is not submitted to the Hotel.

Rule1.1 Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts in Cancun and the Riviera Maya have designated the company

Swank Audio Visuals México as its exclusive supplier of audiovisual supplies.

Swank Audio Visuals is familiar with and knowledgeable concerning the facilities, operations and logistics

of procedures implemented by the Sol Meliá chain, for which reason it has been designated as the party

responsible for and in charge of the production of events.

All those suppliers who plan to employ audiovisual supplies within our facilities must contact the Hotel and

Swank Audio Visuals within a period of time no less than 15 days prior to their event. Both Swank and the

Hotel shall inform external suppliers of all necessary details to ensure the smooth operation of their event.

Swank Audio Visuals is responsible for supervising and ensuring that all external suppliers comply with

the rules and policies set forth in this manual, and for verifying the procedures and conduct of said

external suppliers throughout their stay on Hotel premises. Given the foregoing, a Swank technician must

be present from the time of setup, during the beginning of the event and throughout the dismantling of the

equipment; the sole obligation of said Swank technician is to be present during these times (ensuring that

the guidelines established by the Hotel are being complied with). Said supervisory service on behalf of

Swank bears a cost per hour, with a minimum of 4 hours setup per day, based on the following rates:

Monday – Friday 7am - 6pm $45.00 USD/HR minimum 4 hours

Monday – Friday 6pm - 7am $55.00 USD/HR minimum 4 hours

Saturday – Sunday 7am - 6pm $55.00 USD/HR minimum 4 hours

Saturday – Sunday 6pm - 7am $65.00 USD/HR minimum 4 hours

Holidays $75.00 USD/HR minimum 4 hours

The above rates apply when the Staff member’s presence has been requested in timely manner. In such case as

the supplier has not made a reservation for said required Staff member’s service, an extra fee shall be applied.

Should any damage to the Hotel facilities occur as a result of incompliance with this statute, the supplier and/or

client shall commit to paying 100% of the corresponding penalty before the group’s departure from the hotel.

Rule 2.1 The supplier is obligated to submit to the Hotel an insurance policy covering damages in the

minimum amount of $350,000.00 USD (Three hundred and fifty thousand US Dollars) at least 7 (seven) =

days prior to the arrival of any equipment to hotel premises. Said insurance policy must cover the Hotel,

its facilities, staff and guests, and shall clearly indicate that the Hotel is the beneficiary of said policy.

The supplier is obligated to sign a Letter of Liability releasing the Hotel from any responsibility whatsoever

regarding the protection of its property against damages derived from the activities that the supplier and

its client carry out within Hotel premises.

The supplier shall be responsible for its labor relationship with its own staff, releasing the Hotel from any

commitment or contingency of a labor nature with said staff.

SwankAV&SolMelia-Production Manual for Outside Vendors.pdf