LoriGran

Happy Wedding Day!!! Hope you're enjoying Mexico!  

 

Martina finally replied to my email!  Im definitely annoyed at this point too.  Did Martina ever tell you that The Best Moments has an "agreement" with the Barcelo so no outside vendor fee would be required?  I asked my wedding coordinator about this and she said that there is no agreement, but The Best Moments pays the fee sometimes.  I asked Martina about the fee and of course haven't gotten a response yet.  The main reason I booked The Best Moments is because I wouldn't have to pay the $500 outside vendor fee...still thinking about making appointments at the spa if it turns out I do have to pay the fee.  Did you pay the outside vendor fee?  What a mess! 

Hey!! I'm back from my wedding and did end up using the Best Moments. My experience with the team was awesome EXCEPT for the lack of communication with Martina. That whole vendor fee is a big mix up and they need to get it together. Martina does not make it clear to the bride how the vendor fee works. She did tell me that they have a contract with Barcelo and of course that's not true because Barcelo has their own spa!! So basically what ended up happening is I only paid the deposit and the balance gets credited because that's the "fee". In the end you pay for the outside fee which is only $150 not $500. But like I said, my experience with Alexandre (hair) and Zoe (make up) was great so I'm glad I used them.  

 

Hope that helps!

 

Hello Everyone,

 

I am getting married in January 2015. 5.5 months and counting. I am trying to decide what to do about a photographer and videographer. I wanted to see what the resorts was like but the website doesn't work and I have emailed them like 3x and no response. I have been looking around for a package with a videographer and photographer but some of them can be quite pricey. You think it would be cheaper in mexico! Has anyone found any decent companies with ok prices? any suggestions would be great. 

Hello, 

 

I got married 3 weeks ago and I used Ivan Luckie. Although I have not seen my pictures yet, I know they came out awesome! He was so down to earth and great to work with. His prices were also very reasonable. If you are interested shoot him an email to see what his prices are (I booked him in 2013 so his prices MIGHT have gone up, not sure). 

 

Also if you are not aware, Barcelo charges a $500 fee for bringing an outside vendor. Before there were ways you could get around that fee by booking the photographer a room, but that's no longer the case. Unless you are flying your photographer in, you have to pay that fee. 

 

Hope that helps!

 

Hey NurseNurse0101.. Which airline is it that offer this free cocktail hour?

 

Unfortunately, they do not offer a free cocktail hour unless you have 70 ADULT guests booked. I had 60 guests for my wedding and I tried and tried to get the free cocktail hour and they said NO. But you can try and see what they say. 

Back home from our wedding and honeymoon and it was AMAZING!!!! I wish I could go back and relive that day forever.

 

Hope everyone else had an amazing wedding and time away in paradise.

Congratulations!!!!! 

 

I'm totally with you!!!! Can't believe its been 3 weeks already since I got married!!! I had the best time of my life!!!! 

I'm back from my wedding!!!!!! I stayed at the Barcelo for 7 days got there on a Tuesday got married last Friday and got back yesterday!! Everything was PERFECT!!! I will be posting my review in the next few days and also posting pictures on my planning thread.

 

Feel free to ask questions!!!!     

Trying to choose a resort and really like Barcelo and the wedding packages look really good.

 

Has anyone negotiated guest rates with the hotel directly?

How many guests do you have if you don't mind me asking?

 

I really like the Mint Breeze package but with 80+ guests everything is really adding up... Don' think we can get it done for under 10,000.

Hi Lori,

 

Did you end up asking for any incentives?

We will likely have over 60 guests and incentives would def sway which resort we choose...

Hello! 

 

I did not negotiate guest rates with hotel. I went thru a local travel agency in my town which worked out a lot better. I did ask for the incentives and they didn't budge on that. My WC told me I would receive a complimentary cocktail hour only if I had 70 Adult guests only. That's the only con I have regarding Barcelo. They don't offer many incentives. Hope that helps. Good luck planning! 

Hi Everyone!  I'm getting married at the Barcelo on Aug 8 - only 3 weeks away!! I was wondering if anyone has used The Best Moments for hair/makeup recently.  We booked them and paid the deposit in January, but now Martina (the owner) won't reply to my emails.  I've sent multiple emails to confirm the date and time with no reply.  Has this happened to anyone else??  I'm considering making appointments at the spa, even though their reviews aren't the best.  Any suggestions?  

I'm getting married on next Friday and I hired Best Moments. I thought I was the only one!!!!! Their response time has been awful!! When I first booked back in October I emailed back and forth with Martina but now I don't even receive responses. I found that when I message them on Facebook I get a quicker response until my last message which they have not responded to! I'm a bit annoyed by them at this point.  

Was it absolutely necessary to take copies of emails between WC and outside vendors??

How exciting!!!!! 14 days left for me to leave!! I'm still working on welcome bag tags, just finished my menus yesterday and then we have to pack everything as well! 

 

Best wishes to you and your very soon to be husband on your wedding day and enjoy your honeymoon.. 3 weeks off of work sure sounds nice! 

Thank you ladies!!! 

 

I will definitely consider it especially since I have 56 adults and 4 children attending so it will definitely add up!   

@@cvincent84

 

Thanks!! I can't wait! I am starting to get nervous it's coming up so soon! 

 

I am not doing the TTD at the cenote, it would be at the resort, that is why I am freaking out a little bit because I would REALLY be pissed off if I have to pay $500 again! I'm really going to try to sneak him in with just a guest pass see how it goes. 

 

Would love to see pictures your wedding pictures!! 

 

 

Did anyone extend their wedding reception? Was it worth it? I am debating if I should at least by 1 hour. I feel like the first dance, mother-son, father-daughter, speeches, dinner, cake cutting will take up a lot of time and will leave very little dancing time. I know we can go to the disco afterwards but would really want to have more time at the reception. 

 

Thanks!! 

@@cvincent84 WOW!! Thank you for your review!!!! So glad to hear everything went well!!! I'm glad I didn't pay for the cocktail hour and I'm not stressing over that either since you mentioned they can go to the lobby bar.

 

 

Today I am exactly one month away from my wedding day!!!! I'm starting to get a little stressed out and anxcious! I pretty much have everything set and worked out with WC. The only thing I'm still stressing over is Ivan! I didn't book him a room, I'm just going to pay the $500 fee, however I don't know what to do for the TTD. He's scheduled to come on Monday (i'm getting married on a Friday) and I don't know if I can get away with just paying a guest pass. 

Hello Ladies! 

 

Any one with an upcoming wedding? How is your planning going? I am one day shy from the one month mark! 

Hello Ladies!

 

My wedding day is vastly approaching and I feel like it's crunch time! I wanted to ask how did you pay for all your fees? Cash, check, credit card?

 

Thanks!!

Hello Ladies!!! 

 

OKAY!! So Barcelo is really starting to annoy me and with all the money we are spending I'm starting to think maybe we should have just gotten married in NJ!!! 

 

First off, I'm still having scheduling issues regarding my photographer! My original plan was to book him a 2 night stay (in order to save on the vendor fee) have him photograph my wedding (Friday) and do my TTD session the next day. Turns out he's got a wedding the following day so he would have to meet me at 7am and it would be at the cenote! 1) that's way too early especially after partying at the wedding the night before 2) I have already booked a particular TTD package, and I am not paying extra for the cenote because my FI doesn't swim so a TTD at the cenote would be a waste! He also said he doesn't recommend TTD the next day b/c brides' face will look tired in the pictures!   OOOH  and on top of that, it doesn't matter if he's on my guest count and has a room booked, I would still have to pay vendor fee unless I"m flying him from the States!!!! 

 

Any who, he says he will come do my TTD on that Monday! So now I don't know what the heck to do! Should I not book him a room and just pay the $500 vendor fee for wedding day? BUT now does that mean I would have to pay a vendor fee again or I can't try to sneak and just get him a day pass??? I don't know what to do!!! 

 

Second, @@KLA1220 you had mentioned that there is a complimentary cocktail hour if you have 15 rooms or more booked! I asked my WC (Aurea) and she said it's only if you have 70 Adult guests booked. Of course I don't have 70 guests booked!!  Could they have possibly changed that in these last few weeks???? 

 

What's really annoying me is that I have 60 people coming and I"m yet to get offered any type of incentive and I'm sure they won't offer unless I ask!!

 

OK so now that I"m done venting...are any of you ladies experiencing the same thing?? What incentives are you getting? 

Oh my goodness!! June is just days away…and what comes after June?! JULY!!! ahh! Is anyone feeling excited but also nervous that you won't get everything done on time?? Am I alone in this mini freak-out?? lol Hope not!

 

42 days to go for me! Eek!!

 

Jenn

Woohoo June is here!! It's crunch time... Now I'm starting to freak out because I feel like I have tons to do and still so many ideas floating around and now even more!! My bridal shower was yesterday and my sister did such a phenomenal job with decorations that I'm afraid she'll outdo mine Then I possibly have 3 more people coming which will put me to 60 guests!!!!!

Ok I lied! After writing to you I sat down and really thought about all we have to bring and you are right, it is a lot more than I thought! Aaaaah. We are doing lanterns too so that and the OOT bags laid out flat will fit in one suitcase. Then we have all the OOT goodies, Programs and Escort Cards...Then clothes, lots and lots of clothes. We'll be gone for 19 days. How do you pack for that?!?!? We will definitely be doing laundry at the hotel before moving onto our honeymoon. We are also bringing a sand box type box (relatively thin but wide) to put the starfish escort cards in.. So I think between my fiance and I, we may have 3 suitcases each! Luckily my sister and her husband will be on the same flight as us so they can check in 2 of our suitcases. We thankfully are flying first class with all my travel miles through work so we can check in 2 bags for free each. So excited though!!! Things are finally wrapping up!

OMG we are totally on the same boat!! I've already filled up a suitcase! We will definitely need my sister to check in some bags for us too! We are also taking a serving tray for star fish escorts!!

 

Lucky you! That will be an awesome trip.. I love to go on a honeymoon but we are just staying at the resort a few extra days!

I'm sooo excited to be using Ivan Luckie for my wedding in July! I have been in contact with him via email and he always responds very quick! I also have a TTD session with him a few days later. In addition he works with a videographer and you save on paying 2 vendor fees. 

 

Can't wait for my big day!!! 

Hi girls!!!

 

Thanks for all your responses. I've had time to think it through and although it kinda still bothers me I'm over it.

 

Just as @@BusyBee280 said everyone is different and not everyone will see why it's rude. The girl that invited her friends is not traveling alone. Her significant other, her 2 sisters and some of her family members are coming to the wedding because they were invited by me. I just didn't understand what the point of inviting more people was. I have never met these people which makes it a bit awkward. @ you are exactly right, I don't want to seem like a mean bride, I've been far from that and have not been a bridezilla throughout my planning and don't plan on becoming one 2 months before my wedding LOL. I just hope she knows they won't be included in the wedding events.

@@1BeachBride That is very true!!!

 

@@BusyBee280 And that was my reaction very thrown off!

As I mentioned in my first post, I completely understand that it is a public resort and anyone is entitled to go, but it did piss me off and I thought it was rude! It's someone I grew up with and consider a cousin, her significant other, her sisters along with other family members and her friend (the groomsmen's girlfriend) are going, I don't see what was the point of bringing more people along but whatever. It is what it is! If she decides to tell me she invited a group of people (because she hasn't told me, I found out about it) I will let her know that they will not be allowed to be a part of any wedding related events. I have been to 2 destination weddings, a friend's and a family member's and i would have NEVER thought of bringing my friends along regardless if I was there to vacation as well. 

Thanks, I thought perhaps I was over reacting but I can't get over on how can someone do that! She still hasn't had the courtesy to tell me! I only found out because one of the groomsmens' girlfriend is part of that group of girls (I'm sure she had a say on inviting them too) and the groomsmen told my FI.

 

I would never do something like that as a guest to a destination wedding! And I will make sure that they have ABSOLUTELY  no part in any of the events I have planned that weekend, including the welcome dinner and the VIP section of the club for the after party. They also better not think they will crash the wedding either!

Ok Ladies!! I need to know if I should be pissed off or am I just over reacting and it is not a big deal.

 

I am getting married in Mexico and have 57 guests attending. I just found out that one of my guests took the liberty to invite her girlfriends (and I'm assumming their significant others) to Mexico during my wedding weekend. I understand a resort is a public place and anyone is entitled to go HOWEVER I feel that it is inappropriate to invite your friends knowing you are going there for an event!!!

 

Don't know what do you ladies think? Should I be pissed or just let it go?

Thank You soo much!! I still have so many projects to post!! The gazebo was one of the things that sold me on picking this resort and when I saw it in person it was even better!

@@theriouxs

 

I thought of planning an excursion before getting there as well but I don't need the added stress with trying to figure out who is coming and who isn't. The issue I was having was all my guests arrive and depart on different days. It was hard to decide what would be the best day to do the excursion. What I am planning to do is booking a few days after we arrive and who ever wants to join will pay their own. I am still undecided on what excursion to do

@@Lindsay30 AWESOME! Even though it doesn't seem like it, we still have some time left for planning! Oh that's great you'll only have 1 extra suitcase. Of course I decided to have mason jars as centerpieces, so I have to figure out how to pack those (I think I might bubble wrap them). I have quite a few things between OOT goodies, table numbers, runners, centerpieces, maracas, lanterns, and a few more items and not including our clothes for the trip!   I'll have to have some of my family members take a suitcase for me. 

 

I just can't wait! I actually keep having dreams of wedding day! 

2 MONTH COUNTDOWN LADIES!!!! How are you all planning to pack your wedding supplies?? I just purchased some luggage and want to start packing some stuff away! 

Hi ladies, we are leaving Thursday for our wedding! I can not believe how fast it came. Any other brides going down this week?!?!

If anyone has any suggestions or advice please feel free. I feel like I haven't done much planning, nothing like waiting till the last minute

Also, I was wondering who to tip and how much?

Did any past brides get the "complimentary" cocktail hour? We got ours and I was wondering if it is drinks only or apps included. My coordinator asked me to pick out a menu and I want to make sure I'm not being charged extra!

Thanks a bunch!

Kristen

 

Best wishes on your wedding day!! How did you get a complimentary cocktail hour?

Hello Ladies!

 

For the brides with the strawberry package and using an outside vendor for hair and make up. I've hired The Best Moments for my hair and make up. I'm wondering if my sister can take my place and get her hair and makeup done. Has anyone done that or knows if they allow that? Thanks!!!