MrsSheppardToBe

@@ptrep27 Hi! Welcome and congrats I'm getting married at OCT on June 5th. I'll be using their DJ for the reception - have you looked into this option? I think it's $800 for 3 hours. As I haven't been married there yet I don't know about the sound system quality, but this is the right website to find out about it! There's a big huge thread called "Ocean Coral &Turquesa Brides" that might be more helpful! Here's the link to the thread I was talking about: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/27597-ocean-turquesa-coral-brides/

Me too... I find that at times I can be somewhat busy with planning, and then it's back to having nothing to do. Right now, I am waiting for an email back from my wedding coordinator, as I have a question about menu selections. Once I hear back I will be able to figure out my dinner menu for the reception. I'm going to start working on my guestbook soon - my plan is to order a photobook, with a picture in the middle of each page with a thick white border so that guests can sign it and write messages. This will be for my at-home reception (which is going to be a brunch at a local golf course). For my wedding I am bringing a photo mat which all my guests will sign and I will have it professionally framed when I get home! I'm the same as you all, waiting for spring so I can put together my ceremony programs, place cards, etc... Still thinking about my OOT bags. I want to do canvas totes but I'm not sure that my guests will really enjoy them that much and at $6 each it seems a little much. Just trying to keep this as simple as possible!

@@Leslied ... I emailed Ana, and she responded within 3 days (as per usual). I don't have a new contract, but she did send me a proposal in the email which outlines the costs for everything in my wedding package very clearly. I'll probably get an official contract when my wedding date gets closer. QUESTION FOR ALL OCT BRIDES: With the 3-course menu items - do we have to select one full menu, or can we mix and match items from the different menus. For example: I really like every course in one of the set menus EXCEPT for the beef wellington. I want to switch the main course with the surf and turf from another menu. Am I allowed to do that? I've emailed Pamela about this but I can probably get a quicker response here.

@@Leslied Just wanted to let you know I've sorted everything out with Ana! Although she didn't honor last years' prices (for reasons I understand), we did reach an agreement and met in the middle. I'm happy with how it worked out

@@Leslied So I just heard back from Pamela, she said she checked with her manager and will not honor the 2013 rates for me... guess the whole "catch more bees with honey" thing didn't work out. It's not over yet! I've asked Pamela to get me in touch with Ana so we can straighten this whole thing out. I checked my email history, and I booked my wedding on April 30, 2013!! This should be far enough away that I can pay the old rates. How did you get them to honor the rates for you?

@@Leslied I haven't ordered my maracas yet (they recommend you order 1-2 months away). It might depend on which design you choose, but the simple white flowers design I picked was $4 per maraca (I will give 1 per guest). And to have it shipped directly to the hotel is around $40. I think it's a super cute and personal touch to the wedding! My guests are really looking forward to them They will also be used in lieu of clinking champagne glasses when the bride and groom kiss... instead my guests will be shaking their maracas! How cute is that?!

@@Leslied sounds like you're pretty much ready to get married, lol! I'm just going to stick with the basic decorations that the hotel provides... I would like pink chair bows for the ceremony and reception, not sure if they will make me pay extra for that. If so, I might just bring my own chair bows. I'm going to put little wooden fans from Michaels on each chair at the ceremony, along with some bubbles and a ceremony program I will make myself. For the reception, I will print menus and placecards out for each guest, and I'm ordering handpainted maracas from www.maracasartanddesign.com as the favour for each guest. It will be pink with a white flower, and will have our names on it and the wedding date! Excellence resorts are so beautiful! I wanted to get married at Excellence but the rates were too expensive for my guests... I'm sure you and your hubby will have such a great time! We're just staying at OCT for 1 week and then we'll go to Disneyland in September for our honeymoon

Thanks @@Leslied I'll let you know what happens when I hear back from Pamela.. so far she seems nice and helpful. She asked me what price I would like to have honored, so I told her I want the Paradise package for $3700 as it was last year. She said she will check with her manager and get back to me. If the answer is no, then I will definitely have the stand my ground, lol. My Mom always told me "You catch more bees with honey than with vinegar", so I am being polite now but will not be afraid to step it up if need be. Your wedding is so close!!! How far are you into your planning? What are you doing for ceremony/reception decorations?

Hi Everyone! My name is Jenna and I'm getting married on June 5, 2014 at the Ocean Turquesa resort in the Mayan Riviera! We will be saying "I Do" on the rooftop terrace overlooking the ocean, and our reception will be under the stars on the terrace near the pool! I can't wait! So far we have our photographer/videographer, and DJ booked! So exciting!! Only 5 months to go

@@Jeanetta H and @@SarahWember you guys are getting married around my birthday, lol (May 15 ) Congrats!! I'm not using any outside vendors (just have the resort's photographer and DJ booked) so that will save me a lot of $! And I've decided to stick with the 3-hour reception, as it costs $500 to add an extra hour, and I feel that at least half of my guests will be in bed by 10:00, so if there is anyone who wants to keep the party going, we can just move to the resort's bars. I'm getting SUPER excited for my wedding on June 5! I'll be picking my dinner menu soon (just waiting to hear back from Pamela with options), so I'm super excited to get these little details all figured out!

I've heard back from Pamela, and saw that the 2014 prices jumped by like $500!! Crazy! Anyways I've asked her politely if she will honor the prices that I was quoted when I originally booked by wedding in May 2013. Still waiting to hear back from her, so we'll see. Was it hard for you to get the 2013 prices back, or did you have to fight a bit to get it?

What?! My wedding coordinator was Cynthia, too.. and I have just recently been dealing with Pamela. Maybe Cynthia is away on holidays? I'm going to email them right now and see what the story is with Cynthia and a 2014 price increase. I'll let you know what I find out.

Has anyone planned any group excursions? Not sure what I plan on doing yet, but I'm thinking that I should start looking into possible group rates. So far, I've found the Croccocun Zoo near the resort I'm staying in. Haven't done much research yet, but our weddings are right around the corner so it's time to start planning!

Hi Vanessa and Jackie! It's great to meet some brides who are getting married at the same time as me! So exciting!! I'm also struggling with OOT bags... I don't want to waste money putting things in there that no one will use! Right now I'm considering ordering canvas tote bags and including a letter to each guest thanking them for coming. I'm only using a photographer for my ceremony, and I will leave it up to my parents/MOH/guests to take pictures of the reception. I'm thinking of also putting a disposable camera in my OOT bags so that my guests can take pics during the reception and collect all the cameras after and making myself a copy of all the photos. I just know that if everyone uses their own camera, it'll be hard for me to get photos afterwards. Please feel free to share any OOT/camera ideas you have!!

Hi Everyone! Just thought I'd start a thread for all June 2014 Riviera Maya brides! My name is Jenna and my fiance, Jeremy, and I are getting married on June 5, 2014 at the Ocean Turquesa resort! We have about 25 guests (mostly my family) and I'm so excited!! Looking forward to hear all about where everyone else is getting married and how your wedding planning is going!

I was thinking of ordering from "Maracas Art and Design"... a family in Puerto Vallarta makes them and can ship them to Cancun for around $40 (shipping only). Might be a good option for you, as you won't have to carry them in your luggage! http://www.maracasartanddesign.com/

Hi Everyone! Hope everyone had a great Christmas! I'm so excited for the New Year as I will no longer have to tell people I'm getting married "next year"... just feels like the wedding is slowly creeping up on me (which I don't mind, of course!) My wedding date is June 5, 2014. Does anyone know how far in advance you actually start working with your OCT wedding planner and plan all the fun details (like food, decor, etc). I've been so bored with having no wedding prep to do, and I'm ready to get moving on these details!! I've got my photographer and DJ booked (both are from the resort.... didn't want to pay vendor fees!) If anyone here has gone through this process, or is cloe to their wedding date please let me know what the timeline/process is... I'm super excited to start working with my OCT planner! Happy New Year, brides-to-be! <3

That's a huge help! Thanks so much, emily a!

Hey all, Just wondering if any past/present brides have been able to get a resort map from their OCT coordinator? I just started thinking about how large the resort is, and how my guests may not be able to find their way to the rooftop terrace in time for my ceremony. I was thinking of including a resort map in my welcome bags. What have other brides done? I'd hate to show up at my ceremony with no guests there because they're lost.... LOL

Hi ReeBik, When I booked my wedding, I needed to make a photocopy of the front and back of my credit card for OCT to charge a $200 deposit to secure my wedding date. That's probably what they are asking of you. Once that's done, they'll send you pics of the venue locations and flower choices. I've heard that there are more options when you actually get there so I'm not worrying too much about that right now. My wedding is June 5. Their photographer is Photopro. I booked them for my wedding as there is no room in my budget for an outside photographer. I'm paying $1100 for a photo/video package which is very reasonable. Sure there are lots of bad things said about them on this forum, but the reviews from brides who have actually used them are definitely reassuring. Congrats and happy planning!

Hi IBaker, Thanks for the pics of your sand ceremony! Was there an extra charge for having the sand ceromony? I really want to have one at my wedding, but am not sure how to coordinate this. Did you have any trouble bringing the sand vases home with you?

Congrats on your upcoming wedding, Erdocherty98! My wedding is in 38 weeks, lol. Where are you having your ceremony and reception? I haven't been to the resort, but after reading all 2000+ reviews on this site, I've heard that Litzy is the girl to ask for at the hair salon! I've also heard that there are more flower options once you get to the resort.. I wouldn't worry about that too much right now. I'm sure your wedding planner will have some amazing purple flower options for you! Can't wait to hear all about it.. don't forget to post pictures!

ATTN: Brides who have had weddings at OCT in June I'm getting married next June at 5pm and am concerned about the heat in Mexico at that time of year. Was it unbearable? Did it cool down at night? Any thoughts about the weather in June are much appreciated!

Hi Everyone! My name is Jenna and I am getting married at the Ocean Turquesa on June 5, 2014!! Looking forward to chatting with all you fellow Canadian brides out there! Congratulations All!

Hi Everyone, My wedding is next year, and I have a few questions which I've emailed to Cynthia but I haven't heard back yet. Just wondering if my fellow brides can help me out! 1) Who is the resort DJ, and how can I contact him for pricing information? 2) How far in advance can I confirm the time of my ceremony? I want to book the resort photographer, and I need this info for booking. 3) Does anyone have a list of the legal wedding requirements for a civil ceremony? I am from Canada if that matters at all. I appreciate any help you can give me! <3 Jenna [email protected]