stefkva

I emailed N about the shows and times for April....she said they didn't have the schedule yet. As for TA recommendation....Just a few glitches with dealing with the Excellence reservation line. Fingers crossed it's smooth sailing from now on

Well, they say hind sight is 20/20.... I WOULD 100% RECOMMEND GOING WITH A TA!!!!

Whoa, so many new posts since the last time I was on here. I love this thread and it's been sooooo helpful! When I inquired about wedding tables (this was over the phone with Gustavo) he said they could accommodate table set up and use either round tables, one long table, or rectangular tables to set up a horseshoe. I've been planning on the horseshoe set up. How could a resort this large not have enough rectangle tables? I think the newbie might just not know but hard to think they wouldn't be able to accommodate. As far as TA, we went without. Everyone coming is a frequent traveler so we knew we wouldn't have to deal with many questions. Plus, several live abroad so we thought it'd be easier if they just did what all worked for them. However, there were several stressful moments because the resort is completely booked for our wedding weekend. Fortunately, my FI and I reserved extra rooms so we have enough for our guests but If I could do it over, I would get a TA, just for peace of mind and not having to deal with it at all. For outside vendor fee, Gustavo at the time told me $150 so I'm going to bring that email with. I know there were some issues with outside vendors shortly after we booked our wedding in July so I guess that's where the $500 fee came from. On another note, I found the cutest BM dresses at H&M!!!! Who knew! I was having the hardest time deciding on dresses that were cute, reasonably priced ($49.50), and that the BMs could possibly wear again. The only downside is that you can't order them online but all the BMs in country were able to try them on. Super cute!

Thanks for sharing!

NOTE: the bottom on the music price list pdf says valid until June 2012

Hmmm...for the mariachi trio i received the price of $660. I have a pft price list for all of the music. Since i couldn't upload it I copy and pasted it below. PM me if you would like me to send you the pfd. Hope this helps!!! SOLIST $ 550.00 Recommended for cocktail receptions and dinners - Guitarist, Saxophonist, Harpist, Violinist, Flutist DUET (minimum of two sets) Recommended for cocktail receptions and dinners - Flamenco guitarist $ 780.00 ** - Lounge $ 990.00 ** **cost per two sets TRIO $ 660.00 Recommended for cocktail receptions, theme nights, lunch and dinners - Strolling Romantic trio or quartet - Veracruz-style traditional trio (harp, acoustic guitars) - International instrumental music trio (available instruments: piano, cello & flute or violin, cello & flute) DANCE BAND (6 elements) Recommended for beach parties, theme nights, casual & gala dinners - Live band playing Caribbean and modern tropical rhythms (salsa, merenge, etc) $ 1,350.00 - Versatile live band $ 2,250.00 MARIACHI Recommended for cocktails receptions, lunch and theme nights - Band of 8 $ 1,100.00 - Band of 10 $ 1,250.00 TRADITIONAL SHOW ( 8 elements) Recommended for theme nights, casual and gala dinners Delight your sight with impressive Mayan shows & Mexican Folkloric ballet - Mexican Folkloric w/ recorded music* $ 1,650.00 - Mayan show w/recorded music* $ 1,500.00 *Price includes sound system; additional requirements such as stage (16 x 19 ft )& lighting are not included

Congrats! When is the wedding? We're using Juan Navarro as our photographer. He does a great job and the resort recommends his as well. Be sure to check out his website to see the work he does.

Thank you for posting!! It was such a relief reading this review and all of your posts! I really appreciate all of the info everyone has provided. You ladies are such a great support group

That's of course assuming they're not fully booked when you arrive. Last Daniela told me they were at 98% occupancy.

OMG!!!!! I am freaking out right now. I can't believe they didn't have your reservation! Did you make the reservation on their website? Do they have the reservations for your guests?

Lorraine, Was it Daniela who sent the email? Also, are you doing a full wedding rehearsal? I hadn't thought of doing one but maybe it's a good idea. Thanks for posting the email! Stef

For you ladies having the ceremony on the beach, what kind of footware is the groom wearing and groomsmen wearing? Shoes or sandals? Sheryl, let us know what the hotel says about what's going on with their wedding coordinators if you call them. I'll be sure to do the same!

I totally agree with you! This is getting crazy. I'm tempted to call the resort manager or someone in charge there (outside of the wedding dept) and ask them what is going on.

That's a great deal!! Where on etsy did you find the stickers?

When we went to visit the resort we thought there wasn't a bottle opener in the room. It took us a day or two to realize that it is near the sink in the bathroom attached to the wall. I've never seen an opener like that but wanted to let everyone know since it is so easy to miss.

Yeah, I'm going to have to keep track of everything I spoke to Gustavo about on the phone and make sure Ileana is on the same page...and then I have to be sure to bring all the documentation with when we go down there......this already feels like a lot so boy am I glad we're doing a destination wedding at a resort and not doing something at home and juggling multiple vendors!! For the ceremony I've gone back and forth. No matter what I decide though I will be sure to make music backups on an Ipod. One review on this thread said that the band she hired did not show up so they didn't have music....I'm going to plan for Murphy beforehand so I won't have to worry about anything while we're down there. I wanted the minister's info so I could get the script beforehand. I might want to add/change a passage or two and I don't want to be surprised. As for the official vs symbolic ceremony, we decided on the symbolic because my fiance is from Switzerland so we have to get his birth certificate and other required documentation officially translated from German to Spanish which is a bit of a hassle as well as the blood work that has to be done at the resort AND you have to be in Mexico several days before the wedding as do your witnesses. So we're just doing the "paperwork" here and the symbolic there.

Gustavo is no longer with Excellence! Ileana just told me that she is the new wedding manager. I have worked with her a little before but I mainly coordinated with Gustavo. I hope the wedding isn't as disorganized as they seem to be :/ Also, Ileana just emailed me the contact info for their minister: "The Symbolic Ceremony which is performed by a non denominational minister; it’s a Christian Ceremony and if you want to have more information about it, you can contact directly our Minister, her name is Roxana Fernandez and her e-mail address is: [email protected]"

Amanda, I love the suit! We're going to wait until there is another sale at Jos A Banks to get the guys' outfits. The buy 1 get 2 free deal is great! I'm doing the OOT bags, and I have some ideas on pinterest but have also gotten great ideas from this site. Apparently the dollar store is a good place to hit up but I haven't actually tried going there yet. Might venture there this weekend. Our RSVP deadline was early last month but we're still getting responses and a few maybes so I know what you mean about it being hard to plan numbers

Thank you!

So I'm having a hard time finding bridesmaid dresses. I've been looking for coral dresses that are reasonably priced. I'm not a huge fan of David's Bridal and J.Crew is kinda $$. Any suggestions? What are you ladies doing for BM dresses?

Looks like they don't have those bags available anymore

Thanks! they look great!

Ladies, Has anyone received the wedding ceremony officiant script? I spoke with Gustavo a while ago and he said he would send it (which he still hasn't). I'm going to remind him again, but just wondering if anyone has that info already. Thx!

Steph, great review and lovely pictures. Glad everything turned out perfect!

We're going with the Gold package and including a few of the Silver menu options. I've been going back and forth between beach and gazebo (leaning more towards beach). I found some super cute sandals at Tommy Bahama so walking in the sand wouldn't be a problem. Super cute ideas on your board