Mlite83

Nicky - Can I ask what made you narrow it down to these two options?

Originally Posted by NickyL 

 

Congrats. My fiancé n I are thinking about July 20,2013. We are thinking of Jamaica. I am leaning very much to Grande Pallidium or Iberostar beach. I am having issues getting in touch with a coordinator for both location. The numbers on Gp websites are all out of service. Maybe we can team up n plan out wedding. 

Thanks Court - I am also wondering if we should go with Jamaica because of the legal requirements etc - I think Mexico has some beautiful options but I know a lot of brides do a justice of the peace thing at home first in order to avoid the blood tests and residency requirements.

Thanks Court - I think Jamaica might be the way we go too, it is just much easier without the extras to worried about.  I know Mexico has beautiful resorts but the hassle of the blood test and residency requirements are a pain that I would rather avoid.  I know many brides opt for a justice of the peace legal ceremony at home first but I don't think that is what I want to do.  Choices, choices!  Thanks again for your advice

Hey all,

I am working on picking the resort for my DW and Now is definitely high on my list - I am just trying to get a handle on the additional costs that may add up (especially if they are hidden). 

1. Does anyone know if there is a fee for using an external vendor (ie hiring your own photographer) - I know of one resort that charges you $800 per external vendor and I wanted to have this info upfront.

2. I have read in several reviews about substituting items in the paid package (ie having an additional floral arrangement in lieu of make-up on day of wedding) - I am wondering if they charge a fee for these sorts of substitutions since the "fine print" says wedding services are non-exchangeable?

Thanks in advance for any info you may have! Happy planning

Hi Ladies,

I am just starting to explore Jamaica as an option for our DW - I have heard great things about the Iberostar resorts from friends who have vacationed there so I thought I would check into it for a potential DW resort too. 

From a quick look at the wedding packages the Iberostar offers it appears that they have a more minimal package but lots of options to add on (and many are at much more reasonable prices than other resorts) -- for the brides who have already started planning and booking, would you mind giving me an approximate idea of what your wedding budget is?  Like most of you I would like a private dinner and reception but don't want to break the bank Thanks in advance for any input!

Does anyone know if the $1500 room credit will be honoured during the 2013 calendar year if you book your room in 2012 (while the promotion is on)?  I'm hoping that they have this or a similar promotion since it would be a nice "treat" for guests to have upgrades. Thanks!

Hello ladies,

I am also a 2013 bride!  My FI and I know we want all-inclusive and are looking at Mexico or Jamaica but other than that we don't have anything planned yet.  We are thinking winter 2013 for our wedding so I know we need to get moving on resort choices etc but it is a little overwhelming (and it doesn't help that I am indecisive .  In Mexico we keep coming back to Moon Palace and Now and we haven't looked too much into Jamaica (yet).  If anyone has any words of advice on how they narrowed the field of choices I'd love to hear it!   Happy Planning!

Thanks ladies - I definitely see the advantages of large resorts and having lots to do.  FI father is into golf (as our some of the groomsmen) so I can see MP being a hit for that reason with the boys. 

@Smoylan - I was wondering about the Spa and Cove resorts too but thought that the Spa had less "beach" as it was rocky/lagoon like whereas MP has the traditional tropical beach that I want people to enjoy since, like you, I want our guests to have a great vacation all around, not just our wedding.

Originally Posted by Smoylan 

I totally understand! We chose MP because kids were allowed and basically every family member and friend have kids. Yet, No one is bringing kids

Ive been to a DW at the Aventura Spa Palace Resort (now 2- resorts Spa and Cove) It was large, but it gave people a chance to be on their own. My big thing is that this is everyone's vacation too! Most of my guests havent been away since their honeymoons. I didnt want people to feel pressure to eat with thr group or run into the group every day. We expected about 40 people (25 have booked) 

Ive stayed at big resorts and I like walking, and having more options for dinner and pools and even beaches. Resorts can get small very quickly! Shuttles are available, but Im all for burning the most calories possible while on vavaction
 

 

@Jamie5280 - I definitely agree with the idea of more restuarant options - I think after a week of the same few restuarants you would be looking forward to getting home and having more options!  Food is factoring into our choice so thanks for pointing that out
 

Originally Posted by Jamie5280 

We chose MP because my nephews were coming and they have a ton to do there with plenty of dining options.  I tend to get sick of the same thing over and over.  However, we were debating between beach palace and MP.  I loved Beach Palace, but I thought 3 restaurants would be tiresome after a week.  Part of me wishes we would have booked Beach Palace (since we have less people going than we thought), but MP is a great resort and has tons of amenities, golf course included.  Most of our group going down did not want to venture off the property into Cancun or Playa, so that was main reason we chose MP-tons of options at the resort.  Good luck with your decision. 
 

 

Hi All,

I'm still fairly new to this whole DW wedding planning world so excuse my ignorance I'm trying to get a few resorts together that I love in order to get some quotes for a winter 2013 wedding -- I have been reading lots of the boards on here and checking out individual resort websites and I think Moon Palace looks fantastic.  When I discussing it with FI he was worried about the size (i.e. number of guest rooms) at this resort compared to others.  He is wondering if the resort will be busy everywhere simply by the sheer number of people? Are the resort grounds spread out?  Friends just stayed at a different resort in January and loved it but the rooms were so far from everything they started using golf carts to get around in a more timely fashion, ha.

Can anyone who has been or has booked to MP let me know their thoughts on this - we both agree that a bigger resort will offer lots of amenities tho too, and if the resort is under capacity that means our guests will have lots of choices! 

Thanks in advance for helping this newbie!

We are still in the early stages of our planning but one thing that almost all of our family members have asked is if we will also be having an AHR.  Realistically I know many of my extended family won't be able to join us for a DW so I think a fun night to celebrate with everyone is important.  My aunt in particular was very vocal about me wearing the dress again -- pictures just aren't the same!  Our tentative plans for an AHR are less formal than if we had done the whole wedding at home but that is also to save my sanity with planning (and to save on some $$$ too).  To each their own, and if someone is going off about it being inappropriate to have an AHR you know they just wish they got to have two wedding receptions

Hi everyone,

I am newly engaged and FI and I are thinking DW in Mexico or Jamaica, sometime next winter.  We haven`t made any decisions yet on location (other than definitely all-inclusive) or a date.  We have done a bit of research ourselves but are looking for realistic advice, reviews and referrals to help sort things out as we don`t have any friends or family who have done a DW before.  That is actually one of the reasons a DW is attractive - it is something different than the traditional ceremony, dinner and reception which all of our friends have done. 

Just from browsing I have seen the awesome ideas and useful information you ladies have and I look forward to putting everything to use!

Cheers,

M.