Ocean Turquesa & Coral Brides?

[acd8809]

Originally Posted by acd8809 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajhutch 

 

@acd8809 - Your last concern in your post was my exact concern and deciding factor as to whether we were going to book a dj outside of the resort.  We are having a group of only 25 people but I really want to make sure things run smooth and flow without any of my guests feeling like they have to MC and keep the flow going etc etc.  I emailed 2 different DJ's that I found online, both were within $25 of eachother and ultimately we chose to go with DJ Bob ( http://weddingdjrivieramaya.com/ ).  From the reviews it just seemed like he would be very outgoing and a fun person to keep things moving for us and interact with the group.  The other DJ that we looked into was http://www.mayanvibes.com/testimonials.htm .  Both seemed to have great reviews on how they could read the crowd and keep the party going but DJ Bob had the additional outgoing MC part that appealed to us.   

 

I don't know if you intend to add the additional hours onto your night but we are going to have our reception from 7-12 (paying for the additional 2hrs for the dj). When we calculated the cost for booking DJ Bob, with the vendor fee, the price was VERY similar to the cost the resort would have charged us for an unknown DJ with the additional time.  I hope that helps you with your decision...

 

Hi ajhutch,

 

After reading your post I decided to contact DJ Bob I  ( http://weddingdjrivieramaya.com/) for our reception .  From his website, he does look like a fun-kind-of-guy who would keep things rolling with the guests. He would fit into our budget, and he is available on our wedding day.

 

There is only one problem that I noticed while reading his email: DJ Bob stated, "Because of my equipment I can't play out in the complete open or in the sand. I strongly suggest you have the dinner/reception in an area that you won't have to worry about the weather so you can relax and enjoy."  Our reception is not on the beach, so that is not a problem. However, being out in the "complete open" is a problem.

 

Where are you holding your reception?  Is it in one of the inside ballrooms because this DJ won't play ourdoors? Our reception is outside on a terrace, which I would consider a "complete open space."  I know most reception at OCT are "in the open," and an indoor reception is usually a back-up site just in case of bad weather.

 

I was just wondering if your reception, like most, is "outside." If so, how did you get DJ Bob to agree to DJ your reception in the "complete open?"  From his email, it sounds like he will only DJ under a covered roof...

 

Thanks!

Amanda   [email protected]

[Josie Fiorda]

@swabbett 

 

From my experience I believe Ana is in charge of everything and she delegates the weddings to the other coordinators. I've heard good things about Paula so I think you'll be ok with either of the ladies. Good luck!

[emily a]

@swabbett,

 

My parents weren't sold on the idea of a destination wedding so we went down to look at the resort and they ended up falling in love. We met with both Paula and Ana while we were there. It seems like Paula just started recently. She didn't have her own business cards yet and had to have Ana answer some of our questions. She was great and took time to walk us around the resort and show us all the options for locations, etc. Ana it seemed was always running around with the brides or grooms of the weddings happening that day. They also have another part-time helper who works at one of the restaurants of the resort and does a lot of the smaller work - moving flowers, supervising setup, etc.

 

Neither of them are really ever in the office until later at night - 8 or 9. They were both there later at night every night I was there since there was a wedding each day. They're usually running around setting up and confirming everything for whatever wedding is happening that day. I've e-mailed Paula and gotten quick (within a day) responses. They work as a team for the weddings that happen but the impression that I got is that Paula is still learning so Ana is usually doing a lot more of the heavy lifting.

 

I hope this helps!

[swabbett]

@Josie Fiorda and @emily a,

 

Thanks so much for the information very helpful and good to know the general organization of the wedding coordinators there.  I just sent a follow-up email to Paula and hoping I can get my venues and times locked in soon.

[ajhutch]

@Aacd8809 - he said he won't play in the complete open and from what I can tell our venue should be ok.  The lobby terrace has a bit of a "roof" that comes outside so I assume he will be able to set himself under that ridge.  I'm taking my chances that i'm right there!  We have been to the Mayan 4times and we've only experienced rain a small handful of times and never at night.  I'm just using the power of positive thinking...lol. Worse case scenario our server/bartenders are going to have to figure out how to keep up with the tequilla shots while we play drinking games

[ashley316]

Hey ladies! Not sure how up to date the pricing is on here but I came across this link awhile back and thought it might be helpful to get an idea of ceremony location, flowers, centerpieces ect.

http://m.authorstream.com/presentation/weddingoct-1378709-your-wedding/

[leahbecker]

Hi friends!
 

I am back from the resort and had an absolutely wonderful wedding. Still waiting on photographer photos of the wedding day, but will share those when I receive them so you can get an idea for venues and set up. The resort is so fabulous. It’s split into 4 sections and 4 pools each that accommodates to a different crowd (kids, activity, swim up bar for more party action, and a quiet pool in the priveledge area for all guests). We had 71 people with us and this worked out great, because there was something for everyone. The restaurants were wonderful too. No reservations needed, but they hand out a buzzer to call you when your table is ready. I don’t think we ever waited more than ten minutes. Oh, and sometimes we went in and asked for a table of 16 – was never a problem in the a la cartes. We also did a girls night out at Coco Bongo’s in Playa (arranged through OCT) and had dinner in the buffet before hand, they gave us a private section of the buffet for 20 girls with our own servers. It was really nice (and no extra charge for the group dinners)

 

Most days there is one wedding, our wedding day there was two. I actually never even saw the other bride or groom. The resort definitely caters to larger wedding groups because anyone we met at the resort was likely with a wedding group of 50+. Our wedding day was the only day on the trip that rained, so unfortunately we had to go with Plan B options. I thought this would be helpful to put all your minds at ease about what could possibly happen. We were supposed to have the ceremony and reception on the Lobby Terrace, but the ceremony was moved inside of the lobby in a sectioned off area with lots of windows. The reception was in the conference room. Ok, not exactly my plan but they worked out great!

 

The ceremony was beautiful. Our colors were pink with some yellow. We went with pink bows on the chairs (no charge) and Ana surprised me with yellow daisy’s on each chair too. It looked so nice for an added touch. They offered champagne to all guests after the ceremony. Our paradise package included only 40 guests, so I thought I’d have to pay for the bottles to serve the other 31 guests – but they didn’t charge. We gave Ana a CD and our ipod with the playlist for ceremony. Their staff looked after the ceremony music and did a wonderful job.

 

The reception was in a conference room on the priveledge side, which looks far better than the pictures I’ve seen of the room. So I was pleasantly surprised! Our guests actually said they loved it more because they could take off their shoes to dance and it felt more intimate.. everyone was together whereas with receptions we saw on the lobby terrace, many guests would go inside to the bar or to get away from some of the action. The conference room worked great for everyone to stay together. We booked the 3 hours paradise pkg and bought an extra 3 hours ($10 per person, per extra hour) and we are so glad we did. It was a full dance party with at least 50 people on the floor at all times. We were going to book a DJ but we heard he wasn’t very interactive and felt for $1200 for only 3 hours of service it wasn’t worth it.(PM me if you’d like details on DJ pricing). We gave Ana an Ipod with a play list of all our party music and they had a staff member manage the playlist for us. He was great. In fact, the service at the reception at the bar and with the servers was top notch. Ana also arranged for a Pink Signature Cocktail for our guests. Another awesome touch!

 

Ana is very calm and will accommodate whatever is asked of her. She may take a while to respond to emails, but I guarantee that anything you want looked after – she will take care of as soon as you let her know once you arrive at the resort. Oh and she pressed my wedding gown for only $35!! Our meeting with her was the morning after we arrived and she answered every question we had. I felt like I was giving her tons of things to look after because we brought a lot of things with us and everything was ‘not a problem’. I gave her all our decorations the morning of the wedding with instructions.. she set it all out, took them all down, and returned them to our room in 2 days. She truly is fabulous!

 

Oh and we handed out knock-off Rayban sunglasses as guest favors – they were such a hit. Our friends and family wore them at the reception and for the rest of the week! We also brought down 3 digital photo frames to plug in by our guest book/the bar. Ana took care of setting these out for us. It worked out to be more affordable than to rent a projector/screen to play a slide show. If any one has questions, please PM me.

 

I’ll post photos as soon as I get them back from photographer. By the way, Gonzalo Nunez – was absolutely fabulous. As was our videographer – Carlos Gallardo! Highly recommend!!

 

 

 

 

 

[RToovey]

@leahbecker

Awe hun you looked so stunning on your big day!  Makes me more excited for mine!  4 more months!!

 

We want to do our reception outdoors as well but I am worried about the rain situation too.  If there is any chance of rain do they move it indoors?  I am just worried that if it started to rain in the middle of the reception it would be a mess:(  Were you reimbursed for a cost because you had to have it in the banquet room?  I know that the main difference in the paradise and the romnatic packages is the location of the reception.   

 

I LOVED the rayban idea, where did you get them?!  Thanks lady! 

[Jessica F]

@leahbecker:

 

Wow, so good to hear that the indoor back up plan is good! Those pictures you posted look so nice! You looked beautiful in your dress and love how cool the guys look in their suits and sunglasses on the beach!

 

Do you know if there are blue bows to put on the chairs at no charge?

 

Can't wait to see more pictures!! Makes me so much more excited for mine, 6 months left!

[acd8809]

Originally Posted by Jessica F 

 

@leahbecker:

 

Wow, so good to hear that the indoor back up plan is good! Those pictures you posted look so nice! You looked beautiful in your dress and love how cool the guys look in their suits and sunglasses on the beach!

 

Do you know if there are blue bows to put on the chairs at no charge?

 

Can't wait to see more pictures!! Makes me so much more excited for mine, 6 months left!

To Jessica F:

According to a document I received in the summer of 2012 entitled "Wedding Check List-OCT.xls" the resort has the following bow colors available for no charge: Turquesa blue, navy blue, fuchsia, red and yellow.  It states that other colors can be rented for $3 (three dollars) per bow.  I tried to upload the 4 page document here, but could not figure out how to do it.  If you would like this document and any others, email me at the address below.  I can send the document(s) to you via email -- I do know how to attach documents to an email.  Good luck with your planning!  I am tying the knot at OCT in mid May.

Amanda   [email protected]