Barcelo Maya Palace Brides

[SammyMac]

Thanks @@Stephanie2015 for all the helpful information!

Are most people doing both favours and welcome bags?

 

@@TaraW - a map with all the key locations marked it brilliant. I didn't even think of doing that.

 

I'm almost done the planning process with Yasmin. Still finding it hard to get my questions answered but oh well!

Having some trouble with décor but thinking of bringing some decorations and center piece stuff with us. Still have to buy favours and / or welcome bags, bridesmaid gifts and accessories for me.

 

Thinking about getting a videographer now too. Does anyone have any recommendations for one?

 

Hope everyones planning is coming along well! Can't believe how fast time is flying by!!!

[jackiet2016]

For the past brides, did you have to pay day passes on top of vendor fees for each person who comes? Thanks.

[ashbuoni]

@@SammyMac I am using Octavio Montes for the videography http://www.octaviomontes.com/

 

Even with the fee that you have to pay to get him on the resort, it is still cheaper than using the company that Barcelo can provide.

[MissMeg]

Hi everyone!

 

I am so happy to have found this forum, although wish it had been sooner.  I have already seen so many helpful posts and ideas.  We are getting married at the Barcelo Palace on 2/29/2016, its coming to quickly and there are still so many things I need to do!  I have had a little trouble not only getting my wedding planner,Yasmin, to respond but also to get all the answers and correct attachments to view all of our options.  

 

We are getting married under the big white gazebo and plan to have our reception in the Palmeras Grill.  I asked for pictures of the grill but Yasmin has sent me pictures of what appears to be several different locations.  If any one has pictures of the grill I would love to see them, I only have about 35 guests attending and I am nervous that the location will be to big and not look right.

 

I am also working on my wedding welcome bags for the guest and am kind of stuck on what to put in them.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, we are trying to be budget friendly!  

 

Any tips, pictures or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

Thank you all and congrats to everyone!

 

Kristin

Congratulations Kristin!

 

Here are a few items that have been included in the OOT (Out of Town) forums. For more great ideas open the Wedding Registries, Wedding gifts, and OOT Forum. Or just search for OOT Bags in the search bar.

 

Welcome Letter

There are some great examples of these and wording that you could use throughout the site

 

Resort Map/Brochure 

Mark all of the important areas around the resort (i.e. ceremony location, reception location etc.)

 

Bubba Keg Mugs or Other Cups

The resort is huge and the cups from the bars are not... so these help you enjoy the beach or pool longer without having to run back to the bar for a refill. Not to mention they keep your drink cold in the hot Mexico sun!

shopbubba.com

discountmugs.com

 

Sunglasses

Most people bring their own, but this is a fun photo opportunity and you could get them customized so it can also be a souvenir

 

Can koozie

Although this probably won't be used at the resort, you can get these for a pretty decent price

 

Pashminas (women)

After a day in the sun, these come in handy once the evening breeze sets in

 

Cigars (men)

There are some great cigar options in Mexico

 

Playing Cards/ Puzzle books

Great option for pool or beach entertainment. These are also great if you end up with a rain day.

dollar store

oriental trading co

 

Emergency Kit (too much fun, too much sun)

• Aloe Vera for sunburn
• Sunscreen chapstick
• Immodium for stomach issues
• Ibuprofen
• electrolyte powder - to help with dehydration and/or hangovers
• biodegradable sunscreen/bug repellent. The parks and cenotes require biodegradable products. Mexican is the most recommended brand http://www.mexitan.com 
• bandaids
• disinfectant cream

key card holder

you can use a key ring wrist band with a badge holder for people to carry their room keys in. Great tutorials on cute ways to put these together if you search for "Key Card Holder"

 

Hope this helps! 

[MissMeg]

I think that this site is linked many many pages back in the thread, but it is very helpful for a lot of tips and tricks about the resort. Some of the information is very old, but still good. http://www.unofficial-barcelo-maya.com/forum/index.php 

[Panda2015]

Hi everyone!

 

Sorry in advance for this long post but I've been creeping for a while and now I'm finally joining in! I'm booked at the Barcelo for July 14, 2016! My WC is Abraham as well (I saw him mentioned a few pages back). I emailed him some questions a few days ago but haven't heard back, which I think is typical for these resorts.

 

Anyway, after a lot of time over the last year spent going back and forth between hotels, and prices, we settled on this one and I am starting to get excited!!!

 

I've read all the latest posts; you guys are extremely helpful and the information sharing has been great!

 

As of right now, I have no clue where we are going to have the ceremony. Has anyone done the Mayan ceremony? I think it looks so cool but my guy thinks it's the funniest thing and can't keep a straight face whenever I show him pics. But how cool is it to have a MAYAN ceremony in the MAYAN Riveira? Lol, I'm still trying to justify it. Anyway, if anyone has done it or looked into it, I'd love to hear feedback.

 

I think we're going to go with the Palmeras grill for the reception. So the package includes 15 adults and then after that I understand it's $70 per adult. Does anyone know the price per child? I have 10 kids coming between the ages of 2 and 11. Does anyone have the menu options?

 

I'm also looking into photographers. I reached out to Oceans but after reading here, I may hit up Octavio as well. I really love del Sol's work, but they're soooo expensive and I'm Canadian so our dollar is just really shitty right now, making it even mor expensive.

 

Is anyone else bringing in someone to do their makeup? I've contacted three vendors and love all of their work. It may come down to price in choosing them because again, they are quoting me in USD and my CAD is getting shittier by the day. Anyone have any feedback with Styling Trio, Sara Tamargo and MVP?

 

I don't think we're doing Welcome Bags because I feel like people won't use what's in them and it's just more stuff I have to bring. I'm travelling with my 1.5 year old and my son will be 7 weeks old by July, so I'm already packing heavy. We will be sending out something to everyone before we leave; I bought a luggage tag and passport cover for each person. I don't really have an itinerary because the only thing we're doing is a Welcome dinner, which is just a group dinner in the buffet. Besides that, I don't want to bother people with events and stuff besides the actual wedding because it's their vacation too. We aren't doing a rehearsal dinner either because I don't think there's anything to rehearse really.

 

That's it for now! I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions as time moves on!

[erinlhansen]

Hey everyone! I have been looking at this sight for months, getting ideas for our wedding, thankyou! We are getting married on jan 27, 2016 at playa Azul. Its helpful to hear that everyone else hardly hears from their wedding  coordinator because I don't think ive heard from them since may or so! I figure that what we don't figure out before hand, we can talk about in the 3 days we are there before the wedding. The last thing we talked about is where we would like our dinner (and I don't even remember where that is, its been so long) , we are doing the blueberry package since we are having a reception back home. We have about 25 adults coming and 5 kids, cant wait!!

 

We are doing some sort of welcome bag, no favors though, I think the welcome bag is enough. I think a welcome dinner at the buffet is a good idea! We are having a dinner back home before hand before we leave on the trip so everyone can meet eachother and people can ask questions if they want and its Mexican themed of course!

 

My fiances sister does hair and make up, so that's who I am having and then also we have a friend who is coming that has done photography for a bit, so she is going to take our pictures. We are trying to save as much as we can! Its tough paying for  both of our kids and then ourselves....hair, make up and other stuff get put on the back burner!

I wish everyone good luck with the rest of their planning!! Try not to stress about the details, its tuff, but its only one day! I guess maybe I say that cause its my second marriage and you realize that  your wedding is just one day that you stress about forever and then its done! Enjoy the moments of your wedding day

[TaraW]

@@Panda2015

 

Hi there my fellow Canadian bride! (There are lots of us on here ) I certainly sympathize with you are far as our exchange rate goes. I should have bought a large chunk last December when I had the chance!

 

Mayan ceremony - we looked at this initially, but since it's not a legal ceremony we felt that was a "waste" to do given that we still wouldn't be married! We thought of combining the two ceremonies to make it legal and spiritual, but that meant a ceremony would be over an hour long. Not really enjoyable for our guests in the heat, etc. So we are having a civil ceremony with a judge, and we are also having a shamin come in his full makeup and "costume" (I can't think of what to refer to it as right that this moment - no disrespect to their beautiful traditions!) and to be there during the ceremony, blow the conch to symbolize the start of it, and be there for pictures and just as something very cool and different outside of the civil ceremony. It's not cheap to do that, but it was a way to honour where we are getting married, give us and our guests something cool to remember about the day, and to capture it in pictures!

 

Photographer - I was also very drawn to Del sol's work when I saw their pics online, but they were on the pricey side, and since they have many different photographers and I wasn't 100% sure who I'd get at the end of the day. Then I came across playa weddings.com, and I saw similar styles in her work, and there is only one main photographer! She also offers one free hour with the larger packages to help offset the cost of having an outside company come in, and reading more about them I just really got a great feel about them. (Husband and wife couple) (hint - for the vendor fee- we booked a room for two nights for our photographer and her assistant, which turned out to be 75.00 cheaper than paying the 500.00 vendor fee. Barcelo accepts that as an option as well, and all they need is the wristbands. That gives you an extra room to utilize for 2 nights as well to use for people to get ready or whatever! . Go online and book just a room right now at no cost because you can cancel it within a week ?? of the wedding date without any penalty ... No need to pay til you get there! The sooner you book it the better as the prices go up! You may not find its cheaper, but it was for us. ) Anyhow check out playa weddings as an photographer option.

 

Your 10 kids are not included in the head count as long as they eat off the kids menu. There are three different food options for them if I recall correctly. If you give me your email address I can send along the menu I received last summer. It may or may not still be the same, and it may be different for you as we are going with the Strawberry package.... But I bet it's pretty similar.

 

Makeup - after all the price checking and communication I had with several companies, I am going with Yucatan hair / Beso brides. Martina is the makeup artist and Michael (her husband) is the hair stylist. They have been wonderful to communicate with, reasonable prices compared to many and very accommodating to my situation! They live 5 min from the resort so if you were set on going offsite for a trial run before your wedding, they are close by! They also book on the honour system. No money down. They ask for payment on the day of the wedding. How refreshing!

 

I'm also not doing a lot for welcome bags. We are providing everyone with a map with key wedding places marked, an itinerary of the wedding day (this is everyone else's vacation as well so I don't want to organize events outside of the dinner the night before and the wedding either .... We will wing it when we get down there and probably hang out together anyhow! ) I also purchased some nylon reusable bags to use as beach or shopping bags, and some stretch wrist key chains and plastic card holders for everyone's door keys. I figured they'd be the items most used! We decided to put the extra money into an extra hour of reception time, something I continue to read that it goes by too fast. So an extra hour is money better spent for us rather than stuff they may not need, although I love all the cool things I've seen brides put together for their guests as well!!

 

Anyhow I hope some of this helps with your plans!!

Edited January 23, 2016 by TaraW

[Barcelo2016]

Is anyone here having a Catholic ceremony? I'm having so many mixed reviews about whether or not we have to be legally married before we do the Catholic ceremony there.

Edited January 23, 2016 by Barcelo2016

[Panda2015]

@@Panda2015

 

Hi there my fellow Canadian bride! (There are lots of us on here ) I certainly sympathize with you are far as our exchange rate goes. I should have bought a large chunk last December when I had the chance!

 

Mayan ceremony - we looked at this initially, but since it's not a legal ceremony we felt that was a "waste" to do given that we still wouldn't be married! We thought of combining the two ceremonies to make it legal and spiritual, but that meant a ceremony would be over an hour long. Not really enjoyable for our guests in the heat, etc. So we are having a civil ceremony with a judge, and we are also having a shamin come in his full makeup and "costume" (I can't think of what to refer to it as right that this moment - no disrespect to their beautiful traditions!) and to be there during the ceremony, blow the conch to symbolize the start of it, and be there for pictures and just as something very cool and different outside of the civil ceremony. It's not cheap to do that, but it was a way to honour where we are getting married, give us and our guests something cool to remember about the day, and to capture it in pictures!

 

Photographer - I was also very drawn to Del sol's work when I saw their pics online, but they were on the pricey side, and since they have many different photographers and I wasn't 100% sure who I'd get at the end of the day. Then I came across playa weddings.com, and I saw similar styles in her work, and there is only one main photographer! She also offers one free hour with the larger packages to help offset the cost of having an outside company come in, and reading more about them I just really got a great feel about them. (Husband and wife couple) (hint - for the vendor fee- we booked a room for two nights for our photographer and her assistant, which turned out to be 75.00 cheaper than paying the 500.00 vendor fee. Barcelo accepts that as an option as well, and all they need is the wristbands. That gives you an extra room to utilize for 2 nights as well to use for people to get ready or whatever! . Go online and book just a room right now at no cost because you can cancel it within a week ?? of the wedding date without any penalty ... No need to pay til you get there! The sooner you book it the better as the prices go up! You may not find its cheaper, but it was for us. ) Anyhow check out playa weddings as an photographer option.

 

Your 10 kids are not included in the head count as long as they eat off the kids menu. There are three different food options for them if I recall correctly. If you give me your email address I can send along the menu I received last summer. It may or may not still be the same, and it may be different for you as we are going with the Strawberry package.... But I bet it's pretty similar.

 

Makeup - after all the price checking and communication I had with several companies, I am going with Yucatan hair / Beso brides. Martina is the makeup artist and Michael (her husband) is the hair stylist. They have been wonderful to communicate with, reasonable prices compared to many and very accommodating to my situation! They live 5 min from the resort so if you were set on going offsite for a trial run before your wedding, they are close by! They also book on the honour system. No money down. They ask for payment on the day of the wedding. How refreshing!

 

I'm also not doing a lot for welcome bags. We are providing everyone with a map with key wedding places marked, an itinerary of the wedding day (this is everyone else's vacation as well so I don't want to organize events outside of the dinner the night before and the wedding either .... We will wing it when we get down there and probably hang out together anyhow! ) I also purchased some nylon reusable bags to use as beach or shopping bags, and some stretch wrist key chains and plastic card holders for everyone's door keys. I figured they'd be the items most used! We decided to put the extra money into an extra hour of reception time, something I continue to read that it goes by too fast. So an extra hour is money better spent for us rather than stuff they may not need, although I love all the cool things I've seen brides put together for their guests as well!!

 

Anyhow I hope some of this helps with your plans!!

 

You are SO helpful!

 

Yeah, I think I'm losing the Mayan ceremony battle with my guy...I can't justify $1,000 (ish in CAD) for the ceremony. Ours wouldn't be a legal ceremony anyway because we didn't want to go through with the blood tests and other requirements, but as always, it really comes down to the money factor and where I would rather spend on extras.

 

A new idea I had was a tequila burro...lol! Basically a donkey that comes in with tequila for everyone. I know it's an all inclusive resort and the booze is free flowing anyway, but I thought it would be cool and different. We'll see how much that will end up costing.

 

Thank you for the tip about the room booking for the photographer. I'm definitely going to price that out and consider it as an option. I think we're going to go with Ivan Luckie...out of the portfolios I saw and the quotes, I thought his was the best for our needs.

 

I think for hair and makeup, we will go with Sara Tamargo. I really loved her work and she uses MAC products which I love on my skin and which I use myself at home. Is there a vendor fee for makeup and hair as well? I think I may give my mother in law the hair and makeup at the spa so she can get hers done there. I have myself and five ladies needing hair and makeup and I'm not sure what is the "proper" or "right" thing to do...if I pay for everyone's hair and makeup or ask them to. It's awkward, I feel like as the bride I should be paying for these things since it's my wedding and I hate asking people to pay for things. I know I was in a wedding party recently and was astounded by how much the bride expected me to pay for things like my dress, hair, makeup, bridal shower stuff, on top of the gifts for the shower and wedding, a ticket to the stag, etc. and that didn't even require me paying for a $1,500 vacation!

 

I'm thinking we will extend our reception time as well. Do you know remember how much you paid for that? I have our ceremony at 5, so I'm assuming we'll do the reception from 7-11 PM. I just have to think about what I do for our guests in between the ceremony and reception while we're taking pictures...maybe everyone goes to their rooms and changes or goes to the lobby bar, or I have a cocktail hour with some food and drinks.

 

I'm going to send you my email address for the packages - thanks so much, that will be very helpful in planning this out!

 

 

Is anyone here having a Catholic ceremony? I'm having so many mixed reviews about whether or not we have to be legally married before we do the Catholic ceremony there.

 

Sorry, I can't help with that...we considered the Catholic ceremony but we weren't sure if it was considered legal and we would therefore have to do blood tests, document translation and the longer time period in Mexico before the wedding. We may ask to have our marriage blessed in our parish when we get back. We'll see about that though.