motbride

We used the resort photographer for my daughter's wedding and were happy with the photos. I think there are several photographers, though, so I can only speak to our experience with Frederica.

My daughter opted for a boutoniere for the groom only. The groomsmen and fathers wore shorts and shirts and the groom wore long pants and shirt...no suits for anyone! yay! The single rose buotoniere was heavy and very floppy on a lightweight shirt. If you do opt to go with a boutoniere for any of the suitless men, keep that in mind and choose something light weight !

 I even warned some of our guests about time share vultures based upon what I had read but I have to say...not a single person approached us about that! We were there over Christmas week, presumably peak season, and it didn't feel overly crowded to me. The beach was full and busy but we were always able to get lounge chairs and the ocean is big! No super long lines when dining the buffets or getting drinks. I don't think you'll have any problems with that.

I would make sure you have Maria's correct email addy. She was always very good about answering my emails within 24 hrs...usually same day. Maybe they aren't getting through to her?

We were really pleased with the resort photographer and the resort flowers... and thought the costs all to be extremely reasonable.

Not sure if you are talking about the photo I posted, but my daughter had her hair and makeup done at the resort and was very happy with it. The photo does not do the hair justice because the pretty part was in the back . We thought the makeup was perfect... very naturally done. All the other girls did their own hair and makeup with the exception of the junior bride who had her hair braided at the resort on the beach .

Lindsay, send me a private message with your email addy and I will send you the attachment with the bouquet choices.

Regarding the dinner.... the private dinners that you pay for offer different food choices from the buffets and they also set up special tables in a private place... like on the beach, or pool side. Then the costs are more in line with a private dinner you'd have in the US (but still less because it is Mexico!). Maria can send you the information on possible dinner choices and prices. We chose the Italian Buffet for our guests because we also did not think it worth spending extra $$ on food when everyone can eat for free per "all inclusive". To get your wedding group dinner in one of the ala carte restaurants the group has to be 15 or less. For larger groups, the buffets are your only choice. Most people choose the Italian Buffet for a larger group because you get a semi private "wing" area. It worked great for us!

These flowers were ordered via the resort... right out of the flower book Maria sent to me... The brides bouquet was B015 (but without the exotic orchids...made with normal priced flowers only) and the bridesmaids bouquets were B12.

Regarding flowers... my daughter's bridal bouquet was only $50 and the the bridesmaids bouquet only $35. I thought that was a steal and the flowers were absolutely amazing!

Many people have used outside photographers. We used the resort photographer, but one of our guests brought a guest who happened to be a photographer and it wasn't any problem. I felt awkward, though, since we didn't actually hire the extra photographer and he was standing over the photographers shoulder a lot! At one point, though, they actually coordinated with each other on a shot... so the resort photographer didn't seem upset to have the extra guy around. We were told by the resort photographer that we can make copies of all the photos on the CD. We haven't done it yet, but will let you know if we have any trouble. We definitely want to get more prints.

If anyone would like to see the photos of my daughter's wedding taken by the resort photographer send me a message and I will give you the link. She didn't want a public album out for the entire world to see, but for those really interested just let me know!

I forgot to mention my daughter had her hair and makeup done at the resort salon and it was BEAUTIFUL/ PERFECT! My daughter had one thing in mind, but then they showed her photos of possibilities... and she chose a different style and absolutely loved it. The make up was perfect as well, not overdone or underdone! Perfect.

We just returned from my daughter's wedding at Sandos Playacar and everything was fabulous! Instead of a welcome packet, the bride and groom decided to host an excursion to Chicen Itza two days prior to the wedding. They rented three vans in advance (from an independent rental place), and when they went to pick them the night before for a early start... they had no record of the reservation. (It's Mexico). They found another place to rent from. The vans were supposed to be delivered, but instead just the guys showed up and they had to go back to the rental place to pick them up. Then they only had one van and one car ready, and we ended up having to wait hours for the other van. (It's Mexico) So, everyone was prepared to leave at 7:30am. We actually left at 10:30am. BUT, it turned out to be a great excursion! We stopped to get lunch along the way (in Valladolid) and visited the city square... it was really nice for those who had never traveled to Mexico to a better feel for the culture... which you don't quite get inside the confines of the resort. Now for the wedding review: The flowers were absolutely amazing! Next to the stunning bride, and gorgeous beach, the flowers were as perfect as could be! She chose very colorful bouquets and they were spectacular and still looked great after two days! The bride and bridesmaids hated to leave them behind! We had the female English speaking minister for the ceremony and she was perfect. Having little forewarning about what she would say or even what vows would be used... it couldn't have been more perfect and in line with what they would have chosen. It was a very meaningful ceremony! Maria was deathly ill the day of the wedding but made sure the wedding went off without a hitch. We just felt so sorry for her because she was really, really sick! I think she must have had the flu, but she just kept saying she was fine and today was about the bride. She was out sick for the next two days, though. We sent the dress down for steaming the day before the wedding. We were told it had to be in by 11am for a 24 hour turn around. They were a little late in picking it up (which was stressful) and we were extremely nervous when it wasn't back in the room by 11am on the day of the wedding. The dress arrived at 1pm for a 3:30pm wedding, so it was all good... but extremely stressful! So, I would recommend if at all possible to send the dress off for steaming two days prior to the wedding. The day was gorgeous and the wedding itself was PERFECT!!!! We did the toast and first dances immediately after the ceremony in the wedding hut, followed by pictures with the group on the beach. We used the resort photographer (Frederica) and were quite pleased with the photos she took. We purchased the 90 photo print and disk package for $850, and skipped the disk of all photos for an additional $200. My niece who lived in Oaxaca, Mexico for many years brought a guest who is a professional photographer (and native Mexican) and he snapped shots of our entire stay, and along with other family members who got some excellent shots, we just didn't feel the need to get the entire disk. We got the “best of†in the 90 print package. We were disappointed that the resort prints the photos on a laser printer so the quality is not great. We do have the disk, though, and will take them to be reprinted. We ate at the Italian buffet with 32 guests, and they had the tables in a U formation. The bride and groom had both sets of parents sit with them, and everyone else wherever they wanted. The cake was served after dinner. We used the maraca idea I had read about here, and bought one for every place setting. We gave them to Maria in advance and they were sitting on the table when we arrived. We used them instead of clinking wine glasses to get the bride and groom to kiss. It was a fun twist! We had a private pool side reception which was quite lovely. We had asked for the steel drum band for 1 ½ hours, thinking we'd have them from 8:930, possibly longer with a break. They packed up and left at 9:12 which was a disappointment and unfortunately my husband and I had gone back to our rooms for a minute when they left, so we couldn't even confer with them. I'm not sure what happened there. I know Maria normally stays until the end of the reception but because she was so sick (really sick) she left shortly after we arrived. I wonder if the band just didn't take advantage of that. But, no matter, we had brought a play list for after the steel drum band, and just plugged that in and it was a lot of fun. The steel drum band was really nice to walk into and I would do it again, but people let loose with more dancing once we plugged in our own music. The open bar was great and they stayed open until the pool grounds closed at 10:30. A little longer than we had paid for . At 11:00, many of us moved to the disco and had quite a fun time! I think they were happy to see a wedding come in because it seems to attract a crowd! The disco décor is graffit, so my daughter added to it.... Kelly and Nate 12-21-10 in a heart . Those still going can look for it! Overall, our guests were exceedingly pleased with the accommodations there. If you want to eat at a restaurant you should make reservations the SECOND YOU ARRIVE THERE. I had been forewarned of this, but we didn't bother to make reservations because food just isn't that important to my husband and I, and we don't like to commit to eat at a certain time. But, some of our guests were disappointed that it was so difficult to get into a restaurant, although most everyone who wanted to got into a restaurant one or two nights, but not their top choice. We should have stressed to our guests the need to make reservations on Day 1. I think the reservations being to be accepted on Sunday for the rest of that week. They tried to make them on Thursday-Friday for the following week and couldn't. My son in law tried to set up a dinner on the beach for them on their last night, but 48 hours was not enough notice. So, that was frustrating, too! They did pull the newlywed card and got into the French Restaurant on their last night, at 9:15. The drinks were mostly great. It really depended upon the bartender. Sometimes they were plenty strong, other times not. Nobody cared much for the wine. Many just drank beer. I didn't mind the not so strong drinks because if you are drinking throughout the day and night you don't need so much booze. And if you want the extra booze, you can always ask for it. Once we got cosmopolitans that tasted like fruit punch, so we went up and got shots of vodka, and just added to our drinks. We had one family with 4 kids ages 10-16 and they were especially pleased with the accommodations. The kids loved the buffets, endless chocolate milk and ice cream . They got involved with activities like water polo, etc. We had guests who parasailed (myself included), jet skied, and snorkeled. The beach was awesome. You do need to save spots early if you want to start out with them, but we found enough chairs would free up during the day that we often had 10-12 of us sitting together on loungers. We did have a frustration with getting a wheelchair for my 83 old father. They had only a decrepit one when we first arrived at the main lobby. They allowed us to keep it, but it was literally a piece of junk. We asked if there was a medical supply rental because we were willing to pay for a better one. It was really unusable... too small and angled such that he'd slide right out of the chair. They were not very helpful in this regard. On the last day, my niece saw some one check out a nice wheel chair from guest services at the Meeting Point!!! Apparently the main lobby people do not know wheelchairs are available via guest services at the Meeting Point???? In the end, my Dad did a lot more walking than we thought he should, but maybe it was good for him. He is diabetic and has neuropathy in his feet, and deformed feet, and gets foot sores easily. But, he managed. We used the shuttle to the Meeting Point, and he walked from there. Our rooms were nice. We had reservations for the Junior Suites, but they offered us the Riveria or Beachfront rooms because they were better for wheelchair (which we didn't end up using). We took the Riveria room because we had heard they were nicer rooms, and we could use the shuttle to the meeting point. In retrospect, we would have opted for the beachfront rooms for one reason... location, location, location. It would have been so much easier for my elderly father to be closer to the action. Our rooms were fine for us. There was a musty smell in ours, despite them otherwise being the biggest and best. It didn't really bother us. It is the smell that often comes with humidity and we could live with it. I saw the Junior Suite rooms that much of our family stayed in and thought they were completely fine. I never saw the beachfront rooms, but guests said they were ok. The distance was generally not a factor for us except when we found ourselves having to run back and forth about six times a day on a few days, either for $$ for jet skiing/parasailing, or things pertaining to the wedding. I don't know... the location of the beachfront rooms might make them more attractive to me in a future stay, although I never saw the inside of one. Our refrigerator didn't work, but we never even complained about it because we really didn't need it. All we ever drank in the room was water and room temp is my preference for water anyway. I really can't think of anything else. We had a few minor frustrations as mentioned, but overall it was a PERFECT wedding and vacation there. The weather was gorgeous every day for us. The beach is spectacular! The wedding was spectacular! The resort flowers were super spectacular! The resort photographer captured some great shots and we were completely satisfied, except for the laser printed copies of photos. We haven't seen the video yet as we didn't stick around long enough to get it. It will be shipped. We didn't spend a penny more on the wedding or rooms than we anticipated... in fact a few things came in under budget. We had planned in advance for every addition we wanted, and we didn't miss a thing. No surprises! If you have any questions, just ask! When I get organized with photos on a public link I will let you all know. My husband and I actually do want to go back there and just relax without a wedding! A few guests suggested we return to celebrate anniversaries. EVERYONE really had a good time!

Yes, you can have appetizers...Maria will be able to send you options and prices. Gratuity and tax combined are 25% of total food and drink.

I'm personally not a fan of silk flowers... since when do we expect flowers to last forever? Obviously this is a personal preference sort of thing, but when I got married (30 years ago)... I even threw my big bouquet when most people had gone to throwing a 'throw away' bouquet. I mean... just what do you want to save flowers for? To sit in a box in your basement forever? I actually prefer receiving fresh cut flowers to plants... because they DO DIE! We are doing a private pool side reception with drinks only and a steel drum band for my daughter's wedding in December. Pool site fee $400, private bar service $10 per person per hour, steel drum band $450 per 45 minutes. Site fee for the beach is $500. DJ $50 per hour; Open bar $10 per person per hour. Ask Maria for confirmation on this!

We are planning on using the resort photographer for my daughter's wedding. I've seen pictures from two different brides who used the resort photographer (via facebook) and I thought they looked great... and more importantly the brides were very happy. It might be luck of the draw, and perhaps they have had some bad photographers. I'm a little nervous about it... but am hoping for the best. I don't really get that they say no private photographers, yet obviously they allow it. I'm a rule follower and like "easy" arrangements, so I'm willing to take a gamble. We also like the idea of including the reception in the photos...so once you get to the higher package... it becomes a little more reasonable for what you get. Â I just got a price sheet that I've not seen before, and the more print photos you order... the less you pay for the full CD of ALL photos. Â 30 print photos of ceremony and beach shots (and 30 on CD) $450, with an additional $500 for the entire disk of photos with mini print book (total 30 prints and full disk $950) Â 60 prints of before the wedding, lobby photos, ceremony and beach shots (and 60 on CD) $650, with an additional $350 for entire disk of photos with mini print book (total 60 prints and full disk $1000) Â 90 prints of before wedding, lobby photos, ceremony and beach shots, private reception) (and 90 on CD) $850, with an additional $200 for full disk of photos with mini print book (total 90 prints and full disk $1050) Â So, as you see... if you are interested in a CD of all photos... makes more sense to go for the 90 print package..that covers the reception... not just the ceremony. Â We are still considering options, though. Â

tad515... how did your wedding go? I'm especially curious about what you thought of the resort photographer!

Thanks for the wonderful review Amber!

@ keilag.... Were you happy with the steel drum players? We are thinking of having steel drum players. Quote: Originally Posted by keilag ok. So I just returned from my wedding at Sandos. It was perfect. We did the ceremony on the bech then a cocktail hour with appitizers while the steel drum players played. Then the itallian buffet. I opted out of the disco but found a great back up. We took a 5minute cab ride to Fusion. They have a fire show and salsa dancing on the beach every night. I bought one round of drinks and 3 orders of chips and salsa. for 20 people it was $85.00 everyone had a blast and it was so romantic and autentic. Playa Del Carmen Mexico Beach Hotel Bar & Grill Maria did a fantastic job.....I used Claudia Rodriguez for pics and the video. They were amazing as well. Let me know if you have any questions

@ Bride Chill a Were you happy with your flowers and bridesmaids flowers? I was afraid 'since' meant starting... and we'd have to spend more. The pictures look good in the catalog so it is reassuring to know you can get good flowers for the starting prices. (backed up to your big review and saw you loved your bouquet! Not crazy about the bridesmaids, but that was more of a communication problem. I think we'll know to point to pictures . Thanks also for the tip about going with the basic package. I think we will come out cheaper that way too. Only $20 for the flowers lining the aisle? That is awesome. Any flower "negotiating" in terms of pricing? Thanks for the tip about the cat urine! My son and I are highly allergic to cats so that might have been bad. My daughter decided she didn't like that idea... she had read some negative things about the disco and thought it looked a little dumpy... and doesn't like to dance anyway. We are now thinking of having drinks poolside with a steel drum band after dinner at the Italian Buffet... although that will get very pricey. $400 poolside, $900 steel band for 1 1/2 hours, plus ~ $400 bar service. We're paying, so I just have to decide how much I'm willing to go for. Still beats paying $100 a dinner that I would pay here. We ended up dumping out of the group contract because they needed our exact guest list, down to the name by June 30 to hold our rooms until December, with no name changes allowed after June 30, and anyone booking after June 30 would not receive the group rate. We had a handful of guests who weren't ready to finalize their travel plans this early...whether they were coming or their travel dates. So, we decided to have everyone book their own room via Sandos website or expedia or wherever. Ten of us (ten rooms) managed to get a great deal right off the Sandos website... with rooms cheaper than the group contract offered anyway. We are still waiting for our return deposit though...after a month... and the communication back and forth is very painful. They are a reputable place, so I'm sure we'll get our deposit back... but nothing happens fast there. (Except for Maria...she always answers my emails same day!) Been a while since I checked in here... my question for the day is what service people used to get from the airport to Sandos? I think we want to book a direct ride in a private van... we'll have 5 people in the group I come in with. You all are incredibly helpful! Thanks! Quote: Originally Posted by Bride-chill-a Sure....I purchased/paid for my bouquet, 5 bouquets for my bridesmaids, 2 corsages, the gazebo with tulle, the minister and flowers that line the aisle. I paid $50 for my bouquet, $35 for each BM, $20 for each corsage, $220 for Gazebo with Tulle, $350 for the minister and $20 for the flowers that line the aisle. I think that's about it, but I feel like I'm forgetting something. There won't be any surprises so long as you are clear in what you want. I would recommend writing it all down on what you agreed on, to confirm it all in your appointment with Maria. You'll be fine. Hope that helps!

Has anyone reserved the disco or beach for a private reception after... not for dinner.... just mingling and drinks?

Thanks so much for such a thorough review, Bridechilla! It has been a while since I checked back here. My daughter is planning a wedding for Dec 21. The original rates quoted to us skyrocketed on the 20th through Christmas, because of Christmas, of course. They were nice enough to extend the more reasonable rates for us through Dec 23rd which we were very thankful for. Those of us planning to stay through Christmas plan to move to regular rooms at motels in Cozumel during those final days. We are not using a travel agent, and are having a bit of a snag/confusion with the group contract. They are asking for a 20% initial deposit to hold the block which we are fine with. The deposit is based upon the number of nights blocked (4) times the number of rooms reserved (16) times the rate of 2 adults per room times 20%. No problem with $2,200 deposit to block and hold the rooms. But then they want a second and third deposit of 40% each... by May 1 and July 1! So, we are trying to work through this. Perhaps a travel agency would/could do this, but we are booking privately. Who in their right mind would prepay 100% of 16 rooms five-six months in advance? Am I wrong? What do you all think? If the second and third deposits aren't received, the rooms are "subject to availability". I'm thinking the place is probably never fully booked, and we'd be fine, but I don't know that. By previous email she said that we could pay a 20% deposit to reserve the block, and our guests could pay when they got here. The 20% deposit would apply to our own rooms or be returned. But, then we received the contract, and it is asking for a second and third deposit equaling 100% of the total cost. $10,000+ It is a bit frustrating because the email communication is a bit slow. We are always answered within a week, but it usually results in more questions. They are probably frustrated with me at this point, too. And I'm getting frustrated by what appears to be incomplete or conflicting information. Perhaps the contract is written for business with a travel agency rather than private party... ?? Perhaps there is a bit of a language barrier, too. We are just looking forward to getting past this part. There is no turning back, nor do we want to. We are very much looking forward to my daughter's wedding at Sandos Playacar. Several family members have booked their air travel already. We are also watching airfare pricing, which shows hints of coming down. Did anyone who is still reading here travel during December last year, and what sort of rates were you getting? We are hoping to see rates come down to the $350 range flying out of the Midwest. My son managed to book at $300 roundtrip over a month ago, but rates recently were up around $450-500-600 roundtrip. Just today I a saw a big drop of rates for dates through September, down to the $350 range. Some airlines don't even have December schedules out... like AirTran. Anyway... thanks for letting me vent... and let me know if you think it is unreasonable to expect someone to pay $10,880 six months in advance for a block of rooms. I just can't do that for a variety of reasons. And it worries me a little! We also recently found some great deals through Expedia for combined room and air... but that doesn't help those who have already book air and are depending upon the group room rate. We aren't sure if we can include people who book through Expedia into "our group" ... but have asked the question. Cara

Has anyone ever stayed between the dates of Dec 21-30, and what sort of room rates did you pay? We were just quoted $191 per person per standard cheapest room.... and that just won't work for our extended group. Looks like we may be back to the drawing board. That would be $550 a night for myself (mother of the bride), husband and 14 yr old daughter. Nobody would come at that rate! We KNOW we saw Internet deals ... actual discounted rates... over this time period last year that were not anywhere near this high. We will try to negotiate, I guess. Thankfully, we have plenty of time, although we have one guest who already booked airline... so no going completely backwards on the destination!

Congrats Jilligirl! I am glad to hear everything went so well! Question for all: Has anyone gone with live music for the ceremony? Jilligirl, what did you do?