LCB803

Hi! I'm looking for a list of flowers that are available in the Riviera Maya in November. My wedding is next month and I have to get moving on this! Please help. Thank you!

I wanted to include my fiancé's boys' names on the invitation, too, incorporated into a logo that I created for us to use as a stamp on the invitations, StD's, welcome bags, coasters, and everything else. (Samples attached). But HE is actually against it! He wants it just to say "J&L". He says that we make everything else in our lives about them (as parents should!); he wants some part of the wedding to feature just us. So, there's an alternate perspective for you! We haven't made a final determination yet on what we will do. We are still having the boys as two of his three groomsmen, and the wording on the invitation will be something like "Together with their families..." or something inclusive like that. I haven't gotten that far yet We also included them in our engagement photo session last weekend, it was really fun! Wedding Graphics.pptx

I started with a budget planning tool on TheKnot.com. It was a decent starting point and got me thinking about what I wanted, needed, and couldn't live without. Ultimately, it wasn't flexible or user-friendly enough to suit my purposes, so I ended up creating my own Excel spreadsheets using the one on Knot.com as a baseline to plan the budget. I've since expanded the idea and have an additional spreadsheet for our savings plan and another to track what we've spent so far.

I was in Cancun July 1st-5th this past summer and it was HOT. Like, absurdly, uncomfortably, ridiculously hot. I (and my wedding coordinator) wouldn't recommend a date in June unless it is one of the first two weekends. My original date was Memorial Day weekend 2013, and she thought at would be perfect. (We pushed it back though to Nov because my sister is pregnant and due in May!) I just got back from a second trip to Riviera Maya this past Wednesday, and the weather was great; the only drawback was that it started getting dark really early We will likely have to start the ceremony at 3:30pm to ensure we have the right light for photos after the ceremony. My WC also said January-March are not ideal because even though the weather isn't cold (chilly at night, but not COLD), it can be very, very windy... Who knew?? April- early June, and late Oct-Dec are best. If you do any earlier than mid-Oct, there is a risk of hurricane.

P.S.: The Chapel del Carmen is the one pictured in the last four photos in Zazil's post, above. I took several of my own photos when I was there in July that I can share with anyone who is interested.

Thanks, Jessi, for starting this thread! We are getting married in Nov 2013 at a small Catholic chapel at a private beach wedding/event venue called Playa del Secreto, about 15 min from downtown Playa del Carmen. We are bringing our own priest because it was a top priority to be married by an officiant who knows us... Fingers are crossed that nothing goes awry with this plan because our wedding is on a Sunday, which will preclude a local priest from being available to serve as a backup plan! (The Saturday we wanted was booked.) Planning isn't too tough yet, but we still have a year and I haven't found out yet about what all we will have to do (paperwork-wise). We will start our Parish's formal marriage prep program this winter. One thing to pass along to you other brides from my wedding coordinator: if you're on a budget, don't spend too much on flowers for the church- apparently any flowers you bring in have to be left behind as an offering! Also, if anyone needs a brief review of possible Catholic ceremony venues, I've seen 3 in the Riviera Maya-- the chapel at Real Resorts Gran Caribe; my own choice, Playa del Secreto; and the Chapel del Carmen in downtown Playa on 5th Ave (loved it!) Good luck to everyone!

Couldn't agree more... thank you for the boards!

I highly recommend getting into Crossfit.

Thank you! Does anyone have any pricing info or personal experience to share about this vendor? So far, from what I see on the website, this is one of the better ones I've seen!

Hi Ladies, Can anyone share with me whether there were any negative reactions from guests when they discovered/were told the price for the Paradisus La Perla/La Esmeralda? My guests will be all over the economic spectrum, but for those on the lower end, I'm just not sure how much is too much to ask them to pay... bearing in mind that I am hoping they come down for at least 4 nights since I have a lot of activities planned. What were your experiences? Thanks!

This is insane!! Definitely the worst I've heard of yet. Good riddance!

Everyone in this thread has had such helpful advice for how to handle this very sticky situation... thank you so much for sharing!

Hi! Did you ever get to take any pics of the beach? We're interested in this location, but hard to tell how good the beach is from the limited pics on the website. Thank you! L.

Fantastic! Congratulations!

Great thread-- great job! Thank you so much for the effort.

Ooh-- great tip, thank you!

You could always go to Merida or Chichen Itza. Or, if you're into the idea, but those are too far, I visited the archeological site at Tulum last weekend and it was very nice, but much closer-- about 45 min. from Playa del Carmen. Afterwards, there are some really cool open-air restaurants on the beach-side road running through the hotelera zone (Boca Paila Road). You could do a nice lunch afterwards.

Hacienda Tres Rios does only one wedding a day, is family-friendly while not feeling overrun by kids (so, adult-friendly, too ), and has a GORGEOUS beach area. It has lots of activites for the nieces and nephews-- it is build on an Eco Park that offers kayaking, snorkeling, bike tours, cenotes. There's a kids club that is pretty legit-- we were impressed. My FI has two young boys (5 and 9) and we hired two different staff members for private babysitting services and we were EXTREMELY impressed-- the girls genuinely seemed interested in the boys and were very active with them. We were hesitant to use "unknowns", but no longer... at least not at HTR! Can't say enough good things... lots of great venues on the resort for the ceremony, reception, and ancillary events. Rates are around $179 per person, per night, all-inclusive. Food was pretty darn good considering it's an AI. 24-hour room service included. TA isn't necessarily the cheapest... I don't have personal experience with one, but I've heard it can go both ways. Ultimately though, to get the wedding you want, I recommend hiring a WC!! We chose Joss Morales of Unique Weddings Cancun (she works all over the Riviera Maya) and couldn't be happier! Good luck!

My WC recommends Floreria Varsovia, http://floreriavarsoviacancun.com. They are located in Cancun (our wedding is in Playa del Carmen) and I was worried about it being more expensive than someone local to Playa, but my WC says it's actually the opposite-- there's more competition in Cancun, so prices are cheaper. I met with them in-person last weekend and am very encouraged/impressed so far! Quotes to follow this week or next... I will let you know!

Hi Jess, I totally know why you're interested in the Gran Caribe chapel!! I went to Cancun in July for a fact-finding trip with that as my #1 favorite...however, after seeing it in person I was SO disappointed! It is such a shame, such a beautiful chapel that is so poorly situated. They are not at all realizing its potential! We also were not very happy with the resort-- actually, it's two resorts: the Gran Caribe Real (families) and the Royal Cancun (adults-only)-- and the wedding coordinator was pretty rude to my WC. I assume this is because they are generally hostile to outsiders... the fees for bringing in outside vendors are outrageous!! We considered using just the chapel and staying elsewhere, but they pretty much gouge you on the price for just the chapel as an incentive to get you to stay at the resort(s). So, our WC found us other options for a Catholic chapel that we are much happier with!! I fell in love with two options, both in Playa del Carmen: the Chapel del Carmen in downtown Playa del Carmen, and the Catholic chapel at Playa del Secreto (see here and here). We ended up with Playa del Secreto as a matter of convenience since we can have the ceremony and reception co-located; we couldn't find a reception venue that suited our needs that was within walking distance from Chapel del Carmen. We also visited the Krystal because I'd seen some really great photos from a wedding my WC did there awhile back, but in person it was really disappointing and I would not recommend it. Sorry Let me know if you want details. Good luck!

I would DEFINITELY recommend a site visit-- lots of them! We flew into Cancun in July and spent 3.5 days looking at places there and in Playa del Carmen... about 17 total! It was exhausting, but I can't imagine making such an important decision sight-unseen... I would also DEFINITELY recommend using a WC who is local. You can't do everything yourself from afar! I adore mine-- Joss Morales from Unique Weddings Cancun.She does charge a fee (ours is $800) whereas I know some don't because they work on commission; so far though, it's been worth every penny. Also, if/when you go, do go with a game plan-- do some online research to narrow down a list of those you're interested in, but be prepared for that list to go out the window (like ours did!) once you hook up with a knowledgeable WC. Good luck!

P.S: Do you still have any online galleries from your wedding? Thanks!

Hi Inna, Thanks for your info! We are considering this venue, and visited last July... it was out of the running for awhile, but now it's back in We would be using it only for ours and our guests' accommodation-- the ceremony and reception are elsewhere. If you don't mind, just a few questions! 1) How much did they charge you per person, per night? 2) Were there any incentives that they offered, i.e., book xx rooms and you get one free? 3) We didnt' get to visit the family side, did you? My FI has two kids, so we, at least, would be staying on that side. 4) Were there any venues that you would recommend on that side for ancillary events, like a rehearsal dinner, welcome cocktail, etc.? 5) What was the supplemental charge for resort guests? Thank you, and congratulations on your marriage!! Lydia

Check out the Real Resorts chain in Cancun for the best of both worlds-- The Royal Cancun is adults-only and the Gran Caribe Real is for families. The two are adjacent to each other, so everyone can essentially stay together. Both are all-inclusives. Good luck!