cole379

Excellence Playa Mujeres is the one we are considering going with right now. We also looked at the Lindo/Grand and Secrets Maroma Beach but they all came in much more expensive.

Hi everyone! So our travel agent came back with our quotes for our wedding in April 2012. We were shocked! Prices were really high for next year. We could save some money by doing an early booking bonus but that will mean everyone paying the full amount by this August 2011. Everyone agreed but it is a lot of money to come up with for some people in only a few short months. We are flying out of the Toronto airport and someone suggested we have our travel agent check prices for the Buffalo airport (which is just about an hour and a half away). We are only have a small wedding mostly with immediate family so travelling there would not be a problem for everyone and I know the Buffalo airport is a nice airport. Since we are looking to save money it got me thinking! My Dad has flown out of buffalo for just a flight but now sure how a vacation package would work? Especially with a wedding package that is for a group. So I thought I would ask on here! Has any Canadian bride ever flown out of the US for their wedding to save money? Thanks!

We just found out that a few guests want to travel with their children. Obviously, since they can't stay at EPM they were thinking of staying in Cancun. For the adults only, would they be able to attend the wedding? Is there a guest pass or something that you can buy for guests to attend just your wedding (the kids would stay back at their hotel with a relative while they attended the wedding). What about not on the wedding day? Would the adults be able to join us for a day with guest pass? Thanks!

Sorry ladies, I got clarification on the package price. You do get the basic package for free if you book 5 rooms for 7 or more night….if all those rooms are a junior suite ocean view excellence room or higher. Sorry about the confusion.

Thanks for the response. I will contact the Wedding Coordinator (who sounds great!) as well. I do have one more question. We will have over 5 rooms booked through our travel agent. If we go with the gold package, do we just pay the difference from their basic package (which I believe is free if you book 5 rooms for 7 days). Does this apply if you use a travel agent who gets you a package deal (we are booking with Air Transat or Air Canada). Thanks!

Hi Everyone! All of your pictures are beautiful. It looked like a great wedding! I was hoping that you experts can help me. We just got our quotes back for all the resorts and EPM came back as the cheapest (and I use that term loosely!). I was not expecting EPM to be the cheapest so I don't know to much about the wedding planning and packages there. I like the gold package but was wondering how it worked with outside vendors. I know you cannot use any DJ but DJ Mannia right? What about hiring a make up and hair person not from the spa? And what about an outside photographer? Is there a vendor fee to pay? As well, I can't find prices for extra items that you ight want to add to your package. Is there a list of those prices for 2012? Sorry for all the questions but I would appreciate any help! I checked their website but could not find these answers. Actually one last question. For those who have visited or had their wedding, was the beach nice and water swimmable? Thanks!

Can't believe I missed it! Does it ever go on sale again for $1?

All of your weddings look so beautiful. Just two quick questions. We like the idea of the beach for th wedding and the poolside for the reception. Would we be allowed to do that or do you have to stick to the area where you have your ceremony for your reception? As well, when you guys were there, was it super windy on the beach? I know it is windy but does it distract from the ceremony (ie. sand blowing in your eyes). Thanks!

I can't wait to hear the reports from all the brides there right now! Congratulations to all of you who are newly married!

Thank you so much for all the wedding website suggestions. I checked out some of your websites and they look amazing!!! Thanks again everyone for the help and happy planning!

Thank you so much everyone! I really appreicate all of the responses. We are going to check them out this week and with all the recommendations now we have a lot to choose from. Thank you!!!

Hello SMB Brides! I was wondering if there are any brides from Canada who have recently gotten married at the resort or have a wedding booked at SMB? I was hoping to ask you a few questions as we are still early in the booking process! Thanks! Nicole

Hello fellow brides! I wanted to make a wedding website so that it is easy for family and friends to get all of the information that they need. I was thinking of wedding wire or the knot. Are either of these good ones for creating a wedding website. I want to personalize it but also be easy to set up. Thanks!

Hannah I hope everything goes great at your wedding. Good luck! I just had a quick question. Where is the mexican resturant you are having your reception at? I love the Iberostar but they charge so much for a wedding on the beach that we had to sadly dismiss the hotel from our choices. I did not like the look of the other reception sites that I was shown buy Reyna as they were all indoors with no windows. But if there is a great place you can have a private reception that is nicer we might jump back on the Iberostar train! Thanks! ps. glad your friend is okay but that sucks that he cannot come!

We are thisclose to booking secrets for 2012 but as an avid reader of trip advisor as well, I am worried about the corporate groups. I asked the coordiantor at the resort and they just said not to worry about it, corporate groups don't ruin anything so I guess they are not reading trip advisor themselves She said that the corporate groups can book anywhere from a year to a month in advance so it is hard to try and book around them, but they do book more on weekends so during the week is a lesser chance they will be there. Still worries me as I don't want everyone to pay all this money and then have to deal with a bunch of loud drunks all day! On another note, we are thinking of booking in April. Does anyone know if this is a bad time for sea lice (the thimble jellyfish)? I heard that is when they can be bad (and I know I am allergic). Does Secrets get a lot of these little suckers? March and February seem to just be so much more expensive in price then April! Thanks!

Thanks for the replies! I totally agree that a wedding off site would be much more of a hassle. The only good thing is that I am actually I work as an Event Coordinator so I am used to planning events! But I agree that a resort would be MUCH easier. We are just getting frustrated trying to pick something that works for everyone (and us!) but that has a wedding package that fits our needs.

Hello everyone, We are in the very early stages of planning and trying to pick a resort. We have narrowed it down a bit and one of the most popular choices with our family is the Iberostar (because people can choose which resort to stay at-all price points). The only thing is, we want a beach wedding and the Iberostar is SUPER expensive to have it on the beach. We would have between 30-45 guests. So we were looking at the idea of having the wedding off the resort. Besides Xel-ha (which I also heard is very expensive), does anyone know of other places you can get married off resort that are safe? Thanks!

Being in the very early stages of planning and still undecided on a resort, I was wondering how the packages work at Iberostar. I asked Reyna about it but I am still unclear. The pacakges include things but are very vague...like bridesmaid bouquet or centerpieces. Do you get to pick the flowers and design of the centerpiece? If you don't like the choices, can you 'upgrade' (for example to have an orchid bouquet?). What has your experiences been like with the wedding coordinators (either the Lindo or the Grand) dealing with the details of your weddings? Thanks!

Thanks for the pictures of the beach reception. I love the idea of having the reception on the beach and it does make me mad too that they charge you extra (plus the minimum of 50 people) to have it on the beach when a lot of other resorts let it be for free on the beach. But the pictures look amazing and I think it would be an incredible experience to have everyone dancing on the beach under the lights! We are still early in the planning stages but we are thinking about it! The only thing that I really like about the Iberostar is that Reyna told me they do not charge a vendor fee (except for the photographer). Many resorts make you buy a day pass and still charge you a fee. I love the grand but they charge even more for a beach wedding so the Lindo might be the better option. Has anyone gotten married at the Grand on the beach? Thanks! Nicole

Hello Olga, We were looking into having a beach reception but Reyna mentioned that you needed a minium of 50 people for a beach reception at the Grand. It there a minimum number of people needed for a beach reception at the Lindo? Does anyone have any pictures of a beach reception at any of the resorts? Thanks!

Hello Everyone, I have narrowed down my list of hotels and the Iberostar is on that list. We like the Grand and would stay there while some of our guests stayed at the Lindo. I am having a really, really hard time seeing pictures of the Grand for a wedding set up, especially a reception. Since pictures are a huge help in envisioning your wedding, I was wondering if anyone had any pictures of a Iberostar Grand wedding, or a Iberostar Lindo wedding. Thanks!

Hello Everyone, I am also considering have a wedding at the Iberostar properties (I am narrowing down my resorts and it is one of my last few choices). I like the idea of having a wedding at the Grand but it is super expensive compared to other resorts! I emailed Reyna and have got the prices however, the pictures she sent me with the packages are not very good. I was wondering if anyone has any pictures of a wedding at the Grand? Pictures really help you get an idea of what the wedding would look like and I have searched the web for hours but hardly come up with anything. We are considering a wedding on the beach or a private reception in one of the restaurants. Can anyone help me out with pictures at the Grand? I am also looking at the Lindo for a beach wedding and reception. Does anyone have pictures of this? Thanks!

Hello Everyone, Sorry that I cannot help anyone with their questions but this is my first post! I have been doing a lot of research on Secrets Maroma Beach and I would love to have a wedding there. I am just hoping that you fellow brides who have already booked there can answer a question for me. For some of our important guests, price is an issue. Therefore, if we cannot get a great deal on the resort we might not be able to book it (we are already paying for a few family members but helping out everyone a bit is out of our budget). How did you go about getting a great deal for your guests? Does the resort offer a discount to our wedding guests for staying at the resort? We just started working with a travel agent and I want to make sure she can get me the best deal possible. Any suggestions or help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Hello Everyone! Sorry that I can't answer anyone else's questions since this is my first time posting! I have been following along since I got engaged but as we get closer to making a decision about a possible DW I thought I would ask my first question. I have been doing a ton of research and really love the look of Secrets Maroma Beach. It is top of our list right now and we would love to book the resort for our wedding. The problem is that for some of our important guests, the cost of the resort is looking quite high. I just started working with a travel agent and was hoping I could get some advice on how you other brides got the best deal for your guests. Does the resort offer a discount for wedding guests? How did you ensure a great deal for your wedding guests? I am assuming a travel agent is important for booking for a large group but how do we still get a great rate? Any help on this would be appreciated since if we cannot secure them a good rate we might not chose this hotel. Thanks!