Finleys7 (Shannon)'s Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar Review: 5-1-2010

[mnh1983]

Everything sounds awesome! Your pictures are beautiful. Thanks for sharing with us.

[Mrs Cato]

Great review and pictures congrats !

[orionandmari072510]

Quote:

Originally Posted by finleys7 Cocktail Hour - ?? We weren’t there, but everyone said the food was good and the drinks were flowing. So that’s a plus. There were cold and hot appetizers, cheeses, salads and fruits. We played our iPod for that hour and apparently it was on repeat for a while, so designate someone to check on that if you are out taking pictures (which we were). Dinner Reception – A- We had our dinner at the Italian Restaurant (used to be the Tropical) – open air (but covered). It was a private reception, we rented the restaurant for $800 on top of what we paid extra per head. The options were steak or grouper. I had the grouper and it was delicious. My husband had the steak and he said it was really good. So two thumbs up for dinner. The area was well lit and nicely decorated. We opted for the white wedding, so white table linens, chair covers and bows, and white silk bows through the columns with ivy. It was really nice. You can see in the background… A Table Shot Cake – A We had a three tier cake. Top - cheesecake, middle - vanilla and bottom – chocolate. I didn’t eat any (other than feeding each other) and it was good…and I don’t eat cheesecake. But everyone said it was yummy and moist. It was the starting to tilt (with the humidity) but we pulled it off. We almost forgot the cake, we were having such a good time, at 10:30 my photographer comes over and says “Do you want to cut the cakeâ€, I was shocked with how late it was…the night just flew. DJ – A+ If you get married in the Riviera Maya…get DOREMIXX. The DJ we had from this company was absolutely awesome. He met with us a few days prior to the wedding and got our entrance names and songs and was really on point. Our entrance was for the Bridal Party to come into “Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night†by the Black Eyed Peas and then mix in IMMABE, Boom Boom Pow, and Let’s Get it Started for us and he did BETTER than GREAT! He really got the party moving. He played our suggested songs for dinner and then got it started again for dancing. He needed some guidance regarding timing but I had no problem helping him along. We were dancing all night. It was so hot, but no one cared…we were just having so much fun! Cigar Roller – A We hired the hotel cigar roller for an hour. We set a price of $150 worth of cigars that ranged from $4 - $9. He was very nice, quiet and just did his job. The boys appreciated the cigars and my husband walked away with about 5-7 of the leftovers. It was a good $150 spent. Photography – A+++ Our photographer was Claudia Rodriguez and I cannot recommend her enough. Not only was she the photographer, she acted as wedding coordinator. She really took the reins and told us exactly what to do and where to go. She was so easy to work with, that although I had the tips already sorted and in envelopes, we opened hers up and threw in an extra $50, she really was great. I cannot wait for the pictures in 4-6 weeks. Book with Claudia…she is GREAT!!!!!! Overall this was the most excited day of my life and the best vacation EVER! Everyone is getting together for drinks tonight (at home) to talk about it and we all want to go back for an annual trip =)

Do you have sample photos of the photography from Claudia? We booked her. We hope she is great!

[finleys7]

I don't have any teasers yet...she said 4-6 weeks and we are at 1 month on Tuesday June 1...so hopefully not too much longer. =)

[Future Mrs. M]

I can't wait to see your pics!! We were down in the area this weekend scouting chapels and we saw this one thanks to your review. I thought it was great. I love the area that it's in since it's not right in the middle of a crowded town. The inside is very cute and different. I love that the outside is almost like a little town center.

 

Do you know if it's registered and valid with the Catholic Church? They told us it is. Did you have any issues when you came home?

 

The priest we spoke to from home told us that churches in a resort are not sanctioned by the Catholic church.

[finleys7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by anacj13 I can't wait to see your pics!! We were down in the area this weekend scouting chapels and we saw this one thanks to your review. I thought it was great. I love the area that it's in since it's not right in the middle of a crowded town. The inside is very cute and different. I love that the outside is almost like a little town center. Do you know if it's registered and valid with the Catholic Church? They told us it is. Did you have any issues when you came home? The priest we spoke to from home told us that churches in a resort are not sanctioned by the Catholic church.

We used the church as our symbol of religion. We did not have a religious ceremony and are not registering with a church by us. When we have children and go through the christening process, they just need to see that it was legal. But this all depends on your church, we are not that religious and it was more the 'meaning' behind the chapel. I don't really know what type of documentation your church would need. - Sorry.

[pitt2011]

Quote:

Originally Posted by orionandmari072510 Do you have sample photos of the photography from Claudia? We booked her. We hope she is great!

Im new to this. I'm getting married at the Del Mar in 2011. I was wondering about the photography? I thought they didn't allow outside photographers? I checked out Claudia's website and her photos are amazing!! Is she expensive?

[Lindobride14]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pitt2011 Im new to this. I'm getting married at the Del Mar in 2011. I was wondering about the photography? I thought they didn't allow outside photographers? I checked out Claudia's website and her photos are amazing!! Is she expensive?

Welcome! I'm getting married in Jan 2011 at the sister property, Lindo.

They allow outside photographers but you have to pay a $300 penalty to PhotoCaribbean (the resort's photographer) for not using them

I believe Claudia is sort of midrange or slightly higher as far as RM photogs go, not as expensive as say Elizabeth Medina or Del Sol.

If you're looking for someone slightly less expensive, there's Sascha Gluck or Ivan Luckie.

[pitt2011]

Thanks Tara, I'll check out their websites! I also noticed that a lot of companies will pay the fine for you if you use their companies. Do you know if Sascha or Ivan do this?

[Lindobride14]

I should also mention that on top of the $300, the resort makes you purchase a guest pass (think they're $60 each) for each person, so if the photographer brings an assistant that would be another 120.

 

Ya know, I can't remember who, because I looked at so many, but only one photographer I spoke with offered a $300 credit towards their services to compensate for the $300 penalty.

 

I know it was not Ivan Luckie -- that's who we are using -- but his costs are lower than most others I've found. For a full day of photography, no photo limit, it's $1800. I'm meeting with him on our site visit July 28th, so I'm going to just mention all the additional costs the resort charges and see if he'll throw us a bone, hahaha

 

I had originally planned to just go with the resort's vendors for everything, but I've seen some not so good reviews on this forum. So even though it's a lot more expensive, I'm willing to spend the money, because I know we'll be happier in the long run. I'm using outside vendors for hair & makeup, photographer, DJ, & possibly our table centerpieces for the reception. (though hair & makeup is the only one that's actually cheaper than the resort)