Kelly K

I asked my husband what we gave Jessica, the WC, and neither of us can remember. I know it was at most $500 and am guessing it was between $300 and $400. We had no idea what to tip and we just guessed...two regrets on tipping I had was that I forgot to bring money with me when I got hair/make-up done on my wedding day so I asked her if she would be working the next day and she said "yes"...well no one could find her the next day and they said I could leave the money with them and they would give it to her....I hope she got it....also, we got upgraded to beachfront (we figured we would so we booked a standard room to save money) and had a butler who was AWESOME...very attentive and helpful throughout the week....I think he was even crying when I came out to go down the aisle...I thought he was pretending but another employee told me later he was not pretending...we laughed. We planned on tipping him the day we left and he was off that day!!! Be sure and either tip early or throughout the week...don't wait until right before you are going to the airport to show your appreciation. By the way....if you are at The Grand in the beachfront rooms you have free pressing (including wedding attire)....that was GREAT...I also had all my dinner dresses pressed, too.

I posted this after my wedding but will repost in case you didn't see it....I had my ceremony on the beach at The Grand and reception at La Brisas. Jorge at The Grand did the photography and I had DJ Doremixx. I had the spa do hair and makeup....it was my option to have the hair loose...I should have done it tighter as it loosens up as the night goes on......Jessica was my wedding coordinator and she was great....I think I reviewed everything in September or October 2012 in this thread if you go back...I got married August 2, 2012 at 6pm.....took pics in hotel before and on the beach after and reception started at 7pm to 11pm and had them take whoever to the disco after.... http://080212williams.ibelindomaya.adventurephotos.com.mx/#/slideshow-1/

I can't wait to hear all about it and see pictures, too!

I can't remember who did my hair. You could ask Jessica to look it up. I did a practice hairdo on Tuesday, July 31 and then on the wedding day, Thursday, August 2nd. The same woman did it both days and also did my make-up. I got false eyelashes and had her put them on....no need for waterproof mascara and you can get a pair that looks pretty natural at any beauty supply store.

The Gourmet or French restaurant is the fanciest but we liked the food at the Mexican Restaurant, El Tapitio, the best. The buffet had delicious meats to make tacos and I ordered the grilled lobster as an entree. The Japanese restaurant can seat 20 people at the hibachi grill (10 on each side) and is fun. Instead of doing a rehearsal dinner, we had a meet and greet happy hour from 5pm to 7pm at the Snake Bar in the Maya's lobby. We had the photographer come and take pictures there, too. It wasn't an extra charge. We had no food served. It was just a place for everyone to meet and have a cocktail before heading off to dinner.

Good Luck Bambaleo! I know it will be GREAT!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it. Kelly

If you can't download the menu, private message me and I will send it to you. Create your own menu STARTERS Seafood Cocktail Served In A Grape Leaf ***** Lobster Medallions With Palm Hearts On Fresh Greens ***** Avocado & Shrimp Salad With Cocktail Sauce ***** Coconut Filled With Seafood ***** Seafood Cocktail In A Tropical Pineapple ***** Smoked Salmon With Toast & Avocado ***** Glazed Avocado With Seafood ***** Marinated Salmon, Fresh Greens & Palm Hearts, Tomato Vinaigrette ***** Monk Fish & Lobster With Crunchy Vegetables & Raspberry Vinaigrette ***** Warm Lobster & Pineapple Salad In A Coral & Bean Vinaigrette ***** Smoked Nordic Salmon With Asparagus & Fresh Radish SOUPS Cream Of Pumpkin With Profiteroles ***** Game Soup Perfumed With Cava Champagne ***** Cream Of Asparagus With Palm Hearts & Diced Capon ***** Tomato & Lime With Milk Pearls ***** Rich & Creamy Chicken Broth ***** Lobster Bisque With Shrimp Brunoise Perfumed By Pernod ***** Monk Fish Cream With Julienne Spinach & Pine Nuts ***** Maldina Style Cream Of Potato & Pistachio With Foie Gras Profiteroles ***** Brandy Scented Lobster Bisque With Shrimp Julienne MAINS Classic Surf & Turf Accompanied By A Duo Of Sauces ***** Veal Scaloppini With Bordelaise Sauce & Creole Pearls ***** Roast Chicken Breast Topped With Mango Chutney ***** Grilled Beef Tenderloin In A Creole Sauce ***** Veal Scaloppini With Green Pepper Sauce ***** Charcoal Grilled Supreme Of Chicken With Mushroom Sauce ***** Veal scaloppini With Marsala Wine & Mushroom Sauce ***** Calvados Scented Duck Breast With Foie Gras & Apple ***** Gipsy Style Fillet Of Grouper With Spanish Piquillos Peppers ***** Rosemary Scented Roasted Rack Of Lamb With Mint Sauce ***** Roasted Beef Tournedos Finished With Herbs & Pepper Sauce ***** Oven Roasted Sea Bass From Bilbao ***** Bolognese Style Veal & Spinach Lasagna GARNISHES Breaded Potato Croquettes Peasant Potatoes Potatoes In Green Chili Sauce Pan Fried Potatoes Oven Roasted Potatoes With Garlic Cream Lyonnaise Potatoes Rissole Potatoes Duchess Potatoes ***** Asparagus Tips Mixed Vegetables Vegetable Stew Creamed Peas Roman Style Cauliflower Broccoli & Almonds Baby Tomatoes “Provencal†Green Beans With Garlic Butter Sautéed Green Beans Bordalaise Style Mushrooms FOR DESSERT Chocolate Brownie ***** Tiramisu ***** Chocolate Tart ***** Duo Of Chocolate Mousse ***** Cheese Cake ***** Rice & Coconut Custard ***** Black Forest Cake With Fresh Berries ***** Vanilla Rice Pudding ***** Blueberry & Guava Parfait ***** Apple Tart “Tatín†***** Catalan Style Cream ***** Grand Marnier Biscuit ***** Coconut Flan with Mango Sauce ***** Cinnamon Scented Chocolate Mousse With Hazelnuts & Mint ***** White & Dark Chocolate Layered Puff Pastry & Blueberry Sauce ***** Chocolate & Cherry Cake With Mint Sauce

Here is the menu I had to choose from....I got the avocado and shrimp appetizer, potato soup, surf & turf and sea bass for entrees, lyonaisse potatoes and asparagus for sides and duo of chocolate mousse for dessert...It was GREAT! We also chose the strawberry cheesecake filling for the wedding cake and it was really good. They refrigerated the cake for us overnight and brought it to our room the next day to share with the guests. We had so much cake we gave some to the staff...they loved it! create your own menu.doc

Yes, they should be able to accomodate you at La Brisa restaurant. We had 82 people and we had 11 round tables and a table for us with two extra chairs for visitors between courses (see slideshow in previous post for pictures). There is a lower level of seating they can use if they need to accomodate larger parties. The mistake we made was doing a table seating but not looking at where each table would go. We had the parents in the back...luckily we relaized it before everyone sat down and changed it, but we had kids at a prime location when I would have put them in the back. Unfortunately they had already put their hands all over the table and we decided to just let them stay there. This easy enough to go through with wedding planner when you are there.

Annie: I emailed Jessica last night and she responded to me this morning asking for your email address. Hopefully you emailed her today and she got back to you..if not, she should within 24 hours. We did not work with the hotel for travel arrangements. We never did figure that out...you would think they would give you a group rate but I think they work with the big travel agencies. We booked through Apple, Pleasant Holidays and American Airlines. We had a travel agent working with us and our guests but I wound up going behind her back and repricing travel for people and found better rates and flights on the web. It was a lot of work but I wanted to make sure people got the best deal. Bambaleo--you are right. This may be why Annie has trouble getting quick responses. I think they focus more on the weddings that are coming up. I think I had to wait to get answers when my wedding was more than 3 months out. Most everything gets settled in the last couple of months. It makes it difficult if you are trying to stay within a certain budget. I would not wait for them to reach out to you. I would email them and ask for the menu, flowers,photography packages and other choices you need to make. The bouquet I picked I modified at no extra charge. We did flower petals on tables instead of floral arrangements (big $ saver) and did not have flowers on the wedding ceremony canopy. I am a simple person and think less is more. Jessica was good about helping us make decisions and gave us good suggestions, so don't hesitate to ask.....I never felt like Idalia or Jessica were trying to sell me extras just to make money and that was nice. Kelly

Hi Annie: Jessica's email is [email protected] We did book DJ Doremixx and Ivan was great!! We booked him through the hotel along with the wedding ceremony musicians so it all went on the hotel bill. Both Idalia and Jessica were great to work with...not sure why Idalia hasn't gotten back to you. They never said "no" to a request...if they did waiver on a request, I just asked again and they made it work. I will be happy to answer any questions. It is tough planning a wedding via email. It would be nice if they had a toll-free phone #. Good Luck! It will all be worth it. Kelly

I just got married at the Grand August 2, 2012 and it was AMAZING! Jessica, the wedding coordinator, went above and beyond her duties, the hotel photographer, Jorge, was GREAT and I got my hair and makeup done at the spa and LOVED it. We had 82 guests staying at Grand, Maya and Lindo. We got married on the beach just outside of building 71, had a violin and accordian play music for wedding and had private reception at La Brisa so we could include kids. We had DJ Doermixx DJ for us and Ivan was great. We had a 6pm wedding and reception started at 7pm. We decided not to do the cocktail hour since the dinner had so many courses. We should have scheduled our wedding for 6:30pm because it did not take long and we finished doing pictures before the reception restaurant was ready....therefore guests were hanging out waiting to get a drink and relax. They picked up the guests staying at Maya and Lindo on a train that took them directly to wedding site and the same train took them back at the end of the evening, then took whoever wanted to continue dancing, to the disco. I did a hair and make-up test and while I loved it the first time, I did make a couple minor changes for the wedding day. Here is a slideshow from the photographer. Enjoy http://080212williams.ibelindomaya.adventurephotos.com.mx/#/slideshow-1/

Oh...a couple more questions...do you think younger boys can wear shorts to reception dinner....they say men need to wear pants but I am thinking 6 and under can wear nice shots. Do you know if they serve coke products? My sister only likes coke (hates pepsi and other colas).

Hi Jane and Jaclyn---your wedding day is fast approaching. Jane--would you mind sharing the pricing for make-up and photography? Do you have to pay a guest fee for the make-up artist to come to the resort? What is the mexican local rate? Do you have to pay a fee to have DJ Doremixx come on-site to DJ? If either of you are getting married on the beach, I would love input when you get back on the best way to decorate...I'd love to see flowers you choose for bouquet and other decorations. We also have a couple of people coming to the wedding that are staying elsewhere but would like to spend the night of the wedding there...they said there is a 3 night minimum....I was wondering if any of you got around it. We are thinking of asking the week of the wedding and see if we can get a deal if they have availability. Oh, and if you have music for wedding or reception, let me know how it went. Good Luck!!! Kelly

Jaclyn---your wedding is coming up...let us know what is going on....my invitations will go out this week...we have 58 people booked and expect about 80 total staying at Grand, Maya and Lindo with a few at non-Iberostar hotels. We picked surf and turf and sea bass for entree choices and will book DJ Doremixx...are you getting your hair/make-up done? If you get someone from the outside do you have to buy a pass for them to come to your room? Do you have to pay a fee for DJ Doremixx to come DJ? What type of table seating are you doing for the reception? Lots of questions. Very exciting!!

It's $1,650 to rent out the restaurant and then an extra charge per person for food/drinks....not sure what the extra will be. Jaclyn, what are they charging you and what wedding package did you get? I am going with the free wedding plan and need to see how much it is per person after 10 people. I think it's $20/person and I think kids are half price. Jaclyn...did you get a kids menu? I need to request that. Also, Jaclyn, I would love to hear the menu you picked for your wedding...I just want to go there and sample so I can make a better decision, but that's not going to happen. They raised the pricing on non-Grand guests to $50/person for Maya, $70/person for Lindo, $90/person for delMar, Beach Tucan Quetzel and Cozumel and $100 for non-iberostar guests. It was less when I booked so they will honor the lower rate for me. I attached the Free Wedding.

Is the menu for the rehearsal dinner the same as for the reception? How many are going to rehearsal dinner? Where are you having it? Kids, too??? Can you send me the menu for cocktail hour? Are you having on the patio facing the beach at La Brisa? We haven't decided on whether to do DJ Doremixx or get a band...I haven't seen any posts from anyone who had a band for the reception. Can you send me the menu for the cocktail hour? We are using the hotel's photographer, too. I can't remember what the floor of the reception restaurant looks like, so I am not sure what you are talking about. What type of table choices do you have for reception? I am hoping for 8-top round tables, but don't know know what I can have. Are you getting any extra decorations for the beach wedding ceremony? What type of bouquet are you requesting? So many questions....

I finally requested more information to start planning and now my wedding planner is Jessica Aguilar. Jaclyn, is that who you are working with? How many people do you have coming? I have over 65 RSVPs so far and expect at least 20 more. She sent me a menu with choices for starters, soup, mains and desserts. How does this work? I am guessing we have to choose a menu but one from each category? Two from each category? They have an option for rehearsal dinner and other dinners but no charges on them, so I am not sure if they charge or not. Maybe they are just making large group dinner reservations at an al a carte restaurant? What are you doing for rehearsal dinner...how many will be there? I have the FREE WEDDING package for 2012 for The Grand and it includes more than what is on the website...you have to have a minimum of 5 rooms booked at the Grand for 3 or more days. I can send it to anyone who is interested. Jaclyn...I'd love to hear an update of what you have booked....I wish we had someone getting married sooner who could help us understand what we need to do!!!

We are doing the civil ceremony...have you talked to them about food at the Grand? I'm curious to see what our choices for the reception will be. Maybe we should do a 5:30pm wedding with cocktail hour on patio from 6 to 7pm and reception from 7pm to 11pm....are you paying extra for a rehearsal dinner? Where will it be, how many people and if extra, how much? We were going to do a cocktail party the night before from 5pm to 7pm and then everyone could go to dinner....that way people could meet/get to know each other before the wedding. Are you doing DJ from 7pm to 11pm? How much is he? Where are people finding expensive flights from? We had our travel agent look at Apple and Pleasant Vacations for my family in New Orleans....the best flight times were on American Airlines but the quote for a group rate was higher than published...I don't understand why....so I looked on the American Airlines website and found good flight rates when I booked the hotel with the flight on their website. It took the airfare from a published rate of $656 to $484 and $510....we booked 18 people through AA...the website only keeps so many cheaper flights open so when they started getting costly, we stopped and checked the next day...sure enough, they opened more lower rate flights. Depending on what airline has the best flights, try their vacation bookings and see what you can find. When did you start planning with wedding planner...I guess I should get the ball rolling soon. I am counting on you and Jane and Brian to keep me moving forward. Thanks for all the information.

Oh yeah! I'm so excited to find other people getting married at Iberostar Paraiso hotels. I am working with Paulina but have only gotten a confirmation of our wedding date and time. When do we start the planning? Should I contact her to start the process? We will have the wedding on the beach with a private dinner reception at the restaurant on the beach at The Grand. That restaurant is normally only open for breakfast and lunch so having a private reception there and including children worked out well. I think the restaurant is normally a buffet. I have no idea if we will have a choice for what type of food, if it will be a buffet or what. We anticipate over 80 guests of which about 25 will be kids under 18. Jane and Brian and Jaclyn, I would love to hear what you have set up so far regarding where you are getting married, what time, if you are doing any type of event besides the wedding. We were thinking of having a cocktail party (5 to 7pm) the night before the wedding so everyone can get together like a meet and greet. Since people are staying at Lindo, Maya and Grand, they can then go have dinner wherever they want and we can meet back at Maya Bar after dinner (whoever wants to). The Maya Bar is big and nice. We would go there before and after dinner every night when we were there in September. We are getting married on a Thursday and people are either staying Saturday to Saturday or Wednesday to Sunday. We have our wedding planned at 6pm. What do you think about that time? We will do pics before the wedding. I'm guessing the cermeony on the beach won't be long....then 6:30pm to 7pm we can have cocktails on the outside patio of restaurant, take a couple more pics on the beach with family and friends and then head into the restaurant to start the reception/dinner at 7pm. We want to have music but haven't decided what kind and when. Possibly something for the wedding then a combination of an ipod and a band for the reception.....maybe start with ipod and then band after dinner....8:30pm to 10pm....please tell me what plans you all have made so far....

Oops...sorry...I forgot to tell you....we did our reservations through Apple then gave Iberostar our confirmation # from Apple and set a wedding date. You can contact Idalia, the wedding and event sales executive at the grand, to get more information on the wedding details and book a date. Her email is [email protected]

Apple Vacations website is http://www.applevacations.com

We didn't look at Secrets. The reason we picked Iberostar Grand Paraiso was because this was a way we could please the most guests. My family is big and they wanted to bring kids and his family is all adults and like to play golf. We like that there are five Iberostar hotels next to each other in different price ranges with The Grand being the most upscale and adults only and the Maya and Lindo sharing large pools, a wave pool and lazy river and being family friendly. There is also a Pete Dye golf course adjacent to and affiliated with the hotel. The Grand has access to the other 4 hotels. Our travel agent is booking our guests through Apple vacations and got a lowest price guaranty which means if the price drops after we book, we will get the lower rate. Apple will also price match if you find better rates on funjet, cheapcarribean or other websites. I thought Iberostar Grand was a beautiful hotel. It reminds me of a Las Vegas hotel. And we liked the fact that we could get married on the beach and if we had a private reception, we could include kids. Good luck and let me know what you decide.

It's official...we booked a wedding date of August 2, 2012. We got the free wedding promo at the Grand. Save the date cards go out next week and I have a wedding website set up with our travel agent's info and other stuff. What's going on with you Jaclyn?

Iberostar is currently doing a promotion that includes a Free Wedding package for their Grand hotels. http://www.iberostar.com/minisitescaribe/0311_wedding/bride/english.html