Excellence Playa Mujeres Brides Post Here!

[Momoarc83]

Thanks! Beautiful wedding!! Love everything about it! You looked stunning!!!!

 

-monica

 

Originally Posted by May12 

Hi Ladies!

Finally got the uploading to work...here are some pics of the flowers we had, Monica.

Also, those of you having the ceremony at the Gazebo, I wanted to show you the "aisle", and some other shots that show the area...

 

 

 

This is the starting point. The building on the left is bldg 9 where you'll probably be staying if you're in an Excellence Club room, and the building on the right is Tuscana-the Italian restaurant (also the breakfast buffet) and the underside of the deck you see is the Spice Terrace. 

 

 

 

This is the "aisle" on the way to the Gazebo. Where you see the last bridesmaid is a sidewalk to the left of the photo...That is where you will be waiting at the starting point area. This is a bit of a hike! The building you are seeing behind the girls is the CECO Terrace.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you get to the Gazebo from down the path, you then go AROUND the Gazebo before you walk down the real aisle where everyone stands and you see your Hubby to be. Everyone will see you walking down the path except the groomsmen and your Fiance...make sure he doesn't turn around and look! BTW, it's about a 3 and 1/2 minute walk give or take...was for us and I'm 5'8" with no shoes...Make sure you time your music accordingly.   

 

Once you're at the Gazebo, this is the view your guest will have. I only have a few pics where my veil is not in my face! Wind was crazy so keep that in mind, just in case!

 

 

Behind us is Nayeli on the right, officiating, and the Judge on the left. For a legal ceremony the Judge must be there to observe, and there is signing by you AND your 4 witnesses, along with thumbprints.(If you want to see those pics, let me know) You'll also have photographers on all sides and a videographer (if you chose to have a video, or have the gold package) behind the alter next to Nayeli. And yes....my veil was tucked into the back of my dress and had to tuck my hair behind my ear...damn wind!

 

After the ceremony they had our celebratory tequila waiting for us with a waiter and a cart!  

 

A shot of one of the tables...wind was a major factor. Candles were supposed to be floating at the top of the vases with the flower floating in them and river rocks at the bottom. Orange and burgundy rose petals were to be on the table- none of that could work so rose petals ended up in the vases and the water level had to be WAY low. Would have had double sided tape for the runners had I known they'd be blowing around. Again, after EVERY scenario possible I could have and did think through, I NEVER thought of wind...Have a back up plan Ladies! All in all, we had a blast and in the end it didn't matter, but what I can do is pass it forward!  

 

 

We purchased ALL of our pictures so I have some not so perfect shots, but pics where I can show you different views of the areas. Let me know if anyone is looking for something specific.

 

Happy planning everyone!  

 

-Sheryl

[Momoarc83]

Thank you SO much!!!  Love your ideas!!  I really appreciate you taking the time explaining everything to me!

 

-Monica

 

Originally Posted by May12 

Hi Monica!

They do not hand out bags as guests check in, they deliver them to their rooms at turn down service- $4.50 per room. The reason they do it this way is because many times people change rooms so they cannot do it ahead of check in. Also, they cannot have a ton of bags behind the counter "waiting" when guests check in a different times and days, and there are many weddings during week-too easy to get confusing. We had this dilemma. Half of our guests were checking in the Thursday before the wedding (which was on Sat). The rest of us were on an excursion to Tulum and were not getting back until most of them would have already checked in. That night at 9pm we were having our Welcome Cocktails. Soooo, if all of the info was in their OOT bags, they probably would be out to dinner while the bags were delivered hence not knowing to meet us, or where. We made a "check-in card" that the front desk put into their Guest Guide, along with their room key, resort newsletter, etc. This way we told them where/when to meet us and to expect their OOT bags....Here's what they looked like....

 

 

We had name tags made for them with their name on one side and our "logo" on the other in a lucite luggage tag holder, and attached these to their OOT bags. This way it was easier for the bellmen to ensure it was going to the correct room, and easier for us to include extras for the bridesmaids/groomsmen/parents, their thank you cards we gave them for being in the wedding party, etc.  In the OOT bags we had a Welcome letter rolled up with ribbon, a second page rolled with it for the wedding party detailing their activities, and a time line card for everyone. Here's the time line card proof.....

 

 

 

OK...now what we did for the OOT bags. As I was throwing everything into bags, I realized it looked just that...like I threw it in there. So in an attempted to pull it together a bit, I found little burgundy organza bags at AC Moore. Each bag had 3 bags filled with "like" items.

1 was filled with travel sized sunscreen, aloe and spf lip balm. (the "SUN" kit)

The 2nd had a packet of Tums, small bottle of ibuprofen, and a packet of Emergen-C. (the "hangover" kit)

The 3rd had 5 hour energy, a tin of Starbucks mints, and decorative nail file. ( the "pull it together" kit)    

In addition to these we had:

A flip flop bottle opener (I believe we found these at Michael's)

Custom do not disturb sign

Mexican blanket (We purchased these down there)

Mini bottles of Don Julio (purchased down there)

Recipe cards for our favorite tequila recipes attached to the tequila bottles

All of these things were put into tote bags that we purchased down there (with the exception of nicer bags for the bridesmaids, and backpacks for the groomsmen.)

 

As for bringing tequila, I'm not sure if you can bring too much without having to pay a surcharge tax...they DO go through all of your suitcases if you have a lot of them, which you probably will. One of the reasons we purchased a lot of things while we were there....AND it's way less expensive. It is super easy to hire a cab driver for a few hours or day to run errands-you can do this from the lobby bellmen. There is Mercado 28 downtown which is set up like a flea market with just about everything there, and also where we found the best prices for maracas, blankets, and such, was at a place on the 1st floor in the back of Plaza Caracol in the Hotel Zone. It's across from Plaza La Fiesta-which has an "outlet" in it. We got a bunch of 4 packs of mini Don Julio bottles with blanco, reposado, anjeo and cream tequila- $24 each. They have some others as well. There is a good tequila store in Plaza Kulkukan on the top floor-they have about everything there. 

There is also a flea market type of place in the Hotel Zone, but the prices are better at Mercado 28, which is downtown. If you forget anything, there is a Walmart close to the hotel in a quick cab ride!

 

We do not have pictures of the contents of the OOT Bags..I CANNOT believe we forgot to take those pics!  Here is the do no disturb sign, and I have some others, but I STILL cannot upload photos other than what I already posted. Is anyone else having this issue???

I also had an EMERGENCY KIT to put in the bathroom at the reception, and for guests if they needed anything vs including EVERYTHING in their OOT bags. All kinds of hair stuff-including flatiron and curling iron, safety pins, sewing kit, tide stick, lint roller, Imodium AD, Zantac, Bactine Spray (this REALLY came in handy for the really sunburned folks), and Nayeli provided the aerosol deodorant being that I couldn't find any at home!

Hope this helps!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

Quote:

 

[SweetFire]

Hi there ladies! Lori had the pleasure to shoot a great wedding at the Excellence Playa Mujeres this year! The natural beauty surrounding the resort makes for some beautiful photo ops! See the full shoot on our website: Excellence Playa Mujeres - Rebecca & Adam http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/173354/width/500/height/1000[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/173355/width/500/height/1000[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/173356/width/500/height/1000[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/173357/width/500/height/1000[/img] Happy Planning! Sofia Lori's Office Assistant

[Amanda Gardner]

May12 - your pictures are amazing!!! What is or was everyone's timeline for photos? We have 8 hrs of coverage with wedding at 430 Thanks!

[Amanda Gardner]

Does anyone have any info on the bars? Do any of them have dancing at night, fun music, etc?

[ahoff]

Hey Ladies,

 

We just got back yesterday and we were really sad to leave, everything went perfectly for us.  Our wedding was on Friday, we arrived on Tuesday and met with N on Wednesday.  The meeting only took about 45 minutes, we went over the invoice she sent us before we got there and we went over some last minute things.  We also gave her the decorations that we brought.  We went rather simple, I brought candles from Micheals (2 packs of 12), I made programs for the ceremony (I brought a small basket for the programs), and 2 chalkboard signs for the bride and groom.  We rented 3 vases ($10) for the bridesmaid flowers and one table runner ($5) for our table to make our table pop more.  We also had 3 centerpieces for the other tables that were included in our package.  They set the tables so nicely, that they do not need much more.  We were on the spice terrace, it was breezy, so some of the candles did not stay lit well.

 

We did a small rehearsal on Thursday, so everyone would at least know where to stand, we also did a semi-private dinner at Barcelona for 15, so there would be no extra charge.

 

We handed out the welcome bags on Thursday, we had a "Welcome Cocktail Hour" at Kafe Cafe, which worked out perfectly.  The welcome bags were beach bags with chapstick, Tylenol, mints, a pen, personalized can koozies, a personalized crossword  puzzle, a map of the resort, and a welcome letter with more details of wedding.

 

We had everyone RSVP at the knot, so I just e-mailed the Welcome Cocktail invite, which worked well.

 

The wedding day went very well.  The only thing I had to worry about was getting my hair and make-up done!  The salon did a very nice job, hair and make-up took about an hour and half and I have long thick hair.

 

We did our ceremony at 4:00, we started our photos at 2:00 and it gave us plenty of time to get our formal photos done before the ceremony.  After the ceremony, we did champagne, a receiving line and a group photo on the beach.  There was a small gap of time between the ceremony and cocktail hour at 5:15 (X-lounge).  We did additional photos, just bride and groom at this point, we were still able to get to some of the cocktail hour, which was nice.

 

Our reception started at 6:15, it was three hours long.  We did not hire a DJ, we brought our Bose system down, which worked out perfectly because time we finished with dinner, cake, and speeches, we only had a short time to dance, so a DJ would have been a waste of money for us.  We put together a playlist for dinner and one for the dance, which worked well.  I was worried that the flow would not go well without a DJ to announce things, but my groom handled all announcements, which worked well.

 

We then went to the show and hit up the disco for more dancing!

 

We hired Victor Herrera Photography for the photos and they were a dream to work with, very fast with all responses.  We hired Sara for the photos, but at the last minute Victor did them for us and we were not disappointed.

 

Let me know if I can provide any additional information for anyone!

 

Ashley

[May12]

Thanks for the complements Ladies! I know a lot of you have probably seen our slide show on YouTube, but if you haven't, here's the link... 

or search on YouTube for "Sheryl and Frank's wedding weekend at Excellence Playa Mujeres Mexico".

 

As for the photographer, we used the in-house photographer, Juan Carlos Lancelotti. It is VIP Photographers or Blue Lens- same thing. We had them following us around for 3 days including our excursion to Tulum and Playa Del Carmen, Welcome cocktails, the spa day for the wedding party, rehearsal dinner, the wedding day from getting ready to the very last moment we were there, and a TTD shoot we did in Isla Mujeres 2 days after the wedding. We negotiated a price with him that was WELL worth it, and less than some other photographers were charging just for the wedding day. We really wanted the moments and our group's personality captured...we've got some characters! Trying to do anything formal with our group is/was exhausting, so we did miss out on some pics that would have been nice to have, but we did get exactly what we asked for. Who you have taking your photos will depend on how long they are there with you. We had the luxury of having them there for everything because, well, they were there! No appointments or fees needed to get them on the property.If I had a do over, I'd write a list of all MUST HAVE photos and tell him to not stray from it, even if at the time I'm telling him something else!

 

I am trying to find pics that explain the resort area a bit in case you've never been there....I've got a ton so just ask if you're looking for something.

 

As for the bars. Algeria is the late night "disco"type bar that is located behind the theater. We went there a couple of times and when we went after the reception at 11:30ish it was PACKED! They were playing 80's music and everyone was having a blast! This is a pic of my Man of Honor playing bartender to some guest...we got there early one night and no one was there so he stepped in!

 

The Martini Bar- located in the lobby and is open ALL day and night until 1am. 

 

During the day(and sometimes at night) Fidencio, the bartender is there serving some of the best cocktails! DO NOT miss his Mojitos...the best I've ever had!

 

The Martini bar at night. A lot of folks meet up and hang out here in the evening and can get really packed...The AC feels great and there are a ton of couches and chairs to lounge around on. It's in the middle of many of the restaurants

 

 

The bar to the right is Cafe Kafe-this was a set up for the Mexican Fiesta when we were there for Independence Day. To the back of the pic in the inside area is the Theater, and there is a bar to the right in the Theater. If you walk by the bar and behind the theater, there's a path that will bring you to Alegria. It opens at 10, has great coffee and stays open 'till 1am. 

 

 

Cafe Kafe at night- some of our group hanging around at the tables surrounding the bar. To the right of this pic is La Habana, the cigar bar-if anyone is into that. 

 

 

On the other side of the bridge is Revive, the juice bar. (yes, just juice) It's right outside the Spa.

 

 

This is Blue-the swim-up bar. The lobster house is right above it.

 

 

These Cabana are so cool! These are near the spa bridge on the lazy river pool...they will bring you drinks here too!

 

 

waiters are everywhere...grab some chairs in the water and some rafts and you're golden! Those are some of the Excellence Club swim up rooms that face the main pool...not so "remote"....try to stick to bldg 9 or the secluded area of bldg 8 if you have a swim up suite in an Excellence Club room. The Swim Ups around the lazy river pool are more secluded.

 

 

The building behind the Mariachi Band is Sol. This is next to the pool and just above the X-Lounge. It's the meeting point for a lot of activities they do during the day, and a great place to grab a drink if your headed for a walk around the beach area.

 

The path down to the X-Lounge which is on the left side of the pic.

 

On the X-Lounge during cocktail hour

 

At the entrance to the X-Lounge...stilettos do not work well here... 

 

X-Lounge at night during our Welcome Cocktails. 

 

 

A waiter will come around and take drink orders or you can go up to Sol to get your own drinks. We told them to bring glasses and keep the bottles of champagne coming....made it less of a wait for the champagne drinkers.

 

 

We made a playlist for the iPod and brought the Bose radio/alarm clock from the room...work our great! Was loud enough with a large crowd all talking at once, but not overpowering.

 

We did not get a pic of the Excellence Club lounge or Bar, but honestly, we weren't there much. Building 9 is near the Gazebo, but the rest of the Excellence Club rooms are on the other side of the resort, closer to the spa. Just didn't make sense to go there especially when we wanted to spend most of the time with our guests.

 

The best "Bar" ever, is when you finally have "alone time" and get room service and drinks delivered to your rooftop!!

 

[May12]

Congrats Ashley!!!!! 

 

So happy for you, and it sounds like it all worked out beautifully! Post some pics when you can!

 

You make a REALLY good point about the reception....In the states we're used to dancing throughout the entire dinner and reception, but in Mexico, they want to get the dinner part over with and THEN do the dancing. My Maid of Honor caught onto this pretty quick while we were listening to mellower "dinner" music, and we changed it up. They even want to do the cake cutting asap. Just make sure to talked to the DJ (if you have one), your wedding coordinator and the Captain at the Reception, to tell them how you want it to flow. We had a 4 hour reception, dinner included, from 7-11. 

[Amanda Gardner]

May12 You said you had welcome cocktails at xlounge was it private and did you have to pay extra for it?

[Momoarc83]

Hi Ladies!

I have a couple of more questions:

 

Did any of you use paper lanterns at your reception?  I am thinking of buying some to bring to hang at the reception at the CECO Terrace.  Is there a charge for the resort to hang these?

 

Did any of you use the cigar roller?  We went to a wedding at the El Dorado Resort in Mexico and they had one, it was a hit!

 

Does the resort make the menu cards for you?  Does this cost $?

 

Did any of you use a guitar soloist for you ceremony?  If so, how much did it cost? I'm assuming the ceremony lasted roughly 15-20 min...?

And if so, didyou use him for cocktail hour?  Or, did you use a romantic trio?  I have the Gold Package, but I'm really wanting a guitar soloist... Just curious how much this will cost..

 

Since I am bringing my friend to take pictures/video, will the resort deduct the cost of the photographer/cost of photos from the Gold Package?

 

We are expecting about 70 people at our wedding... I'm thinking we need to add an extra hour onto our reception.  Does anyone know how much this will cost,?

 

We are planning on having a rehearsal dinner for 40 guests.  I think it is crazy how they want to charg $22per/person.  We do not have to have a private dinner. Does anyone know if they make any exceptions for this? 

 

For those who have done a civil/legal ceremony. When do they take your blood?  I know we have to be in the country at least 3 days prior to our wedding date.  Just curious, if they do this on site or if we leave the resort to do this.

 

In the Gold Package, 4 boutenniers/corsages are included.  This may be a dumb question but does this mean you get 4 of each?

 

Sorry for all of the questions, any help is greatly appreciated!!!!!!

 

-Monica