cutierosie

FutureMsMoulton, Glad you found the answers to your questions, let me know if you have any more. Best of luck to you in your wedding, I know it will be great Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMsMoulton YEA I found it!! I have been looking for I can't tell you how long to see a photo from a beach wedding and my eyes welled up with tears because minus the runner to walk on (i want to feel the sand) its how i've always seen my wedding being!! Yours was so beautiful and touching. ) You answered all of my questions in your review and I THANK YOU SOOOO much for it! Congrats to you and you're new husband I hope everyday of your life feels as happy as the day you got married.

Hi Ladies, I placed the slideshow of my professional pictures on my review thread http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t41146 But I totally forgot to place it here. Anyway, Here's the link to the professional slideshow of my wedding at the Moon Palace (April 11, 2009) by Del Sol in case you have not seen it. 04.11.09 Ray And Rosa | Moon Palace Cancun | Photos by Matt and Sol Cheers!

Camie, your review will be very helpful to future moon brides! Looking forward to the pictures of your wedding~!

Quote: Originally Posted by katiemcad This information is so great--has anyone heard anything about Father Benito Aguilar or what he's like? We're considering a Catholic ceremony, but I've heard mixed reviews about the clergy. Does anyone know what he's like or when you meet with him prior to the ceremony? Also, do all Catholic ceremonies there have to be a full Mass with communion or can you leave out communion? Anyone? Thoughts? Katie, my wedding was symbolic (non religious), so I can't really comment on religious ceremonies..I know that other brides on the Moon Palace thread in this forum have had religious weddings..I would search that thread for your information and if you don't find it, post your question there as previous brides check that thread often. Good luck with that! Rosie

Quote: Originally Posted by NJ Hunnie HI MP Brides, does anyone have pics of the ceremony set up on the beach? and how much did it cost for the extras? Hi Hunnie, I posted a review of my beach wedding at the Moon Palace held on April 11, 2009 at the link below (it has pictures and the cost, my beach set up cost was $150). I loved the beach wedding! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t41146-5 Good Luck with your planning Rosie

Quote: Originally Posted by Jodimichelle WOW- I didn't even finish your review-I am tired from working all day so I will invest more time into reading everything since you took YOUR time to write this! You looked great! Your dresses is gorgeous! Everything seemed/WAS soo perfect at least from your pictures and of course your review. I will read it again tomorrow with my fiance just in case i miss something. One question- When did you start planning everything? I just signed my contract, but the lady didn't say anything about leaving a deposit I just signed and had my credit card on their for the cancellation fee. I am also having my wedding on the beach at 6pm on July 3, 2010~ I want to start planning, I don't know really where to begin! Thanks soo much for your review! JODI Hi Jodi, congrats on getting your wedding date!! As far as the deposit, that is required if you are doing a room block (if you are having guests coming to your wedding). If you want to start planning, make a folder and put all the documents from the Moon Palace there, review them, make a budget, then start a To Do List (of all the items you want, and where you are going to get them and by what date) If you enroll in the Knot.com, they have a checklist where you can click on the items you have done and it tells you which items you have outstanding. I would first focus on the items you have control over and need far in advance, like your save the date, invitations, website, wedding dress (buy magazines, go on the knot, try on dresses), choose your wedding colors or theme, your bridesmaid dresses, groom's clothes, your acessories etc. Then when your wedding is 3-4 months out, you can choose centerpieces, place cards, since you will have a better idea of how many guests you have coming and know how much you can "really" spend. Good luck with your planning

Quote: Originally Posted by kstinson1503 What a great review; so informative!!! I'm sure it will be very helpful to other Moon Palace brides. I just love your hair; do you have a close-up pic of your hair, or do you have the inspiration pic that you used?? You looked beautiful; congratulations!!!! Thank you for your comments! Here's my inspiration picture: (The Knot.com has a gallery with tons of hair pictures, that is where I got this picture) Weddings Gowns Gifts, The Knot If you can't see the picture above, let me know and I will post the actual picture here.

Quote: Originally Posted by Myen Congrats Cutierose!! Thanks so much for the in-depth reveiew, everything looks fantastic. I'm glad that the day went off without any major snags. I have a couple of questions as my MP wedding is coming up in 3 weeks - is it okay if I PM you? Of course you can PM me!!! Talk to you soon

I have posted a very long and detailed Moon Palace Beach Wedding Review with lots of pictures and planning information here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t41146 Enjoy!

CONCLUSION I highly recommend the Moon Palace and highly recommend the ceremony at the beach. It is wonderful that you can have a wedding at the beach, and still take pictures at the gazebo. It is priceless to have a wedding department at the hotel to assist you along the way (even when the wedding coordinator is not in the office) and a wedding coordinator in the United States. It was also not very expensive to have such a beautiful wedding, a wedding like the one I had would have cost about 50 times more in the states, but I got it at a bargain. I feel blessed to have had the good fortune of coming across the Moon Palace and everything turning out better than I hoped for. To ease your stress, try to have everything planned before you arrive (Or ideas of what you want), so that when you get there you only have to worry about where to get your pina colada. Along the way, things can get stressful, just breath deeply and know that these wedding coordinators in Mexico have mastered weddings and will take care of everything. Also, remember that at the end of the day it only thing that matters is that and your future husband will be there…. Happy planning, let me know if you guys have questions! If you are interested in having your wedding at the Moon Palace, there is a thread for Moon Palace Brides Here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t21569 END OF REVIEW

OTHER DECORATIONS FROM USA TO MEXICO: Cake Knife & Champagne Glasses Set (bought in downtown Los Angeles, you can buy similar at Walmart, I made the ribbon from double faced satin) I highly advise you take a cake stand!!! The one the Moon Palace provides is NOT really a cake stand but some plate covered with foil paper. Guest Book Picture Frame & Easel (Frame: SalinePictureFrame.com, Easel: Easels - Display Easel - Decorative Easels - Artist Easels - Office Easel) Wedding Ceremony Program Fans (I Made it): I bought thick paper from Blick, Ribbon from the Ribbon Store, and the popsicle sticks that had stars at the top (my motif) at the Blick art store. WEDDING WEBSITE: I used weddingwindow.com They give you a free trial period, it was very easy to use, it looked professional, it provided an RSVP section, it gave you alerts when people RSVP’d, you could put music, album etc, I also put polls and people loved the polls, specially one where we provided them a poll as to where we should go for our honeymoon, people were competing to have the most votes for the place they wanted us to go for our honeymoon. It was actually quite funny that people took the polls very seriously, and religiously voted for certain polls. Obviously this was good as people came back to our website, which was the goal of the polls, I updated them every so often so that people would continue to come. I think for a destination wedding, a website is so important, and people really enjoy it. It was about 10 dollars a month (for 6 months) and it was worth every penny! STATIONARY Save the Date: I used a magnet, from magnetstreet.com, people LOVED IT, they put it on their fridge and constantly reminded them of our wedding. The color also matched my wedding colors and we placed our picture in the center. Here’s the magnet we used: Save The Date Magnets - Surrounded by Love Invitations: we didn’t send any and some people got confused because they didn’t know they had to RSVP on our website, apparently they were waiting for the invitation. So, we sent a reminder, with our wedding motif which was the sea star, it looked like an invitation. The reminder asked people to RSVP and book their room by a deadline. This was less costly, and served as a reminder. In restropect, instead of just putting our website underneath our save the date magnet, we should have put RSVP at blahblah.com to avoid any RSVP confusion and then sent the reminder. I highly recommend the reminder with a deadline because people booked much faster. Ceremony Program: I made my own ceremony program fans.

BRIDESMAIDS ACCESSORIES: Dresses: Bought them through lightinthebox.com it takes about 4-6 weeks to get them back. They are inexpensive (but the shipping is expensive since it comes from China), you just need measurements. I chose the blue color on the palette, they don’t make custom colors. I had them tell me what kind of dress they wanted and I paid for them as a gift. Jewelry: I wanted a Breakfast at Tiffanny’s feel, so I bought them pearl sets of earrings, necklace, and bracelet, each set for about $25.00 at this place Endless Occasions Gift: We paid for one night of their stay at the resort. We did it through Miami days before we left to Cancun, so it would be a surprise. We notified them of this gift, in a thank you note that we put in our OTT bags. GROOMSMAN ACCESSORIES: They chose their own clothing. The Groomsman in the middle of this picture had the following items: Shirt by 7 Diamonds, Pants Tommy Bahama, shoes Banana Republic FLOWER GIRL ACCESSORIES: Halo: Wedding Favors - Wedding Party Favors - Favor Ideas and Decoratons Basket: I made it. RING BEARER ACCESSORIES: Sea Shell for rings: Very pretty, it took about 3 weeks to receive it apparently because it is hand made. beachweddingwhimsy.com MOTHER OF THE BRIDE ACCESSORIES: Dress: Macys Shoes: David’s Bridal (her shoe size is 4 ½, so only children sized shoes fit her, so David Bridal has nice wedding shoes for flower girls that fit my mom). The shoes were very inexpensive at about $30.00

BRIDAL ACCESSORIES: Bridal Dress: Custom Made. I picked out parts of the dresses I liked and put them together into my dress. I went to several stores, tried stuff on, and then realized I had to make my perfect dress that nobody else would have. I drew the dress I wanted, I told the dress maker the material to use, showed pictures of things I liked, and the dress maker did it. It is a risky move as the dress may not turn out the way you want it, in fact, my dress came back not looking exactly what I wanted and took it to two different tailors to finally get what I wanted. At the end, I paid less than at most department stores and got a dress that was one of the kind that I can call MY wedding dress. To minimize the risk, I had a back up dress just in case, it was a very inexpensive dress, I didn’t have to use it because my dress turned out to be my dream wedding gown. Even with my back up dress, I paid less than 2k for the whole ordeal (dress maker and tailor). The dress took two months to make, although you can pay a rush fee to have it shipped faster. Veil: VeilUbridal.com (very nice and inexpensive) Bridal shoes: I bought the shoes (without the broche) Bellissima Bridal Shoes: The Source for Designer Wedding Shoes, they are satin touch-ups, dyable. Tip: Use them before the wedding to break them in, because they hurt the first time you wear them. Bridal Handbag: I bought it at David’s bridal, added the broche to match shoes. Broches: I bought 5 broches made of swarovski crystal on e-bay, I used these to put it on my shoes, handbag, and one as a gift to my wedding coordinator. Earrings: Bought them at Macy’s. Bracelet: Bought them at Macy’s. Engagement Ring: Cushion cut, on crown setting, pave band. Custom made in San Francisco, at Dublin & Company. Wedding Band: Custom made in San Francisco, at Dublin & Company. Bridal Wear: I bought a shirt that said Mrs. Gallenberg, yoga pants that said Bride09 at this place BridalPartyTees- Bridal, Wedding, Shower, Party: T-shirts (recommend the shirts, the yoga pants not so much because the writing was not great) Lingerie: Yandy.com (very fast shipment, good deals) GROOM ACCESSORIES: Suit: Paul Smith Shirt: Paul Smith Cufflinks: Ted Baker Sandals: Kenneth Cole Wedding Band: Scott Kay

Welcome Bags (OOT Bags): People absolutely loved the OOT bags. My idea was to provide items that the Moon Palace didn’t provide in their rooms, so here’s a list of what the Moon Palace provides: •Toothpaste •Bubble Bath •Toothbrushes •Lotion •Shampoo & Conditioner •Razors •Vanity Kit: q tips and cotton balls These were the contents of my welcome bags/OOT bags: oBeach Bag: Everyone loved this bag because it is big enough to be a carry on bag as well, it has a zipper, outside bags, a little bag inside for money, the inside has a plastic cover to protect the bag and easy clean up. I thought about a personalized bag, but didn’t like most of them and the ones I like cost too much. This one cost only $5.00. To personalize these bags, I made tags, with people’s names on them, it said “Welcome X To Cancun!†and the bottom of the tag it had our names and wedding date. I tied them to the bag with ribbon and this was very helpful for the bell hop in his delivery of the bags. I bought them at: Super-Size Microfiber Tote Bag with Large Front Pockets #LT227-Dark Blue Stripe oWater Bottles Personalized with our motif bought at discountmugs.com oLunch Bags/Cooler (insulated lunch bags) Personalized with our motif bought at 99 cent stores, each was 99 cents, I ironed on them the motif with iron-on stuff bought at staples. I thought this would be good if people wanted to go on excursions were food was not provided. oT-shirts with our motif, bought t shirts for $2.00, and ironed our motif, each shirt said Cancun, 4.11.09 oSunglasses: I got a lot on ebay of 40 sunglasses for 35 dollars, it included really pretty aviator and light pink glasses. oToiletry Bag: I put the medicine kit in an aqua organza bag that contained Sunscreen SPF 30 1.89, insect repellent and Advil. I bought these at Minimus - For All Your Travel Size Item Needs oCandy: An organza bag filled with chocolates and gum: Since it was easer weekend, it had chocolate easter eggs, easter bunnie confetti in aqua and silver. I bought the candy and organza bags at Dollar Tree, and the confetti at the 99 cent store) oLight Blue Towels tied with a double faced satin ribbon. I wanted a stuffer since the bags were pretty big, so I added these towels even though the Moon Palace had these already. oWelcome Letter: I made a welcome letter detailing the events, and contact information, the letter itself had our motif and was printed in cream resume paper. This was placed inside an aqua envelope with a map of the resort, and a map of cancun. The envelope was sealed with a label that had our names. I bought the label at My Own Labels | Custom Labels, Personalized Favor Tags, Coasters, Bookplates, Note Cards, Place Cards From all the items, people didn’t really use the water bottle, or the mosquito repellent or the towels, but I saw people using everything else. I wish I had added aloe vera sunburn lotion because many people bought this or needed it.

THE HOTEL: Grand Moon: I spent most of my time in the pool at the Grand Moon, there are chairs available all the time, they have cabanas, the pool is an infinity pool and it is much quieter than the Nizuc. Most of our guests hung out here as there was enough space for everyone at the pool to sit next to each other. They also have a restaurant next to the pool, if I wasn’t getting married, I would stay in this side of the resort. Sunrise: The Sunrise side is where the kids playground/pool is and LOTS of action. Nizuc is where I had all my rooms blocked. It was convenient for the wedding as it was close to the wedding events, wedding dept, salon, my rehearsal place. They had the Mexican a la carte place (called Los Caporrales) which had better food than most places, and had Mexican mariachi hats to try on and take pictures with. They have Karaoke by the pool at night, and other events depending on the day of the week. Shuttle Service: I got a shuttle from the Nizuc lobby to the Sun Palace. The shuttle picks you up at Noon or 2 p.m., make sure you are there early because they get filled fast.They pick you up at 4 and 6 p.m., so if you leave at noon you must be back by 4 p.m. It is very convenient, and since it is free there is no complaints. Actually the shuttle is not a shuttle per se, it is a charter air conditioned bus, with comfy chairs. OTHER PALACE RESORTS IN CANCUN: Sun Palace: I spent a day at the Sun Palace as that hotel is more like the type of hotel I would book as it is adults only, quiet, the beach is amazing, not as nice for weddings as it doesn’t really have palm trees and areas for wedding receptions. Beach Palace: very modern place, but they have NO beach. They have a view of the ocean, but you can’t hang out by the beach because it is in a cliff with high riptides crashing against the rocks. Cancun Palace: smaller than the Moon Palace, their beach is now gone because of the hurricane. For weddings, the Moon Palace is the best hands down, there is no competition whatsoever. CHECK OUT OF HOTEL: You need to call the bell hop to come and get your bags, you reserve them for a specific time, just call the bell hop extension. Check out of the hotel was a MAJOR HASSLE our check out was about 20-30 minutes long. We asked for the bill 2 hours before check out to review it, when we noticed that we were not given a credit for the deposit of the room block. So, we e-mailed our coordinator in Miami, since she was not the one that did the room block apparently she didn’t know about the deposit we had made, and therefore had not issued us a credit to our check out bill or our credit card. Thankfully check out was Monday and we checked out on time to coordinate with the Miami office, the coordinator then e-mailed us and said she had fixed it. We go and check out hoping that we have a credit posted to our bill, and they look and look and can’t find it. So the manager calls Miami and they don’t know what is going on. The manager was claiming that there was a credit in the bill already, but I told her we were supposed to have two credits, one credit for the actual room we paid, and one credit for the room block deposit. At the moon palace, your bill starts with a credit, whatever you paid for your room, and from there they deduct your costs, and the daily charge of the room. Basically, turns out that the person in Miami had given the credit to our wedding account number, but Moon Palace charges all the wedding stuff in one bill in the room account number. So they had to transfer the credit from the wedding master account to the room account number. I asked if instead of this nonsense, they would just credit it to the credit card, but it was not possible as they had already issued the credit. I had no idea that there were two accounts, one wedding and one room. To make matters worse, since we had left a credit card at check in, they were charging everything on a daily basis. I told the guy at check out that we had already paid for everything and he said no you have not. The FREAKING IDIOT decided not to listen to me, and charged my credit card the entire bill TWICE. The card declined as he was charging us our wedding costs twice, so he said your card declined and I was like yeah you F*********** Moron cuz you already charged us once, so the manager said let me see here, so he said “OHHHH I didn’t know you had given a card at check in.†I told him “I told you, you had already charged our credit card, and you decided to do it again.†Even now, our credit card cannot be used because one of the charges is listed as pending, while the other cleared out. TIP: if you gave a deposit for the room block make sure they credit it to your credit card immediately or to the PROPER account, which is the room account not the wedding account. Anyway, they fixed the accounting issue, so we got our credit, and everything else was smooth, they even allow you to use the facilities after you check out even without your bracelet. So you can enjoy the facilities after noon (check out time). After check out, we got a cab back to the airport, they have cabs lined up so the wait was like a minute wait, pretty smooth.