RCBlondie

great review, very detailed and answered a few questions I did not even know i had! Glad to see your FI got his shoes in the end! Loved the photo and you looked beautiful.

Great review! Thanks for posting the pictures and sharing this with us. Congratulations!

Great review Mrs. and congratulations! Looking forward to the photos! Sounds like you had a wonderful wedding.

Congratulations Missy! Great review and looking forward to more photos if you have time to post.

Congratulations Kelly! The review was fantastic and makes me even more sure that Paradisus is where we will choose. Thanks for sharing your story!

Bubbles and Yamille, I hope both your wedding days are everything you hoped for and planned. Look forward to hearing all about them

Thanks for the replies! Brooke - that is great info. We were thinking of having the Chill-out off the beach as well so good to know that it is a possibility. Sounds like this resort follows more of a customization rather than only pre-packaged. I will look into the Roof Grill Terrace as well. I am not too sure how far DT is but when we were in Mexico last we took the local bus from Sirenis to Tulum Ruins and it took about 25 mins I think - we did stop in the local towns though to pick-up/drop-off people from the bus. Egsarah - thanks for the reply to my PM. I cannot recall which file it is but I will just wait until I earn more points. Bumbles, I think your wedding date is fast approaching? Have a wonderful time and I look forward to hearing all about your wedding day!

thanks Kelly and Missy for the info! I will start reading as much as I can, although after spending almost 10 hours on the forum yesterday I can hardly believe I am on here again today! Guess it becomes an addiction. I have priced out other resorts and the Paradisus packages seem a little more expensive. For those of you have been to Barcelo Maya &/or Sirenis, how does this one compare? So far I think we have narrowed the search to PR or Dreams Tulum. We really like the Chill-out Chic package but wonder if the seating they set up is like the picture on the E-brochure on page 4 (http://www.paradisus.com/images/Para...Brochure.pdf)? Hopefully this link works? Any input you can all offer would be great! Rachelle

Congratulations on the engagement! To me it sounds great! I would love to have done a luau but when my FI and I went to one on the Big Island (keep in mind it was at the Hilton) it was almost $90 per person! And when I looking into doing a private one for a wedding reception they seemed kind of expensive. Depends on what your budget is I suppose. At the end of the day, it is your wedding and YOU and your FI have to look back and say it was everything you wanted it to be. People will just be happy to be there! Recently I attended a wedding (in Melbourne Australia) and they did a sort of cocktail reception and then little chinese style boxes of fish and chips (a fav for the Aussie's and Kiwi's) and lots of finger foods. I really enjoyed that and it was the kind of vibe we are looking to make for our wedding. Your idea sounds perfect to me and not cheesy at all!

Congratulations all 2010 Brides! I too am one and we are planning our wedding for June 2010 in the Mayan Riviera. Great posts on the mexico forum if you have not already started reading! Lots to read so take your time and enjoy the beginning stage. The only thing I have done so far is my dress. Yes, got that on my second outing and probably the 10th dress. Lots left to do!

Those look great! My FI and I are planning to do these too. Has anyone had to send them in the mail, overseas? If so, I assume you wrapped them, bubble wrap or something?

Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMrsC Hi girls! I just got back late last night from my site visit. Yes -- I decided to go anyway despite all of this swine flu hype -- and I am SO glad that I did. I have to tell you that I have been SO nervous about getting married in Mexico. I had never been to the Paradisus Riviera before (FI and I had gone to the one in the DR years ago and LOVED it). But having gone down was the very best thing I could’ve done for myself. I went with my mom because FI is a workaholic and its very tough to tear him away from his desk, and also because I thought -- who better to share something like planning my wedding with, if not my fiancé? We arrived just before 4 on Monday evening and checked in. I didn’t book us in Royal Service for this trip (for the wedding FI and I got everyone RS rooms) so we were told by the guy at the front desk that we had to make dinner reservations by 4 or we would have to eat in the buffet that evening. You have to make reservations in person, so we went over to the reservations desk and it was 3:55 and girl said she was closed. I told her the time and she was nasty and just kept repeating that she was closed. I was definitely tiffed because this was totally NOT the first interaction I wanted to have with someone at the place -- I thought everyone would be super accommodating. The next day we went back early to make reservations (they allow you to make them for you entire stay or certain days, whatever) and she was very apologetic and everything .... so that made me feel better. Lesson here is, make your reservations early and in advance - they seem to fill up quickly. Side note : the buffet was great - they had a few cook stations going so you didn’t feel like you were eating food that was sitting out all day, and the wait staff was the friendliest that we encountered. They pulled out our chairs, put our napkins on our laps, etc. Excellent. That same night we went for a walk on the beach and I got to see a wedding. I don’t think it was anyone from the board, but it was pretty. It had a similar set up to those that many of you here have used. The couple was married on the sand with white covered chairs at 5pm. took lots of pictures and then had a reception on the terrace that most brides that I've seen use. It was beautiful -- she had great weather and everyone looked so happy. The next day I met with Perla and THANK GOD I did, because she made me feel SO much better. She’s super nice. During my meeting with her actually she got a call from a bride that was supposed to be married this Saturday (tomorrow), it was going to be a 90 person wedding, and they cancelled because of swine flu. Obviously that SUCKS and I hope it doesn’t affect anyone here to that extent, but I guess a lot of her family was canceling and stuff. Perla was visibly upset, but she tried so hard to keep a good face about everything and was so, SO helpful and accommodating with us. I asked if she wanted us to come back later, but she said no, we'd go on. So my biggest concern was that I didn’t want to get married on the beach or in the gazebo over the pool. Both of which are beautiful - I especially love the look of the gazebo, but I wanted more privacy. Turns out they just built this beautiful palapa that’s set back by the RS rooms. Its a free standing structure - the floor and columns are marble, but like inside the hotel lobby, and it has that really charming palapa roof. Its really set apart from everything else - there are rooms behind the gardens around it, but Perla said we could block off access during the ceremony. I have some pictures, but I have no idea how to post them on here. Once I chose the ceremony location I was psyched and had no problem with my vision of the rest of it all ... we chose linens, chairs, centerpieces, flowers, etc. It was GREAT!!! I can completely rest assured that my wedding will be just the way I would want it to be. The next day we got to see Freckles' wedding which was beautiful - she looked gorgeous and it really looked like they all had fun. I didn’t introduce myself or anything because I just saw her from afar, but it all looked beautiful. So, overall, the food was excellent, the service was excellent for the most part (I noticed that a lot of the people working at the resort didn’t speak English at all, so get your few key words down in Spanish before you go), the accommodations were gorgeous (like I said we stayed in a regular garden suite, but Perla brought us over to the RS suites and they were to die for - Jacuzzi on the balcony and everything), the pools and beach were all beautiful and clean (there’s a lot of seaweed, but they rake a few times a day). We used the spa for massages and the gym and both were great - massages were excellent!!!!! Be excited girls, because we chose a really great place! Just as an aside, the swine flu thing is really over reported and exaggerated on the news. There have been no cases at all in the area that the Paradisus is located, and of course if you are coming through Cancun airport, just be careful. My mom and I wore scarves and masks on our faces during travel just to be safe, but even coming into New York, there was no hustle and bustle about it. Only 1 officer at the JFK airport had a mask on. In Mexico all of the airline workers did as a precautionary measure. And also remember that they've called it "swine flu" which is scary and disgusting, but at the end of the day, its a cold - you'll cough and sneeze and maybe have a fever. Its everywhere now, so don’t be super afraid of Mexico, because while I was in Mexico, a case turned up at the middle school near my house on Long Island. So just wash your hands a lot, watch your self in crowded public places - don’t get too too close to anyone, and take good care of your body. Don't let all of the media bring you down - they really REALLY over report and use scare tactics. I'm sure everyone will be just fine Sorry this was so long!! I hope it gave someone some type of good info - you guys have given so much to me!! Stay well, Dana that was excellent information! Thanks for sharing!

this may be a strange question but here I go...can you get banned for donating points to someone that does not seem to be too active in a forum discussion? Because I read a lot of the posts but do not always offer any thoughts myself. I am referring to Missy (I think that was who was banned). There are some things I am still trying to understand and navigate around on this forum so any insight is much appreciated. Thanks PR brides! Oh, and thanks to everyone who has posted here, there is lots of great info for those of us still trying to decide which resort to choose. Rachelle

Quote: Originally Posted by egsarah I then made a list of pros and cons fo each resort that met my short list of "basic" criteria and then the Paradisus just seemed to fall out as the most logical choice for me. I used trip advisor a bit as well but DON'T let it drive you crazy. Go by the general consensus. : Your suggestion for making a list of what is important is a wonderful idea. I guess if you do not set your priorities it can drive you crazy when you are searching for the right place. Glad you mentioned Paradisus because my fiance and I are trying to find a resort that will have the vibe we want at out wedding and we may have just found it! I will look into it for sure.

Quote: Originally Posted by Blkatz I forgot to post all my info Username: Blkatz Names (optional, first names only) -Beth Date & Time- May 2 2009 3 pm Number of guests-not sure-thinking 40 Coordinator: Been talking with Lizette Ceremony location: Wanting the beach Reception location: Maybe El Patio Photographer: Eric from Claudia Rodriguez team Videographer: just going to use the resort one Review (link): N/A Photos (link): N/A Video (link): N/A Special arrangements / activities: My future husband is a huge fishing fan so he is going to charter a boat for the guys. I am going to treat the girls to the spa congratulations on your wedding. I hope it was a lovely day for you and look forward to the pictures.

Congratulations on your engagement! It is an exciting time so sit back and enjoy because the planning can quickly take over! This forum may prove to be one of your best resources since you can PM with actual brides who have tied the knot at some of the resorts you are looking at. My finance and I are looking at RM as well. We have been there twice, staying at two different resorts, Barcelo & Sirenis (Barcelo was more our style but Sirenis is a bit smaller so not as many people there, which is nice). Another place to check for recent info on the resorts is TripAdvisor - another priceless resource. We booked our entire trips to RM, Italy and Domincan using tripadvisor to help narrow down our hotel choices. The feedback posts may not be directly about weddings but it still gives you a great idea of how the resort is doing in real-time feedback, i.e. rundown buildings, great staff, etc. Again, enjoy the planning process. I felt (and sometimes still do) the same way you mention, not knowing where to start. Good luck! Rachelle

Hello everyone! This is a great thread and I am thankful I took the time to read it! Just like all of you, we are planning our wedding for June 2010. We have a different set of circumstances as we are from Vancouver Canada, got engaged on Dec 2/08 in Punta Cana and then packed our bags (and our house) on Feb 27/09 and moved to Australia for a year. So, I am trying to plan all this being on the other side of the world. What an adventure. For those who have not been to the Mayan, it is beautiful. This is why we have picked this area. The beaches are wonderful, not too packed and the people are so helpful. The resorts are quite large, so try to find a layout of it before you chose which part of the resort to stay in. Cara W, you mentioned getting married at Barcelo, we stayed there in Dec '06 and had a wonderful time. There are four sections to the resort, two are the older and the other two (could be a third now as they were in the throws of building it when we were there). I will send you a PM if I can find the picture I have of the resort. Or you can go to Whateverblondie.com - Rachelle Cadieux and look at the pictures from Dec 2006 Mexico and find the resort in there. I have a tone of pics. Good luck with your planning. Is anyone considering the Dreams Tulum resort? If so, let me know when you are thinking, perhaps you could let me know your experience up to this point. Thanks,

congratulations and enjoy all the info on here.

Hello everyone, in my search for info on the Grand Palladium I found a good website with photographer contacts and some examples of their work. It also has a great picture of the resort layout which is usefully when deciding where to stay within the resort. So far we are looking at this resort for our wedding. Best of luck to all of you in your planning.

My FI and I were looking here as well. There was a great TripAdvisor review posted by a couple that were married in the fall of 2008. The review was glowing and so I read on. The website for the Palladium Addict is: http://www.palladiumaddict.net/ It really is a great website and has lots of info and even the property layout which is great. My TA gave me some prices for April 2009 (not the wedding package but the resort), and we are looking at $1800 pp for the one week all-inclusive. Does anyone else have an idea of the cost for the resort all-inclusive? Trying to keep the cost down for our guests as we have some flying from New Zealand and Australia. Best of luck with the website. Hope you find it useful!

now that is so great videography! The production value looks amazing. It was like we are right there too, sharing in the moment with you both. It brought a tear to my eye watching it and makes me excited for my day too! Congratulations and I loved your dresses and they guys outfits!

So, on the beautiful beaches of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, my boyfriend grabbed my hand at the end of our evening walk (which we did every day) on our 5th day, spun me around and started talking. Neither of us really remember exactly what he said because it was so surreal. He told me about how much he loved me and asked if I knew, of course I said I know, and he got down on one knee as the sun was setting and asked me to marry him! As he was speaking I remember thinking in my head, "oh my, is this really happening, is he really asking me?" When I realized this was where I going to be engaged the tears started flowing. Happy tears and I did not even realize I was crying. In my head I was yelling "yes, yes, YES!" but I guess it did not come out. He started to look very nervous and then told me he had a ring...like I needed that! He pulled out the cutest ring in the shape of a star, about the size of a quarter lined in pink and black. He put it on my finger, right there on the beach in Punta Cana. It was everything that I could ask for when being proposed to. I thanked him endlessly that night. It was amazing!

Hello Jennifer, I was looking at their site today and you may have already been there, but in case you have not, here it is Dreams Resorts in Mexico and the Caribbeans: Cancun, Riviera Maya, La Romana, Los Cabos, Palm Beach, Puerto Aventuras, Puerto Vallarta, Tulum, and Punta Cana It looks nice to me and one that we are considering too!

Hello Everyone, Thanks to someone I know for this website being forwarded to me. Our wedding date is yet to be planned but we know it will be between March and June of 2010. So far our plans are the Mayan Riviera or Maui Hawaii so we have lots of reading to do. Happy DW planning!