kurlyks

Here they are!! http://www.FloresRivieraMaya.com

Hey Katman- I did end up using them. The flowers were beautiful! I think I posted pictures somewhere on here last year, but can't remember where, sorry! I got stargazer lillies and they were perfect. The resort didn't say anything about it. I just had them deliver the flowers to the lobby and my mom waited outside and just took them into the resort herself. I got my bridal bouquet free from my resort and I could definitely tell the difference. My bouquet fell apart after cocktail hour, but the ones from Flores lasted all night.

They didn't charge because technically the florist didn't come into the resort. My mom just hung out outside the lobby to get them and bring them in. Honestly those rules are not that strictly enforced- at least not at PP

Hey RMBride2B! I attached the PDF they sent me with all my options for bouquets and stuff. They charge a lot for BM bouquets (over $100 each), so I highly recommend finding an outside vendor for that. I used a tiny florist in down, and another girl on here used them too. They were awesome, spoke English, delivered the flowers to the resort, and only charged me $35 a bouquet, which is MUCH better than what Palace charges. Here's what they looked like...their website is here: http://www.FloresRivieraMaya.com . Here is my bouquet from Palace: I loved mine too, but in all honesty the outside ones held up a lot better. My bouquet completely fell apart when I threw it, so it was basically ruined after that. Hope this helps! Free Wedding Options.pdf

Here are just a couple non-pro pics....

Hey ladies! I just got back yesterday from our wedding and everything was amazing! You won't be disappointed at all, the resort is stunning and the wedding planners do a great job. Ours was on the beach at sunset and everything was perfect. I'll try to post some pictures, but for now I'll just give a recap of what we did... We did the complimentary package, on the beach, and I did end up paying for the sound setup. We got the free cocktail hour and did it on the beach too so they could keep playing our music there. It worked out perfectly. We brought our own photographer from home, but did use $500 resort credits to have an edited video of the ceremony (they recorded the cocktail hour too since it was all right there). Be prepared to pay $65 for shipping of the DVD if you leave before they can finish editing it (3 business days) We chose the "international" menu for cocktail hour and it was awesome. They also set up a full bar. After cocktail hour we had a semi-private reception in Terrazza, their Italian restaurant. Everything was perfect. We only had 17 people so they put us all in a big square. I was worried about not having a private reception, but for our group it was perfect. Everyone cheered when I walked through the restaurant, lol. The food there is definitely the best, but if you're picky about your steak be advised red meat is not their best- at any of the restaurants actually. We had a choice of shrimp risotto and filet. They bring your cake to the restaurant at the end of dinner- literally, best wedding cake I've ever had. We did the free one in vanilla and it was huge! Way too much cake for us, so they sent our guests an extra slice to go. It was so good we had them cancel the cannoli we'd planned to have. We also ordered the Mayan coffee for everyone and got a little table-side show. After dinner we just changed and hung out all night, drinking and enjoying the resort activities (they had karaoke that night). We were a very low-key group and it was exactly what we wanted. All our guests had a blast and I would definitely go back there again. Those that are worried about communication ahead of time, don't be! I had heard about this when I started planning so I just took it in stride and had faith they would do a good job and they did. Wilma was our on-site planner and she was perfect. So calm and had everything together when we arrived. The only downside if I could find any was the bouquet. I got the free one with white roses and lillies, and it was beautiful. Unfortunately it only lasted through the ceremony. I threw the bouquet at cocktail hour and it basically fell apart. I just pulled out individual flowers though and gave roses to the guys to wear in their shirt pockets and gave the lillies to the ladies to put in there hair. I ordered the BM bouquets from an outside florist I googled and they held up perfectly! Definitely better than the resort and only $35 a bouquet. I'll try to post some of the non-pro pics, there aren't many up yet :-)

Just got back yesterday from our wedding there- it was amazing! They send it off to Cancun, but mine arrived back the next day. The turnaround was perfect. Just be sure you keep an eye out for it when they return it, because mine was in clear plastic when they brought it back. Luckily I got in there before my fiance did so he didn't see it!!

I got my 2 BMs swarovski starfish earrings, and my MOH a Tiffany's starfish necklace. I'll probably pick up something cute in town while I'm there and put it in their OOT bags as well.

Hey ladies, I'm attaching some of the files my wedding planner sent me. Not sure if you're received them yet from your planners, but it'll give you a good idea of what the resort offers. I wish I'd been able to see these much sooner, so here you go! I'm leaving one week from today so hopefully everything's all set!! SABE 2011 RIVIERA.xls SPA PRICE LIST RIVIERA MAYA 2011.xls Private Events_ PL JSAV.pdf

I wanted to walk to somewhere over the rainbow too...I'm worry about having separate songs for bridal party and myself, cause the song is so long it's going to get cut off anyway. Is anyone just using the same song for bridesmaids and the bride? I don't really think I need my own song, I'm pretty sure the guests will know which girl is the bride ;-)

We're treating ours like a guest. His date is a friend of mine too so we're doing OOT bags for both of them and everything.

Sound setup is included unless you're ceremony is on the beach. We're doing ours on the beach and they're charging $250. The upside is for $50 more they're going to keep it set up and play music during our cocktail hour, which is also on the beach. They also said they'd use CD or iPod.

I would look at flying a local photographer with you. Depending on flight costs and the cost of your hotel it might end up being cheaper. We went with a local photographer who is absolutely amazing, but didn't have much experience with destination weddings. He's doing our whole weekend for just the cost of travel. I'm getting him Thursday-Sunday for really only $900 (cost of 3 nights and a RT flight). He's also doing a TTD with us the day after. Since he's local I get to meet with him in person and go over what I want, and I get to see all his work before hand. If you look around locally you might find someone similar!

I thought about that too, but it seems like too good a deal to pass up. I don't see the point in spending hundreds of dollars for bouquets that are used for a quick ceremony, pictures, and then put down for the rest of the night. I'm guessing my bridesmaids are not going to be carrying them around all night. They don't have to be perfect to me, just simple and pretty will work. Obviously I'll be in trouble if they end up being awful, but I'm gonna go check them out a few days ahead of time just in case.

jasonandjessica- I'm doing turquoise, white, and pink mainly. I'm really not doing much for decorations, I didn't want to worry about bringing a ton of stuff with me. What are you doing? Other than flowers I'm just mainly using what comes with the free package. I found a florist in town that will do $35 per bouquet which seems like a really good deal to me. We've got 22 people going so we're probably just doing the dinner at one of the restaurants instead of paying for the private function. We don't have enough room nights yet for the free one (we're at 50 room nights so far), so it's hard to really plan anything.