SarahWember

Got your email. I did not use the hotel photographer or videographer. We used Samuel Luna for pictures...he is AMAZING, I mean, just awesome and def worth having an outside vendor for photography. We didn't get our video back yet, but I'm looking forward to that. We got married on the beach in front of building 1-- this is important, because the other area reserved for weddings is not private. You are basically walking down in the middle of beach chairs, it's not ideal, in my opinion. Building one was very private. We did the reception on the lobby terrace- it was gorgeous, but had to move inside half way through because it started to rain a bit, but that was totally fine! I wil email you pictures of the terrace and the beach area. We also rented gold tiffany chairs in place of the white ones that are included...I'll send it all over to you today! And yes, did hair and makeup at the salon and LOVED it.

We attached tags with everyone's name and table number, and used them as place cards. I just bought Avery perforated tags that have a hole already in them, and used a template for those online...added everyone's name, etc. then tied them to the bottles with hemp rope when I got there (didn't want the tags to bend in transit) I made the template for the labels, I have it on my computer, I'll have to email it to you. Email me at sarah8196 @ gmail.com To make them, I cut them out, and used Modge Podge to put them right over the original Patron Label. It didn't take too long and everyone LOVED them. We did a tequila shot toast at the reception, and the hotel provided us with shot glasses and limes for everyone.

Jill, we made custom labels for mini Patron bottles, got a quantity discount for them from our local liquore store, and brought them down there in our luggage. Check your airline allowance for liquor, but you will more than likely be under it (we were- with 45 mini bottles) Also, I have my template I made for the labels if you want to use it... here is what we did :

Thank you!!! I can't wait to get the professional pictures from Samuel Luna back. The trash the dress was REALLY fun for both of us. You'll be happy with that package for the wedding, although there are many little add-ons, such as bridal bouquets and boutainers (sp?)...flowers for the ceremony, etc. But having it include the spa services was great!! Lots of extras, including a private dinner on the beach for you and your groom for any day after the wedding. Also, the food was AMAZING!!!

I have naturally wavy and very tangly hair that DOES NOT stay curled, AT ALL...ever. So this was a concern of mine. But they all stayed put, to my surprise. You'll be in good hands. They know what they're doing in there!

Thank you!! Yes, I did use the salon for hair and makeup. It came with my package. I was nervous, and brought a lot of my own makeup for them to use (really good foundation, waterproof mascara, etc) but they ended up having a ton of stuff. They did a REALLY great job. I was REALLY nervous. I hardly wear makeup on a regular basis, so I didnt' know how it would turn out, but they did a great job. My mom had hers done, too...and was more than pleased. Here's a wedding selfie hahaha (you can't see the hair that great, but it really stayed all day, which I was surprised, with the wind.) My hair stayed put all through the trash the dress session the day also! Here's hair and makeup the next day, it held up! Also, if you're trying to plan what time you should go to the salon (this was one of my concerns) I scheduled mine for 2...and I had to be back at my room to meet the girls for pictures at 4:30. It was perfect timing. Took about 40 min for makeup, and the rest of the time was hair. Ceremony was at 6. So the timing worked out well.

Well, I'm a Mrs! We just got back from OCT a few weeks ago. I have to say, it all went smoothly, there was no fuss, it was gorgeous, and we hada a dream wedding. If anyone has any questions, email me at sarah8196 at gmail.com I plan to write out a full review, but it's been hectic since getting back...it might just be easier to answer questions! I was lucky enough to become friends with a girl I met on this forum, and we were married a few day apart from one another-- so having each other there at the same time, and celebrating together, seeing each other's weddings, it was really, really cool!!! Hope everyone's planning is going well!

April, Thanks! We're getting excited. For my photographer, I am using Samuel Luna... ( http://www.samuellunablog.com/ ) And he is doing a trash the dress session with us the next day as well. For videographer, we are using Gallardo Films (http://gallardofilms.com/blog/ ) Our ceremony is on the beach, and the extended reception on the lobby terrace. I have A LOT of pictures that I've colleceted from other girl's weddings that I've met through here, I will email you later today. I have a lot, a lot of info so if you have any questions, you can always email me at: sarah8196@@gmail.com Talk to you soon!

I booked them all rooms. All in all, I think it ended up costing just shy of $800. For 2 videographers, dj, and 2 photographers...it would have been over $1,000 just for the outside vendor fee, then the daily fee per person. This saved me a lot of money and I'm very glad that I decided to go this route. The DJ has been really cool to work with, and is working with us on a wedding entrance to the Chicago Bulls lineup (we are from Chicago)...it's just, much more personalized and stress-free not having to worry about MC'ing and DJ'ing our own event. Good luck with your planning!! Let me know if you have any questions, mine is coming up in less than 1.5 months, eee!!!! My take on this is that you should tip them, I of course will. You think, they're your contact there before you get there, and do a lot to pull things together, so I think it's probably good practice to tip them. I k now that a bride I know gave the money to her mom to go tip the coordinator and her mom gave it to the wrong girl on accident and it was sort-of a bit of a mess. HHAHa. I was told that they do expect to get receive a tip.

I also agree! The number one reason we did not go forward with a traditional wedding in Chicago was becaue we didn't want it to be indoors, and the one outdoor venue we really wanted was booked for 2 years! I've said before, I know someone who was married here last year in May...her reception was on the terrace and she said it was so amazing. So much that she didn't even need much in the way of decorations because with the moon, the ocean, etc...the atmosphere is just right! We have 2 more months until ours! I'm getting really excited!!

Ours is on the lobby terrace. We really, really love the idea of it being outside, but I can see that you'd want more privacy. I heard that you can have your reception in the garden terrace which is SUPER private, but it's extra to have it there and is sort-of something "special" that you'd have to arrange with the hotel. I think I heard that on this thread, actually. I don't know, might be worth inquiring about.

For the DJ, I only had to book a single occupancy room, for the Videographer and photog, there are 2 of each of them, so booked a double occupancy for 2 nights...so a total of 3 rooms for 2 nights, but I had to bargain HARD for those 2 nights, usually it is 3, but because of the number of vendors I had, they let me get away with it. If you just have the one photographer and his assistant, you will only need one room with double occupancy for 3 nights. I am pretty sure it was like $100ish a night or less. Look fort deals online, too! So even if you end up paying $350, it's better than the $500 outside vendor plus the $160 you'd have to pay for them to be on the property that day! Much better option. I booked online right through their website. Let me know how it goes! I think it's a much smarter option if you wanna save a few bucks.

Awesome! And another tip, to get around paying the outside vendor fee-- get your vendors rooms at the hotel. You have to book 2 or 3 nights, but it's actually a lot cheaper than paying the $500/per vendor and like $90/day for the day pass. I have 2 photographers, 2 videographers, and the DJ, so..... Yeah, def didn't want to pay all of those vendor fees!!! Your wedding is coming up quick! I'm a few weeks before you! Pretty exciting!!!

My friend who was married here used them and was disappointed. They do not MC (announce anything, keep order to the reception, etc.) they basically just play the music, and your music, at that. I have booked DJ Bob for our wedding in May. He was actually cheaper than the resort Dj and he caters to crowd interaction, MC'ing, etc. I spoke to him on the phone for about an hour one night while going over the details of the wedding, and I was impressed- he's very funny! I know that we made the right choice going with him. If you want his info, his website is: www.weddingdjrivieramaya.com

Ashleen, I'm sure you are probably already well on your way to Mexico for your wedding (congrats!) but in any case... I had a friend get married here, and she said that after the reception, the pool bar/club was open. I guess there is also a 50's themed diner that is open until 4 am. They went there and took some fun wedding pics after the reception and dancing by the pool. I think you will be fine ending your reception when you do. As far as i can tell, there are plenty of fun things to do afterwards! Have fun!!!

I am going to play Devil's Advocate right now (don't slap me! lol ) If your weddings are in 2014, even if you booked in 2013, you pay the 2014 rates. That's pretty standard practice. However, she should have given you these rates when you booked, and explained you would be paying 2014 prices and not 2013. I booked early in 2013, but from day one, was aware I would be paying 2014 rates, as that's the year of the wedding. Maybe there was a misunderstanding somewhere in your corresponence? I wouldn't get worked up or worry too much. The reason you will not receive a responce quickly is because, 1) they simply don't check their email as frequently as you or I might, and 2) since there are numerous weddings happening at all times, they have to prioritize based on whos wedding is approaching first. I have heard many, many brides say that as it gets closer to your date, they really focus in on you; furthermore, when you arrive- it's ALL about you. Try not to stress and know that it will all be ok!! Hope everything works out for you girls.

When I booked in July(ish), I knew right away that I would have the reception outside, and having the Paradise package, that was included. So it was reserved right away. I recently confirmed this, after seeing some posts about brides having had problems with this, or not being able to have it where they wanted. It was explained that the reason for this is because some brides do not know they have to reserve that particular area in advance, or they have a package that does not include that. There are a few weddings a day, as far as I can tell. So if you did not specify that particular area for that particular day well in advance, then it is probably too late. HOWEVER, I have heard of some brides reserving the French outdoor restaurant. I know it's quite a bit more, but it looks lovely! When is your wedding?

Ooh, good call, I'll check out Lulus. You have not head from her even once? Who is your coordinator again? I'm sure you've read the comments about this, but really, you don't need to speak to them that much, it all comes together. I'm sure once it gets closer to your date, they will make you top priority. They have a billion weddings going on at all times, so just give it time. I figure, the more I am prepared on my end, the less I need to rely on them to make sure everything is taken care of. SO, fingers crossed and just hope for the best I guess. lol Yes, the hotel policy is a 3 night stay. Just talk to them about it and see what they can do for you. I have a videographer (2) 2-3 photograhers, and my DJ so There was no way I was paying $500+ for each of them!!!

This forum was a little quiet for awhile, glad it's picking back up!!! Looks like everyone is pretty prepared. I just went to that webiste to check out the maracs. I looked into them a few times, but never came across the right ones. We have 45 guests, so I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on these, but the ones you found are ADORABLE! I'm browsing their gallery now! What are you girls doing for flowers? With our Paradise package, we get some...but I would need about 4 or 5 more bouquets for the reception. While reading another thread on here today, I found some clever ideas with faux flowers! Much, much cheaper! Still not sure what I want to do about that one. You are actually required to book 3 nights, but I managed to get it down to two nights since I have a lot of outside vendors! I tried REALLY hard for a minimum of one, but we had to meet in the middle at 2, and I am ok with that. Still cheaper than the vendor fee and day pass fee!! I agree. I was all about trashing the dress, but my mom was hysterical about it, and since she bought the dress, I agreed to get a second. Once I actually HAD the dress though, I couldn't imagine actually trashing it ahhahah!! You're right- it would be way too heavy! Did you find your second dress yet??? Samuel Luna...oh man, did you see his TTD sessions? Unreal. They look fricken AWESOME! I went with the Paradise package ( I think ) The most expensive one, since we have over 40 people coming with us, and wanted dinner outside on the terrace, it was perfect for that. I don't remember off the top of my head how much it was, my parents took care of it. I think it was around $4,000? I have my wedding binder at home, I'll take a look at confirm tonight. I think it was a steal, it includes a lot of extras!

Thnak you, you as well! Getting VERY excited. We are doing a TTD session too! I think I am going to buy a different dress for that though, thoughts? The cost for outside vendor is $500, plus the cost of day pass....so to get around that, I'm booking them hotel stays. It's cheaper than paying all the fees- and was OK'd by the wedding corrdinator! I am getting my hair and make-up done there, I've heard good things about the spa there...but was thinking about doing the same thing as you, actually. I'll probably just bring some of the products with me and let them have at it. I was going to go in a few days prior to the wedding to do a test run. I'm right there with ya! I scheduled my dress alteration/ fitting for March 22nd, so I have to hustle hahah!!

Congrats, Emily! Awesome!! When is your group arriving!? Feel free to email me at Sarah8196 @ Gmail.com if you want to chat! Leah, I did email you a few weeks ago, did you get it!??

Hello, all! I have been meaning to post in this forum for quite awhile; as I've spent countless hours reading through the thread, taking notes, and reading everyone's experiences. I booked our wedding at OCT back in July, and our wedding date is set for May 16th, 2014. I am pretty relaxed about planning, as I'm impeccably organized and knew we had so much time to plan everything out. Now, we are 6 months out, and I think the majority of the planning is done. From the other posts, it seems Ana is hard to get a response from, but it has never gone more than two days without a response. I have only asked her very straight forward questions that she can reply to simply, so perhaps that is it. I'm not quite sure what this post should entail,but I know I had A LOT of questions in the beginning. I wouldn't even say I'm a "planny" person, but I was over analyzing every detail, I've since let go of that stress. My MOH's sister was married here in MAY, so having someone who went through it was very helpful. Her advice to me was to not go overboard with the tiniest of details, because the setting for the wedding is absolutely gorgeous, and that I need to relax, and realize that it all does come together, and honestly, probably could be done in a week's time, honestly. BUT, I've started really focusing on the planning about a month ago. I mean, I JUST bought my dress a few days ago (I was scolded for waiting so long... lol) I never saw myself as an actually girly girl who would get so into this, but I have, and have loved it. So, here is what we have figured out so far: Ceremony will be on the beach. Now, I am just going to buy sashes for the chairs (mint green with a starfish on the back) since it is cheaper than renting them for $3ish/ea. I was told to move my ceremony from 5 to 6, by the sister of my MOH. She was married right around the same exact time and said the sun was just a liiiiitle too bright at 5, but would have been perfect at 6. So we are doing that. We toyed with the idea of a cocktail hour, but after reading everyone's reviews, we've realized that everyone can hang in the lobby bar, as our reception will start an hour later on in the lobby terrace, so they will be just outside the door. Saves SO much money and they will have something to do while we take our photos. We are not doing one of those "first look" things, so we'll need to get all of our pictures done withint that time. Reception will start around 7:30, and we extended it by an hour, for a total of 4 hours. There were two things that we decided we would splurge on: *An excellent photographer. I've seen the photos taken by the resident photog, and I was not impressed at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure my cell phone could take better pictures (no offense to anyone that has used them) I'm just saying, you will have these pictures for a lifetime, it's worth it. We hired Samuel Luna, who has been an absolute pleasure to work with so far, and his work is outstanding. We scheduled a Trash the Dress session with him for the next day (it was included in the package we paid for.) *A DJ. Now, I know that a hot topic in here is just using iPod to play your own playlist, and I thought about that as well, and am sure it would turn out just fine. The DJ at the hotel, as far as I can tell, doesn't MC, he simply plays YOUR playlist for you, and does not interact. This is supposed to be something that everyone will remember for a lifetime, and it was important for us to have someone to handle the ebb and flow of the evening. We don't want to worry about someone introducing us, or our first dance, etc...and we really believe it will help keep the order of things. We are giving him a list of 30ish songs, I could have easily made my own list of 100's, and 100's, but someone that can read the crowd, keep things energetic, get involved, to us, it's worth it. We are bringing glow sticks and Thundersticks with to give to him, to incorporate into the party. Also, his rate was VERY affordable. I spoke with him on the phone for nearly 45 minutest last night, and laughed nearly the entire time. GREAT guy-- DJ Bob (http://weddingdjrivieramaya.com/) Now...the part I hate! The fees! For a 2014 wedding, the hotel is now charging $500 for outside vendors. And they told me I need to pay an additional $200 fee the DJ, as this serves as an "energy" fee. I think it's completely ridiculous. Add to that, an outsider fee, to allow them onto the grounds for the day, which is, I believe, $80/ PP, Per day. I have two photographers coming in, and my DJ, so you can see my dilemma. I'm going to get them rooms for the night, which will be cheaper than paying all of the fees. However, Ana emailed me today saying that need to stay a minimum of three nights, which, I'm sorry, is BS. You can book rooms by the night online, and since they are having dinner with us, I have fully considered them my guests, so... I'm getting around this and not dealing with this noise! That is really the only complaint I have so far about working with the hotel, or with my planner, Ana. If anyone has questions about planning, I know I have not gone through this yet...but I think I have it all pretty much covered so if you're wedding is around the same time as mine, and you're freaking out about anything, you're not alone. More than likely I have freaked out about it as well. I feel very confident now, though, that everything will run smoothly. We are bringing items with us (menus, programs, welcome bags, place cards, table #'s, paper lanterns, string lights, party items for the reception dance, personalized Patron bottles to do a shot together, and some digital photo frames, guest book, I THINK that is it. We aren't bringing any huge items for center pieces, or lanterns, etc. But these are all small details that I'm sure nobody cares to hear about : ) I work online all day, so I've literally been to this board 100's of times, and thought I would put my two cents in, in case anyone is interested in chatting! Hope everyone's wedding planning is coming along nicely and hope to exchange tips in the coming months as we prepare!! Eeeek! I'm so excited! Sarah