AmberLoves

Amber M, We were able to make substitutions for flowers, etc. but that was because Sandra was our planner and we discussed these things way in advance of arriving in Cancun. Also, we brought our own photographer and thank God we did because I could not have imagined using the resorts photographer alone. Our wedding was over 35-40 minutes late because they did not have the chairs and items setup and then at the last minute my sister forgot the groom's ring in the bridal suite which took all of 5 minutes to retrieve and the resort had the nerve to tell Wendy that they wedding was late because of the bridesmaid. Also, the other thing that delayed the ceremony again due to their water issues was that a waiter or someone on the staff slipped and almost killed himself as I was entering up the stairwell to the atrium (this was our revised location due to rain). So, they had to pause the wedding to clean up the mess so that wedding party (bride and bridesmaid) could finally walk up the stairs and down the aisle. This of course is while the groom is waiting for me the whole time. Basically, it's like this ladies for this resort to be ranked as a 5-diamond and I'm spending the same time of money that I can spend at reputable locations like the Mandarin Oriental or St. Regis it was not in any way up to standard. I don't know what anyone else's expectations are, but Le Blanc would never be placed on my "to visit" list again unless they completely gutted and renovated the whole facility.

MrsBruff2B, We are on our way out of town, but I will be sure to respond when I return next week with more details and I have bee so tired that I haven't uploaded photos, but trust that our experience was 10 times worse than damp sheets which we complained about too. One room that they moved us too was so bad there was a huge puddle of water under the bed and the whole bed skirt was soaked in water so what does that tell you about how much water had to have leaked into the room. It was unbelievable!! The Gazebo was nonexistent compared to the photos which was a downer. The butler service was bar far the best experience of the whole trip and we LOVED the food at the Asian restaurant. I wish we had eaten there on more than one occasion. As a whole I would have rated Le Blanc a 2 if it were not for the butler service based on our experience alone.

Ladies, Good luck to those planning upcoming weddings at Le Blanc. Fortunately, we were one of the last couples to work with Sandra Prieto and our wedding was on 06/23/2012. However, I will say that my wedding and experience at Le Blanc was NOT at all in line with the stories told and not what I imagined before arriving. I will post the positive as well as the negative along with photos and unfortunately the NEGATIVE triumphed. I hope that none of you experience what myself and my new husband had to endure at Le Blanc. It was like being in the twilight zone!!! The rooms were flooding with water. The morning of my wedding the ceiling in one of the Govenor's Suites collapsed from prior water damaged and began leaking water into the Bathroom. Thank god I was not in the bathtub at that exact moment! Please keep in mind this was the 3rd or 4th room that they moved us to due to their water issues. The ballrooms and hallways that lead to the ballrooms were flooded and reeked of mildew and disgust. The resort has buckets every where and towels to keep rain from coming in through sealed windows. There were buckets in the lobby and all over the resort catching water from the rain. The elevators got shut down because they were flooded and the middle elevator did not reopen until 2 days later. The resort tried to tell us that these issues were due to a "tropical storm" but mind you it was just normal rain happening while we were there. The water cut off in the hotel one morning while we were showering to leave for a tour and when it finally came back on it exploded with brown waste that came out of the faucets. This is just a taste of the things that we experienced. We will be writing a FULL review to post on Trip Advisor and trust me we have the photos and video to back up everything that happened. After experiencing Le Blanc in person I do not believe at all that this is a five-diamond resort and hope that no other bride experiences even half of the things that were out of order while we were there. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Hi Ladies, Are there any Brides that have been to Le Blanc that can recommend the best restaurants? I am considering saving myself the stress an planning a reception at one of the restaurants. I may prefer the indoor ambiance after hosting an outdoor cocktail party. Which place has the best food? Please send your thoughts. Thank you!

Ladies, I totally don't know what I was thinking, but I meant to post a week or so ago about my awesome finds at Priscilla of Boston. Some of you may have already taken advantage of their GOING OUT OF BUSINESS sale, but I was able to purchase my Melissa Sweet Bridesmaids/Maid of Honor dresses for $35 each marked down from the original price of $268.00 and $328.00, respectively. THIS IS DEFINITELY THE SALE OF THE YEAR. All wedding gowns are 50% off which I didn't need because I have my dress, but seeing those prices can turn you into a Bridezilla if even for a moment :-) Anyway, the best part was that the dresses were exactly the fabric I wanted for the beach (silk chiffon) and the color is called Cosmetic which is like a Nude (slightly peachy pink tone). I am sooo happy. I was dreading that my wedding party (all 3 of my sisters) would have to pay so much money for their attire and travel, etc. But, this worked out fantastic and I just purchased the dresses and they can buy shoes and accessories. You may have to call around to the stores if you don't have a POB in your area, but everyone is helpful and the DC store, which is closest to me in Maryland, had a great selection when I made my purchase. My dresses were not samples, but new with tags and had never been worn. They came straight from the warehouse. I know that some of the stores mainly have samples. Best wishes! -Amber

Greetings Ladies, I hope that all of your planning is going well. Does anyone know the max number of guests that the Gazebo holds for a Ceremony at Le Blanc? I'm just wondering in case we end up with more than our original estimated total. Please chime in if you can. Thanks! -amber

Hi Nicole, Sorry for the late reply. I have been super busy with work. Sending my save-the-date info out in two weeks. Hope all is well with everyone and their planning.

I am of course doing the DIY myself :-) I own a stationery and invitation design company so I can't imagine not doing it myself. Who did you find to do your invites? Just curious. How's the other planning coming along?

Hi Nicole, As a graphic/design professional I would recommend that you hire a local calligrapher for your invitations if it fits the budget, style and vibe of your selected layout. Current trends prove that you do not always have to use an inner envelope, but if you do choose to go that route definitely address the inner envelope to each guest or print some sort of message on the outside of it that keeps with your theme and can be generalized for each guest. If you choose not to use an inner envelope, then I would definitely recommend using an envelope liner to add more substance to your invitation suite. If you have great handwriting you can always write the addresses yourself. Of course, that's if you have time. An alternate to doing calligraphy would be creating a glamorous customized label that is designed as an additional component of your invitation suite and lastly, you could always do printed laser calligraphy if you have your printer has the capabilities to print envelopes. Kindly note: DIY sounds good in the beginning, but if you are not experienced with papers, formatting, inkjet vs. laser, you may want to have your stationer provide that service. You can end up wasting a lot of money in the trial/error process. But, as an artist I always encourage people to experiment if you have the time and patience. Good luck and let me know if you have other direct questions. Cheers! -Amber

Hi Ladies, Thank goodness I found Wendy and she saved me from changing my mind about Le Blanc with her kind, knowledgeable and swift attention to my questions. I probably drove her insane with at least 6-8 emails in one day. Anyway, I am SO happy to be heading to Le Blanc next June 2012 I'm going against all of the myths and not doing a site visit. For me, my wedding is more about a vacation and celebration of love and family. I refuse to get stressed, but I do want my look to be elegant so that it reflects who I am. With that said, I am a little lost trying to following the thread on how to choose the best package and when you have to decide. Are you able to change your package once you sign your contract? Will they give leeway for you to get more of a guest count and then let the resort know if you want the free, Zen, Signature, etc? Please HELP! I don't want to make any mistakes in this part of the process. Right now, I am signed up for the Signature package, but I am wondering how you change features, etc. Please elaborate if you have already found the answer to these questions. THANK YOU!

RL/Nicole, I am finally confirming my contract with Le Blanc by week's end. I almost got pressured into looking at other resorts to save the guests $$$, but I really love Le Blanc. I'm going with the Signature Wedding package, but have you all done any research that suggests that it's better to customize the basic package? I'm thinking that could get really expensive. But, let me know your findings. I found a really great photographer on www.junebugweddings - here is his site (http://www.zasil-playa-weddings.com). He's probably not on the approved list for Le Blanc, but I'm going to see how we can get around that if possible. I definitely want to save on photography because my hubby-to-be and I are planning to travel to South Africa and we want to splurge on photography there. The main reason that we are having a ceremony closer to stateside is to introduce our families so that they can share in our celebration. Can someone send me the preferred vendor's list for Le Blanc. I don't know why it is taking Yesenia so long to respond to my phone calls and emails and I have real questions regarding my contract. Also, is anyone else getting married in June? I would love to compare rates since youguys are saying there might be a difference. One last question: I only found a few photos for previous weddings at Le Blanc, can someone PM me a few great links. Happy Planning!

Hey Nicole, Are you able to pass along any information on photographers that are on the vendor list? I haven't received my formal contract or vendor list from Yesenia yet.

Hi Ladies, I hope that I am replying properly to the post. I just booked my June 23, 2012 wedding at LeBlanc yesterday and I am sooo EXCITED! I haven't done a site visit yet, but as much as I've traveled I knew Le Blanc Spa Resort was the place for us. I read the Trip Advisor reviews and my travel agent recommended the location, so I was on board. I am sure that we will visit the property before year end, but right now we're actually headed on a few other sites visits that I could not cancel. I wish I had found Le Blanc months ago. My friends and family have been stressing us for wedding details, so I am eagerly waiting our contract. Yesterday, we found a fabulous photographer named Elizabeth Medina. Has anyone heard of her or used her to give an idea of price rates? What packages did youguys book and do you know if we are able to jazz up our design a little bit more than what the resort is doing? FYI - I am a graphic and interior designer so if any of you have questions in those areas, feel free to ask.