LDeeken

Quote: Originally Posted by faithers81 Thank you so much! I am unable to do a site visit and this really calmed my nerves. I am so excited to get married there in November! I'm glad it helped!! You will definitely love it there!!!

We have finally booked our wedding trip!!! I guess now I can officially call myself and Iberostar bride!!

I think that the Tropical restaurant is actually becoming the Italian restaurant. Reyna mentioned that to us when we were down there, but it hadn't changed over just yet. On another note, we just booked our trip yesterday!! It's official now!! We are so excited and can't believe it is only 10 months away!!

Just to let you girls know I finally posted a review its titled "Iberostar Riviera Maya Site Visit." Hope that you find it helpful!!

I think the reason beachbride08 wasn't able to marry at the Del Mar was because she had been working with the Lindo/Maya WC all along. Since there WC's treat the resorts as completely different, maybe that is why they would not let her switch. I did get it in writing via email beforehand, so I guess I have that if there is any argument about it in the future. I guess my advice would be ask and document EVERYTHING!!! That way you can CYA if anything comes up. Yes there is hierarchy: Del Mar and Beach Resort share everything. If you stay there you do not have access to the other resorts. The Lindo has access to the Del Mar/Beach and part of the Maya except for 2 restaurants. The Maya has access to everything but the Grand. The Grand has access to everything. Hope that helps.

P.S. We also met with 2 photographers: Playaweddings and Claudia Rodriguez. Although Claudia is absolutely wonderful and does incredible work, we decided to go with PlayaWeddings. They are a husband/wife who do video/photographer respectively and are just awesome people. I think Colin and I spent more time just chit chatting then actually talking about work. Their prices are great and there work is amazing. Rachel is still fairly new to the photography, but you can tell that she is already becoming an expert. So far I would definitely recommend them!

Okay, so my fiancee, Colin, and I just returned from a wedding at the Iberostar Maya Resort. While we were there we had the opportunity to check things out for our wedding next June. We had a meeting with Reyna that was awesome!! She is SOOOO sweet and was very helpful. I know that some people have had difficulty working with her through email, but trust me she is great in person. While I was in her office I saw the wedding schedule for the month of July and there were at least 3 weddings per week. Therefore, she is really busy. So just be patient, she and her assistant Karla are definitely organized and have their stuff together. I had a 3 page list of questions and Reyna answered all of them. I had everything categorized so I'll summarize for all of you the information that I got: Resort YES you are allowed to stay at one of the other resorts (Maya/Lindo/Grand) and still get married at the Del Mar/Beach. We have decided to stay at the Lindo because it will give us access to more, but it is right next to the Del Mar/Beach. If you stay at another resort but your wedding party is staying at the Del Mar/Beach it is possible for them to come to your room to get ready before the wedding. Reyna will just need to get approval from the other resort's manager. Your guest staying at the Del Mar/Beach will be given dinner coupons for the a la carte restaurants depending on the number of nights they stay (7=3 coupons, 6,5,4 = 2 coupons, 3 or less = 1 coupon). You guests will have to use a coupon for the rehearsal dinner or a welcome dinner if you have one. They will not need to use one for the wedding because you have paid for them with your package. If your guests do want to visit the Maya/Lindo/Grand properties they would need to buy a day pass in order to use their facilities and restaurants. Welcome Dinner/Rehearsal You may have a welcome dinner or rehearsal dinner at any of the restaurants at the Del Mar/Beach. Reyna can make these reservations for you and your party in advance. In addition, she told us that because we are having a wedding there she would be able to make all of our reservations for us in advance. So if you wanted to have dinner at a restaurant with a group of your guests you can make that for them in advance. The one thing to consider is that they would have to use a coupon so you might want to make sure they are okay with using one to have dinner with you. But really who wouldn't want to spend time with the bride and groom =) You will not be able to use a microphone during the rehearsal dinner because you will be sharing the restaurant with others. However, I'm assuming that won't be a big problem. Ceremony We really wanted to do a religious AND legal ceremony. Reyna told us that you CAN do that. The way it works is you will pay for the Legal ceremony and then pay extra for the minister. The minister will do the actual ceremony (which is a traditional christian ceremony) and then the judge will just come in for the legal part of signing the paperwork. We were SOOO happy to hear this because we definitely wanted to have both aspects as part of our wedding. I am waiting to hear if it is possible to bring your own minister so I'll let you all know. The minister that they work with is a male and can be contacted through email (haven't done that yet) and is apparently flexible to adjusting the ceremony script. The back up rain location (which Reyna said don't even think about) is the chapel in the shopping plaza. It is very beautiful, although it is not air conditioned which I originally thought it would be. However, she said they are working that so who knows. You can request how you would like the ceremony site decorated. They seem to be very flexible and Reyna highly recommended sending pictures if you have any. You can have a white or red runner and the chair ribbons are either silver or white. Reception You can have your reception at any of the restaurants. If you would like a private reception you can use the Tropical Restaurant. However, Reyna did say that if there is another restaurant you are really set on for a private reception she can discuss that with the manager. This is something that she does not have control over and I imagine depends on the time of year and the capacity of the resort. But, don't be afraid to ask. She did mention that it could be more expensive then the $800 for the Tropical. You could also have a reception in the convention center, but unless you have a huge group I don't think I would recommend it. It is a HUGE room and costs $50 per person. But hey, it is an option. We wanted to know if we could adjust the time frame of our private reception at the Tropical restaurant since the standard is 7-11. She said unfortunately you can not go later than 11 because there are rooms right next to the restaurant and they have to stop the music so people can sleep. Makes sense. But, she said if you don't want to start until 7:30 because you are doing pictures or something that is fine. There is a DJ you can use at the resort for $50/hour. She claims he is very good but does not speak English. She suggests creating a play list and then she can communicate with him. You do have to pay him in cash if you use him. Decorations are very standard but classy. White chair covers with white or silver ribbons, white table cloths and white napkins. You can bring things to decorate the table with or you can purchase floral centerpieces from the resort. They will set this all up for you so don't worry. Our friend that got married on Friday had brought her own decorations for the table and they set it up for her and broke it down afterwards. Flowers Basically, send her a picture of what you would like and they will try and do it. If you have a particular flower you would really like (I really like peonies) you can let her know and she can talk to the florist. Be understanding though that if they have to import flowers (like peonies) you may have to pay a little more for them. But, they are definitely willing to accommodate you the best they can. They flower stems are wrapped in ribbon and if you would like to add a charm or anything they can do that for you. Transportation You and your wedding party will get picked up by a golf cart and taken to the ceremony site. Depending on where you get married you still may have to walk a little (ex: bridge to the beach) because the golf cart cannot make it all the way there. If you are getting married at the chapel or the gazebo they will have a tram for your guests to take them to the beach for pictures. Photography You must pay $300 for an outside photographer. This is kind of silly I know, but you pay this basically because you have chosen not to use their photographer. But, I wouldn't worry about it because overall it is probably so worth it. You will need to buy your photographers a day pass as well. That includes any of their assistants too. If you are having your photographers there for a long time 5-8 hours then you should definitely plan on having a meal for them. At our friend's wedding their photographers actually got to the resort early and had lunch right before they began shooting. I thought this was a great idea. Payment Everything purchased through the resort can be charged to your room. The only cash expenditure would be the DJ. You can have the charges split as well in case you different people paying for different parts of the wedding. There is NO deposit to secure your date. All you need is a copy of a credit card and passports/ids, the information sheet she will send you, and a copy of your reservation number once you book your room. They can deliver your welcome bags for $1 per room. You can have your dress steamed for $20 I hope all of that information is helpful!! I did take a few videos and if I can figure out to upload them I certainly will. Our camera is brand new though so be patient. If anyone has questions I may or may not be able to help. If you have the opportunity to do a site visit though I HIGHLY recommend it. It was so great to meet Reyna and see the whole resort. It is always so hard trying to read a person through email, so now I feel like I know her and can judge her tone. I think it was especially beneficial for my fiancee. I'm obviously the one doing all the research and looking at pictures online, so for him he was able to finally understand what the heck I have been talking about. Not too mention he asked some questions too and it was entertaining hearing about what was important to him =) Happy Planning!!

Reyna told me that the rehearsal dinner does count as one of the guests a la carte dinners.

Thanks Stina!! Awesome review!! I will probably pick your brain a little bit as we start getting deeper into our planning. You looked beautiful by the way!!!

Ok girls, I'm back! We had an awesome time at the Lindo! Seriously, if anyone is worried about the resort...don't be. It is awesome! I have a lot of info to share and will write something up when I have some time. But quickly... Reyna is awesome! She is so sweet and fun!! She really is on top of things. Even though she might not respond right away, cut her some slack because there is a lot going on. I actually saw their wedding calendar and there are at least 3 weddings a week, so they are busy! She will do pretty much whatever you need just make sure you ask. More to come in a bit!!

Okay I'm back from Mexico. I have lots of details that will come later once I have time to write something up. We met with Reyna (who is still the WC, Karla is her assistant) and she is Awesome!! Both Colin and I thought she was so sweet and answered all of our questions. The resort is beautiful and regardless of where you choose to have your ceremony/reception it will likely by wonderful! Hope to share more soon!

Okay girls, heading to Mexico tomorrow for a wedding at the Iberostar Lindo. We are meeting with Reyna at the Del Mar on Thursday and I am going in with a big list of questions. I will post all the info that I get when we get back!

Okay girls, heading to Mexico tomorrow for Christy's wedding. We are meeting with Reyna at the Del Mar on Thursday and I am going in with a big list of questions. I will post all the info that I get when we get back!

Wish I could help Gail, but I have no idea how to do that.

Yeah I'm not sure that I want to pay extra, especially since my bouquet is included in the cost of the wedding. It looks like the Lisianthus might be a good alternative to the peony. But I'm not sure.

Gail your pictures are so pretty!! Thank you so much for posting them!

This has been sooo helpful! I have actually just started thinking about flowers! Does anyone know which of the flowers they have available look similar to peonies. I was really hoping to have those in my bouquet, but had a feeling the climate in Mexico would not accommodate them =( Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Paul you rock!! It is so great to have a visual of all the resorts! I especially like looking at the Iberostar videos, it gives me an idea of what mine might look like

We did get coffee mugs that say Iberostar on them the last time I was there. It only has the Iberostar logo on 1 side of the mug so you could always add yours to the other side. I don't know how that would look, but it might be easier than going out and buying your own. Just a thought!! Quote: Originally Posted by Barefoot in the Sand I did not mean the water itself but the travel mugs that everyone is raving about. I am considering getting them and then with no logo and then get a clear label with my logo on it and put it on. I saw a wedding while I was there and everyone was using their mugs.

Congrats mxbrid789!! You looked beautiful!!! I loved your flowers, especially the one in your hair!!

Hi Girls, I have a quick question. I'm starting to get a bit nervous about the heat in June. Probably because I just got back from DisneyWorld and is was SOOO hot down there. So as a back up to the Tropical restaurant, which I really love, I wanted to see what my other Private options would be that include Air conditioning. I have heard about the Convention Center, but I can't seem to find much info online about the cost and what you are able to do there. If anyone has information about that I would greatly appreciate it. Also, I remember seeing somewhere on this forum about renting out one of the other restaurants. I haven't asked Reyna about it, but thought I would see if any of you had some input. Thanks so much!! I am actually going to be meeting with Reyna on the 30th so hopefully I'll come back with answers to alot of our questions! Leah =)

I'd like some info about that too. Are we still able to have a private reception there? Quote: Originally Posted by faithers81 Del Mar Brides, I just got an e-mail from from the WC ( I cannot remember her name) and she said that the Tropical Restaurant is now the Italian Restaurant. I was planning on having a private dinner there. Does anyone have any info on this? I am not too happy with the menu there.

Mylee your pictures are just beautiful! I love your bouquet. I'm getting at the Del Mar and love seeing how beautiful the flowers really look. Congratulations!!

Hi Cait! I totally know what you are going through. I spent quite a bit of time researching resorts, it's addicting!! At first we were set on the Grand Palladium. However, we wanted a private reception and it would've ended up costing like $70-80 per person to do this. My family had stayed at the Iberostar Maya in 2006 and LOVED it. Originally I had thought it would be fun to get married somewhere else, but then realized that it made more sense to go with what we know. Especially since the Iberostar is AWESOME!! We decided to get married at the Iberostar Del Mar for the following reasons: 1. It is the least expensive Iberostar in the paraiso beach area. 2. It is VERY close to the airport (20-25 minutes) 3. We love the Gazebo option for the ceremony. 4. You can have a private reception for only $800 extra! 5. They only allow 1 wedding per day. 6. They have golf onsite for a reasonable price (Very important to Fiancee and Dad) Many other reasons too, but these are just a few. Ultimately it is all about what meets your needs. I definitely agree with everyone that you make a list of what's important and see which resort checks out. Good Luck!!

I was wondering the same thing. I'd love to do something with our wedding party and immediate family, but I'd like to find an excursion that gives you different options that will accomodate everyone. Any suggestions would be great!! Quote: Originally Posted by KimmyG I know the name of this thread is AllTourNative, but does anyone know of any other companies where you can do similar excursions, but are less expensive (but still have good reviews)? Thanks for the tip about calling for promos, that might work out really well!