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Hi Ladies :) It has been a long time since I have been able to write on this thread. Busy with work and school and wedding planning!!! But now I have some concrete things happening which is super exciting!! I have read all of the posts and want to congratulate all of the brides that just had their wedding and thank them for sharing their reviews and words of advice!!!! To give some insight on the new packages to all of the newbies or anyone who is thinking of changing their package this is my experience with it :)

 

Originally we chose the Vow Renewal (the most expensive of the two options for that) and we were going to customize all of the details: flowers, decor etc. After looking at the Karen Bussen packages and weighing the pros and cons, we have decided to change our decision and go with the Mayan Pearl Package-vow renewal. It is a little more money but the decor is much more modern and I actually like the fact that I DONT have to make so many little decisions! It is after all, one of the reasons we wanted to go away!

 

We have chosen white as the decor colour (as you are limited within them what colours you can choose) and our wedding colours are coral and turquoise. So we have decided to add those colours in little extras that we are bringing along and have everything else in white. We are getting married at the beach pergola on the Kantenah side, and we have little bamboo fans that are in our turquoise colour on each seat.  I think that will make a beautiful picture before any guests arrive.  My brother who is walking me down the aisle will also be in turquoise (shirt) and white pants. My maid of honour is wearing a coral dress, and the best man is wearing a coral shirt and light grey pants.  

 

Because with the karen bussen packages we are limited to what we can choose, I figured that I would just do the following:  Since the decor will all be white including the flowers, I will give the included white bouquet and boutenneir to the maid of honor and best man (because you HAVE to use it) and then I can order an additional bouquet and boutenier  (that would normally be for the maid of honour and best man in a colour of our choice-we will do coral).  That way, the colour of the flowers will ofset what we are wearing I think.  I am pretty sure that is what we will end up doing.  So that is one way of kind of going around their strict colour scheme.  You basically have to use what is included (which is all gorgeous) but any extras can be whatever you want since you are paying extra for it.

 

I am so excited to say that I am placing my order for our wedding favours tonight too! We are getting custom maracas from a place that Vanessa recommended "Maracas Mexico".  She was so quick to answer my quote requests and in a matter of three days I have all the info I need to place my order!  They are very affordable too-but I guess that could be subject to dispute depending on how many you have to order.  I only have 22 being ordered and the design is not too complicated but very pretty.  They hand paint their maracas to order and all of the other places I have checked out seemed a little sketchy, so I am hoping this turns out as good as I think it will!  They also have a facebook page under the same name you can check out! I commented on their homepage and within less than an hour they responded to me! 

 

I also ordered a sand ceremony vase and coral and turquoise sand from elegantweddings.com or .ca...i cant remember.  So we will do that also at the ceremony!!

 

We are not having a "dance party" after our reception as we don't really have the crowd for it, but we opted for a private reception even though we only have 20 people because we didn't want it to feel like we were just "out to dinner" with other ppl around.  We still have to pay for 25 guests (that is the minimum for the private) so in a sense we are actually paying more per plate considering we are paying for 5 plates that arent even being made.  But oh well! It eases my mind and that's all that matters at this point hehe!  So we are going to have speeches, do a slideshow presentation, maybe play the "shoe" game haha, have first dance, and do cake.  All the while we will have a mixture of classical music and spanish guitar music playing in the background.  I think it will be nice.  And if some ppl want to continue the night we will just go to the disco for free!

 

We are also not telling people that we are getting married here first-although I think some people are beginning to wonder..it will be our little secret for as long as we can! Pretty much the only reason we are doing the vow renewal is because the week we wanted to go away, there was one day and one spot available for us-and it was too early in the week to be eligible for a legal mexican ceremony, so it didn't bother us at all that we could only do the vow renewal :)

 

I don't really know anything about the bonfire party so I won't be able to answer any of those questions but if anyone has any other questions about the karen busssen packages I might be able to help!

 

-Jen

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Hey Sarah,
I have chosen a Karen Bussen package & this is why I can add the beach bash.. Crystel sounds like we will actually be at the resort at the same time.. My  guests are there from December 29th-January 5th  with the wedding on January 2nd. Me & my fiancé will be staying an extra week until the 12th!
 

Junomei, as for the save-the-dates .. with a destination wedding I think the sooner you can get the info out, the better! We gave people over a years notice by sending out save-the-date magnets which had our wedding website and the date/resort on it. The wedding website was set up by our travel agents and had all the resort/travel info. I encouraged people to put their deposits down as soon as possible & most people did within 1 month of getting the save-the-dates. I think the sooner you can let people know & give them an estimate of price and stuff, the sooner they can start saving up if they want to attend.

Bre

 

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Welcome Noah, Junomei, Crystel and Alyn! So many people in few days!! 

Welcome to the forum!!!

 

 

Noah, I have just sent you the email with the document you asked me. About the other options for eating doing a private reception, you have the possibility to make a buffet. This has a cost of 40 usd. Ask Vanessa about all kind of starters, food and desserts that included. She sent it to me several months ago, and I am not able to find it. Probably I deleted it.

 

 

Junomei, I got engaged at the end of August 2012 and we were thinking a lot about when to give the invitations to the guests. I decided to talk with my travel agent to know when the offers to the Riviera Maya were going to be available. She told me that the touroperators would have started to make offers from March. So then we decided to give the invitations between December and January. 

Then Pullmantur, a Spanish touroperator make a very good offer (1300 usd including flights, transfers and resort during 7 nights) at the end of January. The guests had one month to book. Almost everybody booked. 

The same touroperator continued making offers and other 6 guests booked later at a 1500 usd offer. 

 

So suming up we decided to give the invitations some months before the offers at the travel agency.

 

 

Crystel, for what Vanessa told me it is possible the resort celebrates two weddings the same day. She told me that for getting married at the beach gazebo we had available 2pm and 4pm as no other bride had booked the same day. So we chose 4pm. She told me that if other bride was interested in the same day, then she would have to book the 2pm hour and the locations that I am not choosing. 

So probably in your case, there is another bride getting married at the other hour you prefer. 

 

About what you can do until then, why do not go for a cocktail (5usd per person) or cocktail and appetizers (14 usd)? This has a 2-hour duration. 

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Noah!! I have just found the mail with the document that Vanessa sent me!! I was not able to find it before writing the previous post.

At the mail Vanessa says it has a cost of 45 usd per person and is for 50 people as minimum. This a private option at La Laguna or El Gran Azul. 

There are several options (it is not the 1st menu written, I imagined they cancelled or sth. As I have a small wedding (22 people) we decided to go for a menu and not the buffet, so I did not ask her for the option one.

 

I imagine some of you cannot read it if I attached the document so I am going to copy and paste it

 

 

 

 

BUFFETS DE GALA PARA GRUPOS 2009      GALA BUFFET FOR GROUPS 2009

 

 

Menu 2                                                                       Menu 2

 

ENTRADAS FRÃAS                                                      STARTERS

 

Hojas de Lechuga                                                                            Lettuce Leaves

Tomate                                                                                                Tomato

Pepinos                                                                                               Cucumbers

Cebollitas Cambray                                                                         Cambray Pickled Onions 

Aceitunas Verdes                                                                               Green Olives

Aceitunas Negras                                                                             Black Olives

Mayonesa                                                                                           Mayonnaise

Aderezo Francés, Italiano y Roquefort                                         French Seasoning

Aderezo Italiano                                                                                Italian Seasonig

Aderezo Roquefort                                                                           Roquefort Seasoning

Ensalada de Caprese                                                                      Caprese Salad

Ensalada de Palmitos                                                                      Heart Palm Salad

Ensalada de Rigatoni                                                                       Rigatoni Salad

Ensalada de Pera y Mascarpone                                                  Pear and Mascarpone Salad

Ensalada de Pollo y Vegetales                                                      Chicken and Vegetables Salad

 

PLATOS FUERTES                                                     MAIN COURSES

 

Crema de Tomate al Vino blanco                                  Cream of Tomato Soup in White Wine

Lomo de Cerdo Mechado                                            Fricandeau of Pork

Pechuga de Pollo a la Florentina                                  Breast of Chicken “Fiorentina Styleâ€

Filete de Mero Almendrado                                          Grilled Filets of Stone-Bass with Almonds

Pato a la Naranja                                                         Duck a Lâ€Orange

Penne a la Arrabbtiata                                                  Penne alla Arrabbiata

Popietas de Ternera al Jerez                                        Veal Rolls in Xerry Sauce

Langostinos a la Parrilla                                               Grilled Prawns

Arroz con Vegetales                                                    Rice with Vegetables

Puré de Papa                                                              Mashed Potatoes

Coliflor Tempura                                                          Cauliflower Tempura

Envuelto de Salmón en Salsa de Pepino y Eneldo        Wraps of Salmon in Cucumber and Fennel Sauce

Pavo Horneado “San Silvestre†                                    Roast Turkey “San Sivestreâ€

Salsa de Jerez                                                             Xerry Sauce

Salsa de Tamarindo                                                     Tamarind Sauce

 

POSTRES                                                                   DESSERTS

 

Pastel de Chocolate                                                                         Chocolate Cake 

Pastel de Queso                                                                                Cheese Cake

Pastel de Almendra                                                                          Almond Pie

Mouse de Mango                                                                              Mango Mousse

Pie de Manzana                                                                                Apple Pie

Natillas                                                                                                Custard

 

PAN                                                                            BREAD

Pan de Cebolla, Pagés y Eneldo                                                   Onion, Country Style and Fennel bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

BUFFETS DE GALA PARA GRUPOS 2008                    GALA BUFFET FOR GROUPS 2008

                                  

 

Menu 3                                                                       Menu 3

ENTRADAS FRÃAS                                                      STARTERS

 

Lechuga Mixta                                                             Mixed Lettuce

Tomate                                                                        Tomato

Corazones de Alcachofas                                            Artichoke Hearts          

Aceitunas Rellenas                                                      Stuffed Olives 

Aceitunas Verdes                                                        Green Olives

Cebollitas Cambray                                                     Cambray Pickled Onions

Mayonesa                                                                   Mayonnaise

Vinagreta                                                                     Vinaigrette

Salsa Americana                                                           American Seasoning

Aderezo Francés                                                           French Seasoning

Aderezo Cesar                                                             Caesar Seasoning

Pepinillos                                                                    Pickles

Jamón Serrano                                                            Parma Ham

Queso Brie                                                                  Brie Cheese

Queso Holandés                                                          Dutch Cheese

Ensalada Rusa                                                            Russian Salad

Ensalada Waldorf                                                        Waldorf Salad             

Ensalada de Mozarella                                                 Mozzarella Salad

Ensalada Betabel                                                        Beetroot Salad

Ensalada de Calabacitas a la Parrilla                             Grilled Gourd Salad

Ensalada de Champiñones                                           Mushrooms Salad

 

PLATOS FUERTES                                                     MAIN COURSES

Crema de Vegetales                                                    Vegetables Cream

Pez Espada en Salsa de Naranja                                  Sword fish in Orange Sauce

Ternera al Horno en Salsa de Champiñones                  Roasted Veal with a Mushrooms Sauce

Pechuga de Pollo “San Angelo†                                  Breast of Chicken “San Angeloâ€

Papa al Horno                                                             Roasted Potatoes

Arroz Salvaje                                                               Rice “Wild Styleâ€

Vegetales Mixtos al Vapor                                           Boiled Mixed Vegetables         

Filete de Mero en Salsa de Ajo                                     Fillet of Stone-Bass in Garlic Sauce

Aros de Cebolla Tempura                                             Onion Rings Tempura

Espagueti Pomodoro                                                  Spaghetti Pomodoro

Solomillo de Ternera “Wellington†                                Sirloin of Veal “Wellingtonâ€

Salsa de Pimienta                                                        Pepper Sauce

Salsa de Champiñones                                                Mushroom Sauce

 

POSTRES                                                                   DESSERTS

Strudel de Manzana                                                     Apple Strudel  

Pie de Piña                                                                 Pineapple Pie

Pie de Pera                                                                 Pear Pie

Pastel de Moca                                                             Mocha Cake

Mouse de Chocolate                                                    Chocolate Mousse

Flan Napolitano                                                           Caramel custard Neapolitan Style.

 

PAN                                                                            BREAD

Pan Integral, Pan de Avena y Pan de Ajo                      Whole meal Bread, Oat Bread and Garlic bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BUFFETS DE GALA PARA GRUPOS 2008                    GALA BUFFET FOR GROUPS 2008

         

                                                                      

 

Menu 4                                                                       Menu 4

 

ENTRADAS FRÃAS                                                      STARTERS

 

Lechuga Romana                                                                             Romany Lettuce

Tomate                                                                                                Tomato

Espinacas Frescas                                                                           Fresh Spinach

Aceitunas Negras                                                                             Black Olives        

Aceitunas Verdes                                                                               Green Olives

Cebollitas Cambray                                                                         Cambray Pickled Onions

Vinagreta Italiana                                                                              Italian Vinaigrette

Aderezo Roquefort                                                                           Roquefort Seasoning

Aderezo Ranch                                                                                  Ranch Seasoning

Ensalada de Berros                                                                          Watercress Salad              

Ensalada Niçoise                                                                             Niçoise Salad                                                    

Ensalada de Camarones                                                                Shrimp  Salad

Ensalada de Poros y Plátano macho                                           Leek and Banana “Macho†Salad  

Ensalada de Papas y Anchoas                                                      Potatoes and Anchovies Salad

Ensalada de Zanahorias                                                                 Carrot Salad

Surtido de Quesos                                                                            Choice of Cheese

Salmón Ahumado                                                                            Smoked Salmon

 

PLATOS FUERTES                                                     MAIN COURSES

 

Crema de Espárragos                                                  Asparagus Cream

Pollo Almendrado                                                        Chicken with Almonds

Rollo de Ternera al Romero                                          Rolled Veal Rosemary Style

Chicharrón de Pato                                                     Duck Crackling

Mahi Mahi al Hinojo                                                     Mahi Mahi with Fennel

Salmón en Salsa Teriyaki                                             Salmon with Teriyaki Sauce

Arroz al Jengibre                                                         Rice with Ginger          

Espinacas a la Crema                                                  Spinaches with Cream  

Calabacitas al Vapor                                                    Boiled Baby Marrows

Camarón Tempura              &nbsp

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Hey Bre, or any other Brides,

 

When you are planning to send out your Save the Dates, besides the traditional information, what else are you including. I've got a website in the works and a TA working on deals.... is there anything I might be missing?

 

I appreciate any ideas, thanks

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Originally Posted by junomei View Post

 

Hey Bre, or any other Brides,

 

When you are planning to send out your Save the Dates, besides the traditional information, what else are you including. I've got a website in the works and a TA working on deals.... is there anything I might be missing?

 

I appreciate any ideas, thanks

Hey, for the save-the-dates we had magnets made that had 4 photos of us & all it said on it was 'save the date for our destination wedding', the date, and mayan Riviera, mexico as well as the wedding website. And then with the magnets we sent a little thing we had typed out and printed on nice cardstock from Michaels in which we explained the situation for how to book their trip if they were planning on doing so. We also mentioned that they should check out the website where all the information would be. Most people that I have seen had the magnet on their fridge and used it to hold up the little information card we sent with it. I think what you have is good .. the website will be able to give them all the information so if you can give them that then they can check it out for themselves!

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Crystal, I have some problem. We wanted 4pm but someone already booked so they are giving us 2pm. Even though I emailed months ago and they just responded now. 2 pm will be when the sun is strongest and then you have to wait awhile for dinner. I understand you can have a cocktail hour but feel its crazy to pay for drinks when its shall inclusicpve resort! Crazy how everything adds up even here. Destination weddings are supposed to be cheaper, lol.

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Hey Heatherlynn,

 

What time is your supper reception.... Originally mine ceremony was suppose to be at four and the reception at 6, which doesn't leave much time for photos, which is super important to me, I have moved my ceremony to the 2pm slot as a result. So that should help use up a lot of time for the bridal party. As far as guests and a cocktail hour, I've read that some other brides have just had their guests go to the bars to kill some time. I'm still planning my own schedule, but that sounds like what I might do.

 

And thank you Bre, I had not thought of a magnet and just a simple card to send them what they basically need to know. Guess that's the beauty of a wedding website.
 

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Originally Posted by junomei View Post

 

Hey Bre, or any other Brides,

 

When you are planning to send out your Save the Dates, besides the traditional information, what else are you including. I've got a website in the works and a TA working on deals.... is there anything I might be missing?

 

I appreciate any ideas, thanks

Hello Junomei,

 

Here it goes one idea. Instead of making a website, we prefered to give the information with the invitations. 

We know a website is easier but we prefered the fact of people had the information "between their hands", read it at the airplane, etc besides a lot of people is not going to see the website as they do not usually use the internet.

 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/86155/giving-invations-with-an-informative-notebook

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