okay hello
and welcome back to Destination Wedding Planning
made easy I'm your host
Mario Lopez and you're joined here by the team
from Destination Weddings expert
please say hello to Prissi Powell
Jodi Com and Nikki Sanders
hello ladies
hello hi hi
uh alright
so we have kind of a fun topic today
that we're gonna go through
and it all has to do with choosing your proper venue
and we're talking mostly about on site venues
where to choose what are some of the pros and cons
what's kind of involved in that decision
right so let's kick it off here
I think one of the biggest topics of conversation
in venues lately
is beach venues and that's kind of who's choosing them
who isn't why we're choosing them
things like that it's been a conversation
like when I go to our conferences that we go to right
and we're you know
we're in and we're visiting with different vendors
I feel like this comes up at almost every conversation
right now is are couples doing beach venues and why
um so I guess
Christy talk to me a little bit about
maybe
some of the pros and cons about choosing a beach venue
and what that looks like
um I think when you think destination wedding
you automatically go to the beach
like you're thinking of the sand
the sunsets just being out there with the breeze
as you say I do
but I think as this generation
everybody doesn't want the beach
so we do have some pros and some cons
when we start to think about
if we're gonna get married on a beach
yep absolutely
it's so
I think one of the first things
that people don't necessarily think about
when they're looking at a beach venue
is some of the additional costs that come into it
right it's so when you're looking at a beach venue
if you have you know
let's say you have the dream that you want that
you know golden hour
Sunset Beach ceremony
and you also wanna wear high heels hahaha right
automatically you've got a platform
that you need to put out onto the stand
and depending on how far out that beach venue is
that the the hotel uh
how far out they put it out there
that platform can get very pricey
and denial and the aisle yep
and then if the seats get to the platform
yep yep
and you so Nikki on
on that note
tell us a little bit about getting the guests out there
if if any of your guests would struggle
with getting all the way onto the beach
um gotta take that in consideration too
um you know
the beach is very distracting for young children
it's very distracting for young children
and we cannot count on all of them to behave
as you would wish and sometimes
you know Sam gets places
seen it with my own eyes um
so another thing to take in consideration it's
you know we can do it
we can get it done but you might need wrangling
yep absolutely
now some of the venues do help you prepare for it
so some of the venues are gonna set up
like a shoe station that
you know where we can set the shoes off to the side
guests can go on to the beach
have a barefoot ceremony and then come back
wash off their feet and and continue on to the cop
not everybody wants to take their shoes off though
and you don't want everyone to take their shoes off
haha
please leave your shoes on
some shoes are hard to get off
like depending on the shoe
it's like once it's on
it's on so that's a factor too
listen
I have been skinnier at different times in my life
and right now
I do not like bending down to try and tie a shoe
you tie a shoe it's just not my
and if you're in your dressiness
you know it's like
mmm hmm
it's just but if
but if your crowd is all like
boho and we're just wearing flip flops anyway
to your wedding if that is your wedding
this is perfect for you this is perfect for you
if you want your kids to just not be paying attention
and just rolling in the sand
having fun perfect for you
so it it you know
just so you know like
absolutely absolutely
and I think you know this part of that is
booking
with someone who understands what the beach is like
cause not all beaches are created equally
it's if you want a beach wedding
I am not sending you to Ava
I love Ava it's a great property
no horrible beach it's this beach
they're not all created equally in the same mile
a coastline yeah
so
yeah you have to be
and depending what depending on the season
you know it's one way in may
it's totally different come August September
so all of those need to be factored
into those beach decisions
and then
you toss in the wild card of sargasm and seaweed
and then you just you don't like
you don't know
sometimes it'll be there and sometimes it won't
but there are some places like um
Islam Harris uh
impressions Islam Harris
where you never have to worry about the sargasm
cause you it does not go to that part of the island
um so it's just knowing the area
knowing where you're gonna need to expect that
knowing where you can avoid it um
and finding someone who's gonna tell you the truth
that you know you may or may not have sarcasm
and I can't guarantee it but it's
you want to make sure you know where you're gonna be
kind of in that in that realm of things
but I guess you know
like Nikki said
not all beaches are created equally here right
that's so you know
Atelier already has a platform
it's already there
it's so that's one thing that's a one up
it's a one other thing
that you're not gonna need to spend your money on
cause
if they make it so that you can have the beach wedding
and have it comfortable um
one that we don't usually sell for weddings
but the one that I think is a really good mention here
is chable so chable uh
Maroma is not a all inclusive resort
it's an EP resort um
which is why it's not quite as popular
among the weddings that we
that we usually do cause
most of our weddings are in the all inclusive realm
but when you're talking a natural beach
with that fine white sand
it is one of the last
untouched beaches that are out there um
and
I think it's probably one of the most stunning beaches
I think I've ever seen in my life
it's gorgeous um
so that one's definitely worth mentioning um
Hard Rock River Maya
that's that's
you know on the other side of things
I wouldn't you know
if you're looking at a a beach wedding
wouldn't necessarily go to Hard Rock or anywhere
um just cause they've got that what
what is they
what do they call that man made inlet there
that partition the little base
is it little base
the little yeah thing yeah
um so they don't have a swim
a natural swimable beach
they have a created one with rock barriers
which is okay maybe you want that though
because it photographs nice for some couples
it works for some couples
and they have a they have all those gazebos already
ready to go all the way along the beach
absolutely
so okay
so that's I think beaches that's
there's definitely still a lot of weddings
that are happening on the beach
still a lot of weddings and of these
there's some properties that do it better than others
and and it always just takes kind of
that conversation
to figure out exactly what you're looking for
if we're gonna do a beach
we want to be very specific about it
let's talk for a second about rooftops
cause now we're talking the complete opposite right
we're going from on the ground
you know that's challenges
when it comes to getting onto the beach
and things like that
to the rooftop overlooking everything
and what what some of that looks like right
it's I think
obviously just
one of the biggest pros that you can have with the
with the rooftops is gonna be the view
right that's why you do a rooftop
they're so stunning I
the one that always pops into my head is secrets Moshe
I just think they have a gorgeous rooftop up there
and it's overlooking that beautiful water
and that's you have the secrets Moshe
and then you have the impression side as well that's
and it's just
it's such a gorgeous view overlooking everything
I think probably one of the pros to doing a rooftop
is you typically
have a little bit more control over your privacy
yes um
that's in you know
when you're doing a rooftop
that's usually a section of the rooftop
that's kind of off to the side
blocked off a little bit or easier to set up
you know cousins at the
at the entrance down here right now right
that's uh
but it's a little bit easier for privacy
whereas one thing that we didn't talk about
when we're talking beaches
not all beaches are private
it's so I had my wedding at Eldorado uh
Eldorado beautiful resort
it was an amazing wedding
but my cousins were lame blocks on the side trying to
keep people out
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
my cousins they are
they are the sweetest they're twins
it's but those girls
they don't mess around like we don't play
um that's Nikki
can you talk to me a little bit about
maybe some of the cons to a rooftop
rooftop you know
you're exposed you're exposed to the weather
not necessarily the people
but you're exposed to the weather
and if it is too breezy too windy
too gusty to not like
there's no fans there's no nothing
um but
you know you spent some money on your flowers
you spent money on your decor
and now the wind turned up to cheer you on
but it takes it's blowing away
it's blowing everything it's blowing everything candles
um you better
you better have gotten those cylinders
with the LED candle in there
that's exactly what you want on rooftops
you do not want any little
or 10 or real flames
good real candle
they don't they won't last
they won't last and um
also rooftop
a good if you choose it right
and you want everyone's hair a certain way
it may be a half up half down
do let's go
we're not telling you not to do a rooftop
it's they're gorgeous
but things that could pop up along the way
maybe keep them in your in your mind
yeah I think
you know just being exposed to the elements
I think everything is amplified on a rooftop
that's so that's the heat
the wind the
you know if it
even
if it's just a slight drizzle that's coming at you on
the rooftop right
so it's one thing to take into consideration
I love a rooftop because of the view and because of you
kind of those stunning pictures that you can get
but there are things you have to think about
we also had a wedding um
it was at the fives last year
um and that's
you know
one important thing to think about with the rooftop is
again focusing on accessibility of your guests
if you have a guest who is
you know needs a handicap accessible venue
a rooftop could be a good solution
it also is something that you need to make sure
you think about Plan B
we had this this wedding at the fives
unfortunately
the elevator had broken down earlier in the day
they were getting someone out to work on the elevator
but it wasn't fixed yet
and the groom's mother was not able to go up the stairs
unfortunately
the groom's mother could not attend the ceremony
for her son
there are a couple other rooftop
or upper locations that do not have elevator
even working perfectly at all
so if you have any guests in your
that are coming
if you know that your grandma and grandpa are coming
in their wheelchair bound
this will affect your locations
yeah or any of your friends
your best man your maid of honor
your sister any of any of them
yeah this will affect your choice of locations and
and it's something to tell your expert right away
yep exactly
exactly it's
and I think you know
that's when we're talking budget wise
there's some properties that will charge for rooftops
some that won't so it
it kind of depends on where you're at
you just need to know
if they're gonna charge for that or not
but also you need to think about decor
most rooftops are totally blank
there's nothing up there nothing at all right
so you
you are gonna need to spend a little bit of money
to dress this up you might need some flowers
you might need you know
just a little bit extra on the arch
something to make it look like a venue
instead of just a rooftop that
that you're throwing your ceremony right
that's so it there could be some extra cost
that
come into making sure that that space is up to par
for your photos
um I think one of my favorites
and it kind of depends on where you're at
but kind of the garden terrace
gazebo realm of things that's
I think are really nice venues
because it gives you a good starting point
mm hmm um
that's
Chrissy talk to me a little bit about a garden terrace
what are your favorites about
about those spaces I like the lushness of the space so
you know you're not just directly in the sun
you have the shade from some of the trees
and the foliage it's just I don't know
it makes me feel like I'm Alice in Wonderland right
like you're just walking through this beautiful garden
you looked apart everybody's
you know lined up it
it's one of my preferred locations
they're good for for the receptions too
cause a lot of the resorts
you know that have these locations
sometimes there's foliage and shrubbery built up around
and
yes the shade
yeah
the shade the breeze
all of the things with that too though
need to consider capacity
yeah on the rooftop or in the gardens
that could be restrictive
that's a really good point Jody
cause some of those some of those spaces
are meant for a little bit of a smaller group right
that's
so if you're planning on having 100 person wedding
that's a gardener a terrace might not work
you need to verify what that
what that uh capacity is before you
you know confirm
check the resorts
cause like Costa de Campo added all those
has added more little garden areas um
that are fully grown oh and
and if you want cats at your location hahaha
I do know where hahaha
he's available
the cats are there
there are cats working at some of the resorts
absolutely absolutely
they have jobs they work there
no lie hahaha
I think um
that's
gardens and terraces have
on both the pro and the con side
there's gonna be two things
that's first of all it's gonna be private
some of them are gonna be very private
like Nikki said
some of them have a really nice private area atelier
their their garden area has a
it's all enclosed in that's you really
and they have that heart shape thing there
that you can take the picture with
that's on the wall over there
yeah but you need lighting now
you need lighting yes lighting yeah
that's so that's
you know
some of them can be private and some of them aren't
there are some properties where the garden area
the garden venue is just a big piece of grass
that's in the middle of the resort
and everyone around you is gonna see um
I think Hard Rock Punta Cana
Hard Rock Punta Cana is
is it's really any of the a I C properties
the Hard Rocks um
Ava and Unico it's it's
they just don't have some of the
privatization on some of those venues
Unico I think their
their terrace that's out there is absolutely gorgeous
and it's stunning
and everyone notices it cause Unico is a horseshoe
but also there's no privacy on it
now the one nice thing that Unico does about that
though is at night
when you're typically throwing a reception
you know that's on that terrace
everyone the
the majority of the guests are up towards the
the top of the horseshoe in the resort
cause they're all the restaurants up there
all the bars are up there
so your group is typically down
on their own in that section
but it's something to consider
cause it is not totally private
and the the privatization can't be guaranteed there
some of them do have privatization that
that you have the other thing then is gonna be lighting
um you know
like Nikki said it's the garden at Atelier
beautiful beautiful venue
but if you're gonna do it there
you absolutely need lighting
and you're gonna need a good amount of lighting
cause it's a dark place that's over there
um live Aqua uh
live Aqua has
I'm not able to remember the name of the venue
right now it's behind the pool club um
but there's a
a venue back there that's absolutely gorgeous
at a little garden area
you're gonna need lighting in order to
in order to have that reception there at night
um very nice
but as much as
that's why I always talk about this with our couples
when we're talking budget
lighting is one of the things that you would have
you would never guess how much lighting is gonna
it it drives up a budget so much quick
very quick cause everybody's here
buying the little twinkle lights for 8 99 a pack
you know right
no
and it's I
you know I
I understand that you know
lighting if you go buy it at the store
it doesn't cost that much
but there's a lot of labor
that goes into getting them hung
there's a lot into making sure that
you know there's
the little light bulbs aren't
you know burnt out and things like that
so the cost is a lot more than what you would think
so it's just something you need to consider
as you're looking at some of your venues
and making sure that they're
they're good to go that's
on that same note
just kind of before we move off the gardens and gazebos
that's one of the best things about the AIC properties
is that there are so many options for garden
hmm hmm
verses and gazebos right
that's there's a lot that you can
you can take take a look at
and kind of confirm which one that you want
AIC has that venue deposit that you can pay
so you can make sure that you guarantee a certain one
if you wanted it um
but we're gonna have one for every capacity too
for every capacity yes yes
so they're it's just gonna
your options oh
I have more people than expected
AIC got you yeah
yeah also
if you're having multiple events
like you don't have to worry about
having your event in the same place every day
because they have a ton of locations
yeah absolutely
if you're doing a South Asian wedding and you have
you know three to five hundred people at your wedding
Hard Rock in Riviera Maya
that's we've done it a couple times there
that's they've got more than enough space to set up the
to host any amount of guests
I think the I
I think the capacity out on that
that terrace um
is like 1,000 people out there
oh they
they have one yeah yeah
the big one with those weddings there
there's more than even three events
you know so
you have to move people around
during these different times of day
so if you're planning on doing a lot right
you pick a property that can do a lot for you
mm hmm
yeah yep
so let's talk ballrooms now um
Jody what do you think
just one of the biggest advantages to doing a ballroom
is temperature control I need my air conditioning
I love the beach but if I'm paying to have my hair done
my makeup done my gown
my shoes I would like some AC
Yep absolutely
it's those ballrooms
I think one of the best things about them
is they can be temperature controlled
I will with a caveat AC in Mexico and Dr
is not quite AC here in the States
right right
you're not gonna get 67 no yeah
and if you have guests who are hanging out with the
yeah if you have guests hanging out with the door open
it's gonna heat up the space and things like that
but you don't have the you don't
you don't have the worry
of what the weather is gonna be like
if it's raining if it's
you know that's
you don't have any of that
so that's there's definitely
a little bit more of a control factor um
that you have with the ballroom
now at that same note
there are a couple cons
that come along with the ballroom
it's so prissy talk us through
kind of maybe some of the cons that are involved in
in choosing a ballroom venue
a lot of them are ugly so let's just
let's just get right into it
a lot of them are not pleasing to the eyes
so it's going to cost a lot of money to make them
you know wet and appropriate
yeah well
and you know
a lot of those ballrooms are made for corporate events
right so that's when you get in there
you now not only have to be concerned about
decorating your tables and the chairs and
you know your center pieces
and what all of that is gonna look like
but now you have to decorate the walls and the ceiling
you need lighting you need drapes
yeah you still need lighting
a purple and red carpet like
you have this purple and red carpet
like what are we doing
you have purple and red carpet
depending on the resort
and depending on how well they maintain it
that carpet may or may not be sticky
uh it may or may not have stains
maybe older than you haha
maybe older than you um
there's yeah
there's definitely yes
it's you you just need to make sure that
you know or your planner knows what
you know what that ballroom is actually like
I think one of my favorite ballrooms that we've done
actually we've done it a couple times already
is gonna be uh
majestic elegance and their
their ball yeah
it's the just
they do it well it's uh gorgeous
yeah the AC is actually pretty good in there
um I think the only complaint that we got
on one of our groups when it comes to AC
is the ballroom itself is
is very well uh
air condition but it opens to a terrace
it opens to the terrace
and there's no wind in that terrace
the terrace is actually very hot over there but
but that one was created for weddings
yeah it was
so it it was created for that um
perfect it
this is a it's
it's fantastic so
you know you want that
let's get that book right now
put that on the list
cause a lot of them were created for Goodyear tires
to show up
they don't care
it's I I would say
I mean if you
if you have a ballroom in mind for
for your wedding automatically bump up your
your budget by I mean
to be fair like five to ten thousand dollars
bump your budget up a little bit
because it's going to take more
to make that look like a proper venue
yeah I think if you
if you know
you want a ballroom reception
and this might work even better
if you're going in the summer months
where sometimes things are a little less expensive
but you know
you can have a non sweaty wedding
what you know
reception when the kids are off school
hahaha well
and things are a little more wet in the summer months
that so you just know if it's gonna be raining or not
yeah well
so you already know you want a ballroom
you can maybe take a gamble on the cheaper season
yep absolutely
it's it's a nice way to
to save a little bit money on
on that yeah
now I think
there are a lot of
really beautiful ball gowns out there
that I think we should probably touch on now
we've already talked about majestic elegance
yeah Chrissy
tell me about your favorite
I love Esguerra Arte I love their ballroom
it has like that traditional Mexican feel
but it's modern
I feel like it works for whatever the vision is
so the carpet isn't purple and red hahaha
but it's a good it's a good base
I you know
I think I've got kind of a hot take on one um
is you know
a hotel that we don't necessarily think of first hand
for destination weddings um
but Hyatt Vivid Grand Island
first of all
I just personally love that property just for vacation
I think it's it's so much fun
it's very cute I don't know
that it's necessarily made for weddings
but their ballroom there is stunning
so their ballroom there
sits in between the high vivid and the dreams
that's being built um
but there's gonna
there is that ballroom that's all glass
really beautiful ballroom
um the top opens up a little bit
so that you can air out of there
some of the heat gets out of there
um it is air conditioned
of course it's a new ballroom
so you you know
you're not necessarily looking at the
maybe some of that carpeting that we talked about um
and it's just centrally located in the resort
so all your guests can easily find it
I think that ballroom is probably um
a little hidden gem that's down there
for anyone that might be
be looking for a wedding at a high vivid um
Hard Rock Los Cabos
that's their their ballroom is just beautiful
um I really
all the venues at that property island
they do have some good venues
their venues are so stunning um
that they really thought about weddings
when they were building that property
so um
but their ballroom is very nice there
Atelier Atelier has a very nice ballroom right
their their conference center is
is located right off centrally in the resort
and it's got that big uh
terrarium in there so
it's that makes that a good venue
another yeah
another property I tell you right
another property with just some stunning venues that
that you know from top to bottom
I love their venues over there
um anyways yeah
so ballrooms
definitely some pros and cons that come with it
it's you get a little bit more control over things
can tend to cost you a little bit more
depending on what you're looking at
but as long as you know that going in
and like Nikki said go in the cheaper season
but get the ballroom and now you've got
you know now you've got a nice
little balance to your wedding there
that I think would be uh
make it happen yeah
ways ways to make something happen yeah
um let's talk about restaurants
so this is this is something that
that a lot of couples
don't always think about'cause it's not always
not always advertised not always in
but
there's some properties that really do a good job of
of setting up their restaurants for
to be to be privatized
if you wanted to privatize it for especially
mostly a reception right
this isn't necessarily a ceremony thing but um
for the for the reception
there is a a lot of good options
and the reason that these are more popular is because
it comes with existing furniture
it comes with existing fixtures
there's decor in the restaurant
that makes it look beautiful
there's not
there's lighting yes
air conditioning like
air conditioning all the things yep
bathroom yeah
so this you know
this again pros and cons and things
you have all these things that are
are included in it and there's not a whole lot of extra
that you need to do almost always
there's gonna be a privatization fee
right
so there's almost always you're gonna have to pay for
to to get that venue
but if you can save on all the extras
then it might make sense for you to do that
um usually
the cocktail can be done right
along with the reception at
at the at the restaurant
so it's really nice just layout wise
to make sure everything is gonna work
but again now we're looking at capacity issues
so when we're looking at you know
how many people that we can fit in there
you are very limited because it's an indoor space
you're very limited to what that capacity is
how many people that you can fit in there
just legally fire standard wise
how many people that they can have in there
right so you have
they're
they're very strict with their capacities on there
but there are that increases your
your availability of different kinds of foods too
true and that brings up a really good point Jody
so that's the nice thing about doing the restaurants
because you have the hot kitchen right there
you can have a nice sit down dinner
you don't need to worry about
you know
food being transported halfway across the property
things like that usually
if a venue is too far out
from a hot kitchen now we're looking at
you know just doing a buffet
you only have the buffet option
we can't you know
we can't do anything else
because we can't get food out there
and have it still be edible by the time it gets on
it's a good option too if
you know like I'm
I'm having this many guests
I'm having only 60 75
guess I'm gonna keep myself on budget here
you know planning this way if
you know I'm
we're not just inviting
every single person we knew from college um
and you can you can do this
and it's a great option
for some of the resorts that do offer this
and it can keep you on track
mm hmm absolutely absolutely
Nikki talk to us a little bit
about some of the more standout properties
that have restaurants um
I I would say there's
there's two that always come to mind
Casa de Campo they use Lago there
which has the restaurants
opens on one side
and you have a view of the golf course
which is beautiful
which actually
you can see the ocean as well from there
so great venue
it's comfortably you know
comfortably decor already
no problem um
and then at Atelier they will use Sospiro
which is almost on the beach
it it's
you know it opens up
it also has a terrace little patio out front
um
those might be my favorites
but they do have you know
they're gonna have a capacity
these aren't for your larger weddings
um they're for your your
you know your nice size
close weddings you know like
and they're very popular
I think Lopez on Costa Varo needs to be one that
that's added that list as well
I think Lopez on goldfish is I
I would say
probably 80% of our weddings that we do there
go with goldfish for the
for the reception and it just
it makes things easy and it's a beautiful venue
and they you know
they keep it really well maintained
so I think that's one that
that really is a standout as well
let's talk beach clubs
beach clubs are an interesting one
now when I say beach clubs
we're talking about two different things here
when I say beach clubs in this context
I'm talking about on site beach clubs
right so
you know there's there's
beach clubs that are out you know
at outside offsite venues
we'll talk about that later
but for on site beach clubs
I think these are something that we're seeing
a little bit more in some
some properties as like
these are newer properties
the two that are in my head are
are newer properties
that we're looking at with beach clubs
right um and so
there's a couple advantages that you can
you know look at with them
first of all the Beach Club typically
is gonna give you one of the best venues
for privacy it's in its own little area
when you rent out the Beach Club
it is yours that's your space for your group
and so I think that is
is one of the biggest advantages to the beach club
they're also typically really done well with decor
there's you know
there's a lot of lighting that's in there already
things that you know
things that are there already
that you don't need to necessarily
they're already swanky
exactly exactly
now that's with that swankiness
they typically almost always will come with a fee
right it's
so there's usually a venue fee to do the Beach Club
um but it is
because it gives you more of that elevated feel
so I would rather pay for a beach club than a ballroom
like cause I feel like you're gonna get so much more
the vibe is already set like
you have a little bit of air in certain spaces
so I would I would most definitely
pay for the beach club over the ballroom
you know Percy
I kind of agree with you on that
like this because the beach club
it's gonna give you
you know it's gonna give you the kind of half decorated
at least jump start on your decor
yep but it has a very
they
at least all the ones that I'm thinking of right now
I have more of a swanky vibe to them
it gives you kind of a ambiance that other venues
aren't gonna give you you have to
you have to create it with other venues
whereas the you get the indoor outdoor too
yep indoor outdoor yeah
there's usually some cover if it rains
it's absolutely Minitas Beach Club after that combo
yes yes
hahaha
and that one best story ever
I was there I had on heels
so it's a dick
so skinny heels will fall through
the guy came and gave me like
some heel clips for my shoes
I was blown away like
it was just like
saved my outfit it was
it was perfect though perfect
but that's the level of everything
that's the level of service that you can
yes right
that's the level of service there
yes yeah
say hi
I'm surprised that we didn't
I didn't I don't know why
I didn't have that one on the list right away
it's such a gorgeous one it's so pretty
it is we've been there
we've seen baby showers in there
like it's that infinity pool there
and then overlooking the water
you're right over the beach
like that is a very beautiful venue
um
or you could just rent that out
for your bachelorette party
yeah we'll hook you up
we'll send you there and be good
send the boys golfing right
the girls at the Beach Club we got you
absolutely good day
now for our couples
who are looking for a little bit more of
like a religious ceremony
there are some
properties that are gonna do this better than others
some properties that are really gonna have some
some features on their chapels
right but you can get a chapel
if you wanted something that was a little bit more
religious or specifically
if you're Catholic you can get a
now I'm not gonna remember the name of the word
that's when um the chapel is on
something the holy ground or something
yeah it's yeah
it's there's a few resorts with
that have chapels that do have services
yeah
Atelier they have Sunday Mass so
and you can you can use that wedding chapel in there
it's very cute of course
now here we are going with capacity again
so if you are having religious ceremony
um
your guest count may matter consecrated
I don't know why I couldn't think of it consecrated
yeah yeah
it's there are some that actually have it
that's something that you're looking for
um but yes
Nikki it's a atelier
they have a beautiful one
I think one of the most beautiful chapels
that are out there is
ish kret mmm hmm
you know it's
it's so it's great
for those of you that don't know they have it
it's kind of like a whole stairway system
that goes all the way up
but your guests don't need to take the stairs
there's they have a transfer that will take them up
it's this big huge hill that they
that they created with a consecrated chapel on top
that overlooks everything
I mean that's
the views from there are just absolutely phenomenal
yeah that's
they're so beautiful uh
Hard Rock Los Cabos Hard Rock Los Cabos has their
their chapel there um
that is so
there's a chapel
there's like a little garden terrace out in front of it
and then the ocean directly out in front of it
so really beautiful photos
and you know
for those
those couples that want that religious aspect to their
their wedding we can get it
it's it's out there and it's available
those venues again
typically will have a
a venue fee that's gonna go along with that
we forgot Costa del Campo
they have a chapel as well
oh hahaha
that's a that's a working Catholic church
they have yes
mass all the time
but they will not let us have the weddings inside of it
only in front of it I'll take in front
it's gorgeous it's gorgeous though
yeah no
there you can't get a bad photo
yeah even if it was me falling down
it would still look good hahaha
falling into the donkey you're falling into the donkey
oh the donkey
and that's also where if you need a cat at your wedding
hahaha you'll be in that area
yes yeah
hahaha
it's not that that chapel there is so beautiful saint
so beautiful ST
Anna's house
it's yeah
it has that kind of what did you say Nikki
the name of it it's Saint
Saint Stanislaus oh yeah
it's um
it it it
it's in Altus Oklahoma
and up there it's all like an old European style town
that is what it looks like up there
and that
that church that's there is just beautiful overlooking
um
this is where you wanna go
if you wanted to get married in like
Italy or in somewhere you know
like old world type and not everybody's gonna fly there
we got you yup yup
you go to the Ryan's side that's
absolutely true
it's absolutely true that
that's really what that's for is
you know that's
you don't want to transport 100 people over to
over to Italy over to
you know Greece
over to France that's
you can get that same feel in
in Dr much closer than
than going across the Atlantic
um and then
I think the last thing that I want to talk about
venue wise is gonna be offsite venues
hmm so now there's
you know there's so many resorts
and so many different options that you can do on site
but there's a lot of really strong off site venues
that you can consider when you're looking at it
and I think there's some really
a lot of advantages that going
that come with going with an off site venue
it's so first of all
offsite venue in my experience
typically the cost is gonna be a little bit less
um the offsite venues it's
they tend not to first of all
they have a lot of the built in decor
it's already there right
um so you just need to add accents and things like that
they have a lot of control over the vendors
that they work with
and they'll let you bring in a lot of vendors
where you're not paying an offsite vendor fee
sometimes uh
some of them will only work with certain vendors
and you just have no choice
um that's
but that's so
you can typically kind of
get some additional flexibility with an offsite venue
um
obviously some of the challenges are gonna be
transporting your guests to the venue
right you're getting a shuttle
getting a shuttle um
but the nice thing about that
is that most of these venues
have that service already built in or
you know
that they'll let you know what that cost is gonna be
right up front right
mm hmm um
one of the ones that we work with time and time again
is cakua down in
in Dominican Republic um
cakua phenomenal offsite venue
we've had more than a few weddings there
um but
I think what a lot of people don't realize is that
when you do an offsite venue
we can still help you with the room block
and still make sure that your
your group is set up they still need to be at a hotel
and we're gonna want them to be at a hotel together
so that they're not you know
it's at this property and that property
and that property and you
there's so much more to it
I you know
you do a destination wedding
because you not only want the wedding day with your
your friends and family
but you want kind of like a wedding weekend with them
right and if they're not at one property
if they're all over now you're still talking
you know that's a day pass fees
and you want the welcome party
you want the welcome party
you know
the separate fees for them to attend the welcome party
and things like that so it's
you would still encourage your guests
to all stay at one hotel
but then do some of these offsite venues as well
um La Joya
we just had one yeah
it's this path that's a beautiful venue
uh huh beautiful venue
that one's Mexico Mexico yep
uh huh um
so there's
there's some of these different offsite properties that
I think really
give you a whole different dynamic to it
um
Percy do you have any
I think there's a lot more personalization
there's a lot more personalization
um and
and that
that's all they do is do your wedding reception
that's all they they're there for it
they're they're doing it
they know you wanna be gorgeous
glamorous everything
and sometimes you can have your
your reception go later
some resorts cut cut it off at a certain time
yeah
that's that's also a really good point
Nikki it's that
if you want that late night reception for live music
yeah things like that
a lot of the off sites
are gonna allow
a little bit more flexibility with that
yeah
so I mean
we can go on and on about venues and
and you know
kind of what all these look like and all
all the different choices that are involved in them and
and some of the properties that kind of do
some of the venues better than others
but I think the story that we wanted to tell with this
is just how much of the venue choice
goes into your resort choice
it's really gonna help shape
you know if you have a very specific vision in mind
for what you want your wedding to be
we're gonna have certain properties
that we're gonna Wanna look at
based on what that vision is
and I think you know
when we talk about our consultations and
you know getting to know our couples
that's one of the first questions that we ask
it's are you a toes in the sand
are you a rooftop are you a garden terrace
tell me what your vision is for it
because
that is going to shape where we're going to send you
and and where we want
we can hit a price point in all of them
right that's
but we want to make sure that we're
setting the expectation properly
from the beginning so
we're finding the best venue
that's going to fit your wedding vision and your group
yep um ladies
anything else to add about venues
anything else you wanna walk through while we're on
I wanna plan a um
what a
what's the word I can't think of it
beach club hahaha
I want I want a beach club now hahaha
just because I want a beach club wedding
yes we're putting that out into the universe
we're manifesting hi
anyone listening to this that wants a beach club
contact Prissy schedule your presentation today
that's all
hahaha
alright ladies
I want to thank you so much for jumping in
and joining us today for the conversation
we had a blast and we will talk to y'all soon
bye bye
