Angelfire

Are you able to get married on the beach in May? I ask because there are times during the year when sea turtles are migrating and they do not allow beach weddings...you may want to ask Ana about this. I'm not on here a lot but if I remember I will send you a few of our wedding pics!

Hey Ladies, I have not been on this thread for a long time (been enjoying wedded bliss since March 30th I just want to warn all brides...DO NOT use the resort photographers!!! Do yourself a favor and pay extra for an external photographer..we paid a fee plus 1 day pass for the assistant photographer. I can't remember what Ana originally wanted to charge us but I think we talked her down to $250 (that included fee & day passes). There are several 'resort photographers', some who have skill but 3 when we were there were from Italy & spoke very limited (if any) English. Also I've heard from other brides you must purchase a package that night, before even viewing photos!! They delete all their photos within a 48 hour period (or something like that). You are taking a big risk to choose them and your pics will be mediocre at best, unless you luck out with a skilled photographer. We used Moments That Matter and to be honest...BEST MONEY WE SPENT ON OUR WEDDING! Well worth it to have many picturres, a dvd slideshow to music and really people who werre unable to attend our wedding have commented that they felt like they were there after watching our dvd. I hope this helps brides to be! Your wedding pictures are something you want done right...we look at ours often and smile

Just a fair warning about the rose petals...if you bring fake ones there is a chance you will not be able to use them. (mainly because they don't want them polluting the water/environment). At first I thought the $14 a bag was expensive, but here in Winnipeg most florists shops sell them for $12 a bag if you want a specific color. Once I found that out, I went with it...they were a beautiful addition and even my FI thought they were worth it. Also, we had the Coral package and my flowers were included in it. I sent Ana an example of what I wanted (pink & orange roses & gerbera daisies with lime green spider mums) I have to say the flowers were larger and more eautiful than the original photo I sent her with the idea. You can likely mention flowers similar to mine and she can look back at it or I can email you a picture of the bouquets. A big congrats to Katie...who looked stunning on her wedding day! And Krystal is next!!!

Katie!!! Beautiful pics...you will be such a gorgeous bride! It is coming up so quickly for you! Have a wonderful trip and enjoy every minute A cab to PLaya del Carmen or Cancun costs about $30 or 300 pesos.You can fanagle on the way back but from the hotel it is a standard rate because of hotel zone. I just got an email from Ana yesterday so I hope some of you brides will hear from her too. I can't imagine waiting that long for a response. Hang in there!

Quote: Originally Posted by whit-Bride Hi Amber, I just checked out your photos and they are incredible! Did you use the resort photographer or someone else? Congrats on your Wedding & Thank you so much for sharing your pictures with us! Whitney Thanks! We decided to hire a photographer from outside the hotel...and I'm glad we did. We used Moments That Matter photography who live in Playa del Carmen but are Canadians. They were easy to work with and I felt that because so many people wouldn't be at our wedding I wanted photos that made them feel like they were there. Are you planning on using the hotel photography shop? They had some nice photos they took around the pool, however I didn't see ay of their wedding work. Happy planning, Amber

Sooo excited fro the up-coming brides!!! Just got a lengthy slideshow from our photographers (who were FABULOUS to work with). You can get a glimpse of our wedding at the link below. We were married on the beach and had our recpetion in a private banquet hall Amber & Rob

Quote: Originally Posted by PinkBride Thank you SO MUCH AMBER! I am so happy to hear about your wedding and how beautiful & wonderful it was! I appreciate you taking the time to write a review for us soon to be brides! I had planned to be married at 5pm and now Im worried there will be no sun for pictures! I may change that! Just a question...what did your guests do between your ceremony and dinner? because I belive ana said we have the banquet hall from 7-10. Also, if you could send me pics that would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks again!!!! -Krystal Krystal, private msg me your email or I am also on FB (as are my pics:) Right after the ceremony, guests shared champagne and a toast with us. They stuck around for some pictures and took some as we started with the professional photographers. They had about an hour to themselves before the reception and everyone went to the lobby bar. There are lots of cool sitting areas up there both in and outside. Everyone stuck together and we said we would meet them at 6:15 (our dinner started at 6:30). We had a rehearsal dinner the night before so I suggested everyone head to the lobby bar between ceremony and reception. That seemed to work. Hope this helps, Amber

Quote: Originally Posted by Carly9495 Does this resort have any private wedding locations? Like a gazeebo? Although they do not offer a gazebo, there are about 3 or 4 locations you can get married at. We chose the beach, set up with an arch. There are ropes to keep it private and security is set up so no one enters who is not invited. Try asking Ana, the wedding coordinator, for pictures of the locations to help get a sense of your options.

Also, Katie...there is no additional charge for set up and use of the banquet hall. Whereas Ana said set up on terrace was $20US per person. That's money you could put towards a couples massage

Quote: Originally Posted by ~Katie~ hey Amber! thank you so much for the review - these are always so helpful re: the sunset time I think I should be ok - we're also getting married at 4pm but the sun isn't due to set until approx 7.15pm so fingers crossed! re: reception - I need to ask your advice on this (if I can!). We are a small party (about 20 of us in total) and at the moment we have asked to have our reception on the terrace outside. Do you think the banquet hall would be better?? I'm worried now the terrace will be too big for only 3 tables of people lol! your pics from your reception in the baquet hall seemed much more suitable but I can't decide! any advice?!?! thanks The terrace is a pretty spot too, however keep in mind that it will be windy and cool at night, bugs come out as soon as the sun sets for about an hour. Also, depending on what is going on inside the lobby (entertainment wise) you will hear it. What day of the week are you getting married on? Tuesday night was Kareoke, as was Sunday...I would not have reception on terrace those nights. Maybe once you get there, spend that night at the same time as your reception will be to see what the conditions are. My other concern would be about guests being respectful of your privacy as the terrace is rather large. We had 17 in our party and the small banquet hall was perfect. We went with the large table that everyone sat around and there was enough room for dancing, sound system, cake table and guest book table. I will see if I can get you a few better pictures to look at and post them in my FB album. I've left a suitcase there for you too Katie. There are 5 Fuschia umbrellas, 3 silver charger plates, some shells, 3 single candle lanterns (assort. colors: green, pink, orange) and 3 or 4 strands of lights: they are white lights with fuschia, green and blue beach umbrellas. I know not all of this matches your color scheme but maybe once you see it, you'll be able to incorporate some of it. Again, I'll ask friends and family for some pics so you can have an idea. Hope this helps! You've only got less than a month to go!!!!!!! A

Here I go again…We’re back from our romantic, beautiful & perfect wedding @ Ocean Turquesa!!! We had an amazing trip and I will try to give you some good details and tips. I apologize in advance if this review is all over the place, but I am still having trouble getting back down to reality . Feel free to ask questions about anything, as I will mostly try to stick to the wedding day information. We booked the Coral package?! I think that is what it is called, it was the second package available. SPA: Do yourself a favor, book a couples massage for the morning after your wedding! We were served a deluxe breakfast in bed and then spent half the day in the spa, it was fabulous. Litzy did my hair and make-up. Quick and efficient, I thought I looked wonderful. I felt a little high with all the hairspray being used but the hair held and looked fantastic. They speak very little English, COME WITH PICTURES OF WHAT YOU WANT. I did, and they re-created with no problem. BEACH: We were married on the beach, a beautiful setting. We had an arch, chair bows, rose petals and fuschia parasols. You do not need much décor, as it is already beautiful. Yes, there is some seaweed on the beach but they maintain the shore daily. The seaweed is more like pine needles, both my Fi & I thought it added character. It didn’t bother us in the least but they did clear it at the ceremony location just before hand. The resort overall takes pride in everything….food, greenery, floors, rooms…it is all spic and span! *one thing I’d like to mention is PAY ATTENTION TO THE SUNSET TIMES! We were married at 4pm and the sun set at 6:05. It literally drops quickly. We actually ran down the beach with our photographer to catch some shots. In hindsight, I would have changed ceremony to 3 or 3:30pm just for a few more minutes for outdoor pics. CEREMONY: We were married by Lupita Hernandez, she is a wonderful person. We had written our own ceremony and met with her the day before. She really wanted to meet with us to be sure she was pronouncing everything correctly. She did a wonderful job and after meeting her, we really felt like it was a friend who was marrying us. We will definitely stay in touch with her. Be prepared for paparazzi. I think time stopped as so many people that we didn’t even know were taking our pictures and videotaping the wedding. Everyone who was not an invited guest stayed behind the ropes and was respectful. To be honest it was a happy and welcome moment when an entire beach applauded as we were pronounced Mr & Mrs. RECEPTION: No offense to any other brides who had a reception in one of the ala cartes, however I wouldn’t suggest it. All of the restaurants were pretty and had delicious food, however they didn’t offer much privacy. We held our reception in a banquet hall. It was fantastic!!! Private, we had our own waiters, bartender, etc. We had steak & shrimp option…all our guests said it was the best steak they’ve had in a long time. It was huge. All the food was delicious, well presented and there was a lot of it. We hardly had room for our wedding cake! After the reception, we went to the lobby bar. It was karaoke night so we didn’t stay long. My Fi & I snuck away for some time alone and our guests partied it up at the sports bar. ROOM: Beautiful oceanview room, complete with towel art, champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. Most of our guests stayed in buildings 17 & 18 with little complaints. The partial ocean view is exactly that, you need to stretch over your balcony to see the ocean. One suggestion is to ask for rooms on the 2nd & 3rd floors. I have two reasons for that: 1) first floor offers little view, you are looking into a jungle. 2) there was a sewage/musty smell on the first floors due to Mexican drainage pipes. ANA: She is a gem! She made it clear that I was there for a vacation, She was there to work for me. She was easy to work with and made my visions a reality. I have to say our wedding far exceeded my expectations! I had a vision, I shared it with her and she did it. The service was great and we met with her a few times during the week. She was always there and making sure we were happy. I was nervous because I didn’t have time to see the beach or reception set-up prior to our wedding and in hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t. It was a wonderful surprise and a memory I will always treasure. Hope I’ve touched on almost everything. My last piece of advice: bring long pants and a light sweater. It cools off at night and the mosquitoes come out! I’ve got lots of bite marks on my ankles as a result. There were some sandflies too, but they didn’t bother me much. Also, do an excursion if you get a chance. We took our entire wedding group to Xel-ha (which was a fantastic day!) and we also checked out the Coba Encounter tour (also fun!). I have to say that last week was the best week of my life! Everything went without a hitch, I am happy at our choice to marry at Ocean Turquesa and I hope you will also have a stress-free day (and week!) Hope I haven’t forgotten anything, Mrs. Anderson!

I'm back!! Would you believe I just wrote a long, glowing review and the darn website timed out on me...refused to let me post without re-signing on. I lost the whole thing Sorry, ladies...I will re-write soon and post. I will leave you with this...our wedding was Beautiful, Romantic and Perfect! You are in good hands @ Ocean Turquesa Mrs. Anderson

Katie!! I am almost packed...just trying to cram a few more pair of shoes in!! lol We leave Saturday morning and I am really useless this week! I am just too excited...can't sleep or accomplish anything but I know the prepping and planning I did in advance will ensure everything works out alright. I will try and get a pic or two up on FB during our trip. Thanks for all the well wishes brides! I will report back soon

Just got likely one of my last emails from Ana before we leave. I am very impressed with how organized she is and that everything has been thought of. Sounds like she is meeting when we arrive at the hotel. Even though it take a day or two to rrespond she has been very good with booking additional things for us (ex: couple's massage for day after wedding). She has also given me direct contact with the person performing our ceremony so I can ask questions. This weekend I'll be packing all the decor I'm taking, so I'll have a better idea of what's in there for my May brides !!! I've been collecting stuff since June!! only a couple weeks!!! I can't wait!!

I had the same problem but we came to an agreement. My Fi & I printed off 'boarding passes': 2 per person that iclude wedding info (time/place of wedding and rehearsal dinner), and the second one is for the day we are taking everyone to Xelha. We also created a wedding website and there I was able to put useful links to hotel info, tour info and other opportunities and things to do for people who have never been there. Since I was reseaching anyways, the website was a great way to share it. Hope this helps! Happy planning!