ROYAL PLAYA DEL CARMEN BRIDES: were kids allowed for the day? ...and other questions

[sarah_prieb]

WE LOVE ELIZABETH!! She was worth every penny. I'm so happy that we decided to have her do our photos. Now I'm looking forward to seeing all of yours!

[dcheung1111]

I'm glad to hear you really liked Elizabeth Medina.... I am very impressed with all the work i've seen from her so far. I still haven't decided on a photographer yet but I am leaning towards booking her. Though she is definitely a little more on the pricier side and the fact that we'll have to pay additional for her hotel stay the night of the wedding really had me evaluating my budget... but the more work i see.. the more i think it will be worth the investment.

[sarah_prieb]

Elizabeth was worth every penny. Not only does she do an awesome job, but I didn't even notice her a lot of the time. Of course we had our more standard poses...family, bridal party, etc. But as far as the ceremony was concerned or the reception, she got great photos without inconveniencing us and our guests. When she "posed" us during our private photos between the ceremony and reception, it was really more like "light direction". She would kind of tell us to make out, or look past him, have fun, or whisper in his ear. Stuff like that. She never actually posed us. It just seemed really natural so the pictures ended up looking like "us" rather than some cheesy prom picture type photos.

[khowell15]

I would love to have Elizabeth Medina as our photographer, but I agree she is a little pricey. Are there any other photographers that people would recommend besides Elizabeth Medina (with a similar style) ?

Also, I have a random question. I really like how at the Royal you can have your reception on the beach in the sand, but my FI is concerned that if its windy that people will be getting hit or eating sand during dinner. Has anyone with past experience had this as a problem? I haven't read about it anywhere. Also, I noticed that from other pictures the dance floor that they use in the sand looks kinda like a sheet or something. What exactly is the dance floor made out of and does it work? Thanks.

[aeroo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by khowell15 I would love to have Elizabeth Medina as our photographer, but I agree she is a little pricey. Are there any other photographers that people would recommend besides Elizabeth Medina (with a similar style) ? Also, I have a random question. I really like how at the Royal you can have your reception on the beach in the sand, but my FI is concerned that if its windy that people will be getting hit or eating sand during dinner. Has anyone with past experience had this as a problem? I haven't read about it anywhere. Also, I noticed that from other pictures the dance floor that they use in the sand looks kinda like a sheet or something. What exactly is the dance floor made out of and does it work? Thanks.

We had our reception in the ballroom, so I can't tell you about the sand thing. It is mostly windy on the beach though. The dance floor is wood and they level out the sand before putting it together, so don't worry.

[sarah_prieb]

First of all, I want to say that the wind really dies down at night. There was just a nice breeze when we had our reception which was perfect. Everyone stayed cool...even me in my big dress. Second of all, I was worried about the dance floor too. It doesn't look like much but it worked out perfectly. It wasn't shaky or anything. We had 23 people for our reception and it was a sufficient size. I think if you have any more people than that though, it might be a little small.

[khowell15]

I have another question for ya all. I am debating between the Royal and the Gran Porto, but there doesn't seem to be too many pictures of the Gran Porto and the reception sites that they have. I really want it to be an outdoor reception. Does the Gran Porto have an outside setup? I have seen the ceremony sites for the two places and they look similar. Any info would be great!

[Shay2679]

Quote:

Originally Posted by khowell15 I have another question for ya all. I am debating between the Royal and the Gran Porto, but there doesn't seem to be too many pictures of the Gran Porto and the reception sites that they have. I really want it to be an outdoor reception. Does the Gran Porto have an outside setup? I have seen the ceremony sites for the two places and they look similar. Any info would be great!

I can't say for sure, Aeroo or someone who held their weddings on that property will have to weigh in, but from what I've heard, the Gran Porto has very little beach and in fact, the grounds at the resort leave a little to be desired. I suppose it depends on the size of your group and the ambiance you are going for, but I have heard that the grounds at the Royal are really incomparable.

[aeroo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by khowell15 I have another question for ya all. I am debating between the Royal and the Gran Porto, but there doesn't seem to be too many pictures of the Gran Porto and the reception sites that they have. I really want it to be an outdoor reception. Does the Gran Porto have an outside setup? I have seen the ceremony sites for the two places and they look similar. Any info would be great!

Yes, they have an outdoor reception site at Gran Porto. I saw a few receptions there and they have it in a semi-private area where there are no beach chairs, so it is nice for that. Every setup I saw was gorgeous, so I am sure you won't be disappointed. Wish I took pics though.

[Shay2679]

I just had to let you know that, while I was reading some updated reviews for the Royal this morning on TripAdvisor.ca...I saw a post from a user, "GrandPrixGuy" (or something like that) that made mention of meeting and hanging out with Sarah and Kevin! I thought it was cute!