lbaker

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mporras 
 

Getting married at the OCT March 3, 2014! We can't wait. Any current or past OCT brides...any tips or do's and don't?? Did anyone do a sand ceremony, and if so, how did that turn out?

Hi Mporras,

We did a sand ceremony, and it worked nicely for the most part. I purchased my own glass pouring vases and glass container and brought them with me. One of the pouring vases broke in my luggage, but luckily OCT had some I could borrow. Here are 2 photos for reference. The container we poured into I bought at Michael's, then had it engraved with our monogram and wedding date at Things Remembered. We brought our own colored and white sand from Michael's (though you could definitely pick up the white sand from the beach at the hotel, it would work just as well). The engraving is hard to see on the photo, but you get the idea:

Originally Posted by Nancy McKay 

 

Hi Ladies

 

Only 5 days until we leave and 9 days until our wedding.

 

I think I have everything organized.

 

If anyone has pics from their Wedding or Reception on the Terrace I would love to see them!

 

Nancy

Hi Nancy,

We had our reception on the lobby terrace, and here are a few pics. Our ceremony was on the rooftop terrace.

Hi ladies,

I see that a lot of you are looking for photos from OCT. My husband and I were married there this past January, and we have a video that you might like, plus about 500-600 photos, so let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to see! Here is a link to the video:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9i8ls88noqgr2h9/L%26A-Wedding-SM.mov

Laura

Originally Posted by Ashleen7 

 

That price seems to be a bit steep for our 60 guests - especially when we're at an all inclusive.  Has anyone done anything different?  Booked a group reservation at a restaurant?  We'd love to find an alternative option! Thanks

Hi Ashleen7,

We had our wedding ceremony at 4pm and right afterwards OCT provides a champagne toast. We did a few group photos around 4:30, then we asked everyone to meet at the lobby bar at 6pm for "cheers and mingle" until we were seated for dinner at 6:30. We looked at doing a cocktail hour, but didn't want to pay that much. Our guests didn't miss a traditional "cocktail" hour at all. Also, OCT provided a signature drink at the reception as we went to sit down, which was a nice touch. I was completely happy with it this way, and we saved a lot of extra expense.

Originally Posted by Nancy McKay 

 

Good luck Guilaine87

 

I'm also from Hamilton getting married on Aug 8/13

 

I will be interested to hear how the wedding went and what options you went with

 

Congratulations

 

Nancy McKay

I got married there January 29, 2013. My full review is here, if this helps:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/ocean-coral-turquesa-all-inclusive/reviews/6998

- Laura

Originally Posted by Nancy McKay 

 

Good luck Guilaine87

 

I'm also from Hamilton getting married on Aug 8/13

 

I will be interested to hear how the wedding went and what options you went with

 

Congratulations

 

Nancy McKay

I got married there January 29, 2013. My full review is here, if this helps:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/ocean-coral-turquesa-all-inclusive/reviews/6998

- Laura

Originally Posted by guilaine87 

 

hey Ladies,

 

We leave in 16 days for Mexico and we are sooooo excited. I feel like I still have so much to do, but I am confident that when I have my appointment when I arrive everything will be sorted out. I really want to do maracas as guest favors, and I feel it only makes sense to buy them in Mexico. I know that I can probably get these in Playa del carmen, but I was wondering if anyone has been to Puerto morelos and knows if that is something we would be able to find there. OR did anyone else do maracas and can tell me where to get them? I am also unsure of center pieces at this point. I asked what the resort had to offer and what they sent was floral arrangements and they were quite pricy for the size and i didn't love them. I didn't want to have to bring anything with me as I already have quite a bit to bring. Did anyone get anything down there? If so what did you do?

 

Thanks so much!

I did mini-maracas as favors, but we brought them with us. I ordered plain wood ones from Etsy, then painted them myself and added the message tags. We took a day trip to Playa, and I'm sure you can find some there. I don't know about Puerto Morelos. From what I could tell driving through on shuttles, it's not much of a tourist town. I wouldn't recommend looking there. Here is how the maracas turned out:

I also did nothing for centerpieces, because frankly we didn't want to pay for them. We set up the tables in a square instead of rounds, and with all the glassware and dishes, we didn't miss centerpieces. OCT did bring set up my bouquet, added candles and sprinkled gems without charging us, which was very nice. This is how it looked:

Happy to answer any other questions you have!

Laura

Originally Posted by guilaine87 

 

hey Ladies,

 

We leave in 16 days for Mexico and we are sooooo excited. I feel like I still have so much to do, but I am confident that when I have my appointment when I arrive everything will be sorted out. I really want to do maracas as guest favors, and I feel it only makes sense to buy them in Mexico. I know that I can probably get these in Playa del carmen, but I was wondering if anyone has been to Puerto morelos and knows if that is something we would be able to find there. OR did anyone else do maracas and can tell me where to get them? I am also unsure of center pieces at this point. I asked what the resort had to offer and what they sent was floral arrangements and they were quite pricy for the size and i didn't love them. I didn't want to have to bring anything with me as I already have quite a bit to bring. Did anyone get anything down there? If so what did you do?

 

Thanks so much!

I did mini-maracas as favors, but we brought them with us. I ordered plain wood ones from Etsy, then painted them myself and added the message tags. We took a day trip to Playa, and I'm sure you can find some there. I don't know about Puerto Morelos. From what I could tell driving through on shuttles, it's not much of a tourist town. I wouldn't recommend looking there. Here is how the maracas turned out:

I also did nothing for centerpieces, because frankly we didn't want to pay for them. We set up the tables in a square instead of rounds, and with all the glassware and dishes, we didn't miss centerpieces. OCT did bring set up my bouquet, added candles and sprinkled gems without charging us, which was very nice. This is how it looked:

Happy to answer any other questions you have!

Laura

Originally Posted by shan0487 

 

Hello ladies!!

 

My name is Shanna and I am currently planning my 1 year anniversary trip!   My husband and I were married at Sun Palace in Cancun on Nov 23, 2012!  I have seen this resort on here multiple times and I am considering it for our anniversary trip! 

 

Can you ladies help me out with questions about the resort itself?

 

Is the "privilage" really worth it?

 

Is there a section of the resort you should/ shouldn't stay at?  I know we want an ocean view room!

 

How is the food?  Any restaurants that you HAVE to go to or should stay away from?

 

How are the bars?  Good alcohol and beer?

 

Is there nightlife at all?

 

How is the beach/ ocean?  Is the seaweed a major problem?

 

Has anyone gone off the resort to do a tour or park at all?  How far away is Xel-ha or Xcaret from this resort?

 

Thanks ladies and I hope everyone's wedding planning is going well!

Hi there,

We stayed privilege, and most of our guests stayed in regular rooms. We loved privilege! They treat you to priority check-in, butler service the whole time you're there, free t-shirts, wine and fruit when we arrived, robes, beach towels (we never had to use the towel service at the pools), private Privilege lounge with beachfront bar/restaurant, priority reservations at ala carte restaurants, private La Petit Creperie restaurant, better rooms, pillow menu, extended room service menu, etc. It really felt like we were on top of the world.

The Japanese restaurant is very good. I haven't been to any other all-inclusives, so I can't really compare.

If you stay privilege, you get better liquor, which is definitely a bonus. The pool bar is where most of the action is during the day and at night. They often had live bands, a DJ or other entertainment going on.

I didn't find seaweed to be a major problem at all. The staff goes through twice a day to clean it up.

We did several excursions. Deep-sea fishing, a shopping trip to Playa del Carmen, a day-long catamaran boat tour out of Cancun (soo much fun!), snorkeling from the hotel, and a zipline/ATV/cenote half day excursion. 

I'm not sure if the floor is tile or concrete, but it is slick! Be careful.

My wedding review is posted on the reviews page of this site at:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/ocean-coral-turquesa-all-inclusive/reviews/6998

I also have a ton more photos if you're interested in anything specific.
 

I am lucky enough to work for an advertising agency, so one of our designers created the door hangers and menus for me. I just printed them at home on card stock paper, adhered to colored card stock (the door hangers) and cut them to size about a day or two before we left.

The maracas were more work. I found someone on Etsy who makes them out of plain, untreated wood, so I ordered enough for guest favors. I bought acrylic paints and a gloss and hand-painted each one. I added a tag, and they were complete. They were small enough that it wasn't too much to handle, but it did take awhile for the whole process. Originally I was going to buy them from someone who hand-paints them in Mexico, but this was a more economical option. Plus they were small enough that I could easily tuck them into one of our bags for travel.

Sorry, my other photos didn't show up. Here is a maraca... And our program... And door hanger...

We were married at OCT in January and brought our own menu cards and programs. We did not do place cards as we didn't assign seating in the large square setup we had (rather than rounds). We also made mini maracas for guests to shake to make us kiss. And we brought and assembled welcome bags with door hangers and itineraries. We finalized our menu with Ana about a week before we left for Mexico. Here are a few photos for your reference... [/img][/img][/img][/img]

Wedding Review

Hello brides! I got married at OCT on January 19, 2013 and it was wonderful. Here is my review of all things OCT, but please feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions. Having access to this thread while I was planning was so, so helpful. I hope my review can help others! I will post pictures throughout so you can imagine our experience.

Resort = A

It was wonderful! My husband and I have never been to Mexico before this, or stayed all-inclusive, so we don't have anything to compare this to. But we both agree we would definitely come back here. The size is great--not too big, not too small. the staff is absolutely amazing. They're constantly cleaning and tweaking the grounds and facility, and this modern-looking resort was very attractive. It was clean, organized, and beautiful. Also, a few dollars can make a big difference in the service and attention you get.

Rooms = A-

We stayed in a Junior Privilege Suite, so we had Privilege status all week. That meant priority check-in, where they explained about the hotel and a butler escorted us to our rooms. They had a bottle of wine with fresh fruit waiting for us, along with our own beach towels, robes, sandals, and free OCT t-shirts. Our room had an outdoor shower and jacuzzi tub. We had butler service, so we had him fill the tub for us one night. I only rate this an A- because the jacuzzi took forever to fill. I'm talking at least a half hour because the water was so slow. It also wasn't very hot, so we didn't stay in it very long. My two nieces enjoyed a nice bubble bath, though! Room service was good, and only took about 30 min to arrive.

Check out this view from our balcony!

They tell you to keep the A/C on at all times, but note that it will automatically turn off if your hotel room door is open, or if your balcony door is open. We were on the 3rd floor and didn't feel like it was too humid. The whole region is super humid, so I suppose we got used to it. The bed was comfortable. The first night we didn't like the pillows, so we ordered different ones from the pillow menu (they really have that!) for the next day. We also had turn-down service, where they left chocolates and towel animals on our bed each night. The mini-fridge was convenient, and it was restocked every day (not by the maid, but the butler, so be sure to tip them separately).

Makeup and Flowers = B

One of my guests did my hair, but Vicky at the OCT spa did my makeup. I really like how it turned out. Dramatic, but still pretty. I give this a B because the flowers didn't turn out exactly like I had hoped. I had asked for an orange, purple and yellow bouquet. The day of the ceremony, the flowers were late, and were more red than orange. Ana asked if that was a problem, but I really didn't mind. They still looked nice, and it wasn't anything to get worked up about. The boutiounnere (sp?) was nice, but larger than we expected.

Ceremony = A+

Our symbolic wedding ceremony was held at 4pm on the rooftop terrace. We had 28 guests. Originally we planned to use the lobby terrace for the ceremony, because emails with Ana said the rooftop terrace wasn't available. But that changed when we had our meeting with her the day after we arrived. We had our choice of locations, so we moved the ceremony to the rooftop terrace, which was more private than the lobby terrace and beach. I brought tulle chair sashes (OCT provides the white chair covers), wicker fans, programs, and sand ceremony pieces. I just gave it all to Ana in our meeting, and they took care of setting everything up. One of the vases I brought for the sand ceremony broke in transit, but she had backups we could use. She was really, really helpful.

The minister was fantastic! She was very well-spoken, and included a lot of little personal tidbits about us in the ceremony. Lots of our guests said it was the most touching ceremony they've ever been to. We all laughed and cried. OCT was so good about allowing us to customize the ceremony, so it really was ours. We had one processional song (Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole), a sand ceremony song (My Own Two Hands by Jack Johnson and Ben Harper) and a recessional (Wouldn't It Be Nice by The Beach Boys). I chose an opening prayer (read by my sister), a reading (read by another sister), a blessing of the rings (read by the minister) and a sand ceremony script (read by the minister). All of it was incorporated into the ceremony seamlessly by the minister. We got a lot of compliments about her.

They had a sound system set up, and we just used a playlist on our iPod. The sound system included a microphone that the minister used, so everyone could hear very well. Ana had champagne ready for all the guests at the end of the recessional, so we could do a group toast.

Here are some photos of the ceremony.

Dinner and Reception = B+

Our dinner was held at 6:30 on the lobby terrace in the square set-up. When we arrived, the staff had created a signature purple cocktail for everyone, which was a nice surprise. We were able to make final decisions on our menu the day we met with Ana. Course 1 was balsamic salad with feta cheese, then guava and Mezcal sorbet, followed by surf & turf (which was excellent! Several guests said it was the best shrimp they've ever had), and then coffee and petit fours. I dropped the grade on this down to a B+ because our cake was still partially frozen when we did the cake cutting. It made for a good laugh, though.

The staff set up mini maracas that I made myself, with tags that said "Instead of tapping on your glass, here's a method with Mexican class. Grab and shake with all your might, for Aaron to kiss his bride tonight!". As guests shook them, we had to kiss. I also brought dinner menus. Other than that, we didn't bring any other decorations. We felt the setting was beautiful enough. They brought our chair sashes from the ceremony to the dinner table. The hotel did provide candles and little pink crystal table decorations, which we didn't order and was a nice surprise. The servers were great, and offered wine to all guests, too. They set up a private bar for us on the terrace, so we didn't have to go in and out to the lobby bar for drinks.

We didn't spend extra money on a DJ, and instead made our own dinner and dance playlists on an iPod. OCT provided a sound system and a staff person to run it. That worked out just fine for us. The lighting on the lobby terrace is a little harsh, so your photographer may need to adjust for that. After our three hours were up, we did not extend the private reception. Instead we all went down to continue the celebration at the pool bar, where they had a live band playing.

These are just a sampling of photos. I have hundreds more if there's anything specific you'd like to see. Again, I am happy to share any additional information if you have questions--just ask! Good luck to all of you in your planning. I think you'll love that you chose OCT.

Hello brides! We returned home late last night after a week at OCT and our wedding there on Jan 19. I will post a full review when I have more time in a few days, but they did a wonderful job. It is true that they have multiple weddings a day and Ana works long hours (9ish until the latest wedding reception ends). You will meet with her the day after you arrive to finalize everything, and she is really great. We were able to move our ceremony from the lobby terrace to a rooftop terrace with no problem, even after being told we couldn't through email before we left. The service at OCT all around is fantastic. More to come soon, but try to relax and not stress out too much. They really were wonderful.

We chose not to hire a DJ for the reception, and instead we will use the resort's speakers and our own ipod playlist. Our guests total about 26 people, so it seemed a bit much to have a DJ. And we couldn't justify the extra cost.

We are bringing a photographer from home, so I can't speak to that.

I think the resort will put out your items for you. We are planning the same. You might want to have a guest be a back-up in case they don't, but that would surprise me. I leave in 8 days for our wedding at OCT!

Does anybody know if they have any American beers, or even Corona available at the resort? I have heard from friends that at other resorts the beer is pretty terrible.

Does anybody know if there are dress codes for the OCT restaurants?

Also, I would love some input on how you ladies are planning your wedding ceremonies. We are having a symbolic ceremony on the lobby terrace there on January 19 (we're going to the courthouse today for the legal ceremony!), and I need to pull together a program yet. Your help is appreciated.

Are chair covers standard for weddings at OCT? I'm looking at bringing tulle sashes with me, but I'm not sure if there will be white chair covers provided. If you happen to know, please share. Our wedding will be on the lobby terrace. Thank you.

Originally Posted by beachbride5555 

 

Hi ladies!

 

I've been reading this blog for months and I've finally joined! You girls are SOOO helpful with such great advice!

Do any of you know anything about the resort DJ by any chance?

Hello beachbride555 - I am wondering about the same thing. Have you gotten feedback from any other brides yet?

- Laura

Originally Posted by memh72184 

 

lbaker - Sorry, I forgot to mention that we requested a sunset ceremony, so I'm assuming that's around 4:00 p.m.?  What colors are you going with for the wedding?

Right now we're scheduled for 2pm on the beach, because somebody had the 4pm slot already!  I'm actually hoping to switch our ceremony to 4pm on one of the terraces. We are waiting to hear back from the wedding coordinator. If they won't allow 2 weddings at 4pm (in different locations), then we may have to choose a different date.

I haven't chosen a photographer yet, but I've been in contact with several for pricing (Dean Sanderson, Juan Navarro), and exploring a few others. I haven't chosen a reception package just yet, because we don't know how many guests are coming.

Have you sent out invites or save-the-dates yet? How many guests will you have?

I haven't chosen colors either. At this point, we're not having attendants, so I would only need colors if we do chair decor, etc. What are you using?

I wonder if there's anything we can share to help defray costs for each other.

Hey Memh72184 - we are getting married on the same day at OCT! And I'm also going to wear a lace dress...crazy!

Have you chosen a time/place for your ceremony yet? How about a photographer?

I just booked our wedding at Oceans Coral in Riviera Maya this week. We will be getting married mid-January 2013. I liked the size of the resort (it's not TOO huge), and the layout fit my style.