1106wedding

*visited

I'm in the final stages of booking my wedding at Azul Sensatori. I visited it the weekend before Thanskgiving and it was beautiful. My Fiance and I visiting 5 other properties and have narrowed it down to Azul and NOW Sapphire. I'm waiting to get our room rates back from my TA (Gayle) and then we'll make the final selection. I can't wait. Apparently my contact in Miami is Angie...is anyone working with her? I have to admit that one of the things working against AS is the challenging planning process. And the vendor policy of course.

I am back!! We flew home to Northern California after our trip to Mexico and spent Thanksgiving with our families. They even threw us an engagement party on Friday, it was a lot of fun! I'm planning on typing up a full review with pros and cons of all places we saw but I need to find the time. I can tell you this...we've ruled out Jade and Sapphire is in our top 2 (along with Azul Sensatori). Jade was very nice (loved the pool!) but it was a little too commercial for us. Sapphire definitely had more culture and depth, which we really liked. The tequila terrace opened up on our date which made it a contender because the beach terrace wasn't private enough. Sandra was very nice and gave a full tour and spent some time with us. Even being there in front of her though, still not all answers were totally clear. I find that they don't like to SAY much because it's going to be used against them. I took lots of pictures and hope to have them online soon to share!

Thank you to all of you for the quick information. I made a last minute appointment with Diana for tomorrow at 3pm! I couldn't resist. We're seeing 6 resorts, yikes! We have deposits down at 4 but Ceiba isn't one of them (mostly because I didn't know enough about it and thought it might be too small for our group). I'll report back next week! Thanks again!

It'll never be too much info for me! This has been one of the harder places to get info on - I should've asked you all sooner! I like your 4-day schedule A LOT. And the weekend we'll be getting married is October 22nd 2011 so good to know about the bar situation. 11:30pm isn't too bad...what time did your wedding reception end? Did you go to the restaurant bar after that? Oh and how many people fit on the pier? 40ish? We're thinking we might have around 70! Thanks everyone!

Can I ask you all how you're doing the room block? Do YOU choose the all inclusive plan for your guests or does each guest choose? I really want a boutique hotel that's all inclusive and Ceiba sounds like an option. Also, do they have a late night bar or does everything shut down relatively early? Last question...does anyone have a photo of the ceremony and/or reception locations? I'd ideally like everything OFF the sand. Thank you!!!

I can't wait to see everything for myself either! Good questions that I'll add to my long list. Hope they have a lot of time for us! haha.

Alright, sounds good! I have photos from Daniela of both the beach terrace and the tequila terrace if you want me to forward them to you. I too want to ask about cocktail area options since I don't want all three (ceremony, cocktail and reception) in the exact same place. I want to break it up a little. I believe that standard decorations are white linens and white chair covers, pretty plain, but I'll ask about set up fees if you bring your own stuff. It should be enlightening!

Hi everyone, I'm visiting NOW Sapphire (and NOW Jade) this weekend so let me know if there's anything you want pictures of or any specific questions I can (try!) to ask. We are staying at Sapphire for one night and Jade for two nights. I'm soooooooo excited!!

Hi everyone, I'm visiting NOW Jade (and NOW Sapphire) this weekend so let me know if there's anything you want pictures of or any specific questions I can (try!) to ask. The recent brides haven't left much to be asked though (THANK YOU!!!!) We are staying at Sapphire for one night and Jade for two nights. I'm soooooooo excited!!

Hi everyone, I have an appointment to site Dreams this Saturday so let me know if there's anything you want pictures of or any specific questions I can (try!) to ask. We're not staying there unfortunately but hope to get some good info...

My heart aches for them. Did you hear one was a groom who had just gotten married? Man...really tragic, no matter where it happened

Lets try again...

We just got our engagement photos back and found a shot of the ring. My fingers are really long and skinny so we ended up getting a full set (3 bands) and he had them soldered together. I love it

Did you put a deposit down to hold the date? You probably did... I put the $500 down to hold our date, October 23, 2011 (Saturday the 22nd was already booked) about 4 weeks ago...we're holding until we see it next weekend then we'll book. Interested to see what others say they did....

Ok, I should be more concerned with the poor people that this affected Omigod, a groom...and a child. 7 people. It's extremely tragic, no matter where it took place. Thoughts go out to their families....

I think you're right too, total freak accident and if anything, I'd think the nearby resorts would now be taking serious measures to make sure it doesn't happen at their properties! Swamp gas!?!? I need to google that...

Hey ladies...not to be a downer, but has anyone heard about the recent explosion in a Playa del Carmen resort? http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-mexico_15int.ART.State.Edition1.e26e42.html I know it's not in exactly the same area but I'm traveling down there on Friday and although I would never dream of cancelling plans, it's still a freaky story... Maybe some of the vendors who live there know something?!

Hey ladies...not to be a downer, but has anyone heard about the recent explosion in a Playa del Carmen resort? http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-mexico_15int.ART.State.Edition1.e26e42.html I know it's not in exactly the same area but I'm traveling down there on Friday and although I would never dream of cancelling plans, it's still a freaky story...

Hey ladies...not to be a downer, but has anyone heard about the recent explosion in a Playa del Carmen resort? http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-mexico_15int.ART.State.Edition1.e26e42.html I know it's not in exactly the same area but I'm traveling down there on Friday and although I would never dream of cancelling plans, it's still a freaky story...

I've heard $65 as well.

Considering some of the recent brides on-site mishaps, I'm starting to consider a month-of or day-of wedding coordinator to avoid the frustration. Has anyone explored this option?

Can't believe it's over and can't wait to hear more!! So glad everything worked out for you (despite the mishaps, which seems to be an increasingly common theme lately!) Enjoy your honeymoon!!! I'm heading down for a site visit next weekend and hope to see a wedding or two!

Your photos are beautiful! You look so happy That picture of you and your friends on the cushion is adorable. I also like the TTD shot of you playing in the fountains, so fun. The beach ceremony looks perfect...did it stop raining just long enough to do the ceremony? I have October 23rd of 2011 on hold for our wedding! The oceana terrace looked so romantic.

Question about #17 Is the sports bar the only late night bar? Do they play music and is there dancing? Thanks!! Your info has been SOOO helpful!