LauraM

Ours is looking like 35K-ish including airfare, honeymoon, dress, etc. and that is WAY more than we had originally budgeted for or expected to pay for a destination wedding...

@@hapykat congratulations!! You're wedding is one day before mine!! Good luck with the planning process!!!

The views from the Beach Palace Sky Terrace =) .... but really, I'm going to be following this thread to get some more ideas! I wasn't originally planning on adding any Mexican-flare to my Cancun wedding but I'm starting to like the idea of adding some culture to the reception.... Or maybe the resort will even do some table-side drink/dessert prep/show for the right price?

What's wrong with a Tuesday? I think you should do whatever is right for you and you're hubby to be. Period.

I'm letting my dad pick but I'm hoping he chooses one of these.... - What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong - The Way you Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra - Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton - Just the Way you Are – Billy Joel - Your Song – Elton John

...Buying a seat for a dress sounds crazy but I think it's a good idea at this point! My fiance might hate me but I'm not willing to risk a dress disaster!!

I'm considering splurging for 1st class tickets to avoid having to stuff my dress into an overhead bin =/ Every time I've flown Boston to Cancun, the flight has been full. I've seen fights over overhead storage space and I've even seen passengers being forced to check their carry-on, even if it's within the size limits. That is NOT how I want to start my wedding trip.

black belt! They both look amazing but the black belt dress appears slightly more flattering on you!

We haven't picked our first dance song yet but have a couple in mind... we have a mix of country/slow/more up-beat songs. I've chosen all of them because I can picture us dancing our first dance to them when I listen to them and just the thought makes me tear up. It's kind of like with the dress... when you know, you know =) all the potential songs that don't make it to the official fist dance will be used during the reception. I'll probably be periodically crying for the entire night lol

@@csho I do not live in Canada, unfortunately. But thank you for the insight! =) ... How did you find your travel agent?

Did you all use a local travel agent? Or just communicate via e-mail/phone. I desperately want an agent who I can meet with face to face but am having trouble finding one!

Has anyone spoken with any decoration companies in Cancun about prices? It seems like Zuniga is the most commonly used company but their website doesn't show any pictures/prices. Can't find a recent thread on here about this so I'm hoping someone has some more recent info =) Also... any advice on paying for the resort wedding package (which will need to be upgraded with outside vendor decorations) VS opting for the complimentary wedding package (in which case I will be paying an outside vendor for ALL the decoration)? ...our wedding is at Beach Palace but any info is helpful! Thanks!

Last time we were at the Bach Palace, we followed the dress code. However, we frequently saw men with shorts, and ladies with flip-flops in the restaurants. I've been to other resorts that would barely let me in with nice open toe sandals, but the restaurants at the Beach Palace are much less formal and didn't seem to care about attire, despite what is stated on their website.

We always pay about $750 round-trip Boston to Cancun nonstop there, one stop home.

Hi Mark! We're still working on our playlist but these are our current ideas: We're not having a wedding party, so our parents/grandparents will be walking to "Here comes the sun" - Beatles Bridal entrance - "Air" (from Water Music Suite) And for the entrance we have a couple choices... - Better Together – Jack Johnson - You make my dreams- Hall and Oates - Signed sealed delivered – Stevie wonder - I do – the Marvelows

LINDS2014... Who are you using as a travel agent? I'm from Boston and have been looking for someone local who I can actually meet with rather than communicate via phone/email. But, at this point, finding someone with experience dealing with the Palace Resorts might be more important. I also want to downgrade my package.. i originally chose "pure" ($4,000) but like you said, the other packages make much more sense. Too bad we didn't realize this before giving them our money! PS. I am so jealous that your wedding is at Le Blanc! We have booked our honeymoon there and are BEYOND excited! We chose Beach Palace for our wedding because it's cheaper and we've been there before... but everything I'm hearing about Le Blanc is absolutely amazing! Would love to see pictures when you return!

LINDS2014 ... thank you for responding! It's good to hear that I'm not the only one having problems with Marisol. I have heard from others that their travel agent is able to get better deals/more info. That's why I'm going to use one. My battle now will be getting a refund from palace for the $2,500 deposit I put on the wedding. My contract states that I can cancel within 45 days of the wedding without a charge. The problem will be getting someone to respond to me! I don't want to call them because I like keeping everything on record, in writing. I'm going to try emailing their PR dept, rather than Marisol. I've already cancelled my room, and was fully refunded via their booking dept within 2 weeks. Something tells me things won't be so simple with the wedding dept...

I have been told that the "free room nights" are only good for future visits, after our wedding stay. When I first booked my wedding, the "free room nights" were able to be used as credit for wedding extras. Not surprisingly, the rules have changed since I signed the contract. I'm currently in the process of cancelling my wedding and re-booking via a travel agent. My wedding planner, Marisol, hasn't responses to any of my four emails over the past 5 weeks =( so frustrating.

Hi Brides to be! My wedding is not booked for 2014 (May 1, 2015)... But I wanted to join the thread to share ideas! Marisol is my wedding coordinator and I'm already anxious/frustrated with the lack of communication with her. However, I have vacationed at Beach Palace and loved the resort! I'm eager to hear about everyone else's wedding experiences!

Shmanderz - Thank you so much for sharing your plan with us! It sounds perfect! How soon in advance did you plan all of this? Laura

Hi Ladies... Question for you all (past brides, and those still planning).. Do you think it is necessary to hire outside vendors (flowers, DJ, decor, Etc.)? What package did you choose through the resort? I chose the Pure package and paid my deposit before realizing that I would also want to hire outside vendors rather than use the things provided by the resort. I now regret paying a 2,500 down payment for flowers and decor that I won't even be using! Has anyone else chosen not to hire outside vendors? Any thoughts or advice from anyone would be helpful =) Thank you!

Hi ShellLen! My wedding is booked for May of 2015. I booked, paid the deposit, and signed the contract a few months ago. I believe that you can reserve a wedding date as far in advance as you would like. HOWEVER, they will not confirm the specific location until closer to you'r wedding date. I have my heart set on the beach for the ceremony and sky terrace for the reception. The wedding planner told me that she put these requests in for me but will not confirm them at this date. I think they do all official location confirmation last minute, depending the wedding size, so that they can accommodate as many weddings as possible each day. After signing the contract, my wedding planner has been less than responsive to my attempts to contact her for more information. From reading these forums, It seems that all of the detail planning occurs much closer to the wedding date. Good luck with your planning! Laura

hey Linds2014 .... Why are you planning transportation? The palace rep told me all hotel/airport transportation was included. Am I misunderstanding? Thanks!

I was told it will be base fee of $60 per every 10 people for each extra hour, over the allotted 2 hours (the package I chose includes 2 hours). But then you also need to consider the price to extend the DJ/open bar/etc.

Mrsoats - My reception is planned to go until midnight on the terrace rooftop. I originally wanted it on the beach but I was told everything on the beach ends by 10pm ( and I do believe they are strict with this... I have been to the beach palace prior and have never seen a reception on the beach after 10pm).