Barcelo Maya Palace Brides

[smfahey]

@@vida

 

I've never been to the Barceló before but have heard great things about the place.  We've been to Playa/Riviera 3 times in the past years just never ventured to this hotel. Any PROS/CONS I should know about? I'm getting more excited but nervous since we've never been there before.

 

Yea, it was a LONG read.  A lot of good information!  I would stop and then panic that I was missing something important so I kept reading lol..

 

WE were in the same boat as far as the packages.  There's so many little silly things that we could careless about in the Strawberry Package but wanted an outdoor wedding.  I HATE the charge for guests over 15 also.   We are looking at having roughly 60 guests. Originally, we thought we would maybe have 25ish so we weren't worried about the extra charge but now it's kind of lame lol.

 

What turned you of with the beach weddings?  I am worried that people are going to be standing around and its going to be all weird.

 

I'm in the same boat as far as decorations, I can't decide if I will go through the hotel or do my own.  My WC has been pretty fast at responding which has been really nice. It kind of goes in waves with responses.  I'm hoping he sends me pictures of the ceremony and reception sites soon so I can plan a little bit more.  I feel like time is lying by.

 

I've read a lot of reviews that say to either bring additional lights or pay to have lights when having an outdoor wedding, I guess it gets pretty dark.  Another thing I am worried about is how windy and cold it will be.

 

Are you having a dance floor?

[vida]

@@vida

 

I've never been to the Barceló before but have heard great things about the place.  We've been to Playa/Riviera 3 times in the past years just never ventured to this hotel. Any PROS/CONS I should know about? I'm getting more excited but nervous since we've never been there before.

 

Yea, it was a LONG read.  A lot of good information!  I would stop and then panic that I was missing something important so I kept reading lol..

 

WE were in the same boat as far as the packages.  There's so many little silly things that we could careless about in the Strawberry Package but wanted an outdoor wedding.  I HATE the charge for guests over 15 also.   We are looking at having roughly 60 guests. Originally, we thought we would maybe have 25ish so we weren't worried about the extra charge but now it's kind of lame lol.

 

What turned you of with the beach weddings?  I am worried that people are going to be standing around and its going to be all weird.

 

I'm in the same boat as far as decorations, I can't decide if I will go through the hotel or do my own.  My WC has been pretty fast at responding which has been really nice. It kind of goes in waves with responses.  I'm hoping he sends me pictures of the ceremony and reception sites soon so I can plan a little bit more.  I feel like time is lying by.

 

I've read a lot of reviews that say to either bring additional lights or pay to have lights when having an outdoor wedding, I guess it gets pretty dark.  Another thing I am worried about is how windy and cold it will be.

 

Are you having a dance floor?

I have no bad things to say about this resort.  We had a great time and there was always something to do.  However, I am getting worried about our wedding because the resort and airline put a stop sale in place for the exact dates that our guests were supposed to travel.  There is some sort of event going on that has reserved/bought out the majority of the resort.  The problem is, no one will tell me or my agent what it is.  This also means that we can't have any last minute guests or anything because no rooms are available. 

 

I heard back from my WC last night about having the mint package and just paying an upgrade fee to have an outdoor venue.  He came back saying that they could do it for $30 USD per person.  But I am guessing that that only includes the venue upgrade and NOT the food upgrade.  I'm waiting for him to clarify that so I'll let you know in a few weeks LOL!

 

The beach wedding was what I wanted originally but they basically set you up on the most popular part of the beach.  So basically there are people tanning all around you, children running circles.....I feel like it just takes away from what is meant to be a special moment.  Oh and if there is some sort of aquaeorobics going on then all that noise travels too.

 

My WC also mentioned that if they have the linens and stuff that I want to use on site then they are already included in my price.  If I am wanting something that they don't have, they will have to rent from an outside source.  So again I'm hoping he will get back to me and let me know what my options are.

 

I thought about the lights too.  Will have to look into it a little bit.  As for cold, it all depends.  When we were there they went through a crazy cold snap the entire week so people were even wearing scarves and sweaters during the day.

 

I'm not spending the money on the dance floor.  Since we are doing it inside one of the open air grills, their floors are just fine for dancing.  No need to spend that extra money.

[TaraW]

@@vida

 

Hi there,

 

I just wanted to share with you about the beach wedding location. We were just married in April and we specifically chose the Playa Azul location at the far end the resort (closest to the Beach resort side, not the Palace) We chose the location for our ceremony and reception for all the reasons and concerns you mentioned in your post! It is VERY private, it has the most beautiful beach (no rocks or coral, etc)  and it was an amazing day!!  So ask your WC if it's available because I PROMISE you wont be disappointed! We were at the resort for 3 weeks and saw tons of weddings (there were 100 weddings in April of this year!!!) and definitely there are sunbathers and lookie loos everywhere ... EXCEPT at Playa Azul! So don't give up that hope for a private beach wedding ceremony just yet!   

 

Here's a pic ...

 

I was told afterwards that there were about a have dozen people coming down the beach to see the ceremony and to see the Mayan Shamam that was present in his traditional costume blowing the conch, but the wedding coordinator / staff chased them away, and that was literally it! NO sunbathers, noise, disruptions, etc. Just us! It was a perfect day and I'm so happy we got married there! 

Edited September 15, 2016 by TaraW

[smfahey]

@@vida

 

I can't believe the hotel sold out on you too!!! So, long story short my original wedding date was Feb 25th.  I started the wedding planning but was still negotiating flight prices.  I went to check on hotel and found out that a vendor came in and bought over 3000 rooms. I was so frustrated..  I hope everything works out for you!!

 

I'm still considering doing the reception in one of the open air grills rather than on the beach as well.  Just can't decide.  I am also looking into PLaya Azu for the ceremony and reception. I heard this part of the beach is a lot more private.

 

Hope all is going well so far

@@TaraW

 

How many guests did you have at your wedding?  I was told from my WC that unless you have a big wedding count that PLaya Azul looks too big?

 

I love the picture and location.   I want something more private and away from people.  Do you have any more pictures of oyur ceremony and reception?

 

Thank you,

Stacy

[TaraW]

@@smfahey

 

We only had 30 people invited initially when we booked, and over half of them cancelled with all the Zika virus scares and a very poor Canadian dollar right around booking time (1.40 to every USD!) so there was only 14. Playa Azul was not too big at all! the WCs try to discourage you from booking it because it's so popular, and they like to save it for the larger groups. Its a large part of the beach and can accommodate a lot of people, but it's not like having a wedding/reception in a large hall or indoor venue where if it's not full with people it seemed too big... it's outdoors so size of the area is completely irrelevant. Both of us and our guests were blown away by the beauty, privacy and intimacy that location afforded us throughout the day and evening. It was really magical!!!! Looking back and after scoping out tons of weddings during our three weeks there (we probably saw 30 or more since there were several every single day!) it's the ONLY location I would book again for our ceremony because if it's beauty and privacy. We felt like we were in our own private beach club!

[smfahey]

@@TaraW

 

Thanks for this information!  Do you have any pictures of PLaya Azul or the set up? 

 

I'm trying to get some decorating ideas

[TaraW]

@@smfahey

 

The thumbnail I attached earlier is the Playa Azul beach, where your ceremony could take place. You could also have farther up on the sand, which I have seen pics of.

 

There is also a building right beside the location with a small kitchen, and washrooms to accommodate events in that area.  I don't have a pic of that tho.

 

I've attached a few more pics ..... a few show our large square reception table we had (in lieu breaking up a small group) It was very cool because it had color changing lights under it that really showed up at night. There are a few of the ceremony set up near the water and then one of us walking back to our group after the photos were done. That photo was taken at about 7:00pm and it gives you a bit of an idea of the beautiful beach and shows how private it really is! If you look closely you can see where we had our reception table set up, a small cocktail area (with stand up tables) and the wedding spot. Off to the left of that shot is all the palm trees, and they had white lights wrapped around them for when the sun went down. I would have liked a little more lighting for after sundown in hindsight, but it was really beautiful overall. Hope this helps a bit!

Edited September 21, 2016 by TaraW

[smfahey]

These are beautiful thank you!  Your dress is gorgeous..

 

I reserved this area

 

Up next is hair, make up and photographer lol

@@TaraW

 

These are beautiful thank you !  Your dress is gorgeous..

 

I reserved this area

 

Up next is hair, makeup, and photographer

[SamanthaElizabeth]

Hello Ladies!

 

Does anyone have any recommendations of where to have the reception to fit 90 people comfortably? 

[TaraW]

@@SamanthaElizabeth

 

Were you wanting an indoor or outdoor location? And beach setting or covered area?

 

Playa Azul is huge if you wanted a beach wedding reception as well (We did that and it was awesome) and can easily manage any size of group.

 

Any of the grills can accommodate a large group of 90 as well. I think the Captain Morgan grill was our favourite out of all the grill areas when we were scoping out "back up" reception locations.

 

I didn't see any indoor venues at all so I can't speak to those of you were thinking of going down that route.

@@smfahey

 

Glad you booked the location. I promise you, you will absolutely LOVE it!