alison15

Post Wedding Sale 1 One bridesmaid dresses vory A line size 6. Very flattering to any figure, elastic in top to help fit and loops for sash. Never worn (bridesmaid backed out). The turquoise sash is not included bu picture of this dress has the sash. Can also be dyed to match your colors or worn as a reception dress. $15 plus shipping. 97% cotton, 3% spandex, lining in top front. 2. One white cocktail dress size 10. NWOT. Bought as a reception dress in case it was too warm (it wasn't). From The Limited. Can have straps or be strapless, has pockets and white sash around the middle also has satin lining all the way through. 98% cotton and 2% spandex, very smooth texture of the cotton. $30 plus shipping. (shipping only in US and Canada)

Post Wedding Sale 1. 2 bridesmaid dresses both ivory A line. Very flattering to any figure, elastic in top to help fit and loops for sash. These were never worn (I bought 1 extra in case and 1 bridesmaid backed out). The turquoise sash is not included but this way you can add your own color. Can also be dyed to match your colors or worn as a reception dress. $15 each, will sell separately or together. 2. Ivory veil, elbow length with beading along the edge, metal comb. Perfect condition, only worn for wedding, took off as soon as cocktail hour started. 3. White cocktail dress. Never worn tags were taken off. Bought as a reception dress in case it was too warm (it wasn't). Took with me and back. From the Limited. Can have straps or be strapless, has pockets and white sash around the middle. Size 10

Post Wedding Sale 1. 2 bridesmaid dresses both ivory A line. Very flattering to any figure, elastic in top to help fit and loops for sash. These were never worn (I bought 1 extra in case and 1 bridesmaid backed out). The turquoise sash is not included but this way you can add your own color. Can also be dyed to match your colors or worn as a reception dress. $15 each, will sell separately or together. 2. Ivory veil, elbow length with beading along the edge, metal comb. Perfect condition, only worn for wedding, took off as soon as cocktail hour started. 3. White cocktail dress. Never worn tags were taken off. Bought as a reception dress in case it was too warm (it wasn't). Took with me and back. From the Limited. Can have straps or be strapless, has pockets and white sash around the middle. Size 10

Post Wedding Sale 1. 2 bridesmaid dresses both ivory A line. Very flattering to any figure, elastic in top to help fit and loops for sash. These were never worn (I bought 1 extra in case and 1 bridesmaid backed out). The turquoise sash is not included but this way you can add your own color. Can also be dyed to match your colors or worn as a reception dress. $15 each, will sell separately or together. 2. Ivory veil, elbow length with beading along the edge, metal comb. Perfect condition, only worn for wedding, took off as soon as cocktail hour started. 3. White cocktail dress. Never worn tags were taken off. Bought as a reception dress in case it was too warm (it wasn't). Took with me and back. From the Limited. Can have straps or be strapless, has pockets and white sash around the middle. Size 10

The walkway up to the Tucan gazebo is fairly long. It is where we had our cocktail hour. He are pictures of me and DH arriving after taking pictures on the beach. The first is us at the beginning of the walkway and then arriving so it should help you determine distance.

My photographer was super afforadable. www.ismaelpachecoblog.com He does not have prices on his website either. However it was $760 for all day coverage with TTD and a DVD of all the retouched pictures. When I was looking for a photographer, that was the most tedious process of sending emails and waiting for info back. Then they constant follow up if I had chosen someone yet. Good luck finding a photographer.

I know our transfers were included. Did you set up a group contract? If so contact your Miami coordinator and they should be able to set them up. Or if you have a TA have them set it up. When our guests were arranging their transfers the website was constantly down so our TA did a form all by hand and had it faxed in and then email the guests the transfer information. IF they are going to charge $48 per person, just tell your guest to grab a cab. They are cheaper and then you do not have to wait around at the airport for the shuttle van to fill up. Should only be $10-15 to get to MP for the entire cab, not per person. Also if they want to use their credit for the limo ride back, it will not be worth paying the $48.

In regards to the bug situation. I was there in October and a tropical storm had passed through the weekend before so the mosquitoes were really bad the first few nights we were there. The night of our reception they were not bad at all and I don't know if it was b/c they had resprayed and it was finally killing them or the fact there was a nice breeze to keep them away or all the cigar smoke at our reception. I know they spray for them but it really depends on the weather, if it is rainy they have a harder time controlling the situation. I would recommend bringing a lot of STRONG bug spray just in case. We had it our at our welcome party b/c everyone was getting bit up so bad. We had it in our OOT bag but no one thought to bring it to the party or apply it prior so I would recommend having it there to accommodate any guests and not cut the party short.

A lot of our guests were unable to use their vacation dollars. Most ended up spending it on a limo ride back to the airport and tequila to take home. With the tours they are only on certain days as well as the lobster dinner cruise. It was on Friday and Saturday but we had our wedding and rehearsal on those nights so they were unable to go. My husband and I were unable to use our either. We spent 5 days at MP but since we had guests there we didn't want to leave them so we didn't use it. We left on Sunday to spend two days on a mini-honeymoon at Le Blanc and even though it's a palace resort they wouldn't let us transfer our money over. And since we were only there 2 days it wasn't enough for a new credit (guess we should have stayed one more ). It would have been nice since we finally didn't have anything to do or worry about. I would have loved a massage. From what I can tell there is really no way around this.

We not only chose a section but we also chose the building we wanted. We chose 2 buildings in the Sunrise section and they put everyone in those buildings.

Those prices seem about right. Often the rooms on Orbitz and Expedia are the obstructed view rooms so they are cheaper. These rooms are located in the Nizuc section You can add these to your group booking as well and they end up to be cheaper than the prices on those websites. To book these they would have to do it through your TA or Miami coordinator and they are unable to do it online. They do have to be aware these rooms might be smaller and the views are not as good as the other rooms. I had only 1 couple choose these cheaper rooms. However they then used their resort credit to upgrade their room so for a much cheaper price they got the same room as everyone else.

I would try and choose a bar that not a lot of people would go to. Maybe the Rooftop at the Golf Club? I know the lobby bars were usually pretty full and not very intimate. The swing bar was usually empty in the evenings when we were there. The Disco doesn't not open until 10 so you may have a wait depending on the time of your wedding. Otherwise there are nightly shows but some aren't very good...

You can rent a projector and screen from JSAV but it is their $800 package. We decided to skip the DVD slideshow b/c it wasn't worth $400 to us (we were already paying $385 or so for the ipod speaker package).

There are 3 salons, Sunrise, Nizuc and Grand Moon. I got my hair done at the Nizuc salon. I did not request anyone special and did not do a trial. I just took 3 pictures of 3 different styles I liked and had her morph it into one. She did a great job. I don't even remember her name. She was very quick too b/c I was running behind and I have a ton of hair and she got it done in under and hour. Which is amazing b/c updo's usually take me at least that long sometimes longer. My sister had Delores (sp?) that a few other brides on here recommend. She went for a trial and it looked great but then the day of the wedding it didn't for some reason. Who knows.

I brought organza table runners (8) of them that I bought through tableclothesfactory.com and 20 white starfish that I bought from an Ebay seller. They did not charge me anything to set it up. I just gave it to my WC during our meeting and her and her assistant took care of it (which is why you want to remember to tip them). They added roses to each table during the cocktail hour and other little candles and shells to the reception decor that which I did not ask or pay for but was much appreciated! We have a welcome cocktail party on Thursday, Rehearsal Dinner on Friday and Cocktail hour immediately following the wedding and then our private reception. Since we had the room nights the events were all free. We had a very brief outline of the ceremony but that was it. The readers got their readings from the priest when the arrived at the chapel and everything else we just winged. I would say that was my biggest complaint, we had everyone meet for a rehearsal and all they did was have us walk in and out of the chapel. We knew nothing in between. I would advise not wasting time on a rehearsal. We could have added things like a Lazo ceremony or chosen our readings but we did not. Our reception was on the Tucan Terrace and we had our cocktail hour in the Tucan Gazebo. I don't know what the Bugumbiglas (sp?) terrace looks like but that Gazebo is much prettier if you have the option. However I did love both our cocktail hour and reception spot. We used JSAV audio for like $385 or something, it was just their lowest package for Ipod and speakers. It includes a tech who runs the music along with his Laptop with music on it, microphone, and 4 lights that were used on the trees surrounding the terrace. We paid extras for the lighted steps and the laterns. There is lighting around the terrace and these lights were not needed for lighting purposes, just decoration. We also paid for 1 square candle per table as centerpieces. Once again, not needed just decoration.

I didn't come right out say "I'm using an Outside Photographer". I just got day passes. They didn't say anything to me and I didn't say anything to them. Same thing with the florist. It just came as a delivery to me. It's sort of a Don't Ask Don't Tell policy I suppose.

i have a few of the views of the Ocean and the Sunrise section. Sorry I don't have any of the other sections as we didn't stay there very long (with the exception of my wedding) View from our balcony 2nd floor overlooking the pool area in the sunrise section View from my sister's room, same building other side overlooking a garden area Swim up bar at Sunrise pool Swing Up Bar in the Sunrise section (my favorite bar)

I did not use the resort photographer. I did not like their style and they cost way too much. I found another photographer Ismael Pacheco www.ismaelpachecoblog.com His all day coverage with a TTD was less than Palace resorts 4 hour package. I just got two day passes for him and his assistant. I just told my WC I was not using their photography services and said I needed two day passes and gave them his name. He was great and I loved my pictures. Here is all 700 from the photographer that I uploaded to snapfish http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=5496027007/a=76078641_76078641/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/ I did use Palace Resorts videographer, really only b/c it was free by using our rewards. It's nice to have I suppose but I wouldn't have paid extra for it. We watch it when we first got it and I don't know when I will actually watch it again. Probably when I'm 40 and my kids will make fun of me However it was nicely done and well edited. For flowers I used Mayan Diseno Floral, Marvin is the contact there. They were only $35 per bouquet for bridesmaids and $8 for corsages. I used Palace resorts free bouquet which looking back was a mistake as the flowers didn't match, I should have just paid through Mayan and had everything match, oh well. I did have a private reception. We have 60 guests (over 75 room nights) so it was free I think it's the same if you are paying but you get to choose a buffett dinner which there are like 10 options. Plated costs more. Choose food that works well in chafing pans such as lasgana. Our food was not that great for the reception (we chose Tex-Mex) except for the ribs which I wouldn't eat due to the sauce's potential of ruining my dress. It also includes a full bar (ton of liquor, beer and wine), bardenders, servers, white chairs and white table clothes and napkins. Congratulations on your wedding! You will love it. Let me know if you have anymore questions. I am bored at work today.

I think it depends on your group that is going. Moon Grand is by far the nicest but also the quiestest and most relaxing so if you are wanting something private and quieter that is probably the place. Nizuc was a bit run down in my opinion, but it is in the center of both sides so you can get around a bit easier that way. Also this is where the Catholic Chapel and a couple of the Gazebos are if you are getting married in any of those you will be closer. We stayed on the Sunrise were most of the action was. They have a DJ and games going on by the pool (my brother-in-law won the drinking contest), this side also has the kids section so if guests are bringing kids they might want to be closer to this. This lobby also has the Disco and the nightly shows. All of the sides have a salon. Hope this helps.

You do get your originals back of your certificates. Since we left the day after on a Sunday when the office was closed, they were given back to my parents so if you aren't staying you may want to arrange how to get them back. For private functions you can allow time in between for pictures. Functions are 4 generally 4 hours unless you want it shorter, over 4 hours you have to pay extra. You can definitely have time in between for pictures, generally your coordinator will recommend it. To book your private functions you can do it 3-4 months in advance. If you are booking hair appts for bridesmaids or other guests, they will need to have booked already and you will need their booking confirmation number. They say gratuity is included b/c it's all inclusive but when you see how hard the people are working at your events, you will want to tip them. I would plan at least $20 for the bartender at any private function, $20 for the personal server assigned to the bride and groom for the private event, $20 for the sound tech, at least $50 for the WC and $20 for her assistant. I did not tip the priest which was probably a faux pas however, he did not come to our rehearsal so we had no idea what was going on during the ceremony and he made us take a picture with him before the ceremony ended so he could leave as fast as possible after the ceremony so I guess I didn't feel it was warranted. I would recommend just having extra tip money on you as we didn't realize some of the people we would want to tip and ended up having to borrow money to make sure everyone was covered. Also the wedding office was not open on Sunday morning so make sure you tip your WC that night or prior too if you are leaving the day after.

We stayed at Le Blanc for 2 days after our wedding since our guests were all still at the resort we were married at and we wanted some privacy. It was wonderful! The beach and ocean were great but we didn't swim in it too much, I guess it was easier to get drinks by the pool. Restuarants were awesome. The entire place has a very relaxing spa vibe. However, keeping that in mind, our wedding party was more of a party group and definitely wouldn't have fit in here so we were glad it was our honeymoon spot and not our wedding.

JSAV is who my WC put me in touch with. The spreadsheet with the prices should be JSAV. I believe there is also 1 other audio company they work with. Payment for JSAV all went through Palace resorts.

Yes the speaker set comes with lighting too. There were 4 lights that he placed on trees bordering the reception. These were separate from the other lighting I ordered. If you look at my review there is a picture, the hanging lanterns were the extra and the lighting on the base tree is what he provided. If you are having a reception where there are no trees, he has other ways of setting it up. This is all included in the $465. You can sort of see it in the attached picture (sorry I can't find a better one, I'm at work). If you notice 2 of the trees are brighter than the middle one, that is his lighting on the trees. The round lanterns were through Deco.

Sometimes you just have to push them. They do have to set up a lot of this so it might be easier for them if it's closer. They are also responsible for guiding guests from the wedding to the reception so the if its closer its easier for them. In fact, our WC had us tell our guests what time to meet in the lobby so the bus would take everyone from Sunrise to Nizuc and then when the arrived at Nizuc, escorted them all to the chapel. She also arranged to pick up the groomsmen and groom to take them to the Chapel. Our WC, first was pushing for our cocktail hour to be in the grass area outside of the chapel. I did not want a cocktail hour in the grass so I insisted it be somewhere else. She got the gazebo next to our reception it and was perfect. One thing I did not think of was getting back to our side after the reception. Our WC actually had golf carts waiting to take our guests back to the Sunrise section since our reception was in Nizuc. I would make sure they can get transportation back. However, we did only have 2 golf carts and 60 guests wanting to go back so many did end up walking rather than waiting.