starbx123

@@TaraW We didn't get the dance floor and we wouldn't have changed that either. We had the tables set up in a circle so they kind of framed the middle area where we all danced. Everyone took off their shoes and danced with their toes in the sand! Just the way I envisioned it should be in Mexico!

There were a few weddings every single day that we were there, and most ended around 11 from what I saw. I'm sure the resort can accommodate a 1am wedding if you're willing to pay for the extra hours. We got married on the beach in front of the Barceló Maya Tropical (Playa Palmeras) this past April, and had a four hour reception from 7pm until 11pm. Most of the older folks went back to their hotel rooms after the reception and the younger crew went to Jaguars. It was pretty hopping there that night (a Thursday), however, I don't think Jaguars has air conditioning and we didn't really recognize any of the Mexican music that was being played. After a great reception (dancing outside in the sand with the wind blowing), Jaguars felt a bit stifling. So we stayed for a drink and then left to go hang out at the Palace lobby bar (which is air conditioned!). One thing to keep in mind is that being outside in the sun and drinking/eating all day usually tires everyone out more than they realize! We got married this past April and saved money by using an iPod and not the DJ. I'm so glad that we did it this way! The hubby wasn't responsible for much of the wedding planning, except for the music list! He put together a few different playlists ahead of time (first dance song, dinner music, reception music) and I believe iTunes or whichever app he used even has a function where you can fade the songs into one another, just like what a DJ would do. He backed up the same playlists on his phone just in case. We asked a younger tech-savvy wedding guest to man the iPod for us, but it wasn't really that much work. It helped that we made sure his seat was right beside the iPod station. When the MC announced our first dance, he just had to go to the "first dance" playlist and press play. Immediately after was the dinner playlist, and he just needed to press pause for a few speeches. If you make sure you have a great reception playlist, you can just let it play and no one should have to even touch the iPod the entire time! The sound system they provided was great. We had no issues, and the music loud and clear. We got married in April and had our reception at Playa Palmeras beach. Keep in mind that the Mayan Riviera is always windy! However, because we got married in mid-April, it was a blessing in disguise. Without the wind, having a reception outside would have been unbearable because of the heat and humidity! All in all, the wind did not bother us at all, although my bridal hair was kind of a mess by the end of the night and people's speeches (on paper) were blowing everywhere! We got married this past April and thought I'd comment: Reception length - agree with you! We had a four-hour reception from 7pm to 11pm and it was the perfect length. Location - 100% agree! There was no way we were travelling all the way to Mexico to get married indoors! After the outdoor dinner, we all took off our shoes and danced the night away in the sand!! Yes, it was warm and windy, but sooo much fun and honestly, was one of the best and memorable parts of our wedding. Décor - we hardly brought anything - just a few cheap IKEA frames to frame the table numbers, a seating list and name tags for the maracas (wedding favours). We bought the maracas at the resort.

We got married two weeks ago at the Barcelo Maya. We held both the ceremony and the reception on the beach. Will post our review hopefully later this weekend. In short, our wedding was beautiful and we had so much fun!! It was truly the best day!!

I am getting married at the palace and apparently there is a gift shop in the lobby area each of the hotels as well as the Maya mall. I specifically asked my wedding coordinator if they sold maracas and she responded back with pricing. I'm assuming they sell all sorts of souvenirs.

I've heard the same thing: bad year for seaweed in Mayan riviera. It's a factor for us too but unfortunately too late to change our location now. We're hoping the beach is still swimable and that they clear the seaweed for our beach-front wedding!

I'm getting married at Barcelo Maya Palace. I'll bring it up with my coordinator and hopefully they can clean it up ahead of time Thanks everyone!

For anyone that has recently had a beach front wedding, did you have any issues with the seaweed that has been plaguing the riviera maya area this year? We're planning a beach front wedding, but may change the location if there's going to be a foot of seaweed on the beach?

Our wedding package for 40 people will cost us about $6500 US. Riviera Maya in mid-April. Plus everything else (wardrobe, photography, stationary, gifts, and other misc costs) we're budgeting total cost to be around $15000. I over-budgeted for a lot of things so our cost will probably be closer to $13000 all-in.

Thanks Denise! Congratulations and I hope you have a wonderful wedding!

Hi future and past Barceló Maya brides. My coordinator emailed me the following with respect to payment of our wedding fees: You can pay in Mexican pesos cash, any amount. If you pay with American Dollars you are allow to spend a maximum of $1500 usd per person per stay. Does anybody know what this means? If I am paying with American dollars and my wedding is say, $4500, will I need three people to pay?

Beautiful shoes! do you have a long dress? I would love to go bare foot and then have high heels for the reception but am stumped as to which length to hem my dress.

Hi there! I was just wondering if the resort charged your parents' credit card in US dollars? I'm just wondering as I'm trying to figure out what kind of credit card I should bring.

We decided on the surf and turf as well. You should check out the main Barcelo thread. There's lots of good advice on there!

Your group activities sound like a lot of fun...if you had narrowed it down to just a couple, which ones would you have eliminated?

Yes I agree. You'll need to save as pdf since you downloaded a special font.