Kelly K

I asked my husband what we gave Jessica, the WC, and neither of us can remember. I know it was at most $500 and am guessing it was between $300 and $400. We had no idea what to tip and we just guessed...two regrets on tipping I had was that I forgot to bring money with me when I got hair/make-up done on my wedding day so I asked her if she would be working the next day and she said "yes"...well no one could find her the next day and they said I could leave the money with them and they would give it to her....I hope she got it....also, we got upgraded to beachfront (we figured we would so we booked a standard room to save money) and had a butler who was AWESOME...very attentive and helpful throughout the week....I think he was even crying when I came out to go down the aisle...I thought he was pretending but another employee told me later he was not pretending...we laughed. We planned on tipping him the day we left and he was off that day!!! Be sure and either tip early or throughout the week...don't wait until right before you are going to the airport to show your appreciation. By the way....if you are at The Grand in the beachfront rooms you have free pressing (including wedding attire)....that was GREAT...I also had all my dinner dresses pressed, too.

I posted this after my wedding but will repost in case you didn't see it....I had my ceremony on the beach at The Grand and reception at La Brisas. Jorge at The Grand did the photography and I had DJ Doremixx. I had the spa do hair and makeup....it was my option to have the hair loose...I should have done it tighter as it loosens up as the night goes on......Jessica was my wedding coordinator and she was great....I think I reviewed everything in September or October 2012 in this thread if you go back...I got married August 2, 2012 at 6pm.....took pics in hotel before and on the beach after and reception started at 7pm to 11pm and had them take whoever to the disco after.... http://080212williams.ibelindomaya.adventurephotos.com.mx/#/slideshow-1/

I can't wait to hear all about it and see pictures, too!

I can't remember who did my hair. You could ask Jessica to look it up. I did a practice hairdo on Tuesday, July 31 and then on the wedding day, Thursday, August 2nd. The same woman did it both days and also did my make-up. I got false eyelashes and had her put them on....no need for waterproof mascara and you can get a pair that looks pretty natural at any beauty supply store.

The Gourmet or French restaurant is the fanciest but we liked the food at the Mexican Restaurant, El Tapitio, the best. The buffet had delicious meats to make tacos and I ordered the grilled lobster as an entree. The Japanese restaurant can seat 20 people at the hibachi grill (10 on each side) and is fun. Instead of doing a rehearsal dinner, we had a meet and greet happy hour from 5pm to 7pm at the Snake Bar in the Maya's lobby. We had the photographer come and take pictures there, too. It wasn't an extra charge. We had no food served. It was just a place for everyone to meet and have a cocktail before heading off to dinner.

Good Luck Bambaleo! I know it will be GREAT!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it. Kelly

If you can't download the menu, private message me and I will send it to you. Create your own menu STARTERS Seafood Cocktail Served In A Grape Leaf ***** Lobster Medallions With Palm Hearts On Fresh Greens ***** Avocado & Shrimp Salad With Cocktail Sauce ***** Coconut Filled With Seafood ***** Seafood Cocktail In A Tropical Pineapple ***** Smoked Salmon With Toast & Avocado ***** Glazed Avocado With Seafood ***** Marinated Salmon, Fresh Greens & Palm Hearts, Tomato Vinaigrette ***** Monk Fish & Lobster With Crunchy Vegetables & Raspberry Vinaigrette ***** Warm Lobster & Pineapple Salad In A Coral & Bean Vinaigrette ***** Smoked Nordic Salmon With Asparagus & Fresh Radish SOUPS Cream Of Pumpkin With Profiteroles ***** Game Soup Perfumed With Cava Champagne ***** Cream Of Asparagus With Palm Hearts & Diced Capon ***** Tomato & Lime With Milk Pearls ***** Rich & Creamy Chicken Broth ***** Lobster Bisque With Shrimp Brunoise Perfumed By Pernod ***** Monk Fish Cream With Julienne Spinach & Pine Nuts ***** Maldina Style Cream Of Potato & Pistachio With Foie Gras Profiteroles ***** Brandy Scented Lobster Bisque With Shrimp Julienne MAINS Classic Surf & Turf Accompanied By A Duo Of Sauces ***** Veal Scaloppini With Bordelaise Sauce & Creole Pearls ***** Roast Chicken Breast Topped With Mango Chutney ***** Grilled Beef Tenderloin In A Creole Sauce ***** Veal Scaloppini With Green Pepper Sauce ***** Charcoal Grilled Supreme Of Chicken With Mushroom Sauce ***** Veal scaloppini With Marsala Wine & Mushroom Sauce ***** Calvados Scented Duck Breast With Foie Gras & Apple ***** Gipsy Style Fillet Of Grouper With Spanish Piquillos Peppers ***** Rosemary Scented Roasted Rack Of Lamb With Mint Sauce ***** Roasted Beef Tournedos Finished With Herbs & Pepper Sauce ***** Oven Roasted Sea Bass From Bilbao ***** Bolognese Style Veal & Spinach Lasagna GARNISHES Breaded Potato Croquettes Peasant Potatoes Potatoes In Green Chili Sauce Pan Fried Potatoes Oven Roasted Potatoes With Garlic Cream Lyonnaise Potatoes Rissole Potatoes Duchess Potatoes ***** Asparagus Tips Mixed Vegetables Vegetable Stew Creamed Peas Roman Style Cauliflower Broccoli & Almonds Baby Tomatoes “Provencal†Green Beans With Garlic Butter Sautéed Green Beans Bordalaise Style Mushrooms FOR DESSERT Chocolate Brownie ***** Tiramisu ***** Chocolate Tart ***** Duo Of Chocolate Mousse ***** Cheese Cake ***** Rice & Coconut Custard ***** Black Forest Cake With Fresh Berries ***** Vanilla Rice Pudding ***** Blueberry & Guava Parfait ***** Apple Tart “Tatín†***** Catalan Style Cream ***** Grand Marnier Biscuit ***** Coconut Flan with Mango Sauce ***** Cinnamon Scented Chocolate Mousse With Hazelnuts & Mint ***** White & Dark Chocolate Layered Puff Pastry & Blueberry Sauce ***** Chocolate & Cherry Cake With Mint Sauce

Here is the menu I had to choose from....I got the avocado and shrimp appetizer, potato soup, surf & turf and sea bass for entrees, lyonaisse potatoes and asparagus for sides and duo of chocolate mousse for dessert...It was GREAT! We also chose the strawberry cheesecake filling for the wedding cake and it was really good. They refrigerated the cake for us overnight and brought it to our room the next day to share with the guests. We had so much cake we gave some to the staff...they loved it! create your own menu.doc

Yes, they should be able to accomodate you at La Brisa restaurant. We had 82 people and we had 11 round tables and a table for us with two extra chairs for visitors between courses (see slideshow in previous post for pictures). There is a lower level of seating they can use if they need to accomodate larger parties. The mistake we made was doing a table seating but not looking at where each table would go. We had the parents in the back...luckily we relaized it before everyone sat down and changed it, but we had kids at a prime location when I would have put them in the back. Unfortunately they had already put their hands all over the table and we decided to just let them stay there. This easy enough to go through with wedding planner when you are there.

Annie: I emailed Jessica last night and she responded to me this morning asking for your email address. Hopefully you emailed her today and she got back to you..if not, she should within 24 hours. We did not work with the hotel for travel arrangements. We never did figure that out...you would think they would give you a group rate but I think they work with the big travel agencies. We booked through Apple, Pleasant Holidays and American Airlines. We had a travel agent working with us and our guests but I wound up going behind her back and repricing travel for people and found better rates and flights on the web. It was a lot of work but I wanted to make sure people got the best deal. Bambaleo--you are right. This may be why Annie has trouble getting quick responses. I think they focus more on the weddings that are coming up. I think I had to wait to get answers when my wedding was more than 3 months out. Most everything gets settled in the last couple of months. It makes it difficult if you are trying to stay within a certain budget. I would not wait for them to reach out to you. I would email them and ask for the menu, flowers,photography packages and other choices you need to make. The bouquet I picked I modified at no extra charge. We did flower petals on tables instead of floral arrangements (big $ saver) and did not have flowers on the wedding ceremony canopy. I am a simple person and think less is more. Jessica was good about helping us make decisions and gave us good suggestions, so don't hesitate to ask.....I never felt like Idalia or Jessica were trying to sell me extras just to make money and that was nice. Kelly

Hi Annie: Jessica's email is [email protected] We did book DJ Doremixx and Ivan was great!! We booked him through the hotel along with the wedding ceremony musicians so it all went on the hotel bill. Both Idalia and Jessica were great to work with...not sure why Idalia hasn't gotten back to you. They never said "no" to a request...if they did waiver on a request, I just asked again and they made it work. I will be happy to answer any questions. It is tough planning a wedding via email. It would be nice if they had a toll-free phone #. Good Luck! It will all be worth it. Kelly

I just got married at the Grand August 2, 2012 and it was AMAZING! Jessica, the wedding coordinator, went above and beyond her duties, the hotel photographer, Jorge, was GREAT and I got my hair and makeup done at the spa and LOVED it. We had 82 guests staying at Grand, Maya and Lindo. We got married on the beach just outside of building 71, had a violin and accordian play music for wedding and had private reception at La Brisa so we could include kids. We had DJ Doermixx DJ for us and Ivan was great. We had a 6pm wedding and reception started at 7pm. We decided not to do the cocktail hour since the dinner had so many courses. We should have scheduled our wedding for 6:30pm because it did not take long and we finished doing pictures before the reception restaurant was ready....therefore guests were hanging out waiting to get a drink and relax. They picked up the guests staying at Maya and Lindo on a train that took them directly to wedding site and the same train took them back at the end of the evening, then took whoever wanted to continue dancing, to the disco. I did a hair and make-up test and while I loved it the first time, I did make a couple minor changes for the wedding day. Here is a slideshow from the photographer. Enjoy http://080212williams.ibelindomaya.adventurephotos.com.mx/#/slideshow-1/

Oh...a couple more questions...do you think younger boys can wear shorts to reception dinner....they say men need to wear pants but I am thinking 6 and under can wear nice shots. Do you know if they serve coke products? My sister only likes coke (hates pepsi and other colas).

Hi Jane and Jaclyn---your wedding day is fast approaching. Jane--would you mind sharing the pricing for make-up and photography? Do you have to pay a guest fee for the make-up artist to come to the resort? What is the mexican local rate? Do you have to pay a fee to have DJ Doremixx come on-site to DJ? If either of you are getting married on the beach, I would love input when you get back on the best way to decorate...I'd love to see flowers you choose for bouquet and other decorations. We also have a couple of people coming to the wedding that are staying elsewhere but would like to spend the night of the wedding there...they said there is a 3 night minimum....I was wondering if any of you got around it. We are thinking of asking the week of the wedding and see if we can get a deal if they have availability. Oh, and if you have music for wedding or reception, let me know how it went. Good Luck!!! Kelly

Jaclyn---your wedding is coming up...let us know what is going on....my invitations will go out this week...we have 58 people booked and expect about 80 total staying at Grand, Maya and Lindo with a few at non-Iberostar hotels. We picked surf and turf and sea bass for entree choices and will book DJ Doremixx...are you getting your hair/make-up done? If you get someone from the outside do you have to buy a pass for them to come to your room? Do you have to pay a fee for DJ Doremixx to come DJ? What type of table seating are you doing for the reception? Lots of questions. Very exciting!!