Any Grand Palladium brides?

[Chrestena]

Hi Girls!!  Ok- as promised I will try to post some photos Please keep in mind that my professional photos aren't done for about a month, so most of these are camera phone photos, and some of them have really bad quality...there are a few professional ones that our photographers sent in as sneak peak pics I really wish you could see the video because that really gives you a great idea of the rooms and the layout of the resort and wedding site. I will still try to download a link to youtube once I get it placed there

 

Carlotta- the SPA was amazing I really hope everyone makes it there at least one day- it is so relaxing and pretty. We really did not have a mosquito problem at all- in fact, I didn't get bit. It was only that on our wedding night, there was a huge flying bug, kind of like a dragonfly, with a really large wingspan, flying around our room! I didn't want him hurt- I just wanted him outside. Other than that (and the little bugs from all the rose petals they placed everywhere for our wedding night) we were fine

 

And, yes, I really suggest looking at both locations in person and deciding. I re-read my review and it sounded a bit confusing, so for clarity- we originally decided on  the beach gazebo. When we got there, we walked both locations and really fell in love with the beach pergola location, and decided to go the barefoot, toes in the sand route. Once I saw the palm trees and the water so clear and so close, I just felt a personal attachment to this ceremony site. And yes, the time alone immediately following the ceremony was great- I wish someone had secretly followed us and snapped a photo! 

 

Here are some pics!!! I tried to upload them in order, but....no such luck! Sorry lol XOXO    Chrestena

 

Momma and Daddy

 

My new hubby!!  These were taken the next day, around 5 pm for the light. Yes, there were lots of people on the beach watching

 

This is the set-up for our rehearsal dinner at Portofino on the terrace. This was set up for 26. It was so nicely done.

 

Just finished! whew!

 

One of our professional photos. Married 3 minutes. Spanish Trio playing our first dance! PS- Thats Vanessa Roldan in the background in blue!! 

 

Heart on my behind. ha ha.!

 

Epitome of a beach wedding...a bathing suit clad couple walks by during our kiss! Loved it!! They cheered for us too

 

These are so out of order. This is moments before the photo above this. 

 

The beach is very lush as you head inland. Lots of great photo opportunities as the sun is setting.

 

I wanted to show my bouquet to you girls. It was so vibrant and happy!! I only got to wear my shoes for the reception. During the ceremony, we all wore foot jewelry.

 

Funny pic Directly after the wedding, at our ceremony site. The brunette in the left is my new step daughter, and the little blonde and little strawberry blonde on the far right are my daughters. The tall blonde is my sis in law, and her daughter is our flower girl. 

 

Vanessa had Mike drink a Vodka Tonic while waiting for us girls. This is the ceremony site location. You can see there are people in the water, and some chairs, but they are kept away by rope before the ceremony. Dont worry!! The rope is removed long before any guests come to the site It was so pretty here!!!

 

Spanish Trio in the background. Wonderful minister!!

 

Sneaking through the trees to the ceremony site. Very romantic. I could see glimpses of him waiting... tried not to look, and he told me he was doing the same thing

 

This was just so beautiful. The sand was pure white and sparkly, the water was shimmery, and it looked magical. You can see I just did the chairs in white so everything else stood out, the flowers, and the girls dresses, and the rose petals, against the sky and the water. Funny story about the lady in the pink bathing suit. She was so sweet- she was from Ecuador, and came over after the ceremony and asked if she could please take a photo with me. She kept saying I looked like a barbie doll, and that she wanted to be a bride again so badly. Her husband was to take the photo (they were married for 22 years). I took the pic with her, and then asked if she wanted to put my veil on, and hold the flowers for me to take a picture of her and her husband. At first she said "Oh no, I couldnt do that..." but I took my veil off and put it on her, let her hold my bouquet, and made her husband stand next to her. She was laughing and said "Dont get my legs in the picture!" and I took a bunch on their camera. It was really a wonderful moment!!! Destination wedding style!!

 

24 hours married! This is directly outside our villa- the beach is right behind us.

 

This is the outside of La Adelita. The pillars are beautiful around the resort, so there are many great places to take photos!! 

 

Professional photo. I just loved the Spanish Trio. It was one of my favorite decisions. They were amazing.

 

This is the ceremony site 2 days before we left to come home. I went here to walk the exact same path I walked on my wedding day, one more time before going home. This is how it looked when I changed my site locations. It is not decorated with a thing except Mother Nature, and it is still just so breathtaking. I took this to show the "aisle" created by the palm trees. As a bride, you emerge from the lush jungle, to this part of the sand, and walk through these threes. To the left (not showing in the pic) is a thatched roof bar.

 

We're Married!!!

 

Professional photo

 

Ha! Running like dorks on the beach. There was a family right behind us wishing us well.

 

Punta Emilia wedding arch in the background. The waves are pretty good here- as it is pretty windy!

 

I posted this pic to show the difference in the locations for the ceremony sites. This is directly to the right of the beach gazebo. You can see the water is amazingly beautiful! The difference is this area is rocky, and because the water has rocks in it, there is lots of sea greenery growing on the rocks. Both locations are stunning. I just preferred the beachy area to the rocky area.

 

My daughter holding my very long veil, walking to meet my groom!

 

Trash the Dress photo shoot the day after the wedding. Those were the flowers Vanessa gave me for my hair, they lasted til the next day By the way, my dress is fine!! I washed it in the outdoor shower twice, then in fresh water in the bathtub, let it dry, and did it again, and it was actually cleaner than it was after the wedding! I think chlorine in the pool would have damaged it, but the sea did not. My fabric was embroidered tulle, so I cannot say about another fabric.

 

My beautiful bridemaids (our daughters and sis in law). The color was so intense against the natural scenery!

 

I am a very happy bride  

 

One thing I forgot to mention! We have been to this resort a few times now, and it is very windy!! You may notice that I am standing on the right, not the left, as most brides do, (except Jewish brides). I stood out at our site every day before the wedding and noticed that the wind blows to the right. I did not want my hair blowing crazy in my face and my veil blowing in front of me, so I made this request to Vanessa and she agreed! You may want to do the same!! Im so glad i did this because my hair was blowing away from my face pretty hard. If I was standing where Mike is, ALL of my hair would have been in my face.

 

I remember this moment so well! My heart was pounding, but i was calm...very strange!

 

 

 

This is our balcony with the hammock. Popping champagne. Everyone ready but the bride

 

This is a Mayan Suite. We were in room 3306, upstairs. the rooms were beautiful!

 

These guys were really great!! Loved them!!! Worth every penny They played right there on the beach for us!!

 

My groom as I was walking down the aisle. You can see the roof behind him- that is the area with the sail-boards. They were true to their word, and moved everything away so it was nice and neat. I did love seeing the thatched roof in the shots though And he wore the hat because it is HOT!!

 

I hope these help you ladies! I know you will all have just beautiful weddings- I will check back to see how you are all doing!!! Ask me any questions you wish and I will be happy to help

 

Someone asked about El Dorado, and I do not have a photo of it, but it was very good!  I would choose the place you like the menu of, and trust that they will set it up beautifully. We had a dinner 2 nights before our wedding at El Dorado, for 24 people, and a Spanish Quartet came over to play for us knowing that we were a wedding party. Make sure when you book dinners before the wedding, that they know you are a wedding party- they really want you to enjoy everything!! 

 

Talk to you soon!! XOXO Chrestena

[brownsugarbride]

Chrestena-You look just lovely, and the site looks fabulous! I'm so glad that you had a wonderful day!
 

[Carlota1981]

Chrestena,

 

Thank soooo much for sharing all this photos!! My FI is sitting here with me and he was enjoying your pics!! He is saying you look beautiful! (i am jelous, lo, just joking!)

 

Thanks about the info about the SPA!!

 

The professional photos are beautiful!! I looove them! So funny and beautiful the one of you both running thourgh the beach! I want one as well!! Thomas is saying he wants one as well!! I like your hair floating at the air. The professional pics are very beautiful!

 

Vanessa looked nice, it seems she is wearing a dress, isnt she? there is a video at Youtube where she appears and she is talking. And talking about Youtube, I am wishing to watch your video!!

 

A big huge from Spain!!

[Kstok]

Christena, Thank you so much for sharing your experience. You look stunning! I really enjoyed your pictures. You have some amazing shots already and this is only a sample. Congratulations! Kathy

[Carlota1981]

Here is the Youtube video I was talking before. It is in English so good for you all, hahaha. This is a report about Destination weddings and it is recorded at Grand Palladium

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kXP10w5Nm8

 

You can see Vanessa at minute 02.23. One of my guests found this at November when he was taking a look at some wedding at GP and when I saw her I sent it to Vanessa and she confirmed she is, hahaha she was laughing at the fact she was at Youtube as she has forgotten that she had been recording. 

[jencadiz]

Hi girls, It's been a while since I had been on but it's great to come back and the first thing I read is a great review of chrestenas wedding! I now can't wait for mine. We've booked ours for February 19th 2014. I seem to be having the same issue with colours- we had already chose the bridesmaid colour of teal and I'm not sure anything but white will go with it. In thinking of bringing some coloured sashes to brighten it up a little. I have been emailing Vanessa and honestly I'm getting a little anxious. She wants me to choose a restaurant but is only able to provide photos of a wedding set up in the portafino. I have some very fussy eaters in my family and the menu for el dorado will suit our group much more but I really want to see what the set up is like before I go ahead and book- does anyone happen to have any photos of this they can share with me? The portafino terrace is beautiful and I just hope they can do something just as nice in el dorado. I've also asked a few times for confirmation on the time of our wedding- our request was for 4pm. Did anyone else have an issue with this? Becci

Hi Becci, I'm new to this forum, but I was down there a few weeks ago and I had a tour of the spaces so ( a pre-wedding site visit so that we could visually see everything). We are planning a February 26th wedding - a week after you! The Portofino provides the outdoor privacy, which is the selling point of the restaurant. I believe that the other two restaurants are indoors. But do have a section reserved for your party. -Jen

[Sarah519]

Times for wed

Hi girls, It's been a while since I had been on but it's great to come back and the first thing I read is a great review of chrestenas wedding! I now can't wait for mine. We've booked ours for February 19th 2014. I seem to be having the same issue with colours- we had already chose the bridesmaid colour of teal and I'm not sure anything but white will go with it. In thinking of bringing some coloured sashes to brighten it up a little. I have been emailing Vanessa and honestly I'm getting a little anxious. She wants me to choose a restaurant but is only able to provide photos of a wedding set up in the portafino. I have some very fussy eaters in my family and the menu for el dorado will suit our group much more but I really want to see what the set up is like before I go ahead and book- does anyone happen to have any photos of this they can share with me? The portafino terrace is beautiful and I just hope they can do something just as nice in el dorado. I've also asked a few times for confirmation on the time of our wedding- our request was for 4pm. Did anyone else have an issue with this? Becci

d Times for wedfings are either 2:00 or 4:00. We wanted 4:00 but that was booked and being they only do one at a time we had to choose 2. No biggy though

[claire0701]

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by caseylynndavis 

Claire,

All your Vistaprint "stuff" looks great! 

I want to steal some of the information you put on your booking brochure, but am having a really hard time reading it even when I increase the size on my screen.  If you have time, could you copy and paste your wording onto a post?  Or, point me in the right direction as to where you came up with your info?

Thanks!

Casey

HI Casey, I will copy and paste here for you ...

Page 1

Hola Familia & Amigos,

 

Let the countdown commence!

In no time at all we will have our toes in the sand, and a cocktail in hand, while soaking up the glorious Mexican sunshine!

 

It means so much to us both that you have decided to join us in the Mayan Riviera as we exchange vows and become husband and wife.

 

Before we leave, we wanted to share some helpful tips and important information, so when you arrive you can get straight down to having fun fun fun!

 

If we can help with any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact us.

 

Page 2

The Resort

The Grand Palladium Resort and Spa consists of 5 sections.  Guests have access to the fIrst 4 sections including all pools, bars and restaurants.  The 5th Section - Royal Suites, is exclusive to those residing in this section and is adults only. 

 

All guests have access to the spa and can use the adults only pool, jacuzzi, sauna and vapor bath at no added cost. 

 

We included a table showing each section of the hotel and included general info eg - rocky beach, busy pool etc, ang a list of all the restaurants, showing the cuisine and what section they are in.  I can't really copy and past that easily sorry!

 

Beach towels are provided and can be changed daily - save your luggage

 

Page 3

Transport

The resort is vast. Although there are many footpaths and bridges to join the different sections, there is also a regular train service which runs throughout the resort. 

Trains will collect passengers at each lobby and run either around that section, or to the other sections to collect and drop off there. 

 

Restaurants

• A La Carte

You are entitled to unlimited a la carte dining, reservations are not required.

Simply turn up at your chosen restaurant and if a table is not available you will be given a buzzer and you can head to the bar to wait.

• Buffet

Breakfast and lunch are served at all buffet restaurants.

There is also a weekly beach BBQ dinner (usually a Friday) and paella served around the pool area for lunch.

The Colonial beach bar serves snacks 24 hours.

• Dress Code

Gentemen are required to wear shirts/t-shirts with sleeves and long trousers to the a la carte restaurants.

Swimwear covered up is acceptable for buffet restaurants.  Guests should not wear wet clothes to the buffet restaurants.

 

Page 4

A table outlining our timeline for the wedding day so everyone knows what time wedding/meal/cocktail etc begins and where to meet.

We also included another table on this page with general info about Mexico - temperature, flight time, local time difference, currency, departure tax advice and reminding our guests to bring bug spray.

 

Page 5 (back)

We are really excited about the wedding and are looking forward to celebrating with you. 

 

The best advice we can give is 

'don't stress' We certainly don't plan to.  We want each and every guest to relax and enjoy this amazing resort in whichever way you prefer. 

 

We wouldn't dream of putting everyone on a schedule on their holiday, but we will provide you with a list of optional events on arrival. 

 

You are welcome, but not obligated, to join us for everything we have planned.

 

For more detailed information about the resort visit www.palladiumaddict.net

 

We included our phone numbers and email addresses on the brochure as well, and the guests really liked them. 

 

I got most of my ideas and wording from BDW so thank you to all those who shared.  Hope this is some help to you Casey

[claire0701]

Chrestena,

 

First of all congratulations! You were a truly stunning bride.  I am so pleased to hear everything was perfect for you and you had such a lovely time. 

 

Thank you for your review and photos, I have so enjoyed reading and looking at it all, although I did tear up by the time I got through all the photos with your lovely comments describing each one.

You were beautiful and so were your bridal party, the photos took my breath away. 

 

I'm definitely taking a leaf from your book and staying calm and collected and hopefully will have just as special a day as you did.

 

Thanks again, Claire xx

[Mikeycelle]

Crestena! Congratulations to you and your hubby! You looked absolutely breathtaking! What a gorgeous family! I'm so thrilled that everything went well for you on your big day. Your gown, hair and flowers were beautiful! Your hubby looks great with the fedora on. At least he didn't have any hair issues lol! I love the color combo! Glad you went with a Spanish Trio. Live musicians really kick it up a notch. 

I know Vanessa was running around like a maniac as usual! How awesome was she?? I love that girl! 

Congratulations again!