newlyengaged13

My welcome dinner is the free dinner reservation which I was entitled too, so I'm doing it at the Tequila Restaurant since my group size is small enough. We didn't qualify for a free welcome dinner based on our total room nights, and I didn't want to pay extra for a private dinner

Yes, because I fought them on this. There was no way I was letting them get away with the 'ol switch-a-roo. I had tons of emails stating they were going to charge me $500 so they had no choice but to give it to me for the price they originally said.

I thought the prices for the photobooth were on the high side. Especially since I keep getting Living Social deals for photobooth rentals here in the states for dirt cheap. LOL.

Yes, they signed the contract exclusively with Palace last year. That's when I booked with them. It was not announced until Adrian told me and had it reconfirmed by Palace. Adrian is doing my hair/makeup and his team will be doing my bridal party and mother. I honestly didn't even bother negotiating since the fee was just so much cheaper. I didn't get the dance floor b/c I saved the money to get fire dancers and a cigar roller instead. I've seen the photos of the dance floor and think it looks amazing on the beach, but I think it looks kind of weird on the Sky Terrace (jmo), plus it's money I'd like to use somewhere else.

I also fought with the resort regarding the vendor fees. In the beginning they told me I had to pay $500, then switched to $800. I almost had a heart attack. I fought this and they agreed to give it to me for $500. In addition, in the beginning they said all I had to pay for photographers was the day pass, then they turned around and tried to charge me the vendor fee. Again, I fought them on this. I am now only paying the day pass for my photographer and his assistant. I never spoke with anyone from Palace throughout the entire planning process for this exact reason. All of my communication was via email, so I had a paper trail in case I needed to reference anything. In the end it worked out, b/c when they tried to switch prices or anything we previously agreed upon, I reference a previous email and they could not argue that. My advise to any future bride, save all of your emails. They come in handy.

I was told that they would charge the vendor fee for makeup artists. I have booked Styling Trio to do my hair/makeup and they have just signed a contract with Palace Resorts so you won't have to pay the vendor fee or even the day pass. Check them out. I booked DJ Doremixx and even with the outside vendor fee it was still cheaper than going with one of the Palace preferred vendors. I read tons of great reviews about them prior to booking

We're having a cigar roller set up in a designated lounge area and hiring fire dancers! Where are you getting the churro cart from?

Wow you looked gorgeous! The details are beautiful too. I can't wait to read your review. I do have a few questions: - Where did you get the sparklers? - Where did you get the chargers?

Do you still have the stamp available? Or is it sold already?

Beautiful Brandi. Thank you for sharing. Did you feel there was enough light on the terrace at night? Or did you rent lights?

Quote: Originally Posted by MrsPeele2B Have you all been quoted any rates from JSAV? I'm working on a budget and I haven't been able to find any prices or packages Inbox me your email address and I'll send you what I received.

Typo. Wendy not wedding. lol. sorry. I'm also using Wendy.

I am also using wedding to coordinate my group travel for my May 2014 wedding in Cancun. She has been amazing! She always answers all of your emails right away and is very thorough in explaining things if you have questions. I highly recommend her if anyone is looking for a TA for their destination wedding.

Quote: Originally Posted by NJBride2014 That's the same style I'm going for too. My guests are going to be mostly in their 20's and 30's and we are from NJ so we love to party, I want the right party atmosphere no cheesy wedding music. We are also hispanic so we need a good mix of spanish and english music. I'm going on my site visit in a month so I was hoping to meet the DJ that JSAV had or at least see some videos of weddings they've done before I book them since it's a pretty big expense. I would like to go with the vendor that the hotel works with to avoid paying the outside vendor fee. Oh can you please let me know how you make out?

Does anyone have an actual contract from Palace that has all the legal jargon in it? Not just the package you chose, location and date? Like a real contract?

I agree. That's why I haven't booked my dj yet. I want to hear their work And see how they interact with the crowd and how they mix the songs. The issue that I'm having with these different dj companies is that they all say its hard to send samples of an actual wedding bc every wedding is different with different styles of music. I have had a few dj's email me some videos and its kind of hard to listen to the music and it is true. Some of the songs they play I would not personally like to hear in my wedding. So it's very much a personal preference. I wish this part was easy. I'm looking for. Dj with. Ny style. Playing nonstop party songs that we dance to in the city. He needs to mix English and Spanish. But for a younger crowd. I don't want a stuffy party.

Quote: Originally Posted by shmanderz Has anyone received a product/price list from Zuniga or the other decor rental company? 9Also if you have one for JSAV aswell!) I emailed them but no response and I would like the get a sense of the pricing on a few items I want to rent. Any past brides....I would be very interested to see a final list of all the spending and costs if you are willing to share! PM me and I will send you my email. Thanks so much!! PM' me your email and I will send you what I have

My plan is to pay my hotel to deliver them to the guests rooms. I think they will feel more special when they arrive to see a nice little welcome bag waiting for them in their rooms. I mean they've taken their time and paid a lot of money to come down to my wedding. The least I can do is thank them this way.

OMG words can not express how glad I am to find this thread! I have been looking for a song to dance with my mother. She was basically a single mom raising us and I always knew she would be the one walking me down the aisle and dancing with me on my wedding day. I had never heard of that Carrie Underwood song before and I literally could not contain myself. The song has been over for about 5 minutes now and I'm still a mess crying. It's such a beautiful and powerful song. I think I just might have to use it and be a complete blubbering mess dancing to it. Gotta make sure I lay the waterproof mascara on thick that day. LOL

Quote: Originally Posted by shmanderz So ladies we took the plunge and have officially just paid our deposit and signed the contract with Del Sol for photography. From the first moment I saw their photos I was in love. I am thrilled to finally have a big detail like this locked down. Makes the wedding seem much more real now!! lol Congrats. I'm still working on deciding my photographer. This has to be the hardest thing so far. It makes selecting a resort, picking a date, and picking a dress seem like a walk in the park. lol

Quote: Originally Posted by bride6 Just signed my contract for my BP wedding--so excited. I've been working with Angelica in the Miami office. She just sent me the decor company they use "grupo gamo". Has anyone used this company? Is this the same company as JSAV? Any info is greatly appreciated. Gama and Zuniga are the furniture rental companies. JSAV is the dj service they provide.

Quote: Originally Posted by Bella Rios Rocio, just confirmed that I would have to pay the vendor fee of $800.00 when originally she had quoted me $500. Does anyone know or have a preferred vendor list? I'm trying to use Marvin for my flower arrangement, I heard that usually people meet him outside the hotel for the flowers but he told me that with the centerpieces that I want, his people would have to go in and set it up. Also, I'm looking to book an outside DJ since I have heard so many mixed reviews on the one the Beach Palace has. Hi Bella Rios, you should fight back and make sure they honor what was quoted to you. The $800 fee should not apply to you b/c you signed your contract in 2013 and the $800 fee is for 2014. Tell them that and see what they say. Good Luck.

Quote: Originally Posted by deinasm Hi ladies! I am trying to decide between BP and MP but the costs for the per person nightly rates are seeming very high to me. We you able to negotiate this rate at all? What are you all getting for rates for a double room? I was quoted $250/person/night, is that similar to you? I know it is all inclusive but that still seems high? I am happy to hear if this is normal and I am over reacting! I actually hope that is the case Thanks! Hello "deinasm". The rates between any Palace Resort I believe are the same (except Le Blanc). Yes, that rate is about right. I went with a Travel Agent and she was able to get me a lower rate. It also depends when you're looking to do your wedding. Maybe consider doing your wedding off peak season, this may help bring down the cost per person. You also should keep in mind that with your guests stay, they would get credits to use on excursions so they won't have to come out of pocket to do that stuff. Good luck in your planning

Plus the rooms are based on a per person rate. So if the photographer brings an assistant, they would need to stay in the room as well.

Quote: Originally Posted by somerskl What if you paid for the outside photographer to stay for one night as your guest? That is still cheaper than $800... I've contemplated that. I've asked my TA to look into this. I think there might be a minimum night stay with the resort.