Playa Wedding...!

[thecuz]

My fiance and I are going to get married in the Playa area in December. We haven't begun to make firm plans yet but it's likely to be about 12-16 people attending. We are thinking of staying in one of the resorts along the Riviera Maya. Does anyone have some advice as to which one to choose? Prices seem to be relatively similar and any personal feedback would be most welcome. TIA.

[Dagen]

I would recommend staying away from the Mayan Palace. Even in december there will be constuction and the such going on. For a large group I think staying close to playa would be a good idea.

[thecuz]

Thanks for the advice Dagen. One place taht the fiancee Lisa seems keen on is the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort. Have you heard anything about it?

[fitch1]

I just returned from Playa del Carmen 5 days ago. We stayed at the RIU Playacar for my sister's wedding. While the hotel was really nice, the people who run their weddings were unprofessionaland very expensive. My sister had made arrangements for payment before we went there and when we arrived, all their policies changed and tehy would accept cash only.(they had originally agreed to visa). So a caution to whomever you deal with, make sure you keep all your correspondance so you don't have any surprises when you get there.
Playacar is a nice little town and a great plac to stay. Aside from the problems we had with the wedding planner, we had a great time. Good luck!

[ErinDavenport]

Having your wedding at Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal is the best decision you could ever make! We think it was our's anyway. We got married 7/24/99 at Iberostar and I can't put into words how pleased I was with everthing. The ladies that will be working with you are awesome. The only mistake we made is to worry about preparing things here in the states for the event. All you need to do is invite people, get a dress and Tux, and go. They sit down with you at a meeting for about an hour and you pick out everything like the cake and flowers. OH AND THE FLOWERS ARE AMAZING! The cost was great too, the wedding was under $1000. Video and pictures are extra so we had one of the guests do it. It is a good place for kids too in case there are any. All I can say is I've been to alot of weddings - small, large, costly, cheap and NONE of them came close to ours!!!!!

[Cowgirl]

Wow -- great hearing your input! My fiance and I are getting married at the IB* Quetzal this fall... and I must say, the wedding coordinator has been a delight via e-mail. But it's still nice to hear from someone who has actually been married there!

We noticed when we were there last year that the monkeys get rather loud around 5 p.m., so our joke is that they will interrupt the ceremony. To us that would be hilarious.

Anyhow, glad to hear you so highly recommend the place! And congratulations!

[Princess]

Hi there, We are getting married in Playa in Jan/2003!! I just thought I'd let all those future "SOON TO BE BRIDES" out there know, that I am planning my wedding at the Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal and I've been nothing but impressed with the service I am receiving from this co-ordinator!! I had all my plans made at another hotel, but had a terrible experience with their wedding co-ordinator!! Since I've switched hotels, I'm so happy I did, cause these people at the Iberostar are "MARVELOUS"!!

I never thought dealing with a responsible, reliable and trustworthy co-ordinator would be so important during this planning for your special day!! Andrea and Loreto from the Iberostar's have totally turned this crazy experience with the other co-ordinator (from another hotel) a "great experience"!! They have made my wedding planning so much less stressful!! Unlike the other...

GIRLS, we are paying them to make our wedding day as special as possible!! When you have to fight for what you want, forget it, there are other places out there who will provide for you without a hassle!! TRUST ME!! I had to start my wedding plans from scratch because of this problem!!

Thank God for Loreto and Andrea!!
Now, finally I can sleep at night without worrying about the rest!!

P.S If you have any questions, I'm here to help!!

Take Care!!


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Princess on 2002-05-29 19:03 ]</font>

[Mayella]

We got married last January at the El Dorado Royale, and it was nothing less than perfect. You are treated sooo well and it was very professional from the photographer, ceremony, to the dinner afterwards. it beat our expectations by far and i would recommend it to anybody. You can contact Lilianna at Lomas Travel who does most of the arrangements for the resort if you are interested. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.....

[resiam]

Hey everyone. We are planning our wedding for next July 4 at the Riu Palace which was recommended by our travel agent. This past month we vacationed in Cozumel and while there we rode the ferry and visited with the coordinator. I was quite impressed with both her and the hotel. I would love to hear thoughts from those that may have other experiences with the Riu. By the way, the Iberostar is such a neat resort. We visited the one in Playa b/c we were staying at the Iberostar in Cozumel.

We are planning our wedding @ XCaret, and the reception at the Rio Palace upcoming in April. We recently visited the locations but were unimpressed by the "coordinator" that the Riu had to offer. Can anyone provide any good testimonials for a good person to help us get things accomplished. We anticipate 50 - 60 people, and everyone we have interviewed had no experience with parties of more than 6 people. Please provide some contact info for a recommended resource near Playa Del Carmen, we would appriciate!!!!

[djcmo]

Gosh, you ladies got me wishing I could get married all over again!

Unfortunately with only THREE DAYS to go, I guess my wife and I will have to settle on renewing our vows on the beach at sunrise!

Twenty years as of the 19th! I hope twenty years from now you will all be able to get back to PDC to do the same!

Congratulations and have a great time!

DJ

I am also planning a wedding in October 2003 at the Iberostar based solely on the recommendation of travel agents and friends (I've never even been to PDC, but the pictures look great!). I've reserved my date with the resort, but I 'd like a little more information from those of you who have married there or are in your planning stages.

How responsive is the coordinator? I have several ideas about cakes, decorations, flowers, etc. I will want to see replicated at the resort for my wedding. Are they good at trying to accommodate your ideas? Also, I expect a lot of people to show up for the wedding (75-100+) and want to have a nice reception. The package includes dinner at one of the restuarants, but can my reception be separate froom the other guests at the resort? What about arrangements for other activities for large groups, like a pre-wedding bash?

Just a few questions...any information would be appreciated!

I am also planning a wedding in the Mayan Riviera for this fall, probably around September 2003. I would love to hear about other people's experiences or places that other people have investigated. I know that some hotels offer free weddings, but am not sure if I want to cookie-cutter thing. I'm wondering if there are other options.

[nanners]

We're getting married on May 8th at the Colonial Paladium Resort & Spa. We invited 18 guests and we're all staying there for 2 weeks. So far, I haven't read too many negative reviews on this resort. This resort used to be called Fiestaval and Fiesta Grand. It's now called the Paladium Resort & Spa. The wedding coordinator is Carola Mendez and you can email her at criviera@fiesta-hotels.com

The resort website is: http://www.fiesta-hotels.com/photel.php?id=39&lang=uk

Here's a great review website. It pretty much has every resort in the Carribean. http://www.debbiescaribbeanresortreviews.com/mexico/mexrevind.html

If you're interested in this resort, here are some reviews: http://www.debbiescaribbeanresortreviews.com/mexico/fiesta.html

I hope this info helps you choose a great location. You can email me anytime for additional questions. We'll be leaving for this resort on May 4th and returning on May 18th. nbrunet@basis100.com

Here is the beach ceremony setup.



Our package includes:

Register fees / Civil Judge
Decoration of the wedding area
Brides bouquet
Grooms boutonniére
Flower arrangement for the wedding table
Wedding Cake
Champagne
Translation of the ceremony speech into English

Cost: US$ 1000. (incl. Tax & Service charge)

Note: This prices are subject to changes

The price offered includes service for a maximum of 8 persons.
Every extra person has a charge of 12 usd (incl. Tax & service charge)
Per person.
Extra children under the age of 16 are free of charge.

The ceremony takes place at either the private terrace area which surrounded by tropical jungle or down on the beach.

The area can be decorated in either a traditional white style or a typical Mexican style.

WEDDING INFORMATION FOR 2003.

The following documents are necessary for a Wedding in México:

·Passports original and a copy
·Birth Certificates – translated into Spanish or international Birth Certificates which include Spanish. Either one must have an “Apostille”. (apostille, is a form of certification, of an American authority, usually the Secretary of State, from the state where they originated, who attaches this apostille to the document.)
(in case you are a Canadian Citizen, you must get them translated and then legalized with the Mexican Embassy or Consulate)
·Tourist cards provided upon entry to Mexico at the airport

Important Information

· The blood test , if previously completed in the US, Canada or Europe documents must be valid dated for 15 days and certificated and translated to spanish by a doctor in Mexico, as required by the civil ministry office ,could be also done at the Hotel in Mexico, costs US$ 120 per couple
· 4 witnesses with their photo ID and a copy of the Tourist card, which they will recive on the airoplane. In case you do not bring any witnesses, the hotel will be happy to provide them.

*You have to be in Mexico at least 3 working days before the Wedding to get all papers arranged ( open Monday to Friday from 08:30am to 3:00)

Here is a review of someone who got married at this resort.

January 2003

We spent our Chistmas holidays at the Colonial Fiesta Resort -- and are already planning a return visit for our anniversay (since we got married on the beach on our third day at the resort)! Three couples went on the trip and we had a fabulous time. I would recommend this resort to all who want to be spoiled for a week and don't mind gaining a few extra pounds as the food and drinks are plentiful and first class. Yes, the resort is massive; however, aside from Christmas Day, it was never a problem, at any time, to get six loungers on the beach right by the bar, or at the pool, and exchanging towels was never an issue.

About the wedding: it was an absolute fairy tale! We had heard awful accounts of people trying to arrange weddings from home and then getting to their resort and being thoroughly disappointed. Not the case at this resort! Carola is the resort's "Special Events Coordinator" and all it took to plan our dream wedding was two phone calls and some emails back and forth regarding the necessary paperwork. All we had to do at home was get our blood tests and have our passports. People have reported that getting married in Mexico is not worth it because of all the paperwork and translations required, but Carola did EVERYTHING for us! When we arrived at the resort, all it took was a one hour meeting with Carola to do the final paperwork, and then she gave all six of us a personal tour of the resort, via a golf-cart-limo (they seat 8 people).

The actual wedding day was perfect. It was like having our own wedding coordinator because Carola was everywhere we were, only 30 minutes before preparing for our arrival. The beach was beautifully decorated in flowers I got to choose, and when I arrived, they had a red carpet rolled out onto the beach from the wedding gazebo, and music playing. The ceremony was amazing (yes, it was in Spanish and translated into English), and ten minutes after we said "I do" we had our complete marriage certificate (which is totally legal and recognized in Canada as an official marriage certificate). The hotel photographer took amazing pictures down on the beach and they were ready the next day! We even got to keep the negatives and the proofs he gave us were all 8X10's. We only had to pay $300US for the photographer for 50 pictures w/ negatives (that's 50 8X10's)!!!!. The quality of the pictures is spectacular and a similar photo package in Canada would have cost over $5000!

After the beach, we had drinks at the Kantenah lobby bar, and then we went for our special wedding dinner at the mediterranean restaurant. Once again, they were totally ready for our arrival and had the entire out-door floating terrace reserved for our little party of six. It was all decorated with the wedding flowers and the servers absolutely spoiled us. With the cake also arrived the mariachi band who played for us. Then, we went to the pool-side bar where they have a different live band play every night, starting at 8pm. They dedicated the first song to the "Newlyweds" and we danced and danced and danced... It was perfect!

The last four days of our stay at the resort proved to be a great honeymoon. It seemed like all of the hotel staff remembered that we were the ones who got married and kept treating our little group of six like royalty. I know that the bride usually feels like a princess on her wedding day, but all six of us felt like kings and queens for the entire week!

So...what was the cost for all of this? Well, we decided to get the basic wedding package which includes the bride's bouquet, groom's boutoniere, four more bouquets to decorate the wedding gazebo, flower centre piece, champagne after the ceremony, marriage certificate and officiating judge, special dinner, wedding cake, champaigne in all of our rooms after the big night...and so many extras like the mariachis, and our "newlywed" dance. I even got to do the traditional father-of-the-bride dance with all of these people watching and taking our picture. With absolutely everything, no hidden costs, it was $1000US. And like I mentioned earlier, that was with all of the paperwork. All we needed was our blood tests and passports -- that is it!

Was it worth it? Absolutely, and we are already planning our return to this spectacular resort.



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Did anyone not use a wedding coordinator. I was wondering if it is possible to deal with vendors directly, such as a photographer and florist. Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks