Johnsonspartyof2

Hello Ladies! 

I am working on planning my August 2018 wedding. After a few life changes we are now considering a new resort. We are trying to decide between Azul Fives and Azul Sensatori. Can anyone tell me why they decided to go with Azul Sensatori as their resort? I am working on my research and all responses will be appreciated.  

Did you make your paper products (STD's, Invitations, Programs, Etc)? Also if you did what printer did you use? I am pretty sure I have to purchase a new one for these projects. I've been researching printers all day. I am sure I will dream of printers tonight 

@@Johnsonspartyof2 This is where the exciting part of your wedding planning begins! Once you've settled on the date and booking it! I remember being nervous about sending my credit card information via email.  And I asked for a fax # but I think I was very anxious to book the date I ended up scanning front and back of my credit card and just emailing everything to get it over and done with.  Anel emailed me back that they had received everything and that they will process the payment.  I didn't have any problems with my card.

@@Johnsonspartyof2 No problems with sending all the info via email, including credit card and my ID. I was more anxious/nervous about securing the date because I wanted to move forward with my room booking as there was a special promo going on at the time and it was the very last day of it.  It all worked out just fine.

Thank you both very much for that, I feel better now.

@@DinaQtobe thank you so much for taking the time to respond on my post ! i greatly appreciated ! I must say , that my fiancé and i have finally decided on NOW Sapphire, we are currently in communication to try to save a date ! We are wanting a beach ceremony and the tequila terrace for the reception/cocktail hour. Im getting exited and cannot wait for the day even though its a ways away!

Hi! So glad to meet another 2018 bride We also have decided on Now Sapphire for our 2018 wedding. I've spent countless hours on this site and it gives you so much valuable information. Now Sapphire plans beautiful weddings and you get a lot for your money there. We have a strict budget and are planning for no more than 35 guests. If you are willing to do the research you will not be disappointed.... there are a lot of ways to cut costs to make sure you have your dream wedding within your budget. Also we are going through Wright Travel Agency, we have Babs as our TA and I must say she is AMAZING. If you haven't already, check out Now's special offers http://www.nowresorts.com/offers they have some good promotions that will help you with costs as well. 

There is a forum on here dedicated just to Now Sapphire there are a lot of pages but lots of good information and the brides are very nice. 

https://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/62152-now-sapphire-weddings-formerly-paradisus-riviera/

Happy Planning

Hey Guys! 

I hope everyone is doing well So time has passed and it looks like we are about ready to finally book our date. We had to change our date (which we are currently waiting for the new prices to be sent to us). For my past brides how did the process of paying the deposit go? In one of the first emails i received from Anel she attached the credit card authorization form and I will admit I had a hard time understanding some of the lines. It makes me nervous putting all of my information on the form and sending it. I assume that that is the only way to get it to here so I will get over the nervousness. Did anyone have any troubles when it came to the deposit?

@@AmandaU

 

I did not rent the bridal suite, but I was sent photos by the spa, which I will post. Myself and 2 BMs had our hair & makeup done at the spa - it was a bit crowded when there was another bridal party of 3 in it. You might want to consider it if you have a large group. 

 

Energy drinks definitely aren't in the room fridges. You might be able to get at the bars - I think my husband ordered the occasional red bull (although they may have carried a different brand, even a no name Mexican brand possibly, if you are picky about what kind). They do have a store that probably carried them as well, but that would cost you money and the store was not cheap.

 

@@wvupharmer13

 

We rented a speaker from a local vendor, who unfortunately is not renting at Now Sapphire any longer. But you could bring your own speaker. We had something like this. It included a microphone. It was great for our needs (group of 40). We used it with an iPhone and the Wedding DJ app. 

 

We had our MC (my brother-in-law) announce things like speeches, etc. using the microphone. We had another friend who helped to transition between speaking & music, and managing volume & playlists.

Those photos you attached are of the bridal suite?? It looks very nice! 

Did anyone rent the bridal suite ?? If is was it worth the extra fee? Tell me the details on it.......i'm having a hard time finding photos or more details on it.

 

 

And - I'm not a coffee drinker.......we drink a lot of energy drinks. Are these available on the resort?  (I'm wondering if we need the taxi to stop at a convenient store when they pick us up at the airport LOL)

I had no idea they had a bridal suite. Im interested in more information as well.

@@Johnsonspartyof2 we are making "hangover kits" with some little necessities like Tylenol, pepto bismol, tums, bandaid, Sunscreen, aloe, vitamin c pack, etc, personalized sunglasses (in case guests forget theirs or don't want to worry about losing nice ones) and a personalized insulated cup guests can use when at the beach or pool etc.

I was trying to go more practical so things will actually get used versus spending money on favors that will be thrown away.

Sounds great! We will be doing pretty much the same thing.

Brides

Did you make Welcome Bags for your guests?

I know exactly how you feel. I'm a beach person and so it was important to me. She I was first researching hotels back in October last year seaweed was really a problem but this resort ticked all the boxes. At the end I booked it and hoped it got better and it did.

What dates are you booking for? And what other resorts are you considering?

I can send h photos of the beach as of last week.

@@Gabyc22 Yes photos would be great! I was looking at Generations, Hyatt Ziva (Out of my price range), Beach Palace, And Hard Rock.

If I was to choose another resort it would be Beach Palace I like the perks they offer. But another thing im quite picky about are the suites. I want a oceanfront room with a jacuzzi on the balcony & Now sapphire offers it at a reasonable price. I was surprised how some resorts dont even offer it.

Date wise we were actually hoping for Aug 18 2018 but it being hurricane season scares me. So we went to May 2018

@Johnsonspartyof2  Hmmm there was a little bit but nothing too crazy.  The beach still looked beautiful.  Some days it looked more beautiful than others.

 

Are you still researching for your wedding or have you booked Now Sapphire already? 

@Gabyc22 I was done researching and we planned on booking our date and blocking our rooms next month, I started buying my supplies for my save the dates and everything. Then a few more resorts popped up and now I am re-thinking my decision. I hear a lot about the seaweed and that scares me because I do plan on going to the beach. But in all honesty that is the only con I hear about when it comes to this resort. Part of me feel that this is just me having the jitters because this is such a big step. I'm scared of making the wrong decision. 

@vancouverpetunia  No problem.  Yes, we just arrived back last night.

 

Everything went very well.  I'll be writing my review in the next few weeks.

 

I'm here to help if any future brides have questions or doubts.

How was the beach? Was there a lot of seaweed?

Hey fellow brides, any ladies planning their 2018 wedding? I've been engaged for over a year now (shhh I know absolutely ridiculous ) I finally started planning and decided on a destination wedding. I'm 99% sure we're doing Generations Riviera Maya. How everyone's planning going? Mines gone easy thus far, I was lucky enough to snag a wedding planner who lives in Mexico!! Hope to hear from some brides who are planning!!

 

-stacey

I am also a 2018 Bride! My location was set for Now Sapphire but I have a few new locations that has caught my eye. Smh all my fault because I can never make my mind up Lol

I have just gotten engaged and am now considering a destination wedding to either the Dominican, Mexico, Costa Rica or the Bahamas. The key factor in the decision to have a destination wedding was pricing. I imagine a typical destination wedding will be more inexpensive then a wedding at home. We anticipate 30-45 people but who knows. We're thinking early 2018 to give people lots of notice. 

 

I have a few questions I'd love if someone could give me any insight/opinions on;

 

 

1) Can anyone recommend a travel agent? I am located in Bowmanville, Ontario (Canada) 

 

 

2) What resorts can accommodate $2000 or less for my quests, but still be reallllyyy nice?

 

 

3) What price range am I actually looking at? I'd love to stay around the $10,000 limit.

 

 

Thanks in advance!

@@SSpartyof2 Welcome!! I am also planning for a 2018 wedding! This site is soooo helpful you will find a lot of valuable information on here.

I am in the US so a few of my details will vary due to our locations but I will share what I have come up with so far. 

1) Can anyone recommend a travel agent? I am located in Bowmanville, Ontario (Canada) 

I am using Wright Travel Agency they are fantastic but also locatedin the US. If you do a little more searching on here you will find brides that are also located in Canada and the travel agents companies they have used. If I come across them I will be sure to let you know.

2) What resorts can accommodate $2000 or less for my quests, but still be reallllyyy nice?

I am going to the Now Sapphire Resort in Cancun. Its priced well in my opinion and its a very beautiful resort. I know a few brides from Canada went to this resort with there guests paying from $1500-2000.

3) What price range am I actually looking at? I'd love to stay around the $10,000 limit.

At this moment I am at around 15,000 for everything total. Its best to make a list of everything important to you and go from there. Now sapphire has there wedding brochures online for you to see. You get a lot for your money at that resort. 10,000 should be doable.

@@vancouverpetunia I sent her a message..... now to wait for a response, fingers crossed! If you don't mind me asking, was your gazebo included in your Divine Package? 

@@Johnsonspartyof2 We rented the sound system and some decor from Love & Lace Wedding Decor. Unfortunately I don't think she is renting to Now Sapphire brides any longer. But worth asking and maybe things will change by 2018.

@@vancouverpetunia Okay thank you ill give it a try. 

I Am Also In Search Of One For My Wedding Day And So Far The Two I Am Considering Is Styling Trio And Melissa V From MVP Hair And Makeup

 

Did you make your own package or did you use one of the packages they offer? I have been communicating with Anel and she gave me the option of building my own due to the fact that some of the services included we will not need but I am finding this to be a bit more pricey so we are now thinking about choosing a package and just not using some of the things.

 

We went with the Divine package. Early on, I considered building my own package, but it seemed more expensive. I also considered switching to the Eternity package later on, but we ended up sticking with Divine. There were lots of things included that we didn't NEED but we made sure to use every single thing!   Some things were just nice luxuries, such as the couples massage and private dinner. But some we really didn't need at all. For example, we brought our own photographer. So we used the included photo package to do a friends/family shoot on the beach. Let everyone know the time and place and about 10 couples/families came out. I know at least 3 of them have printed & framed the photos, so I think it was appreciated. We also didn't need a musician, as one of our friends is a professional saxophonist and played during our ceremony. But we were able to use the guitarist pre-ceremony. 

 

How did it go with renting the sound system? Did you assign one person to announce your first dance, etc.? We are considering doing the same, I already have an Ipod so it will be saving us a bit more money which is a good thing. 

 

The sound system worked out great. We used the Wedding DJ app on our iPhone to set up various playlists and then we had a couple of friends who took care of forwarding through the playlists, stopping the music for speeches, etc. Our MC (my BIL) announced anything that needed announcing. 

 

As far as makeup and hair-styling did you use an outside artist?

 

I used the spa on-site and was super happy with the results. My BMs also had their make-up done there and one had her hair done. One of the make-up applications was not the greatest (but not horrific), but we were very happy with the rest. I included some photos in my review (link below). 

 

@@vancouverpetunia That is such a good idea! That helps me out soooo much, thank you. The photo idea with family and friends is perfect. I will make a special note about the wedding DJ app. If you don't mind could you tell me where you rented your sound system from?  

@@vancouverpetunia Thank you for your response! 

OMG yes I meant TA, I don't know what made me say travel planner.   I actually have been communicating with an agent from Wright Travel and she has been amazing.

Did you make your own package or did you use one of the packages they offer? I have been communicating with Anel and she gave me the option of building my own due to the fact that some of the services included we will not need but I am finding this to be a bit more pricey so we are now thinking about choosing a package and just not using some of the things.

How did it go with renting the sound system? Did you assign one person to announce your first dance, etc.? We are considering doing the same, I already have an Ipod so it will be saving us a bit more money which is a good thing. 

As far as makeup and hair-styling did you use an outside artist?

@@LeanneP Sounds Good Thank You! I'll Stick To Wedding Wire.

@@cruisebride2016 Thats a good idea, It would be cool for both sides of our family to interact a bit before the wedding. We weren't to big on a Facebook page but that just sold me lol

@@JasminMattPhoto Thank you, we are currently looking into changing our date to May 18th 2018 just to make it a little more easier. No tropical storms just have to avoid rain. 

@@Moments That Matter your photos are absolutely beautiful could I possibly get a price list sent over to me?

@@tiffanyt Okay that sounds good. Wedding wire was one of the sites I was looking into. I originally liked this one site (i cant remember the name) it gave you tons of options and you had your own app as well, but it was for about 60$ a year and I can't justify that expense when other sites like WeddingWire works perfectly fine. Are you making a Facebook group or Instagram page as well for your guests or are you stopping at the wedding website?

A note to all brides thinking about doing this on their weddings --- do it! Your photographer will love you.

 

Although we understand that guests and family usually want to take their own pictures and capture memories of their own during the ceremony, it is the one special moment you have all gathered there to share, so it only makes sense to ask your loved ones to be there. In the moment with you.

 

Make sure to ask your photographer if they can provide you with the service of uploading images to a private, online gallery.

 

What we do is send the couple a link to where the images will be, with the option of having guests sign up to receive an update once the images are posted (which is only 7 to 12 business days after the wedding). That way, everyone can access the ceremony images, share them on Facebook or print them out  

 

We hope the unplugged wedding trend is here to stay!

 

This one post that became viral says it very well too: http://www.today.com/style/unplugged-weddings-photographers-anti-phone-rant-goes-viral-t55546

 

This Is Such A Good Idea, Even With My Guest List Only Being 30 It Seems It Would Prove To Be More Beneficial.

Hi All!

Where did you create your wedding website? I see so many options I don't know which to pick. Since we are changing our date to an early 2018 date we want to atleast get everything set in stone by the end of the year so we can send out STD's but I also want us to have a wedding site for our guests to use as a reference.

For older guests who doesn't use much technology did you find yourself sending a more detailed STD? I have a few family members who don't use the internet or anything so I am thinking about making special STD's including all of the resort information and details while others visit our site.

So glad I ran across this website. I have spent some time reading this thread and it had helped me out a lot with most of my questions, it will for sure be a resource to help me as I continue with my planning. 

Can anyone recommend a good TA to me? I am still in the early stages of planning my wedding and I have learned that its best for me to have a travel agent. I just don't know where to go....

I am so glad that I found a community of brides and grooms that are planning a destination wedding just like me. I just recently got engaged to the man of my dreams and now we are ready to start planning the wedding of our dreams. We originally had plans set for a wedding here locally but as the planning continued our budget raised to close to $35,000 and I began to question if it was worth it. After several events we decided to stick with a destination wedding, and I couldn't be happier! I've spent 6 weeks researching resorts and I have made the decision on Now Sapphire Resort. From the pricing to the reviews I believe I made the best choice. We are looking at approximately 25-30 guests with a budget hopefully of 15,000.  We would love to get married next year but we want to do things right and allow our guests to have enough time to pay for this vacation as well as take care of a few life situations therefore we decided to go for a 2018 wedding which is fine with me  Me being a newbie and not having any experience in this I am feeling a bit overwhelmed planning this wedding. I would love to hear your stories thus far on wedding planning, etc. I also have a few questions so if anyone could assist me that would be great! 

1) When planning your wedding did you use a travel planner? Is it best to have a travel planner for your guests? 

2) Do you plan on visiting your resort prior to your wedding day?

3) I've done some research and found that a lot of brides brought some decorations to help with costs can anyone provide some advice on doing this?

4) What date did you book you wedding day for? We originally planned for August 18, 2018 (Our anniversary) but I have been scared off by the chances of rain and it being hurricane season. 

5) What is your budget, how easy has it been to stick with it?

So excited to meet you all, and I look forward to planning with you!