TATrisha

Welcome to the group Asia! Natalie, the girls are right on target. Setting the venue was the hardest part for me. I didn't even know if I wanted to get married in Mexico, Hawaii, or an island! So I started comparing airfares to all of the places. It was important to me that my family and friends be able to join us if they chose to do so, so I had to keep in mind their budget. That quickly determined that Mexico was the way to go for our group for the time of year. From there I made a check list of things that I wanted. I wanted to get married ON the beach. I wanted a family friendly resort. I wanted an outdoor reception. I wanted crystal blue waters. I wanted to be close to attractions, but away from Cancun. By making a list of the things that I (and when I say I, I mean we) wanted, it was easy to narrow down the resort choices.

Pam, we had two children with us in our group, but one and a half. The resort size was not an issue. They brought along an umbrella stroller so it was small, but with the trolleys running everywhere the size of the resort was not a problem at all.

April is definitely a great month to go (and why I chose April as my wedding month). When we were there for a week it was beautifu and sunny. Slightly cooler at night which was great for the gentlemen to wear slacks to dinner. And the 3pm wedding time is nice because the hot noon sun has started to wear off. There was only one rain storm while we were there and it was in the evening. They said that's usually when it rains during the month of April.

Ah ha! 150 capacity for the wedding, not the resort. Gotcha. That still stinks, but hopefully you'll have 149 people come and her friend will make it 150

Hello Midwestern brides! I'm Trisha and I'm from 20 minutes north of Milwaukee! Little bit about me, I was a destination bride in April of 2008. I got married at Gran Bahia Principe Akumal in the Riviera Maya. I actually joined this forum right after it switched to a worldwide destination planning source (it used to be Cabo only) and I made life long friends, which is why I'm still here today! Now I'm actually a wedding photographer and I'm lucky enough to travel around the world doing destination weddings, so I stay on this board to keep up to date with the different resorts and such. Anyway, I love seeing the Midwest presence here, and definitely some ladies from Milwaukee!! It's so cold and snowy right now that planning a destination wedding is like heaven!

How close are you to your aunt and your cousin? Are you willing to say no and not have your aunt and cousin come along? Honestly, I'd say yes and allow it. The resort only has room for 150, but they wouldn't be booking an extra room, would they? They'd still use the same amount of bed space and I would highly doubt they'd let someone else in their room. So maybe if you say that as long as the three of them share a room, she can come?

This place looks beautiful! And the price is very reasonable. Make sure you double check on the playing of music first though.

Hi Abbie, This is actually probably one of my very few regrets. I went all out with a lovely OOT bag. It was fun, but seriously, half the stuff didn't get used. If I had to do it all over again, I would get the travel mugs and just put the goodies inside of those. And by goodies, I'd do a small sunscreen (a lot of people ran out and were very thankful to not have to pay the high gift store price), SPF lip balm (almost everyone forgot to bring that), gum, candy, ibprofin/tums, and tylenol packs. (the travel packs of the drugs can be bought at Office Max... that's where i found the best price). All of that would have fit inside of my travel mug and saved me a lot of money.

Congratulations Pammy! Coba is a beautiful resort, they all are. You've made a great choice. I see we have a lot of new brides, so for those who haven't made it back to the beginning of this thread yet, HI! I'm Trisha. I got married at GBP Akumal at the Hammock location in April of 2008. I had a private poolside reception. I absolutely loved my wedding and wouldn't have changed a thing (okay, that's a lie... but about the actual wedding itself, nope!). As I am approaching my three year anniversary (where did the time go?) I realize that my information might be outdated now, but I still like to help when I can! So if you have any questions, just let me know!

I think having cliques could be a good thing too. I think this forum is so wonderful in the way that brides from their certain resorts can become friends and share experiences. Obviously those brides are most likely to become friends because they have something to share with each other. But the other ladies have made great points about repeat subjects that a lot of the ladies just skip over. As for the midwest clique... sign me up please!! We can bond over the freezing cold and snow!

The pictures are from the Akumal side. I had 36 guests, and it was one of the best decisions I made for my wedding. Worth every single penny!

Hi Krista! Sorry the pictures aren't working. My review is here with two pictures: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/gran-bahia-principe-akumal-all-inclusive (that's me on the rocks with my husband). Sadly my photographer has revamped his blog (it looks great by the way... Amore Studios in Seattle) so I'm no longer on the blog for me to link you too. If you have some specific pictures you'd like to see, feel free to PM me.

The legal ceremony is actually extremely easy if you've never been married before (and don't have HIV I guess). I was really nervous about the blood draw because I have rolling veins and it's pretty much a nightmare every time (and I am fine with needles). But I can honestly say that their nurse was AWESOME. She used a baby needle and got it on the first try. Quite impressive. Here is a picture of my poolside reception. There are lights wrapped around the umbrella thingies and the you can see rope going inbetween them (look upper right corner). I assume that's where they'd hang the lanterns. Another bit of advice, if you're doing a poolside, DO NOT waste your time, money, or luggage weight allowance on bringing candles. They never stayed lit and was really just a waste. One thing that we LOVED that we did though was glow ice cubes. It was awesome. This is a pretty bad picture of it but you get the idea

Welcome to the forum! I've photographed a wedding at Sandals Negril and it was beautiful!! Will you be going with the beach location or the gazebo? As for hair, the ladies in the salon were beyond pleasant and the hair of the bride matched the photo that she brought in. She was very pleased. One other tip, have the steak. As a wedding photographer I try delicious food every weekend, but I to this day will state that my absolute favorite wedding steak ever was from Sandals Negril. Delicious!!

My husband worked out in the gym there every day (Akumal side). I'm sure we have a picture of it somewhere. It's located underneath the main lobby. There is an entrance at the bottom of the stairs. So when you walk out the main lobby and go out the stairs, you turn right (left would take you to the pool). It's right there. Very nice equipment.

I had the mixed grill for my wedding, and it was AWESOME!!! Great food and A LOT of it! Plenty of choices for everyone.

Um, it depends HOW pretty. I mean, if it's a short sun dress, then I'm sure... until one of the gaurds catches you inside and makes you erase your memory cards (this seriously DID happen to a photographer who is part of this forum, anyone remember who? I can't think of his name right now). If it even remotely looks like a wedding dress, and you're being posed and taking pictures... I'm pretty sure you'll be stopped.

Melanie, I photographed a symbolic ceremony down there and it was beautiful. I don't think a single guest would have known it wasn't the real thing. They signed documents and everything. It was really beautiful.

Awesome deal Tisha, but just be warned that this could get you banned. Forum rules don't allow posts like this. Instead you're best to put it in your signature and then be active (and actually contribute like you do) on the forum. Then people will see it every thread that you post in, rather than just here... in this "illegal" thread.

Not blind http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/category/riviera-maya-cancun  The "tabs" are at the very top. So right now, your forum one should be a bluish color. Next to that is resorts & villas. That's where the reviews are.

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