mehganc

Also, have you considered doing photographs before the ceremony? I know its a matter of personal preference, but the 'first look' trend has certainly caught on...my best friend did it last year, and I thought it worked perfectly. The bride and groom had a chance to interact when they saw each other the first time, and they got amazing photos of the moment. They then had plenty of time to do shots with the bridal party before the ceremony. Also, this allowed more time with their guests at the cocktail hour and reception.

Our ceremony is at 5PM. When we booked a few months ago, she said there wasn't any other weddings that day, but this time was the latest we could schedule it. I would just ask again if 5PM is available. Persistence sometimes pays off.

Fellow Beach Palace brides, I'm here once again asking for assistance (I promise to pay it forward whenever I have the opportunity though.)! I was just preparing to send my linen rental contract back for my ceremony/reception linens...and I'm second guessing myself. I have asked my fiance on this matter, and he has declared himself a neutral party. I don't want to ask my best friends or family because I don't want everyone to know what our wedding will look like before they even get there. With that being said, our decor is nautical-themed with navy blue, muted aqua blue, light pink, and white as our primary colors. For our ceremony, we are using the canvas blue and white striped chair sleeves depicted below on white chivari chairs. Do you think the light pink chair sleeves would work alternated between the striped sleeves, or should we go with the white chair sleeves, also depicted below? Another option would be to leave every other chair without a sleeve. I want our ceremony to be nautical, yet romantic...I just don't want the pink frills to be "too much."Other decor will be limited to a natural archway with white fabric, rose petals or seashells lining the aisle, and possibly a white platform aisle runner. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! BTW, these chair sleeves are all available for rental from wildflowerlinens.com...they have a great selection if you're in the market!

I am no help when it comes to the complimentary package, but I can say I think your experience with securing the location is pretty standard. I cannot find my email with the direct quote, but I remember being told that since ceremonies are two hours apart, any bride is able to have a ceremony on the sky terrace. Since your ceremony is at 6PM, a bride may have a ceremony there at 4PM, but the resort will have plenty of time to take down their set-up and assemble yours. Although I know this is easier said than done, I would sincerely not worry about it. Try to focus on enjoying the planning! Quote: Originally Posted by JenniBassler I sent my "I don't feel comfortable putting a deposit down until I receive confirmation of my ceremony location" email on Friday morning and I still haven't heard anything back one away or another. Do we think this is pretty normal? I am dealing with Charmaine from the Miami office. I haven't had any direct dealings with her myself, as my wonderful travel agent has been handling everything for me... I just thought for this I would try to handle it myself. I am trying to be positive and hope for the best if I don't hear back, or it is bad news, but I am very concerned. The terrace is why we chose Beach Palace and it makes me very nervous. My TA told me that since we have the 6PM time, that Miama told her there is no need for concern, that sunset is the main time for rooftop, but who knows. What scares me is that some brides HAVE had luck getting it booked ahead of time. I hope another bride on my date doesn't have that luck!! (sorry brides ) Is anyone doing the Collin Cowie complimentary package? I really like the old complimentary better, and read on another thread that it will still be availble (at an extra cost, of course). Anyone know how much? I just like the white better than that net thing on the CC package. It pops more to me. What are everyones packages??

Just a heads up for any Palace Resorts brides...the launch of these new packages has been pushed back from March 1st to May 1st to now June 1st. Although I was originally using the "tacky" nautical collection, this has actually been a blessing in disguise for me because I have been able to plan an even better wedding for the same price (same theme). I know the Palace Resorts make quite a few mistakes, so I'm very thankful this one is in my favor.

I tried the whole "not putting a deposit down until I know I can have the location I want" tactic, and it didn't work. I certainly agree, however, that Janessa has been very responsive. It makes me feel awful for those brides that never know when they will get a response from their planners/coordinators.

Thanks for the information about the restaurants...my wedding planner finally confirmed with the resort that the steak restaurant exists, and she let me make a reservation for 23 (A perfect example of how they always change their policies!). Also, I was originally offered the Colin Cowie collections too..I even put the deposit on one. It was only months after the fact that she told me they weren't going to be available. Of course, now that I spent the time coming up with another plan and emailed the WP to see if it was feasible, she told me she wanted to hold off on my plan until she double-checked with her marketing team on whether or not my chosen collection would be there. So, essentially, we're getting married in two months, and I have no idea what our wedding is going to look like...and even more frustrating, I have no idea when I'm going to know what my wedding is going to look like. Anyway, I definitely agree with your advice about the necessity of a travel agent; unfortunately, my TA is only handling the room reservations. Thanks again!

Thanks for the suggestion...the WP actually emailed me what they put together for another bride to replace the nautical collection, and I was less than impressed. Luckily, I found the perfect linens from a company here in the states...so I'm just hoping the resort can provide the appropriate chairs, archway, and flowers. If so, I actually think I can make the wedding look better for a lower cost. Does anyone know if Palace Resorts accepts shipments?

I know communication can be slow with the Palace Resorts, so I thought I would give the heads up for any 2012 brides...I received an email today stating that the Colin Cowie packages will currently not be available until June 1st of this year. I know many brides do not like the new packages, but I am now in a serious predicament because I booked the nautical package months ago for my May 28th wedding. In fact, I initially chose the Palace Resorts because I have always dreamed of a Nantucket wedding and planned to bring Massachusetts to Mexico. I have purchased everything for my wedding surrounding this theme (bridal party attire, invitations, accessories, etc), and I am now told that I have to pick an old package. Anyway, I did not come here with the intentions to rant...I truly hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.

I just bought these navy blue glitter shoes from katespade.com (style: charm). I have never spent this much on a pair of shoes before (and never will again), but I must say, they are the most comfortable heels I have ever worn. If you join the email list, you receive a coupon for 15% off. Quote: Originally Posted by Kristy28 Hey ladies I have my mind set on a pair of sparkly blue heels for my wedding shoes. I am having a really hard time finding a pair. Anyone have any good suggestions or designers that I should look at? Thanks

A beach's sand as well as the ocean water along its shore is affected by its location. Otherwise, all beaches across the world would look the same when the sun is at its highest point over each beach. Based upon the pictures I have seen, the reviews I have read, and the advice from my travel agent, I recommend that you choose Beach Palace in order to have your desired setting. We originally chose Moon Palace for our wedding, but ultimately changed our minds when we realized we were sacrificing our first priority: the quality of the beach. Despite having many other things to offer, Moon Palace apparenty has an average beach, at best. Good luck in making your decision!

When asked if I can bring my own decor, I received the response: "Yes, you can bring your own decor, but the set up is done by the resort and they charge $200 per table." From this, I assume we are not allowed to set it up ourselves. Otherwise, I'd be out there in my bridal gown. I I was originally having a civil ceremony and was told that the authorization form now replaces the contract. I was just a little skeptical at first because some Moon Palace brides were still signing contracts. On another note, does anyone know if there is a restaurant at Beach Palace that has an outdoor area? I was told that there is no such thing, but I could have swore I read at one time of a bride reserving such a space for dinner reservations. I've also seen a picture of an outdoor restaurant on the Beach Palace website. Also, my ceremony is at 5PM. We are having a private cocktail hour and then using our dinner reservations because we only have a party of 23 (I'm being cheap because most of our budget is being used for our guest's travel expenses). I really want to be able to attend our cocktail hour, so I requested for the cocktail hour to begin an hour after our ceremony ends. The wedding planner set our cocktail hour to begin at 6PM. Does anyone have any thoughts on this decision? Should I ask for it to begin at 6:30 instead? I believe our photographer said that pictures after the wedding will take 60-90 minutes, and most of our guests will be involved in pictures. I obviously don't want to pay for an empty cocktail hour. I sincerely appreciate any advice.

I was quoted the same thing by Janessa recently. Of course, I asked her about two months ago when I could confirm my locations (because I knew brides on this site had already done so for dates after my wedding), and she told me that it could not be done until three months prior to my wedding date. She then said she would confirm my locations today (I did not ask again, and it is not three months from my wedding!). My point is, I believe Palace Resorts lack consistency with their procedures/fees, so there is really no way of knowing what you would be charged for set-up until its actually done. I'm still trying to figure out why I wasn't provided with a contract to sign.