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

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to send best wishes to Athena! I hope that you have an amazing time. Have a safe and super fun trip!

I also just wanted to say I hope Katy and Steve had a lovely wedding, and that I cannot wait until they get back to hear all about their big day.

Congrats you guys.

HI everyone..

Not sure where the reviews go but here's a quick recap of my day ( Nov 5 2008 ) ...

OK soo no one in my wedding party had been to a wedding before.. and my 2 sisters in law (that are both married) didn't come to the wedding... (that's another story!)

ok - so I didn't know how long getting ready (as a bride) would take.. not to mention... how long it would take in Mexico..

At 9am my maid of honour and I went down the gazebo to let the guys putting up the decorations know how we wanted them (how I wanted them lol) ... I brought 9 silk hanging pomanders made of red flowers and hung them (with chartreuse ribbon) from the ceiling of the gazebo above where we said our vows. Also the posts were wrapped in white tulle... ok so the back and forth and trying to make myself understood took a while... and I was done around 12pm.

I then rushed to the hair salon to get hair and make-up done... because the wedding was at 3pm. The one girl (that did my hair and make-up) finished at 3:10pm... I ran to my room to get my dress and shoes and went down to the gazebo. I had no time to even pee! or breathe....

I wish that Zulma would have let me know to get ready earlier.. or someone else.. but anyways...

The best man comes to tell me (as I'm walking down to the gazebo that we have to cut parts of the ceremony because it's too long and the minister has another wedding.. and if I don't hurry up he'll leave!) ... so I cut the hand ceremony.

I get down to the gazebo (the side where my fiancee can't see me) and the wedding party starts to walk down to this song:

YouTube - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Up to this point it still hasn't hit me that i'm getting married... and I didn't even get a chance to let it sink in. Zulma looks at me and says "well this is it, are you ready?" and my heart starts pounding and my eyes are watering... but I have to walk so im a mess trying to get it together...finally it hits me! lol.

The minister is standing in front of my maid of honour, and my fiancee in front of him... so I end up on the wrong side lol I have his best man beside me! ... ok so the minister starts to read the ceremony and he can't... every other word is sorry... and it's like listening to a little boy in ESL class practicing reading... horrible! And it was making me laugh... a lot! I couldn't understand a word he said and I knew what he was reading! I don't know what everyone else was hearing.

Ok so i look at him and say " you know we could just skip to the vows" he replies "REALLLLLYYYY??" in a very high/excited/relieved voice.

I had 3 readings as well... and my maid of honour, best man and mother and mother in law read their readings...

We then exchanged vows.. and the minister didn't read them so we read them to each other... with a pause in the middle because well we had to flip the page to finish the vows. So with a binder in one hand and the ring in the other we managed to get through that..

At least he did pronounce us husband and wife! But i don't remember that part too clearly...

After the kiss we turn and start to leave but I can't, the heel of my shoe is stuck in between 2 planks. A very cinderella moment... my husband bends down and attempts to free my shoe and slip it back on my foot while everyone is laughing and the best man has my dress hiked up (for easier access to the stuck shoe)!

Ok soooo... all is great im freed and we enjoy a glass of champagne right in front of the gazebo...

The wedding party and my husband and I head out on 5th ave to take some photos and in the meantime they are setting up for the reception in the gazebo (best idea ever! thanks to my father in law)

The tables were set up in a T with me my husband and MOH and best man at the head of the T and everyone else sitting face to face along the body of the T.. the ocean was behind me..

ok so really the day didn't go exactly how i thought it would... but still it was very fun and memorable they had set up a dance floor on the paved area in front of the gazebo and it was the one that is raised with different colored lights underneath.

The dinner was absolutely fantastic! Incredible food. Service was great!

I didn't like the way the girl did my hair or make up... I would suggest doing own makeup and bringing lots of pics of hair styles you want. (I did bring lots... but she couldn't replicate the front area at all... and the back didn't turn out that great)...

I don't know what I'm missing... but I'd be more than happy to answer whatever questions anyone has..

I watched quite a few weddings held on the beach and the setup was very very public! One couple had a very obnoxious woman call her husband over to pull up a lounge chair beside so that they could both watch the wedding.. they were of course wearing bathing suits and were maybe 2 feet away from the wedding.. absolutely no decency whatsoever!

Everyone around me was stunned at what they were doing... and were saying how someone should say something!... well me being an outspoken gemini... waited until the wedding was over.. then I went over to the woman and gave her a piece of my mind!

"Hi there... do you speak English?

Woman -yes

"great!, you know I couldn't help noticing how close you were to the bride and groom, and as a bride myself I'm sure that they didn't appreciate that, maybe next time there's a wedding you could be a little bit more considerate and keep your distance; respect the wedding that is about to take place no?"

woman - yes

it was something along those lines... and i did say it very politely... but we all couldn't believe the nerve they had to pull up their beach chairs even closer than what they originally were!

so my tip is to get married in the gazebo! it is stunningly beautiful, you can still see the beach and the ocean, you can wear heels, and it's a lot more private! A LOT more..

Another option is to have the wedding on a private beach... a much better option.. the beach at the royal was very busy during all the wedding ceremonies that were held there...

I've now been on this website about a year. I am so grateful for the tips and quick responses - thank you again! I always thought it would be very clear to me what to include in my wedding review but now I've re-read what I wrote so much that I feel like I'm missing something! Here it goes - lots of attachments too! Please feel free to reply or PM me with questions (or if you need points!)

************************************************** ****

2008 Wedding at the Royal Playa Del Carmen

10 day trip, wedding on 11-10-08

82 guests (84 including us)

Overall wedding rating = A+ !!!!

What we brought over….

-Wedding dress

oBought it online after trying it on at House of brides – difference in price of $800! $400 online and over $1,200 at store; my alterations were done by a local seamstress for $230.

oAmerican Airlines wouldn’t let me board early but I did manage to find some space in the 1st class cabin); had dress steamed at resort

-Mini white lanterns (used as additional table decorations at reception) – I had 6 friends carry over a box of 12 in their luggage ) qty = 72 for $150

oWedding Favors, Unique Bridal Shower Favors, Wedding Gifts ♥

-Sand ceremony vases & sand

oNesting Unity Sand Ceremony Vases & Minature Nesting Vases – Weddingstar - Wedding Accessories - Cake Toppers - Unique Wedding Favors

oColored Sand – Moon Glow Candle Supplies - Wholesale

-Luggage tags for place cards (we bought them on eBay (qty = 50 ~ $1.44 each) but below is a site that carries them)

oFlip-Flop Luggage Tag Wedding Favors

-Menu cards (made my own)

-Programs (made my own)

-Gift bags (used tote bags) – our wedding colors were orange and green so we had both color bags and they were great to spot who was with us at the hotel (more for our guests vs. us since we knew everyone!) Promotional tote bags custom sizes and styles from cheap totes

-Thank you cards

oShower - ocean and beach wedding theme : Romantic Stroll Thank You Cards - pkg. of 50 - 93047

oWedding - ocean and beach wedding theme : Paradise Thank You Cards - Set of 50 - 54124

-Stuff to fill the gift bags

oCandy/Gum

oCrossword puzzle or Sudoku

oMints

oPens/Highlighters

oCD (with personal photos on covers and variety of music)

oLanyards (for room key and money)

oTums

oWelcome Letter

oHand Sanitizer

oDeck of cards

oFlip flop note pads

We checked into the hotel online before leaving Chicago and picked our room (ocean view). To be honest, I don’t think the Ocean View is worth the extra money unless you really want internet convenience. I don’t remember the exact difference, but it was substantial.

Pre-Wedding Meeting….

-We met with Micaela the first full day to discuss the wedding ceremony details and get blood tests (we were married legally at the resort). I too had emailed Micaela a million questions before coming down and she at times was slow to get back to me. I’ve read this quite a bit on the forum and all you can do is to be patient.

-We paid for the wedding after this pre-wedding meeting and used traveler’s checks to avoid paying credit card overseas fees (our cards charged 3%).

-We picked out flowers for the centerpieces, bouquets and boutonnieres.

-We also needed our four witnesses present to sign some paperwork. If you don’t have any the hotel will provide them. We would have liked to provide some heads up notice to our friends but they were around the pool and more than happy to come over and sign (passports and tourist cards were needed).

The Rehearsal Cocktail Hour (2 hours with food and drink)

-We held a rehearsal the day before the wedding at the gazebo at 4pm. There was no one from the hotel to assist with this so my husband wrote out some key ‘to do’s to help direct the wedding party and parents on where to go and timing

-We served cocktails and appetizers after that…and had dinner with our respective family’s that night (the Royal charged $15 a head)

-We were really tempted to go to a restaurant on 5th ave. but struggled to spend a $1,000 when all of our guests were staying at the resort already!

The Wedding Day

-Pre-Ceremony – groom got a shave in the morning and I got my hair and make-up done at the spa on-site. The prices are high but it’s obviously convenient. I had the photographer arrive at 1pm (we chose Claudia Rodriguez) and she stayed until 9pm. First my side of the family had pictures with her and then we retreated to my room and the groom had photos with his family (yes, we were trying to avoid each other that day to help build up the fun of him first seeing me in the dress walking down the aisle).

-Ceremony – We chose the Classic wedding package for $1,280 (I’m not even sure if this is still an option since they changed a bunch of their wedding packages). The ceremony went well but did have a few surprises. First, we didn’t know which judge was going to arrive until he got there (the English speaking one or the Spanish speaking one). The Spanish speaking one came and Micaela did the translation). He arrived a few minutes after 4pm so that didn’t create too much stress. Micaela and Zulma brought the reception decorations about 10 to 4pm so the groom was sweating a little hoping it would get there on time (this includes the centerpiece, sand ceremony stuff, etc.) The weather was amazing but I’m really glad I had my hair up and hairsprayed well because it was windy right there near the beach. We didn’t realize that our 4 witnesses would be called up after the paperwork was signed so that was interesting….we also didn’t realize that we had to do a thumb print in the paper work! The judge provided some tissue to wipe our hands but I immediately thought, this is great, what about my nice white dress! We were disappointed we couldn’t have our readings and sand ceremony before the ceremony with the judge but Micaela said they are very strict. It would have been nice if someone told us this before two weeks before the wedding.

-Cocktail Reception (2 hours) – we chose to have the cocktail two hour reception in the grassy area outside the main lobby for a change of scenery. There were tables for people to sit and cocktail tables for those with fresh legs. There was a CD player and we brought two CDs to entertain the guests while the groom and I took pictures on the beach. I only managed to sneak in a few appetizers and a drink since the photos took at least an hour.

-Reception - The reception flew by. We had our entrances for the parents and bridal party and then continued with the speeches right away. After that we had our first dances and salad/soup was served shortly after. The food was good but to be honest, I didn’t have much time to eat! I was having too much fun visiting with friends and family and dancing on the lit up dance floor! This was an awesome surprise. For months I had searched the forum looking for pictures of what the Royal offered. From the photos it looked like this rickety white dance floor that would give splinters if your shoes weren’t on. We thought we’d have to pay the DJ $700 for a nice lit up dance floor. When we arrived to the resort we asked to see it and they had it out the next night in the convention room for another party. Turns out the resort had invested in the light up dance floor and it was included in our price already!

oDJ – we requested Carlos (who is a referral through the Royal)

The Royal Restaurants

-We ate at all 6 Royal Restaurants + 2 sister restaurants

oPelicanos – limited menu but enjoyed the food and the outside ambiance; husband loved the ribeye at dinner

oSpice (buffet) – convenient for quick meals; very tasty French toast and omelets for breakfast

oAsiana – sushi is average, but chicken teriyaki was good

oMaria Marie’s – tasty lamb (steak was average); chocolate dessert that takes 15 minutes to prepare was outstanding

oMarias (sister resort) – traditional Mexican menu; thoroughly enjoyed the chicken enchiladas and fajitas

oTapas & Pintxos – average tapas; flank steak is delicious

oChef Table (only available if you book Ocean view room and above) – we went during the steak night; enjoyed the private-type dining experience and 5 course meal

oIL Pescatore (sister resort) – Italian menu; lasagna was very good

Welcome Bag Letter.pdf

One month notice letter!.pdf

Our Menu Card.pdf

Our Wedding Program.pdf

Wedding Snapshot for BDW.pdf

Geminie, quick question. I am getting married on the beach in May which is supposed to be very busy...can you tell me where along the beachfront they do the weddings? I have always wanted to get married on the beach but really don't want to be oogled...to much

Thanks

Thank you for the reviews Geminie and Jentwo!

Oh thank you SOOOOOOO much Geminie and Jentwo!!!! Your reviews were both excellent and have provided insight for my wedding that is coming up so fast! I love hearing about all of the details and it is nice to know what to expect from recent brides. Reading your reviews has me very excited! Thank you so much!!!

This is actually Mr. Jentwo (I've hacked her account). She had already asked me once before to go over her review before she posted to make sure she didn't miss anything, but of course I thought of some stuff afterwards. Sorry, Jentwo.

-While it shows in the picture, I don't think it was actually mentioned in the post, but our ceremony was held at the gazebo. Since we had over 80 guests, the gazebo itself served as the "altar" while the seats were in the patio facing the gazebo. While you may have some people watching from the sides, don't worry about it. Trust me when I say that everything (other people, sound) outside of your ceremony will completely disappear.

-As mentioned, the ceremony was at 4:00 PM. This turned out to be a great time of day to have it. I'm not sure if it would be the same all year long, but at least at this time of year, the gazebo area is shaded from the sun and it wasn't hot at all. I was wearing a suit and am notoriously someone who doesn't do tremendously well in the heat, so this was HUGE!

-The one drawback with the 4:00 wedding in November was that there is not going to be much sunlight after the ceremony for pictures. But it was important to us not to see each other before the ceremony. So we couldn't waste time with pictures after the ceremony. That being said, I thought the setting sunlight looked good in some of the pictures I have seen taken by family and friends. Keeping my fingers crossed until we get our pictures back from Claudia.

-Again, while shown in the pictures, I don't think it was mentioned that our reception was on the beach. (Ceremony - Gazebo, Cocktail Hour - Courtyard, Reception - Beach: The full resort tour). Absolutely awesome setting. Our guests were in awe. Our only concern going into the night was if it was going to be too windy on the beach (it seemed to us there were some strong breezes on the nights before our wedding...may have been due to a hurricane over Cuba). But the night of our wedding, there was a very faint breeze. Enough to keep everyone cool, but not uncomfortable at all. Somebody upstairs must like us.

-The updated dance floor was great. Not just in appearance, but functionality. Some guests (and even I) were a little worried if it was strong enough. But nothing to be concerned about. Let's just say that I'm pretty sure a packed dance floor for House of Pain provided enough of a stress test.

-We found out that having everyone from the wedding decide to go take a dip in the ocean during the reception isn't going to happen....at least late at night. Time to sell Jentwo out....she quickly ran back to the room with about 20 minutes left in the ceremony to put on a bathing suit (with shorts and t-shirt on top). She was bummed when there was a security guard out by the water that wouldn't let us go for a swim.

-I can't stress enough how great the wait staff was at the rehearsal reception, cocktail hour, and wedding reception. We were told this a countless number of times by our guests.

Okay, that's all I've got to add for now. Like Jentwo said, I'm also happy to answer and questions. Especially if you are looking for a guy's point of view.