mkdela

Quote: Originally Posted by Just Martha A friend of mine got married in Playa del Carmen by a non-denominational minister who spoke English.... I don't see how a Spanish speaking Priest is your only option. That's just probably the one they usually use.... Do both of you have all your sacraments? I know - I just emailed my WC again to ask if she was SURE there was no English speaking Catholic priest anywhere in Cancun?? I also find it hard to believe! I think the issue is that the Marriott has an agreement with 1 or 2 priests and they happen to not speak English. We both have all sacraments and other requirements, but the officiant has to be Catholic for a Catholic ceremony...

Does anybody know of one that will perform ceremonies in Cancun? The Marriott has told us our only option is to have the ceremony in Spanish with a translator. I thought we'd try to bring a priest from the U.S. but that is turning out to be a lot harder than I expected. Thanks!!

Quote: Originally Posted by annieroy I see that I am not the only one that is having issues with points!!!! Annie I know I've seen it explained a hundred times but I still can't figure out all the systems yet...

Quote: Originally Posted by pyrenese331 When you arrive to the airport there are ladies that pass out bags with coupons and assorted papers. In that bag they have really good maps of both the hotel zone and downtown. I have one I could send you, or just tell your guests to grab one of the free bags when passing. Ooh, that's a good idea -thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by lambert13 I attached a PDF of the hotel zone for you to take a look at. Let me know how it works out. If it is no good, I might have different maps on my computer at home I can send you. It says I don't have enough points to open the pdf...I wonder how many I need...

Where did you get your flower from? It looks great!

Congrats, that sounds amazing!!!!! I am also wondering how much to donate to the church...I was thinking maybe somewhere in the $100-200 range? But maybe I'm feeling more generous now than I will be when we've paid all those wedding expenses. I am curious if there in an "appropriate" amount.

I looked into this when I vacationed in Punta Cana about 2 years ago. I was told that if you are staying on the resorts, you don't need to take malaria pills but if you plan to venture off of the resorts, you should. Not sure if anything has changed since then...

Anyone find a good printable map of the Cancun Hotel Zone for their OOT bags? Most of the ones I've looked at come out pretty dark when I print them. Thanks!

Our save the date envelopes didn't come with addresses printed on them so I ordered sea shell return address labels from vista print...they were so cheap! VistaPrint - Business Cards - Full Color Printing - Digital Printing Company | VistaPrint

Quote: Originally Posted by lizz10179 I'm looking to get monogrammed beach bags for my BMs. Let me know if you know of any places with nice bags that aren't too expensive!!! Thanks I am thinking of getting these for my bridesmaids: Personalized Embroidered Tote Bag - Personalized Tote Bags - Bridesmaid Gifts - Bridal Party Gifts I like the Old Navy flip-flops idea too!

Welcome! I am getting married at the Marriott next March...just the ceremony though, the reception is next door at the Gran Melia.

Oh good to know! Did Paolina arrange your transportation (the bus), or did you do that on your own? I am thinking I'm going to have to bus people to and from the ceremony, as well...even though the Gran Melia is next door, it's a long walk!! ps - Anny, your wedding pictures are BEAUTIFUL!!

Where did you get the tequila - did you find little bottles? I am considering shipping some stuff to my WC.

Hi there! I am getting married at the Marriott's gazebo March 1, 2008 (just the ceremony) - my reception is next door at the Gran Melia. Also dealing with Frank, but then someone named Paolina emailed me to say she was taking over. So far I haven't done much planning with them, I've been focusing mostly on the reception...

Matt, Have you called any of the hotels regarding your wedding, or have you just been checking on line? We are getting married in Cancun in March 2008 and I was able to get a quote on rates without any problems (this was during March of this year). I called 3 hotels, asked to be put in touch with their wedding coordinators, and asked them for a quote on a group rate for March 2008. All of them were able to provide it to me within a matter of hours. They didn't have to go through the trouble of writing up a contract, because I told them I wouldn't be interested in reviewing a contract until I had a quote on the rooms. The quote represented what they would have offered me for a room block by contract - which is presumably a lower rate than what will be offered online eventually. I also asked what the regular rate would be for that weekend and everyone provided me with an estimate of what they expect the rate to be.

Here is our dilemma, both our ceremony site (Casa Magna Marriott) and our proposed reception site (Gran Melia Cancun) are requiring non-refundable deposits. We already put one down at the Marriott because it wasn't that expensive since we're only doing the ceremony there. But the Gran Melia is asking us for a LARGE deposit upon signing the contract (the wedding is still over 9 months away), and it is nonrefundable. Is this normal?? Have other people had to put down nonrefundable deposits?? We don't want to sign a contract with this provision in it but they have told us it was their policy. I thought it may be standard, since it was the Marriott's policy, too. Has anyone gotten around this?? We don't mind putting the money down, but if there is a hurricane and the resort gets destroyed, we want our money back. Thanks in advance! -Kathleen

Quote: Originally Posted by akumalbound so far so good. i had a bad experience with an unresponsive wedding coordinator and actually had to switch to emmanuelle just a few weeks ago! she's been great so far. i have lots of pics from her but she's probably sent you the same. i emailed with a bride that just got married there - i'll ask her if its ok to send you her photos. pm me your email. Would you mind me asking you how much she charges for her services? I am currently considering a WC but trying to decide if it's in the budget. Thanks!! -Kathleen

Quote: Originally Posted by DEE1978 Is February known for rainy weather in Cancun? No...I think the rainy season is generally May-October. The winter is supposed to be the nicest time. I am going on Monday and hoping it will be sunny!

Quote: Originally Posted by lambert13 Talked to City Hall in my city today. They said the same thing as Albany. Have to have a separate ceremony to get the name change. I just emailed the NYS department of health to get a definitive answer. Is anyone else here from New York that might have some different info? Anyone here already married from New York? Jason - I'm also in New York so this is helpful. I will be looking into this myself so if I come across any contrary advice from city hall, i'll let you know. We are planning a Catholic ceremony in Mexico. If we would have to have a separate civil ceremony in NY to get my name changed anyway, I'm thinking it might just be easier to do the legal wedding here in NY before we go down there.

Quote: Originally Posted by Adamsgrrl Kathleen - I'm also having a Catholic Wedding. We just meet with our local parish priest last night so, I've only just started this whole process. Our priest had these things to say: 1. Need to take a Pre-Cana Class. In Chicago, were we live, they offer one day classes from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm on Saturdays, at certain locations. 2. Need the contact information of the Priest performing the ceremony in Mexico, so our Priest can send the necessary documents. 3. Need recent copies (within 6 months) of our Batism certificates (this is a pain for me as I was Batised in Austria). According to the hotels that perform Catholic Weddings (Iberostar Paradiso del Mar, and Barcelo), the necessary documents we need to send to the Priest in Mexico, are the same ones our local parish requires.... I still need to follow up on this and make sure. Our Priest also needs to send a letter of recommondation stating that we performed all of the necessary requirements for marriage. As far as legality, we may just get married legally here at city hall and do the religious ceremony in mexico. If you have any questions let me know!! Thanks, all of this info is so helpful! This is going to be such a pain!! Oh well. I'm in New York so I'll have to see what they require in terms of certificates...I've heard it varies from diocese to diocese. Adamsgrrl, what is the format of the Catholic weddings at Iberostar and Barcelo, do they have chapels? So far, we've just been looking at the Marriott because of their outdoor gazebo. I know also that Moon Palace has a chapel, but I was still trying to find out about other options.

Good question. I guess I'd like to stick to the Cancun area because I think we'll need to transport our guests if it's not in walking distance, and the farther we go, probably the more expensive. I would love ideally to find something in the Hotel Zone that is walkable or an easy bus ride. I imagine it would be harder to find a restaurant in the center of Cancun that can accommodate a big group and microphones for speeches, etc., though that would probably be a lot of fun if we could.

Quote: Originally Posted by dallas_texas09 I'm on the same boat as you. After much research, I found out that the Mexican government only recognizes a marriage as legal only if it has been performed by the Justice of the Peace. Therefore, a wedding performed by a Catholic priest (or a non-denominational minister) is not recognized as a legal marriage and the couple does not receive an official marriage license. So your two options are: 1) have a civil wedding in Mexico (which is recognized as a legal wedding world-wide) OR 2) have a Catholic AND civil wedding (both can be in Mexico, or you can choose to have the civil wedding in the US). A Catholic ceremony alone is not legal in Mexico. However, though the Mexican government does not view a Catholic wedding as legal, the Catholic Church does recognize it as a Catholic marriage. As for my case I have decided to have a civil wedding in Texas, and have the Catholic ceremony in Mexico. The Catholic ceremony is more important to my fiance and I than the civil ceremony so we are inviting all of our guests to Mexico. As for the civil wedding in Dallas, it'll just be the two of us. To us, the civil wedding is more of a formality than anything else. I hope this helps! Thanks, that is very helpful!! I guess my concern with the civil marriage in the US first (seems easier than doing civil in Mexico) was that the Catholic church wouldn't recognize the Catholic ceremony since you're already married at that point...but sounds like you've checked it out and that won't be a problem. Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by miamialli Are you going to check out the JW Marriott? please let me know what you think of it! I'm also looking for ideas for a welcome dinner, please pass on any good info Yes, I think we'll check out everything within walking distance of the Casa Magna Marriott (including the JW)...I will definitely pass on anything useful when I get back.

Quote: Originally Posted by anacgarcia The marriott is gorgeous!!!! I loved the gazebo, I'm having my religious ceremony there.. I posted some pics in my review thread.. I don't think I'll have a welcome dinner since I have more than 200 guests.. If I have it'll be a pay yourself dinner.. Thanks Anny - I saw your pictures of the Marriott gazebo, they are amazing! We are discussing dates with them right now to see if they have availability for winter 2008.