Bride-chill-a

Quote: Originally Posted by sdtooley Claudia is absolutely amazing! She truly made our wedding day wonderful and our pictures just show it all! I would recommend her to everyone. She is so easy and wonderful to work with and all of my guests enjoyed having her and her brother at the wedding. Here is the slideshow of our pictures! THANK YOU CLAUDIA! You are incredible Claudia Rodriguez | Wedding Photographer | Shannon & Michael | July 31th 2009 | Dreams, Tulum Mexico Shannon, your pictures were BEAUTIFUL! You looked gorgeous and so happy. I actually cried watching the slideshow! I loved your colors you used too, they were so nice and bright and popped really well in the photo's. Where did you get the maraca's from, painted in your colors? Jennifer

For us it was location. We chose Sandos because it's closer to downtown Playa Del Carmen so if our guests want to go anywhere it will be little to no cost to them. Whereas in the Riviera Maya you are kind of in the middle of nowhere because it's all very spread out. Either Cancun or Playa are usually about 30mins away (which could be a LONG shuttle ride or about a $40 taxi ride). Another thing that might help you decide is which wedding packages would work best for you, and of course price. Which resort is going to cater to your wedding more? I would rather go with one that specializes in weddings so that you know they are pros at it. I didn't look into Barcelo, so I don't know what they offer. I have had friends stay there though and really enjoyed it. Hope that helps! Good luck!

I hear you guys...my MIL is the same with Mexico because of the drug cartels and the flu, but this dude who did this, just proves this can really happen ANYWHERE! There is crazy stuff happening in the world everyday and EVERYWHERE!!! We will be fine. Thankfully no one was hurt.

Quote: Originally Posted by abbylm I am getting married there on March 2010. If anyone had any more info about how there wedding was and the resort. That would be awesome. I feel like I dont know too much about it. Hello, Have you read this thread from start to finish, yet? There is a TON of information if you go through it all. There should also be a link to a review of a wedding from Sandos on there as well as another review that a bride posted who was married there a few months ago. At the home page with all of the forums, there is also a section where everyone posts their wedding reviews that you can look at. Have fun!

Also, here is information on Spa packages and prices Jennifer SPA BROCHURE.doc PAQUETE DE NOVIAS SPA.doc

Hi Everyone! I just recieved some new information from Paola, I thought you might be interested in. Some of it is already on this forum but some of it is not. Nonetheless....here ya go! Manicure Spa Ritual $40 USD Pedicure Spa Ritual $50 USD Spa Manicure Wrap $45 USD Spa Pedicure Wrap $55 USD Below you will find a guide with all the questions that I have for the brides during our appointment. I believe that from here you can have some questions or some confirmations for me. Please read it and perhaps you will have some ideas extras that you haven’t thought about to make the wedding of your dreams. 1. We have three different types of Symbolic or Legal Wedding Packages, can you confirm if you would like the Sandos, Caribbean or Riviera? Enclosed please find our wedding packages. 2. The wedding will take place at the beach (not at the wedding hut) since you are having a lot of attendants. Can you please confirm the final number two weeks prior the wedding? also I will need their rooming list and their reservation type: Standard or Junior Suite please. 3. Will you have day passes? (people that is not one of our guests $77usd per person) 4. Do you have children in the group? If so, how many? 5. Are you bringing an IPOD or a CD for your ceremony songs? We will need one song for your entrance (it could be the bridal march), another song for the signature of the symbolic paper, another song for the exit, another song for the toast. (total of 4 songs for the ceremony) 6. Cake options are the fill in could be vanilla, chocolate or strawberries with cream, outside it could go white or hard white chocolate (cream color). On top of the cake you can have strawberries or natural flowers (it could be two callas) or candy flowers (roses white, red or pink) 7. Can you help me to make your spa appointment once you are in the hotel you can go directly to the spa, as long as it is no more than 7pm. 8. About the flowers. Enclosed please find our catalogue and if you would like to send me a picture of yours I can ask the florist to do it specially for you. Tulips, Orchids and callas need to be ordered two weeks in advance please. The extra flowers are paid in cash in our appointment. This is the updated pricing list for flowers: Boutonnières, since 15 USD each Children boutonnière since 10USD Bridal bouquet: since 50 USD Bouquet for Bride's maid since 35 USD each Corsage since 20 USD each Flowers arrangements for the table since 45 USD Archway since 220USD Gazebo with tul = since 220USD **no flowers included. Flowers for cake since 35USD Bags of petals 15USD (big) ** Prices can change without notice** 9. Photos: Are you going to need our photographer? Depending on the package, you will get the photo pictures, for example the Sandos Package does not include any pictures, the Carribbean includes 10 and the Riviera includes 20. Photography prices: 2009 10 photos = 150USD (no CD, no photo album) 20 photos = 270USD (no CD, no photo album) ** 30 photos = 470 USD **60 pictures = 770 USD ** 90 pictures = 1100 USD ** 120 pictures = 1300 USD **Note: prices include print pictures & pictures in a CD ROM & a Caribbean photo album. IMPORTANT: PICTURES IN THE CD ARE THE SAME PRINTED PICTURES, NUMBER OF THESE PHOTOS DEPENDS ON THE PACKAGE THAT YOU CHOOSE. Video= 30 min edited in DVD price is 650 USD 10. Set up: The color of the ribbons that I have are: red, turquoise blue (20 pieces), white (20 pieces), pink fiusha, orange, silver and gold. Will you have an arch? Again the arch is included only in the Caribbean or Riviera packages. 11. Restaurant reservation: These are our Restaurant choices: A la carte restaurants: Oriental, Gourmet (only adults) or Steak house.. open time at 6pm (Groups with more than 15people have a set menu (same food for everybody) Italian buffet or International .. open time at 6:30pm (Reserved area for the whole group) **microphone is not allowed. ** children are not allowed in Gourmet restaurant. One important point is: no more than 20 attendants you can get a dinner reservation in one of our a la carte restaurants, more than 20 attendants, your dinner will be reserved in one of our specialty buffet restaurants. Note: People that are not guests of the resort will need to pay a day pass $77 usd. 12. Can you confirm if you would like to have a private reception at the beach or the pool after the dinner? (it has an extra cost) For private events these are the new prices for this 2009, i'll work with these prices at least until July 2010. Private events are not included in your "All Inclusive" package, so they have additional charges because you will have a reserved area just for your whole group of guests. Available time is from 6.30 pm to 10:30pm. Place: beach or pool area far away from the beach. Site fees= 500USD on the beach (minimum number 40 people) Site fees by the pool= 400USD (minimum number 40 people) Site fee royal elite palapa= 600USD (minimum number 40 people) menu charge per person = since 39USD per person open bar = since 18 per person Music.. DJ= 50USD per hour 15% service and 10% taxes (of the total amount of the event) Note: People that are not guests of the resort will need to pay a day pass $77 usd. RIBBONS EACH ONE $5 USD (if we do not have the color that you would like) TABLE CLOTHES PER TABLE $10 USD (if we do not have the color that you would like) Our Disco is available for private events from 7pm to 11pm, since it opens its doors for the rest of our guests. Additional cost is 280USD per hour plus 15% per service. It includes: drinks, microphone, DJ and screen for slide show. **Children are allowed just in private events. (younger than 18 years old) 13. The payment of the Symbolic Minister needs to be in cash $350 in our first appointment. Also if you have more than 30 people the upgrade for the toast and cake would be 6 usd for every extra person. 14. My last question is if you would like to reserve a special group of music. The options for music are these, prices are per 45min: Mariachi: 420USD Trio 320USD Saxophonist 320USD Guitarist 320 USD Violinist 320 USD Steel drum players 450USD Band of alive music international & salsa 450 USD DJ 50USD

Quote: Originally Posted by DeeMB we're getting married on june 3rd, 2010 at Dreams Resort and Spa in Cancun. luckily for us we can book now and we 've just put our deposit down on our wedding package. for those of you that havn't booked a hotel yet just wanted you to know that Dreams has the most amazing beaches! having a little difficulty with communication from the hotel. it apparently takes them a million years to get back to you, but this seems to be normal after chatting with a few other brides:) Deann - it's Jen! :-) Yes, the hotels take a while to get back to you. I think they are also really busy with the weddings and probably aren't there everyday. So excited! xoxo

Oh wait...check out page 22, Sspiris posted the flowers there for all to see!

Thanks for the info Jilligirl! I'm not getting much info on prices regarding different rooms from my TA either. As for points, etc...I have no clue how that works! I'm almost at 1000 now and I can't seem to view any attachments people post. If you send me a PM with your email, I can email it directly to you.

Quote: Originally Posted by jilligirl Jrprice24 which section are you staying in the Beach or the Riviera?? We want a room with the a jacuzzi on the terrace, but I don't think the beach side has them. Our travel agent has been really slow getting us the quotes. But we are hoping the Riviera side won't be to much more than the Beach. Hey Jilligirl! Can you post what your travel agent says about the difference in price? I'm having some difficulty figuring out what to book, etc. There are so many options!

Quote: Originally Posted by Joss Is that something you had to ask her about? When we got the package list, there was nothing about custom packages (just 3 hours and 5 hours). Yes, I just asked her as she said in her email, if we had any special requests to let her know. I also emailed her my timeline and asked her how many hours she would recommend based on that.

Soon2bePowers...you're photo's were stunning! Thanks so much for sharing. You looked gorgeous and I LOVED your flowers! We have booked Citalli for our wedding in Feb 2010...same thing with the deposit on paypal, she has yet to get back to us with that (it's been about 2 weeks). As long as I still get Citalli (Claudia was booked) then it's fine by me. She put together a 4 hour package for us, and your feedback makes me glad we went with the 4 hrs instead of the 3 (although it looks like you got more than enough great shots) since you say it felt rushed.

Does the spa do mani's and pedi's and hair? I couldn't find any info on their website. Any idea on the cost too?

Quote: Originally Posted by Lou Thanks Bride-chill-a and Joss! Joss, did you just find a local travel agent in The Peg? Or are they part of a big company like flight centre. I am still hoping to find one who has lots of experience with DW's. Bride-chill-a, thanks for the tip about marissa at Flight Centre, unfortunately I had a horrible experience with them a couple of years ago and I am still maintaining my own personal boycott.... Stick to your guns girl! You're smart to be looking into things a little further. I wish I had and found someone that would take care of more details because it's a ton of work!

Quote: Originally Posted by Lou Congratulations to everyone on their engagements! Marriage I can do.... now I am just hoping I can survive the planning process.. My fiancee and I are hoping to get married the first week of July, 2010 (we are teachers... need to go during the summer) on the Mayan Riviera. We are pretty overwhelmed right now trying to pick a resort. We are currently looking into the Gran Bahia Principe Tulum/Akumel/Coba. Has anyone had experience with this resort? Also, we are trying to get a travel agent or someone to help us. Has anyone here used destinationweddings.com? It seems like a pretty full service website, they act as a travel agent, booking flights for you and your guests, coordinating with the resort, and setting up a wedding website. We are thinking of using them because we really want someone who knows what they are doing to help us. Any thoughts? Hello Lou and Fellow Vancouver-ite! I've been using Marissa Bauzon at Flight Center - Fairview in Vancouver. She's had some experiences with DW before and is getting a ton more experience through mine, as I'm getting married in Feb 2010, so I'm sure she can answer alot of your questions. However, that destination weddings website sounds AMAZING because of the fact that they co-ordinate with the resorts, etc. That is a lot of work to do on your own, so if you can afford it I would get someone to do it for you and just sit back and relax!

Thanks for posting that review sspiris! I've been dealing with Paola and I can see what this bride is saying about her, and I've learned that I have to be really specific with Paola as she can 'glaze' over some tough questions, and I will often paraphrase her answer just to be sure. I'm hoping it was also because she was overwhelmed with having the second wedding there that day. I will be emailing her directly with my question about the day pass, just to be sure and I will let you know what she says. Jennifer

Does anyone know about the daypasses for guests staying outside the resort (it's $77 per adult and $39 per child) if that includes all their food and booze for the day?

Quote: Originally Posted by keilag I posted a map of the resort because the internet can be a bit confusing. the blue rooms are the "royal eleite or Rivera rooms" they have flat screens and private bars and pools. they are the most quiet, newest, most lux but they are also the furthest away from the beach. they are great if you want privacy the "haciendas" are in red. they have 8 rooms per building wich I thought might be nice to rent one for the family. they have their own pool per building but are the oldest and in the middle of the resort. the basic room are the "beach"rooms in purple. least expensive, close to everything, veiws of ocean but older and loud! I dont know wich ones to book for my family and friends Thanks for posting that! That's a tough one...which one to book. The one negative thing I heard about Sandos Playacar on trip advisor is that people book one thing and are obviously expecting that, and are disappointed when they get another (not what they wanted). That's tempting me to just leave it up to, we get what we get. On the other hand, it's nice to know and get what you want. Shrug. Sorry, that wasnt helpful at all!

Quote: Originally Posted by Diana Our ceremony time was 5pm and it was perfect! For most of the ceremony the sun is to your back and not beating down on you (don't get me wrong... it is still hot but you are not roasting) and the lighting for pictures after is amazing! Really? That's great! I originally had my ceremony time for 5 but just changed it to 4 because I was worried there would not be enough daylight for my 'husband' and I to get pictures done afterwards and don't want them ALL in the dark. How did you guys work it?

Quote: Originally Posted by Diana Hey Ladies! We were married on June 26th at Sandos Playacar... and it was PERFECT!! I will be writing a full review when I get a chance (we didn't come back until the 2nd and then had our AHR on July 11th.. and I didn't take any time off work in between) I dealt with Paola and everything was great! She was very accomodating and helpful. I also used one of the resort photographers and he did an amazing job! The packages are very reasonable if you compare them to hiring an outside vendor and paying the guest fee. Anyway, like I said I will give a full review in a little bit. In the mean time you can check out some of the pics on our website Diana Forchione & Frank Bender's Wedding Website - WedQuarters and feel free to ask me any specific questions you might have! Looks gorgeous Diana! Thanks for posting your photo's they are gorgeous! What time was your ceremony?

Quote: Originally Posted by kaitlin422 Hey ladies!! Just have to vent! I know some of you have been waiting for the 2010 rates to come in like me... Lupita had told me she "penciled" in my date (june 26, 2010) and told me to let her know as soon as we booked... so I booked the DAY AFTER the rates came in on the website... emailed her, and she replied with a forward that she sent to someone else who inquired about the same date as me... so now I have no clue if I lost my date or if I can beat this other couple to faxing in the confirmation of the date... now that I have booked my trip and family and friends are starting to book... I hope this can all be worked out! So stressful - hope no one else has a problem! Oh no! I'm so afraid of this happening as well. I have been dealing with Paola and I know she's already confused me with another bride once. We are waiting for our RSVPs until we book, so I'm hoping she still has the date for me, even though I don't have a confirmation number yet. Let us know how it turns out. Good luck!

If you google it you will see that Hurrican season is between June - Nov and most hurricanes occur between Aug-Oct. Chances are you will have rain on your wedding day...which is good luck! Also, in reading many bridal magazines they don't recommend planning a wedding on a long weekend as most people have previous travel plans, especially for labour day weekend. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

Thanks everyone for posting all that info! I too find it very helpful! That was very generous of you! Jennifer

Quote: Originally Posted by Ayita Claudia shot both my wedding and my TTD. I am so in love with my pictures !!!!! I thought her prices were super reasonnable compared to other photographers with a comparable talent. When I searched a photographer, I was either finding the price in my budget, but I did not like the pics that were very... blah. Or, I loved the pics but could not afford the packages. With Claudia I got wonderful pics, in my budget ! Granted, she's not cheap, but it's really worth it, you'll have wonderful pictures to look at all your life ! My parents love the pics. My friends commented I was so lucky to have found such a talented and tasteful photographer. Really, don't hesitate. The only two drawbacks : I wish we had more time at the TTD, to take more pics for instance in the pool or on the beach beds ; and it took a really long time to get my pics (a month and a half). Other than that, I was really happy ! Check for yourself : http://murielandjovan.shutterfly.com/ Gorgeous pictures and I LOVE your dress! Thanks for sharing the link!

Quote: Originally Posted by LDeeken I've been researching photographers/videographers lately and have come across Playa weddings. I have been in contact with Rachel Schrank and she seems awesome! Unfortunately, I haven't found a lot of information on BDW forum about their work. I was just wondering if anyone could share their experience with Playa weddings. I'd especially like to hear more about their photography. Any info would be great!! Thanks in advance! Good question! I was wondering the same thing myself! I'm getting married at the Sando's Playacar and am just in the process of trying to find a photographer, so I'll be curious to hear what feedback you get!