bambaleo

I would get the napkins from like The Knot's wedding shop or similar online vendors b/c it's so much cheaper plus u can get a discount for larger orders. They probably told you this but I think Jambalaya holds up to 80 people (El Tapatio is better for larger weddings). Also think about what kind of tables u want - I think the standard for us was square tables and we wanted round - so we paid extra for round tables (but I think this came with free Tiffany chairs...or some sort of chair that wasn't the wooden ones that the restaurant provided). I asked for pictures of flower arrangements and although my WC sent a few options they weren't the extent of what she had, so when we got to the resort and had the final conversation, I was much happier with the options she showed me from her binder. Basically....getting information in the planning process was like pulling teeth so there's certain things I just had to settle on not knowing details (and in reality you don't need to know these details in advance). However, once we sat down with the WC, she gave me all the options and prices...and if you push on them they'll make more of an effort...and we got everything we needed. Those details include bridal and bridesmaids' bouquet arrangements, centerpieces, over decor, tiki torches, types of hors d'ouvres for the champagne reception (1 hr after ceremony/before dinner). Also, you can ask them to extend your reception venue for an hour or so....trust me you'll want this time). You can absolutely continue on in the disco, but it's just not the same.

Next step is Save the Dates (if you haven't done that already) - it might seem early, but since your guests are flying out, it's good to give as much early notice as possible. In the save the date, you can ask for mailing addresses and start building a spreadsheet! I would also recommend signing up on theknot.com b/c they have a good month to month checklist of what you should be doing. Although most of the info doesn't apply to destination weddings, it's still good as a sanity check. Read this blog and the one from the previous year to see what we all had to go through at the resort, it saved me a lot of headache.

I would definetely double check the mic and speakers situation, because depending on how many people you have and which venue you're using, the speakers that are included might not be enough - you might need to rent extra speakers/subwoofers/etc. I think they provided us with 1 wireless mic, but could be good to bring your own backup just incase.

I would definetely double check the mic and speakers situation, because depending on how many people you have and which venue you're using, the speakers that are included might not be enough - you might need to rent extra speakers/subwoofers/etc. I think they provided us with 1 wireless mic, but could be good to bring your own backup just incase.

Yeah she did a great job with makeup. It stayed on all day and all night. I brought my own eyelashes and she put them on. My face didn't look caked on, so it seems their beauty products aren't too bad.

Yeah she did a great job with makeup. It stayed on all day and all night. I brought my own eyelashes and she put them on. My face didn't look caked on, so it seems their beauty products aren't too bad.

You can hire your own makeup artist - I just went with the spa they have onsite, thinking they would have their own makeup artist - but my makeup artist turned out to be the same person that did my hair. She is hired out by different hotels in Cancun/Riviera Maya - so I think that's even better than having a permanent person at the hotel!

I'm not sure what's in the Gold Star package...I think ours had the words Dream and Blessing in it or something like that. Our reception was in the Tapatio restaurant and no dance floor was needed, the regular floor is good. As for DJ - it depends on what DJ you hire so the hotel doesn't exactly charge you for a DJ - you find one if you want one...they probably have a list of preferred vendors...or ask for suggestions on this forum.

We're still waiting on the official wedding photos but I can upload a pic of the table number cards if that's what u want to see

I had 120 people so seating arrangements were definetely a necessity -- I think it'll reduce a lot of headache if you arrange people to go to a certain table and they can figure out where they want to sit at that table. That way no one is left shafted if they walked in later, single people don't feel awkward, etc. We had a little fun with the table numbers too, instead of just having a number, we found a photo from different places we've traveled to and Photoshopped the table number into the photo and laminated it (Double sided).

I got my hair and makeup done at the resort and was VERY pleasantly surprised. They actually don't have a permanent person and the lady that did my hair and makeup (can't remember her name unfortunately!!!) is hired by different resorts, so I think that speaks to a higher quality professional. I brought pictures of hair and makeup that I was shooting for and she executed perfectly - I highly recommend a hair trial...and bring your own fake eyelashes (if u want to have them put on) to ensure your preferred length.

Yes it does - they have a children's menu if u want to give the option of ordering off that.

There is a lot of traffic but they have security making sure they don't walk into your wedding... having said that... they don't do a great job...I had a very out of shape middle aged woman standing behind the wedding canopy in her bathing suit as I was walking down the aisle and one of my bridesmaids shoo'd her away...something the wedding coordinator should have been totally on top of. Pretty much everyone on the beach will be watching from the side, which I thought was kinda exciting....until they whip their iPads out and take pix of you LOL!! Bottom line, it's not super private, but just make sure ppl are aware that strangers might be in your shot and someone needs to tell them to get the hell away

For sunset? more than enough time...the ceremony is like 30 minutes on average (of course this depends on how you're doing your ceremony)...we had our ceremony scheduled for 4pm and I think we started like 20 minutes late and done by 5pm. Then we had a 1 hour cocktail ceremony (part of the package) with champagne and cold hors d'ouvres and then reception from 6-11. You can ask to rent tiki torches for additional light and ambience, they're about $10 each. Sunset makes for really pretty pictures (And no one is squinting their eyes), but around that time it gets a bit chilly when the sun goes down so just make sure to tell ppl to bring a coverup. Also note that the sun will not set behind you in the ocean, it sets over the land (I think there's only a few places in Riviera Maya/Cancun that catch the sun setting on the ocean). Regarding 3pm, it might be a bit early -- keep in mind you'll have to wake up early to get your and everyone else's hair and makeup done and pictures plus buffer time between everything in case of lateness (which is inevitable but not a big deal haha). The formal pictures take a long time so I wouldn't recommend cramming it into your cocktail hour, that time is better for pictures with guests on the beach.

I think the wedding night suite is in the hotel that you're staying at ...so for us we stayed at Lindo and our wedding night suite was in the Presidential Room at Lindo (AMAZING!!!!!).

Yes, good point, once a day weddings were a very important aspect for us, as well. Most of my party stayed at del Mar/beach and Lindo/Maya...we may have had 2 guests stay at the Grand, and there are so many restaurants to choose from at the first 2 categories that you don't really need to worry about access to the Grand. That's the only differentiator in "Access"...anyone in the first category can walk around and swim or hang out in the 2nd category's amenities. Restaruant reservations get to be a pain b/c they ask for your room number and if you're a lower category you have to pay a cover charge at a higher level hotel's restaurant but ...there are ways to get around that Also the buffets are really good so you can eat there all together w/no reservation. The Grand is really incredible (you can ask for a tour), but it's really on a whole other level.

Aww hehe, good choice!! Something to keep in mind is the time that the sunsets... its tempting to think that it's summer so it sets late, but no it's not summer there So it goes down around 5pm and is dark at 6pm - keep that in mind for beach ceremony and pictures.

I highly recommend reading most of the previous entries in this blog because it will answer most of the questions you have posed and give additional information around these questions. I also highly recommend decided ASAP because the closer you get to Thanksgiving, the faster they get booked (I booked in January for a Nov 23 wedding). We decided on Iberostar Paraiso because from what we saw, it had the best combination of package price/per person price and hotel quality. We had a 120 person wedding and wanted a large resort with a lot of things to do and Iberostar is perfect for that. I also heard from a LOT of people who have stayed here that it's one of their favorites. They have 3 price categories in the same hotel complex so that appeals to those guests who want high-end accomodations as well as more afforadable ones - they're all great!

So glad I can help We actually brought our own DJ from the states, he brought a microphone as a backup, but the resort provided one too. If you hire a DJ there, they probably bring all their own equipment, but since we had our own DJ we rented the equipment (the hotel has vendors so we just told them what we need and they provided it....if you want to save some money you can do this research in advance and contact local vendors directly and either pick it up from them or maybe they can bring it over, but we did this too late so they were already busy or just didn't respond...that's a major thing to keep in mind... no one is in a hurry lol, except our photographer "Ivan Luckie", he was incredible, responded to most questions within minutes (or hours, at the most).

They only reach out to you like 2 months before your wedding, but if you have any questions, definetely ask them, just don't expect a quick answer (could take a week). We had 120 people and did a beach wedding + filled up the left half of the Tapatio restaurant, so it was closed off for us (no one dined in the right half) so we had tables along the perimeter of the restaurant with the inside being dance floor space.The food it set up in the middle area between the two "halves" of the restaurant, so guests go there for the appetizers and dessert & entrees are served by waiters. I recommend calculating the individual costs of the things you want out of the bigger package to see if it's really cost effective to pick and choose...some of the perks are actually very nice to have on your wedding night...also once you're there, ask them if you can upgrade to the wedding suite a day early or stay a day later, if it's not being used, they might let you stay for longer and TRUST ME...you WANT to stay longer, it's incredible!!!! Also, checking out at like 12pm the day after your wedding to go back to your room is brutal.

Of course not!! Please, use away ) I'm more than happy to make another bride's job easier!! Also keep in mind, anytime you have a group dinner with 25 or more people, they're gonna ask you to make table cards for each person with their entree choice, which I find really annoying.

So like if you have a chicken, lobster, steak, and vegetarian choice, you can make a key for the waitstaff (chicken is yellow, lobster is orange, etc.) and then put a sticker with that color on the placecard for each guest. What I did was make labels with each person's name and table number and wrote out the entree choice on that as well and stuck those labels on the packaging for one of the wedding favors, which doubled as an escort "card" and the label colors matched the favor and were the transparent ones so it wasn't tacky.

They charge you for using a photographer that is outside the resort and if you want your photographer and his assistant(s) to join you for dinner, you pay for that too.

Lily sent me several pictures of the restaurant from different angles at a wedding and during regular lunch/dinner service. She also sent me the menu options from all of the restaurants. They have a buffet for appetizers and dessert (I actually liked the setup, it wasn't like a long assembly line of food in metal pans, they actually plated them in Mexican serviceware). Entrees are served. If you have more than 25 people, guests have to choose their entree in advance and the restaurant asks you to make placecards indicating each person's dinner choice. You can get creative with this by color coordinating an entree choice wtih a color, or a letter, or symbol, etc. Lots of options for this if you google it. Lily sent me a list of flowers that are included in the package and those that are extra, as well as a few pictures. The name of the game is make sure you constantly ask for things and be very specific because if you only ask for the bare minimum and assume they know you want more because they're in the business and this is what they do day in and day out....you will only end up extremely frustrated. However, in the end, when we sat down in person, everything was worked out!

Yep...we had our ceremony on the beach (btw if yours is in the evening you can ask her to get tiki torches, they're like $10 each) after which they gave out cold hors d'ouvres and champagne to the guests for about an hour. This is a good time for pix with your guests on the beach! Then we all walked over to the Tapatio restaurant (super close to beach ceremony location) and were there from 6-11...we asked for an extra hour, the time FLIES so do ask for that extra hour!