Now Sapphire Weddings Formerly Paradisus Riviera

[mollyes]

Originally Posted by ReeBik 

 

It looks like you are on the Tequila Terrace... did you wear heels and if so, were the wood slats THAT big of an issue for you? 

 

Also, can anyone help me visualize where the Beach Terrace and Tequila Terrace are in relation to one another?  Do you know if they give you the option of having ceremony on the beach, cocktail hour on the Beach Terrace then reception on the Tequila Terrace (or vice versa)? 

 

Heels = nightmare. Despite the runner, I fell in the slats 3 times trying to get down the aisle. Then I got properly stuck during the recessional. Couldn't do anything but laugh it off and ditch the shoes. So... I wore my first ever pair of high end designer shoes (total waste of money but they were beautiful!) for a grand total of 30 minutes (and now they are on eBay!). I recommend you go wedge or sandal!

 

In terms of the beach terrace and tequila terrace. They are essentially touching but there is enough space between them that you can't see from one to the other. You can definitely do your ceremoney on the beach, then cocktails on the beach terrace and reception on the tequila terrace (we did tequila/beach terrace/tequila)... at least that was OK for us. Granted, there were no other weddings that night. The night after ours there was one wedding on the tequila terrace and one on the beach terrace at the same time so I don't think that would have worked. Amazingly, they did a good job of separating the two and I don't think music/noise overlap was an issue.

[nlh1227]

Hi - 2 weeks our from our wedding at NOW Sapphire - here are my thoughts and a few pics! So beautiful!!! Did you provide the lanterns or did they? How many were used? Thank you so much for sharing.

[Riviera Bride14]

Hello brides to be and past brides!!

 

I still have lots of time for the planning process but have a few things I am curious about.. If anyone has time to answer it would be appreciated

 

Anel is the coordinator for my wedding but I would like to know what she provides as far as service the day of the wedding. My wedding is at 3:00 PM and I would like to have cocktail hour around 530-630 and the reception 630-930 so for example what time that day will I get to meet up with her before the ceremony. Will she be there the entire wedding ceremony to make sure things go smoothly before and after? Will she ensure everything is set up and running on time and to ensure the guests are seated, wedding party follows the rehearsal routine, music is playing, bridal party is on time etc.

 

It says in the wedding guide that the wedding planner could program phone calls with you? When is the first time you got to speak and have your questions answered by Anel?

 

Also for the supper reception I see past brides have created menu's.. is a menu provided by resort or should I plan to create my own?

 

**{Past brides}**For the non-civil ceremony, do they still provide repeat after me vows? Could you tell the ceremony was non legal? Did you bring create a "like legal" paper documentation to sign after? 

 

Also as I am getting married in 2014 and have the 2013 wedding guide available, will options like bouquets, flowers and menu items change?

 

Are you able to have the bouquets/cakes in the 2013 wedding guide customized a bit to suit your color schemes or are the examples set in stone of what the resort offers? I do not wish to bring in outside vendors.. too much of a headache.

 

Any pieces of advice or good to knows from past brides?

 

Thanks for the help <3

[zeman321]

Originally Posted by Riviera Bride14 

 

Hello brides to be and past brides!!

 

I still have lots of time for the planning process but have a few things I am curious about.. If anyone has time to answer it would be appreciated

 

Anel is the coordinator for my wedding but I would like to know what she provides as far as service the day of the wedding. My wedding is at 3:00 PM and I would like to have cocktail hour around 530-630 and the reception 630-930 so for example what time that day will I get to meet up with her before the ceremony. Will she be there the entire wedding ceremony to make sure things go smoothly before and after? Will she ensure everything is set up and running on time and to ensure the guests are seated, wedding party follows the rehearsal routine, music is playing, bridal party is on time etc.

 

It says in the wedding guide that the wedding planner could program phone calls with you? When is the first time you got to speak and have your questions answered by Anel?

 

Also for the supper reception I see past brides have created menu's.. is a menu provided by resort or should I plan to create my own?

 

**{Past brides}**For the non-civil ceremony, do they still provide repeat after me vows? Could you tell the ceremony was non legal? Did you bring create a "like legal" paper documentation to sign after? 

 

Also as I am getting married in 2014 and have the 2013 wedding guide available, will options like bouquets, flowers and menu items change?

 

Are you able to have the bouquets/cakes in the 2013 wedding guide customized a bit to suit your color schemes or are the examples set in stone of what the resort offers? I do not wish to bring in outside vendors.. too much of a headache.

 

Any pieces of advice or good to knows from past brides?

 

Thanks for the help <3

We just booked my daughter's wedding for 2014 a couple of weeks ago and were sent an updated 2014 wedding guide. It is my understanding that the bouqets/cakes can be customized....though if you want something much different(besides color) it might cost more. You choose your menu from their wedding guide. It gives you choices for each course.  That's pretty much all the help I can give. It does help to read back through this thread. Lots of good information!   I would like to know if they have any decor left over from previous brides that they let you use. I hate to drag a bunch of stuff down there...What I do take I will certainly leave!

[mollyes]

Originally Posted by nlh1227 

 

Hi - 2 weeks our from our wedding at NOW Sapphire - here are my thoughts and a few pics!

 

 

So beautiful!!! Did you provide the lanterns or did they? How many were used? Thank you so much for sharing.

Thanks!! They provided the lanterns - for an additional charge (approximately $1000 - eek!).

[mollyes]

Originally Posted by zeman321 

 

We just booked my daughter's wedding for 2014 a couple of weeks ago and were sent an updated 2014 wedding guide. It is my understanding that the bouqets/cakes can be customized....though if you want something much different(besides color) it might cost more. You choose your menu from their wedding guide. It gives you choices for each course.  That's pretty much all the help I can give. It does help to read back through this thread. Lots of good information!   I would like to know if they have any decor left over from previous brides that they let you use. I hate to drag a bunch of stuff down there...What I do take I will certainly leave!

I left all of my stuff down there - burlap table runners (12), burlap bags to put the starfish table numbers in (5), luminaria bags with candles (probably 500 leftover!!), chalkboards to write signs on (I think I used 2), and vintage "worn" table numbers (1-12, my sister made them based on something we saw on Etsy). Anyway, if any of that sounds appealing, feel free to ask Anel. Then again, I did ask the maid to bring it all back to Anel & I didn't confirm with her so I'm not 100% sure it all made it back.

[mollyes]

Originally Posted by Riviera Bride14 

 

Hello brides to be and past brides!!

 

I still have lots of time for the planning process but have a few things I am curious about.. If anyone has time to answer it would be appreciated

 

Anel is the coordinator for my wedding but I would like to know what she provides as far as service the day of the wedding. My wedding is at 3:00 PM and I would like to have cocktail hour around 530-630 and the reception 630-930 so for example what time that day will I get to meet up with her before the ceremony. Will she be there the entire wedding ceremony to make sure things go smoothly before and after? Will she ensure everything is set up and running on time and to ensure the guests are seated, wedding party follows the rehearsal routine, music is playing, bridal party is on time etc.

 

It says in the wedding guide that the wedding planner could program phone calls with you? When is the first time you got to speak and have your questions answered by Anel?

 

Also for the supper reception I see past brides have created menu's.. is a menu provided by resort or should I plan to create my own?

 

**{Past brides}**For the non-civil ceremony, do they still provide repeat after me vows? Could you tell the ceremony was non legal? Did you bring create a "like legal" paper documentation to sign after? 

 

Also as I am getting married in 2014 and have the 2013 wedding guide available, will options like bouquets, flowers and menu items change?

 

Are you able to have the bouquets/cakes in the 2013 wedding guide customized a bit to suit your color schemes or are the examples set in stone of what the resort offers? I do not wish to bring in outside vendors.. too much of a headache.

 

Any pieces of advice or good to knows from past brides?

 

Thanks for the help <3

 

here was my experience:

 

Day of coordination. I came down Monday to Monday (wedding was on Saturday). I met with Anel on Monday to review everything and even change some orders (e.g., flowers). We met for about an hour and walked through everything. I also went to see her to check in on a few things throughout the week. We scheduled a rehearsal the evening before from 5:30 to 6. She totally took that over and managed everyone (Anel knows what she is doing!). On the day of, she called me throughout the day to check in. She had the flowers delivered to my room and the groom's to his room. She made sure the photographers got to us. She also organized the transportation and ensured that all of the guests were there before sending it to come get me. She then completely managed the whole processional process and then managed the event. She was invaluable and 100% on top of everything. BTW, we also asked a friend to MC the event, which was AWESOME. It made it very personal. However, even after he told everyone to leave the cocktail hour and head to the reception, it was Anel and her staff who really ushered everyone in.

 

Phone calls. I spoke to Anel on the phone once. I was sort of freaking out that she wasn't responding to my emails and asked her to call me. We set up a time that week, she called and we chatted for about 30 minutes just reviewing what I had submitted and that was it.

 

Menu. You pick from their extensive options. I picked off both the Divine and Eternity menu (paid for the Divine) and then they offered up a special gluten free vegetarian option for us when I asked for it.

 

Ceremony. Can't comment. We brought our own minister. We were married in the U.S. the day before we left. We did everything just like a normal wedding so unless people asked, they didn't know. My husband is Jewish so we did sign a ketubah during our ceremony.

 

Changes in 2014. I have no idea, but doubt it as the brochure was the same in 2013 as it was in 2012.

 

Customization. Absolutely. I sent in pictures of my bouquet and chuppa flowers - totally not in the brochure at all - and it was no problem. In fact, our table flowers were also not from the brochure but something another bride had done there in the past. Anel showed us a picture and we picked those. We customized the cake slightly to match with our colors but based on pictures here, I saw all sorts of different cakes.

 

Hope this helps! I'm still on a bit of a wedding high so happy to answer questions! ;-)

[FutureMrsBlaze]

Originally Posted by mollyes 

 

Hi - 2 weeks our from our wedding at NOW Sapphire - here are my thoughts and a few pics!

 

We were just married on July 20, 2013 at NOW Sapphire. We were thrilled with the results. Below are some of our thoughts and a few pics from friends (professional pics not ready yet). Please feel free to ask any specific questions. If context helps, we had 120 people. We had our wedding on the Tequila Terrace at 5 PM, Cocktail hour at the Beach Terrace from 6-7 and the reception from 7-11 (paid for an extra hour). Afterwards, we all changed and went to the lobby bar. We have a huge dance crowd, so staying through 11 with the DJ was good for our guests. We also did a beach BBQ the night before for our rehearsal dinner.

 

1) Location. We loved that the NOW Sapphire was such a close ride from the airport. It made it easy for our guests.

 

2) Food. Excellent. Everyone was so surprised by how good the food was. We had a beach BBQ for the rehearsal dinner and it came with 4 different types of meat, various vegetables, a whole array of salads and a beautiful dessert display. For the wedding, we choose the salad with pecans and blue cheese, mushroom & garlic soup and 3 entree selections (beef bourdelaise, salmon with squash blossom sauce, and gluten free/vegetarian lasagna). Everyone raved about the food.

 

3) Flowers. I used the resort's florist. It was expensive, and from reading other posts on here, you can find cheaper florists. However, I didn't have time or the energy to coordinate with many off-site vendors. The flowers were gorgeous. I sent pictures of what I wanted for my bouquet and alter and they did a fantastic job.

 

4) Day of Coordination. Perfect. We were pretty chill and just laid out at the pool and hung out with family/friends until it came time to get ready (separately). Anel was totally on top of having the flowers delivered on time and making sure the transportation for me to get to the ceremony came on time.

 

5). Music. Great!!! We had the resort organize the DJ and we provided a song list. He stuck pretty close to it with one big exception that made the party so much better... he didn't play a single slow song. I had put some slow songs on the list but they really read the crowd and could tell that folks just want to keep dancing like crazy. Everyone loved the DJ and asked for the playlist. So many people said how happy they were that they didn't slow things down at any point. The resort had a lots of surprises during the dance party that really upped the fun factor.

 

6) Spa. Phenomenal. It was so pretty and they did a fantastic job with my hair and make-up. I had Marilu - she was very sweet and I was very happy.

 

7) Pre-Wedding Communication. I know this is a stressful time for brides and I, like many brides on here, was worried because the email response time was very slow. However, it is true what everyone else here says - once you get there you realize that they are 100% on top of everything you've sent them. Also, once you are there, they are totally focused on you. There were 3 other weddings while we were there and Anel was in her office until 11 pm and 1 am every day working very hard. I hope to reassure you, because I know you want a response, just don't worry. We even made changes to the flowers and open bar once we got there that changed the bill and they were fine with that.

 

8) Photography. I had seen a post on here about the quality of the photography. That scared me, so I went with the photographer that woman used (Amorcito Corazon Studios (http://amorcitocorazonstudio.com) - Anel and Jacob). I haven't seen their pictures yet but I am very optimistic. They were wonderful. So cool and fully integrated into the wedding. I actually woke up with the flu on my wedding day (huge bummer) and when I started to feel awful during the group shots, they stopped them and assured me they would get enough throughout the wedding that I would be happy with without subjecting me to standing in the heat anymore. I highly recommend them... and they were cheaper than the resort photographers!!

 

 

Rehearsal Dinner: 

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Ceremony - Brought our minister from the US.

 

 

 

Wedding Reception

 

 

 

 

 

Hi there!! Just wondering about the beach bbq you did on the beach the night before for the rehearsal dinner?! What was the cost of that and what kind of menu did you have? We have been looking into doing something like this as well. We actually were looking into doing it off site with a different company where they do the BBQ and bonfire and stuff So I would loke to compare. Thank you much!!!

[TaraB]

Hello fellow Now Sapphire brides!

 

Does anyone have pictures/copies of the A La Carte restaurant menu's at Sapphire?   If not, would someone who is going to the resort in the near future be willing to take some and post?

 

Also, does anyone know the schedule of the a la carte restaurants (which restaurants are closed each day).  we have a larger group going (approx. 50), and arriving over several different days, so just trying to create a bit of a 'schedule' so people know where and when to find us if they want to dine with us throughout the week.   (the second week will be our no-schedule/ relax week once  most everyone else is gone)

 

How have other brides handled the issue of getting to spend time with everyone when you've had a large group attend?  suggestions would be appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[silvatobe]

Hi other Brides!!

 

I am getting married at the Now Sapphire on April 24, 2014 and am so excited! I have booked Del Sol Photography for the big day, but other than that I haven't done much planning. I want to do the "buffet" option instead of picking plated dishes and I read somewhere on here that that has been done?? Also, has anyone who has had their wedding there have a preference between the rectangle or circle reception tables? I am thinking I like the look of the long rectangle ones but I have 50 guests so not sure if there is much room for that on the Tequila Terrace??

 

Hope to hear back! (I'm new to this site and not totally sure how it works)

 

Thanks!