Any Grand Palladium brides?

[Carlota1981]

Hello again!!

 

Chrestena, fantastic!! Hola chicas is hello girls in Spanish! lol  Well about the flavours Vanessa did not give me options, just the option to select whatever we want. So for this reason is more difficult. Thomas and I have the intention to look a bit of options this weekend.

 

Claire, the Mexican wedding cake is the one of the 3 milks? 

Thanks about your words related to the wedding guests. Well some of them are hard to treat because they forgot that I have told them some details about the travel... and there are another that have written me  5-6 times to ask me the same things... a lot of patient!! hahaha... Each day I have something like ten emails to answer and the same whatsapp from the Italian guests....

 

 

I am agree with Chrestena as well. If you do not have the option of Punta Emilia then go for the Adelita. I do not know now but when I stayed at GP in july 2009 I did like the dinner there. The food was good and I like the restaurant. I also have a photo with a Spanish guitar and a huge Mexican hat! lol

 

Girls, thanks about the idea for the tip. I know normal is to give it after but I was not sure about give her the tip the day after because maybe I am not going to see her. So, probably I will tell my dad to give it the same day. 

 

 

 

Some days ago I read a review on TripAdvisor about a girls that got married there. She wrote everything was perfectly organized and Rocio was her wedding organizer. But she wrote something I think is important to share with all of you. She wrote that during the ceremony there were hotel guests quite near from the beach gazebo so some of them appeared on the photos and that Rocio did not make anything with this.

 

For me this is very important, so when I have the meeting with Vanessa, this is one of the first things I am going to tell her. I completely understand that guests want to see because they are curious but I also think that there is a limit. Do not watch the whole time and do not stay so near of them. Not onyl because this people can appear in our wedding photos but also because I would be disturbed for them knowing they are so close from us. So for this reason I think wedding organizers have to look after this, dont you think so?

 

 

¡Un saludo!

[Sarah519]

Originally Posted by brebuisson02 

 

Hey Sarah! I also saw the beach party on the Palladium wedding website and thought that would be an awesome idea & when I mentioned it to my mom she thought my aunts & the older relatives would probably prefer that to just going to the disco or to a sitting bar after the supper. I messaged Rocio about it & she said it can be added to any wedding package and she seemed to know what I was talking about. I was also a little concerned because our wedding will be on a Friday and on Friday's they have the beach bonfire so I was wondering if that would make a difference for me - she said that the beach bonfire date depends on whats happening that week and also that they are in different locations from the 'Private Beach Bash' so it wouldnt affect anything!

Oh that's good to hear that Rocio said its possible. Since I have her assistant I think she just may not be as familiar with the options. I also didn't know about the Friday Beach Bonfire. That sounds so fun! I had read about the Monday night White party. I think I may have to put it out to the guests to pack something white. So excited and it seems so far away! Good luck planning!!!

[Sarah519]

Originally Posted by Chrestena 

 

Hi ladies I came into the den with a nice glass of wine to read all the lovely posts!! This is becoming one of my favorite relaxing moments of my week.  Welcome Carlota! Your English is beautiful! And congratulations...this has been such a wonderful place to connect with other brides and talk things through, and share ideas.  We also, in a small way, get to celebrate with them after their weddings, through the photographs, like we did with Shayla! 

 

As for the tipping- I am from New York, and we tip for everything...ugh. So yes, we are planning on tipping Vanessa. In NY it is customary to tip between 15%-20%, so we were thinking we would only tip on the cost of the actual wedding services, not the reception. Our wedding came to $2200, (not including the reception, or cocktail hour- this is only the cost of our actual wedding package) so we would tip Vanessa around $400 US dollars.I am hoping this is fair.She has been such a great help, and is really good at communicating with me. I think it is worth it. 

 

Carlota- it sounds like our wedding day will be very similar!!  We too, are getting married at the beach gazebo at 4 pm, followed by a cocktail hour, and finally the reception at La Laguna. (we will also be having a Spanish Trio play directly after the ceremony for our first dance). And my fiance too is from Italy! (although he is very American too...he came here as a baby). I will be sure to tell you how our day goes!! ( I have 65 days to go!)

 

Shayla- thank you again for the beautiful photos, you look  absolutely stunning!!  And also, thank you for sharing the idea of bringing a list for the photographer...that is a great idea. Im glad to hear that there wasn't too much stress without having a traditional rehearsal dinner...and your right...as long as the guys know what to do...I should be ok...

 

Mikeycelle- your dress is amazing!! oh my gosh!! The lace is stunning, and you will no doubt look beautiful As for favors...I will put up a photo below... we are doing OOT bags and favors, but only because we found these maracas for so little money. I know maracas might seem like the obvious choice for a wedding in Mexico, but they just seemed like so much fun- and they look really bright and happy We ordered them from a website called "Amols". We have 50 handpainted (from Mexico) maracas for under $60 (US dollars). 

 Its funny how they made the trip from Mexico, to Texas where the Amols store is, to New York, where we live, and are going back to Mexico for our wedding.  We are tying ribbon with cards that have our names and our wedding date on them.

 

Karenk- your day is almost here!!! I am so excited for you!! Good to know you love the DJ App...I will be working with that sometime this week and next...and I am wishing happy thoughts for your wedding day

 

Jengullage- I am with you on the mens footwear...we finally decided on the outfits for the men...which, I have to say-was not easy! They are wearing leather slip on shoes from Italy. I told them they could wear flip flops but they chose the shoes.  I know you were asking about coral dresses...my bridesmaids are wearing coral dresses that are so pretty,from the Jordan line.  I am attaching a photo of the dress but it is shown in the ice pink color, not the coral.  The coral is a nice, bright tropical color-beautiful!  If you go to their website you will be able to see it...it is really pretty in person...I don't know how you feel about ordering online, but if everyone takes their measurements, I'm certain it will be fine

 

 

Lauren-I was thinking about the same thing with the hot sand, as you and Jengullage were. I also ordered foot jewelry for myself and the girls, but I still want shoes to wear for the ceremony and reception. I will wear the foot jewelry on the beach, or maybe not even on that day but on the honeymoon...I don't know. I really would like to find some beautiful shoes but I am still looking!  Yes, my dress is in...and I love it!! I just need to have the train taken off and made into a sweep train...I don't want all that length in the back. Here is a photo- but please disregard my face! lol...I was looking at my dress with my hair and trying to decide what to do with it-wear it up or down, it gets so windy near the beach...so I look confused (or mad)...I wasn't! lol  I am trying to decide also on a belt or not- and if you girls could give me your two cents that would be great...thin sparkly belt or no belt? Decisions, decisions decisions!   Claire- I know you are anxiously awaiting your dress! I know it will be lovely!!!

 

 

 

Ok- well, my wine is gone, and I should go check on the fiance...I've ignored him enough for tonight!  

Chrestena I think a belt would look FANTASTIC. I tried a dress on like this and the seamstress brought over one about 1 1/2 inches thick and it just finished it off so nice. That dress is gorgeous though either way! I know what you mean about hair up or down...probably going with half up "waterfall braid to keep hair from blowing but still romantic and flowy.  Have you got your bridesmaids dresses in yet? I am also doing coral and am going with a similar style in mind...perhaps a long style as some of the girls hate their calfs lol?? Are your guys wearing suits? I have linen shirts so far but think the groom may wear a jacket so hes a bit more formal.

[HeatherLynn83]

I know I shouldn't read too much on reviews but I have read a lot of bad reviews about the food here and having wait hours for the a la carts restaurants. We got the cheapest rates for this resort but now I'm worried.

[Carlota1981]

Hello Heather, I usually read a lot of reviews as you each time i go on holidays or in this moment, that I am preparing my wedding here. Everyone has her/his own tastes so you cannot believe each word is said... because things or food is gooos for you and for others not, or for you is excellent and the other heats it... so my advice is do not expect superb because this is an all inclusive resort. For me the food was normal-good.

[Ladyluck250]

Hello All,

 

I am not really a contributor to this forum but enjoy all of the great information that all you ladies have been providing.  Thanks so much.

 

I did however find this review on Tripadvisor (posted by a bride from Montreal) and found it quite informative and thought that I would post it here to share.

 

It is a bit long, here you go.

 

In this review: documents, before & during the wedding, music, I'll try to include everything.
About us: laid back travelers, allergies to dustmites and lactose (intolerance), first time getting married, first time in Mexico
We chose Palladium because we had 54 people coming to our wedding, from retired couples to young families. We felt Palladium offered enough amenities for all our wedding guests at no extra cost, and we heard the food was great. Everyone that came to our wedding was happy with our choice, including us! Please see my review for the resort in general (coming soon) for more details about the resort itself. This is more for wedding information.

Map of the resort: http://www.resortsmaps.com/popup.html?maps/map-GrandPalladiumRiviera-RivMaya.jpg
KEY WORDS: Bodas = weddings in Spanish! When at the resort, remember this word!

DOCUMENTS & PAPERWORK

-you need to email a copy of both your passports so the Palladium wedding coordinators can process paperwork to prove neither of you were previously married (it's a new law there)
-you DO NOT need your long birth certificates. The Palladium wedding coordinators said we did, as did both Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and the Mexican Consulate in Montreal but it turns out we never used them. I don't quite understand that but I spent >$300 to get them. Better that than needing them and not having them....
-you only need your tourist cards (you get that on the plane) and your passports to be married in Mexico
-your witnesses need their tourist cards and passports. Witnesses, when they arrive at the resort, should bring their passports & tourist cards to go visit the wedding office (back of the White Sands lobby) to complete a form with their names, addresses, years they've known the bride/groom--that's it. I read they had to take a trip to town--nope, it's that easy!
-witnesses can be parents and family members. Our witnesses were parents, a brother and a brother-in-law
-you get a choice whether you want to say your own vows or not. We chose not.

BLOOD TESTS & OTHER MEDICAL TESTS

-No, you cannot get these tests done in advance in Canada or elsewhere.
-Yes, you need to have a blood test done there. You pay the doctor / assistant directly in cash ($220 US per couple). They gave us some Spanish lessons for free! The medical test is done in the wedding coordinator's office (at the back of the White Sands lobby)
-No, you do not have to have this CIR / lung test anymore. That changed when we arrived.
-The Palladium wedding coordinator has the medical test appointment set up for you when you arrive. The information is included in a welcome letter you receive when you check in.


MEETING WITH THE WEDDING COORDINATOR

-bring your passports, tourist cards and any other information you want to bring, wedding dress & suit if they need pressing
-after the blood test, we sat with the wedding coordinator and finalized all the details
-we reviewed our decorations and flower choices, dinner and cocktail party locations
-we reviewed the total cost and she printed us a copy of the expenses
-we decided upon the order of the ceremony (flower girl first, then ring boy, etc).
-the wedding coordinator explained where the bride would be walking down the aisle

WEDDING PACKAGE

-we chose the Crystal Package. Palladium provided our travel agent (who also acted as our wedding coordinator) with the package from 2012, so it was out of date. All it meant was that we were not entitled to breakfast in bed.
-interestingly, the package states that fees for the Justice of the Peace are included, yet we had to pay him in cash--not sure how that happened
-we DID get an upgrade to a junior suite in the Kantenah building. It looked like the standard suites only it had an additional living room attached to it, with a white sofa and some chairs. And a king sized bed! We received some decorations of rose petals the night of our wedding and a free gift (sandals and a T-shirt) from the gift shop. We received a letter upon our arrival for a special dinner with a set menu but it was only on certain days and at 9:00PM so we declined.

FLOWERS & DECORATIONS

-decoration choices will depend on which wedding package you choose.
-they sent us 6 choices for chair decorations (emailed photos). We chose the vivid blue ribbons on white chairs--absolutely lovely in the sun!
-they sent us around 15 pictures of sample bouquets and 5 sample pictures of boutonnières. I requested a bouquet that I found on the Internet, and they said they'd make it for $25US per flower. (Ouch!) So we opted for one of the bouquets in the sample pictures. They made matching boutonnières with the same kinds of flowers as the bouquets, which was wonderful.
-they get it all ready and have the flowers / boutonnières delivered to the rooms in which the bride, bridemaids and the groom & his groomsmen are getting ready in the morning of the ceremony
-you can choose whether you want flower petals for your flower girl (we said yes) and there are 4 colours to choose from
-you can choose whether you want a carpet to walk down the aisle with or not (it was red, so we said no because our chairs were blue and white). I told my mom to make sure she wore sandals because I saw a video of a lady who wore high heeled shoes, and she kept sinking into the sand.


WEDDING LOCATIONS

-there are 4 choices: beach pergola, beach gazebo, garden gazebo, church
-I was worried about security--people walking by in the back of our pictures. All of these locations are secluded, so they're aren't many people wandering in the background. They did not provide security to rope off the area. Have a look on the map--the beach gazebo is at the south end of the resort (Letter I near Punta Emilia bar (XXX)) and the beach pergola is at the north end of the resort (if you walk from La Jarra bar (XXI)) towards the water, it is there)(it is not indicated correctly on the map). The church and garden gazebos are letter 'I' to the right of the Colonial lobby

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE

-the Palladium wedding coordinator offered to give the Justice of the Peace his fee, since I didn't want to be carrying around money and paying people during the happiest day of my life. I think his fee was $70US in cash. He did not speak English so the wedding coordinator translated.
-it says in our wedding package that fees for the justice are included--I don't understand that part

RECEPTION DINNER

-you can choose between a private reception with a set menu (between $55-65 US pp), à la carte restaurant or buffet restaurant
-we picked the buffet, which was no additional cost. The wedding coordinators suggested the Kabah buffet, in the Riviera building because it is very big. They were right--they reserved a section for us (no decorations) and we had a great time. The restaurant was pretty empty, so it worked well
-my main worry was that we would loose that group feeling in a non-private reception, but that was not the case. In fact, the other resort guests were quite happy for us so it was nice.
-if you choose the buffet option, you cannot have music or a microphone for speeches. We did that at our cocktail party after

COCKTAIL PARTY

-you have 4 choices for a cocktail party ($5US pp)
-we wanted somewhere for all of us to hang out after the wedding dinner so we chose a cocktail party at La Laguna restaurant--there is a rounded part of the seating area that they decorated and sectioned it off. There was nobody around so it was private. The pool was empty too. The bartender was nearby for drinks. They had a music system set up with a microphone for speeches
-our cake was served there
-our travel agent, who also acted as our wedding coordinator, said you could change your choice for the cocktail party at the last minute

THEATRE

-we requested whether we could reserve any seats together at the nightly theatre entertainment at the resort, because after the wedding reception dinner, we wanted all our guests to still be able to hang out together. We were not able to reserve a bunch of seats so our travel agent / wedding coordinator in Canada suggested a cocktail party which was reasonably priced and was in my opinion, an excellent choice. We could dance, talk, say speeches and cut our wedding cake.

WEDDING DRESS & SUIT PRESSING

-bring your wedding dress and suit / tuxedo to the wedding coordinator's office (back of White Sands lobby) at least 2 days before the wedding to have them pressed. Bring the room numbers you will be getting dressed in on the wedding day, so they know where to drop them off

HAIR STYLING

-they have a salon there in the Spa building (M on the map). You make an appointment, you have to pay them directly i.e. you can't charge it to your room. They have sample pictures you can choose from or bring your own ideas. She said not to use conditioner the night before when you wash your hair.
-the prices for the spa are well, equivalent of what you could pay here in North America for special hair styling.They can email you a price list.

PHOTOGRAPHER

-Palladium has an onsite photography boutique, Photopro (http://www.hotel-shops.com/photopro/gp/). The wedding photographer is not there everyday but only for weddings. You don't meet him until your special day.
-they offer several photo packages. We picked the silver package because we wanted pictures of us before the wedding, when we were getting ready
-for an additional $350, we purchased the entire set of digital pictures he took. It was just too difficult to pick only 60. He burned them all to DVD and we got our 60 prints
-if you choose Photopro, visit their office (Kantenah building) before your wedding to confirm and check any important details. You can request special pictures on the form (in the box at the bottom). We had 54 people come to our wedding, so we requested a group photo
-the photographer got some great shots of us and the group; he was really good
-he took us to Las Rocas (the saltwater pool, S on the map) after the ceremony for pictures.
-he is happy to include your requests for photos, example, I asked for one of us sitting on the rocks at Las Rocas and it is one of my favourites!
-you make an appointment with your photographer when you want to view and choose your pictures (since he is not at the Photopro boutique everyday-he works for 7 different resorts)

KEEP IN MIND FOR PICTURES

-our ceremony was at 4:30; the sun set at 5:30, so it was getting dark fast. The photographer was quick and got a lot of pictures (almost 300) before it got too dark. He rarely used a flash, which is great since I think it makes the faces look bleached.
-go look at the resort in advance to see where you'd like your pictures taken. Ask the photo boutique where the photographer will take pictures and go visit the site

MUSIC

-Palladium offers some live music, I believe a flutist for $475 for 45 min.
-since we were in Mexico, I just have to have live Mexican music. Our travel agent / wedding coordinator suggested Musicancun out of Cancun (www.musicancun.com). They were AWESOME. We hired a trio for $475 for 45 min. to play during the ceremony. We paid in advance by PayPal because I was NOT going to be paying people on my wedding day. They arrived and set themselves up without us having to do a thing. They were ready and waiting. It was the best enhancement to the wedding--the music was wonderful. See our pictures.

CAKE

-we requested a cake not made from dairy, since I'm lactose intolerant and happily they could do it! I was happy that I'd be able to eat my own wedding cake
-advice: if you're going to request a non-dairy cake, please ask for margarine and soy milk (they have both at the breakfast buffets, so I know they have them at the resort). For us, they used a syrup (jarabe) and while the thought was sweet, the cake was too--I mean really sweet.


ON THE WEDDING DAY

-the Palladium coordinator is with you the entire ceremony, throughout supper and until the end of the cocktail party.
-getting ready: your photographer will show up at the rooms you indicated at the specified times to take pictures
-the wedding coordinator will send a white cart to pick you and your wedding party up from the salon and bring your room to get ready
-then she has a cart pick up the bride and her party and another for the groom and his party to bring them all to the wedding location
-at the wedding location (we chose the beach pergola), the wedding coordinator has everything set up. Tell your guests to be there 1/2 hour in advance
-the wedding coordinator cues you when to go where, she has a little radio so if ever you forget anything or need to change something, she will radio it in. For example, our ring boy got shy when he realized he had to walk down the aisle so we had to call his cousin to walk with him.

CEREMONY

-that went by really fast!
-the Justice of the Peace said his part, the wedding coordinator translated
-we both said "I do". We decided to be bilingual and say them in Spanish and English ("Yo acepto)
-we signed 3 pages of the wedding certificate and put our thumb prints on all 3 pages.
- the wedding coordinator called up our witnesses one by one and they signed each page
-done! Kiss the bride and we were served champagne!
-we hung around for a bit, then the photographer took over and captured our pictures before the sun faded. The pictures were gorgeous with the beach in the background

Guests were carted over to the Kabah for supper by a white cart courtesy of the wedding coordinator.
We headed to Las Rocas with the photographer to get pictures of just us done

We joined the wedding guests at the Kabah for supper. Then the wedding coordinator escorted us all to the cocktail party. We left before the end, but she stayed to be sure everything was OK

THE END! I hope I answered all your questions; I found it unsettling while planning the wedding from Canada because I didn't know what to expect and sometimes answers were not that clear. Things changed immediately once we met the wedding coordinator (Vanessa). It was clear they do weddings on a regular basis (we saw on their calendar they did almost one a day) and this was routine-they know what they're doing, they are very proficient and trustworthy. On top of that, Vanessa is charming and an absolute pleasure to work with. If you have her as your wedding coordinator at Palladium, you are in good hands-relax and enjoy the process. They take care of everything for you and make your destination wedding what it is supposed to be--a dreamy, enjoyable event under the Mexican sun!
 

[claire0701]

Ladyluck, thanks for posting the review it was really detailed! And heather I wouldnt worry too much about tbe restaurznt ive been readingreviews for 2 years now and there are way more good review than bad.

[Chrestena]

Wow!!   Thank you Ladyluck, for posting that review! That was great to read, and helped calm some of my worries. I have read back quite a bit on this stream and have heard many times from past brides "not to worry" as the wedding coordinators at the Palladium are very good and have this down to a science. This review just confirmed that for me. Good to know too that Vanessa (wedding coordinator) will be with us the entire day as she told me

 

I had to laugh about the section that said the ceremony went by very fast! That is one thing I want to draw out a bit...it is my favorite part of any wedding, and I want to be in that moment for awhile We are saying our own vows, and having a sand ceremony incorporating our children, so I'm hoping it doesn't go too fast! 

 

Heatherlynn83, I wouldn't worry too much about the bad reviews- there are always those types of reviews for any location. My fiance and I are well traveled in the Caribbean and Mexico and have been to many high end, all inclusive resorts, including the Grand Palladium. We chose the Grand Palladium over many others. Yes, the service can be slower than we are used to in the a la carts, but I didn't really mind because to me...that is what vacation is all about! Slowing down a bit from our everyday crazy lives, and enjoying these vacation moments a little slower. The restaurants are not 5 star New York City restaurants, but they are decent. It is somewhat hard to find resorts that have the quality of big city restaurants, even when it is a high end resort. For some reason, the food tastes a little different, but that being said, we still ate and we never got sick, and we loved it. I am certain that your wedding will be absolutely beautiful  

 

I am wondering, from the review, why the cost of the minister wasn't included? It says it is in the paperwork, and even though the package is from last year, Vanessa said she will honor everything in that package still.

 

Thanks again for posting that great review!

 

Chrestena

[Chrestena]

Carlota,

 

About the people hanging around watching your wedding...I have heard that the wedding coordinators make sure curious onlookers don't walk too close, (the bridal aisle) or get near the seats, but I don't think there is too much they can do about people on the beach or nearby watching. In all the photos I have seen online of beach weddings, there are people in the background watching. This doesn't bother me too much...I think they are all just happy to see a wedding. Everybody loves to see a bride! I know I love to see weddings happening too! It might make for some funny photos

 

XOXO Chrestena

[jengullage]

Does anyone know where a good place to buy a beautiful sand ceremony vase (kit) and sand?  Also, anyone know if you fill the sand all the way to the top so that when we travel back home the sand doesn't move around and change designs??