FireyNurse

Hey Angela2013...I too am planning a wedding at the Palace! I debated on hiring the resort photographers as well but didn't find their packages to be all that great price wise and I also found their pics to be very basic and boring and as much as we want to watch our budget we also want great pictures of our special day. The outside vendor fee was $300 to be paid to the onsite photogrpahers (I think this is awful), but I recently saw on here that it has gone up to $500 for 2012. Darn it! I mean check around, some people give the on site photographers good reviews but others not so much...I guess it all depends on what you are looking for in your pics. Cheers and happy planning!

WOW, I am SOOOOO glad I found this thread now in the beginning stages of planning. This was 67 pages of great reading and super helpful advice! Love it!

It's nice to hear the Barcelo can come in under $1500....we are hoping to stay there but I wanted to keep it under $1500 for our guests. Although it may be more for us as we are flying from Calgary. I am keeping my fingers VERY tightly crossed that our TA brings us some very good news with our quotes this week!

Hello! I messaged them back and asked for clarification on the $15 being for guests external to Barcelo or at the Barcelo and she replied: "if you stay at the Palace and your guest at the other hotels, they can come but only for the ceremony and the reception, but between cermony and reception and when finished the reception they need to go back" Whew, that makes me feel better that we won't have that added cost!!!

Thanks for all the replies! We actually would prefer to stay at the Palace ourselves but wanted the option to keep prices lower if people want/need, I am just in love wih the gazebo and want the ceremony there. $15 per person as the WC quoted is not bad and I will definitely pay it to have the ceremony where I have always dreamed! I know as far as extra fees per guest above the 15 included in the package and access to restaurants etc, it was just the ceremony part I wasn't sure about where we would be allowed to have it. Jess102784 thanks for the tip on the photogrpaher fee, as our photogrpaher will have another person with him it may end up being more than the fee to kodak, we will consider all our options. As far as the upgrade to stay at the Palace, what does everyone think of it...is it worth it?? I am SO thankful for everyone on these forums, you are making it a whole lot easier to do all this planning, I don't feel we're going in blind like I thought we might! Thanks!

Thanks for the answers everyone, so we haven't quite booked at the resort yet as we are still quite far away (planning for Nov 2012) therefore I don't have a WC to ask questions of but I sent a general msg to ask the coordinators a few questions and I heard back from a Victoria Vazquez Robledo. Her answer to my question regarding the use of the gazebo for a symbolic ceremony was that all my guests need to stay at the palace or for anyone staying at another hotel I would have to pay $15 per person. I have sent her an email back to get clarification if its guests staying at one of the other Barcelo resorts (Tropical/Caribe/Colonial/Beach) or just people coming from another hotel that I have to pay for. I forgot to ask her in my email, maybe someone here could help, for outside photographers is it $500 we have to pay per person, for example $1000 if he has an assistant, or just $500? Thanks!!!

Wow, I am shocked the prices are that high from Van as well, we are flying out of Calgary so I thought maybe it was something about our location.We had chosen the Barcelo Maya (palace or any of the others) and I was thinking it was my resort choice! I started to consider other resorts like Dreams and stuff but they are also sky showing high prices! We are also thinking end of Nov because its off peak season but no luck! Just a tip... make sure if you do choose Nov you don't end up going or coming during the US thanksgiving long weekend because prices go up for it!

Does anyone have info on their policy if you book your photographer a room if it has to be a minimum of any certain # of nights? Also wondering...has anyone done their wedding ceremony only at the Gazebo and had guests staying at the other resorts (tropical/Caribe, etc) attend? I heard that they will charge to use the gazebo per person if they aren't staying at the Palace, its just so frustrating because we aren't asking to use the Palace lounge/restaurant or anything else, just literally the gazebo for 30 mins for our ceremony! Thanks!

Hello fellow Brides! A newbie here, I've been reading lots so far and thought I would join so I could post! We JUST got engaged but I think we have already chosen the Barcelo Maya resorts as our #1 choice!! We aren't planning on having the wedding until Nov 2012 so we have a while to go still but I am wondering as far as booking and planning goes how far away should we start planning and getting quotes for the travel? Also, does anyone have any info/pics from the resort photographers? Thanks!