AllieH

let me see if I can get a peek at the sky deck at GRM. If not, maybe @tammyhost can get it for us when she's there in June.

I don't have any feedback from Mega DJ, but they do have a list to choose from. I know with DJ All Music we filled out an excel file that had all of our songs we wanted played, the do not play list, and then the songs listed for each "event" and when we wanted them to happen (e.g. cake cutting before dessert was served). They followed it perfectly! Ask your WC if Mega DJ has a list for you to fill out of the songs you want to hear, and a do not play list. I would expect them to! It'd be totally easy to dance in between - you just need to make sure your onsite WC knows that, and conveys it to the serving staff to hold off on serving the entrees until after the dances. You'll have your meeting with the onsite WC the day after you arrive (typically). Then you'll go through all of the details of your wedding and confirm them. You'll go through the "run of show" order, dinner set up, etc. They will take copious amounts of notes and make sure it happens the way you want it to as much as possible.

So here are the options: DJ All Music - $1500 - this is the one that comes with the MC $2000 - this one comes with the MC, and then more lights and such Mega DJ - $1000 - no MC, just the music I'd suggest if you have someone who's willing to do the MC duties, go with Mega DJ. You can check out DJ All Music and Mega DJ videos on the Lomas website: http://www.weddingsbylomastravel.com/happy-couples/dj-testimonials/home/ I'm not sure a Bose speaker would be loud enough on the beach for events. At some of the other venues, yes, most likely. But the wind and waves on the beach may make it hard to hear any music you play. Worst case...you can plan for the Bose speaker, try it out when you get there, and if it doesn't work, tell the onsite WC you changed your mind. They can add the equipment to your total and you could pay onsite (assuming it's available). I would talk to your onsite WC during your meeting with her about your guest/florist helping with that set up. Just ask when the best time is for her to do her set up and not be in the way of the hotel staff. Generally that's the concern (being in the way), but someone who sets up weddings for a living is much less likely. You may have to be pushy about it...but if that's the way you want it, push. If they still say no, maybe a good compromise is she can put them together in the WC's office, and the staff can take them to the venue or something. Your wedding will be just fine. Don't sweat the last minute changes and details!

I'm an EDR bride, but they are similar. We did the surf and turf as one of our options and it was AMAZING. We also did the Sky massage at EDR both during our wedding-moon stay, and for our anniversary return. if it's similar at AS, DO IT. we love listening to the waves while getting a massage. so relaxing.

DJ All Music does have the emcee included. I think Mega DJ is the music-only option. And while I don't know that the emcee is 100% necessary, I liked what it added. It made the event stress-free for us. All we had to do was enjoy it, and let them run the show. I did think it looked more like a pier since it was so covered - but hard to tell! when is your wedding? Maybe we can get some more scoop before it comes along.

the packages that I'm familiar with only come with a semi-private dinner. If you have any sort of private event (cocktail, dinner/reception, lunch, breakfast) it's a per person fee. those fees primarily go to pay for your service staff - bartenders, waiters, etc. We used DJ All Music and really had no complaints about them at all. We were pretty exactly and had a long list of songs we wanted. They really stuck to it. They also followed the order of events that we requested - played the cake cutting song when we cut the cake, first dance, etc. We were pretty happy with them. We didn't do any sort of tasting prior to our reception (other than having been at the resort for a few days prior). We LOVED our menu - the food was freshly prepared, and it was so good. We did a pick & choose dinner, so guests could choose between 2 entrees prior to the event. We chose the starter, the salad and the dessert for everyone. We never even thought to ask if we could do a tasting. We just trusted... Package - How does that work? Do you take what's in the package and then only pay the per person fee for the number of guests that exceed the package max? I am anticipating 50-75 guests so I ruled out using the complimentary package b/c I think we'll be over the 24/25 person max. I hope that question made sense. I'm still caffeinating. Did you use the Lomas DJ? If so, which one? I'm paying an outside vendor fee for the photographer and was banned from paying another for video or anything else. Also, did you do a tasting when you met with the onsite coordinator a few days before? I thought you get to do so but can't find where I saw that to confirm. I'm trying to decide if I need to make another trip down. Thanks again for all your help & insight! I greatly appreciate it.

That's great that they will combine the room blocks!!! And no, it's not unreasonable. You want to be sure you can get as many promos as possible, and it never hurts to ask. I'd think your TA would appreciate you asking her to match vs. deciding to book with another TA and going through the break up. Guess what Karisma just posted on their Facebook page? A few pics from the first GRM wedding!! We did the free sweet wedding package, and added on from there. We had a symbolic ceremony, and didn't need the add ons for the other packages. I brought my flowers (real touch/silk) with me, and many of my own decorations. I kept it fairly simple, but with personal (DIY) touches. We did a private dinner/reception event, and had a DJ. It was so much fun! People are still talking about how much fun it was almost 18 months later (I call that a success!).

I don't think it's too much to ask a TA to match a promotion. I'd wait to book room blocks until you know how much would be needed at GRM vs. EDR to qualify for those promos though. My assumption is that unless folks are traveling with kids, they'd probably prefer to stay at EDR over GRM. I'm not sure how comparable the room pricing is between the two - since GRM is set up for families and having kids in the room vs. 2 adults at EDR. that might factor in to where your guests decide to stay.

welcome to the group!! I'd assume you'll have the best of both GRM and EDR at your disposal. I am hoping to get a peak at GRM when we are at EDR in June. Glad the thread is helpful! It's so challenging planning a destination wedding with all of the options, costs, etc. let us know if we can help in any way!

I keep forgetting you're at Maroma vs. EDR. While the Marina is separate from the resort (technically), I believe there's still a security gate to pass through to get to the Marina. so someone would need to be on the guest list for either the wedding or as having a day pass to get through security. I would guess the same rules apply - if you're having a private event (dinner), there's no day pass fee required. If you aren't having a private event, then they would probably have to pay for a day pass. I believe it's slightly less $$ for the day-of vs. a whole day pass, but you'd need to ask your WC.

We all dealt with unreasonable quotes on set up fees, and the tough part was the policy changed from bride to bride and WC to WC. Our best advice is to use the estimate from the WC as your highest, and work it out with the onsite WC (which tends to be a lower cost/quote). The most recent policy we had heard was $5 per person for set up, so what they quoted you is new...

Yes! You will need to book through the TA who booked your wedding stay, and they can have the free night certificate applied. You can also get the honeymoon/anniversary amenities if you have a qualifying stay (the dinner on the beach, 2 for 1 massages, breakfast in bed, rose petal decoration in your room one night, etc). You'll need to bring something that shows you were married within a year or so of your stay to get that. Hi Leslie - sorry I didn't see this sooner, but you've probably figured it out. The Memorable Moments are optional packages of decor that is included in the price. They still do the a la carte pricing and decor if that's your preference, but now they have full on packages that are much more "turn key" solution for your wedding. They aren't exactly color schemes, more like overall themes for the wedding/events. http://www.memorablemomentsweddings.com/Karisma-MM-home.cfm?agencyID=0&otherLinkTest=0

I had a variety of sizes - I don't remember exactly which ones and I don't have the invoice any more. I think I used 10" for most of mine, with some 12" and 14". I can look when I get back home and see if I have the details.

oh good point - thanks Miriam! I don't think I know of anyone who's actually used the ballroom. It's off to one side of the lobby.

I thought I'd respond to a couple of your points regarding Karisma, in case there is any confusion for others considering one of their resorts. If your photographer is part of your guest list (e.g. someone you bring with you from home), you don't have to pay the vendor fee. There is an additional cost per person for a private event; this covers the cost of the service staff. Depending on the event you could have bartenders, wait staff and a chef or two preparing food just for your party. And really, the prices are pretty reasonable compared to having the same quality of food in the US. We certainly would not have been able to serve lobster & filet had our reception been in the US. The free sweet wedding does have qualifying room/stay requirements. Otherwise it is $950 for the basic set up and package. The only drinks that cost extra in the restaurant are wines from their wine list. The house wine selection, premium liquor and beer are included in their Gourmet Inclusive pricing. And we were perfectly happy with the house wine selections - we didn't find a need to purchase any additional drinks. Hope that helps clarify some of the questions! Talicea - I hope the next 60 days are easier for you. They will 100% take care of you onsite. I firmly believe that!!

hi there - there's a photo of it on the Official EDR thread in the post that has the private event venue info. we had an EDR bride who used the ballroom back in 2012. here's the photos she posted. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/5182-el-dorado-royale-edr-brides-post-here/page-258 hope that helps!

It's about 20-30 minutes to PDC, and about 30 minutes up to Cancun (so not really all that far either). You can still choose to do what I'd call "a la carte" wedding decorations and such. You don't have to buy one of the Memorable Moments packages. Here's Lomas' wedding site to help with some of the options: http://www.weddingsbylomastravel.com/planning/ The decorations are under the "Miscellaneous" Category, and Food and Beverage has its own category. The actual wedding packages are here: http://www.weddingsbylomastravel.com/packages/Azul-Sensatori You can start with the basic package ($950, or complimentary with a qualifying room stay), and then build from there.

gorgeous!!!

There are plenty of things to do in the RM/Cancun area, depending on your interests. To get some ideas, I'd check out the excursions offered by some of the tour companies. Here are a couple that I'm familiar with: Lomas Travel: http://www.lomas-travel.com/tours/ Olympus Tours: http://www.olympus-tours.com/ Some of the ideas: --tour the ruins at Tulum (closest), Coba (short distance) or Chichen Itza (all day trip) --snorkel - can be ocean or cenote or combination of sites --scuba --day trip to Cozumel or Isla Mujeres --horse back riding --4 wheelers --deep sea fishing --visit one of the eco parks - Xcaret, Xplor, Xel-ha --swim with dolphins --booze cruise or dinner cruise/sunset (catamaran, other vessels) --speedboat or jetski tours --golf You can take a cab into PDC or Cancun; The resort may offer a shuttle into PDC - but I'm not 100% sure about that. I know they do at EDR, but it only runs at very specific times (that weren't so convenient for us).

yay Leslie! welcome to the El Dorado brides group!!

that's awesome!!! If you have any questions about working with Lomas or their packages for the El Dorado resorts, just ask. The EDR/EDCR Official thread has most of the info there.

I sooo wanted to do this, but couldn't justify the cost when we got married. I love blown glass, so it was a perfect idea. I figured I might do it for our vow renewal or something - someday.

we spent the 10 days of our wedding-moon in the swim up casita - LOVED IT. the upgrade was courtesy of our GIVC TA. she was able to confirm it for us prior to arriving at EDR. if they are full (which I kinda doubt), they may upgrade you to the infinity pool casita suite, or the infinity/swim up. but ask your TA to work that for you. I know some of the other brides had their make up done at the salon - hopefully they will chime in!

yes, you are correct. $900 total. BUT - if you aren't married when you go to Mexico, you'll want to have it split so $300 is in YOUR bag, and $600 split between FI/stepdaughter - since they are related it can be co-mingled. if you aren't married yet, then you're still a single. confusing, I know. Just would hate for you to have $450 of stuff, them to have $450, and you get taxed over a technicality. it's Mexico..they'll do what they want...(IF you get the red light, and IF your customs inspector is feeling extra-detailed). if they are clear and you can see the contents, I wouldn't expect them to open them. but..like I said above - it's Mexico, and if you get a red light, and if the urge strikes your customs inspector, they just might. I'd stash a stapler in your checked bag just in case... @@Mandiesue - You'll need to read up on the customs requirements for DR. I highly doubt they are the same as Mexico's. The amounts and limits are set by each individual country.

YES. D'Italia Casitas is our favorite. and the Chocolate Surprise cake (ok, really the Bailey's ice cream!!).