shmanderz

Just curious, what approximately did everyone pay for their photography and was kinda of sessions did you have? Also what are the vendors that you do not have to pay the outside vendor fee for at Beach Palace? Thanks!

Thank you!! I will look into it asap

When did everyone book their photographers? Is it something that I should be thinking of now? (My wedding is May 10, 2014)

Hi Nikia, I have a site visit planned in December so I am very happy to hear this. Did it cost you anything to do the visit? And were you able to use any of the hotel ammenities? How long was the visit and were you able to spend the day there or were you usherd out right after. (Sorry for all the questions lol) Thanks!

Hi Ladies! I got engaged in February and my fiance and I have set the date for May 10, 2014 at Beach Palace! We are from Canada travelling May 7-14th, 2014 and we all booked through a local travel agent. We are flying down with Sunwing Vacations and have 26 guests who have paid their deposits! So exciting! Palace Hotels have an amazing wedding department and it has all been so effortless so far. We are doing the complimentary package with the wedding ceremony on the rooftop Skyterrace and the cocktail hour/reception next to the rooftop pool. As for color scheme we are doing white, sand and turquoise with pops of tropical flowers (tangerine, pinks, yellows) I sent out e-save the dates in March to all our friends/family which had the basic save the date details with a link to our website. The website had all the information and details on how to book, etc. When booking with Sunwing Vacations through the tavel agent, my fiance and I only had to put down $200 each to hold a block of rooms/flights for up to 30 people and secured the group price rate. This hold was good for 60 days which gave our guests lots of time to make their $200 deposits to reserve their spot. After the 60 days was up we had a pretty good idea who was coming and who was not. A few stragglers booked after the deposit deadline and were still able to reserve their trip but the group rate had expired so they ended up paying a little bit more, but it all worked out fine. Now that we have our "for sure" guests I am currently putting together a more formal invitation package to send out. I made my own tropical invites (http://i.imgur.com/47dXF09.jpg) and then bought these adorable candy tins (http://i.imgur.com/ed1V6J0.jpg?1) which i am filling with flip flop shaped candy to include in the envelopes (http://i.imgur.com/HFj5YNp.jpg) along with some more info on a sunset charter boat that we are booking and a panflet on the hotel. It is going to be a bit of an invite/"thanks for booking" package. I am going to be hand delivering them due to most of my guests living close by which will save on postage because the packages are a bit big Congrats to all the other May 2014 brides!!

Hey congrats!! Our dates are super close! My group arrives on May 7 so we might see you there! I am so excited even though May seems like ages away. We will have to compare notes with the planning and stuff. It will be a nice stress relief to chat with another bride going through the same stuff once the real planning starts

Thanks ladies! I will check it out with Rocio.

Has anyone done/planning to do a site visit prior to the wedding? I am going to be in Cancun at Christmas this year and my fiance and I are thinking of going to check out the hotel and the ceremony/reception location. Does anyone know how this works? Do we just go buy a day pass or is this something that they would comp for us since our wedding is booked for may 2014. I sent an email to Palace weddings but no response back.

My fiance and I had to pay $200 deposit each to reserve our block of rooms, flights etc for up to 30 people with the travel agent/tour company for 60 days. This gave time for our guests time to pay their deposits while still holding all the rooms/seats on flights for everyone. After 60 days any remaining spots were released back to the tour company/hotel. These $200 deposits are non refundable. (I am from Canada though so I am not sure how your travel agents book stuff. I used Sunwing Vacations for our tour operator. As for the hotel I chose the complimentary package but the hotel said since my wedding was on a Saturday I had to pay a $300 deposit to reserve the date/sky terrace etc. I was fine with that since they put it in my contract that I would have the $300 credited off my final bill. This was also a non-refundable deposit. I have heard others though who did not have to pay this deposit so I dont know, each situation seems to be completely different.... Hope that helps a bit, know its a bit different though since I am booking my travel from Canada and you are in the USA

Hi Ladies hope you are all well! I just wanted to share these super cute favors I just ordered! My wedding planning and inviting has been a bit unique since most of my guests are super close family and only close friends, me and my fiance felt like we were able to be a bit less formal with things since everyone we know is pretty laid back. We decided to send everyone (about 40 people) an e-save the date/link to our website with wedding info, booking info and contact info for our travel agent. It turned out great and the website was done in the same style so it all linked together (My fiance is in IT so he was able to work his techy magic) lol. Everyone said they thought it was a really neat way to do it. After the 60 day deposit deadline we had 26 guests booked which is great. Everyone else RSVP'd back to us through the website or through phonecalls saying they could not make it but I am defintiely happy with the turnout (I was really worried at first because a destination wedding seemed like so much to ask of people). So now that we have our offical guest list of people who have paid deposits, what we decided to do next is send out a more "formal" invitation style package out to all the guests who paid their deposits. We are planning to send these out in about September-ish. They will include a more a nice professional invitation card with the wedding details like date, time, location, reception details etc. There will also be information on the travel plans and flights included on another card. We are also putting together a little info package on the hotel with pictures and a list of all the amenities and stuff, along with the details of the sailing charter we have booked for everyone. As a little "Thank you for booking" gift we have purchased these (http://www.beau-coup.com/suitcase-favor-tins.htm) online and are going to fill them with candy and include in the package to send to each guest (SO CUTE!!). The website was pretty pricey to personalize them so I ordered them without the personalization sticker on the front and it saved me about $50 and I am not stuck with their limited selection of label styles/font restrictions. I am going to get my own stickers printed and personalized through another source. I cant wait to see the package all put together, I think it is going to be really cool. I know it is not typically done this way but I was really struggling with the idea of being so formal and sending out a bunch of invitations to people I knew wouldnt be able to make it. This method really worked for us and we were able to save a bunch of money to put more into these "thanks for booking" packages. Having a destination wedding kind of throws a wrench into the normal formality of weddings and I think it is ok to do things a little differently, which in my mind is great

Looks so beautiful Kristi! Congrats!!! How was the wedding ceremony time with pictures after etc? And how was the heat up there in a dress? I am from Calgary too, did you use a tour operator? Which one and how was the experience with them. (I am using sunwing) Also were your flights non stop/decent times? Thanks!!!

Eeeeep my travel agent just informed me 22 of my guests have booked with her as of today! So exciting! It officially feels very real now that I actually have guests. No point to this post other than to share my excitement with others who understand! haha. Congrats to all who just had their weddings, the photos look amazing!!

So I had my appointment at David's bridal and I was pleasantly surprised! My consultant was great and I actually found five dresses that I really liked. I have another appointment booked in a few weeks to go try them on again, this time with my mum and other bridesmaids for their opinions. I had really low expectations about David's but their selection was great and I lucked out with a great consultant. I am torn between getting a light floay dress or a poofyish super wedding feeling one. All the dresses were light in weight but a few had some netting which makes them big. I think I am going to be one of those customers who goes back ten times befor making a decision lol

Thanks I will definitely check those places out. I have an appointment tomorrow at Davids Bridal (which I am a bit hestiant about due to abd reviews) and then another at Frocks. I willd definitely check those stores you suggested too. What sort of dress did you get? So many I tried on were so HOT just in the store....I could only imagine what it would be like out in the Mexican sunshine lol

Hi Calgary brides! Just wanted to share a very bad experience I had at Ever After Bridal on 16th ave. The lady who works there is so rude and incredibly pushy. I went to try on a few dresses last weekend and she rushed me through my appointment not letting stand and look at the dresses I had on. As soon as I had one off she would reach into the change room and grab the dress and put it in the bag and hang it up. No option to look at it again or think about it and I was not allowed to take any photos. This was annoying because my bridesmaids are from out of town and I would have liked to send them a photo of a dress that i was strongly considering. The first dress I tried was really nice and I wanted to see it again and possible try it on one more times since. Well I walked over to the rack to look at it and she basically bolted in front of me and blocked me saying she would get it. She pulled out the bag and held it up in front of her but did not take it out. I asked who the designer was and she pulled out a business card and wrote down the store code for the dress and said if i wanted to see it again i had to come back to the store. It was absolutely ridiculous. I gave her back the card and told her where to stuff it! Terrible customer service and absolutely no respect for someone interested in spending a few thousand dollars in their store. I would NOT reccomend them to anyone in Calgary looking for a good dress shopping experience. Worst store I have been to yet!

Hmm I am having a symbolic ceremony too. I guess I will find out when I get there. Atleast it is a good way to have $300 taken care of so far ahead, I am sure I will appreciate it when I get my final bill after the wedding lol As for vaccines, I travel to mexico every christmas and do not get vaccinated but I do go to my doctor before and get a prescription for Cipro and bring it along. If you get diarreah or vomiting it cures it in 24 hours. Very good to have with you as a backup!

Too strange! Did you all book through a travel agent or directly with the hotel? I was kind of thinking maybe they take a deposit if it is not bokoed directly through them

Did anyone have to pay a deposit for their wedding ceremony if they chose the complimentary package? I had to put down a $300 USD deposit and my travel agent said it was because my wedding day is on a Saturday....seemed weird but I got it in writing that the deposit will be used towards my final bill so i am not too concerned...just curious if anyone else had to do the same thing. So strange how everything is so different for each bride! As for the contract dicussed in the posts above, my looks nothing like that either! too weird!! I am trying not to think about all the differences in booking, it stresses me out a bit lol

Originally Posted by jburress21 Originally Posted by Amandadawn To ensure everyone knows how this works please go to the last post of this thread, select "quote" on the last entry Type in you & your OH name, forum name, wedding date & location in chronological order. Brides (& grooms) can see who is getting married on dates close to them . It is handy too as some wedding parties have shared the cost of some vendors (photographers in particular) FEBRUARY 2013 Tamara & Chris (tkuzma) February 7 - Azul Sensatori, Riviera Maya Miranda & Colin (mlite83) February 9 - Now Jade, Riviera Cancun Carolyn & Matthew (mufin1785) February 9 - Melia Caribe Tropical, Punta Cana, DR Fabi & Brian (FabiLara) February 12 - Le Kliff, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Kiel & Kayla (kkeeve01) February 26 - Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, Playa del carmen MARCH 2013 Kaela & Joel (mrsnova) March 1 - Barcelo Maya Palace, Riviera Maya Kary and Phil (karyc) March 2 - Azul Beach Hotel, Riviera Maya Kristen & Kyle (kristencanada) March 13th - Secrets Wild Orchid, Montego Bay, Jamaica Nickie and Lee (nickieb) March 15 - Gran Bahia Principe Riviera Maya Crystal & Shawn (crystalandshawn) March 20 - Gran Bahia Principe, Akumal Nikki & Jeff (NIKKI2013) March 22 - Barcelo Maya Palace Deluxe, Riviera Maya MayanBride2013 – March 23 @ Gran Bahia Principe Coba APRIL 2013 Erica & Brian (airica26) April 10 - Moon Palace, Cancun, Mexico Promise & Charlie (promise12) April 10 - Gran Bahia Principe Akumal, Mexico Adrienne & Mark (adriennej) April 18 - Gran Bahia Principe Tulum, Mexico Faith & Michael (LTLFAITHY) April 27 - Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun MAY 2013 Doreen & Christian (chrisdior) May 3 - Barcelo Maya Palace, Riviera Maya, Mexico Berg5080 May 9 - Gran Bahia Principe Akumal, Mayan Riveria Kristie & Randy (KristieT) May 15 - Beach Palace, Cancun, Mexico Andrea & Aaron (AndreaandAaron) May 16 - Gran Bahia Principe Akumal, Mayan Riveria Tova & Justin (ChocoTaco7568) May 18 - Now Jade Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa Tamara & Edgard (trivera5521) May 18 - Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe, Punta Cana DR Jennifer & Holger (mspokran) May 19 - The Royal, Playa Del Carmen Dayna & Ray (RNtobe) May 22 - Riu Palace, Cabo San Lucas Tammyd23 May 25 - Gran Bahia Principe Akumal, Mayan Riveria Krista & Pat (cinnagirl) May 28 - Dreams Palm Beach, Punta Cana, DR Mel & Sy (melissa25) May 29 - Gran Bahia Principe Akumal , Mayan Riveria JUNE 2013 DannielleHague ? Shannon & Keenan (Shannonmarie) June 14 - Now Jade Rivera Cancun Resort & Spa Bill and Christina June 15thGran Porto Real, Playa del Carmen Amanda & Braden (Amandadawn) June 17 - Moon Palace, Cancun, Mexico Kirstin & Ian (claruickie) June 20 - Gran Bahia Principe Akumal, Mayan Riveria Kisha & Ben (kisha311) June 22 - Beaches Turks & Caicos (Alana05) June 29 - Gran Bahia Principe Akumal, Mayan Riveria JULY 2013 Laura (Laurab1105) July 22 - Gran Bahia Principe Akumal, Mayan Riveria (sarahcox) 23 July - Gran Bahia Principe Tulum, Mayan Riveria AUGUST 2013 Samantha and Barry August 5 - Iberostar Maya Riviera Maya Mexico Katryne August 6 - Grand Bahia Principe Coba, Mayan Riviera Lauren and Tyrel August 19 - Grand Palladium White Sand, Riviera Maya, Mexico Cameshia & Patrick (Mimi127) August 24 - Secrets Wild Orchid, Montego Bay Heather & Jonathan (missde09) August 24 - Majestic Colonial, Punta Cana Chiquita & Eric August 27th- Beach Palace, Cancun, Mexico SEPTEMBER 2013 Taryn & Stephen (tarynm) September 1- Azul Beach, Puerto Morelos, Riviera Maya OCTOBER 2013 Melanie & Jesse (favorsmr) October 5-Dreams Resort & Spa, Punta Cana, DR Philippa & Simon (ladystardust) October 8 - Moon Palace Golf & Spa Donna & Brett (dondon84) October 11 - Moon Palace golf & spa Resort, Cancun Louise & Steve - (FutureMrsCorney) October 16 - Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort, Cancun Greg and Yvonne (Red 400) October 19 -Sunset da mona lisa or le reve NOVEMBER 2013 Paisley & Philip (2bmrstremblay) November 3 – Aboard the Carnival Magic, Galveston Texas, 7 Day Caribbean Cruise MTRowse – November 11 - Bahia Principe Coba Sarah & Richard (futuremrswarner) November 12 - Bahia Principe Tulum Riviera Maya Pascale & Eric (Papoue) November 13 - Iberostar Rose Hall Beach, Montego Bay, Jamaica DinaQtobe November 21 - Now Sapphire, Riviera Maya WorstBride – November 19 - Bahia Principe Akumal William & Tanya November 23 - Jamaica Holly86 November 27 - Gran Bahia Principe Akumal Beach Location - Poolside Reception J1031 - November 27 - Gran Bahia Principe Tulum Gazebo - Poolside Reception DECEMBER 2013 Alexis & Alexander (islandsunriseSa) December 14 - Atlantis Resort Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas JANUARY 2014 Tara & Michael (TaraB) January 24 - Now Sapphire - Riviera Maya, Mexico Sara & Darryl (sarakelz) January 30- Grand Bahia Principe Coba, Riviera Maya, Mexico FEBRUARY 2014 Cherina and Michael (Cherina) February 14 - Moon Dance Villas- Negril, Jamaica - Our Reaffirmation Wedding will take place on our 14th marriage anniversary Ashley and Chris (ABCDWedding) February 2014 - Cancun Mexico Dawn and Mike (DiggityDawn) February 14 @ 1:00pm - Barcelo Maya Beach Resorts (Tropical/Colonial) Riviera Maya, Mexico MARCH 2014 Kerri and John (Kerriann5) March 8 - Hard Rock Hotel- Punta Cana APRIL 2014 Leanne & Robin (leanne1) April 2 2014 - Gran Bahia Principe Tulum Ashleigh and Richard Mallett (ashleighb) 23rd April - Gran Bahia Principe Riviera Maya Mexico MAY 2014 Jacqueline & Mark (DWBride2014) May 2 - Playacar Palace Sharon & Ron (sbowie) May 17 - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino or Dreams Palm Beach - Punta Cana, DR Stacey & Jimmy (jburress21). May 21 - Beaches Turks and Caicos Amanda & Don (Shmanderz) May 10, 2014 - Beach Palace Cancun JUNE 2014 Jessica & Jesus (jessica correa) June 28, 2014 ~ RIU Ocho Rios Jamaica! JULY 2014 Zoe & Alex (zoen) July 19 ~ Dana Villas ~ Santorini, Greece Jeanette & Jay (jenvens7) July 7 - Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico AUGUST 2014 SEPTEMBER 2014 Jenny & Amir (Jenny2014) ~ September 18 ~ Dreams Resort and Spa ~ Puerto Vallarta DECEMBER 2014 Serife & Buddy (snorfle1) December 13th, 2014~ Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton in Jamaica Jennifer & Drew (jenferrara) December 13th, 2014~ Excellence Playa Mujeres in Cancun, Mexico

My name got removed from the list somehow when new people posted?????? May 10, 2014. I am going to repost again. weird

Dont worry about being nosey, that is what this forum is for! haha. It is perfect that our dates our so close so we can share tips and tricks! I invited about 60 people being realistic after talking to my guests and giving them some time to look over our wedding wedbiste with all the details, I am thinking there is going to be about 20-25 people who are forsures. We have only had about 5 or 6 couples make their deposits but I kind of expect a bunch to do it at the last minute (Our group reservation block with the travel agent is valid until mid May and the guests have until then to pay to secure their spots). There have been quite a few people who are not able to make it which has been pretty dissapointing but I chatted to my fiance about it and we realized that the big day is about our love and it doesnt matter who is there or not, we just have to go with the flow and let it all pan out. It is a bit frusterating not being able to get forsure yes's and no's from people now but once the May deposit deadline comes I will have a pretty good idea about numbers because they deposit was only 200.00 and it secures the group pricing. I cant imagine many people not wanting to snag the good deal early. Anyone who hasnt paid there deposit then are probably not planning to come.

Dont worry about being nosey, that is what this forum is for! haha. It is perfect that our dates our so close so we can share tips and tricks! I invited about 60 people being realistic after talking to my guests and giving them some time to look over our wedding wedbiste with all the details, I am thinking there is going to be about 20-25 people who are forsures. We have only had about 5 or 6 couples make their deposits but I kind of expect a bunch to do it at the last minute (Our group reservation block with the travel agent is valid until mid May and the guests have until then to pay to secure their spots). There have been quite a few people who are not able to make it which has been pretty dissapointing but I chatted to my fiance about it and we realized that the big day is about our love and it doesnt matter who is there or not, we just have to go with the flow and let it all pan out. It is a bit frusterating not being able to get forsure yes's and no's from people now but once the May deposit deadline comes I will have a pretty good idea about numbers because they deposit was only 200.00 and it secures the group pricing. I cant imagine many people not wanting to snag the good deal early. Anyone who hasnt paid there deposit then are probably not planning to come.

Hey Jenpangi! My wedding is the day after yours so we will definitely be crossing paths!! That is strange that they are asking for such a huge deposit! I was able to reserve a block of 30 rooms with just a $200/per person deposit for myself and my fiance. (We used a travel agent located here in Calgary). The reservation block is valid for 90s days and my guests have that timeframe to make their deposits to secure their rooms. We were also able to pay with credit card. Maybe try a differeny travel agency because $5000 deposit and payment by cheque only is crazy!

Hey Jenpangi! My wedding is the day after yours so we will definitely be crossing paths!! That is strange that they are asking for such a huge deposit! I was able to reserve a block of 30 rooms with just a $200/per person deposit for myself and my fiance. (We used a travel agent located here in Calgary). The reservation block is valid for 90s days and my guests have that timeframe to make their deposits to secure their rooms. We were also able to pay with credit card. Maybe try a differeny travel agency because $5000 deposit and payment by cheque only is crazy!