Any Grand Palladium brides?

[samanthamontoya]

Thanks Darya! sometimes this website is more efficient for getting answers than the ladies at the resort!

Greatly appreciate it

[samanthamontoya]

Matt,

Thanks so much for the advice and input! Appreciate it! And yes we're doing a legal ceremony.

[shannonlsmith]

Ladies,

 

Has anyone decided where in the resort you will have the following events:

• Welcome Party?
• Rehearsal Dinner?
• Cocktail Hour Between Ceremony & Reception?

[krsmith]

Samantha~

 

I agree with Matt! We had a Catholic ceremony (which is about an hour) at 4 pm (the sun set around 5:30), so it only gave us about 30 mins of daylight, and were totally rushing after the ceremony to get the group shots, parent/bride & groom shots, bridal party shots, bride & groom shots, etc. We got some great pictures, but I wish we had more time to have some more fun with different poses and settings. 

 

Give yourselves plenty of time so you don't think back and wish you would have gotten a picture that you would have wanted but because of time constraints didn't get. I have to say though the sunset shots that Juan Jose got were amazing! Del Sol was the BEST choice we made in regards to planning our wedding. You can't go wrong! 

 

Good Luck!
 

Originally Posted by Matt Adcock 

Hola Samantha,

 

Your weddings is several months away so we would strongly recommend you to check with your hotel and try to book a 3:30 PM. If it's not possible, consider doing your sunset portraits immediately after the ceremony, the idea is to take advantage of the gorgeous end of day light!! : )

 

On the other hand, I saw you had a question about the witnesses. They can be anybody in your group, either relatives or friends but they must be at least 18 years old. They will also need to have their passports and tourist cards (provided upon arrival at the airport) handy, and sign your legal paperwork at least 3 days prior to the ceremony. I'm assuming you are having a legal ceremony?? 

 

Happy planning!!
 

 

 

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[LoveInParadise]

Hi All!  

 

I'm excited to join this thread as a Grand Palladium Bride for May 2013!  You all have been an abundance of resources and I'd like to thank you in advance for the future advice/suggestions/help as well!  My FI and I have actually gone to the Grand Palladium 2 times now (My bday in Nov 2008, loved it so much that we went back 8 months later in May 2009 for our 3-year anniversary).  Originally we were thinking of having our wedding at a similar resort that offered the same amenities as the GP offered but nothing really topped it, hence, it really was a no brainer to be able to share the GP experience w/ our closest friends and family so they can see exactly why we fell in love with it also!

 

Now that we're set on the resort, the hard part is nailing down a date.  Ideally, we wanted a Sat or Sun wedding to minimize the time our guests have to take off work, however, we heard through a TA that the GP only allows weekday weddings?  Have any of you heard of this policy?  

 

Graciela mentioned they are still working on the 2013 packages, but I'm confused at how are others able to book their weddings in the beginning parts of 2013?  Is it locked in as the 2012 packages?

 

Many Thanks!

[samanthamontoya]

Welcome "LoveInParadise" !!!

 

 So glad to hear that you loved the resort so much you picked it for your big day, I have never been so it's refreshing to hear that you really really like it. I heard the same thing about weekday weddings there, they also have only 3 weddings a day so make sure to book early (which it sounds like you're doing) so you can get the time slot you like the best ( I booked my wedding a year in advance and originally wanted the date to be the  Friday the 9th, when I checked, the only time slot they had for the 9th was 11am because the other two slots were taken, so Thursday the 8th is what I went for instead so I could have my wedding at 4pm). I'm sure your guests won't mind the weekday wedding date, maybe shoot for a Friday or Monday then they won't have to take that much time off.

 

As for the packages, I don't think they change very much from year to year, probably the price by a couple hundred dollars if anything. You shouldn't have a problem reserving your wedding date even if the package isn't officially ready and priced. You don't actually pay for your wedding package until you get there so you'll have plenty of time to pick which one you want. They just need a $300 deposit to reserve your time and date. Here's a couple things to keep in mind though....

the package price is for only 8 people, each additional guest will cost an additional $20 (kids under 12 free) I heard through this thread that some brides were able to drive this price down a little by choosing to not have a champagne toast or bows on their chairs.

if you want a private dinner reception or you plan on having more than 40 guests join you for dinner, it's going to be an additional $50-$65 per guest depending on what menu you choose. If you have less than 40 guests they can reserve a spot for you and your guests at an a la carte restaurant there at the resort for no additional fee.

You might already know that, but it kinda surprised me how fast everything can add up.

 

Happy planning and CONGRATS!!!!

 

Originally Posted by LoveInParadise 

Hi All!  

 

I'm excited to join this thread as a Grand Palladium Bride for May 2013!  You all have been an abundance of resources and I'd like to thank you in advance for the future advice/suggestions/help as well!  My FI and I have actually gone to the Grand Palladium 2 times now (My bday in Nov 2008, loved it so much that we went back 8 months later in May 2009 for our 3-year anniversary).  Originally we were thinking of having our wedding at a similar resort that offered the same amenities as the GP offered but nothing really topped it, hence, it really was a no brainer to be able to share the GP experience w/ our closest friends and family so they can see exactly why we fell in love with it also!

 

Now that we're set on the resort, the hard part is nailing down a date.  Ideally, we wanted a Sat or Sun wedding to minimize the time our guests have to take off work, however, we heard through a TA that the GP only allows weekday weddings?  Have any of you heard of this policy?  

 

Graciela mentioned they are still working on the 2013 packages, but I'm confused at how are others able to book their weddings in the beginning parts of 2013?  Is it locked in as the 2012 packages?

 

Many Thanks!

[Mikeycelle]

Originally Posted by LoveInParadise 

 

Hi All!  

 

I'm excited to join this thread as a Grand Palladium Bride for May 2013!  You all have been an abundance of resources and I'd like to thank you in advance for the future advice/suggestions/help as well!  My FI and I have actually gone to the Grand Palladium 2 times now (My bday in Nov 2008, loved it so much that we went back 8 months later in May 2009 for our 3-year anniversary).  Originally we were thinking of having our wedding at a similar resort that offered the same amenities as the GP offered but nothing really topped it, hence, it really was a no brainer to be able to share the GP experience w/ our closest friends and family so they can see exactly why we fell in love with it also!

 

Now that we're set on the resort, the hard part is nailing down a date.  Ideally, we wanted a Sat or Sun wedding to minimize the time our guests have to take off work, however, we heard through a TA that the GP only allows weekday weddings?  Have any of you heard of this policy?  

 

Graciela mentioned they are still working on the 2013 packages, but I'm confused at how are others able to book their weddings in the beginning parts of 2013?  Is it locked in as the 2012 packages?

 

Many Thanks!

 

 

Hi LoveInParadise and Palladium Brides! 

I just got back 2 weeks ago from Grand Palladium Riviera Maya. We don't have a TA. We don't know if it's worth having a middleman. Our guests like booking online and we'd like them to have the freedom of shopping for the best prices for their budgets.

We had our engagement photo shoot at Xcaret by New York- based Benchwerk Photography. We plan on sending Save the Date postcards as soon as we book a date.

We met with the petite, very sweet, energetic Vanessa Roldan who showed us around the resort.The resort is breathtakingly beautiful! The service was excellent, the staff are friendly, the place is sanitary ( they had hand sanitizers everywhere and the staff in the restaurants wear hairnets and the managers were always present)

They're only taking 2013 bookings in May. The packages rates are changing to 2013 rates. They only do wedding on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with a max of 3 weddings a day during the high season. We hope our guests can do the whole week with us.Those who can do the whole week can come in on Thursday (in time for reheasal dinner), Wedding on Friday, have Saturday to themselves and leave on Sunday in time for work on Monday.

 

We're having a Catholic Nuptial Mass in the chapel.onsite on Friday at 4 pm.It's going to be a traditional Filipino wedding with candle ceremony, coin ceremony, and veil and cord ceremony.  It should end by 5:30 PM. I wanted ample time to take pictures after the wedding so I googled what time the sunset will be in April 2013 is 7:08 PM. The cocktail hour at Las Rocas bar ( by the saltwater pool overlooking the ocean) opens at 6 PM. Just enough time for picture taking and sipping cocktail and snacking on appetizers until the wedding reception at 7 pm at one of the buffet restaurants, La Laguna.

I want a mariachi band playing during cocktail hour. Vanessa will email me the updated prices for 2013. By the way the backdrop for your pictures will be amazing!

We chose April because it is right after spring break, the room rates drop which will be helpful for our guests and right before hurricane season. We also wanted to avoid the mosquitos which come after the rains. I plan on getting the OFF! clip ons and citronella candles to ward off mosquitos. I got bitten on the last 2 days of vacation after the rains. It may or may not work but I'm doing what I can to ward off the pests!

 

 

 

The ceiling decoration is included in the package however the lights are not ($150 USD). The linen only come in white except for the sashes( blue ,aqua,light pink,light blue,yellow,white and cappuccino) They have an external supplier if you want different colored tablecloth ( $10 USD ea) Color napkins ( $1.50 each) Tiffany chairs ( $5) There is an extra charge of $50 to th external supplier bring everything in.

 

Keep in mind the resort is huge and your guests wil be doing a lot of walking! You can arrange for the coordinator to send trolleys for the older folks who have trouble walking or for yourself if you don't want to schlep from one end of the resort to the other and it gets hot! The place is gorgeous and offers so much activities. There is always something for everyone.

 

I'll update once I hear more from Vanessa. Happy planning!

[Mikeycelle]

Originally Posted by shannonlsmith 

 

Ladies,

 

Has anyone decided where in the resort you will have the following events:

• Welcome Party?
• Rehearsal Dinner?
• Cocktail Hour Between Ceremony & Reception?

 Hi Shannon!

Vanessa had toured us around the resort where they usually have the events. Whatever area you choose, it will be gorgeous. It all depends on what venue suits your needs.

We haven't decided where we want the cocktail party. Either the Kantenah beach bar, La Jarra or Las Rocas bar by the saltwater pool ( leaning towards La Jarra).

Rehearsal dinner:they will section off Portofino ( a la carte) or they will reserve the entire outside section. No charge

 

Cocktail Hour will be at Las Rocas bar No charge except for hor d'oeuvres and waiter service ($15 pp for appetizer and drinks)

 

Private reception will be in the White Sands side: La Laguna ( sitdown menu) depends what food you decide ( $50-$65 pp) with waiter service. We chose La Laguna because I pictures taken by the saltwater pool and adult pool after the ceremony.

Gran Azul and La Laguna have the same floor plan except Gran Azul in the Colonial side, has more of a jungle view than pool view. It depends what you prefer.

[87shayla]

Mickeycelle, 

 

Have you booked your wedding date yet?? 

We're waiting to pay a deposit then hopefully we can get the ball rolling on some of the decisions. What area of the resort are you thinking of having your ceremony at?