kisekae

I used Adrian for my wedding and just wanted to clarify that although it is still expensive, the resort takes 30% of whatever Adrian charges you (so in your case, 30% of the $450). They do not charge an additional 30%.

We had a legal ceremony in Mexico. It was a lot more work and effort but it was important to us and in the end it all worked out really well. We had to be there nearly a week before the wedding, had to get STD tests done, and had to get witnesses to sign all the legal documents. Our wedding planner was good at having most things sorted out before we even went to Mexico in terms of the paperwork, so that helped make it easier as well.

I had Adrian's team do my hair and yes, it definitely lasted the whole night! I was a bit worried about wind, but even that wasn't an issue, I was really happy with it. Thanks

A few pictures from our wedding 26 April, 2012. Review here http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/barcelo-maya-palace-deluxe-all-inclusive/reviews/6005

Just got back home from our wedding at the Barcelo Palace and can't say enough about how wonderful everything was! I'm happy to answer any questions from future brides as this forum helped me out a lot x

Leaving in 12 hours for the Palace! I am so excited, I can't wait! It's all finally coming together and I look forward to sharing my experience with you all. This forum has been such a blessing in planning my wedding and providing reassurance. I'm sure Claudia appreciates it too as it has probably saved her from a few extra emails x

I told my wedding coordinator which ones out of the pictures that I liked and might want similar, but I haven't picked any exact flowers. I go to the resort in 5 days and we haven't even discussed bridesmaid flowers or centerpieces. I think most of it gets sorted out once we get there.

beachbride22 we are getting married 2 days before you! Maybe we will see you down there It's coming up really quick now, we leave in a week. I can't wait! I made a lot of my own decorations that I am bringing with us (place cards etc). I wanted to save money where I could and I also didnt want anythign too bulky for carrying on the plane. We also have some guests who are not staying at the palace, but we are still planning to have 'cocktail hour' at the carey bar. I guess we will have to wait and see what they say, but it is my understanding that the guests are granted a day pass to the palace for the wedding.

That's extremely useful information, thank you! What currency did you tip in and pay for the minister etc?

Although it does end up costing a lot more than it originally seems when you think about a destination wedding, I wouldn't worry too much just yet. We had about 55 people saying they were going to come in the beginning, and now our final wedding count is 35. When it comes to actually booking, a lot of people dropped out, it just depends. For the photographer, we really wanted ours to be with us for the whole day since I wanted photo's of me getting ready in the morning with my bridesmaids, through the ceremony, and right into our reception. We were lucky and found a photographer who was willing to stay the whole lot of it.

Does anyone have an idea of what things NEED to payed in cash? For example I know for having an outside photographer the $300 fee can only be paid upfront in cash. And for those things that do require cash payment, does that mean in Peso's or can I use Canadian Dollars? I'm leaving in 3 weeks and just trying to figure out how much money I should be taking with me on top of cash for tips. Thank you, all you lovely brides!

Congrats! I can't wait to see pics Hope your day's go flawlessly x I'm leaving on the 19th for our wedding on the 26th.

Any other April brides? I'm getting so excited! Hope everyone's planning is going well.

Anyone know how we get our wedding certificates translated into English? Does the resort have it all done for us or do we have to take it back in spanish and get it translated ourselves? I live in Canada and have no idea who provides this service. Thanks!

Thank you for your suggestions but unfortunately the only way of doing it, for us, is to have all the documentation done in Canada after the legal ceremony in Mexico, and before I move to the UK. So I can only hope that there is a way to get the Apostille Seal right away! I don't see why it would take up to 3 months anyways.

I wish we could have gotten married legally before hand, but it wasn't an option for us. The reason for my move is that my fiance lives in the UK and we won't be seeing each other from now until the wedding. It needs to be legallised before the move because I need the marriage visa to go to the UK. It's all a lot of hassle, I don't recommend marrying someone from an another country Worth it one day though! x

I am getting married at Barcelo in April and need some information regarding making it legal in Canada. I am in sort of a unique situation where I will be moving to the UK a month after the wedding, so I need it all legalized in Canada immediately, before I go. I heard that to get the apostille seal sent to us will take 2-3 months and I won't be able to wait that long. Is this true and if so is there anything we can do to speed up the process?? Please Help!

How do you get the 30% off? After reading all of the comments on here, I decided to suck up the cost and go for Adrian. I just booked him today but the 30% offer was never mentioned. When you said that the 30% goes to Barcelo, does that mean it goes towards the cost of the wedding? Thanks x

We didn't put any details in terms of time on our invitations. We put our wedding website information and that is where we update things such as time. We are also planning on handing out a wedding day itinerary for everyone when they arrive at the resort with the final details.

Just a question (I always have a few!). My future mother in law just informed me that the resort may not want our flower girl throwing out paper/silk flower petals down the aisle as it will leave litter for the resort (as they may blow in the wind, etc). Does the resort allow the fake petals? What did other brides use? Thank you again x

Ohhh good!! I can't wait to see your pictures! You must be getting soooo excited for your wedding day Has anyone had experience getting flameless candles or maracas while in Mexico before the wedding? We've heard it's better than packing it all there, but I have no idea where to find such things, and don't want to get ripped off!! Also, does anyone know if there are options for chairs WITHOUT chair covers? And what the cost would be to do this. Thank you all soooo much, I love hearing from all the other brides, this site has literally saved me x

Sarah, your wedding sounds just like ours! We are getting married April 26 at the palace, same locations, same wedding package, same food, same music (though, are you having both a violin and the guitar/keyboard?) Only difference is that we are having Playa Azul for the reception instead of Palmeras. We even have Foto Take It booked for our photography as well! I am sooo happy to hear another bride using them since I really haven't heard a lot about them. I hope they are good, do you know much about them? We are planning our trash the dress a day or two after the wedding. Are you going to a cenote or doing it at the resort? Also, I'd like to know if anyone has used the hotels Hair/Makeup staff instead of Adrian. I keep hearing how amazing he is, but at $300 when hair/makeup would otherwise be free (since it's part of the package), I really can't decide what to do!!

Just wondering if anyone knows if Barcelo has chairs for the ceremony that look nice without chair covers? I would prefer not to use chair covers, but if they only have ugly chairs, I will make do! Also, I spoke to Claudia the other day and she said that there is no charge for guests staying at the other Barcelo hotels (beach, caribe, etc) to attend a palace wedding. Any other April 2012 brides?!

Oooh! Okay, that makes sense (although too bad) Thank you!

I read on this forum that you can have the Mint Breeze package reception moved to an outside location for a cost of $27.50/person, but have also heard others saying that the only way to have it outside is by upgrading to the Strawberry Passion package. I really want my reception outside, and it would work out a lot cheaper if the $27.50 quote was accurate. Can anyone confirm that this is an option? Thanks! x