allison&kevin

Congrats to all the ladies out there who just got married and are getting married...it has been so long since I have checked in! In response to the question above, looks like they are charging more now for vendor fees. We just had our photographers as guests. You can take pictures in the city, outside the resort or on the beach. You will probably want to feed you photographers anyways. Then it is like they are a non-resort guest. Anyways, not sure if anyone is looking for a photographer, but the couple that shot our wedding at the Royal was awesome!! Just thought I would pass along some information to check them out for those brides who are still looking http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...graphie-59816/ CONGRATS AGAIN!!

Just wanted to point out that this was our wedding photographed above,and that Michelle and Justin were fabulous! They are so detail oriented, thoughtful & fun! They both really wanted to understand what we wanted and also were super helpful before, during and after the events. They really knew how to blend in as a part of the party too! We were so pleased with the beautiful photos and truly very blessed to have had these two as a part of our special day. THANKS!!!!

I booked the DJ on my own, but I do not think that is allowed any more. I think it is the same DJ though.

Julia, Thank you so much for the compliments! Michelle & Justin are fantastic and really wonderful people too. I know about all the crazy awards-that is insane, but they really know how to capture the moment. The Royal was awesome too! To the rest, Hope you are having fun planning, once the day arrives it goes WAY TOO FAST!! Anyways I wanted to share the photos from our photographer Artistique out of Portland. They just won album of the year with our book. They are fantastic, great people, super fun to work with and really got some good shots. Anyways wanted to share Mexico Wedding Photography, The Royal Playa Del Carmen, Riviera Maya – Allison & Kevin – January 8th, 2010 Portland Photography

Hey all! Hope you are having fun planning, once the day arrives it goes WAY TOO FAST!! Anyways I wanted to share the photos from our photographer Artistique out of Portland. They just won album of the year with our book. They are fantastic, great people, super fun to work with and really got some good shots. Anyways wanted to share Mexico Wedding Photography, The Royal Playa Del Carmen, Riviera Maya – Allison & Kevin – January 8th, 2010 Portland Photography

Diana- TA Jennifer is correct in that all non-royal guests can come over 15 minutes beforehand (you do not have to pay for extra guest passes)& they can stay the whole time of you wedding, BUT if there is any sort of break between things (ie between ceremony and cocktail hour), that is where there was some confusion from both our guests and rules of the resort. Your non-royal guests cannot consume anything except for beverages and food from your wedding. This means they cannot go to a bar at the Royal, but they can consumer everything that you are paying for via your wedding package. Does that make sense?

See answers in red below Quote: Originally Posted by lexibride Your pictures are GORGEOUS!! Congrats on a beautiful wedding. Mine is in 3 months and I'm getting nervous about all of the little details. I just have a couple questions. Thanks! Yours will be fabulous too, don't worry too much, if that is possible. #1 - You said that the guests had rights to the Royal because they upgraded their room at The Gran Porto - what exactly does that mean? Our guests have a Jr. Suite Ocean view - is this considered an upgrade? It was more than the normal upgrade to the next level. It was a Gran Jr. Suite Beachfront Walkout. I'm nervous because I'm staying at The Gran with my daughter but my wedding is at The Royal, so I'm scared that I may have issues getting over there and I'm the bride!! Talk to your wedding coordinator beforehand to get it figured out. #2 - You said you paid to extend the reception 1 hour, do you mind telling me what that costs? We're interested in doing that as well. $10/person/hour. Not sure if that is still the price. Thanks for all your help! I can't wait to come back and help future Royal brides too

Lisa, For the confusion, we had the cermeony at the gazebo, cocktail hour in the garden space behind the gazebo. So when the wedding was over since everything was already set up, people assumed that the cocktail hour would begin (even though I had an agenda that explained there would be a break). So people stood around wondering what was happening. They then went to go get drinks at a bar, but those who were staying at the gran porto or other hotels were not supposed to be at the bar, so there were issues then and the staff said we had to pay something like $200 for some drinks, which was crazy! We fought this b/c the gran porto guests had upgraded their room, so they had rights to the royal. Anyways it just created some unneccessary frustration and issues that would not have happened if we had just gone straight into cocktail hour. Either way, it will be fine, but just a little annoying.

Quote: Originally Posted by super19 Congrats and welcome back! I have a silly question that may already have been covered. I'm trying to decide between stadium cups and beer mugs for our OOT bags. Was the beer served in cans or into plastic cups? Thank you! Beer in served in cans.

One other comment on overcharging...I guess I missed the fact that the price of your package does NOT include a minister or JOP, so that is $400 extra $$

Quote: Originally Posted by LynnieS Hi A&K Congratulations on your wedding!! Everything looks so beautiful!! Are you from Omaha? I have to ask because I, too, have been working with Enchanted Honeymoons and been having a horrible time. I booked my wedding for May 14 at 4pm. I happened to call Angie (our WC) on Monday to start on reception stuff and our time was actually never booked due to miscommunication. Needless to say it has been a very stressful two days trying to re-book my wedding for that day (already have 30 guests booked already!!) I guess I relied too much on them and not Angie (thought I was helping her out!) Congrats again! I grew up in Omaha and my family still lives there, so that is who we worked through. I agree that Enchanted Honeymoons was tough to work with, especially there are issues with communication. Who booked your wedding? Talk to Kem, the owner, and let him know the issue. I would hold him responsible for the issue and make him fix it. Call him and then get it in writing via email - ie "I want email confirmation that my wedding reception is booked for 4pm on May 14th at such and such a site". Confirm the package, price, etc in that email. That would be my suggestion.

Quote: Originally Posted by ~Stephanie~ Thank you for your review! I hope I don't have any hicups with my Royal wedding. Thanks for the tip on the package, I was unaware of that. Any tips you can give on preventing some of the things that went wrong? Like how they didn't play the music right? Did you have any problems with you final bill and them overcharging for any wedding stuff? I have heard this was a problem in the past for some other brides. Love your pictures! I'm glad everything went well for the most part! NOt really any tips since we gave Lily a CD ahead of time and they did not get it right. The other thing with room selections, keep track of all your guests - have names, date of arrival and departure & bed type. I would try and talk to a conceriege up front, give them the list, keep one for yourself. As for final bill, the few miscommunications happened in the wedding package (ie pressing the men's suit - we got charged for that when we left). Most of your bill will be settled before the wedding, but you may get hit with random little things. Just take a list of everything that is included in your package (and confirmed via email by a coordinator w/ price), then follow that list. If you stray you will be charged. For any additions, get the price as you are making that decision - then say yes or no. Like, I did not upgrade flowers...cost way too much for what you were getting (at least that was my opinion). We did add on 1 hour for the reception, which I would advise, but we knew the charge and were willing to accept it. Just be overly communicative, to make sure everything is covered.

Quote: Originally Posted by astreit I forgot to ask in my earlier post, could you us what meal options you went with? Were they good? I'm trying to set my menu and find it so hard without trying them. I can't remember everything we picked, but the ones I do remember were: a mushroom spinach soup (had a broth base instead of cream). The cream of asparagus was also good. Filet (was the the 3 peppercorn, but whatever filet that was offered on the lucury packge menu). It was good too. Chocolate shell with fruit - AWESOME!!! Tres leches cake, tons of compliments there. Overall for a wedding, food was really good, hot, and nice presentation.

Quote: Originally Posted by astreit Congratulations on your wedding! You review helps a lot. I am also using Enchanted Honeymoons in Omaha, but you have me a little worried now. Everything has gone smoothly thus far though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks again! At first it goes smoothly and then there are things forgotten. Get everything in writing. A lot of our issues came when pricing went down (even though we got the insurance) and some promises made, never followed through, getting phone calls returned - communication is the biggest issue. I worked with Kem, who is the owner, and I can say it was better than the few agents I spoke with, but nothing glowing. Just make sure you get everything documented so you have record of it. I got some complaints from my guests too, and that is why I realized it was not me. Anyways good luck, and like I said keep everything documented for tracking and that should help.

Hey All! I am back from our spectacular wedding! It was perfect! We had a few issues, but it really is not worth sweating the small stuff, and overall everyone had a fabulous time. This thread really helped me out in the beginning of my planning stages, so thanks for that. Below is my review, I will post more pictures when I get them, just a few so far. Let me know if you have any questions too. Thanks! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...9/#post1152717

Quote: Originally Posted by Lady_Di I am glad you had a fab wedding! I am discouraged about the check in issues but in the end, it all worked out. How far in the advance did you set up an appt for your hair/makeup? Looking forward to the pictures!! I scheduled everyone's makeup, hair, nails. romantic dinner, massage sessions, etc about 3 weeks before the wedding (you should actually be sent an excel spreadsheet with the things that come in your package). Once we got there we changed some things, but it was better to have appointments sooner rather than later

I will share more photos when I get them, but these are a couple pics I have gotten as examples. Overall thank you all for your help and good luck planning!! It is so much fun! Catamaran Ride - Catamaya Ceremony Cocktail Hour Reception Site (Beach in front of the gazebo) Some Couple shots

Travel Agent: Enchanted Honeymoons in Omaha, NE. C- I was not completely satisfied. It seems a lot of miscommunication happened here and for this reason not sure if some of the issues we had were because of them or the resort. I got a number of complaints about this company, everything resolved in the end an no major issues, just small ones being promised something and then them not remembering (ie parents private transfer). Our tickets were purchased through Funjet, another organization than was just ok. They confirmed our transfer home 3 times, and never got the time right even though we had a private transfer. Private transfer was so much nicer too, if you have the option. Gift Bags:T-shirts w/ octopus logo, Beach bags, waterproof playing cards, antibacterial, gum, flip-flops, & a wedding letter with maps and things to do. All items were big hits! Hotel: The Royal Playa del Carmen. B+ Overall the hotel was very nice as far as features, food & drink quality for an all inclusive, location, & rooms though the Royal was problematic at times which caused some notable frustrations. It is a beautiful resort, perfect location, great staff, etc, but some of the logistical issues need to be addressed. The week we were there, the hotel was pretty much sold out, so there was no upgrade upon check-in. Do not expect an upgrade and if you get one it is an added benefit. Actually they had us in a room with 2 Double beds instead of a King, for our wedding?? They did get this fixed after I vehemently complained. They actually did not even know we were getting married when we arrived (ie there should be a note on your file and there was not one on mine). I gave the hotel a list of all the guests and their bed choice (King or Double) to ensure they could get the proper room type. It ended up that all who requested doubles got kings and vica versa. Tammy, the concierge was super helpful in fixing this, it just took a ton of hours to get all guest situations sorted out and wasted our time to get these issues resolved. There were some other issues too (ie never getting room service sent on the wedding day, giving us issues about Gran Porto guests coming to the royal the day of the wedding even though they had upgrade status, no romantic breakfast (included in the luxury package) without numerous phone calls, etc, etc). In the end they were very apologetic for the situation and upgraded us for our last 3 nights to the presidential suite (they knew they made a lot of mistakes). Anyways their efforts were greatly appreciated. The presidential suite was SWEET!!! (FYI – The Royal is totally worth the extra $$ over the Gran Porto if you can afford it) Wedding Coordinator: Lily. B The coordinator was very organized. We spent a few hours getting everything hashed out – they are so efficient. Anyways Lily was pretty good with the exception that there were some miscommunications on the package. I thought I would get the new luxury package for the old quoted price, but it was in fact the package you purchase (so keep records of what that includes). So she said we would get some things, but then they were not included since we were paying for an old package. (examples for the luxury package included: mens face saver, musician during the ceremony, 30 vs. 35 included guests). We did pay less than current pricing, so I would recommend picking a package up front to protect yourself if prices go up again. If they go down you can just pick the newer package. Keep documentation of everything before you head down there. Dress: Billie Whitmarsh in Omaha, NE. A+ I loved the look of the Maggie Sottero dress, but did not like some of the details/quality. We know this fantastic seamstress who was able to make me a beautiful dress from the pictures I gave to her. I got fitted one week and then never tried it again until the wedding day, but she had it perfect! She got every detail and it cost us less than the actual Maggie dress. Rehearsal Catamaran Ride: Catamaya. A+ They were awesome! So enjoyable and easy to work with. We did the sunset cruise which was fantastic. People did get sick at first due to the rockiness of the boat, but it did calm down after about 30 min. We snorkeled, saw turtles, danced, did upside down margaritas on the bar. The staff was great and really kept everyone entertained. So worth it and everyone had a blast! Couples Massages: Great and needed! But I did like Veronicas better for a massage. Nails: Just fine, nothing special, but I did bring my own polish since I knew what color I wanted for my fingers-glad I brought it  Wedding Day/Evening: A+++++ Hair and Makeup: B+ Mine turned out perfect, exactly what I wanted, though I did bring my own makeup & pictures of the hairstyle I wanted (don’t forget the waterproof mascara). My mom hated her style, so my sisters had to re-do it, but both my sisters were happy with their hairstyles. Mens Face Saver: D BAD!!! They cut my fiancé various times and the following days his skin bothered him. 4 PM Ceremony at the Gazebo: A AMAZING!! Best day ever!! We lucked out with perfect weather (the next day it rained all day). We did it at the Gazebo, brought some decorations, did not use the carpet, had people sitting on the floor and NOT on the gazebo, and created our own ceremony (if this is something you want to do, make sure you have it ready before meeting with the wedding coordinator, so you can give her all the info and it can be passed on to the Minister or JOP). We also wrote our own vows and gave this to the wedding coordinator too. As for music, we gave Lily a cd with the songs and when we wanted them played. They played the processional and recessional songs, but did not play the songs before the processional that we had given them on the CD. 5:30 PM Cocktail Hour: A We did this on the grassy area in front of the gazebo. Band was great! The only thing is we had a break from ceremony to cocktail hour to do some pictures and it just created some confusion. It worked in the end, but just a heads up. 6:30 PM Beach Reception at the beach in front of the gazebo: A++++ It was WONDERFUL!!! Everything was perfect. We gave lily seating cards, seaglass, and gifts to be placed on each plate (handmade chapsticks). It was all beautiful. No complaints whatsoever. We got so many compliments on the whole event. We did not do the beach in front of Pelicanos b/c there is beach restoration going on at the Gran Porto, and some ugly piping laying there, so we did not want to see that and therefore moved it over to behind the gazebo. DJ Doremixx: A++++ Ivan is outstanding. He is a great communicator and even better DJ. HE was so easy to work with and the music was fantastic. Do be prepared with songs, and types of music (we gave him a list), but he really works hard and everyone loved his style. Photographers Artistique: A++++ Portland Photography - Artistique Photographie, Award Winning Oregon Wedding Photographers - Home Page Michelle and Justin are from Portland, OR and they were fabulous! Pictures will be coming in the next month or so, but they really have a different style and they really added a special touch to our day. Justin helped keep people out of our wedding since there was a DJ party going on down the beach…hehehe. They were Portland Wedding Photographer 2009, which can show in their work. There are a couple of example photos, but not sure how to post them. Will try and figure it out here soon. Overall the wedding was absolutely perfect, everyone had a fantastic time and are talking about going back next year! I wish I could do it all over again  Enjoy every minute! And let me know if you have any questions. This forum helped me a lot initially.

Wow it has been a long time! Great to see Tracey's pics - thanks for sharing, really beautiful. We are on the less than 2 month countdown. Getting crazy close! As for timing, we are staying 11 days also, some before and some after. MOst our guests are staying 7 days, so it really does not give us much alone time, but we will do a "real" honeymoon in a year. I think we will be doing Cook Islands for that. I still feel like there is so much to do, but yet not much I can really do. What a conflict. Tracey-did you feel this way? Any tips of things not to forget when heading down there? Last minute reminders Thanks in advance.

Candice- Thanks so much! Your party is just planning on meeting up at a certain time? I think that is how is works...? As for pricing on the packages, this past year when prices were lower I locked in. I assumed that if prices went down further, I could get that, but if not at least I had a quote in writing. Just make sure you get whatever pricing in writing from the hotel b/c prices can go up and they have to honor what was quoted to you, but if prices go down you should be able to get the new pricing. I can't believe how much the pricing and packages change over a year! Kind of crazy.

So much has happened since I was last on here! I am getting so excited to get married after reading all the fun posts. Congrats to all! I have been crazy trying to finalize details, but I think we are good for a outline of events. Wednesday - Welcome Dinner (which is the best restaurant at the gran porto for people to meet up for dinner) Thursday - Catamaran - Catamaya (super easy to work with and doing sunset tour w/snacks and drinks - $1800) Friday - Wedding Luxury Package (just using all that comes with package except photographer). Gazebo @ 4pm & beach party. Photographer - Artistique (Portland), DJ Doremixx (Ivan). I think we will have about 40-50 people...30 some booked so far. Invites have gone out - NUTS!!! We did them ourselves and I love them Thanks for all the inforon this thread - it really helps!

Super cute ideas! We are making chapsticks which are fun and pretty easy to do. We getting playing cards done in our colors too. We love playing cards, so thought that would be cute. In reference to the pineapple centerpiece, has anyone seen the centerpiece with limes in glass vases? It looked really cute, but have no idea where I saw it.

Stevensfiance- I agree with jesmcan. It is all personal preference - my fiance and I went to the Riveria Maya on our first vacation together and thought this area would be perfect for our wedding. I do not think Cancun is our style for what is in and around the city - we love the area to the south and therefore based the hotel selection on the fact that we wanted to be in Playa. I think it is all about your personal preference as I am sure both the hotels are excellent!!! Ladies/Gentlemen- On another note - dj is booked! Any songs that stick out in your head as "must-haves"?

Great photos Maybride!

Great info so far on the food and DJ, also thanks for letting me know about the night show at xcaret. I speak Spanish and so do some of my guests, but not all, so I will have to think about that some more. Question for the ladies who have had their wedding - how has the timing worked for the reception? 3 hours is for the dinner and dancing, not the cocktail hour, right? So together it is 4 hours or 3? Did people extend the time out? My wedding ceremony is at 4pm, and I think it shouldn't last longer than 30 min, but what did people do after? Straight to cocktail hour or took a break/did pictures? What time did the reception start, then dinner and how long did the dinner last? I am trying to figure out dancing time b/c I want more than 1-1.5 hours of dancing, and so any insights are appreciated. I am also booking Ivan as the DJ, no light up dance floor for me unless it comes free. I can't afford it with everything else. Also the packages had changed since the last time I received a quote. It is hard to keep everything straight! I have kept all my emails and confirmed that we get what was quoted, but man it is just so much work to get something that was promised and then you have to watch out for every charge they "could" get you for. Once again for those who have gotten married - any tips on what should be in writing before heading to the resort for the wedding? Were there any charges that you did not know about ahead of time? I am really excited for the wedding, just trying to make sure I understand the total cost....I guess that is what I get for being a financial analyst