LauraM

Hi all! So I've been MIA but my wedding was may 1 @ BP and it was PERFECT! We did have various things go wrong but nothing mattered because the important things were spot on. Here's a short video one of our friends captured for us...

@@Danielle1 & @ our package was the most basic package that included full DJ services (actually, a total of 4 men were there with their equipment). No DJ booth or decor. Simply a small banquet table which the PSAV men sat behind and did their job. It was very simple, but it worked and I have zero complaints! I considered renting a dance floor/additional lights/DJ booth but am glad I didn't spend the $$. This set up was fine. When we had requests, we simply approached the table and then danced the night away in front of the speakers =)

So I wanted to write a review about PSAV, especially since I booked them without any prior knowledge of their work, due to a lack of reviews. I was NOT at ALL disappointed! I really took a shot in the dark when booking them and am so glad I did. My resort preferred vendors were PSAV and JSAV. JSAV prices are absolutely outrageous. I cannot speak to their work personally, but I did read many reviews of brides who adored them. I tried booking outside companies, but no one was available for my date. I was basically stuck with PSAV, unable to afford JSAV (who I wanted). PSAV was remarkably reasonably priced, very quick to respond to all my emails and easy to communicate with (emails were always thorough and written with proper English). They provided me with a survey to let them know what kind of music I liked & what to avoid and provided an area for special requests (though I didn’t request anything in advance, and they still had available all my on-spot requests). I didn’t give them much info, just hoped for the best. They were perfect! They nailed the timing on our entrance song, first dance, cake-cutting, and last-song of the night. They played country (I told them I liked it) during dinner only, because it would have been difficult to dance to. They then transitioned into some oldies to get EVERYONE on the dance floor, and then slowly moved into some newer pop-ish songs, with my requested line dances (electric slide, chacha slide) thrown in. It flowed perfectly and they were so accommodating to all my requests. They were also probably the only people in the entire country of Mexico to properly pronounce my new last name (Thank you!!!!). They didn’t do anything fancy (no games/added décor/ special announcements) but they kept the party going, made me feel comfortable to continuously run up and make ridiculous requests, and were affordable/timely/easy to work with. Future brides please don’t think you need to spend thousands on a DJ, we were happy with PSAV and they were the cheapest of the bunch! We paid only $1200 (after taxes of $240), for 5 hours of full DJ services.

This is one of the reasons we chose not to have an AHR. It may just be me but I'd be fairly offended if I were invited to an AHR and asked to come solo, without my hubby. I know it's not a traditional reception, but wedding events like this seem like something you'd want to be "coupled-up" at, rather than celebrating someone else's love without the presence of you'r own love.

I'm getting them through the decor company (gama) for like $5 each. and YES! it is SOOOOO soon! ahhh! I bet you're also getting excited for your site visit! Make sure you schedule a cake tasting! That's the one thing we wish we had done that we missed out on and are now taking a shot in the dark at cake flavors.

hi @@MissAmber26! I don't have a picture but my WC told me it is small high top tables with white linen ( i have 25 guests and they're providing 4 tables) and scattered white folding chairs. We're ordering pink bows to go around the tables to add some color

Margarita was terrible for me also. I'm currently working with Daniela Ocampo and although we have a very strong language barrier, she is fairly responsive (2-3 days). I haven't heard anything about Nayeli.

Is there a walmart or other similar store near your resort? Sometimes you can order things online and have delivery to store. Just an idea.

Check your wedding contract, should be in there. Ours had various down payments every time we reserved a specific service and then full payment 45 days prior to our wedding date.=

@@Danielle1 for over 50 people your WC should be emailing youthe plated dinner options

Mehndi Art: Mehndi By Veronica And palace also has their own in-house cigar rollers

@@nattiegams325 good to know. Thank you all for your replies. I'm both relieved and sad that I'm not the only one who has noticed this. I'm feeling very deceived and let down by one particular vendor right now. I agree that it would be helpful to require a minimum number of posts prior to writing a review, similar to how we need to reach a certain number to see attachments. Hopefully I'm wrong and possibly Mexican brides are coming on this forum as a favor to their favorite vendors and writing true reviews, as was mentioned above.

Trying to word this in a way as to not insult the integrity of this forum (since I love love love everyone here and am so grateful for everything I have learnt and been able to accomplish with your help) ...BUT... I've recently been reading a few negative reviews of various vendors (some of which I have already hired and paid), immediately followed by 5 star overly gracious reviews, written in poor English, by members who have no other posts/pictures/profile details. Is it just me, or does it seem that possibly the vendors themselves are creating accounts and posting fake reviews of themselves? I know this most likely happens on all forums and is probably impossible to 100% identify when this is happening. But I'm still so upset that I paid several thousands of dollars for one particular vendor who has been getting numerous negative reviews and only a couple questionable positive reviews. I'm hoping I'm wrong about this and I'm not wasting my $$ on an untrustworthy vendor who does not even deliver the quality work I was expecting =( Any other thoughts on the matter?

There was a huge wedding at Beach Palace when I was there... we never saw any of the actual wedding events (everything was done indoors) but it seemed to work just fine for them... and they were always having such a good time, it was like the entire resort was taken over by their friends and family... I think BP is the perfect size for your wedding.

We have a 6pm ceremony and 8pm receptiont.... but our hair/make-up will start around 1:00. That really only leaves time for breakfast and relaxing. I don't want to rush myself to the beach in the morning or anything of the sort, so we won't be making plans. Hopefully sleeping in, some brunch, and just relaxing before the day gets hectic

@@ABfutureSulli I'm using Latin Asia... their flowers seem nicer than the resort flowers and they're soooo accommodating and easy to talk to. It's costing me about $200 per centerpiece, $200 bridal bouquet, $30 mothers' corsages and $15 for bouts. The resort was also asking outrageous prices for any sort of upgrade so I opted not to use them. There's also a few recent posts on here about ladies using silk flowers from etsy.... they look amazing, real, and your guaranteed to have perfect looking flowers all day.

Tripadvisor.com made my decision for me! I'm obsessed with reading reviews to pick my next vacation spot!

You actually need at least 25 people for a private event, regardless of weather you earn unlimited free events or not. We almost didn't reach 25 people and we made a deal with palace to pay $55 per person missing in order to reach 25 people (for example, we thought we would only have 23 people, they were going to charge us $110 extra per event, even though they were "free" because we had 75 room nights)... All the rules are so tricky!

We have also chosen PSAV. Their rates are actually (shockingly) reasonable! I'm slightly concerned because they are so muhc cheaper than JSAV. I asked my WC about this and she said they don't have the same quality equipment as JSAV (NBD, I think...). My biggest fear with PSAV is that they don't seem to speak English very well. I'm worried that their announcements may be difficult to understand and that we may not be effectively communicating our plans for the wedding with them. On the other hand, they are excellent at responding to emails in a timely fashion and very considerate in all communication. Would love to see a review from past PSAV brides, but haven't been able to find any!

Maybe awkward wasn't the correct term... I just can't envision it since all the ceremonies I've been to end with the bride and groom walking down the isle, then a congratulatory reception line, and then the bride and groom leave for pictures. I just can't imagine walking down the isle and then waiting for my guests to all join me for a group drink. I don't know... i guess I just don't understand since I've never experienced it. The resort also provides champagne for our ceremony. It seems a little redundant... I was just checking to see if this was common, or a different tradition done at my resort.

I just don't understand this "post ceremony champagne toast" thing. My WC tells me they supply flutes and champagne at the ceremony location (beach, not the same as the cocktail hour or reception) for a toast, immediately following the ceremony. I've never been to a destination wedding and I've certainly never seen this done at a traditional wedding. Speeches and toasting is typically done during the reception... why are we having a toast immediately after the ceremony, awkwardly all standing on the beach? Is this common practice? please enlighten me, i just don't get it =)

My vendors (photo, hair/make-up, flowers, decor) always within 24 hours, with a couple exceptions (in which case they always apologize and offer a reasonable excuse). Any vendor that took over 4 days, I skipped over and chose a different company. I questions the work ethic/service of any company that cannot answer an email in a timely fashion (even if they are on Mexican time, they work with enough american/Canadian brides to know we're slightly crazy and need quick responses!).

someone in the facebook group actually just mentioned that the Moon Palace Jamaica just pushed back their grand opening to April 11, 2015... looks like your resort will be even newer than expected! Must be nice to know everything will be so pristine and perfect when you arrive!

@@Wafflesmom YES! The fee is absolutely outrageous! It's just their way of forcing you to use a DJ that they get a cut of the $$ from. Is J&S the same as JSAV? I can't even afford them! They're more expensive than the outside vendors, even with the 800+250 fees! I had to downgrade to PSAV... I'm concerned about their quality and their broken English (very apparent in email communications) but I'm hoping for the best...

I'm also wondering what to do about my dress hem! Going barefoot for my ceremony on the beach and then wearing heels for the rest of the night.. I'd love to do high heels but I'm scared the dress hem will be a problem.. I found shoes I like with a 2" heel... I wonder how that will look...