Now Sapphire Weddings Formerly Paradisus Riviera

[JaxBchKay]

I have to say at this point my anxiety level is through the roof!  It was so hard to pick a resort and to now be hearing that they aren't allowing ANY flexibility with what is in the packages is just freaking me out.  Part of why I picked this resort is because previous brides said how they were allowed to customize and it sounded like they got their money's worth out of it.  But I plan to bring in an outside photographer, makeup/hair people, bringing bouquets with me and wanted to use the soloist for my cocktail hour so if they don't let me change things up a bit, then why pay for the package at all?  I almost feel like I would need to get the basic free package and add from there..... except everything is so expensive.

 

I'm glad my wedding is still a year away and that I haven't finalized my save the dates yet.  I signed up for the webinar and I am hoping that the answers make me feel better about thigs.  I have time to change resorts if needed but I really don't want to go through the whole process again!  I would email my questions/ concerns to Juan Carlos (who I was assigned to)  but from what everyone is saying, that won't get me any real answers.  Not sure what to do

[gannonham]

So after going back and forth with the Juan Carlos my issues are now resolved. FYI...Any brides that are getting married in 2014 that have been booked with Now Sapphire for more than 9 months, I woud highly recommend making Anel or Juan Carlos aware that you booked your package using the 2012/2013 Wedding Guide.

 

It appears the 2013/2014 Wedding Guide does not allow you to exchange services that you don't need for something else (i.e. you can't swap out soup for an extra appetizer or use the saxophonist during cocktail hour).  And this was they reason why I went on a rant earlier this week, becuase initially Juan Carlos (the new Ramon replacement) was telling me that everything I wanted to do in my wedding I could not do, but he did apologize and agreed to honor all of my request since I'm a bride who booked well over a year ago for a different Wedding Guide.

 

KEEP ALL EMAILS...

Did you end up being able to use the soloist for your cocktail reception @@niknic456?  Anel is telling me I'm not allowed, but I booked my wedding in May of last year and I would really, really like to use the soloist for the cocktail recpetion vs. the ceremony.

 

For brides who did use the solist for the ceremony, how did you incorporate them in?  Did they play while you walked down the aisle, etc.? 

 

[vanessav53]

@@JaxBchKay How many people are you planning on having? I think depending on that youc an figure out if hte divine package still pays out vs. the basic package. I am having 75 people so even if they don't allow me any flexibility It still pays out just for the cost of the per person cost for food/drink after the 25 people. It's not ideal and I wish they would allow some of the things they used to but from the research I've done even with their outside vendor fees they are still more reasonable than alot of resorst. For example azul does not allow any outside vendors at all and one of the other hotels charges an $800 outside vendor fee vs. the $300 one at NOW so after hte webinar sit down and go through ALL the math and see if it will pay out.  I think in the big picture it might still work out finacially benefitical for you ( I hope it does!)

 

Good Luck. My mom is dialing in on the webinar in my place because I will be on a flight at that time

[gannonham]

Thanks for the info re: what other resorts charge @@vanessav53.  That puts a few things into perspective.  However, I still really hope that they will allow me to use my solist for the cocktail reception.  Fingers crossed.
 

For any Canadian brides out there who are looking to do OOT bags, Dollarama has quite a few plastic tumblers that are really nice and only $2 each.  We chose mason jar looking ones with handles (kind of like a mug) that normally retail for $8 - $12 each.  We are planning on giving these as part of our welcome bags, which will also have an itinerary, door hanger, a hangover kit, and a couple of other things we are still deciding on.  The have a number of designs for regular tumblers, but the mason jar mugs either have blue screw on lids and straws or pink ones.  We're hoping people use these for the pool bar or their beach drinks.  However, this is also something I think/hope they will bring home and use.  And every time they do, hopefully they will enjoy sipping that drink and reminiscing about their trip

Here's an idea of what a similar mug looks like (the ones we got have a translucent lid and no writing, just a mason jar like design):

 

[niknic456]

 

Did you end up being able to use the soloist for your cocktail reception @@niknic456?  Anel is telling me I'm not allowed, but I booked my wedding in May of last year and I would really, really like to use the soloist for the cocktail recpetion vs. the ceremony.

 

For brides who did use the solist for the ceremony, how did you incorporate them in?  Did they play while you walked down the aisle, etc.? 

 

 

I will be able to use my saxophonist for my cocktail hour. I called them personally and gave them a tongue lashing and now I'm getting everything I want. It's sad that I had to take it that far, but it seems that they are changing everything and becoming more strict. I even spoke to my travel agent today and she told me that this use to be her favorite place for weddings but she's not referring this place to brides any longer because the commuication is so difficult and it makes her job harder when dealing with brides. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO SCARE BRIDES BECAUSE OTHER BRIDES HAVE HAD NO ISSUES.

[JaxBchKay]

@@JaxBchKay How many people are you planning on having? I think depending on that youc an figure out if hte divine package still pays out vs. the basic package. I am having 75 people so even if they don't allow me any flexibility It still pays out just for the cost of the per person cost for food/drink after the 25 people. It's not ideal and I wish they would allow some of the things they used to but from the research I've done even with their outside vendor fees they are still more reasonable than alot of resorst. For example azul does not allow any outside vendors at all and one of the other hotels charges an $800 outside vendor fee vs. the $300 one at NOW so after hte webinar sit down and go through ALL the math and see if it will pay out.  I think in the big picture it might still work out finacially benefitical for you ( I hope it does!)

 

Good Luck. My mom is dialing in on the webinar in my place because I will be on a flight at that time

I think you are right, I need to sit down after the seminar and crunch the numbers. I am an accountant so I know the numbers never lie I think there might be some things I will fight for and just come up with a backup plan in case it doesn't work out. I was looking around today just to see, it seems like the guest experience here is better than at many of the pricier resorts. It's just frustrating that they are trying to change so many things overnight. Just adds more stress to the process but I really do love the resort, so I hope it works out.

[DinaQtobe]

I know it can feel unfair and horrible that newer weddings are not getting some of the same things as previous weddings.  I was able to use my musician for my cocktail hour.  While why I don't see any reason about why this can't be done anymore, it wouldn't have been a make or break item for me.  I would have used the musician for the ceremony instead, and I think this would have carried over into the cocktail hour.  The ceremony is about 20 minutes long and I believe you get the soloist for 45.

 

Although the wedding is important, the resort that you decide on needs to be so much more than just about the wedding.  Think about what type of experience you want for your guests pre and post wedding.  I hope I can outline the pros I found about the Now Sapphire:

The food at the Now Sapphire is much better than your typical all inclusive.  This includes the buffet, a la carte restaurants, and the food for the wedding.  My parents have stayed at many all inclusives in the area, and the Now Sapphire is up in the top 3 for food, service and experience.  A big highlight for my family was the Coco Cafe, a cute coffee shop where you can get espresso, cappuccino, lattes, and baked goods, sandwiches or desserts throughout the day.  Many resorts I have been to don't offer this, and it is so great to just grab a coffee, muffin, cookie or sandwich with no problem.

The pools are great.  You have a large busy pool for those that want a more lively experience, and a more quiet adults only pool for relaxation (my favorite.  Jose Louis the bartender there is amazing!)  Pool not your thing?  The beach runs the entire length of the resort (except for the areas for weddings) with many chairs and areas of shade.  A few of our guests love walking the beach, and they were able to walk for miles north or south of the resort with no issues.

The rooms are nice, clean, and beautiful.  We upgraded to an ocean view and are so happy that we did.  We watched the sun rise every morning (with coffee from Coco Cafe).  It was amazing.

The resort is close to the airport compared to many resorts in the riviera maya.  I've been to resorts where we had to take a bus for over an hour and a half.  The NS is only about 20-25 minutes from the airport.  It's also close to Puerto Morelos and Playa Del Carmen for your guests that want to experience life outside the resort (but this resort is great and they may not want to!).

I personally chose the Now Sapphire because the package included everything we needed and wanted for our wedding.  To add on the cocktail hour at many other places we were looking at brought the price up significantly for us.  I also fell in love with the Terrace when I saw photos of other weddings online - when I saw it I could finally envision myself getting married.  It was the most telling thing for me.  When I looked at other resorts the locations for the weddings could not compare.  I also really liked the fact that I could have our ceremony and reception in the same place, and I thought the deck was just beautiful. 

 

While I'm not saying that it is fair that newer brides aren't getting some of the same things that past brides have, I hope you will think about the other great reasons to hold your wedding at the Now.  If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask.  This site was so helpful to me when deciding on a resort and in planning my wedding I hope I can help other brides too.

[omontes]

Hi girls!

 

We hope you had a great weekend, we're so happy to write for you on this topic, please take a look at our next picture:

http://www.OctavioMontes.com

 

[gannonham]

@@DinaQtobe, you are absolutely right.  The cocktail reception is just one element of the wedding ... and the whole trip.  There are so many other wonderful things NOW Sapphire has to offer, which is why we all chose this resort.  Thank you for the reminder and the reassurance that everything is going to be perfect, even if it doesn't go 100% according to plan.

A few questions for past NOW Sapphire brides ...

1) If you used your soloist for your ceremony, did they play while you walked down the aisle?  And if so, did you tell them the songs in advance? 
2) If we are going to use the soloist for our ceremony, will they still set-up speakers for the vows, etc.?  And if so, would we be able to use those same speakers for the cocktail reception?  Do you think they would charge for this?
3) If you used an iPod for your ceremony music, who operated it?

 

[DinaQtobe]

@@DinaQtobe, you are absolutely right.  The cocktail reception is just one element of the wedding ... and the whole trip.  There are so many other wonderful things NOW Sapphire has to offer, which is why we all chose this resort.  Thank you for the reminder and the reassurance that everything is going to be perfect, even if it doesn't go 100% according to plan.

 

A few questions for past NOW Sapphire brides ...

 

1) If you used your soloist for your ceremony, did they play while you walked down the aisle?  And if so, did you tell them the songs in advance? 

2) If we are going to use the soloist for our ceremony, will they still set-up speakers for the vows, etc.?  And if so, would we be able to use those same speakers for the cocktail reception?  Do you think they would charge for this?

3) If you used an iPod for your ceremony music, who operated it?

 

 

Glad I could provide some perspective.

Speakers are included for the ceremony.  The minister speaks through a mic which you will then use for your vows.  We used an ipod and Ramon ensured the correct songs were played as the bridesmaids and bride walked down the aisle, and for the recessional. 

We used our own speaker system for the dinner and dance.  We had a playlist created and my husband pressed play and we went from there and did not need to change any songs.

 

I hope that answers at least part of your question.