GenieBelle

Hi DWBride2014 Thank you for your comments! So so sweet The green space is as your exit the resort by the main lobby go left behind it down the frontage road and keep walking until it ends along the back side of the resort and past another set of small condo rental and you will hit some Ruins!! Its a part and small site of Mayan ruins right there, its pefect and its really close, you can also get to the park if you walk down the beach opposite way from the peir, past PP and past two more small resorts you will see a clearing of green and trees and you can get through to it that way. There is also a lot of trees and tropical folliage around the resort to get photos of different scenarios. Cecilia will find all the spots. She took 1000 pics or so!! You are going to have such a great time its an awesome area, really safe and fun and so much to do. Let me know if you have any questions I can try and help I would go out and about one morning after breakfast and walk around and get an idea of photo op areas because 2 hour or less photo session between ceremony and reception goes fast!! Maybe have a kind of mental game plan. I dont know if you already booked PP but its so amazing.

Its sort of true You will prepick a few months ahead with the planner but if lets say you booked the beach for the reception and you dont have enough guests for them to justifying setting everything up out there, it costs more. You have to pay to have set up on the beach for under 30 people I believe, its a lot of work for them to do that and it requires special tables and whatnot. This would the only location i see them being iffy about.

I just got back from my wedding at PP There is construction but its very very minimal and they keep it very disgreet, Playacar Palace is so very professional, clean, organized and accomodating that you wont find any problems here. If you could see the resort from an aerial view, if facing the ocean, look to the right of the pool they are putting in swim up mini pools that connect to the larger pool for those suites, this is what I was told by the front desk, it doesnt impede on the pool usage and you dont even notice it! (some people on other threads for PP were thinking the pool was like tore up or something, not the case!! The resort is amazing, anyways this thread looks like a ghost town now but if any gals need info or are freaking out and need reassurance of their choice with PP, you can email me! [email protected] lots of pics on Cecilia Dumas Photography website under "Full Weddings"- Click Genie & Max. we did North beach and North solarium because its more private and right near eachother. what they call the south solarium is really the concrete right at the pool, so if you wanna have your reception among the pool and restaurant goers, well.. that would be there. Also saw some colin cowie collections done while there (i didnt chose it)..it was cute but for the money, IMHO..not worth it really but if you have the extra few grand laying around and whatnot i guess it would be cool. I will do a seperate review on here for Cecilia, once we are done with our AHR, I am still in sort of busy mode. She is simply amazing!!!!!! Highly recommend her!!!a

http://www.webcamsdemexico.com/webcam-playa-del-carmen.html the webcam doesnt show to terrible much construction at the pool and my reception is in the north solarium area so thankfully the solarium wont be too much of an issue. I will let you girls know who are just starting to plan-what the site looks like now, when I get back in a few weeks. They do construction at these type of places very very discretely. such as not to disturb the ambiance or the amenities. I was at a Beaches when they were building a water slide into the pool and it was barely noticeable. Anyone looking for a photographer should check out Cecilia Dumas.com

Hi DW Bride 2014 Thank you we are so excited!! I picked Playacar Palace because of the location (close to lots of things but out of the hussle bussle of Cancun (party alley)), its size, its practically 5 star ambiance (people are coming from afar and I want them to get the best experience they can for their $)..Also the reviews are spectacular. I picked Cecilia because she is so super nice and accomodating and has a great portfolio that her photos are like a sequence of a love story and not just "ok, now you pose with your arm this way and his arm this way and look to the left, then to the right"...it natural and beautiful and she didnt nickle and dime me "per hour" it was all about getting the day captured. Be aware of the day pass for a photog if you bring them in its $91 for them plus $91 for any additional assistant..not too bad. Colin Cowie was such a toss up for me because while its awesome and includes a lot, its not sooo much more stuff than the complimentary but its $3500 for some runners and chair covers and beads, I ordered paper lanterns in various sizes in my colors online for $1 each (to hang from chuppah), and runners, chair sashes from Tableclothfactory.com..made my own bunting for the table under the chuppah that is included with the complimentary, grabbing flowers from the flower mart down the street and vases from Walmart (also down the street- I love how simple and clean a huge bunch of calla lillies looks with a ribbon tight around it), I am keeping it colorful and simple. People won't remember a brown chair vs a white chair, but they will remember dancing the night away so we got the DJ. Our budget is $5000 (not counting the airfair/hotel and my dress) I think we will be there!! I am ordering the wish lanterns this week. I will let you know how they work out at the resort. I didnt ask permission because its over the ocean, so it wouldnt be a "fire hazard" Happy Planning gals!!!

I am getting married in 3 weeks at Playacar Palace. I will let you know when I get back, when things will be done, as far as construction..(or get as much info about this as I can!) Anyone need specific info or pics let me know, I can scope out..! The only struggle I still have (cutting it down to the wire) is, Should I get a DJ? I have one lined up and have to pay the deposit in the next few days, he is the prefered vendor for PP JSAV...Very costly for what he offers, this is my dilema...I am bringing in a few buckets of callalillies to wrap myself from a local florist stop for my bridesmaids and bouts and put a bunch in vases from the local store. Saves me a few hundred, So I may use that savings to just go ahead and do the DJ. I have found that its really not "cheaper" to do a destination wedding than doing a semi-DIY back home...so if anyone things its less money or hassle, its not seeming that way to me, at least. I am using Cecilia Dumas for my photographer, her website speaks for itself. Can't wait!! -Genie

Here is a live webcam of the resort, you can see the beach wedding being set up in the corner. Wish they would move the camera over!! http://www.webcamsdemexico.com/webcam-playa-del-carmen.html

Hey Sabrina-No way!! 93 days away (I have a counter on my desktop ) Its the Week of day of the dead, should be an interesting time in Playa. Did you pick a Colin Cowie collection or doing the Palace setup? So torn.., I was told we can use the resort credit towards Pearl Shimmer, which I may do. Our wedding is at 2pm (beach), feel free to come see haha!

Thanks Shannon! I am going to ask my TA if I should prepare to hold rooms with a deposit if need be to keep the block going. It says on the bottom of the Playacar wedding booking site for our wedding that rooms are held until August 30th but no one seems to be able to tell me how many (doesn't say in contract) and Palace hasnt fixed the website that has been down for 4 days...Im getting discouraged, if it wasnt for the rave reviews on here for Playacar Palace I would be more nervous. I have been so relaxed about everything and then the 4 months mark hit and I am losing my mind. I knew it would hit me at some point.. Sooo thankful for BDW and all you ladies, advice and reassurance does wonders!!

I just emailed to ask our TA...she said she assumes that the coordinator with Palace placed blocks for us since we paid in full for 9 nights the day we went in, but we didnt pay for any room blocks seperately. I hate the word assume, doesnt make me feel confident! But shes with a huge national Travel Agency that better make good LOL!! I havent had any case of the bridezillas yet but if the rooms are booked and no where for my guests to stay, I may lose it. She did say when we booked last Nov. that there would be 9 nights at the group rate for 40 guests saved as thats how many I anticipated would RSVP out of 60?? I hope!!! So nervous right now. They are kind of slow at getting back. Palace sent us the on site coordinator her name is Dulce. She sounds awesome from the emails so far. Your wedding is only 10 days after mine, we are there until the 8th we leave early AM. So maybe our paths will cross congrats!!! -Genie

Hey TeamChubs.. I am getting Married at Playacar Palace Nov 2nd!! Just tried to log in to the website Palace gave me to have guests book and all rooms are booked my weekend...AH!! have you had this issue? Do they block off rooms for you? I have emailed our travel agent...freaking out..she said she "assumes" rooms are blocked for us...wondering if you have had issues with availability? Thanks oh also to answer your questions, i just got my coordinator the other day. So you may be right around the corner they said around 90 days ahead of time you get one and she emailed me almost exactly 4 months ahead, now I just hope rooms arent booked up Genie

My 2 cents would be...and we havent had the wedding yet but shes been great is Cecelia Dumas. Shes got great prices and great portfolio. Seriously great! www.ceceliadumas.com

If you accumulate 75 room nights then you get "unlimited private events" which means..you can get the ballroom and private dinner for your guests and also you get credited back for your room costs up to 7 nights free!!! It helps a lot with the costs and you can add more things to your package with that extra money. Or at least thats what I plan to do. 75 room nights example: Jen and Allan are staying 5 nights for your wedding- 5nights x 2 people= 10 room nights Miles and Tracy & their 2 daughters are staying 3 nigths 3nights x 4 people- 12 room nights Already thats 22 room nights, so it will add up and you should be okay! Also the website for Palace resorts now says that you can use your resort credits to pay for certain packages suck as Pearl Shimmer.. AWESOME right??? The only snag I am getting is that they wont count peoples "room nights" if they dont book through the website the resort gives you for people to purchase their rooms. If you have a travel agent make sure they go to bat for you on this, Regardless of how guests booked, people are spending mucho dinero at that resort because of YOU, ..so YOU should get points!! Right?

You go to the Playacar Palace Website and Click Wedding and "reserve wedding" Fill out the form and 24-48 hrs later you will get a confirmation email (keep it forever!!) You agent will also be in contact with them to secure it and get your group rates. Heres the site http://weddingres.palaceresorts.com/reservewedding Good luck! -Genie

I am getting married on Nov 2nd and wanted to know if anyone else was getting married anytime around this date? Thank you!! <3 Genie