Azul Fives Brides 2015

[snswedding2016]

@@Layla79 The number of people free depends on many factors, when you book, time of year of your wedding, the rooms you've booked etc. I know TinkerSofi has every 11th free, ashhtayy has every 21st free and when we booked we got every 16th free but they are all through Transat. Unfortunately you can no longer use westjet or AC to get a package with Azul Fives, although that being said when I spoke to the Toronto Karisma rep about this he said that because of this they are actually trying to figure out how to incorporate more perks for Canadian brides.

Edited April 15, 2015 by snswedding2016

[Layla79]

@@snswedding2016

Maybe we'll see you there we arrive on the 13th of January.We are getting every 11th free and my TA is currently trying to get us a free Catamaran cruise. She was able to get us $1571 out of Calgary plus tax so $1954 and out of Toronto was able to get $1255 plus taxes

[JM2]

Hi there Ladies!!

 

So I have been sitting back in the shadows and reading the posts however decided to perk up as the big day is creeping closer and there are so many things to consider for us Canadian brides (especially with the Canadian dollar being so low).

 

We have our wedding date booked at the Azul fives for September 17th 2015!

 

We have about 80 guests staying at the Azul fives and attending the wedding, Our guests are flying from Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, and Edmonton. We booked with Air Transat and were given prices including taxes of 1658.00 from Calgary, 1690.00 from Vancouver, 1420.00 from Toronto and 1630.00 from Edmonton. We also get every 11th person free. I think the prices given to us were amazing considering the resort wants triple those costs.

 

We booked the sky rooftop for our ceremony at which we have to pay for the always and forever package (because it is not included as we are not in the American market) and the 1700.00 for the sky rooftop. We also  have penciled in the Sky rooftop for our private dinner reception. I have a few concerns about the reception being on the rooftop that I think other brides should be made aware of.

1. There is no plated dinner, therefore your options are buffet or family style, at which all your sides are served on the table and the main course (your meat items) are passed around. This I feel takes away from the formal side of things and the cost is astronomical as you have to pay for the dinner option plus an additional 8.00 per person US for just having dinner on the rooftop.

2.  We were recently informed due to set up and take down times, we needed to host a private cocktail function for our guests before dinner. This is something I fought about due to the fact we were not going to spend an additional 1200.00 for this, and informed the wedding coordinator that we would push the reception back 30 minutes and have our guests go to their rooms or to one of the restaurants for drinks before the reception at which I was told this would be okay however now we need to consider increasing the time for our photographer that we are bringing in from Moments that matter photography (which I would highly suggest!!) . So either way as we have to pay the out of vendor fee to begin with for our photography plus an additional hour of booking time just due to the take down and set up times needed by the resort.

3. Wind, I was hoping to reach out to brides that have had their reception on the rooftop as I am so concerned that wind might be a factor. I was recently at a wedding at the Azul Sensatori, and the breeze off the ocean during the reception was almost unbearable on the rooftop.

 

The garden is still available and I am thinking we might just book the garden for the reception however, then we need to consider bringing down all of our own décor (as the memorable moments package is ridiculously over priced). My thoughts initially were, if we had it on the rooftop we could use the backdrop of the ocean and sunset as part of our décor and leave the table settings and center pieces at a minimum however the pictures of the garden look very bare therefore it would need to be decorated completely.

 

Has anyone had their reception in the garden, if so could you please give me some details and send some pictures?

Also has anyone had their reception on the rooftop and if so, was wind or the ocean breeze an issue?

 

Hope the information helps Ladies!

 

[CaroV]

@@Layla79 @@TinkerSofi @ashhtayy Thank you so much for your responses. Can you please tell me which TA you are working with? We are planning a May 2016 wedding and I was told that by May prices should start to go down because it's considered "shoulder season".

 

Also, for the US brides, which TA are you guys using?

 

There is a very high probability that we might be moving to the US in the next couple of months so I need to figure out what to do! I can use a Canadian TA and book / hold everything now or wait until we move and do everything then, but I kind of want to get a date soon! Thoughts???

Edited April 15, 2015 by CaroV

[snswedding2016]

@@Layla79 That would be fun to cross paths at the resort! We are transferring to El Dorado Casistas that day (not sure the time though) for our mini-moon!   We're at AF Jan 6-13!

 

@@JM2 The garden looks really beautiful from photos I've seen from past brides. Have you looked into Katy from Love and Lace? I'm not sure what her username is to tag her in this post but she's posted a lot on this site. She's located in playa and has a ton of decor to rent out so that you don't have to bring it all with you. She'll meet you in town so that you don't have to worry about the outside vendor fees. A lot of past brides who were married at AF have used her and particularly those who have chosen the garden for their reception. 

[TinkerSofi]

Sometimes May can still be somewhat expensive so definitely shop around for different dates. I'm working with LaurieLee. this is her website www.laurielee.ca

[snswedding2016]

@@CaroV would you be able to fly out from Canada for the wedding if you moved to the US? The US packages work differently. You book the resort and flight separately and it can get quite costly. When I spoke to the Toronto Karisma rep he was saying that because of this even though AF only uses Transat we get much better rates…which is why we don't qualify for the free events promotion. I was initially upset about not being able to get the free events but I would rather keep the price per person lower for my guests so that more people can attend. 

[TinkerSofi]

Hi there Ladies!!

 

So I have been sitting back in the shadows and reading the posts however decided to perk up as the big day is creeping closer and there are so many things to consider for us Canadian brides (especially with the Canadian dollar being so low).

 

We have our wedding date booked at the Azul fives for September 17th 2015!

 

We have about 80 guests staying at the Azul fives and attending the wedding, Our guests are flying from Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, and Edmonton. We booked with Air Transat and were given prices including taxes of 1658.00 from Calgary, 1690.00 from Vancouver, 1420.00 from Toronto and 1630.00 from Edmonton. We also get every 11th person free. I think the prices given to us were amazing considering the resort wants triple those costs.

 

We booked the sky rooftop for our ceremony at which we have to pay for the always and forever package (because it is not included as we are not in the American market) and the 1700.00 for the sky rooftop. We also  have penciled in the Sky rooftop for our private dinner reception. I have a few concerns about the reception being on the rooftop that I think other brides should be made aware of.

1. There is no plated dinner, therefore your options are buffet or family style, at which all your sides are served on the table and the main course (your meat items) are passed around. This I feel takes away from the formal side of things and the cost is astronomical as you have to pay for the dinner option plus an additional 8.00 per person US for just having dinner on the rooftop.

2.  We were recently informed due to set up and take down times, we needed to host a private cocktail function for our guests before dinner. This is something I fought about due to the fact we were not going to spend an additional 1200.00 for this, and informed the wedding coordinator that we would push the reception back 30 minutes and have our guests go to their rooms or to one of the restaurants for drinks before the reception at which I was told this would be okay however now we need to consider increasing the time for our photographer that we are bringing in from Moments that matter photography (which I would highly suggest!!) . So either way as we have to pay the out of vendor fee to begin with for our photography plus an additional hour of booking time just due to the take down and set up times needed by the resort.

3. Wind, I was hoping to reach out to brides that have had their reception on the rooftop as I am so concerned that wind might be a factor. I was recently at a wedding at the Azul Sensatori, and the breeze off the ocean during the reception was almost unbearable on the rooftop.

 

The garden is still available and I am thinking we might just book the garden for the reception however, then we need to consider bringing down all of our own décor (as the memorable moments package is ridiculously over priced). My thoughts initially were, if we had it on the rooftop we could use the backdrop of the ocean and sunset as part of our décor and leave the table settings and center pieces at a minimum however the pictures of the garden look very bare therefore it would need to be decorated completely.

 

Has anyone had their reception in the garden, if so could you please give me some details and send some pictures?

Also has anyone had their reception on the rooftop and if so, was wind or the ocean breeze an issue?

 

Hope the information helps Ladies!

It's $8 extra for dinner at the sky deck now?! We're paying $15, well I feel ripped off haha. 

 

That's too bad that you have to get more time with the photographer. I feel you there because I'm literally trying to squeeze every minute that we're paying for haha. The positive is that you don't necessarily have to pay for an official cocktail party and people can do as they choose for a couple of hours. At least I've been to weddings like that and I didn't mind at all. 

 

As for the wind, I would really try not to stress about it, it's like worrying whether it's going to rain on the wedding day. You just can't control it. However, September is super hot down there so maybe the wind will be a good thing . Otherwise, I've seen the Oriolla grill set up for a reception and it looks pretty nice too! 

[CaroV]

@@snswedding2016 thank you! That's good to know. To answer your question we would be flying out of the US but most of our guests (60 - 70%)  will be flying out of Canada.

 

Should I work with two TAs to get packages for my Canadian and US guests? The problem is that most of the TAs require a deposit from the couple so it doesn't make sense to put down two deposits 

[snswedding2016]

@@CaroV do you have a TA yet? We invited some people in the US and our TA at first recommended a TA in the US that she works with (so I don't think you would need to put down separate deposits if they are affiliated with each other). After we sorted out when and where we wanted to get married we decided to hold 'land only' rooms ...meaning just the hotel and not the flight. Our TA suggested that our US guests book the hotel through her and that they could go into their local TA to book their flights or book it on their own. It worked out to be less complicated than involving another TA; however if it is the bride and groom who are based out of the US that might be worth looking into. 

 

I hope that helps a little!