SharlaScott

Quote: Originally Posted by DallasAshli Thanks for the pics! We are trying to do a site visit, but aren't sure yet. The main thing I don't like about the gazeebo is that the guests sit 3 steps below and in the sun. It would work for some people, but not my Irish in-laws who, um, don't tan FI is that way too so I have to provide some shade. We are also doing it closer to sunset so that should help. What time was the wedding in the photos? Thanks!! I believe it was around 6ish...

Hello! I thought I would post some pictures I took while on our honeymoon at Secrets this summer. Secrets is an extremely nice resort, but the wedding ceremony we saw was a bit awkward. I'm sure this is only because they used the gazebo... First, the bride walked along side the pool extremely fast...I'm sure she was just nervous because everyone was cheering and watching her: She walked up to the gazebo where people yelled and whistled (not exactly romantic) during the ceremony: The ceremony only lasted about 10 minutes with everyone (including ourselves) watching on. They cut the cake and everything inside the gazebo, so it was very short and sweet. Secrets is AMAZING, I just wouldn't choose the gazebo while the pool was open. I'm sure they have something they can put together at night I don't know. Please let me know if you have any questions!!

Quote: Originally Posted by johnson_jc With the cocktail party...I know you said you got the free 1 hour and that they didn't seem to care about how long it lasted. Did you just book the 1 hour and keep it going that night? Or did you work out with them ahead of time to extend it? Because from what I've seen we have to pay for additional hours, so I didn't know if I should bother them about the additional hour or just leave well enough alone and keep it going as long as we can when we're actually there?? Thanks!! We just kept it going. They won't tell you NO at all that day, so all the minor things like that they tell you will cost $50 here $100 there etc...we just waited it out and did it anyway for FREE! I'd recommend it to anyone. They really do want you to be perfectly happy on your wedding day, no hidden fees!

Quote: Originally Posted by erinnjosh That's so great to hear! your pics were beautiful and I'm glad everything worked out!! I think I'm just going to wait until the 90 days before and then get a few things squared away, then plan the rest when we get there!! any tips? Not really...just patience. They plan way too many weddings there sometimes and can make you feel like you're just another one of their tasks. But I guarantee on your day you WILL feel like the only one. They will make that happen, no matter what it is you need!

Quote: Originally Posted by HaleGrifa Sharla - I love your photos - it looked amazing! I hope to have my civil ceremony at the Chapel Gazebo and then a cocktail reception followed right after the ceremony - then we can have our pics done at the beach while our guests enjoy some tappas and bevies. Can I assume that you can do this are they flexible? What was your planning experience like once you arrived at the resort? TY They are pretty flexible. Let them have an idea of what you want before you get there and then confirm it at your meeting. I didn't get into the planning of it too much because I was so frustrating with the lack of communication from my WC...so I gave up. I'm glad I didn't put too much effort into it because everything is pretty easy to negotiate once you arrive!

Quote: Originally Posted by KBMD12309 Sharla, Did you have your minister guy say the san ceremony or did you guys say it yourselves? I want the guy to say it but they told me they wont. I know we've all discussed this before but i just wanted to know what you had Thanks. Also, did you have a lot of time b/w your ceremony and your cocktail hour? Is that when they typically take pictures? They told us before we got there and at the meeting 2 days before that he wouldn't read it. Then all of a sudden he starts reading the paragraph we had for the sand ceremony...soooo I guess they will surprise you?? I don't know, I never asked because I completely forgot. Either way, it was a nice surprise. We had about a hour in between the 2 which was plenty of time because I was so tired of posing for pictures by then!

We did the non-religious ceremony with a sand ceremony and it took about 25 minutes. They have alot of Mexican traditional paragraphs that they read. It's really sweet. I didn't plan anything before the wedding, I just knew that all I had to memorize was I DO!

You were so BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE your hair...LOVE!

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Quote: Originally Posted by KBMD12309 Congrats and thanks for your review. And your dad is so cool! awww! Thanks. He was so excited that entire day! He kept saying how he had thought about this day everyday for the past 24 years....(I'm the only daughter, so you can imagine how excited he was!~)

Here are the answers to these questions: Hi Sharla, great review and fantastic pictures. Just a few questions I would like to ask you: Did you get 2 hours free with your cocktail party or 1 hour free for booking 10 rooms or more? They don't really care about how long it lasts. I know it says 1 hour but they will go for 2 or more without any complaints. Did your upgrage photo package include pictures of the coctail party and reception? No. We had a dozen cameras with us so we just took them ourselves. Also could you have the photographer taking pictures while you was getting ready? We didn't. I knew we were having a professional photog for the AHR so I didn't worry too much about it. I'm sure you could find a way if you asked, I know they had upgraged packages up to $1000 more over the deluxe package. Did any of your guests stay outside the resort? if so did the resort charge the guest passes to your room? Yes. 2 guests have a condo in Cancun. They just drove in and paid their $81/person. They will not let guests into the gazebo without a bracelet. They were very strict with us about that. Did you have a welcome dinner for your guests? if so what resturant? No. I wanted everyone to do what they wanted the whole time. If I were to go to a DW I wouldn't want a iteniarary handed to me...that was just me though. I just told them all to show up on the wedding day at a certain time...it went flawless. We all hung out with anyone we ran into the whole week and everyone did their own excursions etc....no one felt like they were tied down or HAD to be anywhere. We were very laid back. How much did your bridesmaid flowers cost? I made them ...but about $10/bouquet. Did you get to choose the gazebo? No. They just emailed me and sent pictures saying this is where you will be....which was fine by me. I didn't need anymore decisions to make!

Quote: Originally Posted by cja1976 Great review. You looked great. I have one questions, I like the shoes you wore the day of your wedding could you please let me know where you purchased them from or who makes them? This is the only information I can find for them right now: Description: Women's Annie Sadie Size/Width: 9.5 M Color: Silver Annie Sadie - Free Shipping Both Ways & 365-Day Return Policy I'll look later tonight though!

Quote: Originally Posted by cheeks75 Great review Sharla!!! I am getting married there in 2 weeks, and loved reading the good/bad of the resort. It is very helpful to know that there is someone there who can do hair, because that was quite a concern. You looked FABULOUS!!!! Would you had done anything different if you had known prior to the wedding? I would have tried harder to have the wedding at 5 or 6....4 pm was soooo hot. Other than that, nope!

Quote: Originally Posted by mtomas5555 GREAT REVIEW! Thanks Sharla!! I am happy everything worked out for you! Your wedding day looked perfect!!! I can't believe mine is just about 3 weeks away! So, do you by any chance know what your few guests ate that made them sick? Maybe we can just stay away from that type of food, lol That's the only thing that worries me a little.... I am there 4 days before I get married, so I want to a) try not to get sick and try not to get sunburned. hehe!!! -Melissa I'm not sure where they ate since they stayed after we had gone on our honeymoon but I bet it was just the normal food. No offense to this part of the family.....BUT they are a little overexaggeratory at times, so I wouldn't doubt it if they were just exhausted! I never had a problem with the food but I stay away from anything that looks like it should have been in a frig or heated and wasn't! We packed 10 bottles of sunscreen and I managed to make it 2 weeks without any tan lines! So just keep applying that nasty sunscreen and it'l be perfect!

Quote: Originally Posted by Tam1984 Wow Sharla great Review! Your pics are amazing and you look stunning! Im getting married at the Moon Palace next June and am so reassured now that i have read your review, Just a few questions... Nag,nag,nag! What Gazebo did you get married in? What Photographic package did you chose? I have decided to go with the resort photographer after seeing your pics so now i need to decide on the type of package.... Its decisions all the time... STRESSED!! XXX We were married in the Bugambilia Gazebo. We used the photo package from the deluxe package. It was like 36 photos with an album and a DVD. I'm not exactly sure. Once you arrive they offer you a package upgrade with larger picktures, 62 photos instead of 36, a larger album (that's much nicer), and all copies of the photos on a DVD. It was an additional $220 I think. COMPLETELY worth it. If you don't get a copy of the pictures on a DVD you will never be able to see all that they took. They pick out which 36 to print and put in your album so you don't really get a say. If you get the upgraded package you can keep them forever and order them yourselves. That's what we did anyway!

Quote: Originally Posted by cutierosie Sharla thank you sooooo much for your lovely review. I am really sorry about the room issue, I am glad to hear you got the private dinner in light of that problem (that private dinner cost almost 2k). Anyway, I LOVED your hair style, I am glad to know that there is a talented hairstylist as I was concerned about what my hair was going to look like. The one question I have is where did you have your cocktail hour and dinner? once again, you looked AMAZING!!! The cocktail hour was at the area right next to the Bugambilia Gazebo...I'm assuming it is reffered to as the Bugambilia Terrace. The dinner was at a ocean front terrace on the sunrise side ... (but literally not even a 5 minute walk). I'm not sure of the name because this is the only way she ever referred to it via email! Hope this helps!

Quote: Originally Posted by Dez921714 Wow! Great review and awesome pics...UGH! I have 6 more months!!!!! haha! Oh, don't worry...it'll creep up on you so fast! We were only engaged 7 months and I felt like I constantly had to go 100 miles an hour to plan this ONE DAY!!! Glad you liked the review!~

So Pretty! I love your pictures. I love how the clouds made your pictures look! Perfect!

Sunrise Lobby: View from 3rd Floor Pinata Section: Cocktail Hour: Off to the Wedding: My Daddy helping me out...can you tell we're Texan!!! Giving Me Away: Seeing the Cocktail area for the first time: Walking to the Beach for Pictures: Our GROUP:

Hey EVERYONE! My review is up under the wedding review section. I started a new thread: Sharla's Wedding Review: June 20, 2008! Let me know if you have any other questions or want a picture of something specific...with 2000 to choose from we pretty much have the whole resort covered! haha

At Home Reception: Professional Photos back in Texas:

Hello Everyone! I know it’s been nearly a month since our wedding but you wouldn’t believe how ridiculously crazy life has been ever since. I apologize to those who won’t be able to read this in time for their own wedding! I thought I’d just go through the whole week so that you know basically how it all went in “real life.”  June 16th we arrived at the Moon Palace at 10:05 AM. Everything went smooth checking in (for us). We scheduled ourselves to be the first to arrive for the week so that we could deal with any bumps that would occur. Around 3 PM 3 other groups arrived…..this is where the NOT SO FUN part began. We had 15 rooms booked under our reservation and 13 of these were supposedly not paid for and/or had a remaining balance. Apparently the lovely Nancy Anduja from the PR office in Miami didn’t send all of our information stating that we had been paid in full for months. We all had copies of our invoices stating that we were paid in full, so we showed this to the front desk. They simply said “It does not matter senorita, we can not do anything about this. I’m sorry you will have to wait until the morning when we can speak with the Miami office.” Basically, suggesting my grandparents sleep outside for the night. NOT COOL!! I eventually ended up in the managers office for a couple hours (wasting my vacation) getting everyone in a room for the night. He assured me we would get this all settled. Tuesday and Wednesday groups kept arriving and kept having problems. It was all eventually straightened out… it just sucked spending a good chunk of each day in the office trying to get everyone in their room. The Resort: Amazing. It is extremely large so I was a bit worried about the older group we had with us but the golf carts ran every 5 minutes or so during the day. If you needed one any other time you could just call the front desk. It was very convenient. The rooms were clean and spacious. They used all Biosilk products in the shower/bath so I was pleasantly surprised. Great maid service…never had a complaint. Food was good nothing I can complain about but a couple of our guests did get a little sick. I think it's to be expected when you are eating in a different country...some may not feel that way. ha! We were on the Sunrise side and didn't venture to the Nizuc side except for wedding stuff. I'd defintely recommend doing it this way. Both are very nice but I loved the Sunrise lobby...totally worth it! Photography: We used the Resort Photographer and were extremely pleased. I had seen other pictures in magazines etc that I wanted for ourselves…I simply asked him if he could do it and he did! They were very nice men!! DVD: This was included in our package. It was by far the best DVD of a wedding I have ever seen. They do such an amazing job with the recording and editing. There were apparently 4 or 5 guys around us at all times getting different views for the DVD but I never noticed them for a second.  Wedding Package: We choose the Deluxe Package because I couldn’t decide and figured I’d want everything once we got there. The massages were great! Our wedding coordinator (Lily) didn’t really keep in touch through the week until the wedding day so we missed half of our treatments. I was going to complain (since they had been paid for) but I was so tired of being stressed. At some point, you just have to let things go when everything is going soooooo off course. Definitely don’t spend your week stressin’ all the small stuff. Wedding Day: PERFECT! June 20, 2008 at 4 PM Our wedding coordinator may not have been attentive but she was on the ball that day. All I was allowed to know what my hair appointment and what time to be in the room. Everything else was taken care of by her and her assistant. They do not do a rehearsal so I had no idea what I was supposed to do or when but I just went with it. It was kind of nice not having to think about what you should do. My Maid of Honor went Bridezilla on everyone and apparently made sure everything else was in place for the ceremony before I arrived….that’s why I love that girl!  I would highly recommend the horse carriage. It was the most magical 20 minutes of my life…everyone takes pictures of you and cheers as you ride by. It really was amazing! Ceremony Music: I made a list of the music to be played and burned the copy for my WC. I’ve attached that word document to this review. I believe I used Lenita’s as a reference guide for building it. Flowers: I’m not going to lie. I was definitely disappointed when she handed me my bouquet. I had seen so many pretty pictures and couldn’t believe how dried and dead the flowers looked. Luckily, you can’t tell AT ALL in the pictures so it really didn’t matter. They originally had green stuff all around the flowers but I just ripped them off on the way to the gazebo so it didn’t look so much like a plant. The bouquet was included in my package. The flower arrangements at the ceremony were also pretty blah considering what I had showed her as our selection. They used weedy flowers surrounded by little lilies. We had discussed the extra large lilies for months so this was why I was so disappointed…but again I did not even notice any of this until I saw the pictures. So…don’t stress!  Cake: This was also a part of my package. It was decorated exactly like I had asked so I loved it. It wasn’t all that important to me since I knew I was having my dream cake at the AHR. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it but I wouldn’t spend too much money on it. Salon: I had my nails done the day before the ceremony. They did an excellent job. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING ALBERTO AS YOUR HAIR STYLIST. While I was there I saw him do 3 bridal hair-dos and every single one was flawless! Cocktail Hour: We had our cocktail around 5:30 until 7:30. This allowed for 1hour of pictures (which was plenty of time). It was extremely hot for everyone but they did they best they could hiding under trees and umbrellas. I was having a blast so the heat didn’t bother me at all. This was also included in our package since we booked more than 10 rooms. It was wayyyy better than I could have ever expected for a free cocktail hour. They were always there to cater to everyone and their needs. I loved it. This is where we did all of the dances. We brought an IPOD and paid the $204 for the equipment. We didn’t pay for the upgraded package to have someone control the music but the technical man that worked the equipment loved our playlist so much he wanted to do it…so I said SURE!  This came with a microphone so the best man could give his speech, etc….(we had the Maid of Honor give her speech at the AHR.) Dinner: This was included in the package. It was originally supposed to be a dinner reservation for the wedding guests at any restaurant we selected. I got REALLY lucky and (from what I’m assuming) because we had such a horrible experience planning before and after we arrived they went all out for us. We got the terrace overlooking the beach from 7:30-10 with a Mariachi band, our own private grill with a chef making made to order steak and shish-ka-bobs. There was a HUGE buffet line set up that we picked the menu for and a dessert table. To the side were 2 bartenders making made to order drinks. We also had 2 or 3 servers catering to everyone’s needs. This was WAY beyond any of my expectations!! Loved it!! I’m sure I have about 30 more minutes of typing left in me that have completely left my brain. Feel free to ask me any questions you have. I have over 2000 pictures so I’ll do my best to post what I can!  Hope this helps ladies! Questions I've been asked since the Review: 1. Where was the cocktail hour and dinner? The cocktail hour was at the area right next to the Bugambilia Gazebo...I'm assuming it is reffered to as the Bugambilia Terrace. The dinner was at a ocean front terrace on the sunrise side ... (but literally not even a 5 minute walk). I'm not sure of the name because this is the only way she ever referred to it via email! 2. What Gazebo and more about the photo package... We were married in the Bugambilia Gazebo. We used the photo package from the deluxe package. It was like 36 photos with an album and a DVD. I'm not exactly sure. Once you arrive they offer you a package upgrade with larger picktures, 62 photos instead of 36, a larger album (that's much nicer), and all copies of the photos on a DVD. It was an additional $220 I think. COMPLETELY worth it. If you don't get a copy of the pictures on a DVD you will never be able to see all that they took. They pick out which 36 to print and put in your album so you don't really get a say. If you get the upgraded package you can keep them forever and order them yourselves. That's what we did anyway! 3. Where did the family members eat that were sick? I'm not sure where they ate since they stayed after we had gone on our honeymoon but I bet it was just the normal food. No offense to this part of the family.....BUT they are a little overexaggeratory at times, so I wouldn't doubt it if they were just exhausted! I never had a problem with the food but I stay away from anything that looks like it should have been in a frig or heated and wasn't! 4. Anything I would have done differently? I would have tried harder to have the wedding at 5 or 6....4 pm was soooo hot. Other than that, nope! 5. Where did I get my shoes? This is the only information I can find for them right now: Description: Women's Annie Sadie Size/Width: 9.5 M Color: Silver Annie Sadie - Free Shipping Both Ways & 365-Day Return Policy 6. Did you get 2 hours free with your cocktail party or 1 hour free for booking 10 rooms or more? They don't really care about how long it lasts. I know it says 1 hour but they will go for 2 or more without any complaints. 7. Did your upgrage photo package include pictures of the coctail party and reception? No. We had a dozen cameras with us so we just took them ourselves. 8. Also could you have the photographer taking pictures while you was getting ready? We didn't. I knew we were having a professional photog for the AHR so I didn't worry too much about it. I'm sure you could find a way if you asked, I know they had upgraged packages up to $1000 more over the deluxe package. 9. Did any of your guests stay outside the resort? if so did the resort charge the guest passes to your room? Yes. 2 guests have a condo in Cancun. They just drove in and paid their $81/person. They will not let guests into the gazebo without a bracelet. They were very strict with us about that. 10. Did you have a welcome dinner for your guests? if so what resturant? No. I wanted everyone to do what they wanted the whole time. If I were to go to a DW I wouldn't want a iteniarary handed to me...that was just me though. I just told them all to show up on the wedding day at a certain time...it went flawless. We all hung out with anyone we ran into the whole week and everyone did their own excursions etc....no one felt like they were tied down or HAD to be anywhere. We were very laid back. 11. How much did your bridesmaid flowers cost? I made them ...but about $10/bouquet. 12. Did you get to choose the gazebo? No. They just emailed me and sent pictures saying this is where you will be....which was fine by me. I didn't need anymore decisions to make! The Gazebo: The Carriage: (coming around to see the Gazebo for the first time!) Walking Down the Aisle: Us: Our Wedding Party: Cocktail Hour: Dinner:

Quote: Originally Posted by lor Sharla, your pictures came out great! you look beautiful. I'm getting so excited. does anyone know what side of the hotel is better to stay on? my travel agent is getting out contract together? thanks We stayed on the Sunrise side and loved it. We all were on the 3rd floor with great ocean views in the Pinata section. My only complaint for the Sunrise side is the size....not for me - but my grandparents. They utilized the carts that will pick you up at all times their entire trip so it ended up working out perfect. No matter where you are it will be a great time!!

Quote: Originally Posted by mtomas5555 I wonder if that's why Nancy Anduja isn't there anymore! Yikes! Well, I am really happy that things at least worked out for you on your wedding day! You truly looked beautiful and so happy!! Can't wait for your review! Will you post it here or in a new thread? How was the wind? I'll probably start a new thread...but I'll come over here to let yall know. I'm going to OHIO for work the next 3 days so I'm thinking I will put it up on Tuesday if I get a chance to write it on the plane. & honestly....I didn't notice the wind at all except for my veil - it was pretty annoying sometimes but they have ideas to keep it down for pics and the ceremony. I'm glad I had it for the pics but it came off right after that...

Quote: Originally Posted by mtomas5555 Sharla, You look absolutely stunning!! Looking at your pictures makes me so excited to use the resort photographer! I think they did a great job!! I hope you had the most wonderful wedding you could dream of and I can't wait to see your review. In a nut shell, would you say everything went well? Oh, and what time did you get married? We are getting married at 5pm, so I was wondering how hot it will be at that time and if it was really windy. Thanks and CONGRATS again!! EVERYTHING LOOKED BEAUTIFUL!!! Melissa Hey Melissa!! I WISH I could tell you everything went smoothly before the wedding but it was a complete disaster. Nancy Anduja had EVERYTHING messed up! I don't want to scare you or anyone else but it was the most stressful week of my life until the wedding day. THAT WAS PERFECT!!! All my WC would tell me is what time I had to be at the salon and what time they were picking me up....so simple and relaxing and it was WAY beyond my expectations! We were married at 4pm....I tried to get it at 6 because it was so hot...so 5 o'clock would be great I think!