Now Jade Wedding Review

March 9, 2013

Diving Wedding Package

Beach Ceremony, Mix Beach Bar, Bamboo Room Reception

29 guests

 

 

 

 

 

 

First of all my wedding was everything I imagined and wanted it to be and more.  Pilar and her staff are fabulous.  As a bride, in the months before your wedding you try and think of every detail to make it perfect but all of those details won’t matter the day of.  The day went so fast and the staff was so great, I couldn’t imagine it being any better.

This will be a ridiculously long review; I will try to give you every detail about the wedding and resort I can possibly remember.

The Monday before I left Pilar called me to check that I was still planning to arrive on Wednesday.  I informed her I was actually coming a day early due to weather.  She apologized that it would be her day off but asked if we could meet Wednesday at 11am. 

I flew Airtran Business class out of Baltimore.  The flight attendent saw my dress, grabbed the first empty overhead bin, put my dress in and shut it so no one else could use it.  She also sent free drinks back to two of my friends who weren’t in business class, very sweet.

Customs and immigration were no sweat.  I had 4 checked bags and 3 carryon bags.  I traveled with 5 other people that day and everyone flew through, no red lights for inspection.  We did have a little trouble finding the guy with our transportation sign, and had to wait about 10 minutes for him to call a van once we got there, but it was not a big deal.  For those of you have never been to Cancun airport just keep walking and head outside for your transportation.  There will be people inside trying to offer taxis, help with yours bags, timeshares.  Just say no thank you and keep walking.

Check in.  There were people outside greeting you with sparkling lemonade and a cool towel.  They take your bags and show you inside for check-in.  One couple I was with was preferred and they got escorted away for check-in.  I had booked an ocean front room.  I was hoping to be upgraded to preferred, because I liked the idea of a separate living room area for getting ready and pictures.  They told me they didn’t have any oceanfront preferred but I could still have preferred privileges.  I asked again about the preferred room and they told me I could have on that was ocean view but they assured me my ocean front room was much better.  I was not terribly happy about this at first, but looking back they were right.  The preferred privileges don’t really mean much at all.  There is a lounge you can have snacks and cocktails in and you can have breakfast at Mercure (French restaurant).  I took advantage of both of these things once.  The breakfast at Mercure was good, but the food was not really any different than the buffet.  The lounge was nice but that is where the timeshare people are trying to convince you to have breakfast with them.  I talked with one person for a few minutes and he gave me my coupon book but I told him no thank you to breakfast and he left me alone. 

As far as the coupons go.  Every one of my guests received $100 as part of their booking with Teresa (vacation4 less who I would highly recommend).  $40 off spa treatment, $10 of bottle of wine.  My guests used the spa coupon, but their prices were high to begin with so it really just made the massage reasonably priced.  No one ordered a bottle of wine.  The resort wine was decent and the other bottles were so overpriced.  But we never felt pressure to order.

My room was nice, just like all of the pictures.  I was in Building 1 which is next to the construction.  At first I wasn’t very happy with it, but after I relaxed it didn’t bother me one bit.  You couldn’t hear any noise inside your room.

 

Looking right from my room – It was actually fun to watch them work.

 

 

 

 

I loved the bathroom, shower and tub right against the balcony with a direct view of the ocean.  The bed was comfy, but too soft for 11 nights.  I like a very firm mattress.  The AC was pretty good.  Sometimes I couldn’t cool it down enough.  Same with the fridge.  Maid service was good, but not great.  After the wedding night the rose petals they laid on the bed had stained the comforter but they didn’t change it right away.  And they didn’t clean up the rose petals very well.  We kept finding them in the corners, under the bed, etc.  I am not complaining, just trying to provide details.  I have been to other resorts where they were a little more on top of their game.  They did forget to restock the fridge one day, but we called and they brought it right up.  The bellman service was great.  I called and asked for help carrying my goodies to the Wedding Office.  One man came and somehow got all 3 of my carryon bags to the office without a cart. 

 

Wednesday at 11 we met with Pilar.  At first I found Pilar a little intimidating.  She was very businesslike and not super outgoing/friendly.  But after dealing with her all week, she was either having an off day or is just that way during the meeting to make sure she gets all your details correct.  I brought the following from home and gave to her at our meeting: chair sashes, paper lanterns, centerpieces (lanterns with starfish, LED candles, batteries, tea lights and holders), Guest Tree with stamp and wet wipes, maracas and name cards with table numbers, wine ceremony box.  She went page by page through my planning form and confirmed all the details.  I told her I wanted a table at the entrance with maracas and name cards and the tree and she set it up exactly as I asked.  We confirmed the type of flowers I wanted with pictures.  She asked how I wanted the tables set up for the reception.  I didn’t have an exact idea so she drew me a picture and it worked great.  She knows the room and how best to make it all work.  She printed out an invoice and it was the first time I had seen so it was a bit of sticker shock.  She charged me $40 to hang the paper lanterns which it seems other brides haven’t always been charged.  She did not charge me to tie the bows on my chairs.  I told her I didn’t want extra horderves or cake which was not a problem.  She miscounted my extra guests but I noticed the mistake and she corrected the invoice.  We did opt for a private bartender and I was shocked to see it was $350 but I have read on the board since I have been back that is the new 2013 price. 

I also asked about delivering my welcome bags.  I wanted my guest to have them as soon as they arrived (people arriving 3 different days) so they would have the itinerary as soon as they got there.  She charged me $3/bag but the delivery service wasn’t as good as I would have hoped for $3.  The Wednesday people didn’t get theirs till Thursday (after a reminder by my mom) and the later people on Thursday didn’t get theirs till Friday.  All in all I spent a lot of time on the goody bags but probably spent a little too much time and money on them.  A few people commented on how nice they were but not as many as I would have expected.  I am sure my guests appreciated them.

For flowers I needed my bouquet, 2 bridesmaids and 5 boutonnieres.  She charged me for the 2 bridesmaid bouquets and 2 boutonnieres.  Looking back I should have gotten credit for the 2 corsages I didn’t use.

Pilar also booked my private transfer for returning (just an Apple Vacations Van) and set up our private dinner on the beach.  I made the couples massage appointment myself.  After I agreed to the bill she took me to the lobby to pay.  She told me she would bring my flowers up to the spa (right upstairs) while I was getting my hair done on Saturday to make sure I liked them.

 

Rehearsal, welcome cocktail hour– I asked Pilar at the meeting if we needed a rehearsal and she told me only if I wanted one.  She said since she had the names of my bridal party and order there was no need, so we opted not to have one.  I don’t think it is necessary.  I asked Pilar if we could have a welcome cocktail hour on Friday.  Since there was a charge for apps, I opted no food.  Really all it consisted of was a sign in the lobby near a few couches.  The lobby is huge with plenty of couches so I am really not sure it is necessary.  There were a few servers if we needed drinks but they might have been there throughout the week, I can’t remember.  My welcome cocktail hour lasted about 30 minutes since most people had already met, and they we all broke into smaller groups for dinner.  I didn’t find it necessary to have a rehearsal dinner for everyone.

 

Spa – I had a hair and makeup trial scheduled for 4:30 on Thursday and my actual hair at noon on Saturday. I was having so much fun at the pool I wanted to cancel it but they told me it would be 50% charge so I went through with it.  Erika was my hairstylist and I absolutely loved what she did with my hair.  My makeup was very nice too.  Although the day of the wedding she really layered it on (foundation) and you could really tell up close.  It took 2 hours both times so plan accordingly.  My two other bridesmaids got their hair done and they both looked nice, but I think Erika definitely did the best job.

Trial pic

 

Wedding day hair

 

 

I also got a French mani/pedi Saturday morning and I was pleased with it. 

Wedding Day – My mani/pedi was 9am.  It took an hour and then I went back to my room to shower and pack up a few of my things.  I was getting ready in my friends room, which was a preferred suit overlooking the ceremony site.  Pilar called and asked me to stop by on the way back to the spa to look at the pictures.  The flowers turned out nice, exactly as I asked but I wasn’t really particular. 

 

 

 

One note about the spa.  I had wanted a flower for my hair.  I mentioned to my stylist during my hair trial on Thursday and she said no problem.  Well when I asked about it on Saturday she asked me if I brought it or Pilar had it.  So I guess you should have Pilar order it for you.  The spa reception desk called down to Pilar who called the florist and 15 minutes later brought me a few flowers to choose from.  Problem solved.

From there I went to my friend’s room to hang out, get dressed and wait for the photographer.  I hired Melissa from Del Sol.  I originally had no intention of paying that much money from a photographer but I am so glad I splurged.  She and her assistant were great.  I haven’t gotten any of the pictures yet, but she showed me a few on her camera throughout the day and I am sure I made the right decision.  She did such amazing things with the sun and the mirrors in the hotel. I can’t wait to see them.

Cool (candid) shot of my bridal party on the balcony overlooking the ceremony site.

 

 

Pilar had everyone meet in the lobby at 4:15 where she walked them down to the ceremony site.  She told me to wait in the room until she called and came and got me. 

The ceremony was fantastic.  The officiant was great and lots of my guests commented on her.  The sound system was nice and loud and everyone said they could hear great including my music.  After the ceremony we took some pictures on the beach and my husband and I were whisked away until about 6:15.  When we arrived at the cocktail hour everyone was having fun with Darius at the Mix Bar.  If you have ready any Tripadvisor reviews you know how great Darius is.  He is a lot of fun and a great bartender. He was making shots left and right, or as he called them ‘happiness injection’.  I had asked for a blue signature drink with vodka and not too sweet.  It was great and everyone thought it was fun.  I never saw any of the food, but people seemed to like it especially the guacamole.  Either Pilar or Deisy grabbed me and had me look at the Reception set-up.  Everything was perfect and exactly what I had imagined.  Here is a pic of my tables.  I didn’t ask for the blue runner but I think I had extra chair sashes and they just improvised.

 

 

 

 

DJ and reception – I had DJ Doremix.  I honestly didn’t have much interaction with them.  I had sent them a play/do not play list prior to arrival and they did great.  After dinner I was ready to get the dancing started and took them my iPod to play a song and they put it on right away which kicked off the dancing.  Although I have no idea what they played after that it kept the crowd going all night.  The DJ did do the wedding party announcements as well as introduce the toasts.  I believe Deisy also assisted in timing of this.  She was at the reception throughout the night making sure everything was going well, if I was ready to cut the cake etc.  At some point during the dancing staff from the Now Jade came in and brought in a bunch of balloons for us to dance with/shake.  It really livened up the party more.  And the groomsmen took the left over balloons and decorated our room for our wedding night, LOL.  I also had a photobooth at the reception courtesy of the resort photographer, Adventure Photos.  I highly recommend this; I believe it was the highlight of the wedding or at least the reception.  They have so many fun props which everyone loved and were wearing throughout the reception, not just for photos.  The photobooth itself takes automatic pictures and prints out two copies.  One for the guest and one that goes immediately into a photobook for the bride and groom. 

My husband wearing a prop hat and bowtie while we cut the cake.  Ha!

 

 

 

Adventure Photos – Since we brought out own photographer we opted to use the photo package that comes with the Diving Package for a ‘Honeymoon Shoot’.  Adventure Photos were very sweet and accommodating, but their picture quality and artistic abilities is very basic in my opinion.  Here is a slideshow and they should be mailing us our photobook. 

 

http://090313parish.nowjade.adventurephotos.com.mx/#/slideshow-1/

They also will do free photoshoots for anyone staying at the Now Jade.  $15/print. 

 

 

They also walk around the beach/pools during the week without different animals and snap photos.  You can purchase them nightly at their desk.

 

 

Adventure Photos was also our videographer.  We received our video to take home with us.  It is nice to have to maybe show our kids some day but the quality isn’t great.  In some places the audio doesn’t match the video.  If this is important to you, I might consider hiring someone else.

 

Restaurants and food– Overall I found the food and the resort very good, especially the specialty restaurants.  I have been to about 5 all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and Jamaica and the Now Jade is at the top of the list for food.

               Reception food – First course was shrimp and scallop served in coconut milk.  I thought it was just ok, but I am not a huge scallop fan.  Second course was the ricotta raviolis.  Everyone’s favorite item from the reception and I think they are very similar to the ones served at Capers.  Entrees were (1) beef fillet and shrimp (2) Tune with Cajun spices and (3) the chicken entrée that was gluten free.  The first two were really great.  I didn’t hear any comments on the chicken.  Our dessert was the chocolate soufflé with baileys.  I loved it; it was very thick and rich, although too much so for my husband who prefers lighters desserts.  I had a bit of the cake, but don’t remember a whole lot about the taste.  This reminds me of one billing issue.  I showed Pilar a picture of a cake I liked that I found in the Now Jade forum.  She charged me $40 for a specialty cake, but the cake she gave me didn’t look like it.  It was still nice and pretty but not what I asked for and not worth an upcharge.

Picture I showed Pilar

 

 

My cake

 

 

               Carnival Buffet – I had breakfast here most mornings and lunch twice.  Very good breakfast selection.  Made to order eggs and omelets.  I liked lunch too.  They had a station for made to order pasta and a Mexican entrée.  One day it was tacos and one day it was empanadas.  Very yummy.

               Castaways – Lunch available.  Soup, sandwiches, tacos, burgers.  A little of everything.  And they bring you nachos to start everytime.  There is located right near the main pool.  We spent most of our time at the adult pool which had a snack bar everyday from about 12:30-2:00. Nachos, hot dogs and pizza.  Great if you didn’t want to leave the pool.  Castaways was also open for dinner one night because there was a convention going on.  We ate there and I ate Mahi Mahi and it was really good.

               Spice – Asian.  We ate their twice.  Food was good both times.  Service was pretty bad the first time but great the second.  I think it was a fluke because the service at all of the restaurants was great minus this incident.  Sushi portions are small (4 pieces).  I found the main dishes a little sweeter than normal and heavier on sauce, but enjoyable.

               Tamarindo – I read reviews prior to arrival and learned this was the least favorite restaurants so I skipped it despite my love of Mexican food.  One group of my guests ate there and said it was just ok, the local Mexican place at home was better.

               Capers –Italian.  Ate here twice and it was very good.  Nothing too spectacular as far as atmosphere goes but I enjoyed everything I ate especially the mushroom risotto, the lasagna and the panacotta.

               Cin Cin – Best décor of any restaurant and food was good but I did not enjoy my chicken entrée.  It seems the resort does better with red meat than chicken.

               Capers – French restaurant was the best.  Everyone loved the food and the service.  But beware it was a 3 hour meal for some of my friends (party of 7).

Restaurants wait time.  In general if you go early (6pm) it shouldn’t be an issue.  After that there may be a wait and a long one if you have a larger party.  And sometimes they would tell you an hour, you would come back and it would still be another 30 minutes. 

The pools at the resort are not heated, which in March, made them way too cold.  I was there for 11 days and got in twice and only to my waist.  Some people could tolerate and were in longer.  The only slightly disappointing thing about the resort in my opinion.  What good is a pool bar, if you can’t sit there any enjoy a drink?  I am sure it isn’t an issue in the summer months when the weather is hotter.  Beware of the sun.  I tan pretty easy and am usually pretty good about using sunscreen. But I burned the heck out of my feet.  I had been standing in the shallow end of the pool a lot of the first day and the next day they were burned so bad the one was swollen and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to wear shoes on my wedding day.  Lots of aloe and the swelling went down after a day.

My favorite employees. Daruis at the Mix Beach Bar, Zepeta at the adult pool, David who was server at breakfast at the buffet and our server for our private dinner on the beach and Tony from the entertainment staff.  And Pilar.  We saw her several times throughout our time and she always asked how everything was going and if we needed anything.  Very sweet.

Tony

 

The Now Jade is an amazing place to get married.  I absolutely made the right decision.  They are professionals there and I had the most amazing 11 days!