orbitingbklyn

Quote: Originally Posted by kenlyn8984 no the cylinder vases i bought down there at wal-mart. they were about $5.50 a piece. the yellow flowers i made out of tissue paper. i was originally going to purchase lemons to put inside the vases, but once i got down there they kept directing me to the limes. i wanted yellow! so i finally found the lemons, and they are not pretty like lemons here..they are almost brown! ewww. so i had to redo what my plans for decor.. i used the yellow tissue flowers for inside (that i originally made to use as napkin rings). right, i saw walmart when i was down there. thanks! i remember being in the super mega grocery expecting a bounty of beautiful fruit & recall being disappointed! it all works out in the end...

Quote: Originally Posted by bridetobe1515 You can chose up to 3 people that you want to have access to your hotel at least 3 hours prior to the wedding for free. Make sure when you get there you tell them this. Zulma gave me this information when I was down there...would have helped earlier, but at least that rule exists! thanks for this information!!! had no idea! i am considering having my photographer stay as a guest at Gran Porto (wedding is at The Royal) and then listing him as a person who i want to have access to the hotel 3 hours before like you say. i assume this will work & i will avoid the $350 vendor fee. any thoughts? it seems like from all i've read here that doing that will work. even paying for him to stay is less $ than vendor fee. but the issue i have is: should i have him stay the night before or the night after the wedding? i assume that they make you check out & leave the property at a certain time? does anyone know about this? my ceremony is 4pm and since it is winter, we will take photos before. so i'd need my photographer there by 2pm at the latest and stay the whole night. also, do you have to pay for the photographer as a guest at ceremony, cocktail hour & reception if he's not sitting & eating & just taking photos?? thanks ladies!!!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by ~Stephanie~ Dress code is required at dinner for most of the resturants (all expect Spice and Pelicanos). Sneakers are fine. We had one guy that did a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers at every dinner... no problems. They only care about shorts, sleeveless shirts and flip flops or very open shoes on guys. Stephanie- Thanks so much for all the info!!! Very helpful!

Quote: Originally Posted by kenlyn8984 thanks girls i will post a review when i get the pro pics! Kendra- Just wondering. I saw your DIY centerpieces. Did you bring those tall glass cylinders or were they made available to you from the Royal?

kendra- thanks so much for sharing! glad to hear you had a fabulous time!!! congrats!

thanks ladies!! happy planning!

Quote: Originally Posted by jesmcan Just the buffets are casual, when we went for our site visit none of the guys had sneakers so I would say no. Jeans and pants, but my FI is doing loafers and boat shoes to be more comfortable. Hope that helps. super helpful! thanks!!

Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMrsYak Oh yea we are almost date twins! Are you getting married at Real or Royal? ceremony on the beach at The Royal (mayan ceremony must be on beach) for my reception i am planning on the beach as well, just concerned about lighting & guests being cold. for that reason wondering what people think about the central garden vs beach for reception. also doing cocktail hour, i think in the central garden. where are you doing your events?

Lady Di, thanks so much for posting all those photos!! amazing. they definitely speak 1,000 words, and more! congrats on your fabulous wedding! Also, I read your detailed review and it is soooo helpful. Thanks for taking the time to post it all!!

thanks so much for the info!!

Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMrsYak So my coordinator, Ana emailed me today asking for me to send her all files and e-mails with I had with Carole, and Suzanna. She had my wedding time wrong, and also had it as legal when it is symbolic!! Glad she is taking the time to make sure everything is correct! that is insane!!! glad you got it all straightened out! i just noticed that you're getting married the day before me! how exciting! good luck with all your planning!

Quote: Originally Posted by randi.renstrom i just got back from a short site visit. and they were pretty strict on the dress code. most of the girls down there all look 'cute' so i don't think it's an issue, girls/sandals are definitely fine. but we went to asiana once and were told my fiance needed pants/shoes. we went back the next day and he was wearing jeans and brown full coverage shoes. in writting it also says "3/4 sleeve shirts" but he was wearing a polo which is fine. i think guys just have to wear pants and closed toed shoes, and look 'nice' and they are ok. but i did see a few guy get turned down at asiana because of the pants/sandal thing. and i believe maria marie and the mediteranean restraunt is the same. Hi! Does anyone have a formal statement from the hotel regarding the dress code that I see mentioned here (but was never told by my WC or on the website!)? Can guys wear nice sneakers? Are there any restaurants at The Royal or Gran Porto that do not have a dress code? THANKS!

Quote: Originally Posted by jesmcan Also when we went on our site visit for seating a table of 6 is perfect! Zulma said no more than 8 and we saw a table of 8 and it looked pretty tight. You can just let your WC know how many at a table you want. thanks for the info on the table seating #s! i had no idea! i would have randomly guessed 8-10 to a table. good to know they are small tables. also, on the issue of food, i was told by my WC (Rebekah) that i can choose 2 entrees by doing 1 regular entree and a vegetarian entree. that's the only way i was told i could do 2 (and i asked several times). so i am going with the beef tournedo and the eggplant cake. that is the choice for the main meal that i am giving everyone. hope this helps. also, i am wondering if anyone was a november/december bride and can comment on having the reception on the beach versus in the central garden at The Royal. Ceremony at 4, cocktails at 5 in garden & reception 7 on the beach. My two issues are 1) is it going to be cold & windy? don't want to freeze anyone out & i know my mom gets cold when i'm not cold! 2) the lighting for photog & just generally seeing people. i know there are lights under the table but not sure about other lighting & i was thinking that maybe the garden would be better lit? but i like the privacy of the beach. if anyone has any opinions, they are much appreciated!! thanks again!

Quote: Originally Posted by Princess402 For both economical reasons (sounds extravagant maybe, but seriously very reasonable IMO, and definitely an excellent value) and "LOVE my photographer" reasons (lol) I decided to bring a photographer from home, but if I were hiring someone from Mexico I would definitely look into Claudia Rodriguez and her team. Del Sol and Elizabeth Medina are also AMAZING, but are quite pricey. Not that Claudia Rodriguez is cheap, but I think her rates are a little more reasonable in comparison to the other two I mentioned. Other posters also had some great suggestions, and if you do a search there is a ton of similar information already on the forum - you just gotta look! Good luck hi, i just saw your posting. i am getting married at The Royal PDC on 12/3/10 can you send me a link to your photographer? thanks

thanks for posting the photos!

Quote: Originally Posted by dianep hi, the colored lights under the tables are included (and really great looking!). i don't remember reading about any mayan ceremonies. i've just seen the pics on the website and it looks so unique. can't wait to hear about yours! the regular dance floor is included at no extra charge. we didn't have a lot of dancing, so it was totally fine for us. it's not pretty by any means, but it didn't matter a ton once it gets dark out... hope that helps a little! good luck! thanks so much! that is extremely helpful!!!!

got cut off! using papers flowers for my bouquet & decorations. found a great source if anyone wants the info. they are gorgeous & fluffy & inexpensive, fast shipping & i think they will be easy to transport. will probably divide them between a few people's luggage so i don't have customs issues!! thanks again!

thanks for the welcome! i have read through most of the Royal PDC postings, there are definitely lots!! and tons of info!! i didn't see any postings on the mayan ceremony experiences, lighting of the tables and the mayan dancers, if anyone has any info on that. also, some people mention that they were provided with the light-up dance floor even though they did not pay for it. i guess it might "pay" to wait until i arrive! did anyone have a regular dance floor? do they include that or charge? i did not see any price on the price lists. also, i am going to be doing traditional mexican paper flowers (for my bou. just wondering if

Lady D- Thank you so much. I went from imagining it all in my head to seeing & reading about it. Thanks for taking the time to post! Rachel

Hi- I am getting married 12/3 at The Royal (Mayan ceremony on the beach by Pelicanos, followed by cocktail hour & then reception on the beach) and I am really glad that I found this site. Thanks everyone for posting tons of helpful information and specific info about your weddings. I have a few questions and of course it's a bit hard to get answers from my WC, who thanks to you i just learned moved to mexico! ha! Lighting for the reception (it will be dark out by that time). What is anyone's experience with lighting? In the del Sol photos I've seen tables that light up different colors. Is that standard? Is there a fee for that? I would love to have that! Does the hotel supply that? What other lighting is available? I was thinking of bringing some cool string lights, is that necessary or do they provide other lighting? Music for reception - Does anyone have experience with bringing an Ipod loaded with music and using that for the reception? Does the hotel provide a sound system/speakers and is there a charge for that? I am thinking of getting the Mexican trio for the cocktail hour and then using an Ipod, as I'm not a huge fan on DJs. Is there someone available from the staff that can make sure the Ipod is running? Dance floor option. I understand they charge $700 for light-up dance floor. But in del Sol photos I've seen a plain dance floor? Anyone have experience/info about this? I'd like to just have a simple dance floor & not pay $700 for it! Any comments/info? Mayan Ceremony - has anyone had this ceremony & can comment on it? Mayan Dancers - I want to have the mayan dancers during the cocktail hour - does anyone know whether I can have them perform at any time or whether it has to be during the ceremony? I did not really get a straight answer from my WC. Cocktail hour. Has anyone had the champagne & cold appetizers? Was this nice? I feel like I should have an open bar, but it seems so silly to pay $20 per person for an hour of that when it's an all-inclusive! Thank so much for any info/help!! Rachel

1. Rachel 2. 12/3/10 3. The Royal, PDC