Azul Sensatori Brides - POST HERE!

Ania - In one of the packets, it said that all private dinners i.e. receptions must end by 11pm. So after this, if your party continues, most of the bars stay open til 1am so you can go to one of those places.

Beacher2Be - I think I remember them saying that you can use that 40 person dinner for something other than your reception. And I think I remember El Dorado Royale brides doing that for their welcome dinners.

mitchell.johanna - thanks for posting that pic! I love it! It's so beatiful!!!

I talked to Carolina yesterday and she says not to worry, that the "owner" of the resort is getting married November 1st? and that family/friends are arriving Oct 31. My TA talked to the head of Karisma last week at a conference in Minneapolis (I think) and she said not to worry, it would be open. there has been no talk of moving to Azul Beach or anywhere else. My wedding date is Nov 3, 2008. Hope that helps.

I am on a tight budget so a private reception is pretty much out of the question. Anyone else not doing a "formal" reception? I'm not even sure what kind of arrangements to make!!

in respose to your qustion: We are not having a private reception. We are having a big reception when we get home. My thoughts are that its silly to pay for food and drinks when everything is supposed to be all inclusive. Its not that I'm being cheap or even that we have a budget for our wedding its just that we thought we could all just do the free dinner at one of the restuarants and then go to one of the bars after for drinks and dancing. But my friends and family are very fun and easy to please and can find the fun in almost any situation. That may not work for others. The bars all look so fun and beatiful. If anything we may decide to do an appetizers and drinks immediatly following so guests have passed apps, champaign or pina colatas to sip on while we do photos. I think that is one polite way to do it. Maybe I am missing something, my fiance and I talked about it and it came down to this: Whats the difference between the private reception and just having the included drinks and dinner? Walking about 10 feet to the bar and about $10,000 dollars.

in respose to your qustion: We are not having a private reception. We are having a big reception when we get home. My thoughts are that its silly to pay for food and drinks when everything is supposed to be all inclusive. Its not that I'm being cheap or even that we have a budget for our wedding its just that we thought we could all just do the free dinner at one of the restuarants and then go to one of the bars after for drinks and dancing. But my friends and family are very fun and easy to please and can find the fun in almost any situation. That may not work for others. The bars all look so fun and beatiful. If anything we may decide to do an appetizers and drinks immediatly following so guests have passed apps, champaign or pina colatas to sip on while we do photos. I think that is one polite way to do it. Maybe I am missing something, my fiance and I talked about it and it came down to this: Whats the difference between the private reception and just having the included drinks and dinner? Walking about 10 feet to the bar and about $10,000 dollars.

I absolutely agree! It's really a penalty that someone has over 40 guests! However, that is the policy of the hotel, that for the mere fact of having over 40 guests (even if they are staying for the full 7 days and have purchased an all inclusive vacation), in order to sit together and enjoy at least one dinner together, you are forced to pay for a private dinner. Trust me, I even told my TA that we'd ok having reception dinner in a restaurant with other hotel guests, as long as our group was together for at least that one night. The answer was NO, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PRIVATE DINNER IF OVER 40 GUESTS ARE PLANNING TO SIT TOGETHER. Then again, I can also see, how it is more intimate to have a space just booked for your close ones, and they can all feel free to do whatever people do at more traditional receptions (speeches, calling for the couple to kiss, having a band playing just for your group)... and in the end, you'd be disrupting other hotel guests in their dinner, if your wedding group is partying hard

Thanks Pammy!

about dj's... my fiance has just told me that now there is on sale a Sony surround system that you can hook up to your laptop, it has 5 speakers, a subwoofer and a box (that looks a size of a dvd player) and the cost is $200.

Ok, how in the world do you look at attached items? I try to pull them up and it says that I do not have enough points....