niknic456

@@niknic456 Hello! quick question: did you have any problem getting your stuff thru customs in Mexico?

I did have issues with mailing my boxes and clearing customs because I was not aware that seashells are considered animals and need special agricultural clearance, but Juan Carlos called customs and worked everything out for me. I would recommend shipping 2 months in advance or trying to take as much as possible on the airplane with you, clearing customs that way is much easier.

For those that hired an outside DJ, did you have to pay to use a power generator?  The following is in the contract for one of the DJ's we are talking to and I am not sure what it means:  (I hope I can assume that we will not need a generator and that there will be a power supply for the DJ to use on the Tequila Terrace???)  Anyone have any experience with this??

 

We do not take an electric generator for the reception, in case you need one the price is $800 US per event.

You will not need a generator. The Tequila Terrace has everything your DJ will need. I had a super duper sound system with lights, fog, etc...and it was fine.

1 more question for now... 

 

Has anyone had their cocktail hour in the same location as their reception?  Curious if this is a problem for the resort to get everything set up.  

I had my ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner on the Tequila Terrace and it all worked out fine....don't worry it will all be setup prior to guest arrival and the only thing they move are chairs and you will not be aware that they are moving the chairs because you will be off taking pictures. They will take care of it!

I'm hoping one of you can help me with this...

 

I am having my wedding at the Now Sapphire on April 18,2015 and need to know the best way to block off the rooms. When I asked the hotel for a room block/discounted group rate they sent me a contract with the same rates that were on their website, and the contract wouldn't even guarantee that rooms would be available (just that the rate wouldn't increase for the first 20 rooms booked). It seems a little weird to me how they don't offer any special deals for a group when we are looking to book 20-40 rooms.

 

How are you all reserving your rooms for your guest and if you're going through a travel agent do you mind sending me their contact? 

 

Thanks for your help!

I went through destinationweddings.com and I only paid a $50 fee and they did all of the work with blocking rooms and arranging transportation for all of my guests. They get paid from the hotel so it worked out great for me to only pay $50 for a great travel agent.

Thank you!!!  $800 is RIDICULOUS for $12 lights!!!  haha  oyyyyy

Any recommendation on where to buy chair sashes and napkins??

I purchased all of my supplies from ebay. And the cost was super cheap because it was coming from China, but I spent $45 for sashes and matching napkins...everything is imported from China anyway so if you have time I would order from ebay to save money and shipping was super fast, less than a week in most cases.

@@vanessav53, I am so happy this helped you.  I just posted some pics as well, in case that is any further help.

 

You are going to LOVE all of the vendors you chose.  They are pro's and are going to make your day incredible.  Are you going to do a TTD shoot with Anel and Jacob as well?

 

We were sent a music form to fill out prior to getting to Mexico and we willed it out, however, Carlos also came to meet us at the resort the day before our wedding to go over music and speeches.  He had great recommendatsion and we are happy we listened to him.  We weren't picky with the songs that were played, we just asked him to make it feel like a club and to keep people on the dance floor ... and that's exactly what he did!  I think he played every genre of music out there (minus polka, LOL) and all of our guests loved it.  We asked him to read the crowd and also take requests from guests.  This worked out perfectly.

 

We were quoted for the taco bar as well (I think it was $15 per person) and decided it was too far out of our budget.  I fell in love with the guacamole at the resort and asked if we could do a nacho or chip bar, and that's what Ramon came back with.  I am so happy we did this.  It was a nice way to cap off the night.  OMG, I could totally go for that guac right about now!!  How many guests are you having at your wedding?  I would suggest ordering for only 1/4 or 1/2 of them to save some money ... plus it's a shame for all that food to go to waste.  I wanted to take it all back to my room, LOL.

 

 

@@gannonham...I saw your wedding while I was there and it was so nice!!!!!

FYI...If your wedding colors are sapphire blue, I donated all of my wedding satin chair sashes, satin napkins, silver picture frames, diamond table scatter, faux candles, to the wedding center for the use of other brides....just ask Juan Carlos, I left him 2 large boxes of wedding decorations.

I was married April 26th at Now Sapphire and I shipped 3 large boxes to the resort and did not have any problems with customs. The only problem I had is that some of my items were damaged but it wasn't any of my major decorations so it was no biggie to me. Keep in mind when shipping that you not only pay the cost to ship the item but you also have to pay custom taxes and fees. For my 3 boxes I paid FedEx $380 which was a discounted rate through my job and the custom taxes were $250, so it can be every costly. In hindsight, the beautiful ocean view is all you need for the wedding and it's free...all the extras was totally not worth the it because the ocean views are amazing.

I think I am going t add on the extra hour.  My fiancee is taking a hands off approach to all of the planning so its my call.  I can't believe I am flying out in exactly one month!!!!

I'm sorry to hear that you had some issues with your wedding running smoothly but your post is kind of freaking me out a little.  Especially the bed bug part.  I'm a little nervous now b/c we here in NYC do not take bed bugs lightly.. they cause panic and mass hysteria.  I kow that the Sapphire is and has been totally booked for the weekend of my wedding and I am assuming the Jade is as well so moving my guests is not am option. Did you see the bed bugs yourself or get bit?

Don't get too freaked out, your wedding will be great. Like I said this was my personal experience but I felt the need to share because as you stated in NYC we take bed bugs seriously, but in Mexico it is not a big deal. I saw the bed bugs with my own eyes and also took photos of the bed bugs to show the hotel manager, who did nothing about the problem but told me to keep quiet about my complaint. One of my guests actually had to go to the local hospital outside of the resort because the resort doctor couldn't help her and he's a doctor from the states! It was so gross, but another guests staying at the resort said she was aware of the resort having a bed bug issue since last year when she booked her wedding and that was the reason why she actually put bed bug spray in her OOT bags and I thought that was a good idea. So get bed bug spray and you will be fine.  The resort grounds and pools will make up for it all.

 

Also, the hotels are not 100% booked. I was told the same thing prior to departing and the resort was clearly not full even though there were tons of weddings the 3 days I did stay there....clearly they found 40 rooms for us, all in preferred in less than an hour.

 

Also for future brides, do not pay for the most expensive room. Get a regular preferred room, because they automatically upgrade you to a preferred oceanview or oceanfront suite. Also ask for an upgraded room because all the rooms are not upgraded.

 

As I remember more helpful tips I will post them...but do not panic just make sure you arrive well prepared and your weddings will be fine.

Ladies I'm back from my wedding at Now Sapphire! I will say Juan Carlos is awesome and super sweet in person, in fact I gave him a $250 tip...My best advice is to KEEP IT SIMPLE when it comes to your wedding, they prefer you have a cookie cutter wedding in order for everything to flow smoothly and I actually agree. My wedding was super detailed oriented and it was a disaster and the language barrier created even further confusion...BUT my DJ (Disco Movil Cancun) made everyone forget about all the mishaps of the ceremony and we had a great time. My wedding reception was the best part of my stay at Now Sapphire, everything else was HORRIBLE, so much so me and my guest checked out of the hotel and went to stay at Now Jade. Can you say bed bugs!!! Do not stay in rooms 612, 604 or 807. I will write a more detailed account of the bed bugs fiasco in my hotel review.

 

This is just my personal experience and everyone will have their own experience and we have all read the reviews which were all positive. From a professional wedding planner perspective, I would recommend having your wedding at Now Sapphire and your honeymoon at Now Jade. Now Jade is AWESOME and the weddings I saw there were amazing!!!

 

Also Adventure Photos are not the best photographers so if you have the budget, book an outside vendor. Do not pay for extra cake, do not extend your reception (we gave the bartender a $25 tip and he kept the drinks flowing well past our alloted time), do not pay for any extras period, because it's a waste of money, stick to the basics!!! Also I would recommend having your wedding ceremony at 11am because it's not too hot at that hour, my ceremony was at 4pm and it was too hot and uncomfortable for my guests.

 

I will post pics later...

29 days and counting....I can't wait!!! I will be sure to write a very informative review to help all the 2015 brides out because I know it's tough trying to plan from a distance.

 

Oh and I'm having milk and cookies to end my reception, it's $3/pp and each person will get 2 cookies. My fiance has milk and cookies every night before bed like he's a 5 year old!!!! lol....so I thought it was a cute idea to add this.

If anyone is looking for a great DJ service with reasonable rates I suggest Disco Movil Cancun. They are charging me $600 for 5 hours of DJ service w/ MC, 4 led lights, cold fireworks, and party props. So even with the $300 vendor fee it's a good deal. I initially booked the resort DJ but it was $700 for only 2 hours and didn't even come with a MC.

 

www.discomovilcancun.com

 

Did you end up being able to use the soloist for your cocktail reception @@niknic456?  Anel is telling me I'm not allowed, but I booked my wedding in May of last year and I would really, really like to use the soloist for the cocktail recpetion vs. the ceremony.

 

For brides who did use the solist for the ceremony, how did you incorporate them in?  Did they play while you walked down the aisle, etc.? 

 

 

I will be able to use my saxophonist for my cocktail hour. I called them personally and gave them a tongue lashing and now I'm getting everything I want. It's sad that I had to take it that far, but it seems that they are changing everything and becoming more strict. I even spoke to my travel agent today and she told me that this use to be her favorite place for weddings but she's not referring this place to brides any longer because the commuication is so difficult and it makes her job harder when dealing with brides. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO SCARE BRIDES BECAUSE OTHER BRIDES HAVE HAD NO ISSUES.

So after going back and forth with the Juan Carlos my issues are now resolved. FYI...Any brides that are getting married in 2014 that have been booked with Now Sapphire for more than 9 months, I woud highly recommend making Anel or Juan Carlos aware that you booked your package using the 2012/2013 Wedding Guide.

 

It appears the 2013/2014 Wedding Guide does not allow you to exchange services that you don't need for something else (i.e. you can't swap out soup for an extra appetizer or use the saxophonist during cocktail hour).  And this was they reason why I went on a rant earlier this week, becuase initially Juan Carlos (the new Ramon replacement) was telling me that everything I wanted to do in my wedding I could not do, but he did apologize and agreed to honor all of my request since I'm a bride who booked well over a year ago for a different Wedding Guide.

 

KEEP ALL EMAILS...

OMG....I've been planning my wedding with NOW Sapphire for well over a year and today I was told by this new coordinator Juan that 80% of the things I want for my wedding I can't have. I know I have read on this site, tripadvisor, etc....that other brides used the saxophonist that is included in the Divine Package for the cocktail hour and Juan says NOPE you must use the saxophonist during the ceremony. He also told me that I can do a unity candle because of the wind, okay I get it but I sent him a picture which shows the candles are in a hurricane vase protecting it from the wind, and of course he offered to sale me the sand ceremony for $50. He's also telling me that I can't use silk rose petals on the aisle runner because it's prohibited on the beach, but yet he can sell real rose petals to me for $25 a bag....and not to mention I'm not getting married on the beach!!! Clearly he didn't read my wedding form in detail and ignored the pictures. I felt like he was trying to tell me I can't have an item only to try to sale me something else that the resort provides.

 

I knwo I'm rambling, but I'm so livid and really need to go to bed before I hurt someone!!!

 

Brides do not settle for non-communication because you may end up disappointed at the last hour, like me.

 

WHERE IS RAMON????

Ramon was there the last week of January, when we were there. I dealt with Anel the whole time and then Ramon at the very end..they all communicate VERY well with each other and it Seems, from talking to Ramon randomly, that you have to have a lot of wedding coordinating experience before they consider you to work there. So I imagine Juan also knows what he's doing...and since he's new, he will probably go wayyyyy overboard haha just a thought I know you're nervous, but I promise you that they all know what they're doing and wonderful at it. I'm shocked that they have 2-3 weddings a day and pay so much detail to each one. I was sooo nervous before but the communication when you get there is like night and day from the email communication. I hardly filled out that wedding planner thing, which I was scared about...when you get there they make sure it's EXACTLY how you want, every detail. They'll even suggest things that'll go together more. I was shocked that they weren't trying to up sell everything! I was thinking of getting bows on the gold chairs and he's like "I think the chairs themselves will look better" he could've made more money but instead did what he thought would look best, he did this with a lot of things and it made me feel so much better.

I will try to remain positive , but I'm a professional wedding planner here in the states so managing my expectations is difficult (I can admit that!) but I have my wedding designed to a tee and there are alot of things I need to know if they offer at the local resort like blue curacao liquer or if they can dye roses horizon blue becuase I want to have a signature drink and a specific flower arrangement...and of course I want to know these things before I arrive at the resort , I don't want to arrive there and find out a few days before my wedding that they can't do something. Oh well I will keep emailng and calling them daily until I get an answer, you would think that if a bride is spending $35k in room bookings alone I would get better service.

 

The ladies that were married recently, did you keep your planning fairly simple or did you have alot of details?

Does anyone know if Ramon is still there? I know they have a new guy named Juan but Anel never answered if Ramon was still with the resort. My wedding is 1 month away and I don't want to deal with a new person

Here's another question for you guys I was wondering how far in advance did you book for rooms? My travel agent said that prices will go down as the year goes on, so not to book so soon, maybe in 5 months. Is that how you did it?

We booked 10 months in advance and the price was vey cheap. My guests are paying $448pp for a Fri-Mon stay....I'm glad we booked early because the hotel sold out in Noember for our wedding weekend, so waiting for prices to drop can also bite you and your guests in the butt.

Is anyone doing cold fireworks or does the resort allow fireworks....as usual Ramon and Anel are too busy to answer emails and I'm getting married in 2 months.

They provide it

Is it true that they charge $5 per vase?

Any brides getting married April 25-27???? I'm getting married the 26th and was just curious.

Thanks for your help! Isn't the DJ $350 per hour though? I've found a DJ for a better price but with the outside vendor fee it's hard to know what to do! How many hours do you think you will use the DJ for?

Yes, the resort DJ is $350/hr. I looked into other DJ's but with the resort fee it was not worth it to me and I have a small wedding (30ppl). So I plan to use the resort DJ for 2hrs and he will start his set after dinner when we begin the bouquet/garter toss, cake cutting etc....During dinner we will not have music because we have toast, speeches, etc...the waves of the ocean will be our dinner music!!

Hi there,

 

  Just have a couple of questions.

 

Are there microphones and speakers at the tequila terrace for speeches during the reception?

 

Has anyone found a good DJ at a reasonable price and what is the outside vendor fee?

 

Thanks!

The outside vendor fee is $350(if it hasn't increased for 2014). I'm going with the resort dj because I'm giving him the entire playlist and will pull him aside to let him know he follows it or he's not getting paid by me!!!! Also you can rent the sound system from the resort and I've seen it range from $150 to $400...

Does anyone have information on outside florist in the area?

I am getting married at the Now Sapphire April 24th! Our guests will be there April 21-28 so I'll be there the same time as you! I'm so excited to have a beach wedding

How's your planning coming along? I will be arriving the day of your wedding!!!!

How was your wedding? I would love to see pics, my wedding is in April and I'm super nervous with the lack of communication with Anel and Ramon.

Has anyone heard from Anel or Ramon?  I know she was in a car accident 2 months ago, but someone should be responding to the emails and phone calls. I sent my last email to them today and if I don't here anything back by the end of the week then I am cancelling my wedding and booking at their sister resort. I've already started to inform my guests to prepare to get their money back. I'm a professional wedding planner and even if I was unable to respond to a "paying" client I would for surely have someone on my team respond on my behalf, this is very unprofessional and there is really no excuse for the lack of communication. I've been sending emails and calling since August 9th with no response.

Where did everyone go!!!

I am using the resort photographer because I am comfortable with the photos I've seen thus far. Everyone has their opinion but I think every photographer I've seen in Mexico doesn't compare to what we get in the states so why waste the money to use an outside vendor who will produce the same results.  In the event I don't like my wedding photos I will do a photo shoot in Central Park!

Where are all the brides who were married April 2013-August 2013???? Please come back and post pics for the 2014 Brides