ktchi

Oh. We didn't contact the DJ at all. The hotel did that for us, but our situation was little funny because we weren't having a DJ until a few weeks before the wedding when they changed ownership and changed the packages and then one came with the package we chose. The DJ did contact us a few days before the wedding. I am not really sure if they tell him what you want or if you do- sorry. We did get a confirmation from them for our date. It took a little time, but we put down a deposit and confirmed the date within a few weeks. I felt a little nervous because they never seemed like the date was set in stone so every time I e-mailed them I would put our date and re-confirm. If I were you I would want a confirmation that the date is set and know that the deposit went through. Although it sucks- calling them was always the easiest way to get through. I did get the run around with the front desk not knowing where to direct my call, but most of the time i got through to someone who could help.

 I made all attempts to contact them. They did not attempt to contact me. It is highly unlikely that they will be able to help you with planning this far in advance. They usually start going over details with you only a month or two before the wedding (We basically planned the entire wedding the month before the wedding). I basically took the price list that they gave me and added up all the costs that we wanted and then added some extra in case there were things that we didn't expect to pay for and that's how I figured out how much the wedding would be. They can definitely pull off anything that you want, but we didn't really have a definite idea of the cost until right before the wedding.

If you PM me with your e-mail address- I can send it to you, no problem. Thanks, katie

Hi, I really wouldn't worry too much. My wedding was June 12- within a month of the hotel changing over ownership- so everything was crazy. Everything worked out perfectly. I really had very little set in stone for the wedding until a few weeks before. My suggestion would be to look at the wedding packages and figure out what you want- then start making lists of everything you want and how you want it to go. That's what I did- so I had a plan (even if they didn't). It all worked out perfectly. They knew what I wanted when I got there and were able to make changes once I got there and saw the resort. There were some mistakes, but it is impossible for everything to go perfectly. I had a blast and all of my guests did as well. I think that the changes they are making are for the better. I hope this makes you feel better, but I know that stressful feeling.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ayslinn thanks for the review! I've been looking for one on this hotel- I think this is where we're going to get married. I have a few questions for you if you don't mind: 1) Did they charge you to use an off site wedding photographer? 2) Did they charge you to do the sand ceremony? did you bring your own vases? 3) You mentioned posting the email that you sent the wedding coordinators with the outline of what you wanted- I don't think you did but I would love to see it! 4) we are just barely in the beginning planning stages and already we have noticed the wedding coordinator being slow and/or nonresponsive with emails. based on your experience, would you still recommend going with this resort for a wedding? thanks a lot and congratulations on your wedding! Hi, The wedding really turned out better than I could have hoped for. Here are the answers to your questions. 1) There is a $300 fee for bringing outside vendors 2) We had a legal ceremony so we had to pay some expenses for the judge to come, and we had to follow the script that the Mexcian State sets out, but they let us add our own vows, a sand ceremony, and a poem reading to the ceremony. We did not have to pay extra for any of that or for the setup of the sand ceremony. If you want more info about how the ceremony worked PM me and I can tell you all about how it worked. 3) I posted the outline of what I sent the wedding coordinator in the Paradisus forum under Mexico Weddings- Mayan Riviera. If you can't find it let me know and I can e-mail it to you. I am not yet back at home so it might take me a few days. 4) The wedding coordinators were extremely slow and not responsive- about two months before the wedding I was ready to tell everyone not to book there, but in the end I would never say that. They created a very nice wedding for me. Everything was pretty much how I asked it to be. They had all the information that I had sent them ready for me when I arrived. They knew what I wanted and were responsive to my ideas and wants. They can pretty much plan your wedding in the few days before the wedding that you get there and put on a nice event. I had a wonderful wedding and would recommend the resort to others. About a month before the wedding I let go of all of the stress and stopped caring about the details and it was the best thing I ever could have done. Not everything will go exactly as you planned, but I had a fantastic time, and all of my guests did as well. I couldn't have asked for anything more. I know the wedding coordinators are hard to deal with, but I would be happy to send you all of the information that I have and answer any questions. I found that if you tell them what you want- they will do it (probably for a charge) but they know how to put on a wedding. I hope this helps.

Hi everyone. We are back from our honeymoon. It was great. So- if anyone has any questions I didn't answer before I left I am free to answer them. I saw the question about getting legally married there and we did get legally married in Mexico and it was no problem. We had to get blood tests while we were there, but it was the best blood test I have ever been given. The doctor was so professional and I didn't feel a thing (and I am a fainter). We just had to fill out a one or two page form and provide copies of our passports and tourist cards (you get them on the plane) and that was it. It really wasn't complicated at all. The marriage is recognized in the states and we plan on getting our marriage certificate translated into English, but other than that there isn't anything else to do. I was a little concerned because I went to the local county clerk to get our wedding certificate put on file and they said we had to get re-married. We don't- they just don't keep it on file in your state. So hang on to your marraige certificate and everything will be fine. The only difference is if you need another copy of the marriage certificate you have to go through Mexico rather than your home state. You do have to have certain wording at your wedding, but you are able to add things as well. We added our own vows, a sand ceremony, and a poem reading. I also got the resort photographer's photos back. They came out pretty nice. I have them down in TX and I am in Pennsylvania right now visiting my parents, but they are on snapfish and if anyone wants to see them I can send you the link to the photos- just message me. He only photographed the ceremony and some of the photos are odd because my mother-in-law started telling him to photograph random things while we were taking pictures with our other photographer. But overally they are pretty nice. Okay- hope everyone's planning is going well.

Hi everyone, My friend made a funny facebook page called Brides with Beers where she is hoping to collect photos of brides holding beers. Here's a little blurb: Brides with Beers is a fun page designed with brides in mind. Beer is an unlikely drink for brides - but let's change that! Post a pic of the bride, the beer, and where it was taken! Don't forget to tell your friends!!! Just thought I'd put it our there if anyone wanted to join the page or post their photo they are welcome to.

Hi, Well we leave today for the honeymoon so I am sitting around waiting to go to the airport and thought I'd answer any last questions. We did use the resort photographer because it was included in the divine package. We had already hired an outside photographer before the resort changed over so we had two. The resort photographer mostly deferred to our photographer and only took pictures during the ceremony. I really didn't even notice him. We only get 24 pictures from him- I have no idea even what he took pictures of- I guess I will find out when I get them. We also used the DJ because it was included in the divine package for 2 hours and then it was cheaper to use him for the rest of the time than to rent the equipment. Again- I had already planned just to use the IPod set-up before the hotel changed over so we already had playlists on our IPod and just asked him to play from the playlists. It was nice to have someone controlling the music so we didn't have to, but he didn't really do anything but hit play. He didn't announce anything- we just did things without announcements (everyone knew what was happening when we danced with our parents and had our first dance). We could have had him control the music and make selections, but we had already set up the playlists and found out about a week before the wedding that we would be having a DJ. Sorry- this doesn't help much, but things went a little weird for us since the hotel changed over so close to our wedding. Good luck to everyone with planning and I'll be back in 3 weeks.

Okay here was the price list from my invoice that they sent us a few weeks before the wedding. We changed the food and had to pay the different between the buffet cost and the cost of the food included in the packages. I can't seem to find the info for the Now to Eternity Package right now, but I think it is pretty much the same, except you don't get everything included in the divine and the food is only $48 per person beyond the 25 included. Price list: Divine Package: $2999 This price Includes (additional fees are in parenthesis): Services of judge or minister (If you are having a legal ceremony you need to pay the doctor $250 in cash when he/she does the blood test) Gazebo Décor, Chairs, Table, Arch Set-up (they added blue fabric to the arch for free) Chair Bows are extra ($4 per bow + tax) Bridal Bouquet, Boutonniere for groom 2 Corsages, 2 Boutonniere’s Steaming of Bridal Gown and Groom’s Suit Wedding Cake for 25 guests (the cost for cake beyond that is $6 per person) Photo Package (24 photographs and wedding album) Videographer (30 minute video) 1 hour Cocktail Party with hor d’oeuvres for 25 guests (the cost for more than that is $15 per person and $7.50 per child) Private Bar is extra ($350 total for both cocktail hour and dinner) Sparkling wine toast for after ceremony for 25 guests (the cost for more than that is $4 per person) Setup for reception with white linens on tables and chairs One floral centerpiece for bride and groom’s table Dinner Reception for 25 guests (the cost for more beyond that is $53 per person and $26.50 for children) DJ for two hours during reception (We used the DJ for the cocktail hour and reception- making it 4 hours and had to pay $333) We had the Bags delivered to the rooms ($4 per room) Make-up and hair styling at the spa Couples massage Breakfast in bed the day after the wedding Romantic dinner on the beach Private Airport Transfer They did not charge us for setting up decorations for the guest book, or table numbers, or fans. As long as it is not extensive set-up they will not charge you.

Quote: Originally Posted by avong1228 Did they ever provide you with a new romance calculator with the new prices that you could share? The not knowing about how much anything is going to cost is the only thing that freaks me out! They sent me an invoice- with everything that I had said that I wanted laid out. Basically I took the package price that is listed on the website and then the prices that they quoted us and figured out how much it would be and it wound up being just about that amount. I am going to type up a list for you and post it. Do you know which package you are going with? They quoted me the prices for both the divine and the now to eternity. See this is what happens when I don't have to work. I spend all day on this site.

Quote: Originally Posted by avong1228 Thanks! That will come in handy! What type of room did you stay in? I got a message from our TA that we may get the governor's suite ... sounds nice! We just stayed in a regular room. It had a jacuzzi on the balcony and had an ocean view, but it wasn't much different than the other rooms. I might have wanted a nicer room if we were staying there for our honeymoon, but just for the week it was perfectly fine. That sounds nice- I didn't hear about the governor's suite. I hope you get it.

I am so excited to finally post my dress- I didn't want my fiance to see it before the wedding. I wish I had better pictures, but we haven't received our professional pictures yet. It's a Mori Lee- Blu collection and me in it:

I'm sorry- but I just had to comment on this. I feel like there is a lot of misinformation out there about this topic and many people might be discouraged from having a legal wedding abroad from reading this- when if that is what you want to do you should not be discouraged. Maybe I am biased because I am in the same boat- trying to figure this out, but I am willing to go through whatever hoops necessary because I really wanted the wedding that all of my friends and family attended to be the wedding that legally married us.

If you are doing a legal ceremony in Mexico then you need to do thumb prints on the marriage certificate. You also have to sign three times and each of your (4) witnesses need to sign three times.

Hi, I had my wedding at the Now Sapphire and put my review in the Wedding Reviews Section. That might give you some information about the resort.