bluecastr1

@@kimmyd2 We just booked the DJ through the WC. When you arrive they will have a sit down with you and go over all of your selections for a final time. I did tell her ahead of time that we wanted the DJ. You should try to specify DJ Aztecca if you can because he was awesome! We also did an extra hour of reception time and it was by far the most worth the money! I can't imagine it being an hour shorter, it went by so fast!

@@Ivydulce2015 The hotel DJ (we had DJ Aztecca) was great! Our friends and family had so much fun dancing and everyone commented on how good he was

I'm not sure if this will work, but here is a slideshow sneak peak we got from the photographer. Skip the first half - it is of the week leading up to the wedding, starting at 3:50 is wedding: https://animoto.com/play/1S34YKVRNPcanjbmcK0xtQ?fb_action_ids=10100189989990442&fb_action_types=animoto%3Ashare&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B675936019170227%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22animoto%3Ashare%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

@@starbx123 Thanks It really was so beautiful and so much fun! I wish I could go back! For the ceremony locations: we were only shown the beach location that was in front of the Palermas grill. We were not given any other options for beach locations (maybe because they were taken? or because we were staying at the Palace?) and we were not given an explanation for this either. I walked around the resort a lot that week and it looked like there were some beautiful, more private spots towards the Colonial/Caribe beach area..but again they weren't available to us. We didn't push it because we had already chosen a spot and I understood that there may not be flexibility to change it. I heard there were like 3-5 other weddings per day around the time of mine! The reason we were disappointed with the Palermas location is that it was smack in the middle of the beach loungers, at a wide beach area. I know they clear them away, but added to the fact was that there would have been another wedding to start 30 minutes after ours, about 20 feet away. I thought that would be comical at best, but I couldn't get over there being another wedding set ups right next to ours. I knew it wouldn't feel "special" at all.. so I just stuck with Coral Beach and I was really happy with it in the end! It was a little rocky, but beautiful and private.

@@calgarybride2015 We may have used some spare bubblewrap in the bottom and top of the box to keep them from shifting around, but we didn't intentionally pad them. They were all fine when we got there

Hi Brides to be! I was married at Barcelo Maya Palace on 11/21/14, and just wanted to share my experiences with you all. We had 37 guests, and most stayed at the Palace, a few stayed at the Tropical. Overall the resort was wonderful! We really enjoyed our time, although we wished it could have been a longer trip! We thought the food quality was on par with other resorts that we have been to in the area. The drinks were GREAT- definitely better with the upgrade to premium liquor. The beach was beautiful and we loved being just a short walk away. The resort was at eerily low capacity, so there was never a problem finding lounge chairs together, and we even managed to pull off group dinners every.single.night. at the a la cartes. If you try to do this, you need everyone's room numbers to make reservations, and the hotel will not give you room numbers until the guests have arrived. A word of advice, if you have any control over this I recommend having your guests arriving on the same date. We did not, and we spent a lot of time trying to "find" people or make sure they were updated as to our whereabouts. Our WC was Estrella, and she was so nice! We met with her just a few days after arrival, and went through all the items previously discussed via email. All of our selections were confirmed, and she took us around to see the options for ceremony and reception sites. In the end, there wasn't much to pick from other than our original choice. I assume this is because there were 5 other weddings throughout the resorts that day! I was a little disappointed in the options for a beach side ceremony when I saw them in person, however I did not actually witness any weddings there, so I can't speak to that. All communication with Estrella was easy and she was always available when we stopped by to see her. We brought a LOT of stuff from home, and she did a wonderful job having things set up exactly as we specified. We paid for our total wedding cost days before the wedding, after meeting with the WC. OOT bags/favors/decor: I brought from home. We had 4 large cardboard boxes, which were all opened at customs. They searched through everything but helped put it back together for us. If I could go back and change it, I definitely wouldn't have brought as much stuff. I wanted personal touches, but in the end it wasn't all necessary. We made OOT bags with a "in sickness and in health" first aid kits with lens cleaner, scope, abx ointment, OFF wipes, band aids, gum, Advil. We included insulated mugs to keep drinks cold and sunglasses (big hits), and an itinerary for the week. Again, we were running around trying to "find" people to give them the bags, as the resort charged a $3 delivery per bag to put in the rooms- we should have just paid it. We tried leaving at the check-in desk, but found they weren't reliably being given to the guests as requested. We also brought personalized votives/shot glasses for the ceremony which were dual purposed as decor/favors. It looked pretty but the wind blew out half the candles! We also used luminaries for additional lighting around the center of the table set up. We brought our guest book, cake topper, a photo and a sign. Our place settings/tags were on maracas and the guests LOVED them! The label said "Shake for a Kiss." They were shaking them all night! We ordered online from Amols, which saved a lot of money but they took up an entire box on their own! I strung flowers on fishing wire to hang from the huppah during the ceremony and it looked beautiful. I also brought vases, lights and shells from home to make my own centerpieces. I would not do this again as they took up a lot of space in our boxes and I don't think were really noticed as much as I thought they would be. Honestly, votive candles would have been enough. We used the bridesmaids bouquets in our centerpieces, which worked well. Hair/Makeup: I hired the Styling Trio. I thought they were great, and my bridesmaids really seemed to like them too. They were very efficient. I gave my mom my hair and makeup that was included in the package, and she paid the "vendor fee" of $150 for the Styling Trio in return. That worked out well, and I'm glad I did this. I thought my moms hair and makeup was OK, but I can't really compare apples to apples. I didn't think my mani/pedi was very good. They seemed behind the times, and it was painfully slow- I just wanted to hit the beach!They didn't have many color options. I wish I gave this to someone else and just kept my nails as they were from the salon at home. Ceremony site: I had my ceremony at 3:30 PM. It was a symbolic ceremony, and I thought the officiant was great! It was very hot, and I was so concerned with sweating that I barely noticed, but everyone commented on how good he was He even made a little joke about the heat, asked my hubby to dab my face, incorporated it wonderfully, which made me feel much better! The $300 was incorporated into our total wedding cost. We originally picked the Coral Beach area, and stuck with our decision after seeing all the options. It is a small cliffside on the far end of the palace side of the resort. In the end it looked beautiful and I'm really happy we chose that spot. It was very private, and we only had a few onlookers, which I barely noticed. We overlooked the ocean, and there is some lush greenery around, with palm trees overhead. It wasn't the "on the beach" option that we wanted when we originally planned to do a destination wedding, but it was beautiful and had its own advantages. Immediately after the ceremony there was a champagne toast, and we took our group photos. Cocktail hour: We didn't have one. We put our money towards extending the reception, which was SO worth it! Our guests went to the Coral Grill for a quick bite, or to the Coco's Bar and played bingo while we took pictures. They seemed to have fun and no one appeared bothered by the lack of cocktail hour. The Carey Bar in the palace is beautiful and would be a good option too. Our guests that stayed at the Tropical/Colonial WERE asked about their bracelets, but the bartenders let it slide on the couple occasions that they were at the Palace. Photos: We had a friend do our photos, and he was a guest of the wedding, therefore I did not have to pay the vendor fee. We did cover the cost of his room and flight. I'm waiting on pictures, but I have a sneak peak slideshow- if anyone is interested in photos just send me a message. We ran out of daylight since some clouds rolled in, and we were really sorry that we didn't allow more time for photos. Reception: We had the reception at the Coco's Pool. Estrella we helpful in getting the location moved closer to the Pool, which is what we wanted. She let us choose the setup, and we were sorry we did because we ended up blocking the pool view with the head table- oops! They were working on the lap pool the entire week we were there and it was an eyesore, which kind of annoying since it was right next to our reception site, but they tried to do what they could to block the view of it with black fabric. I appreciated the efforts The dinner went without a hitch and everything was set up exactly as I requested. We had Crispy Proscuitto Grissini (good), Lobster Bisque (AWESOME) and Surf and Turf (I thought it was OK, but everyone else seemed to love it!). We had the Chocolate Fondant (great) for dessert. I didn't even try my cake because I was busy dancing, but I heard it was good- we got Vanilla/Vanilla. The cake looked beautiful and I thought 1 layer was more than enough! I think we had half leftover! DJ: We went with the resort DJ (DJ Aztecca?) and everyone LOVED him! The music during dinner was meh, but dancing was excellent! We had friends say they wished they could fly him in from Mexico for their wedding. Hehe. He definitely got everyone up and moving! One weird thing..he didn't MC the event at all. We asked him to do introductions, and he did do that, but he didn't prompt the speeches or anything else that we thought he would. We did not get a dance floor, and in the end we are glad we didn't. It started raining the second dinner ended, and we moved under a thatch roof covered area that was by the pool. This turned out to be perfect, as the original dance area was very small. It worked out great because we were outside but still under cover, and there was some additional lighting. At the end of the reception we surprised our guests by running out to the dance floor in our bathing suits, and then jumping in the pool. Most of our guests ended up jumping in after us and it was SO much fun! It capped off a wonderful night and everyone loved it. This is already lengthy so I'm going to cut it off- but happy to answer any questions, and hope this advice helps someone out. I scoured this thread in the weeks leading up to my own wedding

@@NurseNurse0101 Thanks for your wonderful review! I have had some poor communication with the WC (it keeps changing?) and not hearing back from anyone for a week at a time. This close to leaving (SUNDAY!!) I'm getting nervous...we are just figuring out the final details. Our group size is about the same size as yours..we have 37 people total. Most of us are staying at the Palace, with a few staying at the Tropical/Colonial. Right now I have a FEW questions I'd greatly appreciate your insight on having just been there: Where is the best place to have everyone gather during the day? We were thinking at the Palarmas Pool Bar/Grill around lunch time and then people can come and go from there, and Tequila Bar/Veranda for cocktail hour. We just want a few meeting points to help people with getting together once or twice a day. I asked for a list of activities from Barcelo, thinking there might be some kind of Olympics or fun games to participate in during the day... any that you would recommend? I see there is "crazy game" most days at noon at the pool, what kind of crazy games were there? Also- what is the best stretch of beach for having a large group meet? I'm assuming most would prefer proximity to the rooms (between palace and tropical), but not rocky. How did you handle payment and tipping? Did they give you one big final bill after the wedding, or upon checkout? We plan to bring one CC that has no foreign transaction fees...I'm just wondering what additional charges we could expect beyond out selections that we are aware of. Was there a service charge for the wedding coordinator? Thanks for mentioning the $300 cash for the officiant! I have a feeling we will be going through customs with lots of cash on hand.. I have looked at multiple forums and am hearing differing opinions regarding tipping. I am paying for the styling trio to come out, and I plan to tip them either per stylist or each on top of the services for my bridesmaids. I wasn't sure about the WC and DJ, since we are paying for them in the package. I have heard that tipping the bartenders and waiters is much appreciated, so we'd like to do that. Of course the maids and other staff for exceptional service.. I'm just not sure who and how much.. My fiance wants to just not worry about tipping, but it's a big concern for me regarding having the right amount of cash and having it all ready to distribute without counting out bills etc. For the DJ- we will be using the one through the resort too. We haven't given much thought to songs we want played beyond the ceremony and presentation, etc. Was he good enough to just let him take the reins? I honestly don't want to have to worry about it at all. I'm assuming we can just bring our selected songs on our phone and they can hook up to speaker? Our reception is pool side, weather permitting. I'm glad you said not to worry about the light up dance floor.. I really wanted it but my fiance thought it would be a huge waste of money. We are doing paper luminaries around the tables, votive candles all over the tables (one per person), and a centerpiece we are bringing from home with a hurricane filled with shells and backlit with waterproof candles. The bridesmaids bouquets will sit inside. Speaking of bridesmaid bouquets..are the ones you get for $35 very small? How much do they charge for extra fullness/more flowers? I think it will look very romantic and am excited about them..but not excited about lugging all this stuff to Mexico. On this point- is anyone getting married on Nov 22 that would like to use our centerpieces? We will be there until Nov 23. We have 4 or 5 depending on your party size. Thanks so much for listening to me go on and on...its getting down to the wire and nerves are kicking in!

@@gilmana Did you purchase the sparklers in Mexico? I just called Southwest Airlines, and they said TSA prohibits fireworks/sparklers on the aircraft..I would love to bring them but I don't want to buy them and end up having them be thrown out. Any other brides bring them with?

I would love to see the pdf with the choices if anyone has it! I am getting married at the Palace on Nov 21! I'm excited to see some other ladies on here with dates around the same time as ours! We should meet up for a big old DW party

@@cvincent84 Thank you so much for the thorough response! I hadn't even thought about using an outside DJ! With just over a month to go I'm nervous and don't want to make any big changes, so I think I'll stick with the resort DJ. I am definitely considering the styling trio I'm leaning towards nixing the official cocktail hour and mariachi band, and going to the lobby bar like you suggested. It seems like a lot of people stuck with that plan and it was fine. I'm wondering if I could get the acoustic guitarist to play at the bar for the hour? (Wonder what THAT charge is....). We are planning on a beach ceremony (Capitan Morgan?) and poolside reception (Cocos?)..but having not been there and basing the decision off one photo is tough! Anyone have any suggestions on best beach and poolside locations? I'm also wondering if there is any type of overhead for the poolside or if its all in the open.. there would be no need for hanging decorations then If anyone can share photos of their setup/decor for ceremony on the beach or poolside reception I would be SO appreciative! I've been scouring the different photography sites trying to get little bits and pieces Also- how did you all take care of handing out welcome bags? We are bringing them, but the resort charges $3 per bag to deliver for you (huh??). Thanks again!! Loving reading through all the replies previously!

Hi Everyone! I'm so excited to find this board! I'm getting married at Barcelo Maya Nov 21, 2014, and I would appreciate any advice you all have! I am planning to bring most of my decorations from home, as there seems to be an added fee for everything! *Is it "worth it" to have a cocktail hour and/or mariachi band? We would love to do this but our budget has gotten a little out of control and we are trying to cut back.. already eliminating the dance floor (we are having the reception poolside). *Has anyone brought lights to hang/string above? I asked our WC about the length needed..and all she told me was that I could rent them for approx $300 (set up/rental fee). We would also have to hire someone to do this if we bring them ourselves, apparently. *Is the hair/makeup team okay? Once I started reading the posts on Barcelo, I quickly found that many people hire external hair/makeup artists (styling trio, best moments?). I wasn't planning to do this before b/c with the Strawberry Package it is included..but I'm wondering if it might be the way to go. Anyone that has used the spa at Barcelo- I'd love to hear how your hair and makeup turned out. Thanks so much, and really looking forward to the wedding, despite setbacks with communication and budget concerns. I want it to be personal and for everyone to have a wonderful time!