shelikespink

Yup. It's brutal because if my guests want to get the best rate, they'll just book it themselves online and I won't get my group benefits!

@@jsparrow10 I'm getting married at Moon Palace.
 

My wedding will be August 2015, and I've been to a lot of outdoor summer weddings and I personally hated it. It's so hot and humid, my hair falls apart, and I get bitten like crazy! 
 

Because I want to have a reception and private party, it made more sense for me to have it in a banquet hall. With Moon Palace I have to pay $60/per table per hour (after the first 3 hours). Most resorts have banquet halls available. It's not as pretty as the beach, but for me I think it's a better option! I'm going to bring decorations and probably rent some decorations at the resort as well.

I was wondering about this too! I feel like I read something on the forums a few months ago, someone had that.. I think the resort put it together.

Finally picked a resort! Moon Palace Cancun! Yay! 

In terms of picking a country/resort, we decided on Mexico because of price, convenience for our guests (we're in Toronto but have guests that will be coming in from the west coast - going to Jamaica or Dominican would have been a huge pain, they would have to fly to Toronto and then go on), and quality of resorts available. 

Thanks for all the info ladies! I'm having similar issues - wedding is Aug 2015 and I'm getting ridiculous rates from my TA! For example, Moon Palace is $1411 incl tax for the same departure in 2014, but my TA is quoting us $1800! I'm going to wait a little bit and get her to keep checking rates, but if all else fails I'll have to check out some of the TA's you guys have suggested.

@@tygrrlily I'm definitely going to Becker's, I've been to David's Bridal in Scarborough but the person helping me was terrible and I didn't like the quality of their dresses : (

I'm hoping to go to Jealous Bridesmaids and a little place near my house called Blu Ivory (on St. Clair) - I always drive by and it looks like a nice little store! I also want to check out the The Bride's Project : ) 

I really don't want to spend a ton on a dress... I'm sure I can afford to spend more, but at the end of the day I'm only going to be wearing it for less than 10 hours!

I'm planning on having my wedding reception in a banquet hall, so there's AC and everyone will be comfortable, plus we'll have our own private party with dancing and DJ and all that!

@@tygrrlily That dress looks amazing on you!!!

I am debating whether to go to Kleinfeld's.. I'm hoping to spend under $1000 so I don't think they will have anything for me!

@@TheBHolders You bring up a good point! It's tough when close family/friends are not happy with your choice. We're having the same problem with my fiance's brother - he doesn't want to come to Mexico because he's worried about his kids being in the sun! It's ridiculous. It's just as hot here as it is in Mexico!

I'm trying to accommodate all my close friends and family because I want lots of people to come and I want everyone to be happy, but at the end of the day there's no way to please everyone! My friends and family are already complaining about the cost, the location, safety concerns, time of year, etc. 

At the end of the day you and your fiance have to be happy with your choice. When you have a destination wedding you can't expect everyone to attend... even the people you THOUGHT would be attending! This is one of the big lessons I am learning!

Thank you!! After all that stress, we finally decided to go with Beach Palace our original venue and are hopefully booking it and locking it down tonight!

Thank you for all your help

Congrats on making a decision! I'm in a similar situation too, I'm going back and forth with Moon Palace because of all the restrictions and the nickel and diming.. But overall I am thinking about my guests and I think that's going to be the best resort for kids, seniors, and the foodies in my family.

I have a question, can you book your wedding without making your actual hotel reservation? I'm waiting for my TA to get better rates but I would like to lock down my wedding date/time.

Even in the US you can use Expedia or Bookit.com for package deals. Sometimes it's a better deal to do it that way, with hotel and flight together.

Does anyone know what the plated menu options are?

I've been engaged for 4 mos but we still can't make up our minds! We have been back and forth on a bunch of resorts. I like the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo, Barcelo Maya, Moon Palace, Ocean Turquesa, Dreams... LOL pretty much all of them!

I'm hoping to find a balance between the costs for my guests and my costs for the wedding! The packages and rules vary so much by resort. These forums have been amazing in answering all my questions!

Thanks for all the helpful info everyone! 

What is the best time to book/get my guests to book? I'm planning for Aug 2015 wedding and the rates my TA is giving me are outrageously high. I'm hoping to wait til the Fall to book, is that a bad idea?

Barcelo also has Indian wedding packages! Their rates are pretty high though. I think Palace would be a better option, especially if you are having over 50ppl.

This is a great thread! I've set a goal for myself as well, I've still got 15 months to go but I'm planning to start kicking things into gear May 1st. 

I use the app Runkeeper to track my runs and set a goal for myself (I've set the goal of running 1km/day until the date of my wedding - I am trying to stick to a schedule of running 3-4 km 2-3 days per week). I also am going to increase my strength training to build muscle mass, which will help my body burn more calories at rest. I want to sign up for some 10k and half marathon runs to keep myself motivated for running over the next 15 months.

My main problem is that I work all day and don't eat ANYTHING so when I come home in the evenings I binge eat! I'm trying to set breaks throughout the day to eat little snacks (an apple, handful of almonds, granola bar) and then eat an early dinner and not eat anything after 7pm. I'm not changing my meals because I eat pretty healthy/balanced, but I want to decrease eating out! 

Lots of people use MyFitnessPal app and I've tried it but I have a hard time sticking with it long term. Some of you ladies might find it helpful though! 

I would love to hear any tips/strategies that you guys are using as well. 

Hi everyone, I'm planning an August 2015 wedding and I'm wondering whether it will be too hot to have dinner and dancing for 5 hours outside in August!

I haven't picked a venue/resort yet as I'm still exploring all my options and comparing prices, menus, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone and congratulations on your upcoming wedding! 

I have been reading through all the Mayan/Cancun threads trying to decide on a wedding venue! MP might be it. My TA is really pushing MP and so far from what I've read people seem happy with the resort and their wedding services. Anyone have any advice or recommendations for me while I'm still in the planning stages? I'm hoping to have an Aug 2015 wedding with approximately 120-150 guests. 

Also, do you guys think it will be too hot in August to have an outdoor reception? I love the idea of it but it just might be too uncomfortable to be outside for dinner and dancing for 4-5 hrs.

Congratulations! I'm in Toronto and I'm getting married August 2015 in Cancun or Mayan Riviera Mexico! Having a hard time picking a resort and we've been engaged for 4 months already...

Hi @@nattiegams325, 

Would you be able to send me the info you have from Dreams? I'm in the same boat as you, having a hard time deciding which resort to go with..

I'm also a Toronto bride! Having my civil ceremony in Toronto in July 2015 and planning to leave a few days later for a destination wedding in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico.

So excited but so much to do! I haven't even picked a resort yet!

Does anyone know how much it costs to extend the reception party? I want to have a private dinner and reception with dancing for about 5 hrs (7pm-1am).

Also, I want to have a private rehearsal dinner for all my guests. How much does that cost?

Thanks in advance! It's really hard to get straight answers to some questions from the resort.. but everyone here has been super helpful! I'm trying to set a budget and narrow down my resort options but it's so hard to compare costs between resorts.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Great thanks for the info @@Lindsay30! That's very helpful : )

Thanks for the info @@MindyandDax!

That's great!

Are you having a DJ and dancing? Also, is there a charge for a private rehearsal dinner/welcome dinner? I was hoping to do that but I don't want to pay per person..

I'm leaning towards ACV - plus I get aeroplan which is great! My travel agent won't even deal with Sunwing because of all the problems with them... the only thing that sucks is that I was leaning towards a RIU resort but they are exclusive to sunwing.