Paradisus Varadero - Wedding questions for past brides. Paying for extras?

[stelstargirl]

Hi! My fiancé and I have booked a free wedding at the Paradisus Varadero in May 2014.Initially, we were extremely excited to have our wedding here, with that gorgeous gazebo overlooking the ocean, and having heard from our friends (who also got married at a different resort in Cuba) how wonderful both Cuba and this resort are.

 

However, we are now being given a ton of information that I was not initially aware of including extras and pricing.... first off, we're being told that we will only have roughly 1.5 hours for dinner and an à la carte restaurant, that no speeches would be allowed of any kind in the restaurant, and that our reception would be an additional 18 CUC per person/per hour!

 

We were not expecting to be quoted these kinds of prices, especially as this resort is one of the Meliá resorts. Our friends got married at Meliá Las Dunas, and not only did they have a private dinner but also were able to have the reception immediately following in the same place, with no extra charges. I wanted to ask anyone else who was gotten married at the Paradisus Varadero what their experience was of the whole event.

 

My fiancée and are particularly shocked because we have booked the resort for two weeks (for ourselves) in the Master Junior Royal service suite and we are already spending so much money that these extra fees just seem ridiculous – especially as there is free alcohol all over the resort, included in the resort package!

 

If anyone is willing to share their experience, I would be very grateful!

 

Stella