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Ladies out wedding was absolutely perfect!!!! If you have Facebook you can look for 2 photo sneak peeks from Samuel Luna on his page!!! No one fret about Ana not being here - I honestly think they had a few issues with her and that's why she's not here anymore. I was transferred to Evelin however I actually coordinated everything with Pilar who's is the Romance manager - please don't fret!!!! Hope you all have good luck planning and when I get home I will write a more detailed report! Yes there were a few slight issues but they are very empathetic and apologetic for confusion and no more Ana so they will work with you to make everything perfect!

Hi ladies!!! We are here in Mexico and honestly let me tell you the resort is unbelievable! The people here really do work hard and try to make sure any issues are resolved immediately! A few things to let you all know: 1. I don't think that Ana work here any more - we were then put with Evelin however since I called the resort a few times before we left to let them know I was beyond frustrated we received no response from anyone - we have been working with the Romance manager Pilar - she is the sweetest woman and I'm hopeful everything will turn out perfect. 2. I personally have not noticed the Mosquitos - randomly saw a few red bites on one leg today but they aren't itchy! One of my bridesmaids though her legs are covered - thinks it was from being on the balcony before it stormed! 3. I haven't tasted any of the food for wedding tomorrow but judging from the buffet and dinner at the market I know it will be delicious! 4. Last point of advice I have for ladies right now is to make sure you print off any important email convos either with Jessica or Ana before she left. I had almost everything printed but Pilar had no idea of our seating charts etc which they needed since we are offering different choices for dinner. I was able to print it for her yesterday no problem in the Romance office but just good to know that they may not have your previous correspondence if it was with Ana. I just hope the weather holds out for us tomorrow! Saturday afternoon and yesterday were gorgeous - today there was an early down pour before lunch and its slightly sunny but mostly overcast now! And lastly the beach is really really nice - FAR better than where I was in the Mayan a few years ago - there are a few rocks but don't listen to trip advisor - all of us enjoyed the ocean most of the day yesterday with no issues! You do need to watch where you are going but you can definitely tell where the rocks are so don't worry!! Well wish me luck tomorrow I marry my best friend and I cannot wait!! Lets just hope like I said the rain holds off!! Oh and if you are planning Gabi bridge and it does rain they can do it in The Grill on the La Perla side - it faces out towards the bridge and Gabi club seating!

Eeeeeeeek ladies I am SOOOOO nervous and stressed out! We are leaving Saturday morning and I still have not heard anything from the on site coordinators from the resort - so frustrated I want to cry Jessica has been hounding the resort on my behalf so fingers crossed I hear back from them today!

Rea Really!!!!!! That is AMAZING news! I'm glad someone actually knows! I did ask the airline and no one seemed to have a true answer so we figured no! Did you do anything special in terms of packing them or just throw them in the suitcase in their original package??!! Thanks for clarifying that!

I looked into it - re: sparklers ..... Actually my fiancée laughed at me hahaha they are most definitely NOT allowed on the plane - carry on or checked - they are put in the same kind of class as explosive material I think - something about them rubbing together they could spark/ignite - hahahahaha I guess I can understand the concern!!!! I'm going to be asking out photographer if he would be able to buy some and bring them since he is from Playa and the resort charges something ridiculous I bet!

Ok ladies, Little update! I have received my final extras invoice from Jessica in Miami and she has introduced me via email to the onsite wedding coordinators. I already had personally sought out their contact information and am feeling a little bit better about things!! I too received another sheet to fill out with all wedding details - AGAIN but I was told it is to charge the extras as that goes through a different department? I haven't had anything be charged to my card that I did not authorize - so hopefully that doesn't change!! Imnotarunner - don't worry about having a small number of people! We originally thought there were be more guests for ours but we are having 33 guests. I am at least thankful that they will let us have a private dinner reception in Hadar - I was at a destination wedding in the Dominican at the Magestic Colonial and they had FIVE weddings in the same day and then there were 2 wedding parties at the one restaurant PLUS regular hotel guests. I promise to give a very long and detailed review of everything about our wedding - and hopefully pictures too!!!! I can't believe we are leaving so soon! Lets just cross our fingers and hope everything turns out! At the end of the day we're there with closest family and friends to celebrate the love we have for our hubby's!!!

Hey Aury1214, I'm not sure if they would charge you - I think it would depend on whether the make-up artist is a guest of your wedding or not. If it's one of your guests there would be no charge - BUT if it is someone from the PDC area I am thinking they would charge you as they would not be registered with the hotel so therefore would not be allowed on the property. To avoid that (if that's the case) I would suggest just getting the artist a day pass and paying for that - not telling the resort why the person is coming, etc. If they say they are there to do your make-up I worry they would try to charge you the vendor fee. As far as the hor's douvres I'm actually not too sure how they will be serving - we went with the Aqua package, but I assuming that they will be passing them out plated style as I was told they would replenish as needed? But then again that could mean that it is buffet style?

Oh and as for cocktail hour I am doing that by the pool - hopefully - that was also an "if available" - for all the hassles the poolside better be freaking available!!!!! So outdoors before we do our dinner which will be in Hadar, then I guess we will just hit one of the lounges since we apparently have a time limit on the restaurant - hope that helps!! Also - do any brides know if children (under 1) who are attending get a dinner?? I'm assuming they would be able to get them something even if from the main buffet?? But any experience with this would be much appreciated!!!!

OMG let me tell you I feel your pain!!!!! We fly out June 15 and I feel like there is still so much I have to do! I had a few minor issues in regards to the pricing of things but Jessica from Paradisus made sure JSAV kept to the pricing originally set out in the customization package I received at the time of my deposit. That being said - we only get the restaurant for 3 hours for the dinner/reception and same with the DJ - which is coming in at just shy of $1,300. I am so disappointed with the la k of communication from Alquimia I am considering having things privately ordered and shipped so I know exactly what is going to be there - it took over 2 weeks to actually get the proper response to my email - keep in mind though I needed to make the decisions ASAP so they could be added to my "extras" invoice!! Trying not to stress but with working full time and worrying about getting everything in order I'm gonna definitely need the vacation part of this wedding!!! Try not to worry too much, I just keep trying to think that they know what they're doing and do so many a year that everything will be fine - hopefully the other bride's experience was just an unfortunate mishap 24 days to go!!

Hey ladies!!! I'm on a 35 day countdown now before we leave for PDC!!! In regards to both posts above me - try contacting your wedding coordinator as the new package pricing was not available before they should honour the pricing stated in their book - but who am I to say!!! I just know I am about to email the DJ company and my wedding coordinator together to make sure that I will be getting the listed prices from the wedding package book they sent me!! i will not be happy for any more! Is anyone else having a really difficult time getting responses from Perla from Alquimia events??? I'm getting super frustrated not only at the outrageous costs for everything - but mostly the lack of effort on her part to get back to me in a timely manner - I know we're on island time but 10+ days for an email response regarding pricing and options is a little much! Anyone else know another contact at Alquimia? I know Jessica is my planner from the resort but I hate constantly bugging her to chase down Perla to get a response - I thought destination weddings were supposed to be LESS of a headache!! Hope the rest of you ladies are getting excited for your big days! Will anyone be down there from June 15-22??

Hey ladies does anyone have the spa menu with prices??? I'm trying to have this available for my girls who may want to get their makeup done but would like them to know what to expect to pay!! Also did anyone find out if you are in just the regular area (not royal service) if you are able to order alcohol to the room and if there is a charge??? The date is FAST approaching!!! Will anyone be there over the week of June 15-22?? We get married the 18th!! And one last little vent - alquimia events is driving me nuts with lack of responses!! How are you supposed to pick extras you want when it takes forever to get a response and they consistently fail to include prices!!

Hey ladies just a question about the bridal suite I've seen mentioned a few times - does anyone know if they charge you to use it?? At this point I would not be surprised hahaha but wanted to check with you ladies first before I ask the wedding coordinators! Can't believe the wedding is coming so quickly! 6.18.2013 getting very excited but also starting to worry a little bit more!!

Hey ladies! I'm sorry I haven't been on here in a while!!! Reading through everything and I've missed a lot! Little update on our planning process - wedding date is booked and we have 34 guests attending as of now for our June 18, 2013 wedding! We booked Gabi bridge for ceremony have not picked cocktail location but are using Hadar for reception. As for vendor pricing - we are using Samuel Luna for photography on the day and for a TTD session! Because there are 2 photographers and we will have them 2 days there was ZERO way I was going to pay $4000 in vendor fees! It was far more economical for us to book them a room for the 3 night minimum they require! I strongly would suggest looking I to the hotel rate and if it's more beneficial to do that then pay the ridiculous vendor fees!!! Hope that helps a bit! I

Hey KK, I too was struggling so hard to find the exact colour I wanted - originally I wanted a light lilac/lavender BUT all the designers colours were way too grey undertoned or too bright purple - soooooo I had a bit of freakout and may just order a dark plum/purple instead - I'm hoping it won't look too weird being in a tropical setting - any ideas or helpful hints!!! I went with the Aqua Package so we could have a plated dinner, but am keeping the Chill Out Chic decor because I wanted the orchids as part of the colour scheme! UGH I'm so frustrated with everything! Not to mention I sent a photo of a very simple centrepiece (a few hydrangea blooms and an orchid stem or 2) and I was quoted $500 a table!!! That is a bit extreme so now I'm trying to do my own centrepieces and bring them with me!!! Hahaha sorry for the little vent session - but try not to stress too much about the colour - my fiance keeps telling me not to stress the little things we can't control - but I know that it's hard and frustrating when you can't find exactly what you're looking for!

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The photographer from the resort that they use is Blue Lens Caribe - not sure who their DJ is but pricing is in the customization list!! We are using a different photographer but beware of their off resort vendor fees for ANY service you use outside of the ones the resort does - photographer for example was a $1000 charge per day!!! As for flowers etc they use Perla from Alquimia events for all the decor etc but what I'm finding is I need to give very specific descriptions for answers to what I'm asking!! Hope that helps!!!

Also ladies - if you are looking for outside people to do anything (someone posted about a photographer??!!) My fiance and I are using Samuel Luna because we were fortunate enough to win one of the runner up packages from the contest that was posted a few months ago!! The resorts off vendor fee is RIDICULOUS and since we would need him to come back a second day for our other photo session we are getting them a room. I would highly suggest this as an alternative so they have unrestricted access to the resort etc while you need them - and also as your travel agent to look into pricing!! Mine came in about $300 less overall than using Cecilia who is the groups coordinator Jessica put me in contact with!

Ola!!! Hope you have a fantastic time down there!!! Hadar is no extra charge for receptions - I have a few pictures of what they did decor wise for receptions in Noas which is the exact same only on the Esmerelda side - Hadar is a bit more neutral because the chairs look to be in a more neutral colour!!

Hey!! If you want to PM me your email I can send you everything I received from the resort - menus, prices, etc!!

Sharon, Hopefully you found the package info I sent you helpful!! As far as the decor, the Chill out Chic package comes with 3 sets of bamboo with orchid accents on them - so 6 in total as far as I know. You do get some draping, just not sure how much of the draping is included. As far as other decor elements you will get brown or ivory table clothes, I think it is brown or bamboo napkin rings and charger plates but there are no centre pieces included. As I mentioned before we chose the Aqua package, but are going to use the decor more from the Chill out Chic because of our colour scheme. Have you considered using the Gabi bridge for your ceremony? It is the boardwalk that goes from the pool to the beach - you should be able to find lots of pictures. Don't be discouraged about the reviews - I too have kinda been worried but my travel agent just had 3 couples get back and do nothing but rave about the hotel! Hope you aren't too stressed out - I know I am getting a little bit annoyed with their events company regarding centre pieces - I was hoping she would have had more pictures and costs listed, but I think you just have to be very specific and send emails with pictures of what you're wanting to get an accurate price. In the Paradisus info I received it says that they START at $35USD per table.

Sharon send me a PM with your email and I will send u all of the menus as info I have!!

Could you pretty pretty please email me the Spanish booklet PDF - I was unable to download it!!! [email protected]

Hi Ladies! Haven't been on here in a while, but have been happy to read so many comments on the resort etc. Here is an update so far on how things are going, and if anyone needs any of the forms or menus etc please PM me and I can send it over - I probably have EVERYTHING they offer! We are officially booked for June 18, 2013, and so far have about 30 guests booked!! A little smaller than what we had originally thought, but I think the price was a huge factor for many of our friends/family - over $1800 a person for the summer still even to me seems a little steep!! In regards to packages, we ended up choosing the "Aqua" package because we really wanted to sit-down dinner, but I'm still waiting to hear back from Perla from Alquimia who does the decor if we can have the "Chill out Chic" decor over the "Aqua" - being Type A its a little bit annoying waiting for responses, but I have been told this is a busy time for them. We did run into a few snags and I bombarded Jessica with a million questions regarding menu choices etc, before I committed to booking our wedding here - as we have several people who either don't eat red meat, don't eat fish, or are vegetarian/vegan - I have confirmation that they have now added a beef option to the Aqua package - originally there wasn't one which I found odd since the only package above the Aqua is the Tailor Made. FYI the ONLY way I was able to offer guests 3 choices was by stating I had vegetarians and ppl who would not eat red meat - they were very reluctant to give me 3 options, but as stated by other brides you have to provide them with a seating/meal chart minimum 45 days prior to the wedding. As well - we were fortunate enough to win a runner-up prize in the Samuel Luna contest a few months ago - which is going to dave us a TON on photography and I love his style - but I could not get over the prices the want to charge for "off-site vendor" fees!!! WTF - our photography package actually includes 2 sessions - one of which we are planning a TTD - but the resort charges $1000 PER PHOTOGRAPHER per day!!!! We are currently looking into just booking them a room for 3 nights (which is your other option) so they can have access to the resort all days - sorry for the rant but this just seemed ludicrous! Right now we have booked the boardwalk for our ceremony - which will be a civil ceremony - hoping this is not in Spanish! We are getting legally married here before we go as there is no part of me that feels comfortable giving blood in Mexico, or wanting to waste a whole day and pay $100 for it! After reading some of the other bride's comments I'm now a little worried about the "gaps" in between the planks on the boardwalk?! We have asked if the Gazebo is available as a back-up in case we change our mind but have been told that they won't confirm that until we are down there - seems a little odd since I was originally told there is only one wedding per day there. Have any of you decided or seen pictures of the available areas for the cocktail reception?? We are doing our dinner in Hadar as of now, and was hoping for something outdoors for the cocktail reception - any suggestions are welcomed!!!! Also for previous brides of PPC what did your groups do after the dinner reception?? I know there is no shortage of little lounges/bars on the resort, but I also know there is no "disco" - so trying to think where will still be lively - or more importantly will allow us to be lively after the reception - I can't remember if we have a "cut-off" time at Hadar?? I too have been reading the most recent reviews and am a little bit concerned - but I would like to think that those people are just being a little unrealistic when it comes to what to expect from an all-inclusive vacation. To be honest I am just more worried about how "family" the family side of the resort is going to be! Originally we booked this side thinking our nieces and nephews would be coming, but now my MOH is the only couple bringing a child - I know we get access to the adult side, but I can't help but wondering if it would have been better for us to book La Perla instead!! Fingers crossed that being still within the school year there won't be too many kids running around!! Sorry for the long winded post - been a while and thought I would catch up with everyone!!! Happy Planning Ladies and looking forward to not only our day, but sharing the process with you!!

After picking the perfect backdrop for our wedding in beautiful Playa del Carmen, Mexico, my fiance and I are now left to make the next biggest decision - find the perfect photographers! So here is a little backstory and why we feel photography is so important on our wedding day... The first year of our relationship we spent 8 months of it away from each other - I was traveling for work throughout South East Asia and Australia, and it was during that time I would sit back and reflect wishing we had more photos together so I could mentally and visually relive the memories we had made. Once I returned for good we made a point to make sure we capture all of life's precious moments - and looking back through our photos, they aren't just pictures of us, events we went to, or places we've been together, they are what makes up the story of us. Each time we look back at a photo it's like we're transported back to that exact day, remembering every detail and emotion we shared. Our wedding day is the next greatest milestone in our life, and I want the day to be focused on us and our new step in life's journey together, but the photography is what will tell us the story and help us relive our special day over and over again. The photos taken will not be just for us to reflect on, but also for our friends, family, one day our children, our grandchildren, and so on. People always say how fast the day goes by, and that its a complete blur, but that the photos are what make them remember all the intimate details of the day. Photographers are who a couple relies on to take the special moments from the day and freeze them in time, to capture those moments that will never happen again, and to lace together the fairytale of each couple's love for one another. After looking through your portfolio of memories you have created for so many other couples, I know without a doubt your team would be the perfect photographers for my fiance and I, and we would be so grateful to be selected to work together with you on capturing our wedding and bringing the fairytale of our day back to life over and over again.