Cvantine

Oops, I totally lied. I surveyed the bathroom in its entirety before I wrote this post. Then it occured to me to check the actual jacuzzi...yup, there is a small tube of ginseng body wash (all of the toiletries here are ginseng). Sorry about that! I swear I did not have that many drinks by the pool today =) I would assume this is in all rooms as we certainly did not request it.

Here right now (in a Jr. Jacuzzi Suite), just double checked and there is NOT bubble bath. However, since other posters are saying it's a bad idea, might want to pass on that one... =)

Seriously?? My first TA was horrible too and I got Christine Kennedy as my replacement - she was efficient but so rude to us. I kept my thoughts about her to myself at first but then my guests (including my 83 year old grandmother) started calling/e-mailing me to tell me how rude she was - I honestly would rather have just done it all myself. I know that everyone has a different opinion of dw.com though - I'm glad it worked out for you guys!

((Quote: Catherine you are the best! Mostly, I just would like to see pictures of the area around Gazebo 55... like where we might approach from, what the sand you have to walk in is like, and what else you might see from the location... also we're doing our reception at Tuscannes, so some daytime layout photos would be nice. ... also any of the bars that people recommended for doing a cocktail hour stop over at would be great. Any particular spots that would make for good pictures would be nice too.. my friend who is doing our photos looked at the map and was like "oh my god this place is huge, how will I know the best spots to do pictures at?" So, I told her I'd ask people to give us an idea of where to go to do those photos.. and see if we can scout out some pics of the places so she can see things like lighting conditions. Thanks again Catherine, I really appreciate it. We just found out that we can't go down for a trial trip.. so I'm kinda bumbed..)) Hey! No problem at all, i will get some pictures. Here is a link(http://m2-photography.net/photography-blog/photography-wedding-philadelphia/page/25/) to the slideshow that my photographers put together for me if you haven't seen it yet (I had posted it on the boards a few months ago). We got married in the Chapel since we had a Catholic ceremony and our reception was at Tucanes - that was a stunning area to have a reception, in my opinion =) As for photos, I think the rocks in the ocean are a gorgeous spot (if you don't mind possibly getting your dress wet) as well the swings at the beach bar and pretty much anywhere there are flowers/greens - the area is jsut stunning. Our photographers were guests of ours (friends that came down to the wedding) and they scouted out the area the day before. I really like how all of our stuff turned out! So far I will be getting photos of the area around Gazebo 55 and the Chapel Terrace area...anyone else??

I DID use destinationweddings.com (big mistake, in my opinion). I will definiitely be following up with them! Although if there was a window to use it it has probably passed by now!

Allie, I don't know if this will help but I kept ALL of my e-mail correspondance with my WC. Maybe if there is something in particular you are concerned about and I happen to have in writing that I got it for a cheaper price, you could use it to bargain with?

Um...we didn't get that! They gave us like a $100 off coupon when we left but I didn't get anything for the guests that we had booked. I wish we had, we had about 20 rooms also!

Just an FYI that I had my mom and bridesmaids do all my set up for me and they allowed it at no cost. For us, this included candles and flowers on the tables (we used the flowers from the ceremony) and name cards. They had told us the set up fee and I said "forget that!" Just as a precaustion, I e-mailed our WC to let her know that my mother and bridesmaids would be doing it and I didn't expect to be charged and then I printed her acknowledgement of my message to take with me in case I needed it. I didn't =)

October weather was GORGEOUS. We were there for one week in total and it only rained (a very light sunshower) once for about an hour. Of course, that was on the day of the wedding as I was on my way to the Spa to get ready, so I did freak out a little bit =) But it cleared right up and was gorgeous. It is hot, even though it may not be their hottest season, and I was happy to be in my bathing suit most of the line. We got married in the chapel so I plan on going back to that area and getting pictures, I will make sure to ask what is considered the "Chapel Terrace" and get some good shots. Last time I was there we had internet access so I'm guessing I can send you the pictures while we're there and you can let me know if there's anything else specific you want to see. Do you want to pm me your e-mail address?. The showers are NOT salt water - they might have special salt water showers somewhere but both the indoor and outdoor shower we had in our Casita was fresh water. I believe they had conditioner there but I brought my own so I'm not 100% sure. My hair is very blonde and I had no problems with any color BUT I did take care not to douse it in the pool because I was nervous about it. I had it up on a knot most of the time in the water so it only got wet when showering and during my "water journey," but no green, thank goodness! I didn't see a Firedancing show, will look for it this time!!!

Hello, ladies! It's been awhile since I've been on these boards - hubby and I got married October 29, 2010 at EDR - best choice we EVER made! We are actually going back in two weeks for a mini vacation and I thought I'd offer my fine photography skills to any of you who might be panicking about certain areas or details. I know that one of my hugest concerns when planning was that I didn't know what anything looked like and there were limited photos on the web. I would have loved to have an insider down there to help me scout it out. If any of you need pictures/information/anything at all, please let me know! I'll be there from July 27-30th. Catherine

Ooh! Good thing I save *everything*. Here is a quote from an e-mail that my wedding coordinator, Carolina Miranda, sent me a week or so before the wedding. "I also received your other email where you tell me about the extra people coming, no problem at all, I have added 34 people and when you arrive at the resort you can advise the on site wedding coordinator if your friend Maria will come to the resort so you can pay for her extra meal. In regards to the day pass, they will not pay day pass on the wedding day since you will have the private event, however, if they wish to come on any other day the cost of the day pass is 80 USD." I can forward you guys the original e-mail if anyone wants it!

We were told about this rule when we booked also, so it is not a NEW rule but it may be something they are enforcing differently now. Or they might just not want to tell you that there's a loophole if you upgrade your reception because they would rather charge you =) Even though we were initially told that people would have to pay to come onto the resort for our wedding and reception dinner, we were then told that since we were paying for the food at the reception, they wouldn't have to pay the entrance fee. It's something worth asking about! It makes sense if you think about it - obviously they want to charge you to go into an all inclusive if there's a "free" wedding reception because they assume that you're going to be eating their food and drinking their booze (not to mention using the facilities). But you should point out that if you are paying for a rehearsal dinner/wedding reception and you are counting that person into your guest list and paying for them, then why should they have to pay twice? Good luck w this! Can't hurt to ask =)

Regarding the Day Pass: I was told by my wedding planner (who's name is escaping me, I'm sorry) that guests ONLY had to pay the day pass IF you had a free wedding dinner. Since we paid for our reception, our off-resort guests came in for free the day of our wedding. My cousin and her hsuband ended up staying at a different resort because all the rooms were filled at EDR and they DID NOT have to pay when they came. I would make a point to ask my wedding planner about this because it could definitely save your guests some money! This might be somethign they don't go out of their way to tell you but you should be aware! Regarding being Dumped: I have to say I feel better seeing that this happened to more than just me. I waited until my guest list was finalized before asking anyone to be a part of my bridal party because I didn't want to pressure anyone or make them feel bad if they couldn't come for whatever reason. The last text that I got from my bridesmaid who dumped me was that she had just ordered her bridesmaids dress...and I haven't heard from her since. That was two years ago. Who has a story to beat that???? lol (btw I know she's fine and there was no crazy accidnet or anything...she just backed out and didn't have the guts to tell me.)

BTW - one thing you ladies should all watch out for is the weekly newsletter that they have at some of the bars. I was so busy running around all week that I didn't even look at one until my last day and I almost missed it! But they have wedding announcements in there with your name and your groom's name and a congratulatory message. It is such a nice keepsake and made it even more personal for me =) No one told me about it so I'm glad I happened to see one! Try not to stress too much over your choices for reception, ceremony, etc...every single option is breathaking and you won't regret your decisions no matter what you choose. Getting married at EDR was THE best decision I made and it was a completely gorgeous and unforgettable time! Of course I stressed out about every decision I made but there's nothing I would have changed =)

Also, a non-wedding related question, does anyone know if they play music at any of the pools during the day? Perhaps at the main pool? If not, I was considering bringing a BOSE portable player for ipods for our guests to play some music. I would assume they won't let us do that, but I'm curious if anyone else has tried and maybe succeeded? They do play music, but it's understated, tropical background music. I've been to other resorts where they blast loud music and have people announcing games or leading aerobics via a microphone and it's not like that at all. It is a very pleasant atmosphere! Bringing your own music isn't necessary but I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem =)

Angi is correct, it's $5 per GUEST, not item. But again, I got this waived by asking my coordinator I could have my mom and sister do the set up to eliminate the fee. She said it was fine and that saved us about 160 =) Definitely get it in writing! I brought so many e-mail print outs when I went down so that I would have "proof" if they tried to charge me for something I didn't ask for or something I was supposed to get as a part of my package. I did not have a problem but I had read on here that other girls did (were told at the last minute there would be add-on charges, etc). Just make sure you have the backup documentation so there is no confusion.

I wore my hair up because I was worried about being hot and sweating. It was definitely hot on the day of the wedding and I'm glad I had it up, even though we had our ceremony in the chapple. Also consider that if you plan on taking pictures on the beach or near the water, there are going to be strong breezes blowing your hair everywhere. It was a challenge with just my veil =) I would have loved to have my hair down but I thnk I made the right choice based on the weather. (For reference we got married in October at 4:00pm). As for getting your hair done there - Rafa is AMAZING. They have plenty of books down there and she literally can replicate anything. My mom, sister, mother-in-law and both bridesmaids had their hair done and get exactly the result they were looking for - I was surprised how good the stylists were. Unfortunately, Rafa is the only name I can remember because she did my hair. I speak Spanish so I didn't have a problem with communicating but my mom and sister don't and they were just fine with showing pictures. If you book a service with them (hair, spa, etc) you get a free hydra-treatment if you want. It's pretty cool - my sister and I went a few hours before our hair appointments and got to experience different jacuzzis, pools, massagers, etc. None of us got our makeup done there but after seeing what a great job they did with hair I'd be confident that they do great makeup. They had a room for us where we could get our hair done together, talk, take pictures, do our makeup and get ready. It was really perfect. Make sure to let them know that you want a golf cart from the Spa to your wedding site! For some reason the ball was dropped on this and my mom was freaking out that we were going to be "late." The resort is big and it would have taken us 20 minutes to get to the chaple - also taking into consideration the dress/shoes weren't exactly excercise gear and I would have been a sweaty puddle by the time we got there. I was oddly calm - I guess I figured the wedding couldn't start until i was there so they could all wait =) It didn't turn into an issue, but it was a minor inconvenience.

Allie, we *were* told this but to be honest, we went through destinationweddings.com and it was our coordinator there who gave us this information up front. I don't remember looking for it on the website so I can't really speak to it being there. Sorry that this is being thrown at you last minute though =(

This website is a great place to start! I wish I had found it before I used destinationweddings.com or I probably wouldn't have =) With that being said, I think the best thing to do is look at different message boards on here for the various resorts in the Cancun area and contact some of the people who have had weddings there or are planning weddings there. My hubby and I got married at El Dorado Royale in Riviera Maya (20 minutes from the Cancun Airport) in October 2010 and it was the most stunning, amazing experience I ever could have asked for. They have a great wedding planning team on site and you can contact them directly through their website. Good luck!

FYI, here is a link to our wedding slideshow...we brought our own photographers (personal acquaintences who I think did a FANTASTIC job!) http://m2-photography.net/eddie-catherine-mexico-wedding

FYI re: Centerpieces - depending on what floral arrangements you are ordering for your wedding, you can have them taken from the site and used at your reception. That's what we did and it was no problem. We even used my bouquet as the centerpiece for my husband's and my little table, they just gave us a vase to use (I think we were charged $5 but it was still way cheaper than ordering a separate bouquet). If you are having bridesmaids and they are carrying flowers, you could do that for each of your tables and voila! I don't know about you but I was all about saving money =) Also, if you bring your own things for the reception and have someone in your party (sibling, parent, bridesmaid etc) set them up at the reception, they will waive that ridiculous set up for you - they did for me! My mom decorated all the tables with name cards, flowers, favors, etc =)

Awesome review! My girlfriend is getting married at Sandals Grande St. Lucian in April of 2012 and I'm so excited for her (and for me, of course, to enjoy this gorgeous place!) This is such a helpful site - I used it when planning my own destination wedding in 2010 (Riviera Maya) and came back to see what info I could dig up for her now that she's planning her own. Everyone at bdw.com is so nice and great with sharing information. Congratulations to all of you who have been or will be married at this gorgeous resort!

So sorry Allie, don't remember...it wasn't an issue for us our our group. I mainly responded to tell you that you should DEFINITELY get married at EDR...best decision I ever made!

Ladies, I just got back from EDR a few days ago - my wedding was Friday, October 29th and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! From day one, everyone there kept telling me that we had made the right choice by picking EDR to get married out and I honestly couldn't agree more. I can't believe how smoothly everything went! I will post a review later...here is the link to our wedding picture slideshow =) http://m2-photography.net/blog/?p=1447

You are lucky that Becki's been great with your guests...mine has turned out to be so rude to our guests that it's almost unbelievable. They forward me the things she e-mails back to them and I just want to scream. One word answers like "No," or "I can't do anything about that." I just apologize and grit my teeth because you are right...it's what happens the DAY OF THE WEDDING that will be the most important, not all these prep plans. I just wish we could have had a totally different experience...