Any Grand Palladium brides?

[Manda123]

Aloe on amazon! Good idea... It hasn't been easy to find around here. Just re-read my post about how much we are spending on each person and need to make a correction! We are spending about $15 not $50 per person! That would cost us a small fortune

 

Originally Posted by Ellabaja1983 

Wow, you ladies have been busy lately!!  I've been so caught up in things going on here and planning for our AHR that is taking place on Saturday, I've spent very little time on here.  I'm still going to answer a few questions...just to have a second answer!!

 

We did something very similar to Stephy, where we did a welcomed inner at one of the buffets.  We had 21 additional people there and didn't want to have to set a menu either.  We had arranged it with Rocio and she was suppose to have us booked in one of the corners of the buffets, but she didn't do that.  She just said we'd have a group of 23 people going in, so that caused a few hiccups at first, but I was able to work it out with the "manager" on duty.  There was no additional charge for this.

We didn't do a rehearsal dinner, that was essentially our welcome dinner because everyone but us got there the day before the wedding.

We didn't do any excursions.  We really wanted to, and then I decided instead of going ziplining and ATVing, I would rather do the jetski's that were setup right on the beach at the resort.  Every time we went, it was either full for the day, or the waves were too high.  Actually, now that I think about it, DH did a deep-sea fishing trip with all the guys that went down.  They had a lot of fun, after everyone got over their sea-sickness! 

Welcome!!  I think your questions have been answered, but I did wanted to say welcome to the board and congrats!!
 

For me it took almost a week. 

We did most of what you are doing, minus the mugs and the deck of cards.  Our two biggest hits (outside of the bag for people to carry things around in, because they hadn't really thought of that) were the keycard holders with lanyards, and the aloe.  I searched and searched and SEARCHED for the aloe because I knew people would forget it.  It was a savior for many people.  I ended up finding mine on Amazon, because not of the stores around me had it for as cheap as I could find it on there.
 

 

 

[skewy01]

Hey there!

I hope this one will post.  Sometimes it says the moderators have to first review my posts and they never get posted.  So I am trying again.  I did hear back from reservations.  You have to send them your dates that you will be there and your confirmed wedding dates and then they will send you a proposal.  Honestly, it seems like alot of extra work to do so we decided to use our travel agent because we get a discount and so do our guests.  Hope that helps.
 

Originally Posted by Manda123 

Interesting! I wonder how this works when you book through a wholesale carrier.... Also, when is "high season"? I'm guessing January! Too bad for me I'll be interested to hear what they have to say to you!
 

 

 

[sunny55143]

Hi everyone!  I literally just joined but spent the last few days pretty much reading this entire thread...phew!

 

We just got engaged 3 weeks ago and as much as we wanted to just "enjoy being engaged" (as suggested by others), we would like to do a DW sometime next spring, and probably at GP so I'm feeling like I'm already behind!

 

So, our plan is to do a site visit with our moms the beginning of September and book/pencil in/put down a deposit/whatever sometime between end of April 2012-mid May 2012.

 

Our initial pass at a guest list is about 140, but that was being pretty stingy, and a lot of people have said that there will be less people than you expect.  How did everyone forecast their guest count for budgeting/figuring out logistics for events at the resort?  When does that need to be communicated to the WC, did you just wait until you got RSVP cards back?  

 

Also, am I being way too ambitious for not picking out a destination until September for an April/May wedding?? 

 

Looking forward to finally being a contributor on this thread.  Thanks in advance ladies!

 

 

[nicole - 20]

Im not sure what all im going to put in them.. I am waiting till all the summer stuff goes on sale. Wanting to spend about $10-15 per person so I need some good sales! lol

 

Originally Posted by Manda123 

@ Jena -  OOT = Out Of Town bag. They are gift/welcome bags for guests.

 

We are expecting 50ish people too so I'm trying to keep it around $50 per/person. So far we have the bags, sunglasses, and pashminas. I;m shopping around for everything else and I'm waiting til I get my RSVPs back before I order most things. We are going to include mugs, decks of cards, advil, immodium, tums, aloe, sewing kit, key card holder, lanyard, kleenex, gum... we'll see where we are in terms of price after that! If you are looking for ideas, check out the Canadian OOT where to buy thread. It's really great!

What are you thinking of including?

 

 

 

[Ellabaja1983]

Welcome, and congrats!!!!  I was the same way, I didn't really care to "enjoy" my engagement...  I mean, we enjoyed it, but we had also been together three years at that point and had incorporated each other into our lives, so it was jut the next step. 

 

I don't think you are being too ambitious for April/May of 2012, but it also depends on how many "extras" you want to incorporate into your day.  If you think you'll be able to take care of everything you want to do (decorations, OOT bags, etc.), then go for it!!!  Are you planning on putting your deposit down when you go in September?  I was a little confused on that part.  I did book my date at the beginning of July (2010) for this past April, but I had very few dates in April that I could do it.  They have me a bunch of dates for May that I could do it, so, if you are flexible, you may still be in good shape!

 

I think 140 is A LOT of people...  The way we did it was we invited close family and friends down.  We invited about 30 - 35, because we wanted a small intimate DW.  When we sent the invitations out, we pretty much knew who was going to go anyway, so we were able to have a general idea.  Out of the ones we narrowed it down to invite, we had 21 people join us.  We sent out our invitations to the DW at the beginning of July, and required them to RSVP by Nov. 1st, so that would allow us a good amount of time to figure out the logistics and prepare for the correct number of guests.  That's going to be a little more difficult for you, because you'll have less time, but you can still do it!

 

As you have probably figured out, don't get discouraged if you don't hear from the wedding department once you've booked...  I would suggest, if you are going down there, get all of you questions together that you can think of, and get the answers when you are down there.  You'll have them to get all the info from, do it then!!!!

 

Best of luck!  I can't wait to hear all of your planning as you go through the process!

 

Originally Posted by sunny55143 

Hi everyone!  I literally just joined but spent the last few days pretty much reading this entire thread...phew!

 

We just got engaged 3 weeks ago and as much as we wanted to just "enjoy being engaged" (as suggested by others), we would like to do a DW sometime next spring, and probably at GP so I'm feeling like I'm already behind!

 

So, our plan is to do a site visit with our moms the beginning of September and book/pencil in/put down a deposit/whatever sometime between end of April 2012-mid May 2012.

 

Our initial pass at a guest list is about 140, but that was being pretty stingy, and a lot of people have said that there will be less people than you expect.  How did everyone forecast their guest count for budgeting/figuring out logistics for events at the resort?  When does that need to be communicated to the WC, did you just wait until you got RSVP cards back?  

 

Also, am I being way too ambitious for not picking out a destination until September for an April/May wedding?? 

 

Looking forward to finally being a contributor on this thread.  Thanks in advance ladies!

 

 

 

[Manda123]

Welcome to the thread and congrats!

 

140! That's huge! Is that the number of people you are inviting or the number of people who have expressed interest in going? My FI decided to send a STD and formal invitation to everyone who we would invite if we were doing one here at home, so that ended up being a little over 200 people. Are RSVPs deadline is at the end of September. We are expecting 50 or so people. I'm sure you read this when you were reading through the posts, but after 40 people you need to pay for a private reception which is approx $60/person. Rocio hasn't requested our final numbers yet; I believe taht you can just let her know when you know. For some reason I think that there is a seating limit at the gazebos, so if you have that many people you might be restricted in terms of where you can hold your ceremony. Have you checked out the Palladium website? They have a wedding info packet you can download that has a lot of this information which will help you plan and budget.

 

Good luck! Looking forward to planning with you
 

Originally Posted by sunny55143 

Hi everyone!  I literally just joined but spent the last few days pretty much reading this entire thread...phew!

 

We just got engaged 3 weeks ago and as much as we wanted to just "enjoy being engaged" (as suggested by others), we would like to do a DW sometime next spring, and probably at GP so I'm feeling like I'm already behind!

 

So, our plan is to do a site visit with our moms the beginning of September and book/pencil in/put down a deposit/whatever sometime between end of April 2012-mid May 2012.

 

Our initial pass at a guest list is about 140, but that was being pretty stingy, and a lot of people have said that there will be less people than you expect.  How did everyone forecast their guest count for budgeting/figuring out logistics for events at the resort?  When does that need to be communicated to the WC, did you just wait until you got RSVP cards back?  

 

Also, am I being way too ambitious for not picking out a destination until September for an April/May wedding?? 

 

Looking forward to finally being a contributor on this thread.  Thanks in advance ladies!

 

 

 

[Vivienne]

As the Mother-of-the-bride I can understand the disappointment of relativesand friends that cannot make it to your Wedding. However,it is your wedding and should be the way you want it.It is the biggest day of your lives. In order to include Family and Friends that cannot make it ----usually because of the expense we will have a family/friend reception soon after returning from the DW. In our case it will be in our home and for the family of the groom their home. Wearing your wedding dress to that will make them feel that they are still included in the celebration. A wedding is the bringing together of the bride and groom but also the extended family and their traditions.Hope that suggestion helps.

 

[Wcook]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have now confirmed my travel and submitted my deposit info to Rocio.  I am so very excitted to have all this finally in motion!!  I have been a viewer of this site on many threads for months trying to find the right resort/phtographer and I am very happy with my final decision.

 

I had submitted my deposit information on the 5th, how long does it usually take for them to complete the deposit?  I just want to get that all confirmed so I know everything is set in stone   I am thinking about doing the dinner at Portofino, has anyone experienced the wedding dinner there?  I have a chicken only eater amongst our group so this gives me more options (with the one chicken dish and many pastas) than other restaurants.   

 

We are getting married on th beach Does anyone have any images to share of the beach set up for their wedding?  I am looking for ideas to see how I am want to decorate it.  Am I right stating that they will put up any decor that I bring from home? 

 

Also, I am getting 3 hours of photography service, I wasn't going to get any prewedding shots (of us girls and the guys togather), do you think that the photography session afterwards would be too long if I don't get 20 minutes or so of the before shots?  I am more concerned of having the ceremony and group/wedding party/solos shots afterward.  What do you ladies think?  Suggestions/Recommendations?

 

Thanks Everyone!

 

Wendy

 

[JND2012]

Hi Wendy!

 

It took awhile for our deposit to be taken, but they did do it eventually!  We just kept following up with Rocio, I found calling was a lot more effective.  Hopefully you've had success by now!  I just went back and started reading the original posts in this thread, and it seems as though you don't have to choose the restaurant for the reception until you arrive.  I don't know if this has changed since then, as it was a few years back, but maybe someone else knows?  I'm under the impression that flowers/ceremony location/reception location/menu/cake don't need to be chosen until after we've arrived so we can take a look at the different options.  Could be completely wrong though!

 

I don't know anything about the beach ceremony or decor.  Have you checked out palladiumweddings.com?  There's a small image on there!  I also don't know about the photographers, we are bringing our own and she is going to be there for the entire day/evening.

 

So I'm getting married in less that 5 months.  I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and anxious, because I feel like I'm really behind.  Where were/are you ladies at this stage!?!  What needs to be done before we arrive vs. after?  I need help!  =)
 

Originally Posted by Wcook 

Hi Everyone,

 

I have now confirmed my travel and submitted my deposit info to Rocio.  I am so very excitted to have all this finally in motion!!  I have been a viewer of this site on many threads for months trying to find the right resort/phtographer and I am very happy with my final decision.

 

I had submitted my deposit information on the 5th, how long does it usually take for them to complete the deposit?  I just want to get that all confirmed so I know everything is set in stone   I am thinking about doing the dinner at Portofino, has anyone experienced the wedding dinner there?  I have a chicken only eater amongst our group so this gives me more options (with the one chicken dish and many pastas) than other restaurants.   

 

We are getting married on th beach Does anyone have any images to share of the beach set up for their wedding?  I am looking for ideas to see how I am want to decorate it.  Am I right stating that they will put up any decor that I bring from home? 

 

Also, I am getting 3 hours of photography service, I wasn't going to get any prewedding shots (of us girls and the guys togather), do you think that the photography session afterwards would be too long if I don't get 20 minutes or so of the before shots?  I am more concerned of having the ceremony and group/wedding party/solos shots afterward.  What do you ladies think?  Suggestions/Recommendations?

 

Thanks Everyone!

 

Wendy

 

 

[sunny55143]

Thanks for the responses ladies.  Been super busy - started a new job and have been traveling nonstop, and we just got back from a trip to Italy (which funnily enough was what the boy led with when he proposed - how do you say no to that?? ;-)

 

140 was what we both did as a preliminary guest list to invite, but I think that just got larger - closer to 200, like you Manda.  We decided we wanted to invite everyone that would be invited to a stateside wedding.  I am trying to reconcile the fact that I can't have both the destination wedding AND everyone close to us there.  Blerg.

 

Also, we decided to try the DR instead of Riviera Maya.  My fiance has four older sisters, two of which got married in Riviera Maya.  So I think the idea of "following in their footsteps" became less and less appealing as planning became more real.

 

So, I'm sorry to leave this thread because it has been TREMENDOUSLY helpful.  But also looking forward to the next steps in planning.  Thanks ladies!