Beach Palace Cancun Brides

[LindsT]

Hi ladies! I've been reading through this thread and have a few questions! I am getting married at beach palace on May 8th, 2015!!! I'm probably only going to have 30 or so guests. I booked the pearl shimmer collection and am now regretting that decision. I've been reading that if you book 75 room nights you get almost everything for free!!

I'm not sure ill even reach the 75 rooms, most likely won't. I'm kind of stressing out, worrying about spending money in the best possible ways. Still need photographer and dj, and am really dreading this 800 vendor fee. Any advice regarding the package I purchased, rather than going with the complimentary? Has anyone used and been happy with the vendors? Please help! 

[shmanderz]

Hi ladies! I've been reading through this thread and have a few questions! I am getting married at beach palace on May 8th, 2015!!! I'm probably only going to have 30 or so guests. I booked the pearl shimmer collection and am now regretting that decision. I've been reading that if you book 75 room nights you get almost everything for free!!

I'm not sure ill even reach the 75 rooms, most likely won't. I'm kind of stressing out, worrying about spending money in the best possible ways. Still need photographer and dj, and am really dreading this 800 vendor fee. Any advice regarding the package I purchased, rather than going with the complimentary? Has anyone used and been happy with the vendors? Please help! 

I am doing the complimentary package and it has been great so far.  I am using Del Sol Photography and only am paying the day pass fee for the two photographers.  I am using JSAV and Zuniga for decor/sound/lighting and since they are preferred vendors there are no fees for them.  I got all my lighting, gobo and sound from JSAV for about $1000 and then I ordered a ton of decor, lighting, lounge area, lounge palms, etc from Zuniga for $1700. I just received my purchase order bill from Beach Palace this week and the total bill is looking like it will be about $3550 after all my extras like day passes, extra reception hours etc (This price also includes the JSAV and Zuniga charge because you pay them through Beach Palace).

I am totally happy with this total price because that literally includes everything for the entire wedding day, reception etc...we are also having a welcome party on the first night and costs for that are also included in that final price. 

In addition to all that I am using Maya Floral for bouquets, bountineers, hair flowers and cake flowers for about $400 and he is meeting my bridesmaid in the lobby so there is no fee for him.

So, I dont know if that really helps you at all but I guess it gives a little insight into the other option of just doing the complimentary wedding!  Hope you are able to make a decision and I am sure whatever you choose will be fabulous!

[LindsT]

Thank you so much for your help!! How many guests are you expecting?? Because you need a certain amount of room nights to get the freebies right?? Thanks again for your help! You're amazing  

[tygrrlily]

@@shmanderz - Thanks for the breakdown! That's awesome. I can't wait to hear how your wedding goes!

 

Is Del Sol the only company we can get away with just paying day passes for photographers? They are unfortunately priced higher than we'd like to pay though I love their work. I've read a few stories about people just not telling their WCs and just getting day passes the day of for their photographers and videographers instead of paying the exorbitant $800 vendor fee.

 

Wondering if this would work?? I want to bring in an outside photographer and videographer, but $1600 in vendor fees is nuts

Edited April 29, 2014 by tygrrlily

[LindsT]

Do you know anyone that has used a package? I'm starting to regret it and am worried about the hassle to change it. If you don't mind me asking, how much is your photographer coming to? I just want to put my money into the right things. What kind of extras did you get towards your wedding for booking a certain amount of rooms? I really hope you don't mind me asking you a million questions! 

Thank you SO much!!

[shmanderz]

@@LindsT

Del Sol is definitely more expensive than most but their photos are so amazing!  We are paying $4000 for 5 hours. Photography is really important to my fiance and I so we pretty much went into the wedding planning with an inital plan to spend the majority of our budget on a crazy good photographer.  We had to pay 50% upfront which was a bit hard at the time but now that it is almost 6 months later our $2000 bill remaining doesnt seem that bad! lol I just try to not think of all the money that has been spent so far and it makes it easier now, haha

 

Edited April 29, 2014 by shmanderz

[shmanderz]

@@LindsT

 

Sorry my computer is messing up.  I had posted another response and dont know where it went! lol

 

We have 27 guests so we were able to reach the 75 room nights.

With that we got the free cocktail hour and free 2 hour reception on the wedding day. 

We added two additional hours onto the reception which works out to be $360 total  ($60 per table of 8 for every additional hour). The free event includes premium bar service, buffet dinner, tables, chairs, linens (Standard white table decor).

 

We also are making use of a free event on the first night.  We are having a welcome dinner on the Palenque Terrace from 7:00-10:00pm.  It includes all the stuff listed above.  We have a friend who lives on Isla Mujeres who plays guitar so him and his wife are coming over for ther dinner and to play music.  I had to get them guest passes.  I also ordered 2 strings of paper lanterns from Zuniga for lighting during the dinner.

[LindsT]

Thank you SO much for your help! You really have no idea how great it is to hear all of this from another bride to be! I am expecting around 30 people for my wedding as well...really I have no idea how many people will come! Is the South Sky terrace the one with the pool? God I feel like I have so many questions, because it is very hard to communicate with the ladies at the resort. With that being said...I really appreciate you and your advice! Are you having a DJ? I think I read you are renting speakers and using your Ipod. Have you heard anything about FineArt Studios? Also, are you bringing any décor type things from home, rather than paying for stuff at the resort? I am crafty and would like to bring/make my own centerpieces and what not, but am a little concerned about getting it all there safe and sound. I am so excited that I have all of this information that you provided, atleast for a reference for me to look back on while I plan everything!! Thank you sooo much   :)

 

Your wedding is coming!!! SO soon!! Yay! You seem totally ready!

[shmanderz]

Thank you SO much for your help! You really have no idea how great it is to hear all of this from another bride to be! I am expecting around 30 people for my wedding as well...really I have no idea how many people will come! Is the South Sky terrace the one with the pool? God I feel like I have so many questions, because it is very hard to communicate with the ladies at the resort. With that being said...I really appreciate you and your advice! Are you having a DJ? I think I read you are renting speakers and using your Ipod. Have you heard anything about FineArt Studios? Also, are you bringing any décor type things from home, rather than paying for stuff at the resort? I am crafty and would like to bring/make my own centerpieces and what not, but am a little concerned about getting it all there safe and sound. I am so excited that I have all of this information that you provided, atleast for a reference for me to look back on while I plan everything!! Thank you sooo much   :)

 

Your wedding is coming!!! SO soon!! Yay! You seem totally ready!

Hey!  No problem...I totally know how you feel. I was so overwhelmed before but trust me, it will all make sense and become easier.  One tip I have is to make a wedding binder and print every email coorespondance, write everything down, make copies of every contract and purchase order so when things get confusing you have one area where all your info and resources are located.  The process is painfully slow with the resort and sometimes thingss take weeks to get done so you sort of forget about stuff while you wait for a response.  My wedding binder has helped me so much! 

 

Here are some answers to your questions:

 

1) We are not doing a DJ.  Me and my sister put together a bunch of different playlists (Welcome dinner, cocktail hour, dinner music, party/fiesta music, etc).  Our MC is a friend of ours and he has all the info on when to switch the playlists and stuff.

We put all the songs in order and have told the MC not to shuffle the mix, that way during the reception it starts of with music for everyone and stuff the oldies will like and then builds up to more party dancing music by the end.  I think it will work well.  Once I have the music finished I can post the playlist songs we chose if anyone is interested!  We rented a sound system from JSAV which includes a speaker, microphone, ipod connections, mixer, etc.  We added an additional speaker just to make sure everything was nice a loud.  Here is the breakdown of the sound system costs:

$209- Basic Audio wedding package

$35- extra speaker

$335 Basic Lighting Package fopr dancefloor with robotic light tree + lighting for Lounge Palms

$100 Gobo and Gobo design fee

$220- Labour and Delivery

$143- tax

 

For the welcome dinner we are just bringing an Ipod speaker (we have a really loud one) and then our friend is playing acoutic guitar.  We made a Welcome Dinner playlist for this night.

 

2) The South Sky Terrace is the south pool area on the rooftop where they have all their wedding receptions and events. (The North Sky Terrace is the pool side that is closer to Cancun hotel zone point and they keep that area open for hotel guests everyt night).  One thing to note that since they keep the North side open you will see the odd guest coming through during your event because the womens bathroom is on the South Sky Terrace side.  During our site visit we were told about that.

 

3)I am bringing a TON of stuff from home! lol.  I have an entire extra suitcase of decor and stuff as well as all the welcome bags and contents.  I was shocked with the prices of centerpieces ($50 per centerpiece for a very basic centerpiece!) so I got crafty and put my own together.  

For the welcome dinner we are having an imperial table (one long table for everyone) and we are putting out a ton of electric candles down the center of the table.  Just keeping it simple and soft and glowy.

For the reception we have 4 round tables for guests and I put together centerpieces with electric candles and white pencil starfish around a small metal pail with a candle inside and we are going to fill it with sand from the beach.  I found these round placemats in the exact same blue color as mybridesmaid dresses so it will tie in everything nicely.  I posted a photo of it in my gallery if you want to check it out.  All in all I think I spent about $60 on electric candles and mayb $20-30 for everything else which is a great price that covers table decoration for both my event nights.

 

4) As for getting everything there safe I got some bubble wrap and packed everything in boxes and packed them all tightly in the suitcase and covered it in bubble wrap.  I also put a note ontop of everything listing the contents for airport secutiry if they happen to open it up and dig through it (I am sure 20 or so electric candles looks very odd when x-rayed!! haha.)

I plan to get the person at the check in desk to put a fragile sticker on the bag too if possible.  There isnt a ton of stuff that can break but I just dont want it tossed around, etc.

We are flying direct to Cancun so I hope that minimizes the chances that the bag gets lost in transit...but I just try not to stress about that and think positive!! lol

 

Oh and here is a another tip when choosing your buffet menus! You can swap out stuff you dont like and add things from other menus. The only restriction was that you have to take away something to add something. You cant just add things.

 

For the welcome dinner we chose the Buffet Yucateca:

We swapped out stewed pumpkin and added roasted potatoes

We swapped out butter sugar bread and added Ceviche

We swapped out marble jelly and added Petit Fours

 

For the reception dinner we chose the Buffet Cajun:

We swapped out Beef escalope and addedd Sirlon Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce

We swapped out Apple Tartlet for tropical fruit tartlet

And we also added Garlic Bread (This was not an issue to just add this because it was small)

 

The menu choosing was a hard decision for us until we learned we were able to swap stuff so I hope this helps anyone struggling with it!

Edited April 29, 2014 by shmanderz

[kather2008]

Hey!  No problem...I totally know how you feel. I was so overwhelmed before but trust me, it will all make sense and become easier.  One tip I have is to make a wedding binder and print every email coorespondance, write everything down, make copies of every contract and purchase order so when things get confusing you have one area where all your info and resources are located.  The process is painfully slow with the resort and sometimes thingss take weeks to get done so you sort of forget about stuff while you wait for a response.  My wedding binder has helped me so much! 

 

Here are some answers to your questions:

 

1) We are not doing a DJ.  Me and my sister put together a bunch of different playlists (Welcome dinner, cocktail hour, dinner music, party/fiesta music, etc).  Our MC is a friend of ours and he has all the info on when to switch the playlists and stuff.

We put all the songs in order and have told the MC not to shuffle the mix, that way during the reception it starts of with music for everyone and stuff the oldies will like and then builds up to more party dancing music by the end.  I think it will work well.  Once I have the music finished I can post the playlist songs we chose if anyone is interested!  We rented a sound system from JSAV which includes a speaker, microphone, ipod connections, mixer, etc.  We added an additional speaker just to make sure everything was nice a loud.  Here is the breakdown of the sound system costs:

$209- Basic Audio wedding package

$35- extra speaker

$335 Basic Lighting Package fopr dancefloor with robotic light tree + lighting for Lounge Palms

$100 Gobo and Gobo design fee

$220- Labour and Delivery

$143- tax

 

For the welcome dinner we are just bringing an Ipod speaker (we have a really loud one) and then our friend is playing acoutic guitar.  We made a Welcome Dinner playlist for this night.

 

2) The South Sky Terrace is the south pool area on the rooftop where they have all their wedding receptions and events. (The North Sky Terrace is the pool side that is closer to Cancun hotel zone point and they keep that area open for hotel guests everyt night).  One thing to note that since they keep the North side open you will see the odd guest coming through during your event because the womens bathroom is on the South Sky Terrace side.  During our site visit we were told about that.

 

3)I am bringing a TON of stuff from home! lol.  I have an entire extra suitcase of decor and stuff as well as all the welcome bags and contents.  I was shocked with the prices of centerpieces ($50 per centerpiece for a very basic centerpiece!) so I got crafty and put my own together.  

For the welcome dinner we are having an imperial table (one long table for everyone) and we are putting out a ton of electric candles down the center of the table.  Just keeping it simple and soft and glowy.

For the reception we have 4 round tables for guests and I put together centerpieces with electric candles and white pencil starfish around a small metal pail with a candle inside and we are going to fill it with sand from the beach.  I found these round placemats in the exact same blue color as mybridesmaid dresses so it will tie in everything nicely.  I posted a photo of it in my gallery if you want to check it out.  All in all I think I spent about $60 on electric candles and mayb $20-30 for everything else which is a great price that covers table decoration for both my event nights.

 

4) As for getting everything there safe I got some bubble wrap and packed everything in boxes and packed them all tightly in the suitcase and covered it in bubble wrap.  I also put a note ontop of everything listing the contents for airport secutiry if they happen to open it up and dig through it (I am sure 20 or so electric candles looks very odd when x-rayed!! haha.)

I plan to get the person at the check in desk to put a fragile sticker on the bag too if possible.  There isnt a ton of stuff that can break but I just dont want it tossed around, etc.

We are flying direct to Cancun so I hope that minimizes the chances that the bag gets lost in transit...but I just try not to stress about that and think positive!! lol

 

Oh and here is a another tip when choosing your buffet menus! You can swap out stuff you dont like and add things from other menus. The only restriction was that you have to take away something to add something. You cant just add things.

 

For the welcome dinner we chose the Buffet Yucateca:

We swapped out stewed pumpkin and added roasted potatoes

We swapped out butter sugar bread and added Ceviche

We swapped out marble jelly and added Petit Fours

 

For the reception dinner we chose the Buffet Cajun:

We swapped out Beef escalope and addedd Sirlon Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce

We swapped out Apple Tartlet for tropical fruit tartlet

And we also added Garlic Bread (This was not an issue to just add this because it was small)

 

The menu choosing was a hard decision for us until we learned we were able to swap stuff so I hope this helps anyone struggling with it!

Hey-

 

Who is your wedding planner, I recently received an email stating Elizabeth will no longer be my wedding planner now its Macro?

 

 

-Kat