brittbrowne

Welcome to the forum! My fiance and I were stuck on the Riviera Maya for quite awhile and just in the last few days switched ourselves over to Puerto Vallarta! I'm so excited. We visited PV last year, so I was really hoping to do something different for the wedding. But then after further researching the Riviera Maya I decided against it. I think PV is a cooler destination to bring people because the town is bustling and feels so authentic. You can stroll along the cobblestone boardwalk, called the Malecon, and watch the sunset (unlike RM, where you don't see the sun actually hit the ocean). Also, the Sierra Madre mountains and jungle are just so beautiful - everything is really flat in Riviera Maya. I say go with PV! We are on the west coast so luckily it is cheaper and faster to fly down to PV than into Cancun, but seriously I wouldn't let that stop you! Good luck, and let me know if you need any tips on PV! I'll just say check out Dreams there, it is located on the nicest secluded beach in PV (that's one thing about PV that doesn't quite compare to RM). But Dream's beach really can compare to RM, unlike many others in Puerto Vallarta which are very rocky and a little rough. Since Dreams beach is private there will be less annoying vendors walking there trying to pedal their wares!

Congratulations! My fiance and I looked into El Dorado Royale, but we ended up on the other coast of Mexico. I really hope you enjoy it. The resort looks amazing! A word of advice - if you are booking a room block let a TA negotiate it for you. I had a terrible experience dealing with Karisma's reservations department - actually the General Manager Michael Diaz at the reservations department! We ended up having to abandon the idea of El Dorado Seaside Suites because I had so much frustration. I think the issue could have been avoided however if I had let a travel agent handle it for me! Good luck!

Welcome to the forum! I know you can get some use out of this site yet!

Welcome to the forum! I understand about wanting to have the time to plan. My fiance and I got engaged in November last year and just locked in our date today for 6/6/09. You'll be suprised how quickly the next two year fly! I looked into Dreams Punta Cana myself. It is a beautiful hotel. I also recommend checking out the Excellence and Paradisus Punta Cana. They are both really beautiful resorts. I would recommend combing tripadvisor.com for reviews and traveler photos to get a good sense of each place. (Don't get caught up though in the negative reviews.) I would also check out airfare to Punta Cana. We considered it, but after researching the pricing and flight times we decided against it. May be different though since you are on the east coast, not west. Airfare from out here several hundred more than mexico and the shortest flights were like 9-10 hours! Good luck again, and congrats!

Hello! Congratulations and welcome. My fiance and I have been searching the Riviera Maya for hotel locations for months. We just booked today at Dreams Puerto Vallarta. We had to switch it because we visited last year and the mountainous jungle landscape and beautiful bustling, authentic feeling town can't be beat by the Riviera Maya. (I haven't been to the riviera maya, but just looking at the pictures the landscape is flat and populated mainly by hotels. There are very few places to get an authentic feel for mexico, except the Tulum ruins and Playa del Carmen.) Check out PV if you are interested. Otherwise, in the Riviera Maya I can tell you from my extensive research my top picks follow (we were looking for an all-inclusive to save $$ on the event): 1) Paradisus - great hotel with prices starting at around $300/night. Beautiful beach just south of Cancun. 2) El Dorado Seaside Suites - Beautiful hotel. No wristbands. $380 and up. I had a lot of problems though with arrange a room block at this resort so if you decide to do a room block let a TA handle it! Not as nice a beach - lots of erosion means they have these ugly "whale" look-a-like sand bags. Good luck again with your planning!

Congratulations! Welcome to the forum! Good luck with picking your date. Sounds like your balancing several priorities. Good luck with the hotel search! That will probably be harder than picking a date. We finally chose Dreams Puerto Vallarta today after searching for months! Although I've never been to this resort we went to PV last year and saw it in passing. It happens to be on one of the nicest beaches in Vallarta (where beaches are less perfect than Cancun). It also is situated close to the the town which is a bonus. Puerto Vallarta is such a romantic, authentic destination, I highly recommend you check it out!

Quote: Originally Posted by futuremrsjones Hey Britt, Perla told me for backup locations they use the Walkway off of the Lobby for the ceremony which is really pretty (I've seen some pics). And unfortunately, your best option would probably be to use the indoor ballroom for your reception if there is bad weather. I hate to think about the possibility of bad weather but we all know its a reality! On another front, I asked Perla if I could have the script that the minister uses for the symbolic ceremony. She put me in contact with the minister Alex Monroy who sent me this email. First of all let me congratulate you for choosing this paradise for your wedding ceremony. I am the minister who will be very happy and proud to officiate your wedding ceremony. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this important event in your life. I wanted to touch base with you, and let you know I will be very glad to answer any doubt or question you may have in regard to the ceremony. I always prefer that the bride listens to it at the very moment she is getting married, otherwise it loses the special feeling and surprise to hear lovely words focusing on love, friendship, and long life commitment. The order of the non denominational ceremony goes like this. It usually takes 15 to 20 minutes tops: Who gives their blessing for this wedding? “Usual answer Her mother and I “ Welcome Words Gathering Words Readings by family or friends (if requested) Opening Prayer (in case of religious ceremony) Scripture Reading (in case of religious ceremony) Charge to the Couple Wedding Vows Exchange of Rings Wedding Prayer (in case of religious ceremony) Pronouncement of Husband and Wife First kiss as husband and wife Presentation of the new Mr. and Mrs. Have a great day, a safe flight to Cancún, and I will see you real soon. Alex Monroy The only thing that bothers me about this is that he said it lasts 15 to 20 minutes tops! I don't want it to be really long, but I also don't want to feel rushed. What do you girls think? Also, do you think it would better to see his actual script? I would rather hear it for the first time on my wedding day but the bossy side of me wants to know everything he is saying! Thanks Becks for the information on the alternate ceremony location. I kept asking Perla about doing something in the lobby area, but she never offerred the option. Maybe she missed my question since we were conversing over email... In regards to the ceremony script: I think you should ask for a real script, not just a summary of events. Especially considering that the wording may be different than you expect, since you are getting married in Mexico and not the U.S. My friend who got married last year (in Sacramento, ca) reviewed the text line by line in a written document. I was suprised to learn by reviewing the document with her that there are so many different ways to word things. E.G. "With this ring I thee wed" vs. "take this ring as a token/symbol/sign of my love and affection". I think that nothing will be spoiled by reading the text ahead of time, I mean I would think you've heard the words before at other weddings. What is going to make the ceremony special is being there and having the words spoken to you. What could compromise the ceremony is not hearing the words that you've always anticipated because you didn't have a chance to review what was going to be said. I agree that if you are not going the route of all the prayers I would find some cool poems to integrate, candles/sand activities, etc. But, I wouldn't be concerned too much about the length of the ceremony. Even when you add these other things in you probably won't make it past 20 minutes. That's pretty standard now-a-days. I think I've been to one wedding of 7 in the last several years that lasted longer than 20 minutes, and it didn't even pass the 30 minute mark. Unless there are a lot of religious traditions to incorporate you're probably looking at a pretty short ceremony. Short, but sweet!

Does anyone have contact information for the live band "Jai" that plays regularly at the Marriott Casa Magna? My FI and I saw them perform last August and they were amazing. Great, young renditions of rock classics! I may have to call the resort if know knows them. I've been looking them up on the net but have found very little information except a highlight at the following link: Puerto Vallarta - Great Finds: Jai Thanks in advance! Britt

Quote: Originally Posted by becks Having seen trip advisor, ignore it. It's just a place for people who are cranky and bitter to vent. By the way, if you can, stay in the Royal Service - IT IS SOOOOO NICE! I am doing my dinner at L'Hermitage. We are pulling from their existing menu, with an app, and a choice of 3 entrees, and the profiteroles for dessert (in addition to cake) - we're skipping the soup because who wants soup in the middle of August. We are paying a fee of $70 per person. I don't know if they will let you use a banquet menu or not - they are really, really protective of L'Hermitage - there was actually a question of whether or not they would let my nieces and nephews in (in the end they did, but it is a no-kids restaurant during regular dining). If it wasn't for the heat, we would have gone with the terrace dining, but we've got some cooler-weather fans and didn't want to have anyone melt during dinner. Hey Becks- How many people are joining you at L'Hermitage for dinner? I just asked Perla about doing a group reservation at L'Hermitage for our welcome/rehersal dinner (15 guests), and she said they could only accommodate groups up to 10 people? I've been in contact over the last few days trying to get as much clarity on options as possible before placing my deposit. I'm really excited to lock it in because so far I've been very pleased with how pleasant Perla has been to deal with. Still ironing out a few details though... Another question for any other PRC brides: what are you doing about backup locations for outdoor events? I've been trying to negotiate with Perla to rent a tent to setup in the event the weather looks bad on our wedding day. If the weather is perfect we will hopefully do a beach wedding and an outdoor reception on the beach or beach terrace. She hasn't offerred any other alternative locations except indoor banquet rooms. I can't imagine holding a wedding inside like that if the weather goes bad.... Britt

Welcome to the forum. Believe me, you'll be thanking god to have this resource on your side. I'm sure you've been reading hotel reviews already, but also check out tripadvisor.com's traveler photos, for a more diverse and realistic image of each hotel. Once you find the hotels you are interested in contact the wedding planners at those sites (if you haven't already) to find out the costs and planning flexibility. That will help you narrow down which works for you.

Emx- It's good to hear that kind of comparison. What was the name of other AI you visited previously?

What a great way to get extra ambient light for an outdoor night event! I think I'm going to ask my WC about that!

Hi Grace, Good luck with making you plans. Right now I'm caught between two resorts as well - but I'm leaning towards the new H10 Punta Coral in the Riviera Maya. Check it out, i think you'll be impressed - it actually reminds me a lot of the exterior of dreams tulum. Don't know too much about the differences between the two resorts you noted. Things I do know about Dreams Tulum is it is quite a ways away from the Cancun Airport (probably an hour+ transfer - meaning bus ride). Also, I heard the beds were rock hard? And that there are some issues with mustiness in the old buildings... I think I put it out of my mind for those things I discovered through reading the reviews on Tripadvisor.com, but I know there are tons of brides who've found it to their liking... Best of luck, Britt

Quote: Originally Posted by srbina Hello fellow SF brides! You two are the first I've stumbled across so far. Just wanted to say hi! Hello fellow SF bride! Good luck with your planning!

Quote: Originally Posted by xandrafaye I spoke to Mats Mom tonight & she said the food at the H10 was incredible!!! (exact quote) I believe they stayed at the H10 Mayan somethingorother. She's a wonderful cook & has great taste. she told me that they actually preferred the buffet restaraunt so I didn't get any info on the a la carte bookings or anything. But if she says the food was good, then I definately believe her cause this woman knows her food! That's really great news. I've heard a few mixed reviews on trip advisor, so that is very reassuring. I've tried to contact the wedding planner there (she's off today, as I guess most wedding planners are), and hopefully after I see their banquet menus I'll have even more confidence in the resorts cuisine. Thanks again!

1. Well, I found the promotion at http://www.luxurytraveloutlets.com/promo1.html. It is for 2008 (not 2009), but and I assumed it includes taxes since that is how I have always seen El Dorado rates quoted online. 2. I have been in touch with a travel agent but the rate she found wasn't very low, however I don't know for sure if she was doing it as a group rate or not. 3. I have been in contact with the hotel and at the moment the rates will go up by only $20.00 for 2009. Thanks for checking for me! I know, I keep finding the hotel online for around $400.00 / night, but I was really suprised to find the promotion above, although it does mention something about mid week bookings... I'm really at a loss for what to do on this, cause I don't want my 20 something friends unable to spend the three nights at the hotel because it is just out of their price range (@ $1,200 for 3 nights). I did talk to Karisma reservations again today and the person I've been dealing with, Margherita, said she would check with the supervisor again considering the better rate I found. Not sure if it will do much good though.... Quote: Originally Posted by Tammy Host 1. the $273 per night from the internet rate did not include taxes...when i priced it out on that site it came to $401.57 per night. 2. usually travel agents can negotiate a lower group rate. 3. 2009 rates are usually going to be higher than 2008 rates

Such sweet invitations! Your inspiring me to get very creative with the unfolding myself!

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t19177 Do you know about all the problems they create for their brides with outside vendors? Might want to consider another hotel. Unless you planned on using the resort photographer. People have gotten around it, but it is getting harder every day it sounds like. That's a good point. I have been following that discussion. Unfortunately because my FI and I are on such a tight budget we may be cutting the nice photography, and might go cheap by using the cheasy house photographer. I hate to do it, but we'd really like to save that 3G's for a house, instead of our wedding photos. Plus my creative photographer friend is going to shoot pictures of us "as a guest" and hopefully that will supplement for the lame photos the hotel might take. Still might be nice to have the option to have an outside vender though - i hate the idea that if I could restle up some extra cash we would be able to hire an outside vendor! I think there is seriously something wrong with the karisma management. They seem to make everything difficult that we've dealt with so far. I just get the overall feeling that their management practices are soley motivated by money and not be a desire to please their guests. Don't the realize that if the work with people guests will respect that and give them repeat business!? Britt

Quote: Originally Posted by nikkianddean Britt- First of all I am soooo excited to see another SF bride here. Yippeee!!!!!! We are staying at an all inclusive resort, but our reception is at a restaurant in Zihua. I have never had a bad experience at an all inclusive resort, but I was thinking - are you planning to do a site visit? do they have a chef you can customize your menu with? ps- How amazing is the wetaher today!!! Yeah SF! Actually, we are over in Berkeley now - should update that info! Still have to admit it is gorgeous today -like most in the bay! I am considering taking a site visit just because of my concerns about food and service. But, I was also considering avoiding it, so as to save those funds for the wedding itself! Going out for dinner is something I had considered, but I feel like that might get complicated, having to rent transportation and all (we are inviting 60 people). Also, the hotel I'm looking at is somewhat remote (30 minutes from cancun and playa del carmen). I wouldn't want to do dinner in the cancun scene, but I should check into restaraunts in playa del carmen. That might work out. I'll also check into the idea of customizing the menu. Good point. By the way, how many are going to your restauraunt reception? What about transportation. Cheers, Britt

Quote: Originally Posted by xandrafaye Mat's parents just recently stayed at one of the H10 resorts in RM. I'm going to see them tonight so I'll ask them about the food! (They hadn't complained about anything since they came back so I'm sure it was good, but I'll double check for you) That would be great, how lucky! I was also wondering if the reservation system was annoying, and particularly if they had trouble getting into the a la carte restauraunts? Thanks so much for the help!

Hey, I'm getting frustrated with Karisma. I have been in contact with their Reservations department to arrange a group rate for my guests. They are giving me the rack rate, minus 10%. Thats works out to be approximately $350/night in June 2009. I feel like they are not giving the guests much of a break, and I just found a deal online for 2008 bookings at luxurytraveloutlets.com for just $273/night. I'm concerned if I go through the effort to book the group rate some guests could find a better deal online. I have also read from other posts that the price of staying one of their resorts can go up a lot, so maybe booking the group rate is the right way to go. I know that you all have a lot of experience with this dilemma. I need your advice. Also, anyone who has negotiated a group rate with Karisma please directly let me know what you did, and how much they discounted you off the group rate? Thanks so much, Britt

Hello fellow planners, I am very concerned about relying on a hotel's all-inclusive food for my wedding, but as I research the hotels along the riviera maya I've found that most of the hotels out there are all-inclusives. I have to admit that I love great food, and living in Northern California I am often spoiled by good "gourmet" cuisine. I'm not expecting amazing food at an all-inclusive but I'm guessing that El Dorado Seaside Suites food is yummy based on their claims. I am considering the El Dorado Seaside Suites because the food is advertised as "gourmet", and when I review the banquet menus I find the selections to be interesting combinations, with aspirations for inventiveness and good quality. Only problem is that recently I've been reconsidering the choice of El Dorado Seaside Suites because I'm afraid some friends won't be able to afford the $350/night they are quoting for the blocked room rate. So, I've also been looking at H10's new Punta Coral Hotel in the Riviera Maya. But, being a new hotel there aren't many reviews out there. The reviews I have read on trip advisor has been mixed where the food is concerned. Does anyone have any familiarity with the H10 chain, or any similar concerns with the all-inclusive resorts they are considering? I just don't want to be disappointed at the food quality on my wedding night! Thanks for your support, Britt

Wow! What a beautiful wedding, and such amazing photos! I am pleased to see such a beautiful event coordinated at an el Dorado property. I am considering getting married at the el Dorado Seaside Suites next summer. Quick question about booking rooms at your hotel - was there a minimum number of nights guests can book the hotel? (Do my guests have to stay 3 nights? I think I saw that on a few websites. I"m worried that a few of my friends won't be able to stay there but more than one night, for financial considerations. Did you have any issues with this when planning your wedding?) Thanks so much to anyone who can shed some light on this matter! Britt

Thanks Patrick for the info on the beautiful fans!