jamk32179

we put the reception music on shuffle. although there were times we wanted to hear a specific song and just asked him to change the music. the microphone came with the package as well. our wedding wasn't too formal so we started off with a thank u speech and just passed around the mic to whomever wanted to speak. it worked out well for us!
 

Originally Posted by orbitingbklyn 

thanks for this info!  just wondering, did the guy at the hotel play the appropriate music at the right times?  or did you just shuffle the whole playlist?  also, did you get the microphone for speeches, etc?  i figured i could just say a few things & have anyone doing a speech take the initiative (or have it planned at a certain time)

 

congrats on a fab wedding!

 

thanks!

 

rachel

 

Quote:

Hi Ladies,

I just got back today from our wedding on the 18th at the Royal. I'll leave the detailed review for later, but touch on a few topics. I was one of the brides that had 3 or 4 WC's before getting to Mexico. Had I not been to a wedding there before I would have canceled, but I knew how amazing it would turn out. Zulma was great to work with although there were a few issues. We did a gazebo wedding and a beach reception. She said we needed to have a plan in case it rained. The wedding we had been to previously moved their wedding into Pelicanos when it rained. We were told we would be moved to a ballroom. I was crushed because I did not bring 30 people to Mexico for a beach wedding to get married in a ballroom (I live in Vegas....there are a million ballrooms...haha). Fortunately we had an amazing day and they rain held off until about 15 minutes till the end of the reception. The rain stopped no one on the dance floor!! In fact we carried the party to Blue Parrot. I don't believe we were charged an entrance fee, but maybe because I was still rocking the wedding dress! Definitely negotiate! They tried to charge us $20 a person to get in and we talked them down to $5.

 

The second issue was we had everyone sign a frame matte instead of a guest book. Unfortunately it went missing. I think it probably got rained on and they didn't want to tell us. When I confronted the WC she kind of made it seem as though it was my fault. Definitely make sure you have someone in charge of collecting anything important.

 

Most importantly, don't stress, it will turn out amazing. Juliet had some great advice for future brides and I cannot agree with her more. Juliet, I saw your wedding and you looked beautiful! I hope you enjoyed your day....I know we did!

Quote:

Originally Posted by orbitingbklyn 

Has anyone used the "house" DJ?  I am having trouble deciding between using my IPOD and paying $80 for a person at the hotel to operate it (with instructions from me) and getting a microphone ($80) for use for a few speeches. 

I just got married on the 18th at the Royal and brought an ipod loaded with the songs we wanted. I broke it down into the following categories; wedding ceremony, wedding dinner music, wedding first dances, and wedding reception. We payed the money to have someone run the ipod and he was awesome. We put the ipod on shuffle and the rest was history. We figured we would have to do the work anyway to make a list of the songs we wanted, might as well save $800!


 

Originally Posted by Lisa DSO 

the lastest review on tripadvisor was a bit disconcerting (regarding police corruption):

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g150812-d530483-r79660369-The_Royal_Playa_del_Carmen-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

 

here is a snippet:

 

"Cautions about the police in mexico. They are crooked jerks who are looking for
white people to harrass and extort money from. We rented jeeps in Cozumel and
had 2 couples in each jeep. Just before we were bringing the jeeps back, the
police pulled us over and said we did not slow down over a speedbump. We did
slow down because the speedbumps are huge and there is no way you could go over
them at full speed. Anyway they said we had to give them $50 per jeep(which they
pocketed) and put it discretely in a green notebook that the cop was holding or
go to jail. Also 2 of my friends who have never been out of the USA before were
walking on the beach just off the resort property (where they rent out jetskis
during the day) at about 11:30 pm when some police with machine guns came up to
them and told them they were being arrested and that they should give them all
the money in their pockets. Well the man only had $1 and his royal keycard, so
the police told him to leave his wife there with them and go to the room and get
money or his ATM card to pay them. AS IF HE WOULD ACTUALLY LEAVE HIS WIFE WITH
THEM!!!!! The cops kept grapping their machine guns. Eventually the couple just
turned around and walked toward the resort and the police did not follow them.
They kept thinking they were gonna get shot in the back. Needless to say their
trip was ruined and they will never go back to Mexico again and probably never
go on a beach vacation anywhere but in the USA again.

 

We definitely saw military personnel with machine guns on the beach and in 5th avenue. We didn't have any issues and we went out into town many nights into the wee hours of the morning. It was funny when we were taking our pics in town there was an officer with his machine gun leaning up against a street sign texting. We had friends go to Cozumel and didn't mention any issues.

 

Originally Posted by rosieposie 

 

 

on another note.....anyone else of this recent news on the Mexican Pesos?
 

16 SEP 2010:  Effective immediately all vacationers travelling to Mexico will be required to use Mexican pesos only.  Other currencies, including Canadian and American dollars will no longer be accepted in the country.

The use of international credit cards is unaffected as transactions will continue to be processed in Mexican pesos, as per current practice.

It is recommended that travellers bring Mexican pesos and/or credit cards to avoid difficulties

 
 

We ran into this. Apparently they cannot accept anything more than $20 US. I believe they do offer currency exchange at the Royal.


 

Originally Posted by risa1818 

 

My question to you ladies who have visited there, was the beach nice? I am slightly concerned because I am totally a beach person. I love laying on the beach, swimming in it, etc. My concern is that most people say the beach is not that nice. That it has a sulfur smell to it and it can be really rocky in most parts. Is this true?

 

I am not a picky person, but I do want to make sure that my guests are loving the beach!

 

Any feedback on this from you ladies that have been there?

 

I thought the beach was fine and didn't notice any sulfur smell. You do have to walk down a little ways because of the rocks, but the water is really nice! They have had issues with errosion since the last time I was there 2 years ago, but there was still plenty of lounge chains.

 

Originally Posted by Lisa DSO 

Yay, Fernandofinally confirmed with me last night :-) Cheers to relaxing in the room....now, do they charge for him coming to do my makeup (just me)?

 

 

 

Fernando and his team are AMAZING!!! And fast!! I would say they were both done in about an hour or an hour and 15 minutes. I loved the way my hair and make up looked and I gave no direction. I paid $60/person for them to come to my room. Apparently you are allowed 3 or 4 non guests to come to your room 3 hours before the wedding as long as they don't have equipment. Not sure how that differs from a photographer, but oh well. We had a great time with my girlfriends watching me get ready with a few bottles of champagne involved :-).

 

I had the same issue, but he said he confirmed my time. Oh well hopefully there won't be any issues.

 

Originally Posted by Lisa DSO 

 

Does Fernando sometimes take a while to respond? I sent the deposit 3.5 weeks ago and he said he was going to confirm with his sister and get back to me, but so far nothing. I emailed him again last week and I still haven't heard back from him, so I emailed him again today. 

Originally Posted by JYD1 

 

 

 

 

Jen - thanks for letting me know. I had no idea that I would need to purchase additional makeup. WOW! I agree- rather spend that money on something else. I'll definitely check out Fernando. Are you having him do your wedding parties makeup and hair? Have you set up a trial with Fernando yet? I'd love to see pics if he has.

 

I am going to take a risk and not do a trial. I might go to the MAC counter here to get some inspiration and take that to him. I am running out of time though! I am getting married on the 18th so I'll be sure to post some hair and make-up pics when I get home.

 

Originally Posted by JYD1 

 

Is anyone having their makeup done outside of their SpAzul? I've read from a few brides that their makeup is limited but hairstyling is pretty decent. I'm considering using M.A.C since they have two locations: one on 5th Avenue and one in Cancun.

 

If you're having an outside person do your makeup do you know if they're charging $100 vendor fee? I've heard if they're there less than 3hrs there's no charge.

 

Thanks!!

Hi JYD,

I am having Fernando Fuentes come to my room to do hair and make-up. I was told he could be on my "list" of people that could come 3 hours before the wedding without a fee. His website is http://the-makeup-pros.com/. I was originally going to walk to the MAC store on 5th, but when I called to make an appointment they said I had to purchase approximately $70 in product for the trial and then $110 on the day of. I'd rather spend that money sitting in my room sipping a little bubbly in the A/C. Let me know if you want his email.

Jen

 

 

Originally Posted by Lisa DSO 

You are right, Jess, i have been going back and forth. However, FI insists that all of that stuff can go in it's own suitcase (uh, his then cuz I'm not giving up space lol). I just really hope they don't think something odd about the multiple advils and what not.

Lisa,

We are packing our OOT bag stuff in a suitcase and taking it with us. I created signs in english and spanish stating "Not for resale" and "Wedding favors".
 

 

My party cups ordered off of ebay from seller factory_21. They were quick, detailed and very accomodating!

Not to mention she was on top of our airline ticket situation before I had even heard of what was going on. She rocks!

i confess that i have found out who my true friends are during this whole planning process. i might have to rethink some friendships when i get back from the wedding....

I just picked my Maggie "Sabelle" up today after alterations.  I get married 2 weeks from Saturday!!! So excited!!!

Glad to hear that the Mexicana issue is getting handled!! We had a similar issue since Mexicana was the operator but our tickets were booked through American so they ended up handling the flight. Although my direct flight is no longer direct

Jesmcan-

I am so sorry to hear that! When we first got word about Mexicana we changed carriers because our tickets were booked through American with Mexicana operating the flight. The process was actually very seamless and we did not incur any additional charges as they were taken care of. Fingers crossed for you! Good luck!!

 

Originally Posted by jesmcan 

Thank you Rosie!

 

So just found out Mexicana officially suspended all flights in definetly. I am not going to lie I am totally freaking out. My TA is away on vacation until Monday. I am so afraid we a. won't get our money back b. even if we do everyone will need to rebook flights, flights are three times more than what everyone paid back in Feb. I have 85 guests all flying Mexicana.

 

Anyone is the same boat and has gotten any direction on what to do?

I got my party mugs today and they are SO cute!!! We did black and hot pink and had the printing in white on both sides. Love them!!! I will post a pic when I get to my computer at home!!

Originally Posted by Bride2B22 

 

 

 

 

Hi Jamk32179!

i have one question! i noticed you have 31 guest booked for your wedding. how many did you initially invite? i just want to get an idea of how many people will actually book, to help my budgeting! thanks!

 

We invited about 75-80 assuming every person would bring a date.

 

Originally Posted by giraffexx 

 

Thanks for the recommendation! I just ordered these. Love them, can't wait for them to arrive!

 

 

Oh I ordered from this seller as well. Mine are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. So excited and I'll post feedback!!

 

Definitely go with individual bookings!!! We have enough problems with people booking thinking they can cram a million people into one room and then split the cost. Apparently some think they are still in college although we are all in our 30's. I finally came to the conclusion, if you don't want to go, don't. The important people are coming although I hope the Royal will refund some money of those who aren't coming.

Hi Ladies,

For anyone who is thinking about going to the MAC location on 5th for make up I had my friend call for prices today. You have to purchase $70 worth of product when you have your trial done and $110 worth of product the day of the wedding. They also said you have to have a trial. Just to let you know...

Quote:

Originally Posted by msglave 

But you all were not able to sit together, no?
 

we weren't at one long table, but we were all in the same area.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisa DSO 

What is this "list" all about?

It is who you want to come to your room before hand. For example a make up artist, friend staying at another hotel, etc.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by heidirn622 

hey everyone, I have a quick photography question.  I know the resort uses Funever Photos.  Does anyone know of another bride who used them.  I was wondering how they came out.  I am looking at other photographers and found two that I may be interested in.  Are ya'll paying for a room for the photographers for one night or paying the outside vendor fee? 

 

I did contact Fernando to get prices for my wedding next june 2011.

 

Here is what he wrote in the email:

this is my price list for hair and make up ok
 
trial hair and make up $180
day of the event $350
 
bridesmaids and family
only make up $90
only hair $50 up to $80

 

Does anyone know the rates for the hotel for hair and makeup for bridesmaid and family? 

 

Thanks,

Heidi

My prices are the same for my September 2010 wedding. I was told you can put 4 people on your "list" to come to your room 3 hours in advance
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenniferkuhr 

Hi Ladies!

 

I have a question about welcome parties and whatnot....

 

If everyone is staying at an all inclusive, how come there are charges for open bar and food service?  Did anyone just arrange for folks to have dinner around the same time etc?  Is this a dumb question?

 

I was there 2 years ago in November and we would all go to dinner together. We did a group dinner at Asiana and one at the Mexican restaurant at the Gran Porto. I think the key is to split up into groups. We never had a problem if we did it this way.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by msglave 

OMG!!!! That means this will affect us. Our flight is booked the same way and so many of our guests!!! Do you have the link that you read this at? If so, can you post it? Can you change it with no fee? how does this work? Thanks
 

This is what I found on the American Airlines website. We were booked through American although it was being operated by Mexicana.

 

"Update On Mexico Codeshare Bookings

Following the Federal Aviation Administration's decision on July 30 to revise the rating of Mexico's civil aviation authority, U.S. airlines are prohibited from offering codeshare service on any Mexican airline. As a result, we are advising our customers who have already purchased an American Airlines codeshare flight operated by Mexicana that they will be re-ticketed as Mexicana passengers on the same itineraries or they have the option to receive a refund for their purchased flight. Mexicana codeshare flights operated by American or American Eagle are not affected by the FAA's decision.

We are in the process of contacting customers confirmed on these flights to assist with re-accommodation. "

 

We were re-booked on an American Airlines flight handled by our TA. My mom booked through American Airlines online and they contacted her via email and changed her flight.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

We are paying for our own wedding too, but at least we know we only have to please ourselves.

Originally Posted by Juliet1 

What are the new FAA laws?  I did a search and couldn't find anything...

I am not sure if it affects all airlines, but we were originally booked with American Airlines, but Mexicana was the operating carrier. The FAA no longer allows this. I found info on the American Airlines website. Plus to top it off Mexicana filed for Bankruptcy protection. So my fabulous direct flight to Cancun is no longer. I was going to drive to LA so I would have a direct flight, but now there is no point for me to make the drive for a flight I could get in Vegas although AA is being difficult about switching the departing cities....annoying!!!