Barcelo Maya Palace Brides

[OL88]

Was anyone able to extend their reception time beyond 11pm? Is this an option at this resort? TIA!

[GingerBride]

@@OL88 My spreadsheet said the banquet room was available from 6:00 to 10:00.  we didn't want to extend the hours but I have a feeling we could extend to 11:00 or later but there was a cost. I can't seem to find how much they would charge.  If I find it I will post here for you.  We are just going to move our party to the Jaguars Club.  

Edited April 22, 2015 by GingerBride

[HilaryMWren]

Hi,

 

OK.....we just booked our date and sent invitations! Eek....January 23rd, 2016! We already have 70 guests that RSVP'd yes.

I will be reviewing old posts and look forward to more great chats with former and new bride-to-bes about the Barcelo!

 

Thank you, Hilary (Canadian bride)

Ok ladies, finally getting around to posting my experience at the Barcelo Maya Palace Resort...first of all, if you can stay at the Palace, stay at the Palace! You have access to the other resorts on the property, it's a lot nicer, the lobby bar is air conditioned...which if you're getting arrived in June is a must!!

My husband and I got married in June and we chose the Mint Breeze Package. When we arrived we were escorted to the Club Premium suite to check in (which we did not pay for). Our room was upgraded to club premium, it overlooked the pool. The easiest check in ever! It just so happened to be where everyone parked themselves during the day...it was too hot to be anywhere else.
We met with Aurea on the 2nd day. She was so nice and accommodating. I brought "kissing balls", table numbers, name plates, flowers for decorating, etc. I explained how I wanted everything, showed her a few pix...and it all turned out exactly as I wanted. I met with her once more before the wedding to drop off my name plates (sand dollars I personalized). My correspondence with Barcelo started with Aurea then went to Tania then back to Aurea. Yes it was extremely frustrating being in California, communicating via email, waiting weeks at a time for a response, just to ask another question and wait a few more weeks...be patient, they get it right. This is what they do for a living. We were lucky enough to have a professional photographer in the family, so that saved us. I used Best Moments for my hair and makeup. Airbrushed makeup is the best!!!!! Especially for that humidity in June. Best money I spent.
Mint Package: we had 32 guests. I chose to have the reception in the banquet hall due to the "older guests" that attended, they appreciated the a/c.
Ceremony: held at Coral Beach, semi private bluff overlooking the beach. We opted for the huppa, glad we did, the pictures are great. They even gave us a specialized cocktail after the ceremony to toast. It matched the bridesmaid dresses.
Food: it was really good. We chose the goat cheese and tomato salad, French onion soup, beef tenderloin and creme brûlée. I only had a few bites of each and wished later in the evening I'd had more. We also chose the vanilla cake. The only miss was the cake, I wanted the square cake with the heart shape decorations and got the heart shape...tacky!!
Flowers: my bouquet, the boutonnière and the head table centerpiece were all included. We had 5 bridesmaids and 5 groomsmen, paid extra for their flowers, the MOB and MOG flowers and a few bags of rose petals for the flower girl. I took a turquoise metal sand pail and embellished it with burlap/lace and flowers.
Couple of things to note:
tipping is not necessary but very helpful for a better experience. We would tip any where from $5-$20 and were treated like royalty. Tables were cleared for us, reservations ended up being not necessary for a few of the restaurants (we tipped the managers). The servers even brought drinks out to our wedding guests before the ceremony...loved it!
To save some money on an "excursion" Take some bananas from the buffet and feed the sea turtles in the water at the resort. The fish and turtles will visit for sure.
If staying at the palace, you have access to all the restaurants on the property, but Reservations are required and book up fast. As soon as you get there make those resos.
Good luck ladies!!

 

Thank you for the review.

 

Just curious, is that the Marianne dress by Maggie Sottero that you are wearing? Love it!

[snswedding2016]

@@GingerBride the wedding I was at a couple of years ago did the same thing. Their reception was on the beach and then we all moved to Jaguar's club to keep the party going and we had a blast!! If it is costly to extend your reception I would say it isn't worth it unless you want to keep your party very private. The club is a lot of fun with a big group! Also if you have kids attending the wedding, this is a good break to put them to bed and they won't know they are missing out on the "after party" 

Edited April 23, 2015 by snswedding2016

[OL88]

Interesting - I would prefer to not move it to the club and find a place that can accommodate until about ~1am  ... 

[mnicole29]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum! Just got engaged January 27th 2015 to my wonderful fiance and we are looking at getting married at the Barcelo Maya Palace or Colonial next year. We are trying to figure out a budget and have got some great information so far especiallu from this forum! But I still have some questions I wasn't sure about.

 

One main question is I keep reading of brides bringing down their own decorations which is great because you can put your own touches on your special day. But I was wondering if things like chairs are included in the packages or if it only goes up to 20 chairs for the mint breeze and then you have to pay an additional amount for chairs on top of the $29 additional guest? I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, we are just trying to work out all of the details lol thanks in advance

[JCWedding]

@@JoshB We also did a lot of research over the internet to find our perfect photographer (with our vision, reasonable price and availability). We came across Octavio Montes (www.octaviomontes.com) while searching for photographers in Cancun and surrounding area (Riveria Maya and Playa del Carmen), and he was very personable and quick to reply. I was able to take part in the promotion that you mentioned (10% off) because I am the bride. We were also interested in having videography done, as we wanted the rest of our friends and family to share in our special day, even if they weren't able to come to Mexico with us. Octavio was able to work with us to develop a personalized plan which included both photography and videography. I can't wait to see the finished product, including the Mariachi band! You will be there in two weeks? We come May 14th - will you still be there?Back to Destination Wedding in Riviera Maya, Cancun & surrounding areas

Edited April 30, 2015 by JCWedding

[Ivydulce2015]

Hello

 

I'm actually new to this site and I love it! So many tips and ideas. I do have a question has anyone used the resort salon for hair and makeup?

[TammyWright]

We are a top agency with Barcelo Resorts.  In addition to the standard group perks, we are also currently offer:

 

1. Bride and groom fly free

2. free rooms and upgrades

 

You can rad our reviews, see some of our promotions, and contact us through the links in my signature.

[starbx123]

We got married two weeks ago at the Barcelo Maya. We held both the ceremony and the reception on the beach. Will post our review hopefully later this weekend. In short, our wedding was beautiful and we had so much fun!! It was truly the best day!!