Now Sapphire Weddings Formerly Paradisus Riviera

[melnryluvco]

Originally Posted by LTLFAITHY 

 

So the outside vendor fee is different for photographers. This is a direct copy and paste from Anel, "Regarding the outside vendor fee, we normally charge $300 usd per outside vendor, in terms of photographers, we do an exception and we charge a day pass per person $65 usd, because it´s something very special and delicate, but for any other vendor, we charge the regular fee." 

Good to know! I hope if I bring a photographer they don't charge me more. We'll see....

[Noxx]

Originally Posted by leigh3124 

 

 

We brought our own photographer with us from the US who has been doing weddings for 17 years. I wanted to have more control over the work and I was scared to use a Mexican company for fear that I would pay them and then never hear from them again once I returned to the US. My photographer took over 2400 photos during the weekend and was with us the whole time and documented every part of the weekend. Our photographer was willing to do our wedding in exchange for the trip to Mexico.  With as many rooms and guests that we had booked at the resort we earned 8 free nights at the resort (check your group benefits in your contract). We used 4 of the nights (we spent 7 nights at a different resort for the honeymoon), the photographer used 3 nights, and we got a reimbursement check for the other night once we got home. Basically we brought our own photographer for the cost of a plane ticket. We got rights to all the photos, an engagement session, and a Graphistudio 40 page album. The photographer got to use our wedding for his portfolio (he aspires to make destination weddings a big part of his business) and he got a beach vacation for a few days. It was win-win.

 

Our wedding package included 24 prints from the resort photographer. Since we were denied exchanging the photography in the package for something else all together we decided to have the resort photographer capture cocktail hour. Our photographer was going to miss cocktail hour anyway. To be honest, the photographs weren’t particularly polished. For example, there were pictures of other people taking pictures. Here is alink to the resort photographer's work. You can judge for yourself. http://erikaanddaniel.nowsapphire.adventurephotos.com.mx/#/s7-slideshow-2/

 

You were able to use your anniversary nights to stay at a different resort?

I asked my travel agent and was told that we werent able to do so. Did you book through the resort of an agent. In curious i am looking to stay an extra week at a different resort but they are going to charge me $2000 just to stay there each for the week. To stay at our resort they are going to charge me almost as much as i paid for the whole trip including  flight. 

Im so torn i want to have a honeymoon but they are charging an arm and a leg. 

[leigh3124]

Originally Posted by melnryluvco 

 

 

I forgot to ask you about if the resort charged you a deposit to have another photographer or no because he was a "guest"? Again thanks a million for all your input!

 

We did not have to pay an additional fee at the resort as he was a guest of the resort. We flew him in for 3 nights and 4 days. We talked to about 20 photographers until we found the right one. Many were interested and willing to do it in exchange for the trip only and others wanted us to pay them on top of it. We became known in the local photographer circle as the "Mexico couple" lol! I suggest going to bridal shows in your area and speaking to photographers whose work you like.

 

The free room promotion we got was through the group benefits in group booking. The promotion was 1 free room for each 5 rooms booked per night with a limit of 3 free rooms per night. The fine print was very confusing, but all in all we earned 8 nights worth of free room credit.

[leigh3124]

Originally Posted by Noxx 

 

You were able to use your anniversary nights to stay at a different resort?

I asked my travel agent and was told that we werent able to do so. Did you book through the resort of an agent. In curious i am looking to stay an extra week at a different resort but they are going to charge me $2000 just to stay there each for the week. To stay at our resort they are going to charge me almost as much as i paid for the whole trip including  flight. 

Im so torn i want to have a honeymoon but they are charging an arm and a leg. 

 

For having our wedding at Now, we received up to 2 free anniversary nights with a minimum 7 night stay over our first anniversary.

 

We stayed at Now Sapphire for 4 nights (Thursday-Monday) using the room credit we earned through our group booking. On Monday we went to a different resort (adults only) for a 7 night honeymoon stay. The second resort was an El Dorado property (which I do not recommend). We had to pay for our stay, but found a FUNJET promotion of $1800 for two people for the 7 days. The catch was we didn't know which El Dorado property we were assigned until one week before we were scheduled to check in.

[melnryluvco]

Originally Posted by leigh3124 

 

 

We did not have to pay an additional fee at the resort as he was a guest of the resort. We flew him in for 3 nights and 4 days. We talked to about 20 photographers until we found the right one. Many were interested and willing to do it in exchange for the trip only and others wanted us to pay them on top of it. We became known in the local photographer circle as the "Mexico couple" lol! I suggest going to bridal shows in your area and speaking to photographers whose work you like.

 

The free room promotion we got was through the group benefits in group booking. The promotion was 1 free room for each 5 rooms booked per night with a limit of 3 free rooms per night. The fine print was very confusing, but all in all we earned 8 nights worth of free room credit.

 

What?? Who wouldn't want a paid for vacay to Mexico? Well anyways, we're lucky enough to have a family member who currently has a photography business, he does high fashion and sports shoots currently, so hopefully we can twist his arm into coming. He's been wanting to get into wedding photography so he could use us for his portfolio. I hope they are still running the same deal when we go and I'll have to have our TA explain the fine details to us. Thanks for the input! 

[craftygal]

Has anyone used a DJ other than DJ Doremixx? I wanted to hire him but when I emailed to confirm the date he didn't return the email. I have since sent 2 more emails with no response. So I guess I'm looking for someone else. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks

[Noxx]

Anyone picked out  their Dinner Menus yet?

Any formal brides that can suggest anything good?

[melnryluvco]

I've seen really good reviews on DJ Doremixx in other forums. Also, from what I've seen/heard from other girls is to avoid the resort DJ at all costs, one girl said it was a waste of her time and money especially since she had to take over MCing the party and the resort DJ never played any of the songs she or her guests wanted. We're just going to rent the sound systems and play our own DJ to save a bit of money. Good luck to you!

Originally Posted by craftygal 

Has anyone used a DJ other than DJ Doremixx? I wanted to hire him but when I emailed to confirm the date he didn't return the email. I have since sent 2 more emails with no response. So I guess I'm looking for someone else. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks

 

We just got all our confirmation stuff last week and started looking at the menu choices ourselves. I think I remember one of the girls on here saying that they got a beef plate and fish plate and she said the fish was pretty salty. So I'm kinda wondering the same thing. Also does anyone know if the vegetarian option counts as a meal choice or we can just let the resort know that we need a few veg plates and still keep our two options?

 

Originally Posted by Noxx 

Anyone picked out  their Dinner Menus yet?

Any formal brides that can suggest anything good?

[Moderncosmo1]

I'm pretty sure you can let the resort the few veg. Meals you will need but definitely need to choose one entree for the rest of your guests 2 weeks and I'll be there planning my wedding for the 13th Can not wait

[Jenbd817]

Originally Posted by craftygal 

 

Has anyone used a DJ other than DJ Doremixx? I wanted to hire him but when I emailed to confirm the date he didn't return the email. I have since sent 2 more emails with no response. So I guess I'm looking for someone else. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks

I planned to use DJ Doremixx as well for my wedding in Nov 2013 just based on the reviews on here alone.  I know it's really early but I will be reaching out to him soon to make sure he is available.  I really haven't heard of any other DJ recommendations besides him so I'm curious too..