LCB803

Hi! I'm looking for a list of flowers that are available in the Riviera Maya in November. My wedding is next month and I have to get moving on this! Please help. Thank you!

Originally Posted by Ty Roane 

 

We are doing the sand ceremony for sure.  I am trying to figure other ways to include my son.  My main concern is him feeling left out.  I want to include his name on invitations and favors, etc.  I haven't seen wording that included the children, but this is about all of us becoming one family.  His last name won't change, but he is a big part of this as well.  Any advice is needed!

I wanted to include my fiancé's boys' names on the invitation, too, incorporated into a logo that I created for us to use as a stamp on the invitations, StD's, welcome bags, coasters, and everything else. (Samples attached). But HE is actually against it! He wants it just to say "J&L". He says that we make everything else in our lives about them (as parents should!); he wants some part of the wedding to feature just us. So, there's an alternate perspective for you! We haven't made a final determination yet on what we will do. 

 

We are still having the boys as two of his three groomsmen, and the wording on the invitation will be something like "Together with their families..." or something inclusive like that. I haven't gotten that far yet  We also included them in our engagement photo session last weekend, it was really fun!

 

 

 

 

Wedding Graphics.pptx

Originally Posted by BridetobeABCD 

 

Hello Brides! Just wondering how you have made your budget for your destination wedding If you could give me a little peak into your budget such as budget for resort, dress, decorations, DJ, Video, Photo's OOT bags, invitations, ect ect

 

Beginning to plan my wedding and would like some input on bidgetting for the special day

I started with a budget planning tool on TheKnot.com. It was a decent starting point and got me thinking about what I wanted, needed, and couldn't live without. Ultimately, it wasn't flexible or user-friendly enough to suit my purposes, so I ended up creating my own Excel spreadsheets using the one on Knot.com as a baseline to plan the budget. I've since expanded the idea and have an additional spreadsheet for our savings plan and another to track what we've spent so far.  

What month are you getting married? I'm thinking June for mine. Also at the chapel.

I was in Cancun July 1st-5th this past summer and it was HOT. Like, absurdly, uncomfortably, ridiculously hot. I (and my wedding coordinator) wouldn't recommend a date in June unless it is one of the first two weekends. My original date was Memorial Day weekend 2013, and she thought at would be perfect. (We pushed it back though to Nov because my sister is pregnant and due in May!) I just got back from a second trip to Riviera Maya this past Wednesday, and the weather was great; the only drawback was that it started getting dark really early We will likely have to start the ceremony at 3:30pm to ensure we have the right light for photos after the ceremony. My WC also said January-March are not ideal because even though the weather isn't cold (chilly at night, but not COLD), it can be very, very windy... Who knew?? April- early June, and late Oct-Dec are best. If you do any earlier than mid-Oct, there is a risk of hurricane.

P.S.: The Chapel del Carmen is the one pictured in the last four photos in Zazil's post, above. I took several of my own photos when I was there in July that I can share with anyone who is interested.

Hey everyone! Since all the threads on chapels.and priests are way out of date i thought id start a new one! So for Catholic Brides in 2013: Where are you getting married? Are you bringing a Priest or using one in Riviera Maya? Hows the process going? Im getting married in the St Francis of Assisi chapel in Xcaret. We were bringing our local parish priest but he's now unable to come so we're now looking for a local one. Everything is going really well but there has been a lot of paperwork. I had to go back to London (my hometown, i now live in Mexico) to get the papers i needed. We just completed the pre-cana!

Thanks, Jessi, for starting this thread! We are getting married in Nov 2013 at a small Catholic chapel at a private beach wedding/event venue called Playa del Secreto, about 15 min from downtown Playa del Carmen. We are bringing our own priest because it was a top priority to be married by an officiant who knows us... Fingers are crossed that nothing goes awry with this plan because our wedding is on a Sunday, which will preclude a local priest from being available to serve as a backup plan! (The Saturday we wanted was booked.) Planning isn't too tough yet, but we still have a year and I haven't found out yet about what all we will have to do (paperwork-wise). We will start our Parish's formal marriage prep program this winter. One thing to pass along to you other brides from my wedding coordinator: if you're on a budget, don't spend too much on flowers for the church- apparently any flowers you bring in have to be left behind as an offering! Also, if anyone needs a brief review of possible Catholic ceremony venues, I've seen 3 in the Riviera Maya-- the chapel at Real Resorts Gran Caribe; my own choice, Playa del Secreto; and the Chapel del Carmen in downtown Playa on 5th Ave (loved it!) Good luck to everyone!

Originally Posted by teamboyd2012 

 

How much do I LOVE Pinterest???!!!! So FOLLOWING...!!!  Planning a destination wedding w/o BDW and Pinterest?? Nearly impossible!  LOL

Thank you so much ladies for all the reviews, advice and inspiration!!! 

Couldn't agree more... thank you for the boards!

I highly recommend getting into Crossfit. 

Thank you! Does anyone have any pricing info or personal experience to share about this vendor?  So far, from what I see on the website, this is one of the better ones I've seen!

Originally Posted by Zasil 

Hi Ladies,I

If you are looking for a photobooth, there is a girl in Playa del Carmen who has everything.

Her name is Valeria and this is her page thephotoboothmayanriviera.wordpress.com

 

Good luck and lots of fun!

Hi Ladies,

 

Can anyone share with me whether there were any negative reactions from guests when they discovered/were told the price for the Paradisus La Perla/La Esmeralda? My guests will be all over the economic spectrum, but for those on the lower end, I'm just not sure how much is too much to ask them to pay... bearing in mind that I am hoping they come down for at least 4 nights since I have a lot of activities planned. What were your experiences? 

 

Thanks!

Originally Posted by JessiTaylor 

 

Thing is, at a lot of resorts its not always just an issue with non-resort guests having to pay to get onto the property, often the bride and groom have to pay  extra

 

for example, i emailed grand velas asking about packages and i loved the pictures. they said a wedding for 80 people with private plated reception, open bar and what not - and it would be around 7.500 dollars which i thought was fine. Then i asked what would happen if non-resort guests attended and got this response: (copy and pasted from an email)

 

"for guests not staying at Grand Velas Riviera Maya,there will apply a set up fee per person for ceremony and reception, plus the charge for wedding dinner and the open bar, this all together is around $429 usd per person to attend the wedding event,"

 

I was very shocked - it apparently wasnt a typo. and id only been worried about guest passes! i nixed thst idea as id have been in a terrible position

 

This is insane!! Definitely the worst I've heard of yet. Good riddance!

Everyone in this thread has had such helpful advice for how to handle this very sticky situation... thank you so much for sharing!

 

 

 

Originally Posted by EVKnowsitall 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kisha311 

I was going to give the same advice because I am facing the same situation. I put the day pass fee on our website and stated that the people not staying at the resort would be responsible for paying for the day pass. I also stated that they HAVE to tell me in advance or else the resort will not have accommodations for them at the wedding and reception because we were not aware that they were coming. It's very stressful, I still get headaches about it but it's your money! They know there is still a cost associated with their attendance. 

That's actually a great way to handle it. Granted people want to save money and stay at a resort they think is less expensive- and you can't collect money the day of like the troll at the bridge- but just because your guests want to save a buck shouldn't mean it should cost you! I have been grappling with this myself and my Fiance has no bones about telling people to pay their own way- but I was on the fence about it. I too, searched for a way to word the invite that let people know they should book through our travel agent. I saw some suggestions on the site from where we ordered our invites. "strongly encouraged to book through our travel agent" etc. 

 

As far as people inviting themselves-the ther bride here who suggested patience is right. I think people huff and puff but in the end, they weed themselves out. At first everyone said they were coming- we actually worried we would be over the guest count. Then so many people gave us grief about how expensive it was and we were worried no one would come. Now we have a few people booking so I'm going to take it easy and see what happens.

 

One dilemma I ran into- was people deciding to turn the wedding into their family vacations and inviting their whole family. Case in point- I invited a coworker/friend. She invited her mother, her sister, her sisters husband and their 5 kids, and her other sister and her two kids, and her brother... I only invited her... When I sent the Save The Dates- her mother asked how come she didn't get one. I was hoping she would have the sense to realize bc she wasn't invited and spare me the awkward conversation but hat didn't happen. I flat out told her we had a strict limit on guests and we simply could not go over. I wanted to tell her my wedding wasn't her family reunion/ free-for-all, but how do you tell people- your family can't stay at the resort? You really can't. As luck would have it- it costs too much and they all decided to stay elsewhere and she is just coming as a guest to our wedding. Awkward convo spared and friendship intact. 

 

Sometimes it just takes waiting it out a bit.

 

Originally Posted by maridr2012 

Hi there.  I think most of us brides on this site have dealt with the same or similar situations, including myself.  And what you will find, is that most of those people will weed themselves out eventually when they realize what the costs will be to them, and you just need to have alot of patience.  First, have your Save the Dates gone out yet?  If they haven't, here is what I would suggest, send your Save the Dates only to those people who you know for sure, 100% you want to invite - e.g. your immediate families, your closest extended family & friends, and bridal party, and that's it.  Those are the folks that you know for sure must be invited and need to book their flights/hotel sooner than others.  Then, when you get ready to send out your invitations, create an A list, and a B list.  Your A's are the same folks you sent the Save the Dates to, as well as other folks that you really want to invite - with a given RSVP date.  When I sent mine out I did not ask where they would be staying, b/c I was hoping everyone would stay at our resort which we already negotiated group rates for..but of course you need to give people the option to stay where they want to.  So my workaround to that was I had created a wedding website, and on the page for travel info, I typed a note telling folks where we would be staying at with rate info, AND letting them know if they wanted to stay at another resort we understood however there is a $X fee they would need to pay for a one day pass into our wedding resort.  Thats it..I put the ownership on them.  And, don't worry because most people get it..they know you're already paying for a per person fee for your ceremony/reception.  I had a few folks that wanted to stay at another resort and when they told me I explained that was totally fine, but I also pointed out that between them paying for the 1 day pass (for my resort its almost $100 per person), PLUS a cab ride to my resort and back, and they would be missing out on all the group activities, they quickly changed their minds, lol.  

 

As far as your B list invitations - that would be for the folks that you will invite if you get enough declines from your A list.  Obviously, the RSVP date for your A list has to be sooner than your B list, and you'll need 2 different RSVP dates.  

 

And if anyone gives you crap about not inviting them, explain as nicely as you can that you have a very tight budget, and are only able to invite your closest family and handful of friends.  

 

I got really worked up during  the initial planning & invitation sending started and trust me it'll work itself out.  ALOT of people will say they're coming, whether you invite them or not because everyone wants to feel included.  But you will find that those people who you do NOT invite hush down the talk of travel booking when they realize they did not get an invitation..they figure it out and most are understanding and actually relieved.  

 

PS - You shouldn't feel its a tacky gesture to have guests that are staying at another resort pay for their own day passes.  I think you'll find you will feel very differently once all your costs start adding up, lol.  It all adds up very quickly, and $35 per person can make a difference in your budget. 

 

Good luck!

 

 

Originally Posted by TheWolferts 

We had quite a few guests that told us they were coming, but not staying at our resort. We didnt feel that if they chose to stay at another resort that we should be responsible for their resort fee since it was their choice to stay at another resort; however, we did let our guests know that there would be additional costs that they needed to take into account should they choose to book elsewhere. After seeing the resort fees, they realized that the savings they would get staying at another resort would almost be eliminated if they had to purchase day passes to take part in the activities we had planned throughout the week. Rather than try to explain everything on an RSVP card, we sent an email to all of our guests. Below is an exerpt from our email. It may seem crass to some, but I think everyone was very understanding and had no idea that we would incur quite a bit of additional costs if they chose to stay elsewhere and they didnt want us to have to pay the extra money.

 

Dear family and friends,

       

     

We would like to thank those of you who have already put your deposit down and committed to joining us on our special day! We have had conversations about the excitement surrounding our destination wedding, as well as answered questions and concerns. It has been brought to our attention that some of our guests would love to join us for our special day, but are looking for other living accommodations to possibly save money. We understand the temptation to "bargain" search and try to make the trip as affordable as possible, but we want you to know that we have performed extensive research and looked for the best value for our guests. The idea behind our choosing to have a destination wedding is to share more than one busy night with our guests, and we hoped that over a couple of days, many of our closest friends and family from the Midwest and East Coast could get better acquainted. Having guests staying at various other locations prevents everyone from taking advantage of this opportunity.




Also, we wanted to share a couple of reasons we chose to host our wedding at the El Dorado Royale…

·         ALL-INCLUSIVE - Our resort provides premium alcohol and a variety of cuisine options at the 10 restaurants on the property. (No runny guacamole or watered down drinks here!) All-inclusive also includes 24-hour room service, beach and poolside service, unlimited premium alcoholic beverages, and as many meals as you can pack in. Because it is all-inclusive, any guest staying at another resort will incur fees associated with entering the host resort. A $72 fee per person is assessed for guests wishing to attend the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception dinner; and a fee of $95 per person, per day is assessed should you want to attend any other functions we have planned throughout the week on resort property.

·         ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE WEEK - Another great thing about a destination wedding is that Nikki and I can plan fun activities and socialize throughout the trip with our closest friends and family. (We realize this trip will be a lot of guests’ vacations, so we don’t want to take up too much time!) We are still working all of the festivities out, but here is an example of what we are planning thus far:

o   Wednesday: Black and White Themed Cocktail Welcome Party

o   Friday: Rehearsal Dinner (everyone is invited!)

o   Saturday: obviously the big day! Ceremony is set to start at 5pm

o   Various daily activities at resort: sand/pool volleyball, breakfast/lunch/happy hour/dinner gatherings, happy hour gatherings, poolside lounging, dancing, nightly band/shows, oh, and did I mention happy hour gatherings! 

·         DISCOUNTED ROOM RATE - We have reserved a block of rooms at a special discounted rate for our guests (20% off!) To lock in the discounted room rates, Nikki and I are currently holding a block of rooms, but unfortunately, if we do not get a majority of these rooms booked, Nikki and I will incur additional expenses.

Originally Posted by BridetobeABCD 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by rykell 

 

could you possibly tell me what the cost of the lighted dance floor was through his company?

I would like to know as well please

 

My WC quoted me $1,730 for a DJ with light and sound for 6 hrs., including the lighted LED dance floor. However, I'm no longer using the lighted dance floor and am instead opting for plain white wood to cut some costs; the new quote for that is $1,300. (I don't know that it has to be white, but white works for me since it will be set up on a white sandy beach ) I am using DJ Music, owned and operated by Gabriel and Abraham Mejia Garcia, two brothers. I met them last weekend and dropped in on a reception they were DJ'ing... super guys, and a great job! I am excited that I get to use them. Very professional!  Email is [email protected] or [email protected]. 

Originally Posted by anisha 

 

Hi ladies:

 

I originally wanted to have my wedding on the beach but then saw the GABI bridge and fell in love with it!  If you guys want me to take some pics of the beach when I am there next month, I'd be happy to do so - maybe that would give you a good idea of how large it is.  I know there have been weddings on the beach there and I don't think it is so small that it has been an issue.  If that is what you really want I'm sure you can make it work!

 

In other news, I've noticed the hotel rates have SKYROCKETED for my dates and I'm super-worried about it!  We haven't even booked our stay for the wedding yet, and we have to do it first before any of our guests, so I'm pretty nervous.  Hopefully they will come down some in the next few months - I can't believe how much they have jumped.  Has anyone else run into this issue at all that might be able to lend some advice?

 

~A

 

 

 

Hi! Did you ever get to take any pics of the beach? We're interested in this location, but hard to tell how good the beach is from the limited pics on the website. Thank you!

 

L. 

Fantastic! Congratulations!

Great thread-- great job! Thank you so much for the effort. 

Originally Posted by coconoir1908 

 

Ladies,

 

Please keep your receipts and make sure that you have no more than $300 in items that you are bringing in.  My hubby and I had a total of 6 bags that we brought and still have 2 other bags that came with family.  Having my wedding dress in hand helped and he had his suit in his garment bag.  We were asked how much we were bringing in and I said $250.  However; I could back up my $250 with receipts (old navy $1.00 flip flops etc..) I kept the receipts with me in my carry on just in case.

 

Happy Planning and Safe Travels

 

Ooh-- great tip, thank you!

You could always go to Merida or Chichen Itza.  Or, if you're into the idea, but those are too far, I visited the archeological site at Tulum last weekend and it was very nice, but much closer-- about 45 min. from Playa del Carmen. Afterwards, there are some really cool open-air restaurants on the beach-side road running through the hotelera zone (Boca Paila Road). You could do a nice lunch afterwards. 

Originally Posted by TarynM 

 

I have so many questions for you all! I'm hoping you can help me narrow down the choices for a all-inclusive hotel to host my wedding on Sunday, September 1, 2013.

 

Ideally I'd like guests to not have to pay more than $1,000 for either 3 or 4 nights so all my friends and family can afford to attend my wedding. I'd like an all-inclusive hotel on a beautiful (no rocks, white sand, aqua water) with beach waiter service with great food for my guests. It would also be perfect if there were options to stay up late celebrating at the hotel (bar or disco). I'd like to do a BBQ rehearsal dinner on the beach with a bon fire and s'mores. For the wedding day, I'd like a ceremony on the beach with a harpist followed by a two hour long cocktail reception with a Mariachi band with appetizers, then a private reception with dinner and a DJ all night. Maybe even have late night snacks delivered to the reception. Mexican wedding cookies and churros would be amazing. Maybe even fireworks or a Mayan fireshow!

 

I am planning on just a symbolic wedding then we will get married at City Hall in Boston after we return.

 

I'd like to be the only bride getting married that day which has made me lean toward Iberostar Tucan or Azul Beach because they both only do one wedding per day. Is that correct? Does anyone have any opinions on the two venues? Any other suggestions? My fiance has nieces and nephews so adults only is not an option.

 

Lastly, what is the cheapest way for guests to book? Through a travel agent? The earlier the better?

 

I'd like to book something soon to reserve the date and will probably visit the hotel(s) this September to check them out.

 

Thank you ahead of time for any advice you can give me!!

 

Hacienda Tres Rios does only one wedding a day, is family-friendly while not feeling overrun by kids (so, adult-friendly, too ), and has a GORGEOUS beach area. It has lots of activites for the nieces and nephews-- it is build on an Eco Park that offers kayaking, snorkeling, bike tours, cenotes. There's a kids club that is pretty legit-- we were impressed. My FI has two young boys (5 and 9) and we hired two different staff members for private babysitting services and we were EXTREMELY impressed-- the girls genuinely seemed interested in the boys and were very active with them. We were hesitant to use "unknowns", but no longer... at least not at HTR!

 

Can't say enough good things... lots of great venues on the resort for the ceremony, reception, and ancillary events. Rates are around $179 per person, per night, all-inclusive. Food was pretty darn good considering it's an AI. 24-hour room service included. 

 

TA isn't necessarily the cheapest... I don't have personal experience with one, but I've heard it can go both ways.

 

Ultimately though, to get the wedding you want, I recommend hiring a WC!! We chose Joss Morales of Unique Weddings Cancun (she works all over the Riviera Maya) and couldn't be happier!

 

Good luck!

My WC recommends Floreria Varsovia, http://floreriavarsoviacancun.com. They are located in Cancun (our wedding is in Playa del Carmen) and I was worried about it being more expensive than someone local to Playa, but my WC says it's actually the opposite-- there's more competition in Cancun, so prices are cheaper.  I met with them in-person last weekend and am very encouraged/impressed so far! Quotes to follow this week or next... I will let you know! 

Hi Jess, 

 

I totally know why you're interested in the Gran Caribe chapel!! I went to Cancun in July for a fact-finding trip with that as my #1 favorite...however, after seeing it in person I was SO disappointed! It is such a shame, such a beautiful chapel that is so poorly situated. They are not at all realizing its potential! We also were not very happy with the resort-- actually, it's two resorts: the Gran Caribe Real (families) and the Royal Cancun (adults-only)-- and the wedding coordinator was pretty rude to my WC. I assume this is because they are generally hostile to outsiders... the fees for bringing in outside vendors are outrageous!!

 

We considered using just the chapel and staying elsewhere, but they pretty much gouge you on the price for just the chapel as an incentive to get you to stay at the resort(s). 

 

So, our WC found us other options for a Catholic chapel that we are much happier with!! I fell in love with two options, both in Playa del Carmen: the Chapel del Carmen in downtown Playa del Carmen, and the Catholic chapel at Playa del Secreto (see here and here). We ended up with Playa del Secreto as a matter of convenience since we can have the ceremony and reception co-located; we couldn't find a reception venue that suited our needs that was within walking distance from Chapel del Carmen. 

 

We also visited the Krystal because I'd seen some really great photos from a wedding my WC did there awhile back, but in person it was really disappointing and I would not recommend it. Sorry  Let me know if you want details.

 

Good luck!

Originally Posted by MarisaC 

 

Hi Ladies,

 

I'm newly engaged and wondering about a site visit. I'm worried that I will be swayed by flashy website marketing. I'm easily distracted by that kind of stuff LOL I am definetly overwhelmed by all the options and I feel like when I see the perfect resort, I'll just know. Has anyone done a site visit to see multiple hotels? Was it worth it?

 

Thanks!

Marisa

I would DEFINITELY recommend a site visit-- lots of them! We flew into Cancun in July and spent 3.5 days looking at places there and in Playa del Carmen... about 17 total! It was exhausting, but I can't imagine making such an important decision sight-unseen... I would also DEFINITELY recommend using a WC who is local. You can't do everything yourself from afar! I adore mine-- Joss Morales from Unique Weddings Cancun.She does charge a fee (ours is $800) whereas I know some don't because they work on commission; so far though, it's been worth every penny.

 

Also, if/when you go, do go with a game plan-- do some online research to narrow down a list of those you're interested in, but be prepared for that list to go out the window (like ours did!) once you hook up with a knowledgeable WC. 

 

Good luck! 

P.S: Do you still have any online galleries from your wedding? Thanks!

Originally Posted by InnaDaniel 

 

 

Hi there!  How did you enjoy your site visit?  I actually did a site visit back in November, before they even opened!  But the minute I stepped onto the property I knew it was the place -- much like how I chose my wedding dress.  The minute I saw it, I knew!!  Funny how that happens, right?

 

I would be happy to share pictures after our wedding - which is actually in a few short weeks (on March 31st), and I imagine we'll have gorgeous pictures, considering we've been fortunate enough to book the most amazing photographers in the area - Del Sol Photography.  You MUST check them out:  http://www.delsolphotography.com.

 

In the meantime, I can tell you that we chose the 'Tailor Made Package' - which was unlike anything else any other hotel had offered (and trust me, I did my homework)!  Matter of fact, I did almost 10 site visits when I visited Mexico back in late Oct/early Nov.

 

Every other hotel seemed to feel like they did weddings much like many of the venues here in the U.S. -- like a wedding warehouse.  The beauty of Paradisius, is that everything feels so customized and personalized -- regardless of the package you choose!  I can't imagine you can go wrong with any package you ultimately decide on!!!

 

All together we're having 40 guests - a perfect number for our wedding.  (We didn't really want to go over the 50-60 people mark!)

 

How come you're still on the fence?  How can I help?  I'm happy to answer any questions you might have -- i've done quite a bit of homework and research before we actually booked -- so you can imagine I have LOTS of great info to share!

 

Looking forward to hearing from again!

 

Inna

 

 

Hi Inna, 

 

Thanks for your info! We are considering this venue, and visited last July... it was out of the running for awhile, but now it's back in We would be using it only for ours and our guests' accommodation-- the ceremony and reception are elsewhere. If you don't mind, just a few questions!

1) How much did they charge you per person, per night?

2) Were there any incentives that they offered, i.e., book xx rooms and you get one free?

3) We didnt' get to visit the family side, did you?  My FI has two kids, so we, at least, would be staying on that side. 

4) Were there any venues that you would recommend on that side for ancillary events, like a rehearsal dinner, welcome cocktail, etc.?

5) What was the supplemental charge for resort guests? 

 

Thank you, and congratulations on your marriage!!

 

Lydia

Check out the Real Resorts chain in Cancun for the best of both worlds-- The Royal Cancun is adults-only and the Gran Caribe Real is for families. The two are adjacent to each other, so everyone can essentially stay together. Both are all-inclusives. Good luck!