aventura spa palace

[skadow]

We did not have to put down a deposit on the blocks of room. We DID have to pay for our room in full. Also when guests book rooms threw that link I showed you yesturday they have to pay the first 2 days. They pay for the rest when they get down there.

 

In regards to the Palace Dollars. You are correct with the only paying for yourself. So if you want to be the one paying for your guests you would have to pay in real cash.

 

 

Originally Posted by jszy10 

Banksnelson:  Welcome!!! SO exciting to have another ASP bride!!  If you ever get the time, you should go through this whole thread...it is AWESOME.  THere are a lot of links to pictures and some really helpful info!  Any questions you have, feel free to share!

 

 

Skadow and Banksnelson:  The fear I have about blocking rooms is don't you have to put a deposit down for every room you block?? 

 

Skadow: I thought I could use the palace resort credit for the spa too..but Yesenia told me they can only be used for YOU, not for anyone else's services.  I may try when I get there, but she sent my a quote from the terms and conditions that stated allong the lines of 'they were non-transferable and may only be used for those staying in the specified room'.  So no go there :oP

[lilbuddha]

I used a travel agent and per the contract w/ palace you are able to use 1 vendor (ie: apple vacations/usariways vacations etc.) to book all of your guest travel through.  Our wedding date is 5/5/11 and we currently have 54 guests attending and 120 room nights toward our contract.  We chose USairways vacations to book all of our guest travel through due to the low down payment option. 

 

My travel agent handles all the bookings and because we have so many room nights already locked in 9 months out they are being very accomadating in letting our guests book for various lengths of time.  During our site inspection they emphasized the group contract and how important it is to adhere to it. 

 

Yazmin warned us that a lot of brides get tripped up so be sure to read over it again and again and make sure any modifications are in writing.

[lilbuddha]

Thanks Nicole!

 

I really like his work and his prices are great. He did mention he was doing his first wedding at Adventura this November so it must be yours! I hope you post your pics when you get back.  And please let me know how it goes.

 

Also,  can I ask how long you are booking him for?

 

Thanks for your help! Mia

[Banksnelson]

Thanks jszy10!

 

I feel like you all know so much! Did you all decide where at the resort you are going to have the ceremony? I was also wondering what all I need to decide and let them know ahead of time vs. what I can decide when I get there (I am doing the complimentary package too). I remember someone saying they did almost all the planning once they got there but I want to make sure I dont forget to tell them something ahead of time. And it sounds like the WC can be hard to contact sometimes...Sorry if i am repeating questions I promise I'll read through it all sometime this wknd : )

 

What all are you adding on to the package jszy10? And what are you making your girls flowers out of? I have been considering real touch flowers since real ones are so expensive but i'm scared because I have never seen any in person.

[jszy10]

I didn't decide where at the resort I'm having my ceremony or anything yet.  I'd love to see more pictures of the different options though.. (if anyone has them, pass them on! ) )  I believe the website says you are supposed to tell them if you are having private events and what certain additions you want for your package at least 30 days before, but I think that might be it? I'm not 100% positive though.

 

Grab a nice glass of wine for that reading! haha, it took me FOREVER!! I spread it out through a few days...but it was definitely worth it!

 

I am adding:

 

the horse and carriage

videographer (video of the ceremony) -- through reading the thread, I hear it is totally worth every penny

photography package A

CD of pictures

and one of the live musicians (maybe the harpist?)

 

I am also hiring the resort photographer the morning after for an hour for $160 to do a TTD session.

 

and for the flowers...honestly, I bought just regular silk flowers at Joann's craft store (75% off a week or so ago at their spring flower sale!!)  -- they are white and orange tiger lilies.  I am going to cut the stems and put them together with floral tape and then wrap them with ribbon.  My sister in law did the same thing and they looked just fine.   Hope that helps?  I am using the same flowers for my AHR.  I bought about 70-75 blooms for $25!!!

[nicdeb928]

Hi Mia! of course I will be posting many pictures when I get back and I will give everyone a full reveiw too I booked Juan for 6 hrs the day of my wedding and another hour the following day to do a TTD session...Im very excited to work with him and have confidence that he will do a great job...Im buying him and his assistant a day pass for the wedding and for the TTD we will probably meet him at a beach somewher in playa del carmen so we can get actual ocean shots..hope this helps nicole

[nicdeb928]

Hi ladies...I just read all your posts about worries with the group contract...I guess I now feel very lucky to be working with the travel agent that I am...she is awesome..In January I booked my trip with her, at that time I sent a STD to all our family and friends with all the wedding info and Valerie's (our travel agent) information....our guests started contacting her and she booked their trips first as individual bookings, then once she had enough deposits from everyone she notified the resort that she had a group booking, put everyone trips into one and had enough money with their deposits to cover the group contract booking deposit, so my fiance and I didnt have to dish out any money to hold other peoples rooms...it has worked perfect for us, i believe we are currently at about 63 rooms booked, so im pretty confident we will get to the 75 and then we can receive our free unlimited private functions...our guests are coming and leaving on different dates and some are staying for 4 nights, others 7, that didnt effect the group booking at all...also from the beginning Valerie told me not to worry about putting out money and reserving a block of rooms for our guests, she said if we were getting married at a smaller resort she would advise that but ASP is HUGE and there is no way they will be sold out...sorry for the long rant, hope this helps someone, it has worked great and easy for us   Nicole

[nicdeb928]

Hi...its me again! sorry im being a posting queen tonight...i havent been able to spend alot of time on here recently so now I feel like I have so much to say My wedding is exactly 12 weeks from today...WOO HOO! seriously my fiance and I are very excited...I feel like its so real now b/c its so close...

 

Approximate cost so far for everything:

$1000 air fare

$300 ceremony (w/complimentary package)

$2500 ASP room for 8 nights (expecting to receive 7 nights refunded back)

$2500 photographer for wedding and TTD

$0 cocktail hour & reception (included in unlimited private functions)

$500 approx. for day passes for guests

$500 invitations and STD's

$800 approx. videographer of ceremony, cocktail hr and a lil of reception

$500 approx. for 2 hrs extra open bar for reception ($60 per extra hr for every 10 ppl)

$500 approx. for 25 OOT bags and decorations

$       not sure about music yet

 

Im sure Im forgetting other things, I know my goal has been to keep it under $10k and I think with the free unimited private functions and 7 nights refunded I should be able to do it

 

As far as things done/things to do:

~I bought my dress (a maggie sottero, 1st fitting in sept); the BM have their dreses (short coral cocktail dresses w/matching gold jewelery and shoes), FI has a tux he's wearing w/ same shirt as GM, the GM have their outfits (Calvin Klein black dress pants & CK white dress shirt with 3/4 rolled up sleeves, not tucked in and no tie and black dress shoes)

~we bought our wedding bands

~gifts for bridal party-i bought my girls their jewlery and bags and he bought his guys their outfits; we are also making all of them big bags of goodies...i want to buy something else for the girls yet..

~invitations went out end of July with RSVP date of Aug 30th

~photographer hired (Juan Nuverro)

~OOT bags half done, waiting till all RSVPs are in to finish (using mostly vistaprint, discountmugs, & oriental trading)

~bought cake topper, unity sand set, my garter, shoes (satin teal)  and jewlery

 

Things still to do: (it seems like I keep adding to this list)

~ I bought a TTD dress but not sure im keeping it, have to make a final decision

~finish making OOT bags

~decide on the locations for my cocktail hour and reception and decide on menus (i dont think they need to know till 60 days before)

~decide on flowers (no clue yet)

~decide on the readings I want to use and our vow wording

~i have to purchase my veil and headband

~ we have to get all our documents of personal info together that ASP needs

~i have to arrange my hair/makeup appts for me, my girls and the moms for day of wedding

~type up itenarary of trip to put in OOT bags

~hire pianist, mexican trio and dj (decide on songs for ceremony and first dances)

~continue dieting and working out so I can look slamming in my dress

 

okay im done blabbing i look forward to talking with you girls alot over the next few weeks

Nicole

 

 

[jszy10]

Nicole...that contract info helps!  Thanks so much!  I think I'm actually going to email my TA with exactly you said your TA did, so that maybe we can do it that way?  We have to pay our airfare in full when we reserve it, plus a $300 to reserve our room through her...so there is now way we can also foot the $300 deposit for reserved rooms to get the group booking in advance!  Especially with deposits and payments that are being made towards our AHR too.

 

12 weeks!! ahh!! SO jealous!! ) I bet you are getting SO excited!!!  I know we all can't wait to see you pictures )

 

 

Question for you ladies...

 

So I saw a thread on here not too long ago about brides "doing the paperwork" before going to Mexico and just having a symbolic ceremony.  At first I thought, "oh no, I could never do that" ... but I have friends that know people who have had destination weddings, and they have all done the "paperwork" before they went down...so it made me start to wonder if that is a good idea?  Any thoughts on that?? Does anyone know how different the civil ceremony would be from the symbolic??? I wouldn't want it to look any different than a real wedding??  Although one thing I've seen a lot of are pictures of everyone signing the paperwork in the middle of the wedding ceremony, which I could definitely do without -- which would be one perk if we did it before hand. Thoughts!?!?

[lilbuddha]

 

Originally Posted by jszy10 

Nicole...that contract info helps!  Thanks so much!  I think I'm actually going to email my TA with exactly you said your TA did, so that maybe we can do it that way?  We have to pay our airfare in full when we reserve it, plus a $300 to reserve our room through her...so there is now way we can also foot the $300 deposit for reserved rooms to get the group booking in advance!  Especially with deposits and payments that are being made towards our AHR too.

 

12 weeks!! ahh!! SO jealous!! ) I bet you are getting SO excited!!!  I know we all can't wait to see you pictures )

 

 

Question for you ladies...

 

So I saw a thread on here not too long ago about brides "doing the paperwork" before going to Mexico and just having a symbolic ceremony.  At first I thought, "oh no, I could never do that" ... but I have friends that know people who have had destination weddings, and they have all done the "paperwork" before they went down...so it made me start to wonder if that is a good idea?  Any thoughts on that?? Does anyone know how different the civil ceremony would be from the symbolic??? I wouldn't want it to look any different than a real wedding??  Although one thing I've seen a lot of are pictures of everyone signing the paperwork in the middle of the wedding ceremony, which I could definitely do without -- which would be one perk if we did it before hand. Thoughts!?!?

I would definately say get legally married in the states  let me preface this by saying THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE in any way shape or form.  But I am a lawyer and I turned this over in my head.  The problem is if there is any hicuup along the way you are not dealing just with another state you are dealing with another country. 

 

 

The hiccup could be in translation (docs are in Spanish) so they are then converted into English or once you get there just before your wedding if they deny the processing of your paperwork.

 

Same thing applies if you need duplicate documentation down the road to buy a house or when you have kids...you have to get it from another country not just your local city hall or even another state....translation fees apply etc.

 

I personally feel (again have to keep saying this is strictly personal belief I do not practice family law etc) is that it may be less headache in the long run to do the legal marriage in the states and the symbolic marriage there.  We are doing it very quietly here.  Not telling a soul.  For us that is just the paper....the real wedding is in Mexico.

 

~Mia