82turtles

I agree with the majority of the other posts.. they are both beautiful, but you really seem to light up in dress #2!! Not sure who said it first, but I also like the idea of changing dress #1 to have a sweetheart neckline if you were to choose this one for rehearsal, reception, AHR, etc.

I think it looks great on you!! I could see maybe getting rid of the flower, but not sure that a belt would look good given the style and angled ruching across the bodice. A straight horizontal line like that across your midsection might not give you the look you're going for and may contrast with the clean simplistic design of the dress.. But hey, it's worth tying one on to see if you like the look!

Take this for what it's worth since I haven't been to either... The Moon Palace had been on my short list for a while, but I ultimately ruled it out for a few personal reasons: - It's huge! This can be a pro for some, but for us it was a con.. the whole purpose of having this destination wedding was to spend time with our friends and family, and this just felt like we'd be walking all over trying to find and meet up with people. Need a cart to get around the property, it's so big. - They do several weddings in a day. I wanted something smaller in that they only do one or two weddings per day, max, so that I knew the attention and detail would be given to my event. I've seen some photographers call it a 'wedding factory'.. - Reviews of the beach there aren't good. They consistently said that you can't really go swimming in the sea right there due to all of the seaweed. They apparently clean it up daily, but it's not ideal for swimming. One of my co-workers had been there recently and confirmed this for me. She said she would go down to the beach to lay out and read, but if she wanted to swim you pretty much had to go to the pools. To be honest, this was the real deal-breaker for me.. I wasn't about to take a bunch of family and friends to a tropical location where they couldn't go in the water!! I know you can take shuttles up to the other Palace Resorts that have better beaches (hotel zone), but that seemed like a big inconvenience for me. Please don't take it that I'm putting down the resort -- it's a beautiful property and lots of ladies have wonderful weddings there. It just didn't fit us and my vision. Now as for Azul Beach, I don't know much since it wasn't on my radar until after I had picked a spot, but I've read some girls' site reviews and they always come back impressed. Price-wise, I'd say those two are probably pretty close. You can do a search on Orbitz or something to get an idea of how they relate. Granted that won't probably be the prices a TA could get you, but it'll at least give you an idea, so you can decide if pursuing the Azul Beach is worth it or not. It wouldn't hurt to price them both out with hotel stay as well as wedding with all the 'extras', and see how each might work for you. Everyone looks for different things in a resort though, so just go with your gut and what you want out of it for both you and your guests! Good luck!!!

I second the recommendation for Gonzalo. That's who I booked for my 11/12/11 wedding!! He has usuall been really fast about answering emails and getting info to you. If he isn't available for your date, here are a few other names I had checked with: Juan Navarro - www.juanphotos.com Sascha Gluck - www.cancunphotos.net Pierre Violle - www.pierre-wedding.com Octavio Montes - www.octaviomontes.com Blue Lens Caribe - www.bluelenscaribe.com Good luck! Try not to freak out too much just yet -- it's still far away and there really are many, many photographers around!

Agreed! Wendy has been so great to work with! I may not have a wedding date if it weren't for her stepping in to help get a reply from the resort!! Thanks again Wendy!!! Excited to get my invites out before the end of the month hopefully, so our guests can start contacting you!

Hi Hilla, I believe there is a $250 one time set-up fee if you want to have a private bar right at your event. That includes a bartender. No per hour or per person charge. Otherwise, the waiters will get the drinks people order from the bars or restaurants nearby. That's what my notes say at least!

Travel agents serve as a middle person more or less between you and the hotel/airline. They help negotiate group rates and contracts and will try to get you the best deal possible. Just think -- they do this for a living, so they are experienced in how the industry works. I would highly recommend using a TA who is familiar with destination wedding planning, not just any TA in the phone book. (FYI, this forum is run by a travel agency that specializes in destination weddings. That's who I am using for my travel. Just click this link, fill out the form, and someone will get back to you. http://www.wrighttravelagency.com/leads/inquiry/ ) Most TA's do not charge fees -- they are paid by the tour operators and resorts directly, not by you. I think with your third question, if you are using a group block for rooms, your guests likely have to go through your TA to be a part of your room block. They can book on their own or with their own TA, but it wouldn't count towards your group contract if you have one set up. So kind of defeats the purpose. But I'm not entirely sure how that all works out.. Usually by using a TA you GET perks, not miss out on them, as they are often more likely to be able to ask for upgrades and special group incentives since they have established working relationships with resorts. To be honest, I had never used a travel agent before, so it was a little new to me, too. But the main reason I decided to use one was so that we had one point of contact for travel information, and that it wasn't me!!! It's easier on me to just send everyone her info, so people can contact her directly, and she can answer their travel related questions. I have PLENTY of other things to think of and worry about than arranging travel for my guests. I'd rather let someone who does that professionally take care of that side of things. That's the biggest pro for me, less stress!

Thanks! Oh, wow, that will be here before you know it!!! So exciting!! Yes, I'll definitely be interested in seeing your pictures! How's your planning coming along?

Thanks! Yes, I definitely feel much better. At least that is set now, and I can stop worrying about picking a resort!!

Thanks! Yeah, I know! Surprising. Once my Travel Agent got involved it went super fast. Thanks again for that suggestion! I would still be waiting for an answer otherwise.. Although I was leaning toward the Tequila Terrace, the FI reallyyyyy liked the Beach Terrace, so we are going with that for dinner, with the cocktail hour on the lobby terrace you showed in your pictures. Should be beautiful either way! Now trying to pick a photographer, then I think I can relax for a while! Merry Christmas ladies! Hope you all are able to take a break from planning to enjoy the holidays!!

Yay! Just got my confirmation from Sandra. We are booked for November 12, 2011. So excited!!! Now I get to start actually working on all the wonderful ideas I've been gathering from this forum!!

Congrats Ann! Everything looked beautiful!! I will send you a FB friend request, appreciate you sharing your pictures

Congrats on getting it booked LHD!! That's so exciting! I keep going back and forth on the Tequila vs Beach terrace.. FI said he really REALLY liked the beach terrace, and he hasn't had too much of a strong opinion on much at this point, so maybe I'll give this one to him! lol I'm sure they will both be beautiful, which doesn't help my indecisive mind As for ceremony time, I would agree on pushing it back. That time of year the sun sets at about 7:30 pm, and some general recommendations I've read is to have the ceremony start about 55-65 minutes before sunset (best time for light, etc). Plus saves your guests from sweating it out under the sun!!! I don't think a 6 pm start time would be too late. That means your cocktail hour would likely be 6:30-7:30ish with dinner afterwards, right? Little later start on the dinner, but remember they will have appetizers during the cocktail hour, so that should tide over any hungry folks

Help! So I'm about to send in my reservation form in the next day or so, and need to indicate where the hold the ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner reception. For sure ceremony on the beach, but now I'm not so sure on the cocktail and dinner.. Based on all the pictures out there, I thought I was set on the Tequila Terrace, but in showing my FI the options, he liked the beach terrace. Doesn't seem like many people choose that though, why not?? Thoughts? Thanks ladies!

Agreed. I think you should keep your 2 rather than just have a 'filler'. It's very likely there would be hurt feelings or resentment from someone if you did that! Having an uneven bridal party isn't a big deal; it's more about having the ones nearest and dearest stand by your side. Good luck!

Sarcrook -- We plan on doing the legal side of things here at home in the US due to cost. Not sure if it will be before or after, though I'm leaning towards after we get back from Mexico. I saw a photographer's comment on this topic awhile ago and he made a good point -- he basically said even though the Mexico ceremony will only be symbolic, it will still look and feel like your wedding, and you want those emotions and feelings to be captured in the photos. He said he's seen so many couples where they did the legal wedding before the MX wedding and it didn't feel as authentic. Just a thought. I don't really plan on broadcasting to everyone that it's not the legal wedding.. we will celebrate our anniversary as the date in Mexico. Obviously our parents and whoever we have as witnesses to legal side in the States will know, but other than that I see no reason to bring it up!

Hello, I'm considering both Jade and Sapphire, but it'll really come down to what prices my TA can get and what they have available for weddings for the dates I sent them. Anyways, wanted to point you to a different thread that has more info about the Sapphire specifically. It used to be a Paradisus resort, so that's why it's sometimes hard to find if you just do a search: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/16099/paradisus-riviera-brides-post-here

Are you back from your trip?!? Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Sapphire and Jade, which you are picking and why, and hopefully see some pictures!!

Quick question for someone who has been married at the NOW Sapphire recently.. I was just glancing through the wedding book that Daniela had sent me and read the deposit section a little more closely, but the wording confused me: A deposit is required to confirm and hold the requested wedding date. Deposit of $500.00 USD is required. This deposit is not refundable and it is not deductible of any of the Wedding Packages The whole "not deductible of any of the wedding packages" phrase confuses me. Does the $500 deposit go towards the total balance of your package plus extra meals/flowers/etc? Thanks!

Hi Robin, just sent you an email. Hope that's what you're looking for. Let me know if it isn't!

Yay! Congrats on setting a date and location!

Oh, and though I'm not sure I have the patience to do this lol, just have to ask.. did you use a template? Mind sharing that?? Thanks!

Holy cow, those are great! They look so professional, I'm sure your guests will absolutely love them. Good job!!!

Lisa, Wow, $4 per napkin?!?! That's crazy! Do you know if or how much they will charge you for putting on the table overlays and laying out the colored napkins you bring? I know they said they still charge you a set-up fee per chair even if you bring your own chair sashes, but don't remember that cost. thanks!

Sure, if you could send me those, that would be great! I'll PM you my email address. Oh, yes all the linens I'm sure are the plain white.. I was wondering about decorations like do they have votive holders and candles, stuff like that for decorating the center of the table. Thanks again!