Any Grand Palladium brides?

[Mikeycelle]

Originally Posted by 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?

Hi 87shayla,

We have paid our deposit of $300 just last night Saturday. We're waiting on Vanessa Roldan to email a confirmation perhaps on Monday. The date we want is April 19 2013.The deposit will deducted from the package.

Our Catholic Nuptial Mass will be at La Senora de Las Nieves ( Our Lady of Snows) chapel ( right off the Colonial lobby). I'm looking for a string quartet to play in Chruch. We still have to decide on the menu, decor, and music. I'm also looking for a cinematographer.I want the sights and sounds of Mexico and our special day captured on DVD.

 I plan on having a Mariachi band during cocktail hour at Las Rocas Bar. Which is almost expected since we are celebrating in Mexico!

I saw a beautiful wedding gazebo  overlooking the ocean which I think is in the White Sands section. It was near a bar where everyone can toast to the newlyweds. There's another gazebo in the Kantenah side and one in front of the Catholic Church.

I swear everywhere I looked, it was another beautiful wedding venue! Be your ceremony be in a gazebo, beach or church; the location you choose will be perfect! The food in the resort was really delicious. We ate just about in every restaurant. We're having the reception at La Laguna. I can only imagine the reception food will be prepared by the same chefs.

I know the prices will add up quickly but it sure is less expensive than any wedding and more beautiful( in my humble opinion) in any catering hall in Long Island, NY.

[DaryaB]

Hey ladies, have any of you picked out the menu for the reception. We are doing ours at La Laguna so Vanessa sent me all of the different menu options. I wanted to switch out one of the sides but he told me there were no substitutions within each menu choice. Did any of you have better luck with changing up the menus?

[LoveInParadise]

Hi Samanthamontoya!

 

Thanks for your insights!  Good point, Friday or Monday wedding will still suffice to minimize the time off our guests will have to take.  Afterall, they'll be traveling out there from San Francisco anyway, why not force them to enjoy themselves a day or so longer?  hahaha.  

 

I'm hoping the packages will not increase drastically for 2013.  Thanks for all the tips!  And congrats to you as well!!

 

Originally Posted by 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!!!!

 

[LoveInParadise]

Hi Mikeycelle!

 

You seem like you've definitely done your research!  Your Xcaret engagement photos sounds like they'll be AMAZING!!  Can't wait to see them if you'll share them with us.  

 

My Fiance and I just booked a SUPER last min trip out to Riviera Maya/Cancun 2 days ago and are super excited to go again since it's been exactly 3 years since we've visitied.  I know other resorts will credit your site visit stay towards your wedding if you book with them, did Grand Palladium do that for you when you went 2 weeks ago?  I'm not even sure if they have a similar policy.  We're just hoping to keep this a budget trip and nail down what we need to i.e. pay deposits, refresh our memory and check out all the wedding ceremony/reception/bar sites again, maybe meet up with some other planner groups since we're probably going to bring outside vendors in.  I'm not even sure what else we can arrange in such short notice...

 

Thanks for all the info & tips!  I'll definitely be ready with lots of OFF bugspray.  Everytime I go anywhere tropical, the mosquitos love feasting on me and leave a ton of evidence all over me to prove it =/

 

Your wedding sound like it'll be fabulous!!  Good luck on the planning!!

 

 

 

Originally Posted by Mikeycelle 

 

 

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!

[LoveInParadise]

Hi Mikeycelle!

 

You seem like you've definitely done your research!  Your Xcaret engagement photos sounds like they'll be AMAZING!!  Can't wait to see them if you'll share them with us.  

 

My Fiance and I just booked a SUPER last min trip out to Riviera Maya/Cancun 2 days ago and are super excited to go again since it's been exactly 3 years since we've visitied.  I know other resorts will credit your site visit stay towards your wedding if you book with them, did Grand Palladium do that for you when you went 2 weeks ago?  I'm not even sure if they have a similar policy.  We're just hoping to keep this a budget trip and nail down what we need to i.e. pay deposits, refresh our memory and check out all the wedding ceremony/reception/bar sites again, maybe meet up with some other planner groups since we're probably going to bring outside vendors in.  I'm not even sure what else we can arrange in such short notice...

 

Thanks for all the info & tips!  I'll definitely be ready with lots of OFF bugspray.  Everytime I go anywhere tropical, the mosquitos love feasting on me and leave a ton of evidence all over me to prove it =/

 

Your wedding sound like it'll be fabulous!!  Good luck on the planning!!

 

 

 

Originally Posted by Mikeycelle 

 

 

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!

[LoveInParadise]

Hi Mikeycelle!

 

You seem like you've definitely done your research!  Your Xcaret engagement photos sounds like they'll be AMAZING!!  Can't wait to see them if you'll share them with us.  

 

My Fiance and I just booked a SUPER last min trip out to Riviera Maya/Cancun 2 days ago and are super excited to go again since it's been exactly 3 years since we've visitied.  I know other resorts will credit your site visit stay towards your wedding if you book with them, did Grand Palladium do that for you when you went 2 weeks ago?  I'm not even sure if they have a similar policy.  We're just hoping to keep this a budget trip and nail down what we need to i.e. pay deposits, refresh our memory and check out all the wedding ceremony/reception/bar sites again, maybe meet up with some other planner groups since we're probably going to bring outside vendors in.  I'm not even sure what else we can arrange in such short notice...

 

Thanks for all the info & tips!  I'll definitely be ready with lots of OFF bugspray.  Everytime I go anywhere tropical, the mosquitos love feasting on me and leave a ton of evidence all over me to prove it =/

 

Your wedding sound like it'll be fabulous!!  Good luck on the planning!!

 

Originally Posted by Mikeycelle 

 

 

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!

[smacadam]

Hello!

 

I am new to this website and am loving hearing how much people enjoy the palladium! I just put my deposit down for our wedding next march! I am in the beginning stages of planning!

Just a question hoping someone can answer, how come at the laguna I'm reading people are paying 50-60 a hear for meals? I thought this being an all inclusive that the food for the wedding would be included? could someone explain this to me  

 

Also can anyone tell me how the photographer that they include in the pacakge are they any good or should I hire someone else?

What about a DJ can anyone tell me who would be a good person to hire?

 

Thanks for any input!!

 

Stephanie

[Mikeycelle]

 Hi Stephanie,

 

You pay $40-$60 pp if you have a party of 40 people according to their policy. If you have 40 or less people, food is included. Photographer is not included but they do have a photographer in the resort. Please contact Grand Palladium for more information.

 

Originally Posted by smacadam 

Hello!

 

I am new to this website and am loving hearing how much people enjoy the palladium! I just put my deposit down for our wedding next march! I am in the beginning stages of planning!

Just a question hoping someone can answer, how come at the laguna I'm reading people are paying 50-60 a hear for meals? I thought this being an all inclusive that the food for the wedding would be included? could someone explain this to me  

 

Also can anyone tell me how the photographer that they include in the pacakge are they any good or should I hire someone else?

What about a DJ can anyone tell me who would be a good person to hire?

 

Thanks for any input!!

 

Stephanie

[foreignbride]

Hello Ladies,

We've been to Riviera Maya 4 times now and twice to the Grand Palladium and this is where we'd like to get married - provided we can pull it off. We'd like to get married in October 2012. Yes, 2012, so in like 4 months. Is this doable or are we crazy? We'd book the holiday from the UK (Thomson/First Choice), but we'd like to organize the wedding directly with the hotel. I'm not worried about dress, reception, invites, etc., just want to make sure we can organize the wedding itself in terms of all the paperwork, legal stuff, etc. Are 4 months enough?

There's be 13 of us. We'd like to stay at the Colonial (stayed at both Kantenah and Colonial before, but preferred villa 21 at the Colonial). We'd like to get married at the gazebo near Punta Emilia. Then drinks maybe in one of the lobbies and dinner at the Italian restaurant (outside).

I'd be doing my own hair, make up, etc. So all really low key.

Many thanks,
 

[Caterina]

I just came back from a wonderful week at the Grand Palladium Kantenah! One word : perfect! We were 36 and everybody loved the resort, it is so big and so much to see in the resort! The wedding was perfect, everything went well, the wedding coordinator Graciela is so sweet and just knows what she's doing! I booked Gonzalo Nunez for photograph : Wow, I recommend him, he's the best and has good prices! For the videograph, it was Carlos Gallardo and he was great too! I can't wait to see the pictures and the video! I also booked DJ Bob and he knows how to make the people dance! We got married at the beach gazebo and had a cocktail 2hours at la Laguna and the reception at La Laguna too! The place is beautiful! If you have any questions please ask me and I will do my best to answer! Don't stress please everything is under control over there Caterina