Any Grand Palladium brides?

[shannonlsmith]

Thank you!  I will definitely double check.  Do you have any pictures you can share of your wedding or reception?

[shannonlsmith]

Darya & Samantha,

 

I have finalized a ton of details recently.  We will stay for 9 days and guests arrive on our 3rd day.  This will give us time to unwind and get the wedding stuff done before the guests arrive.  We changed our ceremony location from the gazebo to the church at 4pm, cocktail hours at nearby bar (tbd) while we do photos and reception at La Laguna from 7-11.  We are doing the cocktail reception which is $14 per person for 2 hours and then $5 extra per person for each additional up to 4 hours total.  We are doing the 4 hours at $24/person.  We got to pick 12 hourderves.  I am still doing tables.  Deciding on centerpieces still.  I am deciding on decor now.  I think I may incorporate color by the hanging paper lanterns and string lights.  We hired DJ Bob as he was only $575 for 4 hours!  We spoke with him on the phone and he seems awesome.  I am deciding on a photographer now.  I just received pricing from just about every photographer known to man there.  So if you need any pricing info just holler and i will email it to you.  

 

Are you using hair and makeup services at the resort?  Bringing in someone or scratching it?   

Is the disco every night?  Just in case we extend our party.

Are you doing anything really cool during your reception?

Do you know if sky lanterns are allowed?  Sparklers?

What are you doing for favors?  I was thinking maracas, but it seems like everyone does. 

Are you giving OOT bags?  We are buying the girls dresses and the groomsmen suits, so we are beginning to go over budget soon.

 

I would love to hear all your ideas if you want to share!  I hope all is going smooth!

[shannonlsmith]

I have Graciela and she is AWESOME!!

[rachelw29]

All the WC's there are awesome!!

[campbellk81]

Hi Everyone!

 

We leave for our wedding a month from yesterday!! We are having our reception at Portofinos and I'm wondering what the set up is like.How many people will sit at each table? We will have 33 guests. Should I do table numbers and a seating chart? I asked grace, but she just said the set up was "normal"...I don't know what that means!

 

I'm also wondering what I should do after dinner. Grace said I could do a private cocktail reception, but is it worth it? Or will it be fine just to go to one of the bars on the resort? If you did that, did you have a first dance somewhere??

 

Thanks!

[rachelw29]

We had our dinner there, we had 38. It was at the outside portion of the restaurant. They set up a head table and then had 2 long tables angled off from there. We had a 4 hr cocktail party at La laguna, it was good cause we had 86 people total, with a smaller group the lobby bar might be ok but the live music doesnt start till after the show at 10.

[Matt Adcock]

Hola Ladies,

 

Your day will be spectacular simply because of the love you surround yourself with, regardless of the details! Just plan enough to allow yourself to be stress free for your special day, but be flexible enough to let whatever happens, happen.

 

If you need help visualizing the resort and locations, here are a few pictures of our latest weddings:

 

Chapel

 

Gazebo

 

Laguna Restaurant: Outdoors and great for big groups.

 

 

Need more ideas?? Check out these slide shows:

 

Shannon + Cody - Photos by Jonathan
Christine + Dennys - Photos by Jonathan
Ashley + Nathan - Photos by Matt Adcock
Tiffany + Brian - Photos by Sol Tamargo
Sabrina + Rui - Photos by Sol Tamargo
Lesley + David - Photos by Sol Tamargo

 

One recommendation: Don't let anyone talk you out of having your ceremony start time be anything but 1.5 hours prior to sunset. This will give you great light for your ceremony, and even better sunset light for your beach portraits! 

 

Happy Planning : )

 

 

 

[samanthamontoya]

Hey Shannon!

 

I was thinking of maracas too!!! hahah so that does seem to be a popular choice but it's totally cute so I could see why. My other favor choice was a mexico type souvenir picture frame, that way I can put peoples names in them for seating and my guests can take them home and put their favorite picture to remember the trip in them. I' not sure which one I'm going to do yet.

 

It's too expensive and too chancy for me to have someone else do my hair and makeup there at the resort. I'm sure they do a lovely job but I'm really picky about my hair and makeup. In the past when I've been made to get my hair done or makeup done for other weddings I've been in, I always look back at the pictures and think, that doesn't look at all how I'd ever where my makeup or hair and i don't want to feel that way when I look back at my wedding pictures. I'm going to work with a stylist here to perfect a hairstyle look I can do on my own as well as my makeup. I will for sure be getting a massage and my nails done there though!

 

As for decor Ideas I was planning on having a lot of candles. I was quoted $50 per flower arrangement for the reception and that's just not in my budget. another bride had the idea of asking for extra vases and then putting her bridesmaids bouquets in them for the reception, I thought that was a great idea and may do that. I was also thinking of getting some life like flowers and submerging them in water in clear cylinder vases with floating candles on top. that way my guests can't touch them and it won't be obvious that i used fake flowers. I'm also bringing my own fabric for the tables to use as a runner or overlay for a pop of color, as well as scattering seashells on the table.

 

I also thought about the lantern idea, i think that's really cute!

 

Hope all your planning is going well, sounds like it is, i feel so behind

 

[samanthamontoya]

Hey matt,

 so 1.5 hours before sunset! Yikes! I looked up sunset times in november for that area and it said it was approximately at 4:50 and my wedding is planned for 4:00pm. You think that's going to be too rushed?

now I'm worried!

[DaryaB]

Shannon,

 

Sorry it took me so long to reply. You are way ahead of me when it comes to planning the little details. I haven't thoight about the decorations for teh recption yet. I was going to ask Vanessa to send me some pictures of how the regular set-up looks like. From pictures of other weddings it looks like they already decorate the restaurant for you.

I have short hair so I will probably do it myself and have my girlsfriends help me with the make up. I'm like Samantha when it comes to getting my make-up done by a stranger. I don't want it to look unnatural.

It is so generous of you to get the groomsmen suits and bridesmaids dresses. I wish we could do it but we I have 8 bridemaids and I think we have like 10 guys.

I went to a friend's destination wedding 2 years ago and she had little pop-up coolers (which I still use to this day) with some snacks, bottle water, gum, and sample-size meds like tylenol, tums and pepto-bismol that all of us had to use at some point I was planning on doing something similar and also include spf chapstick, sunscreen, aloe for those that get sunburnt, and bug spray.

My friend also did the maracas as the favors. I will have to do something else because I don't want it to look like I completely copied her idea. But we all had fun with the maracas during the reception

 

Have any of you ladies picked out your flowers?