2011 Iberostar Brides

[radiochic10]

Hi all!
 

 I'm trying to go through the questions so I can offer some insight. We had the saxophonist play-which was AWESOME.  I mean-super sexy & perfect for a beach wedding.  We just watched the video my cousins made again last night & the sax was a killer addition. As for the ceremony itself, we told them what we wanted to do & they were great with it all.  We brought our own unity sand & they set it up at the front for us (the 'altar' on the beach) and I wanted my Godmother to read a beautiful prayer I found, so she did.  We walked down the sandy 'aisle' and when we got to the front, the first thing that happened was the judge welcomed us and asked my g-mother to come up front.  She handed her a microphone & she said some very kind words before reading the prayer.  Then the ring bearer walked up and we took our rings off of the pillow.  The judge looked at my then fiance' and asked if he came with a pure heart and wishes to marry me-he said "I do" and he put my ring on as he read the vows he wrote me. (EVERYONE was bawling-it was amazing)  Then I did the same thing.  After that, she asked us to come forward to do the unity sand-we did-then it was time to sign the actual marriage license...yes-you do that RIGHT there in the middle of the ceremony.  Not only do you both sign it, but you also have to put your thumbprint(s) on it-4 or 5 copies!!! (they provide tissue to wipe your thumb so you don't get ink on your dress)  AND your witnesses have to come up at that same time to sign the copies as well.  Why they don't do this AFTER-I have no idea.  But it is always during the ceremony, just so you know-because the judge leaves 3 seconds after she's done.  She was VERY nice, but I couldn't understand all of what she said..but I didn't care.  The most important part, we got-no problem. She said our names-was very kind and did her job well. 

 

 We had a rehearsal-which is NOT normal there.  Karla said she never does them, but if I wanted one, she'd be there no problem.  I did-and she was there.  The only thing it really did was show us where on the beach we were walking and who went down the aisle when (it helped my ring bearer and flower girls for sure and truthfully-it helped me visualize it all better, so I'm glad we did that.)  It only took MAYBE 20 minutes-so don't plan a ton of time for it-it'll only be time wasted.  The judge ONLY shows up for the wedding-never a rehearsal, FYI.  We did that at 6:30 the night before the wedding.  Then we had our "welcome private cocktail party" included in the Mac Daddy package from 7-8 and the rehearsal dinner at 8:30.  Now, people have asked about the rehearsal dinner....DO IT DO IT DO IT!!! I can not stress this enough.  It was so much fun and everyone was in the same place at the same time enjoying each others company.  We had a 'groom's cake' for dessert that we paid $40 for-and it was HUGE and so funny.  We brought a cake topper for it that was a bride standing up holding keys & a groom sitting down with his chin in his hands & a ball & chain around his ankle.  (It fit perfectly with the theme we continued for our entrance to the reception.  I was swinging a plastic ball & chain over my head when DJ Doremixx announced us into the reception.  It was hysterical)  Anyway-the rehearsal we had was in the Japanese Steakhouse where they cook in front of you & that is the WAY to go-because they cook chicken, beef & veggies.  If you don't want one of those, tell the chef as he's putting the stuff on your plate.  It couldn't be easier to get what you want and still have everyone there.  I was worried about it 'taking away' from people's dinner options-but THEY ARE THERE FOR YOU!!! Trust me-they will NOT care!!!  It's nowhere near the big deal I thought it was.  People were honored we invited everyone and really happy to be part of it.  The Japanese steakhouse is the way to go!  I'm SO happy I took Karla's advice & had it there.

 

Here was our time line-to give new people an idea of the schedule-as it is super overwhelming.  Because we got married on Valentine's Day-the sunset was earlier than it would be in the summertime, so we did it like this:  4:30pm-Ceremony on the Beach, 6pm-Champagne/cocktails and appetizers on the terrace and 7p-11p Reception.  I originally thought that there was WAY too much time between the ceremony & the cocktail hour, but believe me-you NEED the time for pictures.  Most people stayed with us on the beach for pictures and we ended up coming up to the champagne/cocktail hr around 6:15 ourselves, so it really does time out much better than you initially think it will! 

 

A private reception is the way to go if you can swing it.  It's YOUR day-you want to look around & always see familiar faces.  It's so awesome to have a place that is JUST for you & your family and friends for the night.  SO glad we did that.

 

Hope that helps a little!

 

 

[Hannah5611]

We seem to be the ONLY 2 on here that are having our actual weddings on the Lindo/Maya side....Where is your wedding reception/dinner??  Mine is at the Jambalya Resturant which is actually in the Lindo lobby - the chairs there are TACKY so I did have to pay to upgrade to Tiffany chairs - the other girls that are getting married at the Del Mar have the white covered chairs included because those are the chairs they use in the open air venue ....hope that makes sense?!?  Anyways, I have tons of pics that Lily has sent me but I think most of them apply to the Lindo side (but I am not sure if the Lindo and Maya share a reception venue???  Let me know where your ceremony location and reception venue are and I can give you some more details

 

Hannah
 

Originally Posted by cj122638 

Hi Ladies! This is my first time on here. I am getting married at the Paraiso Maya on May 21, 2011. I was hoping to get some info from you girls to save me from a bunch of emails with Lily. We booked the Dream Blessing package. Are table linens and chair coverings included in that? If not, how much are we looking at spending on that? Does anyone have some photos of the bouquets and decorations that are included in the package as well as some ideas about the pricing for various upgrades? I have barely heard anything from the resort. Our wedding is in less than 2 months and I feel like I have no idea whats going on!

 

Thanks so much!

 

[nucci]

Our wedding is 4-16...less than 3 weeks away.  I can try to help out as much as possible from what I've been told.

 

Our wedding is on a Saturday.  We are doing the rehearsal Thursday and having the dinner at the Japanese restaurant. From what all the other girls have said this is the best place to go with a group.  We are doing the Welcome Cocktail Hour Friday.  Karla gives you the choices of where this will be.  I think it depends on how many people you are having.  A lot of this information is in the Final Details attachment that she will send you when your date gets closer.  We picked the rehearsal to be on Thursday b/c some of our guests aren't coming till Friday and we didn't want them to miss the Welcome Hour.  In the Final Details paperwork is where you can personalize your ceremony too.  That attachment will be your bible!!  

 

To me it seems worth it to do the Mac Daddy package.  Basically everything you would need is included in the package.  The things we are spending money on besides the package are photography, DJ, and centerpieces.  Again I think what you spend your money on is personal preference.  

[Hanna20]

Hi Nucci,

 

We are April 6th! Coming up fast.... we leave on Saturday! We chose not to go with the "Mac Daddy" package and instead we got the paradise package (I think thats what its called) and added on the private reception. We hired Photos in Cancun for photography and DJ Doremixx for music. Who did you end up going with?

 

So much to do its hard to find the time to even get on here now but I still try!!
 

Originally Posted by nucci 

Our wedding is 4-16...less than 3 weeks away.  I can try to help out as much as possible from what I've been told.

 

Our wedding is on a Saturday.  We are doing the rehearsal Thursday and having the dinner at the Japanese restaurant. From what all the other girls have said this is the best place to go with a group.  We are doing the Welcome Cocktail Hour Friday.  Karla gives you the choices of where this will be.  I think it depends on how many people you are having.  A lot of this information is in the Final Details attachment that she will send you when your date gets closer.  We picked the rehearsal to be on Thursday b/c some of our guests aren't coming till Friday and we didn't want them to miss the Welcome Hour.  In the Final Details paperwork is where you can personalize your ceremony too.  That attachment will be your bible!!  

 

To me it seems worth it to do the Mac Daddy package.  Basically everything you would need is included in the package.  The things we are spending money on besides the package are photography, DJ, and centerpieces.  Again I think what you spend your money on is personal preference.  

 

[canmaya bride]

I just looked at the dream blessing package i am going with. It does mention the 1hr cocktail hr but does not mention anything about the rehersal dinner. Does this come with just booking the wedding? Do you have to pay extra for this?

 

 

[cj122638]

Hi Hannah,

Thanks for the response. We are "officially" getting married at the Maya. However, our ceremony will be on the beach (which I understand is shared by the Lindo and the Maya) and our Reception is at the El Jumbalaya (which is also at the Lindo). So I'm not really sure why it even says we are are at the Maya, but no biggie. We got the mac daddy package. My understanding is that it includes everything for 10 people and that every person after that is extra.I'm not exactly sure how extra. I got an email from Lily saying that the extra cost per person would be $13 pp or $18 pp for the welcome cocktail reception depending on whether we have food? Does that sound right? And then there is an additional cost per person for the wedding reception? Do you know how much that is? This is starting to add up to more than I had originally thought.

 

How much were the chair upgrades? And did you get the nicer table linens? We also would like to bring some decorations down with us (paper lanters etc). Will there be someone to set those things up for us (i'm sure  for an extra charge)?    Also, do you know what the table size options are? We are trying to start thinking about a seating chart but we're kinda stuck without knowing what all we can do with the tables.

 

Sorry for so many questions! Thanks so much for all your help!

 

[nucci]

Hanna-  Wow that's so exciting and we'll be right behind you guys .  For photography we hired a photographer Citilli Rico from Claudia Rodriquez and we also went with DJ Doremixx.  Are you freaking out??  I am haha.  

[Hanna20]

Yup freaking out a bit for sure!!! It's so close now.... hard to believe how fast the last few months have gone by. Today is my last day of work and we leave on Saturday. We have 40 people coming with us and 35 of us are all on the same flight! The next couple of days will be filled with all of our last minute running around and appointments galore!! Dentist, hair, nails, wax, etc etc!
 

Originally Posted by nucci 

Hanna-  Wow that's so exciting and we'll be right behind you guys .  For photography we hired a photographer Citilli Rico from Claudia Rodriquez and we also went with DJ Doremixx.  Are you freaking out??  I am haha.  

 

[mshoevlin]

Thank you for the information!!!  You said that you had a sand ceremony - did the judge conduct this or did you have a guest do it?  I have seen different wording online, but didn't know if the judge would do that portion of the ceremony or if we would have to ask somebody .

 

Originally Posted by radiochic10 

Hi all!
 

 I'm trying to go through the questions so I can offer some insight. We had the saxophonist play-which was AWESOME.  I mean-super sexy & perfect for a beach wedding.  We just watched the video my cousins made again last night & the sax was a killer addition. As for the ceremony itself, we told them what we wanted to do & they were great with it all.  We brought our own unity sand & they set it up at the front for us (the 'altar' on the beach) and I wanted my Godmother to read a beautiful prayer I found, so she did.  We walked down the sandy 'aisle' and when we got to the front, the first thing that happened was the judge welcomed us and asked my g-mother to come up front.  She handed her a microphone & she said some very kind words before reading the prayer.  Then the ring bearer walked up and we took our rings off of the pillow.  The judge looked at my then fiance' and asked if he came with a pure heart and wishes to marry me-he said "I do" and he put my ring on as he read the vows he wrote me. (EVERYONE was bawling-it was amazing)  Then I did the same thing.  After that, she asked us to come forward to do the unity sand-we did-then it was time to sign the actual marriage license...yes-you do that RIGHT there in the middle of the ceremony.  Not only do you both sign it, but you also have to put your thumbprint(s) on it-4 or 5 copies!!! (they provide tissue to wipe your thumb so you don't get ink on your dress)  AND your witnesses have to come up at that same time to sign the copies as well.  Why they don't do this AFTER-I have no idea.  But it is always during the ceremony, just so you know-because the judge leaves 3 seconds after she's done.  She was VERY nice, but I couldn't understand all of what she said..but I didn't care.  The most important part, we got-no problem. She said our names-was very kind and did her job well. 

 

 We had a rehearsal-which is NOT normal there.  Karla said she never does them, but if I wanted one, she'd be there no problem.  I did-and she was there.  The only thing it really did was show us where on the beach we were walking and who went down the aisle when (it helped my ring bearer and flower girls for sure and truthfully-it helped me visualize it all better, so I'm glad we did that.)  It only took MAYBE 20 minutes-so don't plan a ton of time for it-it'll only be time wasted.  The judge ONLY shows up for the wedding-never a rehearsal, FYI.  We did that at 6:30 the night before the wedding.  Then we had our "welcome private cocktail party" included in the Mac Daddy package from 7-8 and the rehearsal dinner at 8:30.  Now, people have asked about the rehearsal dinner....DO IT DO IT DO IT!!! I can not stress this enough.  It was so much fun and everyone was in the same place at the same time enjoying each others company.  We had a 'groom's cake' for dessert that we paid $40 for-and it was HUGE and so funny.  We brought a cake topper for it that was a bride standing up holding keys & a groom sitting down with his chin in his hands & a ball & chain around his ankle.  (It fit perfectly with the theme we continued for our entrance to the reception.  I was swinging a plastic ball & chain over my head when DJ Doremixx announced us into the reception.  It was hysterical)  Anyway-the rehearsal we had was in the Japanese Steakhouse where they cook in front of you & that is the WAY to go-because they cook chicken, beef & veggies.  If you don't want one of those, tell the chef as he's putting the stuff on your plate.  It couldn't be easier to get what you want and still have everyone there.  I was worried about it 'taking away' from people's dinner options-but THEY ARE THERE FOR YOU!!! Trust me-they will NOT care!!!  It's nowhere near the big deal I thought it was.  People were honored we invited everyone and really happy to be part of it.  The Japanese steakhouse is the way to go!  I'm SO happy I took Karla's advice & had it there.

 

Here was our time line-to give new people an idea of the schedule-as it is super overwhelming.  Because we got married on Valentine's Day-the sunset was earlier than it would be in the summertime, so we did it like this:  4:30pm-Ceremony on the Beach, 6pm-Champagne/cocktails and appetizers on the terrace and 7p-11p Reception.  I originally thought that there was WAY too much time between the ceremony & the cocktail hour, but believe me-you NEED the time for pictures.  Most people stayed with us on the beach for pictures and we ended up coming up to the champagne/cocktail hr around 6:15 ourselves, so it really does time out much better than you initially think it will! 

 

A private reception is the way to go if you can swing it.  It's YOUR day-you want to look around & always see familiar faces.  It's so awesome to have a place that is JUST for you & your family and friends for the night.  SO glad we did that.

 

Hope that helps a little!

 

 

 

[lisanicole]

 

 

Originally Posted by cj122638 

 

Hi Hannah,

Thanks for the response. We are "officially" getting married at the Maya. However, our ceremony will be on the beach (which I understand is shared by the Lindo and the Maya) and our Reception is at the El Jumbalaya (which is also at the Lindo). So I'm not really sure why it even says we are are at the Maya, but no biggie. We got the mac daddy package. My understanding is that it includes everything for 10 people and that every person after that is extra.I'm not exactly sure how extra. I got an email from Lily saying that the extra cost per person would be $13 pp or $18 pp for the welcome cocktail reception depending on whether we have food? Does that sound right? And then there is an additional cost per person for the wedding reception? Do you know how much that is? This is starting to add up to more than I had originally thought.

 

How much were the chair upgrades? And did you get the nicer table linens? We also would like to bring some decorations down with us (paper lanters etc). Will there be someone to set those things up for us (i'm sure  for an extra charge)?    Also, do you know what the table size options are? We are trying to start thinking about a seating chart but we're kinda stuck without knowing what all we can do with the tables.

 

Sorry for so many questions! Thanks so much for all your help!

 

 

 

I got married at the Maya on 11/12/10.  We decided not to do the chair upgrades as it was going to cost us an extra $800.00 (we had 70 guests). The chairs were covered with covers and bows during the ceremony and I think they were fine for the reception.  /We had tables of 8 and 10.We opted to not have our reception at the Jumbalaya. It was very nice there (we had dinner there) but it was completely inside so they moved our private receiption to the Mexican Rest overlooking the pool. I would highly recommend that location if they give you the choice. It is all windows overlooking the pool and we had the little private balacony with tables where our guest could sit outside. We also had the highest package and I believe not including photographer and DJ with all the extras we ended up paying 8500.00 in total.