gilmana

I brought outside decorations... since my husband is Mexican, we brought shot glasses, papel picado, baskets of traditional candies, etc... The shot glasses ended up being the name place cards for the tables. As for the decorations at the resort, she put candles on the tables and loose pedals that matched our color scheme. She also tied each chair with colors of our wedding... hmm... with or without decorations I think it would have looked great either way. Between the 2 of us we had 4 pieces of luggage (we came from DC)... There is nothing I wish I had brought or did not bring. They do a fabulous job of decorating with what they have. We brought masking tape and scotch tape and a scissors - which was SO handy - not so much for decorating, but for other things that come up.

The only reason I ordered flowers from somewhere else was because of the cost. The flowers from the resort are BEAUTIFUL and you get exactly what you asked for and more. And we noticed there were flowers in other places that we didn't even ask for (and were not charged for).

I just got back (on the 20th) and had Jacqueline as well. I cried when I left her - she's PERFECT!

We did a welcome cocktail hour one night (setup on our own) and then did a groom's dinner for about 45 at a buffet the next night. Your WC can book the dinners for you but you usually have to take the time slot when the restaurant first opens. I don't know if the French place holds that many people at once.

Hi past and future brides! My husband (sounds so weird) and I got back Sunday night from our wedding/mini-honeymoon. I will eventually do a full review but wanted to be available if anyone has any questions. Just send me a message. Our wedding was very different from a lot of weddings that are mentioned on this website, simply because my now-husband is Mexican and we incorporated a lot of traditions from both the US and Mexico. Our WC was Jacqueline Ochoa - she was FABULOUS! I cried when I had to leave her. Our DJ was Discomovil - they did whatever we asked and were fantastic - spoke both English and Spanish to accommodate ALL of our guests. Our Photographer was Take It Foto (Lupe and Augustin) - two fantastic people! And we cannot wait to see our pictures! Our Videographer was Ricardo from Cinematik (not to be confused with Cinematic) - [email protected] - we should have a sneak peak in less than 3 weeks! Our florist was Eduardo from Florería Jardín - flowers were better than expected and we got extras (at no expense)... although 1 day before our wedding we went to Playa del Carmen and found a guy selling the same flowers for cheaper and more beautiful... so we ordered a bunch from him too - Floreria Iris (there are several in Playa del carmen - but we suggest the one near the corner of 30 and 64) We were at the Barcelo from January 10-16, wedding on the 14 and went to The Royal Playa Del Carmen from January 16-20. The Royal Playa del Carmen was one of our top 3 choices and I'm SO GLAD we chose the Barcelo over the Royal. My biggest regret was not being more upfront with the priest- he totally hijacked our wedding, he started 15 minutes late and ended 45 minutes late... we lost 1 (of 2) hour of picture taking with makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it. We were running to the beach to get pictures before the sun went down. He was talking about all kinds of inappropriate things. Also we did the catholic wedding for my husband's family (who are mexican) and he did the majority (like 95%) in English.

I just got back... I would definitely use only an iPod. Our WC told us that the phone would work if it was in airplane mode but she suggested an ipod if we had one. So that's what we did. As a previous bride said, make sure you change the settings so the songs fade in and out of each other.

We leave tomorrow for our wedding on Monday, the 14th! I'll let you know how it goes!

Thank you for the info on the ipods... I thought I read somewhere on here that iPhones do not work. We'll just do the ipod - it will be easier. And great tips on fading the music! Thank you.

Thank you!!! That makes me feel better. I did a site visit a year ago, and now that you said that about the rocks - I remember the Palace being rockier than the others. I LOVE sea turtles! I can't wait to do this.

We have about the same number of guests and we are doing the strawberry passion. Have you considered the Strawberry Passion? I don't know what the tangerine sunset is.

I would suggest you get the room for the Photographer at the Tropical (closest to the Palace). If you can get the Tropical at $140/night - that's a good deal. The Beach is the farthest from the Palace.

To all of the brides who have already had their wedding - we are using an ipod/iphone for our music during our cocktail hour. Do you know if an iPhone is compatible with their sound system? I thought I read somewhere that it is NOT. Also, is the beach sectioned off - meaning can those from the tropical hang out on the beach in front of the Palace? I was thinking of having everyone hang out on the beach between the Tropical and the Palace but I don't want anyone to hassle the non-Palace guests.

@amberduke We have about the same number of guests and we are doing the strawberry passion. Have you considered the Strawberry PAssion? I don't know what the tangerine sunset is.

Our wedding is 2 weeks from today! So far, everyone we've been working with has been great - we've chosen a photographer, videographer and florist, not discussed much on this website. My fiance is Mexican and able to search for more options and negotiate prices down. Also, I just got the pricelist for the Barcelo spa - seems prices are even more than any I've seen on here. Let me know if you want to see the latest and greatest Spa price list. As we have gotten closer to our date, we've heard from our WC more and more - so brides that are much further out - don't worry too much!

Hey all! Just wanted to give a heads up to those of you who have Gabriela as your planner: We just received a message stating that she was leaving the resort and Jacqueline would be taking her place. We weren't getting any responses from Gabriela but now we know why.

I love this dress! And you look great in it! It was in my top picks but I went with 2100... it just fit me better.

January 14, 2013 - Barcelo Maya Palace!

For those of you who are not able to see the map - you can go here: http://www.unofficial-barcelo-maya.com/userfiles/file/map.pdf If that still doesn't work go here and click the link for the map: http://www.unofficial-barcelo-maya.com/site/node/35

I'm very excited! We finally decided on the Barcelo Maya Palace last weekend and got our confirmation today! We've been engaged since September 2011 and did a site visit (among many) in January... and now we're finally getting somewhere! January 14, 2013!! I've read so much already, so thank you for those who have contributed! It helped make my decision.

This is a good site: http://www.unofficial-barcelo-maya.com/site/ The photographer is Smile Market - a kodak company. Here is their site http://www.mybarceloexperience.com/

I completely agree! I already feel bad that they are spending so much money on coming so the least we can do is make them feel appreciated! Did you use an outside photographer? If so, who did you use? and were you pleased?