Mrs.StephP.2Be

Quote: Originally Posted by jhawkev SO great!! You looked so beautiful, thanks for sharing Who did you use again? I apologize for the late reply, I've been out of town. My sister-in-law took all our pictures so we saved a lot of money (we didn't have to pay the $500 off-site vendor fee either) and actually a few of the pictures were taken by her daughter. She's the one standing behind us in the cabana Quote: Originally Posted by rtswan Hi Jenni, I thought wooden plank is not complimentary and we need to pay $150? I am planning to have isle runner instead of plank so it would be easier for me to walk on. The wooden plank runner is included. its actually very easy to walk on because the planks are close enough together. A small stiletto heal may be tricky however.

Hi Ladies! Here is the link to my photos. Enjoy! Picasa Web Albums - steph - WeddingPhotos

Hi Ladies! So I am trying to upload some pictures for you but they are all in .jpg format and therefore are not able to be attached. I don't know much about computers. Could some one help me out? I know this same question has been asked before on this thread but I've been searching for the past 20min and can not find the answer. Thanks in Advance! Oh, and about the whole final payment thing. We didn't pay for anything until the day of our meeting with the wedding coordinators. I did not even know our final bill until then. I emailed Fabio several times about a week before we left to get my final quote and didn't hear back from him at all. We had a very small wedding so we had an idea of what to expect but I still think this is ridiculous and very unprofessional.

I should have pictures by this weekend Ladies! I am so excited to them. I will post probably Sunday evening...if I can figure out how :s

Blondie Bride x We did the majority of our planning once we were at the resort. I don't think they usually do this though. We were a group of only 11ppl so our planning was quite simple. I had picked our flowers and ceremony location prior but our reception was all done when we arrived. I know there is definitely room for some changes and add-ons in your meeting with the coordinators. I think some of the other brides said that you start picking location, flowers, decoration, etc. about 2 months before your set wedding date...I could be wrong though. We booked after the 2 month mark so planning started right away for us. cappucino2009 I am assuming the $1800 quote is in Canadian dollars. I am from Calgary and we paid $2000 per person for one week in January so I'd say that is about right.

Tracey2222 the make-up was more of a budget reason then anything for me. I like how i do my own make-up and so it was a way for us to help keep the cost down. I did not see any of the girls make up from the other bridal party but I did see their hair and each one looked awesome! heather hunder That is too funny! Small world! He was pretty drunk that night and he did mention something to me but I had no idea what he was talking about at the time. It all makes sense now Yes, ladies do not let your husband-to-be go paintballing for their stage a week before the wedding...(and I was worried about him playing hockey). My dad got hit in the forehead and it split open. luckily it was not noticeable the day of the wedding due to a lot of polysporn prior to. Jennik13 I don't think it had another name. We just called it "the teens club" or "the club". You could still refer to it as the teens club and as a side note let your guests know its adults only from 10pm to 2am. I though of one last thing to tell you ladies- We had our wedding at 4pm which was perfect timing for the temperature that day. The wedding before us was at 2pm. It was so hot with very little breeze at this time. The poor brides maids were sweating and you could see it through their pretty dresses. The hotel provides large umbrellas in each of the rooms. Tell your guests to bring them to the ceremony and get a few extras for the groom and groomsmen if its a hot day. Once the music starts you could ask everyone to put them away.

Hello Ladies! I am sorry this review is so late. I had a lot of catching up to do when I got home from our wedding. My review is really long so brace yourselves… First, I will tell you a little about our situation going into this wedding. My now husband and I are very simple laid back people. We wanted a small intimate wedding with no extended family (we come from very large extended families) and we did not want to start our lives in debt for only one day. This is why we decided on a small destination wedding. Our group of 11 people consisted of just immediate family. We arrived at Sensatori at a unique time. It was a week after the busy Christmas/New years season but a week before the January sales rush. The resort was not full but they still had almost full staff on. The service over all was great! Arrival- Check in was quick! So, quick we didn’t even get offered any champagne like the rest of our group but that was ok because we helped ourselves before being led to our room. Because we are from Canada and booked with Signature Vacations we could not get the free wedding package. We paid for a basic Jacuzzi suite room in the Adult section but upon arrival Carolina made sure we were upgraded to a swim-up Jacuzzi suite in the premium section-by the way, service in the premium section was unbelievable. Resort- 1st impression; this resort is breath taking! And it really is. Unfortunately, they rushed opening and some of the finishing touches are not perfect. By no means is it so bad that it would ruin my stay like it did for some people on Trip Advisor. We never had any problems with our room. My Mom had some pluming problems in the Adult section but they were quickly fixed. Food- All I can say is “yumm†the food was amazing. I would have ate 6 meals a day if I could. We ate at spoon only once, after discovering the Caribbean restaurant “Zavazâ€. We ate pretty much all our breakfasts and lunches there, it was awesome. I did see a wedding set up in Spoon. I had a real hard time deciding if I wanted to go with spoon or pay for a private event. My suggestion is ask how many people can be accommodated on the raised platform area. It is actually very nicely set up and semi-private in this area. However, the wedding I saw was too big for this space and therefore was set up at one side of the restaurant. The hostess did her best to seat people away from the reception dinner but eventually it got too busy and there were strangers sitting right beside the wedding party. When I talked to Fabio it sounded like our group was too small to be put in this area alone. To be completely honest a lot of the real planning happened in our meeting with Carolina and Gilberto (I loved him!!). Maybe this is because we were such a small group or because it wasn’t very busy but we changed things and did the majority of our planning once we got there. Spa-I got a pedicure and manicure the day of the wedding and after that I had my hair done (which I loved! And was also very nervous about) but I did my own make-up. The spa is beautiful but the set up is kinda strange…and this why. When I was getting my pedi and mani there was another bridal party getting their hair done in the “bridal suite†right beside me in the same room. There are some wood screens that kind of separate you from this area but not really. At first I was a little turned off by the situation and that this was considered the private “bridal suite†that had been talked about. It wasn’t until later that I realized there is in fact a REAL private “bridal suite†down the hall. I asked to get dressed and picked up for the ceremony at the spa. I think this is the only reason why they let me use this room because the other bridal party before me did not have access to this area. It is a gorgeous private area that is really relaxing, but don’t get your make-up done in there because the lighting is too dark. Ceremony-It was beautiful and we loved it! Reception-We did a private dinner for 11 people outside at Zoloco. We wanted to do a private reception but because we were not enough people they wouldn’t let us. Instead we did Zoloco’s set meal for the evening. Kind of like what the Spoon reception dinner offers. We brought our own table decorations from home and they set them up for us at no charge plus added some blue lighting and sheer bows on the chairs. I was so thrilled to see that they did these little extras for us. Keep in mind that it is windy no matter where you are outside. I had tealights in what I though was a deep enough holder to block the wind, however they were not able to stay lit. After Party- They are very strict about the 11:00pm rule. But what is great now is that they turn the teens club into an adults only club after 10 pm. My husband and I never went but my 22 year old brother did a few times. He said some nights there was no one there but the few times it was full he had a great time meeting other people his age. If your wedding group is 20+ I don’t think you would have any problems continuing the party there. It’s open to 2am. Do not stress girls! And stop reading the nasty reviews from miserable people on TripAdvisor…I know its hard not to, but I was in tears before I left and I think back to how silly it was that I got so upset about a strangers experience. It is not worth the added stress. Here are a few tips: If you have a hot tub room don’t be afraid to go into the water. It looks a little green but they are all drained and refilled every day. It rained a few afternoons while we were there and it was great to sit in them to stay warm. I recommen turning it on when you first arrive and let it run for a few hours. After the tub refills the next day, enjoy it because it is the only hot tub on the resort. When you go in for your meeting with Carolina and Gilberto do not assume anything! I didn’t think they would use a microphone at the ceremony for our small group, but they did. Unfortunately, this was the one thing that I really did not want because it seemed so impersonal for our group but it was my fault. I shouldn’t have assumed. If you are trying to cut costs with the reception I recommend doing one of the $12 meals. Now my husband and I are total foodies but the reception food wasn’t a big deal to us and this is why. The resort restaurants all produce amazing food, so every meal you and your guests have during your stay is going to be good. We were all so busy chatting, laughing and drinking wine that hardly any of us ate. If you are trying to decide between Spoon and a private reception I’d recommend the private reception especially if you are not able to get the raised area in Spoon. Last, and it sounds like common sense but, be polite to the staff even if you are frustrated. It is amazing how some people treated the staff while we were there. A lady yelled at a server who was filling in for the bartender because he did not know how to make her drink. Later I over heard her complaining because she wasn’t getting enough service around the pool…go figure! I hope I did not ramble too much. More importantly I hope I have helped a few of you. If any of you have any questions feel free to PM me. I am more than happy to help. I do not have pictures of the wedding yet but as soon as I get some I will post.

Hello Ladies! We're back and we're MARRIED! Just wanted to write a quick note to let you all know there is nothing to worry about. We had such a good time! The resort is beautiful, the service was excellent, the food was sooo good and most important the wedding was amazing! I will write a more detailed review as soon as possible, but in the mean time ignore the nasty people on TripAdvisor

Yippee! Another great review on TripAdvisor! and it's a long one... chole: I don't if this will make you feel better or worse but I leave Tues. and I still haven't finalized and paid for my wedding. I think you are right they like to do things last minute. I'm not worried though

Hello Ladies! We have been pretty quite lately! To be honest I have been trying to avoid this website as well as TripAdvisor in the past few weeks. I leave in a week and reading bad reviews was not helping me stay calm. I have to thank Magda for her review. I feel a lot better about my upcoming wedding and vacation. No, not everything will be perfect but it sounds like things are getting better. Thank you to all the brides who have been posting information these past months. You have all been a great help to me. Wish me luck and I'll have a review posted as soon as possible!

Quote: Originally Posted by natalie ann Hi, Are you one of the first Sensatori brides? Please let all of us know how everything goes, I just found out Fabio was in an accident and is in the hospital. I have a Jan. wedding at Azul Fives and trying to find out how the new Azul resorts are doing, very little information. Best wishes to you! Oh no! I hope Fabio is ok. I was wondering what was going on...I was supposed to pay for my wedding in full today but Fabio never got back to me about the final price tag. He has been so good with replies lately, that I though this was out of character for him. My prayers go out to him! Natalie Ann, did someone contact you about this? I am just wondering if I should call the hotel about my final payment. My wedding is in January also.

Amysteele444: Thank you so much for sharing with us. What a beautiful wedding! I too have a question if you don't mind sharing some more...where did you get your shoes? I love them! I want to be barefoot for our beach ceremony but I am having a hard time finding something pretty and flat for the reception. Thanks again beautiful bride!

Am I missing something?!? I don't think I've seen any pictures of the completed Spoon restaurant yet. My Fiance and I have a pretty small budget so we will have to do our reception dinner there. Does anyone have a picture they could post for me or point me in the right direction if I missed it? Thanks! Jennrenn23 Great Review on TA! By far the most helpful one yet. Beachbride2009 Do you mind posting the answers? My email has not been working the past 2 days.

Beachbride2009 I too was concerned and confused about Canadians and the "free wedding package" So I emailed the resort. What I found out is that Canadians can qualify for the free wedding package as long as they are not using Signature Vacations. I am not really sure how Canadian Tour Companies work (maybe TA Jennifer can help us out with this one) but my understanding is that Signature is able to offer the best rates, by how much I do not know. In fact, I am anxious to know what rates other Canadian Tour Companies can offer because I too wanted to book the Honeymoon suite and free wedding. We have a small group of 12 going down so depending on how much more the rate is my Fiance and I could pay the difference for each of our guests and possibly still save money. Unfortunately, we have already booked and paid so there is not much we can do about it now, but it is still frustrating. If I had known this information before I would have researched it further. PM me if you want to compare rates and info. Love your Dress by the way. Very unique! Here is the website to my dress Ladies! But the top right picture is not what the back looks like-its not even the same dress Paradise Style 7071

I think I have added my name to the most recent list?!? Just got confirmation today...Finally! I am so excited but also concerned about another wedding being on the same day. We purposely did not pick Jan 9 because there was already a wedding scheduled...oh well, not much I can do about it now. It's booked! October 2008 November 2008 jennrenn23-November 3, 2008 andrea110808 - Nov 11, 2008 amysteele444 Nov 14, 2008 December 2008 Magda&Neil - December 22,2008 January 2009 Mrs.StephP2Be - Jan 8, 2009 winwinbride - Jan 10, 2009 candj08 - Jan 17, 2009 McBradley - Jan 21, 2009 February 2009 tsashamia - February 7, 2009 shannonmarie09 – February 28, 2009 March 2009 saavy - March 7, 2009 manders757 – March 14, 2009 April 2009 Lucky1 – April 8, 2009 jhawkev - April 11, 2009 lilmisssunshine - April 16, 2009 mitchell.johanna - April 18, 2009 miro2be - April 19, 2009 jhoyle - April 22, 2009 JHarwood2Be – April 25, 2009 Polly….Prince – April 26, 2009 teethdh – April 26, 2009 May 2009 trayce2222- May 3, 2009 MGP - May 5, 2009 milejilo – May 8, 2009 weddingchick – May 9, 2009 Sensatori Bride - May 14, 2009 Polina - May 15, 2009 jennik13 - May 17, 2009 moore.vj1 -May 17, 2009 heather hunder - May 20, 2009 kddsmj - May 21, 2009 khoyle - May 22, 2009 pepper55 – May 24, 2009 June 2009 katken - June 5, 2009 Jenkatherine - June 12, 2009 Soon2beTWells -June 12, 2009 SolidShan83 - June 26, 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 selina - October 1, 2009 Wendi80 - October 24, 2009 November 2009 mexicanbridewithquestions - November 6, 2009 Ania - November 12, 2009 lenka14 – November 14, 2009 heather0618 - November 21, 2009 rtswan – November 26, 2009 December 2009

MexicanBridewithQuestions I haven't looked into this personally but my TA suggested upgrading our plan ticket for around $75 and it allows us to bring extra suitcases or extra weight. I can't remember the details but it may be worth checking into. Also, she said we are allowed to bring golf clubs down at no extra cost. If you have access to a hard cover golf club case you can stuff it full of your extras instead of clubs. Supposedly they never check.

mrs.meyer73109 welcome to the forum! amysteele444 Love your idea of a postcard guest book. If I didn't have just immediate family coming down for our wedding i would probably have to steal your idea

Thanks! It is so great to know about the different ceremony and reception sites.

Quote: Originally Posted by Beecher2Be Mrs.Steph, I am using the Wedding Holiday as well and they told me that if I book the Honeymoon suite I get the basic wedding for free. So I upgraded my room for $1000 ($500 each) and it is still less then if you have to purchase the Wedding Package. Also, I looked into it and the dates for my wedding trip departing December 28th, 2008 from Toronto are sold out. Geez for a place that hasn't even opened yet it is pretty popular! Hmmm! I wonder why the same company would tell me something totally different. I hope it is just a miscommunication between Lorian I so that I can also upgrade my room and get the free wedding package. I am really confused by this issue. Thanks for sharing, I am going to look into it. When did you book? Was it recent? Have any other Canadian Brides been able to book the free wedding package with a room upgrade

PammyP I noticed that you are also from Calgary. Unfortunately the free wedding package does not apply to Canadians. Apparently we get better rates than Americans, still not really sure why?!? If you look at the fine print at the bottom of the wedding packages webpage it says its for USA citizens, no mention of us Canadians This is what I was told by Lorian at The Wedding Holiday, and a few girls were also told this (see earlier posts in the forum) But I would love to hear if any Canadians were in fact able to use the free wedding package. It would be much more economical and you would get to stay in the premium section

JHarwood2Be I feel for you. My Fiance and I got a quote for the basic room in Feb. We were ready to put a deposit down but our TA went MIA for a week and we couldn't do anything. When she finally got back to us the rooms had all sold out and it was going to be an extra $400 to move up a room. Needless to say we got a new travel agent and a new date. I am not sure how far into the booking and invites you are but maybe you could change the week you're there. I am sure if you are keeping with the same resort but at a less busy time they would give you a refund towards the new dates. And if you can put a deposit down for the people you MUST have there (parents, close friends) I'd suggest doing that. It can be a big chunk of money but with our new TA the deposit we put down for everyone goes towards our room and flight. So our trip is now pretty much paid for. Hope this helps...even if it's just a little

Thanks for all the welcome notes! I can already tell I am going to use and enjoy this forum a lot

Hello Ladies and groom! My fiance and I just booked at the Azul Sensatori! I didn't want to join the forum until my date of Jan. 9th 2009 was confirmed but I couldn't wait to say hello. You have all posted such great info and I don't doubt for a second that we all picked a great resort. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. My fiance and I already lost our first date in Feb due to a clueless TA so we're really hoping everything goes through this time round. I am looking forward to chatting with all of you!

Hello! My fiance and I have just booked at the Azul Sensatori. We are still waiting for our date of Jan.9, 2009 to be confirmed...It seems to be taking forever! So pls keep your fingers crossed for me. A girlfriend recommended this website and said it was a lifesaver, so I look forward to chatting with all you other destination brides Steph