Brenners

Originally Posted by somethingblue77 

 

Hi! For those that used iphones/ipods for music, did you have to rent the audio speakers and microphones? If so, how much extra?

 

Thanks!

 

Originally Posted by somethingblue77 

 

Hi! Another question from me..The holiday was a good break but now I am back in full planning gear!

 

I have booked an outside photographer and in order to avoid paying the $500 vendor fee, I am planning to book 2 nights for the photographer and his assistant. We are all staying at the Palace Deluxe but the rooms per night at that time is $266. The other resorts like the Beach and Tropical are cheaper at $140 per night. Would you recommend me to book another resort room for the photographer? Is that a hassle?

 

Please help. Thanks!

 

We did not have to pay anything for the speakers or microphone.  Just be sure to let your WC know that you will be bringing your iPod for the ceremony or reception or both.

I would recommend booking them at the cheaper hotels as anyone staying at a lower price hotel can come to the wedding without having to pay a fee.

Good luck and congratulations!

Originally Posted by Labebita911 

 

Great thread !!!!.. Especially for those who go into this without any clue of what to expect. I got married 07/14/2012 with 18 Guest.

 

Things I would do ..again

1. By far the best decision I ever made was getting married in Cancun. MX… WOW Words cannot describe the feeling of not only Our Wedding but having our close family and friends there with us that otherwise wouldn’t have traveled to Cancun or internationally.
2. Arranged private transfers for me and my guest. This was a way to say thank you and don’t worry about getting to and from the airport. We arrived before everyone so it gave us time to greet them as they arrived. )
3. Organization.. Knowing everyone’s flight information, room numbers, etc..
4. Ask guest to stay at the resort. We had 16 guest stay at the resort plus us and 2 people stayed elsewhere. This kind of sucked because we didn’t get to hang out with them other than the wedding night.
5. Definitely have a play list or list of song/genre that you would like so that the DJ has some direction.. My guest and I did not stop dancing!!!!
6. Definitely invest in a light up floor. I was apprehensive about spending the extra cash.. but wow am I glad I did!!!! We got married outside on the beach and it was amazing once those lights started lighting as we danced the night away.
7. Spent time with everyone!!!!
8. We all arrived the same day but we stayed an extra day after everyone left. I thought I would have wanted more time with my Husband and we almost booked more days but after our friends/family left we missed them and were ready to go.
9. Kept it simple and brought down with me most of the things for the wedding.  )

 

Things I wouldn’t do!

1. Stress over whose coming!!!!! I overly stressed this but you just can’t predict what’s going to happen 2 days before we flew out the Best Man and the maid of honor cancelled!!!!! Due to private matters.
2. Not let things bother you or let people make you feel selfish. This was OUR wedding and this is how WE chose to get married. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but at the end of the day Its about Our day and those who went had an awesome time and those that didn’t missed out. Plain and simple… . Believe me this event/experience will teach you a lot about yourself and those around you. You will learn that there are a lot of phony people in your life. I was disheartened at some people’s reaction and actions. But what doesn’t break you makes you stronger.
3. Rain…. I stressed about it raining.. but you cant fight against mother nature. Thankfully It didn’t rain but even if it would’ve there is always a plan b.
4. Hair and makeup.. I went into the spa with no pictures or ideas on makeup of what I wanted , thankfully everything turned our great but do your research.  ALso ... having more time to get hair and makeup done. I rescheduled my appt to a later time thinking i was ok but then i ended up being rushed thru getting ready!! which bring up another point..
5. Be on time.. and spend some quality time with your mom/grandmother etc.. while getting ready . I was rushed and missed out on spending some really good time with them because they were rushing geting me ready and g
6. Just plain and simply Stress!!! I stressed about things that didn’t need stressing.. There is nothing to stress about. Everything turned out better than I ever dreamed or imagine.. It was really the best day of our lives.. Wished we can go back to that day and relive it ) you just have to trust that no matter what happens you are marrying the man of your dreams and that in itself is enough..

Originally Posted by Labebita911 

 

Great thread !!!!.. Especially for those who go into this without any clue of what to expect. I got married 07/14/2012 with 18 Guest.

 

Things I would do ..again

1. By far the best decision I ever made was getting married in Cancun. MX… WOW Words cannot describe the feeling of not only Our Wedding but having our close family and friends there with us that otherwise wouldn’t have traveled to Cancun or internationally.
2. Arranged private transfers for me and my guest. This was a way to say thank you and don’t worry about getting to and from the airport. We arrived before everyone so it gave us time to greet them as they arrived. )
3. Organization.. Knowing everyone’s flight information, room numbers, etc..
4. Ask guest to stay at the resort. We had 16 guest stay at the resort plus us and 2 people stayed elsewhere. This kind of sucked because we didn’t get to hang out with them other than the wedding night.
5. Definitely have a play list or list of song/genre that you would like so that the DJ has some direction.. My guest and I did not stop dancing!!!!
6. Definitely invest in a light up floor. I was apprehensive about spending the extra cash.. but wow am I glad I did!!!! We got married outside on the beach and it was amazing once those lights started lighting as we danced the night away.
7. Spent time with everyone!!!!
8. We all arrived the same day but we stayed an extra day after everyone left. I thought I would have wanted more time with my Husband and we almost booked more days but after our friends/family left we missed them and were ready to go.
9. Kept it simple and brought down with me most of the things for the wedding.  )

 

Things I wouldn’t do!

1. Stress over whose coming!!!!! I overly stressed this but you just can’t predict what’s going to happen 2 days before we flew out the Best Man and the maid of honor cancelled!!!!! Due to private matters.
2. Not let things bother you or let people make you feel selfish. This was OUR wedding and this is how WE chose to get married. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but at the end of the day Its about Our day and those who went had an awesome time and those that didn’t missed out. Plain and simple… . Believe me this event/experience will teach you a lot about yourself and those around you. You will learn that there are a lot of phony people in your life. I was disheartened at some people’s reaction and actions. But what doesn’t break you makes you stronger.
3. Rain…. I stressed about it raining.. but you cant fight against mother nature. Thankfully It didn’t rain but even if it would’ve there is always a plan b.
4. Hair and makeup.. I went into the spa with no pictures or ideas on makeup of what I wanted , thankfully everything turned our great but do your research.  ALso ... having more time to get hair and makeup done. I rescheduled my appt to a later time thinking i was ok but then i ended up being rushed thru getting ready!! which bring up another point..
5. Be on time.. and spend some quality time with your mom/grandmother etc.. while getting ready . I was rushed and missed out on spending some really good time with them because they were rushing geting me ready and g
6. Just plain and simply Stress!!! I stressed about things that didn’t need stressing.. There is nothing to stress about. Everything turned out better than I ever dreamed or imagine.. It was really the best day of our lives.. Wished we can go back to that day and relive it ) you just have to trust that no matter what happens you are marrying the man of your dreams and that in itself is enough..

I think you said it very well.  You will definitely learn who truly cares and supports you when you plan a DW.  I am so happy that you had a wonderful wedding and the people who truly loved you were there with you!

Originally Posted by gilmana 

 

Our wedding is 2 weeks from today!  So far, everyone we've been working with has been great - we've chosen a photographer, videographer and florist, not discussed much on this website.  My fiance is Mexican and able to search for more options and negotiate prices down.  Also, I just got the pricelist for the Barcelo spa - seems prices are even more than any I've seen on here.  Let me know if you want to see the latest and greatest Spa price list.  As we have gotten closer to our date, we've heard from our WC more and more - so brides that are much further out - don't worry too much!

Originally Posted by FireyNurse 

 

Its coming up SO fast! I hope you have the time of your life!

 

The spa prices are high but it seems they offer discounts all over... they give you "resort credits" when you check in and there are discount coupons that can knock approximately $20 off each service (I think it was), I went to use coupons for my girls but instead they gave me 20% off and it worked out to be a better discount that way. When you check in check at the hotel look at the front desk, there was a spa paper posted when we were there saying if you asked about it they gave a discount (unsure of what it is), they also give discounts if you are in club premium.

 

They charge in pesos and when we were there they gave approximately 12.9 pesos to the $1 which is pretty darn good! 

If you are upgraded to Premium, then you receive discounts at the spa.  I even brought members of our bridal party and my father-in-law and they gave them discounts because of my premium status since I was with them.

Originally Posted by karla5280 

 

The dance floor information is so helpful to know and help my budget.  I am still deciding on inside or outside wedding since we will have about 50 people, meaning a couple thousand dollar difference.  Was it hard to have people staying in different properties, same resort but not having access to the Palace area?  We are looking at a group rate for the Palace, which is reasonable but I didn't know if it would make a difference to offer a cheaper option for those that might want to stay longer at one of the other areas.  How did you get everyone from the airport to the hotel?  We have many guests who are not good travelers and I will have to arrange some transportation for them before the are "attacked" by the time share sellers & other transporation people at the Cancun airport.  They would be easy targets.  So many questions, but so super helpful!!!

Originally Posted by FireyNurse 

 

Photography was VERY important to us and was an area that i was willing to splurge in, it depends on your preferences, though, because I know many brides I spoke to who were at the resort getting married when we were there did use their company on site.

 

As far as the outside fees goe and getting rooms etc, I have posted about what we did but I know there is tons to read so I will re-post. We had a photographer (Juan Navarro) and his assistant as well as a Videographer (Playaweddings) and an assistant. When I inquired I was told I had to pay $500 for EACH outside vendor or book them two nights stay. I booked each company a room at the Beach/Caribe for two nights and it was definitely a savings for us! If you sign up for mybarcelo.com you can get great deals on room rates, 30-50% off, I put the photographer and videographer names on the reservation page and their address/phone info and paid the rooms and sent them the confirmation info, they had no issue accessing their rooms! We paid just under $600 total for the 2 rooms for two nights each, saved ourselves $400!!

 

We had no issues with anyone being allowed at the palace for our wedding, not the photographer and videographer with their Beach bracelets or our guests with Colonial bracelets but they did not go to the Carrey bar either as we didn't have anything there, if they tried to drink there they would have been told they couldn't I am sure. 

 

 

 

Wow!  We only had to pay a $300 outside fee for the photographer - not the videographer.  I love Barcelo but I think that is their one area of improvement - consistency in their policies and enforcement of them.  However, that being said, an outside videographer fee may be new since we got married in February 2012.

Originally Posted by MarinaGVan 

 

Hello, I am wondering if any one has any information about the Hotel Spa. In out wedding package I get Hair and Make up included. I have already booked Styling Trio, Adrien and his team but I can save a few hundred taking up the hotel package. But are they any good? Your feed back would be very much appreciated.. HELP we leave in 4 weeks.

I used the hotel spa for my hair and make-up.  They did a fantastic job.  I brought photos of how my hairstylist did my hair (with veil) here at home and also provided photos of make-up I liked.  The spa staff speak very little English but do wonders when given a picture to go by.  I have read many brides have used Adrian and loved him but I did not think the money spent was worth it when the spa did a fabulous job and it was already included in your package.  My hair and make-up stood up all day without any issues.  Good luck!

Originally Posted by FireyNurse 

 

Hi Barcelo brides! Well I am back and am finally a Mrs! Yay!  The week of our wedding and second week of our honeymoon were both fantastic! Our wedding was perfect and we loved everything about the Barcelo! Will post a review soon and pics as we get them...so far we just have some from the sneak peak from Juan Navarro, our photographer. Feel free to ask any questions!  

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations!  What beautiful photos and such a happy day!

Originally Posted by IslandBarbie 

 

I have not...I am working through a travel agent and I wasn't sure if I contact them or they contact me.  I read here there and everywhere that they are slow to answer.  I will go ahead and reach out to them.  I've looked online and found out a few answers to my questions.  I've also learned in the last 24 hrs NOT to book a cocktail party.  I am so glad I read that...LOL!

 

So, I guess my most pressing item is the photographer/videographer.  Is there anyone here that has used to resorts?  I saw their website and I (TOO) was not crazy about the photos either.  Is there anyone in this forum that DID use them and have pics to show?

 

Also, for brides that HAVE used an outside photographer, what all needed to be done?  I read 2 days stay minimum (then I read one, then I read three) and $500 outside vendor fee to Barcelo PLUS whatever the cost of the photographer is...Is that accurate?

Hi IslandBarbie,

Yes, reaching out to a WC is the first step.  They are very well-organized and they do their jobs well.  They will work with you on planning decorations, ceremony, music, menu, etc...I am glad that you decided against a cocktail hour as that is VERY expensive and the Carey Bar in the Palace has plenty of snacks and drinks for your guests - especially if you plan to do pictures between the ceremony and the reception.

We did not use the resort photographer/videographers.  We were not impressed with their photos and decided this was one area where we would spend money but within reason.  We chose Erick Rodriguez (Claudia Rodriquez's brother) as our photographer.  If you head to the reviews section of BDW, then you will see plenty of bride's feedback on the photographers/videographers that they used.  Also, we used Cancun Wedding Video for our videographer (Alex) and we were able to also book them through Claudia Rodriguez.  We were very happy with both and you can see some photos that I posted from our wedding back in February.  I think the question you need to ask is how important are the photos to you when that is really the only tangible reminders you will have of your wedding day after it is over.  Barcelo did unfortunately raise their outside photographer fee to $500 (we were lucky and paid $300 as they raised their rates right before our wedding but we had been quoted $300).  You do not have to pay a fee for the videographer - just the photographer and it is one flat fee - meaning you do not have to pay for their assistant(s).  I do believe it is still a 2 night minimum stay at the hotel if you do not want to pay $500 but I am not sure how that math adds up if you are truly saving money that way.  However, depending how long you have the photographer and assistant(s) there, you may need to purchase their reception meal as well.  It is only fair as we had Erick and his assistant for 8 hours so feeding them was the least we could do.  They went all out for our wedding and did anything and everything to get a great shot.  We had them sit at our table with us which they said they had never been invited to sit at the bridal table before and we had a great time chatting with them.  Plus, it allowed them to get great shots of us during the reception!  Also, Erick offered to do a free TTD with us a couple days later so the price of our photographer was much cheaper than those who pay for their wedding day and a TTD session.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by juliboley 

 

We went with the ipod option and it worked out fantastic!  I created a separate playlist for everying, (ie, there was a playlist called "Processional", one called "Recessional", one for "Reception Dinner Music", "First Dance", "Dance w/ Dad", "Reception Dance", "Cake Cutting", and "Last Song of Night".  This made it super easy for the MC to find where to go next.  For the reception dinner and the reception dancing music, I turned on the cross fade option on the ipod, so it was like having our own DJ.  It was the most fun part of the planning for me to pick all of the music, and after the wedding guests asked for CD copies of the music. It's super easy for me to burn it now :-)  Our dance mix was awesome and I'm still working out to it now..lol.

We used our iPod as well and used the wedding dj app also.  I set up a FB page and invited our guests to the "event" asking them to submit any reception song requests to the site.  I organized my music by our entrance song (to the reception), dinner music, first dance, reception music and last dance.  Super easy, sound was great and MUCH cheaper than a dj!

Originally Posted by julie83 

 

Hello Ladies !

 

Just discovered this forum !

I am getting married in October in florida...and would like orange/fuchsia theme as well so looking for ideas...

 

do any of you have used things to sell? or company to recommend ? 

 

thank you in advance !!!

 

Julie

Julie,

Our resort provided all of the decorations for us so we did not bring any of that with us.  I would recommend finding out what is included in your bridal package wherever you are getting married.  Etsy, Red Envelope,  and Beau Coup are great online resources.  Michaels, Joann Fabrics have well-priced decorations as well.  Pinterest is a great way to find ideas for decorations, pin them then find stores that sell them.  I caution against going too crazy buying things though as transporting can be difficult.

Congratulations and good luck!

Brenda

chasingjaime, no need to apologize for the questions.  That is why this forum was created! 

Our ceremony was at Coral Beach (4:00 pm) and our reception was at Playa Azul (6:30 pm).  We LOVED them both!  Coral Beach is at the north end of the beach and it is pretty solid and rocky in some areas.  This is great because no one sunbathes there so you do not have half-naked gawkers staring while you get married.  This is also a great location because the reservation restaurants are located on this end and they do not open until 5:30 pm so you do not have people passing by on their way to eat.  Playa Azul was perfect for our reception because by the time we had our reception, it was dark and all beach-goers had left the area.  There are also no restaurants near the beach there so you have no traffic going by or interrupting what should be a private party.  I am not sure where Playa Palmerus is located, however, once the sun started setting, the beaches started to become deserted so I would not worry that there will be people there for your reception.  What I can tell you is that the beaches further north of Playa Azul do have passersby, but I think that people are very respectful when walking by and it seemed that the wedding party had no idea of what was going on around them as they were having too much fun.

As for the wind, there was a little wind for our wedding but nothing too bad.  It actually made for a sweet moment during our ceremony as the wind blew some of my hair in my face (I wore my hair down) and my husband swept it back.  We have that on our wedding video and I love it!  There was a light wind during our reception as well but really nothing too bad. 

I was worried about the lighting at Playa Azul and we asked for some additional lights (we requested 10 extra lights) and the lighting wound up perfect.  I have to admit that I do not remember if I posted pictures from the reception so let me know and I can send to you so you can see the lighting.

Carey bar is the best option since it is right next to Coral Beach.  Coco Bar closes early - like around 4:00 or so - so you cannot rely that it will be open after your wedding ceremony.  Also, the Carey Bar has a beautiful balcony overlooking the ocean and beach so your guests can sit outside, have a drink and there are also snacks available there.

We had the Strawberry Passion package so my husband and I were upgraded as part of the package automatically.  It was nice as we went there to make restaurant reservations, they were always less busy than the Front Desk for any questions or concerns and they also had drinks, snacks, and computers available there for use.  None of our guests got the upgrade but they really did not care.  Only one guest had an issue and I was able to resolve it for her at the Front Desk but would have gone to the Premium Club if the Front Desk hadn't been able to assist.  We used the Premium Club for lots of things but the concierge service was used by our guests and they thought that worked well for them.

Good luck planning!

There

Originally Posted by chasingjaime 

Great tip about the Unofficial Barcelo website @brenners, thank you so much! We wanted to make a bar menu sign, so we'd like to get the drinks sorted out before we land.

 

From your planning thread, it looks like I’m having a very similar wedding to yours - ceremony at Coral Beach (3:45pm), reception at Playa Palmerus (6-11pm). How did you like those locations? Any suggestions/recommendations based on your experience? How was the wind factor, both during the day and at night? And was the lighting situation okay for the reception, or did you have to order more? I was a bit concerned that noise and party crashers/gawkers could be a problem with the reception being so close to the Palace, but I suppose every location has it's positive and negative points.

 

I'm not planning a cocktail hour but we want to instruct our guests to places they can go for a drink. Everyone talks about the Carey Bar...how about the Coco Bar? Is that a good place to go for a snack and a drink, or do you think there’s better options?

 

Also, did you get the Club Premium upgrade? If you did, was it worth it? We're really torn about this upgrade - especially since most of our guests probably won't get it.

 

Sorry for all of the questions!

Hi corriexoxo,

We got married February 11, 2012 at Barcelo.  Do you have anything planned for your guests after the wedding?  The ceremony lasts about 30 minutes, there is a champagne toast after then that leaves about 3 hours for your guests to kill before the cocktail hour if that doesn't start until 5:00.  That is a really long time unless you have activities planned for them to do while you are taking pictures.  Our wedding was at 4:00 but we did many pictures beforehand and had pictures afterward.  We skipped a cocktail hour and had a reception at 6:30.  That left only about an hour before the shuttle picked up our guests to take them to Playa Azul where our reception was held - our wedding was at Coral Beach and all of our guests stayed at the Palace.  Our guests went to the Carey bar for an hour and that was fine.  Ask your WC for her opnion as well.  She has planned many weddings and will give you great advice.  I asked questions on BDW but also asked my WC as well and she NEVER steered me wrong!  Good luck! 

Originally Posted by corriexoxo 

Hi everyone

 

were heading to the barcelo maya beach feb.24.2013 and our wedding is scheduled for 13:00 on feb 24th. we choose the free coconut package...we have way more guests than anticipated when we choose the package. Has anyone here at a wedding ceremony @ 1PM in february? we figured we could do pictures and stuff after have a rest the coctail hour at 5-6 dinner in the buffet 6-7:30, and dance floor with lights from 7:30-9:30??? does that sound right? im so confused!!
 

Chasingjaime, we did not have a signature cocktail but I can tell you that the bartenders at Barcelo are FANTASTIC!  They know what they are doing.  How far in advance of your wedding will you be there?  You could sample some different concoctions - ask the bartenders to make something of their choice - and you could decide from there.  Also, the Unofficial Barcelo website, has lots of information there regarding drinks that are specialties at Barcelo.  You could check that out as well.

Originally Posted by chasingjaime 

Thank you for sharing your planning details! I'm right in the thick of the planning process right now with my WC Victoria - my date is set for April 20, 2013. Can you recall approximately how big the layers of your two-tier cake was, and how tall your cake topper was? One of the many decisions I'm working now on is what size of a topper to get, and I've ordered the same as you - round, two-tier.

 

Did you have any signature cocktails at your reception? Or were there any in particular at the resort that were really well done? I'd really like to offer some signature drinks, but I'm not sure what's popular or if the bartenders are good mixologists. 

Congratulations MexicoHereWeCome and Juliboley!  Those are beautiful pictures!  Looks like you both had wonderful days!  Our 1st year anniversary is coming up in February and while I do not wish to go back to the stress of planning, I just really wish I could go back!  Our friends and family had a fabulous time as did we.  We plan to go back at some point to just relax, hang out and watch the other brides and grooms enjoy their special days.  Barcelo is an amazing place to get married and their WC's really know what they are doing.  Barcelo knows the importance of having a good name so they only employ the best.  Good luck to all future brides!

This is a great thread.  We haven't heard from any brides on this thread for many months so I think more recent thoughts would be helpful to new brides.  Please remember to post after your wedding as this was a big help to many in the planning process!  We need to remember to give as well as receive! 

Missfreckles,

You truly only need one meeting with the WC once you are there.  You make all of your decisions via emails with the WC and the meeting is just to verify the information and to pay.  I know it is difficult to not worry, but it really does all work out!  Trust me!  It is ok to send a quick email back to the WC if it will make you feel better just to ask about the process in getting started with the planning.  When my husband and I met with our WC (we had Lillian) we were so impressed with how organized she was and knew everything that we discussed.  I brought copies of our emails and our spreadsheet that we sent back and forth just in case (you can certainly do that to make yourself feel better) but I did not need them.  Barcelo truly has the DW thing worked out and a finely tuned machine!  You chose well with Barcelo and will definitely have the wedding of your dreams.  Good luck! 

Originally Posted by missfreckles 

I am trying not to stress out over little things. However I'm feeling a little stressed and overwhelmed

We are getting married on April 29/2013.

Our flights are booked and our date has been confirmed.

However I haven't heard back from the WC since August 28th. When she told me she would be in touch within a few days to start planning.

I understand they are EXTREAMLY busy so I am trying to get as many details on here as possible ( thanks to everyone for posting its been really helpful with a lot of my decisions )

My main concern is that we fly in on Friday and get married on Monday and Jacqueline has already told my fiance via the phone that we will only have one meeting to get everything orgainzed. So I want to go in preparded with as many details as possible.

My fiance told me to relax and wait for her to write me. What do you guys think?

We did not do a cocktail hour as it was pretty expensive (for us anyway) so I cannot answer that question.  However, we did do a welcome dinner.  My WC was Lillian (cannot say enough good things about her!) and she reserved the French restaurant Brasserie for us.  We had our welcome dinner the night before the wedding in lieu of a rehearsal dinner.  Since we were a large group, the restaurant had us choose our four courses from a smaller menu than the regular menu, however, Lillian had us choose our options when we met with her and she informed the restaurant of what we wanted.  We did very little and Lillian did everything else for us.

We also used Wendy Hicks from Wright Travel and she was great.  Made it very easy for our guests and for us as we did not want to arrange or handle anyone's travel.  Wendy got us a nice discount at Barcelo but I also went to Barcelo's website and became a free member.  A few months before our wedding, I went to Barcelo's website to the member's only discount page and found a rate for the time we would be there that was better than the deal we had with Barcelo.  I contacted Wendy and she spoke with Barcelo.  They agreed to honor the lower rate.  Wendy did all of the negotiating for us.  She was fantastic!

Originally Posted by daneli 

I am going to do the Mint Breeze Package for about 50 people, I was wondering how much extra would it cost to do a cocktail hour and do they give you any type of discount? Does anyone have any experience also with welcome dinners and how those work??

 

Thank you!!

We got lucky as every plane we boarded had room in the first class closet for my dress and my husband's linen suit.  They could not guarantee it but they did tell me that the flight attendants would do their best to accommodate my dress.  Everyone was very nice and we had no problems on the way to Mexico and on the way back home.

Originally Posted by missfreckles 

 

I had the same panic attack about my dress. I called the Airline and they basically told me that based on the flight crew and space there are a few things they might do. If there are empty seats they may lay the dress there, if there is room in the closet they will try to hang it or they will let you take an entire overhead bin and you have to fold your dress over and put it in there. My friend did that when we flew to Cabo for her wedding and it was fine. She did however bring a travel steamer with her. I'm also wondering about the favors so if you get any ideas please let me know ! Im getting married on April 29, 2013

I would guess it is the beach by the pool and Coco bar.  It is very pretty but very busy and populated with people.  What time is your reception?

Originally Posted by slarso13 

Thanks. I do have that same map- very helpful. We have just never heard or seen any photos of Coco beach and are worried! Hopefully we like it.

Barcelo is so gorgeous that you really do not need to do much to add to that beauty.  That is one of the tremendous advantages to having a destination wedding!

Originally Posted by Heidilynn 

Beautiful photo! Looks gorgeous as is, I don't think the arch is going to be necessary for us. Thank you so much for sharing the photo

Also, all of our guests stayed at the Palace so while we were taking photos, our guests went to the Carey bar for snacks and drinks.  We did not have a cocktail hour which I am glad as the Carey bar had snacks all day and top shelf alcohol.

Yes, I think it would be about an hour otherwise with the courses, dessert and cake.  Yes, there are desserts along with the cake!    We had no idea and I did not have any as I was already so full but everyone who tried them said they were delicious!

Originally Posted by mrsnova 

Thank you for sharing! Would you say the dinner was about an hour if you didn't have too many speeches? 

Here is a picture of our wedding ceremony.  We opted for no arch due to the added cost and I do not think it takes anything away from our pictures or our wedding.  For reference, our ceremony was held at Coral Beach.

Originally Posted by Heidilynn 

 

Thank you for the clarification MrsNova! I like the idea of having the iPod instead of a DJ, it just seems way to expensive!! I can't believe even a simple arch isn't included If anyone has photos of the ceremony without an arch i'd be interested to see, but like you said having the ocean in the background is pretty amazing.

 

$66 per extra guest is quite a jump from the $27 for the mint breeze, although I really want the reception outside, we may have to consider our budget again when we start to receive RSVP.

 

Did you send save the dates? If so did you find a lot of people who mentioned they'd love to come, actually dropped off when it came down to putting a deposit?

 

Thanks again!

 

Thank you again! 

We got married February 11, 2012.  Our wedding was at 4:00 and our reception was at 6:30.  Our ceremony lasted about 30 minutes (we had a sand ceremony and reading during our ceremony) and they have champagne for you and your guests afterward for a toast.  We had group pictures afterward then pictures of my husband and I alone as the sun set.  This time seemed perfect for us.  Our reception lasted 3 hours (we did not add on) but the dinner lasted fairly long as we had multiple people gives toasts.  Between our best man, matron of honor, us and family, there were 7 people total that gave speeches!  It was sweet and I would not change it but the time seemed to fly by!  This would be the only change we would make - to extend our reception.  Overall, our wedding was wonderful so we really have no regrets.  Good luck!

Originally Posted by mrsnova 

Can someone help me with my timeline for the wedding? As of now my ceremony starts at 5:00pm and reception starting at 7:00pm. We do not plan to add extra time and will continue the party elsewhere. How long would you say dinner takes? I know there are several different ways that you can organize the reception based on your preference...just looking for ideas!

 

Thanks

I have seen many questions about the menus.  I verified that you can choose your menu but also make some exceptions.  For us, we had guests who were vegetarians and others that had shellfish allergies.  They will make special menu items for those guests without extra charge.  You just need to tell them how many for each special diet.