Azul Beach Hotel - POST HERE!

[htztrtz]

Hi everyone,

 

I was married in February at Azul Beach. It was so fantastic! I was really nervous beforehand, because I didn't feel secure that the wedding coordinator had really shared the information with the hotel. It is hard to plan a wedding from so far away! Well I have to say - that for all the stressing that I did - everything felt a MILLION times better after we arrived at the hotel and met with the wedding staff at the hotel. I was worried for instance that the DJ might not have my obscure father daughter dance song. The wedding staff immediately called the DJ and confirmed for me that he did have it. 

 

Some of my biggest concerns

The DJ: I did not hire an outside DJ - too much money! The hotel's DJ package was fantastic and they were very accommodating. I had sent them a list of songs we liked - more than necessary - and let them know they could play whichever songs from the list that they wanted. They did an excellent job of keeping everyone on their feet dancing. They also hit all our cues right on time.

 

Guests enjoying the hotel: It was AMAZING. Beautiful. The beach is lovely and there were plenty of activities on the beach for people to enjoy. The restaurants were great - I recommend ordering off the menu at the sushi restaurant - ask for what you want!

 

Special dietary needs: My step father has a very intense dietary need and one of my guests is allergic to nuts. The executive chef met with both to work with them so that they would be okay at the various restaurants and on the day of the wedding. Amazing once again!

 

Set up: My sister offered to help set up the decorations on the day of the wedding - to help make sure the staff got it right. In the end - that didn't make any sense because they set up pretty close to the wedding start time. In the end it didn't matter anyway, because they did it just perfectly. Everything I asked for - they did.

 

The dress: The boutique that I bought my dress from correctly recommended that I carry the dress as a carry-on. The flight crew was really sweet and reserved some overhead bin space for my dress. I think they are used to destination weddings.

 

Azul terrace guest #: We were told that AB is really strict about the minimum guest number (50). I had 48 at one point and was still told this was not sufficient. In the end at the last minute my guest count dropped to 44. When I met with the on-site coordinators to go over all the wedding details - they didn't even bat an eye about my guest count. I was able to have my reception at Azul terrace. It really is such a lovely location. 

 

Hiccups:

Spa service: I highly recommend that you NOT make any of your spa reservations in advance - hair or makeup. They will offer you and your guests a discount that will not be valid if you make your reservation in advance. It is really really annoying and they will not budge on this. So wait for the offer to come in after you arrive and after you meet with the on-site coordinators and then make your appointments for hair, makeup, and massages.

 

Weather: On one of the evenings, it rained, and my beach bonfire was drowned out. We were moved to the tequila lounge. Not so bad - and our guests were still happy.

 

Advice

Decorations and guest treats: Don't ship your decorations! I met another destination wedding bride at the airport and she was telling me that her 2 shipped boxes were being held up at customs for the second time in a row. We were able to pack decorations, guest treats, and our personal belongings in 4 suitcases. We asked one of our guests to bring one of the suitcases to AB and then one home with whatever was left and my dress packed up so we could travel for honeymoon with a lighter load. We also made a wedding newsletter for all our guests along with valentines for them since it was around Valentines Day. Note: delivery to guests' rooms was $4 per room. 

 

Welcome dinner or farewell dinner: We opted for a farewell dinner after the wedding. Honestly, we could have done without it. It could have been nicer to simply have a casual meeting at one of the bars so people could opt in or opt out.

 

Outings: It was easy for people to plan tours to Chichin Itza and Xel-ha etc. I wish I had spent a little more time helping my parents get in on one of those tours. I on the other hand was happy to simply be at the hotel the whole time.

 

I hope this info helps! Feel free to ask me questions.

[Amanda Hammett]

I will send you my welcome cards in an editable format.

[gillianr718]

You ladies are the best!!!  Thank you!

[girltravel77]

I echo what Asposeep said - I don't know what I'd do without you guys! =) Kaela and any other brides out there - I was wondering how you organized your bridal lunch? Was this the free reservation that they give you for up to 25 guests? Did you plan anything as far as decor for this? I was thinking that me, my mom and my bridesmaids could have an informal brunch on the day of the wedding before we start getting ready. Will it be easy enough to go to one of the restaurants that day, rather than having anything formal planned? When you went for your makeup trial did you happen to see what kind of cosmetics they used at the spa? Would you recommend bringing everything myself? I was thinking if I had my own foundation then I could just use what they have at the spa for most everything else. Do you recommend a certain foundation to use down there? I'm not a big makeup person, so don't know too much about it though I've started doing some research. Do you mind telling us what time you set your hair and makeup appointments for with a 5pm ceremony time? My WC is saying that hair should only take 60 minutes, but I read somewhere on here that hair usually takes more like 90 mins for an up do. Did you give your DJ a list or CD of all songs to play or did you just give a must play/do not play list? It seems like I've seen it more often where brides have given the DJ a full list of all songs they want played - this seems like a lot of work, though I'm sure that would guarantee they play only songs you like. Thanks so much again!!!

[girltravel77]

i'm not sure why my posts always condense into one paragraph now. sorry for the huge paragraph of questions! lol

[Misadelf]

Kaela, Amanda,

 

Would you mind sending me your welcome letters as well? Less than 3 weeks away now, so anything that can save me time is a lifesaver! [email protected]

 

Thank you in advance!

[htztrtz]

Originally Posted by girltravel77 

 

I echo what Asposeep said - I don't know what I'd do without you guys! =) Kaela and any other brides out there - I was wondering how you organized your bridal lunch? Was this the free reservation that they give you for up to 25 guests? Did you plan anything as far as decor for this? I was thinking that me, my mom and my bridesmaids could have an informal brunch on the day of the wedding before we start getting ready. Will it be easy enough to go to one of the restaurants that day, rather than having anything formal planned? When you went for your makeup trial did you happen to see what kind of cosmetics they used at the spa? Would you recommend bringing everything myself? I was thinking if I had my own foundation then I could just use what they have at the spa for most everything else. Do you recommend a certain foundation to use down there? I'm not a big makeup person, so don't know too much about it though I've started doing some research. Do you mind telling us what time you set your hair and makeup appointments for with a 5pm ceremony time? My WC is saying that hair should only take 60 minutes, but I read somewhere on here that hair usually takes more like 90 mins for an up do. Did you give your DJ a list or CD of all songs to play or did you just give a must play/do not play list? It seems like I've seen it more often where brides have given the DJ a full list of all songs they want played - this seems like a lot of work, though I'm sure that would guarantee they play only songs you like. Thanks so much again!!!

Hi there - I used my free reservation for 25 guests for a farewell dinner and it was sweetly decorated. They had nice table cloths and table jewels and candles. Also - I had an informal brunch on the day of the wedding before getting ready and I really liked it. We all just showed up at the main Azul restaurant - they were very accommodating. There were 9 of us altogether. I did my own makeup and thought I did great - I used Benefit and asked the person there to help teach me how to use their products. I don't use makeup either - so I had a lot to learn - and I think it came out well. I highly recommend false eyelashes - and practicing beforehand! I gave the DJ a list of all my songs - to play in the order the DJ thought best. It was a lot of work - I asked my hubby to work on it and then I edited it with the help of my friend who is a DJ. My advice is to get specific about what you are looking for if your fiance helps out. I wrote some other advice and a review if you want to check out more: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/azul-beach-hotel-by-karisma-all-inclusive/reviews/7100

 

My itinerary in case helpful:

 

 

Wedding day:

9am:  Breakfast w/Bridesmaids @ Blue International Restaurant. 

10:30am: Break! 

11:30am: Hair

1:45pm: Bridal party met up in my room - makeup, get dressed

3pm: bridal party pics

3:45pm: Assemble for the big entrance. 

4:00pm: Ceremony

4:30: Pictures

5:45pm - 6:30pm: Tacos and mayhem at the Wave Lounge

6:30pm - Reception and Dinner begins.

7:15pm          Toasts

8:50PM          Cake

10:30pm: Over

 

[htztrtz]

Originally Posted by girltravel77 

 

Hi Kaela and any other brides who got married at ABH! I was wondering if any of you had guests stay outside the resort and how the day passes work? One of our groomsmen and our officiant (a married couple) are staying outside the resort, but we'd like them to spend the day before the wedding and the full day on the day of the wedding with us at the resort. How is the 8 hour policy enforced? Also, when I looked back out our Azul contract it says guests with day passes are not allowed in any of the guest rooms. Is this enforced? Any help you can provide is much much appreciated!! Thank you, Melissa

Hi - I had a guest who stayed outside the resort. She was able to be in the guest room and I don't think they were super strict about the 8 hour policy. Also - someone asked about shipping costs. I didn't ship anything and ran into a bride at the airport who had. She was having a terrible time because she had been alerted that her two boxes of decorations were being held up at customs for the second time. Eeek! Sounded terrible! 

[htztrtz]

Originally Posted by LanaM18 

 

I am having a private beach party/Welcome Mixer and was wondering what previous brides were using for music there?  They told me I can rent an amplifer for 250...anyone use that? 

We used our portable blue tooth speaker and hooked it up to our ipad for music. It worked just find - and we figured it would be better than renting their equipment because we could keep it and use it in the future for parties.

[girltravel77]

Here is what I said in my welcome letter. I created a post card at vistaprint.com. They seem to have lots of deals on their site. "Dear Family and Friends, Welcome to the Riviera Maya! We are extremely pleased that you were able to travel with us to celebrate our special day. Words cannot express how sincerely honored and blessed we feel that you are here. We hope that you fully enjoy your time in Mexico and the festivities that this weekend will bring. Please join us at the Wave Lounge on Saturday from 5-7pm to enjoy some tacos and beer and kick off the celebration! As a reminder the wedding ceremony will begin promptly at 5pm on Sunday at the beach. Please enjoy your beach bag and the goodies it contains as a small token of our appreciation for your being here. We hope they make your stay in Mexico just a little bit more fun and comfortable. Let the fun begin! Peter and Melissa"