perry1217

Ahhh, just having a moment where I am absolutely hands-down in love with this site!!!! Because of BDW: I was able to narrow down from "Let's get married somewhere warm with a beach" to "Let's get married in Riviera Maya, Mexico" Picked our PERFECT resort Met other DW brides from my area so we can swap ideas, decorations, etc Learned how to make my wedding website and was able to borrow some AMAAAAAZING ideas for it Got ideas for the perfect ceremony script Learned that I can actually get married here in the States before or even AFTER having a symbolic ceremony in Mexico (and my guests would be none the wiser) Got ideas for my photographer for TTD session - I didn't even know what TTD was before this forum!!!! Found chair sashes at NO cost on the sashes freecycle forum!!!! Got referrals from other brides for a TA And all this and my wedding is still a year away! I can't to see how much more this forum is able to help me plan the wedding of my dreams, and how much I am able to give back to the other brides on this forum. Thanks so much ladies, and of course the moderators of BDW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Jodeen! I just messaged you.

Just PM'd you!

Hey MP ladiesssss!! I'm a 2012 Playacar Palace bride, but love reading your thread since they're both Palace Resorts. I'm happy to report that I got my contract for 1/6/12! Yaaaaa! Quick question, I just e-mailed my WC about a couple things, and I wanted to see if any of you had asked/or had answered the following questions: 1. Can we still have the symbolic ceremony in Playacar, if we ARE NOT YET legally married in the US? I am asking this because the 877-line stated that we would not be required to present a marriage certificate in order to have our symbolic ceremony, but that we would just not receive the honeymoon package. I noticed in the marriage contract, a marriage cert is listed as required. We were looking to do the legal paperwork here in the states upon our return rather than beforehand so that it would not take away from the symbolic ceremony in Mexico, which we would consider our wedding day. 2. Can we have someone other than the minister perform our ceremony? We have a friend who we would like to preside over our ceremony. If this is something we can do, does he need to bring with him any paperwork? If so, what? 3. It also states on the wedding contract that NO outside vendors such as photographers are allowed. It was my understanding that if they were a guest of the resort (mine would be a guest for at least 3+ nights) that they would be allowed. Could you please clarify this for me? The 877-line had answered questions #1 and #2 as yes - we could get married afterward, and we could have anyone we wanted to preside over the ceremony, and they wouldn't need any type of paperwork. I didn't even as about #3, because I thought as long as they were a guest, it wouldn't matter - in this case, it's my best friend, so she would be there the duartion of my stay too probably. My fiancé and I will be getting legally married here in the US and having the symbolic ceremony at Playcar Palace – something that our guests will not know about. As far as they are concerned, the wedding in Mexico will be a legal ceremony. Thanks ladies, and CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey there Bride Lady!! I agree with the person above about TripAdvisor. Unfortunately, it's human nature that when something goes right, we tend to be less vocal about it than if something goes wrong. My favorite part of TripAdvisor is the photos section. The ones on the hotel's website never look authentic to me, so I adore seeing the shots that real guests are able to get. Take a deep breath and enjoy every moment of the planning process. I know it can seem a bit overwhelming, but if you take it in steps and stages, and try not to get too obsessive about it, everything will be planned before you know it!!!

I had it drilled down to Barcelo and Playacar Palace and ended up going with PP. I definitely liked the complimentary wedding package for PP over Barcelo, especially the fact that we could get married whatever time of day we wanted to, versus Barcelo that was either 11, 12, or 1. Plus I loved the smaller size of PP (only 200 rooms), it's location right on 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen next to Senor Frogs, right next to the ferry to Cozumel - and the fact that you can use facilities or spend the day at any of their other Palace Resorts (incl the one in Cozumel) at no charge. Best advice would be to sit down with your FI and come up with a list of non-negotiables, then start doing some research - I found so much great info on here and TripAdvisor. Good luck!!!!

Yaaaaaa! One year to the day for our big day!!!!!!! So exciting!

Hey ladies!! I was hoping for some advice/suggestions on a TTD dress. I am absolutely in love with the idea of a TTD shoot, but am having my formal AHR three days after we return home from our DW, where I will be wearing my dress. At first that meant I scratched the TTD off as an impossibility, but now I am thinking of getting a separate dress for the TTD. I'm only getting married once, and I really don't want to miss out on those shots, but I also don't want to spend a ton of money. Where can I find a TTD dress for about 100 bucks?! I'm a size 6 in the chest and 4 everywhere else and am definitely interested in buying a used dress in good condition! Thanks ladies!

Congrats and good luck, ladies!! Love, a 2012 bride!! PS - Can't wait to see pics and planning threads!!!!!

Hey Coco! Which TA are you using, and how did you decide on them? You and I are both Philly girls, we should definitely get together and swap some DIY ideas as out dates get closer!!

Today it's officially 1 YEAR AWAYYYYY!!!! Woo-hoo!!!!

Hey ladies!! Thanks for starting this thread! I just reserved my date with Palace Resorts. I'm officially getting married 1-6-12 at Playacar Palace Resort in Riviera Maya! Picking the location, let alone the resort, was definitely the hardest part. Like another poster, my FI and I sat down and made a list of non-negotiables and went from there (i.e. Beach wedding, complimentary wedding package, ability to actually LEAVE the resort, and affordability for ourselves and our guests). Once we did that and settled on Riviera Maya, then I looked for reviews and threads here and on TripAdvisor. I'm a HUGE fan of TripAdvisor, especially the photos section - resorts' website photos always look more like paintings than real pictures. The brides on here are absolutely wonderful - there's a few on here and on TripAdvisor that when I e-mailed them to get their input on that resort, actually friended me on Facebook so that I could comb through their photo albums. The women here are super generous with their help Good luck and happy planning!!

Welcome!!!!! TripAdvisor and this site were lifesavers!! All me and my FI knew when we got engaged was that we wanted to get married on a beach - that's it, lol! A bit of research and I'm soooo confident with my choice!! Good luck!

Oh my gosh! Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love the V-Day wedding idea <3

No problem!! I love this forum! Teresa Stauring? That's who I just contacted too! Yaa! Yea, I definitely am going with the comp package and probably bringing with me and chair sashes or aisle runners that I want, and adding on the videography package. I'm ungodly blessed with having a best friend who is a phenomenal professional photographer and is going to be shooting my wedding for me, so I don't need the photog package. I would have ended up paying all that extra money for one of the higher packages just to have decorations and fireworks!

Hey there! That's so thoughtful that you're planning to incorporate an honor to his memory. I'm sure your FI will be so grateful One thing that I saw a DW bride do is actually reserve a chair for that person in the front row, with a sign indicating that it's in that person's honor. I'll be doing something similar for my wedding.; my FI lost his younger sister 10 years ago.

Im sure there would have to be a deposit for the room block (from what I understan that is to lock in rates for guests and also that count goes towards any perks or upgrades you get for having x amount of rooms booked) but this was just to reserve the date for the wedding. As of right now, I haven't put anything down, but I just got the email confirming my reservation request for 1-6-12 at 4. I haven't signed the contract yet. When I called the 800 line I think they said that if you are purchasing a wedding package that there would be 50% of the cost of the package due 14 days after the contract is signed. But since this didn't apply to the comp package I didn't take notes and could be totally wrong. There's a toll free number under their "Contact Us" link on the wedding site. That's probably your best bet! Btw - who is your TA?

No worries! I am actually doing the complimentary wedding and adding on extras as needed, so I don't know what kind of deposit I would need, if any. As of right now, I just have the date, time, and WC info, I haven't actually been contacted by the WC yet. To be honest, all I wanted for right now is just to know my date and time was in the books! I can breathe a big sigh of relief and send out those STDs !!!!

Congrats Coco!!!!!!!!

Hey there! Ok, so the waiting was definitely a bit stressful! I emailed Palace Weddings back on December 12th to see if they were booking 2012 weddings and was told to check back in January. I contacted the 800 line last Tuesday to ask a question and was informed that they had just gotten the email that day that they were able to book weddings. Since the site hadn't been updated yet, the wonderful woman on the phone said to just put in my date but select 2011 as the date. I did all of that but never got any confirmation email back. I gave it some time since they New Years holiday was approaching, but sent an e-mail early yesterday (Monday) to check in and make sure I submitted the request properly and that it was received. I didn't hear anything back and when I checked the website last night, it was indeed updated - but the time slot for my wedding was showing as unavailable! I wrote on the wall of Palace Resorts Facebook page asking if that slot could really be filled already, and got a response an hour later. The rep had me copy them on another email to the Weddings department and 2 hours later - Voila! I had my confirmation email, wedding number, date, time, and WC information. I know previous brides ha said that they run on "island time" over there and to be patient - you will not be disappointed by the outcome. I'm fine with that - once my date is actually confirmed though!! Lol. Whew, now I can finally breathe and send out those STDs!

Yaaa! Palace Resorts is taking 2012 wedding reservation requests. I just got my email from the Weddings Department confirming my date. I'm officially getting hitched January 6, 2012 at 4pm!!!

Hey ladies!!! I am also a 2012 Palace Resort bride and the site has definitely been updated! I just got my email confirming my date for Playacar Palace! I'm officially getting hitched 1-6-2012 at 4 pm!! Congrats and happy planning!

Love this!! Especially the door hangers - super cute!

Hey there! From the pictures I've seen of recent weddings there, the beach looks flawless! That was a big deal for me and my FI too. Apparently, the beach was just redone by the Mexican government last year. Check out the photos on TripAdvisor. I think for the most part resort photos taken by the resort look like paintings, so I always rely on TripAdvisor photos - and PP's look amazing!! Good luck!

We are having our ceremony at Playacar Palace on 1-6-12, and then our AHR 1-13-12. I'm just waiting patiently for my e-mail back to confirm my date request. So exciting! Have you started to book yet?