erobin223

Hello! I am getting married August 15th! Does anyone know or have any expereince in bringing sky lanterns or sparklers on the plane with them or if they did it at the resort? I want to buy these and bring them with me I am just nervous about traveling with them. Please let me know! Thanks!

My aunt bought sky lanterns and all the resorts say that they are prohibited. They are very strict about trashing the ocean. Also do not use fabric flower petals, all loose decor on the beach must be biodegradable. 

I'm not usually a negative person, but based on all the reviews on this post I had higher expectations for the wedding part of the resort. As a guest I liked the resort and I had a great time with my friends and family. As a bride I expected the Salon and photographer part to go smoother. I didn't feel like I got as much attention from Juan Carlos as the other brides. I had to call him multiple times to get a response. This is wedding season, maybe the fall and summer brides felt that their day went smoother.

My guests had a blast and that is all that matters. The music issues were totally my fault for not getting a DJ. I did feel like I was in a wedding factory. My time with Juan Carlos was cut short because another bride went over time into my appointment. My Salon appointments also kept getting moved to accommodate another bridal party. Maybe if I was a Fall Bride or weekday bride my appointments would have gone smoother.

I really wish my wedding went as smoothly as other brides on this site.

I have one more tip!

If you check into a room and discover that it has a shared door, change rooms. The door was so thin we could hear the couple next door popping open bottles at night and then arguing 4 hours later. Sorry this is negative as well.

My guests had an amazing time and loved the wedding. The only person who felt cheated was me. It felt like scheduling conflicts kept happening to me, which took away from my time with my guests.

Just had my wedding last Saturday. I have a few comments on the service offered.

Adventure Photos:

Thank god I didn't use them for my ceremony. I booked them for a photo session with guests during a happy hour and they did not show up. I was told that we can try again the following day. I just reviewed the photos and a lot of the pictures were of bad angles using a bad lens. We all look so fat with double chins. The family members on the ends of the photos look even larger since he used a wide angle lens.

Couples Dinner on the Beach:

The food was over cooked and cold. We got bitten up by sand flies coming from the seaweed. The wind was so strong, our vase on the table fell over and shattered in my lap. I'm glad we didn't pay for that service, I told my guests not to do the vacation club talk to get the free dinner.

Spa:

Worst massage ever. My masseuse was on her cellphone half the time. We did another massage at our honeymoon resort and it was much better.

Salon:

The salon is very poorly managed. They tried rebooking me to an earlier appointment on my wedding day. My Matron of Honor ended up cancelling her appointment because they moved hers out an hour late and she wouldn't have been done on time. When I arrived they couldn't find my appointment and had me confused for another bride. My hair and makeup ended up alright and they were very willing to rework my hair to best match the photos. I think the one thing that got me the most upset was that the technician scheduled to do my Mother-In-Laws nails showed up 45 minutes late and she ended up missing the photos before the wedding.

Food:

The wedding food was the best and my guests were very pleased.

Tips:

- Warn your guests about the Vacation Club and tell them to be stern. When we said we weren't interested they still called us every morning to ask if we would reconsider.

- It is very humid!!! Plan on wearing your hair up. After watching the brides every night, I saw how sweaty and stringy their hair looked and opted for a chunk side braid. Curls fall within minutes of stepping outside.

- Even though I am not a fan of tanning beds, I did 2 sessions and a spray tan before going to Mexico. I ended up being the only person out of all my guests who did not get sunburn.

- You might want to do your wedding on a less popular day if you want extra attention with service and wedding planners. My wedding was Saturday and there was a larger more elaborate wedding the same day. Right before walking down the aisle, they couldn't remember what song I had selected. I could hear their music better than my own. After dinner all the people assisting with my wedding disappeared and we had to move the cocktail tables out of the way ourselves for dancing.

- Get a DJ. After seeing all the posts about making your own playlist and getting a blue tooth speaker, it was my biggest regret. I bought the most expensive speaker, microphone and Amp. I even tested it out hundreds of times at home. The breeze and outdoor space is too great for a blue tooth speaker. My brother even paid the mariachi band to borrow their professional speaker, but the volume still wasn't loud enough. I spent too much time at my wedding fiddling with all the equipment. Not only was the music not loud enough, but my younger guests kept messing with my playlist skipping the slow dance songs and older music. They alienated my older guests, who ended up leaving early. A DJ would have had the right equipment for the environment and kept my guests from taking charge of the reception.

-Turn off your data plan and encourage all your guests to download Viber. The Wi-Fi at the resort is spotty but make sure you switch from your Wi-Fi in your room to the now network by the pool and restaurants. My family spent too much time trying to contact each other and I wish I would have reminded them about Viber a second time before they traveled.

I hope my comments help. I have been reading this website religiously for the past year and a half and still didn't feel prepared for everything turned out. Just keep in mind something WILL go wrong, but stay positive and have fun. You spend so much time and money preparing for this trip.

How much time should I plan for hair and makeup the day of the wedding? I'm not sure what time to request appointments. Did anyone include clip in hair extensions in their wedding hairstyle? Were the stylists good? 

Did anyone specify a cake design? If they decorate the cake is this extra?

Can anyone share their wedding day schedule with me? I'm not sure what time to schedule my salon appointments and how to plan the specifics of my reception.

Did anyone bring their own music for the wedding prelude and processional? If so how long of a song do I need for 3 bridesmaids and groomsmen to walk from the Tequila Terrace to the Beach?

I found some apps that turn your phone into a microphone. I think they work best when your use a bluetooth connection and keep some distance from your phone and speaker. Try Pocket MIC, DaMIC, PaMic, and Microphone Amplifier.

Good Luck

Did anyone bring an AMP or microphone? I was planning on bringing a bluetooth speaker but I was wondering if I needed a MIC for speeches and announcements? 

For past brides:

How hands on were the Wedding Planners during the event?

Who made announcements to be seated for dinner or the cake cutting?

Is anyone using a microphone for speeches with this Speaker?

I know this is something no one asked about, perhaps It helps some one out there

 

More of the wedding and locations shoots at http://www.luckiephotography.com/wedding-photographer-now-sapphire-trina-darcy/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a photographer, do you think there was sufficient lighting on the terrace?

Happy new year ladies!  

 

I'm just a few weeks away and it's crunch time!  

 

For those doing a night time reception on the terraces, are you going with the extra lights or no lights?  I asked Ramon several times and he has reassured me that the standard lighting is sufficient; however, I'm concerned it might still be too dark.

I looked at some brides pictures and it looked dark. Juan Carlos mentioned using Italian lights, but I still haven't seen any pictures of these. I was going to bring fairy lights and was told that it cost $150 per pole to rent poles to hang them to.

We took the napkins, chair sashes, table runners, lanterns for the centerpieces, and the wooden V's for the centerpieces, and of course the thank you gifts and cards. We used the resort for the flowers. I ordered 1 bridesmaid bouquet,1 extra boutonniere, 4 centerpieces,flowers for her hair and the cake, and a lazzo. They charged 783 total for all the flowers not included in the package. We had 27 adults and 2 children and the total bill was 4370.26 (Plus the $500.00 deposit) We did not go with a DJ because we only had 28 people. I bought a bluetooth speaker and it worked great! I did not pay for any extra lighting....their prices were outrageous! We had the lanterns on the table and it was perfect...didn't really need any more. I kept the final bill if you want to know prices on anything else. Let me know!       Those pictures really don't do it justice...it was beautiful! The colors seem dull in the pics. Oh, and I found the table runners on Etsy for $6 each! We also took the silver chargers....at his mothers" insistence...I'm not sure if they would have used chargers or not.

Where did you buy the chair sashes and napkins? What was the vendors name on Etsy? Did you get charged $1 per chair for bringing your own chair sashes?

We took the napkins, chair sashes, table runners, lanterns for the centerpieces, and the wooden V's for the centerpieces, and of course the thank you gifts and cards. We used the resort for the flowers. I ordered 1 bridesmaid bouquet,1 extra boutonniere, 4 centerpieces,flowers for her hair and the cake, and a lazzo. They charged 783 total for all the flowers not included in the package. We had 27 adults and 2 children and the total bill was 4370.26 (Plus the $500.00 deposit) We did not go with a DJ because we only had 28 people. I bought a bluetooth speaker and it worked great! I did not pay for any extra lighting....their prices were outrageous! We had the lanterns on the table and it was perfect...didn't really need any more. I kept the final bill if you want to know prices on anything else. Let me know!       Those pictures really don't do it justice...it was beautiful! The colors seem dull in the pics. Oh, and I found the table runners on Etsy for $6 each! We also took the silver chargers....at his mothers" insistence...I'm not sure if they would have used chargers or not.

Do you have any pictures of what the reception looked like at night?

I was told that you can print your own Lanterns but you list bring all the bulbs and cords too. The price for setting up the lanterns is $100 and $150 for each pole that you rent. I am looking at buying LED Chinese lanterns from Oriental Trading Company.

For those of you who used outside vendors, does the resort charge the outside vendor fee for each one (photog, DJ, etc.) or is it a one-time charge?

I was told that the outside vendor fee is for each vendor, but the photographer doesn't count as an outside vendor. Instead you must pay for a guest pass for your photographer and crew.

Few questions ladies.

Is using an outside florist really that much cheaper than the resort? Some of the pricing I got back makes it seem like they are very close in price.

Anyone having an evening wedding on the tequila terrace? What are you doing about lighting? I got pictures back from Juan Carlos and it looks like there are only two small flood lights. It is $850 plus tax to get Chinese lanterns. Any other ideas???

Does anyone know how much it costs to rent table runners and napkins?

Any suggestions on how to get in touch with guests without using international rates?

Just got back from a week a Sapphire! My daughter's wedding was perfect! Juan Carlos did an amazing job! I have no clue how to post pictures here but I wish I did! We used the resort florist and the flowers were beautiful! I took some back to my room after the reception and they still looked great when we left today!(I passed them off to someone staying a few more days!) They did a beautiful job on the girls' hair and make-up! We took a Harmon/Kardon bluetooth speaker and it was great! We included a lazzo ceremony and the Lazzo was beautiful! We used it on the sweetheart table with the centerpiece. The officiant did a wonderful job incorporating it into the ceremony! If you can tell me how, I will add some pics!
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Everything looks beautiful. What items did your daughter bring and what did she rent? Where did she get the chevron table runner? What was the price for each bouquet? Was this wedding in the morning or evening? What was the lighting like?

What is everyone doing with there guests the night before the wedding?

Did any of you brides sit at a smaller table with your groom during the reception?? How was the officiant? Did anyone have any problems bringing there décor and OOT bags on the plane? 

Please take pictures of the terrace and beach area!!! Also where did you take a majority of your photos? Did a lot of on lookers walk by your ceremony or reception? Did you go to the local Costco for things to add to your OOT bags? What did you do with your guests the night before the wedding? I was quoted a rehearsal dinner for $30 per person. Did you get your comped $$ before or after the wedding? How was the food at the reception?

Is there wifi at the hotel? How did the bluetooth speaker work out? Any suggestions?