Excellence Playa Mujeres Brides Post Here!

[danak71]

Current and former brides-who is staying at EPM for their honeymoon? We're arriving on March 20 with our guests arriving on March 21, getting married on March 23 and our guests are leaving on March 25.

 

We were considering leaving on that day as well and going to El Dorado Maroma for another 4 or 5 nights...just thinking that it might seem like another vacation being at a different resort. However, now I'm thinking we might just stay at EPM since everyone keeps talking about how beautiful it is. Not to mention, by then everyone will know us!

 

On another note, for the past brides that stayed at EPM for their honeymoon, what room type did you select and if you had it to do over would you select the same or different?

 

Can anyone tell me how much the guitarist is for the ceremony?

 

~Signed Anxious 2013 Bride (Lynn)

 

 

[danak71]

Sorry Ladies,

 

I knew I had one more question! In the pricing information that I did get from Nayeli there's a $400 fee for the Minister Service and a $500 fee for the Judge Service. Are these fees included with the Gold Package?

[danak71]

For past brides, did they have a suite available for the Groom for the night before your wedding? I know the package says based upon availability, I'm just wondering if it typically has been available?

[May12]

Hey Lynn! Hope I can help answer some of this...

The guitarist is $550 and plays one 45 minute set. 

The minister/judge is free with the gold package. 

We are going with DJ Mannia and PRAYING that it's ok...I converted my entire itunes into MP3 and put iton an external hard drive for him (Fernando) we'll meet with him earlier in the week and give it to him so he can download it all. They have all sorts of blow up guitars, giant sunglasses, beads etc....we told him we wanted NONE of that and specifically said nothing cheesy!! We have just about his entire "sample list" on our do not play list. He seemed to understand when we met him in September and is really trying to work with us to get our style. If all else fails, we will request every song(my friends are FINE with this!)

We are still waiting to hear on the room upgrade, but that may not be until right befor or when we get there...I'll keep you posted!

If you are thinking about staying longer and do an excellence club room or have enough rooms with your guests, you will get the free wedding package OR take $850 off the gold package. We did this and it is definitely working out better financially as well as getting the Ocean view that we wanted.

We also had the same idea about going to a different resort, and honestly, I'm glad we chose to. We have a TON going on the week before the wedding! Here's our plan...Leaving on Sat May 12(my b-day!) staying at The Marriott Casa Magna until Tuesday. 7 of our guests(some wedding party) will be checking in there as well between Sat and Tuesday. This way it offsets some of the cost and we can run errands we need to do in a non AI before we check into Excellence...AND we'll have help!

On Tuesday we check in to Excellence, meet with Nayeli (I hope!) and meet up with some of the rest of our wedding party who will check in on Tue or Wed.

On Wed-Get our lovebirds massage at 9am, do blood tests at 11, sign the wedding license with our wittnesses at 3 and do trial hair and Make-up at 4! 

On Thursday we hired a mini bus and driver to take 16 of us to Tulum and Playa Del Carmen for an excursion. (The group from Casa Magna will be at Excellence by then) We get back to the resort at 6ish and meet with the rest of our guests who check in on Thursday for our welcome cocktail party at the X-Lounge.

Friday is Spa day with our wedding party...We're doing the Water Ritual with everyone, mani/pedis for all the guys and some of the girls and a girls lunch and guys lunch. Friday at 7 is our rehersal so we're meeting up with everyone at the Mexican night afterwards where they will reserve tables for us. (there are 2 other weddings on Friday! Our rehersal is later because of this) 

Saturday is the big day and we're spending time at the spa for hair/make-up and the ceremony starts at 5:30 (guests get there at 5), X-lounge cocktail hour, Ceco terrace reception...may extend it an hour...we need to decide an hour and 15 mins before the end if we want to do this.

Sunday is our Recovery Brunch from 9-11. A good chunk of guests leave in the afternoon. 5 guests will still be there.

Monday is our breakfast in bed, TTD and romantic dinner...2 guests will still be there.  

Tuesday we leave for our much needed rest on our honeymoon!!! We're going to Zoetry and I've heard it's AMAZING! Staying until Sunday and then flying home in the afternoon.

There is so much that adds up on the to do list before the wedding...at least for us, so we wanted to get away and find a place thats just as good or better than Excellence for our honeymoon...we didn't want to be disappointed and regret leaving Excellence.  

 

Hope this helps!! Happy planning!!

Sheryl

[May12]

These are so cute!!! I'm totally going to Michaels to pick these up!! Thanks for the tip!!

 

Originally Posted by MsBlissMpls 

You are sweet. Thanks for the "stop asking questions" comment, that is sweet. But I don't expect everything to stop for our wedding. I know that we have a bride here getting married on the 13th!! I think her planner is 95% done though, so that's nice. Also, there is a 5:00 bride here as well on our same day. I think I"m going into a calm wedding coma right now. Nothing phases me in this moment (i'll probably be freaking out later).

 

For the sand ceremony I got some really little makeup containers on Ebay (a little bigger than the ones below) and put ribbon and the heart rinestones below on them (they look cute and personalized - I'll put a photo up if I think of it), but last week I found some SUPER cute bottles with cork toppers at Michaels. Of course I was looking for these bottles a month ago and they were no where to be found, my fiance said we should just buy the cute bottles wtih cork tops so we might still do that and just forget about the ones I made. You should check out the ones at Michaels, they are so cute and your guests can fill them up with sand from the beach to take home. However, the bottles at Michaels are kind of big and the small makeup containers I have are a perfect size for 16 people to contribute sand. We need to have room for our sand too! Can't forget who's getting married

 

 

 

 

[MsBlissMpls]

I did get a blank planner late last night and some answer so I can plan the menu, etc. I'm grateful to have this now, but not on top of packing and general nerves about traveling and remembering everything, I have to do the things that I wanted to have finished two weeks ago. There's so much to do and only 3 days to do it!

[Jass7]

I'm so glad you heard from her! Are you going with silver or gold package?

 

Good luck planning, as much as it's hectict, you are going to have a good time! Have a drink or two when you get there.

Originally Posted by MsBlissMpls 

I did get a blank planner late last night and some answer so I can plan the menu, etc. I'm grateful to have this now, but not on top of packing and general nerves about traveling and remembering everything, I have to do the things that I wanted to have finished two weeks ago. There's so much to do and only 3 days to do it!

 

[MsBlissMpls]

LCIZ - Did you have to pay an "outside guest" fee for the photographer to join you for the dinner?

 

We are paying $500 to have them on the resort and we have only 18 people in our party. I'm hoping that the 2 remaining dinner spots that come with the package can go to Adrian and the assistant without any additonal cost.

 

 

Originally Posted by lciz 

We had one long rectangle table seating everyone including our photographers at the end of our table. They appreciated being seated with us and to be honest, it would have been awkward to have them off to the side alone. Plus, I just really loved them!

 

Not even joking, the Friday wedding before us the groom didnt show up to the alter!! Can you imagine!! Well, dont, thats crazy!

 

We paid $200 bucks for our table to be lined with tall pillars filled with water and floating candles and since the wind is so nuts, not one single candle stayed lit for more than a second. I was pretty sad about that and am still contemplating asking for my money back.
 

The long table was great for us, very intimate and everyone felt like a part of the family... It was nice

 

I brought paper lanterns as well, I just love how they look in pics!! Unfortunately due to the wind they wouldnt stay up for us :/

I hope the wind is a fluke for us and dies down for you guys!

 

 

[MsBlissMpls]

We are doing the Silver package and upgrading a few items and decoration like chairs and table runners. We are definately bringing our own votive candles! They charge $3 per candle where as I bought a box of 12 at Michaels for $4.00. Also, we really want a decorated gazebo on the beach but from what I can tell the basic one is $400.

 

What did are you guys thinking for the gazebo on the beach, if that's your option? Do they do a plain setup with cloth included in the package?

[Jass7]

I've been wondering that too. I would love to include my photographer in my guest list, since the outside vendor fee does not include any meals.

 

Originally Posted by MsBlissMpls 

LCIZ - Did you have to pay an "outside guest" fee for the photographer to join you for the dinner?

 

We are paying $500 to have them on the resort and we have only 18 people in our party. I'm hoping that the 2 remaining dinner spots that come with the package can go to Adrian and the assistant without any additonal cost.