El Dorado Royale (EDR) Brides - POST HERE!

[NickiLynn1116]

@@HancockBride

 

We will be distributing our during our welcome dinner. The guests are mostly arriving Friday and that Is when our dinner is.

 

My WC said that the guests wouldn't get the bags right when they checked in. They would get them after 7pm the night they arrived.

 

I am going to mail our guests an itinerary 2 weeks before as well

[lauralane]

@@NickiLynn1116 that is so helpful - would NEVER have thought to ask that, thank you! I will probably bring florals over from the ceremony to the reception. I've read that it's better to work with the hotel coordinators on site versus the Lomas planners ahead of time - any opinion on that?

 

Hearing what other girls did is so nice because I feel like I don't even KNOW what to ask for or "dream of" Thanks again!

@@lauralane  I didn't do the memorable moments route because it is pretty pricey.  We are adding the chair covers and bows for the chairs ($6 a chair) and we are bringing our own centerpieces (charging $15 a table).  I decided to keep the white napkins and white table cloths.  Any flowers you use in your ceremony can also be brought over to your reception area free of charge.  However, if you do chairs with covers and bows they charge you to have at the ceremony and again for the reception.  Hope this helps

[AllieH]

@@lauralane - absolutely the onsite WC are easier to work with vs. Lomas. I'm not sure if Generations' Lomas folks are in Miami (like the Azul properties) or Cancun (like the El Dorado properties). Either way, rest assured that the onsite WC will make your dreams come true whatever they may be! 

 

You will still want to work with your Lomas WC in the interim to outline most of what you want for your wedding - events, locations, spa appointments for hair/make up, etc. They will create a spreadsheet of all the details (and costs) for you, which you should receive as you get closer to your wedding. You will review this spreadsheet and the rest of the details with the onsite WC team when you meet with them after you arrive (generally the day after arrival). 

 

For example: I missed that our spreadsheet had one of our entrees incorrect, and we had paid the price for that entree. Onsite we caught the error, they made the change, and Lomas updated our spreadsheet. We then paid the difference onsite. 

 

And they did take our decorations from the ceremony over to the reception site without us asking or even thinking about it. 

 

HTH! 

 

 

@@NickiLynn1116 that is so helpful - would NEVER have thought to ask that, thank you! I will probably bring florals over from the ceremony to the reception. I've read that it's better to work with the hotel coordinators on site versus the Lomas planners ahead of time - any opinion on that?

 

Hearing what other girls did is so nice because I feel like I don't even KNOW what to ask for or "dream of" Thanks again!

[lynie]

just got married at the El Dorado Royale ...didn't stay in the casitas...just the premium jacuzzi suite..

some tips***************

 

1. do not use a travel agent...i think u can do it on your own...just use the hotel's website to book ur rooms...u and the guests can book your/their own travel...or combine on orbitz/ travelocity...i really hated our travel agent!!! - they sucked more than helped!!

 

2. do your own hair or bring your own hairdresser!!! ...i showed the salon hairdresser a picture of what i wanted done - a low classic bun...what i got was a huge curl mess of a donut on the side of my head!!! 

and she took a picture for her portfolio like she had done something extraordinary!!!

i was too pressed for time and too stressed to laugh and had my friend/ makeup artist help me take all the crap out and do what we could and make it into a low bun more classier then the mess i was given.

 

3. i also gave them (wedding coordinator) a picture of what i wanted my bouquet to look like and we even went over it with the wedding coordinator on site (yes the one you are corresponding with online may not be the same one you see once you are there at the hotel) ....i wanted purple and green orchids, pink and orange roses....what i got was mostly pink and orange roses with sprinkling of green orchids and they forgot the purple orchids altogether!!! again too short on time to do anything about it...was soo mad about that!!!

 

4. make sure you get a list of activities when you check in so you know the schedule of events so you can make use of the resources on the resort and make use of your time...

also make sure you make reservations ahead of time like that night you get there for all the fancier restaurants!!!! ---- they fail to tell you they get booked up rather quickly!!!

we were not able to get a reservation to Santa Fe....heard it was really good there..

the italian one D'Italia was good there too, so was the mexican one Rincon Mexicano - u don't need pants there for guys...shorts is acceptable as long as you have a colored shirt -- for all restaurants guys will need a collared shirt (button down or polo shirt)

 

there are a lot of activities there - take advantage while you're there...

-bike tour @9am 

-yoga @7:30-8am on the pier

-fire show at night @10-11pm by the guacamaya's bar..if they have it the time ur there

-turtles come to lay their eggs (if in season) at the far end of casitas side but then you might not get a ride back to your room if its too late (shuttle ends at 11pm) and if there is 1 running, u might be waiting a looong time..

 

they do have a tour of the property if u ask ur concierge but then you have a 2 hour high pressure sales presentation for you to buy their vacation package.....and they're supposed to give you a gift but we never got ours...some of our friends did the tour and they got some certificates for wine and candlelight dinner or something...

 

5. food....we got the BBQ Deluxe and had a private reception at the Tucanes Bar...the area is nice and had a pool which we jumped into after the reception, after changing

if you want leftover food...tell your guests to take more food on their plates and leave on their table!!! b/c after everyone is fed, they pack up everything!!!! and i mean everything and clear out and you're left with only the bartender (make sure you tip him good at least) and maybe couple other waiters/staff....i was sooo mad that they took all the food which we paid for!!! when we were still partying it up in the pool and i knew ppl would be hungry after all the activity and drinking and swimming.....their reasoning was that there would be ants/ insects...which i can understand but still we paid for the food!!! 

it would have been nice to leave some of it left on the side covered with foil you know...

they wouldn't even give foil either to cover the cake pieces that was still leftover on the table....we ended up going to another friends' room who had a swim up room and ordered massive amounts of room service...which we tipped the butler to deliver all the food to the same room....and tipped the delivery guy who had to bring all those heavy platters.

 

 

they didn't put a banner on our door after we got married --like no congratulations banner, but they did have our tub filled with bubbles, champagne and flower petals arranged in our room which was nice.

just don't expect everything to go perfect...you just have to go with it...

if you are a perfectionist..good luck!!! :-)

Edited August 22, 2014 by lynie

[NickiLynn1116]

@@lynie First off CONGRATULATIONS!  I get married there on November 16th of this year.  I feel like everything has been so unorganized with my wedding coordinator (Marisol).  I have been getting most of my information from these boards.  Is there anything that you can think of to do prior to make things run smoother?  I have a trial for hair and makeup and I am also bringing my own bouquets (silk flowers).  However, I have been waiting over a month for Marisol to confirm the hair and makeup appointments for myself and my wedding party.  I am having my reception at Tucanes as well.  What did you do for decorations?  How is the lighting there?  Sorry for all the questions just the closer it gets the more nervous I get

[AllieH]

the hair rehearsal is worth the $$. just make sure you bring a picture of what you liked/approved from the rehearsal to the salon on your wedding day. the stylist won't remember... trust me! 

 

I'd suggest you request your appointment times for your wedding day. The WC tend to leave less time between appointment and wedding than really needed (especially if you're doing a first look and couples photos before the ceremony or want to do something entirely reasonable like eat lunch). 

 

I posted a pic of our set up at Tucanes a couple of pages back: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/5182-el-dorado-royale-edr-brides-post-here/?p=1867533

 

Lighting is perfect for a party. Pool is very dark though, so I do wish we'd put either tiki torches around the pool, or better yet - floating lights in the pool. 

 

don't be nervous!!! the onsite wedding team will take great care of you and make your day super special. if I can answer any more questions, don't hesitate to ask! my wedding was a couple of years ago, but we've been back to EDR twice since we got married, most recently in June.  

 

@@lynie First off CONGRATULATIONS!  I get married there on November 16th of this year.  I feel like everything has been so unorganized with my wedding coordinator (Marisol).  I have been getting most of my information from these boards.  Is there anything that you can think of to do prior to make things run smoother?  I have a trial for hair and makeup and I am also bringing my own bouquets (silk flowers).  However, I have been waiting over a month for Marisol to confirm the hair and makeup appointments for myself and my wedding party.  I am having my reception at Tucanes as well.  What did you do for decorations?  How is the lighting there?  Sorry for all the questions just the closer it gets the more nervous I get

[NickiLynn1116]

^{@@AllieH  How was the weather in November?  Was it hot at Tucanes?  I am having the floating pool lights, I love those.  I didn't think of Tiki Torches I should look into them.  I was going to get poles wrapped in Christmas lights, but it's an extra $300 so was wondering if it was really worth it.  My WC told me she didn't know if I could get ready with my wedding party since I am staying on the Casitas side.  I originally had Styling Trio booked and I was very excited, but the resort wanted to charge me $800 to use them.  We have 5 bridesmaids and 4 other family members plus myself who all need to get hair and makeup done.  I}

[AllieH]

The weather in November was really nice during the day, and refreshingly cool at night. You may want a wrap for your arms in the evenings. Cool, but not cold at all.

 

It did get warm at Tucanes, but if you step out by the pool you can catch a breeze and cool off a little. That probably had something to do with the huge dress I was wearing and all of the dancing I did.   

 

I can't wait to see your set up with the pool lights!!! 

 

I still don't understand why they are being so strict with the Casitas spa - it's been open to both sides of the resort all 3 times I've been there! You may not be able to get ready with them just because of the number. It'll all work out though. Maybe plan to meet back at your room for some of those "getting ready" photos together before the ceremony. You can pretend to be putting on make up, and all put dresses on together or something like that. 

 

^{@@AllieH  How was the weather in November?  Was it hot at Tucanes?  I am having the floating pool lights, I love those.  I didn't think of Tiki Torches I should look into them.  I was going to get poles wrapped in Christmas lights, but it's an extra $300 so was wondering if it was really worth it.  My WC told me she didn't know if I could get ready with my wedding party since I am staying on the Casitas side.  I originally had Styling Trio booked and I was very excited, but the resort wanted to charge me $800 to use them.  We have 5 bridesmaids and 4 other family members plus myself who all need to get hair and makeup done.  I}

[HancockBride]

Is anyone doing like "send off" at the end of the night? I know most weddings have sparklers but you can't really fly with those. Any suggestions?

 

 

Thanks!!

[AllieH]

bubbles? the little confetti poppers?

 

or if you have any friends going into PDC, you can ask them to try to hunt down sparklers for you. At one time Lomas had sparklers available - you could ask your WC about that too. 

 

Is anyone doing like "send off" at the end of the night? I know most weddings have sparklers but you can't really fly with those. Any suggestions?

 

 

Thanks!!