Newbie Azul Beach 2013

[pilatesgirl211]

Hi everyone!

 

I just had my dream beach wedding at Azul Beach Hotel on September 22nd with 30 guests.  Still waiting for pics from my photographer but Samuel Luna's photos are a great indicator of how amazingly beautiful this place is.  My husband (still getting accustomed to that!) and I had visited the resort before and decided it best suited what we wanted in a wedding. 

 

I haven't read through all the posts on this thread but I wanted to give you a general idea of what we did/liked/disliked/etc. and then you can feel free to ask questions!

 

I would say my least favorite part of the entire experience was dealing with the off-site wedding coordinators in Miami.  We found it difficult to get straight answers and I felt like information was only provided when we directly asked for it.  For instance, I didn't know about the Lomas Travel website that lists your options until a couple months into the process!  I agree, they do nickel and dime and it's frustrating that this website only provides small pics and doesn't have all the pricing info on it.  But that's what you have to work with so make sure you check it out! http://www.weddingsbylomastravel.com/planning/

 

We were at the resort Wed - Mon and the wedding was on Saturday.  Guests arrived starting on Thursday, so that gave us the chance to have our meeting with the wedding coordinators and work on organizing during the first day there.  As much as you may feel frustrated with the Miami wedding coordinators, once you are at the resort, you are in great hands.  The on-site coordinators are extremely organized and will do whatever they can to help make your wedding what you want it to be.  I would recommend bringing photos, descriptions, information that you can provide to them as they didn't have all the info they were supposed to....and it helps ensure things turn out how you envisioned them.  They were helpful answering what was necessary/not needed and I didn't get the sense they were trying to rack up expenses.  One tip, though: We brought welcome bags for our guests.  They won't hand them out to guests as they arrive but will deliver them to each room....for $4/person!  Instead, we made a list of when we expected people to arrive and tried to meet them in the lobby....and told them ahead of time that if they didn't see us, find out where the main bar is and they could find us there! ;-)

 

We chose to have our rehearsal dinner as a Beach BBQ Buffet and brought our own decorations.  The food was awesome and the setting was fantastic.  We started at sunset, which provided a beautiful backdrop.  We chose not to have any additional lighting as the prices for tiki torches, etc seemed ridiculous.  They ensured us that the lighting they provide was sufficient - unfortunately it was not and this would be my only other criticism.  They provided one double floodlight which cast a blue tint on the tables and only lit up 2 of the 4 tables so some people were pretty much eating in the dark.  The light also went off twice.  I don't know if they have a second light they could set up or what the other options are, but do not believe that the one light is enough!  As for music, my brother made a reggae playlist with his iPod and we brought our own iPod dock from home - it was sufficient to provide background music for the occasion. 

 

I ended up having my hair and makeup done by one of the girls from the spa.  I wanted to get ready with my friends and the staff were extremely accommodating - the hair/makeup person set up in my room so I could spend time with everyone!  Again, definitely bring pictures - she was great but barely spoke English so the visuals were vital to making sure I looked the way I wanted for my wedding day!  The flowers are absolutely gorgeous and incredibly fresh.  My dress had a watermelon/fuschia colored sash, so I wanted flowers to match.  I chose bouquet BB-32 and paid for the ribbon to cover the holder - it was worth it.  The groom had a single rose (B12) which matched the flowers in my bouquet perfectly.  I also had a gerber daisy in my hair, which was also a perfect color match.

 

We did the spiritual ceremony and kept the setting simple - why over-decorate in such a gorgeous setting?  We had the wooden aisle runner, uncovered white chairs and had two white sheers on the canopy.  We looked into bringing our own sheers as we thought the price for the rental sheers was ridiculous.  It ended up not being cost effective and we couldn't find them in the length we needed - so we instead brought other things and paid for the sheers.  The wedding coordinators kept everyone on schedule, which was great since the ceremony was at sunset.  I know many of you asked about whether there is only one wedding per day - that used to be the policy but they now allow two per day.  You may want to check a few months before your wedding day to see if there is another scheduled for the same day and if so, what time.  I did that and was lucky since we were the only ceremony scheduled. 

 

We were supposed to have our reception dinner in the Blue International.  They had finished repairs from the hurricane, but a big rainstorm two nights prior had caused water to POUR into the restaurant and caused them to close it again.  Things happen, so we went with the flow - they offered a few alternates and we chose to have the event in the Latino restaurant, which they closed for the occasion.  It turned out to be everything I could have hoped for.   We brought a photographer from home and, as others have mentioned, if they stay for a minimum of 3 days, you don't have to pay the ridiculous outside vendors fee.  We also brought our own iPod playlists from home for the reception and rented a speaker and microphone.  We didn't have dancing (wasn't a dancing crowd) so this was sufficient to play the music we wanted and have a mic for speeches, blessings, etc. 

 

Other thoughts: we had our breakfast in bed the morning after the wedding - it was really delicious and we enjoyed it on our patio.  I would highly recommend the couple's massage in the cabanas over the water!  We had one the morning of our wedding day.....perfect to help relax and prepare for your big day and spend some alone time as a couple during a period where you are so busy entertaining everyone else.  And lastly, even if you don't purchase a wedding package that includes the romantic dinner on the beach - pay for it in addition, it was TOTALLY worth it!  We had an amazingly delicious, romantic dinner on the beach....just the two of us and an awesome waiter.  I don't want to ruin the surprises, but just believe me when I say it was worth it! 

 

I hope this helps some of you!  I know I wanted as much information as possible before making my decisions....I tried to hit some key points but if you have other questions, let me know and I will try to answer them!

 

Best of luck in your planning.....I hope your wedding turns out to be everything you dreamed it could be.

[karyc]

this is a bit off-topic, but i was wondering where everyone is planning to do their honeymoon? we were thinking belize, but it turns out that to fly there from cancun it takes 8 hours because we'd have to fly back to miami first !? so now we're thinking of staying in the cancun/playa del carmen area. what is everyone else doing?
 

[truitt2002]

Hi, there.  I am thisclose to choosing this resort for my July Destination Wedding.  I've been looking at photos from other weddings that took place here and a lot of them made me smile.  The local photographers whose blogs I've read do some wonderful work and take some breathtaking shots.  I'm giddy right now.    How many weddings guests do you anticipate?  It's hard for me to say at this time.  I've been trying to feel my closest friends out and of course they would love to come and they love the idea of a destination wedding.  The issue becomes $$$$$.   I have my heart set on a destination wedding and it's only my guy and me that attends....so be it.  

[truitt2002]

In looking at some of the more recent reviews, it sounds like the renovations are done.  Guests are raving about the new rooms.  

[truitt2002]

We're going to stay a few days after the wedding for honeymoon.  It makes more sense to us since we're already there.  Looks like there are some great things to do and see locally.  

[TammyWright]

Don't forget about the Karisma Hotels Brides Dress Rehearsel (click link for more info).

 

It is available to brides that have not yet booked your wedding.

 

For only $399 per couple, brides and their grooms can stay for 3 nights at their hotel of choice and have the opportunity to taste different cake options, sample menu items and even view the various locations and setups for their ceremony and private events!

 

Brides Dress Rehearsal includes:

• Upgrade to best available suite upon arrival

• Sample gourmet delicacies and wedding cakes from our private event banquet menu

• $500 food and beverage credit after 10 rooms or more are booked*

• Meet photographers and other wedding vendors and view wedding set ups

• Meet the wedding coordinators

• Romantically decorated suite

And more!

 

or call 888-471-1950

[karyc]

fyi, i just learned that there's a costco (and a walmart and a sams club) in downtown cancun - might be helpful for some of the non-personalized items for OOT bags! apparently they have a lot of the same things as costcos in the us/canada.
 

[karyc]

to any knowledgeable and or past brides -- do you have to use the 4-top square tables (pushed together) at blue terrace, or do they allow you to use round tables? i am just realizing that table-seating arrangements will be easier and more flexible with round tables than with those that only seat 6 and are rectangular....
 

[KaelaMcD]

karyc-I just returned from my wedding at Azul Beach (10/14) and had my reception at Blue Terrace. I don't think you can use round tables, because they utilize the tables that they use in that space during regular operation hours (ie; lunch and dinner). However, I was told you can have tables of both six and eight. I went with all tables of eight (it was better for my seating arrangements) and it worked out great! Let me know if you have any other questions.

[KaelaMcD]

karyc-I just returned from my wedding at Azul Beach (10/14) and had my reception at Blue Terrace. I don't think you can use round tables, because they utilize the tables that they use in that space during regular operation hours (ie; lunch and dinner). However, I was told you can have tables of both six and eight. I went with all tables of eight (it was better for my seating arrangements) and it worked out great! Let me know if you have any other questions.