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Riu Palace Aruba Wedding: Margaret & Alan

Beach Bride Blogger — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 05:36:49 +0000

One of the perks of being Destination Wedding Specialists is hearing all the wonderful wedding stories from our Beachside Brides and Grooms. Here’s what Margaret and Alan had to say about their wedding at Riu Palace Aruba in early June of this year, some pictures & hotel features for your review!

Aruba is among one of the most beautiful spots in the world (as you can tell by Margaret and Alan’s photos). It’s a semi desert-like island in the middle of the Caribbean and stands out as an exclusive, sophisticated destination. It’s got world-class beaches, a spotless capital with Dutch-style houses, lively night-life and a gorgeous, well-preserved natural environment.

Here’s what Margaret and Alan had to say about their destination wedding experience:

Aruba was fantastic! I don’t even know where to start! Service was excellent, food was amazing (I think everyone definitely gained a few pounds), everyone enjoyed their time there and they are all asking us where we are going next year!! (They want to make this a yearly trip.)

Carolina was perfect [the hotel wedding coordinator]. We met with her 2 days before the wedding and she’s a very nice person to chat with. She even gave us some ideas if we want to buy a property/land in Aruba.

Thanks again for helping us. I wouldn’t have known what to do without you and your team. I think I would have been a bridezilla!!!

I’ve attached some pictures for you to share with everyone. By the way, our photographer from Aruba was awesome!

About Riu Palace Aruba

This hotel definitely comes across as “swanky.” (Did you notice the hotel lobby in this photo of Margaret and Alan!?)

It’s all-inclusive which means it includes accommodations, taxes, all meals and unlimited drinks (alcoholic and non) and gratuities. The Riu Palace Aruba also has 24-hour room service!

They have two swimming pools (1000 and 223 sq metres) one with adjoining jacuzzi; children’s swimming pool; complimentary sun loungers, towels and parasols by the pool area and a sun terrace.

In terms of body love options, the “Vita Novus Spa” offers different beauty treatments, hairdresser, beauty salon and massages (additional charge). Plus a complimentary gym, sauna and jacuzzi.

They have a casino and gift shop, as well as 2 conference rooms (ideal for wedding indoor receptions).

Accommodations

The Riu Palace Aruba has 450 guestrooms with turn-down service.

Their junior suites feature bathrooms with hydro-massage bathtubs, central air, mini-bars and liquor dispensers, integrated lounge area with 2 steps between levels (with sofa) and more! Most offer a balcony or terrace.

Regular suites feature bathrooms with hydro-massage bathtubs, shower cubicles, bidets and bathrobes; sea views; integrated lounge area with 2 steps between levels (with sofa); balcony or terrace. Suites with jacuzzi on terrace can be reserved.

Double rooms have carpeted floors, all the regular offerings, like central air, telephone, satellite TV, hairdryer, iron and ironing boards, electronic safe, etc., plus French balconies.

Food & Bevvies

Breakfast:

Full American breakfast buffet, on the spot cooking stations, fruits, juices and Cava
Continental breakfast/snack

Lunch:

Hot and cold buffet and on the spot cooking stations
Pizzas, pasta, salads and assorted desserts

Dinner:

Buffets and on the spot cooking stations
Special evenings: theme buffets (twice a week)

Optional dining (reservations required):

“Krystal” Fusion Restaurant (à la carte)
“Sayuri” Japanese restaurant (à la carte)
“Milano” Italian restaurant (à la carte; buffet starters)
“Nautilus” poolside restaurant/grill and steakhouse with non-smoking section and terrace (à la carte)

Bars:

“Bon Bini” lobby bar
“Barry’s” bar with terrace
Casino bar (not included in All-Inclusive)
Sports bar
“Palm Beach” poolside bar with swim-up bar

Riu Palace Aruba Weddings

Riu weddings offer 3 types of ceremonies: civil, religious or renewal of vows.

Civil ceremonies must be performed at City Hall by a judge and are legally recognized. Religious and renewal of vows are performed by a non-denominational Minister and can be performed on the beach but they are not legally recognized by Aruba. Couples must already be legally married.

Wedding Locations

Gazebo: Maximum number 50 people. For religious weddings & renewal of vows.
City Hall: Maximum number 60 people. For civil ceremonies.

Riu Wedding Packages

Riu Palace Aruba offers 3 wedding packages: Classic, Royal and Caprice. Click on this link for the package details.

Congratulations to Margaret and Alan on their marriage! We’re so happy you and your wedding group enjoyed your week-long celebration in Aruba. Thank you for your testimonial and for sharing your beautiful wedding photos with us.

Are you impressed with the Hotel Riu Palace Aruba? If you’re thinking of having your dream destination wedding there, please contact a Weddings By Oceans’ destination wedding specialist – we’d love to help you!

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Majestic Colonial Wedding in Punta Cana: Ryan & Chantelle

Beach Bride Blogger — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:58:48 +0000

Last week we posted a compilation post sharing all the real life destination wedding stories and hotel reviews that we’ve published so far from some of our Beachside Brides & Grooms. Well, here’s another one to add to that list, written by Ryan on behalf of he and his wife, Chantelle!

How it all began…

In the summer of 2009, I proposed to my girlfriend of 5 yrs to marry me. I never really thought about where and when we would get married, but I wanted our wedding a little different from the rest of our families. I was really surprised that when we discussed it and we both wanted a destination wedding!

We announced our engagement and told our friends and family that it was going to be a destination wedding, but we didn’t know where yet. Over the years of being together we had traveled to different places down in the Caribbean and we thought that since our first trip together as a couple was down in the Dominican Republic, we would get married there as well.

We both loved the people and the country of the Dominican Republic and now we only had to find a place that could fulfill our dream wedding. We went to a couple of wedding shows in Toronto and we stumbled upon a destination wedding travel company called, Weddings by Oceans.

We spoke to the some of the representatives and then to Megan, the owner of the company. She suggested that we attend a luncheon [editor's note: our annual Destination Wedding Event. Save the date - this year it's being held on November 5th at Marlow in Richmond Hill!] that they hold for all the new bride and groom couples. Megan mentioned that this luncheon was designed by Weddings by Oceans to help couples decide on a destination where they’d be married.

It brought in representatives from all the major resorts that specialize in weddings so they could talk firsthand about the facilities and packages. We attended the luncheon and it was probably the best thing for couples looking to book a destination, but don’t know exactly where. All the staff from Weddings by Oceans were very professional and courteous as were all the reps from the different hotels and resorts.

My fiancée and I decided on the Majestic Colonial in Punta Cana. We were very impressed by the resort and its facilities, not to mention that they were the #1 destination in Punta Cana for weddings.

We booked through Megan and her crew at Weddings by Oceans for 50 people initially, but as we found out over the course of planning the wedding it was a more realistic 28 people who were actually going. At one point it actually got down to 12 people, but things worked out.

Destination wedding planning…

The booking process was super simple…we called Ashley our rep at Weddings by Oceans and we asked her when the right time to book was. Since we were about 2 yrs out from the actual wedding date she mentioned that it would be a little early to get accurate pricing, because the hotels don’t put their pricing for about a year before the actual date.

She was very gracious and promised to keep an eye for other hotels and destination that would fit our budget for ourselves and our guests. Over the course of the year, I touched base with Ashley and the crew at Weddings by Oceans and they gave me options and choices on possible other resorts that might fit our group.

In April of 2010, after reading and researching reviews on different hotels on Tripadvisor and other sites, we kept our decision on going to the Majestic Colonial Punta Cana. We got pricing for our group and it was a little more than we hoped (not much more), but in retrospect it was well worth it.

After the initial deposits for our group, Megan suggested that we start a website or send an email to all the guests that were going to inform them of the important dates (for the bookings and payments) also to get them excited in going by giving them information about the Majestic Colonial and the Dominican Republic. She also took us through everything that we needed to book for the hotel (wedding location, photographers, DJ services, reception).

We also booked a photographer that Megan knew who was always at the resort. His name was Phil Steingard and if you take a look at his work on his website, you will want to book him as well. Another one of Megan’s suggestions was to book DJ Mannia in Punta Cana, also another excellent choice!

Over the next couple of months, the staff at Weddings by Oceans were very communicative and very understanding to the “stress and demands” of our wedding party. We even had a last minute booking from one of my family members in the USA that was flying in 2 days later than when we got in, and the Weddings by Oceans staff made sure that when he landed he was placed with our group in the proper area of the hotel!

About 2 months before the trip, we had booked:

our beach-side gazebo wedding (done through Megan)
we had confirmed our reception location (done by emailing your wedding coordinator at the Majestic Colonial)
our DJ (done by contacting DJ Mannia through his website)
our photographer (done by suggestion from Megan and contacting him through his website)
and finally, booked our Pastor (referred to us by Megan, because we wanted a symbolic ceremony in the DR but we also wanted a little religious touch because my family is catholic).

We picked our tickets up and were very excited to get married at the Majestic Colonial. We flew out of Toronto Pearson International airport and finally landed in Punta Cana!

The wedding week…

If you have never been to Punta Cana or the Dominican Republic…make it one of the those places in your bucket list of places to go. I have personally been there about 5 times; the people, the beaches, and the country…amazing! We arrived in Punta Cana on April 17th and we had a private coach just for our group, all arranged by our Sunwing rep, Andre, who we met at the airport.

It was a short 20 min coach ride from the airport to the front lobby of the Majestic Colonial. Our group of 28 people were checked in through a separate group check in; we were also greeted with a welcome cocktail of frozen fruity goodness!!

Our group was put together in the hotel block closest to the beach and right beside the pool bar and beach-side buffet area (or more commonly referred to as the “Wet Bar”). Me and my fiancée received a room upgrade so that we were on the ground floor oceanfront room. It provided an amazing view of the beach and it was literally 50 feet to the beach-side wedding area.

Since we’ve traveled quite a bit in a lot of 3 star and 4 star hotels in the Caribbean, we always check the beds, the shower and rinse the cups. My fiancée and I are very particular about these little things, just because of some past experiences. To our relief, everything was exactly as it should be in a resort of this caliber.

I had read some past travelers’ experiences about some of these issues and we were a little concerned because we had travelers in our party that had never been out of the country, but we had nothing but praise for the size of the rooms and the amenities that it offered. By the way…the shower stall is absolutely huge! (I’ll refer to it later in the review.)

Our wedding party settled in and we all headed to the pool and then dinner together later that evening. When we all met for dinner, we had all decided to meet at the grand buffet dining area. They had no problem seating 28 people for dinner at 1 table! And it was by far the biggest buffet I had eaten in the Caribbean.

I was a little worried because my sister had brought down my 2 nieces (1 yr old and 2 yr old) and I was concerned that the food would be too much of a shock to their systems, but again I was pleasantly surprised that NO ONE had any issues with food the WHOLE week!!! I know that some people have tender stomachs, but if my 2 little nieces can eat all week and not have a problem then maybe it’s not the food.

We had told our guests that they were free the rest of the week to enjoy themselves and just to be at the beach at 3pm on Thursday. We all met up at different times during the week either at the wet bar, a la cartes, the lower lobby bar, pool etc… From all the reaction of our wedding party…everyone loved the Majestic.

Me and my fiancée met up with Stephanie (our wedding coordinator) on the Tuesday of that week to discuss the details of the wedding and what we had to expect and do. I must admit…she took care of everything…all we told her was who our photographer was (Phil Steingard… he is from Ontario and he is there about 6-8 months of the year taking photos at the Majestic Colonial/Elegance and other resorts) and also mentioned that we booked DJ Mannia and Pastor York (he is an english pastor that does weddings in the Punta Cana area).

All we had to do was pick the cake flavor, give her our decorations that we had brought down, confirm the numbers for the wedding reception at the Steakhouse, drop off our wedding attire, and give her our entrance music (either on CD or you can bring down an ipod the day of). She told us where everyone should be on the wedding day as well.

Stephanie also arranged a couples massage for me and my soon-to-be wife and a romantic beach-side dinner as well. After our meeting with Stephanie, we had also met with Phil Steingard to discuss where everyone would be on the wedding day and how long it would take. Just to let you know…since Phil has been down at the Majestic so many times he is almost like a second wedding coordinator, he knows where to go, what to do, where everyone should be, etc… So if you book with him your in good hands.

The week went off without a hitch and we planned and went on a lot of excursions with our guests. Our Sunwing rep, Andre, was also great!

The wedding day…

The wedding day came around and our wedding attire arrived and it was pressed and steamed. The groomsmen all were in one room and my bride was in our room by the beach. Phil arrived, took us through the day and we took some awesome shots.

The wedding went off without a hitch, the weather, the scenery; the atmosphere was everything I could ask for. Phil took some awesome shots at the wedding, after the wedding and during the reception.

After the wedding we all met up around 7pm at the beach-side Steakhouse and had an awesome reception. The food was amazing and the lobster and steak were very tasty.
We all made our way to the Wet bar area which is literally behind the Steakhouse. Our guests arrived at the wet bar area and it was fully decorated with all our decorations and our bar was stocked with booze that we bought in duty free (Grey Goose was a little harder to find in Punta Cana from what I heard) everyone grabbed some drinks and waited for our entrance in which DJ Mania brought us in with a little Black eyed Peas “I’ve got a feeling”.

The night went awesome! Lots of dancing and drinking…we even a “Boat race” between the Bridal Party…pretty crazy! Finally we all jumped in the pool beside the bar to end the night.

The next morning we had a photo shoot with Phil Steingard to do the “Trash the Dress” session, the pictures that we got were some of the most amazing I have seen. We were on the beach, in the sand, the jungle… By the end of the day we were exhausted and our clothes were full of sand.

Remember the shower stall that I mentioned earlier? My wife and took off her dress in the shower and rinsed the dress out with both of us in it and there was still room!

In conclusion…

The rest of the week was just amazing! We ate at all the a la cartes (teppanyaki was the tastiest) and we drank lots. After a great week, we all headed back to Toronto with some great memories and some new friends! The Majestic staff was the friendliest I had ever experienced in the Caribbean.

Big Poppy at the upper lobby bar and Claudio from the animation team were a big hit with ladies! The boys at the pool and wet bar were also great. My parents who had never traveled to the south and who were very reluctant on going had definitely changed their mind after going to the Majestic. My mother now wants to do our family reunions there!

To top it all off…we received a little gift of a 3 or 4 night stay at the Majestic on our anniversary! All I know is that the experience that I was hoping for was fulfilled by all the hard work of the staff at Weddings by Oceans, the staff at the Majestic Colonial, Phil Steingard, Pastor York, Dj Mannia, our bridal party and our families. If you have any concerns about your wedding at the Majestic…don’t be…because I’ve been there and it was more than perfect.

Wow, what a wonderful testimonial, Ryan and Chantelle, thank you for this and for sharing your pictures with us. Congratulations on your dream destination wedding! We’re so very happy that everything turned out better than you had imagined.

If you’re inspired by Ryan and Chantelle’s destination wedding story and would like some more information on hosting your wedding at Majestic Colonial in Punta Cana, contact us and speak to one of our Cyber Maids of Honour.

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What’s Your Dream Destination Wedding?

Beach Bride Blogger — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:13:31 +0000

As Destination Wedding Specialists (DWSs), helping create dream destination weddings is our mission! Here’s a list of stories from some of our past brides and grooms. And a list of review posts we’ve written covering destination wedding hotels in the Caribbean and Mexico.

Photo Courtesy of our beachside bride & groom, Holly and Daryl.

Since we opened Weddings By Oceans, we’ve been involved in the planning of hundreds of dream destination weddings. Some of them we witnessed firsthand! But how do we know the ones we didn’t attend turn out to be the wedding of the brides’ dreams? Our satisfied couples and guests tell us so!

For starters, visit our testimonials page on our WEDsite. You can glean a few stories there but if you want the tear jerkers, you’ll want to read the stories some of our very generous past brides’ contributed to the blog:

Real Brides’ Destination Wedding Stories

Videos of Real Destination Weddings

Did some of these stories help inspire a vision of your dream destination wedding? If not, here are some hotel reviews that might help:

Hotel Reviews from Real Brides

Our Destination Wedding Resort Reviews

Can you tell we love destination weddings, travelling and blogging?! We hope this list helps you envision your dream destination wedding and with your resort research. If you need extra help and would like to have a destination wedding specialist at your side, contact us and let’s start planning!

We’d love to hear about your dream destination wedding. If you’re not too shy, please share it in the comments below.

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Destination Wedding in Panama: Liza & Marc

Beach Bride Blogger — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:30:54 +0000

If you’ve been reading our Testimonial Tuesday posts, you’ll know that many of our Beachside Brides & Grooms take the time to send us their reviews and wedding stories. (Thank you SO much!) Today Liza and Marc tell us about their destination wedding in Panama at the Royal Decameron.

Well let me take this opportunity again to say THANK YOU to everyone at Weddings by Oceans. Truly our wonderful wedding week could have never been possible without all of you. I’ll definitely be calling you all for our ten year vow renewal!

Here is my feedback on the resort and my overall experience. Having a destination wedding was the best decision I think we made. The week we spent with family friends will be forever remembered by all.

The Royal Decameron is a beautiful resort, however as trip advisor says we should know that it is massive and the climb up some of the stairs was getting to a lot for some of our older, mature guests.

The resort was clean, food was good (fresh fruits and seafood) and the workers were friendly. But yes, brush up on your Spanish! (Here’s Megan’s Handy Spanish Phrases in a handy, downloadable pdf).

If you are used to going to the Caribbean where everyone speaks English and you expect to see fellow Canadians, this is not the place. I loved it because of the diversity of the Latin guests and it felt like we were really away, felt more “authentic”.

The beach resort is on a “dry spot” so even though it was rainy season there was sunshine all week. As for the wedding, Julia the coordinator was very HELPFUL she made us feel right at home and really welcomed. About 2 months before the actual date we were really in constant contact with each other. She was very responsive and her communication very clear as I know English is not her first language.

The manager at the spa was able to help me with communicating how I wanted my hair and makeup (as the hair dresser did not really speak English as well). The wedding day was perfect to say the least, Julia was there to make sure everything went okay and the weather was perfect for our plans.

The photographer was well worth it, Sebastian took awesome pics! (Here are a few.) The decorations for the ceremony and the reception was exceptional and more beautiful than I ever expected. All-in-all the day was a fairy tale!

I would suggest Panama to those who are not expecting the usual all-inclusive treatment and for those who can appreciate the diversity of central America. I would definitely go back again. Panama is a historic country and great for those who want to venture out and go somewhere different, a must-see is the waterfalls and the canal.

But I would have to say, sometimes the time you have is based on the company you keep and we had wonderful company!

Thanks again…wishing I could do it all over again!!!!

Liza and Mark
Royal Decameron Panama

Are you impressed with Liza and Marc’s destination wedding hotel review? If you’d like to book at the Royal Decameron in Panama, check out these great rates we just posted for 2012 destination weddings. If all this works for you, contact us to book your wedding before July 26th – when these dates expire!

Thank you, Liza and Marc, for sharing your story and beautiful wedding photos with us! Have you, dear readers, ever visited the Royal Decameron in Panama?

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Mayan Riviera Destination Wedding: Felicia & Darren

Beach Bride Blogger — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:58:22 +0000

The Mayan Riviera, Mexico, is one of our favourite places to visit and so we recommend it often to our destination wedding couples (as you can tell from some of our Testimonial Tuesday posts). Today we feature Felicia & Darren, who married this year in May at Dreams Tulum.

Darren and I both want to thank you and everyone at Weddings By Oceans so very much for helping us plan such an important day!

The day could not have gone any smoother (with the exception of Darren having the flu, my maid of honor having a swollen eye from a bug bite, and myself having severe stomach trauma that no amounts of Imodium could fix!).

Anabel was our coordinator, and she was fantastic. She truly went above and beyond. In our conversations leading up to the wedding, and upon our meeting there, I was completely put at ease. All the little things that we wanted to make our wedding and reception special, she did it all.

The ceremony itself was spectacular. It was on the beach at 3:30 and where the ceremony took place was slightly away from the crowd, so no one was on top of us gawking at the ceremony. Which was really nice.

We held the reception indoors in one of the convention center rooms. It was air conditioned, the food was fantastic and the decorations were beautiful. The flowers they provided for my bouquet were just ok – if I had to do it again, I would have picked tropical flowers over the roses, they seemed much healthier and more fitting for the beach theme.

The resort went so far above and beyond, we had 4 people with mobility issues in our group and Anabel had made sure a golf cart would take the people who were not able to walk. They were driven from the beach ceremony to the reception, which was about an 8 minute walk.

Hair and makeup was fantastic. The woman who did mine did not speak a lick of English, but I brought a picture of what I wanted and she did it perfectly. And I was really pleased with the makeup, I did NOT want to look like a leftover from Halloween, and I thought I looked very natural. I could not have been happier.

I used the resort photographer and was pleasantly surprised by how great the pictures turned out! I was expecting amateurish pictures but some of them were really beautiful. (Here are just a few.)

For the resort itself, we absolutely loved it. They upgraded us for free to a premium junior suite, which was pretty central but far from everyone else (not that I minded!). Food was fantastic, drinks were great. They had room service, and turn down service. The a la carte restaurants were all fabulous, I loved that you didn’t have to make reservations (a big downside of some resorts where you have to wake up at 7am and stand in a line…).

There were a ton of weddings there, too, 3 every single day! Dreams Tulum handled them all well, though; they were very organized and the other weddings did not interfere at all with ours or our experience as hotel guests.

There were just a few things that weren’t perfect. The beach looked nice but it was rough to walk on with all the broken shells. Water shoes solved this issue. And any brides wanting a party resort, Dreams Tulum is not it. It is very relaxing but after 1am there is not much to do on the resort, all the bars shut down and the disco was closed. We made the best of it, though, with our group congregating in one area and ordering room service with booze and food.

The resort organized something for our group on May 5th to go to Coco Bongo in Playa, and a rep from CocoBongo picked us up in this unbelievable bus, had a stripper pole on it and hardwood floors. We had a blast and didn’t get home until 5am!

I’m recommending Weddings By Oceans to anyone I know of who’s thinking of a destination wedding. Darren and I really loved how special and intimate our wedding was. Thank you, Megan, and everyone at Weddings By Oceans for everything.

Congratulations Felicia & Darren and thank you for this wonderful contribution to our blog! It was our pleasure to help you create your dream beach wedding. For those of you interested in Dreams Tulum as a destination wedding resort, read more about it in Megan’s hotel review.

Ready to plan your destination wedding? Contact one of our Destination Wedding Specialists and let’s get started! For the rest of you, have you visited the Mayan Riviera or Dreams Tulum? Let’s hear your story.

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Mayan Riviera Weddings: Karisma’s El Dorado Maroma

Megan — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:30:45 +0000

In last week’s post we announced fabulous news for our company, and teased you with promises of Megan blogging about her most recent trip to Mexico’s beautiful Mayan Riviera to inspect destination wedding hotels. We’ll start with Megan’s fav, Karisma’s El Dorado Maroma.

El Dorado Maroma

We arrived in the Mayan Riviera on April 28th and stayed at the luxurious yet unpretentious El Dorado Maroma for the first three nights. Before we get into the review, we’d like to remind you that the El Dorado hotels are part of Karisma properties that offer a patented Gourmet Inclusive® service. Here’s a post explaining why Karisma weddings are so special and Why Plan Your Destination Wedding with a G.I. Consultant.

El Dorado Maroma

Secluded, enchanting and intimate, this beachfront, adults-only resort will be sure to wow your wedding group! It’s upscale with a casual elegance and while it’s reflected in the price, in my opinion, the service is bar none. Expect genuine interaction with staff as they always smile, offer greetings and quickly refer to you by name shortly after you arrive.

Maroma Beach

As much as we get around the Caribbean, this is by far the best beach I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy! Actually, it was rated one of the top 10 beaches in the world by Travel Channel in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Besides being along the second largest barrier reef in the world, it’s soft white, powdery sand with a layer of pink coral and turquoise waters is what makes this beach so renowned and romantic. Located in Playa Del Carmen about 30 miles from Cancun, it’s conveniently located yet remains an exclusive, uncrowded beach.

Activities

Maroma Beach draws guests of all types. Those who love to lounge will be happy to know these white sands are cool so your feet won’t burn. For those who love the active beach life, the adjacent marina (just a few steps from the hotel) offers excursions for sport fishing, snorkeling, diving, kayaking and sailing.

El Dorado Maroma also has amazing weekly events, including an authentic fish market where guests select their own fish and have it grilled right there on the beach!

Accommodations

El Dorado suite plunge pool, courtesy of Emily Wiley on Flickr.

With only 74 suites, we’re not kidding when we say the El Dorado Maroma is exclusive and intimate. Almost every suite has its own private jacuzzi and is mere steps away from Maroma Beach.

The contemporary Caribbean decor is chic yet comfortable, and almost all of the suites include Karisma’s signature roofless shower. Of course, as part of their Gourmet Inclusive service, these accommodations also include:

gourmet food and drink
beach butler service
daily stocked mini-bar

Image source: Flickr

Entertainment

Rick’s bar was a hoot! It has a small dance floor and the best Michael Jackson tribute show ever. When the show ended, a small wedding group of 15 people took over the bar with their ipod and speakers.

Nobody minded, the drinks were flowing and it was a good time for all, whether you were part of the wedding group or not.

Weddings

Can you imagine taking over an entire hotel for your wedding? With only 72 suites, a couple with a large group of 50-80 people could easily enjoy their own private destination wedding hotel!

Karisma takes weddings seriously. They are happy to customize your wedding, offer value-added wedding packages and offer various sites for ceremonies and receptions. Check out more on their weddings page.

While we were there, we had the fortune to see two weddings. Each were decorated differently and tailored to each couples’ wishes. They were equally lovely.

As you can see, Karisma weddings are superior, so contact us if you want a truly remarkable experience for you and your guests. And for those of you who don’t have the budget for the El Dorado Maroma, you may wish to consider the El Dorado Seaside. Review coming soon!

Have you had a chance to experience El Dorado Maroma or any of the Karisma Resorts? Tell us about it in the comments and if you’d like a hotel review on El Dorado Seaside, let us know and we’ll blog about it!

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Real Brides’ Hotel Review: Riu Palace Paradise Island

Beach Bride Blogger — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:00:44 +0000

We are the luckiest Destination Wedding Agency in Canada with the BEST Beachside Brides & Grooms! Amber and Gerald have returned from their wedding in the Bahamas at the Riu Palace Paradise Island and graciously submitted this hotel review for our blog.

The Trip

First of all, I am not sure if the `silver package`at Thomas Cook was an upgrade or automatically part of our package but it was a bonus! The extra weight for the bags, the advanced seat selection and, most importantly, the use of the lounge was perfect!

It made it easier to relax and gave us a chance to hang out and meet everyone before we left. That was a great touch.

The flight was good, we were able to have a whole bin section for the dress, suit and bridesmaids dresses, so I didn’t have to worry!

The Resort (Riu Palace Paradise Island)

AMAZING! I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone who will listen! If people are on the fence because of bad reviews tell them to call me. It was one of the best places we have ever stayed! Everyone in our group was very happy with the resort.

Why? Here are just some of the reasons:

Check-in was fast and efficient. They were able to get us all but 3 rooms on the same floor. Any rooming issues were solved the next day!
Staff and service. The whole resort was very clean, actually, we always saw it being cleaned and the staff would say hello to you EVERY time you passed. They were happy to help and very friendly.
FOOD, FOOD,FOOD. It was AMAZING. All the meals were very satisfactory with a huge selection that they changed for each breakfast, lunch and dinner. And each day the offerings changed a bit. The restaurants were good, too. There were a few picky eaters in our group but the selection was so varied and tasty that everyone enjoyed their meals. The buffets are open longer then most, closing only an hour between each meals so there is always something to eat. There is also 24 hour room service and light snacks served in the sports bar 24 hours.
Bars. Great selection and excellent service with a 24 hours sports bar for the real partiers! Every bar we went to was friendly and fun.
Daily entertainment. Again, we had a lot of fun. Each night there was an event and the `disco-lounge’ was a great space.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. You cannot beat it! With the beautiful beach steps away from the resort, you don’t have to take all your stuff with you, you can easily run back in if you need anything. Steps to Atlantis, so great for shopping, or if you want to spend the day there. Also easy to grab a cheap cab to go into town! Tons of shopping, sites and local places to eat.

I would 100% recommend the Riu!

The Wedding

We had a wonderfully perfect wedding! We got everything we needed and wanted for the day and the staff at the wedding and reception did everything they could to make the day a success!

We had a private ballroom and decorated it the day before, and even though we bought our own flowers and decorations, they had no problem with us bringing things in. For center pieces we simplified things by using water glasses from the bar with a single flower in each.

The ceremony was beautiful. One of the best parts was the officiate the hotel wedding coordinator brought in for us. He was funny, nice and had beautiful vows for us.

The food was wonderful from beginning to end. No complaints at all. The bar was stocked and the bartender was swift and friendly.

There was a small mix up with the florist BUT everything turned out in the end. My wonderful bridesmaids had enough time to change up their flowers to make a bouquet of tropical flowers for me and we were given $200 as an apology for the mistake.

Overall, we had a wonderful experience at Riu Palace Paradise Island, our wedding was perfect and the resort was spectacular!

If you liked this real brides’ hotel review and wish to book a wedding group to Riu Palace Paradise Island, contact one of our Cyber Maids of Honour (a.k.a. Destination Wedding Specialists) for rates and let’s start planning!

Congrats to Amber and Gerald, and a big thank you for their blog post submission! Unfortunately they didn’t have pictures to send but promised they will – we’ll update this entry when they do.

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Mayan Riviera Weddings: Tiffany & John

Beach Bride Blogger — Tue, 03 May 2011 05:12:49 +0000

The Mayan Riviera is a destination wedding hot spot! But don’t take our word for it. Here’s a 4-minute, fun, gorgeous, heart-tugging wedding video featuring Tiffany & John (one of our couples), who exchanged vows at the Grand Palladium in the Maya Riviera.

We love the Mayan Riviera, Mexico, for destination weddings. Megan, our lead Cyber Maid of Honour is happily running around there right now conducting site inspections and many of our couples (like Nikki & Mark and Holly & Daryl) found it to be the perfect wedding paradise!

And so did our lastest Mayan Riviera wedding couple, Tiff and John. They chose the jaw-dropping beauty of the Catholic Church on the Grand Palladium property and hired Studio 67 to capture their celebrations. Here is the video highlights from the wedding:

Tiffany + John | Mayan Riviera | Highlights from Studio67 on Vimeo.

Can you believe Studio 67 pulled this incredible piece together while they were still in Mexico!? A big selling feature, they offer same day edits so Tiff and John were able to relive their wedding experience surrounded by their friends and family.

Studio 67 blogged about their experience at Tiff and John’s Mayan Riviera wedding — well worth the read!

If you’re considering a destination wedding in the Mayan Riviera, you might like to review some of our past posts:

Dora blogs about Mayan Riviera & Cancun destination weddings
Megan reviews Secrets’ Capri and Dreams Tulum
Megan blogs about THE ROYAL
Nikki reviews Azul & El Dorado resorts
Megan reviews Gran Bahia Principe

Are you convinced the Mayan Riviera is the right place for you to host your destination wedding? If you’d like us to take care of all the travel and accommodations for your group (including a ton of complimentary services), then contact one of our Destination Wedding Specialists and let’s start planning!

What do you think of the video? Didn’t Studio 67 do an incredible job on capturing Tiff and John’s entire wedding?

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Real Brides’ Hotel Review: Windjammer & Almond Morgan Bay

Beach Bride Blogger — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 05:57:26 +0000

Two weeks ago we shared a review submitted by one of our couples who had the good fortune to scout out their 3 favourite St. Lucia hotels before booking their wedding. In Part 1, Marie-Eve and Jonathan told us about Smuggler’s Cove; today they share their thoughts on weddings at Windjammer Landing and Almond Morgan Bay!

To recap, Marie-Eve and Jonathan stayed at Smuggler’s Cove during their three days in St. Lucia. They took one day to visit Windjammer Landing and Almond Morgan Bay in order to personally inspect what the hotels offered in terms of weddings.

Almond Beach Panoramic

Windjammer Landing

The wedding gazebo is on one end of the beach, which they close that section during a wedding. It is however very possible to get bathers and sun tanners in the pictures as they would be right next to the closed-off section.

Windjammer Wedding Gazebo

Signs from the last hurricane (Thomas, last October) are still visible; it looks like they bulldozed debris on one end of the beach, actually near the wedding gazebo. The beach is crowded, not so much from people but from “stuff” in the water, from the restaurant on a pier to lots of kids apparatus (trampoline, climbing thingy, etc.), so not so charming beach landscape.

The grounds were quite nice and polished, the pools appeared very clean, and all the white buildings also contribute to the clean and neat appearance of the resort.

The rooms: OMG! Amazing rooms and views from the rooms, thanks to their construction on the flank of a cliff. Shuttles run 24 hours per day to bring you to your room and the rest of the property as the road is very steep.

It seemed to me like this resort attracts an older crowd, despite the kids-oriented beach. Perhaps due to the fact that some villas are sold as time-shared…

Pros: great rooms, great views. Pretty wedding gazebo, airy and overlooking the ocean.

Cons: the dependence on shuttle to go from the rooms to the rest of what there is to do (unless you consider it more like a cottage or are looking into stay in your room a lot), the spoiled look of the beach with the kids stuff. Beach is kid-oriented (which can be a pro if you’ll have kids at your wedding). The beach still showing signs of Thomas with piles of debris and broken corals mixed into the beach’s sand.

Almond Morgan Bay

Colorful buildings are spread on the hills. Some upper buildings (the rooms with ocean view) requires you to go up steep paths and up lots of stairs, which could be an issue for elderly guests or guests with mobility issues.

We were told all the rooms are pretty much the same, what changes is the views (ocean view = $$). The rooms are very clean, refurbished, and allow guests to share or bring children (we saw a room with 2 double beds and a single bed in a corner).

Almond Wedding Gazebo

The wedding gazebo is stubby, brown, but set on the top of a cliff which gives a panoramic view of the ocean. Far from the beach, so no bathers in bathing suits nearby, but about 30 feet from one of the ocean view rooms building.

The beach is clean, nice landscape, with lots of natural shades from palm trees if you require some and when the umbrellas are all taken (I’m a redhead, so I look for shade). There is a restaurant on a pier, but it doesn’t seem to take over the visual real estate of the beach.

Pros: they allow guests to share rooms to bring down costs. The view from the gazebo. The restaurants do not close on rotation during the off season, and they seem appealing. The beach is nice.

Cons: possibility of a long, sweaty walk for the bride to reach the gazebo. Gazebo is somewhat unattractive on its own.

Comment: in the taxi on the way back, we picked up a Toronto woman at the Almond. She stayed a week and mentioned that despite the 4 restaurants, in the end the food didn’t feel very diverse, but that it was nonetheless good.

Thank you again to Marie-Eve and Jonathan for taking the time to write this review for us. Their personal site inspections helped them make a final decision on where they’ll be hosting their destination wedding – but not everyone will have the luxury of doing so. If you want to book a destination wedding and need help, contact us; our DWSs have personally visited the hotels we recommend.

Have you been to either Windjammer Landing or Almond Morgan Bay? What did you think?

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Destination Weddings in Mexico: THE ROYAL Playa Del Carmen

Beach Bride Blogger — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:58:40 +0000

Mexico is full of beautiful places to host a destination wedding. In today’s post, we cover a fantastic property in the Mayan Riviera owned by Real Resorts and reviewed (with a double thumbs up) by our Destination Wedding Agency.

This past weekend Megan, owner of Weddings By Oceans, participated in Toronto’s Bridal Show at the Direct Energy Centre. She partnered up with Real Resorts representative Allison Ferguson to promote this terrific chain of hotels in Cancun and the Mayan Riviera for wedding groups.

Here is some information for your review and consideration. Megan will be visiting THE ROYAL in a couple weeks but it is already one of her favourite properties in the Mayan Riviera! Why? Aside from all of the wonderful amenities and inclusions: LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!

About Real Resorts

Real Resorts is a privately owned hotel company in Mexico. It owns and operates four all-inclusive beachfront resorts in Cancun and Playa del Carmen under THE ROYAL and GRAN brands which appeal to a wide range of lifestyles.

THE ROYAL in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, recently awarded with The Five Star Five Diamond Award by AAHS, offer the most luxurious all-inclusive accommodations and attentive service for adults.

The Gran Caribe Real in Cancun and the Gran Porto Real in Playa del Carmen offer warmth, personal service and upscale accommodations appropriate for families and travelers seeking a casual vacation experience.

The Gran Porto Real in Playa del Carmen was recently recognized with the Check Safety First Award, recognizing it as one of the most hygienic hotels in the region.

Real Resorts Group operates 5 hotels:

Gran Porto Real Playa del Carmen (5 Star, 272 Rooms & Suites)
Gran Caribe Real (5 Star, 477 Suites)
Real Playa Carmen (4 Star, 136 rooms)
THE ROYAL Playa del Carmen (Luxury All-Inclusive, 464 Suites)
THE ROYAL in Cancun (Luxury All-Inclusive, 285 Ocean Front Suites).

THE ROYAL Playa del Carmen

Guests will discover an explosion of luxury around every corner at THE ROYAL Playa del Carmen. This casually elegant beachfront resort is the jewel of the Rivera Maya with breathtaking views of the turquoise Caribbean. Yet its beachfront location is only steps from Playa del Carmen’s famed Fifth Avenue. Discover hip night spots, trendy cafes, colorful shops and the local color of this fishing village while experiencing THE ROYAL’s flawless hospitality.

The resort’s interior is as impressive as its palatial exterior, where the use of textures, fabrics and natural materials reflect sophisticated seaside grace. Each guest suite is richly appointed and most enjoy an ocean view or are oceanfront. The exquisite furniture is handcrafted by local artisans and guests will enjoy an array of unique and exceptional amenities designed to make their experience perfect.

Free Weddings at THE ROYAL Playa del Carmen

When the wedding couple stays five nights or longer in a Master or Presidential suite or 20 ocean view guest suites with a minimum of 5 nights at a participating Real Resort*, the wedding package is complimentary. Guests can also participate in our Renewal of Vows Package on their first Anniversary for free if they celebrated their civil marriage at a Real Resorts property.

The Free Wedding Package includes:

Professional services of an onsite Wedding Specialist.
Special decoration of the couple’s suite with rose petals.
Marriage ceremony performed by a Non-Denominational Christian Minister or Justice of the Peace. Witnesses (if required).
Decorated oceanfront wedding gazebo or beachfront location.
Sound system for the ceremony (bring your favorite music on CD’s, iPod or MP3).
Champagne toast after the ceremony.
Real Resort’s Signature Royal wedding cake for two.
Late check-out for the couple up to 6 P.M. (subject to availability).

Other packages include available. Visit www.RealResorts.com/weddings for more information.

Do you have golfers in group?

Guests of THE ROYAL Playa del Carmen can enjoy a complimentary round of golf when booking a three night minimum stay in the two upper suite categories: The Presidential Suite or a Gran Master Suite.

Additional rounds of golf can be added at a 50% credit and guests in other suite categories, or for shorter stays, can also enjoy a 50% credit on golf.

If you’re interested in hosting a destination wedding in Mexico, contact one of our dedicated DWS at Weddings By Oceans to discuss your dream wedding. We specialize in group bookings and can offer you the expertise you need to plan an out-of-country wedding.

Can you tell from this post why we love Real Resorts? Have you ever been, and if you have, what did you think?

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