silentderra

Clarissa, I got married there in March and I negotiated everything before I got there and got almost everything cheaper than originally quoted. Don't be afraid to play tough. Just tell Ana that you are on a tight budget...and don't forget to save e-mails of quoted prices to bring with you in case there are any mistakes. Ana is really nice to deal with and I even got a few extras that I wasn't aware of. If anyone has specific questions you can e-mail me directly at [email protected] I am not on this site often and I don't get notifications anymore on when there are new posts. Thanks, Shelley

Hey BC, yes there is a bar located just inside the Lobby.There will also be waitresses on the terrace for you and your group. Haven't been on here in a while..Hope everyone's planning is going smoothly. Shelley

Hey girls, I had an external photogragher and her assistant come in. At first I was told that it would be 200.00 plus 70.00 each for the day pass. Total 340.00. ouch!! I told her we couldn't afford that so she reduced it to 120.00 for the external fee and 60.00 each for the day passes. New Total of 260.00. I was happy with that. Just tell her what you are willing to pay and I find that she does work with what you can afford on ALL things. Also make sure you keep your e-mails with pricing details with you when you go to the resort in case of any mistakes. I had a minor price mistake and showed her the e-mail and she changed it right away. Take care, Shelley

Hey Ladies...I haven't been on here in a while!! My e-mail alerts stopped for some reason..?? been busy getting settled in here with my new hubby. Map..congrats!! I am glad things went well for you! You did get out just in time it seems..the swine flu thing is crazy! I hope it gets under control soon. I guess everyone should hold off on booking to see what happens. I think even if they say things are OK..people will still be nervous to book a trip there for a while..keep that in mind for your guests. Just my opinion.. Someone asked a few posts ago how much the day pass is...it's 70.00 for outside guests. Alrighty, that's all I have for now.. Shelley

Hey JC, welcome to the forum!! It was very helpful to me and don't be shy to ask away! The Gazebo was 150.00..I think that included the torches. The price was higher then that to start..remember you can get everything cheaper than originally quoted. The cheapest thing to really pick the decor up was the rose petals down the aisle. 14.00 a bag and I got 4 of them. You can get any colour. I got the free package which came with a basic set up and I only spent 200.00 more once I got there. We upgraded to a semi-private dinner at the Villa Marina restaurant--got flowers for myself and the maids--paid my passes for outside minister and photogragher and it cost in total...1180.00. We made our own package..so look into that as well. Hey Gemma, if you take some time and read this whole thread..you will get alot of info. Grab a coffee and read away. If you have any questions..let me know. One of the girls is there as we speak I think..can't wait for her to get back. She will have some feedback I am sure. Shelley

If they have to set up tables for you..I am sure there would be a charge. and yes for the DJ. We were there in the middle of March Break with the resort packed and we always had enough tables and chairs to pull together for our group to all be together on the terrace at night. Ana said we can set up anywhere there was room...as long as she didn't have to give us staff. You are right outside the lobby so the bar is right there. I would give one of the waitresses a good tip at the beginning to keep her going out to check on your guests. It's not as formal as a table setup but who cares...when in Mexico right. There is always something going on at night that your group can join..If you rented a room or paid for a setup..chances are you would loose some ppl anyways to those shows...including yourselves..lol One wedding group that week joined a mexican show by the pool..they were all dancing away and having a blast. We would of joined the beach party on our night..So just go with the flow and make your own party. I wouldn't pay extra. You can put extra money toward other things that are important to you. Hope this helps, Shelley

Map, Ya it was the Chicken New Orleans.. I just make up my own meals..lol You will be fine...watch...when you get back you'll tell everyone on here not to be soo stressed because it all comes together nicely once you get there..You will laugh at yourself.LOL I did. BC..the terrace is a nice area but there's nothing like having the ocean in the background. Hanging out on that terrace after the dinner is a good plan though. Shelley

Hey Map, we had the Cajun Chicken and everyone enjoyed it...It was between that and the steak ..which I heard good things about also. Ladies, don't be shy to ask as many questions as you want..this site helped calm my nerves before my trip so I am returning the favor. Shelley

Hey Jennie, Thanks. We didn't really dance much because we were all leaving the next morning..early! We had it planned so we had a full day to relax after the wedding before we left but because we had to postpone a day..it kinda screwed that up. My hubby and myself stayed up for a bit but I was still too weak to really party it up. We hung out by the lobby on the outside terrace..which was fine to set up our own party..Lots of room. There was also a beach party that night that we would of moved over to. My guests stayed up longer with an IPOD playing. Another wedding earlier in the week had a party on that terrace and it was a blast for them..my friends even joined in!! lol They had a DJ though.(more ppl) The resort is just huge..there are alot of places to hang out at night and you'll figure it out when you get there. Take care, Shelley

Hi girls, here is the link of my pics that Lidya did Lidya Solemidt Jac, I will try to post a review..not completely familiar with all this posting stuff yet..lol Hope this is a little helpful...Shelley

Hey Map, Ana got me the blue linens. It was a little extra but very reasonable.I paid 56.00 for the rose petals on the aisle too which wasn't bad. Ana actually gave me some extra's that I didn't pay for..the blue in the arch... The flowers on the Arch..the tulle connecting the torches as well.She really went above and behond..Not sure if she just felt bad for me because I had to postpone the day before LOL FYI-- For the tables..I bought a big bag of sea shells when we went shopping and placed them down the middle of the tables. I also bought part of my guests gifts there at a local market. I made CD's at home and wanted to give a local gift as well. Everyone loved that...they were little turtles made from a colourful stone(forget the name right now). Spent about 100.00 for that(25 of them) starting price was 250.00. There are little shops in Puerto Morelas..it costs 9.00 for a cab. When you get to the resort Ana will sit you down and show you a ton of pics of different decorating ideas, flowers, cakes...etc you can chose from..just plan on spending a bit extra because there are alot of nice things and ideas..lol I went about 150.00 over what we had planned for..which is not bad! My Hubby was pleased..lol Have a great weekend ladies, Shelley

Hi Girls, I just sent Jill the pics so she can post them on here..cause I can't!! lol L&C I had the costs breakdowns but they are on my other computer that I was using before I moved to Colorado..maybe one of the other girlks that I sent them to can get them to you..?? I will send you some pics and Jill will also post them. One thing I forget to mention about one bad experience during our stay..We had 2 men enter our room during an intimate moment..we had a suite so they didn't enter into our bedroom thank goodness...they knocked a few times and we didn't answer ..obviously.. and they entered not getting a response to do some maintenance. We screamed at them to get out but they didn't listen. My Hubby had to get up, put a towel on and pretty much physically remove them. They didn't understand english..??!!! We forgot to put the DO NOT DISTURB sign up.They have a right to go into your room if that sign is not there..so remember that when you girls go. Lock the bolt and put that sign up anytime you are in your room. Shelley

Thanks BC!! I got a friend of mine to do my hair and I did my own make-up...don't wear much. My hair was pretty simple..just curled it and pin a bit up in the front. Jill, I have no idea how to do any of that pic stuff..What exactly is a photobucket?I will try again though! LOL

Ohhh about the IPOD..they had a sound system setup for the ceremony and dinner. We gave them our songs to play. We had our first dance after our meal. We then went to the outdoor terrace of the lobby and gathered some chairs and tables and made our own reception area. we played an IPOD there with speakers that a friend brought. There is something different every night going on for entertainmentalso that your guests can enjoy. There was a beach party the night of mine that some ppl went to.

Hey Ladies, I have tried to post pics on here with no success..I am a computer dummy!! LOL I will send them to your individual e-mails. A couple I have... so for the rest of you, just type in your e-mails for me. Here are the answers to the questions up until now -I hired a photographer from Cancun..Lidya Solemidt and was VERY happy with her. She charged 700 for 3 hrs and full release of CD and I have received it already in the US. She has all kinds of packages. There is a fee to allow an outside photographer 70 for day pass plus 200. They have an exclusive photographer but i did not hear good things about them. I am happy with our decision.Photos are the most important part!! -It was not the food that made me sick..I was dehydrated severly from lack of water and the fact that I took a water retention pill to get rid of bloating. I also took buckleys cold medicine that day as I was fighting a cold all week.I am not one to take pills for anything but because I was soo nervous about being sick and fitting into my dress, I pretty much overdosed myself!!LOL What a retard I am... -They do not have a steamer but they will bring it to a sister resort to get it done..my dress didn't need it. I was lucky -My wedding coordinator meeting was about an hour or so..we went over everything in detail and she took us to the ceremony site to let us know what would happen the wedding day. There was another bride that week that met with Ana the day of for 20min and still went off without a hitch. Let me know if you have any other questions ladies. Shelley

Not sure how old this thread is but I used Lidya as my photographer in Riviera Maya on March 18th and she was awesome. I received the CD already in the US and was very satisfied with her work and she is reasonably priced. She was nice to deal with and brought an assistant to help. I would recommend her to anyone. Shelley

Hello Ladies...I am Back!!! Wow..what a week.Returned to Ontario,Canada from Mexico on the 19th..drove to Colorado on the 20th(31hrs of driving with a dog and cat..lol) Now trying to get settled in my new house with my husband! Alright, about the wedding. First I have to say that ANA is AMAZING! Very nice to deal with.She is slow on the return e-mails but does get back within a few days..but once there, she has everything under control and I realized that I was worrying for nothing before we left. We were booked to get married on the 17th at 3pm.I woke up very sick that morning...at 1pm we had to make a decision..postpone or get through it. The medic wanted to hook me up to IV so we postponed... hard part was we had an external photographer and minister. ANA rescheduled everything!!! The wedding happened the next day and went off without a glitch. All I did was rest and hydrate myself. I was much better the next day for my wedding. We had the Deluxe Master Suite which was beautiful..lots of room to get ready in. The jacuzzi on the balcony did not work well so we never used it. Too busy anyways. The priviledge does allow better drinks and better service. We met with Ana a few days before the wedding and picked everything out that we wanted. We had the free package booked and paid extra to have our dinner ( 26 ppl) at the Villa Marina Restaurant which is an open air retaurant by the pool and beach..Very nice!! We had flowers for myself, 2 Maids and the groom, rose petals along the aisle, torches lining the aisle, white and blue sash over the arch at the altar, white covered chairs, flowers on the altar table, flowers on the dinner tables, blue runners on the tables etc..at a cost of 1180.00 US. We booked the minister and photographer ourselves from Cancun ( very happy with that decision) for a cost of 700 and 350. So we made our own package to get what we wanted exactly. The day of the wedding I started getting ready at 12:00pm. The photographer met me at 2:30 in my room and then Ana comes to get me a few minutes to 3pm. She directs where to go. She gets the DJ to start the music before you round the corner to the site. Security keeps ppl away from the ceremony also. We had the ceremony, did pics and then had about an hour to spare before dinner. We went to our room to cool down. My dress was very heavy and hot. Dinner was at 6pm where they played music and played a song for us to have our first dance after we ate. We told our guests to say their speeches during dinner...which worked out well. After dinner we went up on the Lobby Terrace and sat around there(outside) with an IPOD and speakers that we brought...But the resort can set a musician up for you or DJ. We had an early night because we were all flying out the next morning. Being sick the real wedding day ruined that part....but oh well. Alrighty, I must go to get unpacked still and I will send some pics to whoever wants them. Chat later girls...hope that was helpful. Shelley

you are the next one Map!! I am very excited and nervous..still have a couple questions for Ana..But I will call her this week. I get more answers that way. Tenniz...I am paying 20 pp for dinner at the Villa Marina Restaurant. I guess because they shut down the whole restaurant just for our group for 1.5 hrs-2 hrs...? My fiancee didn't like that too much either or understand it but I just told him that that's just the way it is....How could he argue..LOL We could have a free dinner at the buffet in our own area but I can't really see my $1500.00 dress at a buffet. That statement also worked on my fiancee. BC...my room is the most important thing to me when I travel..so I get the best. I booked the Deluxe Master Suite with jacuzzi on the balcony. I am all about the ocean..have to see it, hear it and smell it from my room. I would usually wait to get there to upgrade but because it's March break I didn't want to risk not getting it. Upgrading when you get there would be cheaper. We paid 2000.00 CAD each compared to our guests who paid 1500.00 CAD(March Break). We do have priviledge everything including making reservations ..not sure if for the whole group but we will try. Not really concerned about better liquor either.We're in Mexico.LOL A couple of my guests are upgrading to priviliedge when we get there so I will let you know what they spent to get it I will let everyone know in detail about everything as soon as I can...remember that I am moving to Colorado the day we get back to Canada so it'll be a few days after the 20th..If I have down time at the resort..I'll do it there. Maybe a quick daily post...?? I'll try. we are bringing our laptop and have internet in our room(supposed to) Alrighty, must get to work. Shelley

Welcome Krista. Ohhh I hope there is no trouble in Mexico..I haven't seen the news reports about that..?? Cross my fingers I guess..I am leaving in less than 2 weeks now..YEE HAA!! Kaycee, did they have a steamer for your dress? I am getting my last fitting today. My dress was a tad snug...LOL and long. Got the length adjusted and lost about 10 pounds so it should be good. Ohhh the things we must do as women!!! Do you think any of our fiancees worry about their weight?? LOL Alrighty, got to get packing..moving to Colorado the day after we get back from Mexico..holy cow.. 29hr car ride. Have a great weekend ladies, Shelley

Hey Kaycee... Thank-you for all your help!! It's very appreciated. I would just like to clear a couple things up...then I will leave you alone!! LOL did you have a seperate room for your reception? The ipod plug in for the reception..Is that a portable thing? Can we play music with it outside by the pool? I am not very techy!! lol We were going to bring an ipod and speakers in case..but if we don't need the speakers part..that would be good to know. Thanks again, Shelley

Kaycee,I have a few questions since I am trying to finalize everything... -Did you play music for your ceremony..and how? -What did you have for your dinner? -What did you do for your reception? -Did you do the garter toss and flower toss? -Did you do the don't see each other before the wedding ritual? Thought that would be hard when you are on the same resort?? lol Thanks, Shelley

Hey BC, I am bringing a portable Ipod/speaker thing...in case but I think they have a cd speaker system at the resort. Thought the Ipod thing would be a good idea also to play "our songs" after dinner so we can have a first dance by the pool.../? Just my idea..will let you know how that goes soon.21 days before I leave and 26 days to the wedding. Getting very excited!!

Hey Cap, I will e-mail the packages for you. The nightly entertainment is ok by what Kaycee and reviews say but not a big party place. I am taking my group out one night in Cancun to satisfy the singles...lol Coral and Turquesa are joined so you can go to both..just not sure where the Maya is located and whether you can travel back and forth to that one?? Maybe Kaycee will know. K-gotta get to work..Chat soon and welcome

Hey Kaycee, thanks for everything!! I was thinking of getting a catamaran snorkel trip going for my group. How much did you pay for how many people and did you pay or let your guests pay?

Congrats Kaycee and welcome back!! We were all anxiously awaiting your return..LOL Dido on the above questions... Here are my questions... 1.where did you have your dinner? 2.was there nightly entertainment in the lobby or outside bar? 3. how was Ana to deal with? 4. how were the flowers? 5. did you do any excursions? Alright, that's it for me for now..lol SORRY and Thanks