Newbie Azul Beach 2013

[KaelaMcD]

Originally Posted by Misadelf 

 

Thanks Kaela! Your posts are VERY helpful!  I have a question about what happened with the live band? Was that another rule? Because I think they require 50 guests to allow you to use the terrace, so if they said no band with 55 guests, I kinda think that means no bands on the terrace? Is that the case? These guys... I have had like 10 back and forth emails on bands and my options but noone has mentioned that a full band would not be available on the Terrace!

 

Thanks again, and I would love to see your pictures of the ceremony/reception!

 

Misadelf-

 

I really wanted a live band like it sounds like you do! But for a number of reasons, I ultimately wasn't comfortable. They did not tell me that I couldn't have the band at Blue Terrace, but they warned me that it would make the space pretty tight. Yes, they informed me that you need to have at least 45 guests (I'm pretty sure that was the minimum I was quoted) but no more than 60. We had 55 (including 7 children and even the children had their own "place setting." Even if they were infants, which we had 5, they had their own "spot" at every table.)

 

So with our 55 guests, and their warning that it might make space a little uncomfortable, that was the first thing that made me hesitate on the band. The space issue could have been solved by moving to the ballroom (which I didn't want to go all the way to the beach in Mexico to have the reception in a ballroom) or moving to the beach (which just wasn't our first choice). But we ultimately wanted to be at the Terrace (which I'm now confident was the best choice). And, I agree that they were right. You could have fit a band, but it would have been pretty tight.

 

The second thing that made me hesitate about the band was that my Lomas planner (Lynda) told me that they don't emcee at all. So you would have to figure something out on your own about how to make all the necessary announcements (ie; announce bride and groom, first dance, cake cutting, etc.). And, they were going to charge for a separate sound system/microphone to make said announcements or toasts etc. She specifically said we could NOT use the band's equipment for that. You also can't pick your music ahead of time, so you don't really have any idea what they will play! Maybe other brides have had a different/better experience, but without an emcee or being able to choose SOME of the music or use their equipment, I wasn't comfortable paying nearly $4000!

 

Hope that helps!

[KaelaMcD]

Originally Posted by karyc 

 

 

kaela, thanks so much! yes i would love to see pictures of the set-up in blue terrace. out of curiosity, do you think you could have fit very many more people into blue terrance (sounds like you had 56)? i know they have a technical cut-off of 60, but it sounds like they might be somewhat flexible on that, and i'm just wondering how crowded it would feel if we had, say, 70 people... thanks again!!

 

karyc-

 

I'm working on a flickr account with pics of the property so I'll share the link as soon as it's finished. I'm not sure how flexible they are on the number of guests in the Terrace. According to my Lomas planner (Lynda) she informed me they were not flexible at all (had to be between 45-60). Before we knew our final number, we were going over all the different options based on 65 as our max number of guests, and she told me we could not be in the Terrace if we were over 60. And, now that I've seen the space, I understand why that "rule" is in place. Honestly, you might be able to seat 70 people, but you'd have no room at all for a dance floor. We had 55 total, and we pretty much utilized all the space along the perimeter of the room, leaving a dance floor in the middle that was probably around 15ft x 10ft (again, rough estimate!).

[truitt2002]

truitt2002- Thank you for the congratulations! I did not use the photographer offered by the resort/Lomas because I wasn't impressed with their work (and the pictures are really important to me). I used Playa Weddings, a husband and wife team from Colorado. They did both photography and videography, but they are technically one vendor, so I only had to pay the "outside vendor fee" one time. They are really strict about bringing in outdoor vendors. They charge an $800 fee in fact (Unless the vendor is staying three nights or more at the resort, which was the case with my ceremony musician who was a cousin of mine, otherwise they would have charged for him too! Craziness....)! Playa Weddings was kind enough to "split" the fee with me, by basically offering me an extra hour of coverage without charging me. They were a fantastic team, very professional, on-time, easy to correspond with via email (also important to me!) and we were overall very impressed. Visit their site at www.playaweddings.com They have done a number of other weddings at Azul Beach (you can see a few on their site) so they know their way around the resort, and have worked with the staff, etc. I highly recommend them! As soon as I have some pictures, I'll share! Let me know if you have any other questions! Happy planning. :-)

KaelaMcD, you're awesome. Thanks for the info. More questions.....how many and what other resorts were you considering before settling on Azul Beach? The selection process has been daunting because the resorts are all gorgeous and have unique qualities. I am sooo leaning towards this resort, but I want to confidently make this big decision. What factors were the deciding factors for you in picking Azul Beach?

[KaelaMcD]

Hi Azul Beach Brides-

 

I started a flickr account with photos from Azul Beach. These are not from my actual wedding, just photos of the property. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Kaela

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaelamcdougall/

[asposeep]

Hey Ashley- Music was another "big deal" to me. I'm actually a music teacher, and can be a bit of a "snob" about it, so I toiled over this one a lot! :-) First, I wanted the live band, but we couldn't fit them, and all 55 of my guests at Blue Terrace so I settled on a DJ. I actually also contacted DJ Doremixx for a quote (just out of curiosity, because everyone was talking about them!). I never heard back, and I was getting close to my contract deadline so I had to make a choice. I went with the Lomas DJ (DJ All Music, the $1500 package) and have zero regrets! They were AWESOME! We went with the more expensive of the two choices, mainly because we really wanted to have an emcee, and Mega DJ (the cheaper of the two) does not include one. They actually had four staff members, the emcee, the "main" DJ, and the two other guys either helping him with the tracks/equipment, or running the bubble machine, handing out neon bracelets, or balloons, etc. In your contract with Lomas, there should be a tab that has a detailed list of the reception for the DJ including times of the events (first dance, garter toss, cake cutting, etc.) and you can also include a list of songs you want them to play (or not). They were very professional and kept the reception running on-time. They also did a fantastic job at playing the songs we picked (and in true DJ fashion running one song into the next so there's no down time where people think, "Oh, this song is over, I'm tired, I'll go sit down!") and choosing other songs that weren't on the list that fit our "genre" (which for us was mostly classics). And any time I popped my head over his computer for a request, that song was up next! I put on the list that I didn't want any pop and I didn't hear one Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber song (not that I don't like them, I was just trying to appeal to our entire audience of guests, which were mostly over 50 :-)) I thought they were great, and would definitely recommend them. For my ceremony music, my cousin played his guitar. For our cocktail hour between the ceremony and reception, we had the Mexican Trio, and they did such a great job too! It definitely gave the event a very authentic flare, and the guests loved the live music. Sorry the response is so long...I tend to ramble. But I know when I was planning, I wanted as many details as possible! Let me know if you need anything else.

You are not rambling at all---this is extremely helpful!!!! I am feeing so overwhelmed with all of this so a trying to start with the big things before I go crazy congratulations on your wedding---I love hearing all the brides say such wonderful things about the resort.

[KaelaMcD]

truitt2002-

 

I agree, choosing a resort is very daunting (and tough since you have to go off pictures and other people's advice)! I walk you through my process!

 

Once we decided on a destination wedding, we needed a destination. We chose Mexico because of the cost (more bang for your buck than other Caribbean spots) and its proximity to the state/ease to travel there. Once we chose Mexico we met with a Travel Agent for some advice.

 

We went with Legacy Travel because they specialize in destination weddings (and they have an office in Chicago where we're from). If you don't have an agent, I highly recommend it, as they take care of ALL the booking of your guests and make sure all their travel arrangements are taken care of, so YOU don't have to worry about it.

 

When we sat down with our agent, we told her what was important to us and she recommended a handful. She told us the pros and cons of each, and also the cost of each. Honestly, I can't remember the name of the others we were looking at (I think one was a REAL resort??). We ultimately decided on Azul Beach for the following reasons:

 

-Size (It's very small, and this was perfect! It meant we were able to spend time with all our guests, and we were all running into each other the entire weekend. You can walk from one end of the property to the other in less than five minutes. This was also important to us for our elderly guests, including a 92-year-old grandmother.)

 

-Accommodations for kids (We knew we would have guests with small children, and the service for the children is outstanding, and something that sets them apart in my opinion. They have a great Kids Club, where two of our guests' kids LOVED and cried everytime they had to leave! They have everything parents needs for small children from strollers, to toys, to baby Gerber food, to high chairs, to bottle warmers, everything!)

 

-One wedding a day (I had read some horror stories about the larger resorts that do lots of weddings in one day. This appealed to us, as it means the staff is only concentrating on you and your guests on your day. :-))

 

-Proximity to the Cancun airport (We weren't interested in anything too far from Cancun as alot of our guests had to take multiple flights already to get there, but we also didn't want to be right in the "craziness" that can be Cancun. It's no lie that Azul Beach is only 20 minutes away. From the time we left the airport, to the time we pulled up to the resort, it was about 20 minutes, maybe less.)

 

-Beyond that, our agent RAVED about it as she had been there many times. After reading about Azul Beach and the other spots she recommended, it was the clear winner based on other brides, and just other hotel guests. Take a look at the Trip Advisor reviews. I will say, if you want a "party place" this is not for you. It's a very quiet, peaceful place both during the day and at night. All the entertainment is usually over by 11pm, and only one bar stays open late (1am). 

 

It was the perfect little paradise for us, and all of our guests loved it and had nothing negative to say. Hope this helps! 

[truitt2002]

Originally Posted by KaelaMcD 

 

Hi Azul Beach Brides-

 

I started a flickr account with photos from Azul Beach. These are not from my actual wedding, just photos of the property. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Kaela

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaelamcdougall/

 

KaelaMcD,

 

You roooock!    Wonderful pictures.  It looks like it was a bit windy.  Since you're from Chi-town, I bet it felt a bit like home.  :-)  Hopefully, it wasn't too blustery on your special day.  Your photos are incredibly helpful and I will be sharing them with my guy to plead my business case for this resort.  

[smiran]

Hi Everyone-

 

I am looking to get married there in November 2013 and am working with Beach Bum Vacations for the group discounts (hopefully, it is a discount since I do not have much to compare to). In any event, I am having a rather large wedding, we expect 100 people and my TA assured me that Azul Beach can accommodate but reading a few posts here, sounds like most people have really small weddings at Azul Beach.   The pictures and description of the hotel really appealed to me and the smaller size but now I am a bit worried about the reception venue if we do in fact have 100 people.  Any thoughts, suggestions?  I looked into Azul Sensatori and while there are so many brides for that hotel...I still liked Azul Beach but again, worried about my wedding size, reception, etc.  By the way, I am from Chicago too so it was nice to see that another Chicago Bride went there!

[TarynM]

Hi Kaela,

 

How much was the Mexican Trio if you don't mind me asking? I think Mariachi band at $900 is a bit much for an hour!

[TarynM]

Asposeep,

 

I am getting married the day after you at Azul Beach! So exciting!!