kimmyd2

Hi guys! Just wanted to share some of our photos and video from our wedding at the palace January, 2016, its been a crazy few months after the wedding and haven't had much time to post any reviews or updates yet, but will try to soon. The wedding was amazing, photos by Bicoastal Images were great (see my review) My only regret was worrying so much leading up to the wedding (due to horrible communication) but it all really does work out perfectly! Happy Planning and if you have any questions let me know. Heres a link to our video preview clip: and some of our photos: https://www.facebook.com/bicoastalimages/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1084447108260921 trash the dress: https://www.facebook.com/bicoastalimages/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1086590394713259 Hopefully these links copied work okay!

Thanks Taraw! I'll be sure to post lots of pics and tell you guys about it, this forum has been great! @@jackiet2016 I have the list of guitar songs I can email it to you if you like? @@TaraW it looks like your wc is really on top of this with suggesting the guitarist can play liaise the list, mine didn't even mention that she just sent the list I picked a few from the list and 1 not from the list and just yesterday she said she sent it to the guy! So hopefully he can play it. You also had a few different songs than what I had, so weird lol. The communication in the last 2 weeks have been the worst with our wc Yasmin and our wedding is next Tuesday so I would have thought that it would have been better this close?! Oh well like you said earlier it gets sorted out when we arrive. Thanks everyone for all the tips and advice!

Hi! Can't specificaly answer your question but we are having our honeymoon in Tulum and I did a lot of research through trip advisor to find our honeymoon hotel-Nueva Vida de Ramiro- which hosts small weddings and large weddings, I remember reading a review recently of a bride who had their wedding there with 70 guests and had an amazing time. So if you don't get a lot of responses here try the trip advisor- Tulum forum and look up that hotel . I have no idea what prices would be for the wedding, but guest rooms are affordable. good luck!

great thread, so many good songs. We ended up choosing "Tenerife sea by Ed Sheeran" and we are doing some dance lessons! We'll be dancing in the sand so not sure how well that will go! lol anyone else do their first dance in the sand how did you find it??

Hi @@TaraW, its been crazy thats forsure, but we finally got our new location finalized at the coral beach at the palace. The manager Lupita finally called me yesterday and we got it sorted out, but we were left in the dark for over a week wondering whats going on. Anyways It should be a pretty location as well, but i've come to realize I will just have to go with the flow, and what really matters is we are getting married and all of our friends and family are making this journey all the way to mexico for us. Anyways countdown is on now and I can't wait!! only 9 more days until the big day!! (and we leave in 7!! How is everyone else's planning? Thanks @@Moments That Matter, beautiful pictures, what a small world - Kathy and AJ did our engagement photos back here in Winnipeg, they are great!! Hi @@Alemike! My wedding planner told me for rehearsal dinner you can have up to 25 people free in any select a la cartes with set menu or a dinner at the buffet with a sections reserved for your guests(over 25)... but it would be semi-private locations. If you wanted private location I would suggest then you would have to pay for a private event, i think it would be under the cocktail hour attachment and you can have it by the pool or beach or another private location she gives you, but there would be a per person charge and it would be drinks and tapas which could be nice as well. OR if you do end up looking outside the hotel, I would suggest looking into some of the smaller boutique type hotel/restaurants in Tulum, I have been researching there for our honeymoon and some of the restaurants just sound amazing. Good luck! Hi @@kthomp0615 welcome to the forum, you will find tons of info on here and scroll back many pages and there is lots of helpful advice from past brides. In February I will be one of them and be adding all my tips and reviews! Yours is coming up fast, you must be getting excited, time really flies in that last month leading up to the wedding. My advice is too try to get everything done on your end and buy whatever you need to take with you now, then the last 2 weeks before you wedding you can relax, start packing and go over final details with your wc.. i have left everything to last minute, this week I was still buying jewelry for my dress and bridesmaids gift and organizing the wedding day itinerary so I wish I had just done all that a lot sooner. I have Yasmin as well and unfortunately she is still very slow to respond, our wedding is in 9 days and I have so many questions for her still and its been over 3 weeks since her last email..we ended up calling someone at the resort and talked to a manager to get things going along again, and it actually wasn't as hard to get a hold of someone in mexico as I would have thought! For the welcome bags, I would keep it simple, I went to a dw before that had them and I didn't use much of it except some of the pepto and candy that was in it..my friend also had a travel sudoku, spf lip balm, but we didn't use that as we had packed our own already... but we really like that she had a really nicely written welcome/thank you letter and a brochure of helpful spanish phrases. OH and tumblers were in the bag too but we had our own mugs, so didn't use those either but for newbies to mexico that would be a good idea if they are cheap for your budget... Have fun planning!

I agree with the Facebook idea. We mailed save the dates after we put our deposit, our group also had 90 days so right away we sent save the dates, which was super simple just made one on Microsoft publisher like a photo size and got it developed at Walmart photo centre for cheap. Then we also did a Facebook event and most people responded there about going or not and it has been a great place for everyone to talk about the trip and ask questions and get excited! Also did regular invites from wedding paper divas and they were perfect ,

Thanks @@Moments That Matter just wondering which beach location that last photo is with the ceremony with blue chair ties?

Hi Everyone!! I also had change in WC, we have Yasmin currently and before that Aurea but there was a long lapse in between hearing from the new one and Yasmin has been good to work with just slow to respond. So anyays planning was good going and our wedding is in 2.5 weeks but we ran into our first major wedding problem! ahhhh SO our wedding date is Jan.19 and apparently there is this country concert with luke bryan happening the weekend after my wedding, the resort failed to tell me this, now have to move my ceremony that I was excited to have on Playa Azul. I actually found out all this on the barcelo faceook page(which by the way is very active) and that this stage they are setting up right where we were supposed to get married.. and the wc didn't even tell me so I am just furious about all this mess. So we are waiting to figure out where we will be having the ceremony now. I'm sure this will be affecting other January brides, not sure if they have been aware, hopefully they have, as it was quite a surprise to us. So I am hoping they give us some sort of compensation for this issue. Also my wc Yasmin is off this week so I couldn't even talk to her, but was able to get in touch with Abraham and he actually called me last night and he was really great to talk with. @ColoradoKatieJ you could try calling him as we called him and left a message and he called us back 10minutes later yesterday evening, and then he emailed me back yesterday with other options for our situation. Other than that I have left a lot of things to to the last minute! which I am really regretting..and now have a bunch of things to finish. I'm working on a brochure for our guests with itinerary and resort info which I'll give out at the airport. I also have my dress fitting on Saturday and my seamstress said it should be don't my next Wednesday so I hope that it is done by then! I still need to get my wedding band sized, working on some reception décor to bring down and making timeline for wedding day/reception.. does anyone have any examples of their timelines to share? Any last minute advice or tips for me? I feel like this is things I am missing to do or may forget. I can't believe how fast it has come up!! How is everyone else doing with their planning? Any other January brides?? @ColoradoKatieJ I have Abraham's number we spoke with him on the phone yesterday : 52-985-875-1500 ext. 6768. (also you have to dial 011 before that number it took us a while to figure that out lol) he was very nice to speak with on the phone. When is your wedding? I found that the closer to the date we get the quicker the wc responds, but still slow..

So exciting!! The countdown is on for us too!! We have many people going with us that have never even been to Mexico so I've also been thinking about a list so far. Tips for newbies? -Bring a bubba or travel mug -Get pesos early at home -Pack lots of extra sunscreen, it's so pricey if you run out! - for resort pool/ocean it is fun to bring a cheap floaty to relax -tell your guests to meet your group outside by bus, at airport after security go straight outside and don't get stopped by timeshare sharks or cab people. If I think of more I'll add , these just came to mind right away from things I wish I knew my first trip. Kim

Thank you for sharing with us, it will be perfect !

Congrats! Sounds amazing!

Bahahaha that's hilarious !

HI @@JJ785220! Congrats and welcome to the forum! As you can see Barcelo if a very popular resort and is a beautiful place with one of the best beaches I have seen, I have been to this resort a few years ago. If you have narrowed down to a few resorts then you are on the right path, but like a lot of people will say on here picking the resort is the hardest part. If you haven't already, you should definitely get a travel agent right away to help you with costs, planning and they will help you secure your wedding date and will be very helpful!! For most packages you don't need to put down a deposit, except for the tangerine I think.. Do you have the packages file yet with all the different wedding types and prices? Let me know if you need it, I can email it to you and I'm sure you will find lots of helpful advice from everyone here as well!! I have found that Barcelo is quite pricey for weddings, the packages seem reasonable at first but after you add on extra guests, dj, photography and little things barcelo charges for it does really add up, so just depends on your budget. Good luck in the beggining stages!!

Hi! @@Stephanie2015 do you remember how long your hair and make up took at the spa? What type of make up did they use? Did you just tell them what you wanted or bring pictures? Also is there other things at the spa for the bridal party to hang out like hottub or anything?? Or does anyone else have tips on the spa ? Thanks !

Thanks @@TaraW I got it! Super helpful!

Hi @@TaraW , Wow that is awesome you are done all the planning steps! I feel like I have a lot left to do and I'm just a few months away! We are also doing our ceremony at playa azul it looks just beautiful there. I would also love some of those documents if you don't mind, for the cocktail menu, flowers, centerpieces, and live music choices if you have? Thanks! [email protected]

this is such a great thread for packing and to share with guests too! I just realized how much I still need to do and didn't realize how much we actually needed to bring ! yikes! thanks brides!

Congrats @@VannessLares And thanks for sharing! That is just an awesome video!! Just wondering where you had your reception on the resort? It looked so nice with all the lit up palm trees. Also how long between your ceremony until your dinner did you take for photos? We're trying to figure out timeline so far all I've decided is 4pm for ceremony start and possibly 6:30 for reception... Or any other past brides want to share there timelines, Thanks !

Hi just wondering where you got the robes?? I have seen a lot of talk on hear about robes and tropical robes thanks!

Congrats @CellineSouza and thanks for posting those pictures, you made a beautiful bride! How did you find eating outside? Was it windy at night? We are planning to have a beach cermony infront of the tropical resort, but worry it might be cool or windy. Right now I am making reception decisions with menu and tables etc. How was the food? Are you writing a review? We would all love to hear more about your wedding it sounds perfect! thanks Kim Hi @@bluecastr1, did you wc organize and book the dj for you guys? I asked mine (Jasmin) about it and with her broken english I have found some things hard to understand in email and she just said yas and gave me the email, so not sure if I am supposed to email the dj or not? thanks Kim

Hi @@KirstenChrisDW2016 Welcome! When We booked our wedding date I was already in contact with a travel agent to make sure the week we wanted was in budget for us, so I would definitely recommend finding a travel agent, it's free and makes the whole process a lot easier for you. You don't have to use one, but just not sure how you would organize it without one. Definitely email barcelo weddings right away and ask for the date you want, with it being so far away next May you should have no problem. You can secure your spot with the wedding planner before putting down any deposits, after that they will send you a confirmation email and you have a certain amount of days to send them your travel confirmation # from the travel agent to confirm your date. You just need to make sure you have your travel week picked first to make sure it works with your date. I didn't have to put down a deposit with Barcelo just with my travel agent to secure packages for our group. Certain packages might require a deposit though. Sorry that was a long answer lol but Hope that makes sense! Not sure about if they can tweak the packages they are set packages. The complimentary one might be good for you if your having reception back home. Also For beach ceremony there's a pergola, Flower arch and greenery arch and the gazebo on palace section, not sure what else. Hope this helps! quote name="KirstenChrisDW2016" post="1899965" timestamp="1436317739"]HI, we are planning on getting married at the Barceló in May 2016. It was the first vacation we took together years ago and loved it. But we do not know where to start with the destination wedding planning, to be honest. I have read through the forum so I apologize if these questions have already been asked but I would appreciate ANY help at all that is given. - How do we go about securing a date without paying for our whole trip upfront? Do we pay a deposit, etc? - We are interested in more off the wedding aspects, not the reception, as we are having a reception back in the states after the wedding. Will the resort tweak the package to include more of what we want and not the stuff we don't? - I did not want to go through a travel agent, what is the best way to get the best group deals for travel and rooms? Do we have to use a travel agent? - We want a beach wedding with an Arbor/Pergola...is this an option? If so, where and what? Thank you again and any other information that you may feel is helpful, would be amazing! Kirsten & Chris

Thanks for posting! Interesting info! I hope it is cleared up for my wedding by next year in January..it can't stick around forever can it ? Lol

Hi congrats and welcome to the forum! You will definitely find a lot of great info on this website, everyone is wonderful! Definitely best to start with by finding a travel agent and narrowing down a location. Finding the resort is hard, for my finance and I took months and went through a couple of agents. The owners of the site are also travel agents and everyone has said great things about them. For what your looking at for type of location/ boutique type resort you should definitely look into Tulum, Mexico (near Riviera Maya). There is All sorts of different smaller resorts, not chains and different price ranges. We are going to a hotel called Nueva Vida de Ramiro in Tulum for our honeymoon and it has lots of different beach huts and villas spread out along the beach, very private and rates range from $105-350/night depending on type of room. If I hadn't already found my resort for my wedding I might've chose that one! http://tulumnv.com/en/weddings.html Good luck!

Hi @@isaroy ! Congrats on picking barcelo for your wedding you will love it , I've been to the resort a few years ago and it is just amazing which is part of why we chose it for our wedding! We're doing strawberry package as I was feeling the same way as you , don't want to leave cold canada in January to have a wedding inside in the cool a/c. But it's totally your preference, a lot of brides in here also mentioned it was nice for some of the older guests to have some rest from the heat of Mexico. But I think the private rooms are all indoor conference rooms , no windows or ocean views. My wc sent me a file with all the pictures of options for ceremony and reception, I don't know how to attach files here but send me a message and I can email it to you if you don't have it already. For entertainment, DJ, mariachi band etc, that is all extra, not included in any of the packages. Hope this helps! Kim quote name="isaroy" post="1898012" timestamp="1433602019"]Hello ladies, I am new to this site and have booked my wedding at the Barcelo Maya Colonial on January 27, 2015. I am wondering if any of you went with the Mint Breeze package? I see in the package description that we will be having a private dinner in a room for 3 hours but I am wondering what the private rooms are like as I wouldn't want to fly all the way to Mexico from Montreal, Canada to eat in a conference room wiht our guests. Can anyone give me additional information about their experience with the Mint Breeze package and the private rooms available for dinner? Can we choose a room that is open to the ocean, for example? Is there a DJ included in this? What kind of entertainment can we expect? Thank you in advance!

Hi @@HilaryMWren! We are the same wedding week! My date is Jan.19/2016. So maybe we'll see each other there , although it is a huge resort! We have been to barcelo Maya beach resort before and just loved it! Wow 70! That is great you have so many people coming. So far we have 43 and maybe more to book still.. But the costs are starting to add up with all the guests. Who is your WC? I have Aurea-Andrea, so far she has been slow to email with but I have been too so that's working out okay lol except for when you have questions that come up! Not sure where you are with your wedding right now , we have just picked our menu. Did your WC say anything about whether the meal is a plated dinner or buffet? She hasn't said if we go over a certain number then it's a buffet? Or maybe someone else has heard about this..