May12

We are going with their house DJ... Mannia. We were quoted $1150 for 4 hours including lighting. each additional hour is $150. Their email is [email protected] I guess it depends how many people you have and where the reception will be. We tend to have a rowdy group so the CECO Terrace and a DJ was more our speed. Fernando, from Mannia has been really great and accommodating. We honestly HATED his sample playlist and told him our concerns. We asked if we could give him my music for "request" purposes and he is 100% fine with it. The pain in the butt part was converting everything to MP3 from iTunes, but at least I know we'll have music we like, and someone to DJ...just in case. We're meeting him the Monday we get down there to go over everything, and give him the passport with the music on it(that he's returning to us the next day). Fingers crossed that it all works out! We leave in 12 days and still no closer to tying up details with Nayeli! Has anyone heard from her!??

We started as soon as we booked! The earlier the better....especially when it takes so much time in between responses! My advice, be as specific as possible with what you want and ask for price quotes for every detail you are thinking of. It will make it easier down the road. Remember, you can also send pictures of your ideas and ask for them to do it. For the DJ, we emailed them directly to start planning.

You probably have the right one, but here it is just in [email protected] I feel your pain! We leave in less than 2 weeks and do not have our "planner" from her...that she promised to have to us last month. We have most of the details done but still missing a few things to finalize, and we REALLY need to see her cost estimate vs our cost estimate. I'm getting worried! Looks like I'll be calling Mexico this week...very frustrating! Quote: Originally Posted by k032379 Ladies please help. I have sent Nayeli 4 emails within the last month and a half and have not had one response. It is coming up on 5 months until my wedding and I would like to start planning soon. I tried not to bother her too much cause I know she is working on you ladies' weddings plus some but I am thinking that maybe I have the incorrect email address. What email address do you ladies have for her? Thank you in advance K

Aw! That's so cute!! I'm so glad everything worked out for you. Congratulations!!

We're using them too. The info I have for them is: [email protected] and the phone #'s are, 011 9988899226 or 011 9988899282. Is that what you have?

We were able to change up the menu and customize it and also thought soup was too hot for an outdoor wedding. We went down there and did a tasting and here's what we wound up with...tuna tartar ap, the hearts of palm salad, filet with scallops and the chocolate agavera cake. The fish option for the entre is chilean sae bass with shitake and lobster risotto. (and there was no additional charge with the gold package but not sure about the others) On our reply card we had the menu options but didn't have all the specifics as we were still waiting to find out about fish options. We worded it as: beef and seafood, seafood, and other dietary restrictions. We are printing menus for the reception and that's where the full menu will be listed for everyone.

The Mexican night on Friday starts at 6:30. We're also doing our rehearsal dinner/drinks there and they were able to reserve tables for our group.

Congrats and good luck Ladies!! Keep us posted on the Nayeli situation...and tell her to get back to us too!

Thank you so much for the info! This is so helpful...especially since I am starting to get into panic mode. That is really great to know that they will put you in a restaurant if it rains! Question...Can you have a DJ on the Toscana Terrace??

First, thank you! YES! I did ask about a million questions! I found out the same as you, they do not offer up much info, so here's how I did it..I was doing a few questions at a time and getting a couple back...asking the leftover ones and a few more...I gave up. I put the questions in 1 email with headings on each subject...FLOWERS..then my bouquet, bridesmaid bouquets, centerpieces, etc...until everything that involved a flower was done....then ceremony details, reception details, menu, rehearsal, DJ, photographer, after party, spa or honeymoon info, payment, etc, and every other MINUTE detail I could think of. We went back and forth with different color font each time we got back to each other so we didn't get confused. It took a broad topic and then drilled it down to get to the little details. With much lag time between responses, this was the way for me to get a lot of answers quick. When it was something timely we were waiting on, I just told her I needed that info asap. Did they miss a few...sure, but I found it easier for me to re-question it because it was right there. Don' get me wrong,I'm still waiting on info but feel SOOO much better that if we got there tomorrow, it would be something of what we imagined. WHO KNEW this wedding planning would be so crazy!!

Hear Hear!!!! I had the same situation with one of my closest friends of 15 years! SHE was the one who said, "have your wedding where you want it...those of us who will be there, will be there regardless." She was a bridesmaid and would have been my MOH, had my MOH not been family...and we discussed that! She also has quite enough $ to make the trip, and helped us decide on where to have it. Well guess what...JUST when ordering bridesmaid dresses came rolling around, she SENT ME AN EMAIL and bailed out. I was devastated. Honestly, it hurts. I too, would and have been there many times for friends and family...ALL over the world, and it's hard to understand why they choose not not be there for us. BUT....it is what it is. Another good reason to marry your best friend who will always be there for you! Quote: Originally Posted by k032379 Funny im thinking my MOH may pull that same stunt because her entire demeanor about the wedding has changed in the last couple of months. She went from super excited and cant wait to "i need to come into some money". I just kindly state, "dont we all". But she is comes from money. People are something else. I'm not going to get upset with anyone. It is what it is. I just wouldn't make this type of major commitment & not hold up to my end of the bargain.

YUM!! I just read this to my fiance and he said, "mmmmm....banana....!" Was it all banana or a fruit filling??

Welcome back and CONGRATULATIONS!! It sounds like everything went beautifully! Really good news about the DJ! I was a little worried about them, so thanks for the feedback! Question for you...what kind of wedding cake did you have?? We want tres leches but found out they cant do it as a tier cake so now we have some flavors to choose. Does anyone have a wedding cake flavor list??

OK...Rehearsal time- We JUST found out 2 weeks ago what time it would be...getting married in 1 day less than 1 month! There are 2 weddings the day before ours so for us, the time is at 7pm on Friday, the day before. We asked this question about 2 months in advance while we were starting to figure out our welcome letter....I wish I thought of it earlier as we are in a bit of a scramble getting everything printed! We have someone we found on Etsy doing ALL of our stationary. (save the dates, invites, thank you's, welcome letter, check in card, itinerary, favor cards, luggage tags, menus, do not disturb signs, wedding party events letter.) She does everything custom...colors, design, wording, font, you name it! Here's the best part...EVERYTHING she is doing cost less than invites ALONE we found on wedding paper divas, papyrus, and other various sites. I LOVE her! Her name is Ginger and her website is www.serendipitybeyonddesign.com email:[email protected] So we had the same dilemma on how to let everyone know what was going on. They deliver OOT bags at turn down service. Our issue was that when people check in on Thursday, how will they know to meet us for cocktails at 9 that night if they are already out for the night when their bags are delivered with the welcome letter in there? We found out we can give them something small at check in. We made up "check in" cards, welcoming them and telling them to meet us that night. In their OOT bags will be a welcome letter and time line of events for the rest of the weekend. In the wedding part group's bags will be their special events time line page as well. We also found out that it's easier for the resort if they know who's bag is who's to deliver, so we made luggage tags for them. In the welcome letter, we told them to contact us in our room through the front desk if they need us, and if it's an emergency, call my Fi's cell. His works in Mexico, mine does not. We also told everyone to call their cell phone provider to make sure their phone works in Mexico in case they need it. We were thinking that we can make a master list of everyone's room once we're there and then slip a copy under everyone's door once they're checked in, but they can also reach anyone through the front desk, so not sure that's necessary. The wedding coordinator can get you everyone's room # once everyone is settled. Hope this helps!! This is the check in card, timeline, welcome letter and wedding party events page (changing an error on the guys timeline-3pm pre game ceremonies are on Sat not friday) ... (If anyone wants to see the other" stuff" we did, let me know and I can post it!) Quote: Originally Posted by Jill Conner Welcome drinks... that is a good idea too... Do you guys have itineraries for your guests? I haven't put much thought into this to be honest... but now I am starting to wonder how you communicate with everyone! I'm assuming there will not be normal cell phone coverage! How are all you ladies working out this communication piece?! Now I'm wondering how we even figure out who is in what room, etc. Also, none of the planners have mentioned a "rehearsal" to me... anyone doing one of these? Or are these normal? Apparently you all have become my wedding planners... I suppose Gloria will appreciate not getting bombarded with 400 emails from me with 1 question in each! ahah!

We were going through the same dilemma! We originally considered ME by Melia, because it was more of a party scene, great food, great decor and it's right in the middle of the action in the Hotel Zone, which is super easy and normal to leave the resort and hop around to restaurants, bars, clubs, shopping etc. Once we saw both resorts (and many more) on our Wedding Venue Hunt, we fell in love with EPM even though it was pricier. We decided that we'd rather have less people, and more of what WE wanted for our wedding than try to cater too much to what everyone else wanted. It was a tough choice but we're so glad we went this way. It was pretty rowdy at EPM at the pool with a wedding group we saw there, and everyone is laid back and having fun...it's not a snooty resort. I KNOW our group is going to be rowdy, and they will for sure make their own party! An idea for you...We're renting a mini bus and taking a day trip to Tulum. The original idea was to go out in Cancun for the night. When we took a vote, the Tulum trip won. If you're interested in an excursion of some kind, there are plenty of companies that offer personal tours...just google it. For ours, we found www.Cancunvans.com had the best price and could get all 16 of us in the same minibus! Good luck!!

We did do RSVP's with our invites that we sent out 6 months before the wedding. (Save the Dates went out 10 months before) We set the reply to be 3 months in advance, knowing we'd have a few people or their guests trickle in later. For us, it was important to get an estimate on the head count for budgeting purposes. It was amazing how many people said they were going and then by RSVP time, they couldn't do it. We've been engaged for 2 years and knew our wedding would be in Cancun the ENTIRE time, and at EPM for over a year and a half. We wanted to be able to save up for it, and also have our guest be able to prepare financially for it. Still, our "at least 50-60 people", turned into 32. Bummer that some family and friends can't make it, but it saved us a chunk of change! We were able to spend that money upgrading our room, splurging a little more for OOT bag stuff and doing spa stuff for the wedding party. The RSVP's also had a "Beef, Fish, and dietary restrictions" option. This way our menu was set way early and it was one less thing to worry about! We scheduled a trip down there a month before we ordered the invites to do a menu tasting, meet the vendors and nail some things down. The only thing we were waiting on once we left was what the fish option would be. When emailing, it was easier to "apply pressure" because we said we HAD to have the option asap because we were printing invites. It worked!

Thanks Ally! I know... I think I'm at the numb stage, I have so much anxiety! It is literally right around the corner!! My Fiance started a time line countdown on facebook....he's super excited and not stressed at all...not fair! How is everybody holding up?? I heard from Nayeli last Wednesday with some answers, but of course there are more questions so I'm waiting again. Hopefully by this weekend! (I'm staying optimistic!)

WOW! That sounds amazing!!! I'm so glad it all worked out! Congratulations!!

I love the black and red! Good choice! Our "theme" if you want to call it that is Mayan, but only in the sense of Earth, fire, water, air....so not so literal. We wanted earthy sort of colors and somehow wound up with chocolate brown, burnt orange and burgundy. My dress is ivory as well. Our guest count is FINALLY complete with 32 of us. People will be trickling throughout the week and some are staying in the hotel zone for the first portion of the week. The bulk of everyone will be there by Thursday and most leaving on Sunday. I'm stressing trying to keep track of everyone!! It really is mostly friends coming, with a handful of family so it should be a fun group...I hope they don't get out of hand! I can't believe we're leaving in just over 3 weeks!!! Are you getting excited??

Not sure about the welcome dinner and set menus...last I heard we had to have it, but that was a while ago. I'm right there with you about them being able to choose what they want. We decided to not have a welcome dinner, but welcome cocktails instead! This way everyone can decide to eat whatever and where ever they want and meet up for drinks at 9. We're kind of doing the same thing for the rehearsal night. Since our rehearsal isn't until 7, they are reserving tables at the Mexican Fiesta Night for our group(starts at 6:30). We're telling everyone there are tables reserved but they are free to dine where they'd like...just meet us there by 8 for drinks or dinner if they decide on that. I really love that Excellence is able to work with all of us to customize our time there!

Yes, let's definitely meet up for a drink! I agree with you about the bag delivery. We were planning on doing that but we will be on an excursion with half of our group on Thursday when the other half check in. At least it's not as many people so the cost will be less, but it still irks me! Red roses with black ribbon will be beautiful! Very elegant! I takeit your colors are black and red? Where are you having your ceremony, cocktail hour and reception?

Hi Ally!! I will see you down there!! We'll be in Cancun on the 12th and check into Excellence on the 15th and staying through the 22nd...our wedding is the19th. We'll be popping in on the 12th or 13th to drop some things off, so I'm sure we will see you at some point either before or while we're there! How many guests do you have? I heard there were also 2 weddings on Friday the 18th. Should be a fun week! We should try to meet up somewhere! Your OOT bags sound great! They deliver them during turn down service and they charge $4/bag. I'm pretty sure they wrap the bouquets with ribbon, but it's a great detail to find out...really...what color ribbon are they planning on using! Didn't even think of asking that one...thanks! -Sheryl

I just found a thread on this site about customs and what you can bring into Mexico... http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/41422/customs-in-mexico-an-effort-to-gather-the-info-in-one-thread/120 They're talking about bringing receipts and everything being under $300...oy! There's no current feedback on the thread and I'm wondering if it's still the same. Does anyone have insight on this?? Lciz, did you have any issues getting through customs with everything??

Hi Jill! Congrats on your wedding!! I'm getting married in Excellence Playa Mujeres next month and I may have some answers for you... A lot of us at EPM are working with Nayeli. I think she was promoted to director and now is working primarily at EPM. As for the DJ, do you have Mannia, their house DJ?? If so, I TOTALLY agree with you about the music! I saw the list and had a panic attack! Just about everything on their "list" is on my "do not play" list! We actually met Fernando last September while we were down there and he was super nice and was willing to do anything we wanted to make us happy. What we're doing is giving him ALL of my music. This way people can request whatever they want and he can work with our style of music. The tedious part of this was converting everything from iTunes to MP3. We then are putting it all on a passport(external hard drive) and giving it to him when we get down there. He's meeting us on Monday to go over everything and get the passport, and then coming back the next day to give it back to us once he downloads everything. This will give him the rest of the week to play around with it and put some things together. I am REALLY hoping this works out, but if all else fails, our wedding party is prepared to bombard him with requests! With the menus, they've been great about changing, adding, switching and customizing anything you want! I'm sure it's the same at ERC. We have the gold package but chose a silver menu. Changed out the soup(too hot for soup in our opinion for an outside reception) and added a tuna tartar appetizer, then into the salad, then the main and desert. We also had them come up with fish and vegetarian options that are not on the menu choices. I'm really happy with the outcome and THRILLED that they could do what we wanted versus us being locked into a set menu. For the "guest book" we wanted to find a photo book of ruins or Mexico(something like that) CANNOT find it here! We're hoping we'll find something once we're there. What we're doing anyway, is getting a mix of postcards and laying them on a talavera tray with metallic markers. guests can write us notes and then clip them to a photo "tree" of sorts. (photofalls by Umbra)(We had vintage Mexican postcards as our Save the Date) It will be displayed on a table with a talavera vase filled with sparklers, and photos of my Grandparents and my Fi's Mother who has passed. In my head it works...hope it does when we actually see it! Good luck with your planning...I'm sure it will be beautiful, whatever you decide to go with! A bride who just got married at EPM posted "It's so beautiful here, it's really hard to screw it up". Excellence resorts are GORGEOUS, and the staff is amazing... I have faith that they'll exceed all expectations!

Lciz you look amazing! Love the pics! We have the house photographers and they do seem to be a bit "loose" when it comes to getting concrete answers on prices...good to know we can negotiate!! Thanks!