acw271011

Congrats and happy planning! I just received and email that said that as of April 30, 2014 the Dreams Riviera Cancun will no longer be a dreams, but she didn't say what it was going to be. The lady, Claudia, did say that they are unable to accept any wedding bookings past that date.

We had ours in a restaurant that is part of a hotel, that has a semi-private room atthe back. We were a small group - only 30 but we still had a DJ and dancing and dinner. It will depend what your budget is and whether you just want a reception, or a full sit down dinner, and how many people you think will be there. We had a second cake that we cut, and redid our first dance and had a slideshow of wedding pictures that ran through the evening. With it being part of a hotel, we got a good rate for booking a certain number of rooms so people weren't worried about drinking and driving! We had friends that drove 8 hours to attend so if they are people that care about you, they will be there! Good luck, and congrats!!

Congrats! A NYE engagement is special! Have you looked at the Gran Porto Real? It's a sister resort to The Royal in PDC and has all of the same features and packages, but they are a lower price point than The Royal. I've been investigating both and had the same feeling about price. Gran Porto Real definitely has a lot of things going for it, and you're still right in the heart of PDC and all the action if that's what you're looking for! There have been some posts on here about it. Not a lot, but worth reviewing! Good luck and enjoy!

Welcome! I was married at a Gran Bahia in Jamaica, and have visited RM so there must be something useful in that! The Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica that we dealt with was fantastic! There is a forum here dedicated to that venue, and I'm sure there are forums here that you would find good tips and advice on other GBPs. We had no issues dealing with the wedding coordinators - in fact they ended up being our witnesses and signing our marriage licence! The rooms were gorgeous and the resort itself was very, very clean and well kept! We enjoyed the food overall and didn't have any complaints during our entire week. The wedding reviews were great, including mine!! And Tammy is absolutely right! lol I had a travel agent here in Toronto and they were super. She definitely didn't add any stress to the planning! Wright Travel are DW specialists - maybe talk to them and see if there is something different they can do for you and help you out!! Congrats and good luck with your planning!

I would definitely recommend a travel agent, whether you're in the US or Canada. Firstly, an agent can probably lock in a rate for you, or in the US, block rooms for you. And yes - you won't have to answer all of your guests questions about all of the travel details! That's what the agents get paid for! You're going to be busy working out your details so getting an agent will absolutely take away some of the "stress", and most likely dealing with an expert will be less stressful for your guests too! Congrats and good luck!!

I think one of the best things is the anticipation! Then the countdown! Enjoy your planning! Have fun with it and above all, try very hard not to stress! The one over riding thing you will see on this forum is the brides that come back and tell everyone how beautiful it was and how easy. The wedding coordinators know what they're doing (or at least 95% of them lol) and these resorts do this kind of thing all the time. Your day will be wonderful! Good luck and congrats ladies! There are a ton of things to read through on this site so again, enjoy!!

there is also a site called www.preownedweddingdresses.com it's a really cool site and it's for both buyers and sellers

In all the reading I've done on this site, that's the one thing I've never seen. A back up plan yes for a covered venue, but never a backup plan for another day. I'd be surprised if that's something they could do given travel plans, other weddings, etc. I will also admit though, that I haven't seen much in the way of posts where someone has actually had to take the backup plan for their wedding. Tammy has it exactly right (and she's the expert!). Check with the resort and ask what their rain plan is. Being anywhere in Mexico or the Caribbean, they will have one. If I remember our backup plan was written into the information that the resort sent to us.

I agree. That's a toughie. Good luck! A suggestion though.... without being quite so blunt lol why don't you look into what is available "elsewhere" for babysitting. Politely let your "BFFs" know that your resort doesn't allow children under a certain age and let them know the information you have found out about babysitting. People can be quite stubborn when it comes to their children, and you will probably find this out when you have your own, but they never, ever think their children misbehave. Believe me - they do!! lol Mine are grown up, 2 of which are step kids, and I have grandchildren. We had an AHR and my husband said no kids. He didn't want me spending more time with my grandbabies than enjoying our party. We were very careful how we told the kids they couldn't bring theirs, and it was fine. They made their own arrangements for care and it all worked out. You do need to be firm with your friends, but be polite too. And if they decide they don't want to be there because their kids can't, then since you're making the decision, you have to be understanding too of the fact that your friends might not be there. Again, good luck!

Hi Tammy, How much time is involved? I love being on the site, and would love to help out in any way I can. Does it matter if I'm in canada instead of the US? Thanks!

I would also highly recommend taking a look at Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica in Runaway Bay. it's beautiful and there is a huge forum on here of brides that have been married and are getting married there! I did in October 2011 and would recommend it to anyone!! A lot of resorts are going to charging outside vendor fees and some are very high. I used Tai Flora in Ocho Rios for my flowers rather than the resort and I was thrilled with them! They did a great job! GBPJ does decorations for you but i know a LOT of brides bring their own chair sashes and so on if they have a specific colour preference. GBPJ also has it's own DJ that is available and you can rent out the restaurants for the entire evening so that you're completely private. The outside vendor fee at GBPJ is high - $800 because they are trying to push their onsite photographer, who isn't actually very good from the reviews I've seen. I would highly recommend Merrick Cousley - merrickcousley.com He is a native that lives in Kingston and he will go pretty much anywhere on the island. He is easy to work with, quick to return emails and his work is beautiful. Depending on your budget, if you can get around the vendor fee somehow, he is well worth it. Check out the forum and read through it. You'll find a ton of tips, pics and reviews and comments. Our wedding was our first time in Jamaica and we fell in love and very much want to go back. Good luck with your planning and enjoy!!

I've been looking at quite a few for the same area and have had quotes from about 6. So far, and it will depend on what you want and what your budget is, I like Cecilia Dumas and Ivan Luckie. They both have very reasonable pricing from what I can see and offer a good number of hours for the number of pics you get. Of course, it's a matter of personal taste as well. There is also Claudia Photo, Del Sol, Photos in Cancun, Sweet Fire and Octavio Montes that I've looked at. Check out the vendor reviews. They will be a big help!

Hi. I've read through a lot of posts and I've found 2 that seem to come equally recommended depending on what you want and what your budget is. They are: mayafloral.com and floresrivieramaya.com I'm sure you'll find reviews on this site for both of them. Good luck!

Thanks Wendy. The group would be only adults. My concern was when I was comparing costs. I checked a travel website just for fun and it doesn't look to be a huge difference - maybe about $200. Does that seem right? I really like the idea of an adults only resort and I love the packages The Royal is offering. If I make it through some health issues I want to do a vows renewal in October 2015 so we're a long way out, and a whole lot to get through before then!

I just have a question. sorry. why isn't anyone using the host of this site? They are Karisma specialists and can help you out with everything!!!! Check out their vendor reviews - Wright Travel. Again, sorry. I just thought it was really strange to be seeing people asking about and looking for a TA and planning help when it's all right here! lol good luck everyone!

I got married in Jamaica in October and it was great! What about doing early November, right after Halloween? Maybe Nov 2,3, or 4th? The rates are still quite low. We were told high season doesn't actually start until Dec 15th so you should still be able to get a good group rate. You miss Halloween but still have plenty of time before Thanksgiving. I'm Canadian so Thanksgiving for us is early October. You could also look at the last week in October right before Halloween. We were told Jamaica rarely gets hit by hurricanes, but we just decided to take our chances. The weather was fantastic and it was still really hot. I think we had one day where we had a couple of showers, and that was it. Hope that helps. Good luck!

Hi. I wondered if Gran Port has a section for adults in their accommodations? I know it's a family resort, but I wondered if it's still possible for adults without kids to be a little private in terms of rooms? we've had too many hotel experiences where there are out of control kids that parents don't properly look after!

we had an AHR 2 weeks after getting married in Jamaica and it was great! we had a super night and it was worth it!! we didn't have a large group - only 30. we found a restaurant that had a semi private room that worked perfectly for our size group. I wore my dress again, my hubby wore the tux he hadn't been able to wear in Jamaica because it was too hot, we did a first dance again and a small cake to cut and had a DJ. I also got a fabulous deal on a photographer and had all the family and friends photos done that we had missed in Jamaica. we did a dinner, with appetizers to start. there are people that still say that it was the best reception they've even been to, and it has now been just over 2 years! I think it's a great idea especially if you have a lot of people that can't make it to the destination wedding. finances are tight for everyone nowadays. just my two cents worth. hope it helps. and yes, there definitely are no hard and fast rules. you can pretty much do whatever you want. as long as you have fun! that's all that counts!

well they say that the 2 things that bring out the worst in families are weddings and funerals. I can say from experience that it sucks but don't allow other people to bring down your excitement about your own day. nobody is worth that. they aren't the one that you will be living with daily when you're married. the man you're marrying is the most important person, next to you. in this whole spectacle. what makes the two of you happy is all that counts!

Would highly recommend Merrick Cousley. He did our wedding 2 years ago and we loved him! He lives in Kingston but will travel anywhere on the island. He is a joy to work with! www.merrickcousley.com

I don't know if it helps or not, and I know it isn't possible for everyone, but we had a reception at home 2 weeks after coming back from Jamaica. My husband was against it after what family and friends had done, but he gave in. We didn't do anything fancy and we were a small group - only 30. We found a restaurant with a semi-private room overlooking lake ontario, hired a photographer, had a dinner and a DJ, a tiny cake to cut and another first dance and had a super time. Believe it or not, we had family come from 3,000 miles away that had said Jamaica was out for them. It was easier to manage just a flight so they did. We got our family pictures with our kids that I wanted - it was the first time we had all of them together at the same time in about 5 years. My husband did a slide show of our wedding pics from Jamaica and that ran onscreen for the evening. By the end of the night, the rest of the restaurant was full so we had people stopping by and congratulating us and laughing with us. It turned out to be a great night! Maybe that's something for you to consider. As Tammy said, in this economy a trip south isn't always possible for people. They may be on board to start with but when it comes to actually committing the funds, it doesn't work out. But there are so many different ways you can have a party and have people celebrate with you after your marriage. Even if it's just getting a hall, some finger foods, a DJ and a cash bar! There are no hard and fast rules. Anyway, all the best. I hope things work out for you, but I'm sure they will! I think if you look in my profile gallery there's a pic there. Good luck!

If it's any consolation, we had everyone cancel on us, or pretty much. We're older and have grown children but we still got a lot of enthusiasm when we said we were getting married in Jamaica. When it actually came time to book though.... well that was a different story. The excuses started. Then when other people starting hearing about the cancellations, it just snowballed from there because everyone was afraid they weren't going to get the cheaper group rate! We figured well, we were going ahead with it anyway. What the heck. We still had our friends that were going to stand up for us. Right? Guess how long that lasted. And we changed from getting married in October to getting married in November to accommodate them because they were worried about hurricanes! So when it came right down to it, I was pretty down about it all. You can read all my postings on here lol. I felt the same way that us getting married, because it was second time around for us, that it wasn't important enough to people. It nearly split my husband and I up and we had been together 10 years then. But he put his foot down and said basically too bad for everyone else. They were going to miss out on a wonderful vacation and being there for our wedding and we were just going to go ahead anyway. So we did. We put our date back to what WE wanted, not somebody else and the wedding coordinators at the Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica were our witnesses. We had a wonderful time, our photographer was our only dinner guest, they did a special wedding cake for us and because we were only 2 for dinner, they treated us like royalty!! It was great! And in the end because we booked closer to last minute, we ended up each $300 cheaper than what the group rate was!! So we got the last laugh. The important thing to remember is that you're marrying the man you love in a tropical destination and as long as he is there, that's the most important thing. Anybody that starts making excuses, well tell them they're going to miss out on a wonderful vacation and it's too bad they won't be in your wedding photos. It will still be a great day! Good luck!

Really glad to hear you enjoyed Michael's group. We had a great experience with him and will recommend him to anyone!

Thanks murmel. I guess that means kids? Do they have an adult section or an area where you can escape? We're older so don't care for the screaming kids section anymore. Been there done that lol! Has anyone had a really small group for a wedding there, i.e. 6 or 8? If so, what did they allow you to have in terms of cocktails and a semi private reception? Or did they even allow it? Since for a small group renting a dance floor, etc isn't worth the money, is there somewhere that a group that size could go to party after dinner? Or would travelling into PDC for the night be a better idea? thanks again!

I hope there are still people here to answer questions. I see there hasn't been anything posted here for a while. I have a couple of questions for past brides... 1. if your package says "standard" bouquet, can you pick any one in the list? if so, can you change the flower colours? why does the list say +$ (varies in amount) is that in addition to a bouquet being included? 2. has anyone had a really small group here, like 6 or 8? if so did they allow you to do cocktails and a semi private dinner? did they charge extra in any way? everything seems to be minimum of 10 and I can't get an answer from the resort 3. has their vendor fee changed since last year? some places are charging upwards of $800. Royal was quoted at $350 - is that still the same? 4. I see from reading on here that a lot of people are going off resort for flowers - is that just because of cost or because they do a bad job? 5. what is a "signature" cake? do you still get a choice of flavours or is that only on the couture ones? do they give you any kind of credit if you take a couture cake instead fo the signature one that is included? Anyone that can answer, it would be most appreciated!