shan0487

Oh they have the resort credits as well?! We actually only used $99 of our resort credits (for my wedding hair) haha. We didn't have enough time to use them- being there for a week with your guests and not staying longer leaves you with no time to use the credits, lol. The club was open at Moon when we went and it was fun so I'm sure you'll have fun at the clubs in Punta Cana!! The casino is cool to have- I've never been to a resort with a casino (well aside from Vegas). Have fun and can't wait to hear all about it and see pics all over your FB!

Yes it is safe- all the water at the resort is purified (at Moon we could see the purifying plant on site, haha). I would still recommend drinking the bottled water provided, but for ice and brushing teeth you are fine!

Marisol tried to pull a similar stunt with me- I stayed at Moon Palace and had my wedding at Sun Palace- i confirmed this in Feb 2012 before booking my wedding for Nov 2012 that this was allowed. Then when Marisol and Cancun took over for Miami she again confirmed this was fine and then about Augustish she told me that I should just have my wedding at Moon Palace cause it would be easier for myself and my guests. OH HECK NO!! This was the one time I went bridezilla and emailed her and another wedding coordinator at Moon Palace to tell them both how incredibly upset I was that she was trying to change my plans and that I wanted to talk to a supervisor....well after that email she apologized for the confusion, I could have my wedding at Sun Palace and she started kissing my a$$. They do not like unhappy brides- so as long as this isn't an event that is bringing in lots of money like weddings do- just complain and cry and hopefully you will get your way...well at least it worked for me!! Good Luck and keep us posted!!

I think if they were welll aware of this resort fee- then you should not pay for it- it's not your fault the resort is booked. All of our guests stayed at our resort so I did not have this issue- but one couple who did not end up coming said they would stay at a different resort if they had- and I may it clear they would have to pay for a day pass if they went that route.

I think it is just whatever you think....there is no set amount. My WC did an amazing job so I tipped her $50 and then I tipped my welcome dinner lady $10 since I had my welcome dinner at Moon Palace and not Sun Palace. I don't think there is a right or wrong amount.

Marisol was my planner too!! I had some sour experiences with her at first (it wasn't her fault she wasn't fully informed on the situation when the Wedding dept got transferred from Miami to Cancun) and after that rough patch she was nothing but nice to me and helped me take care of everything! I had booked my wedding when the events were still unlimited hours so I don't know if they strictly enforce it but I can tell you that it really all depends on your wedding coordinator (onsite)- if she wants a good tip she'll give you anything you want!!! So I would just wait until you have your onsite meeting with your WC when you get to Mexico to decide if you want to add on that extra hour if Marisol tells you it costs a lot! Just what I gathered from my wedding!

I did only because we had to do the TTD pics the day before the wedding. We flew down our photographers from home and they were there Wed- Sat am. The wedding was Friday, so a Thursday TTD was our only option. I just bought a knock-off on Ebay for $150! Otherwise, I would have used my same dress as it didn't get dirty at all really- just sandy.

Yay!! Can't wait to hear all about this resort!!! Moon and Sun Palace were amazing and as I know Hard Rock isn't affliated with Palace Resorts anymore, they can't be that much different!! So if Hard Rock has your approval I know it will be a good time!

As far as I know any area that does not have elevator access you do get charged an additional fee per person even if you reached 75 nights. From what I was told before from past Moon Palace brides- it was only a set up fee which is $6 per person- I don't think they charged you per plate or anything extra- it's just a set up fee.

Mexican!!!! It was amazing!! The Yuctan is really good too!!

They were both Palace vendors in 2012.

All I got was the ipod tech and one speaker for $200ish dollars with PSAV and it was like $500 with JSAV. So if you want the basics then PSAV is cheaper but if you want the extras JSAV was cheaper- I contacted both and had a good response from both of them- they were both quick. So just try both and see what they quote you!

I sent out Save the Dates to everyone in the end of Jan/ beginning of Feb- everyone had to put their initial $50 deposit down by the end of Feb so by March we knew who was going who wasn't. We did end up having 3 couples cancel in May when the flight prices came out and then a couple book late in August. But we send boarding pass invitations to those who were coming to the wedding, I made cheap invitations on Vistaprint for all those who were not coming to let them know we were having an open house in 2013. We did not include RSVP's as we already knew who was coming and who wasn't when the invitations went out in Sept!

Here are my pieces of advice: 1) Do not pick your bridal party too early- if you get engaged longer than a year before your wedding wait until at least the year mark or less. I learned this from my friends as they picked their bridal party too early and there was at least one person they wish they would have included and or gotten rid of once the big day got closer. 2) It is your day and it does only matter what you want. When you get those No's back your heart does sink and you get disappointed- but when you are in Mexico or wherever your wedding is- you forgot about those people that didn't come. My motto for my wedding was "It's their loss" they have to hear about how much fun we had in Mexico for the rest of their lives- sucks for them haha. Don't sweat the small stuff- if you do not get in contact with your onsite wedding coordinator a week or a month before you wedding- don't worry- it will all work out- these ladies are AMAZING and this is their job and they will make all your dreams come true!!! 3) I def agree with Allie Pick a good photographer- your pictures are all you have after your wedding is over- I love looking at my 800 plus photos. And keep in mind it might actually be cheaper to fly a photographer from your hometown vs hiring local to your wedding location. I contacted a few local photographers from home and asked if they would be interested if doing a destination wedding! I ended up getting a photographer for 3 days with a TTD session, some rehersal dinner shots and ALL day and night wedding coverage (10 am to 10pm) for the same price as I would have gotten a Cancun photographer for 6 hours on the wedding day. So don't be scared to ask!!! Oh and she did our engagement photos at home so we got to know her a little bit better before our big day and that was also included. 4) I recommend this which is something we were not able to do because we were married in Nov and my husband started a new job in Sept so he did not have much vacation time- but def take a couple days after the wedding and switch resorts or make everyone leave the resort and stay longer. We spent a week in mexico- and about 12 people stayed the full week with us and the rest of the people (we had 39 total) stayed for 5 nights and we did not get any alone time as we didn't stay longer than our guests. I feel like I got cheated out of my honeymoon as we felt obligated to eat and hang out with our guests the entire time. So the hubby better be taking me on a "honeymoon" for our one year anniversary!

You're welcome!! I never even got a contract to sign- the only thing I signed was the Purchase Order finanlizing everything like 2 weeks before my wedding!! If you have been contacted by the resort and got the confirmation that you date is secured that is all you need!! I liked PSAV- I did not do the DJ I just had the ipod set up but the ipod tech was like a 30-40 year old man and he did a good job (he didn't really have to do much as we had a friend MC lol).

Oh ya- we did the symbolic ceremony so there is no fee with that either. I used PSAV because they are cheaper.

Here is a picture of our cake- pretty good for the free cake! It was tres leches and although I did not actually get to eat a piece, from what I tasted it was yummy!!

You only put down a deposit if you are paying for a package- if you are doing the complimentary package (which I did) you do not put down a deposit- so don't let them make you! You may have to put down a deposit for your "extras" but not for the ceremony itself!

Jenni, Yes I did both a cocktail hour and a reception. Mine were right next to each other- not technically in the same spot- they had different names for each spot (I was at Sun Palace so knowing the names wouldn't help you anyways, haha). But when you get to Mexico your WC will show you EVERY site they have and if you are the only wedding that day ( I was) you can change your mind- which I did for the cocktail hour- they were going to be on opposite sides of the resort but then she said she would get PSAV to come early and play music (free of charge) during our cocktail hour if we had them next to each other so I said- Fine with me! I think your set up sounds nice!

You are welcome! It was windy- but it was the beach so it was expected. Sometimes there was NO wind. So it's a cross your fingers for no wind type of thing, lol. You always had a microphone so it was not hard to hear- ie the minister has one, you have one while you read your vows, the best man/MOH speeches have one- so you are fine! As long as you have semi heavy decorations you will be fine! I would def recommend battery operated candles though- I wouldn't rely on real candles that close to the beach.

Hello, congrats and welcome!! What country are you looking into getting married at? If you go the route of an all-inclusive resort rather than a boutique resort everything will be much cheaper. I recently got married on 11.23.2012 at Sun Palace (Palace Resorts) in Cancun, Mexico and it was the best and most perfect wedding ever!! We had 39 people make the journey with us and we did not spend more than $7000 on our whole wedding and our trip (flight and hotel included). Palace resorts has awesome perks if you book enough room nights through your room block. I did not pay a dime for my reception- it was ALL free!! You need to contact a travel agent that specializes in destination weddings to help you narrow down your choices and go from there. I would recommend working with a travel agent vs booking directly through the resort! Let me know if I can answer any of your questions! Good luck!

Sun Palace did it for me! My WC asked at our meeting if we wanted one- I don't know what it was or what it tasted like as I never got one. But it was blue from what I remember! lol.

They are pretty much identical in my opinion. The Verando terrace is closer to the Grand side and the Tuscan terrace is in the Nizuc side- so I would just pick whatever section is closer to where you are your guests are staying IMO. We had our rehersal dinner at the Verando terrace and thought it was PERFECT- it is right on the beach (it ended up being REALLY windy though) and the grand side is quiet- so we did not have many people at all walking by! I think the "gardens" is just the grassy area next to the terraces but I would just have everything on terraces cause there are bugs that bite you- I'm not sure if they are mosquitos or not. They are not close enough that one will put a damper on your party or be a distraction. If you are concerned with lighting def have yours on a terrace as there are lamps around all the terraces. It wasn't the brightest by any means but it was enough lighting to see what you are doing. Here are a couple pics from my rehersal dinner if this helps!! You can see one of the lamps in the background of the 2nd pic! and you can see the lamps and the bar in the background of this pic- the food buffet is set up on the left of all of this.