Any Grand Palladium brides?

[Mags]

Thansk ChristinaP! That's very helpful

 

I actually got a quote from air transat for the Kantenah section leaving from Halifax on April 10 (Sunday) and leaving from Montreal April 8 (Friday) ...(I have a group that is leaving from Montreal and one from Halifax). As I have to get married on Thurday, my group from Montreal would have to leave the day after the wedding and I don't want that. So I asked my travel agent to see if there were other options and she said that she was going to check with other tour operator...the thing is that I think the Kantenah section only have air transat as tour operator...but I can be wrong. I can't wait to see if she's going to be able to fix things up.

 

Do you know what are the chances that the tour operator changes their flights. That is very scary!!! I wouldn't mind so much if I would get married in RD or Jamaica as you don't have to be there 3 working days prior to your wedding, well I don't think so anyway. I don't want to get married the day before my guest leave!

 

Thanks again for answering my questions, I really appreciate

 

Mags

[ChristinaP]

That is so weird about the sections, but maybe it changed. Transat used to offer the Colonial section...not that it makes a difference really as they are both the same except the Colonial is more in the "middle" where the Kantenah sections is off on the one side.

That sucks that the flights leave different days! That is why we had to change tour operators though, as some would have been leaving day after the wedding and I didn't want that. Also, our Toronto and Montreal ppl. were actually all from Newfoundland as well as Labrador, so they had flights in from their homes in to Tor. and Mont. day before they were supposed to leave, and we weren't able to get them changed when they changed the Mexico flights 'cause there was no more room (one stupid flight in and out every day from some towns). Then they changed the Calgary flights too and it became really messy.

I don't know what the chances are that they would change the flights. I do know of several ppl. it happened to, but there really is no way of knowing. That is the good thing about WestJet though as their flights are confirmed way before the tour operators, and we had been told that they very rarely, if ever change them- and even then it would change times and not DAYS!

Are you for sure wanting to do a legal ceremony? If not...problem solved!

[mexicanwedding]

Hi,

 

I'm getting married at the grand palladium on August 21st 2010, I'm having a private reception for about 80 - 100 guests and Erika told me I could choose the Laguna o el gran azul. For those of you you have seen both places, which one would you recommend? I know they are very similar and I dont know which one has a better view at night. My reception will start at 7pm.

 

Also, if you want to share your expericences with photographers and DJ's, it'd be much appreciated. I've seen Del Sol's photos and they are nice, but I'd like to have some options in case they're booked.

 

Thanks a lot!

[crazykat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mexicanwedding Hi, I'm getting married at the grand palladium on August 21st 2010, I'm having a private reception for about 80 - 100 guests and Erika told me I could choose the Laguna o el gran azul. For those of you you have seen both places, which one would you recommend? I know they are very similar and I dont know which one has a better view at night. My reception will start at 7pm. Also, if you want to share your expericences with photographers and DJ's, it'd be much appreciated. I've seen Del Sol's photos and they are nice, but I'd like to have some options in case they're booked. Thanks a lot!

Hi,

I was just married at the Grand Palladium on April 14th, 2010. We had our reception at the La Laguna and I thought it was beautiful. I was at the Gran Azul for lunch one day and they are both nice and very similar. I also think it depends which side of the resort your guests will be staying at if you are at the Kantenah/Colonial side Gran Azul would be the best pick and if you are at the White sands side La Laguna would be your best choice. The resort is soo huge that it would be a long walk or wait for the train before and after the reception. Well it wouldn't be that bad but it would be more convinent to pick the area that your guests will be at. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Also I got Claudia Rodriques for my photographer and she was great. Although I don't have any one to compare he too but she was awesome. I picked her for my trash the dress session too and she was awesome. She was getting in the water too to take pictures and she was pretty much soaked after the session. I haven't recieved my pictures yet but I am very confident that they are going to be amazing. Also if you search her on here she has a lot of reviews and info. Del Sol takes amazing pictures but I heard the prices are quite high.

Again let me know if you have any questions

[crazykat]

I know this is a large review but when I was looking for information I loved the detailed reviews. Any questions, let me know!!

 

Email Correspondance with Rocio (WC)

I did receive e-mails from Rocio within 3-7 days. She always answered my questions that I had. I am pretty easy going so I wasn’t very demanding to know too much information before hand. I knew once I got down there and I had the meeting with the wedding coordinator it would all work out and it did. When I did get down there Rocio was not my primary WC. I had a lady named Ari( spelling). She was great and I have no complaints at all about her.

 

 

Airline

We flew transat. It was pretty good. Although, I made the mistake of over packing. I misunderstood my travel agent when she explained our baggage allowance. It was 20 kg total per person (so if you have 2 bags, together they CANNOT over exceed 20kg). I thought that each my fiancé and I could have 2 bags each weighing 20 kg each. Whoops!! So when we got up to check in I was over by 36kg, and they charge $12 per kg that you are over!!!! Yes $12 PER KG!!!. The lady told us that it would be cheaper to pay $300 ($150 each and upgrade to 1st class) as you are allowed more kg allowance in 1st class. So we did, my fiancé wasn’t too impressed as 2 of our bags were filled with OOT bag supplies which he was against from the beginning. So that is what we did, at first I was sick to my stomach at what I had done and what we had to pay the first 20 mins into our trip but it ended up working out. First class was awesome, good food, and service and all the free drinks you want, a great way to start off the trip!!

 

Getting through customs with all our welcome bag items

So my fiancé filled out the customs form and I guess there was a spot on there that asked you to declare an amount in gifts that you are bringing. He never thought to put our OOT bag supplies amount on there and I never even looked at the form so when we went through the red light/green light baggage area. He got the red light. I totally did not think that, that red light/green light is random cause I knew right away they were wondering what was in our bags when they went through the x-ray in Mexico they told my fiancé to press the button and guess what......red light. So we had to go off to the side with our baggage and have them go through our bags. I had them go through our clothes bags first which was probably a good ideas cause by the time he got to our OOT bag supplies he was tired of looking. I told him that I was getting married and these were some gifts for my guests. I had everything labeled and the amount written on each bag and box, and I was very cooperative and helping him unload some of the supplies telling him what I had in each box. He asked if I had any medication and I said yes I had travel packs of Tylenol, advil and Imodium. He pretty much stopped searching after the 3rd bag and just told me to make sure that we claim the gift amount on our form next time. By this time I was getting the look of death from my fiancé......lol. Any ways we got through with all our stuff and it was all okay in the end.

 

Airport - Resort Transfer

We took the transat transfer bus that they had for us. Make sure you have dollar bills for tipping because as soon as you go through the doors after the baggage security the transat people are there to take your bags to the bus. We had to wait about 30-45 minutes until we were on the road. We had 30 people so that pretty much filled the whole bus. We only had to stop at one resort to drop off a couple people then the next stop was the Grand Palladium. Trip took approx 1:15min-1:30min.

Check In / Guest rooms

Check in wasn’t too bad they had an extra table set up that was checking in people. Most my guest were at the White Sands. We did have about 8 guests that got upgraded to the Royal Suites. Which I would highly recommend. Everyone loved their rooms no matter what they received if it was the suite, junior suite or royal suite everyone was impressed. Royal Suite are nice a few extras that came in handy was the umbrella in our room (it rained a lot when we were there), the private butler in your villa and the door to door carts. You could call and request a pick up and the Royal Suites have their own cart to take you where you need to go. This came in handy a few times. I did find that when it started to rain it was the hardest to get one. Quite understandably I am sure everyone wanted one, but a couple times we called and they said 5 minutes and we waited 30 minutes and no one came.

 

 

 

Mosquitos

I got bit 4 times on my legs the night we got there. I never heard anyone else complain about mosquitoes so I think they just liked my blood. I did bring after-bite and some off wipes which was a good idea.

 

 

Ari - Wedding Coordinator

We had an envelope with a letter in our welcome package that said that we had a meeting with the wedding coordinator to meet her the following day at 1:00pm. We met with her and the meeting took about 1-1 ½ hours. She asked lots of questions like flowers (she has a book and pics on her computer), wedding location, wedding party info, guest info, meal info. You name it she asked it. If you get the wedding package with the steaming of the wedding attire make sure you bring your dress and grooms attire to the meeting or you have to go back and get it. We got our clothing attire the next day and it looked great. I also gave her my OOT bags to deliver it is $2 a bag for them to deliver which I gladly paid, one less job for me to worry about and it is hard to track down all your guests in a resort that big. I actually forgot my OOT bags and when I went back to drop off my dress Ari got a golf cart and helped me get them from my room and she later delivered them to our guests rooms. I would suggest just giving them a heads up if you are going to have them deliver OOT bags, just so they can make time they are all super busy and may not get to them that same day.

 

 

 

Pedicure/Manicure

I bought the bridal package which included manicure/pedicure/hair/make-up. I went the day before our wedding for the pedicure and manicure. Before I left for Mexico I got gel nails on my nails and toes. I feel like I should have cancelled the pedicure and manicure at the spa, it was really nothing special and I had broke a gel nail the night before an appointment and when I got in my appointment I asked if she could fix it (hoping to get another gel or acrylic nail put on but I don’t think she understood so instead she just cut it short), so I said oh well it didn’t look that bad. If you are going to get your nails done before I would just skip the mani and pedi, as I feel it was just a standard appointment.

 

The Wedding Day

My fiancé and I spent the night apart that night. I made sure I ate that morning because I knew it was going to be a long day. I had my appointment at the Spa at 12:00pm. And was done by 2:20. I have long think hair and had extensions put in I feel like I should have told her that my hair was so long and thick, I feel like it was a bit rushed at the end. It was great though.

 

The Ceremony 3:30pm

I was hoping to have my ceremony on the beach but since the day we got there the rain seemed to start. It was nice until about 3 everyday then the rain came and didn’t seem to stop for most of the night. Apparently some of the locals said that they have not seen it rain so much in April before. So when the WC picked me up from the spa she told me that she was moving the ceremony inside the Kantenah lobby I was disappointed but had prepared myself due to having rain the previous couple days. The ceremony was beautiful anyways. It was set up beautifully and it was in a smaller secluded area of the lobby. This is when I saw all three coordinators there. If people would stop and look and get in the way they were literally pushing them away and telling them to leave so a huge crowd wasn’t forming. All three of the WC were communicating to each other in their walkie-talkies. We had picked our own music and used the i-pod. It worked great and went off without a hitch. The ceremony was about 15-20 minutes. We did the sand ceremony also which was beautiful as well. After the ceremony they had champagne for everyone and we all stood around and visited for a while and talked, hugged and drank the champagne. After about 10 minutes or so I followed our photographer Claudia and she started getting photos. We had to be under cover and couldn’t go by the beach cause the rain was coming down so hard. I know our photos turned out great anyways.

 

 

Reception

 

WOW!!!!!!!!! We ate at La Laguna. It was set up SOOO beautifully!!!! We had chair covers and brought a few decorative rocks to lay one the tables. For our menu I chose the one with the salmon and beef loin. It was amazing. Everyone loved it. It was good cause if you didn’t like salmon you ate the beef or visa versa or lucked out and ate both. There was also a ton of food; I don’t think that the person with the biggest appetite was able to finish all their food on their plate. We had one child and they made nuggets for her instead and I had one person that doesn’t eat red meat, so I had them make her chicken. I know people think the $55 is expensive but it was defiantly worth every penny. We chose not to have a wedding cake for ourselves and instead asked for a couple cakes that said happy birthday and happy anniversary for the people that were celebrating these events during our wedding week. On top of the cake we had cheese cake that was included in the meal, way too much dessert but the cake and everything was amazing. We did not have a DJ but used our i-pod which was fine, which the WC ran. The WC was there most of the time. We had speeches then started the dance. We finished up just after 11. The WC told us that it was the last song, it would have been nice to go a little longer because it felt like it was at the top of the fun when we had to stop, we just made our way to one of the lobbies and continued to party there. I found half the people left and went to bed because they had excursions booked the next morning.

 

Flowers

Flowers were amazing. I am not much of a flower person so this wasn’t a big deal for me, but we just got the basic that came with the wedding package and it seems like the perfect amount to me.

 

 

Hair/ Make up

I had clip in extensions for my hair which she put in no problem, probably too good cause they took forever to come out and my final result for my hair was perfect, I was so happy with it I wanted to cry, I brought a couple pictures and she exceeded my expectations for my hair.

Make-up was okay, nothing to write home about. If I was to re-do it I would probably have a friend do it next time instead.

 

 

Photography – Claudia Rodriques

Very Very happy with her. It was pouring rain but I know she still got some beautiful shoots and cannot wait to see them. She was suppose to come back the next day to do my trash the dress session but the weather was so bad that we left it as her calling me the next afternoon and touch base then to see how the weather was. It was crappy and raining and it was also horrible weather in Cancun as well, where she was coming in from. So we arranged for her to come back on the Saturday at noon and do it rain or shine. It ended up being an amazing afternoon. I know she took amazing picture and can’t wait to see them. Claudia was awesome. She was pretty much getting in the water herself, her top and shorts were soaked by the time we were finished and she didn’t even have a change of clothes!. I HIGHLY recommend her. She also e-mailed me before my trip to confirm and gave me some pointers and tips that I never would have thought of.

 

 

Outside Fees

I had a sisterand her husband coming from a different resort to come to the wedding. It was $60 for an 8 hour day pass, you just have to be sure to tell the WC during your meeting that you will be having of the resort guests so it won’t be a hassle on the wedding day. They are pretty sticky on the 8 hours, they took their drivers licenses in exchange for the day pass, to make sure you come back on time.

 

Some Misc. Notes

Our bed had a beautiful towel swan design on it the night of the wedding, we also had chocolate covered strawberries and a fruit basket. I know we paid for it all in the wedding package but it was just a nice touch to the whole wedding day and night.

Lots of random animals at this resort. We saw cats, raccoons (they come right up and eat out if your hand at the 24 hour bars), iguana, gecko, and some other random animals that I don’t now the names.

Jalapeño poppers at the 24 hour bars was awesome!!!

 

Tipping

I know you don't have to, but we did. You do get some better service and I just felt like it was the right thing to do. Bring enough $1! Sometime I would forget money and I felt bad every time getting a drink and not tipping .We ended up running out toward the last day or two and it's not that easy to get change. Oh and don't forget to tell your bank that you will be out of the country. I know that with our bank, if you don't tell them and try to make a purchase in Mexico with your bank card, they won't allow it to go through.

 

The Spa

Awesome! We found this is where our guest went when it started to rain. They have eucalyptus steam room and some warm (not hot) tubs. Very refreshing. We also got a couple message which was nice but it seemed to go by so fast

 

Excursions

We didn’t have time to go on any, but a few of our guests did. They were a little disappointed, they found the transat lady didn’t fill them in on everything. Like the biodegradable sunscreen at Xel-ha. Also to bring water on the tours at Tulum. She said everything was included but when they got there not everything was (at Xel-ha). We did book a party hopper tour. We had about 17 people ranging from 25-34, that was awesome. Coco Bongos was awesome!!!!!!!

 

 

Overall

We had a great time and will definitely be going back! The service was great and the resort is just gorgeous. The beach is amazing and so are the pools. I thought the food was great. Great selections of restaurants. The Japanese was my favorite, if you go make sure you get the show at the grill!!

[N&J2011]

I'm so happy your wedding turned out beautifully despite the weather Crazykat!! I am thinking about getting married at the Grand Palladium as well. Can you send out your pics when you get them?

[meg444]

Hey CrazyKat,

 

Great review with lots of useful info! Can't wait to see pics

 

Question for you..

Do you know the exact menu number you chose? (There are sooo many!)

I can't seem to find one with beef loin and salmon, and I would love the idea of having both for my guests to choose from.

Thanks,

Thanks,

[crazykat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meg444 Hey CrazyKat, Great review with lots of useful info! Can't wait to see pics Question for you.. Do you know the exact menu number you chose? (There are sooo many!) I can't seem to find one with beef loin and salmon, and I would love the idea of having both for my guests to choose from. Thanks, Thanks,

Hi Meg444,

I chose menu 12, but we changed our dessert from the fruit tart to the cheesecake, she said I was able to do that no charge. I think if you get carried away and start changing appetizers etc, there may be a charge

First we had a chicken broth type soup with some long shredded peices of vegtable...I think...lol?? It sounds funny but it was actually pretty good.

Then we got a salad which was good, it had some type of deep fried cheese on the side. some people really like the cheese but I didn't. They called it bgout cheese, so I am thinking it was goat cheese? The salad is big enough that is wansn't a big deal that I didnt eat the cheese.

Next we got the beef. I think it was beef loin I don't have the menu in front of me so I forget what that actual beef dish was called. IT was soooo tender and good. THen there was salmon with a dill sauce which was also very good. There was also a baked potatoe and some vegetables. I didn't even touch my potatoe cause I filled up on the salmon and beef.

The dessert: I honestly never had the cheese cake cause we were busy doing speeches, but I heard it was good.

There was so much food on the plate and people are still talking about how good the meal was.

There were soo many choices that I had no idea what to chose but I definatly made the right one.

Good luck with your chocice and let me know if you have any other questions.

[chipotle99]

CrazyKat,

 

PLEASE! Tell me about your hair extensions! I WANT some, the clips like you had, but have noooo idea where to buy them or what they entail or how they would look. Do you mind sharing pics? I'm dyyying to learn more

[StephyD]

CrazyKat: What a great review!!! I cannot wait to get married at the GP!