May12

Hey Lynn!!

I just saw your engagement pics and they are just awesome!!! You guys are so good together...such chemistry!

If you have your songs pulled together in playlists, in order and labeled Ceremony1- guest arrival, ceremony2-Mom, ceremony3- bride, ceremony 4- Godsitter, etc, etc...They will play it in order...just make it easy for them to understand, and you can also have your DJ "overseeing" and Que-ing him, just in case...we had someone doing this. We had a song for everything as well including our signing and sand ceremony, and leaving the ceremony....It was timed perfectly and went off without a hitch!

No worries about picking my brain....we did a ton of legwork before the wedding and learned a lot so feel free to ask...I'm happy to help!

-Sheryl

Quote:

 

Originally Posted by danak71 

Hey there Mrs. Napolitano!!!!

 

Thank you so much!!!

 

I don't think we had talked about it and I've picked your brain SO much since  you've gotten married I was trying to give you a break! LOL

 

I probably just need to talk to Nayeli about it because there are several different songs I want played during the ceremony. Certain songs I want played during the prelude as guests are seated, then a different song when they seat my mom and the wedding begins, a different song when the bridal party starts walking and then my Godsister is singing yet another song live when I walk. That's a lot! But our DJ is willing to make that part happen with the right equipment.

 

As far as the reception, I don't think the BOSE will work for us. We definitely are bringing half of Atlanta AND Boston! LOL And they are a rowdy bunch unfortunately! But since our friend is going I'd much rather have him DJ because he knows us and knows exactly what to play and when. However, to rent the sound system is $500 and it just includes a speaker and a cordless mic. Mark and I are thinking it might be better for us to bring a speaker (if we can find one small enough with enough power) and our own mic.

 

I'll try and see if I can get in touch with their A/V folks and find out how many watts is the speaker that they rent and go from there.

 

Planning is going really well. Just got my invitations out a few weeks ago and I absolutely love them! Started getting the RSVP cards in the mail which made it all feel official! :-)

 

We're in the process of doing the rest of the graphic design pieces (door hanger, favor tags, etc.) The girls just ordered their dresses last week. 

 

We had our engagement shoot about a month ago. We actually shot on 2 different days because it started raining on the 1st day and cut our shoot short. Here's a link to our photographer's blog if you're interested in seeing some of our pics:

 

http://mwsphotoblog.com/atlanta-botanical-gardens-lenox-park-engagement-session-lynn-marcus/

 

Hope the rest of you ladies are enjoying your planning! I'm so excited to be only 6 months away!

Hi Monica!

They do not hand out bags as guests check in, they deliver them to their rooms at turn down service- $4.50 per room. The reason they do it this way is because many times people change rooms so they cannot do it ahead of check in. Also, they cannot have a ton of bags behind the counter "waiting" when guests check in a different times and days, and there are many weddings during week-too easy to get confusing. We had this dilemma. Half of our guests were checking in the Thursday before the wedding (which was on Sat). The rest of us were on an excursion to Tulum and were not getting back until most of them would have already checked in. That night at 9pm we were having our Welcome Cocktails. Soooo, if all of the info was in their OOT bags, they probably would be out to dinner while the bags were delivered hence not knowing to meet us, or where. We made a "check-in card" that the front desk put into their Guest Guide, along with their room key, resort newsletter, etc. This way we told them where/when to meet us and to expect their OOT bags....Here's what they looked like....

We had name tags made for them with their name on one side and our "logo" on the other in a lucite luggage tag holder, and attached these to their OOT bags. This way it was easier for the bellmen to ensure it was going to the correct room, and easier for us to include extras for the bridesmaids/groomsmen/parents, their thank you cards we gave them for being in the wedding party, etc.  In the OOT bags we had a Welcome letter rolled up with ribbon, a second page rolled with it for the wedding party detailing their activities, and a time line card for everyone. Here's the time line card proof.....

OK...now what we did for the OOT bags. As I was throwing everything into bags, I realized it looked just that...like I threw it in there. So in an attempted to pull it together a bit, I found little burgundy organza bags at AC Moore. Each bag had 3 bags filled with "like" items.

1 was filled with travel sized sunscreen, aloe and spf lip balm. (the "SUN" kit)

The 2nd had a packet of Tums, small bottle of ibuprofen, and a packet of Emergen-C. (the "hangover" kit)

The 3rd had 5 hour energy, a tin of Starbucks mints, and decorative nail file. ( the "pull it together" kit)    

In addition to these we had:

A flip flop bottle opener (I believe we found these at Michael's)

Custom do not disturb sign

Mexican blanket (We purchased these down there)

Mini bottles of Don Julio (purchased down there)

Recipe cards for our favorite tequila recipes attached to the tequila bottles

All of these things were put into tote bags that we purchased down there (with the exception of nicer bags for the bridesmaids, and backpacks for the groomsmen.)

As for bringing tequila, I'm not sure if you can bring too much without having to pay a surcharge tax...they DO go through all of your suitcases if you have a lot of them, which you probably will. One of the reasons we purchased a lot of things while we were there....AND it's way less expensive. It is super easy to hire a cab driver for a few hours or day to run errands-you can do this from the lobby bellmen. There is Mercado 28 downtown which is set up like a flea market with just about everything there, and also where we found the best prices for maracas, blankets, and such, was at a place on the 1st floor in the back of Plaza Caracol in the Hotel Zone. It's across from Plaza La Fiesta-which has an "outlet" in it. We got a bunch of 4 packs of mini Don Julio bottles with blanco, reposado, anjeo and cream tequila- $24 each. They have some others as well. There is a good tequila store in Plaza Kulkukan on the top floor-they have about everything there. 

There is also a flea market type of place in the Hotel Zone, but the prices are better at Mercado 28, which is downtown. If you forget anything, there is a Walmart close to the hotel in a quick cab ride!

We do not have pictures of the contents of the OOT Bags..I CANNOT believe we forgot to take those pics!  Here is the do no disturb sign, and I have some others, but I STILL cannot upload photos other than what I already posted. Is anyone else having this issue???

I also had an EMERGENCY KIT to put in the bathroom at the reception, and for guests if they needed anything vs including EVERYTHING in their OOT bags. All kinds of hair stuff-including flatiron and curling iron, safety pins, sewing kit, tide stick, lint roller, Imodium AD, Zantac, Bactine Spray (this REALLY came in handy for the really sunburned folks), and Nayeli provided the aerosol deodorant being that I couldn't find any at home!

Hope this helps!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Momoarc83 

Hey everyone,

I am currently working on ideas for our OOT (out of town) bags for guests.  I plan on doing plain paper bags with a cute tag attached.  Does anyone know if the front desk will hand these out to the guests as they arrive?  If not, then I guess I can hand them out at the "Welcome Reception" we are having.  I'm curious as to what you ladies did or are planning on putting in your OOT bags?  Any ideas would be appreciated!

 

These are a few ideas of gifts I want to include:

spf chapstick

advil

shout wipe

magnet (either customized saying our names and date of wedding) or just a Mexico magnet

Mexico postcard

Welcome Letter

mini tequila bottles (Patron)...can we bring this in from U.S.?

 

Thanks ladies!

-Monica

WIDE OPEN Bar....in fact, you can request certain cocktails to be served (in addition to whatever your guests order themselves) for any of the events you have going on...welcome cocktails, rehearsal-even at the gazebo, before your ceremony as guests are waiting, at your cocktail hour, and obviously the reception. We did certain drinks that matched our colors... had bottles of champagne at our welcome cocktails on the X-Lounge, tequila sunrises at the rehearsal while we were figuring things out, tequila sunrises and champagne at the ceremony, shots of tequila in champagne glasses for the wedding party RIGHT after we all walked away from the gazebo after the ceremony, kir royale and tequila sunrises at the cocktail hour, and margaritas  poured in glasses at the table, along with red/white wine and champagne-depending on what they wanted. There is a full bar at the reception as well as the cocktail hour as well.  Just ask and they will make it happen! 

Originally Posted by ExcellenceBride 

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know how much 'open bar' costs or if it's included?

 

Thanks, Kim

Hi  Monica!

We had a full on Mariachi Band at the cocktail hour when we thought we were having a trio (They were a blast!), but I'm 99.999% sure you can have a soloist at the ceremony (or anywhere else for that matter) instead of the trio. We were quoted $550 for the guitarist at the ceremony if we wanted to have him in addition to the Mariachis at the cocktail hour.

I think it's TOTALLY fine to have the bridesmaids bouquets as centerpieces. They're not exactly holding them all night and they can't bring them home anyway. (Vegetation cannot be brought back into the US) Our centerpieces didn't exactly work as planned because of all of the wind and in hindsight would have done something different.

We had a really full hotel while we were there but Frank still was able to get his own room the night before. It actually worked out well because he was in the pool area suites and I was in our room in Bldg 9. Far enough away that we could do our own things that day and not see each other until I was walking down the aisle. It was really special!

I have been trying to upload some pics for you but the site is being uncooperative right now...I will try again later.

-Sheryl

Originally Posted by Momoarc83 

Hi Brides!

I am getting married in about 5 months and I have a couple of questions. 

1.  Flowers: Do any of you have pics of your bouquets, bridesmaid bouquets, and centerpieces for reception? 

2.  Music: I am interested in a guitar soloist during the ceremony.  Do you know how much this costs?  I noticed in the Gold Package (which we purchased) it says we get Caribbean or Romantic Trio for an hour.....What if we just want a guitar soloist?  I wonder if this costs extra or if it's included somehow....?

3.  Centerpieces for tables:  Would it be cheesy to have my bridesmaids (9 total) use their bouqets as centerpieces in a vase on each  reception table?  I'm just trying to save $ obviously by using flowers we already would have...

4.  In the Wedding Package, it says that the groom gets a complimentary suite the night before the wedding (SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY), have any of you had a problem with this?....just curious.

 

 

Thanks in advance

-Monica

Hi Lynn!

I don't know if we talked about this, but I'll go ahead and write what I do know, for all to see....

For the ceremony, the system they use is loud enough. We went back and forth on ipod vs. guitarist for months. At the last minute, we ALMOST had our friend who is a violinist come down to play for the ceremony. When I asked Nayeli about if this would work, him needing an amp, microphone or other equipment etc, she said it can work, and we can talk to their audio department to set it up and they can do sound checks ahead of time. Well, it ended up that he was pulled out on tour last minute so we didn't get him, and then just went with the ipod option....they have someone work it for you and I could hear the music all the way from the "pre-walk-down-the-aisle" area. It worked out great, if anyone was wondering.

Now as for the reception on the CECO Terrace....It is remote enough to get as loud as you want. We did hire a DJ which was perfect for us. My thought is this, if your friend the DJ can email/chat with someone from their A/V department to see if it could work, then you'd know for sure. I'm afraid with a rowdy group, a Bose would get lost out there, especially with the fountains going.  If you're going with a small, quieter group, it may work. (But I think you've got half of Atlanta going down, right??)    

Hope all the planning is going well!!

-Sheryl

I did ask for them as well as tiki torches and white flags down the path leading to the CECO Terrace. We had this planned out a year ago and at that time it was all included. I would double check to see if it is still included in your package, but it looked awesome and might be worth it to do even if it's not.

y Posted by Amanda Gardner 

Did you have to ask for them to add the white curtains to define space?

They usually put the dance floor area under the pergola on the Terrace, and you can flank it with white curtains to define the space.

The round tables are not huge. They do fit 10 people but cramped. We had 6 guests at each table at it was very comfortable for everyone. You can easily do a sweetheart table and 3 tables of 6 around you, a sweetheart table with 2 rectangular tables on either side of you, or just 1 big table. They'll make the space work for you. You'll also have a table for your cake, possibly your bar outside, and a signing table if you have that...no worries, they'll fill it up.

How much time you spend with your WC will depend on how much you have planned and set up to do, and also, how much you've already gone over. We spent a few hours going through every detail soup to nuts, and the rain back-up plan. We also had a ton of things dropped off for her so even after our "meeting" we were going back and forth with questions and she was taking pics of our things and wanted to double check to make sure we were on the same page. It doesn't sound like you're doing a civil ceremony so you won't need to meet with her for those things, but you will have a rehearsal the night before at some point as well.

Time will go by SOOOOOO fast once you get there!

Suggestion...do as much as you can ahead of time before you go down there. We had raffia fans and made them all up with ribbon and flowers a month before we left. If you have bows on things like your favors or tying your welcome letter together, either make/tie them before, or cut the ribbon length and label them in a ziplock-easy to pack and easy to hand off to your WC if you have anything for her.  If you have "stuff" sunscreen, aloe, advil, tums, etc, make sure to take the out of the packaging. (It will also help going through customs too) We found sheer favor bags at AC Moore and put them all together ahead of time as "kits". Hangover kit-Advil, Tums, EmergenC...Sun kit-Sunscreen, Aloe, spf lip balm...Pull it together kit-5 Hour energy and starbucks mints.  It looked great in the OOT bags and made it so much easier to put everything together. We also grabbed a couple of our wedding party who were down ahead of time to help.

Just remember to take a ton of pics during this part and enjoy every second!   

Quote:

Originally Posted by KlazNov17 

Hi Ladies!  A few questions for past and future brides...

 

Are any of you doing one big rectangle table for the reception?  We are having a small group of about 20 and the reception is outsite on the CECO Terrace and I don't know if one table will look funny with the dance floor.  But if I do round tables it will only be 2-3 of them which may also look funny.  Or I am totally reading into this too much.   Also, how much time did the past brides spend with the WC to go over and finalize everything?  I am only going down 2 days before the wedding date and will need time to get the OOT bags and favors ready as well as see the incoming guests. 

We had the same dilemma, but decided on doing it all right there...legally. I'm so glad we did because it was really a special moment and doing all of the signing at the ceremony REALLY made it feel real!

 If you do symbolic, you won't need anyone to sign anything at EPM because you'll technically be married already. You will have to get married at a court in the US, and your wedding date will be different. If you do a civil ceremony at EPM, you need to fill out a simple form ahead of time, do your blood tests and get your witnesses info in a few days before the wedding while you are in Mexico. You'll only need your form that you sent your WC ahead of time, your passports and tourist cards that you will get at the airport. Everything is VERY VERY VERY easy and 100% legal and recognized in the USA. Feel free to PM me and I can email you he form if you like so you'll know what I'm talking about.

-Sheryl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jenna26 

I'm so confused!!! We are planning a wedding at EPM in October and don't know if we should do a civil or a symbolic ceremony. If we do the symbolic do we just bring our marriage license and have it signed by our witnesses at the ceremony? Will the symbolic qualify as a official marriage in the USA or would we still have to do a civil wedding in the US? It takes ages for my coordinator to reply back so any help would very much appreciated!!!!

I did not have a beach wedding, but everyone does take pics on the beach. I loved the way my veil looked, BUT, it had to be tucked into the back of my dress for the ceremony even at the gazebo and most of the pics where it wasn't, I had to face the wind to keep it from being in my face. Worth it, yes but still a pain in the butt. Luckily I didn't have a low cut back dress or I would have had to take it off. The one thing you can't bank on is the weather, so whatever you decide, have a back-up plan!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jass7 

For the past brides who had a beach ceremony, did you wear a veil? I am debating and I'm so not sure. The wind is my biggest factor.

Congrats Carley!

The price had us wavering about the venue at first, but it really is worth it. Most other AI resorts get you on up-charges and it ends up being more than you expected to pay anyway. The way we worked it was by telling our guests to stay at EPM from Thursday through Sunday-we had our travel agent working with us on a block rate and "advising" everyone to stay there for at least this amount of time. If they wanted to stay longer, great, if not, we recommended extending their stay at the Marriott Casa Magna in the Hotel Zone in Cancun (not an all inclusive). Several guests stayed at Casa Magna earlier in the week and then met the rest of us at EPM on Thursday am for an excursion. (16 of us went to Tulum and Playa Del Carmen) The other half of our guests who were only staying a few days just checked into EPM on Thursday and we all met for welcome cocktails on Thursday night. This way, everyone was there for the events of the wedding weekend but if they didn't want to spend the extra money to stay there longer than 3 nights, they could save a little by going somewhere else first.

It worked out in the end perfect for everyone, but EVERY single guest who left on Sunday made the comment about wishing they had stayed at least till Monday and were very jealous of the group that stayed a little longer.

We had the legal ceremony and only needed our passports and tourist cards given at the airport. We didn't need to send anything ahead of time other than a sheet of paper to fill out with our and our witnesses info....no birth certificate, divorce papers, etc. needed. It is a legal binding document recognized in 64(?-if I remember correctly) countries. Every state in Mexico is different but this was the most current in Quntana Roo. Your witnesses who you choose(4 of them) need to be there by the afternoon on Wednesday for a Saturday wedding to give their passport and tourist card info to your wedding coordinator. These will be the same people you put on the form, and they will be a part of your actual ceremony to sign the documents at that point. You literally give your thumbprint, sign 4 pages of documents and then your witnesses will need to sign each of the 4 pages. If you have music you're playing, you'll need 2 3 to 4 minute songs to play during this.

The blood taking is really not bad...we did it on the Tuesday before the wedding and had to pay the Dr. $200 cash in USD.

The Judge who was at the ceremony did not officiate the wedding, but watched and signed the documents. Nayeli, our WC actually officiated the ceremony (in English) and it was beautiful! When we came home, our court did not need a copy to register, they said it was a legal binding document. My Husband is retired from the Air Force so we needed to get me in the "system" with the government as his wife...we went to the Air Force base with the legal document-IN SPANISH, and it was not a problem. She put me in and made me an ID card on the spot! SUPER easy!

Now, we are from the US, so for us, this is what we needed to do. I would double check with your wedding coordinator and then your courts at home to see what they will need as well.  Everything went so smooth, we thought "there must be more to this!" but there really wasn't.   

Quote:

Originally Posted by carleyUK 

Hi Ladies,

 

First off let me say how beautiful all of you look in the photos ive seen so far!! amazing.

 

Im looking to get married with my partner here in April 2013...got a few hesitations/queries though.

 

1.Symbolic or civil ? im so worried about messing up all the paperwork and the translations and blood work etc? do you think its easier to marry before and just have the "proper" party/ceremony there. is the symbolic ceremony much different to the civil ?

 

2.A few of my guests are complaining about the prices to stay here, is it possible to bring guests that arent on site to the wedding and does anyone know the cost implications of this ?

 

The resort is just so fantastic that i really dont want to change because of my guests but on the other hand i would like my nearest and dearest with me on my special day.

 

Any help/comments would be greatly appreciated

 

thank you x

Hi Coko! Congratulations!! We were married at EPM this past May 19th and will be going back for our anniversary in 2013 so we will be there while you're there! You picked an amazing place for you wedding...you'll love it!

Originally Posted by Coko 

Hi! I'm getting married May 2013 at EPM and I'm so happy that I found you all!!!

OK....My husband said he heard the Dr say something about checking for HIV...I missed that part, but they do want to make sure you are not trying to marry your brother! You'll get your blood drawn at the hotel on Tuesday or Wednesday and you have to pay the Dr in USD ($200) at that point.

What is great is that is truly is a legal document! My Husband is retired from the Air Force.This week we finally made it to the base to "put me in the system" and get my Military ID card. There was no issue what so ever! We did not have to have it translated, register it at our county court/town hall, or anything else for that matter! When you get married in Mexico-legally, it is 100% recognized here!

Originally Posted by ExcellenceBride 

2 randon questions ladies....

 

• Does anyone know why they do blood tests for legal ceremonies - i presume so they know that we are not 'of relation'

 

• Also, has anyone shipped anything directly to the hotel? I have a lot of extras I bringing so wasn't sure if to take it in a suitcase or bubble wrap it to death and ship it.

 

Thank you all!

We had DJ Mannia and on the event (CECO) Terrace and you really don't need a dance floor. There is an area under the pergola that defines it perfectly. I even asked about rose petals to further "define" the space, but apparently it makes it very slippery so we opted out of that idea. They do have great lighting that is included. 

Originally Posted by KlazNov17 

I just emailed him back asking him if he had a list of extras or if I need to get that from the wedding coordinator.  I wish the floor was included.  That seems pretty standard.

I asked about this being that we had several guests "sharing" vs being a couple in a room.They DO have curtains for those rooms. Just be sure to tell Nayeli and your travel agent ahead of time that the double bed "shared" rooms should have curtains. This was not an issue at all and the showers were covered.

What you all do need to know about is the bathroom-toilet room. In ALL rooms there is no bottom or top to the toilet door and part of the actual door is glass. This is also RIGHT behind the open wall (where the bathroom mirrors are) to the bed. What this means? Not a whole lot of privacy!! The first time we went to EPM, my husband-then fiance- admitted to frequenting the gym bathroom..... I may be in the TMI area here but seriously, it can be an issue.

Originally Posted by Jass7 

Does anyone know if the rooms with two beds have same layout as other rooms when it comes to the shower window? I'm concerned for shower privacy for two of my guests who are sharing a room.

We flew Air Tran for the first time for our wedding...a little bit of a risk but the price was great and had to do it.

So here's the deal. I called them a few weeks before the wedding and found out that they do not have a closet. What they suggest is putting it in a garment bag type of suitcase. We have a rolling garment bag and luckily my dress-on it's bust form that the tailor put together, fit in there along with my husbands clothes for the wedding and our rehearsal clothes...including my veil and shoes!It wasn't even wrinkled when we unpacked everything! My dress is a silk stretch jacquard and with not one ounce of poof so if you have a fuller dress, it may only fit the dress and shoes. (It's the London fog rolling garment bag if you want to check it out) You can carry it on the plane and will be safely over your head!

Excellence picks up your dress and his clothes on Thursday and returns it back to you by Friday afternoon. (for a Saturday wedding) Everything was pressed/steamed PERFECTLY! No worries. Even if your dress wrinkles on the way down there, it won't be by the time you walk down the aisle.

Another cool thing that air Tran has is the option to upgrade to business/first class. If you call 24 hours before your flight you can upgrade as long as there is room. So, for $99 a person, you can check 2 bags per person for free, and be the first on the plane with no worries about not having your dress and carry ons with you. Being that we had 9 bags, we only had to pay for 1 bag checked, and an overweight bag fee for another. They are pretty strict about the 50 pound limit rule. We flew this way there and back and it was a great experience with them..we were pleasantly surprised! We have all our miles and former status with United and US Air and were checking daily for flights but couldn't do it. If you do happen to have status with Star Alliance, chances are you'll get a free upgrade-somehow we always did going down to Cancun-not a lot of business travelers! If not, you might want to think about going first class-3 free bags each and up to 65 pounds with them! It's awesome! No worries about shipping things then.

We had the same dilemma. Just got married last month and we were in Mexico for a little over 2 weeks, with 31 guests. 1st 3 days in a non AI resort to get some shopping and things done. Several guests stayed there before checking into our "wedding" hotel to save some money and they were a great help with anything we had to do...probably the most relaxing part of the pre wedding week.  We were then at Excellence Playa Mujeres for 7 nights staying 2 nights after the wedding and everyone was there by Thursday (wedding was on Sat). Most people checked out on Sunday...alllllll of them said they should have stayed till Monday-something to suggest to guests. There were about 7 of us left  there until we checked out on Tuesday.  We then went to Zoetry for the Honeymoon for 5 more nights.

We purposely chose a spa like, more boutique style resort to wind down after the craziness of the wedding and could also be alone if people were staying the week after the wedding. Well, although Zoetry was a fantastic resort, we REALLY missed Excellence and probably would have gone back if the honeymoon weren't already prepaid! So my suggestion is this...if you do decide to go to another resort, make sure it's something of a similar speed to the one you had the wedding, or just stay where you are....maybe in an upgraded room or "club" area. Most of your guests will probably be gone a few days after(and you can even ask them to vacation the week before if you really want to-they'll understand.) Everyone will already know you in the resort you had the wedding, and you'll be able to spend time enjoying the resort doing non-wedding things. You'll be amazed how fast the time goes and 99.99% of it will be "Wedding". This would be your time to do the excursions, go to the different restaurants you missed, take the cooking class, etc...    

We did some shopping down there for favors. We really wanted to have some authentic things for them in their OOT bags and for the tables. We scouted out the Market in the Hotel Zone and Mercado 28 when we were down there 9 months before the wedding, and went back in "negiotiation" mode the week before the wedding. We found these cool hand painted Margarita glasses that we used for favors along with maracas. Everyone loved them and they survived the trip home. We also had little bottles of tequila along with our favorite recipes, Mexican chocolate and a colorful Mexican blanket that we bought down there for the oot bag (along with the totes for everyone not in the wedding party-they had "special" ones) Things we brought down with us for the oot bags were the sunscreen, aloe, lip balm, 5 hour energy, Emergen-C, Tums, ibuprofen, flip flop bottle opener, and Starbucks mints. (and the backpacks and totes for the wedding party) We had 9 suitcases including our 2 carry on's each- and did have to pay some overweight charges for a couple of the 5 we checked. About 2 and a half of the suitcases were "stuff" for  the wedding. Looking back, I am SOOOO glad we bought as much as we did while we were down there. We would have paid just as much for shipping as we did for the checked baggage.

Originally Posted by kshannon 

What is everyone doing regarding favors? I'm particularly worried about shipping. Any suggestions? Also what photographer are most going with?

Lynn is SPOT ON with this type of communication with Nayeli. You will be able to narrow down each detail and it makes it sooooo much easier for her and you! You may not hear from her for a week or 2, but you'll have more questions answered in each email. Just make sure to get price quotes along the way for the details you are thinking of doing or deciding on being that rates may go  up or there may be a different vendor they're working with by the time your wedding day is here. Nayeli is great and will honor what you've already discussed and decided on.  

Originally Posted by danak71 

Hey Kim,

 

I know it's frustrating sometimes trying to get hold of Nayeli, but it's great that you're planning so far out. My wedding is in May and I'm trying to make most of my decisions now (menu, flowers, decorations, etc.) I'll send her an email with ALL my questions and she answers them all in a different color. If I have additional questions, I'll respond in yet a different color. We keep going until all those questions are answered. When I have a bunch more I'll send her another and we'll start all over. Because I still have plenty of time, it doesn't bother me when she takes a while to respond since I know she's the coordinator for 3 properties there and sometimes has 30 weddings in a week that she's handling! I would much rather her give the current brides the extra attention they deserve and get to me as she can. I know when it's my turn I want her undivided attention! LOL

 

I have used Skype to call her (either from my laptop or my cell phone) when I've needed to reach her right away and the rate was better than what I got on my cell phone (typically it was only $.10/minute) and I don't need to talk to her long so the calls are never that expensive.

 

I'm planning to have a rehearsal dinner. Depending on how many people you're expecting to have, she can set you up in one of the restaurants (semi-private) for no charge or if you want a private event, she can do that for $22 per person. We don't want to pay for another "wedding reception" so we're going with semi-private.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Lynn

We had a ton of spa "things" going on and they are fantastic there! Miguel is just plain wonderful! He will probably be the one coordinating everything for you depending on what you want to do. The day of the wedding, our ceremony started at 5:30, but people got there at 5. I had 5 bridesmaids, my Mother and myself all doing hair (and make-up for me). And my fiance/husband decided to get a last minute trim. We had 3 of the girls and Frank go in at noon, I went at 1pm and my Mom and the other 2 bridesmaids come in at 1:30/2. This worked out perfect because we were able to get back to the room with plenty of time for pics, order some room service and wrap up anything else last minute. I originally had things scheduled for 2 and 3, and once I spoke with Miguel, he recommended to make it earlier...thank god! We would not have made it had we not started at noon.

Start early and get things booked. They can always change times, add people, move things around, etc. We started the spa planning part about 4-5 months out.  You can go on to the resort website and there is a part there where you can get to and email the spa. They respond VERY quickly....the best response I've gotten...usually within a day, sometimes that day!   

Originally Posted by Jass7 

Asking all the past brides, did you schedule time with spa for make up and hair? How far in advance did you do that? I don't know how long I will need for make up and hair, and my ceremony is at 5pm. Should I say 3pm? Or earlier?

They always have some kind of backup for you and it will depend how many people you have and if you have a DJ. Some locations you can't have a DJ.

We had 31 and a DJ so our back up was the foyer of the CECO Terrace (believe it or not). There is a big circular reception desk that they transformed into a bar, and although we ended up having it outside, they still set it up in there. Our entire reception was set up inside because of rain earlier, and then they moved it back on to the Terrace last minute(when it dried up), but they left the bar and DJ set up inside. We decided to do it there vs one of the rooms because the foyer is actually pretty nice...leather couches, art...similar to the lobby.  You can see in there with some of the reception pics we have, if you saw our pics on the YouTube slide show. (and the DJ "stuff" was inside, but the speakers and MC with his cordless mic was outside with us.)

Another thing to think about with some of the other locations is how long you can have the reception if you have a DJ. Some places need to be over by 10. Ours ended at 11:30 and we would have been able to extend it if we had a que earlier...With DJ Mania you need to tell them an hour and 15 minutes before the end of the reception, if you'd like to extend it. They told us 5 minutes before the last song...not sure where the time went, but it was too late for us to extend it.  SOOOOO, if you are thinking about possibly extending your reception time but don't want to do it ahead of time just in case the crowd winds down, etc... (we wanted to see what the vibe would be before we committed to an additional cost) Tell the DJ during your meeting a few days before, and the Captain during the reception that they need to alert you of the time and ask THEN if you'd like to extend the wedding.

Hope that made sense!

Originally Posted by alexis17 

Thanks so much, I appreciate your info!!  The WC will have a back up for rain, I'm assuming...right?? 

We checked out the ball rooms inside the CECO Terrace and they look like any other room you'd see at a wedding or conference. Our concern was that we'd have to add a lot to it to make it look special where outside on the Terrace is just stunning all on it's own. We were worried about the heat as well, but it wasn't too bad being that the wind was non stop. Should have re-thought the design elements we had...wind never entered my mind in the planning process. The thing about the summer is that it is during hurricane season so you run more of a risk with rain and wind. We've been there at the end of August/beginning of September and it was hit or miss during the day with rain, but beautiful at night.   

Originally Posted by alexis17 

Thanks!  While you were there, did you see any inside options for reception?  I want it outside, but we're unsure if that will be too uncomfortable in July.  Does anyone else have any experience there in the summer?

Hey Shannon!

We had our reception at the CECO Terrace and I did the same thing...thank god because I must have re-flat ironed my hair 3 times! So, YES, there is a private bathroom there. We grabbed the shoe bin basket from the room, lined it with white cloth napkins and filled it with the necessities. Nayeli said she had a basket for us, but that was actually perfect so we just went with it. Don't forget a Tide stain remover stick! It came in handy!

They can also move the flowers from your ceremony to the reception so because of the crazy wind the night of our wedding, they ended up in the bathroom and looked great! I have a pic of us in there, but for some reason I can't upload it. I'll try again later for you...

-Sheryl

Originally Posted by crnasmb 

Hi All, 

I think I may be the next bride up! I get married at EPM on 8/21/12.  Even though I do not post much now I will be sure to write a very detailed review upon my return since I have received so many great tips and advice from all if you.

I have asked Nayeli at least 70 questions in the last 6 months and I think I am finally at the point that I don't have anything else to ask her.

 

One quick question for past brides tough-

I am planning on having my reception on the event terrace (weather permitting of course..) Is there a private bathroom there where I can put a basket of things for my guests like bandaids, hairspray, tylenol, gum etc.. and to also store some makeup for any touch ups I may need? I worry that if it's a bathroom that the other hotel guests can use that the things may get taken.  

 

My advice for future brides is this... If you want any of the extra things, make sure you email Nayeli now about pricing.  Some prices for things she quoted me 8 months ago has now gone up but she will honor the old pricing.  Examples of the 'extras' that she has tried to charge me more for are: guitar player for the ceremony, vendor fee for using an outside DJ, and other decor type items.  

 

Happy planning!

Shannon

Hola! We have THOUSANDS of pictures and we're still trying to figure out which ones we want for our "book" that he is putting together. We had Juan Carlos(the in house photographer) for everything... an excursion to Tulum and Playa Del Carmen, Spa day for the wedding party, welcome cocktails, rehearsal dinner, wedding-including getting ready, ceremony, cocktail hour and to the VERY last minute of the reception, and TTD in Isla Mujeres. Here is a link to a slideshow he did for us that we put up on YouTube. It'll give you a taste of all of it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFzYYWe7a6k

Quote:

Originally Posted by kshannon 


Hi there!! Have you seen any pics yet from your wedding? Did you use the in-house VIP for both wedding pics and TTD? I'm questioning using them..

You can alway check out a fabric store...they should even be able to cut it for you!

Originally Posted by kimlaswell 

I need coral sashes and everywhere is either out of stock or they don't even carry that color!

Congrats Sarah!!

We did round tables and a "sweetheart table" for the 2 of us. Tables fit 10 but it's crowded. We did 5 tables of 6 and there was enough room without being too empty. 6-8 is probably perfect.

We did not do fireworks but did do sparklers...if you go this route, order A LOT! People grab a few at a time. I had to tell the captain to stop everyone so we had some at the end! It all worked out fine, but I caught it just in time(and my husband was the worst offender!) We ordered 3 per person. We did it during the reception at some point,and then at the last song.

We did an excursion to Tulum and Playa Del Carmen for the day and had the photographer join us....very much worth it. Didn't book through the resort, just on our own hiring Cancun Vans (www.cancunvans.com) It was $400 for the day for up to 16 people. One of the best rates I found. We negotiated a price with the photographer(in house) for $500 for the day, getting all of the pictures on disc, with some edited as part of our wedding package.

Originally Posted by sarahbiggar 

Hi everyone, im getting married october 20, 2012! I have a few questions..

-How did brides in the past do their seating chart? Can they do the bride and groom at their own table? then round tables?

-Has anyone done fireworks? if so when during the wedding?

-has anyone done a sunset cruise?

-are the Excursions worth it?

Happy Planning everyone!

THANKS!

Sarah