goldammerpayne

Thanks everyone! We decided to go with Xplor Fuego for a few reasons... 1- it is very close to our resort (Sandos Playacar), a 15 minute ride so there isn't a lot of time in the car. 2- there are four different activities so people have options 3-fuego because then we get to sleep in and don't miss a day on the ocean. Also I think 9-5 is too long for me too hang at an amusement park, and it gets hot in the sun. I'm very excited, now I am trying to decide what my fiancé and I will be doing in Tulum and Puerto Morelos. We leave Wednesday!!!

Hello! My wedding at Sandos Playacar is just 10 days away! I can't wait! I also can't wait to come back here after the trip and let everyone know how it went! Right now we are trying to figure out what to do with our guests the day after the wedding. We are staying at an all inclusive, so our guests will want to spend most of their time relaxing at the resort, but we wanted to treat them to a fun activity in addition as a thank you for coming all the way to Mexico for us. There are about 18 of us, so it is not a huge group. We had originally thought maybe a tour of the ruins or snorkeling (or both, but decided against adding in too many trips). After speaking with some of our guests it seems like they are more interested in zip lining type adventures, so I thought XPLOR might be fun because it is very close by, and while it is more pricey it seems like everyone would be able to find something to do. Does anyone have experience booking a large group to XPLOR? Do you think it would be best to try to organize through the resort, through XPLOR directly or a third party? Are there other day trips locations near bye that might be fun (I would like something with both ziplining and snorkeling if possible, but haven't found anything close-Xel-Ha would be awesome but I think it is just too far, but my fiance and I might go there on our own). Also, it seems like you are supposed to get there right at 9am. Do you think it would be a waste if we showed up later? Has anyone participated in XPLOR FUEGO? Is it more fun at night? I have too many questions! Any advice would be appreciated!!!

So excited that there are a few more Sandos Brides....I will come back and let everyone know how it goes! We are getting in on 4/20/16 and getting married on 4/22/16. I have decided to do a test run of the hair and makeup on the day before. And I think we have decided to add the Mariachi band. I kinda want to add live music for the ceremony but I am not sure if it's worth the $/ if they would be able to play the songs I want! BTW is anyone else getting TOO much feedback from friends about song choices? URG. I am hoping it isn't crazy hot, we are doing the very last spot of the day so the sun won't be as intense. There is also a full moon AND a meteor shower (which the full moon will probably hide-but it's cool anyway) so it will be an astrologically magical night! Anyone else choosing the grass overlooking the beach? I think the pictures of it are beautiful, and I want my fiance and I to wear shoes for the ceremony so it is perfect! So nervous! It's getting closer!

Hello Ladies! I am trying to resurrect this thread for the Sandos Ladies! I am getting married at Sandos on April 22nd, 2016. It feels like a dream being able to type that after how long it took to get to this point! I picked Sandos after looking at a million places all over the US and Mexico (a backyard BBQ wedding in our home town of Chicago was going to cost ~$20,000, I decided let's take a vacation instead!). I really wanted to find someplace that was affordable for guests to stay at. I want a small wedding (25-35 people) and originally thought I really wanted Dreams Tulum. Eventually I settle on a NOW resort instead because they are more affordable for guests and closer to the airport. But I liked Sapphire, not Jade, which is not all ages and we have a 15 year old coming so I was back to the drawing board (again). I absolutely fell in love with Al CIelo and Beloved (lovelovelove) but these are WAY more expensive for guests and since they are all coming so far to be with us, I didn't want to ask for more from them so I looked into "most affordable all inclusive resorts" and then checked out the wedding packages at all the resorts. Sandos WON! It is affordable for guest yet not dumpy There are BEAUTIFUL wedding packages (beach, garden, palapa) that are very reasonable! (I'll let you know how that works out...if I've learned one thing during this process is that people love to hide costs everywhere) It is all ages, yet there is an adult only section They have a cat cafe where they feed stray cats (my fiance and I are huge cat fans) Close to the airport and Playa Del Carmen GOOD BEACH- This was very important since the only thing my fiance really wanted was to get married on a nice beach, and a lot of these resort have not so nice beached, which you find out after reading hundreds of trip reviews! Any other Sandos brides? We are doing the Turquoise Breeze package and are doing the ceremony on the beach and the reception on the Palapa (extra $200 for beach and I believe $800 for the Palapa).

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Hello! I am trying to find the perfect balance between beauty and affordability and was looking for some help. I was wondering if any of you could let me know 1. How much your guests paid for their stay (excluding airfare) 2. How many night they were able to stay for that price. I just want everyone to be happy- er, at least not super upset....

I love Moon Palace, but my head is spinning trying to look through hundreds of pages on these resorts. I am hoping to find out 1. How much your guest spent on their stay at Moon Palace for your wedding (total excluding airfare) 2. How many nights were they able to stay for that price This would really help me determine whether or not Moon Palace can stay on my list. Thanks, and happy planning!

NOW Sapphire has made its way to the top of my list so far! There are so many factors to consider, but I really would like to make sure my guests are happy, so I was wondering if anyone would mind sharing 1. How much each guest paid for their stay and 2. How many nights they were able to stay for that price Thanks and wishing you all magical wedding days!

I am having a hard time deciding on a resort! I was wondering if anyone would mind sharing how much their guest stayed and how many nights they stayed? We won't have more than 20 people, but I would like to make it as affordable as possible for guests without sacrificing on quality of the resort too much. Thanks!

Thank you Thank you!!! Knowing me, I would have researched for days only to get overwhelmed and picked randomly. I will be contacting Wright Travel!

Hello, I have been researching resorts for quite a while and am seeing that many brides hire a travel agent to organize things. I tried to do a few searches, but didn't find much up to date info. I live in Chicago and am looking to have my wedding in Winter 2015 in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico (possibly Hawaii...) and would love suggestions for TAs. Anyone use someone they loved for their Mayan Riviera DW? Would you mind sharing their name? Reply here or my email is goldammerpayne@@gmail.com ps if anyone would also like to share info about resorts for a small DW that was less than $5,000 for the ceremony and reception I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear about it! And I love details....

Thank you Becky! I will check out Catalonia for sure! This forum is a godsend, and although I have been a lurker taking the plunge into posting will hopefully help me get organized Yes, the $20k chicago wedding was for a backyard wedding, needless to say it was more than what I wanted to spend for one day of incredible stress! The $4,700 tent quote was what killed it. I hope you get more excited too!! Does anyone have a travel agent they would recommend? I'll keep looking!

New Bride here! Well we have been engaged for almost a year, but the wedding planning is still just starting....again. I originally wanted a destination wedding but after discussing it with my parents (who are paying) it changed to a Chicago wedding, until they realized it would be at least $20,000 with a miserable daughter/bride planning it all! So back to the drawing board. Unfortunately I think I lost all my excitement for the wedding. I am having a hard time keeping track of different resorts and pricing and am getting depressed by the thought of my wedding, which, of course makes me sadder! AH! We want to have it on the beach. Mexico-Mayan Riviera (would like to see ruins) or Hawaii. About 20-30 people. Beautiful? Easiest? Affordable? Am I crazy? I need some help. I would like the wedding ceremony/reception/my parents flights/ my parents hotel stay all for under $10,000. Is that possible???? Any responses would be appreciated. We haven't set a date, waiting to find the resort!