Catalonia Riviera Maya

[gracebarton]

Hello everyone, after many emails I got my wedding booked for the 26th of jan 2009, just keep emailing and tell her you need to let guests know!!

[rodent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by k_8ie We're doing symbolic, symbolic means no judge. Morgan, was the beach really rocky? Do you really need water shoes everywhere? I'm sort of stuck between two hotels, the Grand Oasis Marien in Puerto Plata and Cat. Trying to do the pro's and con's thing Thanks! BTW, I love your photos! I am totally thinking of stealing your steamy night pictures idea

i like the rocky beaches. there are sandy parts that you definitly don't need shoes for. the only time i needed shoes was when we walked out on this really sharp spot to take some pictures. that was actually in front of dreams PA next door.

yep symbolic means no judge so you should be able to book now. just keep emailing. i made several phone calls.

[kerid]

I need some help... I asked if this timeline would work and got the response from Celine - sales exec - in red:

6:30-7:30 pm – drinks at Looky Bar It won’t be possible because the rent of the “Pure Chill Out Bar†(Before Looky Bar) have a cost for the rent of 500,-USD and is for all the event with dinner. In this case we should close the bar for 1 hour and nobody will can use it from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.I can propose you to have drinks on the beach in the ceremony area, the price is 9,-USD per person. I am adjoining a picture of a past event. (she didn't attach)

7:30-9 pm – dinner at buffet Elena will make the reservation of the separate area at the buffet. But the buffet open at 6:30PM, normally the group must have the dinner when the restaurant open. You can have the dinner later but this is subject to availability.

9-11 pm – DJ The DJ service will be at the “Pure Chill Out Barâ€. Like I told you before, the rent of the bar is 500,-USD per hour. The rate include the private place, the basic decoration and the private service. Now the rate for the DJ service is 100,-USD per hour. The service include the DJ, the microphone for all announcement or toast and the equipment bigger than for just a background music. This is won’t include the beverage, the price is 9,-USD per person.

 

We're at the end of our budget, but I want to have a dj... what do you guys think? Does anyone know where the chill out bar is?

 

I also asked for '09 prices... I'll post those as soon as I get them!

[rodent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerid I need some help... I asked if this timeline would work and got the response from Celine - sales exec - in red: 6:30-7:30 pm – drinks at Looky Bar It won’t be possible because the rent of the “Pure Chill Out Bar” (Before Looky Bar) have a cost for the rent of 500,-USD and is for all the event with dinner. In this case we should close the bar for 1 hour and nobody will can use it from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.I can propose you to have drinks on the beach in the ceremony area, the price is 9,-USD per person. I am adjoining a picture of a past event. (she didn't attach) 7:30-9 pm – dinner at buffet Elena will make the reservation of the separate area at the buffet. But the buffet open at 6:30PM, normally the group must have the dinner when the restaurant open. You can have the dinner later but this is subject to availability. 9-11 pm – DJ The DJ service will be at the “Pure Chill Out Bar”. Like I told you before, the rent of the bar is 500,-USD per hour. The rate include the private place, the basic decoration and the private service. Now the rate for the DJ service is 100,-USD per hour. The service include the DJ, the microphone for all announcement or toast and the equipment bigger than for just a background music. This is won’t include the beverage, the price is 9,-USD per person. We're at the end of our budget, but I want to have a dj... what do you guys think? Does anyone know where the chill out bar is? I also asked for '09 prices... I'll post those as soon as I get them!

i don't know what the pure chill out bar is. my guess is that it is this one right by the pool on the yucatan side. it's not really in a great location. well, by 6:30pm there wouldn't be lots of people in the pool.

there is a really nice bar upstairs in the area of the itallian & mexican restaurants.

we did champagne on the beach & then guests were on their own until dinner. everyone really liked having that break. many people put on cooler clothes & went to have ice cream.

i think drinks on the beach would be nicer than the bar by the pool if that is the pure chill out bar. also, they already have a sound system set up. we put together a mix that played after the ceremony. they let it run atleast 30 minutes while we were toasting & taking the group picture. it was still playing while we were taking our pictures. I put the mix together & faded the songs together so it was like having a DJ. it wouldn't work for a dance.

how many people are you having? we had 23 counting us. we used the 2 included bottles of champagne & gave them back the one they put in our room. that was plenty for a mini-reception right after. it was hot & i don't think people would have wanted to hang out much longer. we didn't have to pay doing it this way.

the looky bar was never crowded. if you don't have a lot of guests & just told them to meet at the looky bar right after it could work. the beach area next to it is nice for pictures so you could get in your pictures at that time.

[kerid]

We have 25 booked so far including us. Were you guys able to eat in a restaurant? Celine is telling me that if we eat in the buffet for free, it will have to be at 6:30 pm (no later).

 

What did you and your guests do after the dinner? I want to have drinks on the terrace next to the creperie. I'm going to see if we can work something out with decorations and drinks but no food. Do you remember what time the disco opened? I was thinking we could head over there then after a few drinks...

 

I'm sure I could wait until we're down there to figure this out but I like to plan ahead!

[rodent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerid We have 25 booked so far including us. Were you guys able to eat in a restaurant? Celine is telling me that if we eat in the buffet for free, it will have to be at 6:30 pm (no later). What did you and your guests do after the dinner? I want to have drinks on the terrace next to the creperie. I'm going to see if we can work something out with decorations and drinks but no food. Do you remember what time the disco opened? I was thinking we could head over there then after a few drinks... I'm sure I could wait until we're down there to figure this out but I like to plan ahead!

we had 25 & were able to talk them into dinner in the mexican restaurant at 6:30. 20 is the limit. ask in person. if you email they will say no for sure.

there is that terrace between the mexican & itallian restaurants that would be great for drinks. that bar is never crowded.

the disco opens at 11. we didn't want it to be a long night so we were already done by then, but some of our group went to the disco that night & had a blast. they play really bad music though. bad 80s stuff that you can't even dance too.

the looky bar was never crowded either.

[soon2bevalentine]

Hello ladies,

 

I can now officially add myself to the Catalonia Riviera Maya bride group! After many persistent emails and telephone calls, we have a non-legal wedding ceremony booked for November 25th, 2008!

 

And now the real fun begins....the schedule of events.

 

The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 pm. I like the idea of having pictures and cocktails out on the beach immediately following the ceremony. I believe the cost to have cocktails on the beach is $9/pp? I'm thinking we'll just shuffle over to the Looky Bar - I love the photos of it - for a sit and another beverage and give guests the opportunity to return to their rooms if they'd like. From what I've read, the reception dinner has to be at 6:30 in one of the a la carte restaurants? Has anyone had a private reception dinner? I'd love to have it in the Looky bar but we haven't got that far in the planning to know if that's possible. We're a bit nervous about the food quality because we recently got very ill at the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya resort. Any comments on your experience with the food there would be much appreciated

 

Now that the tough part of selecting and booking a resort are done, I'm started to get excited!

 

All the best to all the CRM brides!

 

Liana

[rodent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soon2bevalentine Hello ladies, I can now officially add myself to the Catalonia Riviera Maya bride group! After many persistent emails and telephone calls, we have a non-legal wedding ceremony booked for November 25th, 2008! And now the real fun begins....the schedule of events. The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 pm. I like the idea of having pictures and cocktails out on the beach immediately following the ceremony. I believe the cost to have cocktails on the beach is $9/pp? I'm thinking we'll just shuffle over to the Looky Bar - I love the photos of it - for a sit and another beverage and give guests the opportunity to return to their rooms if they'd like. From what I've read, the reception dinner has to be at 6:30 in one of the a la carte restaurants? Has anyone had a private reception dinner? I'd love to have it in the Looky bar but we haven't got that far in the planning to know if that's possible. We're a bit nervous about the food quality because we recently got very ill at the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya resort. Any comments on your experience with the food there would be much appreciated Now that the tough part of selecting and booking a resort are done, I'm started to get excited! All the best to all the CRM brides! Liana

we just did champagne at the beach so it was free. no one really felt like drinking a lot. it was just a quick toast.

yes, you can do a private event at the looky bar. if you download the zip file i have on the first post, you'll see pictures of the set up & a menu.

i thought the food was good. i got a little tired of it after 7 days, but there was always something i enjoyed eating. i never got tired of the ice cream place

I thought of another tip. the sports bar was usually empty. you could suggest everyone meet there one night & have a fun group time. it's not loud so it's great for talking. you do have to pay to play pool, but they have tables.

[soon2bevalentine]

Hi Morgan,

 

Thanks for the info. The more I look at the pictures, the more I like the Looky Bar (I think it is now called the Pure Chill Out bar) for the reception. I looked at the banquets information you posted, which gives me a good idea of prices. Do you think they'd be flexible in the menu? The idea of a beach BBQ really appeals to me.

 

I love your photos and video. We might steal that Santana song you used - it's just perfect. I looked at Kristie's website but she's obviously out of the US. Did you fly her down for the wedding?

 

Thanks again for keeping the information flowing, especially since it's after the wedding!

 

Liana

[rodent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soon2bevalentine Hi Morgan, Thanks for the info. The more I look at the pictures, the more I like the Looky Bar (I think it is now called the Pure Chill Out bar) for the reception. I looked at the banquets information you posted, which gives me a good idea of prices. Do you think they'd be flexible in the menu? The idea of a beach BBQ really appeals to me. I love your photos and video. We might steal that Santana song you used - it's just perfect. I looked at Kristie's website but she's obviously out of the US. Did you fly her down for the wedding? Thanks again for keeping the information flowing, especially since it's after the wedding! Liana

I didn't talk to them about the menu so i'm not sure if they are flexible. I never looked into having a private reception.

that's weird that they changed the name. it really is a nice space.

yes, kristie is out of AZ. she is a forum member. many of us on BDW have flown in our photographer.

it will be fun to see future catalonia weddings on the forum!