Brenners

My fiance and I are struggling to come up with a place that meets our needs. We want a place that is reasonably priced - all-inclusive, great location, a few restaurant options, nice rooms with great views, gazebo for wedding and private area for a reception. I have been looking at pictures of the Barcelo resort properties and hope to view it while in Cancun this week. There are not many forums devoted to this resort and would like opinions of those who have been there, been married there or planned to get married there. Thanks for any help you can provide!

We are staying at the Me Cancun as we speak. Here are my thoughts: 1. Rooms: Unless you upgrade to a junior suite, the vast majority of rooms do not have a balcony. My guests would prefer a balcony if they are flying all the way to Mexico and staying on the ocean, but the upgrade to the junior suite is very spendy. Something to think about for your guests. Rooms themselves are nice and big enough. Bathroom shower is a rain shower and it is great but the shower floor is not slanted properly toward the drain so the water does not drain properly and you have an inch of water after each shower. Bathroom also has a hair dryer. Lots of shelf space on the counter, a shelf above the counter and also below the counter in the bathroom. Each room has a safe, flat screen tv and the mini bar. We are unable to get messages off our phone as the instructions are in Spanish and the front desk has not returned our call to request that they assist us with this. Beds are firm but much more comfortable than some in Mexico. 2. Ceremony location: Beach only. They do have a lovely "arch" with tulle and flowers where the bride and groom get married, however, keep in mind that the sun goes behind all the high-rise hotels around 3:30 - 4:00 in February so if that is the time of year you are considering, then your wedding would be in a shadow. Also, beach-goers will be right there watching the ceremony which doesn't make it very private. We saw a wedding here so I was able to view that. 3. Reception: Outdoor reception is by the pool so again, not private. The Beach House restaurant and swim up bar are nearby so the noise from those drinking in the pool is very loud and right near the reception site. 4. Noise: This is a VERY noisy hotel. The doors and walls are paper thin and you can hear people showering in the room next door and when you walk down the hallway. Also, some floors have open areas to the floor above/below so that noise filters down to the rooms near the elevators. Also, people getting on and off the elevators can be heard in rooms near them. The Rose Bar can get very noisy - we are on the 3rd floor and we can still hear the music which doesn't stop until 1:30 am. 5. Food: The food is very bland. The crispy grouper at the Beach House is awful - it could be chicken, a pork chop, who knows inside of the 1/2 inch thick breading. Breakfast buffet at Salt/Silk is ok but you really can't go wrong with fresh fruit and juice. 6. Location: Very close to Senor Frogs, Margaritaville, Bubba Gump - all are within walking distance. It is very close to La Isla mall - has Coach, Benetton, Nike, etc....and again easily within walking distance. 7. Staff: Very friendly and the concierge desk is very helpful for planning trips, excursions and where to find places. Beware of staff wanting to show you the resort as they are obviously interested in selling you a timeshare. 8. Beach: Large beach, chairs are difficult to come by and no shade whatsoever until the sun is hidden behind the hotels. Bali beds are for VIP guests only and some can be reserved for $100 per day. Cigarette butts litter the beach even though they claim to be a nonsmoking resort. Also, there is smoking throughout the hotel as well - rooms, lobby. The only place I haven't encountered smoking are the indoor restaurants. 9. All-inclusive: Not really. They say that the water, drinks and "dry snacks" are included in the mini-bar, however, only the very small bottles of water, small bottles of beer (never have I seen a beer bottle so small!), coke and sprite are part of the all-inclusive package. Normal sized water, beer and ALL the dry snacks are extra. Room service is $5 per person per use. You have to sign a check at all restaurants for every meal where they include a section to tip. Just some things to consider when thinking about your wedding venue options. I hope this helps!

We are staying at Me Cancun in February to do some research as well as a bit of fun. I will let you know what I find out as I plan to chat with them as well.

Hi Merrylee! We are planning a trip to Mexico next month for both fun and research. Azul and Moon Palace are both places I want to check out so I will let know what I find out when I get back!

I agree that if people want to give gifts, then they can definitely do that and I would not accept that as it is rude. However, I don't want anyone to feel obligated to do so as a trip is not cheap and that is what a DW is for them. They will likely bring their kids which will increase the price for them. Thanks for the advice - I already know what I plan to put on the invites.

Walked 4 miles yesterday and wore great shoes but still somehow managed to get blisters on my heels. grrr... Today I just worked on my core muscles and legs. Have a plan to buddy check with my sister. Goal is to take a vacation together in a year looking hot!

Congratulations Kate! Lots of great help and experts here to help you plan and prepare!

Congratulations Toni! You will find lots of helpful advice here!

Yes - what four (Good Lord!) readings would they do? I just did a reading at a wedding and my sisters seemed relieved that they weren't chosen to do it. Maybe I will just provide them with lots of island drinks and they won't know the difference or remember a thing...

Shoyum, when you include the link do you also explain that the website has tips and information that is useful for the guests to access and use? Maybe if they had a better understanding of some of the information found on the website, then they would access the website more? Also, if you are sending it to work e-mails, then perhaps their work won't allow them to access your website - I am pretty sure that mine would not allow me to access that. I get booted out of evite.

Cathleen I am stealing your line! I love "Your presence is our gift!" Thanks everyone for the input.

I like the idea of creating a list of what is important to us. Also, I don't want a ton of people simply for the fact that the entire DW would be spent making small talk to way too many people and not actually enjoying anyone's company - one of the reasons why I like the DW is that you don't spend the entire time doing just that as you have quality time to spend with family and friends. I think I just find it overwhelming to start. It will come and I just need to take a deep breath and RELAX! Thanks everyone.

Anyone have any words of advice on how to find the time and energy to get to the gym? I work 10 hours a day and then come home to work more - not really a choice right now to cut down. Energy level is down and so is the motivation...

I have looked at several threads and have seen budgets ranging from $5,000 to $35,000 or higher. What is truly a realistic budget and how do you know that what you are getting is the best for your money? Some of the prices I see people quoting for photographers, resorts, etc...seem a bit much. I want to have a beautiful wedding, but given the economy, I don't want to spend everything on a wedding. Part of the idea behind the DW was to save money as this would be the honeymoon as well as the wedding. Help!

I didn't know that there were resorts that had both. I have some family under 18 but would like to avoid little kids where possible so I will definitely need to look into that. Great tips!

I used to work in a bridal shop, and even if you lose weight, you need to size the dress for the largest part of your body as very little (if any) of the dress can be let out. So while some parts of the dress may fit after the weight loss, other areas may not. It is true that what you may like on you now may change after you lose weight. I would highly recommend ordering the dress in your current size if you don't have sufficient ordering time to wait, or consider another dress. Your wedding dress should make you feel beautiful and special on your wedding day and you deserve no less!

I am so in! I need motivation to get my butt to the gym and am trying to turn my attitude around by reminding myself that I am doing something good for me. It helps to have support! My goal is to lose 50 pounds over the next year and increase my activity tolerance. This is a great place to start!

How do I find the time? I need a course on time management as I only ever seem to work...

That is a great idea for BM gifts! Thanks so much!

I had a camera stolen from a hotel room and the hotel pretty much said, "Too bad." I have never had an issue with using a safe out of the country and placing a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. I agree that simply being kind to people can go a long way. Thanks for the reminders and tips.

Very true. I had never even heard of swine flu before this year so you just never know what may happen. Thanks for all the great advice.

Is it in poor taste to put in the invitations that you do not want gifts? We have most things we would want and feel that if anyone wants to do something for us, they could give to a favorite charity instead. Also, with people paying to attend the DW, we feel that it would really be asking for too much to expect any gifts. Any advice?

I just finished reading about the possible scenarios that could occur when you book online thru Orbitz or Expedia and am leaning more toward a TA. I really don't want to deal with hassles and headaches with what is supposed to be a fun day. Thanks for the great info!

I have booked a few trips through Orbitz, however, I have always called the hotel in the days before the trip to ensure that we still had a room as well as checking with the airline. My OCD makes me want to double-check everything. After reading this though, I am going to just use these sites for price checking and go directly thru the hotel/airline or TA. I don't take many trips so I want to make sure that when I do go somewhere, I won't have any headaches or hassles - especially for our wedding!

Thanks everyone. Part of the reason for the DW is because we want it as simple as possible. So I am glad to hear that once we nail down the location, everything else will be relatively smooth sailing.