dmccamey

We did the American Way and had Chicken or Steak as an option for guests to choose from.

LOL, yes I"m hoping I"ll get over the cake soon , thank you so much!! It was a chore toting the dress though, because it was so fluffy, but I wouldn't change a thing about it!

My fiance and I went on a journey to find a place to get married that was all-inclusive and a 5 star resort. So after an extensive search we came across the Beloved Hotel. I literally stalked tripadvisor, facebook, set google alerts and frequented Bestdestinationweddings.com website for any feedback regarding TBH. Throughout this past year the reviews were all amazing. We never got a chance to do a site visit, which had me extremely nervous to trust a group of strangers to create the wedding of my dreams. I first began contact with one wedding coordinator and mid-year they transitioned to a new one-Alejandro Rangel. My experiences with Alejandro had been via email. He was very prompt in returning emails especially as the big day approached and was open to any requests or address any concerns I had. He was very good at reassuring us that our wedding would be perfect and we should not have any worries. TBH, is not the stereotypical all-inclusive wedding factories. They have a smaller wedding package and a large a la carte options which costs can quickly add up. However, despite taking full advantage of most of the a la carte items our wedding came in well below our set budget which we were pleased with. We started off with a welcome Bonfire on that Friday night with music, marshmallows, cocktails and appetizers, which was a big hit for the guests because it allowed them to mingle and meet. At the bonfire we had a raffle and gave out small gifts (luggage tags, t-shirts, pens and notepads from Vista print and maracas from oriental trading) It also gave us an opportunity to greet everyone as well. Saturday which was absolutely phenomenal. The weather was great, the team of photographers were snapping away and we had a great time. Reception we used the house DJ-DJ Mannia, they were ok, they didn't play much music from my playlist and at times songs I'd never heard of, nevertheless, everyone was dancing and having a good time. We upgraded to the larger cake so guest could have wedding cake, however, after we cut it, the staff failed to cut and distribute it and somehow the cake disappeared and guests never got a piece. (we tried to get it taken off the bill, but they said since we cut in to it, it was ours.) This was a huge disappointment and we have no idea how it got confused that no cake was cut and distributed. Literally that is my only complaint. The atmosphere of TBH, is very chic, relaxing. There were children there because this is a family friendly resort, but I never found them overbearing or annoying. The beach was well manicured and had a natural look/feel with the various palm trees and bushes. The beach did have a lot of seaweed, but the staff worked hard to clear it daily. We stayed in Consentida 3, which is one of the best 2 story beachfront casitas that has the best view of the beach/ocean. Unfortunately, the plunge pool on the terrance was bitterly cold and my fiance and I could not bring ourselves to dip beyond our legs. The food was absolutely amazing. The only buffet they had was during breakfast and lunch. there were 4 restaurants that you could eat from and all of which had a great variety. 24 hour room service was amazing and we took advantage of that. Another bonus in the room was the bar in your room included 4 bottles of top shelf liquor at your disposal-which put my guest in a state of shock...but quickly faded as they poured themselves multiple glasses. LOL!! The service is outstanding. The staff are happy to address any need you have and gladly serve you. They aren't begging for tips or base their work on you tipping (tips are included in the cost of your stay). We tipped those we felt were extra helpful. The Weather was great, it got a bit windy in the evening, and required a shawl, but nothing more. We did partake in spa services, which were amazing, but very pricey. For guests I did a welcome bag and had the hotel staff deliver them to the guests' rooms. They were  in a natural brown bag that I stamped a palm tree on, had some medications (Dramamine, Tylenol, tums, pepto bismol, Imodium), a newsletter, raffle ticket, wedding magnet, and fan with personalized ribbon. If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me. I posted some pics in my profile album.

It just seemed easier to work with a travel agent for me. I didn't want have to work on coordinating details with the Hotel and the guests etc. With the travel agency they negotiated rate that was much more reasonable than booking directly with the hotel. The only caveat, that I wish i would have asked for in the beginning was having the option of including AIR in the package with the travel agent. But other than that it's been convenient the guests pay online under our name with the TA. The TA also is looking up air fares for guest and coordinating any other small details like emailing guests to make sure the reserve/pay/book etc. and also arranging airport/hotel round trip transfers. 

Hey Susieqt,

What did you do for your ceremony decor? Did you do one of the fancy gazebos? Aisle runner?

Originally Posted by susieqt 

Our wedding started in Las Vegas on Friday, then we flew to Cancun on Monday, went to Akumal then North to La Amada on Wed. I did make sure my guests always had assorted sunscreen, bug spray, magazines, games (dominos are great for beach fun cause they don't blow away), snorlels, shot glasses and tequilla. We went all out on accomodations and excursions for everyone rather than doing some of the traditional wedding things. But I do love the idea of gift bags. Sunscreen is a great gift bag idea, but I found that there were so many different skin types that not everyone uses the same strength. Also, The Beloved is fully stocked for your guests with a mini bar containing sodas, waters, beers, shots, candy bars, and other snacks. I racked my brain to think of things to put in a bag, but couldn't think of a thing anyone would need. There were these really cute towels that fold into bags that would have wedding date and names, but it was over $180 to ship. The hotel will make your guests feel special upon arrival with glasses of proseco and cold towels, and they will han out your itineraries. There are drinks and food everywhere at any hour. There are great blogs on this site about bags and ideas, I just didn't use them. Of course we had gifts for our wedding party that we handed out at the rehersal dinner. Jewelry, flip flops, and some cheap matching sunglasses for pictures sake. I work with weddings and have seen a ton of different little gift ideas handed out at the reception, but I'm not sure any would work well at the beach, but I know there are zillions of websites that have beach gift ideas.

Good Luck!! You will have the time of your life, but it will fly by quick, so remeber to keep things simple for yourselves. This hotel and beach are so amazing you don't need much more to impress, so enjoy your family and friends!!

Hello everyone! Beloved Brides I hope planning is going well...It does look like they have a different photographer for their vendor:

http://www.lancelottiphotography.com/

Just FYI, anyone else have any updates, advice etc? Alejandro is great, he's been super responsive to my emails. We are writing our own wedding ceremony, because the one they sent us is good but we wanted more of a Christian feel to it. The one they provided for us was general but meaningful. We are using the Minister they have and will also make it a legal ceremony as well.

Good luck everyone!

OMG, good info!! I've been stressing about the OOT bags and traveling with these items etc, but if they have a Walmart there, I can definitely get a good package going without worrying about travel expenses in lugging the premade bags with us...BTW, did you do OOT bags? If so what did you put in them? Thanks for sharing such great insight! We will definitely have to rent a car!

Thanks for the reassuring insight on planning. My wedding isn't until November, and I feel like I need to send the WC a listing of all the things that I want...So no I'm just going to chill out and wait until we get there. The only thing that worries me is making sure the Minister, the DJ and the Photographer are available on my wedding date.  Did you have any problems securing any of those 3 days prior to your wedding? I'm so anxious and excited! Thanks for sharing your experience. If you have any photos of your wedding you'd like to share, I'd love to see them!

That's awesome! Congratulations!

I readily stalk the net for anything Beloved/La Amada related:

http://lalunaphotographers.com/blog/gallery/melissa/weddings/elizabeth-paulos/

http://lalunaphotographers.com/blog/gallery/laluna/weddings/carla-harris/

http://www.danielaguilarblog.com/kristine-tim-the-playa-mujeres-wedding-at-la-amada/

This is the video that SOLD me:

The Beloved Hotel has a FB page that a lot of vistors post pics and reviews. I checked it today and they have a wedding video posted. Here's the link if anyone's interested in viewing. And they also posted pics:

Video:

http://vimeo.com/42904623

Pics:

http://bit.ly/Kiw7pZ

Originally Posted by FabiLara 

 

June 2012

Kristen & Greg (kristen6212)-June 2, 2012-Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Julie & Steve (julietisurs) - June 2, 2012 - Gran Porto Real, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Shannon & Kostya (ssapper) - June 9, 2012 - Dreams Riviera Cancun

Kristin & Dan (krs398) - June 26, 2012 - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

August 2012

Cathy and Charles - August 2012

Adrienne & Adam - August 11, 2012 - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Sheryllyn & A - August 11, 2012 - Punta Cana, DR Majestic Colonial

Kristina & Blair - August 31, 2012 - Secrets Maroma Beach, Riviera Maya

September 2012

Casey & Eric (KCDawn) - September 29, 2012 - Secrets Maroma Beach, Riviera Maya Mexico

 

October 2012
Chelsea & Eric (DWBride615) - October 13, 2012 - Rome, Italy (Odescalchi Castle)

Lara & Jay (larazach) - October 3, 2012 - Azul Sensatori, Riviera Maya

Jeanne & Orren (Oct2012Bride) October 15, 2012 Punta Cana, Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe , Dominican Republic

 

November 2012

Meghan & David (mmb1117) - November 17, 2012 Negril, Jamaica

Danielle & Steven (dmccamey)- November 3, 2012-The Beloved Hotel, Playa Mujeres, Mexico

 

December 2012

Caitlin & Andrew (Speckles121) - December 1, 2012 - Moon Palace, Cancun Mexico

 

February 2013

Tamara & Chris (tkuzma)- February 7, 2013 - Azul Sensatori, Riviera Maya

Miranda & Colin (mlite83) - February 9, 2013 - Now Jade, Riviera Cancun

 

Fabi & Brian (FabiLara)- February 12, 2013 - Le Kliff, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Kiel & Kayla (kkeeve01)- February 26, 2013 - Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, Playa del carmen

 

 

APRIL 2013

Erica & Brian (airica26)- April 10, 2013, Moon Palace, Cancun, Mexico

Faith & Michael (LTLFAITHY) - April 27, 2013 Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun

 

MAY 2013

Tova & Justin (ChocoTaco7568) - May 18, 2013. Now Jade Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa

 

JUNE 2013

Kirstin & Ian (claruickie)  Thursday 20 June 2013 ~ Gran Bahia Principe Akumal, Mayan Riveria

Kisha & Ben (kisha311) - June 22, 2013 Beaches Turks & Caicos

You could do traditional reception events like:

Intro of wedding party

1st Dance

Father/daughter dance

Mother/son dance

Garter Toss

Bouquet Toss

Money Dance

Your pics are amazing! I just got mine done a couple of weeks ago. We had such a great time. We used a new photographer: Bren David Photography

Hey Christine,

Did you get my email?

Hey Christine,

Did you get my email?

Well I'm glad you got some answers. I was just going to use the house photographer which I am still assuming its VIPphotography? If so I can email you their packages and rates. I'm also just going to use their DJ, DJ Mannia which I have prices on as well. I pretty much have all the prices, bouquet, cake, reception menu, decor book etc. feel free to private message me ur email and maybe we can swap info that we've gotten. it is slightly frustrating that their website isn't helpful and staff takes a while to respond to emails and I also understand that our wedding is a ways away. Danielle

good info thanks for posting. I would definitely like to see some pictures please.

How did the webinar go? Was it informative? I have some answers to those questions from the info I got from Daniela, if you didn't get the questions answered already. by the way my name is Danielle. I will be getting married at the Beloved this November!

Hello Ladies, 

I"m happy to see that there are some Brides out there talking about the Beloved Hotel. My wedding isn't until Nov. 3rd, but I was wondering what the deal was when I got an email response from Alejandro and not Daniela. I'm glad you all confirmed that he is the new WC. I have a ton of information on packages and prices that I got from Daniela. I was wondering what type of ceremony you all were doing?  We are doing civil but want to have the symbolic touch to it, so I was looking into officiants/ministers online. I haven't asked the WC if they have one on staff already, but do any of you know?

Danielle

Rmarino,

How did the wedding go? Do you have any tips and pics? I'm curious to know how it all went from ceremony-food-dancing-rooms etc...
 

Originally Posted by Rmarino222 

i have tons of info for you.  if you want me to send you some, just send me a PM with your email address and i'll send some info along!
 

 

I'm planning on a wedding at the Beloved Hotel formerly known as La Amada Nov 2012. I'm curious to know how everyone's experience is going. The coordinator has been responsive on average 2-4 days. But I"m still early in planning. Everything is slowly adding up. Is anyone using another DJ outside of the preferred DJ?