Jackie

found another pic floating around on the web.

These two resorts sound lovely. Do they have websites? I agree with going the authentic route as far as food. What better way to celebrate the fact that your in Mexico than to serve authentic Mexican food.

Quote: Originally Posted by host jackie, i am not a fan of receptions on the sand either...some older guests have a hard time walking on sand....BUT i think the beach house is perfect. you can totally dress it up with lanterns, luminaries, candles...it will look awesome! I'm thinking your right Tammy. With some small touches I think it could look really nice. I loved Rebecca's luminaries. I cant wait to start that process of wedding planning.

Sarah, You both are such a cute couple. The book looks great. I cant wait to see what you do with youre wedding photos!

Sarah, Ive never heard of them either but since you are within driving distance it cant hurt to go and see what its all about. You could get lucky and really like a dress that they have and VHALAA you just saved yourself some major money! I say go check it out!

Quote: Originally Posted by Middlesex Many of our guests do not want to pay 300 a night so we are just trying to find the balance. The occidental hotels in Cozumel look good as well. Does anyone know how the food is there as its the one thing my dad is really concered about? Thank you so much again!!!!! Uh OH, your dads food concerns scare me a little. Only because in general unless you are willing to book one of the higher end AI, the food at AI resorts is good, but not anything to rave about. It depends what your dads concerns are; is he concerned with the variety of food, because if this is the case than you should be OK. There is alway a good variety of menu or buffet options to choose from at the AI's but... If he wants gourmet food you may have a hard time finding an AI for under 300 that has the food your looking for. We had looked at both the grand Cozumel and the OGX but choose the OGX only because we had heard better things about Playe Del Carmne than Cozumel. Occidental Cozumel looks very nice though. I just really like the looks of the Occidental resorts! They all have a very nice style about them.

Janet, Karla, I love these fans, they are so cute. And not that expensive either.

Quote: Originally Posted by JPMO Knowing what I know now I wouldn't have hired a coordinator. Yes I have event planning experience, yes I actually enjoy this but a day of coordiantor is all you need... that's not even a must. Baja is the most expensive of all coordinators, I am usung Sunset Weddings. They are ok thus far but not a true planner if you ask me. I will be more than happy to help you as well as the other brides. There is so much info here you can do it yourself... most people speak English there so it's not as intimidating. I agree with Janetta, you can find so much info yourself ecspecially regarding Cabo and even more so regarding Dreams Cabo. In my opinion hiring a WC for anything more than day of might be a waste of money. Day of might be a good idea just so that you can relax and concentrate on being a bride not a planner on your wedding day.

Good find Fo, those are really cute!

Welcome to the forum and happy planning! I'm pretty sure you cant go wrong with a Dreams Wedding.

Quote: Originally Posted by JPMO Wow!!! I am so proud of my nomination... Thanks for starting the Jackie nomination trend! I'm nominating Ann (akh). I had never even heard of PV before she came along. and also I swear she must be putting flyers out on the streets of chicago about this forum (now thats going the extra mile) with so many newbies comming on here that are from that area!

AWWWW You girls are to much! Thanks for the nominations! I have so much damn fun on this site. I know this sounds so cliche but there honestly arent words to explain how this site helps a future DW bride. We may not all be friends that meet up for drinks on the weekends, or chat it up at the water cooler at work, or have known eachother since middle school. But this forum has created a new kind of friendship for most of us that I dont think will ever be forgotton even after weddings come and go and babies and wedding anniverserys start to be the new "trend" of threads. I cant wait to see everyone grow in their marriages and look forward to a lot of new brides having a place to go for real information from real brides!

Um way late, but I liked number 2.

Quote: Originally Posted by shanaynayf1 Hi, I am looking into a wedding in RM....Just curious of what the actual pricing is for a good photographer, perfferably in the area....Im clueless...its such a chance to take, reguardless of the price. the pics are SO Important!! But I dont want o be spending way to much! Honestly, the photography prceing is all over the place from pretty low to really expensive. It really depends on who you go with. The two photographers listed in this thread a very reasonably priced. I'm going with Elizabeth Madina (hopefully) who is on the low side of very expensive, if that makes sense.

Everything looks gorgeous! I"m so glad it all turned out wonderfully! You look super buetifull!

Quote: Originally Posted by Nrvsbride Not to be a shameless promotion whore but Tammy (the host) is great to work with. If you girls aren't happy with your travel agent you should def speak to Tammy b/c she has lots of knowledge, gets back to you quickly, and being recently married in a destination wedding herself, knows exactly what you are looking for. Just a thought. Ditto she sort of

Welcome to the forum. Its so great that you have a friend that lives in your DW area. She is going to be such a great asset to you!

Quote: Originally Posted by AQHARIDER Jackie, after looking at the pictures, are you planning to do an inside or outside reception? I like the ceremony setup, and I like the outside reception with the blue tables the best. I think the outside looks the prettiest too. The inside/outside beach house one looks good too but I would need to dress it up a little with some lighting maybe. The only concern I have with the outside is that I really didnt want to be walking on sand the whole time. But the beach house wich in a way is cute because you are covered but still outside, it just looks very drab to me. I'm hopeing that these pics are just not great quality and thats the problem.

Try this link. There are a few reiviews on the Grand Palladium resort here. Grand Palladium White Sands - Kantenah - Colonial - Riviera Resort & Spa resort reviews - Mayan Riviera, Mexico Hotels - Debbie's Caribbean Travel & Resort Reviews - Grand Palladium

I believe the Grand Palladium is around the same price as the OGX. I dont know much about it as far as weddings go though. Maybe do a search on trip advisor and see what you can come up with for reviews. Its time consuming but some of the reviews might be helpfull.

Quote: Originally Posted by shanaynayf1 Yes, this helps alot!! I am looking for July of 2008, and I know that is far in advance, but I still feel that I should be getting questions answered. And to be honest I dont even know what types of good questions to be asking. This idea is all so new to me and I dont even have anyone that I know who have had a destination wedding. Are you dealing with a travel agent or destination wedding specialist for the wedding travels? I am not even sure I am able to make a site visit, thats what scares me the most. Do you know if the OGX accomodates beach receptions as well as ceremonies. Also, how many people? We are expecting close to 75. This hotel fits into our guests budget and it looks great, im just apprehensive due to the lack of response. Its hard just to go by what other people think, but I guess this is one of the things we have to deal with planning a wedding all the way in Mexico!! Thanks again this helps alot, I dont feel alone! We are planning for May of 2008. As far as response time goes. The rule of thumb is to make your e-mails to the WC as short and direct as possible. This 1. helps them if they are busy, answering one question at a time can be a lot easier. and 2. helps them with the language barrier, if your e-mails get to detailed it can leave the WC confused. I am using Tammy (host) as our travel agent and then relying on the resorts WC for wedding planning. The OGX does have beach receptions. There are a couple of the beach reception pics in another thread titles "Occidental Grand Xcaret Pictures" I believe. We are planning hopefully no more than 20-30 guests. If you can in any way get a site visit in, even if its just for a long weekend I would try. There cheapest time to stay there is I think between August and October. But really if you cant afford or have the time for a site visit, with your wedding as far away as it is I wouldnt worry to much. I know I'm totally probably overly thorough and am going on a site visit in September so I plan on grabing every ounce of extra information and pictures I can! And I'm sure by your date there will be more wedding reviews of the OGX out there.

Quote: Originally Posted by shanaynayf1 I am looking at the Occidental xcaret as well. Does anyone have any stories or good advice to give? thanks Go into the search bar at the top right hand corner of the page and type in Occidental Grand Xcaret. That should bring up the posts regarding this resort. I am always searching around for more information on this resort and as I find it I try and post it. Maybe I'll do a little more searching today and see what I can come up with.

Welcome to the forum!!!!

Welcome to the forum! I am planning a wedding at the Occidental Grand Xcaret and Valerie is having her wedding at the Occidental Allegro at the end of this month! Edith WC from the Occidental Grand Xcaret can be a bit hard to get a response from. Initially she is OK though. I think she is really just swamped with weddings and gives her attention to the brides that are closest to their wedding date. When are you planning on getting married? I just mentioned this in another thread but here I go again, lol. The OGX really seems to be the perfect resort and location for us. The resort has great reviews, hosts a lot of weddings, is experienced with weddings, and is extremely affordable for our guests....BUT no matter how firm I get with my E-mails to Edith the WC it still takes forever for her to reply back! The first couple she replied right back to but now that I want some of the tedious details that she knows will truly be organized days before the wedding she is very slow to respond to me if at all! I booked a site visit for Sept 2007 and am planning on getting most of the details of our wedding squared away then. The only thing I can say is that from the reviews I have read and the couple of brides I have e-mailed back and forth to, they tell me not to worry that everything comes together wonderfully in the end. If your heart is truly set on this resort than I say go for it! We are, and although I dont know when your wedding date is, by the time you get married there might be a few of us that have wedding reviews and can help you out with you planning at the OGX. But if you are not sure and feel like the slow responses from the WC will drive you crazy then you might want to look into another resort. Hope this helps!

Welcome!!!! Some nice areas outside of Cancun Playa Del Carmen Cozumel Tulum Some of the more popular AI resorts that allow children Dreams Occidental's Cozumel Palace RIU's