Beach Palace Cancun Brides

[stephygirl]

Just posted my review in my planning thread - let me know if anyone has any questions!

[jj575757]

Hi Everyone! Quick question is everyone having their cocktail hour AFTER their wedding ceremony or before the ceremony then the ceremony then the reception dinner. Im confused LOL Not sure when I should do it!

[Danielle1]

@@jj575757 We are having ours between the ceremony and the reception - that will give time for guests to enjoy a cocktail while we take pictures with family/bridal party. Most weddings I've been to have it at that time. However, I have a friend getting married in March, and she plans to have a cocktail reception before the ceremony. Just remember that it's YOUR wedding, so I think you can do whatever you want!

@@stephygirl You may have already mentioned this, but did you have centerpieces on the table for your rehearsal dinner?

[stephygirl]

@@Danielle1 - We did have centerpieces, but they were provided as part of the Metallic Sands wedding collection we ordered.  I didn't want to bother with lugging centerpieces down to Mexico.  I've heard people ship them ahead of time so as to not take up luggage space - but you'll want to make sure to do that far enough in advance and read up on the customs rules to ensure they arrive on time.

 

If you do choose to bring your own centerpieces, the WC will ask you to put them in his/her office in advance of the wedding.  Your WC will then take your centerpieces to the reception site and set them up for you in the manner you indicate!  

 

I gave my WC the following items the day after I met with her on site.  I then sent her a separate email detailing where on our reception terrace I wanted each thing placed - and everything was done perfectly! I had an idea of where I wanted everything after doing the reception site tour.

 

- My "guest book"

- Two baskets of flip flops (wedding favor)

- A wedding sign (with our names & date)

- Placecards

- Table Number Cards

- Table Number Card Holders

- Matchbooks for each place setting (no actual matches in them because you can't take them on an airplane  ..which I realized the night before we left!)

 

@@jj575757 - Our cocktail hour was the traditional in between the ceremony and reception time frame.  This allowed family & the wedding party to take pictures with the newlyweds while the remaining guests could enjoy the cocktail hour.  With how rowdy some of my guests can get, I didn't want to encourage TOO much drinking before the ceremony  ...especially since it's an all-inclusive and people tend to drink all day at the pool anyway!

[Danielle1]

@@stephygirl Did you have centerpieces for your rehearsal dinner? I can't decide how much decorating I need to do for that.

[stephygirl]

@@Danielle1 - Sorry I think you asked this before and I translated "rehearsal" to "reception" in my head  !  We did not have any centerpieces for the rehearsal dinner.  We pretty much did a no-frills rehearsal dinner - no music, no decor, etc.  I think everyone had a good time and nobody really noticed or cared about the lack of decor.  It was mostly just a fun dinner to welcome everyone - and my husband and I gave quick speeches thanking everyone for coming (sans microphone).

 

Any update from your WC on size of your reception location?

[Danielle1]

@@stephygirl Did you have to rent lights for the rehearsal dinner? I'm glad to know that your guests enjoyed it without decor - the rentals get so expensive.  My WC told me that the sky bare south can have up to 200 for a buffet dinner...  Gama (where I'm renting lighting and decor from) also seemed okay with it... so I guess I will just go with it! I'm having a welcome party on Thursday night before my wedding and its scheduled for the sky bar north... I'm slightly worried about it just looking like my reception.  I hope the reception will still be special!

[stephygirl]

@@Danielle1 - 200 people?!?!? I can't even picture how that could be physically possible, but I guess they know better than me.  I just can't imagine all the tables and a large enough dance floor being able to fit.  But like I said, they should know better than me.  To give you some idea - you should check out this pinterest board, especially the aerial view and the sky bar pictures.  

 

https://www.pinterest.com/allinclusivegal/beach-palace/  

 

Also, watch the video at this link - you can see the aerial view of a setup of a wedding on the sky bar south: http://weddings.palaceresorts.com/en/hotel/beach-palace

 

We did not rent lights for the rehearsal dinner - it was bright enough even after the sun went down.  I think they had set up lights for us?  I can't exactly remember!  

 

I'm sure your reception will be special - not only because of the music and decor differences, but also because people will be so excited about your special day!

[Danielle1]

@@stephygirl Thanks! That pinterest board is definitely helpful.  Does the sky bar north have a pool as well? Are those open during the day? It does look small to me, but I'm going to try to just go with what they say and hope for the best! haha

[Danielle1]

@ It looks small to me too! Now I am nervous... I've told her several times though that we would have around 100 people. I think we'll have 90 at the least and maybe up to 110. I wonder if I should just request a location change? It is such a pretty space though.